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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

Good to see these developments! Not sure if this was posted already. https://www.uscis.gov/i-751

As a dentist I'm trying to wrap my head around this very simple complex maxillary dental surgery.

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.

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 !

I wouldn't even consider marriage to someone I haven't met in person.

Step 1: Actually meet.....several times....regardless of your choice of a K-1 or spousal visa. I would not, under any circumstances, marry on the first visit. That would be a gigantic red flag. A LOT of time actually together is extremely important for high fraud countries.

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.

This may be out of category but letting everyone that I started the K-1 process back in July 2024. it took a while. She went to the American Embassy in Manila August 2025 for her interview. she was shot down because her name on her birth certificate did not match her passport, drivers lic etc. So she had to come home to have all that redone etc. It was done! She is here with me now here in Avondale Arizona and we got married Feb. 28th. All that took longer than I thought and I got scared, worried but Praise God it all went thru and I have the love of my life with me and my family. Now we have to take the next steps to allow her to work etc. I did everything myself and did not go thru a lawyer or third party. <Names Deleted>.....PS. I want to thank everyone who gave me info etc to help us along.

(Important Update) Good morning. As some of you are aware, my wife and I appeared in court yesterday regarding her immigration matter. We traveled approximately two hours to Northern Virginia, departing our home at 7:30 a.m. for a scheduled 10:30 a.m. hearing. We arrived at the courthouse at approximately 9:30 a.m., completed security screening, and proceeded to the courtroom. Upon arrival, we were instructed to wait for our attorney. She arrived at approximately 10:00 a.m. This was our first in-person meeting, as her office is located in Northern Virginia. After a brief introduction, counsel entered the courtroom to notify the court of our presence. Counsel later advised us that there would be a delay of approximately 20–30 minutes due to the judge presiding over another matter. After that period, we were called into the courtroom. My wife, our attorney, and I appeared before the court. The judge requested identification from the respondent and entered appearances for both parties. From the outset, the judge appeared focused and attentive, particularly in addressing government counsel. The judge then called my wife to the witness stand, where she was sworn in. The court questioned our attorney regarding the completion of background and security checks for my wife and our daughter before they entered into the United States. The judge reviewed the records in detail and directed government counsel to review the same documentation. Government counsel was then allowed to question my wife. The questions posed were limited in number and scope, and all directly reflected information already contained in the Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. Following this examination and review of the record, the judge rendered an oral decision. The court stated: “I grant your Adjustment of Status, effective immediately.” At that moment, my wife was released from the witness stand, and we embraced, overwhelmed with relief, as the court acknowledged the ruling. The judge further stated on the record that he regretted that this case had proceeded to court, noting that it could have been resolved administratively with minimal effort. He admonished government counsel against bringing unnecessary matters before the court. The judge then advised my wife that if her Permanent Resident Card is not received within a few weeks, she should contact her attorney, who may then contact the court directly. The proceedings concluded with the judge offering congratulations and an apology for the undue burden imposed by the case. We are profoundly grateful and relieved. The matter has been resolved, and justice was served. (We were told by our lawyer she will email us the judges decison as soon as possible, just to have )

I finally did it. Today, I officially became a U.S. citizen. The journey wasn’t easy. I went through a difficult marriage, faced painful decisions, and carried a lot of fear about my future. There were moments when I felt overwhelmed and unsure of what would happen next. My citizenship interview went smoothly, and now I can proudly say: I am a U.S. citizen. I’m grateful for this members of this group that help me with some of my questions thank you

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 😃

Let me ask you point blank, do you have a genuine marriage? If you do, then the option is still to focus on your marriage and build proper evidence together. If your wife visits you now, use that time to gather photos, family involvement, financial records, travel records, and other proof to show your relationship is real and ongoing. A short visit (multiple) will help, but ideally, spending more time together is what will really strengthen your case. Divorce????? if you are really thinking it will be an easy fix it is absolutely not. it may create more red flags as people are suggesting here. If you don't then the premise to apply for any family based visa is null and void. I think you want to hear something from the community here, but unfortunately most of us will not give you any advice with are not per the law of the land.

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?

To be honest, you face an uphill battle on several fronts. I have never seen a first meeting waiver granted. @TBoneTX is right. Chances are none. You have a difficult path ahead. Good luck.

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.

