Officer's Fiance

Sorry for the confusing thread Unfortunately, there is nothing simple about our situation!!! Basically, I am a Canadian resident, my fiancee is an Officer in the US Navy and currently stationed in VA. We want to get married at Xmas before he goes away in Jan on a 6 month deployement (I'll then wait in Canada until he gets back). When he gets back from his 6 month deployment, his new military orders may possibly be overseas (Germany, Italy, etc... who knows) and since we'll already have been married for 6 months, it shouldn't be difficult to have me added on to his military orders. I'll definitely tell him to communicate with his Commanding Officer and tell him he is marrying a foreign spouse though! I didn't think it would be difficult for me to live in a foreign country as his dependant since I'll have a military ID, but now it sounds like there is more than meets the eye!?

My questions were: will I be able to go through the K-3 process via the Embassy in the country wherever he is stationed before moving back to the US? And will I be able to enter the US from Canada with my belongings in transit to his new duty stationed?

My fiance definitely needs to talk to someone at JAG or somehwere like that, but I thought I would post my question on here and see if anyone would be familiar with this type of situation. Ahhhhh, if only he could get Canada as his next duty station our problems would be solved!

Hi there Officer's Fiance ,

I am getting totally confused by this treat. Maybe you can clarify things here.

From what I understood you are not married yet. And as far as I know only his wife could be added to his orders. At least it was the case when my hubby got his last orders. I made the experience that it isnt as easy as you think to just be with your hubby, because he is in the Army. It sure helps if you are on his orders, but that doesnt mean that the military can take care of everything. What is the country he will be deployed to?

I would suggest that he talks to his 1st Sgt about it, since he might be more useful on that issue. But since you are not married yet, I dont know. They cant add you to his orders within a couple weeks, it usually takes a month and more. Be aware of that too. And the other thing make sure he tells his SGT that he will get married. My hubby messed that up. Then the army might be able to speed things up for you.

But it still depends on the country he is going to be deployed in.

Greets I.

just wanted to add:

You might also get assistance at his local Legal assistance office. They normally know how to handle those cases.

Isabel

Well, I'm a Canadian citizen and no, I was not aware that I could not simply enter a foreign country as his wife since he would be under military orders. He has been in the military for over 15 yrs and is an Officer, 0-3. He would definitely get approval from his Commanding Officer but I was not aware that this could take a while? Does anyone know where I can get more detailed info on this?

I am a little unclear on your nationality. You are aware that you cant just go live in another country with your husband even though he is in the military. YOu have to abide by all laws of that country also. You would have to be given consent to enter by the US Military and then would be able to accompany your hubby. That process in itself can take a long time depending on situation, and since you are a foriegn national without clearance there are difficulties involved with you living on base. How long has your fiancee been in military and what pay grade is he. He also needs to make sure he has gotten approval from his commanding officer to marry a non US citizen. (this depends on his pay grade and status).

I would file from the country is stationed in, since I don't plan on moving to the US right away....hmmm, I think I need to move this to K-3 forum but not sure how to do this?

where would u file for a I-130? in the US or in GERMANY (or wherever he will be stationed at?)

sorry i cant help u...

I just got back from a wonderful 12 day vacation in Norfolk, VA with my fiance , at which time we were gonna file all the K-1 paperwork (we were planning on getting married next summer in the US when he gets back from deployment). Now, all of a sudden, seems like my fiancee may get posted overseas for 2 years, and of course, I plan on going with him!!! We've decided that if this is indeed what is going to happen, we'll get married here in Canada while he is on leave at Xmas before he goes on 6 months deployment overseas.

My 2 questions are 1) I'll need to drive down to the US first with my stuff and leave from there, will they let me through at the border since I don't plan on immigrating and will be on military orders with my hubby for abroad? (I'll kind of be "in transit") and 2) Will I need to come back to Canada for my K-3 interview when we file from abroad? We'll obviously have to file before being posted back to the US. Or can I just go through the process at the American Embassy in whichever country we are living in (a good chance it may be Germany).

