Hi, I'm new and also extremely worried!

[Karen_L 1]

Hi. My name is Karen -- I'm so happy that I found this message board because I'm really starting to worry about my fiance's upcoming k-1 visa interview in Naples, Italy and it's nice to see that other people are going through the same stuff and that so many are succeeding!

At the beginning of this experience, I was pretty optimistic -- I submitted the petition on his behalf on March 6th and it was approved within two weeks and sent to the NVC, but THEN... the NVC went and sent all of his documentation to Naples, Italy. My fiance is an Albanian citizen living under a student visa in Italy -- but he isn't a permanent resident of Italy. He can't even legally work more than (I think) 8 - 12 hours a week. On the petition I asked if he could do his interview in Tirana, Albania, because we'd read on MANY state department websites that its best to apply for a visa in your own country and that the US embassy/consulates in Italy are there to serve US citizens and residents of Italy. My fiance and I are still unsure whether that word "residents" means people who are living in Italy or whether it means people who are permanent residents.

I've called/e-mailed a bunch of offices about this -- asking if they made a mistake or if they could change it to Tirana, but everyone told me Naples was the correct place. Still... I dunno... neither of us can help feeling he may get turned away because he's not applying at the proper consulate. Has something like this happened to anyone? Am I just worrying for no reason at all?

And then today, he tells me he's never gotten the varicella chicken pox vaccine, which I personally didn't even know existed. And this is the one vaccine that is unavailable at the consulate in Naples, so he couldn't even get it when he goes for his medical exam. How important is this particular vaccine? He's fully vaccinated against polio, rubella, Hepatitis, etc. and he's 22 years old and very healthy -- is there a chance the doctor may waive this requirement for him?

Thank you so much for any advice you can offer cuz I'm like this right now: lol

-- Karen

[Linababe 0]

Hi. My name is Karen -- I'm so happy that I found this message board because I'm really starting to worry about my fiance's upcoming k-1 visa interview in Naples, Italy and it's nice to see that other people are going through the same stuff and that so many are succeeding!

At the beginning of this experience, I was pretty optimistic -- I submitted the petition on his behalf on March 6th and it was approved within two weeks and sent to the NVC, but THEN... the NVC went and sent all of his documentation to Naples, Italy. My fiance is an Albanian citizen living under a student visa in Italy -- but he isn't a permanent resident of Italy. He can't even legally work more than (I think) 8 - 12 hours a week. On the petition I asked if he could do his interview in Tirana, Albania, because we'd read on MANY state department websites that its best to apply for a visa in your own country and that the US embassy/consulates in Italy are there to serve US citizens and residents of Italy. My fiance and I are still unsure whether that word "residents" means people who are living in Italy or whether it means people who are permanent residents.

I've called/e-mailed a bunch of offices about this -- asking if they made a mistake or if they could change it to Tirana, but everyone told me Naples was the correct place. Still... I dunno... neither of us can help feeling he may get turned away because he's not applying at the proper consulate. Has something like this happened to anyone? Am I just worrying for no reason at all?

And then today, he tells me he's never gotten the varicella chicken pox vaccine, which I personally didn't even know existed. And this is the one vaccine that is unavailable at the consulate in Naples, so he couldn't even get it when he goes for his medical exam. How important is this particular vaccine? He's fully vaccinated against polio, rubella, Hepatitis, etc. and he's 22 years old and very healthy -- is there a chance the doctor may waive this requirement for him?

Thank you so much for any advice you can offer cuz I'm like this right now: lol

-- Karen

First of all welcome to VJ hope your journey goes smoothly, secondly please ill in your timeline as this is very important in calculating the statistics on this forum and will help others who are applying at the same embassy as you to answer your questions easier:) Thirdly I think the chicken pox vaccine is really gonna be needed for the AOS after you get married. All proof of all injections are needed then so i dont think it is much of a big deal if he cant get it before. I believe when he is in the states and you get married for the AOs you are requested to get a medical again or atleast see a doctor who will complete a form saying he has been given all his jabs, if by then he doesnt have the injection then you may have to pay for it in the states. Hope this helps

Lina (UKC)

[Anastasia 1]

Getting all the vaccines done is not a requirement for K-1, so it doesn't matter if he gets all his vaccinations before he moves to the US or not. Although many people prefer to get all the vaccinations in their country because it's usually cheaper than getting them done in the US.

