The more I read/talk to people, the more worried I get!!!!

My fiance and I are in the process of collecting paperwork to begin the K1 journey.

I've got a ton of NRI friends, most of whom have said it's really hard to get a K1 visa from India. In most of their cases, the stories they've heard have been trickled down, 3rd party horror stories that even to me sound fishy.

But, now after reading all this info, I feel like I've done most things wrong.

Case in point, I was just in India to meet and spend time with him at the end of February. We didn't take a ton of pictures together. To be perfectly honest, we were busy spending time together and it just didn't really hit us to take pic after pic together. Never mind the fact I made all the hotel reservations in my name, not both. Oh, and I tossed my boarding passes at the airport while cleaning out my purse waiting for the car service to pick me up at the unholy hour of 4:30am. We didn't have time to go to his family's city and get that type of photo-op nor did we have an engagement party.

I have cards and letters from him but never thought to keep the envelopes.

Yes, we talk on the phone a few times a day but not for hours at a clip [neither of us is independently wealthy....I go thru way too much $$$ on calls as it stands].

I never thought to keep chat logs. I have a few recent ones but nothing too crazy.

I don't know, we were much more relationship centric than "Hey, lets make sure to get a ton of evidence", and now I'm worried this may come back and bite me in the backside. Add that feeling to the horror stories and now I'm worried. Little things start to haunt my thoughts like, but we only met once, I only have emails going back 2 years....

Should I be worried?

As my husband constantly tells me, what is the use or good in worrying? Gather what you can: any chat logs that you can pull out, any pictures that you can get, anything - just gather it! (Do you have e-tickets for the plane trip?) Emails going back two years is pretty substantial in my opinion. What about affidavits from family members? They could be helpful... To be honest, why would the hotel reservations be in both of your names - you are not married yet, right? It is just proof that you were here in India - not proof that you were sleeping in the same space!

Try and stay calm, gather what you can, and good luck! Keep us posted on your journey!

Thanks so much for the reply and wishes of good luck.

I guess I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed and ignorant right now when it comes to this. I've never done the whole lets-try-to-get-a-visa thing. To add copious amounts of paperwork on top of missing my guy seems almost unbearable!

You mentioned affidavits - like sworn statements from our immediate families stating that we intend to marry or that we have a legitimate relationship? My big fear is that we do ok with the paperwork and get to the interview process and then here we sit without the typical engagement party/family meeting pics. Heck, I have pics of my soon-to-be's brother's engagement party [which I wasn't at]...it seems so typical to have one.

Unfortunately I blew thru almost all my vaca time from work on the last trip and given the cost of traveling on a whim to India, I don't see realistically getting back there still this year. We tried getting him a tourist visa back in October 2007 and he was rejected under the grounds of insufficiant evidence that he'd return [his job and immediate family weren't considered enough to make him return]. Plus, once I get the paperwork filed for the K1, I'd guess getting a tourist visa would be a tough proposition. Again, I don't know since I'm not familiar with this whole thing.

I was debating trying to get us together in a neutral [read not super tough to get a tourist visa] place, maybe with a few family members for something that could result in more pics and pic with family. It seems so contrived to me. Of course, I'd do anything to spend time with him. But then there is that part of me that feels like doing that would be insane - too orchestrated and weird. Never mind the expense involved in that...

Then again there is the part of me that says screw it - just move to India to be with him, marry there and then work on getting back here. I've tried looking into that and what I've found is sketchy at best and it seems to me I really wouldn't be able to work there??? I know we'd need to wait the 30 days for the special marriage act rule [he's muslim and I'm christian so we fall under that]. Then I guess I can try to get my visa changed to an X visa - but my understanding is that I can't work under that. Then I can try for a PIO card at some point, but then again, I still can't work with that. Am I mistaken?

Again thanks for the help...I just want to somehow be with him and it just seems so overwhelming.

In my case what truly helped was having Daniel, the beneficiary, with me.. No matter how much u prepare, in the end if there is anything going wrong or anything fishy... the USC can question it and set it right... not the alien fiance(e)...
All the best....

The DCF process worked for us, but I had already been working and living here for 2.5 years. To pack up and move here could be more time consuming and expensive - you have to live here for at least 6 months to qualify (you could do the marriage during that time period, but you would still have to complete 6 months of residency here!). You also have to show proof of enough assets or a job in the US that will pay enough to meet the I-864 requirements of income - or have a joint sponsor... We submitted our I-130 at the USCIS office in Delhi on Feb. 6th, and have our interview in Chennai on April 3rd (Chennai is very fast!!) and hopefully will get the visa and be on our way in May. Either way, you would be looking at a MINIMUM of 8-9 months and if you factor in the time/cost to move there, etc. it could be much more.

I know how hard it must be to wait and be away from your loved one, but there is no easy anwswer... Once he gets to the US, you will have to go through AOS (on the K1 or K3 - $1010) where having the ability - permission for working, and things like getting a driver's license will also be time consuming and expensive.

Weigh all of your options and possibilities carefully, think ahead of all the next steps for the paths that you could take, and it will be easier to make a decision. I have spoken to people/read posts where spouses struggle more when they move to the US and don't have that freedom to work, etc. - the adjustment to a new life is just more difficult, especially for men.

Keep researching, keep asking questions, keep talking to your sweetie, and keep posting here!

They only really require proof that you were both in the same country, at the same time. It's enough if you copy your passport entry/exit stamps to India, send a copy of your Itinerary and maybe online confirmation of your flight or old plane ticket (if you still have those). I just sent in one single hotel bill (only in my name) and a couple of encashment certificates. I lived in India and knew my fiance (now hubby) for years and we only had 6 photos total of us together! All this was sufficient to get us an approval. No engagement party either.

I had initially only sent passport page copies as evidence we had met within two years, and I got an RFE, here is the letter they sent for your info (I didn't find this VJ site till after I sent in my I-129F petition):

"LAST MEETING: the petitioner and the beneficiary must have met in person within the last two years. Submit evidence of meeting the beneficiary in person within the two-year period preceding the filing of the petition. The primary evidence may include copies of passport pages that show the identification page and admission stamps, military orders, letters from Commanding Officer, or any evidence that will help the Service to determine that the petitioner has met the beneficiary within the two years. The secondary evidence may be airline ticket stubs and receipts (that indicate month, day and year), ATM and credit card transactions, flight itinerary on airline/travel agency letterhead, etc. NOTE: secondary evidence is used to support any primary evidence that has been submitted. The following DOES NOT constitute evidence of meeting: disc, videos, emails, letters, phone bills, and greeting cards. The petitioner may also submit bank statements and/or credit card statements and receipts showing that a withdrawal/purchase was made in INDIA. Please ensure that any documentation that is submitted has the petitioner’s name, location, and the full date (month, day and year)."

Lately there are been only approvals coming out of India, so jump on the bandwagon and good luck!

dont worry just get all the paper work filled out and take the plunge........u have what u need proof of meeting.....u just have to decide what way u want to go...........good luck and i hope ur journey is smooth and with out problems
sara