Just Starting the K-1 Application, a few questions

[Tee and Megan 10]

Hi all!!

So, my fiance and I (the USC) have been researching and gathering our evidence for the K-1 practically since before we got engaged. We're still not sure exactly when we're applying, as we still have sponsorship stuff to figure out, but we would like to have all the evidence and documents prepared as we hope to send them in soon.

As we go through the forms and the VJ K-1 checklist, we've been keeping a record of our questions. Would anyone be willing to help us answer a few?

1. Perhaps the trickiest for us is this: I recently graduated from my undergraduate program in May 2013. Since beginning college in 2009, I have moved to college and then back home every summer, including the summer after I graduated. My jobs have also switched as I move to college and back home. I know we're supposed to extremely thorough; but do I have to put a change in address each time I moved back to college and then back home? Or could I just put my home address, and how long we've lived there, and then my college address, even if the dates over lap? OR since I was technically living at home the entire time (claimed as a dependent) should I forgo putting down my college address at all? (sorry that was a complicated question)

Along with that; I had steady work on campus during the time school was in session, but a regular summer job back home when classes were out. Do I need to put each time I stopped one job and started another?

2. Should our dates overlap? For example, if I moved to graduate school mid-August, should I put that I lived at home in August and then again, that I lived on campus for August as well? (gah, these are simply maddening to me. I had no idea my life would be so complicated )

3. When my fiance was in graduate school, he did not have a job. Should we simple put he was unemployed for that time period or should we put that he was a "student" and then give the address of the graduate school?

4. Okay, I've heard horror stories of people getting RFE's for the blank spaced on a form. For example, if you put N/A instead of none and get all the forms sent back. Does this actually happen? For example, neither my fiance nor myself have been married before, nor do we have children, so in all the spaces where one can provide information about prior spouses and children, should we just put None at the top of the section and move on, or do we need to put None in each space. Same question about things like middle names. My fiance doesn't have a middle name, so should I just put N/A? Nor does he have a SSN, but it won't let us type in the form "None," so can we leave that blank?

6. If I am a USC by birth do I need to submit a "Certificate of Citizenship?" I assume that is for those who have been naturalized already? Or just my birth certificate?

7. For my parents, do I need to include the state in which they were born, and if so, is it okay to abbreviate it? The form just says "city and country" but I wanted to be sure.

Thank you all SO much for putting up with these questions. I know there are sample forms and wonderful instructions on VJ, but I wasn't sure there would be answers to these specific questions. Thank you for helping this newbie out. We don't know what we'd do without VJ to get us through this process.

Happy New Year!!!

Megan and Tee

[Ilovemyman 147]

Hi all!!

So, my fiance and I (the USC) have been researching and gathering our evidence for the K-1 practically since before we got engaged. We're still not sure exactly when we're applying, as we still have sponsorship stuff to figure out, but we would like to have all the evidence and documents prepared as we hope to send them in soon.

As we go through the forms and the VJ K-1 checklist, we've been keeping a record of our questions. Would anyone be willing to help us answer a few?

1. Perhaps the trickiest for us is this: I recently graduated from my undergraduate program in May 2013. Since beginning college in 2009, I have moved to college and then back home every summer, including the summer after I graduated. My jobs have also switched as I move to college and back home. I know we're supposed to extremely thorough; but do I have to put a change in address each time I moved back to college and then back home? Or could I just put my home address, and how long we've lived there, and then my college address, even if the dates over lap? OR since I was technically living at home the entire time (claimed as a dependent) should I forgo putting down my college address at all? (sorry that was a complicated question)

You need to write all adress where you have lived the last 5 years, so you need your college adress too.

Along with that; I had steady work on campus during the time school was in session, but a regular summer job back home when classes were out. Do I need to put each time I stopped one job and started another?

In the g-325 form they ask for all jods in the last 5 years too, so you type your jobs with date on it.

2. Should our dates overlap? For example, if I moved to graduate school mid-August, should I put that I lived at home in August and then again, that I lived on campus for August as well? (gah, these are simply maddening to me. I had no idea my life would be so complicated )

for papers is better put your home adress.

