Seraph2042

Hey Everyone, I am over the moon since last four days. I was approved at my interview last Friday and the status changed to "Issued" today. I want to share my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me out there, who is currently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety. Our case was not straightforward due to the following major and minor red flags.
1. Age difference of 27 years which is uncommon in India. Two of his children are older than me and just two years of difference between me and the youngest one. 
2. Overlapping relationship. We fell in love when he was still legally married, although estranged from his ex-wife. 
3. Fiancé not meeting my family after we got into relationship. He met them back in 2018 for a brief cup of tea(official visit to India), but we were not a couple then and also, I had no photos to prove that they met. (This is actually a huge cultural shock). Only had Duo and whatsapp video call screenshots from this year, that I carried for the interview. 
4. I have not met any of his children or siblings, only friends. 
5. He is a catholic and I am in Hindu and we both practice our faith (may be minor flag).
6. Did not front load our i-129F petition( just 25 pictures from 4 visits), because we did not know what a red flag is at that time. I joined VJ and other FB groups months after filing the petition. 
 
So what we had going for the both of us is, he was my manager on the client end for nearly 4 years. We got into the same team in October 2016 and worked remotely together until April 2020. Since the time our NOA2 got approved, I started to lose my sleep thinking about all the above problems during the interview. I slept at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and gained a significant amount of weight due to the stress (I stress eat). Last Friday was my interview, I was basically shaking after I got done with the document verification part. I was the first person to interview that day in the Mumbai embassy and below were the questions asked by the CO-
 
1. So, "Mr XXXX" is your fiance and he was your Senior IT manager for 4 years??
2. When did you start talking to each other?
3. When did you meet face to face?
4. So he currently lives in "YYYY", Does his ex-wife also live in the same area?
5. When did he divorce?
6. So basically you are reason he got divorced, right? (Heart skipped a beat, here).
7. How many times did Mr XXXX visit you in India?
8. Did you apply for B2 visa in 2018 only to meet Mr XXXX or was it for something else?
9. What are your marriage plans?
10. How many children does Mr XXXX have, what is the age of the youngest one?
11. Have you met any of the children?
12. What is your educational qualification?
13. Are you quitting your job or do you have other plans?
 
There were some more follow up questions based on the answers I provided, but these are the main ones. At this point, the CO opened my old passport and punched something on the B1/B2 visa and told me he is cancelling my tourist visa, BUT he is going to issue the K1 visa. I could not believe my ears! The interview lasted about 2-3 minutes and the whole process lasted about an hour. I had taken about 450 pages of chat logs, call logs, emails, post cards, photos and other items and intentionally laid them all out in the counter in hopes that the CO will ask for it, but he never did. He looked at me taking those out but didn't care about it at all. The case status was "Application received" on Friday. "Administrative processing" on Saturday and Sunday. "Issued" this afternoon. I know this is just the first step in the immigration process but it was a huge deal and I cannot thank this forum enough for getting me ready for the interview. I have read the guides and posts as old as 2008/2009, made tons of notes. My fiancé at the end told me that I was over prepared but I honestly don't regret a thing! People, it is always better to prepare for the worst and just hope for the best. And also all the senior members here are always to the point and awesome! Thank you -
 
 
 
 

@SteveInBostonI130 @Crazy Cat  Hey, Sorry for the lengthy hiatus! After spending the entire month of February fighting with SSA helpline, I and my husband ended up deciding its not worth the hassle fighting the DMV & banks as well. Health insurance was not a problem. I had my biometrics on April 7th and luckily, the very next day my EAD was approved. I got it in the mail on April 15th. Nothing short of a miracle.
 
Went to SSA Grand Prairie office on April 25th(Thankfully they were open fully since April 7th) with a fresh application based on EAD. The lady at the counter went back to discuss my case with her superiors and came back with three of them after 30minutes or so and they all apologized and said the same thing - "We do not know why your application was not processed." They then took my fresh application and the SSN came to me on April 28th, in just 3 days. My sabbatical from work ends in July so everything worked out well at the end. Not bothered a lot about i-485 at the moment.
 
I can see why people prefer CR1 over K1. From the moment I landed, it feels like it is always one paperwork/event after another. Federal offices being on limited staffing made matters much worse. So, if someone asks me in the future - K1 OR CR1? I will always reply with the latter. Thank you for the help, as always guys!

@SteveInBostonI130 @Crazy Cat  Hey, Sorry for the lengthy hiatus! After spending the entire month of February fighting with SSA helpline, I and my husband ended up deciding its not worth the hassle fighting the DMV & banks as well. Health insurance was not a problem. I had my biometrics on April 7th and luckily, the very next day my EAD was approved. I got it in the mail on April 15th. Nothing short of a miracle.
 
