Q: I am 20 years old, a junior in college, in KY. I want to marry an Alabanian man who is 22. Have been skyping for months.
We will be living with my mother until I finish school. I know I can support him here until he gains citizenship to find a job. My mother claims me as a dependent on her taxes and I file my own as well as I have been working two years while in school. In January I lost my twin brother so I want to stay with my mom a while longer and she is okay with my fiancé moving in. I want to spend the rest of my life with this man and I worry the U.S may not see me as rich enough to house him, although we very well can. I am just unsure of the guidelines. Thank you so much for any advice!
A:
Hello, the route to citizenship is not as short as you may assume. First step is file a K1 visa (also known as a fiance visa) to get this visa approved you will have to submit proof that your relationship is real and it is not a scam to get legal status for your fiance. Couples who find love online have it a little harder to prove their relationship is real compared to all others. If your fiance's k1 visa gets approved he will be allowed to come to the US and you both should marry within 90 days. After marriage you will apply for an I-130 (permanent resident or green card application), since you are an U.S citizen your fiance might get the green card in 6 to 8 months considering you both meet all the requirements and pass the interview. You should also have enough money to be able to file the I-130, if you don't you can add a co-sponsor to the petition. After five years of being a permanent resident your fiance will be able to apply for citizenship if he doesn't get any criminal convictions. I know this process may feel very overwhelming and long but that is how immigration works in the US unfortunately. I suggest you talk to an immigration attorney in private explain your needs in more detail, get help from the attorney to give you a plan so you can save money and time to make sure you get your fiance here and get married.
All the best.
-Shan Potts
Like our facebook page for regular immigration and visa updates - www.facebook.com/pottsmartinez
15 years of successful immigration law experience. The answer above is only general in nature cannot be construed as legal advice, given that not enough facts are known. It is your responsibility to retain a lawyer to analyze the facts specific to your particular situation in order to give you specific advice. Specific answers will require cognizance of all pertinent facts about your case. Any answers offered are of a general nature only, and are not meant to create an attorney-client relationship.
A: There are questions and answers similar to the mentioned situation on our website at http://aba-us.com/other-services/?lang=en. You can take a look for general information. Good luck.
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