ILuvMyAussieGirl

This person isn't following the plot. He isn't going to use a CS at all. He doesn't need to fill out anything on the I-693. He only sends a copy of the DS3025. That shows all her shots because she did every shot for AOS before she came to the US and is recorded on the DS 3025.

We did the same thing. We sent in the DS 3025 and completely ignored the I-693. I was prepared to explain at the interview but the officer didn't even bring it up.

This makes me very angry. We have to go to these civil surgeons just to get them to fill out paperwork. They are supposed to help us. Instead, they use this opportunity to extort money out of desperate people.

My wife called the CS in our area and 20 out of 20 of them wanted to do the full medical and they wanted anywhere from $500-600 (cash only). They refused to even listen when you tell them that you only need a transcription from one form to another. I'm thinking about calling my congresswoman to bring this up.

We had our interview yesterday (01/11/2009) and was approved! The immigration officer only asked a few questions like how did you meet, where do you live, when did you get married, etc.

She asked me what my wife's parents' names were and I said I didn't know haha. She then said that she expected that answer. So had I known the answer from "studying," she would have been suspicious.

You're supposed to put the filing fee and biometric fee on two separate checks?

My fiancee entered the country on 04/05/2009 with her K-1 visa and we got married on 04/21/2009 but we didn't file for her AOS until 08/05/2009 (application received), which was a month after her I-94 expired.

It has been 9 days and they still haven't cashed our filing fee check. It shouldn't be a problem that we filed the AOS after her I-94 expired, right? Should we call someone at the USCIS about this?

it is a problem only if you guys didn't marry in 90 days, but its totally normal to send the AOS package after the I-94 expires.

we got married since january 31st, and we ve just sent the Application couple days ago!

Good luck

Oh we definitely got married before 90 days. We got married on April 21st, about 2 weeks after she enter the US with her K-1 visa.

My fiancee entered the country on 04/05/2009 with her K-1 visa and we got married on 04/21/2009 but we didn't file for her AOS until 08/05/2009 (application received), which was a month after her I-94 expired.

It has been 9 days and they still haven't cashed our filing fee check. It shouldn't be a problem that we filed the AOS after her I-94 expired, right? Should we call someone at the USCIS about this?

So if the green visa waiver form has been replaced by online application on the ESTA website, is there an equivalent for the K-1 visa? Or is the white form still in use?

Thanks,

Sim

When your fiancee enters the country, she'll need the blue form and the white I-94 form. That's what we did when I came back with my fiancee this past Sunday.

You need your tax returns along with affdvit of support form, 3 most recent pay stubs, and also a bank verification letter.

Where does it say that on the I-134 instructions? In section C, it says "If self-employed: 1. Copy of last income tax return filed; or 2. Report of commercial rating concern."

So if you are not self-employed, section C does not apply to you, why make it more complicated? If you're like most people, an employer letter on company letterhead stating your position, start date, full time/part time status, and salary would suffice. You can also include pay stubs but again, the I-134 instructions didn't mention this. It does mention a letter from a bank official with date account was opened, total amount deposited, and present balance.

Hello,

You do not need to send your tax returns. You need to send in an original copy of a letter from your employer (on company letterhead) stating your job title, full time/part time employment, employment start date, and salary. Also include a letter from a bank officer that has your account info (date opened, deposits in 2008-present, etc.) and your 64pay stubs.

That's what I did for the I-134. The instructions on the I-134 didn't ask for tax returns, unless you are self-employed. When you're filing for adjustment of status, the financial support form I-864 is used.

Please check this guide for more information: K-1 visa guide

Congratulations!!

Like two other posters say, you don't need to tell them about it. You're not concealing anything either. If you get asked, you can briefly say that you had a party to celebrate your engagement. Because that's basically what it is--people came to eat, drink, dance, and have a good time.

Show them some pictures of you wearing an evening gown (not your wedding dress) if they ask. It's not like they send some private investigator to follow you around. It's best to not voluntarily tell them for no reason.

That's great news. Please keep us posted!

Congrats!

Thanks you all! I'm flying out on the 28th to Sydney. We're going to have a lunch reception for her family and friends (they want an excuse to give us lots of money hehehe). She'll fly back with me on April 5th!!

Thank you everyone!!

My fiancee just called to tell me that her visa has been approved! The whole thing took less than an hour. Gahhh!!! I'm so excited I don't know what to do with myself!!!!!!!

After a busy afternoon I have found out the date NVC received my application the date they sent it to consulate and the date the consulate received it! I'm hoping it won't be long until I receive packet 3!

After you mail in your packet 3 documents, I suggest you follow up with them within a week just in case they tried to send you an interview notification and for whatever reason "didn't get through."

That's what happened to me and my fiancee. They claim to have sent her an interview notification via email but she never received anything. It would have been way fast if this were true. She sent in the packet 3 stuff on Feb 11th express. So let's say they received it on the 12th. They claim to have emailed the interview appointment on Feb 13th for a Feb 24th interview, which my fiancee "didn't show up for." I think it's total BS that someone messed up on but will never admit to.

