moroccanwife06

My friend is Romanian and in the US on a CR-1 visa, with the conditions currently being removed. She has a 2 month old baby and is in a horrible marriage. She wants desperately to return to Romania but is unsure of the rules and laws involved. Leaving her baby in the US is NOT an option. Can anyone help me to help her in this situation? What are her options?

Hi all,

I can see how someone reading this thread might be confused into wondering if a foreign marriage is accepted in New York State. So just to reiterate, a marriage that is valid in the foreign country in which is was performed is recognized as valid in New York State (with a few exceptions I believe, like if the person was underage...) I was married in Cuba and it has never been questioned here, in any circumstance.

There was an interesting case I read about recently in fact that highlights this. There was a lesbian couple from Rochester, NY who were legally married in Canada. ( I believe that both are US Citizens and residents.) They went to court in NY State when one's employer tried to deny the other spousal benefits. The court affirmed that a marriage that is legal in Canada must be recognized as legal in New York State. Congratulations to the happily married couple! Now I hope that will soon apply to gay and lesbian US citizens who want to marry and bring their spouses to the US, and experience the same hopes and joys as many of the rest of us on this forum. Onwards!

2NS

It's not the validity of the marriage, it's actually about the documentation proving it. NYS will NOT accept my Moroccan marriage certificate for things such as name changes.

That's crystal clear. Is it just as clear that they will accept a passport and SS card, if you get those before trying to change the name on your driver license? Is the procedure for changing the name in your passport now clear? Do you understand it need not be done at a "county" office, since it is issued by an agency of the Federal, not county of State government?

I'd just like to add my 2cents for whatever it's worth here. I got married in Malaysia in July and that is date we used for all my visa applications.

Last month I went to NY because my husband's family wanted an official ceremony there. And in order for us to get a justice of peace to witness us exchanging vows we needed to apply for a marriage license from the city hall. The lady at the city hall verified that we cannot use the Malaysian Marriage Certificate to substitute that. The NY marriage license says I can change my last name if I want to.

That's the extent of my knowledge of how it works in NY. In terms of name changes, passport, SSN I can't really say much cause we havent reached that step yet. Currently my Malaysian Passport is still in my maiden name and I have no intentions of changing that because here we don't take our husband's last name. That might change when I go to live with my husband in the future though.

I know this is not much help but at least its another view of the situation.

Thank you so much for your additional input. You know what I have been saying, as you experienced it as well.

Hi all,

I can see how someone reading this thread might be confused into wondering if a foreign marriage is accepted in New York State. So just to reiterate, a marriage that is valid in the foreign country in which is was performed is recognized as valid in New York State (with a few exceptions I believe, like if the person was underage...) I was married in Cuba and it has never been questioned here, in any circumstance.

There was an interesting case I read about recently in fact that highlights this. There was a lesbian couple from Rochester, NY who were legally married in Canada. ( I believe that both are US Citizens and residents.) They went to court in NY State when one's employer tried to deny the other spousal benefits. The court affirmed that a marriage that is legal in Canada must be recognized as legal in New York State. Congratulations to the happily married couple! Now I hope that will soon apply to gay and lesbian US citizens who want to marry and bring their spouses to the US, and experience the same hopes and joys as many of the rest of us on this forum. Onwards!

2NS

It's not the validity of the marriage, it's actually about the documentation proving it. NYS will NOT accept my Moroccan marriage certificate for things such as name changes.

I am a canadian citizen married to USC , he lives in newyork , i didnot change my name after marriage , and we didnot have any civil ceremony in NY , we registered our marriage in canada

Hi there,

I'm a Malaysian citizen married to a New Yorker USC. We got married in Malaysia last July but just recently had a ceremony in New York. This is considered the official marriage by US standards because according to city hall marriage outside the country is not valid, thus they did not accept our Malaysian marriage certificate.

You have an option of changing your name. It's really up to you. Your call. I havent decided yet.

