To forestall the witticisms, this question was brought up in conversation.  I'm not looking to purchase a Svetlana off the internet, it's not a mail-order bride question, nor is it a debate about the respective merits of each country's women.  It's purely a technical question.

The general procedure according to the INS is

A) Marry a foreigner
B) Fill out a pile of paperwork
C) Undergo several interviews over the course of two years
D) Adjust to permanent resident status after two years
E) One year later, apply for citizenship

Has anyone been through the process who can describe the difficulty of the paperwork process and what the interviews are like?  Other than the general procedure, the information on the internet is not very helpful.

See the topic line.

F) Get divorced as soon as she has that green card.
G) Lose half of your ducats. 50%. Pola. Halb. Demi.

H) Wake up dead when russian mafia chick gets orders from boyfriend.

Thank you for your insightful and informative comments.  Did you two even read my post?

Quoted: H) Wake up dead when russian mafia chick gets orders from boyfriend.

If you were dead.. Wouldn't you technically not wake up?

buyer/importer beware

Quoted: Quoted: H) Wake up dead when russian mafia chick gets orders from boyfriend. If you were dead.. Wouldn't you technically not wake up?

He could get better !

Quoted: To forestall the witticisms, this question was brought up in conversation.  I'm not looking to purchase a Svetlana off the internet, it's not a mail-order bride question, nor is it a debate about the respective merits of each country's women.  It's purely a technical question. The general procedure according to the INS is Meet foreign beauty, get engaged and apply for a K-1 Visa A) Marry a foreigner Apply for advance parole and bring fiancee to the US, apply for SS Card B) get married within 90 days Change to CR1 status C) Undergo several interviews over the course of two years D) Adjust to permanent resident status after two years E) One 5/7years later, apply for citizenship Has anyone been through the process who can describe the difficulty of the paperwork process and what the interviews are like?  You will have to provide proof of finacial solventcy and proof that your fiancee will be living with you and whatever proof your adjudicator asks for to prove it's not a sham marrage.Other than the general procedure, the information on the internet is not very helpful.

I'd stay away from Svetlanas.
Try the Ludmillas and the Irinas.
They seem to be stable.
Run like your hair is on fire if you
happen to get an Olga or a Masha.

These threads are always fun.

Don't you have to comply with Sec. 922r for imported AW's ?  (Assault Wives) Wonder how we'll manage to meet US parts count

Quoted: These threads are always fun.

I should have known better.  This one's at 10% and falling fast.

Switching to the alternate topic for discussion.

I'm a 350 lb. party animal with a penchant for wearing Hawaiian shirts.

BTDT.  Here's a few tips:

1) Hire an immigration lawyer.  

Unless you have limitless time to waste with a bureaucracy that makes the BATFE process for an FFL look like getting a library card, the lawyer is worth their fee.  



2) Plan on a wasted day, any time you have to go to the INS office.

Some things you need to do in person. If the office opens at 8am, get there at 7.  There will be a line. And a surly security guard.  And a metal detector... well pretty much the whole TSA bullshit now.  No pocket knife.  ABSOLUTELY no gun.    Now, take a number, and sit. For hours.  Maybe get sent to the wrong window.  Think DMV from hell.


Now, the steps go like this.

A) She comes to the US to visit, using her passport.

B) You get married, (man! that was sudden!) and then you go to your lawyer.  He files the paperwork to start the ball rolling.

C) Eventually, the first of several "green cards" will be issued. Her name will be misspelled at least twice.   Once a green card is issued, she can go get a SSN.  Fingerprints will be taken, and you will need to supply photos.

D) The big deal at this stage is something your lawyer files for, called "Advance Parole".  This allows her to leave the country should the need arise.

E) After one year, an interview is conducted. The purpose is to determine if this is a "real" marriage.  Your attorney will advise you to change all of the billing information to reflect both of your names.  Copies of all of that kind of stuff will be included with your application for permanent status - ANOTHER document filed by your lawyer.  More fingerprints and photos, to be sure you are still the same people.

