Corina A.

My husband & I went through the K1 and AOS/EAD processes. His 2 year green card will expire this December. Is the I-751 the form we need to submit? What (if any) evidence, documents, etc is required? All tips/advice welcome. Thanks in advance.

We had a biometrics appointment September 10, today we got a notice in the mail for an interview October 29. I thought they were just going to send the green card in the mail...is this a bad sign? what should we expect to be asked? how should we prepare?

I am in the process of changing my name with credit card & utility companies... I've heard that for the AOS interview some mail is recommended/required. I am thinking of adding my husband as a secondary user on my credit cards. If i do that will he show up on the statements? I also plan to put the utilities in both our names and add him to my bank account. Anybody have any experience in this area? We got him an SS card... any ideas on how to establish his credit? should I have him apply for credit cards individually?

on the I-485, what is the nonimmigrant number? (its not the A #, that is requested in the same section)

what do you put for current USCIS status?

i don't think i have a sankie but you never know. as far as cold feet i can now see the K3 visa as a plus because you're already married and the mentality is different.

you learn so much more about a person when you live with them. There certain things I anticipated like homesickness, financial stress, & needing to learn English. I definitely underestimated how much teaching I'd need to do - especially in the kitchen. Stuff you assume everyone knows like don't put foil in the microwave & you don't cram an entire hot dog into a toaster & then go after it with a knife while it's still plugged in! lol & cultural differences - ay-yi-yi!

our circumstances are tougher than most. we go from seeing each other every few months & talking on the phone or IM'ing to being with your partner 24/7, also its a lot different having them in your daily life & routine. what i imagined is very different from my reality. there have been some very difficult moments but I am glad we are together. I agree with MrTee, communication is everything!

Hey VJ Fam!

This is an old post suggested to me by a fellow VJer, its currently what I'm living so I thought I'd repost and see what conversation it generates.

"I have decided to start a new topic on something that I think happens too often, but we might perhaps be reluctant to talk (write) about. What happens once the beneficiary is finally in the USA? What happens when you actually have to live, share a home, sleep, eat, and be together with the one you love? Yes, I am talking too about the happiness of finally being together, but mostly about the moment when reality hits you like a 10 pound bag of potatoes. For K1 visa holders it means that the petitioner will be the only one making the income and, depending on the beneficiary, it will be likely that your fiance(e) will be totally dependent on you; unable to speak English, drive, work, being in a new culture, environment, etc.
So, what happens if all these changes and the challenges of living together make you question the wisdom of going through with the marriage? What happens when the realities of a shared life make you realize this is not what you thought it would be? Perhaps this is the advantage of the fiance(e) visa process; you can still change your mind and decide not to marry without breaking any immigration laws.
Please do comment and share your thoughts and ideas."

my fiance arrives Saturday from DR. what documents should he bring with him? I told him to get at least 2 birth certificates & of course he'll bring his cedula & driver's license...anything else?

the Dominican Republic is an EXTREMELY high fraud country. if the consular officer suspects you of fraud they will question you harshly - maybe even interview you separately. This actually happened to me & not only was I asked about sex, the consular officer made insulting implications. I posted this specifically for ppl who will be processed through the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I compiled this list of questions from (Dominican) reviews I read here on VJ. Besides, it doesn't hurt to be extra prepared - the confidence that comes with practice calms the nerves (in my opinion)

no, they sent them over but take the receipts & proof of vaccinations just in case your results don't reach the consulate in time

well now we agreed June 15 which suits me just fine b/c i'm a teacher & our last day is June 6 so i'll only have 9 days of total bordem. he wants to go visit family en el campo. I don't think its fair to ask him to come right away b/c he'll have to stay at home alone all day everyday while i work

DOMEX called him today, it was ready for pick up but he's not going to pick it up until Tuesday (Monday is a holiday) </3 he's not coming until June 29

what is DOS?

my fiance lives in Santo Domingo, we paid $9.50 and made arrangements to pick it up (instead of having it delivered) my question is, how will we know when his passport is ready for pick up?

i only did the DS forms in English. the vaccines are not required but its just easier to get them done at consultorios de visa that way they are sent straight to the consulate. we got the birth certificate & police certificates translated but they didn't ask for the translations so i didn't give it to them.

• ladies, don't take a purse (they'll let you skip in line if you don't bring one)
  
• you will be standing a very long time - wear comfy shoes
  
• the consulate is not air conditioned, dress accordingly
  
• make your man hold your evidence (their line moved WAY faster & they barely search them)
  
• get there early! we got there at 4 AM - first ones
  
• take a cab, buscones hassle you about parking - ignore them completely, everything they say is unreliable to say the least
  
• take a stapler & hole punch in your suitcase (but not the the consulate)
  
• practice interviewing each other
  
• answer only what you are asked - don't give details you weren't asked for
  
• take your time when answering
  
• ask the to repeat if necessary
  
• keep your cool!
  

this is how i set up my binder, it worked well for me although the only thing we were asked for (besides forms & govt docs were pictures)

Cita appointment letter (blue) you’ll need it to get inside (inside the front plastic cover)

Page protector in front

- DS-230 Part I

- DS-230 Part II (firmar en consul)

- DS-156 (2 copies)

2 Passport photos

- DS-156K (1 copy firmar en consul)

-DS-157 (for males only)

- I-134 (Affidavit of Support)

Tab 1:

fiance birth certificate

fiance police certificate

copy of cedula

Letters of intents

Banco Popular receipts

Consultorios de visa receipt

NOA 1 (original & copy)

NOA 2 (original & copy)

Tab 2:

Petitioner birth certificate

Tax returns (2012-2010)

Employment letter

Pay check stubs (6 months)

Bank letter

Bank statements (6 months)

Tab 3:

Proof of travel

Tab 4:

Telephone communication

Tab 5:

Emails

IM’s

Tab 6:

Western Union receipts

Additional items:

passports

cedula

Results from medical exam

Photo album

Engagement ring receipt

i read LOTS of reviews & compiled a list of questions that people said they were asked at the interview, this is what my fiance & i practiced with, i tried to categorize them, and some of them are repetitive, i know

Basic Questions (about each other)

Full name

DOB

Hometown

Address

Phone number

Color, make & model of their car

Who does your fiancé live with?

