jenni17

I am currenly in the states on my J-1 visa wich expires on october the 24. I have a 2 year waiver for my home country (the Netherland)

I want to stay in the states. I have a boyfriend in the states who i plan on marrying next year. Is there any way for me to stay in the states in the meantime? If we get engaged, or maybe something else? What are my options?

Thank you!

Being engaged to a USC will not allow you to stay legally in the US beyond the expiration of your J1. If upon your entry to the US, marriage was not an intention (which I gather from your post that it was not) you could get married and file for AOS which would allow you to stay past the expiration of your J-1. If you are set on getting married next year and want to remain in the US, then you would need to find an employer who will sponsor you for a work visa.

Another option would be to leave and file for the K-1 fiance visa in order to return to the US to get married once the visa is granted. If you have a tourist visa you can return to visit while the K-1 is being processed.

Vietnam doesn't stamp my passport. They stamp my visa but I never kept my visa for those trips. Only Korea stamped my passport because Korea is my layover. In combination with my flight information, that should prove I did board the plane right? Yes the arline wrote me a letter confirming that. I might have boarding pass laying around back in Seattle. Hopefully I can find it. I should have kept all the information but I never think that proving is so difficult. Thanks!

In that case then yes, you should be fine. Give them both the itinerary with the flight info and the letter from the airline. If you can find the boarding pass send that too but if not you should be good with the combination you listed.

What about letter from the Airline certifying that I flew with them? Does that count as primary evidence?

Primary evidence is something concrete which is not easily fabricated. For example if we are talking about primary evidence that you have met in person, boarding passes, passport stamps, and bank statements showing ATM/Credit card transactions in your fiance's country. Secondary evidence would be flight itineraries (They don't actually prove you were on the plane, just that you purchased the ticket) and photos (due to photoshop they can't be considered primary evidence of meeting).

Thanks for the info. Yeah I asked the landlord for a contract and he got us one with both our names on it. However it is just a few months old because we just moved in. Also I have been here for so long and we have been living together for a long time, I am hoping that since we are putting the same address on the 325a for the past 2 years hopefully that will also be ok. I am glad I don't have to translate the FB messages, because that is great evidence, with dates and everything. Everyone on here seems to make out the visa application this crazy hard, horrible process but it really doesn't seem to be THAT hard. It was just as difficult if not more difficult to get married here, in Peru. (Well maybe I am speaking too soon?) Hehe well I will let you all know how it goes in a few weeks!

Please do! My fiance and I have our interview scheduled at the embassy for next month so we'll also update all our fellow peruvians on here as to how it went... I think filing DCF you may have an easier time than most people who file through USCIS... it is a quicker process no doubt as to weather they're more lenient with the process I'm not sure but at least you're bypassing a lot of the waiting time by going through the embassy directly... good luck!

We don't have a bank account together, we don't have children, we never got a lease, and don't have enough time to get affidavits. I also don't want to translate facebook messages. However I am planning on showing a bunch of pictures with dates on them. Do you think that will be enough evidence or will they want more? Thanks!

also, if the facebook messages are in spanish they shouldn't need to be translated...in the instructions my fiance and I received from the Lima embassy about evidence we provide at the interview it says that both english and spanish are fine... so print the fb messages and send those also

If you are using affidavits from family and friends to support your relationship then they should be notarized. Are you both on the same cell phone plan? do you have any paperwork/bills stating both of your names on it? Since your filing DCF i'm assuming you're living in Peru... do you have mail addressed to the both of you? Christmas/Birthday cards sent to your address in Peru that could prove you do in fact live together?

For a spousal visa they may want to see the joint account/insurance policy... if you have time to spare you may want to try to get these things in both of your names and hold off on filing until after. If you are set on filing now then try to come up with more evidence of the relationship. My fiance and I lived together for a while in Lima and although our lease was only in his name we pointed out that the stamps in my passport and boarding passes proving the time I had lived in Peru corresponded exactly with the dates the apartment was rented. Also if you've gone on trips together try to show boarding passes/bus tickets both of your names and seats next to each other?

sorry, i just re-read the original post... disregard the suggestion about the lease... but any mail addressed to both of you at your residence may help

I thought Obamacare took care of the pre-existing conditions problem.