FINALLY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank YOU SO MUCH!!!!! I spoke with an immigration attorney yesterday and he said this will cause little or NO problems with my husband's Visa in the future. He said we can simply explain when needed that NY does NOT accept a foreign marriage certificate in most cases, that is why we have a second one. Thank you again. It's nice to hear from someone who is IN NEW YORK and knows what I am talking about.

glad to be of help..anything to help a fellow VJ! Good luck with everything...hope all goes well

Even I know what you're talking about. You ran into a problem because you did things backwards. Had you taken care of the passport and Social Security card first, you could have used those documents instead of your marriage certificate to change the name on your driver license.

Do you really think people who change counties, States or countries during their marriage have to re-marry their spouse for the State of New York to recognize they are married? It's ludicrous.

I really don't know WHY you feel the need to be so obnoxious. I did nothing backwards, I did them as I knew best. When I went to change my passport I was told by the agent that they would not accept my Moroccan marriage certificate. Where do YOU LIVE? Are you an immigration attorney who knows NYS laws? If not, then you need to stop being such a know-it-all, condescending, pushy person. Stop insulting me, telling me I do things wrong, and I am unaware of what the procedures are. This is the first time I am dealing with immigration issues, the first time I married someone who is not am American citizen. You seem to know a lot, but you certainly don't know everything. If you can't answer my posts NICELY, just stay away. You are NOT helpful. You are offensive, at best.

I really should clarify... I am new at this but I have done my research and NO WHERE does it say to change my federal information first. I went to the county offices because there IS NO federal office nearby. Changing passport information is done at the county office. And in case you were not aware, it's not the marriage they do not accept, it's the MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE. If you actually read the threads here you would have seen that. The only way for me to get one they WOULD approve is to have another one here in NY. I spoke with SEVERAL county offices and there is no way to get a NY marriage certificate based on the information in my Moroccan certificate. THAT is where the problems came from. If you cannot accept how I am handling this situation, feel free to stop replying to me. I want advice from others who have faced this situation, not someone in an entirely different state who thinks it's ok to berate other users.

I am a canadian citizen married to USC , he lives in newyork , i didnot change my name after marriage , and we didnot have any civil ceremony in NY , we registered our marriage in canada

Hi there,

I'm a Malaysian citizen married to a New Yorker USC. We got married in Malaysia last July but just recently had a ceremony in New York. This is considered the official marriage by US standards because according to city hall marriage outside the country is not valid, thus they did not accept our Malaysian marriage certificate.

You have an option of changing your name. It's really up to you. Your call. I havent decided yet.

FINALLY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank YOU SO MUCH!!!!! I spoke with an immigration attorney yesterday and he said this will cause little or NO problems with my husband's Visa in the future. He said we can simply explain when needed that NY does NOT accept a foreign marriage certificate in most cases, that is why we have a second one. Thank you again. It's nice to hear from someone who is IN NEW YORK and knows what I am talking about.

glad to be of help..anything to help a fellow VJ! Good luck with everything...hope all goes well

Even I know what you're talking about. You ran into a problem because you did things backwards. Had you taken care of the passport and Social Security card first, you could have used those documents instead of your marriage certificate to change the name on your driver license.

Do you really think people who change counties, States or countries during their marriage have to re-marry their spouse for the State of New York to recognize they are married? It's ludicrous.

I really don't know WHY you feel the need to be so obnoxious. I did nothing backwards, I did them as I knew best. When I went to change my passport I was told by the agent that they would not accept my Moroccan marriage certificate. Where do YOU LIVE? Are you an immigration attorney who knows NYS laws? If not, then you need to stop being such a know-it-all, condescending, pushy person. Stop insulting me, telling me I do things wrong, and I am unaware of what the procedures are. This is the first time I am dealing with immigration issues, the first time I married someone who is not am American citizen. You seem to know a lot, but you certainly don't know everything. If you can't answer my posts NICELY, just stay away. You are NOT helpful. You are offensive, at best.

Thanks Theresa!

May i asked why you opted to have him buy it there? Can i buy him an electronic ticket via RAM online and just give him the confirmation number? Or is this not a good way to get him the ticket?

Thanks again!

hz

I sent him the money because I remembered checking prices in Morocco when I was there and the prices varied. I was comfortable that he would find a decent price there with a travel agent and he did. He paid a little less than what I found online.

Salaam all,

How is everybody?

Here is my question, and i know we've discussed this before.

