alliejourney

Yeah, this actually makes a lot of sense in hindsight because when I was looking for info on Cleveland as a POE, it wasn't listed on this site nor anywhere else. However, I believe Dublin and Toronto are currently its only international connections, so it makes sense why Cleveland isn't listed when technically Dublin (and Toronto, which also has US preclearance) is the POE. This conversation has definitely cleared a lot up for us and hopefully this thread can be useful to people in the future!

After seeing your comment we started looking into the pre-clearance at Dublin (we had no idea this was a thing when we booked!) and it does seem like since we booked both Manchester -> Dublin and Dublin -> Cleveland on the same itinerary, our bags should be checked all the way through. Thanks a lot for bringing this up, we had no idea so now we're much better prepared, lol. Thank you for this!

2 hours 25 minutes

Oh, so does this secondary processing take place before we depart, or when we enter the US? We'll be flying Manchester -> Dublin -> Cleveland. I was under the impression that this would take place when we get to the US?

Great, thanks to both of you! Just knowing that helps a lot.

Hello all! My fiance's K1 visa was approved yesterday! As such, I'll be traveling to him in early June to help pack up, and then we'll be returning to the US together. Our port of entry will be Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Can anyone walk us through what to expect when we arrive with his K1? Will we just go through border control as usual and show the officer the visa in his passport and packet? Is there anything additional we should know? Both of us are a little anxious and just want to know exactly what to expect when we arrive in the US. Thank you!

Thank you so much! I will definitely do that.

Hello! Now that my fiance's visa interview is near, we are looking ahead at the requirements for the AOS packet, as we'd like to get it done ASAP once we're married! I just have a couple of questions on the EAD form: Part II, Question 18: List all countries where you are currently a citizen or a national. Will he be considered a US national? Or should he only list the UK (where he is immigrating from)? Part II, Question 24: Immigration Status at Your Last Arrival (would be K-1 Fiance) Part II, Question 25: Your Current Immigration Status Would question 25 still be K-1 Fiance? Or is there a more suitable response since we will be filing the EAD with our AOS packet?

Once you get to the interview stage, the US citizen will fill out form I-134. Along with that form, they'll gather evidence of their ability to support you financially, including IRS tax transcripts, a letter from their employer verifying salary, and/or a few recent pay stubs. They can scan and e-mail that to you, and you'll submit it with other required documents at the interview. As a side note, it has been extremely helpful to my partner and I to really study up on the K1 guides here on this site: https://www.visajourney.com/guides/ The flowchart and K1 visa guide give a really detailed overview of the entire process, including giving you an idea of what to expect at each stage. Since you're in the waiting portion right now, it's a great time to become an A+ student in immigration. Studying up helps relieve my anxiety a lot and I think it may also help you and your partner wrap your head around everything. Another great resource is the consulate reviews page on here.

You cannot move there indefinitely during the stay, but you are certainly allowed to visit for as long as your ESTA would allow. Not a permanent solution to your problem, because I'm sure it wouldn't allow you to live there for the full couple of years that you're looking at while everything processes, but you are absolutely allowed to travel to the US for brief relief. Could your partner perhaps help support you financially? Would they be able to contribute at all to you renting a place of your own while you find better work? As others have said, I'd focus on cutting your parents off and trying to improve your situation. Unfortunately the process is going to be long.

Thank you so much, best of luck to you as well!! Quick question for you that my partner is requesting, lol - were you allowed to keep your phone with you, or did you need to turn it in somewhere?

Thanks so much for this. My fiance has his medical a week from today, so it was really helpful to see such an exhaustive breakdown that's so recent. Also, it was extra helpful because we had read Covid vaccinations were not required before, so now you've given us time to get that sorted before his appointment. When he called to book his appointment, he asked about how long to leave between his medical exam and visa interview. He was advised that it usually takes about 5 days for shipping between the medical office and the embassy, and another 5 days for the embassy to receive/process it all, and said we'd be safe booking his visa interview at least 10 days after his medical. To my understanding, the whole entire file gets sent!

Typically, it will be automatically extended and at your interview you will just need to provide an updated letter of intent to marry, like what you provided in your I-129F. It can be the exact same letter, just dated closer to your interview and with a new signature. But this could be dependent upon the embassy, I am not familiar with Pakistan. Has your fiance not received anything from their embassy? It took me several months to receive my NOA2 (and I had to submit 2 requests for documentation before it finally arrived to me) but we were able to move forward anyway because my fiance had received his packet from the London embassy. Again, though, I'm not sure how the Pakistan embassy operates - hopefully someone else can jump in.

