K1 Visa initial package question

[jsowter 0]

Hello!
Sorry that this is long!

So my fiancee and I sent our package off today and of course now I'm worried that we messed something up!

We sent in all the necessary forms, his birth certificate, letters stating that we were intending to marry, the passport photos etc, but what I'm worried about is the evidence that we met in person.

We were both living in Atlanta for 1 year at the same time and we have evidence of that with the address on my visa forms that I sent in and his address there. I then moved to New York for 6 months and we had lots of trips to see each other in that time and I have been staying with him for the past month until I go home on Friday

We didn't have any boarding passes to send along for evidence because most of the time we used the boarding passes on our phone and going way back to when I first came to america I didn't think I had a reason to keep my boarding pass!

So, we sent in the printed off receipt with itinerary that the airline emails you, along with the emailed confirmation from any hotels we stayed at, along with photos of us in each place. Also sometimes I would catch the bus or train to see him and I sent the email receipt and itinerary of that too.

I also sent in a photocopy of my visa in my passport along with the page with my entry stamp and form I-94 from march 2013. I also included a signed letter from my mother stating that she knows about the relationship and all copies of my J1 visa forms which have the address of where I lived in Atlanta and New York (I have 3)

I also included my most recent flight confirmation email/receipt to Atlanta and put a post-it note saying that we drove up to Nashville together from Atlanta and then I included my email flight details of my flight home from Nashville (where he lives now) to Sydney.
I also included his flight confirmation email/receipt/itinerary for his flight to Australia in December. Plus a few other photos of us together.

Do you think this is enough??

[ISBJORN10 5]

You are good , and you did great by sending the copy of your visa and I-94

[jsowter 0]

You are good , and you did great by sending the copy of your visa and I-94

Thanks for replying, I guess I'm just stressing over nothing

[d3adc0d3 186]

The stamps on your passport of your legal entry into the country is excellent primary evidence. The boarding passes are nice to have, but your local flight itinerary in the US is less of an issue.

Secondary evidence is photos, hotel receipts, leases, etc. Your main thing is that you need to prove that you two were physically in eachother's presence in the last 2 years. It sounds to me like you have plenty of evidence. OZ is not a high fraud country, so I think you'll be just fine.

Just sit back and relax you have a long wait!

If your fiance(e) can come visit you in OZ while the process is pending I'd highly recommend he or she do so, and hold onto those boarding passes. It shows a continued relationship and looks good once you make it to the interview. I always encourge those who can to always have the USC be present for the interview. I know flights are expensive, but having the USC presence always makes an impact. Some embassies won't allow the USC to be present for the interview, but they will be aware that you're in the country, which looks very good to the Interviewing Officer!

[sma1488 155]

I don't want to make you worry over nothing, but have you made sure that the two-year rule doesn't apply to you since you were on a J-1 visa? This will be clearly indicated on your visa in your passport.

[jsowter 0]

The stamps on your passport of your legal entry into the country is excellent primary evidence. The boarding passes are nice to have, but your local flight itinerary in the US is less of an issue.

Secondary evidence is photos, hotel receipts, leases, etc. Your main thing is that you need to prove that you two were physically in eachother's presence in the last 2 years. It sounds to me like you have plenty of evidence. OZ is not a high fraud country, so I think you'll be just fine.

Just sit back and relax you have a long wait!

If your fiance(e) can come visit you in OZ while the process is pending I'd highly recommend he or she do so, and hold onto those boarding passes. It shows a continued relationship and looks good once you make it to the interview. I always encourge those who can to always have the USC be present for the interview. I know flights are expensive, but having the USC presence always makes an impact. Some embassies won't allow the USC to be present for the interview, but they will be aware that you're in the country, which looks very good to the Interviewing Officer!

He is coming to visit for christmas! But he probably can't come for when I have the interview because he won't be able to get time off work plus flights to Australia are so expensive. But I will make sure that he keeps his boarding pass and gives it to me when he comes

I don't want to make you worry over nothing, but have you made sure that the two-year rule doesn't apply to you since you were on a J-1 visa? This will be clearly indicated on your visa in your passport.

On my visa forms the box that says 'not subject to two year residence requirement' is checked so I don't think this applies to me, thank you though!

[sma1488 155]

Then you're good to go. Just wanted to prevent you from getting any unwanted surprises later!

[jsowter 0]

Thanks so much everyone, you've helped me to stop stressing and enjoy the last few days I have in America

[d3adc0d3 186]

He is coming to visit for christmas! But he probably can't come for when I have the interview because he won't be able to get time off work plus flights to Australia are so expensive. But I will make sure that he keeps his boarding pass and gives it to me when he comes

He may still be able to! The interview may not be for 6-8 months! Mine was over a year later! Just wing it.

