bufalo

thanks for the info, the reason I wasn't sure is that - now this is a totally different case so I don't want to confuse - but my wife and I were in a similar situation, she's colombian

She had a US residency but since we were living in Colombia, we wanted to change it to a US tourist visa. In order to do that she would've had to hand in her residency first, then try the tourist visa. If they denied it she would've been screwed big time -so we had to move to the US, get the ciitzenship, then we're leaving.

thanks again!

Sorry for getting back late, but thanks for the info. Turns out she's going to stay there and he'll petition her from the states and visit her now and then. I'll post back what happens about whether or not she can come to the states to visit him using the tourist visa.

Thanks in advance for any help as this is confuuuuuusing.

Here's the deal: He's US citzen in US, she's Mexican in Mexico. They were married 2 months ago in Mexico. He wants to bring her to the US to live. She already has a US tourist passport.

He can live in Mexico for 6 months then DFC or

He can fill out the paperwork in the states and wait forever while she's in Mexico

BUT! my questin is this: If he requests her from the US does she have to give up her tourist visa? As in while during the waiting process she comes to the US to visit him, making sure not to overstay her tourist visa, can she do that while waiting for her permanent papers to come through? This is not coming as a tourist with intention of marrying (which is illegal), but her still "living" in Mexico while physically here on "vacation".

Any ideas?

Thanks again!

Thanks for the help! When I married my colombiana, it was years back, and way easier to do in the bogota consulate. We had just moved there from Uruguay and everything took a real short time - but things have changed since then. What took us two weeks would've supposedly taken months in the states to do (and without us together).

Guess we just had dumb luck then.

I didn't post clearly the other day....

What I meant to say is that I have a friend (US) who is going to marry a mexican in Mexico. They want to live in the US. Would it be easier/faster for them to go to the US consulate in Mexico or would it be better/fastier for him to come back to the US by himself and file for her here (in US)?

Thanks for the help. My colombiana and I went to the colombian consulate years ago and it was way easier to tdo it that way.

I think so too. I'm not a lawyer at all, but know lots of people who have gone through this. Once we wait out the three years, I don't think the previous stuff is going to matter. One year we spent up to 4 months in the US, but we spent as little as 3 weeks others.

Living off of savings basically. I had saved up enough money because I always wanted to take off the first year that my child was born to be there constantly. Since we mostly stayed out of the US - it turned into almost SIX years...

- unoficial wedding in Cuba

- lived in the old quarter of Barcelona

- Center of Montevideo

- 6 months on the Amazon River where Colombia, Peru, and Brazil meet

- a few years in the coffee region of Colombia

- and a few stops in NY

not too shabby!

I noticed you had "5 years" from the guides... isn't it 3 if one is married to a US citicen?

Thanks for your help! I already got me a colombiana...

I think they're getting a civil ceremony, not sure where... then having a regular shebang in Mexico with both families.

but we were out of the states almost the whole time. Only have been here consistently starting one year ago - so I believe I read (gotta find it) that it would start all over again from last year...

Oh, but thanks! 90 days before - will do!

Thanks, this is for a buddy of mine...

He's US, she's Mexican and has come to the US as a tourist previously, but is in Mexico and lives there. Anyone know if it is easier/better for them to get hitched in Mexico or the US? They want to live in the US.

Reason I ask is that it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay easier for me and my Colombiana to get married in Colombia way back when - maybe not so now.

Thanks for any help. I hope to be hanging around here more often and helping others too.

My wife is Colombian I am from the US, our daughter was born in Colombia, but has a born abroad cert. My wife also has had her US residency for about 5 years now, we got it at the consulate in Bogota. We maintained it by visiting the US once a year. One year ago we moved to the US permanently.

From what I get, she can apply for her citizenship in 2 more years (total of 3 consecutive living in US and married to a citizen). Or is it that she can apply earlier to actually get the citizenship on the 3rd year anniversary?

Since we've moved here we have filed taxes (one year), but previously didn't because we didn't make any money (literally). Will this count against us and is it possible to still file them to make USCIS happy?

Yes, I'm checking this info out, but thought to ask here also for real people's experiences.

Thanks again!

I imagine, deportation can come into play, but just in serious cases. We've only been asked why we were outside the country so long on one ocasion and it didn't seem to be a big deal. She never went over the year limit. When we go back now, it's to stay until she gets her citizenship, which "should" be three years.

She'd actually go for the tourist visa, which would be easiest for us. But being from Colombia, GOOD LUCK on that happening. Being married to a US citizen means jack as far as a tourist visa is concerned.

So she could move to the US and leech off of the system like all those people complain about as far as immigrants are concerned..... BUT they won't let her spend a vacation there which would involve spending money... what a government, huh?

I understand that Colombia has had major problems with overstays on tourist visas, but now it's just a lottery. The embassy just picks people at random it seems (also having known someone who worked there). The whole situation is pathetic. We don't even want to live in the US, but have to to fix this stuff up.

Just want to make sure I got this right. I was born in the US, a citizen, my wife, colombian. we've been married for over 4 years now and have never been in the states for more than 5 months straight. we have always stopped in at least once a years since marraige. she has her permanent residency since we got married. We have a daughter together that has both citizenships.

We plan on moving to the states in January, mostly to take care of all this nonsense. So from what I gather, in order for her to become a citizen there, we have to live there for 3 consecutive years before she can apply for citizenship. After that we're good to go, correct?

Thanks for your time, and like I said, just checking