American Woman & Polish Man Want to Get Married-Advice for Getting to USA

Hi everyone. I'm fairly new to Polish Forums but I wanted to get right out there and ask some questions. So here's my story---My fiance is Polish and I'm American and we've been engaged since New Year's 2008. Three months after we got engaged, I moved to Poland so that we could be together (My fiance was still in school and I was interested in teaching English).

Anyways it's August now and it's been 5 months since I moved here, and now we BOTH want to go back to the USA. My fiance just graduated from college so he is interested in working in the USA. Also...we want to get married in the USA, but we are not sure of the best/most painless way to get back to the USA. I have heard lots of things about getting a tourist visa and then just getting married in the USA, but it sounds like the US doesn't like it when you do that....

My Question---If you were in our position, do you think it would be better for my fiance to try for a tourist visa or to try and get a J-1 work visa? (Oh and keep in mind that he applied for a tourist visa a year & 1/2 ago and was unfortunately denied...)

If the tourist visa is in face the best way...What should he do at the tourist visa interview that will ensure that he gets one? And does it really take 2 years to get a green card if you get married on a tourist visa??

Thank you so much in advance for any information/advice/experience! :)
-britt84

Well, if your fiance has already been denied then it might happen again :(. But if you are engaged why don't you apply for a fiance visa? It takes a while to get it and from what i've heard you need to prove that the relationship is legitimate but that shouldn't be a problem, right?

I came to the US on a tourist visa and got married there, and it took forever to get the green card. In fact i was so sick and tired of waiting that we finally went back to PL (stupid I know, but i didn't really care about it in the first place). We just wanted to get married and in PL you need so much stupid stuff to marry a foreigner that after a very unofficial advice from sb from the US consulate in Cracow I applied for a B1 visa and we did it in the US. If I could do it all over again I would insist on getting a fiance visa.

Anyway good luck to you guys. I hope that wherever you get married you'll have a beautiful wedding.

Cleo14,
Thank you so much for your response! Wow- I feel like we get conflicting information- our heads are spinning with all we've read about getting married in the USA!

We have been thinking about the Fiance Visa, but right now I am living in Poland. To apply for a Fiance Visa I (the US citizen) would need to file it in the USA....and then my fiance would have to wait over here in Poland. I guess the main thing is that we want to be together! We started out doing long-distance in the beginning and we don't want to do that again....

I am curious- do you know how much the Fiance Visa costs? I've heard it's quite expensive.
At this point, we are scared about trying for a Tourist Visa because he could be denied....and then would that hurt our chances of getting a Fiance Visa? Or even a J-1 Visa?

(And thank you- wherever and whenever we have our wedding I, too, hope it will be beautiful)

britt84, I know someone who is trying to get a green card (in the USA) and their lawyer told them that it is now taking only 6 to 7 months because the USICS has hired new workers and they're working weekends to speed up the process. It takes within 90 days to get a work permit.

But one thing you should think about is that you'll have to sponsor your spouse. In order to qualify, you have to make a certain amount of money each year and prove it through tax returns. I think it's more than $17,000.

If you don't qualify, you'll need to find someone else who can sponsor him, like your parents. If you arrive in the U.S. and you can't find a sponsor for him, you won't be able to get his work permit and green card.

Sponsorship now lasts forever, even if he leaves you. Make sure he's going to apply for U.S. citizenship which he'll be able to do after 3 years of marriage. This will free you of sponsorship.

The best would be to apply for fiance visa. Yes, you have to be in the US to do this but you can have someone else send it out for you or come to the US for a while and go back. The fiance visa is also an immigration visa. It takes about 5 months to get it.

You have 90 days to get married once in the US and then it takes about 2 months to get a green card. No questions, no hassles.You don't have to report to INS for interview like you would have to with a tourist or other visa, where they ask you unpleasant personal questions and delay the process of receiving the green card. This green card is a temporary card and is valid for 2 years, if you are still married then you apply for a permanent green card.

I've been through all this. Last year the cost was $170, now it's $455

Did you have to prove that you could sponsor him or did you have to find a sponsor for him?

I had to do that. They ask for your income, assets, etc. also I needed to send income tax copies from the last two years. Did everything for the loser and he just used me to get to the US.

I don't really know. I was lucky - got a tourist visa on the first try. but i was a student at the time and had been in the US twice before on a j1 visa. so they didn't ask any questions.

What really p****** me off that once we were married and came back to PL we had no problems getting all the permits for my hubby. no hassle. Only once we had a visit from a very nice police officer who came to our house to make sure that my husband lives with me and that our son really exists ;). And that was just recently when he applied for a settlement.

i think you should just go for the fiance visa. they have them for a reason, and from the posts above you can tell that waiting for a green card doesn't take long.

Aww.... I am sorry to hear :(

I got to the us of a as a tourist, too. We got married soon after, I got my first 2-year visa about 6 months later (work permit I received almost immediately).

