Ben + Michelle

thinking of you all day, 1kiki, crossing fingers ... Keep us updated!

My fiance showed the petition to a lawyer at the beginning just to check. Other than that we did the process ourself, it was a lot of reading, asking and also a lot of learning on visajourney. I'm glad we got ourself into it, because now we know so much more.

Our process was really fast and smooth. Visajourney helped us a lot to preparing for the next steps. When we received packet 3 for example, we had all the documents ready (police certificate, birth certificate, etc) and could send it back to the embassy the same day.

It took us 85 days from petitition sent to visa in hand.

Well, with a k1 you don't have greencard in hand, you're just allowed to get into the country to get married.

You also can't work right away. They can still send you home after that by not approving your AOS.

before you think about divorce, talk with her, openly. If it is true and why it happened. Maybe there is enough love on both sides to safe your marriage. I wish you all the best.

I can totally relate. I just realized in the last months, how strong my bonds to Switzerland are.

I'm leaving a wonderful job and home in Switzerland to be with the love of my life in California... It's hard to let everything behind. Besides family and friends I'm mostly worried about living together in an apartment half as big as the one I live now on my own, but paying double the rent. I also wonder If I will find a satisfying job and close friends.

I know I will miss a lot, but I think everything will be great at the end.

-m

After one week of "Administrative Processing", we finally got an official "Issued" on https://ceac.state.gov. I hope we will have the passport in hand this week! *yay*

Visa approved today.

12/13 - I-129F overnighted

12/16 - Received by Texas center

12/20 - Routed to California center

12/28 - NOA1 received

1/25 - NOA2 received

2/4 - File arrived at NVC

2/18 - Packet 3 received

3/24 - Interview & approval

My fiancee has been treated for psychotic episodes. We disclosed it during the medical, but did not check it on DS-160 since she no longer has the condition. The interviewer did not bring it up and we are now all done!

Anyway, thanks to the resources on this site. Postings on mental disorder was of much help. We'll hang around for a while and see if we can be of any help to others.

congratulations!

so you tweeted this and embassy responded? This is so cool?. Did they mention anything regarding to this at the interview?

Yes, but no mention at the embassy. Pretty sure the twitter person is not involved in any process.

My case changed to AP btw

I had a wonderful experience and I hope it's the same for all of you. Honestly in love and nothing to hide = no reason to worry.

My impression was, that they just check the documents and that they already decided before they even saw me. Double check your documents, thats the most important part.

This was my Checklist (Switzerland):

- You can keep originals if you have copies

- I made a Sheet with all the Numbers (Alien #, NOA 2 #, NVC Case #, ...)

I'm sure you are all well prepared

They never asked about my current employment during the process.

Thought it could be an issue to travel to the us in the meantime if you want to meet each other... but I visited 3 times and they never checked ties to my home country.

meanwhile on twitter

I know its not really a bug but since my internet connection was bad in the train, I submitted my embassy review twice. Could someone delete "Review #14137"?

Merci

-m

OP cannot travel on VWP during the K-1 process. Her VWP automatically was revoked once she overstayed.

yes, sorry, I meant _normally_ you can travel during the process.

My ESTA Status did not change.

As far as I know are you allowed to travel under VWP ESTA to the US during the K-1 process until you get the visa. Once the visa is in your passport you can not choose to travel under vwp and have to come into the country with the K-1 and get married in 90 days.

Omg! Congrats guys, it must feel great!

I wish u all the best

feels so wonderful! I will stay here with all of you, fingers crossed you get approved as smoothly as we did!

Friends... our K-1 just got approved!!!

this is kind of interesting

http://keithledgerwood.tumblr.com/post/79838944823/did-malaysian-airlines-370-disappear-using-sia68-sq68?

I'm so worried, my fiance sent me by mail the i134 form, in march 7, I'm afraid it doesn't get here by the interview date. They told him, it takes 2weeks to be here. But he lost the track number!

To be on the safe side, can't he send a second one? I guess it's about 10 Dollars for the two week mail ... I think it would be worth it, if you are worried (you could also always have it faster for more money)

I was doing a six month internship in silicon valley last year when I saw this cute guy in the train to work one day. I was somehow fascinated. And he noticed me too! He started saying "Hello" every morning, when he passed with his bike. Over at least two month I secretly looked for him at the train station every day... but I was too shy to say anything. Finally he made the first move and sat next to me on a friday evening. We went out that night, despite the fact, that I was leaving two weeks later and we were both not interested to start something. We fell almost immediately for each other and spent every bit of time left together. None of us wanted a long distance relationship, but we just couldn't stop loving each other... and here we are =)

- m

"More than Honey" – Beautiful documentary about the Vanishing of the Bees (Sounds boring, is not)

Oh yes, I also have a "Letter of Intent" and the Visa Payment Receipt... but I don't know if they are necessary.

Don't forget the passport I also have to bring two us sized passport pictures... but that's maybe just for the swiss embassy where I have my appointment in 4 days.

we got our appointment letter today... man, it's going fast now... the interview is next thursday!

I really hope you guys get your noa2's soon and have a fast forward process!

I must admit, I'm more of a lurker now than a poster, but as today marks the 1 year anniversary of my arriving at San Francisco with that large brown envelop in my hands, thought I'd write a little post.

It's weird reading about people going for medicals and interviews. The time has flown by, yet seems so long ago. I remember heading to the medical with my white coat syndrome in overdrive. There was of course nothing to be worried about, as the process is straight forward. My white coat syndrome ensured my BP was sky high though, so that caused a bit of a problem, sorted by buying a home pressure tester, logging the readings for a week and getting my Dr to send them to the medical place to send on to the embassy.

The day at the embassy was also totally painless. I was at the interview no more than 2 hours. No trick or tricky questions. The morning spent at the embassy was actually a breeze.

Then time to sell all the stuff in my flat and say my goodbyes. I was in a little bit of a daze when I flew out. I worked at Heathrow, so I got to see all my work mates before boarding the plane, they did me a little guard of honour as we taxied past and got air traffic to pass on a message to the captain to announce. That was a weird feeling leaving UK Tarmac.

The first couple of months are definitely tough. Not being able to work and only being able to drive in CA for the first 10 days means there's a lot of down time. Amazingly, I only remember having a couple of bad days.

Job wise, I was lucky. I secured the first job I applied for. Pay was less, but I like the place I work, although don't see it as long term.

A year on, gotta say, I love my new life here. Yes, some things here are completely bizarre. And yes, there's far less time off from work. That just means I make far more of my time off though. Life here is different, but here on the west coast of CA, it isn't as drastically different as say places in the mid west. Maybe that's why I've settled in. At this time, I really don't see me going back to live in the UK (that could of course change), although I'm going back to visit next month.

A year on, looking at the whole process, although it didn't quite feel it at the time, it struck me just how fairly straightforward going through the K1 visa process was. Anyone just starting out on the journey, it seems like a mountain to climb. In reality it's not much more than a large mound for most.

Wonderful to read. I'm moving to San Francisco soon, if everything works out. How is the love going?