alliejourney

You're right, for clarity, right now Covid vaccines are not required. Part of me thinks it's a requirement that will change based on who is in office which I think is the reason for the Freudian slip I had lumping it in with the flu shot. 😅 But completely correct, it is not a current requirement. If that changes, OP, it will be noted in the letter you receive when it's time to schedule your visa interview and the medical.

This list is more specific to K1 requirements, and the FAQ at the bottom may be helpful to you: https://www.uscis.gov/tools/designated-civil-surgeons/vaccination-requirements He should contact his GP and get his vaccine records. Many of these are things we're vaccinated for in childhood and would not be given to an adult. He will only need to have a flu shot if he is interviewing during flu season. He may also need a Covid booster - when you receive the information about the medical, it will list whether or not it's required. The hepatitis B series is required, however as it is a series that should be given over the course of months, if he gets the first dose and brings documentation to the medical, they'll mark that it could not be completed due to time constraints. Since you're still in the I-129F phase, you have plenty of time. I'd focus on getting his medical and vaccination records, make sure there are no gaps, and get these vaccines once you actually have the medical & interview scheduled. If he gets the Covid and flu shot now, for example, he'll just have to get them again closer to the interview, anyway.

Before reading: this is all very ballpark and based on my own recollections so YMMV. I definitely may have missed some things. K1 VISA STAGE I-129f filing fee - $695 Other fees associated with the I-129F: Official passport-style photos for each of us; mailing and tracking fees for the package Medical Exam Fee - ~$500 Other fees associated with the medical exam: Travel & lodging if needed to go to the exam center; my now-husband had to pay an additional ~$100 for a Covid vaccination ahead of time; also had to pay an additional ~$100 to meet with his GP to obtain medical records and also to obtain a letter about mental health things. Will also need separate travel & lodging to attend to the visa interview after the medical. Visa fee paid when completing DS-160: $185 Then of course there's the fees related with actual immigration. Flights, any moving costs (such as shipping over belongings, doing the work to sell/store other belongings, the work to sell cars, homes, etc before moving). Once here, there will be costs for obtaining driving licenses, your wedding (whether you do courthouse or a full ceremony there will be costs to this), any living costs - I would estimate we probably spent $2k on moving and "settling" costs. ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS PHASE Fees for the adjustment of status package include: The I-485 ($1440) I-765 (Employment authorization, $260 when filed with the I-485) I-131 (Advance Parole if desired, $630) If for some reason you need to also complete the I-693 (only necessary if your overseas medical exam has expired or was incomplete), that can be an additional ~$100-500 depending on your local civil surgeons and what they charge. In addition, as others have mentioned, you'll need substantial savings to be able to support 2 people on 1 person's salary when they first move, as they won't be able to work until they obtain their working document or green card, whichever comes first. Then taking into account the time it will take to actually get a job. My husband moved in June, we obtained his EAD in late October, and he had a job and started working the following February. So this was me supporting us, with the help of savings, for 9 months. We also had to purchase a car for him before he had actually started working so that he could get to the work, so, again, that down payment had to come from my salary/our savings. MATH SO - by my math, the "official fees" (filing fees, medical exam, visa fees, etc) is somewhere around $3810. That would be the absolute bare minimum. I would ballpark that, for me, travel costs for the medical, visa interview, and moving over here were probably an additional $5000. I'd budget maybe another $1000 for those random incidentals - stuff like if you need extra vaccinations, shipping costs, etc. For us this also covered our wedding, which was just courthouse so it was only those fees. All that stuff together - $9810, or just under 10k. Then, for us, a solid 9 month emergency fund in savings was necessary from the time he moved here until the time he was able to work. (I was still working, of course, but we budgeted as if I wasn't in case the worst case scenario happened.) We didn't run through all the savings we had budgeted because I was working, which left us with a good nest egg to buy a house at the end of all of this.

