Having once travelled on a B1/B2 to USA once. Does it in anyway help the K1 visa process?

[leonidas_alexan 44]

It's been more than 4 months now and I am still waiting for my NOA2. Since I have plenty of time to ponder over various things about this process, I had a random thought in my mind on which I would like to seek the opinion of the fellow VJ'ers.

As we all know one of the conditions before you apply for a K1 visa is for the couple to have met at least once. Now, of course this can be done in two ways, the US partner visiting his/her partner or the foreign partner visiting the US partner.

Now, in my case I have got a B1/B2 visa when I was in India in 2008. I actually had to attend an interview at the US embassy in New Delhi and it was only after a thorough/rigorous verification process that I was granted a B1/B2 visa for 10 years valid upto 2018. Now I am currently living in New Zealand on a valid work visa.

Now coming back to my relationship with my girl friend, we both had to decide who would be the one travelling to visit. Eventually I decided to visit my girl friend in USA using my B1/B2 visa. We both immediately filed our K1 visa petition after my USA visit. Now, forgive me for being naive but does it in any way help the K1 visa process, if the foreign partner has travelled to USA compared to the US partner travelling outside to visit his/her partner? I would like to be more clear, what I was suggesting is since I already went through the rigorous process of being issued a US visa once, does it in anyway strengthen my credentials vis-a-vis during the processing of my current K1 visa?

Also for other future couples---which would be the better option to take, the US partner travelling or the foreign partner travelling to USA? I know that this actually depends on the financial capability of the partners concerned and other factors, but I was thinking that if a foreign partner has already gone through the rigmarole of getting a US visa, does it in anyway mean the authorities would be slightly more assured about the credentials of such foreign partner when it comes to the processing of the K1 visa of the same person later? Or is it that it does not make any difference whichever partner makes the visit.

I would really appreciate views/opinions of my fellow posters here.

Cheers.

Edited December 27, 2012 by leonidas_alexan

[Asia 2,491]

I don't think that it matters who does the traveling as long as you keep your relationship going.

If it's easier for you to travel, do it.

[Penguin_ie 5,986]

I don't think it matters either way. It certainly won't speed up the process for you, other than you already have some experience filling out annoying forms I suppose it may help a small bit if the foreigner visits the petitioner in the USA, because at interview, questions are often asked of the beneficiary regarding where the petitioner lives, what their town is like, name and age of siblings etc and the beneficiary is more likely to know if they have visited.