Maybe you could marry each other?

Hmm, I didn't know that.

Overall, RBCal gave an very insightful information, including the Green Card Lottery, about the immigration into the U.S.

To rephrase,

First marriage; most people take this method. It's just paper works, and tons of people do fake marriages for just green card.

Second work permit; a bit more challenging. Basically it requires educational qualification or special skill. But still some people get work permit from their buddies without anything.

Third green card lottery; the most difficult. I've known this one recently. I believe British Citizens aren't eligible. To check eligibility, do some seaches on the internet. Few days ago, I saw the website for checking the eligibility.

RBCal, did you immigrate into the U.S.?

As someone with first hand knowledge of the K-1 process (my wife entered the US on a K-1 from Canada in 2000), part of the above statement is not entirely true. Though the poster is correct that the process is quite rigorous (you must go through quite a bit to prove that the marriage being entered into is legitimate), dissolution of the marriage does not mean automatic revocation of the spouse's visa or green card.

Typically, there is a two-year period which the couple must stay married (and show proof of a legitimate marriage) for the immigrant spouse to stay permanently. The immigrant spouse is granted a conditional green card (which lasts for that two years), and then can apply for an unconditional green card at the time of renewal, which is the standard 10-year green card, which is generally granted assuming the conditions of the conditional green card are met.

However, BCIS generally will not revoke residency if the US citizen spouse dies or the immigrant spouse had been, for example, the victim of domestic violence, if that is the reason why the marriage has ended. Also, once the conditions are lifted off of the green card (at the end of the two-year period), there is nothing that prevents the spouse from staying in the United States in the event of divorce.

The surefire ways to get your K-1 voided are either to not get married within 90 days after entering the country (specifically, to the US citizen who applied to bring you into the country on the K-1 visa) or to enter into a sham marriage. In other words, the K-1 visa is good if you fully know that you want to marry the person within 3 months of moving to this country.

There are also other restrictions, such as the inability of the fiance(e) to enter the US during the application process. There is also a short period of time, once you've entered the US on the K-1, that the fiance(e)/spouse is barred from leaving the US without receiving specific advance authorization from BCIS (which ends once you've received your conditional green card).

Mike

that kind of marriage is not allowed in the u.s.

Not to thread-jack, but what would it take for a us citizen to live in the uk/EU?

They're allowed. They're just not recognized by the govt.

There was a case, posted in Omni, some time ago where a women was, or is in the process of, being deported after her husband died. I don't remember the specifics though.

For the Fiance visa you must get married within 90 days. He also would need a sponsor, stay married 2 years, and prove it's not a sham marriage. I think that means forget that route, unless he's really serious.

its not my cup of tea. yes i would like to marry a uk citizen.

dark blood, judging by your posts pleading desparation I doubt you'd get through the process!

A lady from work married a guy in El Paso and said the process was rather rigorous...asking about colour of fiancees toothbrush and the like!

How long is this period?

There are so many websites advertising marry a (insert nationality) bride which are just blatant citizenship ploys for Russian, Philippine women that I can't imagine it is too hard to do this.

There is also a major scam of American women being paid to marry mainland Chinese men. Often this turns out badly (obviously).

Post on craigslist and I bet you'd get responses.

Be very careful with sham marriages. After shows like Dateline and 20/20 embarassed the former INS (now BCIS) by showing how easy it was to get into the country using sham marriages, DOJ turned up the heat on them to prevent this method from being used to allow terrorists to get into the country.

Now sham marriages can be punished by prison time. It's not worth the risk.

dark blood, if you would vote against Bush then you are welcome in the U.S. as far as i'm concerned.

RBCal, you are my guy of guy! If you ever come over this way look me up and we'll hang out (NO, i'm not gay!).

UK citizens cannot get Australian citizenship that easily. Its pretty much the same as the USA. Through marriage, sponsorship or the points system. It used to be easier but not any more.

Dark,

Easiest way to do it is illegally coming here. Get some fake papers, about $500 cost in any major city. Then live and work here without a care in the world, as the BCIS could care less about you. Every 15-20 years a general amnesty for illegal immigrants comes around and the next one is just around the corner, maybe even this year. As long as you don't get arrested for anything too serious, you qualify, you get citizenship.

The word is out: immigrating legally is for suckers, but illegally immigrating is filled with rewards.

Main reason i wanna come over it to be withsome. carn't remeber if i said all ready. but thatz main reason. but you may find me a child or something. or even daft. but im 19. you may doubt how much i wanna come over. I want to come over sooo badly without a doubt. And yes ive been thing and lookin into it for ages now.
Looks like my own options are. is do the odd way like the dude above me said or wait another year and try and get married.

Thx for all the info ppl.

P.s. anyone know about student Visa's. and anothing along them lines ?

This must be a new development in the last few years, or maybe they just got a particularly skeptical interviewer. I don't recall ever getting questions like that, but they were more than happy to take all of the verification of our relationship that we had - plane tickets, photographs, letters, phone bills, and so on and so forth.

For my wife, that process was relatively short (about three months). This was, however, likely quicker than many people in similar situations will deal with, since the Reno INS (now BCIS) office doesn't have a huge demand on marriage adjustment cases, I don't think.

Also, this was pre-9/11, so I don't know if they're taking longer to do this now.

Mike