mugumogu

Thank you for taking the time to reply and answer my questions!!

You habe made this very clear ...

So the other forms (ds156Ds-156k, Ds-160) have to be filled out later but of course before yhe interview?

When we logged in the page to make the appointments we got to select the state and city where the visa would be sent, after that would be the payment right?? Once we have form ds-260 filled out and payment (MRV receipt) we can continue to make appointments for ASC and Interview?? We left off on the page with a screen saying next available appointment is in 14 days??? Which would this be? For ASC???

We did not continue because we were not sure, and because we don't have some papers ready ... So I could not find out what was the next step!

The DS-160 is not a form that you need. The DS-156 an DS-156K are completed and need to be turned in at the interview. The DS-260 must be completed in order to schedule everything. Yes, you get to choose the city in which the DHL package will be sent. Once you complete the DS-260, you will be able to make all your appointments. I'm not sure which appointment you are referring to (the one available in 14 days). Probably the ASC since you can't schedule the interview until you complete the DS-260.

I did not know we could do that .... have the ASC appointment just before the interview!!!

I'm so confused on that ...1. schedule the ASC appt 2. fill out the DS-260 3. Interview ... does it work that way???

I got the letter inviting us to schedule those appts today

You have to fill out the DS-260 before you are able to schedule any appointments. You fill that out and then you are able to go online and schedule the interview and ASC appointments. The medical is a walk-in and you do not make an appointment for that one. The medical and ASC appointments have to be done before the interview, though it doesn't matter in which order. Some people do the ASC the first day and the medical the next day. We did the medical the first day and ASC the second day. On the third day, my wife left for the interview at about 6:30 AM and was done by 10:30 AM. We left Ciudad Juarez at about 6:00 PM that same day. We didn't know what time she would be done with the interview so we scheduled an evening flight. You only need 3 days in Juarez unless you have kids or some other circumstance that requires more time.

I have Skype on a Mac and I just used screen prints.

The K-1 visa is good for 6 months so you must enter the US within 6 months. After you cross, you have up to 90 days to get married. You should decide which POE you want to use and read the reviews. We went from Mexico City to Houston. My review is here: http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/view-poe-reviews.php?entry=15047

It wasn't too difficult at all.

Good luck!

I never stayed longer than 6 months at one time. I just didn't know then that you aren't supposed to do it more than once a year I guess. You know how it is waiting for your interview, thinking of everything that could go wrong

I'm holding onto the fact the customs officer specifically told me he was not putting a ban on my passport, just a one time entry denial, until I could provide proof that I wasn't trying to illegally immigrate.

Thanks for the reply

Is there a code written in your passport? If you had a ban from entering the US, you would know it by now.

We had to answer "yes" to this question. My (now) wife was refused entry in 2010, had her tourist visa cancelled, and was sent back to Mexico. It was not a problem. They did bring it up at the visa interview, but she briefly explained what happened and they moved on.

How can you send it to the wrong place when the instructions clearly state where to send it?

It doesn't happen very often. They can refuse entry for any reason. It might just be that you look suspicious or they want to do a further inspection as to why you're entering the country. It could also be that you are attempting to enter with the incorrect visa type... who knows? You are basically applying to enter the country each time you leave and come back and it's up to the customs officer to accept or deny your application to enter.

We didn't send in any evidence with the paperwork; only the marriage certificate. At the interview, we brought a variety of pictures spanning the time that we knew each other, a copy of our lease agreement with both names on it, joint car insurance, joint medical insurance, joint credit card, and last years tax return (which we filed together jointly). That was all that the interviewer needed to see, but I brought more evidence just in case.

When we started the AOS process, I was hoping we wouldn't have an interview. Then we got the interview notice to appear March 1 and we were approved! As it turns out, it seems that people who get the interview end up getting the green card faster. It takes longer for those who don't have to appear for an interview. Pros and cons to both.

Just follow the instructions and you will be fine. You need only to provide evidence that you have met within the last two years. How much evidence of this you want to include with your petition is up to you. You definitely need photos and it would help to include a few other things. I included 15 photos (labeled with date and location) and passport stamps. I saved the boarding passes and receipts for the interview.

