Fiance Visa's

[Stephentlig]

Dear Christian brothers and sisters, both I and my fiancee plan to get married in the united states of america, I am from Ireland she is from New Jersey and I heard about this thing called a fiance visa. we plan to get married first in the eyes of the state and then in the church.

could anyone here explain to me the fiance visa? and should we get a lawyer to do it for us? as I have heard someone say that it is better to get a lawyer do it for you as it is something you do not want to make a mistake with as one mistake on the form could mess the whole thing up.

Your help would be much appreciated.

I praise God for those of you who decide to push us in the right direction.

God bless you
Stephen <3

 

[ack]

we plan to get married first in the eyes of the state and then in the church.

I can’t give you any legal advise on visas – you will have to ask a lawyer about this one.

But, I want to mention that, in the United States, it is not necessary to get married in the eyes of the state before marrying in the church. When you get married in the church, the priest will fill out the paperwork and then your marriage will be automatically be recognized by the state.

So, you only need to have one wedding.

 

[rpp]

I have no idea what the requirements are.

But here is the link to the official USA State Department with information about foreign nationals obtaining visa.

travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html

As an Irish citizen, I do not believe you need a visa for stays shorter than 90 days.

 

[puzzleannie]

Dear Christian brothers and sisters, both I and my fiancee plan to get married in the united states of america, I am from Ireland she is from New Jersey and I heard about this thing called a fiance visa. we plan to get married first in the eyes of the state and then in the church.

3

best bet is to see nearest US consulate for info. whoever is in US will have to contact local parish to make arrangements for marriage and wedding prep first. the problem is not where you are getting married, but where will you live after the wedding, and what visas will be required for that. Us partner will also have to apply for local civil license.

 

[Stephentlig]

‘‘The couple must bring their marraige license to the rehearsal of the wedding in the church, clergy are never permitted to witness a marraige without a marraige license the couple must go in person to apply for the marraige license in addition to themselves they must take a third person as to testify to their identity, the license is usually issued three days after the application is made and is valid for thirty days thereafter. The clergy person will then arrange for the completion of the license and its transmission back to the local registrar.’’

My fiancee is currently resident in the state of New Jersey, The above qoute is taken from the New Jersey Marraige preperation guide and this is what we require.

so this tells us we must get married with the state first.
the part I underlined and put in bold, we are confused about,… is it saying that our marriage license with the state is only valid for thirty days after the application is processed and then we are no longer married with the state?

I’m baffled.

thank you all very much for you help
God bless
Stephen <3

 

[ack]

This is something that varies by state, and I’m not familiar with the details of the law in New Jersey. However, from what you quoted, it sounds like you are not yet “married” when you get the marriage license, but you are only applying for a license to get married. You actually get married when the priest pronounces your marriage.

Don’t worry too much about this detail right now. When you do wedding preparation, the parish office will help you do all of this paperwork. The first step in the process is for your fiance to go to her parish and begin the wedding preparation process.

‘‘The couple must bring their marraige license to the rehearsal of the wedding in the church, clergy are never permitted to witness a marraige without a marraige license the couple must go in person to apply for the marraige license in addition to themselves they must take a third person as to testify to their identity, the license is usually issued three days after the application is made and is valid for thirty days thereafter. The clergy person will then arrange for the completion of the license and its transmission back to the local registrar.’’

My fiancee is currently resident in the state of New Jersey, The above qoute is taken from the New Jersey Marraige preperation guide and this is what we require.

so this tells us we must get married with the state first.
the part I underlined and put in bold, we are confused about,… is it saying that our marriage license with the state is only valid for thirty days after the application is processed and then we are no longer married with the state?

I’m baffled.

thank you all very much for you help
God bless
Stephen <3

 

[Seatuck]

I think it means that you have 30 days to get married when the license is issued. You can get married by the state or the church who can witness marriages for the civil authority in the US.

It might be possible to get all your marriage prep done separately and set up the wedding in advance. It isn’t a foregone conclusion that you must get married civilly first. See what you can set up. Of course you know you cannot live together as husband and wife if only married civilly. Just thought I’d throw that out there.

 

[rwoehmke]

Your fiance needs to contact the priest/parish where you will be married at least six months before you have the ceremony. That is a pretty standard waiting period for weddings in a Catholic Church in the States. A marriage license from the state is necessary, but it is not the equivalent of a state wedding. If in the thirty days that it is valid you change your mind and tear it up, no one cares as it is not a commitment to be married, but only a license to do so during the time it is valid. Usually some form of preparation is needed by both parties including some testing for compatibility. Your fiance will have to work those details out with the priest or deacon who will marry you.

 

[Harrison]

‘‘The couple must bring their marraige license to the rehearsal of the wedding in the church, clergy are never permitted to witness a marraige without a marraige license the couple must go in person to apply for the marraige license in addition to themselves they must take a third person as to testify to their identity, the license is usually issued three days after the application is made and is valid for thirty days thereafter. The clergy person will then arrange for the completion of the license and its transmission back to the local registrar.’’

