VisaCode

OMG, I so need to update my timeline, bigtime. It's been a hectic few months. But on Friday, we were approved!!!

You have a "common law marriage" to the man in your home country. USCIS does recognize common law marriage, so you are indeed "officially married". So you really don't have a problem there. Your problem is you will have to officially divorce this man before you can move forward. If he is willing to cooperate, then you may be able to accomplish a divorce easily without returning to your home country. If he is not willing to cooperate, it will be more difficult.

I also initially started on RapidVisa then decided to go DIY. Having completed the K-1 process, I see that RapidVisa was asking for things that would later be required on the DS-160 in the embassy stage. The thing about that is the DS-160 appears to be electronic-only now. At least at the embassy we chose, the only option we were given was the online version. So I'm not even sure how RapidVisa would have handled that.
 
By the way, what ultimately turned me off on RapidVisa was when I emailed them with a simple question ("M fiance only has one name. How should I use that to fill out your forms?") and the person responding didn't seem confident in their answer. That was a big red flag for me. I started googling and decided to DIY. I don't regret it.

Wow. Thank you everyone for the responses. I appreciate all the information. I didn't even consider the POE interview and layover times. Perhaps I will consider driving to Houston and just meeting there. As for all the ticket prices that were quoted, I am surprised because both of my trips were purchased months in advance and both were around $1200. I did shop around as well but I have never seen a round trip ticket from New Orleans/Baton Rouge airport to Manila for under $1000. It most have been the timing? First trip was June 2016. Second was May 2018.

It's also good to know that the Visa is good for 6 months from the date of exam. We are sorta of pining away to be together at this point but we do want to be smart with budgeting the move and following AOS.

While I understand the reason and intent behind this change, there will undoubtedly be more than zero people who totally get screwed by it, either because of a simple mistake or possibly even through no fault of their own. Like much of US immigration policy, it's unfortunate that a few bad apples can cause added headaches for people legitimately trying their best to comply with the rules. But that's the system we've got. This certainly isn't a malicious change just for the sake of making things more difficult like the article tries to make it appear. But I wouldn't call it "good news", either.

They're not only going after the big fish, they're going after they fish they know the locations of. And a denial from K1 leads to accrual of unlawful presence. And apply again? Sure, I personally can but not everyone's got a spare $1200 sitting around because some USCIS agent doesn't know how to do their jobs. 
 
This is a ridiculous amount of power to give to people who have proven time and time again that they cannot be trusted to perform their basic job functions. 
 
I say issue the RFEs and replying to an RFE costs $1000, unless you can demonstrate USCIS error. Boom, deter the people who do it on purpose, punish the idiots who don't read directions. Problem solved.

Good to know about the credit card payment option. I missed that they added that. I pay my statement balance monthly but getting 2% back on the hefty AOS fee will be nice.

OMG, I so need to update my timeline, bigtime. It's been a hectic few months. But on Friday, we were approved!!!

Yup, I wish we'd gone CR1 now, for sure. Oh well, "it is what it is", "the grass is always greener on the other side", etc...

Yup, I wish we'd gone CR1 now, for sure. Oh well, "it is what it is", "the grass is always greener on the other side", etc...

Your fiance sounds like a tool. Is he abusive by any chance? If so, and you do marry within the 90 days, but your spouse will not submit the required paperwork, then you have a very small chance of being successful self-petitioning for AOS under VAWA. But if your fiance is not abusive and won't marry and/or complete the paperwork, then I don't think there is anything you can do.

OMG, I so need to update my timeline, bigtime. It's been a hectic few months. But on Friday, we were approved!!!

If he's about to deploy, it's a no-brainer. Go back home and CR1. He's being selfish asking you to walk out on your life on a moment's notice (if this was really unplanned) right when he's about to be walking out, albeit temporarily, himself. You'll be left behind in the US with very little support network. Just the meager resources on base and, maybe, other wives in his unit.

If he's about to deploy, it's a no-brainer. Go back home and CR1. He's being selfish asking you to walk out on your life on a moment's notice (if this was really unplanned) right when he's about to be walking out, albeit temporarily, himself. You'll be left behind in the US with very little support network. Just the meager resources on base and, maybe, other wives in his unit.

OMG, I so need to update my timeline, bigtime. It's been a hectic few months. But on Friday, we were approved!!!

