Visas, Immigration, US Citizenship, Etc. for Mexican Spouse

[fightforlove]

Hello Everyone,

For those who have dated or married a woman from another country and brought her back to the USA, how did you go about navigating the immigration/residency/citizenship laws to keep your girlfriend/wife in the USA??

I am currently seeing a Mexican woman and it is already seeming complicated to figure out a way to get her to the USA. I've heard mixed things, some have told me if I marry her, she gets automatic US citizenship. I've researched and seen other stuff about first needing a "Spouse Visa", then getting her on the path to citizenship. For now, I know that she can do the Tourist Visa for 6 months, but can't work while on that, and I don't think she can even rent an apt in the US with that Visa either. How hard is it to get a Work Visa? I just want to make sure that I can get a girlfriend or wife into the USA and keep her here without deportation.
So,
1) If she is still just my girlfriend: what are the best Visa/Residence options for her to come to the USA for at least a few months, maybe stay with a friend or rent?

2) If I marry her, what is the fastest, deport-proof way to make her at least a permanent US Resident with me or a US Citizen?

[Dragon]

Just sneak her across the border like everyone else does.

[Jester]

OP, you have a lot to learn. 6 month tourist visa is theoretical, not automatic. she needs to have a reason to come (shopping), and a credible reason to RETURN (legal on the books job, finishing school, etc)

Have her come up with parents for a week to start (shopping). Make sure they all return on time.

Then try alone for a month

Work? Forget it.

Much easier to get a home in Mexico border area, and you commute to a US job.

[drealm]

I read hearsay a while back that if they think a woman is using a visa to go back and fourth as solely to be a girlfriend, future visas could be restricted. I'm guessing they interview for these types of questions.

[Jester]

I read hearsay a while back that if they think a woman is using a visa to go back and fourth as solely to be a girlfriend, future visas could be restricted. I'm guessing they interview for these types of questions.

Yes. That is exactly the point (that I failed to make clearly).

[Ghost]

.

[fightforlove]

OP, you have a lot to learn. 6 month tourist visa is theoretical, not automatic. she needs to have a reason to come (shopping), and a credible reason to RETURN (legal on the books job, finishing school, etc)

Have her come up with parents for a week to start (shopping). Make sure they all return on time.

Then try alone for a month

Work? Forget it.

Much easier to get a home in Mexico border area, and you commute to a US job.

She is coming solo to visit me for a 4 days in a month. She thinks that she could come later for a few months, work as a nanny or maybe do photography (see's finishing up a Bachelor's in Photography) and live with one of her family's friends that happens to live in my area.

I've also heard about the Student Visa option, have her take a class, maybe English classes (even though she already knows good English) for a few months.

If we marry, what about the Spouse Visa? I've heard this is a way to get a wife into the USA while awaiting a Green Card.

[Adama]

http://www.visajourney.com/

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/

Good luck.

[Jester]

OP, you have a lot to learn. 6 month tourist visa is theoretical, not automatic. she needs to have a reason to come (shopping), and a credible reason to RETURN (legal on the books job, finishing school, etc)

Have her come up with parents for a week to start (shopping). Make sure they all return on time.

Then try alone for a month

Work? Forget it.

Much easier to get a home in Mexico border area, and you commute to a US job.

She is coming solo to visit me for a 4 days in a month. She thinks that she could come later for a few months, work as a nanny or maybe do photography (see's finishing up a Bachelor's in Photography) and live with one of her family's friends that happens to live in my area.

I've also heard about the Student Visa option, have her take a class, maybe English classes (even though she already knows good English) for a few months.

If we marry, what about the Spouse Visa? I've heard this is a way to get a wife into the USA while awaiting a Green Card.

Good move on the short visit(s). That will give her a track record with the guvmint, and make subsequent longer trips easier.

There is a special almost-secret visa program for nannies ("au pairs"). I had forgotten about that. It may be a great move for you. The host family has to be part of an approved program, I think. Great idea.
+1

Student visa - ALSO a great idea.
+ another 1.

