Japhy Ryder

Hi, this is my first post thank you in advance for any help you might be
able to offer. I am an American intent upon marrying a French woman i
affectionately call Wooper :) . We intend to live in the states after
the marriage. Should we get married and file for her immigration in
France or should we wait and have the official ceremony in the US after
filing for the K-1. What is the quickest way for her to able to arrive
and work in the US?
Cheers

--
Posted via http://expatforums.com

Ned Brickley

On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:07:07 +0000, japhy ryder
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Hi, this is my first post thank you in advance for any help you might be
    >able to offer. I am an American intent upon marrying a French woman i
    >affectionately call Wooper :) . We intend to live in the states after
    >the marriage. Should we get married and file for her immigration in
    >France or should we wait and have the official ceremony in the US after
    >filing for the K-1. What is the quickest way for her to able to arrive
    >and work in the US?
    >Cheers

Hi, I would suggest both. :)

Now what do I mean by this? Under a K-1 you have to be legally married
in the US. (I'm sure I will be loudly corrected if in error) The
marriage in France wouldn't be considered legal under the K-1.

When I married my wife, we did it in both countries. In China we went
through the motions but there was no legal standing either in China or
the U.S. We were legally married in the U.S. a year ago February.

The one in China was really for my wife's friends and family. It was a
huge production. She and her sisters pulled this all together in a
month. When I arrived I just went "Yes Dear, I will do whatever you
say." ;)

When we got back to the states we had a small wedding at my parents
house with a justice of the peace and my immediate family, and a
friend of my wife's who grew up knew her back in China. [1]

Besides making your future spouse happy, there is another advantage.
If you forget one anniversary you have another one in reserve. <laugh>

Hope this helps.

May your lives be one of great happiness and joy!

1) Small world. Her friend lives a couple of miles from our house
here, and grew up a few blocks away in China. Neither one knew the
other was here until they literally bumped into each other at a store.

--
Ned

Folinskyinla

Hi:

Unfortunately, you don't give enough in the way of facts to answer the question. For example, where do YOU reside at the current moment? Are there personal factors that go into the decision? For example, the first response to your question, notes the desire for the big wedding abroad.

On top of things, the "legality" of a wedding is determined by the law of the place of "celebration." I put "celebration" in quotes, because the term itself can vary. What the other responder did may, or may NOT work for you.

You have posed a complicated, multifacted question which is deceptively in simple format.

Noorah101

Hi Japhey,

If you plan on doing what Ned suggested above, be *extremely* careful that what you do in France is just a party. It should be 100% clear to the ConOff at the interview, that she is NOT married. If you bring pictures of a big production in France, it might raise doubt with them. An engagement party would be good, or a good-bye party, something like that. I would not suggest a wedding dress, wedding party, or anything that would make the ConOff think you already got married in France.

That said, the choice is really yours, where to actually get married. The wait times are fairly equal, but if you marry in France and do a spouse visa, she will get her green card shorty after arrival in the USA and no more paperwork for that once here. And she is work authorized from Day 1.

With the K-1, there is more paperwork involved stateside to get her green card, and it takes about 3 months after filing her adjustment of status to get the EAD (work authorization).

One of the posters in this forum likes to put it as: You will be separated for some time. Would you rather be separated as a married couple or an engaged couple?

Best Wishes,
Rene

meauxna

"QUOTE=Japhy Ryder Hi, this is my first post thank you in advance for any help you might be
able to offer. I am an American intent upon marrying a French woman i
affectionately call Wooper . We intend to live in the states after
the marriage. Should we get married and file for her immigration in
France or should we wait and have the official ceremony in the US after
filing for the K-1. What is the quickest way for her to able to arrive
and work in the US?
Cheers

--
Posted via http://expatforums.com/QUOTE"

The quickest way for her to be able to come to the US with permission to live & work here is a process casually known as DCF/Direct Consular Filing. You asked about it before.

Maybe you lost the other post, it's right here: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...=358885&pp=15&

The OP from that thread ha since reported that his USC wife contacted Paris and confirmed that she may file there even though she is not resident in France. I suggest you make the same confirmation before you make any firm plans.

ian-mstm

The quickest way is not always the best way... or the legal way... and your post doesn't seem to take this into consideration.

Ian