These last two years under Covid have been very frustrating for all of us. And for those who were ready to marry their foreign fiancee’s but have had to put their wedding plans on hold it has been a long lonely time as well.
Today I want to share with you how to obtain an online marriage and use it
for US spouse visa immigration.
And I have found an organization that offers this wedding service for
Only $100. Links at bottom of this article.
And watch to the end of the video, as I will share how you can use your
Online marriage to travel to the Philippines to meet your Filipino spouse.
Now, let’s talk about “How to marry online via Zoom and apply for
CR1 Spouse Visa.
An officiant based in Utah State can conduct a lawful marriage ceremony over a zoom conference.
This is called a “web conference” wedding.
It is not a proxy wedding. As a proxy wedding means one of the couple is absent and someone else is standing in as a representative, a “proxy” at the ceremony.
At the “web conference” wedding everyone is present, bride, groom, officiant, and including witnesses all via a Zoom video conference.
The result of this wedding is a binding and acceptable marriage certificate.
It does not mention that the ceremony took place online. It reads the same as any marriage certificate proving a lawful marriage has been entered into within the State of Utah.
Decide which Utah officiant you wish to work with. I recommend using the county clerks offices in Utah County, Utah. They are not private but government, and the fee they charge reflects that they are providing a service to the public not for profit. You can obtain both a licence, ceremony and certified marriage certificate for around $100. I have put a link to their website at the end of this article.
I use their procedures for the following instructions
Complete an online registration form. I will include a link to this in the video notes also
Submit online images of your government issued photo identification
Pay the license fee online via credit card.
Pay fees, and book time and date for your Web Conference wedding
Enjoy your wedding ceremony
Watch for certified copies of your marriage certificate to arrive in the mail
That’s it. You are now lawfully married and you have solid proof that is valid wherever you go.
If your next step is to apply for a spouse visa to bring your spouse to the USA, sorry you have one more hurdle to jump before US immigration will accept and approve your visa application, you need to meet your spouse in-person.
That means getting on the plane, spending time together and now with both a marriage certificate and proof of in-person meeting while married, you are ready to apply for a spouse visa.
For couples where one partner lives in the Philippines, this final step, to meet in person has been impossible during the last two years, as the Philippines had shut its doors to foreign travelers.
Until now.
As of August 2021, foreign spouses of Philippine citizens are now allowed in. You are no longer banned from travel due to Covid 19.
But you need to apply for and be granted a Philippines Temporary Visitor Visa. The 9a visa.
After the wedding, your Filipino spouse registers the marriage in the Philippines. Then you submit that proof of that registration along with your passport and additional paperwork to the nearest Philippines consulate and pay $30 to apply for your visa.
I have recorded a video on how to obtain the 9a Temporary Visitors Visa.
Once granted, you can Fly, meet up in person, and at that point you are eligible to apply for a CR1 spouse visa.
This was Fred Wahl, The VisaCoach, here to personally guide you on this journey.
Links for Online Marriage
How to get Philippines 9a Visitor Visa for USA spouse
Utah County Clerk Online Marriage
Utah County Clerk Online Marriage Application