Spouse visa will be the hardest. Put that off till you're actually ready to marry. DaveWe, a member here, has done that. And many accounts online elsewhere of course.

Two different visas
Fiancee
Spouse

When I researched this stuff 3 years ago, at that time, Fiancee was easier than Spouse. In other words the State Department is trying to let the poor American schmoe live with his honey for a while in the US, before committing the mistake of marrying that golddiggin furriner chick. I suspect that that's their logic.

Either one will be do-able though, with patience. Just get legal advice or study a LOT before approaching the PTB for that spousal or fiancee visa. They will NOT be happy if they think they were deceived by the student visa etc. Keep it real with them.

And nothing wrong with going slow in real life, too, of course.

[Wolfeye]

Student visas might be the way to go. I know there's what's called a "residency permit" in a lot of countries, there might be something like that for America.

I tend to somewhat agree more with the suggestion of you traveling across the border, rather than try to get her citizenship. I say this for a few reasons:

(1) America sucks more & more all the time. It's not just the media, either. Overall, I'd say it's a menacing & high-maintenance environment. There's a massive amount of information on that, just on this site. I've posted plenty of theories & unsung problems, myself. Just saying that making a marriage work is probably going to be tougher & tougher. If Europe's an idea & if she's got Spanish or some other European heritage, she might be able to get citizenship from the EU & give it to YOU! You could also do the same thing yourself, of course.

(2) Illegal immigrant or not, she might still get f***ed with (which can mean a lot of twisted things, officially or unofficially). Nothing to say that the ID she shows the cop doesn't just vanish into their pocket & an attempt at locking her up ensues. Things like that are incongruent with what all kinds of laws, as well as with expectations & associations people have of & with cops, which seems to give them a bit of camouflage. Incongruency obstructs orientation (just like camouflage- a person is not green, so someone painting themselves that way makes it harder for people to "lock-on").

There's plenty of instigation (including engaging someone & finding or fabricating some kind of official or unofficial fault). There's also a trend that seems to be that they feel pressured or restrained by a situation not being actionable, so they make themselves feel better by going against this. Basically, that someone "not doing anything" is blocking their arrest & they feel arrested (in the broad sense), bullied, or otherwise pushed-around. I've just noticed that as a running pattern with things that go on with cops & whether they ever say it out loud or not, I think that's what goes on.

(2) Similar situations with medical personnel. It's not at all unheard of for them to get coercive with citizenship in a medical environment. Especially considering that she's a woman, I think you can figure out what I mean. I know people say all kinds of things that amount to reality taking a coffee break for doctors, but ultimately properties don't change by designation- just like if a doctor poisons someone with a needle, it's still murder. This is true with other things, as well. At the very least, I've heard of them making someone get naked in an immigration physical- not as an unofficial thing, but actually as a conditional to getting citizenship.

Then again, I've heard of them being okay with it & moving on when someone declines (it seems to actually be more common with women that men for some reason). Anyway, iatrogenic attack (in this case, in the form of an interface with sexual areas as a product of someone else's decision-making) is something that can come up. I only say it because not too many people do, but there it is.

(3) If she's successful in finding work, she'll probably get screwed-over royally. It seems that people only hire those they can screw over these days. Whether it's someone with a massive amount of schooling (and, presumably, a massive amount of debt) or someone from another country (don't speak English good = they can't complain, illegal = can't complain without drawing attention, don't know local labor laws very well = don't know what they should have). not zero point in trying, but it's turning into a problem. You can't really switch jobs very easily, either.

Everyone's so damn concerned about what an employer wants, it's like the whole population would lick their shoes if it would put a smirk on their faces. I think that attitude has fostered a general situation where people become more & more work-focused. That this becomes the point to all of life. I know Mexico's got it's problems, but that doesn't typically seem to be one of them.