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Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Old Mar 14th 2010, 11:46 pm
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Default Marrying A US citizen...then what?

My fiance and I have been together 3 years and due to be married on 30 June
we plan to move to states as soon as he has a job offer........what do i need to be doing?
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 12:02 am
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Originally Posted by tabskitten
My fiance and I have been together 3 years and due to be married on 30 June
we plan to move to states as soon as he has a job offer........what do i need to be doing?
And we currently live in ________ .
And my fiance's immigration status is _______ .
And we plan to marry in ________ .
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 12:05 am
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Originally Posted by fatbrit
And we currently live in _____UK___ .
And my fiance's immigration status is _____US citizen__ .
And we plan to marry in _____JUNE 30th in UK___ .
sorry and hope that helps
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 12:20 am
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Originally Posted by tabskitten
sorry and hope that helps
What's your fiance's UK immigration status? And how long has he held that status?
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 12:58 am
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

I'd not plan on moving to the US with him any time to soon then...

And how long as your OH been in the UK? If only 3 years, probably not long enough to get UK citizenship, but if he's been there longer it would certainly be worth considering.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 1:01 am
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Tabs,

Has your USC fiance been living in the UK for more than 6 months?

If so, once you are married, he can file the I-130 directly to London. This is called "Direct Consular Filing" on this forum, or DCF. There is a Wiki Guide for it, so check that out.

If all goes well and the I-130 is accepted in London, you will apply for your immigrant visa to the USA. The process via DCF takes about 5 months.

Make sure you guys read about and understand the I-864 affidavit of support, and make sure your husband has a way of showing his intent to domicile in the USA.

Rene
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 8:40 am
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Originally Posted by fatbrit
What's your fiance's UK immigration status? And how long has he held that status?
he has full visa over here has lived here since 15- now 31.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 2:05 pm
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Originally Posted by tabskitten
he has full visa over here has lived here since 15- now 31.
OK, so he's lived in the UK plenty long enough to file the I-130 there.

Your biggest hurdle will be proving domicile, since he's been away from the USA for so long.

He should also consider becoming a UKC before he leaves the UK for good.

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Old Mar 15th 2010, 2:31 pm
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Originally Posted by Noorah101
OK, so he's lived in the UK plenty long enough to file the I-130 there.

Your biggest hurdle will be proving domicile, since he's been away from the USA for so long.

He should also consider becoming a UKC before he leaves the UK for good.

Rene
ok thans- what benefit is the UK citizenship?
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 3:08 pm
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Originally Posted by tabskitten
ok thans- what benefit is the UK citizenship?
The benefit would be that he can then travel freely back and forth as citizens of both countries. He can easily go back and live in the UK in the future if he wanted to. It keeps the opportunities open both directions.

Rene
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 3:39 pm
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Originally Posted by Noorah101
The benefit would be that he can then travel freely back and forth as citizens of both countries. He can easily go back and live in the UK in the future if he wanted to. It keeps the opportunities open both directions.

Rene
He's lived in the UK longer than in the US, what if he ends up not liking it in the UK? It could well be a hassle getting a visa again in the future, especially when children appear.

For the sake of a few pounds and a few months, it is something worth doing. There isn't any down side for a USC (unless he works in some parts of the government) as there isn't world wide income to file like with the US.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 5:42 pm
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Originally Posted by tabskitten
My fiance and I have been together 3 years and due to be married on 30 June
we plan to move to states as soon as he has a job offer........what do i need to be doing?
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/DCF_I-...led_In_London_

You can't really start anything until you are married, but that there is the road map.
He needs to file his US income tax returns if he hasn't been. That's usually a good place to start. You can start rounding up your civil documents.

The application will take about 5 months from start to finish (and you can't start until you are married).

You two need to pay special attention to the 'domicile' part of that wiki entry. Because he has not lived in the US as an adult, he may well need to move over ahead of you.
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 11:26 pm
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

thanks Guys this has been very helpful

Firstly - no children planned and no return planned either!!

But other than that......how many years tax returns will he need to have filed, i fear that is where he has been a little,....er.....''disorganized''......? He never realized that he needed to do this.

Also is there any other way that he can prove US domicile? We plan to get him a job offer before we actually move and he is already in process of applications.....
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 11:37 pm
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Originally Posted by tabskitten
thanks Guys this has been very helpful

Firstly - no children planned and no return planned either!!

But other than that......how many years tax returns will he need to have filed, i fear that is where he has been a little,....er.....''disorganized''......? He never realized that he needed to do this.

Also is there any other way that he can prove US domicile? We plan to get him a job offer before we actually move and he is already in process of applications.....
He will need at least the past 3 years of income tax returns filed. There is a very good IRS help center at the US Embassy in London.

Yes, there are many ways to prove US domicile...trouble is, leaving the USA at 15 didn't give him much of an opportunity to gather up any evidence of domicile. For example, US mailing address, owning property, bank account, drivers license, voter registration card, filing tax returns, etc.

Stuff that you guys might be able to use could be: Proof of job hunting (an offer letter is even better), proof of house-hunting, I would say getting kids enrolled in school but you don't have any, if you are going to stay with someone when you first arrive then a letter from them stating so, see if you can open a US bank account from the UK, proof that you're selling/renting out where you live now, or that your lease has a termination date, quotes on moving your stuff over.....just some ideas.

There are lots of people on the forum who have run into the domicile issue. Do a search for their posts.

Rene
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Old Mar 15th 2010, 11:44 pm
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Default Re: Marrying A US citizen...then what?

Rene
Thank you for all this
We have proof of job hunting in form of an agent in US who is putting in his applications, also we have our property over here on the market and will be staying with friends when he goes over for interviews, so all that is great.

he also has least 3 years payslips

This forum has been fantastic at putting things in plain English- thank you
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