Justin Hough

I have a girlfriend who lives in Mexico. She wants to come and live with me permantly
here in Texas, but since this is the first time I've done this I really don't
understand what I have to do. I know the best route to go is to marry her and then
file the paper work. But how does this exactly work? I know there are some forms that
we have to fill out. But I'm so confused. Can anybody help me? Thanks in advance.

Anton Gereau

Don't rush into it too much. The fastest way may not be to marry her first. Most K-1
visas (bringing her here as your fiancee) are faster than K-3 visas (married first)
and IR-1 (married first). Check the INS website
(http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/index.htm) and other websites on posts in this
newsgroup. Your personal situation, and available money, may dictate which method you
want to use. All the forms are available on the INS website. There's lots of info on
this newsgroup, read some. It helps a lot.

Anton Gereau

Justin Hough wrote:

    > I have a girlfriend who lives in Mexico. She wants to come and live with me
    > permantly here in Texas, but since this is the first time I've done this I really
    > don't understand what I have to do. I know the best route to go is to marry her and
    > then file the paper work. But how does this exactly work? I know there are some
    > forms that we have to fill out. But I'm so confused. Can anybody help me? Thanks in
    > advance.

Andy Platt

Here are some good websites explaining some of the ways you can go about this:

http://www.mindspring.com/~docsteen/...o/visainfo.htm
http://www.geocities.com/immigration_helpsite/index.htm http://www.k1faq.com/

Read through them, come back and ask questions and before you know it ... you'll be
knee deep in INS paperwork!

Andy.

--
I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination. "Justin Hough"
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:B9509F34.C69D%[email protected]...
    > I have a girlfriend who lives in Mexico. She wants to come and live with
me
    > permantly here in Texas, but since this is the first time I've done this I really
    > don't understand what I have to do. I know the best route to go is
to
    > marry her and then file the paper work. But how does this exactly work? I know
    > there are some forms that we have to fill out. But I'm so confused.
Can
    > anybody help me? Thanks in advance.

Sheryl

Justin,

I'm with Anton, in that a K-1 is likely to be the better route for you. I wish I had
researched the www.marriagebasedvisas.com web site before I made the decision to
marry abroad and petition for the K-3.

We began the process in March, and are still apart. Check the timelines on that site
as well as many others. Good luck!

Sheryl

Paul Helpdesk

Justin

Assuming you already met her, you have two ways that you could handle the process.

You could bring her here on a Fiancee Visa, get married and file for AOS.

Alternatively, you could go to Mexico, get married and file for her Green Card. She
has to wait at least an year before she gets her Green Card and could move into the
US. If you would like her to be with you sooner, you have to file for a K-3 after
Marriage (after filing I-130 with the INS).

Generally there is more stress during separation after marriage. Bringing her here on
a Fiancee Visa is simple and reduces the variables in the future.

While she is in the US, she could also be working.

You will find the following links more helpful:

http://www.isso.cornell.edu/immigration/marryusc.html
http://www.visapro.com/Green-Card-Fa...US-Citizen.asp

http://warsaw-visaguide.hypermart.net/
http://www.visapro.com/Fiance-Visa/K1-Fiancee-Visa.asp

Paul @ HelpDesk