Mortified after check bounced. Just got my NOA1

[Thunderbolt 168]

I've paid with money order purchased at the post office. Didn't have to worry if the check would cash. Purchased it at the same time I've sent the packet with all the forms to DHS. Got NOA two weeks later.

[Verrou 1,906]

35 minutes ago, Thunderbolt said:

I've paid with money order purchased at the post office. Didn't have to worry if the check would cash. Purchased it at the same time I've sent the packet with all the forms to DHS. Got NOA two weeks later.

i never had issue paying with cheque to USCIS.  i think OP better call the bank and found out what is the reason to avoid similar thing in the future

[mc962 55]

10 hours ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

Why?

 

Presumably it's hard to get to Japan (judging from what was listed under the account name) right now from USA due to the pandemic, if not a Japanese citizen, as visa-free travel and tourism is suspended at the moment. Or maybe one of them have health issues that make travel before getting a vaccine more dangerous than average 🤷‍♂️.

Although I think going from Japan to USA, or even meeting in a 3rd country with looser restrictions, might be a little easier.

[Mackenzie Owens 2]

13 hours ago, Noname93 said:

If you already have to meet again anyway, it might make sense to just get married and then file CR-1. That way you avoid all the AOS headaches.

And wait over 2 years for the visa? That would be too difficult. Don't you have to prove that you met within 2 years for that too?
We cannot meet for an uncertain amount of time, Japan will not let me into the country, period. And my fiancé would be forced to do a 14 day quarantine if she left Japan and came back, 3 weeks of paid time off she does not have. Also she does not want to travel without a vaccine which are on a slow rollout in Japan.

I am honestly devastated but I guess if my petition which we worked so hard on really is a lost cause, and we can somehow, someway freaking meet once this year, then we could apply later this year again which would put her interview around summer/fall 2022. She leaves Japan in August of next year to go back to the Philippines. If we applied right now (not that we even can meet the 2 year requirement as well as we did 4 months ago when we applied), then we would wait for 4 entire months for a freaking NOA1, maybe have our payment accepted by the grace of god and then go through the now 1 year processing time for the application which would place her interview right at the end of her stay in Japan of summer next year, a stressful crunch time so close to having to move. 

 

I think my only hope is that we meet sometime in the next 5-6 months, apply, and next summer/fall have an interview when she is back in the Philippines.

I am honestly crushed because I have absolutely no way of knowing when I can just see my fiancé for the 1st time in almost 2 years. If I just knew when I could see her, then we could plan on applying again and it would make this feel so much less painful.

Edited March 13, 2021 by Mackenzie Owens

[Noname93 181]

10 minutes ago, Mackenzie Owens said:

And wait over 2 years for the visa? That would be too difficult. Don't you have to prove that you met within 2 years for that too?

CR-1 and K-1 take around the same time. I think CR-1 might actually be faster now. Yes, you'd still have to wait but your spouse would have a greencard immediately upon entry to the U.S and wouldn't have to wait for AOS/EAD to start working. I don't think CR-1 has a 2 year requirement but you'd need to be married to file so, yes, you would have to meet again.

 

Obviously I hope you somehow manage to save this petition, and I'm sorry that you're going through this. What I was saying is, if it comes down to having to meet to refile, you might as well use CR-1.

Edited March 13, 2021 by Noname93

[Boiler 43,865]

Especially as it seems working is so important, K1 has many disadvantages.

[mushroomspore 3,043]

22 minutes ago, Mackenzie Owens said:

And wait over 2 years for the visa? That would be too difficult. Don't you have to prove that you met within 2 years for that too?

The "two-year meeting" requirement is not part of CR1.

[JKLSemicolon 342]

7 hours ago, Mike E said:

And risk bank algorithms deciding the transaction is fraud.  

Just my own experience, but I have paid 3 different USCIS fees by credit card without issue. Once I got a text from my bank's fraud department to verify that the transaction was legit, but all I had to do was respond with "YES". I'm sure that each payment method can have its hiccups, though.

 

But since the discussion is also about possibly getting married and filing for a CR-1/IR-1 instead, know that if doing the I-130 petition online, the credit card payment is processed immediately so there is no waiting and wondering/hoping for it to clear unlike with paper-filed petitions.

[SalishSea 16,986]

2 hours ago, Mackenzie Owens said:

And wait over 2 years for the visa? 

Were you thinking the K-1 would be faster than that?  It no longer is.

2 hours ago, Mackenzie Owens said:

Don't you have to prove that you met within 2 years for that too?

Well, except that you would be married in person, so that wouldn't be an issue....

[Cathi 5,630]

I vote for the CR-1. Much less hassle, less expensive and you never have to worry about the two year meeting requirement. No matter what you have to meet again, you may as well get married and go with the superior visa(in my opinion).

