The Marriage Visa is issued as per the United States Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) for the foreign spouses of US citizens. Certain requirements or terms and conditions have to be followed as per the laws of the United States in order to obtain this visa.

This visa is basically a petition for a family based immigrant. Here, the US citizen files a petition for his immediate relative for an immigrant status. The immediate relatives include spouses, parents and children who are minor and unmarried which also include stepchildren. However, when it comes to stepchildren, this relationship should have been formed before the children were 18 years of age. It has to be realized that this immigrant visa is a form of Green Card only which permits the immigrant to live and work in the US.

Incase, a relative does not fall in the immediate relative category, he would be termed as the derivative beneficiary. So, in such a case, a separate petition has to be filed for each of such relatives.

It has to be remembered that before filing either the K1 Fiancé visa or an immediate relative petition, the major part of the process for immigration should have been done with before the immigrant’s entry into the nation. This is because the immigrant would enter the nation as a Green Card which means that the person would be eligible to find work the day he/she lands in the nation. This means that the background check on the applicant which includes the immigration history of the applicant, bona fides of the relationship etc. are carried out. With this, the applicant is also interview by the consular officers before obtaining a visa.  The interview is conducted at a US Embassy in the native country of the applicant of which the applicant is a citizen.

The requirements for both the marriage visa as well as for the K1 Fiancé visa are more or less similar. The proof provided should be sufficient that the relationship with the US citizen is genuine. Thus, the evidence should include a marriage bona fide which is honest; legitimate as well as sincere. This should prove that the couple is legally and is not trying to evade the laws pertaining to immigration. Also, if the couple was into a previous marriage, they have to prove that it has been terminated before walking into this relationship.

To know more, it is best to contact an immigration and visa who deals with US immigration. He is always updated with the latest and the correct procedure to follow. However, make sure that you are consulting a genuine and a registered expert with a decent amount of experience.

All married couples reading this buzz would agree with me. Barring some orthodox countries where sex is prohibited and considered as a hazard before marriage, stats from advanced countries have shown that the frequency of sex and foreplays reduces to almost half after marriage.

Couples who used to get involve in each other four times a week before tying knots, have sex just once in a week after getting married. Bad huh! This survey from UK has really proved the point that marriage makes your life dull! But does that really mean that one should not get married? No! But the point has been proved… Marriage is NOT good for your sex life!

After three years of getting married, the frequency of sex reduces to less than half and sometimes even nil in some cases. The average turns out to be once in a week after three years of marriage as the couples taken in survey were 3,000 in number.

According to Daily Mail, six out of ten couples have confirmed this fact that marriage has completely destroyed the enthralling moments of their sex lives. In short, the excitement has almost finished! No enjoyment, nothing! Some just perform just for the sake of performing! Now what is that?

Another jaw-dropping fact which came out of the survey is that a little below 50 percent of all the couples involved in the survey think that their relationship involves friendship more than lover-ship. Is this what marriage leads them to? This survey has surely given us some hard but bitter facts to think! People who think that marriage strengthens their love, this survey is an eye opener for them! Wait a minute, this does NOT mean that marriage completely ruins the mutual love, but the survey is surely decked with some bitter facts! Isn’t it?

Also, the survey showed more than half of the couples have constantly blamed their hectic schedules which leave them tired and don’t allow them to be cozy with their partners on bed!

You may want to spend the rest of your life with someone of your choice- someone who is compatible, understands you, is funny and has all the qualities to be your life partner… but if he is NOT good in bed, your sex life would be spoiled, making a huge different in your relationship! (And who knows, the other partner starts seeking pleasure outside wedlock!)

Indians are known for their rich culture and traditions. I don’t think so that there is any other country which has such rich variety or festivals, religions, language, culture and tradition. And the richness of Indian culture is best reflected in our festivals and marriages.

Marriage plays a very significant role in an individual’s life but in India marriage is an occasion which is special not only for the wedding couples but for their families, friends and well-wishers as well. It is celebrated with lavishness with the involvement of everyone to make the occasion special.

In fact marriage is not considered to be merely an institution of which two individuals had to be a part of but it is taken as a lifetime commitment which extends up to seven births of the couple. Families from both the sides of the couple unite with each other, thus forming a larger family. The beautiful union of two families reflects that we Indians give much importance to relationships in our lives. Indians have an image of being an emotional people and this is because relationships occupy the top position in our priority list.