3. When my fiance was in graduate school, he did not have a job. Should we simple put he was unemployed for that time period or should we put that he was a "student" and then give the address of the graduate school?

4. Okay, I've heard horror stories of people getting RFE's for the blank spaced on a form. For example, if you put N/A instead of none and get all the forms sent back. Does this actually happen? For example, neither my fiance nor myself have been married before, nor do we have children, so in all the spaces where one can provide information about prior spouses and children, should we just put None at the top of the section and move on, or do we need to put None in each space. Same question about things like middle names. My fiance doesn't have a middle name, so should I just put N/A? Nor does he have a SSN, but it won't let us type in the form "None," so can we leave that blank?

Dont leave blank space, write n/a or none.

6. If I am a USC by birth do I need to submit a "Certificate of Citizenship?" I assume that is for those who have been naturalized already? Or just my birth certificate?

You can submit your birth certificate or copy of your passport.

7. For my parents, do I need to include the state in which they were born, and if so, is it okay to abbreviate it? The form just says "city and country" but I wanted to be sure.

Yes you can abbreviate correctelly.

Thank you all SO much for putting up with these questions. I know there are sample forms and wonderful instructions on VJ, but I wasn't sure there would be answers to these specific questions. Thank you for helping this newbie out. We don't know what we'd do without VJ to get us through this process.

Happy New Year!!!

Megan and Tee

I answer some of your questions, I hope that help.

And welcome to this process and be patient, this is a little steessful process if think a lot

[kitthekat 1,317]

Hi all!!

So, my fiance and I (the USC) have been researching and gathering our evidence for the K-1 practically since before we got engaged. We're still not sure exactly when we're applying, as we still have sponsorship stuff to figure out, but we would like to have all the evidence and documents prepared as we hope to send them in soon.

As we go through the forms and the VJ K-1 checklist, we've been keeping a record of our questions. Would anyone be willing to help us answer a few?

1. Perhaps the trickiest for us is this: I recently graduated from my undergraduate program in May 2013. Since beginning college in 2009, I have moved to college and then back home every summer, including the summer after I graduated. My jobs have also switched as I move to college and back home. I know we're supposed to extremely thorough; but do I have to put a change in address each time I moved back to college and then back home? Or could I just put my home address, and how long we've lived there, and then my college address, even if the dates over lap? OR since I was technically living at home the entire time (claimed as a dependent) should I forgo putting down my college address at all? (sorry that was a complicated question)

Along with that; I had steady work on campus during the time school was in session, but a regular summer job back home when classes were out. Do I need to put each time I stopped one job and started another?

2. Should our dates overlap? For example, if I moved to graduate school mid-August, should I put that I lived at home in August and then again, that I lived on campus for August as well? (gah, these are simply maddening to me. I had no idea my life would be so complicated )

3. When my fiance was in graduate school, he did not have a job. Should we simple put he was unemployed for that time period or should we put that he was a "student" and then give the address of the graduate school?

4. Okay, I've heard horror stories of people getting RFE's for the blank spaced on a form. For example, if you put N/A instead of none and get all the forms sent back. Does this actually happen? For example, neither my fiance nor myself have been married before, nor do we have children, so in all the spaces where one can provide information about prior spouses and children, should we just put None at the top of the section and move on, or do we need to put None in each space. Same question about things like middle names. My fiance doesn't have a middle name, so should I just put N/A? Nor does he have a SSN, but it won't let us type in the form "None," so can we leave that blank?

6. If I am a USC by birth do I need to submit a "Certificate of Citizenship?" I assume that is for those who have been naturalized already? Or just my birth certificate?

7. For my parents, do I need to include the state in which they were born, and if so, is it okay to abbreviate it? The form just says "city and country" but I wanted to be sure.

Thank you all SO much for putting up with these questions. I know there are sample forms and wonderful instructions on VJ, but I wasn't sure there would be answers to these specific questions. Thank you for helping this newbie out. We don't know what we'd do without VJ to get us through this process.

Happy New Year!!!