[Russel1995 163]

7 hours ago, Mackenzie Owens said:

And wait over 2 years for the visa? That would be too difficult. Don't you have to prove that you met within 2 years for that too?
We cannot meet for an uncertain amount of time, Japan will not let me into the country, period. And my fiancé would be forced to do a 14 day quarantine if she left Japan and came back, 3 weeks of paid time off she does not have. Also she does not want to travel without a vaccine which are on a slow rollout in Japan.

I am honestly devastated but I guess if my petition which we worked so hard on really is a lost cause, and we can somehow, someway freaking meet once this year, then we could apply later this year again which would put her interview around summer/fall 2022. She leaves Japan in August of next year to go back to the Philippines. If we applied right now (not that we even can meet the 2 year requirement as well as we did 4 months ago when we applied), then we would wait for 4 entire months for a freaking NOA1, maybe have our payment accepted by the grace of god and then go through the now 1 year processing time for the application which would place her interview right at the end of her stay in Japan of summer next year, a stressful crunch time so close to having to move. 

 

I think my only hope is that we meet sometime in the next 5-6 months, apply, and next summer/fall have an interview when she is back in the Philippines.

I am honestly crushed because I have absolutely no way of knowing when I can just see my fiancé for the 1st time in almost 2 years. If I just knew when I could see her, then we could plan on applying again and it would make this feel so much less painful.

So by sounds of it, she is living in Japan currently (Temporary) and is whom visited you in the past?

 

If you have cash on hand, you could send her pay for the 3 weeks to cover her time off. 😅

 

Expensive but a possible solution so she can afford to take the time off to visit.  Of course I'm not sure if she'd be let in when she tells customs that she's visiting her fiance.

 

As for the CR1 that others suggested, That is a route you can take which would be less paperwork (no i485, i765, i131), less money, and benefit of a greencatd immediatly after entering the US.  But with only having 1 meeting I personally wouldn't do that.  I specifically didn't go the CR1 route as tfiancé. lines were the same and I used the k1 processing time to better know my fiance and spend more time with her in person.  But everyone's case is different.

 

Hope you can figure out the plan and weigh all the pros and cons of both petitions to better fit your situation.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Russel1995

[Noname93 181]

25 minutes ago, Russel1995 said:

As for the CR1 that others suggested, That is a route you can take which would be less paperwork (no i485, i765, i131), less money, and benefit of a greencatd immediatly after entering the US.  But with only having 1 meeting I personally wouldn't do that.

OP said that they only met once within the last 2 years, not once total. Upon checking their profile it looks like they used to both live in Japan. So having only met twice in 3 years (once 2 years ago, once later this year to get married) wouldn't necessarily be a problem.

[Russel1995 163]

1 hour ago, Noname93 said:

OP said that they only met once within the last 2 years, not once total. Upon checking their profile it looks like they used to both live in Japan. So having only met twice in 3 years (once 2 years ago, once later this year to get married) wouldn't necessarily be a problem.

Still won't hurt them to compare pros and cons of both forms.

 

Every case and situation is different.

[Mackenzie Owens 2]

Thanks for the replies, I have known her for years, we lived together in Japan and were in a relationship together before that for about 2 years. 

Would it not be likely that as the situation of Covid gets better that the K1 visa returns to its normal 8 month time frame? I understand the benefits to CR-1 but, I don't know how we can get married in a 2 week trip. Is that even possible?

Edited March 14, 2021 by Mackenzie Owens

[powerpuff 6,067]

48 minutes ago, Mackenzie Owens said:

Thanks for the replies, I have known her for years, we lived together in Japan and were in a relationship together before that for about 2 years. 

Would it not be likely that as the situation of Covid gets better that the K1 visa returns to its normal 8 month time frame? I understand the benefits to CR-1 but, I don't know how we can get married in a 2 week trip. Is that even possible?

The issue isn’t about getting it approved. Right now it takes 6-8 months. The issue is at the consulate. You’re saying she has to return to Philippines and have the interview there. I don’t know if you’re aware how many K-1 visas they processed pre pandemic but according to visa statistics they were generally between 400-600 visas issued a month. Now, Manila consulate has not done any routine K-1 interviews for a year now. I can’t imagine the backlog once they do open, it’s going to take a really long time to interview all the pending applicants.
 

CR-1 on the other hand is being processed as those are spouses of US citizens and they are in a better position during the pandemic as consulates worldwide are generally processing them. 
 

Yes I’m sure it is possible to marry in a 2 week window probably in a third country but that’s the research YOU have to undertake.

 

Visa statistics by visa class and post can be found here (K-1 can be found under non immigrant):

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics.html

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by powerpuff