I just realized that perhaps I should be posting this question on the K-3 board, anyone have any feedback for me?

Tanya

If you have a membership at Costco, they are $5.99 (cdn) for 2, or alternatively, Wal-Mart is pretty cheap too.

I HEAR YOU ON THAT ONE!!!! LOL I think this process is so emotionally draining, nevertheless, we have to go through it.....

Just curious, I was reading your timeline and noticed Craig got denied access to the US and you hadn't even applied for the K-1 yet??? Wow, you must have ran into a grumpy officer or what???? I'm travelling to the US next week and will be filing for the K-1 and wasn't planning on bringing proof of ties in Canada, perhaps I should rethink this????

Does anyone know about what kind of BC Texas issues???? Long and short or just one? Unfortunately my fiance (who is the USC) only has an expired passport and hasn't gotten around to renewing yet... ah, procrastination drives me crazy!

I posted this question in another thread and I think it got lost.....

As the foreign fiance, I have the long version, but does the USC have to send in the long version as well? I couldn't find anything in the guides that make reference to the long BC for the UCS... Did anyone send in the short version and be ok?

Thanks

Hi all,

I have a question... I thought that the"long" birth certificate was only for the foreign fiance and that the USC could just send in short BC... or passport. Can someone confirm this? It doesn't say long version of BC anywhere on the I-129f? I'm sending the K-1 next week and want to make sure we have everything right!

Thanks

Don't waste your money and go buy some new shoes! lol... You only need fingerprinting if you have a criminal record. Just go to the commissionaire's office or local police station and get your police record check, it'll prob cost about $25.

Ok- here is the deal... I'm flying down to Virginia next week to visit my fiance for 11 days, and we plan on sending in the K-1 while I'm there. I've been doing TONS of reading on VJ and hearing that in some cases at POE they will deny you if you have a K-1 in limbo..... and this kind of bites, cause I already have my ticket for another vacation in August and then again for Cdn Thxgiving in Oct. So, now I'm having second thoughts about the whole thing and thinking maybe we should just wait and file K-1 in August.... since I am not planning on moving down to the US until next July. (He is being deployed in Jan for 6 months). But with all the delays right now in filing, I really hoped to get everything send ASAP.

Question is, I can gather enough evidence that I will be returning home (I have a mortgage, I can get letter from employer, show that I have a Dr.'s apt...etc), but do you think they can still deny me? Ahhhhh, decisions, decisions.....

Anyway, I'm travelling via Ottawa airport, so I actually go through customs in Ottawa prior to landing in the US. Does someone have an experience where they had evidence of returning and STILL got denied?

Thanks,

Tanya

well....Seen that the new form is now OUT and ready, I guess you don't have to wonder anymore, go ahead nand send it out today if you like!!!

Your logic is misguided...

The USCIS uses a priority system policy where earlier cases will be sent for adjudication before later cases...

Let's say that the form comes out next Friday, June 23. If you send in the old I-129F today and it arrives let's say next Tuesday, June 20th. That means in essence that your petition will be sent for adjudication between 3 to 7 days before the guy that waits. Your petition get to the adjudicator and he sees that it was with the old form and immediately issues an RFE. You then have to wait for that RFE to be generated and sent out to you and when it arrives at your house about a week and a half later, the guy that waited until the new form went out is now sitting on the desk. Seeing that it's the new form, the adjudicator proceeds to adjudicate it, approves it, and sends it on it's way to the NVC..

All while you're waiting for your RFE...

Still want to send it in now?

Hey man thank you for your input.

Believe me this has crossed my mind and I agree with you. Thing is that we do not really know for sure that the new form will become avail on June 23rd......know what I mean? Who knows for sure when it will be out.

My question here then would be this..... If I send out my K-1 petition tmw Friday. How long aproximatley would it take for me to get my RFE?? I know there is no true way of knowing, but how long aprox has it taken those here to recieve any sort of RFE?? one month? 2 weeks? 3 weeks??

I guess that is the question then for me..... because if it take 1 month until I get the RFE, then maybe I should wait for the new forms and hope they get here by the end of the month.