Anyone wondering what happened to my case. I went to YYZ pre-clearance at first she said she doesnt know if it applies to K1. but she sent me to secondary inspection they did 20-30 min research without asking much and they revalidated it under AVR until the original date.

Interview scheduled for July 1st. Arrived thinking she would have a combo I751/N400. After talking to the officer at the front desk, he said there would be no need for the I751 interview as everything was already approved and the only thing today would be the N400 interview. I was asked to wait in the car until she was done. I was only waiting for about 10 minutes and she came back out, I thought.. Oh no, what's happened now. But to my relief, she passed the interview. Although we had came prepared for anything and brought a binder of original paperwork, she was not asked for anything. Simply asked her 6 questions (which she answered correctly). Gave a reading and writing test, then told her that she had passed. The also told her to return after lunch for the Oath Ceremony. So all in all, it was an very quick and easy process. Everyone at the Montgomery, AL USCIS office were very nice and professional.

The more you meet the better, of course. What's more important, is it going to be a strong marriage if you only spent total of 3 weeks together?

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 suggest you seek professional help immediately.

In these situations, the applicant normally knows why the visa was actually denied. I think something else was said or discovered during the interview. That "reason" of traveling together doesn't sound legit to me.

I sympathize with the challenges, but I stress this to everyone when I get the chance: DO NOT RELY ON CHATGPT FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT FACTUAL INFORMATION. That is not what an LLM is for, it predicts which words should follow each other based on the prompt. It can get facts right, but it will happily tell you something that is not true at all, especially if you ask it something outside the data set it has been trained on.

One option might be to just leave EVERYTHING in the maiden name until she naturalizes. I see potential issues with a "new" marriage.

it's rather difficult for anyone to offer meaningful advice when the full story is not given.

I'm not arguing. I'm telling it like it is. This is not going to work. It would only work if your husband had this problem and also needed you and you only as a caregiver during the treatment. You asked for advice. You're getting it straight. If you have no other options, that does not change the facts or my advice. If there really is no other place to get this treatment, it will just have to wait. It costs only your time to try though. I wouldn't get your hopes up.

Greetings to y'all following this thread. My immigration journey officially ENDED today after my oath of allegiance ceremony this afternoon in Irving Texas field office. I'm now officially a US CITIZEN. Thanks to you All for your untimely support. Wishing to those who are still waiting a great and successful outcome with their different cases. More Approval to you All.

Greetings to y'all following this thread. My immigration journey officially ENDED today after my oath of allegiance ceremony this afternoon in Irving Texas field office. I'm now officially a US CITIZEN. Thanks to you All for your untimely support. Wishing to those who are still waiting a great and successful outcome with their different cases. More Approval to you All.

But you have clearly never been through an immigration process with USCIS. You came here looking for advice and guidance; just because you don’t like what you’re hearing doesn’t mean everyone is being pessimistic. They’re being realistic and informing you of the laws that exist that are, in fact, absolute.

We had a smooth entrance to the US, entering about 2 years and a week after our legal marriage. I mentioned this to the immigration officer as he was finalizing our entrance (the entire process took maybe 3 minutes) and he said "Oh, hmm I wonder if I could go ahead and change you an IR-1." The agent right next to him said "Yes, you can do that" and he acted surprised. (He actually scribbled something out he already wrote on the visa and changed it to IR-1 haha I hope it's valid!) His comments made it pretty clear he was going to erroneously issue us a CR-1 and he seemed to not even know he could change the visa status until his coworker advised him (THANK GOODNESS she overheard!). I don't know how onerous the process is to correct such an oversight but I'm glad we didn't have to find out! Just wanted to pass this along in the hopes it saves someone from any problems with the wrong stamp being placed in the passport, as I've read about here before.... I would kindly remind the officer "We married >2 years ago. We can enter with an IR-1 visa now right?

This would be a good case to consult with a lawyer on. Aside from the things Crazy Cat brought up, it’s not the norm for 28 year-old Honduran women in the United States without status to marry 55 year-old American men for love. That’s not a judgment on your relationship, but a statement of fact about the overall societal norms here. Combined with the multiple green card marriages and divorces, this is going to raise multiple red flags for USCIS and State.