What is fiancé’s favorite food?

Do you send your fiancé money? When was the last time and how much?

Have you been married before?

Do you have any children (together)?

Does your fiancé live in a house or apartment? How many rooms?

Are you/he religious? Do you go to church?

Have you ever applied for a visa?

Has anyone ever applied for a visa on your behalf?

Have you ever been in trouble with the law?

How did you learn English/Spanish?

Work/education Questions

Name of fiancé’s employer & their position

How long has your fiancé had his/her current job?

How does your fiancé get to work?

What is your fiancé’s work schedule?

What is the highest level of education you (or your fiancé) have completed?

What was his/her major?

Where did she used to work?

Under what job title did she work as?

Basic Questions (about family)

Mother’s maiden name

Parents & siblings names, number of siblings

Birthplaces of fiance’s parents

Where is your family from?

Has your fiancé met your family?

Do you have family in DR/USA?

Are your fiancées parents married? Do they live together?

Basic Questions (about the relationship)

How did you meet?

When did you meet?

Where did you meet?

When did we officially begin dating?

Have long have you been a couple?

Have your parents met your fiancé?

When & where did he/you propose?

Who was there?

What did you do after?

How (and how often) do you communicate?

When did you decide to meet in person?

How did the relationship evolve?

Did you buy her an engagement ring? Who was with you?

Do you have wedding bands?

Questions about travel

what made you vacation in DR 1st time?

How many trips have I made since I met him?

Has your fiancé ever traveled to USA?

Where do you stay when you visit the country?

What airline did you fly?

Who picked you up from the airport?

How long was your last trip?

Questions about the wedding

Do you have any wedding plans?

Church or civil ceremony?

When is the wedding?

How many people will attend?

Why do you want to get married in the US instead of in the DR?

What plans do you have for your honeymoon?

Who's paying for the wedding?

Where do you intend to work when you get to the USA?

Where are you going to live?

Questions about (future) children

Have you thought about having kids?

Can you have kids?

Are you avoiding having kids?

Do you want any kids?

Have you chosen any names for your (future) children?

Intimate questions

When and where was the first time you had sex?

Were you a virgin?

Did/do you use condoms?

Did you have sex last night/this morning/when was the last time?

Were the lights off or on?

Who showered first this morning?

Are you/ is she on birth control?

Are/is she on birth control when in USA/DR?

Does he/she have another partner there?

When was the last time you had sex?

What color underwear you have on?

What side of the bed we slept on?

Did have sex this morning, last night, when was the last time?

What color were the sheets in our bed?

When was your last kiss?

How often do you have sex?

las cosas pequeñas

What did you eat for dinner last night?

What color is your/your fiance’s toothbrush?

Who got up first?

Do you drink coffee and how do you take it?

Did you call each other for your birthdays? (Who called who)

Where did you/your fiancé spend your/their birthday?

Did you watch TV last night?

What did you watch?

What size shoe does your partner wear?

Gifts

What gifts did you bring this trip/last trip?

Where did you/your fiancé spend New Year’s? Did you guys speak?

Where did you spend your birthday?

i hope this helps, feel free to message me w/ any questions, i'll do my best to help you any way i can!

My fiance went to pay Banco Popular this morning, we anticipated paying $160 & $15 ($175 total) the Banco Popular employee told my fiance that the fee had increased. He actually paid in Dominican Pesos, he on one receipt it was about 6,000 pesos and the other 600 pesos. whatever he paid it ended up being equal to $183.75 US dollars.

was there really a fee increase? was my fiance mistakenly charged the wrong amount? will this create a problem? ¿Qué opinan?

my fiance paid banco popular this morning & was told there was a fee increase, he ended up paying $183.75 for everything... think it might be due to the exchange rate but he says the banco popular employee told him the price had gone up.

we're going to the consultorio the day before the interview - better safe than sorry!

my fiance's A number is on one of the NOA's. Try the visa specialist 202-663-1225. I can't believe the consulado won't give you that info over the phone. keep calm, we'll figure something out, he won't have to go back to DR just for that

all the message you have not deleted will be there....I don't know about years but I imagine so. I started off doing screen shots, it took 80 pages for only 2 conversations

this is what i have decided to do:

go to account settings

download a copy of your Facebook data

you will be able to retrieve all Facebook messages (that you have not deleted)

Facebook will email you when your data is ready (a few hours)

I am going to print the email from Facebook & print the chats.

It is not official looking but at this point i think its a better option (for me) than taking bazillions of screen shots

Hope this helps

I'm kinda confused about the upcoming fees (K1) I've read so many different things...I just want to make sure I have everything straight

Medical exam: $180

Vaccinations: $109

Banco Popular: one payment of $150 and a separate $15 payment (keep the receipts, i know)

Consulate: $80

DOMEX: $9.50 (my fiance lives in Santo Domingo & will pick it up)

am I missing anything?

Thanks in advance

for me it was really fast, the consulate received my case 3/26 & my interview date is 4/23 (i found out by calling the visa specialist) its funny b/c i was just calling to see if the consulate had received my case & they gave me the interview date! the hard part is over though, just use this time to get your evidence together. **FELICIDADES**

For DR, you have to go