Gregory&Dyn

That puts it rest, folks. I lost. But in the end I am still the winner because I have my beautiful wife and step daughter ❤️
Thank you for the solid responses, it means a lot that you took time to answer.

That puts it rest, folks. I lost. But in the end I am still the winner because I have my beautiful wife and step daughter ❤️
Thank you for the solid responses, it means a lot that you took time to answer.

That puts it rest, folks. I lost. But in the end I am still the winner because I have my beautiful wife and step daughter ❤️
Thank you for the solid responses, it means a lot that you took time to answer.

That puts it rest, folks. I lost. But in the end I am still the winner because I have my beautiful wife and step daughter ❤️
Thank you for the solid responses, it means a lot that you took time to answer.

That puts it rest, folks. I lost. But in the end I am still the winner because I have my beautiful wife and step daughter ❤️
Thank you for the solid responses, it means a lot that you took time to answer.

Hi everyone. I am a U.S. Citizen and my wife is a permanent resident Green Card holder. She arrived in the U.S. via K1 Visa in November 2016.
We are starting the process of bringing her fourteen year old daughter to the U.S. from the Philippines. To me, it seems clear that the petitioner on the I-130 should be my wife, but she insists that I, the U.S. Citizen is the petitioner. She remembers reading somewhere that if she petitions, the wait for approval could be as long as five years. On the other hand, if I petition, the wait is just one year. I promised her a lobster dinner if she is correct, and she owes me three pounds of Jelly Bellies if I'm correct. Would somebody clarify and help us put this to rest? It would mean a lot. Thank you.

I appreciate the kind words, but its about YOU now. We will rally for you and continue to encourage you through this. I never got around to answering your questions.
You asked if this was a common occurrence. From what i have read and experienced, the answer is both, yes and no. Obviously the majority of cases move along with little to no issues, but there are far too many that don't. More frustrating is the lack of help, sympathy and respect offered by those involved. My congressional representative said that there are over one hundred cases a week that just go missing with no explanation. Even one is too many.
Reasons, you ask? Who knows. I've heard everything from cases being thrown away, petitions being misplaced, documents sitting in desk drawers for months at a time, to entire batches of cases being sent to the wrong agencies. Once you factor in laziness, apathy and an incredibly inefficient system, reasons for lost cases grows exponentially.

I'm piping in because I've been there (recently). The nightmare appropriately named, USCIS, is real.
We filed our I-129F on 04 April 2016 and didn't receive an approval until 07 July. What should have been a 7-10 day transfer from USCIS to NVC turned into a near three month horror story. Passing days turned into weeks. Passing weeks brought no answers. Soon, a month had come and gone without NVC receiving our packet. And then another month came and went. Tension was high. My personal life and work life suffered as a result. I wasn't sleeping at night. I was barely functioning during the day. Daily calls to both agencies yielded nothing but scripted responses and apathy. USCIS blamed NVC. In turn, NVC blamed USCIS. Nobody wanted to take responsibility for our apparent missing documents (almost four hundred pages) and I was stuck in the middle to suffer.
After a long and insufferable two months (post approval) I pulled in my congressional representative's immigration liaison team. That also proved to be a worthless endeavor. The liaison representative did nothing for almost three weeks. Between vacation, time off for a Muslim holiday and what she called, "problems with the database", we were no closer to finding our lost documents than when we started. I was quickly losing hope. She (the immigration liaison) started making excuses and blaming her contacts at USCIS for the lack of answers. i.e. (They are busy. Their computers aren't working. They are away at a conference.)
And then a week ago, lo and behold, NVC suddenly had our packet. A mid-evening call to NVC revealed that our petition had arrived that day and a case number was already assigned. There were no answers beyond that. There was no explanation as to where our petition had been, or why it had taken over two-and-a-half months to travel from the California Service Center to NVC in New Hampshire. Honestly, at that point I didn't care. We had what we had been waiting for.
So, with all of that said, there is hope. Do yourself and your fiancé a favor and believe. Ride on faith. Encourage (her / him). Remain strong for each other and be positive. Call NVC every day. Start calling USCIS and requesting a tier II officer. Above all, don't attack them. Be calm, express genuine concern and ask for their help. I found many times that such an approach made a huge difference in their response to me. Imagine how many hundreds of calls they take each day from irate, frustrated and desperate people. Your calls should be different. Make your calls for help the ones that stand out.
Here's to hoping good news comes soon. Fingers crossed and prayers on the way. I promise. Keep us updated, please.