The timeline for being allowed to apply for citizenship doesn't line up with timeline for green card renewal, so that's why that happened! You can apply for citizenship after 5 years of being a lawful permanent resident, or 3 years if you are married to a US citizen. So much before the green card actually expires. 🙂

Petitioner applies to the USC filling out the petition. Beneficiary refers to the foreign person receiving the immigration benefit. Part 4 on page 9 is asking for the biographic information of the USC petitioner. If you take issue with them asking a few simple questions about your height and weight, you're going to have a tough time through the rest of this process lol. I'm being facetious but, seriously, if you want to get through this process, be patient, put your head down, and do exactly what they want exactly as they request it. No point in getting upset. It is what it is.

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.

As others have said, not a red flag at all. Obtaining a K1 visa supposes a commitment to get married. There is no need to have a "honeymoon period". The process will be: land on US soil, go apply for an SSN ASAP (now that I-94s are digital, we were able to apply for my husband's SSN the next day after entering the US), and then get married as soon as you possibly can. In my county, we needed to wait for his Social Security Card to arrive before we could apply for our marriage license and then schedule our courthouse wedding, so we got married on Day 45, which is longer than we would have liked to leave it. Many other places do not require the SSN for the marriage. In the meantime, we prepared the AOS packet so that we got married August 1st, and sent off the AOS packet August 2nd. Timeliness is the name of the game when you're on a K1 visa, because as soon as those 90 days are up the visa is invalid and you're out of status without proof of a pending AOS. FWIW, I know your mind is made up but I'm another person who did a K1 and wishes we went the spousal route instead. You are still allowed to visit with a pending spousal visit so it's not like you have to go the entire processing time without seeing each other. AOS is a really frustrating process and him not having a green card really hindered our ability to buy a house and start our life properly as a married couple. Plus the stress and anxiety of him technically not having a status during that time.

Oh sorry - you won't have an agent assigned to you for the whole process. My husband mentioned it once he got to the actual K1 visa interview, and then we brought it up again during the green card interview, as the shared vacation was part of our evidence of our relationship in both cases. After you submit the I-129F, you'll be in a waiting period for a while - for us, it was about a year before we got an RFE (which won't always happen, I just made a mistake in the I-129F packet), and then a month after the RFE, our case was approved and we were able to start with the K1 visa process. We didn't actually speak to any agents until my husband attended his K1 visa interview. If you haven't found them already, the guides on this site are really helpful for you to get a feel for all the steps and the timeline of the entire process! Especially the K1 Visa Flowchart, I referenced that a lot while we were going through it.

Just as a note, we did tell officers about our trip during both the K1 interview and during AOS, but never mentioned to them that it was an "engagement honeymoon", specifically because we didn't want them to be alarmed by the word honeymoon when really it was just a semi-extravagant vacation/celebration, lol. Something to think about if you end up submitting pics/plane tickets/etc of your trip as evidence at some point!

Honeymoon celebration is a great idea, too! We did an "engagement honeymoon" the summer before we got married so we could still have a honeymoon, just not right after the wedding. Sometimes immigration just forces us to be a little creative!

I'm glad you provided this clarification - I was just about to be another voice recommending that you do a CR1 if the ceremonies are very important to you both, but I totally get why you want to do K1 in your circumstance. You're right - unfortunately, with K1, legalities take precedence and being able to plan formal ceremonies is very difficult and risky. I think instead of doing pre-wedding engagement ceremonies (which will be stressful, planning around the unpredictable waiting times during process) maybe you do some sort of anniversary vow renewal, once the whole K1/AOS process dust has settled? Keep the actual marriage to a simple courthouse affair, and once everything is sorted out in a few years, you'll be free to travel and plan big events in both countries for everyone to enjoy. It's of course not traditional or ideal if you're wanting a Wedding wedding experience, but it may be a good compromise so you can still celebrate with your loved ones. Plus, it can be a green card celebration, too