Do They Take Travel Arrangements Into Consideration

[TreverR 21]

My fiance has her interview in august however we are planning on her traveling to the US in February as we are planning to have a ceremony both in the Philippines and in the US.  I know the visa is usually granted pretty quickly after the interview and then you usually have 6 months to travel to the US.  

I was wondering do they take travel plans and arrangements into consideration at the interview? Or is the best thing to do is delay the interview and extend the approval notice? I know on the interview ds160 they ask about it in the questionnaire.  The interview date is August 22, and we plan on flying back together on February 25th (ish). 

 

Thanks!

Edited July 13, 2019 by TreverR

[geowrian 22,336]

No, they work on their own schedule.

 

It is highly suggested not to do any sort of ceremony prior to entry on the K-1 visa. It can result in being denied entry.

Enter the US, marry, file for AOS + AP + EAD. Once the AP is granted, then you can have whatever celebration you want abroad.

 

Edit: To clarify the timeline, the visa will be valid for up to 6 months, but constrained by the validity of the medical. The medical is typically valid for up to 6 months.

Edited July 13, 2019 by geowrian

[Daphne . 1,692]

23 minutes ago, TreverR said:

My fiance has her interview in august however we are planning on her traveling to the US in February as we are planning to have a ceremony both in the Philippines and in the US.  I know the visa is usually granted pretty quickly after the interview and then you usually have 6 months to travel to the US.  

I was wondering do they take travel plans and arrangements into consideration at the interview? Or is the best thing to do is delay the interview and extend the approval notice? I know on the interview ds160 they ask about it in the questionnaire.  The interview date is August 22, and we plan on flying back together on February 25th (ish). 

 

Thanks!

So if I understand correctly, the K1 visa process might end quicker than you would want, correct? Meanning that she might have her visa already but she will not travel until February?

Please keep in mind that her medical is valid for 6 months and she would need a new medical in case the application gets extended and she has a later interview date.

 

BUT: I would suggest making the visa process the leading factor in this, not your personal schedules/preferences. To look at it from the bright side: a lot of people wished they had the 'luxury' of having the visa too quickly 😉

[payxibka 10,044]

40 minutes ago, TreverR said:

My fiance has her interview in august however we are planning on her traveling to the US in February as we are planning to have a ceremony both in the Philippines and in the US.  I know the visa is usually granted pretty quickly after the interview and then you usually have 6 months to travel to the US.  

I was wondering do they take travel plans and arrangements into consideration at the interview? Or is the best thing to do is delay the interview and extend the approval notice? I know on the interview ds160 they ask about it in the questionnaire.  The interview date is August 22, and we plan on flying back together on February 25th (ish). 

 

Thanks!

They don't take travel plans into consideration but you can since you control when the interview occurs

[Crazy Cat 39,375]

1 hour ago, TreverR said:

My fiance has her interview in august however we are planning on her traveling to the US in February as we are planning to have a ceremony both in the Philippines and in the US.  I know the visa is usually granted pretty quickly after the interview and then you usually have 6 months to travel to the US.  

I was wondering do they take travel plans and arrangements into consideration at the interview? Or is the best thing to do is delay the interview and extend the approval notice? I know on the interview ds160 they ask about it in the questionnaire.  The interview date is August 22, and we plan on flying back together on February 25th (ish). 

 

Thanks!

Are you planning a ceremony in PI before she travels to the US via her K-1?  If so, you need to re-think that idea.  

[TreverR 21]

Oh so doing that is a big no no, even when it's not legal?  Hmm well guess we should rethink it then.  Glad I'm bringing this up now. 

[Crazy Cat 39,375]

3 minutes ago, TreverR said:

Oh so doing that is a big no no, even when it's not legal?  Hmm well guess we should rethink it then.  Glad I'm bringing this up now. 

There are numerous cases here in which ceremonies were seen by immigration authorities as marriages.........It is best to avoid anything which could be seen as a marriage until after legal marriage inside the US........

[TreverR 21]

That's really unfortunate since, as with many people can relate, her parents cant be here to witness it, and getting time off to go back may be very difficult.  So was hoping to pull off something after the interviews been done and we have been issued the Visa.  Was reading that that could then be interpreted as visa fraud back in the states.  

