Nikikita

Did not see an April 2015 filers thread, so this will have to do.

Just had our interview yesterday and received our notice that it has been approved and will be mailed shortly!

Such a long process, but so happy to be at the end! Now, we will have to just wait two years for the permanent green card process

Help!

10/28- Husband entered country

12/23- Married

3/12- Mailed ITIN application with taxes and his original passport

4/21- Mailed AOS application

Just received his passport back saying that they were unable to process because his passport doesn't meet the criteria.

Called IRS, (on hold for over three hours) and they were not helpful, saying that I have to go to the local office or get power of attorney before they talk to me.

We don't have any of the other documents needed (National ID card, USCIS Photo ID, etc). I tried getting a state ID (Nevada) for him at our DMV, but without a current I-94, they can't do anything.

I'm planning on going to the local IRS office tomorrow with him, but would really appreciate some advice on what we should bring or what you did if this happened to you.

**The gap between marriage and filing everything was because of an immediate family member diagnosed with cancer, and the processing time for the AOS service we used. I submitted a SSN application but was rejected 2 months later (after I-94 expired), the officer told me that it was pretty much because they did not have experience processing K-1's and to come after we received the physical green card. I did not know that I could have applied for a state ID for him without a SSN.

A friend told us that if I can make it to San Francisco, it is really easy to get him added on to my bank, SSN, etc. I'm not sure if this will still apply because the I-94 is expired, but am considering making the 4-hour trip, if it will help our case. However, our home state is Nevada, so going to SF wouldn't help my need for a State ID case...

AOS only requires the MMR, Tdap/TD, varicella(or history of chickenpox), and the flu shot(only during flu season). http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/ti/civil/vaccination-civil-technical-instructions.html#tbl1

You will need a joint sponsor. You will need to state that you are unemployed and your current annual income is now zero.

Thanks for the information on the Vaccinations! I thought it would be a lot more than that!

Timing was so unfortunate, but I'm sure you'll be employed in the near future.

But since this game is all about getting the approval,

I would recruit a reliable co-sponsor if you can ASAP.

Alternatively, if it's possible, take on any job even if it's a lower pay and not the

ideal job as long as it can fulfill the required income limit for the purpose of filing,

and continue to look for a better job.

Sometime if we lower our self, we can easily and quickly find (lower paying) jobs

that we are over qualified for.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the advice and support. I am looking for as much as I can even jobs with lower pay... Unfortunately, I've gotten a few replies saying sorry, I am over qualified... but I'm hoping to find something soon!

Did he not get his medical completed in China, why does he need one in the US?

You have to be the sponsor but without a job or savings then you need a co sponsor.

Sooner you file sooner he can also work.

He got a medical in China, but did not get vaccinations.

He had a few of them as a child, they would not give him the records so we will have to do all vaccinations over again.

Thanks for the advice on the affidavit!

On i-864 you have to disclose your employment status , not my just provide annual income. I would go for a sponsor if you can get one.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I-194 expires 1/25, we were married 12/23, however was suspended/fired shortly after getting married. (Casino business that is going bankrupt and is looking for any excuse to fire someone and unfortunately, I got sick over the holiday season and called in once... :/)

I am currently looking for a job, but not sure what to do with our AOS application now.

My main concerns are that he still needs to get all his vaccinations before we can file and I am afraid my unemployment will affect my affidavit of support...

So my questions are:

Where are the cheapest place to get vaccinations?

-Obviously, without my job, he cannot get on my insurance and we don't have a lot of wiggle room with money until I can find something else.

-Also, anyone have any experience on what the cost is for all vaccinations?

Should I still do the Affidavit of support or would it be better to ask a sponsor?

-My wages before, more than covered the 125%, however, I won't have a pay stub since the beginning of this month and I don't want my lack of finances now to affect our application.

Should I just wait to file until I find something? (possibly after I-194 already expires)

-It will be stressful but I have enough saved up to file now... I just won't have as long of a safety net to find a job-- though I am applying for unemployment (waiting on interview to see if I was approved). But I wondering which would be better for my case. File now, deal with the financial stress, possibly need to have a sponsor. Wait to file until a job pans out, but he will be out of status, risky.

Any advice would be great!

Thanks so much

Thanks for all the help!

He would like to send small amounts monthly. If we can do that without accruing too many fees than that would be great! Otherwise, it have to be larger amounts less frequently.

My fiance will eventually need to send money home to his parents in a small city in Guangdong, China.

What is the best way with the least amount of fees?

I live about four hours drive away from San Francisco and know that there are some more banks there, possibly some with branches in China, and am wondering if it would be worth it to make the trips down there and try transferring money to China?

Anyone with experience or advice?

One more question...

