Mario001

33 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

• You are covered under a high deductible health plan (HDHP), described later, on the first day of the month.

Last year, I was under my wife's HDHP plan. That was my only coverage. Would this mean that I can contribute to it?

Hello all!

Last year I moved to the US on a K1 visa. I only got my EAD in December 2021. So for the year 2021, I did not have any earned income. I got a job this month (February 2022). On my benefits, I selected a High deductible plan which allows me to contribute to an HSA. On my HSA page it shows that I can contribute to last year's HSA until April 15th. Can I contribute to last's year HSA? Or because I was not enrolled in a HSA plan last year or had income, I'm not eligible to do it?

Thanks

4 hours ago, Ayrton said:

You can't get a EAD issued without biometrics, therefore, you can't request to expedite it if your biometrics haven't been done yet. So after biometrics are done, you can request to expedite it again.

Thanks for the input! Yeah I realized! Well I'm very lucky that they were able to set me up with a biometrics appointment. After I get that I'll send my expedite request!

11 hours ago, K1visaHopeful said:

Does now.

Didn't then with your use of present tense.

I765 Expedites are applied for by calling USCIS after Noa1 and pleading your case.

They will ask for proof of reason in document form if they think your request is reasonable and then they will decide based on your documents.

I don't think you were approved either as none of that took place.

Yeah sorry about the confusion! Was not trying to misled anyone! 

You are miss understanding. I was working for a US company before moving to the US. I was working outside the US (working from my home country). There is nothing illegal here. Once I got my K1 visa I moved to the US, however because I moved to the US I had to stop my work, hence why I'm asking for the expedite.

Hope it makes sense.

Hello!

I would like to share my experience with the group about my recent expedite request for a work permit (EAD).

Short story. I arrived in May based on a K1-Visa.  I submitted my packet for AOS/EAD on June 16th. I asked for an expedite trough Senator's Bennet office for my EAD (I-765) on Monday July 12th. Today the immigration's Liaison from their office called me to inform me that USCIS set up a biometrics appointment for me for August 16th. She mentioned that it was slight weird  that they got back so fast to her and that they set my biometrics. 
The reason to expedite, was due to waiting to get a K1-visa since 2019 (had to wait over a year until they restarted K1's), and the fact that I was already working for a US company (as a contractor outside of the US), and my work is related with vehicle critical safety systems (it's a very specific area where I'm the only one working on it for the company). 

I don't think they approved the expedite. I think they just moved the biometrics for me and then they will read the expedite request, because on the email that I received they request to resend the expedite letter after the biometrics. 

Hope this helps!
 

Hello,

I have a quick question about biometrics being waived. Does anyone know if people adjusting from K1 are getting their biometrics waived? Would this be possible? (Example, can we request that they use the biometrics that we took at the embassy?)

Thank you

It's all taken care for by email. Yes you will need a Portuguese address to receive the packets!

19 hours ago, powerpuff said:

Required to file - I-485 and I-864, optional - I-765 and I-131 (for employment authorization and travel document).

Given that the I-485 seems to be taking longer than I-765 and I-131. It would make sense to also apply for those? It seems you would get you EAD/AP combo 100 days early than your greencard. (From VJ timeline).

You are welcome!

You don't need any notarized or translation of any of the documents. The document already comes write in multiple languages including English.

It comes like this:

Nome/Name: XXX

Data de nascimento/Date of birth: XXX

Same for the police records

To provide an additional update. Today I got an email saying that my passport is going to be shipped to me. It will take 3 business days for it to arrive. It will be delivered either by DHL or chronospot (DPD). It took the France US Embassy 7 bussiness days to receive this email

Yes, you can fly back with you Cartao de Cidadao. if you dont have one, you dont leave your passport at the embassy, but take it with you. You will then have to email it to the embassy. 
Yes, they send it to your portugal home address. That-s why you need the chronopost envelope.

