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What happens when a U.S. citizen wants to marry a non-citizen?

Modern communications have made the world a much smaller place. People no longer have to see one another in real life to form a connection. Instead, they fall in love over the internet or through frequent video chats on their phones.

You may spend a lot of your day talking to and thinking about someone who is on the other side of the world if you’ve started a long-distance romance. If you have a true connection and decide that it is time to take the next step and get married so that you can actually be together, the future is full of possibilities.

However, before you can set off on your new life together, you will first have to handle all the legal complications that come with an international romance. If your fiancé(e) lives outside of the United States, you will need to secure a fiancé(e) visa for them in order to enter the United States and live here as your spouse. 

What are the requirements for a fiancé(e) visa?

In order to legally have your intended spouse enter and live here in the United States, you will need to apply for a K-1 or fiancé(e) visa. The requirements for this visa include that you are both legally able to marry and that your fiancé(e) can pass the necessary background checks and medical exams.

Additionally, you will need to have seen your fiancé(e) face-to-face at least once in the last two years unless you qualify for a hardship or religious waiver of this requirement. Finally, once your fiancé(e) arrives in the United States, you only have 90 days to get married, or they will have to leave the country.

Support for the visa process lets you focus on other changes

From planning your wedding to finding a place for you to live together, there are probably many details you need to address after you get engaged. Adding the stress of applying for a visa to that mix can easily overwhelm you.

Partnering with an immigration lawyer will make it easier for you to focus on the other aspects of happily marrying your fiancé(e) instead of just the red tape and paperwork involved in getting them into the country.

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