NEW TO THIS!! ANY ADVICE WOULD REALLY HELP ME :) k1 VISA

[BO1 0]

HI,

i am new to this, my fiancee and i have been together going on almost 2years now. we have a 6month old son together. i am based in texas while he is based in nigeria. let me give you a little history. we met through a mutal friend, (november 2012) we talked online and skype everyday. visited nigeria (i am also part nigerian) december 2012 and stayed for almost 3 months. came back to the US engaged and pregnant. i was a student and i live with my parents but now i am more settled. now we are a family of 3, i think it is time for us to be together here in the states and start our family. so we want to begin our process filing. is there anything advice you can give us before we start the process? we have pictures, i can print out skype call history, calls using rebtel, and of course the birth of our son who answers his last name. pls any advice and encouragment would really help us out. also would you advice i use a lawyer? thanks

brenda

[KayDeeCee 4,892]

Follow this guide > http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

Read through the info about the consulate that you will interview at later for the K-1 visa > http://www.visajourney.com/portals/index.php?country=Nigeria

[Ellchelle 1]

Whether or not to use an attorney depends on your financial situation and doing your own research. Immigration attorneys are not cheap, but I found mine to be very helpful. Certainly I could've completed the paperwork on my own, but the truth of the matter is, when she emailed the embassy they immediately responded to her. When I emailed the embassy, sometimes they responded and sometimes they didn't and sometimes it was two weeks later if they did. If I mentioned that they could email my attorney, however, the response was very swift again. I felt they took her much more seriously than they did me alone, and I feel like they took my case more seriously because I had an attorney.

This is just my personal experience, so it is important to research and make your own informed decision because again, attorneys are not cheap.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Ellchelle

[LoveNigarmostyle 164]

HI,

i am new to this, my fiancee and i have been together going on almost 2years now. we have a 6month old son together. i am based in texas while he is based in nigeria. let me give you a little history. we met through a mutal friend, (november 2012) we talked online and skype everyday. visited nigeria (i am also part nigerian) december 2012 and stayed for almost 3 months. came back to the US engaged and pregnant. i was a student and i live with my parents but now i am more settled. now we are a family of 3, i think it is time for us to be together here in the states and start our family. so we want to begin our process filing. is there anything advice you can give us before we start the process? we have pictures, i can print out skype call history, calls using rebtel, and of course the birth of our son who answers his last name. pls any advice and encouragment would really help us out. also would you advice i use a lawyer? thanks

brenda

Hi Brenda,

Congrats on the birth of your son. I would suggest reading the posts and information available here in VJ. The more you prepare yourself before filing the better your chances are to succeed with your petition. You have two options either file a K1 fiance visa or go get married and come back and file for CR1 for your husband. It is crucial that you learn the difference and pros and cons of each petition. If you take the info learned here you should not need a lawyer but it is your choice.

I personally think getting married and filing for your man is a more stable choice but it is your option. Be prepared that they will ask for a paternity test to proof that your son and husband are related regardless of him carrying your fiance's last name. You have a road ahead, take time to absorb the info needed prior to proceeding. Wishing you all the best in your VJ and life.

[ForeverLove4u 8]

Hi dear I am in Texas also. You have quite a bit of preparation to do. Read some forums on here regarding K1 visas and proof of relationship, etc. I have a friend going through the K1 process now also.

I wish you great luck!

[EM & JESH 0]

I don't think u need a lawyer, am Ghanaian so is my fiance, we only sent 8 pictures, hotel receipts, copies of money orders, boarding pass & food receipts. That was all & we got approved within 35 days. His 28 am 24.

.age doesn't even matter ..just arrange everything right & u will be ok....good luck.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

I don't think u need a lawyer, am Ghanaian so is my fiance, we only sent 8 pictures, hotel receipts, copies of money orders, boarding pass & food receipts. That was all & we got approved within 35 days. His 28 am 24.

.age doesn't even matter ..just arrange everything right & u will be ok....good luck.

Of course it is no problem to get through the USCIS approval with a minimum of evidence.

The scrutinizing starts at the embassy. Therefore I advice the OP to 'front load' the petition, meaning send a lot of

photos, communication besides the obvious proof of having met in person such as boardig passes, receipts etc.

Lagos is a tough consulate and front loading is necessary.

The CO's will have already seen the sparse evience you submitted to USCIC and often make up their minds to approve or deny before the

interview. They then will not accept or acknowledge the evidence you bring with you to the interview.

You front load so the CO can see all your evidence you submitted to USCIS BEFORE the interview, that is the point.

People think getting their NOA2 means they are 99% there. No, the 'fun' just begins.

Before giving advice make sure you understand what patterns Lagos has.....and yes, age difference does matter...though it was not brought up by the OP you stated "age doesn't even matter." Not to USCIS but to Lagos. 24 and 28 does not matter but a large age gap does.

I agree with Nigarmostyle that a DNA test may be asked for.

I would not hire a lawyer at all but save the money to visit again and be there for the interview also. Lagos likes lots of face to face time.

[Al422 221]

Definitely read the guides the other members cited here. There is way too much you need to know for us to repeat all of it here. Then if you have specific questions after reading the guides, this is the place to ask them.

Lawyers don;t come cheap, and unless you have a really tough case, there is nothing they do that you can't. Doing this on your own is really not hard. But one member here mentioned one advantage of a lawyer, that he will do a better job of getting the attention of embassy personnel simply because he is an immigration lawyer and you are just a pettioner. If that one thing alone is worth his fee, then go for it. But there is really nothing else he will do that you cannot do yourself.

Yes they may want DNA tests to prove paternity, but so what? You, the baby and your fiance submit blood samples. you pay about $300 or so for the fee, and it is done. Compared to the cost and inconvenience of the whole process, that is just a minor nuisance.

One red flag you may have here is income. You, the US citizen, will have to show enough income and/or assets to support the three of you. Sure your fiance will want to work when he is here, but it takes some time to set that up legally after his arrival. So they will look to your income and assets to support all three, and it had better be enough. The guides will give you more information on that.

Good luck to all three of you, and welcome to visa journey and the start of your own journey.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Al422

[TnJ 131]

Everyone is giving you good advice and personal point of views. One thing to be certain that is sometimes overlooked; make sure you have had an in person meeting each within the 2 years prior to filing your petition. It won't matter that you spent 3 months with your fiance if your filing date is more than 2 years from the time that you arrived from that trip.

[BO1 0]

hmmmm thank you all for all the great advice. i see i have a lot of work ahead of me. quite frankly, i am extremely nervous but hoping for the best. Ebun, so here is the deal, he sends money via paypal. can i print that out as proof? pictures shouldnt be a problem. as far as income goes, i am a nursing student but a medical assistant earning a reasonable amount i think is more than enough for all three of us. we also get support from my dad as well, we will be residing with him when he gets here. my question now is, can i also say my dad will be our support? will that do us harm or good? i think we will also go ahead with the lawyer as stated above, i think it will be a bit faster than if we do it alone especially since i am new to this. thank you all so much!

[feli114 65]

Believe me it will not be faster if you use a lawyer. You have to send them the papers only for them to sit until they get time to do them. You will not be their only client. The papers are not hard to fill out. Just read them and pay attention.

[EscosBaby 1]

My advice would be go back to Nigeria and marry your baby daddy and then apply for the Marrige Visa.