Must I visit??

[Darnell 8,479]

So sorry if I am trying to find the best way.

The best way is to match the stipulations in the directions. That's it, that's all - chasing something else will be a waste of time and money.

[Penguin_ie 5,999]

No-body wishes you ill.

But some of us have been here a long time, and we have seen many people being lied to by lawyers. In my many years here, I have seen exactly one "meeting waiver" approved (US citizen male unable to travel for medical reasons even to Mexico, foreign fiance tried for tourist visa 3-4 times over several years and always denied), and heard of one more (very strict African religious sect where no meeting at all was allowed between fiances, even with chaperones. in public).

We want to help you get approved, and a waiver for "not having enough money./ needing to work and no time off" simply will not be approved. Not only will you loose money, you will also loose time.

[F&Z 8]

No-body wishes you ill.

You should speak for yourself, as others have likened me to a pedophile and then put a cheery "we're here to help" smile on their face. Well I may be new here, but I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday. All I am doing is asking questions, I have not made any decisions yet. I am meeting with the lawyer today to also ask questions, not just to whip out my wallet blindly. Being more informed about the K1 process seems to be what this group is all about so I just don't understand the hostility, especially when I have treated everyone with respect and given only my best wishes to the many wonderful people I have met here.

Thank you for your kind words, and I appreciate your experience. Every positive bit of information helps me and others to make decisions. I don't know how I can come up with money and time off to visit, as I said I would be on a plane tomorrow if I could do it. A plane ticket to Russia is about $1,500 right now and that doesn't even include a hotel or any other expenses. My fiancee has a job that barely pays her expenses, even with the small amount I have been able to send her, plus she has no vacation, so even if I do find a way to visit, our time will be very limited. I know a lot of people have money to throw around, but I'm a humble man, and so is my fiancee. We just want to try to find a way to be together, that's all.

[baron555 934]

Well I cannot afford the trip so I will probably be getting a lawyer to help with that, and maybe even speed things up. I really do appreciate the advice to go and visit, and if I had the money and vacation time to do it, I would jump on an airplane tomorrow. But I have to be realistic and work with what I've got. It's nice that you are finished with your process, I hope to be where you are some day.

You MUST meet in person prior to filing. Your reasons for not being able to will NOT be accepted for a waiver.

You can file and then it will be denied and you will lose that money. If money is the big issue, then wait to file until you are able to visit. You do not have to visit her in her country, you two can meet somewhere else, but you do have to meet. This is very simple.

The lawyer I talked to today charges $750 for K1, start to finish, and does not seem near as pessimistic about a waiver as I am reading in this thread.

The lawyer can not help in your regard. That $750 is one half of a round trip ticket to Moscow. Save that for your trip to meet in person.

[Harpa Timsah 13,259]

You should speak for yourself, as others have likened me to a pedophile and then put a cheery "we're here to help" smile on their face. Well I may be new here, but I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday. All I am doing is asking questions, I have not made any decisions yet. I am meeting with the lawyer today to also ask questions, not just to whip out my wallet blindly. Being more informed about the K1 process seems to be what this group is all about so I just don't understand the hostility, especially when I have treated everyone with respect and given only my best wishes to the many wonderful people I have met here.

Thank you for your kind words, and I appreciate your experience. Every positive bit of information helps me and others to make decisions. I don't know how I can come up with money and time off to visit, as I said I would be on a plane tomorrow if I could do it. A plane ticket to Russia is about $1,500 right now and that doesn't even include a hotel or any other expenses. My fiancee has a job that barely pays her expenses, even with the small amount I have been able to send her, plus she has no vacation, so even if I do find a way to visit, our time will be very limited. I know a lot of people have money to throw around, but I'm a humble man, and so is my fiancee. We just want to try to find a way to be together, that's all.

Did you know that a K-1 visa and AOS will cost you over $1500 not to mention the lawyer's fees you plan to incur? Do you know you will also have to pay $700 2 years after that? Do you know that your fiance's Med degree will be worth nothing in the US and you will have to pay for her school? Do you know that already sending this woman you met a few weeks ago because she is poor but somehow is a doctor is a HUGE RED FLAG? Do you know that Russia is a high fraud country with many stories of online romance seekers being duped into sending money to a man posing as a woman? Do you know that a part of the process is proving that you make enough money to support an immigrant who won't be legally able to work for months at the least? With health insurance and driving lessons and whatever else?

Do you know that if a lawyer says "success guaranteed" that is a sure-fire way to take your money?

Do you know that you are arguing with people who have been through this process and succeeded, and you are setting yourself up to fail?

Do you know that people want to help you but you look foolish arguing with people who have experience with these things whereas you have none?

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Did you know that a K-1 visa and AOS will cost you over $1500 not to mention the lawyer's fees you plan to incur? Do you know you will also have to pay $700 2 years after that? Do you know that your fiance's Med degree will be worth nothing in the US and you will have to pay for her school? Do you know that already sending this woman you met a few weeks ago because she is poor but somehow is a doctor is a HUGE RED FLAG? Do you know that Russia is a high fraud country with many stories of online romance seekers being duped into sending money to a man posing as a woman? Do you know that a part of the process is proving that you make enough money to support an immigrant who won't be legally able to work for months at the least? With health insurance and driving lessons and whatever else?

Do you know that if a lawyer says "success guaranteed" that is a sure-fire way to take your money?

Do you know that you are arguing with people who have been through this process and succeeded, and you are setting yourself up to fail?