@Darnell maybe you can help? (Since it is China)

Fiance deferred his vaccinations for when he arrived in the States. Does anyone have any suggestions on when/where to get them? Will it be cheaper to get them before we are married or wait until after we are married and I can put him on my insurance-- which may delay my AOS application even longer.

Thanks!

Thank you everyone!

I'm very excited to start my new life with my Fiance but also have the special beginning of marriage that I envisioned!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Hello,

Hope you guys can help clear this up and ease my worries!

Fiance arrived 10/28, K-1 and I-94 expires 1/25.

We are planning on getting married in SF City Hall (about 4 hours drive from us) on 1/19.

We are getting married late for several reasons. My work schedule is crazy during the holiday season and I won't have many days off until after NYE, my mother was recently diagnosed with cancer and we are helping her through her chemo treatments, etc etc.

Anyway, SF says on their website that they DO NOT do expedited marriage certificates and everyone HAS to wait 2 weeks to receive their official certificates. I've heard of asking to take the marriage certificate to the county clerk's office yourself and asking for a copy day off, but it seems that it depends on who you get that day on whether or not they will let you do it.

That being said, even though we will be married within 90 days, we may not have our AOS filed until shortly after 90 days. (We will begin filling out all the paperwork now until then). In the case that our AOS is filed after the 90 days, other than being out of status, will there be any other consequences like fees or forms associated?

Even though I understand that the earlier we get married the better it is for the paperwork. I would still like it to be special and SF is where I would like to go, and would like my mother to be healthy enough to join us.

However, if there are additional fees and consequences associated, then I would reconsider doing something like eloping next week.

I'm very grateful he is finally here and know that my "special" wedding isn't as important as getting the paperwork done and keeping him here-- but I just don't want to let go of my wedding dream yet!

I've considered eloping now and doing a vow renewal in SF later on with my family but unfortunately city hall will not do ceremonies for already married couples, and I do not have the money to shell out for renting the entire space at this time.

Any advice would be appreciated! Even if it is harsh and I just need to let go of my SF city hall dream!

I really need some unbiased opinions from people who have been through this process. My fiance is trying his best to make me happy, but really doesn't know about how to comfort me in this situation.

Congrats!

Congrats

Congratulations ! Whatcha cooking, to celebrate?

[don't forget to update yer official VJ timeline ! ]

Congratulations!

*** Thread moved from K-1 Process forum to the K-1 Case Progress subforum. ***

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations!!!!! Have a safe trip to the U.S.

Congrats !!!

Congrats!

congratulations

Thank you!

We will be driving from SF to Tahoe-- and stopping by Apple Hill for some fun fall activities on the way!

Not sure about what I will be cooking to celebrate, as we will be packing/unpacking and moving into a new apartment!

I'm curious, I see like a 4 month gap between your packet 3 and interview date. Did something go wrong for you? The rest of your process went so quickly!

Haha... unfortunately, Darnell is right... It seems like everything in China is A LOT more complicated!

Pretty much what happened was:

-Sent in P3 to embassy

-Waited a month patiently as frustrated as they come, emailing embassy, checking with delivery service before Fiance finally went into the city and spent 7 hours investigating the situation, and convincing people not to blow him off with the normal "we will contact you once we have the correct information" answers.

-Delivery service delivered to security office, Security had no idea what was P3 was, set it aside in an office to sit... for a month!

-Hand delivered to embassy reception after retrieving from security

-1 week later, reception calls and says P3 has to be delivered with same delivery company they use, and cannot be hand delivered

-Fiance goes back to embassy to retrieve P3, walk down the street to delivery company for them to deliver P3

-1 week later, reception calls again and the picture he included isn't high quality enough even though he got it done in a visa photo center, embassy suggests their photo service on site

-Fiance goes back to embassy again to retrieve P3, take picture, walk back to delivery company to have them deliver back to the embassy

-P3 is processed and interview can be scheduled after medical is scheduled

-Schedule a medical with interview 3 weeks following (what hospital suggested would be enough time to get results)

-2 days before schedule interview, hospital calls and says results are inconclusive and another medical will have to be done with their sister company down the street (second medical was the same exact thing, just had to pay another fee and magically got an approval :/ hmmm)

-reschedule interview two and a half weeks later, so that medical will be in hand

-Get a call from the hospital saying that results will not be ready until day of interview even though we scheduled a 4 day buffer

-Get a call from China visa service and go over interview documents and they mention that something is missing even though it is not on the forms from ustraveldocs.com-- Fiance makes emergency trip to hometown to get missing paperwork

-Get into town just on time to retrieve medical results, translations and interview

-Interviewer smiles and says we have a lot of stuff that isn't needed...

All in all, we are very grateful that he lived close enough to the embassy to make the trips that he needed. It was a super big hassle and there were quite a few fights out of frustration... But as a good friend put it, all the additonal fees, "do-overs" and hoops of complete apathy China put us through should be considered us paying our ranson for him to leave the country!

