Marriage Visa

I am also British married to an American. My husband was actually told by an INS person that the easiest way to do this is to get married in the States and then apply for a change of status. Look at the Homeland Security website or just web search a change of status etc. Is your boyfriend British? We didn't really have any problems - I had work authorization within a few months and my green card within a year.
It can take a ling time but I've been told that doing it from the other end and geting a fiance visa takes even longer and he can't be in the U.S. while it is being processed. None of it is cheap and don't expect the immigration people to be helpful or polite!
Good Luck - hope this helps.
Email if you need any help, I did this all post Sept 11 so all rules should still be the same.
K.

Hi E.,
My husband and I did an F1 (fiance) visa here in Texas after 9/11. It took me about 7-8 months to get him over here from South Africa. We used an attorney because I didn't want to leave anything to chance, but you could also do it yourself and save the money (couple thousand dollars). Then we got married shortly after he got here and changed status right away. He was able to start working as soon as we adjusted status (we paid a couple extra hundred dollars more for that) but it was worth it. I don't know about doing it all over here and just getting married, maybe it is faster. But I've also heard that sometimes they still won't allow them to stay here while the paperwork is being processed. I would definitely talk with someone who has gone that route. If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them, just send me an e-mail. Just be sure to document everything, phone bills, plane ticket stubs, pictures, letters, e-mails, etc.
Good luck, it's hard and takes lots of patience, but obviously worth it!

Hi E.,

Here are a couple of links you might want to check out:

http://www.visajourney.com/faq/k1faq.htm
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?pg=k3guide
http://patru.proboards26.com/index.cgi

Good luck!

Hi E.,
My husband applied for a fiance visa for me here in Dallas back in 1997. There was quite a lot of paperwork and it took about 1 year before I was called for an interview in Naples at the American Ambassy, plus medical screening for HIV and proper immunizations. I don`t know if the process is faster or longer now, but after I entered in the USA with the fiance visa, I had 90 days to get married or I would have been illegal. We did get married in July 1999 and soon after I applied for a temporary green card. Since you are going to be the petitioner, get ready to submit personal pictures of both of you together and love letters, everything to prove you are going to marry for love.
The best of luck!!
If you need more detail information, email me and I will try to find a phone number (if it still works!) or address.
A.
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I have been through it and it is alot of hard work, money, paperwork and time. We did it through the lawyers and it was more expensive but so worth it. The do everything and guide you step by step. I would highly recommend them.

http://www.tsalaw.com/

Good Luck

Oh my god it's a long process! Yes especially in tx
My fiance has been here for almost 11yrs and he moved to florida (because it's faster there) he got married but he was not lucky. the marriage was awful, had hard time getting the girl to go and help him out with interviews, and it went on for a few years, he came back to tx, went back to florida when ever it was required for him to attend interviews. In the end he is in the process of divorcing her (she is very hard to track down, she keeps moving) and he still does not have his permenant papers, he has to renew it every year. He has a lawyer here. I am from England (i came as a green card holder, so it was easy for me) I just applied for my citizenship (have the ceremony in sept) but even i can't really help him after I get my official papers, but since we have a son that might be different now, who knows. So we sit and wait. The lawyers take forever b/c the INS in tx is so slow and they are over loaded.
But your case might be very simple, in a sence that it should not take that long, but they are very strick so who knows. You have to show that you can support him when he arrives and that means of course he cannot work for months until they give him a work permit. When he first arrives here you have to apply for social security number, then ID card or driving license. Some have said it's easier when you marry them outside the states, but i don't know how true that is. But as soon as he gets here show proof of engagment(lots of pictures), then start contacting lawyers.
Please don't be discouraged, like i said your case might be very simple. Email me if you need to, good luck
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