smilingstone

Ah, that sounds more promising than what I've been reading! Is there any way to get confirmation of this from them without roping myself into giving them all my current details? I'm just scared to put more financial pressure on our single income household before I'm able to work. 😔

I did, yes, going to keep it active, see no reason to close it as I also have some direct debits I need to continue paying. I updated my UK account with my US address. I guess my question really revolves around if anyone can provide info on how they determine the repayment amounts and frequency if you're not in the UK and not earning. I've read some say that they update details and SFE just starts to demand money immediately at a much less forgiving rate than the typical UK wage deduction.

Hi VJers, I'm interested in hearing from those who have immigrated from the UK to the US and took student debt with them (specifically Student Finance England debt) and how to approached it. Before moving, my repayments were taken straight from my pay at my last employer. My last pay was in January and since moving to the US in mid-January, I have no income, my husband (USC) is the current sole earner. I'm aware that I should be updating my personal details with them, so that they can chase and rinse me for repayments keep their records up to date, but would like to hear about other's accounts before I move forward with it. Thanks.

Marketing is such a competitive field as it is, even more so in a place like LA, it is unlikely you would get sponsorship with only an undergrad and some work experience. Most people in that field end up doing internships for god knows how long and not even getting paid. There's queues around the corner of citizens who are willing to do that, so really little reason a company would outsource for international candidates. You would be best getting a job in the UK for a company that has offices in the US and eventually requesting a transfer of opportunity presents. It would probably take just as much time securing a sponsor and jumping through those hoops as it would a spousal visa.

Ah sorry about that! Silly me thinking they'd have all local offices directly contactable.....

No idea why they're so insistent on making you call the national number. The wait times are ridiculous. I've had good results with using the Social Security Office Locator, entering my zip and it should provide the address, phone number and fax of your nearest office. Much shorter wait times.

I was contesting with an arrest from 2005 (I was 14 at the time) for shoplifting. It didn't affect my personal nor professional life either - clean DBS and a productive career. When it came to me gathering everything for my own visa journey, I had similar feelings to you. This was something I did as a stupid teenager, thinking I was cool. I got so down about the thought of some mistake in my past possibly ruining the plans me and my now-husband had for our future, because how was I supposed to know back then that I'd be in the position I was when filing? I'm having the same feelings now that I'm filing for my GC, as I've had to tick YES on the very scary questions of having ever been arrested or convicted of any crime, at any time, anywhere. But you will move past it. I find comfort in the thought that 20 years have passed since my arrest and that is to my advantage. I am unsure if my arrest was less than 5 years ago if I'd still be in the same position. Your last arrest was only 4 years ago. I read online people advise to apply after 5 years from the arrest, but some say 10, perhaps to do with severity. The wound is fresh because you're missing out on a good time with your friends, and as you say, they got to go despite apparent dishonesty - however, this may come back to bite them in the future, who knows what plans they may have. It is always best to be truthful and transparent with these things. You did the right thing, even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment.

There's a few success stories on here of people doing stints in prison for much more serious crimes and as they waited a much longer time and evidenced good character through employment and other ventures, were able to successfully obtain a tourist visa. Not what you want to hear, but keep things in perspective, atleast you're only missing out on a wrestling show. Plenty more of the world to see with no visa requirements. You'll have opportunity to visit in future, you just need to wait this one out and make an effort in the mean time to better yourself on paper to appease the CO. Good luck!

I found an older post from someone who had a request for their CV, from London embassy: OP's country of origin and/or education/emploment history (if TAL related) may have flagged a need for more detail.

Wow, really bad idea to just hand that off to a stranger with a copy of your CV, which I imagine includes your personal details like email, number, etc. If you have to provide your CV to the embassy, you should post it properly in an addressed envelope and I would also include a cover letter detailing your name, case number, interview date, etc.

Why didn't you put it in an envelope addressed to the embassy, like any other post? :S Are you from the UK? Did your interview instructions state to bring your CV? I had my interview only 6 months ago and nothing asked for my CV. Although I did actually take a copy in case I required supporting evidence of good character as I had a criminal charge from 2005, in any event, it wasn't asked for and I wouldn't have taken it if I wasn't contesting with a charge.

Conversely, I left boxes blank as I hated the idea of putting N/A for things like a previous name or spouse and it being taken as me stating my previous name or spouse was "N/A" and didn't want an RFE asking me to evidence as much. Perhaps stupidly, I didn't refer to the USCIS instructions, but followed some YouTube videos which left boxes blank. I guess I'll be interested to find out if this comes back to bite me.

You really can't plan out a schedule like this. You should get in the mindset that it may take 12+ months to get approval, and then it is anyone's guess as to when the interview will be arranged, visa received, travel planned, etc. There are many factors that could cause delays on processing, namely RFEs but more recently reported potential staff cuts within USCIS which, if this happens, will no doubt have an impact on processing timeframes. The majority of K1s have to continue our relationships while apart from our partners before approval, this is just the reality of the situation. It is probably best that you both come to terms with this becoming your reality also. If it isn't, then that would be amazing for you. Good luck.

Sorry, that was a typo - I meant 1 year. If your vaccination worksheet was ticked as complete, as @alliejourney advised, then you don't need either, but considering you have a separate thread asking for a vaccination waiver, I assume this isn't the case for you.

I had the same confusion and followed the same advice given here. Along with a copy of my DS3025, I also included a cover letter which quoted the I-693 instructions specific to non-requirement to K1s filing within 1 month and specified the date and location of my medical.