Thanks for this! If they did mess up they should at least admit it! I can't imagine many people don't show up for an interview when chances are they have waited many months for it!

You're welcome. I noticed that you're still waiting for the consulate to send you the packet 3 stuff. May I suggest that you or your fiancee begin gathering some of the documents immediately and not wait for the packet 3 stuff (we already have a list of it from visajourney).

The one that took us the longest was the police record (3 weeks!!). Everything else took 1-2 days. Had we began gathering the police record as soon as the NOA2 arrived, my fiancee would probably be with me in the states right now. So if you haven't already gone to the police station to get the record/certificate, do it today if possible! The packet 3 they send you doesn't include anything (maybe 1 or 2 weird things pertaining to your consulate) you can't get by reading the checklists found on this site.

After a mishap with the Sydney Consulate, we've finally managed to get the interview for March 17th 8:00AM.

Oh yes we do. Let me go bump the August thread and update my timeline. Thanks for the reminder!

Based on our experience with the US Immigration/USCIS/Homeland Security (and whatever other affiliates etc that the US government decided to setup) and what I hear from all of you, I've been wondering what made the officers/administrators lose their compassion for other people's welfare and happiness?! Me (Cindy) being a kiwi who grew up in little NZ where the society's norm is to care about others, I find these US officers' heartless behaviour mind-boggling. ..

I hope the US Consulate General officers in Auckland are more professional... I'm shocked to hear that they didn't even bother calling you to confirm the interview appointment! Every one of the medical clinics in Auckland call or text the patient on the day before the appointment to confirm, so why can't the Consulate do it too?

You're exactly right! They didn't even mail my fiancee a letter with the appointment time. They just claim to have emailed her. From what I've heard, they never call anyone on the phone, ever even though they require that you have a valid phone number where they can reach you.

Anyway, it got kicked up to one of the higher ups and they rescheduled her for March 17th 8AM!!! So I think we're good for now. Thank you for the kind words. I hope you and Ed get the NOA2 soon. Please, please be vigilant and call/email the NVC and Consulate each time you deal with them. Do not let the same thing happen to you! So yes after the packet 3 stuff is mailed in, email them 2 or 3 days later and ask if they've received your paperwork and whether or not they've sent out your appointment.

We hope our little mishap will help others avoid these unnecessary roadblocks.

After a busy afternoon I have found out the date NVC received my application the date they sent it to consulate and the date the consulate received it! I'm hoping it won't be long until I receive packet 3!

After you mail in your packet 3 documents, I suggest you follow up with them within a week just in case they tried to send you an interview notification and for whatever reason "didn't get through."

That's what happened to me and my fiancee. They claim to have sent her an interview notification via email but she never received anything. It would have been way fast if this were true. She sent in the packet 3 stuff on Feb 11th express. So let's say they received it on the 12th. They claim to have emailed the interview appointment on Feb 13th for a Feb 24th interview, which my fiancee "didn't show up for." I think it's total BS that someone messed up on but will never admit to.

This is just terrible. Please keep us posted.

I have a quick update. Last night, my fiancee sent an email back to them asking some hard questions like "what additional communications are you referring to which you claim to have sent? a letter? I never received a letter." She also asked for an explanation.

Not surprisingly, the agent who wrote back didn't address any of her questions or make any reference to the fax I've been trying to send them. He/she just said "Please confirm that you want to continue with the application process so we can reschedule you’re appointment."

Of course my fiancee wrote back saying she wants to continue the process and wants to schedule an interview ASAP. The nature in which the question was answered leads us to believe that they realized they messed something up but aren't going to officially admit it.

Why else are they offering to "reschedule" her without pushing back again about requiring my sign/dated letter? This is madness!

So, for those of you who were denied on the VWP and have now successfully entered the US with your visa... did you think you waited longer than others before your NOA2?

The only couple I can find that was denied entry and approved in the recent time frame is Wendy+Greger (Sweden), their NOA2 took 10 1/2 months.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showuser=48469

I know of a few others on here that were denied and approved, but they are not as recent.

I would bet any amount of money those petitions who were denied entry take on average longer to approve. I woudl love to have more specific statistics on that.

We're experiencing some difficulties with the process as well. The weird thing is, we got our NOVA 2 approved in record time (4 months, 10 days), and everything was fast from the NVC to the Sydney Consulate. In fact, when my fiancee submitted the packet 3 paperwork on Feb 11th, the consulate claimed to have sent her the interview appointment on Feb 13th!!! She never received anything in snailmail or email.

We didn't find this out until I asked her to email them to check if they received our packet 3. That's when we found out that she supposedly "missed" her Feb 24th interview date! I don't understand how that's even possible. It's as if they got the packet 3 stuff and in less than a day, turned around and gave her an interview appointment. Now I have to deal with getting our petition "re-validated" so they can reschedule an interview with her. Please all of you, after you do get approved and you submit your packet 3 documents, PLEASE EMAIL THEM to check a few days later. You do not want the same thing to happen to you. My fiancee and I are nervous wrecks right now.