Do i have to purchase a return ticket for Habibi for him to enter the States on a K1? Usually the difference in price for the one way and return is so minuscule it doesn't matter, but i just looked on RAM's website and the difference in price is about 4000 dirhams!! That's a lot of centimes especially since our dollars are worth a lot less these days...

So, can i just buy him a one way online, and he won't have any problems with it at the airport or anything? He'd be flying, inchallah, from Casa to JFK...

Thanks everybody! (F)

hz

You can do that. I sent my husband the money via MoneyGram and he purchased his one way ticket through a travel agent there. The cost was about the same.

we got married in Mexico and we did not have to register the marriage at all, when I changed my name with Social Security, BMV and the Department of State (Passport) I just had to furnish the Acta De Matrimonio (Marriage Certificate) with the certified translated copy.

I've posted this somewhere else in the forum but I'll say it again.

Any city hall in NY does not recognize any foreign marriages for changing name purposes, DMV, SSN, etc. We got married in Malaysia last July but it isn't valid in NY. What we did was we applied for a marriage license from city hall two weeks ago and had a justice of peace marry us officially in the US (I've returned to Malaysia since). We had no problem with that because we were planning on having a wedding reception in the US anyways. So it was just convenient for us.

This is exactly what I was talking about. Thank you julietom!

You still don't have to marry again. NY recognizes foreign marriages. What was needed was to change the passport and get a Social Security card first. Neither has anything to do with the State of NY. With a passport and Social Security card in married name, a driver license is not a problem. It's only when you go about things backwards that the problem occurs.

The problem IS New York. Where do YOU live??? Did YOU go to try to change your passport and license in NY with a Moroccan marriage certificate?? No? Because *I* DID. The best and easiest way to get a NYS marriage certificate was to have a civil ceremony. If you can call NYS and find any other way to get a NYS Marriage certificate, feel free. I have lived here my entire life (except for when I lived in Morocco) and they DO NOT accept foreign marriage certificates as proof of marriage when you want to change your name. Every state in the US is different, they all have their own laws. NYS will accept that I am married but they will not accept what I have as PROOF of that marriage. I called several different counties within NYS and got the same answer from them all, and they all say this is a problem, that they argue this issue often. If my husband can be here on a Visa from the FEDERAL government and that Visa was based on our marriage in Morocco and our marriage certificate was crucial in this entire process, then NYS SHOULD accept it as proof as weel. But, they don't. I am not going to argue with someone who is not fron NY. I'm glad you didn't have this issue, because none of us should

.

Is this the petitioner's name change we're talking about?

In any event, the State of New York has no jurisdiction over the name in anybody's passport. That's Federal, through the Dept. of State for a USC or through the foreigner's Consulate, not NY State.

The Social Security Administration and US State Department are not subject to the laws of the State of NY, so even if you are the USC petitioner, changing the passport and SS records first would have solved the problem with the State of NY. Like I said, you're doing it backwards.

You an expert, I presume? I am following the procedures as I did the first time I married (to my first husband, 13 years ago)... ie changing my name AFTER I marry with my marriage certificate as proof. I didn't change anything prior to my husband's arrival because I didn't want a name change to interfere or complicate an already difficult Visa process. I spoke with an immigration attorney IN NY and am also following his suggestions.

"The Social Security Administration and US State Department are not subject to the laws of the State of NY, so even if you are the USC petitioner, changing the passport and SS records first would have solved the problem with the State of NY. Like I said, you're doing it backwards." Backwards????????

we got married in Mexico and we did not have to register the marriage at all, when I changed my name with Social Security, BMV and the Department of State (Passport) I just had to furnish the Acta De Matrimonio (Marriage Certificate) with the certified translated copy.

I've posted this somewhere else in the forum but I'll say it again.

Any city hall in NY does not recognize any foreign marriages for changing name purposes, DMV, SSN, etc. We got married in Malaysia last July but it isn't valid in NY. What we did was we applied for a marriage license from city hall two weeks ago and had a justice of peace marry us officially in the US (I've returned to Malaysia since). We had no problem with that because we were planning on having a wedding reception in the US anyways. So it was just convenient for us.

This is exactly what I was talking about. Thank you julietom!

