Nich-Nick

Jump in this thread any time you like because we're here to help you if you need it. We chit chat alot lately because we've mostly gotten through the system for the time being. But we have a lot of experience to offer you and would love to help because we're not exclusive by any means.

Were you also not including your husband as a joint filer? To get the real comparison you should do your taxes as Married Filing Separately with no husband exemptions and no husband foreign income. Then do the way you did as Married Filing Jointly including/excluding the foreign income. Look at bottom line of the two ways. You aren't necessarily losing $300 if you compare to filing Married Separately.
What you did was looked at the bottom line too early. You looked at the advantages of being able to file jointly, but hadn't finished putting in all the income.
This is hard to explain briefly and simply but---- Tax for joint filers combine both incomes and put you in a tier/bracket based on the gross income, which might also include interest, dividends or any other money that comes your way besides the job. In general, higher incomes pay a higher percentage in taxes. The way the income exclusion works is-- taxes are figured on the joint income, then taxes on just the excluded part are calculated and that tax portion is subtracted from the total tax bill. The double income can bump you up to a higher percentage but the tax to be subtracted is based on a pretty small foreign income that alone would be at a lower percentage.
Basically you don't get to erase the foreign income completely, but you will probably come out better than if you file Married Separately.

Here's what I think. In a normal everyday K1 case in London, there is nothing that needs to be notarized for the interview. They don't ask to see an updated letter of intent. If you were interviewing in Manila or somewhere like that, then maybe so. They would tell you to do that on the London website if it was an important thing to bring. It's not in the list of instructions where they detail applying for the visa and attending the interview.
Here are a few things that might call for a statement sworn before a notary public or other official competent to administer an oath:

You're taking a child out of the UK. The other biological parent can submit a sworn statement, notarized or whatever you want to call it to show they are aware that the child is moving to the US and they give their permission/approval.
You were born in Pakistan and there is no birth certificate available. You're mother can submit a sworn statement testifying to the details of the birth. Mother deceased? Father is next in line. Father deceased? Another relative old enough to know the details of the birth.
You prefer a DIY Affidavit of Support instead of the I-134. (Yes, that is allowed.) Sponsors can submit a sworn affidavit detailing a bunch of stuff London lists that must be included in the statement. It's much easier to fill out the I-134 than get your sworn statement complete.

A lot of people don't even look at the guides or pinned topics. I think the point of the Wiki is a really thorough answer (like you thought of my tax explanation--thanks) can be stored. Then when it comes up again, one can answer and perhaps say "read more detail here in the Wiki." You could have muliple pages so every thing UK doesn't become a long read. We will always have people we have to spoon feed because they aren't going to dig and read for information. The UK Embassy webpage is pretty clear on what a K1 does as far as documents to send, sign, duplicate, or bring to the interview. Yet there's always somebody who asks on the forum and needs an answer because reading for information isn't their style. While I would like to help, I'm not likely to write my best answer more than once.
Never got into understanding the Wiki editing myself is part of the reason I never worked on it. However I finally did slightly update something about getting HPV shot. You have to do a different sign up to register to Wiki edit I think.
Yes, watches are allowed. They ride through the security scanner off the wrist, then you're good to go.

It's great that you are making this effort to gather info into one place Sundrop. I haven't read it all but I will. Could I suggest that you put it all in a VJ Wiki article. A long time ago Poiteen and some of the gals before me were wanting to organize info and get it in the Wiki. She asked for suggestions and fine tuning much like you are in this thread. I promised to help as soon as I got past the hurricane Ike damages and Nick's arrival/wedding/AOS submission. Well I never did. There is a start but the things you are writing are well organized and could replace or supplement what is already there. Then when you're long gone into blissful marriage and lose interest, somebody else can edit the Wiki as needed. Threads seem to get lost over time or way too long. The same things discussed today in threads were well explained over and over again. The people that know those answers have written them so many times, they get tired of repeating it.
So with your ####### and drive and excellent writing skills, would you please consider doing a UK Wiki? Then a link to the Wiki could be passed down. I would suggest that if different articles, they should all begin with UK-___________. Here's the Wiki topic page. http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Special:AllPages
You'll see some UK things started (in the U's) but also Interview at London Embassy, which would be better if it said UK-Interview at London Embassy. And there's an article about immigration to the UK in the I's.
This thread could remain the place for people adding ideas and suggestions and contributions while you fine-tune the Wiki. It's great that you can actually edit the first post, which never happens, but it's still a thread with a 2010 date and will eventually get lost and clogged with chit chat. So???? Anybody want a Wiki article (set of multiple pages) we can point people to?