Went to SSA Grand Prairie office on April 25th(Thankfully they were open fully since April 7th) with a fresh application based on EAD. The lady at the counter went back to discuss my case with her superiors and came back with three of them after 30minutes or so and they all apologized and said the same thing - "We do not know why your application was not processed." They then took my fresh application and the SSN came to me on April 28th, in just 3 days. My sabbatical from work ends in July so everything worked out well at the end. Not bothered a lot about i-485 at the moment.
 
I can see why people prefer CR1 over K1. From the moment I landed, it feels like it is always one paperwork/event after another. Federal offices being on limited staffing made matters much worse. So, if someone asks me in the future - K1 OR CR1? I will always reply with the latter. Thank you for the help, as always guys!

Congrat….Very happy that you are thru with consulate part now….And its so true that for some its a breeze and for some its a mountain to cross…My ex wife was 30 yrs younger than mine but they never issued her visa, but in your case age never even came into conversation. Its all about an individual officer….But you are still not completely out of hook from all these immigration jargons…like you need to go thru AOS and then naturalization (if you choose to)…I am sure you must be happy with your love here in US…finally….

Her I-94 expiration is relevant for SSN purposes as SSA will not issue SSN if less than 2 weeks left on I-94. So that ship has sailed. She now has to wait for an EAD or GC - whichever comes first - to get the SSN. 

@Dsam Thank you! Oh yes, it was very scary. It sent a chill down my spine. I politely said NO and stated the reason of their separation. He leaned in and asked me to repeat it one more time and I did. To that he said OK and moved on. He had no expression on his face the whole time. 

Hey Everyone, I am over the moon since last four days. I was approved at my interview last Friday and the status changed to "Issued" today. I want to share my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me out there, who is currently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety. Our case was not straightforward due to the following major and minor red flags.
1. Age difference of 27 years which is uncommon in India. Two of his children are older than me and just two years of difference between me and the youngest one. 
2. Overlapping relationship. We fell in love when he was still legally married, although estranged from his ex-wife. 
3. Fiancé not meeting my family after we got into relationship. He met them back in 2018 for a brief cup of tea(official visit to India), but we were not a couple then and also, I had no photos to prove that they met. (This is actually a huge cultural shock). Only had Duo and whatsapp video call screenshots from this year, that I carried for the interview. 
4. I have not met any of his children or siblings, only friends. 
5. He is a catholic and I am in Hindu and we both practice our faith (may be minor flag).
6. Did not front load our i-129F petition( just 25 pictures from 4 visits), because we did not know what a red flag is at that time. I joined VJ and other FB groups months after filing the petition. 
 
So what we had going for the both of us is, he was my manager on the client end for nearly 4 years. We got into the same team in October 2016 and worked remotely together until April 2020. Since the time our NOA2 got approved, I started to lose my sleep thinking about all the above problems during the interview. I slept at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and gained a significant amount of weight due to the stress (I stress eat). Last Friday was my interview, I was basically shaking after I got done with the document verification part. I was the first person to interview that day in the Mumbai embassy and below were the questions asked by the CO-
 
1. So, "Mr XXXX" is your fiance and he was your Senior IT manager for 4 years??
2. When did you start talking to each other?
3. When did you meet face to face?
4. So he currently lives in "YYYY", Does his ex-wife also live in the same area?
5. When did he divorce?
6. So basically you are reason he got divorced, right? (Heart skipped a beat, here).
7. How many times did Mr XXXX visit you in India?
8. Did you apply for B2 visa in 2018 only to meet Mr XXXX or was it for something else?
9. What are your marriage plans?
10. How many children does Mr XXXX have, what is the age of the youngest one?
11. Have you met any of the children?
12. What is your educational qualification?
13. Are you quitting your job or do you have other plans?
 
There were some more follow up questions based on the answers I provided, but these are the main ones. At this point, the CO opened my old passport and punched something on the B1/B2 visa and told me he is cancelling my tourist visa, BUT he is going to issue the K1 visa. I could not believe my ears! The interview lasted about 2-3 minutes and the whole process lasted about an hour. I had taken about 450 pages of chat logs, call logs, emails, post cards, photos and other items and intentionally laid them all out in the counter in hopes that the CO will ask for it, but he never did. He looked at me taking those out but didn't care about it at all. The case status was "Application received" on Friday. "Administrative processing" on Saturday and Sunday. "Issued" this afternoon. I know this is just the first step in the immigration process but it was a huge deal and I cannot thank this forum enough for getting me ready for the interview. I have read the guides and posts as old as 2008/2009, made tons of notes. My fiancé at the end told me that I was over prepared but I honestly don't regret a thing! People, it is always better to prepare for the worst and just hope for the best. And also all the senior members here are always to the point and awesome! Thank you -
 
 
 
 

