Jay-S

sibsie was talking in another thread about how straightforward her
case was. I'm interested in knowing if my case could go trhough as
easily.
I'm a French citizen, recently engaged to a USC. We know eachother for
almost 4 years ; we met while I was in Ohio, under an exchange
program. Since then, we visited eachother quite often (well as often
as our bankers would allow us to :-). She recently spent 3 months over
here, but as my english is slightly better than her French, we decided
to settle in the US.
She just got hired in Boston (started a couple days ago) and will be
making over the 125%. It seemed to me that the current salary (and
guarantee that her job was a stable, permanent one) was the only thing
requested in the Affidavit. Am I correct?
I never overstayed. The only other bad thing I can think of is a
speeding ticket, but I got it while I was under the visa waiver
program, not with my old visa. We both have at least a bachelor
degree.

Is this straightforward enough that our procedure could take the
minimum approval time?
At the moment, the I-129F has not yet been sent for the simple reason
that the check or money order apparently needs to have my fiancee's
current adress on it. Since she just moved to Boston, she's in the
process of getting it done!

Thanks for any help or reassurance you could give me :-)

Just a last thing I'm thinking of: how long does it usually take after
entering the US to be able to legally start working? Rents in Boston
are crazy expensive so I'd like to be able to make money as soon as
possible.

Jean

janadeen

I think most people would hope & advise you that your case would go thru smoothly. However, you ARE dealing with the USCIS - a huge bureacracy. IMHO, it'd be unwise to try & predict/reassure you/assume that your case would go thur "easily". There are just too many variables to consider. (was the app completed 100% properly, any previous marriages, is the service center working an unusually heavy load of cases, RFE's, things getting lost in the mail, etc). One would hope that all goes well but I wouldn't bank on anyone who says they can accurately answer this question. Just go ahead and file properly and then go from there.

How long does it take to start legally working: another mixed bag. All depends - not even considering the job market!

DCMark

What do you want to know specifically about the difference? Do you mean the contract between the two people, or how the process works.

I can answer process. Marriage is a state-based law, rather than a national law as in France. Therefore each state is different. But for the most part in the US you get a marriage liscense at a local governmental building (courthouse, county HQ, etc). Then with that liscense, you can get married by anyone liscensed in that state to do marriages: prient, minister, justice of the peace, anyone who has gotten permission.

This contrasts to France, where you have to be married civilly, at the local government, before any chuch marriage can occur. There is also not posting of the banns in the US.

Where are you from in France?

Jay-S

Thanks janadeen. I appreciate your sincerity. If I'm not mistaken all
I'd need (if I get stamped at my POE) is a SSN ? I don't care if I get
disappointed because things don't work (no pun intended) as they're
supposed to be but if every thing works out well, how fast could I be
able to get that SSN?

Side question: if anybody has a good link regarding how marriage works
in the US, I'm really interested. Even better would be a comparison
between a French marriage contract and an American one. I already
found some basic info but it was pretty vague. I don't know if a
newsgroup or a board exists on that specific topic?

Thank you :-)

Jean

On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 11:19:52 +0000, janadeen <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >I think most people would hope & advise you that your case would go thru
    >smoothly. However, you ARE dealing with the USCIS - a huge bureacracy.
    >IMHO, it'd be unwise to try & predict/reassure you/assume that your case
    >would go thur "easily". There are just too many variables to consider.
    >(was the app completed 100% properly, any previous marriages, is the
    >service center working an unusually heavy load of cases, RFE's, things
    >getting lost in the mail, etc). One would hope that all goes well but I
    >wouldn't bank on anyone who says they can accurately answer this
    >question. Just go ahead and file properly and then go from there.
    >How long does it take to start legally working: another mixed bag. All
    >depends - not even considering the job market!
    >Originally posted by Jay-S
    >> sibsie was talking in another thread about how straightforward her
    >> case was. I'm interested in knowing if my case could go trhough as
    >> easily.
    >> I'm a French citizen, recently engaged to a USC. We know eachother for
    >> almost 4 years ; we met while I was in Ohio, under an exchange
    >> program. Since then, we visited eachother quite often (well as often
    >> as our bankers would allow us to :-). She recently spent 3 months over
    >> here, but as my english is slightly better than her French, we decided
    >> to settle in the US.
    >> She just got hired in Boston (started a couple days ago) and will be
    >> making over the 125%. It seemed to me that the current salary (and
    >> guarantee that her job was a stable, permanent one) was the only thing
    >> requested in the Affidavit. Am I correct?
    >> I never overstayed. The only other bad thing I can think of is a
    >> speeding ticket, but I got it while I was under the visa waiver
    >> program, not with my old visa. We both have at least a bachelor
    >> degree.
    >> Is this straightforward enough that our procedure could take the
    >> minimum approval time?
    >> At the moment, the I-129F has not yet been sent for the simple reason
    >> that the check or money order apparently needs to have my fiancee's
    >> current adress on it. Since she just moved to Boston, she's in the
    >> process of getting it done!
    >> Thanks for any help or reassurance you could give me :-)
    >> Just a last thing I'm thinking of: how long does it usually take after
    >> entering the US to be able to legally start working? Rents in Boston
    >> are crazy expensive so I'd like to be able to make money as soon as
    >> possible.
    >Jean

Jay-S

I was looking for info on the actual contract as I'm not at all
familiar with it. General info or specific info about Massachusetts.

