D & Luv

You are allowed to work during your 90 days that your K-1 is valid (during which time you need to get married). After that, you cannot work until your EAD is approved.

Just a note (for anyone reading this): if you want to legally change your name on your SSN, you need to have at least 14 days left of validity on your K-1 visa or the computer won't let you do it (i found out the hard way when I went with 10 days left)

Hi,

we're so grateful for the VJs community in helping us get through this - we got married 3 weeks ago and i'm putting together my AOS now. which forum do i go to with questions about this? Just wanted to check the fees - it looks like $985 + $85 for the biometrics - how much do i write the check for? just the first one and pay the $85 when i get fingerprinted? address the check to USCIS?

also 'non immigrant visa number' in part 3A - is that the number in red printed on my visa?

thx

There is no limit. Anything over 10k must be declared

i came thro LAX (POE) last week ... have just set up a bank account today and wanted to wire the money to myself. I didn't realise i needed to declare it when i went thro POE. how do i declare it now?

Does anyone know what the rules are for how much a fiancee is allowed to bring (of her own savings) into the US when she moves? does the $10,000 limit still apply? I've been saving up for a while, knowing that the transition is going to be expensive and not being able to work for a few months etc.

grateful for any comments.

thx

Also, after your visa is approved by USCIS and is sent to the nominated consulate, they will send you 'packet 3' which details documents required for the interview ... you can send that back when you are ready - just be aware that you cannot control how long it takes to get an interview - and even if you have an interview, you can email and see if they can move the date back. Remember, most medicals and police checks have a 1 year validity (and you want for these to be valid when you send in your AOS docs after you get married too).

possible ... her timeframe for moving the the UK will be dependent on the stipulations of the UK visa process (student visas usually aren't too bad) ... can you find something starting summer semester? I don't see anything wrong with it in theory. However, just be aware that you're both going through a lot emotionally so be careful about how much more you add to your plate (moving countries, starting postgrad, adjusting to being in a 'real-life' relationship from a virtual, long-distance one can be hard on her ... it would be harder still if she hasn't lived/traveled outside of the US)

in terms of visa, you can take your time sending in your 'readiness to be interviewed' documents after the consulate send you packet 3 (so after NOA2, after it gets sent from NVC to consulate) ... not sure if there's a maximum time but a few months should be fine ... then there's the waiting for an interview ... and your visa would be valid for 6 months anyway.

Ok rather than start a new thread we had a further thought we just wanted to check with anyone:

Our existing scenario is we are applying for the K1 Visa for me to go to the states. We filed our 129F in December 12, but we have now had a further idea to consider. We are thinking she could come to the UK first under a student visa to do her masters as its cheaper here, and would allow me to save more money for the move too.

Rather than cancel our application, would it be possible to delay it so that we get interview in 2014 and i move over then, effectively one year later?

Is this insane/not possible? I have heard you can ask the embassy to extend the duration of the 129F approval...

I know where everyone is coming from about telling you not to get married before having your K1. There is no harm planning it tho'. We got engaged June 2012, sent in our I129 in July and 'planned' for the wedding for March '13. We told everyone the tentative date and made sure that people understood that it could be moved back if the visa didn't come through. We started making arrangements - there are a lot of things that you can work out without having a date locked in (my fiancé works at the church where we're getting married so we reserved the venue, i found a caterer, ordered my dress, found flowers on Costco etc.). We kept people updated about the progress and gave them indication of when we expected to have the visa approved with increasing accuracy as time went on. We talked about a 'pull-the-plug' date ... i.e. work out at what point you will postpone the wedding if your visa is only up to a certain point. e.g. postpone if you don't have NOA2 by 1 July. (we didn't need to resort to that)

If you are pressed for time, you can have all your documents ready (medical, police check ... note - these are often only valid for 1 year ... I-134, second letter of intent etc. - check the VJ guides) for when you receive your NOA2 to send back packet 4 to the Consulate to get the earliest possible interview.

Do not book flights 'til after you get the visa ... but you can usually get a flight within a few days (may involve paying more but at that point, you really don't care!)