For more affordable flights, join a frequent fliers (FF) setup, like AAdvantage via American Airlines (AA), or whatever your airline of choice has. You can purchase miles (often for very cheap) and book flights using miles. My husband's ticket was $980 via miles, versus the $1600 it would've cost me cash. Find out when the peak season is, and avoid travelling to and from OZ then. I know with AA, to Argentina, the non-peak flights can be as cheap as 20k miles, which runs about $400, so a round trip ticket would be $800 (tickets are only one-way when purchasing via miles); the peak miles to AR were about 50k miles, which was just under $1k. The prices may be more or less for OZ, but it's worth a look see. PLUS, you can ask for FF miles as a gift (or gift them to his account), and slowly purchase them with every paycheck! They also have incentives to earn miles via a Credit Card you can apply for (if you're looking to build up your credit), and when you purchase & board flights booked through your FF account! You can purchase tickets for other people as well via FF miles, no problem!

Edited October 23, 2014 by d3adc0d3

[Al422 221]

If you missed something, it is not fatal, just a small delay. If you did, you will get a form called an RFE, where they ask you to supply whatever it is you missed. You supply it, and 3 to 4 weeks later you are back on track.

[jsowter 0]

He may still be able to! The interview may not be for 6-8 months! Mine was over a year later! Just wing it.

For more affordable flights, join a frequent fliers (FF) setup, like AAdvantage via American Airlines (AA), or whatever your airline of choice has. You can purchase miles (often for very cheap) and book flights using miles. My husband's ticket was $980 via miles, versus the $1600 it would've cost me cash. Find out when the peak season is, and avoid travelling to and from OZ then. I know with AA, to Argentina, the non-peak flights can be as cheap as 20k miles, which runs about $400, so a round trip ticket would be $800 (tickets are only one-way when purchasing via miles); the peak miles to AR were about 50k miles, which was just under $1k. The prices may be more or less for OZ, but it's worth a look see. PLUS, you can ask for FF miles as a gift (or gift them to his account), and slowly purchase them with every paycheck! They also have incentives to earn miles via a Credit Card you can apply for (if you're looking to build up your credit), and when you purchase & board flights booked through your FF account! You can purchase tickets for other people as well via FF miles, no problem!

I will definitely look into this, thanks so much! I didn't know you could give miles as gifts. This will also help when I'm eventually back here and want to plan trips home

[d3adc0d3 186]

I will definitely look into this, thanks so much! I didn't know you could give miles as gifts. This will also help when I'm eventually back here and want to plan trips home

Yep! I found it mighty helpful when trying to scrounge together the cash for his ticket last minute! My family could contribute a little bit at a time to the funds for his flight, and I could slowly buy the miles as I had cash. I had a friend of mine who's relative works at Delta advise me to look into that path, and I have to say I am thankful for their advice!

Now, we're buying $50 worth of miles every paycheck so when his AP card comes in, we can go visit his family in Argentina and the flights will be paid for (first class too)! Once his SSC comes in, we'll probably have him get a Credit Card (CC) with the miles bonus on it, to build his credit & earn miles, the card that AA offered was pretty good... and a CC is a good way to build him credit as a new immigrant; most airlines with a FF program have CC offers. AA limits how many miles you can buy yourself, but not other people! So if you each make a FF account with your airline, check their regulations, you might have to "gift" each other miles every week so you have enough for your flight. There's also some minor fees/taxes to book the flights, if you book it in less than X amount of time, they have a rush fee (usually $75-150). There's a miles processing fee (it was less than $50), and the standard taxes and fees imposed by the state and federal government.

Side note: I only use AA to travel to Argentina because no other major airlines in my area fly there, so that's why I mention them a lot, certainly not selling them to you... .

If you call the booking agent for your preferred airline they'll tell you when the peak and non-peak times are, and they will tell you the cost for miles for each peak/non-peak time. I know with my FF program, they had 2 types of seats for each class. The first one is the cheapest, but they're of a very limited quantity, and the second is limited only by available seats on the plane. So book early when you can, to reserve your price; typically 2 weeks is a good minimum buffer. Best day to buy is Tuesday afternoons... airlines announce their flight prices on Monday evenings, so most of the airlines scramble to make their prices competitive. Best day to fly is Tuesday (cheapest), and first thing in the morning, and redeye flights are the cheapest. I always fly redeye, and just sleep on the plane! If you can find one that coincides with lunch as well, it could be cheaper. Here's a good resource for booking cheap flights.

However, do NOT book your flight until you have your visa in your hands. Trust me... I'm so glad we waited, because there was a hiccup with the delivery and pickup and it ended up taking 3 extra days! This happens all the time. I see so many stories from people so excited the booked it early, and the visa system was down and they didn't get their visa until after their booked flight! Better to wait a week after you have the visa in your hands than to pay several thousand for an oops!

[M and C 32]

I think you've sent enough evidence.

[jsowter 0]

Thanks everyone!

I feel a lot better about all of this now. All thats left to do is wait it out