Hey Everyone, I am over the moon since last four days. I was approved at my interview last Friday and the status changed to "Issued" today. I want to share my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me out there, who is currently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety. Our case was not straightforward due to the following major and minor red flags.
1. Age difference of 27 years which is uncommon in India. Two of his children are older than me and just two years of difference between me and the youngest one. 
2. Overlapping relationship. We fell in love when he was still legally married, although estranged from his ex-wife. 
3. Fiancé not meeting my family after we got into relationship. He met them back in 2018 for a brief cup of tea(official visit to India), but we were not a couple then and also, I had no photos to prove that they met. (This is actually a huge cultural shock). Only had Duo and whatsapp video call screenshots from this year, that I carried for the interview. 
4. I have not met any of his children or siblings, only friends. 
5. He is a catholic and I am in Hindu and we both practice our faith (may be minor flag).
6. Did not front load our i-129F petition( just 25 pictures from 4 visits), because we did not know what a red flag is at that time. I joined VJ and other FB groups months after filing the petition. 
 
So what we had going for the both of us is, he was my manager on the client end for nearly 4 years. We got into the same team in October 2016 and worked remotely together until April 2020. Since the time our NOA2 got approved, I started to lose my sleep thinking about all the above problems during the interview. I slept at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and gained a significant amount of weight due to the stress (I stress eat). Last Friday was my interview, I was basically shaking after I got done with the document verification part. I was the first person to interview that day in the Mumbai embassy and below were the questions asked by the CO-
 
1. So, "Mr XXXX" is your fiance and he was your Senior IT manager for 4 years??
2. When did you start talking to each other?
3. When did you meet face to face?
4. So he currently lives in "YYYY", Does his ex-wife also live in the same area?
5. When did he divorce?
6. So basically you are reason he got divorced, right? (Heart skipped a beat, here).
7. How many times did Mr XXXX visit you in India?
8. Did you apply for B2 visa in 2018 only to meet Mr XXXX or was it for something else?
9. What are your marriage plans?
10. How many children does Mr XXXX have, what is the age of the youngest one?
11. Have you met any of the children?
12. What is your educational qualification?
13. Are you quitting your job or do you have other plans?
 
There were some more follow up questions based on the answers I provided, but these are the main ones. At this point, the CO opened my old passport and punched something on the B1/B2 visa and told me he is cancelling my tourist visa, BUT he is going to issue the K1 visa. I could not believe my ears! The interview lasted about 2-3 minutes and the whole process lasted about an hour. I had taken about 450 pages of chat logs, call logs, emails, post cards, photos and other items and intentionally laid them all out in the counter in hopes that the CO will ask for it, but he never did. He looked at me taking those out but didn't care about it at all. The case status was "Application received" on Friday. "Administrative processing" on Saturday and Sunday. "Issued" this afternoon. I know this is just the first step in the immigration process but it was a huge deal and I cannot thank this forum enough for getting me ready for the interview. I have read the guides and posts as old as 2008/2009, made tons of notes. My fiancé at the end told me that I was over prepared but I honestly don't regret a thing! People, it is always better to prepare for the worst and just hope for the best. And also all the senior members here are always to the point and awesome! Thank you -
 
 
 
 

The answer would change in a week anyway, just like she went from being 3 months pregnant bankrolled by a somewhat rich by some standards daddy to being 6 months pregnant funded by her own business 
 
but yes good point on the baby not being able to have a checking account, I don’t think even debit cards on savings accounts are allowed until age 13.

So we go from “of course we will tell the truth” to “we plan to intentionally mislead CBP on entry. Got it.

She will almost certainly have a bump by the time she flies, unless she is planning to overstay her visa. 

“Open to suggestions” sounds like “tell us what plausible lies she can use”. She has to tell the truth. I presume she knows any answer she gives CBP at entry is on her record. She might find her trade off for a citizen child is a loss of her own tourist privileges, though yes when the kid is 21 he or she can sponsor her for a green card, assuming that category still exists then.

If they have that much money but they got kicked out of your house, seems like they're not really navigating life properly with the means they have.
 
Let them hire lawyers and try to figure it out on their own. I personally would not help anyone who is that rich and seems to willingly want to abuse the law. They can easily afford lawyers and professionals to help them.
 
If they have infinite money they'll figure out some way to get back here and/or stay here I guess. Doesn't seem like they need help or sympathy.

Mary had her interview this morning in Phoenix.  It took about five minutes after waiting about an hour.  I was outside in the car and she called me crying; I thought some disaster happened.  Took about 45 minutes then she and 5 other were naturalized.   
 
We have a trip to London next week so the only Passport Offices with openings are Honolulu, San Juan and El Paso!  We will work on reacquiring her Filipino Citizenship when we return.
 
