Children -- join to follow

[GrenadianCrix 2]

I have a ton of questions about having children follow-to-join.

I will be mailing the I-129F petition on Monday...after a frightful weekend of paperwork!

I am the US citizen, my fiancé is Grenadian, however his children are Canadian.

They currently live with their mother, but she wants him to take them. He has previously lived with them and has kept up a long-distance relationship with them. We want to wait and have them live with us when we are settled in the US, but it looks as though waiting to file I-130's could take a very long time...years maybe? The follow to join option sounds the best but I'm having difficulty finding information regarding children from a third country. I'm not sure if it even matters.

I do realize I will need to show additional evidence of support, a statement from the mother saying he can have custody and proof of his relationship with them.

Any thing anyone can offer at this point will be greatly appreciated.

Any tips on what the embassy interview will be looking for when we present our case to them? I like to know where the curve balls are coming from. hehehe.

Thanks a million!

[raymaga 25]

My daughter followed-to-join a year after I entered the U.S.

I received my K-1 Visa on June 10, 2004. My daughter (who was 16 years old) wanted to stay in Canada to finish high school (she was graduating June, 2005).

When I sent in my I-129F, we put her name on the form, which is what you have to do in order for children to follow-to-join. Any K-2 Visa's for children wishing to follow-to-join must be obtained within one year of the parent's K-1 Visa. So, in January, 2005, I faxed the Vancouver consulate (where I interviewed for my K-1 Visa and where my daughter would interview for her K-2 Visa) to ask what I needed to do to start the process for her K-2 Visa. They told me to fax in Form DS-230, Part I, which would start the ball rolling. Then, I needed to start gathering the required documents, such as her long form birth certificate, police certificate, medical exam, passport photos, notarized form from her birth Father giving his permission for her to move with me to the U.S. (as we had joint custody). After I had gathered all the required documents and had her medical exam done (in Canada), I scheduled her Visa interview. She obtained her K-2 Visa on May 26, 2005 (which was only 2 weeks to spare before our year was up).

After the K-2 Visa was issued, she had six months to enter the U.S. (same as for K-1 Visas). She entered the U.S. on Sept. 5/05.

If you have any questions regarding the K-2 process (follow-to-join), you can either PM me or email me.

Good luck.

Rayma

[GrenadianCrix 2]

My daughter followed-to-join a year after I entered the U.S.

I received my K-1 Visa on June 10, 2004. My daughter (who was 16 years old) wanted to stay in Canada to finish high school (she was graduating June, 2005).

When I sent in my I-129F, we put her name on the form, which is what you have to do in order for children to follow-to-join. Any K-2 Visa's for children wishing to follow-to-join must be obtained within one year of the parent's K-1 Visa. So, in January, 2005, I faxed the Vancouver consulate (where I interviewed for my K-1 Visa and where my daughter would interview for her K-2 Visa) to ask what I needed to do to start the process for her K-2 Visa. They told me to fax in Form DS-230, Part I, which would start the ball rolling. Then, I needed to start gathering the required documents, such as her long form birth certificate, police certificate, medical exam, passport photos, notarized form from her birth Father giving his permission for her to move with me to the U.S. (as we had joint custody). After I had gathered all the required documents and had her medical exam done (in Canada), I scheduled her Visa interview. She obtained her K-2 Visa on May 26, 2005 (which was only 2 weeks to spare before our year was up).

After the K-2 Visa was issued, she had six months to enter the U.S. (same as for K-1 Visas). She entered the U.S. on Sept. 5/05.

If you have any questions regarding the K-2 process (follow-to-join), you can either PM me or email me.

Good luck.

Rayma

Thanks for the info...do you think it will be a problem that they reside in Canada while my fiance will be going through the Barbados Embassy? The kids are 6yr and 4yr old twins. will they be able to skip the interview? will they still need the physicals?

Can you also tell me more about the letter her father wrote...so I can pass it on to the kids mother.

questions questions questions!

Thanks again

Sue

[raymaga 25]

I'm sorry I don't know the answer to your question about going thru the Barbados embassy. But you could email them and see what they say.

As far as the letter goes.... in Canada, it was called a "Statutory Declaration", and I wrote the contents myself, which basically said: I, xxxx xxxxxx (birth parent's name, giving permission for children to move to US), give my permission for xxxxx xxxxx (child's or children's name(s)), to move to the U.S. to live with xxxxxx xxxxxxx (children's Mother/Father's Name). And then, there was the date signed and the parent's signature. That was about it. It has to be notarized.

Children that young do not have to be interviewed, but I believe they do need to have the physical exams.

If you need any further information, don't hesitate to ask.

Rayma

[JaEnglishGirl 34]

I'm sorry I don't know the answer to your question about going thru the Barbados embassy. But you could email them and see what they say.

As far as the letter goes.... in Canada, it was called a "Statutory Declaration", and I wrote the contents myself, which basically said: I, xxxx xxxxxx (birth parent's name, giving permission for children to move to US), give my permission for xxxxx xxxxx (child's or children's name(s)), to move to the U.S. to live with xxxxxx xxxxxxx (children's Mother/Father's Name). And then, there was the date signed and the parent's signature. That was about it. It has to be notarized.

Children that young do not have to be interviewed, but I believe they do need to have the physical exams.

If you need any further information, don't hesitate to ask.

Rayma

When your finace gets the packet from the Embassy, couldn't the children fly down to where he is?

Then do the medicals at the same time as him, get the visa issued etc. If they couldn't come to the States at the same time as him, they could always fly back to Canada and when it's time for them to come to the states, just enter on their visa.

Otherwise, perhaps the Barbados Embassy may authorise them to have their medical at the Embassy aprroved Canadian doctors and get the Embassy in Canada to issue the visa to them.