Haha... I'm hoping for everyone else in the visa journey that this is unique to China!

Best of luck to you!

Visa is finally in hand and fiance will be on US Soil October 28th!

:joy:

6 days and counting...

Visa finally ready for pickup!!!

Approval submitted early Sept, and it is FINALLY ready.

Fiance will be stateside 10/28!!

Thanks for all the support. Good luck and a swift journey for everyone!

Just stopping by to say we were married on Saturday at a nice little winery soirée with friends and family. Now the AOS fun begins. Good luck to all those at various stages of this process. Thanks for all your support.

Yay! Congrats!

Looks like a beautiful ceremony!

Congrats! Yay!

Received temporary approval on our visa!!!

Even though I make more than enough for our I-134, they have requested a co-sponsor. (I only worked for 3 months in 2013-- I had just returned from Asia). I think they may have only looked at my tax return and not my pay stubs, offer letter, etc and decided it was not enough... But no complaints here, as long as we were approved! Sending over the paperwork now, fiance just needs to submit the paperwork along with his passport this next week and we should get the official visa after two weeks!

So excited, I don't know what to do with myself!

Looking at flights now. Any suggestions for GZ, China to SF?

Getting frustrated ....... NOA1 on April 8 - transferred to CSC on Aug 11 - no word on NOA2 yet - ridiculous

Hopefully, now that you have been transferred, everything will move along more quickly!

Sending good vibes your way

After some more set backs, Fiance is finally having his interview today!

Wish us luck

Just wanted to bid farewell and say thanks everyone for the support. My fiance entered the US with me last Saturday. It was a super smooth entry at San Francisco. Good luck to everyone in your various stages of the process. We'll be getting married October 4th and then the next round of paperwork begins! Thank goodness for VJ!

Feel free to PM if you have any questions for me!

Congrats!

Hopefully we will all be able to write the same messages soon!

I've been MIA for a while, but fiance has his interview scheduled on August 13th!

But just heard back from the hospital that they want to do another medical for him, so hopefully we get the paperwork in time and don't have to reschedule the interview.

I'm hoping to have him here by October... don't want to wait any longer!

No, interview hasn't been scheduled yet. We're waiting until the ustraveldocs website starts to have August time slots since I want to be in Guangzhou with my fiance to provide support, even though I know I won't be able to enter the consulate with her.

Hopefully your P4 will come soon and you will be able to schedule your interview. Good luck!

Just curious, we are still waiting on P4... What slots are open right now for interview? All July?

I'm sure your fiance will be very happy to have you there, even if you can't enter the interview with her. From what I hear, the wait is the worse and the longest, so hopefully you can be there for that!

Well, the US Embassy in Manila approved our fiancée visa on July 8th, but we won't get it until we get the Lebanon police clearance certificate and send it to the US Embassy. It could take up to 3.5 months for us to get that certificate. We are hoping we will get it sooner!!! It has been 2.5 months since we applied for it at the Lebanese Embassy. Very frustrating!!!

Hopefully, everything goes quickly! You are so close to the end!!!

Keep us updated!

Sending you good vibes

Nice job with following up on the consulate and delivery service. Glad to hear that you got the P3 sorted out!

Thanks! But still have not heard back from them yet... Just sent another email in today to check in.

Did you guys schedule your interview yet?

Congrats!

Thanks for sharing. I really hope this won't happen to my petition when it lands in Vietnam.

What a disaster!!! Thanks for sharing the story.

They should have a proper address labeling so that

it says something like "Re: K1 Visa" or something.

I hope things go smooth from here.

We just sent our P3 response back before reading this,

so I have my fingers crossed.

@frontgear-- Definitely make sure to follow your country's instructions... but to me, delivering to the actual consulate office vs. security seems like such an easy mistake to avoid, it's worth the extra sentence to the delivery service to say-- make sure it goes to the reception office!

@johnim-- Fiance did everything correctly as instructed by the consulate, but relying on others is the problem... Even with the address copied from the instructions, delivery man just decided as long as it's at the address, everything should be fine... Hopefully, everything goes smoothly for you and that you don't waste an extra month on this silliness. But I would definitely check in after week 2 and make sure that the consulate has received your packet! If not, then double check to make sure it was delivered to the right department and not just sitting in an office!

i thought you had to generate a document delivery coverpage for delivery to Guangzhou in the ustraveldocs.com/cn web portal - and drop off things with the CITIC Bank office in your city,

then the CITIC Bank courier delivers directly to Guangzhou IV Mailroom.

Sorry you're having problems, but if you not do it 'that' way - it's a mess.

He lives in Guangzhou (not sure if this makes a difference) but the packet he received just said to mail the specified documents back to the consulate for Packet 3.

Maybe for the interview-- he will need a cover letter delivered to Citic Bank?