alliejourney

Good points - that actually did remind me that we were still not able to acquire his bank accounts or driver's license until we had his EAD as proof of legal status. Still, I feel it's worthwhile to acquire the SSN ASAP instead of waiting for one with the green card!

That's a REALLY good idea. I'm lucky to live a podunk area where appointments are almost always free same day, lol. But yes definitely a good idea for busier areas!

For any others stumbling across this thread, the 2 weeks wait to make an appointment at your local SSA office is no longer necessary in most cases. Whenever your I-94 is updated with your most recent entry using the K1 visa, you can make your appointment. Because the system is all digital now, we were literally able to get an appointment and go less than 12 hours after my now husband arrived in the country. Thanks for sharing OP, I think the timing of acquiring an SSN is one of the biggest mistakes/pitfalls I see people make and it's really unfortunate because if you don't manage to get one it can put a damper on a lot of things like being able to get a driver's license, bank accounts, etc.

Maybe not more convenient but MAY help overcome that number of convictions on his record. Keyword may, there's no guarantee based on the severity of some of his convictions. Definitely cross reference if any of those would fall under AWA. If so, you will have a very long, difficult road ahead of you and it's up to the two of you if you want to try to overcome that. I can sense you're frustrated with the number of people expressing hesitance for you and this relationship, but please know it all comes from a place of concern. Being with someone in person is VERY VERY different from that phone call/e-mail/FaceTime phase - all of us know that because we've been through it! I would be very, very, very wary of marrying someone who has a long and recent track record of violence (!!) and trouble with the law, when you have not even met him in person to evaluate if he's a changed man. It's really easy to say the right things when you need to. The last thing I would do is commit to marrying someone I have never met, have only been talking to virtually for less than a year, especially when he has this background. I know the meeting in person multiple times is a time and financial commitment, but it is much less so than pouring all this money into an immigration process only to get here and find out he's not who he says he is, or worse, for you to get here and be put in a dangerous situation. Please truly think about what people in this thread are saying. It comes from a place of experience and concern.

I can't 100% tell what you're asking. If you're asking if you can get married before she enters the US on her K1, the answer is no. Being married invalidates the K1, so she wouldn't be able to enter on it if you were married. If you were to get married and just not mention it at the border, that would be misrepresentation and you'd be in big trouble come AOS time. (So I'm really hoping by "big wedding ceremony" you just mean that you had a celebration with family that included absolutely no paperwork or culturally binding ceremonies.) If you're asking if you can use Utah online marriage after she enters the US on her K1, then sure, I don't see why not. As noted above it might be just as fast to get married at the courthouse in your own area.

It makes things easier if you apply for your social security card BEFORE getting married. The reason is that getting married nullifies the K1 visa, so after getting married your next opportunity to get a social security number won't be until you have a green card, which could be a year or more after marriage. Not having the SSN can be a hurdle for things like opening bank accounts, getting a driver's license, and otherwise establishing your life in the US. So that is why the advice is always to apply for your SSN before marriage when on a K1. Unfortunately you have left it pretty late - the usual advice is to apply for your SSN ASAP after arriving, because it does take a while to get an appointment and then for the card to get to you. You could in theory apply for your social security card on the same day you get married before your marriage ceremony, but that would be cutting it pretty close. It also may depend on the rules where you live. In my county, a social security number for both parties was required, so we wouldn't have been able to get married without it. Some areas allow marriage without an SSN, though. You'll need to look into that for where you live. It's not the total end of the world if you don't have your SSN before marriage so long as you live in an area where you can get married without it - do not put off getting married because of it. Number one priority is getting married within those 90 days. I can't speak on name change stuff as I didn't bother with that, but others can advise on that front.

Oh, that's good to know, thanks!

Oh good, then you should be okay. I believe you'll still be required to submit the prior tax transcripts but with your pay stubs and some employer verification you should be able to demonstrate your current income meets requirements.

I'm not 100% sure how they'll react to part of your income coming from a family member and not employer, so I won't speak to that. My gut says they may not like it since it's not quite as stable and reliable as income from an employer. But maybe others can weigh in on that. However, they will not consider possible future income - current income is king. They have to see that you can support your partner right now, as soon as they are in the USA. Pay stubs that demonstrate consistent income that will meet the requirements, bank statements, and a letter from your employer with salary listed are all things that can be used as evidence if past tax transcripts do not show the necessary income amount. FWIW, without your father's contributions you do make over 100% of the HHS poverty guidelines for a family of 2, which is currently $21,150. Once you get to the adjustment stage and the requirement is 125%, that would be $26,437 as of 2025. Note that I do believe these guidelines refer to take-home pay, not salary pre-tax, so bear that in mind - I wasn't sure based on your post if you're talking net or gross.

On the other hand of what the other commenter said, at the time we filled out the forms we did not realize Dublin was pre-clearance, so we put the actual US city he'd enter in (Cleveland) and also had no issues. I'm not sure if there's a correct answer here but just sharing my experience!

Do not do this!!! As part of the I-129F packet, you have to disclose any prior marriages you had and provide the divorce decrees. Imagine how suspicious it will look for them to see a fresh divorce decree for the same exact person you're petitioning for. That is only going to hurt your case and make your marriage look less legitimate. The ONLY option for you is to pursue a spousal visa. What kind of evidence do you have to show the legitimacy of your marriage? Any joint financials? Are you on each other's wills or power of attorney or beneficiaries for life insurance? Anything at all tying the two of you together over the last 10 years? I agree with others here who have said prioritize spending time together in person, but also think about anything you may have that could show a legitimate marital relationship in the last 10 years.

Okay, my husband is also from the UK so I can tell you they will request that you bring the I-134 with you, it is not submitted ahead of time.

This is correct, the I-134 requires 100% and the I-864 required during adjustment is 125%. As for your first question, I believe it varies by embassy whether you submit the I-134 prior or just bring it to interview. Filling out your timeline so that people can answer your questions most accurately would be helpful. In my experience the I-134 and all accompanying evidence was brought to the interview and given to the officer, but again, this can be different based on location.

Congratulations!! The idea for the school stuff for the kids is a great one, I tend to overlook that since we just have our fur kids 😅 Sounds like you have a great plan. Good luck!

Re: your concern about not having many pictures, we didn't either. I included a couple random pictures from date nights and family events, like you said, but those kinds of things aren't as strong as evidence like others above have mentioned. I think officers are generally understanding that when you're applying for AOS from a K1, the initial packet may be a little sparse. It is really hard to get established financially before the EAD comes; we basically weren't able to do anything without that. What I did was send in anything I had to start with, and then once I had the NOA and online access, I started throwing everything onto the Unsolicited Evidence portal. As we started a joint bank account, collected mail in both our names, added him to things like health insurance, car insurance, bought him a car with both our names on it, etc, I would upload the evidence there. It created an ongoing narrative of things we were doing to establish our life together as soon as we were able to, and then the officer had access to all of it when we were at the interview. During the waiting period we took a vacation so I uploaded some pictures from that as well to show us continuing to have a social life together. I know it's nerve-wracking but, seriously, don't overthink it. Follow the instructions to start and then upload the evidence as you get it. Your relationship is in good faith so there's no need to struggle to fabricate things. All the things you'll collect are things you'd be doing anyway as a married couple starting a life together.