You still don't have to marry again. NY recognizes foreign marriages. What was needed was to change the passport and get a Social Security card first. Neither has anything to do with the State of NY. With a passport and Social Security card in married name, a driver license is not a problem. It's only when you go about things backwards that the problem occurs.

The problem IS New York. Where do YOU live??? Did YOU go to try to change your passport and license in NY with a Moroccan marriage certificate?? No? Because *I* DID. The best and easiest way to get a NYS marriage certificate was to have a civil ceremony. If you can call NYS and find any other way to get a NYS Marriage certificate, feel free. I have lived here my entire life (except for when I lived in Morocco) and they DO NOT accept foreign marriage certificates as proof of marriage when you want to change your name. Every state in the US is different, they all have their own laws. NYS will accept that I am married but they will not accept what I have as PROOF of that marriage. I called several different counties within NYS and got the same answer from them all, and they all say this is a problem, that they argue this issue often. If my husband can be here on a Visa from the FEDERAL government and that Visa was based on our marriage in Morocco and our marriage certificate was crucial in this entire process, then NYS SHOULD accept it as proof as weel. But, they don't. I am not going to argue with someone who is not fron NY. I'm glad you didn't have this issue, because none of us should

.

we got married in Mexico and we did not have to register the marriage at all, when I changed my name with Social Security, BMV and the Department of State (Passport) I just had to furnish the Acta De Matrimonio (Marriage Certificate) with the certified translated copy.

I've posted this somewhere else in the forum but I'll say it again.

Any city hall in NY does not recognize any foreign marriages for changing name purposes, DMV, SSN, etc. We got married in Malaysia last July but it isn't valid in NY. What we did was we applied for a marriage license from city hall two weeks ago and had a justice of peace marry us officially in the US (I've returned to Malaysia since). We had no problem with that because we were planning on having a wedding reception in the US anyways. So it was just convenient for us.

This is exactly what I was talking about. Thank you julietom!

Please go to this link for more informationan:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry1829042

BTW I called several county clerks offices across all of NY and got the same answers every time. The only exception was NYC, and they were of no help at all.

I am a canadian citizen married to USC , he lives in newyork , i didnot change my name after marriage , and we didnot have any civil ceremony in NY , we registered our marriage in canada

Hi there,

I'm a Malaysian citizen married to a New Yorker USC. We got married in Malaysia last July but just recently had a ceremony in New York. This is considered the official marriage by US standards because according to city hall marriage outside the country is not valid, thus they did not accept our Malaysian marriage certificate.

You have an option of changing your name. It's really up to you. Your call. I havent decided yet.

FINALLY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank YOU SO MUCH!!!!! I spoke with an immigration attorney yesterday and he said this will cause little or NO problems with my husband's Visa in the future. He said we can simply explain when needed that NY does NOT accept a foreign marriage certificate in most cases, that is why we have a second one. Thank you again. It's nice to hear from someone who is IN NEW YORK and knows what I am talking about.

I called an immigration attorney in Albany and he said to go ahead and marry here in NY. He felt the only time a second marriage certificate would be of concern is when my husband has his interview to have his conditions removed (it's a CR-1 Visa), BUT explaining to them how things work here in NY would be more than adequate. DMV and many other NY based offices will NOT accept a foreign marriage certificate, so by marrying here again in NY, it will give me the paperwork I need. If NY wasn't do damn complicated and money hungry, I wouldn't have to pay to do this all again.

Did you change your name once your spouse arrived in the US? Did you have problems with NYS accepting your marriage certificate from another country? Did you have a civil ceremony in NY after you married in another country?

My husband and I were married in Morocco in December 2006 and applied for a CR-1 Visa. He was approved and arrived in NY last week. When we went to the county office to register our marriage, we were told that NYS does not recognize marriages that took place outside the country. This does not make sense to us since his Visa was based on the fact that we ARE married. But, to appease the state, we were going to have a civil ceremony tonight, just for the paperwork but now I wonder if that will in any way affect his visa status in the future. I am thinking maybe we will just 'go through the motions' since my family was not with us in Morocco when we married, and simply not process the paperwork. Any suggestions on this situation???

