Martha McGuetle

SanDiegogirl

If you apply for a fiance visa then you have 90 days in which to get married - if no marriage your visa ends and you return to the UK

There is no temporary visa to allow you to live with your boyfriend while you decide whether you are suited or not, or to marry or not.

You can VISIT the US for up to 90 days without any visa requirement.

He could visit YOU in the UK for up to 6 months without a visa.

Jerseygirl

You can visit your finance/husband for up to 90 days after applying for the appropriate visa...but you cannot stay until you have the visa in your hand.

civilservant

If you wanted to live in the US independently of him, an investment of $500k (potentially refundable) would buy you a Green Card.

There is no visa to 'shack up and try it with a boyfriend' I'm afraid.

Martha McGuetle

Martha McGuetle

Rete

Morning, Martha. Glad you have found your way to us.

Have you and your online friend had the opportunity to meet up yet? It would appear from your response above that you are unfamiliar with travel to the US which is why I've asked. Why not plan a trip to visit each other and see how it goes. You can use the VWP (visa waiver program) to come to the US for up to 90 days. You can complete the ESTA online and if approved you are free to book your flight and with just that approval and your passport, you can visit him for a week or a month or as long as 88 days from your date of entry.

As pointed out by a previous poster, there is the investment visa. Do you have the funds to invest and more than likely lose if the business does not work out? You said you have no skills so this type of visa and/or any other type of work visa doesn't seem the right fit for you.

If after a visit(s) with each other, then you both can explore what would be best for you both. There is the Fiancee Visa which is the clearance for you to entry the US to marry within 90 days and most importantly remain with your new husband until you have your permanent residency/green card. After marriage, you will apply for adjustment of status which is the petition/application for your permanent residency / green card.

Another way is sometime in the future after you are both sure that you want a life together permanently, you come to the US, get married with the express intent to return to the UK and then do so. You don't need the Fiancee Visa to marry since you will leaving the US after the wedding. Getting married when entering with the VWP is legal but you need to return to your own country to await your spouse filing in the US initially for the start of your Immediate Relative Visa which will be adjudicated at the US Embassy in London.

Of course, this is only a very brief description of both processes but just wanted to give you some insight into your options.

Martha McGuetle

salachar3

It sounds like your prospects are excellent, but do proceed with caution! Read all you can (although there is a lot of gloom and doom out there).

The process is cumbersome, time consuming, expensive, and slow. And there are several ways to approach it [full disclosure ... I am American and met an English woman online ... she visited and we got married in Feb 2017. We applied for a Spousal Green Card in July 2018, and that is still in the works ... slow!!! But she has visited a total of 5 times, three months at a time, under the VWP].

We read that the Fiancee Visa can take just as long to approve as the Spousal Green Card, and ends up costing more in the end. But that was a couple years ago, Don't come here under the VWP, get married, and apply for an Adjustment of Status (AOS) ... very risky and could jeopardize the Green Card! I believe it is possible to apply for a 6 month tourist Visa, come here, get married, and apply for an AOS, but research that hard. The AOS route is more expense, and on 15 Oct, when Trump's new brutal screening process goes in effect, the AOS process becomes WAY more cumbersome. All kinds of pros and cons.

My best advice though is to be real sure this is what you want to do (including getting married). Have you visited the States before? My poor wife feels like a fish out of water when she is here and I feel for her, but we have gone ahead. Meanwhile, the long distance relationship is tough too, as she is there way more than here after three years.

Best wishes! If you go for it, I'll be glad to try to answer questions as they arise, if I can.

Nutmegger

Don't do this, OP! Applying for the B tourist visa when you are eligible to use the Visa Waver Program can lead to big problems, taking away the right to travel to the US for a period of time.

civilservant

Don't bother with the research. That's illegal.

salachar3

Thanks! I never looked into that thoroughly, which is why I said "research hard"! Definitely don't want to mislead anyone!

Rete

She is not waiting for a Spousal Green Card. Terminology is very important. She is waiting for an Immediate/Conditional Residency Visa which will allow her to entry the US and upon entry by a permanent resident. The paper green card is issued with the I-551 stamp in her passport upon successful entry. The "card" itself will be mailed to her at the US address she gives.

She will NOT qualify for a B tourist visa. If a UK citizen applies for a formal tourist visa it will 99% be denied as they are entitled to use the ESTA/VWP unless they are coming to attend a business conference, are retired. etc.

What brutal screening process?????????????????????????????????????

Martha McGuetle

Jerseygirl

Why don’t you stick around, read and join in some of the threads in the US and Trailer Park forums? That way you will get a better idea of what it’s like to live in the USA.