Rufus2012

VAWA was intended to deal with cases like this, take advantage of it. As for the "go back to your country" replies, come on people, she came here in good faith, that's enough for the USCIS, it's good enough for me.

Color me skeptical, but have you considered getting a DNA test?

Remember, the interview is going to be several months from now - if you expect to still be employed then, and meeting the salary requirements, there's not much reason to delay the initial application.

I submitted boarding passes of my trip to her country and a photocopy of the visa in my passport, along with about 8 or so photographs of the two of us together. No problem whatsoever.

The worldwide approval rate was 99.2% last year (35,000 total K-1s). Unless all those rejections are coming out of one or two third world consulates, it's hard to believe that approval drops substantially compared to the average.

To the OP - life is full of risks, getting a fiance visa isn't one of the ones you should worry about.

Either married or engaged, this process is not for the faint of heart, time or money, hang in there.

Well put, bigdog.

I included a link to the K1 guide to take care of the primary requirements for the OP...I was pointing out serious omissions that may become a major hurdle down the road. I believe i speak from personal experience dealing with that consulate. The Op needs to start generating call records asap.

You're quite correct, that consulate reads like a nightmare.

Really?

Yes, it means an adjudicator was in the process of working through your file, and found something missing, otherwise he would have approved it. They tend to work a file through to completion once they begin - it's much easier to manage that way. An RFE does indicate that someone looked at your file, but an NOA2 would have been even better.

A rfe isn't necessarily a bad thing...at least it shows somebody more than touched your petition...wish you luck down the road.

An RFE would have been an approval were nothing missing.

Some files get pulled aside for this additional processing for what appears to be a random cause. In my cause, it was in this state for about 2.5 weeks last December, but then moved along to the consulate. With zero visibility into their process, the only advice is to just wait.

For the original filing, about which the OP is asking, photos are considered secondary evidence. Boarding passes and visas of her visits to see him actually hold more weight. I included two visas and one trip's boarding passes, and about 8 photos, 3 of which had other people, including her family. That was it for evidence of our having met in the past two years, which is the only burden you must meet at this time.

For his interview, you will want more to satisfy them that this is an ongoing relationship - Nigeria is a difficult consulate, so others who have been through it would have the best answers for you.

A house is not a liquid asset, I doubt you're going to be able to use it.

Any examples of someone getting accepted with 100% of the poverty guideline?

On our second intent letters (which the embassy never asked for, we just wrote out of zealous preparation) were addressed to US Department of State, with a salutation of "to whom it may concern".

I got my NOA2 SMS around 9 am (pacific time) on a Thursday IIRC, and the email came about an hour later.

Call and ask them, you'll need your USCIS case number. The phone number is somewhere here on this website.

It recently took for us 7.5 months before filing petition and interview. 1 more week to get a visa. So, almost 8 months.

9 months, almost to the day, between filing and POE (next Monday, woo hoo!!!).

I suspect this 9 month waiting period will repeat itself for us in the future....

No touches on my account during the 5+ months I waited for NOA2. Don't put too much faith in their online system.

I strongly suggest everyone go to it, it really is a great moment in your lives, even when everything goes smoothly, why miss out on that?

It was certainly a memorable experience. I waited outside in a taxi (kudos to a fellow VJ member who informed me USCs were kept outside) in the visitor parking lot. I expected her to be about 3 to 4 hours. At the 1 hour 20 minute mark, as I was gazing around, I saw what seemed to be a woman with the same colored coat, and I thought, oh that's nice, she has the same color coat as my dearly beloved. I looked away, then realized it was my fiance. I dashed out of the cab, expecting the worst, but she just smiled and said it was all done and that she was getting her visa.

Later that day was when the 12 hour jet lag finally kicked in. What a relief, and I'm so glad I was there to help her prepare, double and triple check the paperwork, and much better than waiting for a phone call.

You might be right Gary in how little it actually helps - I suspect the COs we read about noticing it have already made up their minds, and it justs reaffirms their decision (and let's not forget the 99+% approval rate anyway).

Those of us who dealt with ####### consulates

Your use of the term '#######' suggests the consulate still had one legitimate parent. I think you're being overly generous.

The Kuwait couple having an Orthodox Priest bless their "rings" at an "engagement ceremony" are playing with fire and gasoline together. Time for a change of plans. Marry or don't marry. No play marriage.

IIRC, the first step in an Armenian wedding is blessing the rings. The couple is not married at that point, and presumably the idea was to stop there. Wedding interruptus. Bad idea, very bad idea. Very easily misconstrued as a wedding by someone unfamiliar with the details of the church's protocols.

USC and fiance from Kuwait - wait till you get to the US before you go near an Armenian church.

Not for K-1s, you just wait.

Sorry for your loss, especially at such a tumultuous time in your life.

The answer is embassy specific. Some seem to absolutely (yet unofficially) require the presence of US petitioner. It cannot hurt, the only question is how much can it help. In my case (Armenia), the USC is not even allowed in the building - I gave my fiance my passport and she showed it to the CO, who did seem to take a mental note of it, but didn't really say anything about it specifically.

It is dependent on the beneficiary's country but in particular how strict the consulate is. Some consulates wouldn't even care if you had a religious ceremony, and then did the civil ceremony here.

Can you provide an example where a consulate granted a K-1 visa to an applicant who already had a religious marriage ceremony?

As EminTX did, I just a post-it note on my birth certificate stating the original was a single sided sheet, and signed that post-it note. No RFE.

I mentioned it to my lawyer and he said just bring more up to date photos of her recent visits and proof of ongoing relationship. she was here xmas and then next week also. Getting so excited to seeing my love! Interview coming soon!!

Ps no flaming on the lawyer please our case needed a lawyer and hes actually a very good one, if hes wrong on this point here by not telling me to make an updated one then hes just over looked it. but i know the letters of intent are the first packet sent to USCIS.

thanks guys

My fiance brought updated letters to her interview, they never asked to see them. The DS-156k has a section where the fiance reaffirms their intent to marry, which is probably what suffices.

It may vary by embassy, and the 5 minutes each it took us to prepare these letters was worth the peace of mind.