K Visa what do I need to do to marry a Polish Citizen?

[FICML]

I am a U.S. citizen, dating a man who is a Polish citizen. He is still in school, in Poland, completing his masters. Each summer he gets a student visa to come to the states and work. We are planing on getting married within the next year or two, in Poland. We have no idea how to go about getting and filling out documents that would enable my boyfriend to be able to live in the US with me after we are married. What documents do we need? Can we print the off line, or is there some place we have to go to obtain them? How long does it take the government to look over our paperwork? I don't want to go to Poland, get married, and not be able to bring my husband back into the states with me!

Any information on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[NYClex]

Well, this is how it works:

There are three different ways to enable your fiance/husband to legally come to reside in the US:

1) He already has a visa that gives him legal status to enter the country, then after being married, he applies for change of status. This is applicable if he, for example, is in the States on a student visa.

2) You marry and he applies for legal permanent residency from his home country and waits there until the immigration visa is being issued. That will take anywhere between 6 and 12 months.

3) You marry and then he applies for a K-3 Visa with which he enters the U.S. and then applies for the permanent residency here in the States. It will take a couple of weeks, probably somewhere between 1-3 months, to get the K-3 Visa.

There is also an alternative if you would marry in the U.S. instead of Poland.


The fastest way to enter the U.S. after having married and not having another visa obviously is version 3)

This is what you have to do step by step:

-Marry

-First the citizen spouse has to file a I-130 petition. Once you have received notice from the USCIS then again the citizen has to file a I-129F petition. Once that has been approved the alien spouse can apply for the K-3 Visa.
With the visa the foreign spouse then can enter the United States.

-Then once in the country, he has to file for adjustment of status with form I-485 (actually again a whole package of forms). It will take between one and two years then to get this approved and receive the actual "Green Card" which gives conditional legal permanent residence.

Look here to find an overview of the process and the forms necessary:

For the K-3 Visa: http://uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/hdiknonimm.htm

For legal permanent residency: http://uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/Appproc.htm