Finned42

Hi,

I am from Kent in England and early this year i got talking to a girl from america on the net which blossomed into a full on relationship when she recently came to visit me here in England. We now have plans to be married and live together in America as she has a potential for an excellent career there and i am happy to live there with her.

Can somebody please tell me which is the best way and quickest way to be able to go to America and fulfil this wish. I have never travelled abroad granted and so i know that i'll need a passport first, lol! I can afford the plae ticket but not much else. I have no criminal record or health matters but i am currently unemployed, but i have I.T. skills which can be implemented in the US. Can anyone who has experience of a similar situation please give me some advice on how to go about this. Feel free to write to me at my email address if you can spare me some information (pref detailed). Thank you.....kind regards,

Mark :-)

jeffreyhy

Mark,

For detailed information type 'Doc Steen' into your browser's Search function.

Regards, JEff

Folinskyinla

Hi:

You might want to go to the FAQ listed at the beginning of the Britishexpats portal to this usegroup.

I understand your desire to be "quick" -- but this desire can cause trouble if you try to short-circuit or circumvent the normal legal pathways. Also, what is the "quickest" today may not be the "quickest" in the furture.

Good luck!

jcapulet

Hi Mark,

I don't know what the quickest way would be, but you could do what my fiance and I (and many on this forum!) are doing: apply for the Fiance K-1 Visa.

take a look at:

http://k1.exit.com/k-1frames.html

Upon issuance, the visa allows you entry into the US for the purpose of marriage (you must get married within 90 days of your arrival, then apply for your adjustment of status to stay)...but I couldn't tell you how quick it would be since all timelines vary. Ours is supposed to be roughly 4-6 months via the Vermont Service Center

Hope that helps,
Juliet

tparrent

And now for something completely different......

As a Brit you can travel here easily. I suggest you come over as a tourist. If you happen to be walking by an immigration lawyer's office, you might want to stop in and say hi.

You can change your status once you are in country. There are certain guidelines and a lawyer can advise you.

I am NOT suggesting you come over with the "intent" to get married. Oh no, I would NEVER suggest such a thing Come to visit. See what happens.

I seriously think this is the quickest route.

If someone wants to advise you of the risks inherent in the procedure, I welcome their replies. Knowledge is good. Being a free travelling Brit in the U.S. is good. Being with your honey instead of constantly monitoring the Internet for 6 months is even better

jcapulet

Hi there,

Just wanted to add..IF you decide to enter on a tourist visa, get married and then adjust your status, one word of advice (that my own lawyer told me) : don't get married right away..wait a few weeks or longer. If you get married too soon, it will look like you illegally entered the country with the intent to marry. (Entering for this reason without a K-1 visa is technically illegal). So whichever route you choose, just be careful I only add this because they will ask you a ton of stuff when you adjust your status and get a green card etc., and if they think you entered with the intent to marry (i.e., planned on it) then it could cause you a lot of unecessary grief. Just a thought to consider.

Good luck and hang in there!

Juliet

p.s. take tparrent's advice and consult with a lawyer first, if possible