What happens if you...

[Frank O]

marry a lady IN the Ukraine as opposed to bringing her here instead? Has ANYONE ever done that? I thought I read recently of someone who did that. Does that delay the process as I've heard?

[slim]

... in response to What happens if you..., posted by Frank O on Jun 6, 2003

In Krivoy Rog, Ukraine I married my wife last August 16. Then went back home to gather documents and wait. We went to Warsaw, in Nov. And our new family set foot in Chicago, on Thanksgiving day. My bride had her SS # before the end of the year. And her green card, early in Jan.

[Dan]

... in response to What happens if you..., posted by Frank O on Jun 6, 2003

Do a search on "DCF" and you will find the information you are looking for.

It is definitely faster than the current processing times for K-3 - the other option if you choose to marry there.

Be advised - some consular offices are no longer processing DCF applications. Moscow is among them. Warsaw (through Kyiv) accepts DCF, but with the very recent transition of visa processing for Ukrainian citizens moving from Warsaw to Kiev - that could easily change in the near future.

- Dan

[T P Cornholio]

... in response to What happens if you..., posted by Frank O on Jun 6, 2003

There have been varying reports on trying a DCF, from best thing since sliced bread (along with bribes paid) to boggled-down bureaucracy and not being together with your newly wed.

The other, more standard, option is that after marriage you file the I-130 petition for family member along with a K-3 visa so that she can reside in the USA while awaiting the I-130 process (overall, you're probably better off with the K-1 fiancee route).

I don't know how far back the current archives go, but a year or more ago someone here was constantly extolling the virtues of the DCF process (maybe Dan or KenC can recall).

[John K]

... in response to What happens if you..., posted by Frank O on Jun 6, 2003

If you are going to do that, you should research it first.  The wedding visa (and green card, I think) can be done within a matter of days, if you both have all the right paperwork with you (translated and notarized) and are prepared to jump through a lot of hoops in a short time.  

Try checking the archives if you have the time.  There's a lot of information in there that still may be applicable.

[exlabman]

... in response to What happens if you..., posted by Frank O on Jun 6, 2003

You can do DCF which is much quicker at this point than I129F but there has been some stuff in the last few days on some of the forums that DCF maybe totally stopped on July 1st but I have not seen anything yet to confirm tha tbut if you get married before that in a country like Ukraine that has an Embassy that takes DCF you could have her in the USA in 6 to 8 weeks.

Larry