Dave&Janiz

Hi
I need to try and understand all the different dates with the I-129/ K-1 visa:
Lets see if I get these dates right:
I-129F is good for 4 months once approved and can be extended by the embassy (up to a year) Yes. The beneficiary is advised to undergo medical exam and interview once the petition is approved. He/she will receive instructions from the US Embassy.
K-1 visa is good 6 months from the medical exam, plus you pass the interview (no extensions) Yes. In addition, the beneficiary must enter the US soil before the visa expires.
Once you step foot in the US you have 90 days to get married (no extensions) That is right.

I keep seeing this:"It is important to file for the AOS before the K1 expire date, otherwise you will be out-of-status". So may questions is, what is the expire date?

You will become out-of-status once your I-94 lapsed or the 90 days had passed. That is why it is recommended to file the AOS once the marriage certificate is ready. Though not necessarily within 90 days. (I filed one month after, others were 10 months). BUT, the sooner the better.
K1 visa becomes invalid on the day of your arrival to the US. Upon arrival, a CBP officer stamps the travel document of each arriving non-immigrant traveler with the admission date, the class of admission, and the date that the traveler is admitted until. You will retrieve your 1-94 online 2 weeks after the arrival.

If you wait 5 months and 20 days to set foot in the US you have 10 days before the K-1 expire date and you are out of status?

No. You will only be out-of-status once your 90 days or the 1-94 expires.

Very welcome. I knew what you meant, but seeing as the OP was looking for complete information I wanted to make sure it was clarified.

AP can be used as a re-entry permit to US, even without an overseas emergency. This is what K1s typically use if they opt to visit home or other countries that don't require them a visa before their GC arrives.
However, applying for an expedite on AP approval is a different issue, and this is what requires an emergency proof.

Congrats on your recent wedding!
You can only apply for a US passport once you become a US citizen. But until then, you need to have an AP document or GC to travel. So if you want to travel outside US soon, you have to apply AP with your AOS.

Sorry for posting under wrong thread...darn newbie..lol thanks for the info guys. I thought thats what it meant just on the uscis page it say i797 means approved because all other i797 has a letter following. Kinda of confusing. Lol. Ok ok I will wait. This website has been so helpful, I used the directions here for my i129f packet and was accepted. .good deal!!
Keep us in prayer...the journey begins!!

Hi
I need to try and understand all the different dates with the I-129/ K-1 visa:
Lets see if I get these dates right:
I-129F is good for 4 months once approved and can be extended by the embassy (up to a year) Yes. The beneficiary is advised to undergo medical exam and interview once the petition is approved. He/she will receive instructions from the US Embassy.
K-1 visa is good 6 months from the medical exam, plus you pass the interview (no extensions) Yes. In addition, the beneficiary must enter the US soil before the visa expires.
Once you step foot in the US you have 90 days to get married (no extensions) That is right.

I keep seeing this:"It is important to file for the AOS before the K1 expire date, otherwise you will be out-of-status". So may questions is, what is the expire date?

You will become out-of-status once your I-94 lapsed or the 90 days had passed. That is why it is recommended to file the AOS once the marriage certificate is ready. Though not necessarily within 90 days. (I filed one month after, others were 10 months). BUT, the sooner the better.
K1 visa becomes invalid on the day of your arrival to the US. Upon arrival, a CBP officer stamps the travel document of each arriving non-immigrant traveler with the admission date, the class of admission, and the date that the traveler is admitted until. You will retrieve your 1-94 online 2 weeks after the arrival.

If you wait 5 months and 20 days to set foot in the US you have 10 days before the K-1 expire date and you are out of status?

No. You will only be out-of-status once your 90 days or the 1-94 expires.

I read that story before but based on my experience and from reading others' experience, passports are not kept after the medical exam.
Your wife should have her passport with her all the time during the medical exam at St. Luke's because nurses usually check the passport but they are not allowed to keep/hold it. Inside the clinic, there are postings on the wall informing the patients to keep their passports with them.

If that happened to some, maybe it was an isolated case.

Very understandable they do not accept attachments, as long as you explained what the DO NOT OPEN envelope looks like with the stamp they will figure it out as to whether you need to send it back or not.
You will be fine for flying in October.
Owwwwwwww! January for sure is cold. I am originally from Minnesota, if you think Iowa is cold ... remember Minnesota is COLDER !!

To all:
I posted here back in April when CSC was having that massive slowdown with July through October 2012 filers. My fiancee and I were in the heart of those filers, as we had an NOA1 date of 9/4/12, finally getting NOA2 on 4/22/13. However, all that is over, as I just got word that my fiancee Janice just got her K-1 Visa approved this morning in Manila!!! Thank all of you who were very supportive, especially during that long CSC delay. You and this website were INVALUABLE to this process, and I'm sure that without this site and its awesome timelines, example forms etc, I would have ended up paying for a lawyer or some service to make sure we were doing everything right. This site is truly a gem, and should recieve some sort of reward for the invaluable service it provides to immigrants. Thank you all again!!!
Dave