Megan and Tee

Addresses - Personally, I didn't list my college address as I considered my family home my primary residence (I continued receiving some mail there).

Jobs - I didn't list the temp jobs I did (I did a lot in uni). But...since you seem to have two steady ones, just that you had alternating periods with each one, I would attach a separate piece of paper and list it like this, for example:

Job A:

(1) January 2011- June 2011

(2) September 2011 - November 2011

Job B:

(1) July 2011 - August 2011

(2) December 2011 - February 2012

and so on. You could do the same with your addresses, if you wanted.

Your fiance's employment status - Did he earn a stipend as a grad student? If so, list it as student/TA or whatever his position was, otherwise list unemployed.

Overlapping - I didn't overlap my dates, just made sure there was no gap, i.e. if I was employed from May-June in one job, I listed July as the start date for the next job.

Blanks/N/A/None - The current I-129F instructions state to leave all fields blank wherever the answer would have been N/A or none, so do this. Also, you can handwrite anything you can't type/fit into the forms. You can also attach sheets of paper and refer to them (see attachment A/B/C etc) in the text box if you run out of space.

Birth certificate - your birth certificate is sufficient.

State - Yes, city, followed by state (abbreviated) is fine.

Best of luck!

[EndlessStory 53]

I only know answer to 2 of your question.

4. I told my fiancé not to leave any blanks. He left many blanks on things that doesn't apply to him and even leave blank on names that are being asked to many times. We did not get RFE and have been approve in 45 days. We filed around August, check my timeline.

5. Birth certificate. You do not have certificate of citizenship because you are US born. Certificate of citizenship is only for naturalization.

Hope that helps

[Tee and Megan 10]

Thanks so much everyone!!

[Shelbym 2]

When I sent in my packet, I put my home address as my current one (1998-present), and then my various college addresses below that. We got approved August 1, so there was no issues with it.

[Tee and Megan 10]

OOO! One more question; as I said, my fiance lives in Cambodia, so the postal system is pretty crappy and untrustworthy. Does anyone know if it is okay if I put down my mailing address as his mailing address? Couldn't they just send all the documents to me?

[TBoneTX 47,545]

Nope -- put his address. The consulate is well-aware of the postal situation in Cambodia and will be able to deal with it.

[Tee and Megan 10]

Thank you all again!

Bear with me for a few more questions?

What would you all say about "describing the circumstances under which you met?" Should I put in lots of details, i.e. we met while he was fixing my computer during the Chinese New Year or just give the location and date?

And do we need to provide a summary of all our meetings to date at any point? We've been saving EVERYTHING during our two visits (I came to visit him in Cambodia) since we met; and are wondering if they will want a summary of our two subsequent trips in writing at some point. Or should we include this in the aforementioned section? Gah! Sorry for the long questions; just a bit nervous. I keep having small nightmares about getting an RFE; want to do everything right the first time.

[TBoneTX 47,545]

Cambodia is a high-fraud country, so front-load your I-129F petition package with whatever evidence would convince a busy consular officer of the bona fide nature of your relationship.

Go atop any VJ page and click "Embassy Info" and "Reviews: Embassy" to learn more about your embassy.

Edited January 5, 2014 by TBoneTX

[kitthekat 1,317]

Thank you all again!

Bear with me for a few more questions?

What would you all say about "describing the circumstances under which you met?" Should I put in lots of details, i.e. we met while he was fixing my computer during the Chinese New Year or just give the location and date?

And do we need to provide a summary of all our meetings to date at any point? We've been saving EVERYTHING during our two visits (I came to visit him in Cambodia) since we met; and are wondering if they will want a summary of our two subsequent trips in writing at some point. Or should we include this in the aforementioned section? Gah! Sorry for the long questions; just a bit nervous. I keep having small nightmares about getting an RFE; want to do everything right the first time.

I suggest keeping it to a one liner on the space in the form, and then attaching an addendum to that question on a separate sheet of paper, with more details on how you got to know each other, a description of your two meetings since then, etc. As TBone said, it's advisable to frontload for Cambodia.

[Tee and Megan 10]

Thanks so much!!