Those who've had interview - frontloading, good or bad?

[<3T&M<3 217]

Great discussion. I think other newbies will greatly benefit from this!

[JoelThai 313]

It is apparent that various Embassies have different requirements for evidence of ongoing relationship and have differing concerns that need to be addressed with evidence.   I believe that there is no generic answer to how to best assemble and present your evidence of relationship.  In other words, "One Size does not Fit All".

 

I recommend two things that can help...

 

1) Review the discussions that are relevant to the Embassy that the beneficiary will be interviewed at.    Many of these discussions can be found in the Regional Discussion forums here on Visa Journey.  Look for the Sub Forum which best matches the Embassy that will review your K1 Visa Application.

 

2) Look for others who have recently completed their interviews at the Embassy that will review your K1 Visa and reach out to them via the Private Message feature.   I have found that those I reached out to were willing to answer questions and provided me with very useful information specific to my Embassy.   I used the Visa Journey Visa Timeline tool to locate these members.

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/k1list.php

 

It does sound like the OP has received excellent advice from fellow members that have interviewed at their Embassy.

 

[JoelThai 313]

5 hours ago, ThomasNC1988 said:

A lot of people seem to loose sight of the fact that the K-1 is essentially 2 parts. Part 1 which is the I-129f is purely plain and simply to establish that you have met the requirements to submit the visa application. Those requirements being that you are both free to marry, intend to marry, and have met in person in the last two years. Part two at the embassy is when they care if you have a legitimate relationship. Granted everything you submit in part 1 is carried over to part 2, but there is no evidence to suggest that submitting it early is of any benefit or consequence.

 

I agree with my fellow Thai petitioner here with his interpretation, especially for processing at the Bangkok Embassy in Thailand.   The instructions for the current i-129f does not specifically ask for evidence of an ongoing relationship, but it does ask for evidence that a meeting has taken place in the prior 24 months. 

 

Specifically, the i-129f instructions state:  

 

"Item Numbers 53. - 54. Have you and your fiancé(e) met in person during the two years immediately before filing this petition? Indicate whether you and your fiancé(e) have seen each other in person during the two year period immediately before to filing your petition. Select “N/A” if the benifciary is your spouse.

If you respond “Yes” to Item Number 53., use Item Number 54. to describe the circumstances of your in-person meeting. Attach evidence to demonstrate that you were in each other’s physical presence during the required two year period.

 

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-129finstr.pdf

 

Specific to the Bangkok Embassy, they document that Evidence of an Ongoing Relationship is to be submitted at the time of the interview.

 

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS BELOW MUST BE PRESENTED AT THE INTERVIEW

These do not need to be mailed to the IV unit at this stage, however we strongly recommend gathering this information in anticipation of your interview.

 

EVIDENCE OF RELATIONSHIP: The visa applicant is required to provide evidence of his/her relationship with the petitioner at the interview (excluding employment-based applicants). Such evidence includes photographs, letters, emails, and/or any other evidence that demonstrates your relationship with the petitioner. Note that petitioners are not permitted to be present at the interview and failure to submit evidence will delay your case.

https://th.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/2017/03/k-packet-3-instruction-mar2017-english.pdf

 

But, there does seem to be precedence to front load the i-129f, as discussed by other Visa Journey members, especially for meeting the needs of certain embassies.  But my attention has been focused on the requirements of the Bangkok Embassy.   So, I recommend finding specifics for the embassy that the Beneficiary will be interviewing at.   See my prior post for suggestions on how to try to determine the needs of other embassies.

