wish u happinessss

Hey guys,

I'm not sure if this is typical, but I wanted to give you all a heads up. Roland, my fiance, received his interview date last week, 3/23, and his interview was scheduled for less than a week later, 3/29. This is very exciting, BUT as a natural procrastinator I hadn't yet mailed him my I-864/I-134. So this quickly put us into panick mode so that he would have all his documents for this Thursday. Fortunately, UPS was able to help us out!

I wanted to share this so those who were waiting on their interview dates could have a good time estimate.

Best wishes,

Sarah

That's exciting news!!

Beatrice mailed back Packet 3 yesterday... I hope we get a quick interview as well!

Merci,

-B

Yup, France seems to be good with the strangely quick interviews! Good luck tomorrow, Sarah! Let us all know how it goes!

Angilla, SO happy to hear all is going well, and that you even have new digs!

Once Packet 3 is mailed, it has been taking about 5 weeks to get Packet 4, however, the interview dates are typically only about 10 days after receipt of Packet 4.

Sarah I see visa approved in your signature - CONGRATS!! from both me and Saint-Clair.

Thanks Angilla and Saint-Clair!

Yes, Roland had his interview today, and he said it was a breeze, just as you all had advised. However, he had his medical appointment with Dr. Meyers earlier that morning, and he he did not like her at all. Maybe she was having a bad day, because members have usually posted nice things about her. Before going to Paris, Roland called Dr. Meyers' secretary to ask about all that he needed and also to find out what he could do in advance. He was advised that he could do the xray and the blood test with his doctor at home. Upon arriving at her office today, she accepted the xrays but not the blood test , so he paid 160 euros to have it done again that morning. Overall, Roland thought she was impolite, but who knows, maybe she was having an off day.

He said that the embassy was no problem! He was in and out in an hour! He was expecting a very long wait and was surprised when the man said "okay, you will be receiving your passport ant visa in the mail in 7-10 days." His appoinment was at 1 pm, and he called me to tell me we were approved at about 2:15. The questions he was asked were 1) How did you meet? 2) Whats is her job? 3) Do you have a job lined up already in the US? Roland also said that the man said it was important to keep the xrays (although I have previously read that you don't really need those).

That's all for now! I will have Roland post something more specific in the embassy reviews because other posts were invaluable to us!

Thanks again!

-Sarah

Congratulations!

Hey Sarah,

That's great for both of you

Well, my advice concerning the xray is yes, keep them, but also Roland should have a copy of the exam done in France.
Just an advice cause i had some problems here when i had to fill for AOS. I didn't had copy of the medical exam in France, so i had to get another one here. i had to get my vaccination record translated for the doc, and i had a hard time just to get just I-693A, the doc wanted to give me the whole exam (with xray and blood test!!).

Anyway, just got the email today that my EAD card was ordered for production
anyone knows how long it take to get it??? they said to allow 30days, that's a long time!!

Good evening everyone,

That's great news - EAD in 80 days! Congratulations!

Just checking in to say hi. We got married today... in a noreaster, driving rain, 60mph winds, beautiful stuff like that. Our kinda luck! Though isn't there a saying that rain on your wedding date means many blessings? Anyway. It was a simple thing with the town clerk and my parents, that's it. That's all we wanted.

All's going well with the apartment. We're mostly moved in, we were hoping to finish up today though now we don't know if we're gonna be able to get over there with the weather. My mom's cooking ribs and bought a cheesecake, after the food settles in our stomachs we might get brave and trek over there in the weather. We've got 2 computer desks to assemble and mold to clean out of all the kitchen cabinets. And a gross shower to clean... and... a lot of work to do.

Oh you want pictures, right?









We'll get a picture of the rings on here at some point... whenever I can actually get mine on my finger!

Angilla, I swear, I was in the shower just a little while ago thinking, I wonder how many people are getting married today in this driving rain, and what good luck it is. Then I come here to see this great news! Congratulations, and enjoy every minute of being together! Thank you for posting the beautiful pictures, too.

By the way, ribs and cheesecake sound divine. Mmmmmm.

Congrats Angilla and St. Clair! It feels great doesn't it.