Every religion has its own different way of celebrating marriage but one thing is common amongst all of them and that is that every religion celebrates it in an extravagant way with music, dance, traditional food and clothes. The celebration of wedding starts almost week before the wedding day with various customs and rituals. One of the most significant customs is ‘sagai’ in which bride and groom exchange rings followed by ‘ladies sangeet’. Ladies sangeet is the most exciting part of wedding celebration in which girls express their joy through dance. It is usually celebrated a night before the wedding day. Then we have another ritual called ‘baraat’ in which groom and his family along with friends arrive at the wedding venue while dancing on the streets with musical bands and lights.

In India, weddings are celebrated like some festival only. There is no denial that with time, things have changed and certain changes have modified the wedding ceremonies and rituals. But some rituals have stood by these changing times and they are still practiced today with same vigor and joy. One of those rituals is applying heena on hands and feet of the bride to enhance her beauty. Even bride’s female friends and sister also apply heena on their hands. Applying heena is a great form of art for which Indians are very popular in world. Indian artists are extremely proficient and talented to make beautiful designs with lot of intricacies and details.

The celebration continues after wedding also for week long days as well. Along with pre wedding celebrations, there are post wedding celebrations as well which doubles the joy of occasion. In Hindu religion in ‘pag phera’ bride comes back to her home on the next day of the wedding with her father and brother for one day.

In comparison to before, many customs and rituals are not celebrated owing to the deficiency of time and lack of complete knowledge about them. But that does not reduce the charm of Indian weddings at all. The zeal to celebrate the occasion is still alive in the hearts of Indian people which makes it possible that our Indian weddings still reflects the culture of India.

Let us keep this question away for a while whether you are cheating on your spouse or not. But I have noticed this in the case of almost every married couple that once the years of marriage start increasing, the couple starts losing interest in each other. Hence, it is either wife or the husband who starts suspecting on their spouses.

Let me talk about the suspicious wives, who are the topic of discussion here in my article. These nagging wives keep on asking you one question after another that even if you are going out on a genuine meeting, they would suspect that you are having an affair with your office receptionist! These are cribbing wives for you!

Okay let us talk about another instance. What about people who actually perform infidelity with their wives? What about those who indulge themselves in gratifications and seek the pleasure of women outside the wedlock? There are two circumstances which make them fulfill their gratification and perform adultery.

• In the first case, even if the husband is genuine and not wrong, the suspicious wife makes the circumstances so irritating, eyeing on him like a spy every time that he finds no option but to hide things from her. Even if he would be having an office party or a client meeting outside, telling the same to his wife would only make the latter suspect him. So, after so many years and after getting irritated, the husband would eventually think, Why not actually get into an affair, if my wife anyways is suspicious of me”!
• Then you have the case where the husband is guilty! He sees other women as the source of fulfilling his lust and hence performs adultery to the core. He would be lying to his spouse in the name of going on out-of-office trips and other such excuses!

People who get into cheating are often found speaking these words to their wives… “Honey, I will be late” or “Have a meeting with client.” But those who are genuine, there is a small advice to them… never make your wife suspect on you or rather if she is doing, ensure that you sit with her and clear all! After all, marriage runs with the mutual compatibility of both the partners! One pinch in one tire can ruin the balance of the entire vehicle as well as the people associated with it.

For all the twenties something Indian women reading this piece, I am sure you would be able to relate to this. You are an independent working woman who believes in living life by your own rules. But then there is definitely someone in your life who strongly feels that it’s important that you fall in love, get committed or rather get married before it’s too late. More so, they are adamant on acting cupid in your life, the reason for which we fail to understand.

When it comes to our very own aunts and uncles, it can be agreed upon that they have no other business in life since their own kids are happily married. Or rather, their daughters are! And so, their sole purpose in their life is done with…so how to go about looking for some excitement? This is how it goes on then…their nieces are still very much young, living in a different city and still single! In no time, the wretched process of matchmaking begins before you even realize what is happening.

The older generation consists of people who are done living with major part of their lives. They have had a life which is very different from the way we live ours. They fail to understand that the rules of the society are changing. At the same time, it cannot be completely termed as their fault. It is beyond their reach to understand that finding a husband can be somewhat similar to selecting clothes in a store. You sure have to try out different ones before you select in on the right one! I know it doesn’t sound very appropriate but that is what we all do in reality.

