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Thank you! I sent all that the first time, but I will resend it with an explanation!

Yeah, I think the simpler, the better. I know some people probably went nuts with the folders and tabs, etc., but I just used paperclips and post-it notes, basically. I made a table of contents on my cover page that listed everything in order, and that should be good enough. Good luck!

Hi VJ!

Long time, no see! We filed for AOS from my husband's K1 about a month ago, so I'll be back on here a lot more probably.

Today, we received an RFE for the Affidavit of Support (I-864) that we filed for his I-485, and I had a feeling it was coming... We have a bit of an unusual situation with the income. I am a full-time graduate student, and my stipend meets the 125% income requirement, but it is not a permanent position (my letters from my university very clearly state that I will receive my stipend ONLY for 10 months, and come this summer I will effectively be unemployed). I also have never made enough in previous years to sponsor my husband, and it shows on my tax returns. Therefore, we had my dad co-sponsor. My dad is retired, but his retirement income far exceeds the required income level for his household plus my husband. So, there's all our background!

Now, the RFE says that the petitioner/sponsor claims they make enough money on the I-864, but that the tax returns don't prove it. It asks for additional info to prove the income, such as a letter from the employer, etc. (the standard). What I am assuming happened is this: they saw my I-864, saw that I say I make $30,000 a year, and tossed my co-sponsor's I-864 aside. Then, they looked at my tax returns and my invoices/paystubs (I provided three, which was all I had at the time of filing) from my university and said, "wait a minute, this doesn't look good enough..." With my dad's I-864, we submitted three years of his tax returns, his brokerage statements (proving his retirement income), his year-end tax statements of his retirement accounts, and a letter from Social Security. So, I definitely provided all the proof that exists that my dad's income is sufficient.

Could anyone give any advice as to what they think I should do here? I mean, I don't have anything to prove that I can sponsor my husband alone, because I can't really, but that's why I provided a co-sponsor. Should I not have listed my income at all (I'm technically self-employed) on the I-864, because it looks like enough and only confuses things? I can't get a letter from my university saying I'm employed with them, because I'm not and they would only be able to provide a letter saying they give me a temporary stipend as part of a grant... Would that help? Or should I go a different route and send everything again, but include a detailed letter explaining our situation and why we have a co-sponsor, and direct them to his documentation? I'm really not sure here...

Any help at all would be appreciated! Thanks so much for all you've done for us so far, Visa Journey!

UPDATE: It says "issued" now... Sorry, I'm such a Nervous Nelly about this whole process! Well, if anyone else was wondering for the future, there you have it

My fiance's visa was approved on Tuesday at the Amsterdam consulate... They gave him the tracking number and said to expect his passport back in 4 to 5 days. The CEAC website has said "ready" since the interview, but yesterday it changed to "administrative processing"... I know that others have posted this issue on here and answers seem to say that sometimes the website says a day or two before it turns to "issued"... The trouble is I can only find people in the Philippines that have had this problem, so I was hoping someone from the Netherlands would be able to tell me if this is normal or if he's really in AP. I also can't find any evidence of anyone else from Amsterdam going through AP, so any help at all would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi Sek, thanks for your reply. I'm Neptune's foreign fiancé. The confusion started when we looked at http://amsterdam.usconsulate.gov/iv_k1_pkt3.html.

Police clearances are required of every country where you, the fiancé(e) visa applicant have lived for one year or more, after the age of 16. To obtain these clearances you can follow the instructions in the reciprocity tables on the State Department website (www.travel.state.gov). Select the country and scroll down to 'Police Record'.

I was born and raised in the Netherlands and never lived abroad, but I obviously have lived here after the age of 16...hence my confusion. So I won't have to get a VOG? We haven't received packet 3 yet, but our case did leave the NVC, so I'm expecting something in the mail any day now.

Anyway thanks again.

Hi Bastian! No problem! We just went through all of this ourselves. You're correct. Not VOG needed. If it helps, here is the wording on our packet 3: "The Dutch Police Certificate will be arranged by the Consulate upon receipt of Form DS-230, part I, duly completed. Make sure to mention your current or last address in the Netherlands. (question 13/21)"

Good luck fellow NL VJer!

Hi Neptune! In the Netherlands, the consulate takes care of that for you. As long as you fill out the DS-230, the police records will be obtained for you. You don't need to sort them out yourself. If the foreign fiancé (unclear from your post if that's you) has lived in any other countries for more than 6 months since the age of 16, he/she will need to get police certificates from those countries. NL makes everything pretty easy for you. Have you gotten your packet 3 yet? Good luck!

Wow congratulations to all those approved!!! It's great to see so many of us first transfers getting their visas! Any POEs yet? My fiancé's medical is this week and his interview is September 10th... We are pretty nervous so please keep us in your thoughts still!

Congratulations and thanks for the hope!

Not automatic but they will have to run his name (probably) and if it is common it could delay things. A name such as mohammid or ali or reza or any other common name delays things because there are so many of them.

