dionesiamn

but i am wondering what i should do to prepare for whatever is next... i saw on the k1 guide that the next big paperwork is the affidavit of support. but who does that go to and when do they need it? i was hoping for more instructions with the NOA2 approval letter, but since we don't have that yet... is this included in packet 3? actually, what is packet 3? is that what is sent to my fiance from the embassy once they receive our case? what exactly is in there?

Here is some information about packet 3 from your embassy. http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/inde...a&cty=Accra

Don't forget to have three notirized copys of your I134 papers and send W-2s and INcome tax returns for last three years.

Good Luck

George & Jenny

I am sponsoring my daughter's fiance, and I am on my way up to Canada to see them and to deliver the completed I-134 to the.m Hmm, I didn't know you needed three notarized I-134 forms. Do the forms all have to be originals or can at least one of them just be a copy of the notarized form? Do you also need three orginals of the employer letter too? My income is well over the income mnimum but I got bank statements and tax return summaries and verifications of my house too. I'm giving him it all just to be safe.

Random question, its been difficult for me to track the posts lately. I don't know if VJ changed they way posts are done or if I accidentally selected some option, but its harder for me to search through the posts. I can only view one response to a question at a time. Suggestions on how to fix this?

Reese16: at the top of the forum (left side) is an "options" drop down menu. Select Standard to view all of the responses in a row. What you are seeing now is the outline.

I've given this link on the forums before, but here it is again:

Here is a list of the U.S. senators and their mailing information.

Here are the representatives.

If you all write, maybe someone will hear.

It sounds like your bank is just being lazy. Both of my banks provided this information (total of all deposits) without hesitation. Maybe you can remind them that you are the customer - this information should be easy enough to get.

That might make for a better plan. You can get married, leave and go back and live in Canada until he is released and you can be together.

Not to be nosey, but will he be free and clear in 23 months, or does he face halfway house time as well? You don't have to say, but just might be something you need to think about too, in adding to the time that you will be separated.

2) His father owns a flower shop in Detroit that he said i'll be able to work at. His father plans on retiring and wants to leave the business to us when he returns home. So the issue woulnd't be 'if' i could get a job, because i have one lined up for me. The issue would be, would i be allowed to work right away???

So we have some good things in our favour. The thing is, does the government see it that way to grant me the visa??

You can not work legally without a work permit, even if it is for your father-in-law. Immigration officals will not take kindly to that. It might make for a case for them to give you a work permit at the border when you present your K1 visa, but then again, if they aren't giving them out, it might send up a red-flag. Hmmmmm, I don't know... Maybe someone else will.

Oh, I see, you will rely on his parents to support you until you can be working so that might work.

Still, you will have to give the timing a great deal of thought since you'll see that there are no set timelines involved in the K1 process and heaven forbid, if your case is delayed anywhere for RFEs or just plain slowdowns at the government.

You might want to start now, the K1 visa will be good for 6 months once it is issued. And once you have used it at the border, you'll have 90 days to marry.

You will, most likely, face a couple of big issues.

1) Your U.S. citizen fiance will need to gather information such as his birth certificate and proff that you have met within the last two years. This is usually done through correspondence, plane tickets, photos, etc. Hopefully you will be able to assist him in gathering this together.

2) How will you support yourself until he is out of prison and returns to employment? There are no guarantees that you will be authorized to work right away. From what I read on this forum, an EAD (work authorizations) for the first 90 days is hard to come by and then once you file your Adjustment of Status (after the wedding), you may still be unable to work for a few months. The embassy might question this.

Someone else comment further on this, but I think that to file the adjustment of status both husband and wife need to appear for the interview.

And of course, the timing of all of this will be quite tricky if you have to rely on both Immigration (in getting a K1 visa) and the prison system (getting their approval) to wed.

Good luck to you.

Think about it - this couple had to have lied THREE times to immigration officials.

1. When she entered the U.S. (Hawaii) to get married, she would have had to do that with a visitor visa. Had she been honest that she was in the U.S. for her wedding she would not have been allowed.

2. Back in Japan at her interview she did not disclose to the interviewer that she was already married or she would have been denied again!

3. When she ultimately came to the mainland with a fiancee visa in hand - what was she thinking then?

They KNEW not to disclose anything about a wedding. They were just circumventing the system and they knew it. Their only legitimate "mistake" was in planning an expensive wedding without a visa in hand - everything

else they did afterwards was calculated and meant to deceive.

