Timona

If you file K1, you have to marry in the US.
If you get married in DR, you file CR1...
 
Those are 2 different processes that don't mix and match.
 

Using RV won't guarantee that your GC will be approved. What's guaranteed is:
 
1. You'll do all the leg work in terms of providing information to them (which if your case is simple as A B C, you may as well use the DIY guides at the top right of the page and save $$ paid to RV, albeit even in installments)
 
2. Depending on how busy they are or how many back and forths that'll arise between you and them, your case will be delayed by you just sending it to them (you may as well just cut off this lapse time and send the information to USCIS yourself because you've already DIY-ed 1 above)
 
3. You will pay them. I don't like typing anything in a computer but it took me 4 hours max to fill all those forms on Adobe. So if you're like my wife, you can crack it in half the time. Some of us prefer old-school pen to paper. One of you can type, the other can take charge of collecting the documents.  Then you switch and crosscheck each other's work..🤷🏾‍♂️ Btw, the instructions are also free online. So it'll tell you what to submit with the documents 
 
4. They will send your application to USCIS. 
 
5. That's all.

Yes. They will do all these things and they do, sometimes, make mistakes. So, in addition, to all the things you'll have to do yourself anyway, you will have to do your own research to be sure your application has been completed correctly. 

Nothing much to do other than wait. 

Good Morning Everyone, 
 
I was going to use this response for another post I read this morning but felt it needed it’s own post. 
 
I know that this may not be the case with all couples but counseling is an option when you notice the relationship going downhill. The divorce rate in this country is partly due to finances but in my opinion also due to people not working out their differences. I have been married 7 years this past April and the truth of the matter is that:
 
1. Immigration is stressful in the best of times, let alone now with the pandemic. 
 
2. When two people get to know each other and want to live together you find out each others quirks and that is not always fun.
 
3. Every person has gone through some type of trauma, whether it be due to fractured relationships growing up, living in poverty, or living in a war torn country. 
 
I will share of my woes in my relationship over the years. When my now wife and I started this immigration process it was long and stressful. I was the detailed passive person and she had/has a strong personality. Suffice it to say this did not help during the process from K-1 submission to point of entry (POE). 
 
Once I entered the United States and got married, this is when the hard work started. We lived together and we found out each others quirks. I was still the detailed person who stressed getting my Adjustment of Status (AOS) in on time and this put a strain on our marriage as we had the finances, it was just a matter of putting it into our budget, but I still worried about getting it in on time. Oh, and not to mention I could not work from April to September 2013, that did not help the bottom line, hence more stress for her as she was sole bread winner, but also stress for me as I did not have a driver’s license and did not like being cooped up in the apartment. We kept trudging along and trying to work things out, me and my anger (I’ll get to that later). We went through some rocky time during AOS. 
 
Before getting married my wife knew that I had children from a previous relationship but this would not hit her in the face till my son came to visit for a summer. We have dIfferent parenting styles still to this day but are working through things. When my son came to visit ####### hit the fan and this had to be worked out. My son’s grandmother, also s strong personality, had made my wife to be out to be the bad guy. Naturally, being passive, I did not stick up for my wife, so there are still issues there to this day that I am working through. 
 
Fast forward to 6 months after receiving citizenship. Wife and I were going through some very rough times and my anger had really resurfaced and become uncontrollable. It got to a point where I had to take 2 weeks to think outside of what was going on in my own home due to the chaos that I felt as I had my issues and my wife had her own issues. I took two weeks and continued working but also went to see family in Canada. In that two weeks I made a decision that my wife and I needed to do counseling because our issues are more than we can handle on our own. We are currently in counseling and doing much better. 
 
I say all this to say, before you even put in a petition for a fiance(e) or spouse, get to know the person, who they are, and their family dynamics as much as humanly possibly. If it turns out that you notice quirks before or after they arrive in the US I would encourage you to seek out counseling. This will look different depending on whether you are in the US together or separated. In my time of getting counseling so far here is what I have learned:
 
1. I cannot control other people, I can only control myself.
 
2. If left unresolved, my past hurts will spill over into my relationships (familial, friendship, and professional). 
 
3. Marriage takes a lot of work (active listening, embracing others strengths, knowing that my spouse and I may say different things but both be right and that there is healthy conflict).
 
My hope is that this post may help one person to think through the fact that maybe its not your spouse that bothers you, but the memories of your past. If you have read this long, I wish you all the best on your immigration journey and marriage. 😁
 
 
 

Credit cards often have benefits included for the cardholder, and one of them may be travel insurance.  There are other types of insurance benefits too, example my card also provides full insurance for car rentals if purchased on the card so I don’t have to purchase separately from the car rental company. Some will reimburse you for goods stolen within a month of buying them, etc etc. And some provide automatic travel insurance when you buy air tickets. I think many people just don’t realize how many benefits they get automatically. 

see examples of travel insurance in article here https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/travel/credit-cards-that-provide-travel-insurance/
 

From what I've read on this forum,  Canadians are allowed to stay upto 6 months as a visitor. 
Dump the lawyer. You don't need $5K punched in your pocket if your case is simple. If you get married, just file the papers on your own and save those lawyer fee. The guides, whether K-1 or CR1, are at the top right of this page.