F)  A second interview MAY be required at the end of year two, depending on how good the filing your lawyer turned in looks.  Fresh fingerprints & photos, for the soon to be mailed Permanent Resident card - with her name misspelled AGAIN.


If your lawyer does not apply for advance parole, she can NOT leave the country while the process is going on - at least not for the first year.   If a relative get's sick or dies, this can be a real mess.  

It will be several months before she can work, because of all of the BS that must happen before a SSN can be issued.  

Finally, all of this ONLY applies if she comes to the US and gets married on a "whim".  If you marry her outside of the US first, then apply... The INS can make her stay OUT of the country while the process goes on (2 years!), going to the local US embassy in her home country for fingerprints, interviews, etc.  


Good Luck


Lem
   

Quoted: BTDT.  Here's a few tips: 1) Hire an immigration lawyer.   Unless you have limitless time to waste with a bureaucracy that makes the BATFE process for an FFL look like getting a library card, the lawyer is worth their fee.   2) Plan on a wasted day, any time you have to go to the INS office. Some things you need to do in person. If the office opens at 8am, get there at 7.  There will be a line. And a surly security guard.  And a metal detector... well pretty much the whole TSA bullshit now.  No pocket knife.  ABSOLUTELY no gun.    Now, take a number, and sit. For hours.  Maybe get sent to the wrong window.  Think DMV from hell. Now, the steps go like this. A) She comes to the US to visit, using her passport. B) You get married, (man! that was sudden!) and then you go to your lawyer.  He files the paperwork to start the ball rolling. C) Eventually, the first of several "green cards" will be issued. Her name will be misspelled at least twice.   Once a green card is issued, she can go get a SSN.  Fingerprints will be taken, and you will need to supply photos. D) The big deal at this stage is something your lawyer files for, called "Advance Parole".  This allows her to leave the country should the need arise. E) After one year, an interview is conducted. The purpose is to determine if this is a "real" marriage.  Your attorney will advise you to change all of the billing information to reflect both of your names.  Copies of all of that kind of stuff will be included with your application for permanent status - ANOTHER document filed by your lawyer.  More fingerprints and photos, to be sure you are still the same people. F)  A second interview MAY be required at the end of year two, depending on how good the filing your lawyer turned in looks.  Fresh fingerprints & photos, for the soon to be mailed Permanent Resident card - with her name misspelled AGAIN. If your lawyer does not apply for advance parole, she can NOT leave the country while the process is going on - at least not for the first year.   If a relative get's sick or dies, this can be a real mess.   It will be several months before she can work, because of all of the BS that must happen before a SSN can be issued.   Finally, all of this ONLY applies if she comes to the US and gets married on a "whim".  If you marry her outside of the US first, then apply... The INS can make her stay OUT of the country while the process goes on (2 years!), going to the local US embassy in her home country for fingerprints, interviews, etc.   Good Luck Lem

Now you show up!

Very informative.  Thanks.

What are the interviews like?

request

.

U.S./ Mexican Border.  Do it like everyone around here does.  No waiting, health coverage, no problem getting a job, etc, etc..



not directed at you, just making a point...

prove it's not a sham marriage

This part is harder to prove that you think.  A good friend that's a retired British naval officer and WWII vet became a permanent resident in the early 60's.  I worked with him at NCR for a while and later at three different companies that provide electronics or software for textile companies.  I kept running into him since we did the same jobs but for different companies, and I got to know him pretty well over about 35 years.  In 1999 he was deported after INS believed his marriage in 1997 was a sham.  This was his first marriage at 73 years old (IIRC), so it wasn't like he took the issue of marriage lightly.  Because he was already a permanent resident, there was no reason for him to marry just to be able to stay.  Those arguments weren't good enough for the INS.  He was still deported.  INS's excuse was that since he kept his house on a lake and she kept her house in downtown Greenvile, SC, the marriage was not legitimate.  They were staying in her house during the week and spending the weekends at his house.  He couldn't get around the dilemma that you can't prove a marriage is real.  The last I talked him, he was staying in a dump of an apartment in his hometown that he hadn't seen since he joined the Navy in 1939 when he was 15.  When I talked to him he sounded really depressed since he didn't know anyone there and no longer felt like it was his home.  He really wanted to return to his home here.   It was a very sad situation.

