K1 help?

[Scubashady 0]

I would just like to thank anybody that may be of any help in advance.

Here is the situation my fiancee and myself have been applying for our K1 visa since March of this year and as of yet I have not been invited for the interview in the London embassy. I have completed all the forms and my medical was completed on the 26th of August

My concern is I am due to fly out to the States on October the 6th as our wedding is supposed to be on the 16th. After the wedding I am supposed to fly back to the UK as I am due to have an operation on my back. I can probably postpone my operation but we have forked out a considerable amount of money on the wedding and quite a few of my family and friends are due to fly out so we really do not want to cancel or change dates if possible. I know we really should have waited for the visa to be approved but we thought that 7 months would have given us plenty of time.

I have phoned the UK embassy premium rate line on 2 occasions, the second call resulted in an email code which I have sent an email to the London embassy regarding the situation.

What I was really wondering,is there anyone else that has been in a similar situation that may have some advice on our options next? If we get married without the visa what would happen? I really don't know what to do, we don't want to break any rules but financially cancelling the wedding could be disastrous. This is now causing me and my fiancee some serious distress.

Please please help.

[RandyN 10]

I would just like to thank anybody that may be of any help in advance.

Here is the situation my fiancee and myself have been applying for our K1 visa since March of this year and as of yet I have not been invited for the interview in the London embassy. I have completed all the forms and my medical was completed on the 26th of August

My concern is I am due to fly out to the States on October the 6th as our wedding is supposed to be on the 16th. After the wedding I am supposed to fly back to the UK as I am due to have an operation on my back. I can probably postpone my operation but we have forked out a considerable amount of money on the wedding and quite a few of my family and friends are due to fly out so we really do not want to cancel or change dates if possible. I know we really should have waited for the visa to be approved but we thought that 7 months would have given us plenty of time.

I have phoned the UK embassy premium rate line on 2 occasions, the second call resulted in an email code which I have sent an email to the London embassy regarding the situation.

What I was really wondering,is there anyone else that has been in a similar situation that may have some advice on our options next? If we get married without the visa what would happen? I really don't know what to do, we don't want to break any rules but financially cancelling the wedding could be disastrous. This is now causing me and my fiancee some serious distress.

Please please help.

I don't know anything about the London embassy procedures, but I do know If you go back to the UK before you have your Advance Parole card, you will be viewed as abandoning your visa and will have to start all over with a CR-1 visa. If you get married before you get your K-1 visa, you will have to start all over since the K-1 is for unmarried couples.

[bigdog 377]

Don't get the cart before the horse, best to be on their time line not yours.

[Kim.D 3]

Have you called DOS to see if they have issued an interview date? When I was waiting for my interview DOS had the date on their system before the Embassy in London (the embassy told me their system is not updated as frequently). I called DOS about 10 days after my medical and they had the date...sometimes the interview letter doesn't arrive in a speedy manner. I have read on here that London are past the month of October for issuing dates but I am not sure how accurate that is.

[Nik+Heather 122]

A lot of people are going to have really unhelpful things to say like "Well, you shouldn't have done that" but I'll be sticking to actual "what to do now", because we did the same as you - planning our wedding before getting the visa, though we did leave a bit more time. I know I would have been freaking out too if it had come this close! I hope you guys find a way to work this that is best for you.

If it were me, at this point I'd stick with the plans as you have them. The embassy is unlikely to schedule the interview within 2 weeks of the notice, and if someone is watching your mail while you are gone, you could manage any appointments which come up, either by changing your flights or by rescheduling. Also, I'm not sure if it still works, but when we did this 2 years ago, it was possible for the US half of the couple to call DOS and get a simple embassy status such as "Packet 3 logged" or "Interview scheduled...it's xx/xx/xxxx" do a forums search for the phone number.

Come to the US, and go through with the ceremony in front of all your family as planned. DO NOT get legally married. I wouldn't even get a marriage license (even if you don't fill it out). Then fly back to the UK, finish the visa. This is sort of tricky, because being married disqualifies you for a FIANCE visa. I don't advocate lying, but don't show up to your interview with your ring on, and a wedding photo album! You'll also have two dates to remember - one that you'll probably celebrate as your "anniversary" when you had the ceremony with all your family and friends, and the legal one which you'll have to put on all of your paperwork. It's confusing and can really create big headaches, especially if anyone in the visa process misunderstands, but legal.

I'm the US half of the couple, but it is my understanding that once you move out of the UK you aren't really on NHS any more (and can reduce your contributions accordingly), so postponing the surgery and coming back after you are a US resident shouldn't really be the plan anyway. Getting the interview and visa in time to get it squared away BEFORE the wedding may actually not be in your best interests on this face of your situation.

Edited September 19, 2011 by Nik+Heather