tayleeg32393

Hi all,
This is honestly the only place I could find to post where most of the responses seem like they are coming from genuine humans. I am a 34 year old British Citizen (from birth lived here my whole life.) I have been dating and now living with my girlfriend from the USA for 2.5 years now and we are pretty serious in the fact that we would not like to be separated. After a flippant comment from our landlord about 'how on earth I would get into the USA' we are suddenly realising that it is actual ridiculously difficult to get me there on my own merit. I have worked for the same company since 2007, make a tidy salary for only having done A-levels but worked my way to the top. However this leaves me without any degree/qualification and it seems all USA work related visas are for some pretty impressive individuals.

After my girlfriend spent an entire day looking all this up (instead of studying for her exams ) she has come to pretty much one option: She applies for a fiancé visa for me now (to get the petition so I can start the process) as we want to be traveling to America for her to work around July of next year (graduates july 15). The issue of being a 'fiancé' isn't there. We knew that this was the plan. I just can't get my head around basically being forced to marry her within 90 days? It just seems like it kills the romance and that the US government is going to dictate what our wedding could/should be?

Anyone out there had previous experience into if this is a manageable thing? Are we right to start the process now if we need to go July/August of next year? Or anyone with just a few words of support or any other options that may be available to us?

Frustratingly enough we could get her to the UK easily as we have been living together consecutively for more than 2 years, but she has some very sick family members and would like to spend what time she can with them. Not to mention she has already been away from home for 4 years for her degree (and meeting me of course).

BritInParis

If you don’t like the K-1 visa route then you can choose to simply marry, whether in the US, the UK or anywhere else you fancy, and then apply for your CR1 from the UK.

tayleeg32393

I am just worried about the time for a CR-1 application. The current plan would be for us to be settled in the USA around July/August next year. Ive seen processing times of up to 10 months, and that doesnt include the fact we have to GET married. The ultimately goal would be going to the States at a similar or same time as her but I can't go and work on an ESTA or anything like that.

mikelincs

Just have a register office wedding in the UK, apply for the CR-1 visa, once you get it move to the states, you would be considered a PR when you landed and could work straight away, with the IR-1 you would need to apply for EAD once married. The time taked for either visa is about the same, the advantage with the CR-1 visa is the ability to workstraight away.

tayleeg32393

It just feels like again we are getting forced into getting married on their time line. It says a CR-1 is 10 months to receive. With that time mind we would have to go get married within the next two months. I haven't even asked her yet (as of current although its planned) and don't want this to all feel like its being done for the wrong reasons. We have such a happy relationship and just want to be able to ask her and get married like normal humans. I am sure she wants our actual wedding day to be a day with all our family and friends not just rocking up to the registrars office to sign a piece of paper with some witnesses.

mikelincs

Have the quick registrar office wedding, then at your own leisure have the full ceremony in the US, with all the trimmings. With the IR-1 visa you have a limited time to marry in the US in any case. The biggest hurdle you face is that the US require you to either be married or to marry within a short time frame of arriving there. There is NO means to get a visa without being married, unlike many other countries there just isn't a co-habitation visa.

BigT103

You say that it would kill the romance and you're doing it for the wrong reasons... I disagree, you're committing to moving halfway across the world to be with the person you love (assuming you love her ) I would say that was pretty romantic.

If you guys really want to be together then getting married would be your only option, unfortunately you are at the mercy of the US government. Get married as a formality in secret here in the UK then have a big wedding / party in the US when you can afford it, you don't have to tell anyone and your guests / family will be none the wiser.

tayleeg32393

I do, just not her countries idea of how immigration should be! So the two choice seem 1) Get married within then next month or so in UK and file CR-1, arrive to USA being able to work or 2) File for the I-129F and not be able to work when we go and have 90 days to do the marriage in

BigT103

Unfortunately buddy it is what it is, I don't like the fact that I have had to spend nearly two years living apart from my wife, sometimes you just gotta suck it up.... If you did get married within then next month or so in UK and file CR-1 would you may be eligible to file DCF (direct consular filing) in London, which would mean you would get your CR-1 visa much quicker than if you file in the US.

Rete

The time for the CR-1 will be quicker than the K-1 and lots of added advantages, since your girlfriend has legal right to live in the UK at the moment and file the I-130 at the USCIS office at the US Embassy in London. It will take only 6 to 8 months to complete the process. Advantages: Lower costs, green card the moment you enter the port of entry with the approved visa, start work immediately, no further dealings with USCIS until 2 years after entry when you need to remove conditions, and the start to US citizenship starts immediately.



UK immigration policy is not all that much better than the US but that is neither here nor there. If you want to emigrate, then you have to follow the rules.

Noorah101

Be aware that wherever mikelincs said "IR-1" he actually means "K-1".

The very best thing you can do to meet your deadline of living in the USA by August 2019 is to get married now and file the I-130 directly to the USCIS field office in London. This is the fastest route, and will probably take less than a year. This must be done while she is still living in the UK.

Unfortunately these are the choices, you are at the mercy of immigrating rules and timelines.

Rene

01morrissonj

Hello there,

Yes, work based visas are like gold dust, I looked into at as a potential route for me (Mechanical and Hydraulic Design Engineer) but it just wasn't going to happen.

My Fiancée and I have chosen the K-1 route, she's a US citizen (since birth) and I am a UK citizen (again from birth).
We weighed up all the pro's and con's and for us a small "quickie" wedding within the 90 day requirement followed by a big "reaffirmation of our vows" later seemed to best for us.
We filed our I-129F Petition for Alien Fiancée 5 months ago (to the day)
It was sent to the processing centre in California which is currently taking 5-7 months to complete their bit.
We're hopeful that we will hear something in the next month or so and be able to move forward, but it's been a long time coming.

During this process there's been a lot that we've had to chop and change, not getting quite what we want, quite how we want it or when we want it.
But it's not all doom and gloom.
It's all about the end goal, being together, and if you keep sight of that you'll get through it together and come out the other end with what you really want, each other.

Rete

BTW is your title saying you will become a US veteran of the armed forces once you are legally inside of the US or that your American roommate is studying to be an animal doctor or that she is going into the armed forces when she returns to the US?

civilservant

Ultimately, liking it or not, US immigration is not their for your convenience. It isn't Burger King, you can't 'have it your way' - you are lucky that you are one of the few people that come onto these forums that actually have a pathway to get a visa to live in the US, a good majority do not.

Registry office. Get married. File. You can worry about a big fancy wedding later.

​​​​​​​And with processing times getting as bad as they are, if could easily be 6-9 months before you can work AFTER you have filed the AOS paperwork. K1 just doesn't make sense to me.

lizzyq

I suspect the OP means veterinary surgeon / veterinarian rather than veteran. In the UK we refer to our animal doctors as vets, a military veteran is normally just ex-armed forces/services or ex-army/navy/air force, no specific term.