Thanx for your advice and input

jp

You do NOT need a passport to travel between the US and Canada. That new law takes effect Jan 1 2008, and until then, you can just use your green card or birth certificate and driver's license, that's it, that's all!!!

Just to keep you all posted on this - I received back the "return receipt" part of the passport forms I sent "registered mail & return receipt requested". just this morning. It states that it was received in Gatineau, Quebec on May 1st. So far, from April 13th's post date, it's been a little under a month since I mailed them out. Hoping to receive the passports back by the end of this month now and will let you know when they arrive.

Marilyn, you telling me you just used your green card to cross over the border makes me feel much more secure, thank you. At least I won't be totally freaking out if I don't get our passports in time...lol.

I'm also in the same boat as you.... and after spending weeks on this site educating myself with everyone's extremely valuable insight, I have decided to wait until the end of the month and file when I go meet my fiance in the US on July 1. The current I-129f says it expires on June 30th so I am hopefull (or wishful ) that the new form will be available by then. In yesterday's press release, they did say it would be available by the end of the month and I'm thinking it will, I don't think they would have confidently make that kind of statement to the whole world and risk not having it ready.

That's just my 2 cents worth. Bottom line is you have to decide for yourself, personally, the less paper work the better for me, so I would rather only have to fill out forms once!

Tanya

I would go ahead and file if you have everything ready. By filing with the old I-129F, you know you will receive a RFE which will add a week or 2 to your time but at least you will have the process started and you will get your NOA1.

Now, hopefully for everyone here who is waiting, the new form comes out today but there is always the possibility that it won't be available until tomrrow, next week, next month, etc. With all the problems I had with USCIS (I am STILL waiting for my NOA2), I don't trust them very much. I guess it is a choice that you will have to make.

Just my brief thoughts.

Actually right now.. I would wait...

Their website states that they want to get the form by the end of June. You can send it in now, and wait for the time for them to get you an RFE and you to send it back (which could take a month), or you could wait a couple of weeks for the new form and avoid all that. IMHO, anyone who needs to file a I-129F should hold on until the new form comes out... It would likely result in a net gain in processing time versus filing with the old form.

Ok- I've done a little more research on this whole RCMP police check and I'm curious to know if people who applied for the K-1 had to have their fingerprints done to get their RCMP police check? Someone from the RCMP just called me back to tell me that I have to first get my fingerprints done at the Commisionaire's, then send it in to the RCMP along with my request to get my check. She also mentioned the turn around time is 4-5 months and the check is only valid for 3 months. How does that makes sense if I only get a couple months notice for my interview date? When I phoned my local police (Ottawa police) they said their checks are nationwide and use the same system as RCMP and I can get it the same day... doesn't this sound more like what I need? If anyone can shed some light on this for me, I would appreciate it. Thanks!

OMG Freda, So sorry to hear about your bad Montreal experience, that's terrible!!!! I'm gonna make a note to specifically NOT stay at the Days Inn.... on the flip side, congrats on getting your visa, that news must make up for the traumatizing experience!!! Good luck the rest of your journey.

Ok I just phone my local police station and they informed me that their police records check system is the same one that the RCMP uses and the fee is $25.00 so I think I'm safe with that. She confirmed that it is indeed a "nation wide check". Thanks all!

actually

When I was inquiring in Vancouver for the RCMP check, my local police (municipal) could provide the RCMP check...for $70. The RCMP office in Vancouver was $20. I drove into Vancouver.

edit: It took me more time to find parking for the Vancouver office than it did to get the name check done...10 minutes in the office, tops.

Awesome... thanks, I found it easily and got the .pdf form online!

The BC they want will have your parents names on it. Its a form basically that you fill in when you apply for a birth certificate. It has your mom and dads name on it and their place of birth along with other info. If you dont have that you need to get a certified copy from your province. It should be easy to google. New Brunswick birth certificate or whatever.

Ok- I just read that Montreal Consulat asks for the RCMP criminal certificate, but I've also read that the local police (Im in Ottawa) would do. Can someone tell me which one I am gonna need???? It's obviously much easier to go to the local police station rather than RCMP.