And the government did not trick her. To get a K3 visa you must be in your home country. Those are the rules and they gave them to her straight. Despite what anyone may think the letters that are sent out regarding these matters are form letters just like everyone else gets. In the scheme of immigration this is too small a matter to craft any conspiracy on. And had it been a conspiracy to get her out of the country, I feel assured that NO one at the embassy in Japan told them that the government "tricks people to get them out of the country." No one is risking an embassy job to say that.

You can feel sorry for them, that's okay, but as for me? I'm tired of hearing stories of people using up the time of our government officals when they could be spending more time helping those of you who are doing things

the right way!

Well, I'm compiling data on this egregious discrepancy and forwarding it on to my Senator. It may not do any good, but it makes no sense for California to take on nearly 3 times the case load. From the data I've gathered so far, even though they have 3 times the case load, it takes them quadruple the amount of time to process them. And, in my case, and others marrying Canadians, the same thing happens at the Department of State level, as Montreal serves a higher population, as well, and is much slower than the consulate in Vancouver. In one recent report from the Canadian forum, someone called the Montreal Consulate and was told that it would take 8-12 months to schedule an interview.

Here is a list of the state senators, their addresses and phone numbers. You might want to draft a letter template and make it available for other VJ members to mail to or use to call their senator(s). If there is a concerted effort behind this, they make start to take notice.

List of senators

I have very little sympathy for the couple in the article. Those of you on visajourney are trying to do everything the right way. This couple tried to circumvent the system because they made the mistake of planning an expensive wedding without a visa in hand. BUT, that was their only mistake. Anything they did afterwards was a lie. The government doesn't hold for lying. The questions not answered in the article, but still of huge significance are:

1. On what kind of visa did she enter Hawaii? I assume it was a visitor visa, and was she candid at the POE that she was there to get married? Probably not.

2. What did she tell the POE guards when she finally came to the mainland? Did she lie? She must have.

3. How did immigration find out about them? Did they apply for AOS? Or did they just go about their business, having children and thinking that there would be no consequences?

4. Did the government really "lie" or "mislead" them when all they said was that the petition was approved? No, many of you are waiting for the same appoval - BUT you of course, understand that the petition approval is only a step towards visa approval and the government was not asking them to do any thing it wouldn't expect of any other K3 applicant: Be is your own country when you are seeking K3 visa approval.

The government is not the enemy or the bad guys here - this couple is. They willfully or maybe even ignorantly tried to circumvent the system. Ignorance is never an excuse. Had they sought knowledge about this process they would have known what they were doing was the wrong way. If they did know and went ahead anyway, then they and only they are the bad guys. Because the U.S. Immigration office has to deal with stuff like this, the process is slowed down for those of you are waiting for your visas.

Yes, they can do the math. But again, the value is better gotten from your property tax statement. The insurance policy won't reflect the value as well, since you can insure your home at more than true value. (The insurance company is happy to take your premiums for a higher value - collecting that amount should somthing happen to your home is another matter.)

Having been a government eligibility worker for many years, the best way to determine equity in a home, is to take your estimated value on your property tax statement minus your mortgage balance. This evaluation will be low but if you feel better add an additional 20% to that amount. That's how we were taught to do it.

In regards to the example form where the value and the encumbrances aren't completed -- my best guess is that whoever completed this for a sample didn't do it right.

I agree with the last poster, that homeownership shows stability so it may be important to someone trying to "judge" sponsor worthiness. If you own a home, you have at least demonstrated financial responsibility and/or stability at some point. If you own a home, I'd complete the information they are asking for.

According to the instructions that come with the I-134, tax returns are not required unless you are self employed. If you are self-employed then the instructions state: "Copy of the last income tax return filed."

I've seen on here that people have written that the last three years are required but the I-134 doesn't say that. Where is it written that the sponsor has to provide three years of tax returns/IRS statements? Thanks.

First you have to decide which Visa you are going to apply for - which "track" you will take.

The K-1 is the quickest and easiest - your Fiancé comes to the States on a 90 day visa. She gets a chance to see the place and then you either get married or she returns. Minimal requirements include an I-134 (which I understand does not require notarization any longer).

Even after reading on both of them, I still really can't find a clear difference between the two- which one should I use, does it matter? I will be filling one out, and my father will be doing one as our Co-sponsor. Which one do we use, do we use the same one? Do we each use different ones?

