Bringing my wife to the US

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blicht454

New Member
Hello, I'm getting married in September in Italy, to an Italian. I'm American, and my soon-to-be wife is Italian. We're hoping to start our life in the US as soon as possible, and I was wondering what the best (and fastest) process to go through would be.

Do we have to apply for an Immigrant Visa / Green Card from Italy, or is there some way we can come to the US and apply from here?

Thank you for your help.
 
Fiancee visa (K-1)

Unless you live in Italy, in which case directly going for a green card via DCF (Direct Consular Filing) may be possible.
 
blicht454 said:
She can apply for a fiancee visa even if we will already be married?
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No. You would have to delay the marriage until after she completes the fiancee visa formalities and arrives in the US.

But in terms of bringing her to the US, the fiancee visa is faster than interviewing for a green card through the consulate. The fiancee visa process takes about half as much time (3-6 months instead of 6-12 months). And you can file for the fiancee visa right away, instead of in September after you get married.

After entering the US with the fiancee visa she would still have to file for adjustment of status to get a green card, whereas after consular processing for the green card she would instantly become a permanent resident upon admission to the US. So with the fiancee visa route it may take just as long overall to complete the green card process. But the fiancee visa still brings her to the US faster, allowing her to complete the last major stage in the US instead of waiting outside the US for a consular interview.
 
Ok. That makes sense.

But if the wedding is definitely happening in Italy in September (it's already planned and booked), is my best (only) option getting the green card through the consulate?
Because with a fiancee visa, we'd have to get married in the US, correct?
 
Yes, with the fiancee Visa you need to get married in the US within 90 days of your fiancee entering the country.So its best to take the green card route and bring her in
blicht454 said:
Ok. That makes sense.

But if the wedding is definitely happening in Italy in September (it's already planned and booked), is my best (only) option getting the green card through the consulate?
Because with a fiancee visa, we'd have to get married in the US, correct?
Click to expand...
 
blicht454 said:
Ok. That makes sense.

But if the wedding is definitely happening in Italy in September (it's already planned and booked), is my best (only) option getting the green card through the consulate?
Because with a fiancee visa, we'd have to get married in the US, correct?
Click to expand...

If you're not willing to delay the wedding and have it in America, the fiancee visa won't work for you.

But pursuing the green card through the consulate takes longer*, which would mean more separation from your wife, unless you're going to spend most of the time waiting with her in Italy.


*except that DCF for the green card may be just as fast as the fiancee visa, if the US consulate in Italy will allow it under your circumstances. With DCF, you directly file all the paperwork with the consulate, instead of filing it with an immigration office in the US to have them process it first and then forward it to the consulate for the final stage. That speeds up the process, but consulates are restrictive about allowing DCF -- a typical requirement is that the US citizen spouse must be residing (not just visiting) legally in the noncitizen spouse's country for at least 6 months.
 
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