Thanks for all the support!

but did she add you to IRS (spring of 2020) to her tax returns doing the W7 form and providing proof of your ID and marriage certificate for your ITIN and then use that # for 2020 taxes in 2021 spring
that's the kind of commingling of assets we can provide to CO to show a real relationship 
i went thru all of this to get my Adil here in  the US (6 years of paperwork for immigration)
and letters and affidavits from  someone outside the US are of little to no value as immigration wants all signed documents to be legal in the US (an affadivt they can take to court) 
i listed the reasons (as u asked  what are red flag issues) and i listed high fraud country but no one here has said "u are committing fraud"
it is an issue for many countries including the one my husband is from
i am a woman much older than my husband and we are married almost 12 years
trying to help u but "10 +"   doesn't give us the ammo i could use to aid u and i did an appeal for my denied visa and i know how to fight for someone i love

If you want good answers to your problems, then cooperate and give the relevant information.
 
If you want to give silly statement like age is not an issue and has nothing to do with your situation, then make sure you tell that to the US Government.  

Yes, I see.
Well, it seems to me your letter was not enough. You really needed to go ahead with a round trip ticket for her - which would have had a specific return date.
(For a non-immigrant visa, letters of support are not how visitor's visa work in America, though they might carry some weight in some other countries. Visitors need to show they qualify on their own merits...for the US.)
Had she had the return ticket, she might have been all set.
That, it seems to me, was at least one significant red flag.
Sorry.

I’m not American, but I was an expat in several different countries throughout my studies and career. Based on my experience, what you feel is very normal, and the better your experience abroad was, the harder adjusting back to your home country is. It doesn’t necessarily has to do with public transportation or food specifically. These differences that you feel on this particulier topics are a symptom more than a cause.
i read somewhere, long ago, that the time one needs to adjust back to one’s home culture after a great experience abroad is as long as the time you spent there (ie you spent 2 years in country A, you’ll need 2 years to re-adjust to your home country).
Almost every expat goes through that phase, especially after the 1st experience abroad. But it will wear out eventually, you’ll stop comparing everything to the former country where you lived. 
Going back home is known to be the same process as the one you (probably) went through while adjusting to your new country abroad (the homesickness feeling with its sequential steps eventually ending into adjusting and thriving in your new home).
So hang in there, it will get better!

Hey Everyone, I am over the moon since last four days. I was approved at my interview last Friday and the status changed to "Issued" today. I want to share my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me out there, who is currently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety. Our case was not straightforward due to the following major and minor red flags.
1. Age difference of 27 years which is uncommon in India. Two of his children are older than me and just two years of difference between me and the youngest one. 
2. Overlapping relationship. We fell in love when he was still legally married, although estranged from his ex-wife. 
3. Fiancé not meeting my family after we got into relationship. He met them back in 2018 for a brief cup of tea(official visit to India), but we were not a couple then and also, I had no photos to prove that they met. (This is actually a huge cultural shock). Only had Duo and whatsapp video call screenshots from this year, that I carried for the interview. 
4. I have not met any of his children or siblings, only friends. 
5. He is a catholic and I am in Hindu and we both practice our faith (may be minor flag).
6. Did not front load our i-129F petition( just 25 pictures from 4 visits), because we did not know what a red flag is at that time. I joined VJ and other FB groups months after filing the petition. 
 
So what we had going for the both of us is, he was my manager on the client end for nearly 4 years. We got into the same team in October 2016 and worked remotely together until April 2020. Since the time our NOA2 got approved, I started to lose my sleep thinking about all the above problems during the interview. I slept at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and gained a significant amount of weight due to the stress (I stress eat). Last Friday was my interview, I was basically shaking after I got done with the document verification part. I was the first person to interview that day in the Mumbai embassy and below were the questions asked by the CO-
 
1. So, "Mr XXXX" is your fiance and he was your Senior IT manager for 4 years??
2. When did you start talking to each other?
3. When did you meet face to face?
4. So he currently lives in "YYYY", Does his ex-wife also live in the same area?
5. When did he divorce?
6. So basically you are reason he got divorced, right? (Heart skipped a beat, here).
7. How many times did Mr XXXX visit you in India?
8. Did you apply for B2 visa in 2018 only to meet Mr XXXX or was it for something else?
9. What are your marriage plans?
10. How many children does Mr XXXX have, what is the age of the youngest one?
11. Have you met any of the children?
12. What is your educational qualification?
13. Are you quitting your job or do you have other plans?
 
There were some more follow up questions based on the answers I provided, but these are the main ones. At this point, the CO opened my old passport and punched something on the B1/B2 visa and told me he is cancelling my tourist visa, BUT he is going to issue the K1 visa. I could not believe my ears! The interview lasted about 2-3 minutes and the whole process lasted about an hour. I had taken about 450 pages of chat logs, call logs, emails, post cards, photos and other items and intentionally laid them all out in the counter in hopes that the CO will ask for it, but he never did. He looked at me taking those out but didn't care about it at all. The case status was "Application received" on Friday. "Administrative processing" on Saturday and Sunday. "Issued" this afternoon. I know this is just the first step in the immigration process but it was a huge deal and I cannot thank this forum enough for getting me ready for the interview. I have read the guides and posts as old as 2008/2009, made tons of notes. My fiancé at the end told me that I was over prepared but I honestly don't regret a thing! People, it is always better to prepare for the worst and just hope for the best. And also all the senior members here are always to the point and awesome! Thank you -
 
