Advises for (gay) marriage - how to start.

[sabahiya]

Hi, great to be able to join this forum.

Quick background - I am a professional gay male from Hongkong and for almost 2 decades I have been in a great friendship and on-and-off lover relationship with a Bay Area based American guy. We were recently more connected and early this year we took a trip together to Thailand, Cambodia and China - it was at the time that we decided we should consider the marriage option.

I am a regular visitor to the US for years for business and pleasure. I have a valid tourist visa. The question is - I have been told that I should not get married since on a tourist visa, because it would be against the intention/purpose of a tourist visa that it will work against us in future procedures.

I have been given some options on how to proceed. So my question is, which option will be the most time efficient:

1. Finance Visa

2. Tourist visa to enter, get married, leave, come back again and start the procedures in next visit

3. Tourist visa to enter, get married in Canada, then start the procedures

4. (May not be possible, but checking) He comes to visit me in Hongkong, and file for marriage in the US consulate here (Hongkong does not recognize same-sex marriage)

I am at the very beginning of exploring. So your advises are very much appreciated.

Cheers, Saba

 

[tuckin14]

I was in almost an identical position a few years ago, abeit in an opposite-sex relationship.

My fiance and I had been given the same advice. She wasn't actually here on a visa, since she was Canadian and didn't need a visa, but we had been told that if she came here as a visitor and we got married, they'd say she lied about the purpose of her visit.

Then I saw a different attorney who said "There's no reason you can't get married in the USA." And so the next week we did.

We never had an issue pertaining to the marriage. Other issues pertaining to her staying in Canada for quite a while and to our separation, but nothing pertaining to where and when and how we got married.