3 minutes ago, Afrobeat said:

Thank you very much for your advice. I think that is what I'm going to do, I hope that they are going to be easily persuaded .

No problem. Try not to worry too much as this actually happens quite often. In some countries, a religious ceremony is a legally binding ceremony. USCIS just wants to hear that this was not the case. You should be fine. 

16 minutes ago, Afrobeat said:

Hello guys, 

I have been lurking here for 3 weeks, given that the USCIS costumer service wasn't really helpful. It seems to me that the operators are only trained to read a long script, like cops when they take their precious time to read you your Miranda rights, before they take you to you know where😁. 

 

Anyway, first I'd like to extend my gratitude to all the active members. Seriously your reactions helps me battle anxiety and depression. For instance 4 days ago I called USCIS to inquire about my pending case, the operator, who was, it seems to me, very condescending, told me after all the routines questions ( how many have you called, etc...) that they are working on August 1st cases and asked me to check back after 6 weeks, since my NOA1 is dated August 8th. What a huge setback that was. Once again I sought refuge here, and once again my hope was rebooted. It works everytime. 

 

Yesterday I checked my mail and finally i got a response from the USCIS, an RFE (to me this is better than no response). They are requesting that i provide a traditional wedding certificate. This is because i mentioned on the application and also on some of the pictures, that we had a traditional wedding. Why on earth did I mention it knowing well that it is such a foreign concept  in the U.S ?? In my opinion that was unnecessary details. 

Just in case you are wondering about what is a traditional marriage: well, in most part of Africa, especially sub saharan, a traditional or a customary marriage is a ceremony wherein prominent members of the couple would meet, usually at the house of the girl's father, to "discuss" the prospect of joining both family by allowing the couple to get married. Briefly, it is during this ceremony that the couple officially become engaged. 

Unfortunately,  it is not formalized. And so there aren't any documentations to back it up. 

 

I don't know what to do. any advice will be very appreciated. 

Can you write a letter explaining that in your culture this is the tradition followed by engaged couples but does not render you a legally married couple? It sounds like they’re confused by the ceremony and thinking it was a wedding instead of more of an engagement celebration. I hope someone else can add to this. Good luck!

I saw one user who met their significant other on a dating site (match I think it was) and they emailed customer support asking to confirm they were not an IBM site. The dating site wrote back to confirm they were not and attached their terms of service which the petitioner then printed out. This was sufficient apparently because his application was approved. 

46 minutes ago, shawarma_frites said:

HOLY SH**!

 

We did henna and I included a photo of it because who in their right mind would consider a henna ceremony as proof of a legally-binding wedding?? It was included as sign of our commitment to each other and respect for his culture/traditions...which is important to show in the application. Besides, it was his mother and aunties who were just dying to do henna. His family was happy, respectful, and supportive of our union, enough to want to give us a henna ceremony. I think that's great.

 

We only ever called it an engagement party/ceremony in the application, and it was super intimate.

 

Can everyone just acknowledge WHY the MENA couples have engagement parties that are also secretive non-legal religious "weddings"? It's so we can finally consummate our relationship.  

 

Now, shouldn't it be a red flag that if we weren't following some traditions in order to sleep together? And wether or not it's technically legal to have pre-marital sex in that country, the U.S. shouldn't care. 

 

If the COs hold that against us, that's just proof that some COs would find any reason to deny a legitimately engaged couple the K-1. 

 

https://www.vox.com/2018/2/22/17041862/uscis-removes-nation-of-immigrants-from-mission-statement

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/agency-leader-insists-mission-statement-anti-immigrant-53316136

 

We're "customers." This is the mindset that many COs have, if not worse.

 

I repeat:

"Use of the term leads to the erroneous belief that applicants and petitioners, rather than the American people, are whom we ultimately serve [...] but we can't forget that we serve the American people."

 

What a backwards thing to say. The director is ultimately not disagreeing with the notion that immigrants are customers. Rather, he is implying that calling immigrants customers leads Americans to believe that USCIS puts immigrants' best interests above the interests of American citizens.

 

 I bet most petitioners ARE American people. They forget that there are Americans' lives being determined by USCIS. Here we have COs callously calling our loved ones customers. 

 

And using henna to deny a K-1 (even when a legal certificate of non-marriage is provided)? That's callous. 

You raise a really good point by asking wouldn’t it also be a red flag to not follow customary engagement traditions. It’s kind of like you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t and that doesn’t seem fair. I’m from Canada where culture is near identical to that of the states so I can’t relate but I sympathize with that. Perhaps if this causes an issue for you you could explain that it’s a traditional ceremony for ENGAGED couples and not a ceremony for actual matrimony. Then perhaps include some information on the ceremony itself, how long it’s been around in your culture, what exactly it means, etc. I often wonder how familiar USCIS agents are with other cultures and their traditions I think there are times when things probably need to be explained in depth. Best of luck to you!

