habibi11

You guys are awesome, Im so tearful right now. I feel like one half of me is missing, I know you all understand that feeling. It helps knowing we're not alone in this,although Im sorry we have to go through it.

I guess the best bet is to contact my bank, I'm starting to inform all my bill providers etc tomorrow about my change of name,so Im thinking when I've informed the bank I'll ask if they'll accept the joint cheque.

Eric and I Skype for hours, we read the daily newspapers and put the world to rights, I think I'm ok with our communication together its more about how to cope alone......here in the UK without him.

I keep looking down at my wedding ring,and at our gifts and cards.......the wedding balloons are sat deflating now. It's just so lonely without him here.

I'm looking into visiting for a while during the proccess but afraid it will effect my chances of being approved. Im always given such a hard time at RDU POE even though Ive never overstayed and am a model citizen whilst in the US (and of course here!!!! )

I'm going to get my passport photo's done tomorrow and get them in the post so he can file the I-130,I sent him back with copies of my birth certificate and other various papers he may need. I can't believe I was 34 when I met him,and I'll be nearly 40 by the time this whole process is completed,its been a long haul and a rollercoaster ride but I wouldn't change meeting him for one second.

I may however be a bit loopy at the end of it all!!!!

Just know and keep it in mind that you will be together soon and then u have the rest of your lives of happiness

SKYPE...!!!!! it saved us. Still have dates. Skype while watching a tv show or something together. Be creative.

yes skype is a wonderful thing.... we to have skype dates my friends laugh they know thats all we have... but its better than nothing we do dinner and a movie together and we even leave skype on when we go to sleep and he likes to watch me sleep..lol it helps with the waiting... yes be creative plus its a god way to talk with his family also....

Hi guys,

My darling Eric and I got married in Edinburgh on the 25th,I dropped him at Manchester airport today and to be honest I feel awful,I'm so angry with this whole process,that we have to live apart for goodness knows how long whilst the CR1 is completed,I know you all must have felt or feel the same way:-(

Aaaaanyway,I have a question, we recieved a few cheques as wedding gifts in our married name,yet we haven't got a joint bank account yet seeing as he's in the US and I'm in the UK........is there anyway we can open one whilst being so far apart? Or will I have to get the kind folks that sent us the cheques to redo them just in my name?

Also any tips in coping on having your spouse on the other side of the world would be greatly appreciated

yes skype is a wonderful thing.... we to have skype dates but its better than nothing we do dinner and a movie together and we even leave skype on when we go to sleep and he likes to watch me sleep..lol it helps with the waiting... yes be creative plus its a god way to talk with his family also.

I am going to attend the interview in about a month. I don't why but he's keeping giving a hard time...first of all, he told me there's no way he can get any employment letter but something he printed out from theworknumber website. And then he said he can print his bank statements online from his banks so it all works out. I am just so pissed. His banks are in another city where he's traveling to right now....

What is this guy thinking?!!1

My question is that is it necessary to submit a I-134? Even though I have a full time job here in Canada and stuff?

yes that is very important..... i would question him why is he giving u a hard time.... does he still wanna do this before u uproot ur entire life to the US...

Thank you! I will start with what you gave me. She is a U.S Citizen and makes well above the level..i just wanted to make sure that her residing in another state wouldn't be an issue.

Another question for anyone: Do you have to show you have accomodation? For example, in the UK you have to show that you have a residence that is big enough for your entire family. Is that a requirement for the US as well?

no its not but they do ask for ur lanlords info if you rent i have an attorney and make sure u have evidence that the 2 of you have met in the last 2 years and save anything u can from that meeting especially pics and any online conversations etc.... uscis websites has all the info u need...

I'm in a dilemna & seeking opinion. This is my 1st marriage, 2nd for him. What is people's intake on a destination wedding to say Hawaii or Las Vegas or California.. I am kinda against the court house wedding. Will I regret doing a court house signing papers because I don't get the "walk down aisle" and "bride". I'd like to be able to wear a wedding gown and I'm not into court house now, wedding later. I want 1 wedding date, not various dates. If we do a real local wedding in Seattle, it would be family only, about 100 guests. I am at the NOA2 of my K-1 Fiance Visa and wanting to marry ASAP when I get into the States so I can apply for EAD & AP (90+ yr old Grandparents).

