EnZ

Hey Guys -

My fiance and I were wondering when the K-1 Visa actually activates (when does the 90 day clock start running)? Is it when she gets the VISA from the consulate or is it when she enters a POE in the US??

Fluent German Speakers -

My finace is German and she speaks English well but is kind of confused by the whole K-1 process. Anyone want to give a brief description of what is going to happen.....in German? We would both be very thankful!

Good luck to All!!!!

All -

I know when I started this process and I wanted to hire a lawyer and if you google immigration law then you can find thousands of lawyers or services that will help you compile your packet for $$$$. I just wanted to talk with a lawyer and paid $100 for a consultation. I had no time limit and was able to ask all the questions I wanted to, I never felt rushed. We talked about what would be best for me and my fiancee and at the end of the converstation she said go head and apply for a K-1 Visa and you dont need a lawyer to do that. If you run into problems schedule another consultation because even if you come back here 5 times it will still be cheaper than hiring a lawyer.

So my advice to everyone is if you are seeking legal advice find a lawyer close to you who will do consultations.

This is the one I used and she has offices in many different cities and I HIGHLY recommend talking to her if you have any questions.

http://www.imwong.com/PracticeAreas/Family-Visas.asp

Will I need to have her German Birth Certificate translated into English?

EnZ,

Once the visa is in-hand a 6-month clock starts ticking (when Frankfurt sends you the visa). You'll have 6 months to enter the US. Once arriving in the US another (90-day) clock starts - this is to get married. Once you're married, you can file for EAD (I-765) and AP (I-131) and AOS (I-485) right away. The EAD (work permit) is taking about 90 days (some less, some a bit more, but right around that). The AP seems to take 4-6 weeks - some less.

(FYI - the AP/I-131 is not permission to leave - we can always do that - it is permission to re-enter the US without giving up/abandoning any AOS status.)

Thanks for the good info! I just had a consult with a lawyer and she told me that the K-1 VISA is a working visa and that I dont need to file I-765. I have never seen any information like that though, does anyone else know if that is true?!?!?

Hey Guys -

Just trying to gather all of the information I can before I start the K-1 process which should be right at the beginning of '08.

Has anyone had any experience with the I-765 (working in the US) and the I-131 (permission to leave the US)?

How long after we get her Visa can we apply for these? Anyone have a timeline of how long it took to get the papers?

Thanks for all this help, this place eliminates the need to for overpriced lawyers and there are a lot of those out there!!!!

Good luck to all!!

All -

I am so happy that their is an online community of people who are going through the same process I will be starting in a few short weeks. I just have a couple of newbie questions. I have noticed A LOT of acronyms. Is there a list or a post that I can find somewhere in the forum just to educate my self?

Also, my girl lives in Germany but has to come over here several during the next year for work. Is this going to affect anything in the K-1 filing process? Our employer takes care of her as we work for a major international company but I just wanted to know if anyone had any experience with a fiancee coming to the US during the process?

Thanks again and its nice to meet all of you....