Don't know what to tell you about the embassy locations which would be the right one, in my personal opinion I don't think it will become a problem, but I don't know about such cases so I can't really tell for sure.

[kaydee457 13]

I've called/e-mailed a bunch of offices about this -- asking if they made a mistake or if they could change it to Tirana, but everyone told me Naples was the correct place. Still... I dunno... neither of us can help feeling he may get turned away because he's not applying at the proper consulate. Has something like this happened to anyone? Am I just worrying for no reason at all?

Thank you so much for any advice you can offer cuz I'm like this right now: lol

-- Karen

Karen. You are correct in that some Consulates will only process "residents" of the host country, in your case Italy.

If you are really concerned (as apparently you are) you can have the case transferred to Albania after it has arrived in Naples.

I should correct the above to say that he can have it transferred. He will need to fill out a transfer request form and submit it to Naples Consulate. Only he can do this. You cannot (and the Consulate will not allow you to do it) as only the Beneficiary can do this.

Here's the form-

Edited April 23, 2006 by kaydee457

[Razor 0]

You should email or call the US embassy in Italy and see what they say better safe then sorry

[gag54611 1]

If he has a valid student visa for Italy, then I would presume that he is a valid resident of Italy. In my opinion, the visa indicates that he is allowed to be there.

G

[silverbutterfly228 0]

And then today, he tells me he's never gotten the varicella chicken pox vaccine, which I personally didn't even know existed. And this is the one vaccine that is unavailable at the consulate in Naples, so he couldn't even get it when he goes for his medical exam. How important is this particular vaccine? He's fully vaccinated against polio, rubella, Hepatitis, etc. and he's 22 years old and very healthy -- is there a chance the doctor may waive this requirement for him?

Thank you so much for any advice you can offer cuz I'm like this right now: lol

-- Karen

Welcome to VJ! In regards to the chicken pox vaccine, he doesn't need it if he has already had chicken pox before. Once you get it you 'can't' get it again. (I used quotes cause I had it twice when I was a kid. Apparently if you don't get it bad enough the first time it can come back and that happened to me.) On a site from an approved USA doctor in Canada it says a verbal declaration of having chicken pox before is all that is needed. Don't know if it is different for other countries though. oh, I also read they can take blood to check if there is an chicken pox antibody in his system if he has had it before.

[meauxna 15]

I've called/e-mailed a bunch of offices about this -- asking if they made a mistake or if they could change it to Tirana, but everyone told me Naples was the correct place. Still... I dunno... neither of us can help feeling he may get turned away because he's not applying at the proper consulate. Has something like this happened to anyone? Am I just worrying for no reason at all?

Karen, I think you are worrying for no reason.

We did a 3rd country filing; the guideline you read about applying in your home country is for *visitor's* visas, not semi-immigrant visas like the Ks.

As long as he is legally present in Italy, I don't see the problem. The Consulate will receive his documentation from the petition; if they have a problem with his status they will let him know, but I have never heard of it. It is not uncommon for people to have their K or IV appointments in a country other than their home country. Often, the Consulate wants proof of the beneficiary's permission to stay in the 3rd country (his student visa).

Re: the vax, he can complete the vaccinations in the US.

Really, about the Consulate, I would not spend more time worrying about it.

[Karen_L 1]

I've called/e-mailed a bunch of offices about this -- asking if they made a mistake or if they could change it to Tirana, but everyone told me Naples was the correct place. Still... I dunno... neither of us can help feeling he may get turned away because he's not applying at the proper consulate. Has something like this happened to anyone? Am I just worrying for no reason at all?

Karen, I think you are worrying for no reason.

We did a 3rd country filing; the guideline you read about applying in your home country is for *visitor's* visas, not semi-immigrant visas like the Ks.

As long as he is legally present in Italy, I don't see the problem. The Consulate will receive his documentation from the petition; if they have a problem with his status they will let him know, but I have never heard of it. It is not uncommon for people to have their K or IV appointments in a country other than their home country. Often, the Consulate wants proof of the beneficiary's permission to stay in the 3rd country (his student visa).

Re: the vax, he can complete the vaccinations in the US.

Really, about the Consulate, I would not spend more time worrying about it.

Thanks very much for everyone who replied -- I feel much better about this now. I guess I may have just been paranoid because he applied for a visitor visa in Dec. 2004 to come and visit me that summer and he was turned down FLAT because he didn't have strong enough ties to Italy/Albania to prove he would leave the US once his visa was up (I realize now how difficult it is for ANYONE to get a visitors visa, let alone a young man from Albania).

