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First I want to thank this community! The advice, the pool of knowledge available here and just the feeling of belonging that most members project is such a source of comfort during this crazy process. I don't know if Jaycel and I would have maintained our sanity if we didn't have our fellow travelers to lean on. So thank you all so very much! 8 Months and 2 weeks from application received to card in hand. (And exactly 4 years from the day we started talking ) No RFEs and EAD in 51 days. Pretty happy with that timeline! Now we get a break from USCIS for the next 21 months Our full timeline in case it's helpful to anyone else: I-129F Receipt Date: 09/18/2023 I-129F RFE: 05/20/2024 I-129F RFE Response Received: 06/01/2024 I-129F Approved: 06/04/2024 I-129F Sent to DOS: 06/11/2024 DOS Case # Assigned: 07/01/2024 K1-FTP: 07/16/2024 Embassy Interview: 08/13/2024 (Approved) Visa in Hand: 08/20/2024 Entered the US: 08/30/2024 Married: 10/25/2024 AOS Receipt Date: 11/18/2024 Biometrics: 12/26/2024 EAD Approved: 01/08/2025 Interview Scheduled: 06/16/2025 Interview Attended: 07/23/2025 I-485 Approved: 06/16/2025 Green Card Received: 08/01/2025

Sounds like you are getting your wake-up call now. This site is here to help people do it themselves, but you came here only after starting without doing the homework part. You are going to have some hard decisions to make, and must get your head around accepting a path and timing you don't like. The sooner you drop the "I'm not going to...." from your mind, the sooner you can move ahead productively.

Folks I strongly recommend that everyone with a pending VAWA application carry a copy of their USCIS receipt notice and a copy of their I-94. Having these documents on hand ensures that if stopped by ICE, you can present official documentation from Immigration to verify your status. I have always advised my clients that they could travel abroad with advance parole. However, last week, I emailed all of them, advising against traveling abroad with advance parole for the time being. While VAWA petitioners do not trigger the 3/10-year ban, there is currently uncertainty about how CBP will handle cases involving VAWA petitioners who were previously without status and left the country, then attempt to reenter. Legally speaking, it should not pose an issue, but due to these uncertainties, I recommended they refrain from traveling abroad for now.

Why did you not have a plan for providing health insurance for your wife? It is your responsibility, as the petitioner.

Getting married before ever meeting in person, then applying for the spousal visa immediately after that first and only meeting, is a blueprint for how to get a spousal visa denied. During the visa interview, the consular officer must be convinced that the marriage is a valid marriage and not one just for immigration purposes. With just one meeting — that occurred after the marriage — that will be very difficult. Waivers for the two-year meeting requirement for a fiancée visa are extremely rare for a reason. People can be far different in person than they appear online. Having two young children that make travel planning more complicated is not a reason for a waiver. Waivers for the “consummation” meeting after the wedding are non-existent. There is no provision for this meeting to be waived. Even if there were, it would not be approved in a case where it means the couple would have never met at all before the immigrant visa was issued. You will need to figure out how to meet — perhaps in a third country so you don’t have to travel as far and he doesn’t need a US visa. Even without it being a requirement, I would urge anyone (especially with young children involved) to meet before marrying anyone and bringing them into a household

Your posts are coming across as very aggressive to people who are just trying to help. All I said is that flights were leaving in 2020 so the pandemic wouldn't be a valid reason for overstaying that long. There's nothing you can do but wait and see what happens. What document was requested on the 221g?

Sounds like you dodged a bullet. Take time to heal and move on. You acknowledge this man hurt you. This marriage would not have ended well.

Wasn't there a thread couple days ago about a USC woman who brought a Pakistani husband in and he took off after getting his 10-yr green card. I'd read that before deciding to proceed with this guy. Plenty of red flags already flying - refused visas, wants to get married fast...

After such a long journey the day is here. My wife passed her citizenship exam and we are awaiting the naturalization ceremony. I am so excited for her !

You got a green card that you weren’t eligible for, and then citizenship that you weren’t eligible for either. As @nastra30 said, it will be a long drawn out process before your citizenship is revoked and you’re deported. Your call, but if it was me I would just return to my home country rather than facing the stress and expense of all of that, and to reunite with my children much sooner too.

Way too many red flags and you know this or you would not be posting. This is how I am seeing it. She came in and applied for asylum. She is well aware that she has a slim chance of being successful of it being granted. She married you, stalled as long as she could to keep stringing you along to stay out of the home (not really being married because her church said so). I would bet money she has someone coaching her. She has outright told you she is in it for the GC. She's not doing this for the kids and church. Tells you to go find someone else because she is in love with her (probably husband and child's father) in her home country. Once she gets that green card she is going to bounce and then bring him over. Please pull the AOS now and talk to a lawyer.