 
 
 

Hey Everyone, I am over the moon since last four days. I was approved at my interview last Friday and the status changed to "Issued" today. I want to share my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me out there, who is currently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety. Our case was not straightforward due to the following major and minor red flags.
1. Age difference of 27 years which is uncommon in India. Two of his children are older than me and just two years of difference between me and the youngest one. 
2. Overlapping relationship. We fell in love when he was still legally married, although estranged from his ex-wife. 
3. Fiancé not meeting my family after we got into relationship. He met them back in 2018 for a brief cup of tea(official visit to India), but we were not a couple then and also, I had no photos to prove that they met. (This is actually a huge cultural shock). Only had Duo and whatsapp video call screenshots from this year, that I carried for the interview. 
4. I have not met any of his children or siblings, only friends. 
5. He is a catholic and I am in Hindu and we both practice our faith (may be minor flag).
6. Did not front load our i-129F petition( just 25 pictures from 4 visits), because we did not know what a red flag is at that time. I joined VJ and other FB groups months after filing the petition. 
 
So what we had going for the both of us is, he was my manager on the client end for nearly 4 years. We got into the same team in October 2016 and worked remotely together until April 2020. Since the time our NOA2 got approved, I started to lose my sleep thinking about all the above problems during the interview. I slept at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and gained a significant amount of weight due to the stress (I stress eat). Last Friday was my interview, I was basically shaking after I got done with the document verification part. I was the first person to interview that day in the Mumbai embassy and below were the questions asked by the CO-
 
1. So, "Mr XXXX" is your fiance and he was your Senior IT manager for 4 years??
2. When did you start talking to each other?
3. When did you meet face to face?
4. So he currently lives in "YYYY", Does his ex-wife also live in the same area?
5. When did he divorce?
6. So basically you are reason he got divorced, right? (Heart skipped a beat, here).
7. How many times did Mr XXXX visit you in India?
8. Did you apply for B2 visa in 2018 only to meet Mr XXXX or was it for something else?
9. What are your marriage plans?
10. How many children does Mr XXXX have, what is the age of the youngest one?
11. Have you met any of the children?
12. What is your educational qualification?
13. Are you quitting your job or do you have other plans?
 
There were some more follow up questions based on the answers I provided, but these are the main ones. At this point, the CO opened my old passport and punched something on the B1/B2 visa and told me he is cancelling my tourist visa, BUT he is going to issue the K1 visa. I could not believe my ears! The interview lasted about 2-3 minutes and the whole process lasted about an hour. I had taken about 450 pages of chat logs, call logs, emails, post cards, photos and other items and intentionally laid them all out in the counter in hopes that the CO will ask for it, but he never did. He looked at me taking those out but didn't care about it at all. The case status was "Application received" on Friday. "Administrative processing" on Saturday and Sunday. "Issued" this afternoon. I know this is just the first step in the immigration process but it was a huge deal and I cannot thank this forum enough for getting me ready for the interview. I have read the guides and posts as old as 2008/2009, made tons of notes. My fiancé at the end told me that I was over prepared but I honestly don't regret a thing! People, it is always better to prepare for the worst and just hope for the best. And also all the senior members here are always to the point and awesome! Thank you -
 
 
 
 

Hey Everyone, I am over the moon since last four days. I was approved at my interview last Friday and the status changed to "Issued" today. I want to share my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me out there, who is currently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety. Our case was not straightforward due to the following major and minor red flags.
1. Age difference of 27 years which is uncommon in India. Two of his children are older than me and just two years of difference between me and the youngest one. 
2. Overlapping relationship. We fell in love when he was still legally married, although estranged from his ex-wife. 
3. Fiancé not meeting my family after we got into relationship. He met them back in 2018 for a brief cup of tea(official visit to India), but we were not a couple then and also, I had no photos to prove that they met. (This is actually a huge cultural shock). Only had Duo and whatsapp video call screenshots from this year, that I carried for the interview. 
4. I have not met any of his children or siblings, only friends. 
5. He is a catholic and I am in Hindu and we both practice our faith (may be minor flag).
6. Did not front load our i-129F petition( just 25 pictures from 4 visits), because we did not know what a red flag is at that time. I joined VJ and other FB groups months after filing the petition. 
 