As far as I know, the key phrase that needs to be in a mental health related letter is that you are not a harm to yourself or others, which is in there, so I think that looks good and I'd definitely take it. My fiance had to obtain a similar letter. I can't speak to the PCOS diagnosis but it sounds to me like you've very thoroughly prepared and have your bases covered. Good luck at your appointment! My fiance's is next Friday!

They will release interview appointments gradually! My fiance just scheduled his interview in London yesterday after we had been stalking the site for a month or so waiting for the May date that we wanted. It's most likely you're only seeing April dates because the May ones that had been released have been taken. Just keep on top of checking back on the site consistently - we checked every day, even though we knew it seems like they only release them about a month out.

Thanks so much for this, that's helpful! So since he's a K1 he isn't technically authorized to work. I already saw that I should print out the webpage memo that states he is still eligible for an SSN, so I'm hoping that we get a good agent who will accept that for the work authorization piece. I know this also means he'll have a social security card with a restriction, which is fine. We'll apply for the EAD and AOS as soon as we're married. Then if I'm reading this correctly, we'll also just need his I-94, show the visa stamp in his passport, and then they'll accept his foreign birth certificate and foreign passport for identification and proof of age - anyone, please feel free to correct me or let me know anything we may need in addition!

Hello! Just trying to plan ahead - my fiance should be arriving here on a K1 visa in June and we'd like to get on the process of getting his SSN as soon as he arrives, before our marriage. In looking at the instructions/accepted documents, it is my understanding that you need two separate documents to prove age and evidence of identity. However, everything under the "evidence of identity" section specifies that it must be a US license, US state ID card, or US passport, obviously none of which my fiance will be able to get. Under evidence of age, it also specifies a US birth certificate. So my question is, what documents can we bring that would be acceptable? Will his foreign passport and foreign birth certificate in addition to his visa and I-94 suffice, or is there something else we will need? I searched but haven't found a consistent answer. Thanks for the help.

My philosophy is it's better safe than sorry. It's much easier to just being forthcoming and not have to worry about withholding any information, saying the right things, etc. Not only is it easier, but more importantly, we're legally obligated to give truthful responses. My fiance is in the same situation. Struggled with depression during a bad time in his life, was diagnosed by a GP, but never pursued medication/etc, has never self-harmed, does not want to harm others, etc. He's requested a letter from his GP stating he's not a threat to himself or others and it has all been a very easy process, I think it cost him 30 pounds.

On further research we decided to follow the instructions of the letter. When we looked at the interview scheduling portal, the soonest available appointment was only a week away, so we decided it's probably safe to schedule the visa interview after the medical panel. We haven't yet scheduled his medical interview, because we're still waiting on his medical records and his ACRO police certificate, and he doesn't feel comfortable scheduling until he's got everything in hand. However, we don't have to deal with selling a house or anything - pretty much as soon as his visa is in hand, he'll logistically be able to move, so we aren't on as much of a time crunch as it sounds like you are!

I would assume so. Plus, fiance has to get a police certificate for his medical panel/visa interview, so that will also prove a clean record.

I had an RFE for the same thing - I had simply forgotten to check the "no" box on question 2B. All I had to do was check "no" on the letter they sent me and send it back. When there's no criminal record to be found, you can't really submit proof of a negative. I just checked "no", sent the letter back, and then my case was approved less than a month later.

Hello! Just posting for clarification. The instructions we received from the London embassy state clearly to attend the medical exam, and then schedule the interview. However, I have seen other members suggest to schedule the visa interview first, and then schedule the medical exam for ~2 weeks prior to that. I'm assuming the reasoning for this is that interview slots are more limited than medical exam slots. Since I've also read that visas are valid from the time of the medical exam rather than the interview, I'm nervous about him attending his medical and not being able to get a visa interview scheduled for another couple of months. Does anyone have any experience they could share with this?

I can't speak to the labeling issue, but I can say that we received an RFE and all in all it was only about a month of a setback! From the time we sent back the evidence they asked for and the time our case status on the USCIS website changed to case approved, it was a couple of days shy of a month.

Thanks so much! It seemed too easy to be true 😅

Hello! My fiance and I have received a request for further evidence, attached below. What is attached is the whole letter - the only thing they are asking for is a response to a question that I must have accidentally skipped over. Because I do not have a criminal record, the answer is a simple "no". I am posting just for reassurance that all I need to do is check the "no" box, sign, and send it back, OR some guidance on what sort of supporting evidence they might need. I can't quite think of anything that would prove I have NOT had any criminal convictions, so I was hoping you all could help me if there's something obvious I'm missing! Thanks so much!