QUESTION
UK Fiancee of US Citizen - what's the next step?
Asked on Aug 15th, 2015 on Immigration - Michigan
More details to this question:
We are a couple that are currently long distance. I live in the UK but spend 3 months a year in Michigan while I'm not at school with the visa waiver program. We've been together for around 2 years now and recently got engaged- my Fiance is male and a US citizen, and visits the UK once a year for a month to see me. I am in school in the UK and he works full time. When I finish school (May 2017) we hope to get married in the USA and for me to stay permanently from then on. From what we've read online, we think that we should apply for a Fiance visa and then start a Green Card application when we are married. I've read from our own research, we must get married within 3 months of the Fiance visa getting issued. Can you control when this time period is and apply 'in advance' for a certain time frame (so we could ensure we could marry as soon as I finish school)? How do you plan a wedding if you're unsure when it will be issued? Is this the best course of action for us to take?
1 ANSWER
Hello,
Congratulations on your engagement. You could file for a fiancee visa, marry within 90 days of entering the U.S., and then file for your green card. If you hope to emigrate to the U.S. in 2017 you may want to start the process sometime in 2016. When you obtain the visa at the U.S. consulate you usually have up to 6 months to enter the U.S. If it is shorter, you would be able to know by looking at the visa in your passport. I have clients who have been able to do this successfully so I know it can be done with careful planning. It may be a good idea for you to speak to an attorney in your local city so that they can give you an idea of the visa processing timeframe and that may help you plan. Good Luck.
Answered on Aug 16th, 2015 at 4:35 PM