When to Marry J-1 Boyfriend

[nightglede21]

My J-1 boyfriend and I have been dating for the past summer, and we both know that it's right. We want to get married eventually and are trying to figure out our options. He's here with a 2-year stay requirement from Colombia and is set to go back in December. He IS planning to go back. I, on the other hand, (this is where it gets complicated) have a scholarship to teach English in Spain for 8 months. I leave in 1 week. He plans to apply for the waiver when he returns to Colombia (he heard it was easier from there). We don't know where we are going to live yet (Colombia or the US), but I do know that I want him back for my sister's wedding in June.

What's the best way to do things? Best case scenario would be to find a way to keep him here (it's going to be expensive for him to go back and restart life and then do paperwork and then come back-- here we already have jobs and housing and transportation set up in an area where thats hard to do!), but I think that by going to Spain, I've made that impossible even if we could get around all the other legal hurdles. I know I need to accept that there is no easy solution here...

What are some of our different options here? The only one I see is for him to go home, get paperwork waived, start applying for a fiance visa... But then he will never make my sisters wedding and it will be a REALLY long time before we see each other again. Is it still the best option we have?

[T53147]

His first step is to meet with an attorney who knows the likelihood of a waiver from Columbia. They are not guaranteed to be granted.

He has no basis on which to remain based on what you have posted. If he qualifies for a B-2 visa, he can certainly visit for the wedding and return to his home.

Even marriage to you will not overcome a waiver requirement so your job in Spain is not an issue in that regard.

US immigration is not cheap, fast or problem free. It is a system you have chosen to deal with. The immigration attorney he consults about the waiver could advise you of all the options based on the outcome of his waiver petition.