K1 Interview Questions About Proposal

[faust-yusov 103]

Not entirely sure what I'd say to this question.

My fiancee and I had for some time talked of an eventual marriage. When I was denied a B2 visa in early December (I forfeited my VWP privileges due to a previous 4 day overstay), we decided to begin the K1 route in order to be together.

Would a CO view this as permissible?

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Not entirely sure what I'd say to this question.

My fiancee and I had for some time talked of an eventual marriage. When I was denied a B2 visa in early December (I forfeited my VWP privileges due to a previous 4 day overstay), we decided to begin the K1 route in order to be together.

Would a CO view this as permissible?

What I see wrong with your post is "we decided to begin the K1 route in order to be together." K1 isn't a "hang out in your country" visa. I think the CO might want to know you are committed to marriage and building a life together. The way your wrote it sounds like it's an alternate to VWP or B2, which are unavailable now. You probably didn't mean it that way, but that was how it struck me. As far as a proposal, not everybody has an event and gets down on their knee. I have no clue when we "got engaged". We didn't. We just decided to get married at some point and that's a perfectly honest answer to tell the CO. My point is work out an answer that doesn't focus on being denied a visa and more on wanting to be married so you decided to do it sooner rather than later.

[faust-yusov 103]

What I see wrong with your post is "we decided to begin the K1 route in order to be together." K1 isn't a "hang out in your country" visa. I think the CO might want to know you are committed to marriage and building a life together.

That would probably be the more sensible way to describe it.

It just strikes me as a little bit odd that we appear to be required to skirt the issue of the necessity of the K1. My fiancee and I had known for a while that we wanted to marry each other eventually. But the reason we're marrying now? It's the only way to actually have a relationship.

Surely most COs wouldn't be so officious to find fault with this underlying motive, or so naive to not realise its prevalence?

[iampatricias 17]

I was thinking about your post last night and you're right - the intent is to use the K1 to be together, and the "where" happens to be America. So, your intent is to immigrate. But you're not using "getting married" to immigrate. You're immigrating in order to get married (and be together forever).

Should this matter ever come down to a questioning, or explanation, focus on how important your relationship is to both of you, and that being together and [fill in future hopes and dreams] are what you're looking forward to. And, that after looking at your options, you've both decided the K1 visa is the best route to those goals.

Good luck!

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

People in high fraud countries or poverty stricken third world countries are in a similar situation, with the primary difference being that they were effectively denied any way to visit the US without even applying. The VWP is not available to people in these countries, and B2 visas are rarely issued. If you want to continue the relationship then this leaves you with three choices; maintain a long distance relationship with the US citizen occasionally visiting the foreigner in their country, marry and live in the foreigner's country, or pursue a fiancee or spousal visa to the US.

Seriously, consulates face this scenario every day. You can't ask for an immigrant visa or a visa that leads to immigration, and then pretend that immigration has nothing to do with it.

"We just want to be together, that's all. By the way, can I have a visa?"

Sounds a little silly, doesn't it?

In some countries, the "When did you propose?" question is a serious and critical factor. That's because in those countries there are strict cultural traditions surrounding marriage, and a relationship that doesn't conform to those traditions is going to be suspect. That's not the case with the UK or the US. People often gradually resolve to be married without ever formally proposing.

The best answer to any question is always the truth. If the CO asks when the proposal occurred you should explain that there was no formal proposal, rather there was a mutual understanding that you would be married at some point. If the CO asks why you chose now to pursue a K1 visa you can explain that you didn't previously have a timeline for getting married, but that you screwed up with the VWP and couldn't get a visitor's visa so a K1 seemed the most practical solution. You want it to be obvious that your ultimate goal is to be together as husband and wife, but don't try to pretend that the K1 visa isn't a means to achieving that goal.

[faust-yusov 103]

Thanks Jim, that puts my mind a little more at ease.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Thanks Jim, that puts my mind a little more at ease.

Good answer from Jim. I was thinking along those same lines but didn't take the time to put it so eloquently. If the CO got the sense of I screwed up VWP, got denied B2, so my next trick to get into the US has to be K1, it wouldn't look as good as expressing your desire to be husband and wife somewhere in there.

Perhaps you would rather live together like many couples do first and then do the marriage thing "someday" but it just can't be that way with a foreigner unless they are in the US with another visa like student or work, etc. So you're right when you explain the reason you have to marry sooner is because of a visa issue. I get what you're saying now.

London isn't a hard consulate to get through. It's just a chat to get a sense of your relationship intentions and make sure you have some basic knowledge of the USC...like it they were married before or where they work. You won't have any problems.

[EllaC 190]

Not entirely sure what I'd say to this question.

My fiancee and I had for some time talked of an eventual marriage. When I was denied a B2 visa in early December (I forfeited my VWP privileges due to a previous 4 day overstay), we decided to begin the K1 route in order to be together.

Would a CO view this as permissible?

You might want to consider contacting an immigration attorney. But then... some lawyers are useless. Other than that,... what JimVaPhuong said! Good luck!

Edited January 30, 2011 by Ella & Octav

[Al422 221]

Immigration is not your primary goal. That makes it sound like marriage is nothing to you but the vehicle to accomplish immigration. The position you want to take is that the reverse is true. You love him and want to be his beloved wife, and in order for that to happen, you must immigrate.

[Helen Louise Pile 80]

I was asked this question at my interview in London for K1. I hadn't considered how to tell my story and I was nervous. I just said 'we'd talked about it and early this year he just asked me'. The interviewer asked me if I had a ring and i showed it to him. It was all very friendly. If you get a K1 visa you will be getting married very shortly. They have to make sure you do plan to get married and reside in the US! I agree with above posts, just be honest.

And good luck!