K-1 Journey Completed

[TBoneTX 43,422]

Congratulations you truly are one of the best and supportive people i have come across on vj.......i wish you and your family all the happiness in the world.....and seriously cant wait to read what you have to say about that messed up embassy

sara

Sweetie, I would not have survived this process without your superhuman strength in regard to your own previous situation, which was as messed-up as anything could be in anyone's worst nightmare. You're a true inspiration, a quality lady, and a true sweetheart, si man.

Not sure how soon it will be (if ever) that I post any complaint here about the baastard Guayaquil consulate. I need to consult with immigration attorneys first to craft the best approach, and then it will take some time to work its way through the system. Complicating the issue is that Mrs. T-B. does NOT want me to pursue anything, but instead to forget it (which neither I nor my gringo buddies can). Whatever happens, I'll let you know.

Edited July 10, 2014 by TBoneTX

[TBoneTX 43,422]

Hey tbone. I've enjoyed reading about you and mrs t-b, esp with revising on america, she sounds like a cutey. Wish you guys all the best!

Thank you, si man. Here is a foto (Spanish spelling) of Mrs. T-B. I don't yet have any transmissions of oath-day fotos from her (she took 102 of them, ufff man).

Note to self: Never again replicate this actual conversation :

Mrs. T-B.: Does this dress make me look fat?

T-B.: No, the dress doesn't make you look fat. You ARE fat! [ducks out of way of several thrown objects]

[TBoneTX 43,422]

Awwww Tbone congratulations to you and Mrs. Tbone and minibone.

Love the story. You really gave me a good visual.

And LOL on the "viper" who still lurks. Hmmmm

I hope and pray soon I will have a good report.

Thank you for sticking around and helping and making us smile now and than.

See you around VJ.

Thank you, si man. The viper will make herself known.

If Guayaquil is bad, I absolutely can't picture how much worse Lagos is, no man.

[TBoneTX 43,422]

Congratulations! I think many of us have waited to read this post... and await the fabled consulate review!

You post some excellent advice above, not least of which is Don't Panic and Ask Questions. Emotions run so high during this process, and keeping a cool head and relying on the good counsel of others (plus doing your own research) is what will get people through.

Best wishes to you and your lovely wife, and your adorable tot.

It is an hono(u)r to hear such things from someone whom I respect so muchly, si ma'am. Your literacy and intelligence are considerable and refreshing, si ma'am, and they go far in diminishing your distressing status as a member of the CABA wolfette-pack, ufffff man.

Mini-Bone was a wild man during the ceremony, alternately clambering all over Mommy and shouting "Daddy! Car?" "Daddy! Walk?" He is 2 years 1 week old now; here is a foto of him (perhaps my favorite of all, so far) from when he was 5.5 months old, wee man:

[fantonledzepp 159]

It is an hono(u)r to hear such things from someone whom I respect so muchly, si ma'am. Your literacy and intelligence are considerable and refreshing, si ma'am, and they go far in diminishing your distressing status as a member of the CABA wolfette-pack, ufffff man.

Mini-Bone was a wild man during the ceremony, alternately clambering all over Mommy and shouting "Daddy! Car?" "Daddy! Walk?" He is 2 years 1 week old now; here is a foto of him (perhaps my favorite of all, so far) from when he was 5.5 months old, wee man:

Good looking son you have there TBone. Keep practicing with him "Besame el C***!" Hahaha.

[TBoneTX 43,422]

Good looking son you have there TBone. Keep practicing with him "Besame el C***!" Hahaha.

I'm sorely tempted, Brother F-Bone, but Mrs. T-B. is a gringa now and is thus much more dangerous than ever.

Happily, I have trained Mini-B. to say "Uh-oh -- pedo!" at applicable moments, hee hee man. It's too late for Mrs. T-B. to do anything about it, so my work here is nearly done, si man.

Edited January 26, 2013 by TBoneTX

[TexasMojo66 3]

Congrats to La Familia T-Bone from a fellow Texan (great fotos, too)! As a new member here I can say that a lot of folks here have been very helpful and I'm thankful to them and to the VJ community as a whole. For ones, like yourself, who have been here through your entire process (as painful as it seems to have been at times) is very encouraging and very much appreciated by those of us who have yet to get to your stage.

I have seen some of the 'lurkers' waiting for the opportunity to tongue lash anyone who asks a question that has been asked before, misspeaks, or just has been given wrong info. It can be frustrating (actually more than that) but I tend to ignore it (as I imagine them sitting at their computer 24/7 waiting for the opportunity to 'blast' someone). Haha!!!!!!

