Fiance & Marriage Visas: A Couple's Guide to U.S. Immigration [Paperback]

Ilona Bray J.D. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1413308902 | ISBN-13: 978-1413308907 | Publication Date: September 1, 2008 | Edition: 5th

You're engaged or married to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and all you want is the right to be together in the U.S. Should be easy, right? It's not. Information can be hard to find, the government bureaucracy isn't helpful, delays are inevitable. Worst of all, there wasn't an easy-to-use guide through the process -- until now.

Fiancé & Marriage Visas makes obtaining a visa and green card as painless as possible. It helps you decide the fastest and best application strategy for you, whether you are married or unmarried, living in the U.S. or overseas.

With this friendly, comprehensive book, you can:

understand the immigration process

make your way through the bureaucracy

prepare for meetings with U.S. officials

learn how to prove your marriage is real

deal with the two-year testing period

Plus, Fiancé & Marriage Visas gives you helpful advice on protecting and renewing your green-card status. It also provides samples of essential forms, and shows you how to find them online.

The 5th edition is completely updated throughout, covering the latest fees, sponsorship requirements and changes to the application process. It directs you to the most current forms online, and provides up-to-date sample forms to guide you. (20080606)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Contains real-life, hands-on information that you won't find anywhere else.... I'll recommend this book to my friends and to my graduating law students, who plan to practice immigration law. (Lynne Parker Santa Clara University School of Law 20070604)

"An excellent resource for people who are trying to wind their way through the immigration service's byzantine rules and regulations..." (Mark Silverman, Immigrant Legal Resource Center 20090101)

"Contains real-life, hands-on information that you won't find anywhere else.... I'll recommend this book to my friends and to my graduating law students, who plan to practice immigration law." (Lynne Parker, Supervising Immigration Attorney, Santa Clara University School of Law 20090101)

Easy to understand, written eloquently. (C. V., Torrance, CA 20090101)

Great book with tons of information. Will be a great help in my fiancee visa application. (R. W., Fairbanks, AK 20090101)

This was great! It got my wife here with no problems and no lawyer. (T. C., Sacramento, CA 20090101)

It waters down the legalese without removing the essential important things one needs to know. (Michael M. M., San Antonio, TX )

A very informative book and I enjoyed the reading.... Overall, this book has been very helpful. (J. D., Dodge City, KS )

An excellent resource for people who are trying to wind their way through the immigration service's byzantine rules and regulations... (Mark Silverman Immigrant Legal Resource Center )

Review

"Contains real-life, hands-on information that you won't find anywhere else.... I'll recommend this book to my friends and to my graduating law students, who plan to practice immigration law."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: NOLO; 5th edition (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413308902
• ISBN-13: 978-1413308907
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #655,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Law > Family & Health Law > Marriage

More About the Author

If I could be a perpetual college student, I would -- but researching and writing books is the next best thing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Immigration Resource!!, July 26, 2004

By 

Leia Marshall (NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fiance & Marriage Visas: A Couple's Guide to U.S. Immigration (Paperback)

My husband (then my fiance) and I used the first edition when we were filling out the paperwork for his K1 fiance visa. I am thrilled to hear that there is a new one! This book was an answer to our prayers - it guided us through all the forms and terminology, gave us helpful tips and pointers, and answered all of our questions. If you are going through marriage-based immigration, you need to get this book!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Supervising Immigration Attorney, December 5, 2001

By 

Lynette Parker (San Jose, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fiance and Marriage Visas: A Couple's Guide to U.S. Immigration (Paperback)

This book will be useful not only to couples who are married or planning to marry, but to lawyers and legal assistants. It contains real-life, hands-on information that you won't find anywhere else. Although the book is ambitious in its scope, covering everything from a person's choice of where to submit their application to how to make sure their green card gets renewed, it presents the information in a well-organized, user-friendly manner. The checklists and form instructions facilitate the process for people confronting INS's bureaucratic requirements for the first time. I'll recommend this book to my friends and to my graduating law students, who plan to practice immigration law.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good book, well worth the investment, August 25, 2002

By 

Mike M. (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fiance and Marriage Visas: A Couple's Guide to U.S. Immigration (Paperback)

This book is easy to read and informative. It has several chapters devoted to general information followed by specific chapters that address specific immigration requirements, such as if your spouse is already in the country or currently living overseas. The book provides many step by step instructions for filling out forms. It also includes many of the forms on a CD included with the book. However, I found that it's a good idea to check the INS web site for more up to date forms and also changes in fees and filing instructions.

It is possible to do all the paperwork yourself without an attorney using this book, but you will undoubtedly have questions that the book just can't answer. Calling the INS with questions will sometimes yield a 1/2 hour wait for someone, and they may or may not know the answer to the question.

If you have more money than time, hiring a good immigration lawyer may save you some headaches, but it will also cost you, and they are not immune to mistakes. Even if you plan to hire a lawyer, this book can help you better understand the process.

IN general, this is a good book that can help you through your immigration needs. However, don't expect it to answer your most specific questions...if you're lucky, there will be someone you can ask for help too.