cassecouilles

Of all the European countries I would choose to live (outside the former iron curtain), Belgium must be among the last 3, joined by Yugoslavia (I still call it that) and the Czech Republic (same). Just plain awful, with awful weather to top it off. The Netherlands, sure. France, yes. But Belgium? I can buy chocolate everywhere . . .

Where one would rather live is very subjective :-) I like Belgium because I've lived here most of my life, it's home. It's also a pretty good place to be at, I think. A good social security system (too good one might say since it's easily taken advantage of), good food, good health care system, good education system... As for the weather, I don't think it's that bad. We don't get any major nature disasters, it doesn't get too cold or too hot and yeah sure it can be rainy and grey... I'm sure Belgium doesn't hold the monopoly on that. How many times have you been to Belgium that you feel compelled to bash it that way?

Don't forget his tax return, W-2, recent pay stubs.

Good luck and God bless.

Thanks! Um... what is W-2?? :-p

I thought this thread was hugely entertaining.

I asked my fiance if he's noticed me doing any weird (to him) stuff and if so, what exactly it was? He told me he couldn't really think of any... but maybe that was just self-preservation :-p He did tell me he thought it was really weird how Europeans eat their French fries with Mayonaise... but then again I saw him dip a French fry in a vanilla milkshake once so I'm sure that's not saying much :-D He also thought eating ground raw meat (we call it americain prepare) was disgusting. I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of it either.

Aside from that he named all the typîcal man-female things:

- I take too long to get ready

- I fold his clothes and socks and put them away but he prefers his organized chaotic closet thank you very much

- I change my mind every five seconds

- I have to pee all the time

- I get too mushy after a glass of wine

- etc etc etc

I wonder what other things will pop up once I move to the states :-)

I am the beneficiary and I worry about my move to the States. I have a good job here in Belgium, most of my family and friends live here and there is no other place in this world where I would rather live. But, then there's Rudy and I love him to death and it just makes more sense to live in the States since he has a house there and once he gets done with his deployment he wants to graduate. He hasn't lived in the states for the last 6 years that he's been in the military and he's so excited about finally living in his own house and us becoming a family there that I would never do anything to take that away from him.

Part of the reason I worry is because we have an 8 month old little boy. I know my family is going to have a very hard time with us leaving. I am going to miss being able to call my mom and ask her advice or just because, or even to just hop in the car and go visit her or my best friend.

I will miss all the familiar things,"real" bread, "good" cheese, all the products (food, shampoo, medication, etc.) that I am used to using for our baby. Aside from my fiance and his family, I won't KNOW anyone. I won't have a job and will have to start from zero for everything. No matter how much you love your partner, that stuff is scary.

I've tried telling him this because I believe it's important to be honest at all times. He needs to know these worries I have so he won't be surprised when I'm sad or lonely once I've been in the states for a bit. He needs to understand that it's not about him and that I don't love him any less but that it's an inevitable process that I'll have to go through. The first time I did tell him thishe actually got defensive: "what, you don't want to come anymore?" Now he's done some research and told me there's a pretty big Belgian and spanish community in Detroit, that we'd stock up on Belgian chocolate and beer and that we'll visit Belgium at least once a year and have my family come over as often as I want :-)

Communication, patience, love and understanding. I think those are the 4 things that'll help you through the move.

Hi guys,

Just a few doubts I'm hoping you can clear up. My fiance asked me to make him a checklist of all the documents he needs to get together for the interview. We've only just received our NOA1 (well, Oct 2nd according to the USCIS customer service even though we never actually got anything) but we've been told to begin gathering the documents sooner rather than later. Especially since my fiance is abroad on deployment and needs to rely on relatives and mail to get all the documentation he needs.