Good luck trying to prove the impossible to INS.  If you piss-off the wrong person at the INS, you will lose your spouse.z

A faster and cheaper way to do it is to get a job in a thai restaurant. Chances are you are gonna find a chick who wants a green card.

Or just work there for a while and let the word out that you would like to go to thailand to meet a girl.....

There would probably be at least a few offers that people would make for you to bring their "cousin" or someone over here for her green card.

Kablizow! Thai tacos till the sun goes down.

she can NOT leave the country while the process is going on - at least not for the first year

This is important.  A guy I worked with at Siemens married a women he met while working in Germany.  She left during the first month of their marriage to visit her father, who passed away less than a week after she returned home.  Because of this, she was barred from reentry by INS for ten years.  Since he's a Siemens employee and she was one in Germany and was planning to take a job at the local plant as soon as she could legally, Siemens went to bat for the guy to fight INS.  Even with their clout, they couldn't get INS to do a thing.  He's now going to Germany every chance he can get to visit his wife.  I know several other guys that work there that married German or Italian girls, and INS has been a major headache for them.  Do not expect INS to be nice.  Do not expect them to miss a chance to screw you over.

If the spouse does have to leave the country, get permission to return before leaving.z

PS: Why are the mods screwing with the thread?  What's the point of changing the title?

Louie:

Like I said, line up the lawyer FIRST.  As some others have pointed out, the INS can be a real pain in the dick.

Proving the marriage is not too hard, as long as you get the utility bills, mortgage, bank accounts, etc in both names ASAP.  Make sure you BOTH fill out and sign checks for shit EVERY month - randomly.  It shows the checking account is truly "joint".  DO NOT have seperate checking accounts.    The two houses should have been re-titled as joint property...


The interview.
Hoo-Boy, what a show that was.  Imagine a career government drone, with absolute power.  This is another place a good lawyer works wonders.  We went into the first interview, and the INS guy flipped through a thick file our lawyer handed him for about 3 minutes.  They spent the next 30 minutes discussing this clown's favorite old movies, all the time our lawyer agreeing with this guy's atrocious taste.  A little "how's the wife?" and calling the kids by name "man look at that pic, Jimmy is getting big"  and we were done.  I think the INS guy asked us our names.  I doubt he could have described us an hour later.  Took an hour.

Don't sweat it.  The interview was easy.  The second one was easy too - he asked my wife how she liked her job.  Asked me if I was still working in the same place.  Flipped through a file, and looked at both of our passports.  Asked us where a vacation pic in the file was taken.  (our lawyer had advised us to take pics together while traveling to add to the file).



Lem  

Quoted: she can NOT leave the country while the process is going on - at least not for the first year This is important.  A guy I worked with at Siemens married a women he met while working in Germany.  She left during the first month of their marriage to visit her father, who passed away less than a week after she returned home.  Because of this, she was barred from reentry by INS for ten years.  Since he's a Siemens employee and she was one in Germany and was planning to take a job at the local plant as soon as she could legally, Siemens went to bat for the guy to fight INS.  Even with their clout, they couldn't get INS to do a thing.  He's now going to Germany every chance he can get to visit his wife.  I know several other guys that work there that married German or Italian girls, and INS has been a major headache for them.  Do not expect INS to be nice.  Do not expect them to miss a chance to screw you over. If the spouse does have to leave the country, get permission to return before leaving.z PS: Why are the mods screwing with the thread?  What's the point of changing the title?

In the meantime, there are millions of real illegals they turn a blind eye to.

Thanks.  Like I said, this wasn't anything but a curiousity satisfying question.  I guess government agencies are pretty much all alike...not surprising.

As far as changing the title, I was just screwing around based on the first 10 or so responses.  As for the moderator interest?  Who knows?  They have their reasons for whatever they do.

GRRRRRRRRRRR

THIS STUFF PISSES ME OFF

THE INS GOES AFTER LEGITIMATELY MARRIED, PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS WITH A VENGEANCE BUT DAMN NEAR IGNORES ALL THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM MEXICO