We got married in Colombia and our marriage is valid anywhere in the US.

Diana

It's a New York State thing... I just spoke with a county clerk in another part of NY, where the issue of foreign marriages comes up a lot. I need to register our marriage if I want to change my name, and SOME state government agencies (like DMV) will NOT accept a foreign marriage certificate. Many people marry a second time, more of a renewing of vows than anything, just for this very reason. The Justice of the Peace marrying us has 5 business days to file the papers, so that should give me some time to decide if they truly need to be filed or not.

My husband and I were married in Morocco in December 2006 and applied for a CR-1 Visa. He was approved and arrived in NY last week. When we went to the county office to register our marriage, we were told that NYS does not recognize marriages that took place outside the country. This does not make sense to us since his Visa was based on the fact that we ARE married. But, to appease the state, we were going to have a civil ceremony tonight, just for the paperwork but now I wonder if that will in any way affect his visa status in the future. I am thinking maybe we will just 'go through the motions' since my family was not with us in Morocco when we married, and simply not process the paperwork. Any suggestions on this situation???

Congrats!!!!! My husband arrived from Morocco a week ago today. I know what you are going through.

It really sounds like normal processing, and the fact that they kept his passport is a good sign. My husband had to return with some additoinal paperwork too, but they kept his passport at his interview. (he only had one interview, when he handed in the additional papers, he was called in a few days) Be patient. It sounds promising to me.

We don't share, but mostly because I am diabetic and eat a little differently from everyone else. I count every carb I eat and watch portion sizes, so it' makes it a little harder to share.

Salaam 3alekum Everybody!

Thank you so much for your prayers and wishes. Thank you so much for your happy thoughts and all the good advice along the way.

We finished our interview, Alhamdulilah. Sorry it took me a few days to report back...

i think we did as well as we could have!

Hayati went to the Consulate with a stiff upper lip and his arms full of evidence. Thankfully, alhamdulilah, he spoke with a very nice blonde woman. She was friendly and smiled a lot, but she would not speak Arabic with him. He asked her twice, but she just kept asking him questions in English. My hubbie knows English, but very, very basic. But by some miracle, he understood everything she said, and she understood his replies.

She asked him:

My name

My address

How, where, and when he met me

If I'd ever been married before

He showed her our photo album and she looked at all the pictures.

Then he showed her my passport, and told her i was waiting nearby. She had him come out and get me immediately!! So i went in with him, and she asked me just one question. She wanted to know if we were already married because last year we tried to get married and i had to go to the consulate for some documents (that is another long story), but in the end, we never legally married in Morocco.

She said she did not doubt our relationship. She said they still had some administrative processing to do... and it should take a week or two. Then she took Hayati's passport, which i feel is a good sign. She said they'd call him in a week or two and that she didn't "anticipate any problems" inchallah.

Soo....

i don't know. What do you guys think?

i feel like we did our best and that it went as well as possible. Alhamdulilah.

Any thoughts?

Okay, hope you all our well, and i'll check back in when i can.

Thanks again for listening and being here,

hz

It sounds l a lot like our experience and he had his visa in about a week. :-))

WHY U CANT ADD A HOT PIC ????

Islam is within. Pictures show nothing.

Quick question...the visa...considering all goes well and its approved, do they give it that very day? Some ppl say yeh, some wait a couple of days...can anyone shed some light?

I've heard it can be the same day, though not likely. My husband received his within a week or so.

Hello, my question is has anyone tried to send extra proof of their marraige with the ds 230?We are going to interview in Morocco, and after reading all these posts , I am scared.When i filled out the I130 i only sent with it a marriage cert, joint account but nothing more.I was unaware that I was supposed to send photos and etc.I was under the impression that all the other things where supposed to be brought to the interview.

My husband took photos, bank statements, my Moroccan ID, my plane tickets etc to the interview with him. Be sure to take copies of instant messenger converstation, emails and phone bills as well.

I have been reading several of the Posts where the spouse is going to the interview with their respective wife or husband. I saw where this caused some delays in a couple of Posts. Does it help if you go to the interview with your Spouse? We don't have a date yet because I messed up some documents but I am hoping we get an interview date in July.

Thanks.

I didn't go and we had no problems.