Either way, it doesn't go into effect until 2014 and he would be traveling in Sept so it wouldn't really apply to our situation. However, I from what I understand the law provides alternatives for people who have been without coverage for pre-existing conditions, but I don't think it is necessarily covered under all insurers. They can't deny you insurance based on a pre-existing condition, but I know BCBS at least currently has a 365 day waiting period before they will begin to cover pre-existing conditions if you have been without coverage.

I plan on getting the inbound immigrant insurance that is offered by 7 corners:

http://www2.sevencorners.com/immigration-medical/

I expect that I will be able to go on my Fiance's insurance within a month.

I also have a preexisting condition that will not be covered by 7 corners. Basically, in my situation, I am about as likely as someone without my condition to find myself hospitalised for it, because I respond extremely well to drugs. As a result, I will not have coverage for it for the month I am without insurance, but my specialist here in Japan is sending me away with a couple of months worth of pills to tide me over,

Look into the requirements of the health insurance plan you intend to be added to after marraige. Many insurance companies will not provide coverage for pre-existing conditions if you have had a break in coverage for that pre-existing condition.

My company has Blue Cross Blue Shield and they will not cover a pre-existing condition for the first year if you cannot provide proof of continuous insurance that has been covering that condition. If there's a lapse of a month where the inbount immigrant insurance doesn't cover it your insurer may have the same policy.

We plan to get around this by using the same concept of COBRA here in the US. He can continue paying (more) for his insurance that is provided by his insurer in Peru even after he stops working there. We will continue paying for coverage under his peruvian insurance company until we are married and I can add him onto my policy with work. The only issue I haven't ironed out is how to prove the continuous insurance, someone switching insurers in the US would need a HIPPA cert of continuous coverage. Obviously foreign insurers dont adhere by HIPPA regulations, my HR dept didn't know if a certified letter from his insurer stating the dates of his coverage would suffice, i have to call BCBS directly this week to make sure.

Is insurance required? I have health insurance through my employer and I do have the ability to add a spouse, but that costs more than my monthly rent and I can't even come close to affording that, especially since my fiance won't be able to work for a bit. I didn't think it was required but now I'm starting to wonder.

It is not right now, but once "obamacare" goes into effect in 2014 you will be required by law to have health insurance. Its not a good idea to be without it though, god forbid something happen in the period that your fiance is uninsured medical bills would most certainly be more expensive then having paid for insurance would be.

Ok thanks for clearing that up

Now to get some sleep as I have to be up and out the door at 4.20am to catch the coach to London

Good luck!!! Everything will go great tomorrow : )

The K-1 is technically a Non-immigrant visa since AOS is required and receipt of the green card is conditional upon getting married within 3 months of entry to the US.

I have two questions about the vaccinations...

1) Does anyone know where I can find the list of required vaccinations in Spanish?

2) Does anyone know if it is acceptable to get the vaccinations in a local hospital?

I know that the medical exam has to be done by an approved doctor in Lima, but I was talking to a friend who went through the process in 2008 and she suggested that I have my fiance get his vaccinations at the local hospital here in our town to save some money rather than waiting for them to do it for him at the doctor who will probably charge us in $$ instead of Nuevo Soles.

Thanks for your help and support!!

Here is the list of required vaccinations by the peruvian embassy in spanish... according to their instructions you should not get the vaccinations before going to see the embassy approved doctor however I have been told by various previous applicants that you are allowed to go to get them in other hospitals after being given permission by the medical examiner

http://travel.state.gov/pdf/medical/LMA-MED-MULT-0007-1303.pdf

Ok, so I see many different experiences on here. Some go from NOA 2 to NVC numbers really quickly, and others take longer. However, we got our NOA2 on 4/23/13. NVC still has no record of it. 3 scans and emails have been sent, not response other than the automatic "we process all requests in the order in which they arrive" reply.

