K-1 Visa Questions for long time fiance.

[Parendel 0]

Greetings. This is going to be a bit of a long story but I would like some advice/help for what information I should include in my K1-visa application process.

For the past 7 years, I have been engaged in almost daily correspondence (mostly via Facebook/Skype) with a Filipina woman. We first started talking and then I went and visited her in 2009, and then went back and visited again in 2010. We hit it off really well and have wanted to get married and live our lives together here in the US ever since. For reasons I would rather not discuss, I have been supporting her ever since I came back in 2010 (no "red flag" comments on this please). After this, I had intended to file the paperwork, but again, mistakes were made on my part and the years have continued ticking by. It's now 2016 and well, I'm pleased to say I was FINALLY able to go and visit her again. The trip went very well, and we are still both very much in love, and still wish to get married. I've been hard at work trying to figure out everything I need to do for the K1 stuff. I've made copies of my boarding passes, pictures of us together, copies of receipts from stores we went to, hotel receipts, temp visas in my passport. Just about everything I can think of proving I went there and we were together.

So now comes my questions:

- Should I include EVERYTHING that has ever happened between us from 2009 (pictures, chat logs, receipts, ect) up until now or just show stuff from the last year or so? I still have boarding passes, itineraries, and hotel receipts from 2009/2010 if necessary.

- Would proving that I've supported her for these many years be beneficial or detrimental to the overall process? I have ALOT of Western Union receipts to prove all of this. On one hand this would prove beyond a doubt that I can support her when she gets here. But I also don't want to use them if it would cause some eyebrows to raise when I file initially.

- Our primary means of communication for quite some time now has been on Facebook, so would a print out of our chat logs be sufficient proof of correspondence? And if so how far back should I go? I have years worth. I am going be calling her more often on Skype again but it has always been easier to communicate via text then phone since their cell phone service there isn't exactly what you would call great (at least not Globe anyway).

If I should include anything and everything starting from the beginning then I've really got my work cut out, will probably take a few weeks just to get everything together. Please only post helpful advice for my situation. Thank you.

[Gregory&Dyn 113]

Should I include EVERYTHING that has ever happened between us from 2009 (pictures, chat logs, receipts, ect) up until now or just show stuff from the last year or so? I still have boarding passes, itineraries, and hotel receipts from 2009/2010 if necessary. In my opinion, the most crucial details are in the evidence. Go back to the beginning of the relationship and start from there. It is important to show where the relationship began and how it has evolved over the years.

Would proving that I've supported her for these many years be beneficial or detrimental to the overall process? I have ALOT of Western Union receipts to prove all of this. On one hand this would prove beyond a doubt that I can support her when she gets here. But I also don't want to use them if it would cause some eyebrows to raise when I file initially. Doing so would prove unwise and could potentially raise / create red flags. You would do yourself no justice by providing financial support as evidence of an ongoing relation relationship. It is far more likely that this could be viewed as financial manipulation. I would strongly advise against it.

Our primary means of communication for quite some time now has been on Facebook, so would a print out of our chat logs be sufficient proof of correspondence? And if so how far back should I go? I have years worth. I am going be calling her more often on Skype again but it has always been easier to communicate via text then phone since their cell phone service there isn't exactly what you would call great (at least not Globe anyway). Go back to the beginning. I had 6,000 pages of Whatsapp chat logs alone. Another 2,500 pages of Facebook messages followed. Rather than include it all, be selective and pick passages randomly from month to month that show ongoing communication. I actually whittled mine down to just over one hundred pages. For the sake of front-loading and being thorough, also include Skype logs, call logs from your phone, emails and texting logs. It is a lot of work, but you don't want all evidence to point to a single point of communication. A more broad and dynamic perspective of your ongoing relationship via communication indicates a stronger and healthier (legitimate) relationship.

If I should include anything and everything starting from the beginning then I've really got my work cut out, will probably take a few weeks just to get everything together. Please only post helpful advice for my situation. EXACTLY! Be as thorough as possible without overdoing it. I know, easier said than done, right!?! You do have your work cut out for you, but that could be the difference between denial and approval. Again, copy and paste a paragraph here, and a paragraph there that represent each month of your communication. I created a Word document, pasted snippets of conversation into the document from other sources, and headlined each one in bold with the name of the source and the month / year. In all, more than 9,000 pages of communication were narrowed down to less than one hundred and fifty pages.

