Help with I-485 marriage-based interview

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whitetail

New Member
Hi,

I'm married to a USC wife and the interview is scheduled on 12/22/05. I have some concerns over our marriage that happed overseas. My wife and I went back to our country 3 years go and got married with a wedding reception. My wife had GC and I was on H1B back then. But after we came back to US, we didn't get married officially until Jan 12, 2005. We waited this long because I heard from my friends that if I filed while my wife was on GC it will take over 6 years to get approved so I waited until she became citizen then we got married at a courthouse on Jan 12. Is this going to be an issue we told the inteviewer about our marriage 3 years ago? I'm asking you this because when they asked me for wedding photos, i only have those taken at our reception 3 yrs back and I dont have any photos during our wedding ceremony in US. Please advise!

Thanks much in advance.
 
whitetail said:
Hi,

I'm married to a USC wife and the interview is scheduled on 12/22/05. I have some concerns over our marriage that happed overseas. My wife and I went back to our country 3 years go and got married with a wedding reception. My wife had GC and I was on H1B back then. But after we came back to US, we didn't get married officially until Jan 12, 2005. We waited this long because I heard from my friends that if I filed while my wife was on GC it will take over 6 years to get approved so I waited until she became citizen then we got married at a courthouse on Jan 12. Is this going to be an issue we told the inteviewer about our marriage 3 years ago? I'm asking you this because when they asked me for wedding photos, i only have those taken at our reception 3 yrs back and I dont have any photos during our wedding ceremony in US. Please advise!

Thanks much in advance.
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You should have done your court marriage right after coming back from your country. That is true that it takes 6 years to get GC if you file for GC it when your wife was on GC. You were not going to loose anything by registering your marriage though. You should have atleast registered your marriage. Now you will get temparary GC and not a permanent one since your official marriage time is less than 2 years. How can you do this?
Have you registered your marriage in your country?
 
I don't get this??? The marriage back home is not recognized/official? You got married back home and then came here and got married (to the same person) again(2 marriage certificates?)? What marriage date did you put on your application?

Isn't a marraige certificate from another issuing country recongnized? It may not be better than one issued from the US, but isn't it still recongnized? What made your first "marriage" unofficial for you to disregard/ignore it?
 
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whitetail said:
Hi,

I'm married to a USC wife and the interview is scheduled on 12/22/05. I have some concerns over our marriage that happed overseas. My wife and I went back to our country 3 years go and got married with a wedding reception. My wife had GC and I was on H1B back then. But after we came back to US, we didn't get married officially until Jan 12, 2005. We waited this long because I heard from my friends that if I filed while my wife was on GC it will take over 6 years to get approved so I waited until she became citizen then we got married at a courthouse on Jan 12. Is this going to be an issue we told the inteviewer about our marriage 3 years ago? I'm asking you this because when they asked me for wedding photos, i only have those taken at our reception 3 yrs back and I dont have any photos during our wedding ceremony in US. Please advise!

Thanks much in advance.
Click to expand...
 
You can always have a religious wedding and a civil wedding. There is no harm in telling the officer that you were married abroad and had court wedding here. (but make sure you did not lie in any of your applications in Consulate or elsewhere that you were unmarried after you were actually married abroad. Immigration officers always appreciate your honest answer. good luck.
 
sheracar said:
I don't get this??? The marriage back home is not recognized/official? You got married back home and then came here and got married (to the same person) again(2 marriage certificates?)? What marriage date did you put on your application?

Isn't a marraige certificate from another issuing country recongnized? It may not be better than one issued from the US, but isn't it still recongnized? What made your first "marriage" unofficial?
Click to expand...
US recognize other country's marriage. Because I have petitioned for my sis and her family and have used her Indian marriage cert.
I hope whitetail have registered his marriage in his country.
 
Thanks for all of your responses. Actually the wedding in my country was more like religious one followed by a reception, but we registered our marriage at US court on Jan 12, which is the date I put in my application). We plan to tell the truth about our situtation on the interview. I'm just wondering if there will be any issue with time gap (about 3 years) between religious wedding and court marriage in US. Thanks again!
 
whitetail said:
Thanks for all of your responses. Actually the wedding in my country was more like religious one followed by a reception, but we registered our marriage at US court on Jan 12, which is the date I put in my application). We plan to tell the truth about our situtation on the interview. I'm just wondering if there will be any issue with time gap (about 3 years) between religious wedding and court marriage in US. Thanks again!
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It shouldn’t be any issues concerning the time gap. It was your mistake not to do it sooner, but it won’t make any difference in approving your I-485 application.
Tell them the truth, show them your pictures and everything else you have got together.
You been married for three years already, there is nothing for you to worry about, except like
Amishah already mentioned – you’ll get a conditional GC and will have to deal with the INS forms, fees and possible another interview again in two years.
 
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