Hello,
I am a US citizen, and my future wife is Canadian. And, I found that the simplest way for her to get permanent residency in the US is through CR1 visa.
But, I have several concerns regarding that.
1) I know Canadians can freely travel to the US for 90 days with ESTA. She will be coming here and get married. After getting the marriage certificate, we will fill a petition for CR1 visa. After filing the form, is she going to be OK staying with me in the US until the visa is approved?
2) While the petition is in progress, is it okay for her to travel outside of the US?
3) I know the processing time got much longer now. But, I know it varies by many factors. Do you know how long does it take for Canadians to get the visa usually?
4) Does it matter whether you marry (including marriage certificate) in Canada or in the USA?
Thanks for looking over my questions!
Merry Christmas!