 

Edited March 4, 2018 by JoelThai

[o0o 133]

5 hours ago, ThomasNC1988 said:

There has never been an RFE for an 129-f for further proof of relationship because zero proof of relationship is required. Now there are lots and lots of RFEs for proof of in person meeting which has nothing to do with if you are in a real relationship. I'm not saying don't use lots of proof of relationship at the embassy stage when it is required, but zero proof that you care about each other in the slightest is requested or required at the USCIS stage. People seem to forget that the vast majority of people going through the process are not on Visa Journey and just simply follow the directions and the vast majority of 129-fs are approved. It't the American Government it is a bureaucracy at its core. Just follow the directions and you will be fine. I'm speaking purely about the I-129f not about the actual visa application. A lot of people seem to loose sight of the fact that the K-1 is essentially 2 parts. Part 1 which is the I-129f is purely plain and simply to establish that you have met the requirements to submit the visa application. Those requirements being that you are both free to marry, intend to marry, and have met in person in the last two years. Part two at the embassy is when they care if you have a legitimate relationship. Granted everything you submit in part 1 is carried over to part 2, but there is no evidence to suggest that submitting it early is of any benefit or consequence.

definitely hit the nail on the head here. I too did not provide proof of relationship per se, just what was required and about 10 photos showing us together for proof of meeting, along w/ passport stamps and boarding passes. Everything else was proof that we're free to marry and I'm a U.S. citizen. No RFE, interview is soon.

 

To me it seems frontloading is the defacto way of doing thing b/c everyone throws the term around and usually the couple is approved, but what we dont know is if not frontloading would bare the same result, however it seems most assume 'no', but really we don't know if that's the case. Like saying, putting your socks on before you put your pants on is faster, and we spread the word to everyone, but is it really faster? Maybe not a good analogy but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[JoelThai 313]

9 minutes ago, o0o said:

definitely hit the nail on the head here. I too did not provide proof of relationship per se, just what was required and about 10 photos showing us together for proof of meeting, along w/ passport stamps and boarding passes. Everything else was proof that we're free to marry and I'm a U.S. citizen. No RFE, interview is soon.

I looked at your timeline.   3 more days to interview...   Good luck to you!     Let us know how everything goes.    Your experience will be very helpful for those that follow in your footsteps.  

 

Edit:   Does Nigeria require evidence of an on going relationship be brought to the interview?

 

Edit 2:   It seems that they do....

Other Supporting Documents: Bring evidence of the ongoing relationship you have with the applicant, including, but not limited to:

 Photographs

 Chat logs from social media (DO NOT print them in a word document – they MUST be printed directly from the site)

 Phone records showing both phone numbers and duration of call

 Email correspondence (DO NOT print them in a word document)

https://photos.state.gov/libraries/nigeria/487468/pdfs/K1_Packet_Final-042016.pdf

Edited March 4, 2018 by JoelThai

[OlayemiLoray 172]

12 minutes ago, JoelThai said:

I looked at your timeline.   3 more days to interview...   Good luck to you!     Let us know how everything goes.    Your experience will be very helpful for those that follow in your footsteps.  

 

Edit:   Does Nigeria require evidence of an on going relationship be brought to the interview?

 

Edit 2:   It seems that they do....

Other Supporting Documents: Bring evidence of the ongoing relationship you have with the applicant, including, but not limited to:

 Photographs

 Chat logs from social media (DO NOT print them in a word document – they MUST be printed directly from the site)

 Phone records showing both phone numbers and duration of call

 Email correspondence (DO NOT print them in a word document)

https://photos.state.gov/libraries/nigeria/487468/pdfs/K1_Packet_Final-042016.pdf

Yes they do require more evidence just as Ghana to show an ongoing relationship...Those two are the toughest embassies as mentioned, but more so Ghana...  @o0o wishing you well on your interview...We are not too far behind you...

[NikLR 13,220]

Reason to front load:

The CO never has to look at any evidence presented on interview day.  They often review a file BEFORE the interview and make a preliminary decision based on the file.  In places like Nigeria, Ghana, China, Pakistan, Morocco, and other other high fraud countries, it is a good idea to introduce quality evidence of a relationship BEFORE interview (aka with the I-129F or I-130.)  Do not wait until interview day to present evidence to a CO.  

 

The OP was correct in their evidence choices and manner of submission.  

Edited March 4, 2018 by NikLR

[o0o 133]

35 minutes ago, JoelThai said:

I looked at your timeline.   3 more days to interview...   Good luck to you!     Let us know how everything goes.    Your experience will be very helpful for those that follow in your footsteps.  

 

Edit:   Does Nigeria require evidence of an on going relationship be brought to the interview?