Now keeping the older generation aside, friends play a major role in our lives. Many a times they play the role of cupid both- intentionally and unintentionally. This cupid is very important in our lives as it can either bind or break a friendship. Here, there are those sane ones who do not need this so-called interference. At the same time, there are other vulnerable souls who are unaware they are easy targets and thus, need to be protected.

As for the easy targets fail to realize that we are maintaining our distance but only making sure that they are safe, in the process a feud tends to crop up. In a nation like ours, a woman’s reputation is more like a fresh flower which once destroyed cannot blossom again. So, where do we draw the line? As friends, we are concerned about our friend’s happiness and well-being.

However, there is another angle attached here. There is a separate breed altogether which only believes in getting their girlfriends committed. These are the obnoxiously irritating kinds who have no other business in life except to gossip and making the lives around them miserable. Its best to stay away from such kinds as it would only lead to lack of peace, confusion and irritation and a failure to understand as to why God created them. This is because these girls do not have any ambition in life except to get married. More so, they themselves are not aware as to why they are trying to get the others around them get committed. For once, they can let destiny do its duty. And this would definitely not cost them anything!

With such people around, there are more chances they we end up with the wrong rather than the right person. Then it is a matter of time before the blame-game begins! As always, the scapegoat mechanism works.

Above all, when it comes to matchmaking, neither the ancient nor the so-called modern system is exactly preferred. Some aspects are best left to the heavens above…after all, the saying “Marriages are made in Heaven” did not come into existence for the heck of it!

Life was beautiful and full of dreams for South African Rhonde Aylward on Friday when she tied the knot with her beloved Mr. Batchelor after her divorce from her previous husband. But things were not as easy for her as she thought as many challenges were waiting for her.

After tying getting married to her boyfriend, Ms. Aylward had to face the reality that she is staying in the New Zealand illegally and could be deported from the country any day. Her marriage with New Plymouth’s Steve Batchelor does not change her immigration status and this means that she can be asked to leave the country any time. Ms.Aylward is a mother of two small kids and she is more concerned about her children than about herself.

In a statement told to the press, she said that she and Mr. Bachelor got married in a simple way surrounded by her friends and family. One of her main concern is that that her current husband is not employed and therefore can not sponsor her residency in New Zealand. According to the laws of New Zealand Immigration, it is mandatory for the partner of the New Zealand resident to seek the permit for residency in the country. However, a partner could sponsor the residency for the person if he meets all the eligibility criteria.

The work permit of Ms.Aylward along with her daughter was for three months which expired last month only. She has applied for residency in the New Zealand immigration department and now she is hoping that her case will be considered by them. She was working with Heatherlea Health Care as a permanent part-timer but due to the expiry of her resident permit, she lost her job as well.

Love is vital in everyone’s life! But excess of everything is bad! Are you girls aware of the fact that love leads to obesity?

According to one recent study, girls in love tend to gain weight at every moment! I know this is news which can be shocking for many girls out there but that is what is true! The study has been conducted by the University of Queensland and it has been proved that more the content of love is; more would be the rate of obesity in women.

The love which they get from their kids and husband is ample for them to gain weight! It has often been observed that women tend to gain weight after marriage. Why so? The answer perhaps lies in our daily work schedules.

Being single means, some times skipping meals, not taking proper diet and other such facets which lead to loss of weight. But when you are married or with kids, you ensure that everyone is given the apt amount of love and care and therefore, you never skip meals with them. In addition, tastier food sometimes means eating more when you are in love (or on in other words, married or hooked!)

It has been observed that woman getting married in late 20s and 30s tend to gain more weight as compared to single women. Further, if these women have kids, then the weight rises by an average of 9.2 kilograms. No matter they have kids or not, women gain weight after experiencing love in their life.

I hope a majority of girls would agree with me. Single women are much skinnier and toned as compared to the ones who are married. Also, the latter lot has already got insurance that they have the love of their life with them. Hence, they don’t need to take care of how they look and hence, some of them lose interest in maintaining themselves. They eat at any time and interval, hence, gain weight! On the other hand, single women need to take care of their figure and maintain an overall balance between fat and body shape!

So, all you girls in love out there. Either prepare yourself to get obese or start maintaining your body mass ratio.

Some say the initial spark of a marriage lasts only for a couple of years, and beyond this the couple hardly enjoys the union. If this is the truth, I am sure many suitable-to-be-married girls/boys like me would give their parents a hard time. Almost everyone has a dream of getting married and lead a blissful life thereafter with her/his life partner. Marriage is not an ordinary commitment- this is the commitment around which almost everything in life revolves. So, this union should be perfect and a long-lasting one.