Mariage Pluvieux, Mariage Heureux. Rainy wedding, happy marriage. That's what we say in France So I expect you'll be very happy together. You've been through hard times and now it's time to enjoy being with each other.
Congratulations on your wedding. Great pictures. It looks like the two of you can't stop smiling

Hi

I need to meet someone who get married with US citizen, without asking visa k1
I mean, the person went to usa as tourist ( so no visa) and "by surprise" (ehem) he get married with the other person.

I know it s allowed
and not allowed if the wish of being married was wanted before going to usa.
let's say we don't know we will get married,

i need to know the process , all details,
does someone go thru that?
thank u

Bonsoir,

What documents do I (the USC) have to provide to my fiancée for her interview? And how does she get the report from the police that she has no record?

From my husband:

le rapport de police est un casier judiciaire que vous devez prendre dans tous les endroits ou vous avez vecu apres l'age de 16 ans

si vous etes francais et avez toujours vecu en france vous pouvez le demander par ecrit a nante ou s'y rendre directement par vous meme et vous l'aurez sur place
si vous etes etranger vivant en france vous devez en plus du casier judiciaire francais y ajouter celui du ou des pays ou vous avez vecu apres 16ans

j'expere que mes renseignements vous serviront et je suis toujours a votre disposition

Thank you! I sent that to my fiancée and I'll make sure she understands it.

What about the forms I need to send her (I'm the USC).

Thanks again!

I went with my fiance to his interview. You need the I-864 including tax returns, W2s and pay stubs. (I also included the letter from my employer) I had a copy of the I-129F that was sent. Evidence of an ongoing relationship (airline ticket stubs, passport stamps, pictures of you together, e-mail messsages, letters, phone bills or wedding plans etc) You will also need an updated letter expressing your intent to marry her within 90 days.

Hope this helps!!
Bon Chance

Thanks. Isn't the I-864 outdated? Isn't there another form that is supposed to be used? That is what has me confused.

Since I have no employment history and I have a co-sponsor I fill out the same forms, correct?

Merci

Just looked for the form on USCIS. Does my co-sponsor file this form or the I-864A? I do not want to screw anything up and I am working on an EXTREMELY tight time-frame.

Okey, new question/problem. I guess I solved my last question: the co-sponsor and sponsor fill out the same I-864 form. Here's my new question:

Do I check box A for this? I filed the I-129F visa.

Check box "a" if you are the petitioner who is filing or who
has already filed Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative;
Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate
Relative; or Form I-600A, Application for Advance
Processing of Orphan Petition. If you are the petitioner, you
must sponsor each intending immigrant.

Change of plans:
I have been offered a job, so if the visa to work there is accepted we won't file for a K1 visa. I guess we'll wait until we feel like we are really ready to get married, without the pressure of the Visa and if I have a job here then it will probably be directly the AOS visa.
For now I can forget all about the I-129F and the other forms and work on getting all the papers ready to stay here and earn money. I'm happy. I don't have to live the country and we can get things done in our own time.
Thank you for all the help though.
I guess I won't need to be here as much for a while. But I'll come from time to time.

bonjour, salut, coucou

let me introduce myself I'm Aurelie, 27 from Paris, the french half of the couple. Meiyoko, (no he's not japanese, his parents were just very original, he's dominican and greek) 27 from NJ, and i met on a cousin website of wemetonline. I saw he saw my profile without talking, so i wrote "of course, cute ones never talk, i only get the ugly ones" he replied saying he had wrote but i hadn't replied (i checked, and never found his tag lool)
till this day we chatted everyday... it's been two years now lol. Feelings developped to our amazement... there was some talk about marriage already, i flew to NY for an interview in Feb. I stayed with a friend of mine, we met twice, it was better than anything both ever imagined. the interview didn't work out but it's probably for the best.

Now i'm only here to gather information, we have no set date, he's starting his own company, which is going very well, he wants to be able to provide for me first, and make it so i don't need to work if i don't want to... i do'nt mind waiting (specially if it means us moving directly into a big big house in NJ hihi, my dream as a parisian lol) and maybe trying the stay at home mom thing...??

