FulanoDeTal

Hello everyone, I'm from Washington, DC and my fiance is from Goiania, Brazil. We met in August 2010 and waited patiently for the end of DOMA so that we could finally begin the immigration process like any other bi-national couple. Happily, we mailed our I-129F petition on July 3, 2013, and received an NOA1 dated July 10, 2013. The petition is now in process at the Vermont Service Center. If all goes well, we will be dealing down the road with the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro, and the consulate-specific information on this site has been invaluable in understading the process and what to expect. We'd love to hear form other same-sex couples who are going through the fiance visa process in Brazil, as one would think that there would be a number of such applications over the next few months. Thanks to everyone for the excellent information that has been compiled on this site.

We filed for AOS from the K-1 in April 2014 and finally got the conditional GC 14 months later in June 2015. The late Mr. and Mrs. Osama Bin Hidin' filed for AOS in September 2014 and received the conditional GC 10 months later in July 2015. So while we were running around collecting affidavits and preparing for our interview, I guess they used their extra four months to build their collection of armaments as they prepared for jihad.
Nice work, DOS and USCIS. At least USCIS can note the file that Mrs. Osama Bin Hidin' won't be seeking to remove conditions on her GC.

Thanks! As far as the request for affidavits goes, I don't think it's an uncommon request. The request was part of the form letter that we received scheduling the interview. It also occurred to me that this request could be a problem for some same-sex couples in cases when there are real acceptance issues on one or both sides of the family. Our interviewer was not particularly "warm and fuzzy," so I did not raise this issue with her as I had no idea what her views on same-sex marriage were and it wasn't relevant to our situation. If this situation were to arise, however, I would alert USCIS in advance of the interview and be prepared to provide affidavits from close friends, witnesses to your wedding, etc. who can make the same statements.

Annie,
You've received a lot of good advice on this thread, the most important being that you should do everything you can to get away from this guy as soon as possible. I have been sober for 30 years, but based on my experience as a recovering alcoholic I can say the following:
1. The most important relationship this guy has in his life is with booze. You and everything else are a distant second. Period.
2. He will do anything to get drunk, stay drunk, and somehow get through the inevitable hangover. If he needs to lie, cheat and steal to get booze he will.
3. Whatever "pledge" he is making about only having a couple beers a day is nonsense. From everything you have said this guy is a chronic alcoholic. If he has one beer he might as well have a hundred, because he will be off the races and you will be right back in the same miserable situation.
4. He probably needs a professional detox, because if he actually stops drinking cold turkey he risks seizures or worse. His blood alcohol level when he's not drinking is probably higher than the legal limit.
5. So take the good advice that's been offered here, get out if you possibly can, and seek out Al-Anon where you will find others who will share their experience, strength, and hope.
Good luck, and I hope that you are able to extricate yourself form this very difficult situation that is not of your making.

It was reported on the site by member GayK1inTexas this afternoon. GayK1 says that it was 56 days from NOA1 to NOA2. So it appears that things may be looking up for us at the TSC!

Some great news today for same-sex I-129F filers at the TSC: a same-sex fiance petition has been reported as receiving an NOA2 from the TSC! Not ours (yet), but it's good to know that these petitions are finally starting to move down in Texas.

Hi butterflycharmer8,
Welcome to "bi-national same-sex couples immigation world." It's nice finally to be able to stand in line with everyone else when even a few months ago that was impossible. Anyway, I was struck by the fact that our timeline is almost exactly the same. Our NOA-1 date was July 10, and we were transferred to TSC on August 9 as well. Who knows, maybe our petitions are in the same pile sitting on someone's desk? Good luck with your petition, and keep us posted. It will be interesting to compare the process as between Peru and Brazil.
Buena suerte!

Hello everyone, I'm from Washington, DC and my fiance is from Goiania, Brazil. We met in August 2010 and waited patiently for the end of DOMA so that we could finally begin the immigration process like any other bi-national couple. Happily, we mailed our I-129F petition on July 3, 2013, and received an NOA1 dated July 10, 2013. The petition is now in process at the Vermont Service Center. If all goes well, we will be dealing down the road with the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro, and the consulate-specific information on this site has been invaluable in understading the process and what to expect. We'd love to hear form other same-sex couples who are going through the fiance visa process in Brazil, as one would think that there would be a number of such applications over the next few months. Thanks to everyone for the excellent information that has been compiled on this site.

Hi there,
Thus far I'm only aware of two same-sex fiancé visa interviews, one in Indonesia (only beneficiary attended) and one in Italy (both petitioner and beneficiary attended). Both couples were approved and reported that the interview experience was positive. We have our interview in Rio on January 7. I think that the best advice would be to review the interview reports from the Manila Embassy, so your fiancé will be familiar with the type of questions that are typically asked, and think about his responses. He should also familiarize himself with all of the paperwork associated with your petition, so he can respond to any questions about the documents.
I'm sure that the added stress of a relocation hasn't been easy, but please know that you have our support and best wishes!
Good luck!
Peter and Bonieke

Hi there,
Thus far I'm only aware of two same-sex fiancé visa interviews, one in Indonesia (only beneficiary attended) and one in Italy (both petitioner and beneficiary attended). Both couples were approved and reported that the interview experience was positive. We have our interview in Rio on January 7. I think that the best advice would be to review the interview reports from the Manila Embassy, so your fiancé will be familiar with the type of questions that are typically asked, and think about his responses. He should also familiarize himself with all of the paperwork associated with your petition, so he can respond to any questions about the documents.
I'm sure that the added stress of a relocation hasn't been easy, but please know that you have our support and best wishes!
Good luck!
Peter and Bonieke

Good, get those returns filed. Unfortunately, if you owe taxes the unfiled return penalty is pretty stiff. Once the returns are filed and the exact amount due is known, you should be able to easily get an installment agreement if the total amount owed is in the range you're talking about. I don't think they ordinarily file liens for less than $10,000 unless there are extraordinary circumstances involved. Good luck and hang in there!