Once again, congratulations and thank you for your dedication to posting and helping the rest of us!!

[dwheels76 5,463]

Congrats to La Familia T-Bone from a fellow Texan (great fotos, too)! As a new member here I can say that a lot of folks here have been very helpful and I'm thankful to them and to the VJ community as a whole. For ones, like yourself, who have been here through your entire process (as painful as it seems to have been at times) is very encouraging and very much appreciated by those of us who have yet to get to your stage.

I have seen some of the 'lurkers' waiting for the opportunity to tongue lash anyone who asks a question that has been asked before, misspeaks, or just has been given wrong info. It can be frustrating (actually more than that) but I tend to ignore it (as I imagine them sitting at their computer 24/7 waiting for the opportunity to 'blast' someone). Haha!!!!!!

Once again, congratulations and thank you for your dedication to posting and helping the rest of us!!

Oh no not lurkers!! LOL you mean the "how in the world could you be so dumb people" the obviously you didn't read the guides folk?

Oh they mean well I am a 24/7 watcher on here. I try to be an equal opprotunity nice person though.

[dwheels76 5,463]

Thank you, si man. The viper will make herself known.

If Guayaquil is bad, I absolutely can't picture how much worse Lagos is, no man.

Oh Lagos not so bad. We have cracked their code. When you look at the majority who got denied No frontloading no prep. I have yet to see anyone who was on VJ from beginning or at least got info before NVC who been denied.

Minus of course the ones who r just whacked fraud. He married, he or she petitioned or has petitioned too many times.

However a new development has happened in tha last few months and Lagos has been going after the petitioners pass with ex. Nothing wrong with the immigrant.

So I am investigating and on it. I hope to renew and change Lagos.

To you sir my fellow Texan (I am southwest Houston) I say again thank you.

** and what a gorgeous wife and handsome cutie pie son. You are blessed**

[Cathi 5,624]

Mrs. T-B. attended her oath ceremony today (23 Jan 2013) and got her Certificate of Naturalization, si man. She is a citizen now, after a 5.5-year visa journey with some giant obstacles.

The story is posted in the K-1 Case Progress forum because, if you're like I was, you don't visit many of the later-stage forums or have a firm vision of the entire visa journey just yet. Some of the following might yield some perspective.

I joined VisaJourney in mid-2007. I was overwhelmed, nervous, and bewildered by the upcoming K-1 process and the voluminous information on the site. Many of my first questions were met with patient variations of "read the Guides!"

I sent off the I-129F petition to USCIS (the CSC) via overnight mail with green reply card. I was frantic when the card didn't come back for several days.

I checked on-line case status of the I-129F at least once daily. Except for me, everyone else in the May 2007 filers group had received their NOA2 by 6 months (the timeframe then). I made several calls to USCIS (waiting on hold sometimes for hours, listening to that maddening "hold" music). I finally reached a kindly Immigration Officer who determined that my file had been sitting on a transit station for some time. I asked him to please send an e-mail to the processing floor to ask someone to move the file to the next place it ought to go. A very few days later, I got the NOA2. On this site, I reported the foregoing method of loosening the stuck application; the message was twisted and roundly mocked by a group led by a viper who still sometimes poisons this site.

Being naive, I underestimated the consular process nearly 100% and was not on the premises during my fiancee's interview. She was kicked out after about 3 minutes, without her brought evidence having been considered, with these exact words: "More proof! Second interview! Bring your fiance!"

In subsequent correspondence, the devious consulate referred to the second interview as a "marriage interview," hiding the fact that it would be a Stokes.

The Stokes interview was not even conducted by an American, but by a Foreign Service National (a local Ecuadorian employed by the consulate). A decision was not even to be made on that day. The first interview was "not enough evidence -- go away!" and the second was "too much information -- go away!"

I got perhaps 45 minutes of sleep on the 5.5-hour return flight. Being home was worse.

After weeks of torment and of calling the State Department's visa line daily, I fought through the phone lines at the consulate by insisting on speaking with an American. After 20 minutes on hold, I ended up speaking with the Section Chief of the Immigration Visa Unit. We discussed the situation and I sent him a confirmatory e-mail. Within 72 hours, the visa was approved.

Mrs. T-B.-to-be wrapped up her business affairs and arrived through the Port of Entry without incident, but very ill with an upper-respiratory infection. Our first week consisted of an expensive out-of-pocket medical appointment + prescriptions toward her recovery.

We married by the third week and filed for Adjustment of Status (AOS). I mailed it overnight but without extra receipt confirmation. I checked on-line case status sporadically. The NOA arrived in timely fashion, and there was no interview.