This far this is what I think we need:

- A copy of the petition sent to the Dallas Lockbox

- 2 passport-type pictures of both him and me

- 2 to 3 copies of his last or recent pay stubs

- a copy of the I-134

- a letter of marriage intent

- 2 copies of the DS-156 form

- 1 copy of the DS-156K form

- 1 copy of the DS-230 form

- proof of relationship

For the I-134 he needs:

1. Statement of an officer of the bank or other financial institution with deposits, identifying the following details regarding the account:

- Date account opened;

- Total amount deposited for the past year; and

- Present balance.

2. Statement of your employer on business stationery showing:

- Date and nature of employment;

- Salaray paid; and

- Whether the position if temporary or permanent

What I was wondering is this: He owns a house back in the states, which he can mention in the I-134 form. Does he need supporting documentation for this and if so, what? Are his tax receipts sufficient or does he need some other form of proof? Do we need anything else?

Just trying to cover all bases here and be sure I have all the requiered info. Since he placed me in the hot seat by making me responsible for getting everything just right, I don't want to give him the chance to go "Aaaay mujer, you suck at paperwork!" :-p

Thanks!

It is not so easy to get a job, as some people like to say. We are in a down economy right now. Many college graduates can't even get a job. Yes, you might be able to get a really crappy job, paying barely above minimum wage, which they will tax, and so you will actually make about $1.50 less per hour take home. If you are in a city, it might be easier than if you are in the country.

You have to be certified to be a teacher here. It isn't easy for you anymore if you are a foreign language teacher. You must have your bachelor's degree and teacher credential. They are continuing to cut teachers, so you must be highly qualified and have the specific requirements for that state. I didn't read all the posts yet, so sorry if I am being repetitive.

It seems that you have good work experience and references, so that is a plus. I think a lot will have to do with how you present yourself, how you put together your resume, and your persistence, and also if you are an assertive, outgoing type of personality.

Just be realistic, don't expect things to happen right away, and hopefully things will happen sooner than you expect.

I would try to see what jobs are out there in your interests ahead of time, to have some idea, but all the postings on the internet aren't necessarily the reality about what is actually available. We have contacted many places with absolutely no response, or you find that they need such and such qualifications - employers are getting very particular.

Temp agencies are a good idea, especially if you are in a city. To what city are you going?

We'll be going to Lincoln Park, near Detroit, in 2014. Looks like we'll spend a year in Camp Pendleton, California, first. But yes, you're right, I think starting to look early and just inquiring might be a good idea. There are also more consulates that I thought there would be, that might be a good direction to check into as well. It's all a bit stressful and worrisome to be honest, the idea of dropping a really good job here and then all this uncertainty for the future. I love my fiance, but I don't take this lightly, especially since we have a little boy and in light of how bad the economy is right now.

My fiance and I are getting a lot of mixed messages.

We've started the K1 process in Oct but seem to be running into some problems already.

Small background: my fiance is a US marine and we met when he was stationed here for a year and a half. He's in the MSG program, currently stationed in Switzerland, and cannot legally get married until May 2013. That is why we started the K1 process now, thinking we'd get the paperwork done by then so that by the time he goes back to the fleet in the states, I can travel with him.

Now this Vice-Consul in Brussels tells me we should wait until May, get married here and then file file for DCF anf have my CR1 Visa expedited through the USCIS in Frankfurt. He tells me I would get all the paperwork in order in approximately 6 weeks at the most. I'd actually like the CR1 visa better because the way I understand it, I could get a job immediately after going to the states and I would receive my greencard upon arrival. The Vice-Consul says we would probably get approved because once my fiance returns to the fleet he could get deployed very soon. I hope not though. We're just afraid that if we go ahead and try this and it gets refused, it'd be an additional 10 something months going through the normal CR1 process. We don't want that to happen because we have a little boy together, and he's missing out on so much already.

Whatever we do, we'd like to be together by summer next year.

Any thoughts on what would be our best bet? I'm not even sure DCF will be that easy, though the consul seems to think so. Thanks!

