Marry International College GF?

I don't think this will work out very well, if after 3yrs you can't start thinking of her as "the one" it might be a sign...

That said, I'm not the one in your shoes so I don't know how you're feeling about this. Do what you think you'll regret the least

Nope. Don't do it. Your balls are telling you yes but your mind is telling you no which is why you came here man, it's not worth it. Try out LDR if you really like her but think about it this way. With how stressful and topsy turvy the world is right now, divorce rates literally skyrocketing all over with lockdowns due to Covid, are you really willing to bet half your shit she's the one and you're not just making a decision out of duress?

You're Analyst 1 so you're like... 23? It's obviously your life so do whatever you want, but I don't think people are that mature yet at that age to make a marriage decision.

If your girlfriend is having a hard time looking for a job... then help her. Reach out to all contacts you know. If that doesn't work out, then ask her to apply to graduate school. If she attends a STEM program she'll be eligible to stay in the US for the next 4-5 years. Ask your parents to co-sign her loan.

And dude, even if she has to go back, it's not the end of the world. I have seen Americans coming to my country (in SE Asia) to marry their college gfs. Then maybe move to Singapore, Canada, Australia, or whatever, where the immigration process is less retarded than the American one.

I have enjoyed more than a decade filled with gorgeous ladies and amazing dates, relationships and possible future outcomes (that didn't materialize for many reasons).

The one regret I had was that I didn't think about relationships seriously until I got older. The women I have met and dated earlier in life were really good - I just didn't realize this at that time.

Being around 23 years of age... is not too early, but really not too late. I would see where things go if you are apart and if you both really miss each other, you two could make a change and go the C/K visa route?

Unless you are 100% certain that she is the one and you can't imagine letting her go, of course.

Is this 100% your initiative? If yes fine go ahead, if she raised it can be a bit of a red flag imo.

I’m an international student as well, but I would advise you not to marry her if her visa is an issue.

Marriage that is forced/rushed because of visa issues are problematic. I have seen quite a few that ended in divorces.

Like others, try LDR. If you guys still love each other, then you can get married and she can come work in the US.

Best.

I am a student and not really qualified to give advice but I thought this was really sweet <3 I am so sorry about this.  What did your girlfriend major in? What kind of jobs is she looking at? I am international too and starting IB FT next year. My international friends who're looking for jobs right now are really shrugging. As a woman, i think it's really nice that you're considering marrying her but marriage is a HUGE commitment and the successful marriages that I have seen are the ones where both partners really wanted to be with each other for the rest of their lives. How big are the issues that you have? Can you work on them? No one's perfect and my mom always says "you love despite......." Also I don't trust WSO for relationship advice (or any personal advice tbh). Most men here think that all women are gold diggers (especially because your gf is international, everyone here probably thinks that she's with you for the green card). At the end of the day, only you both are the best judge of your relationship. If your instinct is telling you to marry her, you can't go wrong.  Also what does she think about all this? I like the idea about her doing a masters, That'll buy you both some more time and hopefully, you'll be more certain by then. 

<3 

If you’re still unsure after 3 years, I wouldn’t do it. Keep it long distance and see what you feel for each other. It’s your life, do what you want but just know the consequences of whatever you decide to do.

Hi, I have a very close friend who is almost in the exact same shoes as you are. The only difference is he is the international lover (some Pitbull joke here...if that is even a thing).

He went back to a European country a couple months ago, after getting married with his girlfriend. I believe he is on his way of getting a green card. That will probably take a year.

And guess what, he told me that he might not be able to "fully commit" to his girlfriend 100000000 miles away. As a man, you know what "not fully commit" means. 

You are talking about something VERY SERIOUS (and please forgive the CAPS), and I highly suggest you to think twice, or maybe 200 times, before you marry that woman.

Women are like new BMWs...you don't want to be riding one for more than 3 years. They're expensive and the depreciation just isn't worth it. 

EDIT - even though I chose BMW, girls aren't required to be German (or even European). Don't want people to think I'm racist.

Not sure what this adds to the conversation, but it's not uncommon for international students to marry citizen friends with plans to get divorced after the international gets a green card. I'm not sure if you and your gf are at this level, but if you are and you get married, this will be very helpful to her. H1B system is brutal and the green card backlog after that is horrible too.

I wouldn’t do it unless she was “the one”. You aren’t UNICEF. There was a dude at my employer that literally accepted a job in a shithole part of Africa so he could get his ex-wife kicked out of his house in the US. I suspect he had an arranged marriage or it was a situation similar to yours.

I am an international student who will be in IB next summer. Having been in an LDR before, I have realized that it's just too difficult to have an LDR especially when you are working IB hours and she's in a completely different time zone. I wasn't even in IB but was just busy with classes and activities and it just didn't work. I think if you go down the LDR route, the chances of it working out are very less and that's not on either of you, that's just the way LDR. So, if you do want to be with her, I would say marrying her or her getting a masters are probably the only two options. 

Get married because the two of you are ready to commit to the next step in your relationship - not because of a visa issue. You will regret it.

I married my then gf in college who was an international student when we graduated (22/23 years old).  She was the one.  We also moved to a new city to start our careers after graduation.  Seven years later we had the big wedding.  10 years later had the first of our kids.  I went through two bouts of unemployment and her income helped support me.  In turn I did what I could to help her, she was worthy of the same opportunities as anybody else. I didn’t have to think about it very much.  The world is competitive enough already and life can be hard.  It is great having a good partner through the journey.
 

Looking back, I made a good investment.  Bought low. 

If you've been together that long and live together and you're not sure she's the one, then she isn't.

One of my best friends told me (when I was going to propose to my now wife), “If it’s not f—k yes, then it’s a no.”

You're an idiot for even considering this. She is using you and once she gets that sweet green card will leave you at a moments notice. Are you that much of a dweeb that you can't find a US chick?