LOL, this site is ridiculous sometimes. Don't mind the haters. If you know your relationship is real, that's what matters. As long as you're honest and legit in your petition and interview, then yes, someone who's TRAINED will most likely see that. There's nothing you've said so far that is a deal-breaker. Your case has some negatives but also has some positives. It's far from a lost cause, that's for sure.

LOL, this site is ridiculous sometimes. Don't mind the haters. If you know your relationship is real, that's what matters. As long as you're honest and legit in your petition and interview, then yes, someone who's TRAINED will most likely see that. There's nothing you've said so far that is a deal-breaker. Your case has some negatives but also has some positives. It's far from a lost cause, that's for sure.

LOL, this site is ridiculous sometimes. Don't mind the haters. If you know your relationship is real, that's what matters. As long as you're honest and legit in your petition and interview, then yes, someone who's TRAINED will most likely see that. There's nothing you've said so far that is a deal-breaker. Your case has some negatives but also has some positives. It's far from a lost cause, that's for sure.

LOL, this site is ridiculous sometimes. Don't mind the haters. If you know your relationship is real, that's what matters. As long as you're honest and legit in your petition and interview, then yes, someone who's TRAINED will most likely see that. There's nothing you've said so far that is a deal-breaker. Your case has some negatives but also has some positives. It's far from a lost cause, that's for sure.

Oh, to be young again 😂
 
FYI, the fact that your beloved is in the military may actually work against you. marriage fraud is rampant in the military even among US citizens. It's most often perpetrated by non-NCO enlisted men. So that will be another red flag on your petition. Given your ages, I'm guessing your fiance fits that description. USCIS and the military have been working hard together the last several years to curb the high, and increasing, rates of marriage fraud.

But really, there is nothing to do but apply and hope for the best.

As an aside, my favorite super-fast marriage I witnessed in the military was when my unit was temporarily assigned to Biloxi, MS for 2 weeks. In that time, a guy in my unit met the love of his life dancing at a bar and they got married. Cute little redhead. She packed her things in her mustang and practically beat us getting back to San Diego. That was 25 years ago and as far as I know, they're still together.

LOL, this site is ridiculous sometimes. Don't mind the haters. If you know your relationship is real, that's what matters. As long as you're honest and legit in your petition and interview, then yes, someone who's TRAINED will most likely see that. There's nothing you've said so far that is a deal-breaker. Your case has some negatives but also has some positives. It's far from a lost cause, that's for sure.

Oh, to be young again 😂
 
FYI, the fact that your beloved is in the military may actually work against you. marriage fraud is rampant in the military even among US citizens. It's most often perpetrated by non-NCO enlisted men. So that will be another red flag on your petition. Given your ages, I'm guessing your fiance fits that description. USCIS and the military have been working hard together the last several years to curb the high, and increasing, rates of marriage fraud.

But really, there is nothing to do but apply and hope for the best.

As an aside, my favorite super-fast marriage I witnessed in the military was when my unit was temporarily assigned to Biloxi, MS for 2 weeks. In that time, a guy in my unit met the love of his life dancing at a bar and they got married. Cute little redhead. She packed her things in her mustang and practically beat us getting back to San Diego. That was 25 years ago and as far as I know, they're still together.

It's not.  Entering the country with the intent to marry AND adjust is fraud.  

Oh, to be young again 😂
 
FYI, the fact that your beloved is in the military may actually work against you. marriage fraud is rampant in the military even among US citizens. It's most often perpetrated by non-NCO enlisted men. So that will be another red flag on your petition. Given your ages, I'm guessing your fiance fits that description. USCIS and the military have been working hard together the last several years to curb the high, and increasing, rates of marriage fraud.

But really, there is nothing to do but apply and hope for the best.

As an aside, my favorite super-fast marriage I witnessed in the military was when my unit was temporarily assigned to Biloxi, MS for 2 weeks. In that time, a guy in my unit met the love of his life dancing at a bar and they got married. Cute little redhead. She packed her things in her mustang and practically beat us getting back to San Diego. That was 25 years ago and as far as I know, they're still together.

To be fair, so do the soldiers. Non-NCOs typically can't live off-base unless they're married. And even if they choose to live on-base, they get a nice "geographical bachelor" allowance which makes a nice car payment or buys a heck of a lot of extra beer at the E-club.