iona.anjali

Thank you so much for the advice, it is sincerely appreciated - I will do this!! Take care + wishing you all the best!

Hello there VJ folks!

I have a question for anyone who may have experience with this, or who may know - due to some unexpected events we may have to request an extension on our K-1 visa processing. Our petition was approved and we've received notification that it has been received at the embassy, but we may not be able to finish the process in the 4 months until the approved petition expires. I have researched on VJ that we can request an extension from our embassy, but was wondering - before making this request, must we complete the DS-160 first? Or would we be able to do everything later if needed? I could not find the answer here, and from what I read on the DS-160 it does not have a time limit either, but was really not sure if we would have to have this filled out before requesting an extension! So far, I have all my documents gathered but we have not gone ahead with anything yet (DS-160, medical, packet 3 etc.) If anyone has any advice on this it would be much appreciated Thanks in advance + best wishes to all along their visa journeys!!

I had a similar question as well - when it says 'taken within 30 days of filing' for passport photos does this mean all your documents and passport photos need to be taken / signed / dated within 30 days of them receiving and filing your petition? If you send your petition and some of your forms were signed a little over 30 days ago would that be an issue? I have my fiancee's forms but they may be a week or two over 30 days by the time USCIS receives and files them, likewise with his passport photo. Just wondering how meticulous they actually are with the dates, so if anyone else has input or advice on this it would be much appreciated!! Thanks for asking this + very best wishes to you guys

Hello! I am preparing a k-1 visa application for my German fiance and I (American) and wanted to ask some advice on the income requirements. I am self-employed and in 2016 made just above the 125% mark (about $21,000) which would be the net income on my taxes, which I am working on filing now. This should be fine for the I-134 but I am a bit nervous about when it comes time for adjustment of status and the I-184. My business is really small (sewing) and the previous year's tax return shows a very low income because I invested pretty much everything back into the business for it to grow. Could this be a major issue, not having 3 years showing a steady income at the 125% mark? Does this increase the chances of needing a co-sponsor? I am confident that I will be able to show I am maintaining a steady income through 2017 (if / when we are approved we wouldn't be filing for AOS until late fall or winter even) so that would almost be 2 years and it would be clear the income is increasing. I live with my parents on their property so I have nothing else to show for property / bonds / life insurance / etc. - just about $10,000 in personal assets aside from showing this income and a few thousand dollars in the bank. The main thing is hoping this is enough for the I-134 to start with!! Any advice or thoughts on this would be much appreciated, if anyone else has dealt with something similar as far as a lower income, self-employment or less than 3 tax returns. Thank you so much!!

oh wow, thank you so much that is very helpful - this was tricky! it was less than 6 months in both india and nepal (maybe about 3 in each) so that is good as getting a police record from either of those places might take a long time! i guess if the interviewer were to ask about the gap in the timing for residence you could just reply that it was spent traveling

thanks again, i love this place - it really eases so much worry to just talk with folks who have experience! especially when you can't afford to pay thousands for a lawyer or service *on top* of all the fees!

all the best to you + take care

hi there!

i just did a search to try and find the answer but wasn't able to find an existing one, so if anyone might have some advice it would be much appreciated! my fiance and i are filling out our biographical forms for the k-1 and where is has residence for the last 5 years we are a bit unsure how to proceed...

he was traveling through india and nepal for about 6 months at one time, so did not have a permanent residence for that duration - is it more appropriate to simply leave this chunk of time out since there was no permanent residence, or to list 'india / nepal' in the country field with maybe a note that it was traveling? just so they don't think he was homeless, because he wasn't!! he was just traveling all over the place so we can't even list particular cities as their were a lot... thanks SO much in advance for any assistance with this, we are doing the forms ourselves and quite nervous about getting every last detail just right!

best wishes + a very happy new year to one and all on the visa journey

Thank you all very very much for all this help, it is a huge relief to just get answers from those with experience in this!

I have another question, if I am able to make the 125% this year, and my 2016 tax return shows this, will that be enough when we do the AOS? Will they also ask to see current bank statements or past tax years? I only have a 2015 tax return besides that, and the net was very low on it as I put all I made back the business. So if we have the 2016 tax return at 125%, plus some assets (maybe $20,000 total between the two of us) would there be a chance we still might need a co-sponsor?

