Cosponsors - Peru

[jenni17 36]

Hello Everyone!

I'm new to this page and I'm so glad I've found it! My fiancee is from Peru and he and I have been together 4 years. We were engaged in August while I was in Peru on a Fulbright grant and began the process for his fiancee visa in November and are waiting for his NOA2. I've been reading a few of the posts on here and I just have a couple questions. I've recently returned to the US after having lived in peru for a year and a half, before moving there I was a college student so I'm now starting my first "real" job search. I'm hoping to have a job which pays me enough to sponsor him myself by the time he goes for his interview at the embassy and will have to present the forms for financial support but as a back up plan my mother has offered to be a co-sponsor. I've been reading that some people say that co-sponsors are not accepted in certain countries and i was wondering if anyone knows if that is the case for Peru? Also does anyone know if it is essential that I return to Peru for the interview? Given that I will most likely be at a new job i'm worried about the feasibility of getting time off (and being able to afford a plane ticket while saving up for a wedding). Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much!!

Jen

[LoboMarino30 1]

Hi Jen!

It sounds like you and I are in similar boats, but you're sailing a bit ahead (I was a Boren fellow in Peru, and a graduate student before that, so not much money yet either; my parents did an affidavit of support for my fiance). I'm hoping you're through the process now, and that everything worked out well for you both. Any advice for someone coming behind you? Did you go the co-sponsor route? Any trouble at the embassy? Did you send your affidavits to the VSC, or to your fiance?

Thanks!

Best,

Lauren

[mmallo2 0]

Lauren,

I'm also curious about the joint-sponsor situation. I just finished graduate school and will be starting a job (hopefully!) next month. But I obviously need to get the I-134 to my fiance before his interview on September 10th...looks like we're just a few weeks behind you! My mom will be filling out the I-134 as a joint sponsor...any word on whether Peru accepts joint sponsors? Good luck! This is such a crazy process!

McLain

[Pitaya 2,577]

~~Moved from K-1 Process to MLS Regional Forum~~

~Inquiry is Peru-specific~

[LoboMarino30 1]

Hi McLain,

I love hearing that others are going through the process in Peru, too! Peru definitely accepts co-sponsors; my parents are doing it for my fiance and me, since I will be starting a good job in September but have been a graduate student up until now (i.e., very little to no income). They actually made a USCIS appointment quite a while ago just to discuss everything and make sure they were doing things correctly, and then ended up sending their I-134 and documents to the Vermont Visa Center directly, since they were worried about it getting lost in Peruvian mail. Unfortunately the Embassy in Peru hasn't confirmed whether or not that information was part of the petition that was sent to them, and I haven't gotten confirmation yet either from my request to the NVC. I've finally decided to go to my fiance's interview with him, so I'll be bringing my stuff directly. I'll definitely be adding a summary of the experience to the embassy reviews forum, in case that'll help anyone who comes after me. Otherwise, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you for your interview!

[mmallo2 0]

Thanks so much for you reply, Lauren! I'm so relieved to hear the Peru accepts co-sponsors! Do you know if it's ok to send the I-134 directly to my fiance for him to take to the interview? It doesn't technically need to go through USCIS or NVC, right? And we as petitioners need to fill out the I-134, too, even though we are currently unemployed but almost employed primary sponsors?

I'm planning to fed-ex or UPS all the originals from the I129-F, the I134s, the updated statement of intent, and more recent photos - around $80 to ship, but hopefully that's more reliable than USPS! Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to be at the interview with my fiance, so I'm hoping that won't be a problem...I'm sure your interview will be just fine!

Thanks, and I might be bugging you with a few more questions haha! Take care!

[LoboMarino30 1]

Happy to help! I've gotten loads of information from this site, so I'm especially happy to give back a small amount. It's definitely ok to send the information directly to your fiance; that's actually the standard protocol, for the foreign fiance to bring it to the interview, rather than to have it in the initial application. And yes, petitioners still need to fill out the I-134, since we're primary sponsors, even if there's a co-sponsor. Also, I've seen from some other threads that in our case (graduate students) it might be good to include a note with your I-134, explaining that you don't have the financial support necessary on your own for the past few years because you were a graduate student, since this at least lends itself to the idea that you'll be able to support your fiance in the future, in addition to your co-sponsor's aid.

Is your fiance in Lima? Or do you know someone there who you trust? Since I'm going to Lima before your fiance's visa interview, I'd be happy to take your stuff to him if you could get it to me (in MD) and I could get it to him (or a reasonable alternative) in Lima. I'll only have two full days there, so unfortunately I can't travel much to meet him, but I'd be happy to be a carrier if that helps you at all. It's not actually the USPS that's bad; it's on the Peruvian side that I worry. Though to be fair, my fiance has received everything I've sent him (although one box was stopped in Lima and searched in customs, and held there until the Cusco post office tracked it; he's also never received his interview packet from the embassy).

