How to make the visa take LONGER?

[noelandlisa 0]

We're halfway through the K-1 visa process when we decide to postpone the wedding. I would like to go and spend 6 months or more in his country learning his language really well before we come to the US and get married. But I won't be able to go there until June, so now we won't be getting married until sometime next year. But, our visa application is already at the NVC and waiting to be sent to his embassy in Indonesia. Once we get the visa, we only have 6 months to use it before it expires, so now I don't want to get it quite yet! Is there any way to make the process take longer? Like maybe when they set up an interview with him, can he just set it up months in advance? Or can we ask them to put the application on hold for a while? I'd hate to pay the fee and do all the paperwork all over again. If I do have to do it over again, do they give you any sort of problems for applying twice in a row?

[disteph 9]

Hi noelandlisa,

You can delay your visa by interview schedule.i should have my interview 3 weeks ago but i mentioned to the embassy as soon as i got their email that i might have the interview lil bit longer.they are pretty nice and they also will reply you quite fast

Good luck

[Girl from Celebes 588]

We're halfway through the K-1 visa process when we decide to postpone the wedding. I would like to go and spend 6 months or more in his country learning his language really well before we come to the US and get married. But I won't be able to go there until June, so now we won't be getting married until sometime next year. But, our visa application is already at the NVC and waiting to be sent to his embassy in Indonesia. Once we get the visa, we only have 6 months to use it before it expires, so now I don't want to get it quite yet! Is there any way to make the process take longer? Like maybe when they set up an interview with him, can he just set it up months in advance? Or can we ask them to put the application on hold for a while? I'd hate to pay the fee and do all the paperwork all over again. If I do have to do it over again, do they give you any sort of problems for applying twice in a row?

I saw your NOA-2 date, February 19 which means it would be expired in June 18 (?). You can wait before your petition is expired and asking for packet 3 and packet 4 afterwards. Usually it only takes a few days before the US embassy in Jakarta set the interview date. I postponed my interview as well and got the date 3 weeks before my petition was expired. And then, after issued which is we could make assumed around July, and then later you have 6 months before the visa expires.

[noelandlisa 0]

I saw your NOA-2 date, February 19 which means it would be expired in June 18 (?). You can wait before your petition is expired and asking for packet 3 and packet 4 afterwards. Usually it only takes a few days before the US embassy in Jakarta set the interview date. I postponed my interview as well and got the date 3 weeks before my petition was expired. And then, after issued which is we could make assumed around July, and then later you have 6 months before the visa expires.

Oh, does that mean we have to have the interview before June 18? I didn't know that about the petition expiring. July is probably the very earliest we'd want to get the visa, because then we'd have until January to use it.

[noelandlisa 0]

Hi noelandlisa,

You can delay your visa by interview schedule.i should have my interview 3 weeks ago but i mentioned to the embassy as soon as i got their email that i might have the interview lil bit longer.they are pretty nice and they also will reply you quite fast

Good luck

That's good to hear! When will your interview be? I'm glad to know they're flexible!

[lostandthenfound 4]

IN 95% of cases….

I would highly advise AGAINST postponing your visa process. K1 must be used within 60 days of issue date...then 90 days begin upon arriving to US airport. The embassy will highly frown upon your "wishy-washy" tactics. Indonesian is quite difficult to learn and I would be highly impressed if you gathered even the most rudimentary grasp (especially phonation) within 6 months. What is the REAL reason you would like to delay?

[kitthekat 1,317]

IN 95% of cases….

I would highly advise AGAINST postponing your visa process. K1 must be used within 60 days of issue date...then 90 days begin upon arriving to US airport. The embassy will highly frown upon your "wishy-washy" tactics. Indonesian is quite difficult to learn and I would be highly impressed if you gathered even the most rudimentary grasp (especially phonation) within 6 months. What is the REAL reason you would like to delay?

The K1 visa is generally valid for 6 months from the date of the medical, not 60 days.