30 minutes ago, AntoinetteB said:

Im asking because this is a helpful group that everyone is suppose to be able to come together and help and answer questions that others do not know. Text messages can come accross as rude and there are ways to speak in a manner that doesnt seem like your attacking someone anywho im the beneficiary and I make just enough but i wanted to know because I simply wanted to know 

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said “text messages can come off as rude” because I wasn’t trying to be rude or attack you. It can be hard to tell over the internet I know, but I was asking in order to get a better understanding of your situation so that I could try and help you. I’m really not sure what part came off as rude to you? But I can understand being a little defensive and on edge when coming on this site, as I have noticed that some people are a little brisk. 

CR1 (spouse visa) and you can stay together the entire time. Get married and then file. Your fiancé may have to reestablish domicile in the US I’m not sure hopefully someone provides a little more insight into those details soon.

7 hours ago, AntoinetteB said:

Question do you have to have the title to a vehicle to use it as income? 

Does the petitioner not just meet the income requirements? You can use assets but typically the petitioner’s income shown on their tax form is what is used so I’m confused why you’re asking?

16 minutes ago, shawarma_frites said:

 

How is that possible? In the eyes of the U.S. government--you're either legally married or not. A spiritual union is not a state-sanctioned marriage in the U.S. If they didn't have a marriage decree issued by some level of the Ghana Government, then how could the U.S. consider that a marriage? If they were denied a K-1, but didn't have a marriage decree, how could they possibly be eligible for the K-3 or IR1/CR1? Did they really leave them in a bureaucratic grey area like that?

I totally agree with you and find that extreme as well but I think it has something to do with the fact that in some places a religious or spiritual ceremony actually does render a couple legally married in that country. I could be wrong.

Work visa, tourist visa, family visa... too vague a question to really give you any guidance. Are you looking to travel to the US to live to work or to visit? 

19 minutes ago, Ning_15 said:

my fiance have a child support but the custody is under her ex wife. In his w2, there was no dependent written. Should He still place His daughter as partially dependent on him because of his child custody??? @Naes me again☺️☺️☺️☺️

It’s my understanding that yes, he must list his child as a dependant, whether the child is listed as a dependant on his tax return or not. I learned that on this site from other users, and the reason given to me was because although the child may not currently be a dependant, circumstances can change. 

10 minutes ago, Sean&Lailane said:

I was told by Rapidvisa that it is Tax dependents only. 

Pretty sure you list any and all children, whether they are listed as dependants on tax return or not. I learned that from other users on here.

3 minutes ago, Maricris & Phil said:

Oh my goodness, I just finished asking the question and I received the text on the way home!!!! WE ARE APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Case Was Approved

On February 22, 2018, we approved your Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), Receipt Number WAC179041****. We will mail your approval notice. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

Awesome  congratulations 

24 minutes ago, Maricris & Phil said:

My fiance and I are both very frustrated, we both continue to check USCIS and I continue to check the mail in the hopes of receiving our NOA2.  Our NOA1 date was August 3rd, I notice there are many recipients with a later date than ours who have already received their NOA2 but I also notice there are many NOA1 filers before me with no additional info posted in VJ.  I would like to hear something but I don't want to complain and rock the boat with the USCIS by inquiring and causing a red flag by possibly being a complainer and making it more difficult for us to be together.  I have been in Law Enforcement for over 30 years so there isn't much to check on me; I would like to hear something even if it is an RFE.  VJ said after February 18th I should consider contacting USCIS; give us your thoughts, how much longer should we wait before I try to contact USCIS?  Any and all recommendations and comments are welcome!!!!

Thanks,

Phil & Maricris

It must be a little frustrating to hear of others who filed after you getting their approvals, but I just had a glance at your timeline and honestly, I would just stick it out a while longer. As another user said, don't be afraid to get in touch with them if you really want to. You don't need to worry about annoying them or coming off as a "complainer", as long as your inquiry is succinct and polite. However, if you check USCIS processing times, it still shows August 1, so you're not technically outside of the normal range just yet even though you can see that others who filed later than you have been approved. It could be that the reviewing officer's pile that your petition is in is just going in a different order or had some more difficult petitions that required more time to review you never know. I would wait a month before starting to get antsy. If September starts and you still haven't heard anything then by all means. 