OK, and you can prove you were going back for a job or similar, with a leave of absence just for a vacation? You didn't give up your home or sell your car? Just that in the current climate and administration I'd make sure you have plenty of evidence that you didn't intend to stay when you entered, particularly as you entered together. It may be seen as suspicious that your fiancée was planning on leaving you to go and live in another country. As long as you've got evidence of your plan to return to overcome any doubts, and you're happy to not work for quite some time, then go for it. Follow the guide CrazyCat gave you above, and best of luck.

If your son's life really depends on getting treatment in the U.S., as a mother she should absofreakinglutely allow you to bring him on your own to get treated. It's absurd to think that you would allow your son to suffer because you and your wife don't seem to think you're capable of caring for him. If it's really that urgent, you should do everything in your power to help him, even if it means his mom can't come with him. And even with the strongest of ties to Morocco, the chances of her getting a B2 are slim to none. You're attacking the people who you came to asking for help, if you don't want to listen, that's you're prerogative BUT don't bite the hand that feeds you. Just saying'.

Today I had my interview and I was approved

Our interviews held yesterday, naturalization approved. Our timeline: March 9, 2025 N-400 filed online (5 years completed on February 5, 2025) March 9, 2025 Acknowledgement: We received your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and sent you a receipt notice. March 31, 2025 We scheduled you for a biometrics appointment at the Applications Support Center, Oakland March 31, 2025 FBI was unable to process your fingerprints. To continue processing your application, USCIS must collect your biometrics again. This will be completed at no additional expense to you. Please appear at the below Application Support Center (ASC) at the date and time specified. We scheduled you for a biometrics appointment on April 15, 2025 at the Applications Support Center, Oakland April 15, 2025 Biometrics taken again; told that no further visits would be necessary April 15, 2025 We are actively reviewing your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. Our records showed nothing is outstanding at this time. June 30, 2025 Email received: Interview Scheduled for August 4, 2025; hard copy delivered a few days later by USPS Aug 4, 2025 Interviews for both held together by the same officer; naturalization approved; immediately went for oath ceremony; after oath, certificate was issued Thanks to all of you. If you have any questions, I will be happy to reply.

Yes, very likely it's going to be an issue.

He probably meant "we did not get married OR applied for AOS". Come on, let's not make crazy assumptions even if OP left the day after entering on K-1.

There is often a big difference in doing a domestic adoption and an adoption for emigration/immigration. A domestic adoption may give the adopting parents legal parental rights within the country, but not meet the requirements for immigration to the US. If you haven’t already done so, especially if you are considering doing this yourself, you should spend time thoroughly reviewing the following information from the State Department: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Intercountry-Adoption-Country-Information/Philippines.html. In just a quick skim of this information, for example, I saw a requirement that may possibly be an issue for you. Under the “Who Can Adopt” section, it states that there cannot be a more than 45 year difference between the age of the child and the age of the adopting parent(s). Hard to tell about your wife without actual dates, but there was clearly more than 45 years between your age and the child’s age when the adoption was finalized. The above information applies to a Hague Adoption Convention, which is the usual way to do an adoption for immigration from the Philippines. It’s clear that your adoption doesn’t qualify for immigration under the Hague process, but you need to be aware of the requirements because you need to establish that the Convention requirements don’t apply to your adoption. Once you do that, you need to follow the USCIS Family-Based Adoption Process which will include filing an I-130 petition for your child. (Note: The I-800A is used to determine that the prospective adopting parents are suitable as parents for adopting a child from a Hague Convention Country. This is not appropriate for your case, a domestic adoption.). Review the USCIS requirements to see if you qualify for an adoption for immigration under the Family-Based requirements at: https://www.uscis.gov/adoption/immigration-through-adoption/family-based-petition-process and https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-5.

Your husband should have been served when she filed for divorce. He should know where it was filed. Your lawyer needs to earn his fee and find that divorce decree. I would be more worried that you were not informed of this divorce and how he did not submit the decree at the time of filling.

To be fair Nigeria is in a category of its own.

OP, on the parenting side, I went through this when my wife's daughter came from Vietnam. She didn't like school because she was still learning English and missed her friends. Of course it was "easier" there. She was also living with grandparents before my wife and I met so she only lived with us in Vietnam less than two years befofre moving to the US. She came when she was 14. She said back then that as soon as she finishes school she was moving back to Vietnam. Well, four years later and she is well adjusted and doesn't want to move back any longer. It's a tough age to be thrown into a move to the US. He will be fine in a few years.