This is not the intention of K-1 visa. The idea is that you know for sure you're marrying the person before sponsoring them for visa. People are not toys you can return to store within 90 day period. They're leaving their home, family, friends, jobs, everything they have to rely on you for some time until they can settle in new and totally different place which is USA. It would be totally irresponsible and immoral to break somebody's life like this by betraying them in their most vulnerable moment. Now, to the question... Prenup does not waive your I-864 obligations to US government.

You are coming across as quite entitled. Legal immigration involves planning and waiting. Most of us here have had to do loads of planning and waiting in our journeys. No one else is more special than the next person.

OP: There are things I must now say and I hope it does not cause offense. You say you love him. He does not love you. He is an abuser. He will harm you, and he *has* caused harm to you. He has caused harm to others. At some point you knew all of this, and at some point you reasoned that through your love, compassion, and kindness that this would make him stop being abusive. That he would change via your love or even worse, that you are the problem. It is a lie. A lie that people in these relationships tell themselves to survive. There is nothing more to be done now. Move on from him and find someone that understands your worth and actually loves you. Not just the idea of you, or an imagining of you - but actually loves and respects you for you. From a period of three years of my young life long ago, I once learned what it was like to love an abuser. The places it took me were harmful and will effect me for the rest of my days. They will destroy you until there isn't anything left and nothing will make them happier in doing so. I know how much I desperately loved that person and I know that now I look back on it and feel nothing for them. You will move on, grow, and love again.

Your main challenge will be your partner having a very recent history of SH. From my understanding, and comments made directly from the panel physician at my medical, they are concerned with matters that have occurred within the last 12 months. Clearly your partner continues to struggle with severe mental health problems, but the only way to combat this for visa purposes is to evidence an effort to seek help and trying to get better. If your partner is continually being given support but their circumstances are not improving, then I am not sure how you would go about this. USCIS' main concern here is that the immigrant won't be a public charge, and a strong pattern of requiring emergency medical assistance doesn't seem to indicate as much. If it were me, I would be considering a move from US to Canada instead, to allow your partner to still have the avenues of support available to them as a Canadian citizen. You say they don't have problems while with you in the US, but let me say from first hand experience as a K1, the time that you move and find yourself at home alone, while your partner is at work, away from your family and everything you once knew, it can get hard. There's a chance that your partner may not fare so well when the "vacation mode" of visiting ends and real life sinks in. Wishing you the best of luck in your journey.

That's pretty strange that a husband would not want his wife to legalize. Any reasonable spouse, if wanting to continue building joint life, would help their immigrant spouse to get the legal papers. Looks like a toxic relationship. Why is she staying married to this person? Without his cooperation, she has no protections.

Now not so secret

So you chose to ignore all the warnings in your previous thread and go ahead with this plan anyway. No. She was granted a green card based on the assumption that she would be living with her USC parent, who petitioned her for family reunification, not to take her to the US to live with her grandparents. You don't seem to realize how serious this is. Green cards can be revoked if found out to be granted in error or as a result of misrepresentation.

Sorry to hear of this misfortune. Prayers for both of you. Since 2007 on VisaJourney, I've never heard of a K-1 being expedited for the stated reasons. I've never heard of the in-person meeting requirement's being waived, for ANY reason. If he hasn't even filed the I-129F, I regret to report that you can forget both of these. The chances are zero. As to what I would do in your shoes: Provide love and support from afar until the pancreatic cancer or the chemotherapy take their inevitable toll. Prayers for both of you.

I had my oath ceremony today! Finally done with all the visa stuff. Soooo happy ❤️ 3/31 online filing under 5 year rule 4/16 interview scheduled 5/30 interview 7/22 oath

Because Marriage does NOT grant ANY legal status or authorization to stay in the US. When the I-485 was denied, she immediately became deportable since it was beyond the authorized 90 days. If she then immediately refiled a PROPER I-485, she should be granted authorized stay until the new I-485 is adjudicated. However, now that she has a court date, she better get an attorney TODAY! Seems to me her only defense will be that she refiled the I-485. This is not DIY. This is pretty serious.

It’s a huge ask of anybody, I don’t think any stranger would agree to be on the hook financially for potentially decades for somebody they don’t even know. But I’m amazed your lawyer suggested you try to find somebody on an anonymous internet forum when it sounds like you already qualify yourself - frankly I’d be firing him and demanding a refund for that atrocious advice! It’s not ‘forward thinking’, it’s basic immigration knowledge. And if he doesn’t know that I’d be worried about what else he’s missed.