Thanks

I read somwhere on one of the Canadian threads that they ask for a "long" birth certificate.... what does this mean??? I carry with me my NB birth certificate (wallet size and plastified). It is my original one. Will this not do? If it won't do, can someone tell me where I am suppose to go to get what I need. I'll be sending out my K-129 on July 1st when I get down to the US to visit my fiance and want to get as many things done ahead of time as possible.

Thanks for your help, this site is so great!!!

Tanya

FYI - Diplomatic mail (or pouch/bag) is typically sent out once a week at most embassies, irrelevant if they are full or not. (I used to work at one)

I am not sure if this was posted in this thread or not, and I am sorry if they already did, because I am not going to brows thru 60 pages. This actually gives me hope. It seems that they are requesting the approval of the new form by June 9, 2006. It also sounds like it might be done by e-file. Tell me what you think???

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/for...i-129f_83-i.pdf

I found the '200,000 petitioners per year' number an interesting factoid. Always wondered how many K-1 petitions there were in a given year...

My email from the NVC:

Dear Madam,

Thank you for your inquiry.  When the petition is received at the NVC from the U.S. Embassy, it will immediately be forwarded to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS - formerly known as INS) for processing. All inquiries and submissions of additional documentation should be directed to the CIS office that originally approved the petition.  

Regards,

National Visa Center

Not very helpful. I'm assuming that means the NVC hasn't got it back from the Embassy yet. This is really starting to piss me off. Someone has to have the damn file.

YEAH ME TOO!! I wonder if they are even tracking the damn things!! so far rlt seems to be the only one who got a definite answer from NVC about them receiving his petition. Well I am going to raise hell soon, its going to be a month this Monday since the embassy sent it back to the USA!!!

I'm wondering.. someone else said that they were told that the petitions were being returned visa diplomatic mail--I'm assuming that means the same as diplomatic pouch. If so, I think the posts wait until their pouch is 'full' or send once per month, whichever comes first.

If your file is coming from a lower-traffic post, that could explain the delay in seeing it get back to the US.

As long as the food doesn't fall into the "dairy, meat, vegetable" category, you should be fine. If I were you, I would put all your non-perishable items in a box and just label "kitchen~ non perishable items".

Probably a dumb question but can I bring food? I have these big containers of flour and sugar and other baking supplies. I hate to toss them all. Anyone know?

Ahhhhh, such helpful information! Thanks so much... I guess that's gonna be the easiest part of getting in to the US! Hard part will be waiting for the K-1 Visa! After reading all the IMBRA implications I'm starting to wonder if 12 months will be long enough!!! ugh.

Fellow Canadians!

I'm trying to plan my move to the US next year and was planning on renting a U-Haul trailer for the stuff I want to bring down with me. Can someone tell me where to get the forms for Customs and if anyone has crossed this way ~ how easy is it? Are their fees involved?

Thanks

Ahhhh, thanks for the reply. That might explain things... worst case scenario, my fiance is an officer in the navy and I've heard from a few people that I might be able to get my case expedited if need be. But hopefully it won't have to come to that!

Good luck w/everything!

Congrats on getting the visa!!! I do have a question about your process though..... We'll be filing the I-129f in a few weeks in hopes of being in the US no later than next July, but I noticed your timeline indicates over 1 yr from start to finish, when I saw that others got their visa in less than 9 months or so... was there anything in particular that resulted in taking over 1 year, it seems like such a long time for getting a fiance visa!!!

Thanks

whoooooohoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

got the visa today in Montreal - Montreal is a breeze!

to all of u still waiting - good luck, and don't worry in the consulate, the ppl working there are extremely nice!

thx for all the support

Elunia28 and Kye

Hey

to answer your question: we really don't know why it took so long. However we got a letter saying that they were performing an FBI security check on both of us, as well as at the interview the interviewer said that it could be the fact that we were both naturalized citizens.

Seriously it could be lot of different reasons, but most of the visas take only couple of months. I think you should have no problems with getting into U.S. before next July. Good Luck

Elunia