Bahasa Indonesia is actually recognised as one of the easier languages for English-speaking individuals to pick up because it uses the English alphabet (post spelling reform), the grammar is not particularly complex, doesn't have gendered forms, etc. I taught Bahasa Indonesia to foreign exchange students who were in Singapore for a semester (6 months to be exact) and had lots of success getting them to be fluent in the language at the end of the term.

Lisa: I think it is a good idea that you want to spend time in your fiance's country and learn more about his language and culture, and you are lucky that you have the means to do so. Your NOA2 is valid for up to a year, in increments of 4 months (i.e. your interview should be before Feb 19 2015). Generally the embassy will renew the NOA2 automatically if there is a delay on their end, e.g. backlog of cases leading to a long wait for an interview date.

If you want to delay the interview, you can write them a letter/email stating that you and your fiance still wish to pursue the K1 visa but you will be traveling in your fiance's country until xx date, therefore you would like to request an extension of the expiry date on your NOA2 and will return the necessary documents on xxx date. Or something along those lines. Don't say that you want to postpone the wedding because that makes it seem like you aren't sure about it. During your fiance's interview, it will be seen positively that you spent that much time in person with him. Bonus points for spending extended time with his family as well. Also, if you time it all right, you will be able to attend the interview with him.

Edited March 20, 2014 by kitthekat

[lostandthenfound 4]

The K1 visa is generally valid for 6 months from the date of the medical, not 60 days.

Bahasa Indonesia is actually recognised as one of the easier languages for English-speaking individuals to pick up because it uses the English alphabet (post spelling reform), the grammar is not particularly complex, doesn't have gendered forms, etc. I taught Bahasa Indonesia to foreign exchange students who were in Singapore for a semester (6 months to be exact) and had lots of success getting them to be fluent in the language at the end of the term.

Perhaps you are correct in regards to structure and syntax. I am specifically referring to actually speaking. Based on from what I gather, OP is European-American and is only fluent in English. Sure a Singaporean or Filipino could learn Indonesian with relative ease… I will state on record that most monolingual Americans cannot.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I could care less about joining the social convention of jumping on the “yes” bandwagon…. There is clearly more going on here than OP has reveled. OP…if you are seeking “yes men (and women)”..encouragement…and/or support…I think you have reached that goal. If you are seeking “real” answers …then I suggest you candidly share with the community what is really going on here.

[kitthekat 1,317]

Funny how a simple question on how to delay the issuance of a visa can turn into the Spanish Inquisition...VJ these days...

(Also, OP, don't be discouraged...Indonesian is actually one of the languages with comparably few phonemes...most of my students were American, Australian or European and had no issues...I have some study materials if it will help, but I am sure your fiance will be your greatest resource.)

[lostandthenfound 4]

It is an inescapable habit shared by most of us who study law/philosophy to look for a deeper meaning. I do retract my statement about the difficulty of learning Indonesian. Apparently, a number of native speakers attest to the ease in which Americans can grasp it.

“lostandthenfound, on 20 Mar 2014 - 02:39 AM, said:

Perhaps you can settle a debate I am having. Do you think it is easy for an American who only speaks English to learn and SPEAK Indonesian?

Well Indonesian is an easy language .. We use ABCs ... We don't have irregular verbs or regular verbs .. We don't have many kinds of grammar hahaha. “

[sharky-rex 76]

It's none of anyone's business, though, is it? The op asked for an asnwer to a specific question, not a therapy session.

OP: Personally I think the difficulty of learning (any) foreign language tends to be overestimated, especially by Americans. If you'd like to learning more about the best way to go about it, I recommend these two TED talks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0yGdNEWdn0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x2_kWRB8-A (and anything else by Benny)

[lostandthenfound 4]

LOL....Generally speaking…people like to hear the truth…except for when it is inconvenient for them.

To each his own.

[Girl from Celebes 588]

Oh, does that mean we have to have the interview before June 18? I didn't know that about the petition expiring. July is probably the very earliest we'd want to get the visa, because then we'd have until January to use it.

No, you could probably have your interview AFTER June 18 if you sent packet 4 closest to the date. Just ask the embassy to get the date that safe for your fiance. Have you check your NOA-2 hardcopy? It written there.