Thank you. I figured as much, but that was the confirmation I was looking for.

bring in papers about the assets you own and their value. you current employment matters more than anything else because your current earnings will be the guarantee that she won't become a public charge. 

I have no logical help to offer, but I will say this: Hang in there. Sure, its tough being apart, but it is not impossible. My foreign wife and I thought our situation was ideal and it took just under five years to get her here. F I V E   Y E A R S. Do you want to talk about suffering? I could share a few stories that would make your situation feel like a walk in the park. Even so, be strong and keep your eyes on the prize. Its coming soon. I promise.

Exactly, it's most likely too late now, they waited way too long.
 
They should've applied as soon as the i-94 was available (which is usually the same day or day after you enter the US), or the first couple of weeks after entry at least, before the wedding. Now they need to wait for the EAD (4-6 months wait time from NOA1) or greencard (anywhere between 3 and 18 months). This will make it harder when they file taxes etc in April, they might need the SSN for other things too. 
 
So to other K-1ers, don't wait. Get it done asap.

A person who enters the US with a K-1 and still has an unexpired I-94 can apply for a SSN once he/she can be found on the SAVE system. However, not all SSA employees are aware that K-1 holders are indeed eligible for a SSN. She can either go back to the same office and speak to a different officer OR she can visit a different SSA office hoping that the officers there would know better. Here in Atlanta, the Marietta office that I went to and the multiple officers that I have spoken to or dealt with, all know that K-1 holders can apply and get a SSN. I was issued one just fine (they even sent me 2 cards for the same number ) and I haven't even filed my AOS. Here's the thing though, the new I-765 covers SSN application so just do it through there and she won't even need to go to SSA.

When does their 90 days expire, and is it already expired?
 
Different states have nothing to do in getting a ssn because it's a federal matter. This happens occasionally because someone doesn't know the details. Just tell them to go to another ssa office and they should get it done. If the 90 days has passed then no they can't get it until aos 

Has her 90 days expired?  If so, tell them to not waste their time at the SSA as a K1 entrant can only apply for an SSN if they have 14 days validity left on their I94 from the K1 entry.  Considering she entered in October and it is now mid January, I am assuming the I94is near the expiration date.  If that is the case, then she will need to wait for the EAD or GC.

I agree with John & Rose. Good point. Having a rice cooker is a life saver. I opted against the Filipino Channel only because it was $25 / month. I set up a subscription online instead and she can stream all of the Vice Ganda she wants (and she does).

I have no logical help to offer, but I will say this: Hang in there. Sure, its tough being apart, but it is not impossible. My foreign wife and I thought our situation was ideal and it took just under five years to get her here. F I V E   Y E A R S. Do you want to talk about suffering? I could share a few stories that would make your situation feel like a walk in the park. Even so, be strong and keep your eyes on the prize. Its coming soon. I promise.

I have no logical help to offer, but I will say this: Hang in there. Sure, its tough being apart, but it is not impossible. My foreign wife and I thought our situation was ideal and it took just under five years to get her here. F I V E   Y E A R S. Do you want to talk about suffering? I could share a few stories that would make your situation feel like a walk in the park. Even so, be strong and keep your eyes on the prize. Its coming soon. I promise.

I have no logical help to offer, but I will say this: Hang in there. Sure, its tough being apart, but it is not impossible. My foreign wife and I thought our situation was ideal and it took just under five years to get her here. F I V E   Y E A R S. Do you want to talk about suffering? I could share a few stories that would make your situation feel like a walk in the park. Even so, be strong and keep your eyes on the prize. Its coming soon. I promise.

