Getting married in a U.S. Territory

[tdprater]

Hi!

 

This is my first post on this forum. My name is Troy and I am living in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. I am in a very serious relationship with a very wonderful girl named Bella, and of course we are talking of marriage. I would love to bring her to the US to live, however there's the visa hurdle that must be taken care of.

 

We have been doing some research, and perhaps it may be possible for her to get a visa to visit the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific, which is a U.S. Territory. If she is able to obtain one for travel, would it be possible to marry there and obtain U.S. citizenship this way? I tried searching the net for any information, and I haven't found anything too helpful. If anyone has looked into this or can share any info, I would be very appreciative.

 

Best wishes!

 

Troy

Edited October 29, 2006 by tdprater (see edit history)

[SirLancelot]

Hi!

We have been doing some research, and perhaps it may be possible for her to get a visa to visit the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific, which is a U.S. Territory. If she is able to obtain one for travel, would it be possible to marry there and obtain U.S. citizenship this way?

 

Troy, her ability to obtain USC is not based upon where she marries. It's based upon her marriage to a USC. Getting married in China will get her USC if you take the proper course of actions. You can file for DCF in China if you're working in China.

 

Good luck.

[LeeFisher3]

Just to clarify the US Citizenship thing, marriage to a US Citizen does not automatically make them a citizen, this is a common misconception that has been around for years.

 

If you are living and working in China it is very possible to marry and attain a visa in a much shorter time frame than others. The process seems to take 5-6 months when you file the paperwork from China and avoid the processing in the US.

 

This may give you some help understanding the process A Candle for Love - DCF FAQ

[david_dawei]

You have to be careful about her getting a tourist visa and then marrying on it.. If the 'pre-planned' intent was to do just as this, then the tourist visa could be viewed as being secured for fraudulent intent and eventually be the basis to deny a green card. It's not worth the risk.

 

1) If you want to marry prior to staring the process.. then marrying in china and filing in china is fastest (as others said).

 

2) If you marry in china but file in US (maybe don't have work in china), then the process can take 1 year or more.. but maybe your together in china (just have to get all the paperwork to you at each step).

 

3) if you want to file fiancee and eventually marry in the US, it should take less than a year.

 

if your able to continue to be together in china.. then I'd pursue the options in order as I list them (if it were me).. just time the filing to when you want the visa...

 

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citizenship: I think she has to wait three years to apply for citizenship. Maybe others can say if must have domicile [residency] in the US during that time, etc..

[SinoTexas]

Hello Troy,

 

Welcome to CFL. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI - Saipan, Tinian and Rota) have different entry and visa requirements than, say Guam, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. Under the US Compact of Free Association with the CNMI, it was allowed to develop it's own immigration policy and it is relatively easy for a Chinese citizen to get a tourist visa. There are a lot of Chinese guest workers on Saipan now although it is coming under a lot of scrutiny from the US. While your marriage would be legal, if you were to marry in say, Saipan, you would not be able to bring your bride to Guam, which is a 30 minute Air Micronesia flight away. Guam, as an incorporated territory falls under all US immigration laws and without a proper visa, she could not get to Guam. If you were to reside in Saipan and work your application through the Hagata (Agana), Guam office at least you would be together on Saipan, a nice tropical island.

 

As the others have mentioned, you would still need to go through the normal visa process, but you could sit it out on Saipan together. I lived on Guam for 10 years with an office on Saipan and made a weekly commute to Saipan. Like Guam, Saipan used to be a have for Japanese visitors, but there are now more Chinese on Saipan than the native Chamorros. Good luck.

 

As aye,

 

Jim

Edited October 29, 2006 by SinoTexas (see edit history)

[agape]

I would have to say that you are definitely pursuing a very bad idea. Your best option would be to marry in China and go through the immigration procedures this way.

 

I worked in Jiaozuo (1 hour from Zhengzhou) last year, and also married a wonderful Chinese woman. We married in China, and filed our application directly in Beijing. This is what you will want to do. I will be happy to lead you through the procedures. It is called DCF "Direct Consular Filing." It takes on average about 6-7 months from the point of filing to entering the USA. The best part is when she enters the USA, she will automatically be given a SS# and Green Card.

 

You found an amazing resource with many people who will help you along this sometimes confusing path. Welcome, and we are here to answer your questions. (Also, be sure to look through the FAQ on this website, they are very helpful!)

[dnoblett]

citizenship: I think she has to wait three years to apply for citizenship. Maybe others can say if must have domicile [residency] in the US during that time, etc..

Correct, in order to apply for citizenship "Naturalize" the Legal Permanent Resident (Green-Card holder) needs to live in the U.S. for at least 5 years with out leaving the U.S. on trips lasting 6 months or longer. Or in the case of a LPR spouse of a U.S. Citizen, it is 3 years residency in the U.S. without trips of 6 months or longer.

 

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/services/natz/guide.htm

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/services/natz/index.htm

Edited October 29, 2006 by dnoblett (see edit history)

[tdprater]

I really appreciate all of the input. I guess I'm a bit ignorant of all of the legalities involved in this situation, but hey, I have to start somewhere.

 

I'll have a look again at the FAQ section and see if I can make some sense out of it.

 

Again, thanks for the quick responses, and I'll let you know how things pan out!