Siiigh! Decisions..

try to find a place where u can do ceremony /reception and dosent need much time to book... we have place that only needs 6 weeks ahead to book so when the time comes we will be allset.... we are only having 40 poeple.... it will be perfect and if u can find a friend who is good at taking pics so u dont have to hire a photgrapher.... and do things urself to cut costs im doing silk flowers i keep looking around for deals and buy little at a time when i see specials i used MIcheals craft store they will even make up ur flowers for a cheap price....as for a dress start looking now that might be ur hardest part... but some places might be able to get u a dress quickly or sell u the sample..... Destination could get really pricy.... good luck

im so sorry for you noone deserves this.... you should tell him that you want as divorce bc of his cheating ways if he truly loves you he will stop.. only give him 6 months not a year and just for your interest speak to an immigration attorney just to get some answers to these questions about your interview.... you could also tell him you wanna to do a trial separation and see what he says.... good luck to you

I don't know his spending habits as I met him in 2009 in Japan as we were both traveling to Phils. He has been in sales making about six digits until about 2 years ago right after he started the process. I can attest that when you take a 70-75% pay decrease savings and investments gets cashed in to survive. How long can most people in the 50-100k range survive if all of a sudden their pay decreases by 2/3's For many people they used the 6 month rule in savings for survival. I for one went 22 months between jobs for the first time in my life. It was terrible feeling. I as well settled for 2/3 less money. The only difference is I have a fixed salary and his is commission based.

I am not sticking up for him but more trying to let others know that doing this process can be expensive in more of lump sums. I have told friends that if I dated an American woman I would be spending 50-100 a week on dates. This is more of having to save and prioritize.

Thanks for your comments. Good dialogue.

it is tough....Did his wife not work before she came here to help with the process in anyway.... it is tough to have to support both people but its love and u cant put a price on it.... he should have been honest with her and said sorry we just dont have the funds right now and like any good marriage she will understand....

I feel the need to discuss this topic as I have a friend that is struggling financially and was when he brought his now wife here last year. I want those that are unsure financially to hear first hand the stresses that go along if you do not have the finances currently to cover the entire process.

For my friend he lost his job during the process and took a 75% cut in pay which put him just above the minimum requirements.

He had to borrow from a friend for her plane ticket here and borrow again from family for her AOS. My friend is plus 50 years young in age too. So he is not a 20 year old doing the process.

His wife felt the need to return to her country due to family reasons so he borrowed again to get her back.. Now she wants to come back to USA (they are on good terms marriage wise) but he is broke again and cannot afford her return ticket.

So for those on the boarder line understand the costs associated with the process. Costs that don't come up now but will in time: Here are the fees and costs as I see it:

Filing K1 fee: $340

Her/His Interview: $240

Travel to the region she needs for her medical and interview. In our case with my fiancee traveling to Manila I am looking at $400 if she stays from medical to interview.

So now before her flight here the minimum is $980.

Then my travel (optional) for her interview. $1800 plus housing, food etc. Add another $1500 for two weeks minimum.

Then her travel coming to USA. $900

Small fees for SS card, marriage etc. $200 conservatively.

AOS $1000.

Minus my travel which is optional we are looking at $3000 call it.

If a person makes $20,000 annually note that it takes some time to save 3k.

I only share this as my friend is heart broken because he is broke and his wife wants to come home to him and he cannot get her here. I cannot loan him money due to my above and saving more as I want to make it to my fiancees interview.

He owes so many people all due to him only making the minimum requirements when she arrived in USA.

I just say think before you petition as it is not a cheap process. Good luck to everyone.

I was talking to my stepsister who got married to a guy while he was in the US on a tourist visa... they got married and simply adjusted status, no problem. A coworker of mine called a USCIS office and the person he called actually TOLD him to get his Russian Fiancee here on a business or tourist visa, marry her, and then file for adjustment of status.

I feel like a moron now. I've been without my fiancee for almost five months now, may have to postpone our wedding (and thus ensuring her parent's can't make it because they already bought tickets for that date) because the process is taking so long. I just responded to an RFE and am still waiting for the NOA2. Why didn't I just marry her when she was here on the visa waiver program to visit me? Why is it easier to do it the wrong way? Separating couples like this is a hardship on relationships, finances, and plans for the future. We need to fix this already...

Anyway, this is just outright whining, I'm sorry, I just had to vent. Every day I check my email for something from USCIS, even on the weekends when I know it's useless. I just want to see her again but I can't exactly afford the 2 grand it costs to fly to Holland and back.

I totally agree with you i dont understand why this has to take so long especially when there is plenty of evidence.... it it frustrating being away from ur loved one.... i all have to say atleast there is skype its better than nothing for now.... i just beleive in GOD and pray everyday for a speedy process

my 129f got denied due to missing documents i didn t send proves that my fiance and i have met in last 2 years i did send all required documents with 290b.

no one can tell me how long the wait is or what is the processing time for 290b it is so frustrating i getting depressed and feel like i am at dead end road

please if any body had to file 290b for 129f let me know how long it took to get an answer !

i too AM filing for 129f for my fiance from Tunisia my attorney told me the whole process takes 5-7 months.... The guidelines did say u had to send proof of meeting have the 2 of u physically met if not they will not approve... i had 650 pics i save all receipts from when i visited Tunisia in April anything that showed i was there.....