 

Edit 2:   It seems that they do....

Other Supporting Documents: Bring evidence of the ongoing relationship you have with the applicant, including, but not limited to:

 Photographs

 Chat logs from social media (DO NOT print them in a word document – they MUST be printed directly from the site)

 Phone records showing both phone numbers and duration of call

 Email correspondence (DO NOT print them in a word document)

https://photos.state.gov/libraries/nigeria/487468/pdfs/K1_Packet_Final-042016.pdf

 

20 minutes ago, OlayemiLoray said:

Yes they do require more evidence just as Ghana to show an ongoing relationship...Those two are the toughest embassies as mentioned, but more so Ghana...  @o0o wishing you well on your interview...We are not too far behind you...

Correct, so yea, we have all the docs lined up, pics, chat, receipts, all that stuff.

 

Thanks! We're praying for a good outcome; we're viewing it as though she's already approved, it's just a formality to verify or confirm all the information we've provided henceforth. We've been practicing all the various questions I've read for Lagos Nigeria Embassy and other general fiancee visa interview questions I've found on various websites, just in case. At any rate, she'll be prepared and confident of any questions since we've practiced beforehand.

 

Good news is that I've talked with a few that recently had interviews and were approved as well in Nigeria. One of which only had 1 page of a collage of 6 pics and 1 page of whatsapp screenshots--so only two pages of proof; he petitioned his fiancee. I do feel women beneficiaries may have higher approvals then men in Nigeria but I have no data to prove that. Ghana is super tough though from what I've heard and read...

[j&ana 363]

One of the reason I hear people write for not frontloading is the reason that that the person at the USCIS  has to read thru all the pages.  Why do you think that?. Do you actually think they read every page that is sent in with applicant ? The basic requirement will let them know that. All they have to do is see if the person qualifies. If  the person at USCIS  choose to do so They might look  at more evidence So I will say it will help more then it will hurt if for some reason they needed that little bit more info

 

Edited March 4, 2018 by j&ana

[Jaquelly 1,647]

17 hours ago, JFH said:

This should be your motto: quality over quantity. It looks like you're on the right track with that. If you look around these forums you'll see people thinking they need to send 5,000 pages of Facebook messages or 2,000 pages of "I love you" and heart emojis from their iPhone. That sort of stuff is not necessary. If you're including messages, make sure they are quality messages that show a regular, normal relationship. We included messages where we spoke about money, work, mutual friends, what colour curtains to buy, where to spend thanksgiving, my sister's pregnancy, etc, etc. The type of stuff regular couples would talk about over dinner or at home after work. 

 

In the thread you have posted, the OP was given bad advice not to front-load for two reasons - she is going through one of the most difficult embassies of all (Ghana) and this is her second K-1 petition in a few years. The respondent from the U.K. probably has no idea how tough Ghana is and also how much differently family is viewed there. For example she said "they don't care about his friends" but in Ghana it's all about being accepted by the family and village. I am from the U.K. and my mother has never met my husband. We've been a couple for 6 years and married 3.5. That's not a problem in the U.K., the home of the nuclear family, but definitely wouldn't fly in Ghana. I am a member of a forum specifically for people from the U.K. going through this process and there are posters on there that say you only have to send the absolute bare minimum. That's not something that would work for the majority of embassies (and I'm skeptical about that approach even for the U.K.). 

Which is exactly why, in that thread, I apologized and said that I was wrong. Not sure if any of you got that far, but I did apologize and admit that I did not understand.

 

I've given out lots of help to K-1 filers since I've been on VJ. I was told, and have read, not to front load many times. I sent in exactly what was requested and didn't have issues. I won't be offering help anymore.

[JoelThai 313]

4 minutes ago, j&ana said:

One of the reason I hear people write for not frontloading is the reason that that the person at the USCIS  has to read thru all the pages. Why do you think that?. all they have to do is see if the person qualifies. If  the person at USCIS  choose to do so They might look  at more evidence if they are not sure.