I'm from Strasbourg. Talking about that, did you know that Strasbourg
and Boston are sister cities? :-)

Jean

On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 14:53:11 +0000, DCMark
<member6276@british_expats.com> wrote:

    >What do you want to know specifically about the difference? Do you mean
    >the contract between the two people, or how the process works.
    >I can answer process. Marriage is a state-based law, rather than a
    >national law as in France. Therefore each state is different. But
    >for the most part in the US you get a marriage liscense at a local
    >governmental building (courthouse, county HQ, etc). Then with that
    >liscense, you can get married by anyone liscensed in that state to do
    >marriages: prient, minister, justice of the peace, anyone who has gotten
    >permission.
    >This contrasts to France, where you have to be married civilly, at the
    >local government, before any chuch marriage can occur. There is also
    >not posting of the banns in the US.
    >Where are you from in France?
    >Originally posted by Jay-S
    >> Thanks janadeen. I appreciate your sincerity. If I'm not mistaken all
    >> I'd need (if I get stamped at my POE) is a SSN ? I don't care if I get
    >> disappointed because things don't work (no pun intended) as they're
    >> supposed to be but if every thing works out well, how fast could I be
    >> able to get that SSN?
    >> Side question: if anybody has a good link regarding how marriage works
    >> in the US, I'm really interested. Even better would be a comparison
    >> between a French marriage contract and an American one. I already
    >> found some basic info but it was pretty vague. I don't know if a
    >> newsgroup or a board exists on that specific topic?
    >> Thank you :-)
    >> Jean
    >> On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 11:19:52 +0000, janadeen <[email protected]>
    >> wrote:
    >> >I think most people would hope & advise you that your case would
    >> go thru
    >> >smoothly. However, you ARE dealing with the USCIS - a huge
    >> bureacracy.
    >> >IMHO, it'd be unwise to try & predict/reassure you/assume that
    >> your case
    >> >would go thur "easily". There are just too many variables to
    >> consider.
    >> >(was the app completed 100% properly, any previous marriages, is
    >> the
    >> >service center working an unusually heavy load of cases, RFE's,
    >> things
    >> >getting lost in the mail, etc). One would hope that all goes
    >> well but I
    >> >wouldn't bank on anyone who says they can accurately answer
    >> this
    >> >question. Just go ahead and file properly and then go from
    >> there.
    >> >How long does it take to start legally working: another mixed
    >> bag. All
    >> >depends - not even considering the job market!
    >> >Originally posted by Jay-S
    >> >> sibsie was talking in another thread about how straightforward
    >> her
    >> >> case was. I'm interested in knowing if my case could go trhough
    >> as
    >> >> easily.
    >> >> I'm a French citizen, recently engaged to a USC. We know
    >> eachother for
    >> >> almost 4 years ; we met while I was in Ohio, under an
    >> exchange
    >> >> program. Since then, we visited eachother quite often (well as
    >> often
    >> >> as our bankers would allow us to :-). She recently spent 3
    >> months over
    >> >> here, but as my english is slightly better than her French, we
    >> decided
    >> >> to settle in the US.
    >> >> She just got hired in Boston (started a couple days ago) and
    >> will be
    >> >> making over the 125%. It seemed to me that the current salary
    >> (and
    >> >> guarantee that her job was a stable, permanent one) was the
    >> only thing
    >> >> requested in the Affidavit. Am I correct?
    >> >> I never overstayed. The only other bad thing I can think of is
    >> a
    >> >> speeding ticket, but I got it while I was under the visa
    >> waiver
    >> >> program, not with my old visa. We both have at least a
    >> bachelor
    >> >> degree.
    >> >> Is this straightforward enough that our procedure could take
    >> the
    >> >> minimum approval time?
    >> >> At the moment, the I-129F has not yet been sent for the simple
    >> reason
    >> >> that the check or money order apparently needs to have my
    >> fiancee's
    >> >> current adress on it. Since she just moved to Boston, she's in
    >> the
    >> >> process of getting it done!
    >> >> Thanks for any help or reassurance you could give me :-)
    >> >> Just a last thing I'm thinking of: how long does it usually
    >> take after
    >> >> entering the US to be able to legally start working? Rents in
    >> Boston
    >> >> are crazy expensive so I'd like to be able to make money as
    >> soon as
    >> >> possible.
    >>Jean