[Girl from Celebes 588]

The K1 visa is generally valid for 6 months from the date of the medical, not 60 days.

Bahasa Indonesia is actually recognised as one of the easier languages for English-speaking individuals to pick up because it uses the English alphabet (post spelling reform), the grammar is not particularly complex, doesn't have gendered forms, etc. I taught Bahasa Indonesia to foreign exchange students who were in Singapore for a semester (6 months to be exact) and had lots of success getting them to be fluent in the language at the end of the term.

Lisa: I think it is a good idea that you want to spend time in your fiance's country and learn more about his language and culture, and you are lucky that you have the means to do so. Your NOA2 is valid for up to a year, in increments of 4 months (i.e. your interview should be before Feb 19 2015). Generally the embassy will renew the NOA2 automatically if there is a delay on their end, e.g. backlog of cases leading to a long wait for an interview date.

If you want to delay the interview, you can write them a letter/email stating that you and your fiance still wish to pursue the K1 visa but you will be traveling in your fiance's country until xx date, therefore you would like to request an extension of the expiry date on your NOA2 and will return the necessary documents on xxx date. Or something along those lines. Don't say that you want to postpone the wedding because that makes it seem like you aren't sure about it. During your fiance's interview, it will be seen positively that you spent that much time in person with him. Bonus points for spending extended time with his family as well. Also, if you time it all right, you will be able to attend the interview with him.

I always think that the K-1 visa is tied up to the medical. I guess it was not for me. I had medical done December 31, 2013 and visa issued January 23 and will be expired on July 21, 2014. For Indonesia applicants, most of the times there is no long wait for interview date unlike our fellow friends from the Philippines. It was really easy and quick process. Usually the long wait actually happened after the interview because some applicants did not submit some supporting documents that the embassy is required.

I agree with you. Bahasa Indonesia is one of the easiest languages that I've ever heard. I've seen many western people who actually really good at it. I remember one of them is Sidney Jones, security analyst who expert on terrorism.

Funny how a simple question on how to delay the issuance of a visa can turn into the Spanish Inquisition...VJ these days...

(Also, OP, don't be discouraged...Indonesian is actually one of the languages with comparably few phonemes...most of my students were American, Australian or European and had no issues...I have some study materials if it will help, but I am sure your fiance will be your greatest resource.)

[noelandlisa 0]

Haha, wow! I wasn't expecting to start a firestorm. No, it really is nobody's business why we'd delay our wedding plans. All I was really asking for was some information. But yes, learning his language really is the real reason we're doing it. Many people we love and trust have advised it, from both our cultures. And yes, actually Indonesian is quite a bit easier for me to learn (so far) than when I studied Spanish earlier in life. I can already have basic conversations, but I'd like us to be able to talk about deeper things in his own language.

Lisa: I think it is a good idea that you want to spend time in your fiance's country and learn more about his language and culture, and you are lucky that you have the means to do so. Your NOA2 is valid for up to a year, in increments of 4 months (i.e. your interview should be before Feb 19 2015). Generally the embassy will renew the NOA2 automatically if there is a delay on their end, e.g. backlog of cases leading to a long wait for an interview date.

If you want to delay the interview, you can write them a letter/email stating that you and your fiance still wish to pursue the K1 visa but you will be traveling in your fiance's country until xx date, therefore you would like to request an extension of the expiry date on your NOA2 and will return the necessary documents on xxx date. Or something along those lines. Don't say that you want to postpone the wedding because that makes it seem like you aren't sure about it. During your fiance's interview, it will be seen positively that you spent that much time in person with him. Bonus points for spending extended time with his family as well. Also, if you time it all right, you will be able to attend the interview with him.

This is really helpful! You say my NOA2 is valid up to a year in increments of 4 months; does that mean I have to renew it each time or something? Do I contact the embassy in Indonesia, or the NVC in the States?

I could always give them documents from my language school to prove it if they like, but I can't imagine that'd be necessary. Yes, I was hoping to be able to attend his interview with him! Maybe "postponing the wedding" is too strong of a way to put it. We were shooting for December of this year (I was already a little worried about getting the visa too early), and now we're shooting for a little later than that.