EatBulaga

Here are some stats to get you started. https://www.visajourney.com/times/k1-fiance-visa-historical/ This is an old Warsaw estimate for approximate wait time. https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/794226-nvc-past-case-approval-timeline-no-welcome-letter/?tab=comments#comment-10780534 The current data may be different. Our K1 wait time estimates and how I calculated using VJ data was recorded here (follow the links). https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/758635-march-2021-k1-i-129f-filers/page/156/?tab=comments#comment-10665858 My estimate for our case was fairly close to our actual approval date. VJ has a lot of data for you to dig around and put together wait time estimate. You just need to do your due diligence for prudent planning.

By "guess the wrong one", do you mean what if the consulate does not accept your case? Then, you jump the hoops to the consulate in Poland. There is no guarantee any consulate will accept, or not have a long wait time. The only time that I saw any consulate not openly accept cases was during Covid due to consulate closure. But do your due diligence research to find the best option.

You make the request in the I-129F. For the latest I-129F form version, Consular Processing Information is Part 2, Item 62.a and 62.b. https://www.uscis.gov/i-129f As @Crazy Cat and @TBoneTX said, the consulate has to have the staff for the K1 interview and the consulate has to accept your case. Of the five US consulates in China, I think only Guangzhou does K1 interview. If the consulate does not accept your case, then you may have to wait for the DOS case number during NVC to request a transfer. I would do some research for which countries Belarus citizens can easily travel to with US consulates that are processing K1 interviews if Poland becomes an obstacle.

For K1, you can choose the consulate for the interview. Not sure about CR1. We did the K1 interview choosing Taiwan consulate instead of the Philippines.

Belarus citizens may find it challenging to travel to Poland, but they can travel to China easily because of the visa free agreement. Have you considered US consulates in China? Are you looking for K1 or CR1?

Non-issue with the new passport from Country B. But you might or might not have issue with CBP reviewing you travel history. Given the current political climate, just in case, I'd be prepared to answer questions with proper documentation at US entry.

If you have a SSN already, your number does not change. You can request a new Social Security Card, just give the SS office your number. Once you have the card, go get a state ID.

@Morgan Tooke Do you have a Social Security Number or card? https://www.visajourney.com/guides/social-security-number/ The lesson for all K1-to-AOS is to get a SSN as soon as possible on entry to the US with the I-94. Most everything sprouts from there: driver license/state ID, bank account, utility bills, tax filings, etc.

Asking for a friend, any Russians or Ukrainians tried traveling to China for their interviews?

@Crazy Cat So is expired green card with 48 month extension letter still LPR? In this political climate, would that fall under "unsure of their registration status"? @J.M. under who must register, any alien whether previously registered or not?

I recommend studying Khan Academy Personal Finance and Financial Literary courses to understand the US money culture. Also, there are plenty of professional certifications or licenses you can work on like real estate license, driver license, food handler certification, etc.

https://www.uscis.gov/alienregistration So we filed I-751 and have the 48 month extension and soon to be expired green card. I'm thinking it doesn't hurt to go ahead and file the G-325R. Last thing I want is for us to get denied not having done the ARR. Have anyone else with pending petitions (I-485, I-751, etc.) also done the G-325R? Or anyone else think ARR is not necessary for pending petitions?

@Verena Mona There are no new rules. However, green card holders or US citizens can be pulled over to secondary inspections at POE by the CBP. Given the current political climate, I've read more secondary inspections involve phone searches, in which if one does not cooperate, one can be detained for an inconvenient amount of time for further questioning or searches. In which case, you ask to speak to your lawyer. CBP can not deny entry to green card holders or US citizens, but they can deny visa entries.

Thanks! I guess that is the official reference to the "combo interview", which is a bit wordy. 😂 Just like "biometric reuse" is not the officially referenced term.😂

For petitioners of both the N-400 and I-751 requesting the "combo interview", what is the exact USCIS term? I can't seem to find any reference to the "combo interview" on the USCIS sites? https://www.uscis.gov/n-400 https://www.uscis.gov/i-751 The only references to "combo interview" I've seen are on non-USCIS sites like VJ or immigration lawyers' sites, etc. How have others requested the "combo interview" to USCIS as part of the N-400 petition after having filed the I-751? Request "combo interview" or "combination interview" in the last part of Additional Information? Sorry to make an issue of this, but "combo interview" sounds a bit unofficial or slangish. 😆🤪 Thanks in advance for any response.

@GeoNassif Yes, please fill out your VJ Timeline. Also if you can categorize/explain your situation to USCIS as one of the acceptable expedite situations, you can request an I-765 expedite. https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/expedite-requests I-485 expedites are rarely approved and may even delay your GC approval, so there is no sense in trying. But I-765 expedites are possible, just check out our Timeline or our Profile->Immigration Info->Our Story.

@Laguna Sunshine Russians can travel to US consulate in China for K1 interview. Has your lawyer requested transferring your case to Guangzhou or Hong Kong?

@JeanneAdil @J.M. The linked article in which you referenced is at https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/08/politics/irs-dhs-sign-data-deal-undocumented-immigrants/index.html Moving forward, USCIS certainly has more data with the IRS to scrutinize petitions and to pass to DHS for enforcement, for legals and illegals.

Haha. Well, it seems they will now.

@sleepynt No denial here. But from reading the forums, not all consulates deny equally. Some consulates have higher incidents of fraud so they are more scrutinous for certain situations like much older female to male age gaps, etc. Some consulates have longer processing times from more caseloads to understaff to local health conditions, which result in more medical follow ups like sputum tests, etc. Best to follow similar cases as your own consulate for interview to get general expectations for approval and processing times.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/08/politics/melanie-krause-acting-irs-commissioner-resigning/index.html USCIS is part of DHS, so USCIS to access IRS data. I always thought this was eventual, but it is happening sooner than expected. Any thoughts?

If no RFE, then don't worry about the I-693. Take the original DS-3025 to the interview in case they ask for it.

If you have videos of the last visit and are handy with multimedia tools, you can play/stop videos and snip or screenshot to pics/photos. A one-minute video can result in multiple pics/photos.

Don't fabricate a reason because you "worry that they might think that we just did it for other reasons besides wanting to live our life together". If that is your bona fide relationship reason, then answer genuinely and truthfully. In our case, the interview was waived. But we were in a relationship for over 5 years before deciding to get married. And we were worried that the consulate or USCIS would question us why we waited so long? Our answer would have been that we were finally ready to marry. Every couple has their reasons. The worst reason is a fabricated one.

You could send in a small estimated tax payment, like 10, with the form 1040-ES. Keep the small positive balance with the IRS for a few years. In other words, when you file for the tax return leave 10 for next year's taxes. You lose at most a few years of interests on 10, which is a small price to pay to insure you don't owe any penalized tax or accrued interest with the IRS.