I am myself half cuban-american half french. My dad was not a citizen when i was born in France, my mom lleft before getting any paper done, and both never thought i'd want to be american, so here i am cussing at them because all this could have been avoided soooooo easily UGH!! i started Lawful Permanent Resident papers with my dad as a sponsor begining of 2005, chances are i'll get married before they're ready lol (they are now looking at petitions sent in 2001 or something lol)

anyway, this is my story, it does feel extremely good to see i'm not alone, congratulations to the couples that made it, and to the ones waiting lots of love and compasison from me, i know how it is

Love and Blessings

ooops sorry i forgot, he speaks a lil french i know it, he understands some, but he won't speak it, he's still shy about it lol he knows i'll go aww and aaah on him lol

i'm pretty much bilingual, i miss technical vocabulary though, like i won't be able to hold a conversation about spare plugs cars, machines, and stuff like that, and i need to brush up on my vegetables and fruits lol

Bienvenue Aurelie,
Whenever you begin your process, this is definitely the place to be. You will be able to get all the help that you need.

Good luck with everything!

Salut

Bea finally got her appointment!

June 13

Felicitations!
Let us know how it goes.

Bonjour!

I'm new to the site and wanted to join the list of VJ users for this subforum. It is my SO that is French and I'm here in the Midwest. He's coming soon after a long struggle getting his K-1 visa. His flight is scheduled for June 4th! I'm so happy after being apart for almost a year and 1/2! I have a question for others.....He wants to know what to expect at the POE. I know it should all be routine...he shows the visa in his passport, he hands over the sealed envelope, etc. That is another story, just the envelope. No, he didn't open it, but after receiving it by chronopost, he got a call from the embassy saying that they had forgotten in insert an important paper. After making another trip to the embassy--his 5th since February, I think we are all set.

But is there anything else to tell him? Especially is there anyone here who had to enter in Chicago? I know he is a bit stressed about this as we have had difficulty in Chicago before.

Thanks to all,

Rhonda

Thanks for making this sub-forum part of the site.

My fiance just came in through JFK on May 2, and he had no problems at all. They didn't ask him one question, just a look through the envelope, and a "Welcome to America, good luck"

That's it - easy as pie.

Good luck, and congratuations on this next step of your journey!

Thanks for the encouraging words.......

Hello evryone. I am new to VJ and i have lots of questions. I am part of a french/american couple. I m the American half of the troop. I studied in france and bilingual in french, my fiance from paris speaks some english and he is learning eveyday. I registered on this site because we do not know where to begin. We just got engaged and I am in paris right now visiting. My fiance contacted a company where i live in virginia and got a great job there but we need to get the paperwork started. I have talked to everyone Embassies, maries, prefecteurs ect... We think we are going to need a K1 visa. I do not know anything about this type of process but from the info i have gotten its overwhelming and the thing we are most scared of is being separated for a long time. Help!!! I am going to the US embassy tomorrow to ask questions but maybe some of you could give me some much needed advice or info. For example, Can i start the paperwork for the K1 fiancee visa while I am here in France? Is it possible to file the docs at the US embassy here? If not how long will it take for the K1 to go through so that my fiance can come back to be with me in the states? I read some messages that gave some grim outlooks on time. I can t imagine being apart for months and months and I hope that wont be the case but the law will decide that for us i guess. We are new to all this and coming from the idea that we love eachother , we didnt think much farther until now because we are going to get married and need to start our lives. We are only 25yrs old and needless to say this process is more overwhelming than anything we have done thus far in our lives. Anyone who can tell us their story or give any helpfull advice as to what to do or where to start it would be so greatly appriciated.

Welcome and congratulations! I wish you the best. This site is wonderful and there will be many people to help you along the way. You're smart to start looking at your options first. I would first look at the link on this site that explains the differences between a K-1 and a K-3 visa. Maybe after looking at your options, you could marry before you return to the US and start the K-3 spouse visa for your SO. There are pros and cons listed. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=compare
My French fiance has just received his k-1 visa and is arriving in the US on Monday after our separation of 15 months. I know that isn't typical given the timelines for others, but it is hell to be apart! We did put in paperwork to marry in France this summer, but that will no longer be needed because we'll do that here when he arrives. If you do decided to marry, this is what I had to do for that:


First of all to be married in France you need to go to "city hall" the mairie of the town where at least on of you resides. There you must set your date so the marriage 'bands' can be posted.