You can read about it in my thread here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=183982

Here's what happened. My fiancee mailed back all of the paperwork from packet 3 on Feb 11th. So they probably received it on Feb 12th or 13th.

Last week, I had my fiancee email them just to check if they received the paperwork. They wrote back saying

The attached e mail was sent to confirm your appointment of February 24, 2009 which you did not attend.

Your I-129F petition will have expired by the time you attend your final visa interview. To revalidate your petition, please have your U.S. citizen fiancé immediately fax this office a signed, dated letter requesting that your petition be extended for an additional four months

The letter from your U.S. citizen fiancé should state his/her intention to still marry you within 90 days of your arrival into the U.S. with the K-1 visa and that you both are still free to marry.

Your application will be extended when the revalidation request is approved. We will only contact you with further instructions if this request has been denied.

Our fax number is [61] (2) 9373-9185. We do not accept re-validation letters via e-mail.

If you have requested that your interview be postponed, please advise our office as to which month you would prefer your new interview to be scheduled for.

Once the request for revalidation has been sent, please contact us for to schedule another appointment.

She checks her email every day and never got any kind of communication from them until we inquired about the paperwork. Furthermore, in the email string, they claim to have sent the interview appointment on Feb 13th. Assuming they received it on Feb 12th, how could they possibly review all of her paperwork then schedule her an interview date, input the appointment in their system, and email her back all in one day? Government agencies are notorious for taking a long time to process stuff so this makes no sense.

So last night, I followed their directions and drafted up a signed/dated letter asking them to revalidate the petition to have it extended for another four months and that we are free to marry and intending to do so within 90 days of my fiancee's arrive in the US with the K-1 visa.

Here's the kicker: the fax number they gave me kept ringing and ringing and eventually timed out!! I called the consulate and got a hold of a nice aussie lady who told me to send it to 9184 and put attention: immigration department. I don't know if it'll get to them so I will try to fax again when they open. Perhaps they turned off their fax machine?

What are your thoughts? We are freaking out here.

Did you check the e-mail address in the forward....maybe they misspelled the email address? Is this usual practice for this consulate, to send interview appt. dates via e-mail?

I would just follow their instructions for re-validation of petition and keep following-up until you get an interview date. Do not let it go more than a couple of days before checking w/ the consulate again...to ensure that you do not miss any communication from them.

-P

The email string did show that the email address was correct. Maybe they had a server problem? I remember that two days before she mailed the paperwork back, their website would not serve the DS-156 form, saying that we do not have permission to view the page (I had my friends try it as well). Then on the day she mailed her paperwork back, she was able to generate this form out. She checks her email all the time too.

Let this be a heads up to everyone here. Please email the consulate a few days after mailing packet 3 back to ensure this does not happen to you!!!

Here's what happened. My fiancee mailed back all of the paperwork from packet 3 on Feb 11th. So they probably received it on Feb 12th or 13th.

Last week, I had my fiancee email them just to check if they received the paperwork. They wrote back saying

The attached e mail was sent to confirm your appointment of February 24, 2009 which you did not attend.

Your I-129F petition will have expired by the time you attend your final visa interview. To revalidate your petition, please have your U.S. citizen fiancé immediately fax this office a signed, dated letter requesting that your petition be extended for an additional four months

The letter from your U.S. citizen fiancé should state his/her intention to still marry you within 90 days of your arrival into the U.S. with the K-1 visa and that you both are still free to marry.

Your application will be extended when the revalidation request is approved. We will only contact you with further instructions if this request has been denied.

Our fax number is [61] (2) 9373-9185. We do not accept re-validation letters via e-mail.

If you have requested that your interview be postponed, please advise our office as to which month you would prefer your new interview to be scheduled for.

Once the request for revalidation has been sent, please contact us for to schedule another appointment.

She checks her email every day and never got any kind of communication from them until we inquired about the paperwork. Furthermore, in the email string, they claim to have sent the interview appointment on Feb 13th. Assuming they received it on Feb 12th, how could they possibly review all of her paperwork then schedule her an interview date, input the appointment in their system, and email her back all in one day? Government agencies are notorious for taking a long time to process stuff so this makes no sense.

So last night, I followed their directions and drafted up a signed/dated letter asking them to revalidate the petition to have it extended for another four months and that we are free to marry and intending to do so within 90 days of my fiancee's arrive in the US with the K-1 visa.

Here's the kicker: the fax number they gave me kept ringing and ringing and eventually timed out!! I called the consulate and got a hold of a nice aussie lady who told me to send it to 9184 and put attention: immigration department. I don't know if it'll get to them so I will try to fax again when they open. Perhaps they turned off their fax machine?

What are your thoughts? We are freaking out here.

Congratulations!