Allen,
You really have two issues here: the IRS issue and the immigration issue. As to the IRS issue, if you were on unemployment in 2010 and 2011 I would assume that you are not liable for any additional income taxes. You're only required to file a return if you owe taxes or you want to collect a refund of overpaid taxes. You didn't mention your 2012 return, but assuming that you got an extension your 2012 return will be due on or before October 15, 2013, and your 2012 return should be the tax return that you include with the I-864. So go ahead and get your tax returns filed. Make sure you keep copies of all of your returns, W-2s, and 1099s, because with the government shutdown affecting the IRS as well it may be many weeks before you could obtain a copy of a tax transcript.
As far as the immigration issue goes, USCIS is only looking at your financial status, and is using the tax information to determine your income. USCIS doesn't care and has no jurisdiction over whether you filed your tax returns late, it just wants to see the financial information. If you have a tax due balance with the IRS that is large enough, the IRS could file a Notice of Federal Tax Lien against you, but at most USCIS would deduct the amount on the lien from your annual income for purposes of calculating your financial position.
The bottom line is that you will probably still need a joint sponsor, but based on the information you've given the additional work that you'll need to do to get current on your tax returns should not cause you problems with the IRS (assuming that you do not owe any additional income tax) or USCIS.

Allen,
You really have two issues here: the IRS issue and the immigration issue. As to the IRS issue, if you were on unemployment in 2010 and 2011 I would assume that you are not liable for any additional income taxes. You're only required to file a return if you owe taxes or you want to collect a refund of overpaid taxes. You didn't mention your 2012 return, but assuming that you got an extension your 2012 return will be due on or before October 15, 2013, and your 2012 return should be the tax return that you include with the I-864. So go ahead and get your tax returns filed. Make sure you keep copies of all of your returns, W-2s, and 1099s, because with the government shutdown affecting the IRS as well it may be many weeks before you could obtain a copy of a tax transcript.
As far as the immigration issue goes, USCIS is only looking at your financial status, and is using the tax information to determine your income. USCIS doesn't care and has no jurisdiction over whether you filed your tax returns late, it just wants to see the financial information. If you have a tax due balance with the IRS that is large enough, the IRS could file a Notice of Federal Tax Lien against you, but at most USCIS would deduct the amount on the lien from your annual income for purposes of calculating your financial position.
The bottom line is that you will probably still need a joint sponsor, but based on the information you've given the additional work that you'll need to do to get current on your tax returns should not cause you problems with the IRS (assuming that you do not owe any additional income tax) or USCIS.

We're happy to have some more good news to report. I received an email from USCIS earlier this evening saying that our I-129F petition has been approved by the TSC and the NOA2 was mailed 9/26. So, it looks like we'll be on our way to Rio de Janeiro! Thank you Edie Windsor and Justice Kennedy!

This is great news, and very heartening for all of us whose I-129F petitions have been sent to the TSC! Thanks for letting us know, and please keep us posted on your progress with the DOS.

Hello everyone, I'm from Washington, DC and my fiance is from Goiania, Brazil. We met in August 2010 and waited patiently for the end of DOMA so that we could finally begin the immigration process like any other bi-national couple. Happily, we mailed our I-129F petition on July 3, 2013, and received an NOA1 dated July 10, 2013. The petition is now in process at the Vermont Service Center. If all goes well, we will be dealing down the road with the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro, and the consulate-specific information on this site has been invaluable in understading the process and what to expect. We'd love to hear form other same-sex couples who are going through the fiance visa process in Brazil, as one would think that there would be a number of such applications over the next few months. Thanks to everyone for the excellent information that has been compiled on this site.

Hello everyone, I'm from Washington, DC and my fiance is from Goiania, Brazil. We met in August 2010 and waited patiently for the end of DOMA so that we could finally begin the immigration process like any other bi-national couple. Happily, we mailed our I-129F petition on July 3, 2013, and received an NOA1 dated July 10, 2013. The petition is now in process at the Vermont Service Center. If all goes well, we will be dealing down the road with the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro, and the consulate-specific information on this site has been invaluable in understading the process and what to expect. We'd love to hear form other same-sex couples who are going through the fiance visa process in Brazil, as one would think that there would be a number of such applications over the next few months. Thanks to everyone for the excellent information that has been compiled on this site.

Hi Michael,
I remember seeing a video of your engagement on the DOMA Project site. It was great and very inspirational in the days leading up the end of DOMA. I'm glad to see that you have filed the paperwork and begun the immigration process. I think it's going to be "hurry up and wait" for the time being, but compared to the deplorable situation that we were in just a year ago that's OK by me. I'm looking forward to learning about the progress of bi-national same-sex couples around the world as they work their way through the U.S. immigration process.
So...Keep Calm and Carry On.
Best regards,
Peter

Hello there, we sent our 129-F petition on July 3, 2013 and received an NOA1 letter dated July 10, 2013. We'll be dealing with the consulate in Rio de Janeiro down the road as well. There should be no difference in the way that same-sex and opposite-sex petitions are handled. Similarly, one would expect that all embassies and consulates will be instructed to follow the same procedures for same-sex couples as they currently use for opposite-sex couples.
There's a lot of information in the "embassy reviews" section of this site concerning the Rio de Janeiro consulate, which is really helpful to get a feel for the interview process in Brazil. We think that eventually there will be quite a few same-sex couples interviewing in Rio de Janeiro, and Rio is a fairly "gay-friendly" place, so hopefully the process will go smoothly. We'll be interested in hearing about other same-sex couples going through the fiance visa process in Brazil.