How do I do this?

BumbleBeeAnatomy · Post by **BumbleBeeAnatomy** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 1:00 am

I have been in a long distance relationship with my girlfriend of almost 2 years. I live in Ireland, she lives in Illinois, USA. Currently I am unemployed due to injury from a work place accident, so I am on a social welfare payment - I mention this because I've read from other forums about how if the person applying for a visa doesn't have an income or degree, it might be harder.

We've talked about marriage, we're both very serious about out futures. I love her, and she loves me. Obviously an engagement has to come first, we're not trying to rush anything. But I'm looking to know what I have to do, what ducks I have to have in a row for my part so that we can have the future we want together.

Can someone give me some direction on where to start? What forms I have to familiarize myself with, what eventual pathways I will have to go down. What can I start doing ~now~ that will help us in the future?

Thank you in advance

Post by **alterhase58** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 7:17 am

Suggest you browse the official US government immigration website: https://www.uscis.gov/
Get the facts first. US immigration rules are complicated/tough especially for gaining residency.

Post by **Ticktack** » Fri Sep 13, 2024 10:52 am

BumbleBeeAnatomy wrote: ↑
Fri Sep 13, 2024 1:00 am
I have been in a long distance relationship with my girlfriend of almost 2 years. I live in Ireland, she lives in Illinois, USA. Currently I am unemployed due to injury from a work place accident, so I am on a social welfare payment - I mention this because I've read from other forums about how if the person applying for a visa doesn't have an income or degree, it might be harder.

We've talked about marriage, we're both very serious about out futures. I love her, and she loves me. Obviously an engagement has to come first, we're not trying to rush anything. But I'm looking to know what I have to do, what ducks I have to have in a row for my part so that we can have the future we want together.

Can someone give me some direction on where to start? What forms I have to familiarize myself with, what eventual pathways I will have to go down. What can I start doing ~now~ that will help us in the future?

Thank you in advance

From your words, it's not clear, but since it's a US forum, I'll go with you wanting to immigrate to the US.

Firstly, you don't need to have a job in Ireland however you girlfriend in the US needs to have one.

There has to be a few flights back and forth for either of you to show you're meeting/seeing each other. With pictures and other evidence.

You don't need to be married to make an application. You could start with a Fiancee visa which would give you a 90 day visa and allows you to get married whilst in the US. Then you can apply for an adjustment of status (AOS).

It's been said that a fiancee visa takes about 18 months to process, whilst a spouse visa takes about 2 years.

I guess it all depends on how soon you want to start a life together.

Immigrationboards.com: Immigration, work visa and work permit discussion board

How do I do this?

How do I do this?

Re: How do I do this?

Re: How do I do this?