 

So to clarify, even if we are issued the visa and try to do something like that before hand,  we could still run into trouble? Where would we run into trouble afterwards? When submitting the AOS? 

[payxibka 10,044]

37 minutes ago, TreverR said:

That's really unfortunate since, as with many people can relate, her parents cant be here to witness it, and getting time off to go back may be very difficult.  So was hoping to pull off something after the interviews been done and we have been issued the Visa.  Was reading that that could then be interpreted as visa fraud back in the states.  

 

So to clarify, even if we are issued the visa and try to do something like that before hand,  we could still run into trouble? Where would we run into trouble afterwards? When submitting the AOS? 

AOS, ROC, citizenship 

[Lemonslice 4,567]

1 hour ago, TreverR said:

That's really unfortunate since, as with many people can relate, her parents cant be here to witness it, and getting time off to go back may be very difficult.  So was hoping to pull off something after the interviews been done and we have been issued the Visa.  Was reading that that could then be interpreted as visa fraud back in the states.  

 

So to clarify, even if we are issued the visa and try to do something like that before hand,  we could still run into trouble? Where would we run into trouble afterwards? When submitting the AOS? 

You could have, and you still can, get married over there with her family if it's important for you two. Then you apply for a spousal visa. 

Edited July 13, 2019 by Lemonslice

[Falcon Cara 378]

3 hours ago, TreverR said:

That's really unfortunate since, as with many people can relate, her parents cant be here to witness it, and getting time off to go back may be very difficult.  So was hoping to pull off something after the interviews been done and we have been issued the Visa.  Was reading that that could then be interpreted as visa fraud back in the states.  

 

So to clarify, even if we are issued the visa and try to do something like that before hand,  we could still run into trouble? Where would we run into trouble afterwards? When submitting the AOS? 

Just have a big party at a hotel or at some cool event place.  Slaughter a couple of cows and have a couple of pigs roasted, get a lot of drinks and beer and rent a Video K machine and have a party celebration.  You will be fine doing that, don't try to have a mock wedding at a church.

 

 

[Loren Y 2,732]

28 minutes ago, Falcon Cara said:

Just have a big party at a hotel or at some cool event place.  Slaughter a couple of cows and have a couple of pigs roasted, get a lot of drinks and beer and rent a Video K machine and have a party celebration.  You will be fine doing that, don't try to have a mock wedding at a church.

 

 

Exactly what I did!! Put a budget of 1000 US dollars on the table for a blow out party. It was insane the party we had ( Not even close to wedding themed). I got to pick out the pigs and kill them myself, same with the chickens ( Those things are fast) had enough Tiger Beer, and other alcohol to float an ark. It was a serious block party, must have had 100 people there and it was a great time that took about a day in a half of prep. I think the people in the town are still talking about the " Farang" that threw the party last November. Were going back this November and I may just do it again it was such a blast. We partied all night for the price of one bottle of liquor at a club here in Vegas ( Seriously, bottle service at a club here is outrageous). Had pork dishes, chicken dishes, tons of deserts, sodas and ice cream for the kids, we had a few cakes done with our photos on them. This is how you should celebrate.

[TreverR 21]

Yeah that's a good option. Well thanks again everyone.  I appreciate the quick responses!.

[Nitas_man 3,100]

13 hours ago, TreverR said:

My fiance has her interview in august however we are planning on her traveling to the US in February as we are planning to have a ceremony both in the Philippines and in the US.  I know the visa is usually granted pretty quickly after the interview and then you usually have 6 months to travel to the US.  

I was wondering do they take travel plans and arrangements into consideration at the interview? Or is the best thing to do is delay the interview and extend the approval notice? I know on the interview ds160 they ask about it in the questionnaire.  The interview date is August 22, and we plan on flying back together on February 25th (ish). 

 

Thanks!

Having a ceremony before you leave is a bad idea.  Please reconsider.

[Carpe Vinum 2,310]

13 hours ago, TreverR said:

Oh so doing that is a big no no, even when it's not legal?  Hmm well guess we should rethink it then.  Glad I'm bringing this up now. 

If you want to have some kind of party there that is fine but just don't do the dance in front of the priest in the Philippines until you get married in the US on a K1. We are going back on our one year anniversary and having some sort of party/ceremony for her family. Good luck!