4 minutes ago, N. Phillips said:

Yeah I guess I am just confused... because I work at a law firm and I don't necessarily work with immigration, but I have attorneys here who have some experience with immigration and they said the i-129f and all supporting documents for that are not needed until the "adjustment to status/green card" interview...they said it's not necessary at the interview he has with the embassy to receive the visa to marry me. But I don't want to take their word for it.

 

Also I make $30,000 a year as the petitioner (0 dependents - it would just be me and my fiance) - do I still need a sponsor?

https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p

HHS Poverty Guidelines. $20,300 is the minimum required income for a household of two, unless you live in either Alaska or Hawaii. 

CR1 is the least expensive and is a good choice for Canadian/American couple because you can visit each other easily while you wait. Your fiancé(e) can work straight away once they enter the US on a spousal visa (not so on a fiancé K1 visa). I am a Canadian engaged to an American and we went the K1 route because at the time it was the faster option however processing times have increased and we now wish we went the CR1 route. Less headache and less money with CR1. My advice would be get married (in either country doesn’t matter) and then whomever is in the other country return home and file your CR1 paperwork. Please note, your partner cannot stay in the US with you after marriage. They must return to Canada and you must petition for them with a spouse visa. Failure to return to Canada after getting married is a big no no with potentially dire consequences. 

14 minutes ago, Dee elle said:

Think that is wise... I hold Global Entry  with the same info, but I have never  seen either card listed as optional for ID etc USCIS or DOS.... hence my take on your question. 

 

Yeah I don’t know. We went to the US embassy here in Vancouver to get my daughter’s CRBA and they accepted my nexus card as ID, but I can’t remember if I used that in place of a passport or if they just asked for any form of ID. But if I’m going all the way to Montreal I don’t really want to chance it. 

33 minutes ago, Dee elle said:

Nexus is a prepproved US entry card ..

And I doubt it.... NEXUS is not proof of citizenship like a Passport is....

 

 

It is US issued of course but does have the cardholder’s citizenship listed (which is confirmed before you are approved for nexus along with security clearance). I think I’ll renew the passport to be safe though if no one has used a nexus successfully in place of a passport. Thanks. 

31 minutes ago, noraliz73 said:

I'm sorry.  I'd like to help, but I don't even know what a NEXUS card is.  Maybe if you give more info, we can research it.  Are you the US Citizen?

No problem, it’s a US issued travel card available to Canadians. It is like security clearance. 

Hello, 

Does anyone know if I can substitute the Passport with a NEXUS card for the NVC interview? My passport will expire but my NEXUS is good for a few years. 

Thanks in advance. 

On 2/19/2018 at 6:46 AM, madelineshea said:

I'm getting really frustrated with my fiancé at this point. He's not a bad guy, he just relies waaaay too much on me for information on what he needs to do. Everything I've learned about this process has been because of this site and Google. We both have internet access. Now that I'm back to work, I'm getting really irritated that I have to go to work, come home, and tell him exactly what to do with everything. It's not like the websites are super secret. UGH.

I'm starting to go a little crazy, I think. Stress is making me a total basket case, and seriously blow up at the stupidest things. I can't wait for this to all be over.

LOL. I had to laugh at this because I have definitely had to do everything and anything involved in this process. Women are more meticulous than men and I'm a perfectionist which is required for something like this, but still I feel ya. Just a tad irritating. Although he is the one paying :). 

What is his reason for wanting to wait a certain amount of time before filing the paperwork? 

First of all, sorry about your rough sounding childhood. You'll just have to do your very best. Take some time to really think back to what you were doing at certain times in your life and give what you believe to be the most accurate information. I don't think it will hurt you if you fail to recall the exact dates and they end up being a bit off but be as precise as you can. 

On 2/17/2018 at 4:42 AM, missileman said:

I really don't understand why someone whose fiance is in Canada would want to go with a K-1 rather than a CR-1. 

Circumstances differ, and some people's situations actually are best suited to the K1 even from Canada believe it or not. In my case I have a baby with my American fiance (I'm from Canada). Since I'll be staying home with our child upon arrival in the US anyway, we just wanted the fastest option (which at the time of filing was the K1, as they were being processed in 3-5 months). So if you are not planning on working right away and the K1 processing times are on the lower end of the spectrum then it would be the better option. I now kind of wish we went the CR1 route but you can't predict these things. 

2 minutes ago, Naes said:

Ummm I mean August is fast thats sure but theres no NOA2 after August 18 yet... Who is getting NOA2 from late August? (Id really really like to know that ) 

Aug 18 is late august to me lol but I thought I saw an August 21 in there too. Not a big deal 🙂