So what we had going for the both of us is, he was my manager on the client end for nearly 4 years. We got into the same team in October 2016 and worked remotely together until April 2020. Since the time our NOA2 got approved, I started to lose my sleep thinking about all the above problems during the interview. I slept at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and gained a significant amount of weight due to the stress (I stress eat). Last Friday was my interview, I was basically shaking after I got done with the document verification part. I was the first person to interview that day in the Mumbai embassy and below were the questions asked by the CO-
 
1. So, "Mr XXXX" is your fiance and he was your Senior IT manager for 4 years??
2. When did you start talking to each other?
3. When did you meet face to face?
4. So he currently lives in "YYYY", Does his ex-wife also live in the same area?
5. When did he divorce?
6. So basically you are reason he got divorced, right? (Heart skipped a beat, here).
7. How many times did Mr XXXX visit you in India?
8. Did you apply for B2 visa in 2018 only to meet Mr XXXX or was it for something else?
9. What are your marriage plans?
10. How many children does Mr XXXX have, what is the age of the youngest one?
11. Have you met any of the children?
12. What is your educational qualification?
13. Are you quitting your job or do you have other plans?
 
There were some more follow up questions based on the answers I provided, but these are the main ones. At this point, the CO opened my old passport and punched something on the B1/B2 visa and told me he is cancelling my tourist visa, BUT he is going to issue the K1 visa. I could not believe my ears! The interview lasted about 2-3 minutes and the whole process lasted about an hour. I had taken about 450 pages of chat logs, call logs, emails, post cards, photos and other items and intentionally laid them all out in the counter in hopes that the CO will ask for it, but he never did. He looked at me taking those out but didn't care about it at all. The case status was "Application received" on Friday. "Administrative processing" on Saturday and Sunday. "Issued" this afternoon. I know this is just the first step in the immigration process but it was a huge deal and I cannot thank this forum enough for getting me ready for the interview. I have read the guides and posts as old as 2008/2009, made tons of notes. My fiancé at the end told me that I was over prepared but I honestly don't regret a thing! People, it is always better to prepare for the worst and just hope for the best. And also all the senior members here are always to the point and awesome! Thank you -
 
 
 
 

Hey Everyone, I am over the moon since last four days. I was approved at my interview last Friday and the status changed to "Issued" today. I want to share my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me out there, who is currently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety. Our case was not straightforward due to the following major and minor red flags.
1. Age difference of 27 years which is uncommon in India. Two of his children are older than me and just two years of difference between me and the youngest one. 
2. Overlapping relationship. We fell in love when he was still legally married, although estranged from his ex-wife. 
3. Fiancé not meeting my family after we got into relationship. He met them back in 2018 for a brief cup of tea(official visit to India), but we were not a couple then and also, I had no photos to prove that they met. (This is actually a huge cultural shock). Only had Duo and whatsapp video call screenshots from this year, that I carried for the interview. 
4. I have not met any of his children or siblings, only friends. 
5. He is a catholic and I am in Hindu and we both practice our faith (may be minor flag).
6. Did not front load our i-129F petition( just 25 pictures from 4 visits), because we did not know what a red flag is at that time. I joined VJ and other FB groups months after filing the petition. 
 
So what we had going for the both of us is, he was my manager on the client end for nearly 4 years. We got into the same team in October 2016 and worked remotely together until April 2020. Since the time our NOA2 got approved, I started to lose my sleep thinking about all the above problems during the interview. I slept at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and gained a significant amount of weight due to the stress (I stress eat). Last Friday was my interview, I was basically shaking after I got done with the document verification part. I was the first person to interview that day in the Mumbai embassy and below were the questions asked by the CO-
 
1. So, "Mr XXXX" is your fiance and he was your Senior IT manager for 4 years??
2. When did you start talking to each other?
3. When did you meet face to face?
4. So he currently lives in "YYYY", Does his ex-wife also live in the same area?
5. When did he divorce?
6. So basically you are reason he got divorced, right? (Heart skipped a beat, here).
7. How many times did Mr XXXX visit you in India?
8. Did you apply for B2 visa in 2018 only to meet Mr XXXX or was it for something else?
9. What are your marriage plans?
10. How many children does Mr XXXX have, what is the age of the youngest one?
11. Have you met any of the children?
12. What is your educational qualification?
13. Are you quitting your job or do you have other plans?
 
There were some more follow up questions based on the answers I provided, but these are the main ones. At this point, the CO opened my old passport and punched something on the B1/B2 visa and told me he is cancelling my tourist visa, BUT he is going to issue the K1 visa. I could not believe my ears! The interview lasted about 2-3 minutes and the whole process lasted about an hour. I had taken about 450 pages of chat logs, call logs, emails, post cards, photos and other items and intentionally laid them all out in the counter in hopes that the CO will ask for it, but he never did. He looked at me taking those out but didn't care about it at all. The case status was "Application received" on Friday. "Administrative processing" on Saturday and Sunday. "Issued" this afternoon. I know this is just the first step in the immigration process but it was a huge deal and I cannot thank this forum enough for getting me ready for the interview. I have read the guides and posts as old as 2008/2009, made tons of notes. My fiancé at the end told me that I was over prepared but I honestly don't regret a thing! People, it is always better to prepare for the worst and just hope for the best. And also all the senior members here are always to the point and awesome! Thank you -
 
