Need a little help......
 

Didn't really know where to put this....

My girlfriend and I are wanting to get married... problem is, she is from brazil and her visa is expiering(sp?). She wants to visit home for 3 to 5 months and we want to wed in nov or dec. Anyone know there way around enough to explain what I have to do? I looked into it and just got really confused. Some say to get a lawyer to explain it... but I can't afford that at the moment.

Any input would be great!

Wow, congrats to you, first of all.

Second, I think a good thing would actually be to go to a travel agency! They know a lot about visas, and if not, they probably could direct you in the way of an answer.

Good luck! Tell us all how things end up!

I know you don't have the money, but consulting with an immigration lawyer is probably your best bet.

Congratulations.

heh.. thnx. Any idea on what is too much to pay? If I do, I dont wanna get screwed

I would see if you can't contact your local immigration branch for some information. They'd probably be more familiar with what you are trying to do than some of us here. the Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) is where you could find that info.

I have absolutely no advice, but work as hard as you can to keep her here. Brazilian women are beautiful.

Immigration lawyers usuallty charge about $1500 US for the entire process fo helping people obtain visa's and citizenships. Apparently they take care of all the difficult stuff for you and make things far less complicated. As for like an hourly rate of just advice..... I have no idea. Good luck and Congrats!

Xiomar,

My advice to you is nothing more than this - relax and take it one step at a time. My wife is Panamanian, and I am English. Having now fought the immigration in both countries (one time for my wifes visa for the UK, one time me for my Panama Visa), I can tell you one thing in my experience, immigration departments do not like to be rushed or pressured!

I know this is a heart rending situation, but if you try and rush through a marriage before her visa expires it will just be extra pressure on both of you and I believe, if the process is anything like what we have been through, that marriages on the eve of visa expirations are viewed with some suspicion.

The very best thing you can do is consult a lawyer, and if you really cannot afford it, you need to think of ways to get the money or postpone plans for your wedding until you can afford good legal advice.

These things just always take longer than expected, dont put too much pressure on yourself or let it put pressure on your relationship - if you both set your sights on what you want you will find a way to make it happen and you will be able to be together soon - and legally, which is a great feeling!

Oh yeah, and the best of luck to you both, it will be great!

My fiance and I are going through this process at the moment. I'm Canadian and he is from here in the US.

Our US immigration lawyer had a fee of $3000 + the expenses of filing for our fiance visa. He'll also come with us to our interview with immigration after we get married.

The whole process takes approx 180 days. We filed our papers in May, and are expecting my approval to be in either November or December. After that there is another small bit of filing papers which usually takes 30 days in order to get my Visa which will allow me to re-enter the US. We then have 90 days to get married and I will be granted a work permit and allowed to stay in the US. Within two years we will have to have an interview with immigration to prove we are still together and our marriage wasn't a sham of any sort.

Since we have a lawyer, approval is pretty much guaranteed. With out the lawyer, filing could take twice as long with only dissapointment as a result. :( He's been indespensable, both with advice and his help. We almost just went ahead and got married, (thankgod we didn't) but the lawyer informed us the process for a couple already married is 2 - 3 years!

I can still come down here as a visitor until we are given approval to go ahead and tie the knot, but I can't hold a perminent address down here etc. (I am permitted to have medical though).

All the best. I hope you can get a lawyer. :)

I would say contact the INS for further information and ask them to direct you somewhere you can find help for cheap or free... its always better to be safe than sorry... you dont want a temporary or worse case secenario, permanent postponement of your wedding due to immigration issues.

Contact the INS about a K-1 fiance Visa. If you get a lawyer, you are almost guaranteed approval, it will take half as long, and you won't have to worry about it yourself.

Or just go here: http://www.us-immigration.com/store/...howProduct/101

or here: http://www.usavisanow.com/k1fianceevisainfo.html

My free legal advice for the day. Who said lawyers aren't good people?

And no jokes about that last comment!!!

Personally, I never did consult a lawyet, and my K1 visa process was pretty much easy as pie. If you feel that you can find your way through the legal mumbo jumbo, then you can save a long penny by not getting a lawyer. But if you can afford one, by all means, go for it.

I came into the States with a K1 fiance visa. The whole process was very fast. I applied for the visa in mid-summer 2002, got approved and issued a visa by December, flew into the States in April 2003, got married in May 2003, and became a permanent resident in February 2004. The whole procedure cost way less than a thousand dollars, if you don't include the one-way plane ticket.

And like I said, I never needed a lawyer. But believe me, there were moments when I felt very desperate and uncertain and wished that I could afford to get one. So again, if you can afford it, go for it.

Thamks everyone for all the advice... Ill see what I can do

Hmmm... do lawyers take payments, or do they want all at once?

I think it probably depends on the lawyer ;)

wow! 2-3 Years if you are already married?? Is this normal? Did he state why it would take so long?? If so, we may have to get married in the states just to speed up/simplify the process...I guess, technically, this just means a civil cermony, right?