Bluegrass Lass

Not sure what info you are truly looking for Jay. Maybe what info you are looking for is given a different term here? There's not really much of a contract in a marriage, unless the couple does a pre-nuptial agreement. But I have a feeling that is not what you are referring to?? A pre-nup could deal with property division, support obligations and the education and moral training of children, but not custody, alimony paid to a spouse, etc. Is this the information you are looking for? If so, this is an agreement/contract created by each couple and signed, not something the government determines.

When two people agree to marry, they are creating a contract -an exchange of promises. The marriage license itself serves as proof of the existence of the marriage contract. The marriage license requirements differ from state to state. A marriage license basically states the names of the people getting married, how long the license is good, and the county it was issued in. I can't think of what else is on there since I've never actually read one.

Hope this is what you wanted to know.

Jamie

meauxna

Jean,
If you search for recent posts from Caro, she spoke about the difference between French marriage contracts and US marriage ceremonies. As others have mentioned, they are very different creatures. You will not find one of the three types of French marriage contracts in the US (if I remember her post correctly).

You might also investigate the possibility of your USC coming over to France and filing the petition I-130 for a spouse directly with the Consulate in Paris. You would need to be married, which can be done anywhere (US is easier than most of Europe). If you want to search, this process is nicknamed "DCF" on the newsgroup. This process allows the alien to begin work immediately upon entry.

As to "straightforward", just remember that you have a previous Immigration file, and you'll need to allow for that in your processing.

sibsie

I'm not sure either what you mean by "contract" but below is the link to MA Gov that details the marriage licence requirements if that's what you mean.

http://www.state.ma.us/sec/cis/cismrg/mrgidx.htm

Jay-S

meauxna,

thank you so much for this precious info. I went through the lastest
threads, including this one regarding DCF in Paris and the person that
mentioned that DCF could be available for non-residents in Paris never
confirmed it afterwards so I think we'll stick to our K1 route. Also
my fiancee just started working her new job & she's not really willing
to travel back to France this soon.

I also explored some interesting threads about marriage, where Caro
participated. I'll bug her directly if I can't find all the info I
need. It's really weird that you have to pay a lawyer (uhh actually 2
lawyers!) in order to get an equivalent to our standard marriage
contract (the one that states that in case of divorce, only the money
earned while being married is engaged)

anyway, I appreciate your help :-)


Jean


On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 18:21:55 +0000, meauxna
<member1851@british_expats.com> wrote:

    >Originally posted by Jay-S
    >> sibsie was talking in another thread about how straightforward her
    >> case was. I'm interested in knowing if my case could go trhough as
    >> easily.
    >Jean,
    >If you search for recent posts from Caro, she spoke about the difference
    >between French marriage contracts and US marriage ceremonies. As others
    >have mentioned, they are very different creatures. You will not find one
    >of the three types of French marriage contracts in the US (if I remember
    >her post correctly).
    >You might also investigate the possibility of your USC coming over to
    >France and filing the petition I-130 for a spouse directly with the
    >Consulate in Paris. You would need to be married, which can be done
    >anywhere (US is easier than most of Europe). If you want to search, this
    >process is nicknamed "DCF" on the newsgroup. This process allows the
    >alien to begin work immediately upon entry.
    >As to "straightforward", just remember that you have a previous
    >Immigration file, and you'll need to allow for that in your processing.

Kristina

Salut Jean

My fiance is French, residing in Tours, and I currently live in Ohio.
We filed for the K-1 visa in mid-December with Nebraska, and we're
*hoping* to receive approval from the USCIS by May or June. We
considered the DCF route, but since I'm starting a new job here in the
US, it would be too difficult for me to get married now and then go to
Paris to file the necessary paperwork at the embassy. (I'm not even
sure if Paris allows a "DCF" for an American who resides abroad.
You'd have to call the embassy's line to inquire, which costs 14,50
Euros.) So we're going to continue our long distance relationship and
hope that the paperwork is approved quickly.