Once that is determined they will give you a little marriage booklet. In the booklet it spells out exactly what you need to marry their. The paperwork must be at the city hall ONE MONTH before the determined date.

The paper work we needed:

My birthcertificate with translation to French
His birth certificate (current and valid within 3 months--he is French and BC is only valid for 3 month period)
Copy of our divorce decrees (we were both divorced before)
My decree had to be translated to French
Copy of something to prove current permanent address for both
Copy for both--of prenuptial medical visit that was done in France (cost 20 euros)
Certificate that I was not married (my divorce decree was not enough to prove that I had not been married in the meantime)
for this document I talked to my state clerk of courts who did a search for marriages since the date of my divorce. This of course showed that I did not have any marriage and the form was sent to me within one week and for a cost of $25. This document was then translated to French.

For all documents that were translated to French, we had our translator notarize everything. We provided a statement that said she was competent to translate (she is a teacher of French like me)
We attached her teaching license and every single page was stamped by the notary. The French love their STAMPS!!

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else.


Rhonda

[/quote]

Hi Rhonda, Thanks for the encouragment. I was wondering in your expirience if you think that it is easier to marry in france ou the us ? or which do you think is faster and will facilitate not having to be separated for a long time? I keep going over in my mind whether we should strive to get things straight on the french side or the US side, which one will give us less headache. I had talked with a french couple that i met in the states while my fiance was trying to get a work visa after finding a great company, but with all of the quotas and restrictions the work visa was not going along as planned. They kept telling us that we should get married and not worry about the work visa. We wanted to wait alittle while to marry and plan a huge wedding thinking that a speedy wedding wasnt something we were going to do right away. All of the people i had met had married their french partners and said it was so much faster and less hassle. Now that we are engaged and looking to marry it seems that the process isnt at all simple or fast and we feel like the other couple we had met must have been kidding when they said that this was the easy part; lol ... I hope to get more info tomorrow here in paris at the embassy. Thanks again for answering me and for any insights that might help .

Truthfully I don't know which is easier for you. Even though the process is more complicated to marry in France as I described in my earlier post...it isn't too difficult to meet the requirements. (in the US in my state it is so simple....3 day waiting period and photo ID is all we need) And for you a young couple if you haven't been married before like we were, you don't have to worry about all the translations of divorce decree, etc. The decision has to be yours and you should look at that link that I gave you because it does spell out pros and cons of k-1 fiance visa vs k-3 spouse visa. For example in looking at the site, if you were to marry in France and come back here to begin the process to bring him here as your spouse, one immediate plus is that he would have his work visa. (at least that's what I think I understand from the link) Whereas waiting to bring him in as your fiance, marry him here, then you have to file an adjustment of status to change him from fiance to spouse. It is at that time you apply for the work visa. I see another plus to a k-3 visa is that it isn't necessary to apply for Advanced Parole for you spouse to leave the country for visiting, etc. In our case we will have to apply for advanced parole for my fiance to be able to go back to France--his aging mother is there and his 2 sons from his first marriage. OF course we want him to be able to visit them as he chooses and when it is necessary. (also I want to be able to go back to France with him--I am a French teacher after all and love the country)

You spoke about having a big wedding....you know one option is to have the legal ceremony in one country and begin the filing of paperwork and once that is done, have a large gathering (religious one or merely a big reception) to celebrate the approval of which ever visa you obtain.

Anyway, ask questions--try to get the opinions of others. There are so many people on this site that have wonderful information to share. I just found the site two weeks ago--I wish I knew about it as we were beginning this journey. Also use all the links to research information yourself. There is a wealth of knowledge here. I wrongly got involved with an immigration lawyer thinking that was the best thing to do--and I wasted thousands of dollars. If I had known about this site, I would have done it all myself.

