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How do I make it legal for my boyfriend to become a US Citizen after we get married in Costa Rica?
I met my fiance on a vacation to Costa Rica and we’ve decided to get married on my next visit down there, whats the next step from there to have him become a US Citizen because I am aware marriage is not enough.
Forget about making him a US citizen for the time being. Presumably you want to be together in the USA.
First off you need to focus on getting him the status of a Legal Permanent Resident.
Check the website in the link below, it has all the information you need.
Basically there are two different ways to do this.
If you get married in Costa Rica you have to file for him as an "alien spouse".
You cannot guarantee that he will be allowed to enter the USA until his visa is approved, therefore you must be prepared to live apart for some time.
If you file before you marry you have to file for him as a "fiancee" and stay unmarried until he gets the visa and enters the USA.
After filing, you cannot guarantee that he will be allowed to enter the USA before his visa is approved.
If he has a visa you will have a time limit to get married, and if you do not he may be sent back.
It’s not a thing to be taken lightly. There is a lot of paperwork and it costs hundreds of dollars, and it takes some time. Often a year or so before the case is approved.
Once you are together and he has permanent residency, he can file to become a citizen after three years provided that you are still married at that time.
4 Responses to “How do I make it legal for my boyfriend to become a US Citizen after we get married in Costa Rica?”
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April 2nd, 2010 at 4:28 am
marriage is just a means, not an end. you can go 2 ways; file I-129 (petition for alien fiance, as my husband did for me), he stays there until he gets k-1 visa (good for 90 days) and you marry here; or, you go there, marry, you come home (alone) and file I-130 (petition for alien relative). really no diff in time and in both cases he must stay in country of origin
References :
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:05 am
Forget about making him a US citizen for the time being. Presumably you want to be together in the USA.
First off you need to focus on getting him the status of a Legal Permanent Resident.
Check the website in the link below, it has all the information you need.
Basically there are two different ways to do this.
If you get married in Costa Rica you have to file for him as an "alien spouse".
You cannot guarantee that he will be allowed to enter the USA until his visa is approved, therefore you must be prepared to live apart for some time.
If you file before you marry you have to file for him as a "fiancee" and stay unmarried until he gets the visa and enters the USA.
After filing, you cannot guarantee that he will be allowed to enter the USA before his visa is approved.
If he has a visa you will have a time limit to get married, and if you do not he may be sent back.
It’s not a thing to be taken lightly. There is a lot of paperwork and it costs hundreds of dollars, and it takes some time. Often a year or so before the case is approved.
Once you are together and he has permanent residency, he can file to become a citizen after three years provided that you are still married at that time.
References :
http://www.uscis.gov
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:25 am
Follow the flowcharts here
http://familybasedimmigration.com/forum/index.php
References :
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:50 am
Your boyfriend soon to be husband will have to first obtain legal residency (green card) in the US and then after 3 years of marriage apply for US Citizenship.
There is no other way.
References :