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Who are we? For over 20 years, VisaJourney has been your one-stop immigration community for Work, Student and Family Visas (K1 & IR1 Visas), Green Cards, US Citizenship, DACA, the Diversity Lottery and all other topics. Share your experiences and relax -- you are not alone!
Trending Immigration DiscussionsTopic Popularity Poster #1 Addressing 6+ month gap in employment as a K1?
Work and Travel Discussion- smilingstone
#2 Green Card Interview at Embassy
IR1/CR1 Visa Discussion- gmf3000
#3 2-year Conditional Green card received / PCSing for 3yrs in Okinawa, Japan - justinemaaaae
#4 Waiting After Interview
US Citizen Family Discussion- muhammadj
#5 Beneficiary traveling while K1 is in process
K1 Visa Discussion- JF083
Community SpotlightAbandoned AOS and now regret it
Mariammaria posted a topic in Adjustment of Status Case Filing and Progress Reports,
Please be nice, I know I made a mistake... But got my K1 approved and arrived in the US June 25, 2024 and applied for AOS February 25, 2025 -- then left the US (abandoned my AOS). Will I be banned for re-entry to the US -- even under a spouse visa?-
- 32 replies
US Citizen with Foreign Fiancé: When and How to Get Married?
gandalf1989 posted a topic in IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures,
I'm currently living and working in the United States. My fiancé currently lives in Japan. We have been dating for about 6 months, and we have met in person several times, but we are not yet married.
My fiancé will be visiting me in the United States on a tourist visa some time in March or April and staying for about 3 months. I want to file for a fiance/spouse visa asap -- what's next?-
- 15 replies
N400: Admitted to Weed during Green Card (was it a crime I was not arrested for?)
Left Over posted a topic in US Citizenship General Discussion,
To start, marijuana is illegal in my country of origin. When I was applying for my green card I admitted to trying marijuana when I was in my 20's (I'm 49 now). I got my green card and have lived in the US for 5 years. I'm in the process of applying for citizenship. What answer should I give to the question: "Have you EVER committed, agreed to commit, asked someone else to commit, helped commit, or tried to commit a crime or offense for which you were NOT arrested? Yes or No" given that I admitted to past marijuana use during the GC process?-
- 30 replies
Fiancée threatened with deportation by customs agent after arriving at airport for false accusations. How concerned should we be?
deletedUser21321 posted a topic in K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports,
Firstly, I want to get some things clear because I know everyone will say this otherwise:
We are seeing an immigration attorney for consultation soon. We've already printed out several documents to prove that my fiancée is not coming here with the intent to live here for the future until they get the K-1 Visa... Now, Heres the actual story...- 53 replies
Fiance or Marriage Visa in 2025 ? Pros and cons?
KandB posted a topic in What Visa Do I Need - Family Based Immigration,
I'm 23F 🇨🇿, my partner is 29M 🇺🇲
We want to get our visa going sometime this year and want to be together as soon as possible but we are still unsure which visa would serve us better. I'd like to get married in my home country but on the other side i wouldn't mind getting married paperwise in the US and waiting for my work permit and etc if it would allow us to be together faster and then save up for and have our dream wedding in my home country.
What do you think ? All of this is so overwhelming and confusing and we just want to do the right thing.
I asked the same question on reddit, so many people recommended me to go with fiance visa, two suggested marriage visa. I need more input and advice from experienced people. Thank you
Ps: is it possible to have dual citizenship so i don't lose one from my home country? How does that work ?- 31 replies
Recent Immigration DiscussionsDS-160 Other names used question- Problem! 10:08 am today
Scorpio82
Read 29 Times
1 RepliesHow does the beneficiary indicate if they use a nickname for their given name? The option for other names requires you to write other "given" name AND "surname", but in my fiancee's case it is only her "given" name that is the nickname. Her surname is the same. I am left with only three options: write her normal surname in "other surname" and include the nickname; write "none" in "other surname" and include the nickname; or not include this information at all. Neither of these options seems the most ideal!
Anyone else have this issue?
Overcoming Immigration Setbacks: Lessons from a Five-Year Journey 9:14 am today
Ma Daniel
Read 62 Times
3 RepliesFive years ago, I shared our heartbreak when my spouse's visa was denied due to a mistake from a previous application. At the time, the negative comments and skepticism from some made an already painful situation even harder to process. But despite the setbacks, we refused to give up.
Over the years, we navigated legal complexities, faced countless obstacles, and sought the help of a knowledgeable immigration lawyer. The road was long, frustrating, and at times felt impossible but we stayed determined.