 
 
 

@Kor2USA @Crazy Cat @Chancy Thank you so much, guys!💛

Hey Everyone, I am over the moon since last four days. I was approved at my interview last Friday and the status changed to "Issued" today. I want to share my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me out there, who is currently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety. Our case was not straightforward due to the following major and minor red flags.
1. Age difference of 27 years which is uncommon in India. Two of his children are older than me and just two years of difference between me and the youngest one. 
2. Overlapping relationship. We fell in love when he was still legally married, although estranged from his ex-wife. 
3. Fiancé not meeting my family after we got into relationship. He met them back in 2018 for a brief cup of tea(official visit to India), but we were not a couple then and also, I had no photos to prove that they met. (This is actually a huge cultural shock). Only had Duo and whatsapp video call screenshots from this year, that I carried for the interview. 
4. I have not met any of his children or siblings, only friends. 
5. He is a catholic and I am in Hindu and we both practice our faith (may be minor flag).
6. Did not front load our i-129F petition( just 25 pictures from 4 visits), because we did not know what a red flag is at that time. I joined VJ and other FB groups months after filing the petition. 
 
So what we had going for the both of us is, he was my manager on the client end for nearly 4 years. We got into the same team in October 2016 and worked remotely together until April 2020. Since the time our NOA2 got approved, I started to lose my sleep thinking about all the above problems during the interview. I slept at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and gained a significant amount of weight due to the stress (I stress eat). Last Friday was my interview, I was basically shaking after I got done with the document verification part. I was the first person to interview that day in the Mumbai embassy and below were the questions asked by the CO-
 
1. So, "Mr XXXX" is your fiance and he was your Senior IT manager for 4 years??
2. When did you start talking to each other?
3. When did you meet face to face?
4. So he currently lives in "YYYY", Does his ex-wife also live in the same area?
5. When did he divorce?
6. So basically you are reason he got divorced, right? (Heart skipped a beat, here).
7. How many times did Mr XXXX visit you in India?
8. Did you apply for B2 visa in 2018 only to meet Mr XXXX or was it for something else?
9. What are your marriage plans?
10. How many children does Mr XXXX have, what is the age of the youngest one?
11. Have you met any of the children?
12. What is your educational qualification?
13. Are you quitting your job or do you have other plans?
 
There were some more follow up questions based on the answers I provided, but these are the main ones. At this point, the CO opened my old passport and punched something on the B1/B2 visa and told me he is cancelling my tourist visa, BUT he is going to issue the K1 visa. I could not believe my ears! The interview lasted about 2-3 minutes and the whole process lasted about an hour. I had taken about 450 pages of chat logs, call logs, emails, post cards, photos and other items and intentionally laid them all out in the counter in hopes that the CO will ask for it, but he never did. He looked at me taking those out but didn't care about it at all. The case status was "Application received" on Friday. "Administrative processing" on Saturday and Sunday. "Issued" this afternoon. I know this is just the first step in the immigration process but it was a huge deal and I cannot thank this forum enough for getting me ready for the interview. I have read the guides and posts as old as 2008/2009, made tons of notes. My fiancé at the end told me that I was over prepared but I honestly don't regret a thing! People, it is always better to prepare for the worst and just hope for the best. And also all the senior members here are always to the point and awesome! Thank you -
 
 
 
 

Hey Everyone, I am over the moon since last four days. I was approved at my interview last Friday and the status changed to "Issued" today. I want to share my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me out there, who is currently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety. Our case was not straightforward due to the following major and minor red flags.
1. Age difference of 27 years which is uncommon in India. Two of his children are older than me and just two years of difference between me and the youngest one. 
2. Overlapping relationship. We fell in love when he was still legally married, although estranged from his ex-wife. 
3. Fiancé not meeting my family after we got into relationship. He met them back in 2018 for a brief cup of tea(official visit to India), but we were not a couple then and also, I had no photos to prove that they met. (This is actually a huge cultural shock). Only had Duo and whatsapp video call screenshots from this year, that I carried for the interview. 
4. I have not met any of his children or siblings, only friends. 
5. He is a catholic and I am in Hindu and we both practice our faith (may be minor flag).
6. Did not front load our i-129F petition( just 25 pictures from 4 visits), because we did not know what a red flag is at that time. I joined VJ and other FB groups months after filing the petition. 
 