All the best.

p.s. at my interview, he asked me whether i'd planned a wedding and my wedding date (which i answered) ... and also when i was planning to fly to the US. he seemed ok with the fact that i had dates in mind and made preparations

I know where everyone is coming from about telling you not to get married before having your K1. There is no harm planning it tho'. We got engaged June 2012, sent in our I129 in July and 'planned' for the wedding for March '13. We told everyone the tentative date and made sure that people understood that it could be moved back if the visa didn't come through. We started making arrangements - there are a lot of things that you can work out without having a date locked in (my fiancé works at the church where we're getting married so we reserved the venue, i found a caterer, ordered my dress, found flowers on Costco etc.). We kept people updated about the progress and gave them indication of when we expected to have the visa approved with increasing accuracy as time went on. We talked about a 'pull-the-plug' date ... i.e. work out at what point you will postpone the wedding if your visa is only up to a certain point. e.g. postpone if you don't have NOA2 by 1 July. (we didn't need to resort to that)

If you are pressed for time, you can have all your documents ready (medical, police check ... note - these are often only valid for 1 year ... I-134, second letter of intent etc. - check the VJ guides) for when you receive your NOA2 to send back packet 4 to the Consulate to get the earliest possible interview.

Do not book flights 'til after you get the visa ... but you can usually get a flight within a few days (may involve paying more but at that point, you really don't care!)

All the best.

maths is relatively easy to catch up - she's always go the entire summer break to go over material etc. and especially if the school is happy for her to move ahead. Just personal experience, I did an exchange year to France mid-year 10 to mid-year 11 (returned in July) ... I did year 11 in Sydney in 7 weeks because year 12 starts in term 4 ... and I only had 2-3 weeks after the final exam before starting year 12. At her age, she'll be fine. Just make sure that she understands that she'll probably have to catch up a little over the summer (which is longer than here anyway). all the best.

Thanks for sharing your experience. My eldest daughter is going to do the same as yours did and fit 8th grade into about 3 months. She's very bright and although she'll have to work her butt off I think she'll be fine. My younger daughter is going to redo 3 months of 5th grade which will be better for her. I hope your daughter is enjoying her senior year

Hi,

enjoy your time together

I've just posted a response on another thread ... i'll copy and paste the relevant details:

If you asked for email notification, your petitioner should get an email saying that you've been approved in CSC - that's your NOA2 - the hardcopy will come in the mail later. It will be sent to NVC and you will get your packet 3 (mine was sent to my fiance as an email).

There are a number of forms that you need to send back as well as the following documents:

1. Police Check - check your fiancee's country's portal for details on how to do this. this can take several weeks from when you order it 'til when you get it. i know the australian one is valid for 12 months - not sure about ecucador

2. Any overseas police checks or checks in other languages + translation if necessary - this may take some time (I got mine done by a NAATI translator - google to get names/numbers and call around - my first quote was $75, i ended up paying $25) - you need to get the original as well as photocopies usually

3. Birth certificate - I didn't want to send in my original so I applied for a few original certified copies - this takes time.

4. Medical Exam - call and book an appointment - i booked months in advance; you can always move the appointment backwards if necessary. Be aware that if you want to avoid doing the medical for the AOS after you get married, you need to apply for the AOS within a year of this medical that you do in Sydney. It's also worthwhile checking the full list of vaccines required and getting the shots before you go so its covered under Medicare instead of needing to pay for it there.

5. Affadavit of Support - get together payslips/tax returns/cosponsors as necessary and the I-134 - leave this with your fiancee as she will need it for the interview.

also, if there are letters that she's sent you, any other evidence of your relationship (receipts, photos etc.) you may want to bring them and leave them with her for the interview. I was not asked for any of these things (even though i had it with me) but it's always better to be prepared just in case.

neither my fiancé nor i have ever been married so i'm not sure about all those details (divorce/child support papers etc) ... if that applies to you, you probably want to bring all that and leave them with her - check the packet 3 list of requirements. You may wish to prepare your second 'letter of intent' and sign it while you're there if you don't want to send that in the mail later.

hope that helps

we send our file in early July; NOA2 in early Oct and interview this week and passport is in the mail. We went through CSC which was processing K1s in 2-3 months at the time and I sent my package to the consulate within a few weeks of receiving packet 3. I think we had a very quick processing time (just over 5 months; i fly out in a 5 weeks)

I had my interview on Tuesday (Visa approved!) at the Consulate in Sydney.

I printed out our skype history (since we submitted our initial application), a few emails (which they never asked for) and brought along the extra information that I had missed with my packet 4. I needed a French police check - just a suggestion to call around for quotes for translation (google translators - consulates often have lists) - my initial quote was for $75 ... I ended up paying $25!

I got there about 10:40am for an 11am interview and I think I was the last one through - it was a 'quiet' day according to the lady at security so get there early!

Waited about 1.5 hrs ... I brought work to read through (hardcopy, no electronics) but it was a little unnerving/distracting hearing the interviews going on - ended up chatting to the lady who came in around the same time.

I had read that the consulate accepts cash (both AUD and USD) However, they don't for the K1 visa!! I went out to the martin pl post office to pay for it during lunch a week before christmas - yuk!

otherwise, he asked very basic questions about previous visits to the US/other countries, if i'd been arrested before ... and then about our relationship - how we met etc.

