Foreigner Marrying a Citizen

Are you planning on get a fiance visa or adjust status? Depending on where you are, it might take a while! What is your current status?

On getting*

I had an acquaintance, years ago, who went through this. It took forever! She got married for love, remained married for a number of years, divorced and remarried (also for love) and it was still going on.

Hi Naomi, I’m also marrying an American citizen I’m from the Philippines. We currently still on the process of getting the fiancée Visa I’m now waiting for my case number to schedule my medical exam and embassy interview. I believe soon as I get to the US we need to get married within my 90 days of my entry and we hired a visa processing company to help us filed the petition.

Get an immigration lawyer. It will be worth the money because they’ll know exactly what you need to do.

This seems like the show 90 day fiance!! Best wishes!!

View Quoted Comment I am planning on adjusting status. I am currently on a business visa. Do you know if you can get married first and then do the paperwork? Or does paperwork come first for the legality?

View Quoted Comment Yeah, that’s what me and my fiancé are thinking! Thank you😊

View Quoted Comment Unless you can become a legal permanent resident through other means, youd need to get married first. I'd recommend that you send tons (and I mean TONS) of supporting evidence of a legitimate relationship to make your case easier. The more you have, the better. If you can afford a lawyer, then get one; otherwise, the forms are pretty straight forward and you can fill them out yourself. Read all of the instructions as you fill them out and you shouldn't have any issues (theyre mostly personal info).
If you live in a city with a long waiting list (over a year) dont send the medical form with your paperwork, just take it to the interview with you so you dont have to do it twice. It's a lot but it's doable if youre well organized! 😊

It depends in part on what you mean by a business visa. Are you on an H-1B? Or a B-1?

H-1B is relatively simple. Assuming you have some time left on the H-1B, you can go ahead and get married while on an H-1B, and adjust status afterward.

B-1 is more complicated. In order to get it, you had to show that you intended to leave the country at the end of six months or a year. For that reason, they typically won't even give it to you if you mention having a boyfriend/girlfriend in the US.

The risk is that if you get married while on a B-1, and then attempt to adjust status, they will say that you must have intended to stay when you got the visa--which would mean you committed fraud in getting it. And that would bar you from adjusting status. So you'd have two choices: either go back to your home country before the expiration of your current permission to stay and then petition for a fiancee visa, or try to adjust status in this country by persuading them that you had no thought of marriage when you got the B-1, but fell in love after that. I would strongly advise consulting an immigration lawyer if that is your situation.

My fiancé is on a visa and we have all the paperwork ready. We spoke to a lawyer months ago , paid the lawyer and got all the paperwork and fees put together. All we need is the marriage certificate and she can send it off during our honeymoon.
Where we live adjustment of status says 9.5-24 months for family - you can look on the Uscis website for processing times and more info.
theu break everything down simple

View Quoted Comment Processing times are in the years- they will have plenty of evidence by then. It’s not hard if your marriage is true
my friend is on her second kid with her husband and they started their process with her pregnant with the first