scarlett_mcmahon

After having a long internet/phone/mail relationship with my boyfriend (I dont know if it matters but im 23, hes 30) , we have decided that I should go and visit him, as my passport was issued after 2006, and is valid until 2016, I qualify under the visa waiver program, and my visit will probably be in the region of about 80 days, firstly, is that ok? The lady at the passport office wasnt very helpful and the online information confuses me a little. Secondly, because of the length this has been going on, and what its taken to get this far, we know we will want to get married, and I would prefer to go live out in the US, rather than stay in Great Britain, so far as I can see, I would meet most of the requirements in that, no police record, can easily get all the documentation, have a full time job here and proof of an income, my job is in retail so it could be applied to anywere over there, he has a good job besides,I have no debts having lived with my parents, and we will have physicly met in the two years before applying..obviously..and have proof, its real, its lasting, we have met and do intend on getting married for the right reasons...BUT..I know how there can be a catch and was wondering what the best option for us would be? what way should I go about this? I dont want to be one of these ones that go over there, end up getting married and it being a "spur of the moment thing" and us being in a position were I cant stay, I was wondering if I could get some advice as to how I should proceed and what will happen? Please.. thankyou so much. Scarlett.

rebeccajo

Scarlett -

I'm confused by this sentence of your post:

I dont want to be one of these ones that go over there, end up getting married and it being a "spur of the moment thing" and us being in a position were I cant stay

Can you explain what you mean?

rebeccajo

And have you looked here:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/K1

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/CR-1

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program

scarlett_mcmahon

I mean, I have been trying to research a few things, and other peoples experiences (which is how i came upon this website) and a lot of the people who met their partners online as I did, seem to be just going over there, meeting, getting married and attempting to stay, this seems a little confusing to me as to how that would be allowed, Im really serious about this and what to do everything right from the word go, you know?

scarlett_mcmahon

oh ,thankyou very much for those links, funny , I just glanced up at your location and thats exactly where Im headed to. Funny old world. Thankyou

rebeccajo

Right - understand.

What some of your friends are doing can be dodgy. If they came over to the US knowing full well and good they weren't going home, then that's visa fraud.

First suggestion for you would be to meet your guy and see how it goes. My husband and I met online but we wanted to see if we were compatible before we committed totally. He came over to visit me a second time, and we filed his K1 petition while he was here.

agentpeppermint

Yeah, some come over on the VWP and marry, then go to file for adjustment of status and get sent home, this is NOT what you want to do, there are some cases that people are allowed to stay, but I wouldn't try going for that route. My husband just became a permanent resident of the US and we took the K-1 Visa route.

Is this the first time you are meeting face to face?

My husband and I have been together since 2006 and have had a few break ups both before and after we met...make sure this IS what you want.


You can get married on the VWP, just go home. You can file for a cr-1 visa instead of doing the K-1 route. if you file for the cr-1 you become a permanent resident upon arrival after visa is issued.


Good luck!

scarlett_mcmahon

when he came over for the second time and you filled out your applications etc, did he have to go home again? or what was the process? Im sorry ive never done anything like this before, never even been on holiday outside of the UK! haha!

agentpeppermint

oh and PS do read the WIKI, while most here are great at answering repetitive questions, you do get the odd lot who can be really snerky about it, but they honestly mean no offense!

agentpeppermint

My husband never stepped foot out of his little northern english town until he flew here I'd be more than happy to help ya! just message me on yahoo or om me here.

scarlett_mcmahon

yeah first time meeting but ..its been a looooong time coming, and personal situations..to be honest I know its definatley what we both want, but of course, the meeting will prove that, it's been a bit of a rough road to get this far, and I just sort of want to know what i should do, what im in for what sort of restrictions and you know, time frames I should be prepared for, I want to do it all right, legal and the correct way you know? :S

agentpeppermint

k-1 6-8 months...ours started in July 2008 and ended late April 2009

income guidelines are the biggest concern for immigration, check the wiki, it will tell you all the form names and where to get them at ( they are all online on USCIS website, but if you use the wiki you will know exactly which ones to get )

My husband had to have health insurance in order to get his visa approved, but I think that was because our income was really LOW and they wanted to make sure he wouldnt become a burden on the gov....we used buyamericaninsurance.com

other than that, the k1 is pretty simple and straight forward, he puts together the petition and sends it off and you wait for the magical "Packet 3" then your fun starts!

rebeccajo

Yes, he went back home so he could have the medical exam for his visa and have his visa interview.

There's no harm in studying the process now and figuring out the nuts and bolts of it. Then if you two hit it off, you can get started on a visa for him.

Here's another thought for you. If the relationship ends up serious, talk over which country you BOTH really want to live in. Don't make that decision lightly. One of the beauties of an international relationship is you have TWO countries to choose from!

And yeah - my husband is from Northern Ireland also, so I know a little about the positive and negatives of living there.

rebeccajo

I've never heard of anyone having to have health insurance to get a visa approved.

How did that come about?

agentpeppermint

My mother was co-sponsering with me, even though she met the income guidelines, the IO suspected she was "helping me" financially and said James had to obtain immigrant, NOT TRAVEL, health insurance. Other than that, everything was in order...i felt so bad for my husband driving from London to up by Liverpool so disappointed!