Feez

Gotcha, yes I understand. I don't want to abuse the ETA. If I get the UK Spouse Visa, eventually I would lose my UK resident status if she comes to the States as planned and we start our permanent life together here (which is our agreed-upon end goal).

I have another follow-up question. While my fiancée's I-130 application is processing, I know I can come-and-go to the UK with the ETA, but I imagine I would end up spending a large part of the year there, which might raise some eyebrows. So we're considering applying for a UK spouse visa (for me), so that we can live together in the UK while she's finishing up her postdoc and the US Visa is processing. Is there technically anything wrong with doing this? I want to avoid conflict with either application.

Thank you for the advice everyone. For now we will continue with the original plan then.

I have a few follow-up questions if you folks don't mind. Everyone here has been extremely helpful, so I really appreciate it. One of the reasons we are doing the consular process CR-1 for I-130 spousal visa is because my fiancée wants to complete her current postdoc in the UK, which should be about 1-1.5 years. This lines up with the standard processing time for the I-130 in the first place. After which she can then come here and immediately work/apply for jobs. There is a scenario where she finishes her postdoc early while the visa is still pending. At that point, would it be advisable to apply for jobs in the US and look to get sponsored? If so, would getting an employment-based visa affect her pending I-130 application? She is a highly educated professional (Phd), so this is a possible path we are considering. Alternatively, what if at that point she came here and filed to adjust her status (I-485), and then applied for a work permit? Would that affect the pending application too? What would you folks recommend? Would it be best to just wait out the consular processing I-130?

Thank you very much for all the advice. I'll plan to file ASAP then.

Hi folks, apologies for bumping this thread but I have a further question. Our plan now is to get legally married in the US, since the process is so much easier than getting legally married in Ireland. This is what her friends are recommending to her as well. After the marriage, she would then return to Ireland/UK to continue her postdoc and we'll visit each other back-and-forth while the I-130 is being processed. My question is - can I file for her immediately after she goes back home? Or should I visit her again post-marriage before I file?

Gotcha. I'm going to bookmark this page so I have all this handy to reference in a few months time. Will be sure to provide an update! Gotcha. Simple and truthful until further questioned. I was not aware that Dublin airport has US preclearance. I just looked it up. https://www.dublinairport.com/flight-information/travelling-to-usa/usa-preclearance

She does plan to visit the US for the first time in August under ESTA. For about a week. Our wedding ceremonies won't be til October-December. In that situation, "Vacation" will be the best thing to say right? Since we would have no legal connection. Thank you to everyone for the responses. I was recommended this site by someone on Reddit. I'm really glad I posed my question here. I'm a spoiled US born citizen so I've never had to seriously think about this stuff until I met my fiancée.

Thank you for the response! This confirms what I had in mind then. Btw, for the reception she would be coming with her family. What do you suggest her family members say to the officers? Should they just be truthful, i.e. they're here for their daughter's wedding reception and then intend to return back home? I presume simply being truthful is generally the best course of action as long as nothing suspicious is being done.

Hi folks. My apologies if this is posted in the wrong forum. Would appreciate any and all help and perspectives. I'm a US citizen living in California, and my fiancée is an Irish citizen living in London doing her postdoc (she has a Phd in a science field). We plan on getting married later this year. The legal marriage and religious ceremonies will take place in Ireland, and then 1-2 months later we will have a reception in California. She would then go back to Europe to complete her postdoc. In the meantime, we will file a CR1 (I-130) while doing LDR until the visa process is complete. That is the plan I had in mind at least. I need some guidance on what is the best way to logistically navigate this in a lawful manner. When she visits California for the reception, she would travel under an ESTA. She would legally be my wife, so should she just be completely honest with immigration officers? That she recently married an American citizen (me) and is visiting for a reception and intends to return to Ireland afterwards in a few weeks? She could of course come prepared with proof of employment, proof of tentative stay (hotel, airbnb, etc. reservations) and whatever else. I've been told (not by a lawyer) that this would be the best course of action. Similarly, in the future while the visa is being processed and she wanted to visit the US, she would have to show/establish intent to return? Which brings me to my next question - what would be the best time to file the I-130 application? Should it be done in-between the Ireland and California events? That way there's proof that we have paid the fees and started the lawful process for a spouse visa before she returns back to Europe. Or should I wait until she goes back before filing the application? I really appreciate anyone who responds. I realize that there are probably thousands of foreign spouses traveling to the US on a daily basis. I just want to do my due diligence and make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. We are trying to do everything in a lawful manner.