Visa for United States

[lynjuan06]

Another one in the bunch lol...I also live in NJ and my boyfriend in D.R we are gathering up some paperwork so that we can get married. I am going to visit him soon in D.R but I am thinking that the best and faster way to get him here is by me marrying him so we are planning to get married. I like all of you in my position miss him very much and for what I have read it seems like the process is so long. I am so new at this I would not know what to do after the marriage, paperwork anyway. I am a citizen of the USA I just want more information on what exactly do I need. There are a lot of people in this web site going through what I am about to go through. Any suggestions will help me very much. I know I need an I-130 application. Please help me out. Just remember he is in DR I am a US citizen here and just eager to get married to my man because the traveling back and forth and the phone calls could get expensive. Not to mention that I also work and have to keep taking time off to see him, so I really need to get him here.

Lynette

[onesweetone]

There is another visa that you should use instead of the I-130 application. You said that he is your boyfriend and not your husband so instead of getting married in the D.R. you should submit the paperwork using another visa (I forget the number but I think it is the I-129F). This way you can possibly speed up the process because you could bring him here for your wedding instead of waiting for him to come here after you are married. Look at this website for more detail. USCIS.gov Home Page. Applying this way may be faster for you since you are not already married. Good luck.

[rellosk]

Two of the ways to bring your boyfriend to the US is to marry him and bring him over as you spouse, or apply for a fiancée visa.

I believe the marriage route takes a little bit longer (others may disagree), but once he comes to the US, he doesn't have to go through a change of status. The problem with the change of status is that, except for special circumstances, he will not be able to leave the US until his status is changed.

My advice to you is to consult a immigration lawyer. It may cost extra money, but unless you are good at filling out government forms, it's worth it.

BTW, the process is currently run 16 to 24 months.

[jalencastro]

my wife's sister got married in the Dominican Republic and in less than two year her husband was here in the U.S. She did everything through a lawyer . So my best advise to you is to go in see a lawyer if you waNT HIM TO GET HERE FASTER.

[twincactus]

Originally Posted by jalencastro

my wife's sister got married in the Dominican Republic and in less than two year her husband was here in the U.S. She did everything through a lawyer . So my best advise to you is to go in see a lawyer if you waNT HIM TO GET HERE FASTER.

A lawyer can actually slow down your case. Unless you have some special situation you don't need one at all, don't waste your money. If you really don't want to do the paperwork there are agencies who will do a good job including Catholic Social Services for about $50. I did the same exact process in 20 months. I filled out all the paperwork myself. It's even easier now with the new I-864EZ form.

No one cares more about your case than YOU, not even your lawyer. It's a very expensive proposition just to fill out some forms. There have been numerous stories about lawyers letting papers sit for weeks, filling out the wrong forms or wrong information, etc. More information can be found here:
dominicanstotheusa.com :: View topic - do i need a lawyer?

-Tim

[Dorilama]

Hello!

My Dominican love seems to think that we can get married and leave for the states together. To me, and based on all these posts, it seems a bit more complicated than that. If the process for marriage and visa only takes a week, fine, I can manage in one quick trip. But it sounds like there is much more to it than that. His friends seem to think it is fairly simple too. K pasa?

[twincactus]

Originally Posted by Dorilama

Hello!

My Dominican love seems to think that we can get married and leave for the states together. To me, and based on all these posts, it seems a bit more complicated than that. If the process for marriage and visa only takes a week, fine, I can manage in one quick trip. But it sounds like there is much more to it than that. His friends seem to think it is fairly simple too. K pasa?

No matter which way you go, it will take about 20-24 months to get him here (if he stays with you that long).

If they all think they can do it in a week, I have some ocean front property here in AZ I want to sell them, and I'll even throw in a bridge in NY.

You can visit my board at Dominicans to the USA if you want more info.

-Tim