USCIS says they have up to 90 BUSINESS days to get it from CSC to NVC...I could walk from Cali to NH faster with the damn thing in my hand.

Any suggestions? I call 2x a week...but am getting burnt out of hearing nothing.

Thanks for any help!

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/435915-getting-approved-was-just-the-beginning-of-the-headaches/

I found the thread... maybe PM them to see what exactly they did that got NVC and USCIS to put in the extra work to locate the file

Ok, so I see many different experiences on here. Some go from NOA 2 to NVC numbers really quickly, and others take longer. However, we got our NOA2 on 4/23/13. NVC still has no record of it. 3 scans and emails have been sent, not response other than the automatic "we process all requests in the order in which they arrive" reply.

USCIS says they have up to 90 BUSINESS days to get it from CSC to NVC...I could walk from Cali to NH faster with the damn thing in my hand.

Any suggestions? I call 2x a week...but am getting burnt out of hearing nothing.

Thanks for any help!

I'm so sorry it's taken so long, that's ridiculous... it's been over a month, have you tried asking them to inquire as to it's location? When i was first calling to see if it had arrived they told me to give it 2 weeks to arrive and up to 3 weeks for them to get it into their system... you're well past that timeframe so I would think you have the right to ask them to do some extra work to find it. I know i've seen someone post on here this week about how they got someone to look for their case. When they found it it had been sent to the NRC instead of NVC. Keep insisting until you get someone to listen to you!!

On another note... for those of you whose petition has left NVC for the embassy...when the embassy receives it will the case status on the ceac web site change to at the embassy or will it not change from in transit? I'm wondering if I have to contact the embassy directly for confirmation that they have it or if the status will change once it's entered into their system...

We are bit away from completion but im preparing plans for the flight info and procedures. Basically my wife will fly from Manila to Japan with a 2 hour layover, from Japan to Atlanta with a 5 hour layover, then from Atlanta to final destination in Baltimore. Can someone tell me what the process and or procedure is for each layover when she gets to each airport please. Thank you in advance

She would go through customs in Atlanta, read the POE reviews for the atlanta airport

http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/poereviews.php?poe=Atlanta

I am a returned Peace Corps volunteer who has been working part time and recently began a full time job while waiting for my NOA2. With only my full time position, I make over $26,000 with the hourly wage I earn. In addition, I earn nearly $9,000 with my part time position. As a result I will earn a little over $35,000 with both positions combined. My tax returns have been below the poverty line because I was in Peace Corps but I will be able to show pay stubs and my current income. Will my past tax returns hurt me? I know the embassy is clearly familiar with the Peace Corps Volunteers and know that I am reentering into work. Although I want to make sure that I make the requirements. I don't want a co-sponsor so I am trying to make sure I can be the sole sponsor.

Thanks for your help in advance!

You should be fine with the pay stubs but also make sure you ask for a letter from your full time employer stating your salary, position, etc.

I'm in a very similar situation, I just returned to the US after doing a Fulbright grant in Peru and have only been with my company for 2 months now. I'm bringing my pay stubs, a letter from the employer and bank statements. I'm also planning on bringing co-sponsor documents from my mother just in case they do have a problem. But i don't plan to present them unless they question the fact that I've only been working full time for a short period of time. From what others have told me on this site the cosponsor won't be necessary but I want to be prepared just in case.

Monday, June 17, 2013 Location Time 13 Delivered - Signed for by : EMBAJADA EE UU LIMA 10:00

It's at the consulate, guys. Yayyyyyy.

So exciting!!! It appears though that they don't have it in their system yet... i emailed the embassy this morning. I'll PM you the response we got back

I was on your same position I was living abroad with my fiance and went to see a attorney and was told that 1) the visa is very clear when is says its a visa to "come and marry your fiance here in the USA". 2) you need to be generating money in other to support you future spouse, so you will need to be IN the USA in other to brinf that other person here to marry.

So maybe to file you could be still living abroad but at the moment of the interview I believe you need to be here and prove you are currently working and able to support your spouse.