So what we had going for the both of us is, he was my manager on the client end for nearly 4 years. We got into the same team in October 2016 and worked remotely together until April 2020. Since the time our NOA2 got approved, I started to lose my sleep thinking about all the above problems during the interview. I slept at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and gained a significant amount of weight due to the stress (I stress eat). Last Friday was my interview, I was basically shaking after I got done with the document verification part. I was the first person to interview that day in the Mumbai embassy and below were the questions asked by the CO-
 
1. So, "Mr XXXX" is your fiance and he was your Senior IT manager for 4 years??
2. When did you start talking to each other?
3. When did you meet face to face?
4. So he currently lives in "YYYY", Does his ex-wife also live in the same area?
5. When did he divorce?
6. So basically you are reason he got divorced, right? (Heart skipped a beat, here).
7. How many times did Mr XXXX visit you in India?
8. Did you apply for B2 visa in 2018 only to meet Mr XXXX or was it for something else?
9. What are your marriage plans?
10. How many children does Mr XXXX have, what is the age of the youngest one?
11. Have you met any of the children?
12. What is your educational qualification?
13. Are you quitting your job or do you have other plans?
 
There were some more follow up questions based on the answers I provided, but these are the main ones. At this point, the CO opened my old passport and punched something on the B1/B2 visa and told me he is cancelling my tourist visa, BUT he is going to issue the K1 visa. I could not believe my ears! The interview lasted about 2-3 minutes and the whole process lasted about an hour. I had taken about 450 pages of chat logs, call logs, emails, post cards, photos and other items and intentionally laid them all out in the counter in hopes that the CO will ask for it, but he never did. He looked at me taking those out but didn't care about it at all. The case status was "Application received" on Friday. "Administrative processing" on Saturday and Sunday. "Issued" this afternoon. I know this is just the first step in the immigration process but it was a huge deal and I cannot thank this forum enough for getting me ready for the interview. I have read the guides and posts as old as 2008/2009, made tons of notes. My fiancé at the end told me that I was over prepared but I honestly don't regret a thing! People, it is always better to prepare for the worst and just hope for the best. And also all the senior members here are always to the point and awesome! Thank you -
 
 
 
 

Hey Everyone, I am over the moon since last four days. I was approved at my interview last Friday and the status changed to "Issued" today. I want to share my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me out there, who is currently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety. Our case was not straightforward due to the following major and minor red flags.
1. Age difference of 27 years which is uncommon in India. Two of his children are older than me and just two years of difference between me and the youngest one. 
2. Overlapping relationship. We fell in love when he was still legally married, although estranged from his ex-wife. 
3. Fiancé not meeting my family after we got into relationship. He met them back in 2018 for a brief cup of tea(official visit to India), but we were not a couple then and also, I had no photos to prove that they met. (This is actually a huge cultural shock). Only had Duo and whatsapp video call screenshots from this year, that I carried for the interview. 
4. I have not met any of his children or siblings, only friends. 
5. He is a catholic and I am in Hindu and we both practice our faith (may be minor flag).
6. Did not front load our i-129F petition( just 25 pictures from 4 visits), because we did not know what a red flag is at that time. I joined VJ and other FB groups months after filing the petition. 
 
So what we had going for the both of us is, he was my manager on the client end for nearly 4 years. We got into the same team in October 2016 and worked remotely together until April 2020. Since the time our NOA2 got approved, I started to lose my sleep thinking about all the above problems during the interview. I slept at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and gained a significant amount of weight due to the stress (I stress eat). Last Friday was my interview, I was basically shaking after I got done with the document verification part. I was the first person to interview that day in the Mumbai embassy and below were the questions asked by the CO-
 
1. So, "Mr XXXX" is your fiance and he was your Senior IT manager for 4 years??
2. When did you start talking to each other?
3. When did you meet face to face?
4. So he currently lives in "YYYY", Does his ex-wife also live in the same area?
5. When did he divorce?
6. So basically you are reason he got divorced, right? (Heart skipped a beat, here).
7. How many times did Mr XXXX visit you in India?
8. Did you apply for B2 visa in 2018 only to meet Mr XXXX or was it for something else?
9. What are your marriage plans?
10. How many children does Mr XXXX have, what is the age of the youngest one?
11. Have you met any of the children?
12. What is your educational qualification?
13. Are you quitting your job or do you have other plans?
 
There were some more follow up questions based on the answers I provided, but these are the main ones. At this point, the CO opened my old passport and punched something on the B1/B2 visa and told me he is cancelling my tourist visa, BUT he is going to issue the K1 visa. I could not believe my ears! The interview lasted about 2-3 minutes and the whole process lasted about an hour. I had taken about 450 pages of chat logs, call logs, emails, post cards, photos and other items and intentionally laid them all out in the counter in hopes that the CO will ask for it, but he never did. He looked at me taking those out but didn't care about it at all. The case status was "Application received" on Friday. "Administrative processing" on Saturday and Sunday. "Issued" this afternoon. I know this is just the first step in the immigration process but it was a huge deal and I cannot thank this forum enough for getting me ready for the interview. I have read the guides and posts as old as 2008/2009, made tons of notes. My fiancé at the end told me that I was over prepared but I honestly don't regret a thing! People, it is always better to prepare for the worst and just hope for the best. And also all the senior members here are always to the point and awesome! Thank you -