HELP! living in fiance's country and applying (split and merge)

[JenniferNangel 137]

CR-1 visa is only good for 2 years, not 3.

Ohhhh my thanks for pointing that out I thought I put 2 my fingers have become extremely swollen lol the joys of pregnancy I'll edit it now

[C-ma'am 684]

Hello! I am in your same situation. I was living close to my fiance in his home country. I got all the information ready, but the K-1 129F packet does need to be mailed from the States. Fortunately, my parents came down in June to visit, and they took the packet back with them to mail. From that point, I have been in Costa Rica/ Nicaragua every step of the way, and it has not caused any problems. However, it helps that I use my parents' mailed address in the US. Whenever they get mail from USCIS, they scan it into the computer and email it to me. I highly recommend you have an address in the US of someone you trust who can help you along.

It's definitely better when you can be with them every step of the way. When we got our NOA2, I walked to his work and told him during his coffee break. Seeing that smile on his face was so special!

This is incorrect.The packet does not need to be mailed from the US, you can mail it from anywhere in the world. You will, however, need to have a US Address where USCIS will correspond with you once they accept the petition.

[JenniferNangel 137]

You won't have to apply for another visa if you do the dcf. For me I married in June, filed his petition in August and we have a interview date for October. Once approved he will get his cr1 visa which is good for 2 years. I don't recall seeing anybody file for k1 while aboard but I wanted to share my experience while living aboard and going through the visa process

[Chile16USA17 1]

Hey, question to your question. What's your status now? Did you end up using your address in Chile to send out the petition packet? Or what did you do if you have already sent in the petition?

Hey yogabbaz, I used my US address as the mailing address on the I-129F form and of course, listed my current address in Chile on the G-325a form. I also attached a supplement sheet stating my legal US address (same as US mailing address) and that I'm currently living with my fiancé in Chile and stated that address again. I mailed everything to my mom in the US first, where she added the check in and then she mailed everything from there. It took about a month to get from Chile to the US and then from there to the Department of Homeland Security. I just received a message via email yesterday that they received my packet so waiting to get the notification in the mail there in the US, so I'm not exactly sure what my status is at this moment. I hope this helps!

[lacolinab13 86]

I did it from abroad as have a few friends of mine. You do not need to mail it from the US nor do you need a US mailing address - you can put a foreign mailing address as well. That being said, lots of people choose to have docs sent to the US so that they arrive faster, and because in many countries the mail is not reliable. I put my parents' house as a mailing address, knowing my mother would let me know if anything had arrived and would be fine sending documents if necessary (if we had gotten an RFE etc).

[Penguin_ie 5,984]

***** several posts by OP split from threads by other members and merged here. Please ask questions about your own case in your own thread *****

[yogabbaz 52]

So does that mean I should put my US address in the mailing section on the petition? Or it would be fine to put my Colombian address and send it from here and it'll be ok?

This is incorrect.The packet does not need to be mailed from the US, you can mail it from anywhere in the world. You will, however, need to have a US Address where USCIS will correspond with you once they accept the petition.

[yogabbaz 52]

Hmmmmmm Ok good to know. Thank you! And good luck on your visa journey! I hope it all goes well.

Hey yogabbaz, I used my US address as the mailing address on the I-129F form and of course, listed my current address in Chile on the G-325a form. I also attached a supplement sheet stating my legal US address (same as US mailing address) and that I'm currently living with my fiancé in Chile and stated that address again. I mailed everything to my mom in the US first, where she added the check in and then she mailed everything from there. It took about a month to get from Chile to the US and then from there to the Department of Homeland Security. I just received a message via email yesterday that they received my packet so waiting to get the notification in the mail there in the US, so I'm not exactly sure what my status is at this moment. I hope this helps!

[D&Jmora 18]

Hey guys, I know this thread is a bit old and hasn´t been active for awhile, but yogabbaz I am in the same situation. I have been living and working in Medellin and we applied from here. Just curious if you had any issues with Colombian addresses or information about your fiance that the service center did not understand. Our petition was just received 2 days ago, but I´m stressing myself out over getting an RFE while being so far. Also, my salary in mere pesos does not allow me to be the sponsor - my parents will help us out with the Affidavit of Support. 

 

Anything I can prepare for ahead of time? Words of wisdom from those who have filed while living abroad? Gracias!

[yogabbaz 52]

On 9/1/2017 at 3:17 PM, D&Jmora said:

Hey guys, I know this thread is a bit old and hasn´t been active for awhile, but yogabbaz I am in the same situation. I have been living and working in Medellin and we applied from here. Just curious if you had any issues with Colombian addresses or information about your fiance that the service center did not understand. Our petition was just received 2 days ago, but I´m stressing myself out over getting an RFE while being so far. Also, my salary in mere pesos does not allow me to be the sponsor - my parents will help us out with the Affidavit of Support. 

 

Anything I can prepare for ahead of time? Words of wisdom from those who have filed while living abroad? Gracias!

 

Hey! No worries! Yeah, in the petition packet in the cover letter and application I used my US address for mailing address. In my biographic application I used my Colombian address because that's where I was living and they could see that I had a temporary work visa in Colombia. I mailed my packet from DHL and sent it to my sister in the States so that she could include the check (since I had no way of making a check or money order in Colombia) and then she FedExed the packet. But I realized you just said that they received your packet which is good! 

 

When you get to the affidavit of support forms you can explain that you earn Colombian pesos and that the exchange rate fluctuates. I also had my mom be my co-sponsor and everything worked out. You'll have to wait till you receive your NOA2 to like have your fiancé prepare for the interview but they'll be notified by email and you can start filling out the affidavit of support forms for yourself and your co-sponsor. 

 

Honestly, I think you're at an advantage living with your fiancé because you can help make sure they're getting everything together and  you guys can make decisions together.  

 

If you have any other questions you can message me! I'd be glad to help

Edited September 5, 2017 by yogabbaz