So in my case I moved back to the US filed and started working. We are still waiting for our NOA2.

While many people, including myself, do/did move back to be working in the US by the time of the interview and thus able to sponsor it's not impossible to do the whole process from abroad. You would need to find a cosponsor to fill out the affidavit of support if you do not hold a job in the US. Or you would need to have enough in assets to satisfy the affidavit requirements.

i need some info on this. i asked about the I-134 and what i needed to send to my fiance in the Philippines. as iread through the instructions about this form it says noing about sending tax transcripts. however it does say you need to send in bank statements and proof of deposits and or proof of employment abong with pay stubs. why is it that some people say i need to send in tax transcripts. would bank statements and w-2's be enough???

Your tax transcripts are only required if you are self employed, however many people prefer to send them anyway to be safe. I recommend getting a letter from your employer in addition to your bank statements and w-2s as well as copies of your most recent pay stubs. The tax transcripts are up to you as to weather you would like to provide them.

Thanks so much Jenni for your information! Can I ask where did you send your I-129F? Was it to the lockbox in texas or should I send it to the USCIS Office for my American residency which is in NYC?

You have to send it to the texas lockbox and from there they forward it to the corresponding USCIS office. What the above poster said about the spousal visa and DCF though is a good option also. If you get married in Italy you may qualify to apply through the italian embassy which is a quicker process. My fiance and I decided against this since I had been living in peru for a while and already spent a lot of time with his family we decided we wanted to get married in the US so that my family could share the moment with us since many of them had never met him. So we went with the K-1 instead of spousal and DCF

Here is the info about DCF filing though if you want to investigate... check to make sure italy offers it, but i'm sure they do

http://www.visajourney.com/content/dcf

Hi!

I apologize if this has been asked before. I attempted to search the topics, but I have not found it.

I am an American currently living in Italy with my Fiancé. I met him here while I was studying abroad and after graduation I stayed (I am here legally with a permit of stay) and we have an apartment together. We want to get started on his Fiance visa so that we can move to the USA together.

***Additional information. My Fiance's citizenship is with Albania (his place of birth), but is a permanent resident in Italy.***

I have contacted a lawyer who told me I have to be living in the USA in order to file the I-129F, but on the uscis.gov website it does say if I am living abroad to send it to the lockbox in Texas. However, the information makes me confused because it does indicate that even for citizens currently living in the USA to send it to the Texas lockbox. When my research has shown that where you petition the I-129F depends on your state of residency. So, it's safe to say I have no idea what is correct.

- here is the link to .gov website

1. Does anyone have any information on this or have done this themselves? Experiences?

2. Can I in fact file the I-129F while I am still living in Italy or do I need to move back (or just go back for a visit) to the US?

3. If I can send it while living abroad should I put my Italian or American address on the I-129F?

4. Also, this is a little different, but I figured I would ask here in case anyone knows. My boyfriend and I mainly communicate in Italian. His english is very beginner. For his signed statement that I have to mail in with the I-129F can it be in english or would he have to write it in Italian and we would have to send an official english translation along with it?

I appreciate any help! Thanks!

-Stefanie

You do not have to be in the US to file, I filed from abroad also. In my case I used my address in the US as the permanent address so that they would send correspondence there because I figured it would arrive quicker and there was less chance of it getting lost in the mail than if it were going to Peru. However, I explained on the I129 (in the question asking you to explain how you met) that I was currently living in Peru with my fiance so that there was no confusion.

As for the signed statement, write it in English and have him sign it (make sure he understands what it says of course)

Hey! That is a good bunch of information , do you kow were i can get that info for the embassy in Lima, Peru?

Thanks in advance

Lima does not send a packet via email but below is a link to scans that someone posted of the complete packet lima sends in the mail upon receipt of your petition:

http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastupby&cat=0&uid=114871&page=2

What you can do is also post this as a review in the Ecuador section.

agreed, this is a very helpful review, be sure to post it in the Embassy Reviews section so that applicants many months from now will still have access to your advice!!!

Congratulations! I hope my fiance's interview in Lima is as much of a breeze as yours!