It's great that you are making this effort to gather info into one place Sundrop. I haven't read it all but I will. Could I suggest that you put it all in a VJ Wiki article. A long time ago Poiteen and some of the gals before me were wanting to organize info and get it in the Wiki. She asked for suggestions and fine tuning much like you are in this thread. I promised to help as soon as I got past the hurricane Ike damages and Nick's arrival/wedding/AOS submission. Well I never did. There is a start but the things you are writing are well organized and could replace or supplement what is already there. Then when you're long gone into blissful marriage and lose interest, somebody else can edit the Wiki as needed. Threads seem to get lost over time or way too long. The same things discussed today in threads were well explained over and over again. The people that know those answers have written them so many times, they get tired of repeating it.
So with your ####### and drive and excellent writing skills, would you please consider doing a UK Wiki? Then a link to the Wiki could be passed down. I would suggest that if different articles, they should all begin with UK-___________. Here's the Wiki topic page. http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Special:AllPages
You'll see some UK things started (in the U's) but also Interview at London Embassy, which would be better if it said UK-Interview at London Embassy. And there's an article about immigration to the UK in the I's.
This thread could remain the place for people adding ideas and suggestions and contributions while you fine-tune the Wiki. It's great that you can actually edit the first post, which never happens, but it's still a thread with a 2010 date and will eventually get lost and clogged with chit chat. So???? Anybody want a Wiki article (set of multiple pages) we can point people to?

It's great that you are making this effort to gather info into one place Sundrop. I haven't read it all but I will. Could I suggest that you put it all in a VJ Wiki article. A long time ago Poiteen and some of the gals before me were wanting to organize info and get it in the Wiki. She asked for suggestions and fine tuning much like you are in this thread. I promised to help as soon as I got past the hurricane Ike damages and Nick's arrival/wedding/AOS submission. Well I never did. There is a start but the things you are writing are well organized and could replace or supplement what is already there. Then when you're long gone into blissful marriage and lose interest, somebody else can edit the Wiki as needed. Threads seem to get lost over time or way too long. The same things discussed today in threads were well explained over and over again. The people that know those answers have written them so many times, they get tired of repeating it.
So with your ####### and drive and excellent writing skills, would you please consider doing a UK Wiki? Then a link to the Wiki could be passed down. I would suggest that if different articles, they should all begin with UK-___________. Here's the Wiki topic page. http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Special:AllPages
You'll see some UK things started (in the U's) but also Interview at London Embassy, which would be better if it said UK-Interview at London Embassy. And there's an article about immigration to the UK in the I's.
This thread could remain the place for people adding ideas and suggestions and contributions while you fine-tune the Wiki. It's great that you can actually edit the first post, which never happens, but it's still a thread with a 2010 date and will eventually get lost and clogged with chit chat. So???? Anybody want a Wiki article (set of multiple pages) we can point people to?

If you send the statement where you "elect" for him to be a resident alien for tax purposes (for all of 2009), then you can file jointly but also must report his foreign earned income. You also are eligible for the foreign income exclusion taken on the Form 2555EZ. It sounds bad, but the exclusion form is the key and it will probably work out to be the best tax scenario for you. It's like you report his income converted to US dollars, then they figure what the US taxes would be on his foreign part and subtract that much tax back out because of the Income Exclusion. You should come out better than your other filing option Married Filing Separately.
Maybe your tax guy will give you a big discount for teaching him something. Publication 519, page 10 starting in the middle column and going to the last column tells you exactly what to include in the statement you both will sign.
Form 2555EZ
Form 255EZ instructions