I would find another DMV office. You are already legally married, else, she would not have been issued a Green card. I don't recall my state requiring our marriage license. They wanted proof that she is legally present int he US.

Alright then, as promised, report from new US citizen 🤠 Had an interview in the morning. Had a long wait (approx an hour) in the waiting area. Glad my lawyer was with me, since she kept listening to my name being called while I went to the restroom and also was a great source of entertainment (OK, not only entertainment, we went through questions few more times). Got called by a IO lady, she was about 30-35 y.o. She welcomed me and my attorney, told there's going to be trainee in the interview, then took to the room. After swearing in, she asked for my passport, GC, DL. Confirmed my name. Then she went through civics questions, it was a breeze. Same reading / writing on tablet. I got all 6 questions right, so she resumed with N-400 application. She confirmed few personal questions, address, work etc. Interestingly enough, she (I feel like) made a couple of mistakes on purpose reading my travel dates and other dates on form. For example, she said "so you were back from Italy on September 6th, 2024?" But I knew it was September 10th, so I answered "No officer, it was September 10th". Then she apologized for reading incorrectly. And it was 2-3 questions like it. The she asked me how many times I was married, and more importantly, who lives at my address. When I replied "Just me and my wife", she asked whether anybody else lived with us. When I said "No", she proceeded asking about whether at any point me my wife lived apart. At that moment my attorney immediately jumped in, and pretty much told IO it's a 5 year rule application, and these questions are irrelevant. IO got visibly dissapointed (😃), proceeded with Yes and No questions. After those questions I double checked my answers and details on tablet and signed it. Then IO was pleased to announce I passed the exam and the interview. She also told me they had same day ceremony available about 1.5 hrs later. I surely agreed 😃 The longest wait in my life was sitting in the other area for 1.5 hrs, mostly starring at US and DHS flags. I kinda reflected at that point and thought that paying a lawyer wasn't a bad idea, even though my case was easy and straightforward. I brought about 400 pages of various evidence including marriage bonafides. I brought all J1, work visa docs, marriage cert for our marriage, divorce papers for my wife's prior marriage, her naturalization cert, all passports and IDs, my naturalization cert from other country, my birth cert and translations. Essentially I was ready to fight to the end, no matter what they would have asked I had it. But I feel like my lawyer helped keeping interview short and focused. All and all, I feel like it took about 15-20 mins max. Eventually, me and other folks got in a different room, had our GCs taken away, and read the oath together! After ceremony we got naturalization certs and checked the details before leaving. I'm super happy the way everything went. I'll keep disagreeing with anybody who says N-400 is the easiest part. No, officer could have made it hell if I wasn't prepared, went without a lawyer, wasn't confident or didn't listen carefully. Good luck to everybody still waiting ! Next stop - need to apply for passport 😃

Public Charge determination or financial support is not even considered or applicable in the Naturalization process. They are non-issues. I can tell you that the N-400 was, by far, the easiest part of the immigration process for us. It was a piece of cake from application to approval.

The Kiwi is a citizen! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸. Applied 11/29/24 under the 5 year rule. He brought all our tax transcripts and civil documents, but the officer didn’t need to look at any of them. He was asked 6 questions, got all right. The timing of having an afternoon appointment in Seattle was great, we waited about half an hour for the oath ceremony. Sitting there as a born American, I realized that many don’t ever get to attend one- it was an honor, and so interesting. Everyone was SO happy ❤️🇺🇸.

Your case is not taking a long time because of any "investigation". It's just sitting in a queue, waiting for a human to spend less than an average of 30 minutes with it before approving, sending an RFE, or denying. You file an I-130 into a black hole and wait. Then you deal with NVC and wait for an available interview appointment. Having the proper expectations allows you to be prepared, and more relaxed as you wait.

This looks like abusive relationship to me. He must enjoy having a total control over her life. Wawa comes to mind.