After he told me that my visa is approved, he said to make sure that I leave enough time at my POE (at least 2.5 hrs). My aunt went through this process almost 20 years ago and she said that they took her aside to a separate room - not sure if that's still the case ... if you have connecting flights, just allow some extra time as you need to go through customs, security etc.

Good luck guys

Congrats!!

I'm sooooo happy for you

... and sorry that I didn't know that you're a VJer when I saw you with your kids in the Consulate. I think I saw you again downstairs when was going back up after paying my fees @ the Post office (i thought I could pay USD cash). I just got an email this afternoon saying that my passport is in the mail ... hope yours is too

Enjoy the last few days of summer before your white New Years!!

Bon voyage to an exciting new life!

Hi Matt,

I've just been through the process @ Sydney Consulate (passport in the mail, with the visa-yay!).

Just some suggestions for you as you wait - there are a few things that you can get started on (if you haven't already) to ensure that you're ready to respond to packet 3 as soon as you get it.

If you asked for email notification, your petitioner should get an email saying that you've been approved in CSC - that's your NOA2 - the hardcopy will come in the mail later. It will be sent to NVC and you will get your packet 3 (mine was sent to my fiance as an email).

There are a number of forms that you need to send back as well as:

1. Australian national Police Check (in NSW, register online, got to your LOCAL police station to get fingerprinted, bring your own A4 envelop + stamp, ID and $175 - you should get it in the mail in about 3 wks)

2. Any overseas police checks + translation if necessary - this may take some time (I got mine done by a NAATI translator - google to get names/numbers and call around - my first quote was $75, i ended up paying $25)

3. Birth certificate - I didn't want to send in my original so I applied for a few original certified copies - this takes time.

4. Medical Exam - call and book an appointment - they only do it in the a.m. i booked months in advance; you can always move the appointment backwards if necessary. Be aware that if you want to avoid doing the medical for the AOS after you get married, you need to apply for the AOS within a year of this medical that you do in Sydney. It's also worthwhile checking the full list of vaccines required and getting the shots before you go so its covered under Medicare instead of needing to pay for it there.

5. Affadavit of Support - get your fiancee to get together payslips/tax returns/cosponsors as necessary and the I-134 and send it to you.

we weren't in a huge rush to get the interview (wedding in march 2013) so we were relaxed about some of these details. potentially, you can have it all ready to send back as soon as you receive your packet 3.

Good luck.

That's exactly what it says

thanks everyone didn't see the sample forms before

I'm hoping to work in the US eventually (probably after our AOS is approved) - I'm not sure how to answer Q31 "Do you intend to work in the US?" If I say 'yes', they ask for the employer's name ... is it better just to write 'no'?

Also, does my fiance filing this K1 on my behalf count for Q36? Technically, the K1 is a 'nonimmigrant visa' (they're asking for 'immigrant').

Finally, the visa instructions tell me to send in DS-156 and 156K with documents to get an interview. DS-156K asks for supporting evidence of our relationship ... so do I send everything (skype records, letters, emails etc.) into the consulate or do i just bring it with me to the interview?

Thoughts? Experience?

Hello,

I have a question about the medical vaccinations records for the medical exam. The USCIS has approved my petition for a K-1 visa and I have already received the I-797 NOA2. I believe the embassy in Moscow should contact my fiancee within a few weeks. My fiancee has had vaccinations in the past (I'm not sure if she has had all the vaccinations required by USCIS). However she does not have the records of these vaccinations. She said to get new ones takes a very long time. I would hate to have to delay her medical exam to wait for new vaccination records.

Does anybody have any advice, knowledge or experience on this situation? I appreciate any input! Thank you!

Your fiancee should make an appointment for the medical asap if she hasn't already done so. there may not be very many approved clinicians who an conduct the medical (i just googled this for you: http://moscow.usembassy.gov/physicians.html). She does not need the letter from the consulate in order to book the appt and she may not get in straight away. At least for me in Australia, I only need evidence that I have an appointment in order to get the interview (i do not need to have completed the medical exam or have the results).

They will do a blood test at the medical to text for immunity to diseases and give her any she still requires (and charge her for it).