As far as pictures: pick three or four from each visit (if you've had multiple visits). I wouldn't include more than twenty pictures total. I placed three to four digital photos on a page in MS Word and created about five pages that represented our time together from beginning to end. I also included short captions beneath each photo indicating who / where and when.

Good luck. Keep us updated.

[Parendel 0]

Thank you for all the advice. Sadly a good majority of my chat logs are gone from the earlier years. I will do the best I can to get some of them back, but I know there is a fair amount that is likely lost forever. Either way though, I'll compile everything I can find. Hopefully my Skype logs are all there too. Other then those two sources, that's about it. But I'm probably just gonna have to hope for the best. I remember years ago she had to make a new account. But anyway.....

And thank you for the suggestion about the financial support. I just wasn't sure on that one, I got varying opinions but had the gut feeling that it is probably best to leave that one alone.

This is going to be extremely difficult I can see. I know some here have advised against using an agent/lawyer but I REALLY feel like I need one. Either way, thank you.

[Parendel 0]

Yea so I just checked to see if I could recover my old chat logs from Yahoo Messenger because that's what we used prior to Facebook. And sadly I think they are gone forever. So I probably only have chat logs from the last couple years. Which really sucks, but oh well. I'll figure something out.

[Gregory&Dyn 113]

Yea so I just checked to see if I could recover my old chat logs from Yahoo Messenger because that's what we used prior to Facebook. And sadly I think they are gone forever. So I probably only have chat logs from the last couple years. Which really sucks, but oh well. I'll figure something out.

Rest assured, you will be fine. All too often people have issues saving and printing chat logs. They get deleted. Accounts get replaced. Emails change. I wouldn't stress over it. If nothing else, include a short note explaining the situation and send what you have.

[Gregory&Dyn 113]

You do NOT need a lawyer. Unless you are severely lazy, incompetent or just don't care, you can do this yourself. Seriously.

The guidance offered on VJ is more than you will ever need to successfully submit the I-129F. It really is that easy. Read the guides (located top-left of the VJ homepage). When you are done reading, read some more. Explore forums that are relevant to your current stage / situation / visa type. Ask questions. There are more than enough step-by-step tutorials to get you through this. And truthfully, even with a lawyer, you will do most of the work yourself. An attorney will only assist you in signing the documents and forwarding them accordingly. Much too often, immigration attorneys lack knowledge and experience for all visa types. Unfortunately, the result often leads to forms being misfiled, delayed or completed incorrectly. Please, do yourself a favor, and move forward on your own. You've got this.

[Parendel 0]

Thank you. To be honest I got kinda depressed thinking about how I may not have enough proof of our ongoing relationship. Due to various issues (cell phone getting lost or simply difficulty connecting a call) I haven't actually made that many calls to her in the last year. We've mostly stuck to Facebook messaging. We used to cam chat all the time but her current residence hasn't had great access to the internet for years now. And even if she did I just would have never thought to take screencaps of everything. It's hard to remember all this stuff. We've pretty much just messaged each other over Facebook because it's the easiest and most convenient way of communicating with each other. The only access she has to the internet most of the time is the 3G data connection on her cell phone. But you know what they say, where there's a will there's a way. I'm gonna assemble everything I possibly can to prove it, and if it's not enough, well, I guess there's always the spouse visa. I getting WAAAAY ahead of myself on that one I know. I guess my mind and imagination are running crazy and immediately jumping to all the worst case scenarios as so many of our brains tend to do.

[Parendel 0]

You do NOT need a lawyer. Unless you are severely lazy, incompetent or just don't care, you can do this yourself. Seriously.

The guidance offered on VJ is more than you will ever need to successfully submit the I-129F. It really is that easy. Read the guides (located top-left of the VJ homepage). When you are done reading, read some more. Explore forums that are relevant to your current stage / situation / visa type. Ask questions. There are more than enough step-by-step tutorials to get you through this. And truthfully, even with a lawyer, you will do most of the work yourself. An attorney will only assist you in signing the documents and forwarding them accordingly. Much too often, immigration attorneys lack knowledge and experience for all visa types. Unfortunately, the result often leads to forms being misfiled, delayed or completed incorrectly. Please, do yourself a favor, and move forward on your own. You've got this.

