Ursa Tripudio

Already a US passport holder, our five-year-old daughter has no official business during her mother's Guangzhou interview.

But we want her to attend the interview.

Will she be allowed to accompany her mom through the process?

Thx in advance for your reply

Our son was older, getting a visa and was (of course) allowed to accompany his Mom. So, the situation was different.

But, I see no reason why anyone would want to separate a toddler from her mother. I'm sure it will be okay, kids go to interviews all the time...

Got the notice of approval of Removal of Conditions today!

No interview, no problems.

We're stoked!!! It's finally over!!!

I agree with the folks who posted before me. Especially with sachinky and Gary & Alia.

I have seen this happen before, it's sad and I'm not totally unsympathetic. However, sachinky hit the nail on the head: The K1 is NOT a 90 day 'trial period'. A great deal of what we go through is to verify a bonafide relationship that will result in a solid marriage.

IMHO Gary & Alia make the most important point for your case: Don't get into an overstay situation!

You missed these words in Jim's sentence. "...unless your fiancee makes a point to let them know."

The most common way to make this point known is to hand over the US Citizen's passport to the Consular officer when handing the applicant's own. Another way is, when asked about the petitioner's visits, simply indicate that in addition to previous visits, the petitioner is waiting nearby. It's called "interview preparation". I highly recommend it to all.

I don't want to get into a debate, because I agree with your premise (and I have a great deal of respect for you and the help/advice you have freely provided for a long time). But, I missed nothing; I excluded it from my agreement for the following reason:

Many people are not in a position to go to the interview. I believe that while letting a VO know you're there (which we did), as long as the visitation requirements have been met, it would not have a significant effect on the outcome. If the position of VJ is that not being there will diminish the chances of success, the result could be people quitting jobs and putting themselves (and by extension their fiancees) through unnecessary hardship.

About passports:

I could have mailed my passport to her (and would have if I could not have been there and thought it would help). That just doesn't seen sufficient as proof.

What I did give her as evidence was my international air tickets for that period of time, a copy of my Chinese visa showing the date of entry stamp, and the Chinese domestic air tickets for traveling to Guangzhou. <edit> : Copies of the air tickets - never hand over your originals.

It took about 6 weeks for ours to be sent out from the NVC. I remember well, the waiting is hell.

I'm sure yours will get to the consulate soon. Best wishes!

I agree with Jim, the VO will never know if you're there or not.

However, your fiancee will know. The confidence that provides might make a difference. I was fortunate enough to be there and the preparation I was able to help her with was significant.

Another factor with my wife was that she had never traveled far from her home town and had never flown on an airplane. She was really glad to have me with her on that first big trip. The American embassy in China is on the opposite side of the country from where my wife is from, it's so far even the language is different (not that I was any help with that ).

Bottom line: If you cannot go, success is still quite possible. If you can go, you should.

I'll risk being contentious about lawyers.

We went through the process without ever paying for legal services. America is not much fonder of China then it is of Iran, it was not a major setback.

Lawyers love clients like us: It's easy money. Most are not going to tell you that you don't need them; on the contrary, they will tell you that you cannot succeed without them (even if you're their first immigration client and they are using VJ to get information).

If you feel you need personal assistance: Lutheran or Catholic Social Services is a good option. They're non-profit, charge little, have experience, and really can help.

Just for clarification: A K1 visa is NOT a travel visa. DO NOT leave the U.S. without at least having AP!!!

My wife's finances were never checked or questioned at any time during the process.

They were only interested in my ability to support my family.

I'm going out on a limb and assume the criteria for approving a tourist visa from the Ukraine is similar to that of China.

The reason for such a denial is usually based on having adequate resources in the home country to make compliance (returning home before the duration of stay expires) probable. In China, it usually takes the equivalent of $30,000 in the bank, being a home-owner and/or owning other real assets also helps.

So, if such a visa were denied, the criteria for the denial would probably have no bearing on a fiance visa. However, if the tourist visa was denied for relevant reasons (criminal record, previous visa fraud, etc.) each visa application would decrease in probability of approval.

I would suggest waiting for a period of time before applying for the K1 if the tourist visa is denied for any reason. Immediately applying for a different type of visa could raise 'red flags'.

Best wishes!

Friend, this is an expensive proposition. I seriously suggest you consider this very carefully.

Even if your affidavit of support is somehow approved, this could tip your finances from 'doing ok / breaking even' to being deeply 'in the red'.

Getting my wife here and helping her through the time when she was in culture shock and spoke little English to the present (she is now very fluent and well adapted), has cost 10s of thousands of dollars.

It was worth every penny. But, I have been fortunate in life and can afford it. Had I not been, our happy scenario might have turned out much differently.

I know: I'm being Mr. Bummer. But I'm saying this for your benefit. Look very carefully before you leap.

Go to the public records section of the State's website. Find 'Obtaining Divorce Decree' or whatever they're calling it in the relevant State. Fill out the form, mail the fee, get the paper(s) & MAKE COPIES. Always keep your originals.

As you can see from our timeline, we waited for only a little less time.

The application will be queued in a receiving house until it is moved to the consulate to be 'received'.

I'm not familiar with Abu Dhabi. But, I would think you should get a notification soon.

I agree with Ahn map.

When I applied; I had not yet bought our house, I did not use a vehicle as an asset, and my book collection is worth its weight in recycled paper. It was all about income and savings.

You'll need a statement from both your employer and your bank. Make sure to include the required information. Most likely, additional information will not be considered (I don't know that, I'm guessing based on my experience with government agencies).

The reasoning behind it is to insure that people coming to the U.S. as a spouse will not be applying for welfare, etc.

Oops. What I said originally was wrong. I'd just delete this post if I knew how.

The Green Cards were issued together. We'll file jointly then. Thanks for the info and reassurance.

My wife's son (K2 visa) just had his 22nd birthday and we will be filing the I-751 in a few months.

Can he still file jointly with us? Should we be expecting problems?

I searched VJ and could not find this issue. If it's been discussed previously, please direct me to the thread.

The experience of someone who had a similar situation or the knowledge of those who study these things would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

UT

2007 Ford Taurus.

Good ride. Good value. Reliable. And... INVISIBLE TO COPS.

You just mentioned the thing that bothers me the most: Being stared at.

My wife comes from a part of China that is not a tourist destination and rarely has western (Caucasian) visitors. I've got you beat on the size difference, I'm a 6'4" former linebacker. Add to that a big beard, and I am so noticeable that people actually hang out of passing busses and go out of their way to get a look at me.

The people are, for the most part, just curious and almost too friendly. Everyone seems to know one word in English: HELLO!!! They seem very happy when I smile and respond with a hello. So, the problem isn't that the people respond in a bad way. The problem is there are SO MANY OF THEM, and they are all wanting to say hello to me.

When I first arrive, it doesn't bother me too much. But, my stays are typically for a couple months (or longer). By the time I leave, it feels like a physical pressure every time I go out of the house.

When I get back to America, I always take walks in places like a mall: Just to be in a crowd and to be ignored. It's refreshing.

Cuba???

Welcome to VJ

We just submitted the AR-11 online.

If any further action was required, I didn't find any instructions referring to it.

Obama a socialist???

What about America in general???

We just made the largest move toward socialism in history. Our government now controls the banks. The trickle down effect is that now the government can effectively control anything.

Bush (with a lot of help from Cheney) has systematically reduced individual freedoms and has been covertly shifting the balance of power in Washington DC to himself ever since 9/11/2001.

This is a much different country than it was only 10 years ago.

We're looking forward to that day - coming up soon...

Congratulations!!!