American Girlfriend And Argentinian Boyfriend

[trennod]

Hola Tucu!!
Dont have an idea about US visas but my Tucumana girlfriend and I starting to get stuff together to get her an Australian visa.

Goood luck with everything, hope you get the answers you need and that it all works out.

 

[Cupcake963]

Hi everyone!

I have been reading all of your comments in regard to the fiance visa process, and I really appreciate all you advises. I am the girlfriend of freiheit.1991, and I was wondering about a few things in best way to do this process. Some suggest to get a lawyer, others say that it is too expensive, so I think going without one lawyer will be the best for our economy.

I have one year left until I graduate, and I am lining up some potential jobs for once I receive my degree. Some of my concerns are about the opportunities that freiheit.1991 will have in terms of jobs within the united states. What does he need to work and become a permanent resident?

Also, what is the difference between the K1 and K2 visa? What is approximately the cost and procedure to marry in Argentina? Do I need a specific visa to marry him?

 

[Jaredberryman]

Hi everyone!

I have been reading all of your comments in regard to the fiance visa process, and I really appreciate all you advises. I am the girlfriend of freiheit.1991, and I was wondering about a few things in best way to do this process. Some suggest to get a lawyer, others say that it is too expensive, so I think going without one lawyer will be the best for our economy.

I have one year left until I graduate, and I am lining up some potential jobs for once I receive my degree. Some of my concerns are about the opportunities that freiheit.1991 will have in terms of jobs within the united states. What does he need to work and become a permanent resident?

Also, what is the difference between the K1 and K2 visa? What is approximately the cost and procedure to marry in Argentina? Do I need a specific visa to marry him?

I can't remember the cost for getting married, but it was minuscule The K1 visa, I think if I'm not mistaken, is for fiances, while I think the K2 is for spouses. In both cases, you are attempting to get a permanent residency. The K1 is probably ideal in your case, since you are not married yet but are planning to. You really shouldn't need a lawyer, a friend of mine just did it a few months ago without one. You will need to gather quite a few documents. Just look at the USCIS webpage, and it has the whole process in detail.

 

[StuckLikeGlue]

Hi everyone!

I have been reading all of your comments in regard to the fiance visa process, and I really appreciate all you advises. I am the girlfriend of freiheit.1991, and I was wondering about a few things in best way to do this process. Some suggest to get a lawyer, others say that it is too expensive, so I think going without one lawyer will be the best for our economy.

I have one year left until I graduate, and I am lining up some potential jobs for once I receive my degree. Some of my concerns are about the opportunities that freiheit.1991 will have in terms of jobs within the united states. What does he need to work and become a permanent resident?

Also, what is the difference between the K1 and K2 visa? What is approximately the cost and procedure to marry in Argentina? Do I need a specific visa to marry him?

Hola!

If you decide to go for a K1 or K2 visa, you really don't need a lawyer. It's a fairly straightforward process.

The K1 or "fiance" visa allows your foreign fiance to travel to the US once they are granted the visa, get married in the States and stay there. As soon as you are married - within 90 days of his arrival in the US - your husband will apply to change his status to a permanent resident and also to get permission to work, get a Social Security number, etc. At some point he will have an interview and a few more appointments to take fingerprints and stuff like that, and eventually he will receive his Green Card and be granted permanent residency. There's no saying for sure how long it will take to receive the actual GC but I think the current average is around 6 months to a year, and during that time he can't leave the US, or else risks interrupting the process and having to start all over again.

One thing you should be aware of... when applying to bring your foreign fiance or spouse to the US, you will need to prove that you can support him financially until he is settled and can work and earn on his own. You can read more about the specific requirements on the US immigrations website but you will need to prove that your salary is sufficient to support the two of you for several months. So it's good that you are looking for jobs already! If your salary alone doesn't meet the requirement you can also ask someone you know to act as a "co-sponsor," basically just someone in the US who is willing to vouch that your fiance won't become a burden on the state.

The K2 visa is for foreign spouses, so if you were to get married in Argentina you could then apply for the K2 visa. The wait times for K2 visas are said to be a little longer than K1s, don't ask me why. With either one your fiance will need to stay in Argentina until the visa has been approved, and then he can travel to the US and complete the application for permanent residency.