As a follow up, even when things seemed to be moving relatively quickly and USCIS was on their game, NVC threw a wrench in the works and lost all of our paperwork. What should have taken about two weeks (that stage of the process) took an extra three months. Not saying that will happen to you, but use our situation as evidence that projected timelines are utterly worthless. They may serve as a general guideline, but there are far too many variables involved to predict a suitable outcome.
 
Best advice, stop thinking about it. Focus on something else. Plan and prepare for her / his arrival. I used that time to download movies in my fiances native language. I built a huge library of music for her. I used pictures from my visits to the islands to frame and hang strategically in the house so when she arrived, she had a little flavor of home in each room. For me, it served as a great time killer and kept my mind busy.

and have a valid relationship.

You wouldn't buy a car without test driving it first. What has convinced you its okay to marry a man from another country without meeting him? This goes far beyond accepting the cultural differences. No matter how many emails and text messages have been exchanged, you CAN'T possibly know somebody well enough to marry them without spending time with them. Its not fair to you, your family or to him. You owe it to your future and your marriage  to spend quality time together. Its irresponsible otherwise.

You wouldn't buy a car without test driving it first. What has convinced you its okay to marry a man from another country without meeting him? This goes far beyond accepting the cultural differences. No matter how many emails and text messages have been exchanged, you CAN'T possibly know somebody well enough to marry them without spending time with them. Its not fair to you, your family or to him. You owe it to your future and your marriage  to spend quality time together. Its irresponsible otherwise.

In an effort to confirm what others have already mentioned, and to shed new light on a few concerns, let me share.
 
1. It is an ABSOLUTE requirement that you meet physically at least once within two years of filing for the K1.
 
2. Ghana is a country rich in fraud. All other hurdles aside, you have a severely intense ride ahead of you even in ideal conditions. Perfect K1's have been denied many, many times simply because of the beneficiary's country-of-origin. 
 
3. Waivers are extremely rare. While I would never discourage somebody from trying, be prepared. That means do your homework. If you are asking if it is a requirement to visit physically, then you are in the baby stages of researching. You're not prepared...yet. Read. Read some more and then read again. Ask questions. Visit forums relevant to his country and your situation. Talk to folks who have already gone through the process. Learn from them. 
 
4. Your medical condition will likely not warrant a waiver of any sort. I'm not trying to discourage you, but simply to guide you to find a successful alternative.
 
5. If all else fails, wait. If you are both in love then waiting another year won't matter. It will be challenging, but not impossible. I waited five years for my fiancé. It is a tough sacrifice, but well worth it.
 
6. Ask him to apply for a visitor visa to the U.S. or meet him in Mexico or Canada. Doing so keeps you close to home and still allows you meet K1 requirements. If you do meet, document it. Evidence is paramount to a successful K1. Visit the forums here for guidance and direction on applying.
 
Good luck to you both.

In an effort to confirm what others have already mentioned, and to shed new light on a few concerns, let me share.
 
1. It is an ABSOLUTE requirement that you meet physically at least once within two years of filing for the K1.
 
2. Ghana is a country rich in fraud. All other hurdles aside, you have a severely intense ride ahead of you even in ideal conditions. Perfect K1's have been denied many, many times simply because of the beneficiary's country-of-origin. 
 
3. Waivers are extremely rare. While I would never discourage somebody from trying, be prepared. That means do your homework. If you are asking if it is a requirement to visit physically, then you are in the baby stages of researching. You're not prepared...yet. Read. Read some more and then read again. Ask questions. Visit forums relevant to his country and your situation. Talk to folks who have already gone through the process. Learn from them. 
 
4. Your medical condition will likely not warrant a waiver of any sort. I'm not trying to discourage you, but simply to guide you to find a successful alternative.
 
5. If all else fails, wait. If you are both in love then waiting another year won't matter. It will be challenging, but not impossible. I waited five years for my fiancé. It is a tough sacrifice, but well worth it.
 
6. Ask him to apply for a visitor visa to the U.S. or meet him in Mexico or Canada. Doing so keeps you close to home and still allows you meet K1 requirements. If you do meet, document it. Evidence is paramount to a successful K1. Visit the forums here for guidance and direction on applying.
 
Good luck to you both.