Let me lay some heavy advice on you. The US Federal Government knows way more about you and your habits than you do. During my trip to SE Asia with my Filipina fiance'; we traveled to may places. It was her first time out of the Phills. After our travels, We parted ways and took different flights to our respective homes. When I returned, the CBP asked me what countries I traveled to. I was exhausted and I could not remember everything. I just told him "I can't remember them all, you will just have to look it up". He smiled and said, "Oh you knew I already had the answer to the question as soon as you stepped off the plane?" I said, "are you kidding me, I should ask you if my fiance made it home safely". He said "hold on." Click click on the keyboard. "Yup, she made it to Cebu safely" I was not surprised in the least. I said, "thanks for letting me know." He said, "no problem and welcome home" So, yes they ARE going to check your travel records. They know everything. The US Treasury trades information real time with CBP. As soon as you hit the purchase button on the American Airlines website, CBP knows all about your plans. How did the CBP know who my fiance was? Easy, I purchased the plane tickets in the Phills with my US credit card with me and my fiances name. I purchased the ticket for her to get to Cebu, under her name. I should have asked him if she took a p!$$ on the plane too, he probably knew the answer. CBP uses algos (AI). So while your fiance may not have technically broken the law, she violated the spirit of the law. The visa is not for her to live in the USA with an American boyfriend, playing house for months at a time. An education visa is for formal education and not sex education. Also, even if you are lucky to get a K1 visa, the CBP is the sole arbitrator whether she gets in or not. If they are having a bad day, you are $h!t out of luck. So if a CBP was upset with you or your fiance, take heed. Say "I'm sorry, may I have another. It will not happen again.". They hold your happiness in their hands. I agree with the others here. She needs to stay away for a very long time to "clear the deck". Most of us wait over a year for our fiance's to get here. You need to stand in line like the rest of us. Good luck. Please do not play with fire.

An NOA2 is approval of the I-129f...not approval of the visa. You know the risks of having anything which could be interpreted as a marriage. Personally, I would not do that. 50 people? Just wait until you are officially married in the US.

Try to walk in and do biometrics late. Just apologize and explain everything. Before the trip

I am an Immigrant

Please fill out your timeline. You'd have eliminated a number of questions ahead of time, had you done so. https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=481781 Immigration is a privilege, not a right. Your partner is not entitled to live in the US any more than you are entitled to live in her country. Tossing comments around like skipping the queue and having an overall bad attitude isn't going to help your family on this journey. As many have stated, it is 100% possible for you to return to the US, establish domicile and work while your wife and child are in her home country. Many, many of us have done it. You are not special in any way when it comes to this situation. Immigration takes time, money and patience, end of story.

RED ALERT!!!!! Red flags all over this case.......Caution is advised!!!! Sounds like he might be visa shopping for any visa which will allow him to set foot in the US.

You seem to just want to hear that everything is fine and your visa is approved, and you get mad at everyone who is telling you otherwise. The "girl" is not who approves visas, so whatever she told you has very little value. You have a choice: you can take all the advice that has been given by very experienced VJ members and learn from it. Or you can continue to be mad at everyone and everything and get nowhere.

Your marriage date is before the end date of your prior marriage. That's not going to work. Surely, you were required to sign something saying you were unmarried, in order to get a marriage license in Georgia or any other place. You have committed two crimes, bigamy, and fraud. You cannot immigrate to the USA based on this marriage.

You didn't fill out your timeline, no location given, no background given. We can't provide input if you don't provide info. USC - petitioner - older than you? How did you meet? Where? You as beneficiary - background info, education/employment? Things that are different - religion, prior marriages?

She can certainly seek an emergency appointment Neither you or your son need a visa, begs the question why do you not fly today when it is so urgent?

The consulate doesn't advise on visas at all, you'd need an immigration lawyer if you have questions or want info. They will just direct you to the USCIS website where you can find all of the info you need. FWIW, I agree that the spouse visa is the best option from what you've said. Good luck.

I completed my joint I-751 and N-400 (3-year rule) at the Federal Plaza in Manhattan this week. I arrived at around 8:05 a.m., and my interview was scheduled for 8:45 a.m. The security asked to see the interview letter and our government IDs. They asked us to wait in line outside the doors, but by 8:20, I went to the security stationed right outside the door and told him that our appointment was at 8:45. He made us go inside, and we had to go through the X-ray machines. They asked us to remove everything – belts, jewelry, except our rings and shoes, unless you were wearing sneakers. Afterwards, we went up to the 8th floor. We went to the window to provide the appointment letter and my green card. They stamped it and gave us our queue number. There were probably around 20-30 people in the waiting room. Honestly, I was surprised because there were only a few of us who had bags, and I assumed, like us, they brought extra documents for the interview. At 8:39, an officer called us to follow him inside. When we got to the room, he asked for the stamped interview letter, state IDs, and my green card. He took my picture, and then my trouble started. The system won’t accept my prints for some reason. He restarted his systems 3x, and after about 10-15 minutes, we finally got my fingerprint accepted by the system. Thankfully, I had a very nice officer, and he was joking with us while I kept on trying Purell, alcohol, and lotion to get my prints. He said I probably wash the dishes a lot. And I said my husband does the dishes as well, though! In a way, I think it was a great opportunity for the officer to see that we had a legitimate marriage. After swearing us in, these are the questions I remember: To Husband: - What is your wife’s full name - Birth date - When did you meet - What are the names of her parents - Have you ever met her parents? When and where? - What is her job - Where does she work To me: - Where are you from - What’s your address - When and where did you meet your husband - How many (step) kids do you have and their ages - Do they live with you - What is your husband’s job and where does he work Civics questions: - Name one American Indian tribe - Who did the US fight in WWII - When was the Constitution written - Name one branch of the government - When do we celebrate Independence Day Read and write: Who lives at the White House? The President lives at the White House. By the way, my husband stayed in the room while I did the N-400 interview/ exam. After the reading and writing assessment, he congratulated me and told me that I passed, and told me that I will receive a letter when the oath-taking is scheduled. He walks us back to the waiting room and hands me the paper stating that I passed. It was all over by 9:10. When I got outside, I checked my emails, and I got the approval for I-751 around 8:55 AM and another email for N-400 at 9:16. Thank you to everyone who helped me with my immigration journey. It helped me save lawyer fees, LOL. Good luck to everyone else, and I hope you have the same experience as I did!