As was mentioned earlier, it is not advisable for your fiance to travel to the US with a tourist visa and get married while there if he plans to stay in the US. Getting married on a tourist visa is totally fine if he returns to Argentina afterward, but it is considered visa fraud if you two get married with the intention of him staying and seeking permanent residency. Some couples get away with it (if they can prove they had no prior plans to get married and it was an impromptu decision) but if forever reason the immigration official believes you had it planned, your fiance may have to return to Argentina and be banned from reapplying for residency for several years.

One of the best resources I can recommend is http://www.visajourney.com/. There you will find a ton of information about ALL of your options, as well as examples of the paperwork, guides on how to apply, current wait times, etc. It's been a life saver for me through this whole process! Feel free to PM me if I can help with anything else Good luck!!

 

[PaulZ]

I have been reading into this topic recently too, and I found this website: http://immigrate2us.net/forum/content.php There is a ton of information on that site, especially for cases that you run into issues during your application... That site together with the visa journey website should give you all the info you need...

 

[jeff1234]

I understand that your post is about the procedures for legalizing your status in the USA, but I am wondering if you have done your research on how you will fit in and how you will earn a living there.
Young love is wonderful but before you incur so much expense and hassle that I hope you are also making sure that you will be happy there.
I have seen young people move to to the USA then leave because earning a living, adapting to the culture, and being away from supportive family was very hard for them.
And California culture is unique too. Living and working there is different from almost every place else. And Southern California's lifestyle is very different from Northern California.
I think I am sounding like a father or grandfather, cautioning you to consider the practical side of things. Actually I think that you are at the perfect age to have an adventure like this. So I hope you go and have a great time.
I truly wish you the best.

 

[texxaslonghorn]

I'm from Texas. My wife is from Argentina. We got married in Argentina in 2006 while I was on a tourist visa. It took about one month to get everything in order for her to move to the US. I'm sure our experience is out of the ordinary (it only taking one month), but it really was SUPER easy.

The ladies at the embassy were awesome. Maybe you should just ask them.


EDIT: I am a lawyer but know nothing about immigration law. We did not need any legal advice.

 

[Jibaro 1]

Be mindful that getting the spousal visa and or a green card as resident is a pre requisite for a work permit , so at times estimated for these two processes add a few more months at least 6 to get a work permit , you cannot get a legal job in the US until you have this permit .
Please not I did say legal , off course you can find work but conditions and pay are lower , also run a risk that if caught you lose the green card and or residence .
Hence why in the initial process you need to have proof that your fiance will not be a burden to the government, you will have to present proof that you ( or someone else ) will provide for him housing , food , medical . This needs to be done by proving a level of income with your tax returns as prove .
It does not have to be you it could be someone from your family but then they must present the paperwork and go to the interviews .

 

[AndrewWoodward]

Why not look into getting a student visa and continuing your education in the United States? You'd have to look into the cost of schools in the US, which can be quite expensive, but I guess you're doing that anyway. And there are some work restrictions on those visas. But that'd be another way to go. And I believe F visas can apply for change of status after completing education, but that's the realm of an immigration lawyer and not me.

Something to think about with most of these visas is that you'll be expected to prove that you can support yourself. With a student visa, you'd have to provide proof of funds (or a sponsor), and I guess with the spouse or fiancee visa their will be similar requirements. A lot of times with younger adults this is solved by their parents "sponsoring" or saying they'll provide support. But as you two describe things now, I bet immigration will have a lot of questions to ask. Without much income between you and a relatively short relationship, I don't know how that'll go over.

And last advice, but just don't try to fraud your way through the process by coming on a tourist and overstaying, or getting a student visa and not being properly enrolled. It's mistakes like those that can really fuck up the process. I'd also encourage you to think about the costs of this (both of your studies, housing, etc.) and how that'll impact things. I can't think of anything more miserable than being in a new country with no job, no friends, and no money.

 

[Peony54]

I have heard that if you get married in Argentina, and then once you (the US citizen) has permanent residency here for 6 months, you can apply directly in the US embassy in Argentina for your spouse's visa, where in they can become an automatic US citizen and can start working right away once arriving in the US and dont have to do multiple applications for green card etc. Is there anyone that can attest to this? I have a friend who said he did it this way, but he was in the process at the time, and havent heard since once they moved to the US if this was actual the case, so I am not trying to say this is actually true, just wondering if anyone can confirm it. thanks!