Javi&Kel

Good Morning everyone, I will start off by saying that I have read the guides and did a search on the site before creating this post.

I am a US citizen who has been living abroad for seven years, I have been married to my Costa Rican husband for those seven years, I am currently pregnant and have a 12 year old US citizen son that only has my last name and I am the only listed in his birth certificate. My husband is his step father.

While living abroad I have not filed taxes since I was under the impression that if I made little to no money I was excempt from doing so, I am now kicking myself for how dumb I have been, although I think this can be remedied by filing back taxes. My husband and I have been seriously discussing filing an I130 for me to petition him and move to the US. We are aware that we need a co sponsor, considering I have not had a US job in more than seven years. I believe my father could serve as a a co sponsor however we are still considering our options.

I recently spoke to a CPA who specializes in Expat taxes and he assured me I could receive taxes from the past three years if I filed this year, I briefly mentioned this to a family member which prompted a call from my mother. We do not have a relationship currently for various reasons, she informed me that she has been filing taxes and claiming my son as a dependent since 2019, God knows how much money she has received by falsely and fraudentlently claiming him. Aside from being angry, I want to know if any of you have encountered something like this? I know I have to report her to the iRS but how will this affect me petiotining my husband in the near future? Any tips/advice words of encouragement are appreciated.

Thanks guys, you are so right about reading the horror stories. I just called him and told him about that one post and how I had to post here and get advice and he just laughed and said, we have to be honest and trust God. Honesty is our best policy.. Have a good day!!

Hi Guys,

I'm getting ready to file our petition, and I just typed up "how we met." We met through our mutual friend, his old classmate, my current roommate. I honestly freaked out reading someone's post about how they got denied and don't know why, but some are specaluting it could be due to their families knowing each other. Anyway, do you guys think us being connected through this mutual friend could raise a Fraud red flag? It is absolutely not fraud, we met through her and we absolutely love her and thank her for introducing us. We started talking online and I've gone to visit him twice now, and will be going back next week actually. What do you guys think? Is it normal to freak out? I feel so dumb. If you guys want more details I would be more than happy to provide them.

TIA!!

We just filed our 129F from Chicagoland area and our petition was routed to CSC.

Sent June 30th, received NOA1 July 03 and received alien registration number July 9th.

Good luck! Sounds like it was pretty fast!

Thanks!! SOOOOO incredibly happy

Congratulations on the engagement!

With your concerns regarding proving that your relationship is genuine, take a look at the kind of evidence you can submit in your i129 petition(heavy front-loading of your petition might be the way to go). For examples (written timeline, photographs, Skype chat logs, emails, gifts receipts, etc), read the forum guides.

It might be worth trying to find out the success rate for fiancé visa applications in Costa Rica.

To add further clarification regarding the K3 (I remember being really confused about this at the beginning of our visa journey), the K3 was introduced back in the day when spouse visas took years. If processed, the K3 visa application should take around a year. Since this is how long the CR1 visa takes these days, the K3 is a redundant process. This is how I understand it any how - I'm sure more knowledgeable members will correct me if I am wrong.

Check whether there are limitations on your future husband's travel outside the US whilst he adjusts status - might alter your Costa Rican celebration timeline. - What ever you do, do not have the Costa Rican celebration before your wedding as it might be misconstrued as a wedding.

Hi!

Thank you so much, thanks to this great website and everyone's advice we decided to disregard our K3 option.

We are very excited to do the K1 in hopes it will be faster, thus allowing us to be together sooner!

We'll be having a small engagement party in Costa Rica in August, and I plan to file everything in the begginning of September.

Regarding our evidence, I figure, we have plenty of pictures, passport stamps, call Logs, Text messages-all the good stuff, so I generally feel a lot better about our evidence. (That was what was holding me back from doing K1 in the first place.)

I cancelled my appointment with the lawyer! I'm a little excited about that

Hi Everyone!

Does anyone know what determines the Service Center you get, I will be filing our K-1 Visa through the Dallas Lockbox which is what The USCIS website indicates, I am in Chicago IL. I have been reading all the Texas Service Center horror stories, and can't help but hope I will get a different service center.

Any Chicago Filers out there- where is your service center?

Thanks in advance!