And today, I m beyond grateful to share that my spouse s visa has finally been approved! It took patience, resilience, and unwavering belief in our journey. To anyone experiencing setbacks in their immigration process: don t let negativity shake your confidence. Get informed, seek legal guidance, and keep pushing forward.
If our story can be a source of hope for even one person going through the same battle, then sharing it was worth it. You are not alone keep fighting for what matters!
Police Clearance 11:54 pm yesterday
jacabatic
Read 54 Times
2 RepliesMy Fianc worked OFW in Qatar (2015-2017 & 2017-2019), Singapore 2024 (8 months)
She now is back in the Philippines, How is she able to obtain her Police Clearance Records in the Philippines?
Filing for K1 VISA
Thank you
Where is the USCIS online account number? 11:10 pm yesterday
Meredith48
Read 70 Times
2 RepliesI tried dozens of tutorials trying to find it and there is no place where to find it in my account, not even in the emails for confirmation, there is not even a "profile" section in my account.
I am filling the N400 and i am stuck where it says, USCIS online account number
K1 to green Card Visa Journey 9:47 pm yesterday
Simsimba
Read 97 Times
2 RepliesHi all,
After months of going through the K1 visa process and the Adjustment Of Status (AOS), I thought I would share my experience in a post. The information I found on this forum was immensely valuable and I thought I would give back to the community.
I am a French citizen and my now husband is an American citizen.
The K1 VISA:
We filed the I-129F in early November 2023 with all required documentation. We included pictures summarizing our 8 year long-distance relationship as well as plane, train tickets and passport stamps. The I-129F was approved in 4 months (early April 2024).
Then one of the most frustrating parts began: our case being at the NVC. It stayed there for over 3 months. At this point, we had no information on the reasons why the case was not send to the American embassy in Paris. We just had to be patient.
When the file was FINALLY received by the US embassy (late July 2025), I was able to book an appointment. There were no slots before early December 2025. So another 4 months of waiting... In the meantime, I did my medical exams late September 2025 in Paris as well. Closer to the appointment date I received an email saying that the embassy appointment reservation system had migrated. This was a total mess. My appointment was kept but the visa type had switched to an obscure special radio broadcaster visa! I tried over and over to have it fixed but the customer service was the most useless I have ever experienced. At the end, this error did not impact my appointment. I hope the new appointment system works better now.
When it is time to go to the embassy, be prepared to arrive early as there are thorough security checks. And do not bring any laptops or large bags or you will be denied entry. You can bring your phone but you will have to leave it in a case. Inside, you have to stand in line for ~3hours with nothing to do. Then a first consular officer checks your documentation. They just asked for the basic required documents (DS-160, appointment letter, passport, ID pictures, sealed medical exam, birth certificate, etc). The only unexpected document they asked for was the letter from my husband asking for the I-129F extension (it expired early August 2025). I had it but I did not think they would actually want it. After this, I moved to another officer who interviewed me. They asked me basic questions (the interview lasted 5mn):
- When was the last time you saw your fiance?
- How many times did you see each other?
- Have you ever done anything illegal?
I was approved right away and received my passport with the visa a few days later.
The AOS:
On January the 15th, I flew to the US (San Francisco) with the K1 VISA. We married 10 days later and I filed the I-485 (AOS) and I-765 (work authorization) early February. It was a bit painful to gather all the documentation but we managed to do it. In the process, we received only one RFE regarding form I-864 Affidavit of Support. We had not submitted the correct tax transcripts. Be sure to send over the tax RETURN transcripts (the very long ones). As a side note, for European citizens, the multilingual birth certificates they provide in Europe do work for the AOS! No need to pay for a certified translation.
After the RFE, everything went smoothly and quickly. I got my biometrics appointment early March, received the work authorization mid-april and got interviewed by an USCIS officer early May! Our case was transfered to the San Jose field office. The USCIS officer was really nice, asked some questions about our relationships and looked at the pictures we provided. The questions were:
- How did you first meet?
- What was your favourite travel?
- Have you met each other's family?
- Other questions that I don't remember but none of them were tricky.
They told us that they would certainly approve us. We were approved the next day! And I received my green card a couple days later. We were very impressed by how quick our case was handled (3 months!).
Also a side note: on my USCIS online account, the estimated processing time for the work authorization was accurate. The one for the green card was not at all (it was showing something like 20 or so months).
If you have any questions, do not hesitate :).