Right. What you're saying sounds like AP... an additional background check, right? I've been reading that "name hits" trigger AP... Hmm. I mean his name, like I said, is not all that common...

The thing is that we have no precedent for this which is why I'm beginning to panic. If he lived in Iran or another Middle Eastern country, I would be totally prepared and waiting for all of that to happen... But he lives in Europe and has a Dutch passport and has been there since he was a child. He travels to the U.S. regularly on the Visa Waiver Program, and has been able to travel and obtain visas to countries all over the world with 0 complications, with his Dutch passport. He's never been questioned or pulled aside at immigration in the U.S. or any other country... All of the reviews of the Amsterdam consulate are generally positive, and I can't find a single one with a delay, AP, or a "name hit," but ours is also a rare situation since not that many Iranians even live in the Netherlands. I'm not even sure they run people's names there, although I guess for Muslim-sounding names maybe they do that everywhere? Uuugh I really wish I could find someone who's been through this in Holland or another European country... I keep seeing things about "country of birth," but doesn't "country of citizenship" count for anything? (Side note, I know you don't have all these answers and I very much appreciate the info you've been able to give me. I'm just getting desperate! :-P Thanks again!)

His Iranian heritage will certainly play a part. I kind of assume he has or had a Muslim name. They will run background checks on him using that name which if it is a common name will probably take some time. Police certificates are not required for Iranians. I can only assume that since he is Iranian also they wanted proof he didn't have a wife back home while trying to marry you also since in Iran this would be perfectly legal.

The name is the only thing I would think to give you problems.

Sorry, I just read your post again and I think maybe I misinterpreted it the first time. When you say "background checks," do you mean AP after his interview? I assumed you meant the standard I-129F background checks. Are you suggesting that he will be put into automatic AP simply because he has a "Muslim" name?

His Iranian heritage will certainly play a part. I kind of assume he has or had a Muslim name. They will run background checks on him using that name which if it is a common name will probably take some time. Police certificates are not required for Iranians. I can only assume that since he is Iranian also they wanted proof he didn't have a wife back home while trying to marry you also since in Iran this would be perfectly legal.

The name is the only thing I would think to give you problems.

Thanks for your response! I am of course aware that his Iranian heritage will play a part... His background check should already be complete, as our petition was approved in June. He's now at the interview stage. According to the packet 3 he received (and the information he got from the consulate), police certificates are definitely required for Iranians for anyone who lived in Iran past the age of 16. As I mentioned before, he has lived in the Netherlands since he was a child, so that's not our issue. The question is about him being regarded as a Dutch citizen, which he *is*, for purposes of his visa interview. He has obtained the needed proof that he's never been married in Iran.

Like I said, I was hoping to see if anyone has had experience applying for the K1 as a dual citizen, since the fact that he's a naturalized Dutch citizen should certainly factor in to all this... Thanks again for your insight!

Oh, and an additional piece of info: he does not have a common name. His name is old Persian, not Arabic... So, not technically "Muslim," although certainly Middle Eastern sounding.

Hi everyone! Just putting out some feelers for a (sort-of) complicated question about my fiance's upcoming K1 interview. So sorry in advance for the novel below, but I just wanted to give all relevant info!

My fiance is a naturalized Dutch citizen, and has lived in the Netherlands since he was 12 years old. He was born in Iran and his family moved and adjusted their status on the basis of his father's employment. They were not asylum seekers. He has maintained dual Dutch/Iranian citizenship since he was a teenager. We didn't think much of his Iranian citizenship going through this process, except that a bit more scrunity might fall on him, his background check might take a little longer, etc... We have a very solid body of evidence and no red flags. I lived with him for a year in Holland, we're the same age, etc., so we have been confident in our case. Everything has gone smoothly so far and his interview is already scheduled at the Amsterdam consulate.

My concern: in his packet 3, they requested some documents from Iran on the basis of him being a citizen there (certificate of bachelorhood, police records, military records). He contacted the consulate to be sure that he needed the police records, as he hasn't lived in Iran since he was 12, and the age is supposed to be 16. He was told that in his case, he doesn't need them. He requested them just to be sure. He has procured the bachelor certificate and military service release card. Again, this didn't give us much pause, as we figured it's standard issue for dual citizens, and the fact that Iran doesn't have diplomatic relations with the U.S. probably made it difficult for them to get this information themselves during his background check.

But then today, we got his packet 4 and at the top of the letter with his interview date, it lists his "preference" as "K1-Iran." He very clearly listed his nationality as Dutch/Iranian, or Dutch, on all appropriate forms, and sent in a copy of his Netherlands passport with his packet 3... All of a sudden I freaked out that he will be considered an Iranian citizen and not a Dutch citizen for his interview. "Will he get automatic AP? Will they scrutinize our relationship more? Will they consider him a fraud risk?"... All these questions that I hadn't been fretting over due to the numerous very chill reviews of the Amsterdam consluate interview process. Of course, we're prepared for all that... we're prepared for anything! I just wanted to know if anyone else on here has ever been in this (or a similar) situation, and has any insight into how dual ciitzens are generally regarded at visa interviews, particuarly people who were born in a country that doesn't have great relations with the U.S. So... sorry again for how lengthy this is. I feel like we're in the home stretch and perhaps this is unnecessary panic! I really appreciate anyone who's read this far and any responses or insights! Thanks in advance!