I debated a LOT about whether to go to the interview or not, mainly because of airfare. I read a lot of the embassy reviews for Lima, and it looks like years ago (around 2004, 2005) they were turning Peruvians away who didn't have their U.S. petitioner present for the interview, even though it wasn't an official policy. More recently, several people have posted that they were just fine alone. I'm mainly going because due to various factors, we're trying for a September 1st wedding here in the States, and given the huge time constraints, I wanted to do everything possible to help it go smoothly. But I think it's fine for you not to go; just make sure your fiance is prepared for a question about why you're not there (since that seems common).

Please feel free to private message me if you're interested in trying to work out getting things to your fiance, or feel free to keep the questions coming here. Team work!

[jenni17 36]

Lauren,

I'm also curious about the joint-sponsor situation. I just finished graduate school and will be starting a job (hopefully!) next month. But I obviously need to get the I-134 to my fiance before his interview on September 10th...looks like we're just a few weeks behind you! My mom will be filling out the I-134 as a joint sponsor...any word on whether Peru accepts joint sponsors? Good luck! This is such a crazy process!

McLain

Hi Guys, sorry I just saw these posts, but my fiance and I just had our interview in Lima so I can shed a little more light on the topic now. I ended up starting a full time job in April that put me well above the sponsor income requirement but I did bring the co-sponsor documents because I was worried that the embassy would have a problem with the fact that my previous tax returns didn't reflect my current income, in addition since my job is relatively new I was worried they wouldn't see it as stable enough. It's a good thing I did because she specifically asked for my previous two years tax returns (I had brought them but didn't present them initially because i was hoping they wouldn't need them since I had a lot my last 3 months pay stubs, a letter from my employer and bank statements). I gave them to her and explained that it didn't reflect my current income since I was a student in 2011 and was living in Peru on a Fulbright grant in 2012, but I said that I did have a co-sponsor if the income on my tax returns presented a problem. She said that they would need the co-sponsor documents. In the end we were approved with no problem! I would recommend though that you don't provide any of the original documents to the embassy, make photocopies because they keep everything you give them... good luck! Feel free to message me if you need any more advice! The interview was really much more low key than I expected, so try not to worry too much!

Thanks so much for you reply, Lauren! I'm so relieved to hear the Peru accepts co-sponsors! Do you know if it's ok to send the I-134 directly to my fiance for him to take to the interview? It doesn't technically need to go through USCIS or NVC, right? And we as petitioners need to fill out the I-134, too, even though we are currently unemployed but almost employed primary sponsors?

I'm planning to fed-ex or UPS all the originals from the I129-F, the I134s, the updated statement of intent, and more recent photos - around $80 to ship, but hopefully that's more reliable than USPS! Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to be at the interview with my fiance, so I'm hoping that won't be a problem...I'm sure your interview will be just fine!

Thanks, and I might be bugging you with a few more questions haha! Take care!

Also, don't worry about it if you can't be there... the CO actually looked surprised when I walked into the interview room with him... she was like, oh.. you're both here, that's great! haha but it's definitely not a necessity!

As for sending the affidavit, it's not necessary to send it to VSC... I sent it down via DHL to my fiance because at the time I wasn't sure if I would be able to attend the interview with him, it cost a lot but it was worth the peace of mind to know that it would arrive safely and not get lost in the black hole that is Serpost.

Edited August 8, 2013 by jenni17

[LoboMarino30 1]

Thanks for all the great feedback, and congratulations!

[pachacuti 154]

Hi Guys, sorry I just saw these posts, but my fiance and I just had our interview in Lima so I can shed a little more light on the topic now. I ended up starting a full time job in April that put me well above the sponsor income requirement but I did bring the co-sponsor documents because I was worried that the embassy would have a problem with the fact that my previous tax returns didn't reflect my current income, in addition since my job is relatively new I was worried they wouldn't see it as stable enough. It's a good thing I did because she specifically asked for my previous two years tax returns (I had brought them but didn't present them initially because i was hoping they wouldn't need them since I had a lot my last 3 months pay stubs, a letter from my employer and bank statements). I gave them to her and explained that it didn't reflect my current income since I was a student in 2011 and was living in Peru on a Fulbright grant in 2012, but I said that I did have a co-sponsor if the income on my tax returns presented a problem. She said that they would need the co-sponsor documents. In the end we were approved with no problem! I would recommend though that you don't provide any of the original documents to the embassy, make photocopies because they keep everything you give them... good luck! Feel free to message me if you need any more advice! The interview was really much more low key than I expected, so try not to worry too much!

Also, don't worry about it if you can't be there... the CO actually looked surprised when I walked into the interview room with him... she was like, oh.. you're both here, that's great! haha but it's definitely not a necessity!

As for sending the affidavit, it's not necessary to send it to VSC... I sent it down via DHL to my fiance because at the time I wasn't sure if I would be able to attend the interview with him, it cost a lot but it was worth the peace of mind to know that it would arrive safely and not get lost in the black hole that is Serpost.

I sent mine Serpost with no problems. Just sayin