I wouldn't bother starting the K-1 process if you were going to do that. In any case, what are the requirements for a Columbian national to marry a foreigner? My wife and I considered marrying in Mexico prior to going the K-1 route. For her to marry a foreigner, she would have had to get permission from the government, we would have to undergo medical tests, I would have to get all of my english documents translated into Spanish and notarized, etc. When I figured it all out, it would have taken us about the same amount of time to marry in Mexico as it did to wait for the K-1. Even if you interrupt the process and marry her, you still have to go your separate ways and petition for her to come back as your wife. She can't automatically enter the US even if you marry in Columbia. The choices are really to file the K-1 now and get the ball rolling or go to Columbia, marry there, come back, and start the petition to bring her back as your wife.

Thanks for the information about the AOS interview not necessarily happening. Depending on timings, if it does happen that she's not finished college yet, it would be at her parent's house, yes, although it's of course not ideal. It does lead me to a slight problem though: changing address after filing would be a potential nightmare, no?

If you'll be living with her parents then that's good enough evidence that you are together. It doesn't matter if you don't have property in your name. Changing addresses after filing has proven to be a nightmare for some, but not all. When I filed AOS, I knew my wife and I were planning on moving so I put my parent's address on all the paperwork we sent in. If you can do something like that it would be better than sending in a change of address form in the middle of the process.

Our EAD and AP was never touched at all and we've already been approved for the green card.

Hi VJers,

Please help with my situation as not many people have the same experience and will greatly appreciate your input!!!

1. I lived in the States with F-1 status; enrolled full time in school but meanwhile worked without authorization+ filed tax.

2. Finished my college, applied for work authorization (OPT) and got EAD +filed tax.

3. Left the States within legal status period and now applying for K-1 visa.

My questions are:

1. is ( unauthorized employment) it going to be a red flag at the interview and be a cause to deny my K-1 visa?

2. Is it considered as violating the terms of US visa (DS156, question 38) such as overstay and not enrolled in school for full time and not file tax etc.?

3. Should i put Yes or No to question 38, DS156?

if Yes and/or No, what are the proper answers and what were the questions asked by the CO?

Hope it makes sense. Thank you again in advance!

Unauthorized employment is a red flag, but not an automatic denial. Does the government even know about the unauthorized employment? I ask because I'm wondering if there were any consequences like revoking your visa or getting a ban from entering the US. It is considered violating the terms of a US visa. You didn't put too many details about what happened, but based on these facts, you should put 'yes'. To give you assistance on how to respond to that, you should explain more about what happened and the consequences you received (if any).

My fiancée and I are about to get started on the process of applying for a K-1 visa. I'm from the UK and she's a US citizen. I pretty much understand most of the process thanks to the guides on VisaJourney, but there are a few minor details specific to my situation.

Currently my fiancée is a full-time student who'll finish college at the end of 2012. If we applied now and everything went fine, I would expect to be able to enter the country before she finishes college, so she'd still be away from her parents' home (where she lives outside of term time). Since there's an interview after getting married, as part of getting the green card and legal permanent residency, how important is it to have a common address at the time of interview? Would it be understood that we couldn't get a place of our own so quickly due to 1) not yet having an EAD, and 2) not yet having a job to cover rent? Or would it be a deal-breaker that we weren't quite living together "as a couple"? The plan is for me to get a job after getting the EAD (which takes 2-3 months!) and that'll allow us to find our own place to live.

Living together is important and thus having a common address is extremely beneficial for your case. Not everyone gets an Adjustment of Status interview after getting married. Many of my contacts on here sent in their Adjustment of Status paperwork after getting married and never got an interview notice. We did. We just had our interview last week and the green card was approved. The interviewer did ask for proof of living together and I showed her my lease, which I just added my wife to a few weeks ago. It's not an automatic denial if you don't live together, but there is a greater burden of proof on you to show why you don't and you will need really strong evidence of your marriage. If you enter the country before she finishes college, where will you be living? If it's at her parent's house, that is fine.

Our MRV receipt is very clear. It says "MRV Receipt Number" followed by 10 digits.

Hello everybody. I am the beneficiary and we got approved couple days ago, I was just wondering if there's anything that I should start preparing? Also what I wanted to know is that when Embassy receives the petition; will they call me or should I keep calling them. I don't wanna piss them off by calling everyday but I read on forums that some people just call the embassy and get an appointment and some say that beneficiary must wait for them to call.

And also when we were filing I129f there was this question asking where the beneficiary would apply for a visa abroad at the American embassy or consulate, and we said Istanbul but apparently the consulate in Istanbul doesn't do K visas, Ankara does them. oops Do you guys think this'll be a problem?