Mrs. T-B.'s EAD and AP arrived in due time and without incident. We used the AP on a land border trip to Mexico. Upon our return, the CBP agent knew what AP was but had obviously never actually processed one. Parts of this were quite comical. However, having our marriage certificate with us was perhaps the chief element in our approval for re-entry. Little did we know that Mrs. T-B.'s green card was in the mail to us (and on schedule) during that very trip.

We later took a driving trip through south Texas. The CBP agents at the internal checkpoints most certainly would have given us huge trouble had Mrs. T-B. not had her green card with her. The experience taught us to keep it -- and our marriage certificate -- with her at all times.

We filed for Removal of Conditions (ROC) as soon as Mrs. T-B. was eligible. I had taken others' advice and, since AOS, had taken appropriate pieces of evidence and thrown them into a box. By ROC time, there was more than enough support of our merged financial & personal lives through the span of our marriage. I mailed the package first-class with delivery confirmation (yellow sticker). I never signed up for on-line case status. The NOA was timely, and approval was timely and without interview.

About a week before we filed for ROC, Mini-Bone was born, made of genuine U.S. & Ecuadorian parts.

We filed for Naturalization (citizenship) somewhat after Mrs. T-B. became eligible. I mailed the package regular first-class mail and never even thought about signing up for on-line case status. The NOA2 was timely, the process was uneventful, and her interview was easy. The Oath Ceremony featured 2,272 new citizens from 126 countries.

Lessons learned and insights gained from this visa journey and from spending it as a member of VisaJourney:

1. It's not necessary to freak out over how to mail the petitions or how to assemble the packages. Just include what the VJ Guides recommend, plus what knowledgeable members before you recommend (for example, front-loading evidence for tough consulates).

2. Rely upon advice from the most knowledgeable, trustworthy VJ members. Chief among these are JimVaPhuong, pushbrk, and Kathryn41. To this day, I read every post of theirs that I happen across, and I invariably learn something.

3. The squeaky wheel truly can get the grease. If your USCIS filing is grossly out of timeline, or if you have truly been wronged at the consulate, polite phone calls might yield action. (NOTE: "Grossly out of timeline" means exactly that. It does not refer to "I want my fiance(e) here NOW, no matter what. I have no patience or circumspection about the petition process, and I don't WANT any patience or circumspection!" Read the VJ forums thoroughly to see what objective factors might be influencing the processing of petitions. As hard as it can be, avoid "ready, fire, aim" reactions during this stage.)

4. Procedures, policies, and outcomes at the Manila embassy are, chances are, unique to Manila and not automatically transferable to other consular experiences. Go atop any VJ page and click "Embassy Info" and "Reviews: Embassy." Read the reviews for YOUR consulate, attending particularly to the WORST stories. Prepare accordingly. Also pay attention to cautions offered by experienced members who did not deal with your consulate. Take offerings of "No worries -- you will be fine!" with a large grain of salt -- yes, the interview might turn out fine, but no one can assure you of this in advance.

5. Never EVER underestimate the consular phase of the process! The consular officers have just about 100% power over the continuation of your visa journey. Treating the consular phase casually can be like loading a revolver with 5 bullets, spinning the chamber, and putting the gun to your temple and pulling the trigger. Bear in mind that a previously "easy" consulate's policies and procedures can change without notice if a new Section Chief is transferred in. Expect the best outcome, sure, but prepare for the worst conceivable.

6. We never got an RFE. However, an RFE is a golden opportunity to provide not just what USCIS requests to satisfy the RFE, but also to add additional evidence of bona fide relationship for the consular officer's eyes, later. Everything that you submit to USCIS goes to the consulate after the petition is approved. Front-loading (or, later, "loading along with an RFE") ensures that key information that you want the consul to see is there before the beneficiary's interview at a tough consulate.

7. There is never a disadvantage to a petitioner's being on the consular premises while the beneficiary is being interviewed. In fact, the advantages are many and distinct. Emotional support for the beneficiary is the minimum. His or her handing your U.S. passport to the consul at the interview's beginning can result in a standard interview's turning into a slam-dunk approval, a borderline interview's being turned into an approval, or a presumed denial (in the mind of the consul) given a fighting chance. It can also result in the petitioner's being invited into the interview.

8. As outrageous as this may sound (and as outrageous it would have sounded to me during the I-129F wait), it indeed can be a relief to return to dealing with USCIS after having dealt with a consulate. Nevertheless, to this day, if I'm on hold on a business call and the music is the same as USCIS's "hold" music, my heart begins pounding faster.