Again best of luck...
rhonda

Welcome to the site. How long are you planning on staying in Paris? It used to be that you could DCF (direct consular filing) at the Paris consulate and this would be faster. DCF could be used if the US citizen lived in France. This used to be quicker. (I would check out the IR1/CR1 board about the new developments of DCF and be sure to ask the consulate about this tomorrow)

My husband and I got married after he came on a K1 visa and are planning the big ceremony in November. This gave us time to plan. I think alot of people on VJ do the civil ceremony first and then plan a wedding later. Immigration is too unpredictable to plan it the other way. (setting a wedding date without knowing when his visa will be approved).

We didn't do the K-3 because I did not want to be apart from my husband while we waited. But my husband would have been able to work right away even after his K-1 visa expired.

I would read the pros and cons as suggested by someone. It is a hard decision to make and depends on your situation.
Initially our K-1 was approved fast and my husband would have been here last summer. But because Bush passed a new law that delayed processing, he wasn't able to come to December. However, if we had gotten married he would have been here sooner.

Bon Chance with your decision.

Wow its nice to talk to all of you. Knowing that you have all been through the same or similar expiriences is helpful and reassuring. I thank you for ur insights and DCF I ll be sure to ask tomorrow!
I ll keep u all posted.

Good luck, I hope all went well at the embassy - I'm curious about how they do DCF now. Were they helpful?

Salut tout le monde!

I found out that they reinstated the dcf for certain cases and that I would have had to be a resident for at least 6months prior to the filing. Thats what I understood from a website I found. I did not get to the embassy on Friday and will have to try again this Friday.
I was wondering if anyone knows what rights an American has in France after mariage. For example I (the american) marry my fiance (le francais) in France, what paperwork do I have to do in order to live or work here? Am I allowed to stay here in France legally while we file the necessary paperwork (K3 ect...) for the United states? I ask this because I have been looking into the process for the US part and I dont know much about the french end of it. I am wondering if I am allowed to stay in France while we work out the american papers , that way we can be together.
Goodnight to all from Paris

Hi everyone.
I'm back... again... with maybe an other decision yet again. >.>
To summarize the all thing: after we decided to go ahead and do the fiancé visa, I got a job offer. Yeah! Until today when they called me to say they can't seem to find a working visa that would work out (obviously the H1B ran out the opening day. I don't even know how that's possible) and the other option can't work out.
So here I am with 2 month left on my B2 visa (after extension) trying to figure out what to do.
We're thinking we might do a civil wedding and apply for the AOS directly or the K1 but that would mean an other so many month without seeing each other and even more without a job.
So yeah. We're going to talk about it tomorrow.

I know that a lot of you might say I can't do that. Well I didn't plan to get married with him when I came back to the US. I just couldn't stand being without him and came so we could be together and maybe I could get a job+working visa. So as far as I know it's legal.

The current policy really makes it hard for couples to live their lifes don't they? You never think about such things when you start an international relationship. I think we all diserve an award for the hardship we go through.

I'll keep you updated.

Ok, so it's official we are going to get married within a month to avoid the raise of the fees hopefully. I have a medical appointment next monday and we'll get married as soon as we can.
My family is being amazing.
My grandmother has offered to pay for all the fees because she knows it's hard for us and wants us to have a good start in life. We can even buy a table now thanks to her

But what touches me the most is that they are going to try to fly my little brother so he can be the witness to my wedding.
Does anyone know if a non american person can be witness? He lives in France...

I'm so happy. My jaw hurts, can't stop smiling and having tears of joy.

This website is really helping me.

Hello all fellow French/American couples. I'm surprised that I haven't looked for a thread like this sooner.
My fiancé Fred lives outside of Paris. I'm going to travel there in two weeks, and I'm very excited because I have never been to Europe before!
I do speak some french, but I think I'm terrible at it, and I'm terribly shy about it too. I just studied it for four years in high school and I didn't get a chance to continue in college. I remember when I chose to study french, my father told me that it would be a waste to learn french, since he didn't think I'd ever need to use it. How wrong he was!
I'm going to have to pay more attention to this thread and watch everyone's timelines as well. We sent out our K-1 packet April 26th, had it received April 28th, but it wasn't officially received until May 23rd! My check was cashed, but I'm still waiting on receiving the actual NOA1 hardcopy.
I wish the best of luck to everyone with their journeys!

