Liz&Nate

Hello! Start with the Guides section of this site! There is a wonderful and comprehensive guide to the K1 you can follow. Basically first you have to make sure you fulfill all the requirements and then file all the forms. People here provide great help based on their own experiences! Welcome to the process.

We use Skype. It has been very cheap (if you buy credit, the calls to landlines are pretty cheap. If not, there's always Video and Voice chats through it, texts, and using it to call between iPhones or Androids).

I agree with the opinion above. You could very well be done with that but you have to make allowances for unforeseen delays. We actually moved our wedding date a couple of times, until we decided to not start organizing the wedding again until I had the visa in hand. It's one of the many reality checks you'll get going through this.

We met on a message board (non-dating related. Actually, it was a fan community for an old MTV show ) I've been part for ages. Since the community had a small but very international number of members we would organize these "meetups" through Skype, kind of like a party chat line, I guess. Very soon after he joined the message board, he started joining the meetups but never really talked much, which defeated the purpose! I started trying to get him to talk more, teasing him a bit about being so shy and getting into funny debates on subjects like Football (I was a Cowboys Fan and he was a huge Packers fan) or the quality of TV and pop culture. And that's how we got to know each other. After a few months we would skip the chat and just Skype'd with each other. The rest is history.

Like others here, I never received the Packet 3 in Mexico. My USC fiance received the invitation letter in the mail and the link for Packet 3 was there. For us it took a very short time, however, my fiance is located in El Paso, TX, which is right next to CDJ, so I suspect that has made a lot of difference in the waiting times. Hang in there, it's probably in the mail!

One thing to add: we never received the invoice ID or the Beneficiary ID numbers in the mail from NVC. Even when calling NVC, the first time they didn't give me the Beneficiary ID which delayed setting up the interview (you need the to fill out DS-260, and you need DS-260 to use the ASC appointment system) a couple of days. So if you don't get them in the mail, you can get them by calling NVC with your CDJ case number (which will be on your invitation letter). As far as I know you are only ask to present the invitation letter and the rest of packet 3 and all the forms are online.

Just for the information of people who have to go through this in Mexico, I ended up going to a couple of "form filling" services (very popular in CDJ) and got the following info for filling out the DS-260. I was told by most of them (went to 3, and mostly got a consensus) that this is supposed to be a fairly new thing (filling DS-260 online. One told me that this was an a form for an immigrant visa and I didn't need to file it, but he was obviously outdated). I ended up spending about 60 USD going to these people after going through the archives here, so maybe this will help someone else. It's a couple of common sense tidbits, but none of them seemed too obvious when I was trying to get through this.

-If you have a Border Crossing B1/B2 Visa (Laser visa) the number is on the back preceded by a "V" (This is for the new RFID chip visas). It's eight numbers and you should drop the "V".

-When filling out the petitioner part the consensus I got was that you fill it out as "spouse" and then add your fiance(e)'s info, even if applying for a K1 since you can't (obviously) be your own petitioner for K1 and none of the other options apply. One of the people I spoke to, said that he has seen people try to file as "self" because they are the primary applicant.

-This is probably common knowledge but to access the DS-260 you will need the NVC case number and the NVC invoice ID. The beneficiary ID will be needed once you start filling the form.

I am paying for my interview today (through the bank) and it came to 4550 MX Pesos. Then there's the medical, the approximate price of which is on the Juarez consulate review page

Personally I am more worried about the AOS fees. Love is expensive!

Always better to do it yourself, and I found this out after consulting several lawyers, all of which seem somewhere between confused and greedy. The process can be overwhelming sometimes, but this community is helpful and with a little patience and luck all should be fine.

Hello. I am trying to fill out my DS-260 form online but I have a couple of questions after I access the form that are troubling me. First off, maybe someone from Mexico can help me out, I have a Border Crossing Card and I can't find the number on it anywhere that fits in the visa number field. Second, I logged on as "Primary Applicant" and when I get to the part of "petitioner" I don't know whether to put "Self" since none of the other fields apply. Should my fiance just fill this out himself? This is very confusing!

Race is an issue that a considerable number of people going through this process have to face! Thanks for sharing your experience! Personally, as a Hispanic woman who is marrying a Midwestern man I can see where you are coming from. Whenever I've visited there, the people have been friendly but very curious. It is a daunting prospect to move to a place where people still stare at you when you walk with your white fiancé. The things we do for love!

Thank you. Is this the letter that gives you the NVC number and then the instructions that follow?

My fiancé (USC) called NVC and received a case number from the Consulate telling him that they would contact me (the beneficiary) with a packet 3 and invitation letter. I am confused, does this mean that they will send the packet via regular mail? E-mail? Phone?

Please help.

Hi, VJ'ers,

I have a question regarding the the I-134. My fiancé's parents will be co-sponsoring us. Trying to fill out this form is daunting for them. They are wondering if they should fill out a form for each for them or fill one jointly. Another doubt they have is whether they are sponsoring me or my (USC)fiance. I am almost sure that I, the foreign petitioner, is the beneficiary of the i-134 in any event, but if there's anyone out there who can help me confirm this, it would help a lot. Thanks!

My fiance called NVC today and they informed him that the petition left NVC on the 29th and is en-route to the consulate. I guess I have to wait for packet 3 in the mail. I'd still be grateful for any confirmation.

Hello, all! Thank you all, first, for being so helpful and providing me with valuable info along my journey. A couple of weeks ago my fiance received the Notice of Approval in the mail. Last week he called the NVC and got a case number. While we are glad things are progressing so smoothly, I have doubts about what comes next. First off, it is my understanding that the NVC will now forward our case to the consulate. Then, am I correct that I (the foreign fiancee) will receive a letter of invitation and packet 3 in the mail? That part seems so confusing to me. I am not quite sure what follows after receiving a number from the NVC, how to track (if possible) the process, and if I will have to wait until I receive documents via mail. If anyone here can help me with my questions, I'd be very, very grateful!

Congratulations! Enjoy the wonderful feeling!

I don't think you have much to worry now. But I definitely understand the feeling behind it!

Well, to the question of "extricating oneself" from the situation, the answer is, don't get married. After the I-94 expires, the fiancee and children will be in the US illegally. As far as I know there are no financial obligations towards the K1/2 holders. I do believe there is a moral obligation, but that is besides the point. Every situation is different and OP didn't present enough facts for anyone to have an informed opinion. As sad and as tough as it sounds, the one of the purposes of the K1 visa is to allow time for the couple to get to know each other. However I agree with giving the relationship more than two weeks.

Sadly this is common. Most people start out their cases with minimal knowledge of immigration laws and processes. For a lot of us the lawyer trap was a necessary and costly mistake to realize there is enough information to do things on your own if you have a straightforward case. In your particular case you had legitimate concerns that made you want to get the advice of a lawyer. It's sad that so many so-called "immigration attorneys" have so little concern for anything but cashing a check. It's a good thing you are aware of his lack of ethics now and can start taking control of things. Best of luck.

It really is up to you. Intent doesn't seem to be a problem and you can adjust from a B2. I was originally taking that route until a close friend of mine was denied AOS at the interview because she had been married after she entered the country with a B1/B2. The best I have been able to gather is that success really depends a lot on the interviewing officer. So in other words, it seems like you would be fine if you married and adjusted, but you are the one taking the risk so just consider K1 or CR1

It's definitely not as fast as CSC but looking at Igor's List it doesn't seem to be as slow as it was a couple of months ago.

I do find it odd that the USCIS page is so out of date.

Thanks!

Congratulations and all the best!

Congratulations! We got ours today as well and really, it feels amazing! May you have continued luck in your journey!