 

Submitted evidence can both qualify or disqualify an applicant.   That is a good reason why all submitted evidence is reviewed.  For example, just this week a petitioner received an RFE because he included a statement and pictures that he and his Beneficiary had a "traditional wedding" in the Beneficiaries country.   The RFE was to submit a certificate of marriage.   So, in this case, too much evidence will likely disqualify the K1 petition.

 

The USCIS  adjudicator will not ignore disqualifying evidence.

[janet3 1,170]

20 hours ago, <3T&M<3 said:

Hello new friends,

I sent my I-129F off Wednesday. I was so proud of myself for front-loading my petition with the following information:

 

A print out of video chat records.

A screen shot of the total texts sent between us.

A letter from my mother saying she is happy and accepts my fiance into our family.

A 5 page print-out of texts between us - just for evidence I guess...

I included my flight receipts for those two trips I have already purchased (I am visiting again in 4 weeks and also in June/July.)

 

my question? I have recently been told it is a really bad idea to front load. I am scared now. I am hoping to hear from those of you with experience - who have already reached the interview stage, perhaps - about whether you believe this is very harmful? I feel that this sort of information should be pinned for everyone to see :/ If it really is that detrimental.

 

Thank you so much,

T & M

I am going to chime in on this one....my husband (fiance on a K1 visa) is from Algeria. I filed my 129f in February 2017......with copies of plane tickets, passport stamps, and 6 photos (from one meeting)......

And then I found this site......when I read all of the reviews (about MENA countries), I wished I had done what you did....submit more informartion..logs, screen shots...I would have felt a little more secure at the interview ......so NO.....never worry about submitting too much information regarding communication between you two or the validity of your relationship....

Edited March 4, 2018 by janet3

[OlayemiLoray 172]

14 minutes ago, o0o said:

 

Correct, so yea, we have all the docs lined up, pics, chat, receipts, all that stuff.

 

Thanks! We're praying for a good outcome; we're viewing it as though she's already approved, it's just a formality to verify or confirm all the information we've provided henceforth. We've been practicing all the various questions I've read for Lagos Nigeria Embassy and other general fiancee visa interview questions I've found on various websites, just in case. At any rate, she'll be prepared and confident of any questions since we've practiced beforehand.

 

Good news is that I've talked with a few that recently had interviews and were approved as well in Nigeria. One of which only had 1 page of a collage of 6 pics and 1 page of whatsapp screenshots--so only two pages of proof; he petitioned his fiancee. I do feel women beneficiaries may have higher approvals then men in Nigeria but I have no data to prove that. Ghana is super tough though from what I've heard and read...

You are welcome...Yes people have been getting approved left and right in Nigeria and you are next....My husband and I have been doing the same, mock interviews and doing well might I add...There are quite of few women I know who are having a hard time with Ghana Embassies although they have submitted sufficient evidence proving a genuine relationship...I just pray we all make it in this journey because it is definitely not for the weak or the faint of the heart..

[j&ana 363]

8 minutes ago, JoelThai said:

Submitted evidence can both qualify or disqualify an applicant.   That is a good reason why all submitted evidence is reviewed.  For example, just this week a petitioner received an RFE because he included a statement and pictures that he and his Beneficiary had a "traditional wedding" in the Beneficiaries country.   The RFE was to submit a certificate of marriage.   So, in this case, too much evidence will likely disqualify the K1 petition.

 

The USCIS  adjudicator will not ignore disqualifying evidence.

that does not prove that sending in more proof  is bad, that just prove that you should be careful of what you send. Why would you send something that could be perceive as a real wedding when you are doing a fiancée visa of course if the person at USCIS see evidence of a wedding for a k-I visa they are going to start looking more

Edited March 4, 2018 by j&ana

[j&ana 363]

51 minutes ago, Jaquelly said:

Which is exactly why, in that thread, I apologized and said that I was wrong. Not sure if any of you got that far, but I did apologize and admit that I did not understand.

 

I've given out lots of help to K-1 filers since I've been on VJ. I was told, and have read, not to front load many times. I sent in exactly what was requested and didn't have issues. I won't be offering help anymore.

if you have help people you should still keep helping people everyone has bad days or make mistakes

Edited March 4, 2018 by j&ana