Private Skylark

Thank you to everyone who has replied so far. I'm going to continue to lurk the forums and gather as much info as I can on what we're going to be facing over the next year when we start this process in May. We're going to start building up our "proof of relationship" paperwork/photos etc over the next two months. Although this brings me onto another question:

We plan to fill the forms together when I head to the US in May. So I plan to bring a few copies of my old flight tickets / letters / photographs / phone bills etc that will go into the "pack" that he will send off. If I get stopped by immigration (although that has never happened my last two times visiting there) do you think that by admitting what these items are for (application for K-1 visa) that they will send me back to the UK believing that I want to wed on this trip?

Oh yeah, we definitely know what we're getting ourselves into. We've known each other almost 3yrs now, have been together officially well over a year and have met each other three times in the past 7 months alone and we've talked every day since we met 3yrs ago. We've had countless discussions about this and we know we're ready to be together. The last time we met we were together for NINE weeks. We'd both saved up for ages to be able to together for that long and it gave us the chance to literally live together for over 2 months to see if we'd work. We work amazingly well so we have no worries about living together on a more permanent basis (although he must learn to make more tea dammit!).

In regards to being able to financially support ourselves - We'll more than likely be living with his Mum for the first 6 months of marriage while I sort myself out a job etc. He'll also be, obviously, working too. I work as an Administrator and have looked at the rate of pay in Orlando for these kinds of jobs and it sounds like it pretty much matches up to what I am currently earning in England.

But thank you all for your info, words of warning and support. We're most definitely not just rushing into this. We realise the timelines, the money and the stress involved in this. Despite our ages we're far from immature.

Collect as much "proof of relationship" as possible, including photos on your next trip. Try for pictures of you with her family and vice versa.

Be ready for the interviewer to ask where you intend to marry. As rebeccajo points out, you may be underage in many States.

Be ready to explain how the USC will sponsor the foreign national. It's probably wise to start lining up your co-sponsor.

Be sure you understand the gravity of what happens next, i.e., Adjustment of Status. That's where the USC signs a contract with the U.S. government (I-864) promising to keep the alien off welfare for 10 years (I believe) into the future whether the marriage works or fails.

Yeah, we have lots of photos, letters, emails, flight tickets etc already. I didn't get any photos of him (I'm the female by the way) with my family when he came to the UK for Christmas and I haven't got any photos of his Mum and I... But thanks for letting me know that those type of photos would be good to get too =]

As he lives in Florida the age in regards to GETTING married will be fine as I am 18 already and will soon be 19. I'm sure I'll be 20 by the time we are finished with the process and are on our way to being wed.

I think I'll have to read more about a co-sponsor and see what needs doing in regards to that.

Thanks for your help (and to everyone else above too!). I'm just glad that the age will not be something that holds us back =]

My partner is 19 and I am 18 (19 in under a month.) We are planning to begin the K-1 application after my 3rd holiday to the US in May (all three holidays have been funded for by myself, not my parents or anyone else). I'm curious as to whether or not our ages will go against us. I want us to be taken seriously, but worry that because of our ages we wont be.

Does anyone know if the application will prove harder for younger people like ourselves or if we will have the same chance (so to speak) as everyone else has?

Apologies if this has been discussed previously. I tried a search but it pulled nothing up.