Alright. Well I know three other people who all successfully got their fiances here to the US and all of them hired attorneys for the process. They told me it helped them immensely. I'm just afraid I'm going to miss something vital. But you're right, I'll just be researching HARD for awhile.

[Blondie26 43]

I Met my Finance Febuary 2003 online. We Never Met in Person until 2014. in the i129f Petition i frönt loaded Emails from 2004 Till 2016. He has been spending me Money all These years,i was Lucky to find many Western Union Papiers and recently Zoom Money Transfers . I added all the Transfers about 50 transactions. And i Never had a Problem at my interview niether did the consular Show any sign of doubt. It was a Smooth experience.

My Point is Nothing is wrong sending Money to Your loved One. It is Not an issue at least Not for me.

[Merrytooth 5,748]

I Met my Finance Febuary 2003 online. We Never Met in Person until 2014. in the i129f Petition i frönt loaded Emails from 2004 Till 2016. He has been spending me Money all These years,i was Lucky to find many Western Union Papiers and recently Zoom Money Transfers . I added all the Transfers about 50 transactions. And i Never had a Problem at my interview niether did the consular Show any sign of doubt. It was a Smooth experience.

My Point is Nothing is wrong sending Money to Your loved One. It is Not an issue at least Not for me.

Your profile shows Germany -> not a high fraud country

[Gregory&Dyn 113]

It depends on the country and embassy involved. The Philippines is a high fraud country and continued financial support could potentially be frowned upon. The receipts are not considered evidence of an ongoing relationship and will do nothing to enhance your chances of approval. On the flip side, multiple money transactions could be a serious red flag. I would leave them out.

[Blondie26 43]

Your profile shows Germany -> not a high fraud country

Yes but i am a Nigerian living in Germany with a Nigerian passport.

I understand the fact that it could be frowned at but it is Not necessarily a red flag. Äs an african,

It only proves the man is taking care of business. But cultures are different anyways. And so are embassies.

I Wish you good luck in Your Petition .

[Parendel 0]

Yes but i am a Nigerian living in Germany with a Nigerian passport.

I understand the fact that it could be frowned at but it is Not necessarily a red flag. Äs an african,

It only proves the man is taking care of business. But cultures are different anyways. And so are embassies.

I Wish you good luck in Your Petition .

Thank you. The truth of the matter is, lack is evidence could very well be an issue for me. Which is one of the reasons I was hoping that my ongoing financial support could be used. Of course now I know it can't be. I only have Facebook chat logs dating back to 2014, and my call logs on Skype definitely leave something to be desired. But again, I'm just going to have to submit what I have, cross my fingers, and hope for the best.

[Russ&Caro 1,548]

Gregory&Dyn's advice looks solid to me.

My wife and I knew each other almost 9 years before we filed for a CR1 visa. We included select chat logs, etc. We sent 2 or 3 pics from each visit along with receipts of purchased tix. We did not send Western Union receipts. Didn't think they were useful in our case. We paid for an hour of initial consultation with an attorney but he told us we had a pretty straightforward case and advised us to file on our own, which we did.

Good luck!

[aratamorne 164]

I will join Gregory & Din, in stating that a lawyer is unnecessary unless you have a very complicated case. As log as there are no criminal backgrounds or waiver requirements for past petitions, you should be fine. We did not even submit the reams of paper that Gregory & Din submitted. Copies of pics to prove we met, passport stamps, and plane tickets that showed us on the same flight, etc, but i think my entire package was 25-30 pages.

Aside from an initial on a Cenomar instead of the full middle name(don't ask, still a sore subject), everything went quite smoothly. They never even asked for chat logs, LBC receipts for Balikbayan, Skype records, or the photo album Annalyn put together during the interview.

Beyond these forums, hit up Greenbaum's website, he takes you through the entire process specifically for the Philippines step by step. Link below.

http://dennyeyberg.wixsite.com/filipino-am-visa

Good Luck,