As everybody surely has experienced there are lots of bureaucatic hurdles if you want to get married to a partner with another nationality. Sadly, consulates and other institutions tend to be unhelpful in this matter. Or sometimes they even try to tell you wrong informations in order not to be bothered. The issue continues when you have children. It would be nice to collect tips, hints and experiences for other couples who want to get married.
Thank you for your collaboration.
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By Mami and Federico Canzian.
Crossing Borders is an e-zine for those new to America and Americans with foreign spouses. It's about life during and after I-130 or K-1 visa, fitting in, rebuilding life, life with a foreign spouse. It attempts to address issues that happen after you receive your immigration visa. It helps us deal with questions, fears, anticipation and worry. How to adapt, getting through culture shock, insurance, tax, credit, career, permanent residency, citizenship and more!
It is published fortnightly or every other Friday, delivered via e-mail straight into your in-box. On the website, you will find back issues sorted by month.
By Ken & Lynette, 20 Dec 2001.
www.about.com has an immigration forum that was very helpful to me and my
husband. People who have been where you are now are very committed to
helping others find their way through the INS maze.
By Lilly Medvedev, 9 Dec 2001.
I moved to the USA on the K-1 fiancé(e) visa. Here are a few key things to bear in mind when considering whether to apply for the K-1 visa.
By Jennie and Ben, 29 Nov 2001.
Visa Processing
For couples where one is from Russia, Belurus, or Ukriane, I reccomend the services of Mark Hlava for visa processing. His service is inexpensive and efficient.
My wife (from Ukraine) and I used his service and it was excellent and all paperwork was correct. From start to finish it was 5 months until my wife got her K-1 visa.
By Chris, 22 May 2001.
For those of you who seriously consider getting married in Niagara Falls (Canada) it is a fairly straightforward process, more so if it's the first time.
There is no requirement regarding residency or medical examination.
By Ratgod, 5 May 2001.
Over the last two years, many people told me that it was not possible for a British citizen, living in Germany to bring his Russian fiancee in to Germany in order to marry him and live there.
Luckily for me and for my wife Maria, not only were they wrong but we managed to prove that they were wrong. On my website, I give a list of exactly what steps you must go through in order to achieve this.
Although the page refers to German immigration procedures, it is in English. That is not a problem as most international relationships in Germany include at least one partner who is fluent in English.
By John O'Connor, 31 Mar 2000.
The information contained in this guide is of interest to those seeking employment, employees, the self-employed, frontier workers, students, retired people,...
Website of an immigration lawyer located in Pasadena, California, U.S.A.
Beside offering the services of an immigration lawyer office, the website has also plenty of documents and links concerning common immigration problems, visas, gaining U.S. citizenship and INS tips.
I am an immigration attorney. I didn't use to be an immigration attorney, but I learned very quickly after I met my wife and saw the problems she, her family and friends had to confront. I am thinking of doing a site called "Ask an Immigration Attorney".
More tips...
For all the people who are having trouble getting clear information, I would suggest you contact either your local church (they often have support groups and workshops on immigration. I even noticed some meetings advertised at our local public library), or your local congressman (I'm speaking of those people who are in the U.S.A., of course).
Here in NYC there are several local elected officials who are specializing in the immigration problem, you can find them by reading the Wednesday column in the NY daily news and/or contacting your district office.
There is also a bar association referral service in NYC that you can contact. When I contacted them with some questions, they referred me to a neighborhood immigration association that was able to answer my inquiry over the phone, without having to see a lawyer, without having to pay a fee. What a relief! France Harper
University institutes can certify translations of official documents for free. Sara (Germany) and Hideki (Japan)
Calculate your time-frame: how many months do you expect the whole process to take? Sara (Germany) and Hideki (Japan)
Always get 10 copies more of every document...you never know when you need them.... Sara (Germany) and Hideki (Japan)
In trying to get your fiancee or mate from another country to the US, a call to your state legislator or senator is most helpful. Many times they have the forms needed to begin processing and they can guide you as to the right kind of VISA's to come to the US in the most timely manner. Also as an added bonus if there are any problems that arise they are already familiar with your case and they can help to expedite matters..Patricia (U.S.A.) and Detlef (Germany)
When you and your mate meet.save plane ticket stubs with dates on them and pictures of the two of you together.. in the US you have to prove that you have been together in the past 2 years.. you have to show this documentation when you apply for a fiancee VISA... I lucked out and was saving the things for sentimental reasons..when you send them to Immigration they do send them back to you after verification.. Patricia (U.S.A.) and Detlef (Germany)
Some tips!! Plan AHEAD!!! You never know HOW LONG all the paper work can take!
Also save all addresses and so on that you have lived in together.
If you are planning to get married write letters to each other and SAVE THE ENVELOPES and also write to each others' families SAVING THE ENVELOPES. This is especially useful in applying for visas to the USA!! Christin