Well Thank you all!

We do plan to be very thruthful, and whatever is asked will be answered honestly, but I also agree that we shouldn't give out any information that isn't neccessary.

After much talk, we have decided to go the K1 route, both our families and ourselves (me, not so much,) are very catholic and would prefer a Church/Destination Wedding in Costa Rica, AFTER our small civil wedding in Chicago, that way both our families can attend, and we would still be legally wed here in the States, thus allowing us to adjust his status.

I have a few questions that maybe you insightful folks can help me with;

1. I am filing at the Dallas, TX Lockbox, which is the one I found on the USCIS website, I live in Chicago- does anyone know which service center pertains to Chicago? I am hoping it is NOT Texas, as I did read all the waiting stories, and it breaks my heart.

2. We do not plan on having a big wedding here in Chicago, when we file for adjustment of status, will this be a problem? Will they require pictures, and so forth?

Again, thank you all, I cannot stress how helpful this website has been, life saver!!

K1 is likely faster. You'll adjust status in the States. In the end, it will be a bit more expensive.

As mentioned above, the K3 is considered to be "dead." Not exactly. Ours was approved and my wife has an interview at the end of the month! But, typically, a K3 is approved at the same time as the I-130/CR1 whereby the K3 is administratively closed.

The CR1 is the superior visa. No one likes to wait. It will take anywhere from 8 months to a year. A K1...depending...about 1/2 of that...as long as everything is in order.

Good luck

Thank you so much for your response, and congratulations on your wife's interview! CR1 sounds very effective, although it could be a bit more lengthy. My main question is, what is the difference between CR1 and K3? Sorry to be so misinformed, but did you file both? And what benefit do we gain from filing both. Like I mentioned in my original post, a lawyer I consulted told me the I130 (CR1) eliminated the K3. How so?

K-1 sounds like faster route, but evidence is my concern.

Thanks!!

K1 is usually quicker but you said you were getting married?

Hi, yes we are, however If I find through my research that K1 is faster, we will do that and get married here.

Question for everyone, it may sound naive- I've only been to Costa Rica twice, with this August trip being my third. Will that raise any red flags, and possibly end up in denial. The fact that we have a very short relationship and have only met a handful of times, or is this common?

I guess K-1 is a challenge for me because I am afraid it will be denied due to the evidence, or the length of the relationship. We love each other and want to get married, our priority just like everyone else is to be physically together in the same city.

Thank you Harpa, for your speedy response.

Which is faster though? K1 or CR1? I'd rather do the K1 if it means we are separated less time. I;ve read here the turnaround time for K1 is fairly quick, I would like to know how long the CR1 process takes.

Hello Everyone,

I am thoroughly confused. I have done extensive research, most through this website and some through basic Google search as to what petition or process to start with my foreign fiance. I even consulted one of those immigration lawyers today to gain some insight, and let me just tell you, he ended up throwing me off even more. I reluctantly made an appointment with him for next Monday, but I am afraid I won't have the right questions, and will end up paying tons of money. That is why I am resorting to you all.

My situation is fairly simple, I met the love of my life who lives in Costa Rica through a mutual friend (my roommate,) and we started an online friendship which soon turned into something else. I have gone to Costa Rica twice now to visit him, and on this last visit we decided we wanted to get married, be together and live happily ever after, excuse my chessyness. Anyway, we are engaged, and we have gone through all our options, K1, K3 and now new to me I-130. I am a US Citizen, we have never been married before, I have a stable job, and I myself have a four year old boy.

Our main purpose is to be together, we plan to live in Chicago for a few years, so I can finish my bachelor's and eventually move back to Costa Rica. We do not know which process is faster, more efficient, K1, K3 or I130. I've read everything on this website and all the startup guides but I am still confused. Please if anyone is going through something similar or can offer Individual input not just refer me to the main guidelines, I would appreciate it. My main route was the K3, I am going to CR with my son on 8-26-14, and we plan to get married on 08-30-14. Should I file the K3, or the I-130, the immigration lawyer told me the K3 filing will be eliminated once the I-130 is filed, I don't understand this, also I am beginning to think whether we should just NOT get married and do the K1. Evidence worries me. Thanks in advance!!