My fiancee is currently resident in the state of New Jersey, The above qoute is taken from the New Jersey Marraige preperation guide and this is what we require.

so this tells us we must get married with the state first.
the part I underlined and put in bold, we are confused about,… is it saying that our marriage license with the state is only valid for thirty days after the application is processed and then we are no longer married with the state?

I’m baffled.

thank you all very much for you help
God bless
Stephen <3

What happens is you go in with your fiance and a witness to apply for the license, which is essentially a piece of paper with your names on it - you are not yet married at this point, the license is only a document which allows you to get married in the future. The license must be signed after your wedding in the church, in my case by my wife and I, the best man, maid of honor and the priest. At that point you are married and it must then be filed with the city. The parish took care of that part for us. So no, you do not have to get married first civilly and then sacramentally. I believe that the document “expires” only if you do not get married and file it with the city within 30 days. If you do not get married within 30 days after receiving the license, then you have to apply for another license before getting married.

 

[puzzleannie]

‘‘The couple must bring their marraige license to the rehearsal of the wedding in the church, clergy are never permitted to witness a marraige without a marraige license the couple must go in person to apply for the marraige license in addition to themselves they must take a third person as to testify to their identity, the license is usually issued three days after the application is made and is valid for thirty days thereafter. The clergy person will then arrange for the completion of the license and its transmission back to the local registrar.’’

My fiancee is currently resident in the state of New Jersey, The above qoute is taken from the New Jersey Marraige preperation guide and this is what we require.

so this tells us we must get married with the state first.
the part I underlined and put in bold, we are confused about,… is it saying that our marriage license with the state is only valid for thirty days after the application is processed and then we are no longer married with the state?

I’m baffled.

thank you all very much for you help
God bless
Stephen <3

no it clearly states the license is taken to the clergyman or other person who will officiate, who will make the necessary notations and signatures, and return it. Where is the confusion? This is similar to requirements in most of the 50 states. It means if you apply for the license and for whatever reason do not get married within 30 days, you will have to apply for a new license.

 

[lizaanne]

This is a VERY recent conversation about the same topic with many of us who have been through the K-1 visa process: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=332183

Read through that, there is a lot of very good information there.

If you have questions, please feel free to PM me.

~Liza

 

[rpp]

‘‘The couple must bring their marraige license to the rehearsal of the wedding in the church, clergy are never permitted to witness a marraige without a marraige license the couple must go in person to apply for the marraige license in addition to themselves they must take a third person as to testify to their identity, the license is usually issued three days after the application is made and is valid for thirty days thereafter. The clergy person will then arrange for the completion of the license and its transmission back to the local registrar.’’

My fiancee is currently resident in the state of New Jersey, The above qoute is taken from the New Jersey Marraige preperation guide and this is what we require.

so this tells us we must get married with the state first.
the part I underlined and put in bold, we are confused about,… is it saying that our marriage license with the state is only valid for thirty days after the application is processed and then we are no longer married with the state?

I’m baffled.

thank you all very much for you help
God bless
Stephen <3

In the USA, the following people can generally perform a marriage:

• Most any ordained or licensed priest, minister or clergy in nearly any religion. This includes Catholic bishops, priests and deacons.
• Judges
• Captain of a ship when the ship is underway.

In the USA, you do not have to have a state marriage then a Catholic marriage. I realize this is a practice in some European countries, but not in the USA, or Canada, I believe.

Here is how the process generally happens in most Diocese in the USA. There are some variations in different diocese, but thse are the general steps.

You spend between 6 months to a year in a “pre-Cana” or marriage prep in your parish or diocese. This marriage prep generally includes things like teaching NFP, ensureing that you understand what a sacramental marriage really is, the proper role of the husband and wife and so on. The marriage date must be set about 6 months in advance.

A week before the marriage, you and your fiance go to the counnty courthouse/government center and file a request for a marriage license. There is usually a nominal fee, anywhere from $10 - $25. They will either mail it to you or tell you when to come back and pick it up.

A few days later, you have your wedding license.

A few days later, you have the wedding. There the priest who married you signs the marriage certificate as the one who performed the marriage. Two other people, often the Best Man and Maid of Honor, sign as witnesses.

This certificate gets delivered to the same office where you filed for the license and the marriage is recorded. The married couple does not have to e the one who delivers this. Often it is a family member or the priest.

As a foriegn national from Ireland, you will need a valid passport. but I believe if you plan to stay laess than 90 days, you do not need a visa. If you plan to move here, that is a different story. Please see the previously posted link to the USA State Department.

 

[Stephentlig]

I praise God for all the help he has given me by means of all of you.

we have just gotten all we need to get on our way.

God bless you all
Stephen <3