OPTIONAL

This is the list of vaccinations required for immigration later (still not sure when - i'm trying to find out myself) http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=3384cc5222ff5210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=6abe6d26d17df110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD

For me, it is cheaper to get the shots here so I've done that, got the vaccination records from my own doctor and will take it to my medical and ask them to record it all on my forms so I don't need to do that again later.

hope that helps

Hello,

I have a question about the medical vaccinations records for the medical exam. The USCIS has approved my petition for a K-1 visa and I have already received the I-797 NOA2. I believe the embassy in Moscow should contact my fiancee within a few weeks. My fiancee has had vaccinations in the past (I'm not sure if she has had all the vaccinations required by USCIS). However she does not have the records of these vaccinations. She said to get new ones takes a very long time. I would hate to have to delay her medical exam to wait for new vaccination records.

Does anybody have any advice, knowledge or experience on this situation? I appreciate any input! Thank you!

Your fiancee should make an appointment for the medical asap if she hasn't already done so. there may not be very many approved clinicians who an conduct the medical (i just googled this for you: http://moscow.usembassy.gov/physicians.html). She does not need the letter from the consulate in order to book the appt and she may not get in straight away. At least for me in Australia, I only need evidence that I have an appointment in order to get the interview (i do not need to have completed the medical exam or have the results).

They will do a blood test at the medical to text for immunity to diseases and give her any she still requires (and charge her for it).

OPTIONAL

This is the list of vaccinations required for immigration later (still not sure when - i'm trying to find out myself) http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=3384cc5222ff5210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=6abe6d26d17df110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD

For me, it is cheaper to get the shots here so I've done that, got the vaccination records from my own doctor and will take it to my medical and ask them to record it all on my forms so I don't need to do that again later.

hope that helps

When you go in for your medical, they will do a blood test anyway and give you any vaccines you still need (NB March-Oct is flu season so you will need to get the flu vac if your medical falls in that period) - btw, they do charge for this. Bring any vaccination records you have - most medical centres will give you a printout - i got my gp to sign it too.

This is not necessary at this point but I figured I may as well do it here and get the medicare subsidy too:

if you go on the US Immigration website, you can get a list of all the vaccinations that are required when you do your AOS - I brought that list to my doctor, we went through my medical records and he gave me the ones that i needed a booster for. From what i understand, all the vaccination records will go on the official form that gets sent off to the consulate and included on your file. Try to get a copy of it for later if they will give it to you.

hope this helps.

I'm going for my medical 1 Nov will find out more then (give the medical centre a call - they are very helpful).

all the best

Hi All,

I'm wondering about vaccinations. Some of my paperwork I was unable to obtain so I don't have all of my records. I wanted to know if you require booster shots or new vaccinations should you have them done prior to going to your medical so you can show the panel physician you've had them, or the panel physician will advise you what you need to do etc?

Thanks!

?!?!

I thought it was an australian federal police check for visas? they also do fingerprinting too. where did you get your info from?

Yes you do need to get fingerprints done. I had it done in NSW it costs $175 It was an experience lol. I live in a rural area so had my fingerprints done the old fashioned way with the ink lol.

Great!

I'll apply for it tomorrow. And just to check, we don't need fingerprinting, right?

It's valid for 1 year. Our estimated date is now end of October too and I received my police check a couple of days ago. It took 3 weeks. Good luck with everything

Our estimated adjudication date range (on visa journey.com) keep creeping forward (yay! late Oct now) and I'd like to get the police check ahead of time so that I can send off package 3 as soon as possible to book the interview.

It takes about a month to get a police check (with postage).

does anyone know how long the police check is valid for from date of issue that is acceptable to the Sydney consulate - can i order it now or should i wait until closer to the date?

Thanks for letting me know. I thought i posted the question in the wrong forum ... still new to this - sorry

You asked this question previously and got a pretty good answer. Here it is again for you.

I've (beneficiary) lived/studied in the US on several occasions (exceeding the period where police checks would be required). Do I need to get a background check from the local police of the American cities I've lived or do they screen that as part of their processes at CSC prior to issuing the NOA2??

i have lived in france for 7 months just after i turned 16. is it true that i don't need a police check from france because i was there for less than 12 months and it is not my country of residence (i;m australian)?

Has anyone had experience with either of these scenarios and have advice?

We only got our NOA1 a month ago - just trying to work out what I can do in advance to have the necessary documents on hand so the NVC can schedule our interview ASAP.

I've (beneficiary) lived/studied in the US on several occasions (exceeding the period where police checks would be required). Do I need to get a background check from the local police of the American cities I've lived or do they screen that as part of their processes at CSC prior to issuing the NOA2??

I'm Australian (and applying as an Australian) but i have lived in france for 7 months just after i turned 16. is it true that i don't need a police check from france because i was there for less than 12 months and it is not my country of residence?

Has anyone had experience with either of these scenarios and have advice?

We only got our NOA1 a month ago - just trying to work out what I can do in advance to have the necessary documents on hand so the NVC can schedule our interview ASAP.