ADVICE Needed! Want to marry in US (we are overseas) UK citizen and US citizen

[Katie Lamae]

Little background: I met my fiancé, Joe, 3 years ago at a summer camp in America. He is from the UK and I am from the U.S. We have been dating a little over 2 years now. The first year of our relationship we were in long distance and would visit each other every 3 months. The past year I have been living and residing in the UK on a Tier 2 work visa as a teacher. We just got engaged and are moving to Thailand in one month to start teaching jobs. Ideally we would like to go to America, get married and then settle there for good and for Joe to be able to get a green card and start working.

I have read many forums and blogs and I am still confused on what my options are. I am recently engaged and I feel like I can’t even celebrate because I’m so worried about the VISA process and that we might end up having to be apart for some time. I have read things about needing to apply for a visa and then waiting months (while being apart) and other blogs have said that you can get in trouble for visa fraud if they come into the states and get married while visiting. I have seen where you can contact lawyers to get help but we are 25 & 26 and don’t really want to put money into a lawyer that we might not need!

If you have continued reading after my long story, THANK YOU! My ideal situation would be go to Thailand, teach for a year, then go to the states, get married and settle in and get jobs. I know that it is probably never going to happen like that or be easy but if you have ANY advice please, please respond. I love this man and I don’t want to be apart, I just want my forever to start with him! Thank you!!

[rayb]

Why don't you just petition your guy as a fiancee, which takes about six months, then marry when he has his visa and arrives in the States. But you will have to time the submittal of the fiancee visa processing so that its issuance is about the time you are finished with your Thai work assignment. As an alternative, marry in Thailand, and apply for his spousal visa while you are there. That process takes about a year, and its completion would be about the time your work assignment is completed. IF he has a valid work or residence visa in Thailand, he can be interviewed at the U.S. Embassy there, and have up to six months to use the visa.

--Ray B

Little background: I met my fiancé, Joe, 3 years ago at a summer camp in America. He is from the UK and I am from the U.S. We have been dating a little over 2 years now. The first year of our relationship we were in long distance and would visit each other every 3 months. The past year I have been living and residing in the UK on a Tier 2 work visa as a teacher. We just got engaged and are moving to Thailand in one month to start teaching jobs. Ideally we would like to go to America, get married and then settle there for good and for Joe to be able to get a green card and start working.

I have read many forums and blogs and I am still confused on what my options are. I am recently engaged and I feel like I can’t even celebrate because I’m so worried about the VISA process and that we might end up having to be apart for some time. I have read things about needing to apply for a visa and then waiting months (while being apart) and other blogs have said that you can get in trouble for visa fraud if they come into the states and get married while visiting. I have seen where you can contact lawyers to get help but we are 25 & 26 and don’t really want to put money into a lawyer that we might not need!

If you have continued reading after my long story, THANK YOU! My ideal situation would be go to Thailand, teach for a year, then go to the states, get married and settle in and get jobs. I know that it is probably never going to happen like that or be easy but if you have ANY advice please, please respond. I love this man and I don’t want to be apart, I just want my forever to start with him! Thank you!!