Do you know that people want to help you but you look foolish arguing with people who have experience with these things whereas you have none?

Exactly.

The vast majority of the people on this site want others to succeed. And when we see a poster who seems to be naive about the process and everything that goes with it, we feel the need to attempt to help and paint a realistic picture of what to expect.

If you cannot afford one visit to meet your fiancee in person, then they're going to question how you're going to afford this process. It isn't cheap. There are visa fees, medical fees, moving fees, then AOS fees. It's fee after fee after fee. And you have to prove that you can support your fiancee once she's here. So when someone sees that you're having problems paying for a single visit, then yes, people will chime in and ask how you plan to pay the thousands of dollars this process will end up costing you.

A lawyer wants to take your money. That's it, that's all. They are not invested in your case. They don't care whether your fiancee ever makes it to the United States or not. As long as they get their paycheck for filling out a bit of paperwork, they've done their duty and they'll wash their hands of you.

We don't say this to be mean or discouraging, we say this to be realistic. A lot of us have been on these forums for years and we see story after story of people who wish they'd never bothered with a lawyer in the first place.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

You should speak for yourself, as others have likened me to a pedophile and then put a cheery "we're here to help" smile on their face. Well I may be new here, but I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday. All I am doing is asking questions, I have not made any decisions yet. I am meeting with the lawyer today to also ask questions, not just to whip out my wallet blindly. Being more informed about the K1 process seems to be what this group is all about so I just don't understand the hostility, especially when I have treated everyone with respect and given only my best wishes to the many wonderful people I have met here.

Thank you for your kind words, and I appreciate your experience. Every positive bit of information helps me and others to make decisions. I don't know how I can come up with money and time off to visit, as I said I would be on a plane tomorrow if I could do it. A plane ticket to Russia is about $1,500 right now and that doesn't even include a hotel or any other expenses. My fiancee has a job that barely pays her expenses, even with the small amount I have been able to send her, plus she has no vacation, so even if I do find a way to visit, our time will be very limited. I know a lot of people have money to throw around, but I'm a humble man, and so is my fiancee. We just want to try to find a way to be together, that's all.

Here is your regional forum where you can get advice on cheaper tickets, hotels etc. from people with experience visiting

your fiance's country and understand the culture a bit better.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/98-russia-ukraine-and-belarus/

Please be careful with sending money. She got along without your financial help before you met and will do so again while you can save what you would send her and buy a ticket instead. Perhaps you can stay with her or her family instead of a hotel to save money. There is no other way, no other option but to visit and you will run in circles otherwise.

There is nothing wrong with exploring what options you have but believe us when we say there really is no other option.

It is wasted time, money and energy.

Once you realize that you can chip away at a plan to make a visit possible, perhaps with a small loan or save, save,save.

Flying during off season is much cheaper, ask around in the regional forum.

[Harpa Timsah 13,259]

I just found tickets from NY to Moscow for $700 in May, and for $1000 in July. Maybe I should go to Moscow.

[baron555 934]

Y even with the small amount I have been able to send her,

Sending money to someone you've never met in person is breaking one of the big Cardinal rules.

That is a big red flag.

[HK12 273]

Sending money to someone you've never met in person is breaking one of the big Cardinal rules.

That is a big red flag.

Yes. My uncle in Germany got scammed eaxactly that way. He sent money to some Russian girl for a plane ticket... of course he never saw her or his money again. Not trying to generalize, but please be careful.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Yes. My uncle in Germany got scammed eaxactly that way. He sent money to some Russian girl for a plane ticket... of course he never saw her or his money again. Not trying to generalize, but please be careful.

Actually he may have been sending money to some guy not in Russia. One should always check email headers. Yeah , older man sending money to a hottie but should be well off babe that is having money issues ... romance scam.

[Moomin 292]

In facts, I'll break it down for you.

K1 visa recipe:

Minimum 50 dollars to: Passport style photos, sending Russian docs to US(with org. signature), printing forms, copying and sending petition to USCIS.

Minimum 340 dollars to: Petition. (not including a potential RFE response)

Around 300 dollars for medical exam (not including vaccinations

Around 300 dollars for visa interview (not including travel to/from and staying in motel if needed)

Minimum 1000+ dollars for plane ticket to US (not including extra luggage)

Around 1085 for Adjustment of status(not including cert. marriage cert., new passport photos, potential new medical)

(plus your lawyer fee - minimum 750)

Not included costs: obtaining birth cert/passport/ID, divorce decree, notarized docs, wedding(plus honeymoon), extra expense of an extra mouth to feed, unforseen medical emergencies/expenses, extra vehicle, insurance, etc., etc, etc.

THose are the costs within the first year/year and a half. Wife can't work until married and she adjusts status. This roughly takes 3 months after the AOS is sent. I'd say expect to only live on one income for at least 5 months after foreign fiancee arrives. Besides that, there's an income requirement for the US citizen - around 19.000 a year for 2 people. While it might seem logical to save a bit on the first plane ticket, if you invest a good 2000 dollars on immigration papers and THEN get denied, then you're further away from being together and with alot less money).

[belinda63 3,052]

Question: What grounds is this attorney going to use to file the waiver?

A.

The requirement to meet your fiancé(e) in person would violate strict and long-established customs of your or your fiancé(e)'s foreign culture or social practice;

OR

B. It is established that the requirement to personally meet your fiancé(e) would result in extreme hardship to you.

Can't be A so it must be B. If you are saying you can't afford to travel to meet your prospective wife then USCIS will find her to likely become a public charge and deny the petition.