I'm sorry but there is no salvaging this situation. you have every right to be hurt, disappointed, sad. But try to see it from another perspective. what if you had a best friend who was going through this? Would you be telling them to try to salvage it? probably not. you are still young, with plenty of life left to live. you deserve someone who treats you like you are the most precious thing on earth no matter what. someone who genuinely cares doesn't block you and ghost you when they get a little upset. you dodged a plethora of bullets. you would have been miserable with this person in the US. take your time to grieve, 4 years is a long time with a person, but block them and move on to better and brighter things.

I remember your other post about sponsoring your kids from Nigeria. You fraudulently obtained your GC and US citizenship by deceiving your wife and US govt so the worst for you is denaturalization and possible deportation. Only a judge can denaturalize you after USCIS opens a case against you. Has your ex-wife contacted USCIS about the fraud yet? If so, you just have to wait till you hear from USCIS. Denaturalization involves a trial in federal court so USCIS will need time to examine the case carefully with their lawyers so nobody can tell you when you will hear from USCIS. I think you are going to be found out at the interview stage when your kids cases gets to the consulate for interviews. Good luck.

I married a 24 year overstay during Trumps first term. Once I dumped the Lawyer everything went smoothly(he filed expired versions of I485). Make sure your paperwork is in order, plenty of evidence and have all your ducks in a row. You are not what he is hunting down. Millions came over the boarder in the last few years and dont belong here, Those are his priority and by the time he gets that done your partner should be a citizen. Good luck and dont stress about that. Plenty of other obsticals coming your way. Good Luck

You're not above other US citizens regardless of their origin. The processing times show USCIS treats "real" and "naturalized" citizens equally, like they should according to law. By starting the divide, are you implying your Swedish wife is also lesser than you since she's foreign?

@Family @OldUser My wife and I got home from our 1 year anniversary dinner today and she got an email saying action was taken on her case. The I-485s have been approved! No notices of reopening the cases. Just straight from denied to approved. Notices should be arriving in the mail in the coming weeks.

Hi all, Just wanted to give a final update. We crossed the border on 18th october. Received our SSN on 1st November. Received our green card 8th November. Thank you for all the help and support in this group over the years. Good luck to everyone else still in the process. I wish you fast interview letters and no AP for you all. Good luck!

You are asking to jump the line in front of all the other people who no doubt think it would be nice if their beneficiary can join them.

Many of these jumps are faster and cheaper overseas compared to the hoops to jump in the US. Inability to work after entering on K-1 for 6-12 months can be considered oportunity loss. We can be talking tens of thousands of dollars that could have been earned would a person enter on CR-1. If it means spensing few days / weeks to get paperwork sorted, I'd jump through those hoops. But it's me.

Just for the record, all of my family are Republican and all have supported my decision except for my Dad's "girlfriend" she was just racist against any filipino period. My dad dropped her like a bad habit when she expressed as much, she was a left-center Democrat. Please do not generalize whole groups and this is not the place for political generalizations. You will find those types in all walks of life and all social and economic classes regardless of political affiliation. All you can do is be happy, those that want to share it without hatred or bias welcome them, those that don't do not waste time or energy on them. Life is too short.

Why would getting on a plane cause 'extreme hardship' to the children? Most kids would love that! I can't see that being a valid reason I'm afraid. If him coming to the US would take too long due to the wait for an interview, how about meeting in a third country maybe?