-Kim

Hi Kim.
Don't worry about your French not being top level. Just speak it, even if it's wrong, people will help by correcting you. If they see you try it will be easier and that way you'll learn (or re-learn faster).

Good luck on your journey and have fun in France.

FYI folks -

My wife was "temporarily denied" her visa at the interview in Paris, because when submitting the I-864 I had included a stack of paystubs and 2004 and 2005 tax returns. They wanted a letter from the employer, despite it not being a required document. I submited ORIGINAL paystubs - much harder to fake than a letter from an employer... And to top it all off, my father (who quite frankly is wealthy) had made a I-134 for her as well as a back-up, which they wouldn't even consider!

This "merde" ticks me off. They aren't specific, they say submit "supporting evidence", so I do. I make WELL over the 125%, and we do have not children, have been married almost three years, were married in France, lived there almost 2 years....

They did allow me to overnight them the documents and then approve the visa, but still, if they want something specific, they should say.

All this just pisses me off even more that our war-mongering president also thinks it is a good idea to make all the people here illegally legal in one fell swoop after all the BS those of us who are law-abiding go through to get this stuff done.

Anyhow... hopefully she'll have her passport soon.

Just because I'm curious, did you wife go through the embassy in Paris? Did she happen to have Gonzales as the person that she dealt with? We had a very interesting experience there...

She will have her passport soon. It took only 2-3 days by chronopost to reach my "fiance". He is here now in the US for two weeks and we were just married on Saturday.

Good luck to you on your continued journey.....

Rhonda

Hey,

I don't know who she had.. On the plus side, she got her Passport back today and flies out in a week and a half!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great news! Congrats!


Well, I had my medical done today. Since I didn't go through the K1 I had to do a full one. Thankfully for me I always travel with my Carnet de Santé and most of the vaccinations required were covered in it. Add to it that last year my doctor had me tested to see how if I needed the Hepatitis B vaccin and that I had that with me too => no vaccines required
So whatever you do, always take your French Carnet de Santé with you, it saves a lot of trouble.
They took a blood sample for the blood test (HIV & Siphylis testing), poked me with an other needle for TB test (I'll try to see a doctor in Asheville to have it read friday and fax them the results).
I also had a (outside) genital exam. I wish I had known... it was quick and a nurse was there, but still, I always feel uncomfortable finding out on the spot.
I had to were the very fashionable paper towel "clothing", paid and out I was.
Painless, quick and nice people.
For those in Western North Carolina, Hickory is cheaper than Asheville and for me the waiting was less (I would have had to wait 3 more weeks for Asheville).

Question : I came here on a B2 and we are going to file for the AOS with I-130 and all that. I saw people who were asked to give the extrait de casier judiciaire with it, do you send it with the application? Do you bring it at the interview? I can't remember seeing it required anywhere, but in case I ordered some. If someone could tell me.

Just a quick update from us - we got married last Wednesday in Boston. Just waiting to pick up the marriage certificate, and we'll file for AOS, EAD & AP!

All my wishes of happiness. I hope things run smoothly for you.

Congrats, bostonparis! We just mailed out our AOS/EAD/AP paperwork this week. Thursday was his 3-month-in-the-country mark and Chicago recieved the package Thursday morning. Normally we wouldn't have done something like that but we've spent the last 2 months with my sick Dad and he just passed away Sunday, so this week was his wake/funeral/burial and it was just a tidal wave of crazy events. I hope I didn't miss anything but I tossed that AOS/EAD/AP stuff together so fast... I really wouldn't be surprised if we got a RFE or two lol. My Dad told my Mom before he died that he wanted her to fill out the co-sponsor form, I lost my job last month and didn't get a new one yet because I knew Dad didn't have much longer left to live. That was such a relief.

Anyway, just sayin hi. I'm also glad to see things working out for you, Cécy.