Congrats to all who have their interview scheduled!! Our was just scheduled today as well! September 10th, Amsterdam consulate. TSC Transfer on 5/31... NOA2 6/25.

My fiance's visa interview has been scheduled! September 10th, Amsterdam consulate. TSC Transfer on 5/31... NOA2 6/25.

I'm a little late to this party, but my fiance is in the same situation. His huisarts has only limited records of his vaccinations because he moved to the Netherlands as a child. What he plans to do is contact the doctor who performs the medical before he schedules it (his info will be in your packet 4, or you can find it right here in the NL portal), get the info of what shots will be required, and then have his huisarts perform the missing ones so that they will cost a bit less. If you wait until you go for your medical they will be expensive, but that's another option!

Yes, this is standard language on that letter from NVC. It just means that your case has been shipped to your embassy and they will contact you once they receive it. Depending on how your embassy works, either you can schedule your interview now that you have your case number, or you have to wait for them to schedule it once you send back your packet 3 (mine is the latter). Check your country portal for what to do now. Perhaps you can schedule your interview and do your medical if you haven't already. Good luck!

I come back from seeing my fiance and I had an email from NVC that my case was forwarded to the Embassy in Barbados on 8/6/13--I get my case number and it shows this message:

Your case is in transit to the Consular Section. Your interview date was provided to you by the National Visa Center.

Interview date? Im confused? Anyone get a status similar to this?

My K-1 Journey:
06/24/2012: Met my soulmate while on vacation
09/14/2012: My Fiance proposed and I accepted
01/28/2013: I-129F packet mailed
01/29/13: Packet received at local field office
01/31/2013: NOA1 Date- at VSC
02/04/13: NOA1 (E-mail)
02/06/13: Alien Number Changed
6/21/13: Case transferred to TSC
7/6/13: NOA2 (confirmed per immigration officer on 7/16)
7/24/13: Service request submitted by USCIS officer due to no NOA2 hard copy received
7/26/13: Post Decision Activity--petition shipped to DOS

7/31/13: Left for Barbados to be with my love!

8/6/13: Returned back and also received email that case has been forwarded to Embassy in Barbados

Congratulations!

Sek - you and I seem to run on the same course! congrats - I got mine today too!

Mine is NoA2 6/25, shipped from USCIS 7/16, number assigned today.

looks like they are finally realizing how to do it correctly there and expediting the K1s like they should have. We are still trying for mid august tfor him to be here - we will be begging for an early interview slot, etc as we are ready to go.

good luck everyone who hasn't gotten their number yet - looks like it will come soon!

Congrats, Jeannie! Maybe we'll be interview date twins as well

Btw in response to my own silly question, here's where everyone can check your case transit once you've got the number from NVC: https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx?

So yesterday my fiance called DOS and they told him our new case number and that it will be sent to my embassy within 1 to 2 days.This morning the online tracker said our case is still at NVC and tonight it states that it is IN TRANSIT :-)

This may be a silly question, but what online tracker? I just got our case number and I asked the customer service rep if I could check anywhere online to see when it's sent out and she told me no, I just have to call back if I want to check.

Hooray, the 2nd 20 minute wait was worth it! I got our case number! The rep said they only keep them in the buildling for about 5 business days (and they received the case yesterday), so that means some time next week it should be shipped off to the embassy! I had a dream the other night that my fiance's interview was scheduled for September 5th. VERY vivid dream. I'm holding that date in my heart and now it's not looking all that crazy! Anyway, if anyone got their shipment notice this week, start calling! Mine was only 3 days ago and voila! Case number! Good luck to all still waiting and thanks to everyone for the continued support of this awesome community

Aaaaand I just got cut off after waiting 20 minutes on hold. #######.

NOA2 June 25th, Notice of shipment to DOS July 16th... I called the DoS today and they told me that the NVC has received my case but they told me to call NVC to get my case number/info. So, I'm on hold with NVC right now

Got the notice that our case was shipped to DOS today (which I assume means NVC). NOA2 June 25th. Will call later this week for a case number, but we're pretty psyched. Light at the end of the tunnel! Our plan was for him to be here by October so it's looking pretty good!

Got the notice that our case was shipped to DOS today (which I assume means NVC). NOA2 June 25th. Will call later this week for a case number, but we're pretty psyched. Light at the end of the tunnel! Our plan was for him to be here by October so it's looking pretty good!

P.S., there's no place on the timeline to fill in this info, right? I should wait until NVC has confirmed arrival of my case?