New here - Need Advice

[remote]

Hi everyone,

I am new here. My boyfriend (US citizen) and I (from Singapore) have been together for 2.5 years and are planning to register our marriage this year/early next year and hold our wedding in 2016, so we are looking for advice on applying for visas and stuff, and I hope you guys can help!

So background information is that he is residing in the US and I am residing in Singapore at the moment. We are planning for me to move over after registering for our marriage since he will be going to med school. Then maybe move back after.

1. If that is the case, is it better to register our marriage in the US than in Singapore? As in will it speed the process up?
2. Also, I have heard that it is not necessary, but have anyone registered their marriage twice in US and their home country?
3. How long does a K-1 visa take to be approved?
4. I have read online that after getting married, green card takes months to years to be granted. That is pretty vague, does anyone have any idea what how long the majority take?

I am pretty confused with the procedures right now, so it will be good if some of you can help me with more questions!

Thanks in advance!

[shaneismail]

New here - Need Advice

Hi,
Based on my experience as K-1(fiancé visa)it takes 1 year from the date we submit our application. If you will register your marriage then you'll be on K-2 (spouse visa). I don't know which one will be approve faster.
About applying for Green card it takes just 4 months.
"You should start filling your applications while waiting for 2016"

[linuxpro]

Hi everyone,

I am new here. My boyfriend (US citizen) and I (from Singapore) have been together for 2.5 years and are planning to register our marriage this year/early next year and hold our wedding in 2016, so we are looking for advice on applying for visas and stuff....

Hey, P and K here;

I am the USC, and my girlfriend and I both live in Singapore.

You do not want to marry in both countries. That will complicate things. I already spoke to the ROM. You need not register your US marriage in Singapore.

Marriage in Singapore is complicated. For sake of simplicity do it in the USA. That means get a K1.

I initiated a K1 last October. It was stalled due to a badly faxed, then copied document. I sat on it almost a month so an extra 30 days of delay was due to my inaction. It has been three months now. My girlfriend gets her medical exam on Saturday. We are about a month from completing the K1. Overall that means it will take about four months. Please keep in mind that I am a US veteran so I get preference (I think).

Get lots of photographs of yourselves together, and get a common bank account if you can. Keep copies of flight itineraries, and ticket stubs. You need all that to prove you have a real relationship. A photograph of you with his parents would not hurt. Get receipts and photographs of your rings, wedding dress, his suit and all that stuff. All of that is for the interview at the US embassy. They may not even look at the stuff, but it pays to have it.

Do not mention the school of a future plan to move back to a Singapore if at all possible. As far as the US government is concerned you are getting married, buying a house, two cars, a dog, and having children. That might not be the plan but just be 'plain folk' as you can. Anything that draws attention is suspicious when dealing with the US government. They will ask more questions if they are suspicious. More questions may mean delays, and more documents. Do not volunteer anything. Just smile, and answer all the questions. It is their job to make sure that you are real, and not just after a 'green card'.

The cost for the petition is $240 USD. The visa fee is about the same. Then there is the medical exam. I think that is about $200.

Your boyfriend needs to earn a salary of at least $20,000 or so, per year.

Do not waste money on a lawyer, or an agent to handle the paperwork. It is not as hard as it sounds.

Good luck

Please excuse my typing. I am using my iPad.

[remote]

Hey,

Thank you for your responses! P and K, thanks for sharing your experiences and awesome advice, it helps to learn from a couple in similar situations!

On the salary part, is it a must for my boyfriend to be working? He will be going back to school soon, so that means he will not have a steady income. We are both college graduates though (not sure if that helps).

How is your visa application going so far?

Thank you!

(sorry for the late response, I don't get notifications for replies)

[linuxpro]

Hey,

Thank you for your responses! P and K, thanks for sharing your experiences and awesome advice, it helps to learn from a couple in similar situations!

On the salary part, is it a must for my boyfriend to be working? He will be going back to school soon, so that means he will not have a steady income. We are both college graduates though (not sure if that helps).

How is your visa application going so far?

Thank you!

(sorry for the late response, I don't get notifications for replies)

We let ours slip a while. I received an RFC, so we almost decided not to bother getting married in the USA. Then after letting it set until it almost expired, I answered the RFC. The letter came from the embassy, but she was out of town. We sat on that for a few weeks. With renewed enthusiasm, we submitted our package to the embassy. We are waiting on the interview.

Yes he must have a job, or a co-spencer (his mother, father, brother, etc).

I do not know much about the green card. We are both working for US companies abroad so we have no plan to live in the USA soon. We will marry in the USA, get her social security number, and return to Singapore under the rule 319b. I am still working on the details.