General Wonderings

Catou1181
New Member



Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Posts: 2
Location: Montreal

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:10 am

 

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Hello all,

Im newly engaged(yay ) to an American who resides in Colorado. I live in Montreal, Quebec. The distance is a challenge but we are doing really good and the long distance thing is not as difficult as I could have ever imagined it to be. It sucks, but having Brett in my life makes it all worth it

We want to be married in Montreal, and we were hoping this fall. Now from what I understand, if we get married outside the states, we can't apply for the fiance visa. Is that correct ?

Basically, the information Im looking for is the one that will enable me to be with my husband fastest after being married. Meaning, we would like to not have to live apart once we are married.

So is it at all possible to apply for a K3 or IR-1/CR-1 visa and move right after the wedding ? Even if I were to not work until the Visa was issued ? Or do I need to stay put until the paperwork is all filed ? Is it something like 3-4 months, or more 1-year+

If those options aren't the right one for us, would it be best that we say, get a fiance visa, get a civil marriage in the States and then have the real wedding in Montreal so that my family can attend and plan as they have been for the past weeks ? Or can I not travel outside the US for a certain amount of time after getting married.

Ive been trying my best to not think about the whole process too much, and Im kinda driving myself nuts with it. I don't think my mind will rest until I can start figuring out the best option.

Any suggestions and/or insight ?

Thanks so much
Cat

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Reba
Moderator


Canuck in NC

Joined: 16 Jul 2004
Posts: 1291
Location: North Carolina

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:55 am

 

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let's see if I can help here.



correct. If you plan to marry outside the US, a US fiancee visa is not going to help you any



not going to be possible unfortunately. If you marry in Montreal, you will be separated for some time after the wedding.



You will not be able to move right after the wedding. You will have to go through the K3 and/or the CR1 process first. Current processing timelines are anywhere from 9 months to about a year for either one of them.



current processing timelines for fiancee visas are about 6 to 9 months as well, so if you're planning a fall wedding in Montreal, this scenario is also not likely to work for you. Even if you did get a US fiancee visa in 6 months, you still need to get married, file the paperwork for adjustment of status (AOS) and apply for advance parole (AP) before you'll be able to travel. AP is not always granted, and when it is, it is not in a timely fashion.



If you *must* be married in Montreal, you will be separated from your husband for some time afterward.

check out http://www.visajourney.com for information and timelines for K1, K3 and CR1 visas. There's a Canada forum there with a couple dozen people in your same situation.
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Catou1181
New Member



Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Posts: 2
Location: Montreal

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:21 am

 

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We've actually been looking at another option. This one would be to get married civily when I go there in a few weeks.

From there we could file the I-130 and then the I-129F for the K3 visa.

Come fall, we could have the wedding in Montreal, as it would be more a "re-affirmation of vows" since we`ll technically already be married.

By then, there would only be a few months to wait until the Visa is approved, as long as everything would go according to plan

Does that seem doable ? Its not illegal is it ?

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