One last thing, did anyone from Turkey get an appointment recently? If so I would appreciate if you could just tell me when you are scheduled for.

Thanks a lot!

Just make sure you have all your evidence in order and organize it well. Create a file with everything in it and know where to locate your documents so that when asked, you don't have to search for them. The consulate will not call you when they receive the petition. You can call them to get any updates. If you have to call every day, so be it. Some people call multiple times a day and even learn the names of the people that work there. I wouldn't recommend that just because it's unnecessary. I don't know about you listing a consulate that doesn't do K visas, but I'm sure it won't be a problem. I think that question on the form is just old because a lot of people don't have a choice of where to go and yet it still asks that. They know based on your application where to send everything and I don't think it matters what you write there.

No, that won't be a problem; however, on certain forms that you will fill out throughout the process, it will ask if you have ever been denied a visa and you will have to answer "yes". My wife had a tourist visa revoked in 2010 and we were concerned about that, but in the end, we got the visa and it wasn't a problem. They did ask her about it at the K-1 interview in September 2011, but she just explained what happened and she got the visa.

Just to confirm, the above answer is correct. The I-94 must still be valid in order to get the SSN.

The I-129F instructions clearly state where to send the petition (see page 4/5 - "Where To File").

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-129finstr.pdf

We stayed at La Quinta as well. Loved it! It was clean and the food was good. We enjoyed the pool area and free wi-fi. They have a shuttle that will take you to and from the airport and will also take you to the consulate, ASC, and medical facilities (which are all right next to each other). There are some restaurants right across the street from La Quinta. You can also order breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. Breakfast is complimentary. For added piece of mind, the property is gated with controlled access. If you wish to see pictures and video, I have included them in my consulate review here:

http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/view-dos-cis-reviews.php?entry=8462

My I-129F package is essentially complete. All I have to do is obtain the Fiance Letter of Intent and G-325A form from my fiance, and it's all set and ready to go. I'm very nervous, and have a couple of important questions before I mail it off.

- How many photos are normal for proof of a relationship and having met previously? I have literally thousands of photos of us together, and I've chosen several from various trips and time periods in our relationship. I just wonder how many photos most of you submitted with your package.

- Would notarized statements by friends or family members stating that they have met my fiance when she was visiting me in the States help at all?

- This is the most important question of all. As I mentioned in a previous post, my fiance is Mexican, and has a B1-B2 Border Crossing Card. She is currently in Mexico, and also currently has a multiple-entry I-94 that will expire at the end of April. I will be traveling to Mexico next week to visit her, and she will be crossing back over with me when I return. Our plan is that she will stay with me until she has to return home just before her I-94 expires. At that point, we will try to obtain another one, but since the K-1 application process will be well under way at that point, I understand that it's probably at best a 50/50 chance that she'll be granted another 6-month I-94.

My question is this: Once I have the 2 items I need from her early next week, and the package is complete, would it be smart of me to wait until she's in the United States before mailing the package? I don't want there to be a situation where she's denied entry because her record shows up as having a K-1 application in process.

We are committed to doing this the right way. I understand from everything I've read that there's absolutely no legal issue with her coming to stay with me (as long as she has a valid I-94) while the K-1 application is working it's way through the system. We also understand completely that even if she's able to obtain a new I-94 in April and return to the States with me, that she'll have to return to Mexico for her physical and interview. Am I reading things wrong, or am I good to go with this plan?

Any suggestion or advice from folks in the know out there?

1. I turned in 15 photos covering the 2 year period we had known each other at that time. There is no point in submitting a whole lot. These guys have a lot to do and they're not going to kill time flipping through a lot of photos. Just pick the best ones from different times & locations and that should be fine.

2. The more information you submit, the better; however, notarized statements aren't necessary and probably wouldn't do anything to improve your case. If submitting them will put your mind at ease then it might be worth it.

3. I'm not sure, but people travel back and forth all the time with a pending K-1 application so the most important thing is that she have a return ticket home and doesn't give the immigration officers at the POE any suspicion that she won't be returning to Mexico.

It doesn't matter whether or not you have a ring. Most people going to Juarez don't wear the ring anyway. My fiancee brought it with her in case they wanted to see it, but she wasn't wearing it. They didn't ask to see it or any receipts. If both people agree to get married, you are engaged! We didn't submit a letter of intent with our paperwork, but turned one in at the interview.

We did not submit a letter of intent with our paperwork and it was fine. We turned one in at the interview.