But anyways, thanks again B)

[mrswooten4ever 0]

Hi

As far as the Varicella vaccine goes most EU countries dont do it. It isnt a requirement for the the medical at the beginning of the K1 but it is required once your are in the US to adjust status. If your fiance had chickenpox as a child the doctor who does the medical will mark it on the vaccination chart and he wont need it. At least that's what the did with me the chart was marked VM (visible marks).

Good Luck

Adele

[kaydee457 13]

I've called/e-mailed a bunch of offices about this -- asking if they made a mistake or if they could change it to Tirana, but everyone told me Naples was the correct place. Still... I dunno... neither of us can help feeling he may get turned away because he's not applying at the proper consulate. Has something like this happened to anyone? Am I just worrying for no reason at all?

Karen, I think you are worrying for no reason.

We did a 3rd country filing; the guideline you read about applying in your home country is for *visitor's* visas, not semi-immigrant visas like the Ks.

As long as he is legally present in Italy, I don't see the problem. The Consulate will receive his documentation from the petition; if they have a problem with his status they will let him know, but I have never heard of it. It is not uncommon for people to have their K or IV appointments in a country other than their home country. Often, the Consulate wants proof of the beneficiary's permission to stay in the 3rd country (his student visa).

Re: the vax, he can complete the vaccinations in the US.

Really, about the Consulate, I would not spend more time worrying about it.

Thanks very much for everyone who replied -- I feel much better about this now. I guess I may have just been paranoid because he applied for a visitor visa in Dec. 2004 to come and visit me that summer and he was turned down FLAT because he didn't have strong enough ties to Italy/Albania to prove he would leave the US once his visa was up (I realize now how difficult it is for ANYONE to get a visitors visa, let alone a young man from Albania).

But anyways, thanks again B)

Karen.

Make certain you check with the Consulate to find out what requirements they impose on the Beneficiary to meet the "residency" requirements.

I went through a similar circumstance in the U.A.E. where my wife lived and worked as an expat. The local Consulate would not process her visa because she did not meet their residency requirements, hence I had to have my wife (then fiancee) transfer her case back to Ethiopia where she was subsequently processed by the U.S. Consulate in Addis Ababa.

[myfellah 0]

My husband didn't have the chicken pox vaccine and didn't receive a record of his shots. He elected to receive the same shots here to file with our AOS paperwork. They give them shots that are required for their age. As for the chicken pox he stated he had had it so no need for the shot, otherwise he would have had to take that one, he was 32 at that time. Good Luck and don't worry, things should be ok.

Also, welcome to VJ.

Doreen

[meddykomp 0]

Welcome to VJ. As others have stated he can get the shots here. One thing that I find curious is that they make immigrants get the chicken pox vaccine at all considering that it isnt even yet required for children.

[americangrl 0]

Hi Karen!

I was so excited to read your post because my fiance is also an Albanian citizen currently residing in Italy! He lives in Florence and I live in New England... I wish you both the best of luck and hope your journey is as smooth as possible!

Your fiance should have a "permisso di soggiorno" (permit of stay) from the local police force if he is legally living in Italy. This document will allow (and I believe require) him to process through Naples. A good thing to find out is when this expires, and if it is cutting it close, look into extending it (jumping through the hoops is much easier in Italia than America, this shouldn't be a problem).

He will have is medical in Naples either the day before or the day of. If he is missing a vaccine that they do not provide, I believe he can go to his primary care physician to have it done and bring a proof of vaccination with him to Naples.

We also thought we would be going through Tirana, but were actually excited to learn that it would be Naples because the interview stage is very easy at this consulate! The biggest piece of advice I've been given so far is to be sure to be pro-active when you are waiting on an interview date. It will take many phone calls and faxes to be sure the Naples consulate informs you of your interview date, some people do not receive Packet 4 in the mail but eventually get it via email after bugging them.

[Mand 1]

Don't worry about the varicella vaccine, it's not routinely available in Europe and is only a recent vaccine in the U.S. (After I got pregnant, I did nothing but look up statistics on this vaccine as I received the booster shot about 1 month before becoming pregnant and was climbing the walls with worry. Anyways, that's a whole other story!)

Best of Luck to you both