Hi all, here's a brief background.. I am a US citizen and plan on marrying my girlfriend in August. She is here on a J1 visa which expires in Sept and is not subject to the 2 year home requirement. However, we have some questions we hope to have answered and are hoping you kind folks might be able to help out. Any help you can provide would be much appreciated..
1. What would be my girlfriend's status after we marry but when her J1 is expired and her green card application is still in processing? Would she be out-of status? And during this time, would she be able to attend school and get her driver's license?
2. Does getting married make it any easier for my girlfriend's parents to attain a visitors visa to visit the US? (coming from Thailand)
3. If at the time my girlfriend's green card expires and she is out of the country, would there be anyway for her to renew without coming back to the US?
4. As I understand, a birth certificate is required for her green card application and would have to be translated to english. Does it need a notary from the US? Can we have it translated in Thailand?
5. We plan on self-filing our marriage documents but what are the benefits of having an immigration lawyer file for us? and how much would it cost?
6. As I understand, the following documents are needed for her application for green card:
a. I-485 application
b. I-130 petition for alien relative
c. I-864 affidavit of support
Am I missing anything? Also, approximately how much are we looking at in cost for the entire green card process from start to end?
7. Lastly, we plan on getting a prenup. Should this be done before our marriage or could it be done anytime after? Also, very roughly, how much do lawyers usually charge for this?
Sorry for the lengthy post.. and again, much thanks to any help you can offer.
1. What would be my girlfriend's status after we marry but when her J1 is expired and her green card application is still in processing? Would she be out-of status? And during this time, would she be able to attend school and get her driver's license?
2. Does getting married make it any easier for my girlfriend's parents to attain a visitors visa to visit the US? (coming from Thailand)
3. If at the time my girlfriend's green card expires and she is out of the country, would there be anyway for her to renew without coming back to the US?
4. As I understand, a birth certificate is required for her green card application and would have to be translated to english. Does it need a notary from the US? Can we have it translated in Thailand?
5. We plan on self-filing our marriage documents but what are the benefits of having an immigration lawyer file for us? and how much would it cost?
6. As I understand, the following documents are needed for her application for green card:
a. I-485 application
b. I-130 petition for alien relative
c. I-864 affidavit of support
Am I missing anything? Also, approximately how much are we looking at in cost for the entire green card process from start to end?
7. Lastly, we plan on getting a prenup. Should this be done before our marriage or could it be done anytime after? Also, very roughly, how much do lawyers usually charge for this?
Sorry for the lengthy post.. and again, much thanks to any help you can offer.