PROPER APPLICATION MUST BE MADE WELL IN ADVANCE
by Contributor
(May 30, 2017) — You have met the person of your dreams while living or working outside the US, and now, at last, you are returning home. However, you want to bring your bride or groom-to-be home with you so you can get married and settle down.
Before you can do that, you need to apply to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service for a fiancé visa. This will allow you to bring a foreign national into the US with the intention to marry.
Eligibility
There are, of course, certain requirements to be satisfied before you can apply. The person bringing in the foreign national must be a US citizen, and they have to marry within 90 days of entry to the US. It is also a requirement that both of you be legally able to marry and any other marriages have been legally terminated.
The last requirement states that both parties must have met at least once in the previous two years. This is with the exception that it would have been in violation of local customs.
Children
What would happen if your fiancé has children? They are allowed to come into the US as well if they are under 21 and are unmarried. It would make things a lot easier and enable them to stay after the marriage by applying to be a resident along with the fiancé.
Can your fiancé work?
Your fiancé will be allowed to work for the 90 days while you are getting married. After the 90 days or after you get married, they can apply for an extension to work while they apply for permanent residence.
This will allow you both to find work and raise money for the wedding, although you must be mindful of the 90 days limit.
Missing the deadline
If for some reason, you do not get married within the 90 days that are allowed, your fiancé would have to leave the country immediately. There are no extensions granted to the visa, so it is important that they leave or they run the risk of being deported. If that were to occur, it would be tough for them to re-enter the US.
How long will the visa take?
As with any government agency, these things can take the time to process and be passed to the appropriate department. It would probably be in your best interest to try and make the application well before you want to enter the US. It would give you time to get things ready, and it will allow time for the visa to be processed.
What if we have problems?
If you have issues with the visa or problems when you enter the US, you should seek the advice of your local fiancé visa lawyers. They are specialized attorneys that can attend to any issues you have or may run into.
Hopefully, none of this will happen, and the both of you can have a happy life together in the US.