But, what the experienced have to say often makes us apprehensive about taking such a serious decision like marrying someone. I really hope, this should not happen in anyone’s life. But then, life is so unpredictable. And like we say, unless you tasted something you cannot say what it is like! So, one day we will have to marry someone and find out what future has in store for us!

Till then, let us keep our nerves at peace. Why don’t we give a chance to those who say marriage loses its charm in a year or two justify the statement? Hmm…well, I’ve already asked a few people why do they think so? Or, do they feel so as they have had that notion already? Hope, this won’t happen in my case But, over the time, I’ve realized a few things which could be held accountable for that uninvited/ugly part of a marriage. Couples have reasons to complaint about marriage. Don’t you believe? Read on…

When arrival of a newborn to a family can give immense happiness, it, at the same time can bring a bit of distance between husband and wife, more or less in every household. And in such a condition, a woman is literally in a position when she is being torn between two worlds. As we know, men are the emotionally dependant counterparts, the inclusion of a child (children) may make him emotionally insecure. Is not it really strange that a father can develop this thing?

When a mother is busy with bringing up children, she somehow feels her husband is equally craving for her care, especially time. It often seems impossible for her to bestow the time equally between children and husband. This surely gives you an idea about how tough a woman’s life can be! Of course, there is no denial that women too want to retain that initial spark alive, or just being together. But, almost everyone fails to attain this. I often wonder, is this the reason why people say the passion in marriage lasts for a very short period of time?

While men may not find it difficult, but for most women, it seems quite tough switching from the role of a parent to that of a lover. After having children, women often lack the sexual desire. Rather, they do not feel sexy or desired once they become a mother. After talking to a lot of people around me, I am pretty much sure this is one of those reasons why do they find married life less interesting after a few initial years.

To my opinion, it all lies in our mind. We can feel good, sexy and desired, as long as we want to be. This is true that after becoming a mother, your children take up most of your time, but then, how can you expect your husband to be less demanding. A woman is the epitome of emotions. Her essence lies in providing the needed emotional support to everyone around her, including children and husband. So, keep the passion alive in your marriage, and if you have been facing that ugly phase in your relationship, try to ignite the-being-together status once again!

The next six months may see an abolishment of the ‘certificate of approval’ scheme as against the current times which require the applicant intending to get married or register a civil partnership to first apply for the ‘certificate of approval’.

This condition is not applicable for all those who are intending to get married in an Anglican church. Speculations are that the scheme may see an exit in the end of 2010 or the beginning of the year 2011. The decision is awaiting from the UK Parliament.

If reports are to be believed, the scheme of the ‘certificate of approval’ may see elimination in the next six months by the UK Immigration. In addition, a decision has been made by the UK Courts that this scheme is in violation of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The government of the UK has also confirmed that the scheme is not any more able to bar the sham marriages happening in the country.

The removal is still not finalized. Therefore applicants intending to get married are still required to apply for the ‘certificate of approval.’

Even after the abolishment, the applicant would be required to provide notice of your intended marriage and show it in the designated register office. For more info on the same, consult an Immigration and Visa expert (www.abhinav.com).

Amanda Pichardo was hoping to acquaint her husband who is from Dominican Republic to the clan of hers as the couple recently acquired a newly-married status. This all was to happen in a theme party which would have been organized in a Caribbean style ambiance, followed by Spanish music and some of the best Dominican food items.

Amanda went on to say that as their entire clan, kin and mates were not present in their marriage, therefore, she wanted to celebrate something with them. But Canadian officers in the Dominican played the spoil sport as they denied their request to get a visitor visa. The arrangement was to celebrate the event, which was going to be held in the premises of CFB Petawawa mess hall which is located just adjacent to Petawawa, which is her home town.

Now this refusal has caused great annoyance for the couple, especially for Amanda, especially when her husband Johann Pichardo is working for the Canadians and putting his life at risk every single moment. He is employed at the position of subcontractor for Canadian Forces in Afghanistan and checks vehicles after handling dogs in the duty of bomb-sniffing, hence risking his precious soul on every mission.

She mockingly said that the refusal of visa has sent a strong message to him “Thanks for saving the lives of we Canadians, but screw you in return.”

She went on to say that it is not that her husband is not educated or is a bum. Rather, he has a good career. There has to be some way better than this and they are doing the right way. But the officials are just telling them NO!