There was one lady that spoke Portuguese, but expect to only speak english

In general you can fly inside Europe with your ID card. The equivalent to flying inside the US with your driver's license

Hey!

You don't come out with the visa. They will say if it's approved or not, and it will take 10-15 days for you to get your passport back plus some extra documents that you need to bring with you (medical exam).

The medical office, is the one that is on the required documents. You cannot do it in another place:https://fr.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/finacee/ and here https://fr.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/Portuguese-panel-physician-letter-2020.pdf

You need to arrive on the day prior. Depends on the available flights that you get and your embassy appointment time.

let me know if you have more questions!

Just got back from my Visa Interview. Here is my feedback:
 

Let me share my experience of the K1-Visa at the France US Embassy. I did my interview today, May 5th 2021.
 

I am Portuguese, so I will comment on my experience and what was the necessary documents for a Portuguese Citizen. If you are not Portuguese the required documents or what they check could be different.

Embassy sends an email 3 weeks before the appointment.

You should book your medical appointment 15 days before your interview. The embassy says that you will get an envelope with the medicals but that information is outdated. After your medical they send the results by email to the embassy (If you do the medical in Lisbon). You don't receive anything. The medical exam is: Blood analysis, eye exam, chest x-ray, check your vaccines and do a general touch on your whole body to see if you have any lumps.

The police certificate is a document that you can get online. You pay by card and you are able to download the document. The document is exactly the same if you get it online or in person, so I strongly recommend that you get the document online to save time. To access the document you will need your "Chave Movel Digital" Be sure to have it, if not you can order online and you will receive it in 5 businesses days. I think the cost was 5euros

The birth certificate, you cannot get it online, you need to go to a "Loja do Cidadao" or "IRN" that offers this service and they will print it and stamp it. It took my one week to get the document because booking is a bit limited. Cost was 20euros
 

The website says that you need 1 One color photograph – 2 inches by 2 inches — for each applicant. This is outdated. They asked for 2 photographs 2inches by 2 inches. You can get this picture at any place, just be ready to pay extra because this is not a usual format in Portugal. I payed 10 euros for 3 photos!
 

I brought the I-134 and I-864 documents with me to the embassy, but they were not necessary. They didn't even ask for them. However, just in case you should have them (just don't put a lot of effort into them).

Additionally, you will need to get a chronopost envelope to give at the embassy. This can only be purchased in France at any La Poste office (there is a bunch of them, and one near the embassy). The envelope costs 59euros. Do not throw away the foam that comes inside the envelope.
 

If you are flying to Paris from Lisbon. I recommend that you fly to Orly or BVA, Both have really good bus routes that take you to Paris city center. It's much cheaper than flying directly to CDG airport. On my departure flight I flew Lisbon to BVA and took a 1hour bus (this bus departs the airport every 20min, and costs 16euros) to Paris. In Paris you can take the subway to your hotel. On my return flight I took the bus to Orly. It was 9.50euros.

I found that AirBnb was cheaper than a hotel.
 

At the embassy you arrive and you need to wait to be called in. I was let in at exactly my interview time. I had to leave all my food with the officer. Inside the embassy you go to 3 different people:
*  First booth - Asks for the DS-160 and your passport, they then send you to another booth
* Second booth - The lady asks for your Birth Certificate, Police Record, Passport, Medical Record (in case it was not submitted by email from the hospital), the chronopost envelope, 2 passport photos and the Fiaance statement that she is still free to marry.
* Third booth - Finally you have the interview. To be honest, the interviewers was really not putting a lot of effort. It felt like he just had a checklist to fill out, and that's it. He just asked:
        * Is your fiance a US citizen or a Greencard holder?
        * Where did you meet? (You don't even need to give details)
        * Please show me one picture you two together.

And that's it. Total time at the embassy from entry to exit was 45min. If you have an appointment in the morning you can book a flight in the afternoon (ex: 4pm) and you will have enough time to arrive at the airport after the interview.

PS - Don't forget that when you do the DS-160 you need to select France Consulate and not Lisbon.

