Question: Strange wedding circumstances..

If you cannot solve everything right now, could seek to REDUCE how many thing you have to solve.

Me and my initial partner have fallen in love with another woman, but she won't be able to stay in the country for more than a couple of years unless I marry her.

Since this is a few years out, is that partner not able to study in the meanwhile and apply to become a citizen on her own? Naturalize? Wouldn't that solve that part of the problem?

I would say talking to a lawyer about all these concerns would be your best option.

Galagirl
 
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common law marriage

Check about your states regulations regarding common law marriage. In Texas a commitment ceremony could qualify as common law marriage ie representing as married can equal legal marriage. This would screw any immigration proceedings for the second. Just fyi. Not sure how oregon works
 
If you cannot solve everything right now, could seek to REDUCE how many thing you have to solve.

Since this is a few years out, is that partner not able to study in the meanwhile and apply to become a citizen on her own? Naturalize? Wouldn't that solve that part of the problem?

I would say talking to a lawyer about all these concerns would be your best option.

Galagirl

That is a really good idea, and I am looking a bit into this too. (and I'll speak with a lawyer about this) If it turns out to be realistic I'd be happy to support her to get naturalized via the study process.. The only thing I was able to find for that in my research is the EB2 Visa, and that is one of the options on the table we'll be trying for.

The bare minimum for that requires a masters (32K + finishing undergrad. Will be very painful to raise but we'll all be pulling our money together to try to make it happen), a few easier things like member of a trade association, and a range of other things that are impossible. For the final requirement the only possible choice is 'Recognition for achievements and significant contributions to the industry or field by peers, government entities, professional or business organizations' - which is basically trying really hard throughout the whole time and after a few years flipping a coin to see if people notice you in the ocean. We will be trying for all that too, and if we work together we may be able to bring her to that point... but at any point throughout someone can decide she's been here for too long and may be a staying-risk, send her home, cancel school and the whole process, and keep it from being able to happen again. And if she is not noticed by the time the degree finishes then she home until someone does recognize her (harder when she's not here). If she is noticed then the application process starts while she gets sent back home for the years it takes.. :(

So yea, I'll talk with a lawyer about all this and see if there is any way of making that process more secure. I'm not a stranger to hard work and we'll work out butt off to make it happen this way if it there is an honest possibility, but.. you know, you don't wanna take huge coin-toss choices with people you care about.

Check about your states regulations regarding common law marriage. In Texas a commitment ceremony could qualify as common law marriage ie representing as married can equal legal marriage. This would screw any immigration proceedings for the second. Just fyi. Not sure how oregon works

I *think* in Oregon cohabbitation does not equal common law marriage, from what I could find.. but yea, that's definitely something to look more into to be 100% sure, thank you for reminding me! Cause yea, I really don't want there to be any actual laws broken in anything, that just gets messy and then there is badness.. :(
 
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From your intro thread:
And then I met my partner last year, we fell in love....

Recently we met another girl, quite possibly our unicorn...


My question is why are you making long term commitment and wedding plans (or inquiries) with a woman you have known such a very short time? My experience of longer term realtionshps is that when allowed to develop slowly and in their own time, everyone finds a way to make "being together" happen. Her impending deportation is years away, yet you've only recently met. Perhaps it's just my way of proceeding, but I'd be asking myself why the urgency to jump through so many hoops for two people who are relatively new to my life.
 
I was wondering the same thing.

Especially since one partner sounds like a ldr. You can email, text, Skype, talk on the phone until you are blue in the face but you still do not know them.
 
I am not making the commitment right now (and I have not just met her yesterday either, I apologize if I implied that anywhere), I am just learning the landscape. The process will take a long time to see through (this isn't something we'll be able to drop off at the courthouse and wait for things to come in the mail) and any miss-steps now can lead to the whole thing falling apart later. Same for anything happening out of sequence. For example, if I have any kind of wedding ceremony later and anyone posts of Facebook about it and tags us.. Anyway, yes, this is not something that is happening tomorrow, whatever 'this' turns out to be
 
Wow, what happens if you and the local (fake wedding) wife die? And her family is convinced that the marriage was real, and gets in a legal battle with the immigrant wife? You wil have made things far worse for her by faking the marriage to the local partner.

Bottom line-- talk to a lawyer, work out what you really want to do to protect the people you love. Then ask the lawyer how much you will muck things up by arranging for the fake wedding.
 
No clue why she would want citizenship here. If she maintains it and the situation changes, she is now a part of the double tax club like the rest of us.
The fee for dropping citizenship just more than quadrupled, plus they demand a "little" chunk of your pay 5 years to the day before you drop said citizenship.
May want to ask her if it's worth it. I personally think it's not and it is much harder and more expensive to leave the US, if it doesn't work out.
 
You are playing with fire. For all the reasons already mentioned and more.

I am a US citizen who married a non-citizen. Yes, they do look closely. Yes, they do ask all kinds of questions. Yes, they do investigate. Yes, they are looking for fraud. I also have a close acquaintance (siblings' best friend) who did marry someone to get him a visa, and was caught. She only escaped some major legal consequences because of her very young age at the time. I would strongly advise you not to play games with immigration.

Staging a fake wedding and lying to your girlfriend's entire extended family? REALLY bad idea. Even small lies have a way of coming out, and there are various times and places you will have to show your legal marriage certificate--which of course you won't have. Sooner or later, this will come out, and then they'll be upset not only that you didn't marry her, but that you both lied to them, AND that you staged such an elaborate lie.

I cannot emphasize enough: LIES HAVE A WAY OF COMING OUT. THEY WILL FIND OUT SOONER OR LATER. You simply cannot hide a lie of this magnitude forever. Probably not even for very long. Especially when you're going to be living with and legally married to another woman.

My question (sorry if it's in the press of words somewhere, but I didn't see it) is, how long have you known this other woman? Have you spent a great deal of time with her in person? Is it a LDR?

Are you aware that very few poly relationships last beyond the 5 year mark? The average is only about 2.5 years. It's another thing to consider very seriously before you start involving immigration and staging elaborate productions to fool her entire extended family, and presumably all her friends, co-workers, neighbors, acquaintances, etc.
 
Also in general I wouldn't even try to appease the 'very Christian' family in general. I believe the saying "you can't always get what you want", applies. They are already mad about other things regarding your relationship with their daughter. They were going to find some more doctrine you're breaking and wave it in your face. It's not going to let up.
At this point it's hard not to tag on her case either, someone already has pointed it out.
From the info given I don't believe that's going to last. Can only guess you're the same or of similar beliefs, just in the really lax category.
 
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