Korean Job Discussion Forums

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

Really off topic, I know, but my head hurts from looking at all the paperwork involved with getting married.

My Japanese fiance and I plan to get married next summer in the US, but we've read about how hard it is for people to get fiance visas. Haven't found anything about why exactly it's so hard, but considering my luck I'm not liking my chances.

So we thought about taking the easier route and getting married in Japan first, then going to the US as husband-wife and just applying for the proper spouse visa, but apparently this, too, is a headache. Again, no details about what makes it so hard, but I don't want to take any chances there, either.

Does anyone have any experience with this situation, with having a fiance in Korea (or elsewhere) and trying to go back to the US? I've googled around and taken a look at the paperwork, but I haven't found any first-hand accounts. Doing it first in Japan sounded appealing if it meant avoiding the potential pitfalls and expenses of applying for a visa, getting married first won't do much good if she isn't able to get into the country next spring.

Thanks for your help.

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

That fiance visa is a crock. You should know anytime you involve the US govt or any kind of "office", you are going to get hassls, usually. My Korean friend married a military dude from Texas, and she told me the fiance visa was too annoying to bother with. So, they got married here in Korea and applied for the K3 spousal visa. But, the spousal visa can take 6 months to a year to come through. But, at least, you will be able to stay here and work, while staying together.

If an American files for that K1 fiance visa, the non-American has to stay in his or her country, until the fiance visa comes through, and then they have a time limit to get themselves over to the US and get married...or they will have to file all over again. I saw a guy on here once saying that he was separated from his Korean fiancee for 1 year while waiting on that fiancee visa. That would not be for me.

Most couples I have known get married here. it saves you from more headaches. Just another reason why the US sucks.

amanda114 · Joined: 18 Apr 2006

My fiance and I applied for the fiance visa (K1) at the end of June so we are awaiting our approval which I am hopping arrives in November or June. We went down to the US embassy and was told to just get married in Korea because it takes no time at all to process the visa.... (not sure they were being all that truthful). Well we were all for it and then went home and thought about it and decided we could get married in Korea with no family around to see it even though we would have another wedding in the US - it just didn't feel right... well you have to has to choose whats right for them.
www.visajourney.com has been amazing help for us. I used this site to get all the documentation ready (forget calling the USCIS hotline). This website and forum will help you choose what is right for you.

good luck!

amanda114 · Joined: 18 Apr 2006

I thought I would also mention that if you do the K1 route the US citizen doesn't have to go back to America while you wait it out. I am a NZer and my fiance is obviously an American. We are both English teachers. From the extensive reading and other people experiences. It's best to go the K1 visa route as it cuts out a lot of paper work down the road. It works out well for us that we are both together while we wait for the visa to be processed. Living in Korea together is perfect for us. I am getting quite obsessed with this process and have read up alot about it... so if you have any questions let me know...

Forward Observer · Joined: 13 Jan 2009 Location: FOB Gloria

Back in 98, a few years before 9/11 - I went back home, applied for the fiance' visa and waited six months. It came right one time. You will need to show proof that you can support her, with tax returns and proof of income. That was it. If you can't do that, your parents might want to co-sign for you. Don't know what it's like nowadays, but I would imagine it's not impossible.

I had a friend that couldn't wait or be apart from his girl for that long, so she flew into Canada and they drove down into the states and got married, he paid an immigration attorney to file all their paperwork and she became a citizen within a few years. It cost him somewhere around 3 grand to do that. Wife and I always did our own paperwork and paid the fees ourselves, it does suck because you have to take off from work, go down to immigration and stand in line for hours, pay a fee for this, and a fee for that...but it's much less than paying an immigration lawyer. Except the part about taking off from work every time you want to apply for something.

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

* bump *

Thanks for the responses thus far. And thanks for that link, Amanda, I'll have to spend some time going through there.

edit: Looking through that forum it's remarkable how much information ISN'T on the official government webpages. I feel that ulcer forming already.

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

Oh, and I'll also try to find these answers on the forum you just posted, but I'm noticing another hitch, namely that I work in Korea and don't get proper pay stubs. I filed tax forms back home, but have no real record of my income. *sigh* If only I came to Korea with the intention of getting married, maybe I would have been able to forsee a lot of this crap.