Is this true? The I-134 doesn't have to be notarized? I've been reading all day about this form and have yet to read anything of this nature.

Beameup: Where did you find this out? Thanks.

No. Only one person signs, the head of household which could be any one of you.

On the signature line, you sign your name and let your spouse sign the name there as well. One on top, and one on the bottom.

Hence, my confusion.

This seems like there would be a definitive answer to this, since I would imagine a lot of co-sponsors are married - my situation doesn't seem so peculiar. And the form doesn't address anything like "joint" assets, has only one line for a signature and has really badly written instructions.

Thanks for all your help!

I guess I'll just contact the consulate and ask.

Yodrak, I read this in the general instructions:

- - - - - -

Note: If the sponsor is married, the affidavit should be signed jointly by both husband and wife. Affidavits of support are unacceptable if more than one year has elapsed from the date there on.

- - - - - -

And the resources are held jointly.

This is why I'm confused.

I just can't find an answer for this simple question.

If the co-sponsor (for a K-1 visa immigrant) is married do both the husband and wife sign the !-134?

They both have earned income, file taxes jointly and all of their assets are held jointly. Their individual earned incomes are well-over the 125% guidelines, so either one could serve as the sponsor alone - BUT the question is: Do they both have to sign?

The form does not have a place on it for two signatures, but I have found conflicting information about how many signatures are required for a married co-sponsor.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on this matter?

But they both earn verifiable income! And it's all shared except for their pensions, which probably aren't too impressive.

I don't understand this either. I read in the form instructions and the regulations, that if a co-sponsor has a spouse, then they both need to sign the form, even though the form doesn't "lend" itself to two signatures.

Can anyone clarify this: If a co-sponsor is married and their spouse also has income and joint assets, do they also need to sign the I-134? Has anyone else had this situation?

Hey good site thanks. I read for WA. it says need to present Social Security # as one of the regulations. Wonder if that means I'll need a job before I can get a drivers license.

No, you should not need a job before you get your license. You can apply for your SSN 2 weeks after you arrive and since you have a K1 visa, you should have no problems getting a SSN.

Allie, there is no requirement in any state that you have to have a job to get a driver's license. However, for just about anything else you do in this country, including working, you will need your soccial security number. To open a banking account for example you will need a SS#. That's how "they" keep track of what we owe for taxes - LOL! So for sure, one of the first things you'll want to do once you enter is apply for a SS#.

Also, from what I've read on another thread, you may be allowed to keep your Canadian DL along with the state one. In my state of Minnesota, there is no limit to the length of time you can drive on a Canadian DL here (apparently Minnesota feels akin to Canada since we border each other) as long as it isn't expired. Check that out for WA too. If so I wouldn't rush out to get the U.S. one, unless of course, your car insurance company requires you to have a state DL. (That's something else to be mindful of here - most states require you to have car insurance to be able to license your vehicle here.)

The thread about the DMV experiences was getting quite long and I didn't want you to miss this information if you need it, so I started a new thread.

I found this great Website that gives each state's regulations for acquiring a driver's license. It tells you what the regulations are, what you need and even gives information about whether or not you will have to surrender your country of origin's DL.

Just click on the state you want! Hope this is useful to you that have questions.

DMV Information

I found a really great Website that gives each state's regulations for driver's licenses. Just click on the state on the US map. DMV information

When my grandfather came to this country 100 years ago there were no fees associated with getting into the country. It's a shame that a country founded and built by immigrants can charge so very much to those who wish to follow.

That being said, if the government truly needs more money to help in the processing on these visas, etc. and ensuring the country's security, then I have an idea.

The airport commissions are now selling advertising space at the bottom on the plastic bins you use at the airport to put your personal items in for the x-ray machine. That's so they can pay for "beefed" up security equipment and more guards to make the process faster.

So, rather than pass the higher costs of security on to immigrants and their loved ones, maybe the government could sell advertising on the back of the forms and letters they make immigrants complete? On the side of the visa they could have a perforated section and sell tear-off coupon advertising to American merchants—I'm seeing McDonald's, Starbuck's, Target, maybe Rapid Oil Change. It would be like a "Welcome to America, we're glad you're here! Take fifty cents off your first Big Mac!" Everyone wins!

It could happen!