Special thanks to Californiasunset - I cannot explain what a relief it was to know the interview is in Frankfurt! I read the reviews and they were all great! I will be sure to look for the current checklist before proceeding as well!

Very best wishes to everyone for a great week

Thank you so much for the help! I spoke with several lawyers on it, and they merely said it was more difficult and would require a higher fee to do it (which I wouldn't be able to pay!) It was recently appraised and the value would work just fine for our needs. If primary residence cannot be used though, that is something to really think about.

Hello, was just wondering if anyone has any experience with using assets for the I-485 adjustment of status, after going through the K-1 visa process. My parents are willing to co-sponsor my fiance in the case that I cannot meet the 125% mark after we get married, but they do not have any income, only the asset of their home, which they own outright. I calculated and it is valued at far more than what we'd need to meet the criteria and there is no mortgage. If I can show that I am close the the 125% mark, and have them file as a co-sponsor with asset only and no income, could this be feasible? I asked a few lawyers and they wanted to charge a LOT to do it this way so I thought to ask here if anyone else has experience with this! Thanks in advance for any advice or help!

Another question for anyone that may know - are all K-1 visas processed in Frankfurt? My fiance lives in Munich but would very much prefer to have the interview in Frankfurt. It *looks* like it all goes through there so I've very hopeful!

Ok sorry, I think I found it! ---

Proof of U.S. federal income tax returns, for the most recent tax year, are required from all U.S. citizen sponsor’s/joint sponsors.

So this means he could actually get the visa *without* my tax return? If this is so, we could file even sooner! I know I'd need to still manage the 125% but this as an alternative is wonderful, as we've been waiting all this time for me to have the tax return. Is there a minimum requirement for this? He has 10k in the bank and about 5k worth of assets, but does not have a job right now so we were worried about that.

Thank you SO MUCH once again!! I am so happy to have found this forum!

Wow, thank you so much for all the replies and help, it really means a lot through this stressful process! I am very confident I would be able to meet the 125% requirement by the time we get to AOS and would have a backup sponsor ready if need be. However, rather than waiting longer I was hoping to start the process right after I get my 2016 tax return, which would be ok at the 100% or a bit more. I started writing a cover letter for my packet as well, to explain that we would have no expenses and my parents would be housing us for free. Are they very strict with just this number, or open to unique situations if they can be verified?

Thank you Californiasunset for this info, this is SO HELPFUL!! I tried to find this document at the consulate website but haven't found it, do you happen to have a link for this page? I'm so happy to hear that Frankfurt is not so strict, as we were worried about this with Germany.

Thank you all again, you made my day just getting some feedback on this process! Have a great evening

Hello!

I am currently in the process of bringing my German fiance to the U.S. and have been researching like crazy to understand the entire process! Happy to have found this great resources and would love any feedback on the best way to proceed.

I am a U.S. citizen and have my own small one woman business which I started in 2015. I made under the 100% guideline for 2015 because I invested almost every cent back into the business (and self employment tax is HIGH!) For 2016 I am already close to making the 100% poverty level guideline and should exceed that by the end of the year, since there is nearly 3 months left and the business keeps growing.

Has anyone had experience with being denied because you are only slightly above the 100% level? Its the difference between what I gross yearly and what the actual net is since its a business, which is harder when self-employed. I've read in many places its best to show you are 125% to be sure but I don't think I'll manage that by the end of this year. For the new year, according to the growth, I will make this in 2017 and be able to show that when it comes to adjustment of status.

My parents own their home outright and I live here rent free, so will my fiance when he gets here, so we will not have many expenses as we get started. My partner has a little savings (around $10k) and our parents are very supportive. Once here in the U.S. my partner would work together with me which we've been preparing for, so we expect the income to double by the time we will need it.

Since my situation is not the usual - being self-employed with a small business, I am wondering if I should hire someone to help, or do it myself. I have researched so much I feel like I could do it, but we are so in love we just don't want to make any mistakes!

If anyone has experience with or advice on if this income level is ok to get the visa it would be VERY much appreciated! Thanks in advance!!