Just curious. If he wasn't cooperative,  how'd you get him to sign the AOS papers? Or how'd you get his signature?

Remember to include another I-864 for your wife, and just mark it with zero income. Though she's not sponsoring you, USCIS still needs it

I used this a while back to translate some Spanish documents. I had no problem with USCIS. 
 
https://vananservices.com/Translation-Services.php

😂😂😂😂you can't stop reggae😂😂

Yap. That will also do. You'll just have to grease some hands.
 
However, if you're a poor man's child,  River Road in Nairobi will suffice. And it's quicker than government office. 🤣🤣🤣

😂😂😂Number 3 you should know people in the high places. 

The OP applied for a B visa (tourism/business), not an A visa, meaning it was not an official matter. He might have been a government employee, not necessarily an official. 
And a hint on the behavior you describe that applies to any government: in order to justify huge budgets -and/or avoid cuts-, they tend to add the most useless "official matters" and include people that might not be relevant, basically to inflate the bill and have evidence that more money is needed. Do people take advantage/abuse the situation? Of course they do. Most humans seek fame and fortune. Here, there and everywhere.
 

You can always do another big wedding. Had I been you, I'd try explain to the parents why I'd be going to the courthouse/ looking for an officiant ASAP for a small wedding. Hopefully,  they see the sense. After I put my paperwork in the mill, I'd then go ahead and plan for the big wedding and invite everyone. People have gone this route.
 
Think about it. Make a wise decision and save $$$ and 🤯🤯

It's the new norm in my country......thereafter, comes the "Certificate of singleness or Bachelor's certificate," a certificate which:
 
1. Never been heard of in my country until US immigration is involved. Infact, it doesn't even exist. No unmarried Kenyan holds such nor has ever held such.
2. Is just a patch, devised to try and salvage a sinking ship.
3. Will have all necessary and authentic stamps, courtesy of forgery artist on the streets of Nairobi. 
Lastly, I tend to believe US Embassy Nairobi already know about this game.

Yap, which makes it had for the rest.
 
Additionally, when caught, they'll say a cyber agent filled out the forms for them. Really? A higher percentage of Kenyans have smartphones. Visa application can be filled on them, right from your living room. I don't know how they think concocting the cyber agent story makes their story believable and that the CO will give them a pass based on that.

Many people on VJ know this game, would seem odd if the Consulate did not.

People often try this lie to get a tourist visa because they read websites (obviously not this one) where such things are “recommended” to either show strong ties to their homeland or to hide that they are in a relationship with a USC because love interests of USCs are statistically much more likely to overstay and therefore have a high denial date. 

Really? I hope you're not suggesting what I think you are suggesting. Maybe elaborate so as to avoid confusion. Your message shouldn't be misunderstood.
 

ChipsNChrisps War would do it.  Hahahah. Go for it. Hahaahh
 
Well, I hope you haven't forgotten to fill out the forms. 
 

Then the CR-1 is your option. Add that to the fact that you are currently in Australia for a good amount of time. 
 
If you'd ask me, I'd rather wait the additional 3/4  months for a CR-1 and start working as soon as I land, than getting to Hawaii ASAP,  then having to wait another 1.5 years for AOS. 
 
Go to the local courthouse or get married tomorrow, wherever. You don't need a fancy wedding. A $2 wedding will just as much do as a $100K one. File a CR-1, forget it and enjoy your time in Australia. When it's time reaches, get your interview and you've avoided a tonne of headaches. Trust me, you won't want the AOS headache 

Then the CR-1 is your option. Add that to the fact that you are currently in Australia for a good amount of time. 
 
If you'd ask me, I'd rather wait the additional 3/4  months for a CR-1 and start working as soon as I land, than getting to Hawaii ASAP,  then having to wait another 1.5 years for AOS. 
 
Go to the local courthouse or get married tomorrow, wherever. You don't need a fancy wedding. A $2 wedding will just as much do as a $100K one. File a CR-1, forget it and enjoy your time in Australia. When it's time reaches, get your interview and you've avoided a tonne of headaches. Trust me, you won't want the AOS headache 

Getting K-1, getting married in Hawaiii and then going back to Australia to wait for the GC? 
 
I'm not telling you how to do your stuff, but I think that's on overkill in terms of time and $$. Furthermore, since you're already in Ausie, I'd just do the CR-1 and have that time that you're spending down there count towards the CR-1 process. Time difference between K-1 and CR-1 is like 4 months anyway. I'd just abandon the K-1 and do CR-1 and avoid AOSing all together 
 

DOS must follow the law at OP's birth. At that time, the law required legitimization by father prior to turning 21.