chronos1116

We’ve had three visits already together. I make roughly 150k USD annually at 25 doing military contracting work. i work ten hours a day during the week, so it is hard for me to find time to do research. We’ve decided to go forward with this process, as if anything happens we can always pull out and just lose time and money. rather than be together for two years, then take two additional years for this.
 
please inform me on any incorrect assumptions I’ve made. I feel like I’ve done a little bit of research, however,  I feel like this part is kinda fuzzy to me. I’ve decided to post here, which has been the most helpful
 
what a warm welcome to these forums! Thanks for your response, hopefully there’s not as many sour people as you. 

Hi everyone,
My girlfriend and I are looking at submitting the K1 visa soon, roughly March. She is going to visit me(Sponsor, United States) at the end of February after I visit her(Beneficiary, Canada) for her birthday. We're going to drive over the border together and fly out of an American airport, so crossing there will have a lot of questions. We've been dating for roughly four months and decided that the K1 would be the best path for us due to the long processing times. However, after reading these forums, it looks like CR-1 would've been the best bet. We planned on a return flight in a month and a half, but have insurance on it so we can push it back possibly to the max of three (or six?) months, I believe. During her time here, she will be working towards finishing online classes at a Canadian institution and also getting certified towards certificates in her desired field.

My questions are:
Are we allowed to submit the K1 visa while she is here under no visa? I know that once the K1 visa is submitted, there is a significant amount of scrutiny under the Beneficiary, but I don't know if that looks bad in the light of immigration officers.
- And if she is, are we allowed to have her stay up to those 3 months like we originally planned? Moving forward, every time she enters, does she need to enter under an ESTA? I acknowledge the 1.5:1 day rule, so we will be mindful of that. And if we can extend our upcoming trip, do the immigration officers take note of that? How do we let them know that we will be extending our trip? Or do we just be honest with them and let them know when we plan on going back? I know honesty is the best policy with them.  
I will be sure when crossing to have all my paperwork, paystubs, and bank account ready to be shown. She will also have the proper paperwork. Thank you if you took the time to read this, have a nice day!

 

We’ve had three visits already together. I make roughly 150k USD annually at 25 doing military contracting work. i work ten hours a day during the week, so it is hard for me to find time to do research. We’ve decided to go forward with this process, as if anything happens we can always pull out and just lose time and money. rather than be together for two years, then take two additional years for this.
 
please inform me on any incorrect assumptions I’ve made. I feel like I’ve done a little bit of research, however,  I feel like this part is kinda fuzzy to me. I’ve decided to post here, which has been the most helpful
 
what a warm welcome to these forums! Thanks for your response, hopefully there’s not as many sour people as you. 

If visiting is easy, why choose the K-1?  The processing times are not much different for a CR-1 vs a K-1. 
 
Every couple has their own priorities, and each couple must decide which visa is better for their situation.
K-1 
  More expensive than CR-1
  Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)
  Spouse can not leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (approx 6-8 months) 
  Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 6-8 months) 
  Some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period 
  Spouse will not receive Green Card for many months after Adjustment of Status is filed.
  A K-1 might be a better choice when 18-21 year old children are immigrating also
  In some situations, marriage can affect certain Home country benefits, making a K-1 a better choice 
  A denied K-1 is sent back to USCIS to expire
  K-1 entrant cannot file for citizenship until after having Green Card for 3 years.
  Once an I-129F has been approved, delaying the case is difficult to impossible if the need arises.

CR-1/IR-1
  Less expensive than K-1 
  No Adjustment of Status(I-485, I-131, I-765) required. 
  Spouse can immediately travel outside the US 
  Spouse is authorized to work immediately upon arrival. 
  Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US 
  Opening a bank account, getting a driver's license, etc. are very easily accomplished with GC, SS card, and passport.
  Spouse has legal permanent Resident status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to US.
  The clock for citizenship filing starts immediately upon entry to the US.
  A CR-1/IR-1 case can be delayed indefinitely at NVC if the need arises. 
   

 
 
 

Hi everyone,
My girlfriend and I are looking at submitting the K1 visa soon, roughly March. She is going to visit me(Sponsor, United States) at the end of February after I visit her(Beneficiary, Canada) for her birthday. We're going to drive over the border together and fly out of an American airport, so crossing there will have a lot of questions. We've been dating for roughly four months and decided that the K1 would be the best path for us due to the long processing times. However, after reading these forums, it looks like CR-1 would've been the best bet. We planned on a return flight in a month and a half, but have insurance on it so we can push it back possibly to the max of three (or six?) months, I believe. During her time here, she will be working towards finishing online classes at a Canadian institution and also getting certified towards certificates in her desired field.

My questions are:
Are we allowed to submit the K1 visa while she is here under no visa? I know that once the K1 visa is submitted, there is a significant amount of scrutiny under the Beneficiary, but I don't know if that looks bad in the light of immigration officers.
- And if she is, are we allowed to have her stay up to those 3 months like we originally planned? Moving forward, every time she enters, does she need to enter under an ESTA? I acknowledge the 1.5:1 day rule, so we will be mindful of that. And if we can extend our upcoming trip, do the immigration officers take note of that? How do we let them know that we will be extending our trip? Or do we just be honest with them and let them know when we plan on going back? I know honesty is the best policy with them.  
I will be sure when crossing to have all my paperwork, paystubs, and bank account ready to be shown. She will also have the proper paperwork. Thank you if you took the time to read this, have a nice day!