Potential out of country marriage?

[BlackBeetle]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

A while back I met a girl, everything was great. After a few months, she had to leave the United States and go back to Brazil. Long story short, she recently contacted me about potentially going there, getting married, and then going back to the US. I don't see any problems with this, but I have never been accused of being the sharpest tool in the shed. My friends are all giving me a hard time about a "Greencard marriage", and have threatened to call immigration on me (mocklingly).

What sort of legal implications does something like this carry? Are my friends right?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ohiogal]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

A while back I met a girl, everything was great. After a few months, she had to leave the United States and go back to Brazil. Long story short, she recently contacted me about potentially going there, getting married, and then going back to the US. I don't see any problems with this, but I have never been accused of being the sharpest tool in the shed. My friends are all giving me a hard time about a "Greencard marriage", and have threatened to call immigration on me (mocklingly).

What sort of legal implications does something like this carry? Are my friends right?

Thanks in advance!

You haven't said you love her or she loves you. You haven't stated WHY you want to marry her or she wants to marry you. I could see this as a "green card marriage". If you enter into a fraudulent marriage to get her in the country, you can face criminal issues.

 

[FlyingRon]

Getting married isn't going to cause immigration issues. Trying to bring her here as your spouse if it is not a bona fide marriage is going to be an issue. Your friends are jerks by the way.

The big issue (as OhioGal indicates) is do you sincerely wish to be married to this person. There are far more reaching issues than immigration in any marriage. A marriage with a foreign national has some other problems. Brazil will recognize a marriage between you but they will not recognize a subsequent US divorce. This means that if either of you intend to spend time in Brazil, you have to follow their laws on divorce (which ain't the free and easy stuff we have in the US).

I'm not sure if the US and Brazil got over their pissing match over passports yet either.