Then when 2-year period was over I had to apply for I-752 removal of conditions - which was granted (not without problems).

But, to advice on the topic, I would say what Cleo said - apply for any kind of visa (your bf, Britt) and get married in the US. You can also apply for K1 visa for your bf - when he is granted it, you'll have to married within 90 days in the US.

Good luck!

dont worry his sorry ass is getting deported...hahahahaha

Krysia, how long ago was it? You know you can send the dickhead back to Poland, he deserves that.

Not without problems? What do you mean? How long did it take for it to be granted?

Earlier this year. I notified ICE and INS but he's hiding out in Chicago. So don't know what happened.

Krysia, he was given conditional card then, for two years, though.
In two years he'll have to prove that the marriage was valid, eg. joint taxt returns, living under the same roof, having kids, etc.

If he cannot prove it, he'll be kicked out of this country by a atomic kick. Unless he knows very expensive and good lawyer, he won't be able to prove that the marriage was valid and it will be considered a paper marriage.

I would suggest you take some steps, too, to prove that you didn't mary the guy for money, that it was real love from you and he was playing you along all the time. You know that paper marriage is a felony... you can get into trouble yourself.

Of course don't do joint taxes with him, prove that he moved out as soon as he was given a card, etc.

Then give me his address, I'll break his legs...

------------------


Hey Wilczyco :))

It took whole year, becasue we were in special situation: our addresses are different, for we don't live together for a long time now, and it raised a red flag immediately.

We had tons of stuff to prove we did get married because of love, though, like photos, tickets to Poland, joint taxes, joint bank accounts, letters, post cards etc.

Normally, when a couple lives together and is simply a married couple, the 10-year (after 2 years period) card is sent over mail. We had to attend second interview, one that I was scared of, but even though we're not together any more, due to our stuff we had from the past, the interview went just fine.

Krysia, if the dude cannot prove any of the above, he's ass is already cooked.

XO to Krysia and Wilczyca :))

My advice to you is to remember that "Sometimes Love Is Blind". I don't mean to rain on your party there, but you must be totally aware of your situation. I fell in love with the most wonderful man from Romania and I thought he was my "European Prince on a white horse". Oh, he called me 'Princess' and all the great love names. We met online and had a relationship for over 3 years before marriage. He was the ULTIMATE man! I would look at him and just blush feeling so proud of him!! I gave my all to get him here into the US. I gave up a great career with the cruise industry because the Consulate at the US Embassy told me I had to live on land in order to get him to the US. We married in Romania and applied at the US Embassy in Romania for his Visa. We are just getting ready to go for our final interview within the next 5 weeks to get his 2 year Temporary condition off of his Permanent Residency status. I've lived a living hell for almost 2 years. I'm devastated!! After 2 weeks in this country, I found out he is gay and possibly bi-sexual!! Although I was secretly having problems from our very first night together on our Wedding Night, he didn't want a sexual relationship and I was so devastated and embarrassed to tell anyone at the time. I couldn't understand so I put it off to stress. (Whatever you do, try the vehicle out before you buy it!!) Honey, this guy has changed so much, it amazes me when I look at him. He doesn't walk, talk, or even breath like before coming to the United States. I caught him online telling 4 of his friends and family about his plans last year of leaving me this year after immigration removes his temp. condition. He was saying really nasty things that I couldn't believe was coming out of his mouth, and then seconds later he wrote me an email saying, " Hi, Princess, how was your day?" Thats when I realized he was using me and was just a major manipulator. I stayed with him the 2 years because of the financial promise to the government, but my "term in hell" is almost over!! Make sure you read online about some of the reality that goes on out there over green card scams!! So many of us long lost "IN LOVE AMERICANS" get taken to the cleaners by foreign "love". Its serious, please don't dismiss this! I hope you have the best love in the world, but don't be blind to "FOREIGN CON MEN". They really do say anything you want to hear until they get their feet on U.S. soil. Actually, many of the really good con men stay "in love" until they receive their Permanent Residency Card with the Temporary Conditions removed and then they pop the next question, "Honey, how long will it take to get our divorce?" Read this website someone told me about. It is relating to Russian, Ukranian, and Former Soviet Union women, but it applies to men also. greencardscams.com.

This was the most expensive lesson I have ever taught myself. I'm hoping I can smoothly divorce him and that US Immigration will do something about his fraud and send him back to his country.

I'm sure if you are truly in love that you have your blinders on just as I did, but I hope you take the time to prepare yourself better than I did.

Good Luck to you!!

You signed an Affidavit of Support with the original Green Card filing, it lasts 10years. If he becomes a public charge, you are responsible for him. So technically, your responsibility to the government is far from over.

If you've gone to his interview to get the conditions lifted, knowing you aren't in a committed marriage, then you've added to the fraud yourself. You should have stated in that interview that you found out the whole thing was a fraud, he'd get denied at interview, and they would start deportation proceedings.


Your chance was at interview to tell them. Once he has a permanent green card, there's nothing you can do.