Wendy

I met a man from Jordan last year. We fell in love and wish to marry.
Is it faster to marry in jordan and apply for a visa for him that way
or go the route of fiance visa? He had suggested we marry there but not
have it recorded at the us embassy then come to the USA and get married
there too so both families can attend and celebrate.

What are the time lines for both kinds of visas?

Bob

K1 depends where abouts in the US you are, as for spouse visa and jordan, wouldn't have a clue...

scrubbedexpat099

You can only get married once. Does not matter whether it is registered with the Embassy or not.

Usually K1's are quicker, especially if you can go through Vermont, but you will need to add in the timeline for securty checks, which is difficult to forecast.

ian-mstm

It's not a matter of fast and slow. If you're planning to go with a spousal visa, you can marry in Jordan. If you are planning to go with a fiancee visa, the marriage must be in the US. If the "marriage" in Jordan is legally binding under Jordanian law, you will not be able to use a fiancee visa... and USCIS can be quite fickle in its interpretation of foreign ceremonies... even if it's not called a "marriage".

Both visas will take anywhere from 4 months to a year from the time you apply until the alien lands on US soil. There will be a period of separation... would you rather it be before or after you are married?

Ian

Noorah101

I agree with Ian...be careful of what constitutes 'marriage' in Jordan. If you get legally married in Jordan (whether recorded or not), he won't qualify for the K-1. You might be able to perform a religious ceremony in a mosque, for the family's satisfaction...just be 100% sure it doesn't make you married in the eyes of the Jordanian government, only married in the eyes of God.

As for length of time, the fiance and spouse are pretty much the same nowadays. But with him being from Jordan, you can expect long security check delays, either during the visa process, or after his visa interview, or maybe both.

Best Wishes,
Rene

Folinskyinla

Hi:

The question of what is faster is indeterminate -- once you marry you are committed to the immigrant visa route.

Also, what do you mean by "faster"? The I-130 followed by Immigrant Visa is "faster" in the sense of COMPLETION of the legalities. Or do you mean "faster" for his physically getting here?

As an aside, there have been recent hiccups in the implementation of the "IMBRA" legislation passed earlier this year.

BTW, don't even think of hiding a Jordanian ceremony. Its been some time since I looked specifically at Jordan, but there was no civil marriage at all in the Ottoman Empire and later in the British Mandate of Palestine. This continues to this day in Israel, Jordan and the Terretories -- marriage is determined by the religous communities.