Stuck & frustrated.. Need some advice..

[Ertan Arkoç]

Hey there.

I'm a Turkish citizen livin in Turkey. My fiancee and i are planning to get married and move to Chicago, IL next year.

The question is that my girlfriend is a double nationality, double citizen from both USA and Turkey.

Her father was from USA and her parents got married in Turkey and they never lived in US soil.

So she got US Citizenship as well as the Turkish one.

SO, we want to get married but we dont know if its good to get married in Turkey and move to USA or its better to go there first (as i get a tourist visa) and we marry in US.

We have some liquid assets (around 100.000$) if its gonna come in handy. (If its got nothing to do, i'd like to leave those assets in Turkey for investment.)

But i ll need to work there after a while, so i ll need a resident-work permit.

Please, we re stuck and we need some intelligent advice and true information.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Best of wishes.

[GC0102]

First, you need to decide what's best for you to live in Turkey or USA? If your final decision is to live in US, enter US on tourist visa and get married inside US.

To apply for green card - you'll need to find Joint-Sponsor living in US for affidavit of support, since your US Citizen spouse (who will act as Petitioner) will not able to take care of your expenses as she does not hold any bank account with good saving or active job/business on US soil. Normally, you'll receive work-authorization within 90 days of application if you're able to find Joint-Sponsor living in US. Plus your spouse will have to prove that she plans to live in US permanently.

Seek professional advice for your case!

[inadmissible]

It doesn't really matter where you get married, for immigration purposes. Give her her dream wedding.

If she wants a wedding to involve her family members and your family members and all your friends, I'm guessing it will be in Turkiye. She can then petition for you to get a green card, on the basis that you are her spouse. You will be eligible to work in the US on the day you step on American soil.

If her dream wedding is on the beach in Hawaii, then she can petition for you to get a fiancee visa. You will get a work permit 3 months after you get married and file the appropriate spousal paperwork. You can use a tourist visa to go to the US if, upon arrival, you can convince the immigration officer of your intent to return home afterwards. Some people get away with using a tourist visa to come to the United States (pretending it is a temporary visit), get married, then file for a green card - but you're not supposed to do it. The few people who don't get away with it end up facing harsh consequences. In your situation, it seem seems needlessly risky. The K1 process is straightforward and inexpensive.