K-1 Visa Process

[Khristallyn 0]

Hey everyone!

So when my Fiance and I decided to go through the process of him moving from Canada to here in the US, we hit the internet to do any and all research. So I think it’s only fair to help others in my experience! Here are a couple of things I wish I would have found.

1. DO NOT hire an immigration Lawyer, they are a waste of time.( We did not hire one, we were advised by the visa office not to) This process is fairly easy, if your relationship is real and your intentions are good, you will have no problems.

2. The immigration offices are VERY helpful. Call them with any and all questions you have. I even went to the office and they gave me all necessary forms and were SO helpful.

3. Your fiancé can obtain a temporary work permit once he or she crosses the boarder to move here for good. (Valid for 3 months)

So here is a time line of the process we chose:

-November 2009

Started Talking

-June 4, 2009

Met for the first time in person

-March 19, 2010

Decided we were ready to file papers for him to move to the US, we mailed them on March 19. Here is what we included:

*Phone Records

*Facebook:

Wall Posts

Private Messages

Relationship status (Indicating the day we entered a relationship)

*Photos of us together (make sure to get photos with family and friends with the 2 of you if possible)

*Letter we intend to marry each other (1 from each of us)

*Copies of both of our:

Birth Certificates

Passports

Drivers License

*Passport Style photos (about 4 in by 4 inches, white background, plain clothes)

*E-mails

*Flight Itineraries

*I-129F

*G235-A (Each fill one out)

*Check for processing Fee ($455)

IMPORTANT: Keep at least 1 (We kept 2) copies of everything you mail to them, you will also need this packet to take with you to the interview in a couple months.

March 31, 2010

Received notice from USCIS that they had started processing our application

June 1, 2010

Received notice our application was approved and that our petition was now forwarded to the department of State National Visa Center(NVC).

NVC usually keeps the packet for 2-4 weeks and then will forward it to the US Embassy in the Country where your fiancé is form.

June 22, 2010

Received notice the NVC has received the petition and in 1 week it will be forwarded to Embassy.

July 19,2010

Received a checklist and a list of forms we need to submit to the embassy.

Your fiancé will fill out several more forms and some he/she will need to mail in, and some he/she can “e-file” Your fiancé will need that passport style photo as well as a police background check… it can take 1-3 weeks to get the police report so I recommend doing this ASAP.

In addition to all the proof of our relationship, you also need to prove you can support your fiancé when he/she moves here, they just need to know neither one of you will need government assistants. Here are some documents I sent in:

Bank Statements

Letter from employer stating my job title, and the start date

Report of my earnings

Copy of my college diploma

Copy of my car registration to prove I owned a car

Bottom line, send them anything to prove your assets (any investments, mutual funds, savings accounts…etc)

September 15, 2010

Received notice that we could go online and pick an interview date. We chose October 26, 2010 (it was the first available date). You will also have to pay your first fee (ours was $350)

Make sure to make a medical exam appointment (around $250)

It is not mandatory but it is recommended that you both attend the interview ( I will be attending). You can also find sample interview questions online, it’s a good idea to review them to make sure you’re both on the same page!

So hopefully this process will be done SOON. Depending on the country some will issue the visa the same day of the interview and some will mail it within 1 week. I would HIGHLY recommend doing research on every step of the way. We did this ALL on our own purely from internet research and form start to finish only took about 7 months. I hope this is helpful and good luck to everyone!

[FawkThisSite 13]

Very helpful. Thank you. Definitely eases my mind a little. Very though time being so far away from the person you love most in this world. I wasn't sure about some of the online stuff, but now I am. Unfortunately I didn't update my facebook (not an active user) until a little while after we officially started dating. Thanks again. I just posted a few minutes ago... "Q's Regarding I-129F Packet". Could you check it out and maybe answer some of those for me?

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

good except the details of that work permit. You can apply for it and pay the fee once he arrives, The typical processing time is about 70 days, and about 14 days of post approval time in creation/ mailing which means it arrives about 6 days before it expires if you file the first day you arrive. Hardly a good use of $340 unless you have a real high paying 6 day job ( you have to quit when it expires )