I've never been to Strasbourg, but I've heard it's lovely. I've spent
a lot of time in Tours (I lived there for a year) and I think France
is a wonderful country!! Where is your fiance from in Ohio?


meauxna <member1851@british_expats.com> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
    > Originally posted by Jay-S
    >
    > > sibsie was talking in another thread about how straightforward her
    >
    > > case was. I'm interested in knowing if my case could go trhough as
    >
    > > easily.
    >
    >
    >
    > Jean,
    >
    > If you search for recent posts from Caro, she spoke about the difference
    > between French marriage contracts and US marriage ceremonies. As others
    > have mentioned, they are very different creatures. You will not find one
    > of the three types of French marriage contracts in the US (if I remember
    > her post correctly).
    >
    >
    >
    > You might also investigate the possibility of your USC coming over to
    > France and filing the petition I-130 for a spouse directly with the
    > Consulate in Paris. You would need to be married, which can be done
    > anywhere (US is easier than most of Europe). If you want to search, this
    > process is nicknamed "DCF" on the newsgroup. This process allows the
    > alien to begin work immediately upon entry.
    >
    >
    >
    > As to "straightforward", just remember that you have a previous
    > Immigration file, and you'll need to allow for that in your processing.

Eric S.

"Jay-s" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I was looking for info on the actual contract as I'm not at all
    > familiar with it. General info or specific info about Massachusetts.

Here's info on how to get the marriage license in Massachusetts:
http://www.state.ma.us/sec/cis/cismrg/mrgidx.htm

One thing about getting married in Mass. is that there is an interesting law
that allows anyone to perform the wedding ceremony -- a friend, a relative,
whoever. They just have to apply for a special one day permit. If you're
interested in that, here's the info:
http://www.state.ma.us/sec/pre/premar/marone.htm

Of course, you don't HAVE to do that. You can be married by a priest,
minister, rabbi, etc. or justice of the peace, as in most states.

- Eric S.

Jay-S

She's from Cleveland Hts. We know eachother since spring 2000. Back
then, I was doing an internship near Kent. It's really the heart of it
all, in the way that people I met there all were very welcoming and
kind :-)

I hope your own application will process fast. I know how bad it is to
live appart, especially once you have experienced living together with
your loved one!

Jean

On 22 Jan 2004 19:32:16 -0800, [email protected] (Kristina) wrote:

    >Salut Jean
    >My fiance is French, residing in Tours, and I currently live in Ohio.
    >We filed for the K-1 visa in mid-December with Nebraska, and we're
    >*hoping* to receive approval from the USCIS by May or June. We
    >considered the DCF route, but since I'm starting a new job here in the
    >US, it would be too difficult for me to get married now and then go to
    >Paris to file the necessary paperwork at the embassy. (I'm not even
    >sure if Paris allows a "DCF" for an American who resides abroad.
    >You'd have to call the embassy's line to inquire, which costs 14,50
    >Euros.) So we're going to continue our long distance relationship and
    >hope that the paperwork is approved quickly.
    >I've never been to Strasbourg, but I've heard it's lovely. I've spent
    >a lot of time in Tours (I lived there for a year) and I think France
    >is a wonderful country!! Where is your fiance from in Ohio?
    >meauxna <member1851@british_expats.com> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
    >> Originally posted by Jay-S
    >>
    >> > sibsie was talking in another thread about how straightforward her
    >>
    >> > case was. I'm interested in knowing if my case could go trhough as
    >>
    >> > easily.
    >>
    >>
    >>
    >> Jean,
    >>
    >> If you search for recent posts from Caro, she spoke about the difference
    >> between French marriage contracts and US marriage ceremonies. As others
    >> have mentioned, they are very different creatures. You will not find one
    >> of the three types of French marriage contracts in the US (if I remember
    >> her post correctly).
    >>
    >>
    >>
    >> You might also investigate the possibility of your USC coming over to
    >> France and filing the petition I-130 for a spouse directly with the
    >> Consulate in Paris. You would need to be married, which can be done
    >> anywhere (US is easier than most of Europe). If you want to search, this
    >> process is nicknamed "DCF" on the newsgroup. This process allows the
    >> alien to begin work immediately upon entry.
    >>
    >>
    >>
    >> As to "straightforward", just remember that you have a previous
    >> Immigration file, and you'll need to allow for that in your processing.

DCMark

Jean, you are interested in a prenup (prenuptual contract). That is why everyone is confused.

Consult an attorney for that.

DCMark

You do not need a prenup. Its totally voluntary. The theory is to protect significant assets you have prior to marriage. If you are not well off know, it may be a waste of money.

Jay-S

Well in all the "confusion", I at least have found out that I'll need
one. Also that if somebody mentionned the possibility of filing a DCF
through Paris, noone ever reported to successfuly do so. And also that
Caro would maybe be able to answer some further questions I'd have on
differences between marriage here & in the US.

About consulting an attorney, I will, as soon as I get to Boston.

thanks

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 14:16:58 +0000, DCMark
<member6276@british_expats.com> wrote:

    >Jean, you are interested in a prenup (prenuptual contract). That is why
    >everyone is confused.
    >Consult an attorney for that.