When she stays by you during good times and bad times.

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I didn't know marriage was defined the same as desperation!

MekongMouse wrote:I didn't know marriage was defined the same as desperation!

LOL. Good one. Just go with your gut feeling man.Marriage is different than consulting your 'mates' whether you should kick a dude's ass because he pissed you off in a bar.

In general for an American it is better to get a fiancee visa and marry in the U.S. than to marry outside the U.S. and then try to get a visa for your wife to come to the U.S. In the past a Fiancee visa took about 6 months, and a visa for your wife took a year. Likely is longer now, all Immigration services are slower than before, they are just overworked and underfunded. My lawyer told me that the reason it takes longer after you are married is that she get's a green card on arrival, so they do more checks. The fiancee visa is just that, a visa. You have to then apply for the green card in the U.S after you are married, and do another interview in the U.S. So I would go for the fiancee visa.

But one thing you can do for your fiancee in Cambodia is to do an formal Engagement (yes there are official papers for that too). It is like a wedding, a full day long event or more, with Buddhist monks, much kneeling (Khmer style), many prayers, exchanging rings, costume changes, photographers, etc. You can do the official paperwork or if that is impossible, just do the traditional ceremony without it, the monks don't care. After all it is for your fiancee and her family not for the government.

It will give your fiancee higher status with her family and friends, which is important in Cambodia. It will cost some money, but if you can afford it, I would definitely do it for her.