Seeking advice on K1 process

[akaliquidsnake 0]

Hi i'm new here and i'm currently living in England whilst my fiance lives in Oregon in the USA.

I just need some general pointers as to what to do as both my fiance and myself are getting frustrated and we both obviously Love each other dearly. She means the world to me.

My questions are this.

1. If She files for the K1 I-129f will I still be able to visit her at christmas while it's being dealt with ? OR ! is it better to file after I visit ?

2. I have read so much on here already and as helpful as it is, it's also "VERY" overwhelming. How long will it take to process as im in the uk ?

3. If it gets accepted and then to stage 2, do I then recieve everything in the post so as to fill it out at my end and post it to the embassy ?

4. I read about the medical, do I have that prior to my interview ? and where would it be ? I just wondered if there are accepted hospitals in other countries that they must use as people cant just fly to the states and then back for an interview ?

5. How strict is the medical ?

6. Everything seems so much right now. Plus my fiance is not working currently so could we possibly get 2 co sponsors and if she got a job how much does she need to be earning for us to be accepted ? An immigration lawyer told us in Oregon it was roughly $17,500 ?

7. I have read and understood all the forms for the petition, but whilst it's being processed until it's approved and I recieve my package, can we still see each other ?

8. it seems a minefield of information. what sort of information do they require from me ? I currently have a personal loan , though im working. are my finances taken into account ? I have been with my employer for 20yrs and i've never broken the law. Do they check my bank statements as well and see what i earn ?

9. How long can we expect to wait if we file now for me to be accepted for a k1 visa as im in the uk ?

Apologies if i've repeated anything but we seriously need some advice from those who have been through this.

Our only other option was to get married regardless , like alot of genuine people all we want to do is get on with our lives and live together. Sadly we have realised this is NOT so simple.

Once started on this route im sure it's very simple if they know it's genuine.

I did think about hiring an immigration lawyer to assist us with it all ? Would that be wise ? or should we save the money and just follow the paperwork ?

Any tips on what to do would be hugely recieved

TY

mark

[gwenneh 7]

To take your questions in order:

1. Yes, you can visit during the K-1 process. You may or may not be questioned more closely upon entry to the US, as by filing the K-1 you've just declared your intent to immigrate. Bring any and all proof of ties to the UK - mortgage statements/tenancy agreement, council tax bills, school registration, letter from your job confirming when you will be back, current utility bills, etc. - so if you are questioned, you can prove that you will be returning.

2. The process varies in time scale. At the moment, 8 months to a year seems to be the norm, with some people waiting up to 90 days to get their initial Notice of Action. It depends on your service center and the luck of the draw.

3. If the petition is approved, the Embassy mails you a packet. In this packet is a list of all of the supporting information you will need to collect, like police clearances and tax information, as well as the actual application. When you are done, you post some of this back to the Embassy and they will schedule you an interview.

4. The medical should be done before the interview; doing it at the same time will delay your visa processing. There is only one approved facility for the medical and it is in London, at Bentinck.

5. The medical is looking for evidence of communicable diseases that pose a threat to public health, like TB or HIV. They are very strict when it comes to those things! They are also fairly strict when it comes to drug use, too - some VJers can attest to that.

6. The best thing to do is have your fiance get a job so that they can sponsor you. They must meet 125% of the poverty guidelines (http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_1327.html) for your household size. You are allowed one co-sponsor. If your fiance can't meet that guideline, then the co-sponsor must be able to.

7. Yes, you can see each other. See question 1.

8. Your finances, debt, employment history, etc. are not taken into account, your criminal history will be. Anything you have ever been convicted of comes back to haunt you!

9. The processing time will vary; as I said, 8 months to a year seems fairly standard at the moment, but that is subject to change. "Back in the day" you could (and we did!) et the initial approval in a week and were through the process in four months...now it seems to be taking nearly that long for the initial approval to come through for some people. The timelines on this site might help, as a lot of it depends on what service center you are filing at, etc.

10. Hiring a lawyer may help, or it may hinder. Most people agree that if you have a straightforward case (no criminal convictions, etc.) and can thoroughly read the forms that using VisaJourney is enough to get you through the process without one - myself and my husband being case and point! However if you are not comfortable with the forms or have complications, a lawyer might be useful if you know you're going to need to file a waiver.

