Follow To Join Questions & Recommendations

[Kawika & Michelle 108]

Hi Folks,

 

It's been awhile since I posted here & as such a lot of this stuff is a little foggy in my memory. My wife & I (she came here as a K1 fiancé visa holder) need to bring her 4 year old son to the US as part of the follow to join option. Both her 4 year old & her 10 year old was included on the original K1 visa application, but only her youngest will be joining us. She received her K1 VISA on May 4th, 2023 so we are assuming that he will need to get his VISA issued to him prior to that date. What we are trying to determine now is the best way to get him here that will account for any bumps we may have along the way. He already has his passport. As far as I know & can recall from the original process, we still need to complete a DS-160 for him, complete his medical examination & finally the embassy interview. We know that we ideally need to get his medical exam done at least 2-3 months prior to his interview just in case he gets flagged for the 2 month sputum test.

 

Can I go ahead & complete the DS-160 now even if we have no plans to do anything until 2024? I'm not sure if that DS-160 is only valid for a period of time or not. Do we complete the DS-160, pay the MRV fee, then set up the interview & then schedule the medical exam? Am I forgetting anything? I know the medical exam is only valid for 6 months...so the earliest we should consider having him do the medical exam is in November or December for it to last through May. Does the medical exam need to be valid post entry into the US? I'm guessing we'll be starting his AOS shortly after he arrives in the US as well.

 

Any input or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Kawika

[Scott-Ilyn 77]

Hi,

 

DS-160 - This was the first thing that we did when doing the K2-Follow to Join process.  So, it would be okay to start this process now.

Visa Payment - Once you complete the DS-160, you can do the payment process.  There are several payment options to choose from.  Choose your most convenient option.  Keep your receipts

Interview Scheduling - Once you pay, you should start attempting to schedule the interview.  It's probably not a bad idea to start this process now since interview slots may be limited.  Check early (Philippines time) and often

Medical appointment - see details here (https://slec.ph/registration/us/visa-applicant.php).  You will need to time it correctly and your timing in your post is good.  You will need interview appointment printout,  your DS-160 confirmation page, Special Power of Attorney document allowing someone (guardian) to travel with the child and grant permission for the medical exam, the guardian's ID (passport), a copy of your passport, vaccination record, etc.  See the link above for more details because my document list is not complete.

Other info - A nice hotel is helpful because your appointments will probably be early.  The City Garden Suites Hotel was the one we chose.  It is very close to the medical and relatively close to the Embassy.

Interview - You will need similar documents for the interview plus a whole lot more.

 

I hope this is helpful.  If you need to reach out with more specific questions, feel free to respond to the post or contact me directly.

 

Scott

[IWander 581]

On 10/18/2023 at 4:08 PM, Kawika & Michelle said:

Hi Folks,

 

It's been awhile since I posted here & as such a lot of this stuff is a little foggy in my memory. My wife & I (she came here as a K1 fiancé visa holder) need to bring her 4 year old son to the US as part of the follow to join option. Both her 4 year old & her 10 year old was included on the original K1 visa application, but only her youngest will be joining us. She received her K1 VISA on May 4th, 2023 so we are assuming that he will need to get his VISA issued to him prior to that date. What we are trying to determine now is the best way to get him here that will account for any bumps we may have along the way. He already has his passport. As far as I know & can recall from the original process, we still need to complete a DS-160 for him, complete his medical examination & finally the embassy interview. We know that we ideally need to get his medical exam done at least 2-3 months prior to his interview just in case he gets flagged for the 2 month sputum test.

 

Can I go ahead & complete the DS-160 now even if we have no plans to do anything until 2024? I'm not sure if that DS-160 is only valid for a period of time or not. Do we complete the DS-160, pay the MRV fee, then set up the interview & then schedule the medical exam? Am I forgetting anything? I know the medical exam is only valid for 6 months...so the earliest we should consider having him do the medical exam is in November or December for it to last through May. Does the medical exam need to be valid post entry into the US? I'm guessing we'll be starting his AOS shortly after he arrives in the US as well.

 

Any input or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Kawika

DS 160 valid for up to one year

 

MRV fee valid up to one year

 

Medical is valid for 6 months from the day the medical was done

 

Medical needs only be valid on the day of entry.  That's why the visa will expire on the day the medical expires.  No requirement for post entry validity.

[Rocio0010 5,569]

@Kawika & Michellehow did the interview go?!

[Kawika & Michelle 108]

On 10/23/2023 at 10:38 AM, Rocio0010 said:

@Kawika & Michellehow did the interview go?!

 

Which one? Our AoS?

[Rocio0010 5,569]

19 hours ago, Kawika & Michelle said:

 

Which one? Our AoS?

Yes! Wasn't it during October?