Kimberly

Hi guys,

My fiance and I mailed the I-129F package on the 1st of October. Through the tracking number we know they received it less than a week later and the check was cashed within two weeks. It's been more than a month now and we've received no e-mail or text (even though we did fill in the necessary document) or even a receipt in the mail to acknowledge they've received our petition. Should we worry? I see so many people getting their NOA1 within a week that we can't help but wonder if something's wrong. We did mail it from Europe so we know we need to allow more time for that, but 6 weeks seems a bit excessive?? What do you think?

Cheers,

Kimberly

My fiance told me yesterday that he checked the USCIS website and back in May they posted a message saying that theu had a 2 to 4 week delay on sending confirmation notices. I don't know if you guys have heard anything by now, we still haven't. Maybe a quick phone call could be an option? You never know if something just went wrong in the mail.

My fiance and I started the process about a month ago. He sent the petition around the 1st of October but we've still not received an e-mail or text, even though we did fill out the form. Through tracking and because they've cashed in the check we know they've received it within a week of us sending it though. I'm trying not to worry about it yet :-s I saw in some people's timelines that they got the NOA1 within a week, for us it's been nearly a month and nothing yet. Good luck!

Hi guys,

Who else is from Belgium? I'm wondering if there's a distinct difference in processing times depending on where the beneficiary lives. I imagine there is, but is it truly that significant and based on where you live?

I just read in a post that someone got approved in less than three months *gasp*. My fiance and I were counting on the "customary" 6 tot 7 months... simply because we literally have a 30 days frame starting May 6 in which to get married while he's in between military assignments. He cannot marry before that because he's abroad on the MSG program (which is how we met). If we get married later than that, when he's already posted somewhere in the US for his last year of service it probably wouldn't be the end of the world but we'd like for at least his family to be there. If we get approved much sooner than we had planned my visa might actually expire before we even have the chance to get married. Say, we get approved in less than three months... is there a way to "stretch" the rest of the process without it negatively affecting it? After talking to someone from the consulate, I'm afraid it might actually go that fast, since I already work for the department of state and have a security clearance, he is in the military and we have a little boy, that already has the american nationality.

I appreciate any thoughts you might have. This website and the people on it have been wonderful so far. I'm so glad I came across VJ!

-Kimberly

Hi guys,

I'm wondering about the documents needed by the beneficiary once the initial petition is approved. I was checking out the guide but I don't believe they mention those, only the ones the petitioner needs to send to his or her fiance? I'm the beneficiary. Do I need some sort of documents reflecting my financial situation as well?

Thanks!

Hi guys,

As my fiance and I were talking about the petition yesterday we realized we might have one really BIG problem.

The plan is to file for the K1 now, so that by the time he leaves his post abroad (he's a marine) in May and starts his last 11 months in the fleet I can tag along. However, he won't know until a few months from now which camp he'll get. He could get Hawaii, California or North Carolina. None of those would be an issue. But what if he gets stationed in Japan? I mean he would still take leave and we would both spend about a month in Michigan, get married, start the paperwork. But if he has to go to Japan and my adjustment of status hasn't happened yet, can I go with him or do I have to stay in the US by myself? Would the base in Japan be considered US territory? Argh, it's so confusing :-p

Any thoughts??

Thank you Celeste that was incredibly helpful! I rather thought that Ian would be sufficient proof in himself ;-)But I guess I'm paranoid and since there's a pretty important timing issue I just wanted to be sure I won't have to contend with an extra RFE. I'll definitely follow your advice on the translation and docs I need!

Let's put it this way. You can find a job in the US without a degree, on another hand having a good paying degree job without a degree is challenging. I've been in this position before I got my degree. I also speak 4 languages fluently, but degree did it all. I found a first good paying job after I got my bachelors, after completing my master's I got a raise for having a Master's degree, currently I am half way done with my PhD and terminal degree in the US are big boost. I am not saying that you should go thru all the levels I did, but you should consider getting at least bachelor's if you are looking for a good paying job.