Best of luck - it's not easy!!

[RosemarieL 0]

Hi i'm new here and i'm currently living in England whilst my fiance lives in Oregon in the USA.

I just need some general pointers as to what to do as both my fiance and myself are getting frustrated and we both obviously Love each other dearly. She means the world to me.

My questions are this.

1. If She files for the K1 I-129f will I still be able to visit her at christmas while it's being dealt with ? OR ! is it better to file after I visit ? I have visited my fiance while the K1 Petition was being processed. Make sure you have ties to home with you when you travel in case you get asked for them.

2. I have read so much on here already and as helpful as it is, it's also "VERY" overwhelming. How long will it take to process as im in the uk ? It's taken around 8 months for me but it with the current slow down I would estimate 9-10 months

3. If it gets accepted and then to stage 2, do I then recieve everything in the post so as to fill it out at my end and post it to the embassy ? After approval the petition is sent to NVC who give it a LND case number and forward it to the embassy. The embassy will then send you Packet 3 with full instructions. It is worth ordering a Police Certificate from the police station around your estimated NOA2 approval date as it takes 40 days to arrive from the receipt of your application but is valid for 1 year from issue.

4. I read about the medical, do I have that prior to my interview ? and where would it be ? I just wondered if there are accepted hospitals in other countries that they must use as people cant just fly to the states and then back for an interview ? The medical will take place at Knightsbridge Doctors near Bond Street in London

5. How strict is the medical ? Check the UK forums for reviews of the medical

6. Everything seems so much right now. Plus my fiance is not working currently so could we possibly get 2 co sponsors and if she got a job how much does she need to be earning for us to be accepted ? An immigration lawyer told us in Oregon it was roughly $17,500 ?

7. I have read and understood all the forms for the petition, but whilst it's being processed until it's approved and I recieve my package, can we still see each other ? You must convince the border guard at immigration that you do not intend to marry and adjust status. There is a thread about this which would be worth you searching for and reading. When I visited I told them I was staying with a friend.

8. it seems a minefield of information. what sort of information do they require from me ? I currently have a personal loan , though im working. are my finances taken into account ? I have been with my employer for 20yrs and i've never broken the law. Do they check my bank statements as well and see what i earn ? They are not interested in your income. If you have a lot of savings then this could be used to prove that you will not be a burden on the US Government when you come over on the visa.

9. How long can we expect to wait if we file now for me to be accepted for a k1 visa as im in the uk ? Probably around 9-10 months but there are no guarantees

Apologies if i've repeated anything but we seriously need some advice from those who have been through this.

Our only other option was to get married regardless , like alot of genuine people all we want to do is get on with our lives and live together. Sadly we have realised this is NOT so simple.

Once started on this route im sure it's very simple if they know it's genuine.

I did think about hiring an immigration lawyer to assist us with it all ? Would that be wise ? or should we save the money and just follow the paperwork ?

Any tips on what to do would be hugely recieved

TY

mark

See my replies in red.

[Bforbarree 4]

Hi Mark,

It looks like you've got a lot of helpful answers to you questions, I just wanted to add a quick note.

I am a USC, we filed in July, and I came to the Uk in October to be with my Fiance, so yes, you can see each other after you petition for the K1!

We also found this to be very daunting before we started the process....but once the packet is sent off it's mainly a waiting game.......where you have plenty of time to wish that you had started sooner instead of being intimidated and overwhelmed!

This website is an amazing resource, I am so thankful for it! I agree, if your case is straight forward you don't need an attorney, most any questions can be answered by a quick "search and read" on this site.....and if not you can always ask. It took some time and patience to get all the info together (but we would have had to do that anyway, even if we hired an attorney). We follow the instruction provided on this site, they are very thorough, and as recommended we use registered mail (return reciept) and a personal check. Once it has gone you start to worry, this way we knew that (and when) it arrived and once the check cleared we knew it has been opened at the service center.

I hope you decide to get started soon.

Good Luck!

[Ladylethal 12]

Don't forget to read the guides and the FAQs to get a better view of the entire process and not get lost in all the terms.