Just want to add here a comment for future Portuguese people that go trough the K1 visa process.

The birth certificate, you can only get it by going to a "Loja do Cidadao" or "Registos". It's a paper that has both Portuguese English and French translation. It has a stamp, so it's not possible to get it online. It took be one week to get it. I had to make an appointment and then I got it there.
The police certificate you can get it online it's an online certified document. Getting it online or physically it's the same thing. It's just something printed. It has no stamping, but it says it's digitally certified. To access it you will need you "Chave Digital" if you don't have it you can sign up for it and it will take 4 business days. Getting the online certificate is instantaneous.

The doctor appointment was pretty straight forward. You go there in the morning (from 8 to 10am), they take your blood, do a chest X-Ray and a eye exam. After that you return at 5pm and get a normal doctor appointment where they check if you have all your vaccines, any diseases or physically problem.

You don't take the medical records with you, they will send them either by mail or a pdf to the embassy.

To the medical exam you need to bring: 1 Portuguese passport photo, vaccine card, passport, embassy appointment email, ID card (Cartao de Cidadao). The cost was 224euros.

Hope this helps!

Hey!

My case was forward do the Embassy around March 2020, so I guess my case must be 2-4weeks ahead of yours?

I get it yesterday, actually you received the email is the Petitioner (Fiance), so ask your partner to check their email!

It was an automatic email, with a set date for May 5th, I can't reschedule it, and if I don't show up they will put me back of the line 😐

Abraço!

No

I got my K1 interview schedule, and was going trough the necessary documents to bring, but I have this question about the police certificate.

In the US France Embassy it says:

Police Certificate:  A police certificate is required for each applicant aged 16 years and over, including France or Portugal and/or any country where an applicant has lived for more than six months after the age of 16.  Please see http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/fees/reciprocity-by-country.html for instructions on how to obtain police certificates for each country. All police certificates must cover the entire period of the applicant’s residence in that area.  Police certificates for the current country of residence must be less than one year old.

source:https://fr.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/immigrant-visa-required-documents/

I lived in the US for one year on a J1 visa. Does this mean that I need to provide a police certificate from the US, or do I only need to bring one from Portugal?

Thank you

Just want to let everyone know that I got an email today from the US Embassy in France saying that my K1 interview has been scheduled for May 5th.

You can always send them an email or see on the webpage. If I had to make a guess I would say that they are not processing K1 visas. 

Sorry, I wrote my question poorly.

What I was trying to understand is the following:
Given that K visas are not being processed across US embassies in Europe because of the travel ban, now with this new update, will these visas start to be processed at their respective embassies?

Thank you.

Does this affect the people filling for a K visa?

Thanks!

Just to give a follow up to this thread and to provide information to anyone trying to fly to Europe.

My fiance (American) flew yesterday to Portugal. The only requirement to fly was to have a negative COVID result done 72h before her flight. She prepared a folder to prove our relationship (unmarried couple). The folder included photos of us at different places, common expenses, flight tickets, our K1 visa documents.
At check-in they were a bit confused, because there it's not explicitly written that unmarried couples call fly to Portugal to be reunited (it's a generic sentece), but nevertheless they let her fly. She had a layover in Newark, and the same thing happened. When she arrived in Portugal, at border control the guy just stamped her passport, didn't even ask why she was there.

The people that asked all the questions at checking, they were just doing there job, from what I was able to understand they have some specific guidelines, but they are very open if you case is not 100% clear for them. It also seems that if you are able to board chances are good that you are able to get to your final destination.

You are right. The US doesn't need a ESTA to fly. My bad. But the question is still valid. We are trying to see if my US fiance can fly to Portugal.

Thank you for getting back to me! I'm surprised by how easy it was for you to fly! Did you had to show your "form to fill out for the American visiting their fiancé"? Just curious to understand if they asked any documents as proof of what you are saying.

Yes, for sure we will gather all the important documents.