9. Like me, you'll start with close friends who post regularly and support you in public and private. Sadly, many will fall away from VJ along the way. Some of my earliest friends who are no longer around are:

StillThePrettiest - last log-in, 6 Aug 2010;

Toshtishtash - 7 Oct 2011;

Jeraly - 23 Aug 2012;

DanielParul (of incomparable support during my consulate torment) - 15 June 2010.

10. As I wrote to Captain Ewok privately tonight, I could not have negotiated this visa journey -- either procedurally or emotionally -- without the help of this site and the good people on it.

I hope that the foregoing will confer some helpful circumspection at this early stage of your visa journey, si man.

Thank you for this post, and I agree 100% with everything you have written here. Especially the final part about being at the interview. I believe in my heart that had I not been at the interview with my husband, it could have potentially been a denial. We had just about every red flag on the books in a high fraud consulate, big age difference(I am older), difference in religion, met on the internet, married the first visit(it was a very long visit). I front loaded his petition a little, not a lot, at the interview although we had brought more evidence with us, the CO never asked to see any of it. My husband was interviewed for 5 minutes, I was questioned by the CO in DEPTH for 45 minutes, he asked me many questions that my husband just would not have been able to answer especially about my ex husband and my divorce from him. Although I talked to my new husband quite a bit about my previous marriage and divorce, there were just certain details I never thought to bring up, so they were never discussed. Those things were brought up by the CO, and I was there to answer them. I think that being there the CO can also observe how you both relate and interact with each other, and as you said being there, if nothing else, lends moral support to your SO. This process is not for the faint of heart, but in the end, it is worth every moment. My husband has been here since October 2012, and although he has not found employment yet, he has adjusted well and he loves it here, my family is in love with him as much as I am, and we are BEYOND happy. Although our journey is not yet over, I wouldn't have changed our journey thus far, for the world!!!!

[TBoneTX 43,422]

Congrats to La Familia T-Bone from a fellow Texan (great fotos, too)! As a new member here I can say that a lot of folks here have been very helpful and I'm thankful to them and to the VJ community as a whole. For ones, like yourself, who have been here through your entire process (as painful as it seems to have been at times) is very encouraging and very much appreciated by those of us who have yet to get to your stage.

I have seen some of the 'lurkers' waiting for the opportunity to tongue lash anyone who asks a question that has been asked before, misspeaks, or just has been given wrong info. It can be frustrating (actually more than that) but I tend to ignore it (as I imagine them sitting at their computer 24/7 waiting for the opportunity to 'blast' someone). Haha!!!!!!

Once again, congratulations and thank you for your dedication to posting and helping the rest of us!!

Thank you, si man.

The "being jumped on" can be more a factor of someone's obviously not having done a lick of study or reading before asking -- much like "ready, fire, aim." If a newbie persists in such posting even after several kindly or increasingly pointed suggestions, patience can wear thin. It also plugs up the forums and can cause someone else's important or thought-provoking issue to be missed amidst the "cybernoise." That's all that it is.

New members can get practically a free VJ/immigration education by reading everything written by the three premier members whom I named in my original post here, si man.

[TBoneTX 43,422]

[...] had I not been at the interview with my husband, it could have potentially been a denial. We had just about every red flag on the books in a high fraud consulate [...]

Thank you for your nice words, si ma'am, and for the above-quoted statement. You acted to dodge a large bullet, and fortunately for you, it paid off. This is not normally something that an interviewee in Manila or a VWP country would have to face, no man.

I got (from my own experience) and get (from other places, posts, & sources) that COs are often equally concerned that the petitioner is being flimflammed, which might be why the petitioner's presence is desired or desirable at the first interview. However, this did not apply to my/our CO, I'm 99.44% certain.

Edited January 27, 2013 by TBoneTX

[Andie 147]

Congratulations and very best wishes to you and your family.

.. and once again an inspirational piece of writing. Thank you for your support and advice given at some of the lowest ebbs of our journey. It continues but hopefully we approach something of a conclusion before too long.

Enjoy your special moment

[TBoneTX 43,422]

Congratulations and very best wishes to you and your family.

Thank you, si man.

and once again an inspirational piece of writing. Thank you for your support and advice given at some of the lowest ebbs of our journey. It continues but hopefully we approach something of a conclusion before too long.

This journey isn't for the faint of heart or spirit. Fortunately, that which does not kill us can make us stronger.

[TBoneTX 43,422]

A recent thread in the Site Discussion forum here (way down at the bottom of the Forums list) serves as additional illustration of why it's so important to consider the consular phase early during the petition process:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/412631-warning-for-k1-co-sponsors/