American married to French, hoping to move to USA, green card help?!

Member since 15 March 2012

kendraleeMember12 May 2013 20:10:49

Hello!

I recently got married to my French boyfriend (we actually met on Expatblog - he was my language exchange buddy - awwww!!!). We are currently living in Paris. I have a work visa, soon to be changed to a spouse visa (so no problems with the immigration part for France).

We want to move to California, hopefully no later than October. So my question is - what do you advise for getting him his green card? We want to stay in France while his green card gets processed. Does anyone have experience with this? Do you advise getting a lawyer involved or just doing all the paperwork yourself? How long do you reckon it will take to get a green card? Any special tips about this? We have searched online for lawyers and have contacted several, and it seems like the normal fee for this type of thing is at least 2000 EUR - is it worth it to get a lawyer involved?

Any and all advice would be so appreciated!

Thank you!!!

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Julien Founder

Member since 11 March 2005

17 years of happy life abroad

JulienFounder13 May 2013 12:26:42

53121

Hi kendralee,

congratulations from the Team for your wedding, that's really good news

I guess you should also post in the US forum (+ the French version of the US forum, which is quite active)

Take care,

Julien

sarahvonawsm New member

Member since 08 May 2013

sarahvonawsmNew member14 May 2013 02:32:23

Hey there! Congrats on your wedding! That is very cute story with a happy ending! In regards to your post, I used to work in an immigration law firm and from my experience, it is sometime best to have an attorney handle your spouse's adjustment of status.

Since you already married, the applications are available are on the USCIS website, which can sometimes be confusing and frustrating to sort through since there are supplemental evidence that can involved in any petition.

An attorney can help with organizing all this but I admit, sometimes it can be pricey. I guess it comes down to doing some research on attorney fees but like I said, they do help with the organizational part of the application process.

I remember clients that would do 1/2 of the work themselves and then if they had any issues along the way, they would call in for an attorney to help out and possibly reduce the cost.

Some attorneys can charge flat rates or cap fees. I recommend doing your research if you end up hiring one. I hope this helps!

Salman Omrani VIP Member

Member since 15 July 2009

Now now, don't go saying stuff like that. . . ..

Salman OmraniVIP Member14 May 2013 07:18:07

1389

Wow!

Congratulations!! and wish you two a happy life from here on.

This is what i love about Expat.com its more personal and real than many other options out there.

Salman

James ViP

Member since 20 June 2010

Brazil & Canada Expert

JamesViP14 May 2013 08:24:46

11272

Hi Kendra,

Congratulations on your wedding. You know there once was a time when I would have said that true love cannot be found on the internet, but myself being in a very wonderful and happy marriage that started as an online relationship (not on the blog though) I know how very wrong people who say that can be. We also have a very happy five year old son who is much loved and who loves us unconditionally.

I wish you the same success in your marriage as I have had. It's really nice that you've shared this wonderful story with the rest of us.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

mtbianchi Member

Member since 25 September 2012

mtbianchiMember14 May 2013 19:25:16

I will be going through the same thing in about a year or so. Please keep us updated!!! And congratulations!!!

Pebbalita Active member

Member since 21 November 2012

PebbalitaActive member27 August 2013 16:20:09

GOOD LUCK
I wish I remembered the name of a honest Fellow British lawyer I used for my DIVORCE LOL
I HATED Los Angeles ALALIENS and CaliPHONIA as I call iy
and most do but further North is better Santa Barbara is NICE but EXPENSIVE
All the best..I moved to Costa Rica to get away from L.A. but then I also HATED Paris Unlike the many US UNAWARE Citizens KNEW they DONT like foreigners (Unless looking for a green card ,,Not like yours I hope
At least you are getting out of False Paris,,,"_

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city.island.rental Member

Member since 22 August 2010

city.island.rentalMember30 August 2013 10:38:42

Congratulations

I too am an American woman who married a Frenchman. We went through the process of him getting his green card and it was rough. We did it in NYC. We met in NYC and were married there. He already had a student/work visa. We did everything WITHOUT a lawyer. The whole process took about 1.5yrs. I suggest to go that route unless you have some type of 'complication'. It cost about 1k with all the fees. A lawyer is going to charge a minimum of 5k to really just handle your paperwork. I am in France now (Brittany) waiting for my 'carte de sejour'. If you want you can email me privately and we can talk in person and I'll tell you everything from soup to nuts