My Immigration Attorney told me that we could not apply for a soc card until after we are married... so you should check out the Uscis website for info.

Wow! Thank you for all the quick and intelligent replies

Vanessa&Tony: I don't have a way to scan the RFE, I assure you I typed it exactly as it was stated including the bold type, underline, and bullet in the same exact places.

Anh map: Prior to submitting my petition, my fiance and I were last together from December 18th 2011 until January 1st 2012. I filed the petition on February 24th. We've been together two other times since then (Last time was earlier this month) but I assume that isn't what you were referring to.

dwheels76: Yes, we were together in person just 2 months before filing the petition. I believe the person I was transferred to was a tier 2 person. In case she wasn't I asked if there was another officer with whom I could speak and she firmly said "NO, we can not help you" again I really feel she thought I was not giving her all the info on my RFE because she said it was too vague. I agreed and said "Yes, that is the purpose of my call." Also, my camera doesn't do the time stamp sooo..... but as I said, at the time (as my passport proves) I had only been to one other country in my life (Lebanon) and my fiance has never been to the US so there is no other options as to when these pictures could have been taken. My Attorney also had me write a letter bascially explaining how our relationship began with dates and even dates of when i went bc he also has never been to the usa and the exact date i got engaged who was there if anyone. you might also be able to contact an attorney for some free legal advise... but defiantley keep calling did u keep copies of everything you sent them?

So my fiance and I wanted to start planning our wedding now because we wanted to have a nice wedding where everyone could go and that takes a hell of a lot of time. So I've been trying to plan it with my mom and we're starting to realize how difficult it is. It's just really hard to set a date when we don't know exactly when it will be approved or if it wont be or what. I was just curious if anyone had any advice on it because we really wanted to start planning the wedding now so we can just have it done by the time everything's approved. Thank you <3

its hard u cant really set a date i just also received my Noa1 today JUly 16 2012 my attorney says it will take 5 months but reading everyones experiences looks a little longer what i have done is just start to look at places get pricing and ask them how far in advance do they need for booking seeing u only have 90 days to get married... what i have done i found a place got my price and now im just saving and i also buy little things at a time for the wedding... we will be having a small one 40 - 50 people seeing this is my 2nd and its not a big deal to him just as long as he can marry me... and also told my bridal party we wont look for dresses until we get an approval.... Good Luck.. hope your process goes smoothly

i wish 2 months is all it took..... but after almost 3 weeks i received my Noa1 today... happy now i can finally track it.... but i wanna know what is this touch that people talk about when they are tracking their progress?

VJ members, thank you very much for your your advised when i need it, We got approved and visa in hand.

thank you, and be patient,never forget that there is god and he loves you, ask and he will listent

Congrats was you approved same day and how long did it take to get visa?

I hate to burst your bubble, but I think your time frame is highly unrealistic. If you just filed in June, you'll be just receiving your NOA2 in late November, most likely. Assuming your petition is approved with no RFEs, you still have to go through the background check at the NVC (which can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a year, depending on whether someone on any of the international terrorist or criminal watchlists has the same name as your beneficiary fiance). After that, the petition file goes to the fiance's consulate and they have to file more papers and get a medical exam before they can even have an interview. A more realistic timeline is probably 9 months to a year from your file date. That said, I've heard of a couple of cases put through in as little as 6 or 7 months (only once or twice, though), and I've heard of them taking almost a couple of years (if they have to go to AP or receive a NOID/NOIR). If I were you, I'd settle in, get used to waiting, and count yourself lucky if you've got an NOA2 by December. Best of luck to you!

My Attorney told me the process is taking 5-7 months right now she only deals in immigration....

Ok, I'm trying to go through our on yahoo chats to send for proof of our relationship, but our conversations seem to turn sexual a lot. Im really ashamed to send it, but my Fiance said well they wanted proof so give them what they want... what do you guys think

i agree with your fiance i gave all that to my attorney if its proof they want then its proof they get what ever it takes.....

Hi Everyone..Yes, I know I'm anxious, but I've been looking at other timelines and am wondering why I haven't received my noa1 yet? I Mailed my I129f packet on April 23, 2012 and sent it with delivery confirmation. I received the delivery confirmation on April 28, 2012 that it was signed for. I have not received ANYTHING from them stating that they have received it even though I submitted a form requesting email notification. Can someone tell me what's going on? Thanks!!!

hello i am in the same boat but i have an attorney taking care of it she told me she sent it out june 29 2012 its been 2 weeks and nothing in the mail yet she told me the whole process for fiance is taking 5 months then he should be here i hope that is true and i get something in the mail soon i oook fowrad to checking the mail daily...