Munchkin

You really think it was a scam and that he may have 'used' you..? why would he leave at this late time, right before the marraige?? He could have came there on a visitors visa if he was planning to 'run'... Obveously he has left because of the problems you guys were having.. I would not contact any deparments until you are SURE that you arn't going to get married. If things suddently improve, then you may just regret reporting him as a possible scamer or whatever.

.. do you love her?

Don't ever let what your family think get in the way... This is your wife, give your loyalty to her. Once your family meet her they will come around, and if they don't then ask yourself, how much do you value them as friends if they don't respect your choice of who you want to marry. I'd say go for it, stay true to your marital vows and have a great life with your wife.

thank you for all this advice guys... based on this, it seems that I need to have her here on a longer visa before we get married..

There are marraige rules here which at the moment I don't believe we will be able to adhere to:

> Needing to give 31 days notice.. (She turns 18 next month, about 38 days before our visa ends.. we would have to get married with about 5 days left, no where near enough time to file for the Cr-1)

> Needing a birth cirtificate...

This is a serious issue for us, she does not have her birth cirtificate, however she does have her passport.. I thoughtu passport would be all she need to marry me here.. but I think she needs the birth cirtificate too.. I would love to marry her in Sydney, I need to look into laws regarding what identity she would need to marry me there.

So now I am thinking that our best option is to extend her visa here, perhaps a study visa as she is interested in study.. Once she has that visa and she is here for the duration of the course (which would be a couple of years.. the prospect of being together for that long is simply delightful), while she is here for the course we would get married and THEN file for the Cr-1... Becuase she will be here for so long it gives us plenty of time to get it finished..

What do youse think? Is there something I'm missing, perhaps we can't file for Cr-1 while she is on a student visa???

thanks again for your responses guys

Thanks for the advice guys-

About the K-1 being different in ways in Australia- what differences are these? Is it perhaps more beneficial then the Cr-1 visa for my particular situation? The CR-1 does seem the best from what I've read but I'm not sure

Hi, I'm from Australia and my girl is from the U.S... She is in Australia at the moment... If we were to marry here in Australia, and she got a tourist visa which would last for the duration of the CR-1 visa (say 12 months, to play it safe), would we be able to file for and complete the whole application without having to lodge applications within the U.S? This would prevent us from having to part...

I read that I would not be able to enter the U.S while waiting for the CR-1 visa application... Does this mean I cannot enter AT ALL, even on a tourist b1 visa or something?

Thanks!!!

Hi guys, I'm an Australian and my girl is from the U.S.

I've been reading so much on immigration over the last few months, and it seems incredibly complex...

From what I can see, there may be a few things standing in the way of my girl and I remaining together..

We met in August 2008 online, and fell for each other very quickly. In March 2009 I flew out and we held each other for the first time at JFK Airport.. I stayed in the U.S for over 2 months on a visa waiver.. then came home to Australia.. being apart for the next 5 months was terribly heart breaking... I'm sure many on here know that pain... It was truly horrible, and I still feel sick just thinking about it.

Late 2009 I flew back out and entered the U.S on the visa waiver program again, I spent another 2 months with her, and then she flew back with me to Australia (also on an ETA visa waiver thing)...

Everyday is an absolute joy for us... When you've been away from the love of your life for so long, you take absolutely NOTHING for granted.. Just waking up and being able to look at your baby, and to eat breakfast and spend the day together is worth more then anything.

We want to be married, we are committed to each other and have lived with each other for over half a year... the thought of not being able to stay together, to be split back to our countries, is devastating.. Five months was brutal and I can't imagine possibly doing that again. However, the cost of travelling to the U.S to live without work is alot, and it also is for her to do that here.. We need to be able to live together in one of the countries where at least I can work to support us.

The major problems I see are these; I am 20 and she turn's 18 next month. I can already hear the colletive cringing of the VJ'ers haha.

We are saving all visa applications, either her extending her visa here in Australia, or us being married, until her 18th birthday.

How much of a problem will it be that I am 20 and she is 18?

The other problem is work- I have not had steady employment because I have spent so much time in the U.S. Over the last 12 months, I have spent over 5 months in the U.S. Right now I am unemployed (We arrived in Australia a few weeks ago..) and I am seeking work as best as I can.

We are in this for the long haul and are looking for long term options for us to be able to live together and one day be able to have a family together. I know this is a long shot, but I am wondering: Is it possible for her to one day have Australian Citizenship, and me to have U.S citizenship ( so both of us have an Aust and a U.S passport) so that we can live in either country and visit family in both without having to go through many processes each time?

So I'm wonderng what out best options are for remaining together.. Any information appreciated... Thanks!!