I recently got engaged and my fiancee is from the USA and we want to live there. I've read a few posts about starting proceedings to get a green card etc. and my fiancee has been researching too. I was wondering if people would suggest getting an attorney to help with the legal forms etc?
UK citizen marrying US citizen
- Thread starter Joe A
- Start date
cafeconleche
Registered Users (C)
Not unless there's a messy relationship history that includes child custody battles and what not. It's a straightforward process. Check the US embassy website and ask particular questions on this forum. If you fall under the London embassy, you can follow the Direct Consular Filing procedure. It'd take 3-6 months tops to get your immigrant visa.
Jackolantern
Registered Users (C)
Be careful about the timing of the marriage. If you're willing to delay the marriage until after you're in the US, go for the fiance visa (K-1) which typically takes 3-6 months. After arrival in the US with the K-1 visa, you'll have 90 days to get married and file the green card paperwork.
But if you marry first, the K-1 visa will be unavailable, in which case it could take about a year for you to immigrate unless Direct Consular Filing is available to you (different consulates have different criteria for whether they'll accept a DCF case).
But if you marry first, the K-1 visa will be unavailable, in which case it could take about a year for you to immigrate unless Direct Consular Filing is available to you (different consulates have different criteria for whether they'll accept a DCF case).
Triple Citizen
Registered Users (C)
Follow Jackolantern's advice and take the K-1 route. Forms are simple and there should be no need to hire an attorney unless there are past immigration complications with either one of you.