Sorry if I offended you and I don't undermine you skills and knowledge, but degree, will give you a better chance.

You're merely stating what you know to be true, that could never offend me :-) That was very helpful, thank you.

Thanks for the input guys. Originally the plan was for me to graduate before I left. However, my fiance tells me he wants to get married in March already. Since we're petitioning for a K1 Visa, this has to be in the US.

It's all a timing issue. He has a house in Detroit, which is where we'll eventually end up, but right now he's still active duty abroad. In May he would leave his current post abroad and move to the fleet, he doesn't know in which state yet. The thing is, for me and our little boy to be able to go with him we need to start applying now. That way we can move when he does and instead of him staying in the baracks we can rent something. It's only for 11 months, so if I wait until say, the end of july (after my exams) to leave, he would have to rent a place only for 8 months. It hardly seems worth it to go through the expense of moving twice. If we hadn't had our 5 months old little boy I would have made the sensible decision, wait for him here, graduate and he could stay in the baracks. Easier all the way around. But we do have a little baby boy, and he's missing out on so much already that we both don't want him to wait an extra year longer.

How long does it take before I can actually travel again? I think it's after you become a legal resident right? If that doesn't take too long, I could always come back in september and take the second set of exams and hope I graduate on the first try.

The one thing that's becoming clear to me though is that I absolutely need that degree.

Hi everyone,

My fiance and I have just started the K1 application process but if everything goes well we should (hopefully) be in the states by June 2013.

It's probably a bit premature, but I worry about finding a job in the states. I'm only a few classes short of graduating in translating but I don't actually have my Bachelor's degree yet and I might not be able to graduate before moving to the states.

Can you get a good job in the states without a college degree? I have about 4 years of work experience. I worked as a travel insurance agent the first year, and have been working at the US embassy in progressively responsible jobs for the last 3 years. I have good references, and the last three are actually from US supervisors. I'll be honest, the lack of degree hasn't held me back at all until now, I make a pretty good salary and love my job... but am terrified of what's going to happen once I move to the US.

I'm not a "rockstar" at anything, don't have any super specialized talents to give me an edge. Basically I'm just a quick learner that's willing to work. I grew up speaking French, Dutch and Spanish. I am also fluent in English and German. But even though I am fluent in five languages, I don't actually have a degree or certificate that oficially states that.

Do you think I would be able to find a good job? By that I mean maybe an administrative job in a large company.

Thanks, I appreciate your thoughts on this!

Hi guys,

I am trying to assemble everything I have for proof of relationship. So far it's print screens of skype, facebook, emails, travel itineraries and hotel confirmations (I never kept actual tickets or boarding cards, think that'll be a problem?), pictures, his orders, etc.

My fiance and I have a 5 months old little boy so I thought to add his birth certificate to the stack because it clearly states that he is our son. However, since Ian was born in Brussels his birth certificate is in French. I translated it once before myself, when we applied for his american citizenship, but never had it translated by a certified translator. Do you think I should when sending the petition? I am perfectly capable of doing it myself as I'm only a couple of classes away from having my degree in translating. By the way, as a benificiary my borth certificate is not required, right? I thought that was a bit strange.

Any opinion is appreciated :-)

Hello everybody! As you can see, total newbie here and JUST got started on the process. My name is Kimberly, from Belgium and am engaged to the most wonderful man that I met while working at the US embassy here in Brussels.

We started getting the documents together yesterday and what do you know, yup, ran accross a problem already :-p I diligently filled out the I-129F form and the g-325a form and sent the whole thing to my fiance who's currently stationed in Switzerland. He noticed right away that the document has an expiration date: 08/31/2012. I thought maybe it was because I had downloaded it a while ago but could not find a new document with a different expiration date. There is no mention at all of this document on the USCIS website... so I was wondering, is this document still necessary? Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it!

Cheers,

Kimberly