Under what circumstances will you be staying in the US while your I-129F is pending? From what I understand, Canadians can stay up to 6 months, but processing time will exceed this.

It's always a risk but a sling as she arrives with plenty of evidence to prove her ties to home country, it shouldn't be a problem. Also important to note, has she visited previously? If so, for how long for each trip? Has she spent any amount of time in the US that may make CBP think that she is trying to live here and subvert the visa process? General rule is to spend twice the amount of time outside the US, compared to within. I visited with my K1 pending, it was en route to the embassy. I did what I advised above, took employment contract, letter from employer, rental contract, bank statements, etc. They didn't ask for any of it and I got through, but if they did and I didn't have it, it may have been a different story. I didn't want to risk it.

Wow, 2 days? That's crazy fast!

In theory, yes, but the general rule is to spend at least twice the amount of time outside the US than within the US, in order to not get hassled at POE for trying to live here (not guaranteed).

Recent AOS filer here also and I didn't bother with the I-131. It's too costly both in terms of time and money, defeating the purpose of enabling travel with little warning if needed.

Oh, sorry, for some reason I read what you said as never having worked. My bad! You should be fine to visit so soon after filing, but I would advise taking something just incase - maybe something that evidences your sons place at the school, and a copy of his birth cert showing he is your son? Happy to help.

Me and my now-husband filed after our second in-person meeting. We had a single picture together, and I had Airbnb receipt, boarding passes to/from US, flight itineraries. Alongside this we included screenshots of texts that spanned over an approx. 6 month period, with around 2 screenshots per month. All of our supporting evidence, both images and documents, we embedded as images on a Word document with headings on each page detailing the contents of that page, "Page X of Y", and our names to specify who the evidence related to: "Boarding Passes to the USA for MY NAME dated Month XXth Year", etc. We printed it all off on standard letter-size printing paper. You only need to ensure that you have signed/dated any and all of the "Additional Information" parts of the 129F application. If you miss this, you will get an RFE asking you to do-so, adding more time on to your wait. We took our passport pictures ourselves. I used a passport photo app on my phone and then multiplied them on a 6x4in template, then printed on the same size photo paper, cut them to size. Our order of documents was: 1) Two Passport-Sized Photos (Petitioner, Beneficiary) 2) Form G-1145 for E-Notification of Application Acceptance (1 Page) 3) Application Fee of $535 via Cashier’s Check 4) Form I-129F, Petition for K-1 Fiancé(e) for Beneficiary (14 Pages) 5) Proof of Meeting Within the Last 2 Years: - Confirmation of Approved ESTA for Beneficiary (5 Pages) - Airline Tickets & Flight Itinerary [November 2023] (3 Pages) - Airbnb Reservation [November 2023] (1 Page) - Boarding Passes to and from the USA for Beneficiary [November 2023] (2 Pages) - Picture Together [November 2023] (1 Page) - Airline Tickets & Flight Itinerary [March 2024] (2 Pages) - Boarding Passes to the USA for Beneficiary [March 2024] (1 Page) 6) Proof of Relationship: - Communication Transcripts (10 Pages) 7) Fiancé Letter of Intent to Marry within 90 days, executed by Petitioner (1 Page) 8) Fiancée Letter of Intent to Marry within 90 days, executed by Beneficiary (1 Page) 9) Statement of Circumstances of Meeting (2 Pages) 10) Proof of United States Citizenship for Petitioner (2 Pages) 11) Passport Copy for Beneficiary (1 Page) 12) Form I-94, Travel History for Beneficiary (2 Pages) If you haven't had any employment, then my guess would be that there's nothing to detail because what date would you put being employed from? Legal working age in your country? I'm unsure on that, but your income isn't really looked at here so it isn't a problem. However, a note on this: Having few ties to your country of origin may become an obstacle for you if you plan to visit while your application is being reviewed, as CBP will regard you as at a higher risk of overstaying the closer you get to visa approval. For what it's worth, I went on 1 further trip after filing, with this being when my 129F was approved and at NVC. I anticipated hassle at the POE so arrived loaded with documents to support my return to the UK: bank statement evidencing address, tenancy agreement, employment contract, letter from manager. They didn't ask for anything in the end, but had they did and I not have any of it, they could have refused my entry thinking I am so close to the end goal that I may just decide to stay. Good luck with your journey!

Hi VJ I couldn't seem to find a thread for April 2025 AOS filers so thought I could start it off. We only sent everything off yesterday (April 7th) evening, so I have no timeline updates to share yet but look forward to doing so. We had hoped for a March filing, but life got the better of us. Better late than never, even if only 10 days from the end of my lawful presence! If you have filed this month and have any questions or info to share, please do-so! On this topic, I'm curious to see how Trump's pause on GC processing will affect us - and anyone who files in subsequent months. I am anticipating a looooooong wait...

This is pretty much what me and my now-husband (USC) also did. :-)

Embassies vary but my understanding is that generally if the medical results are not received at the point of interview, they will just issue a 221g pending the results. This does not mean denied, just that they refuse to issue the visa before having all required documents. I think this is a common issue for people, as it can be tricky to get the timing right. In my own experience, my medical was 1 week before my interview and I was fully prepared for a 221g as everything said to allow a minimum of 2 weeks between them, but those were the only dates I could make work due to work commitments and needing to travel 250 miles each way to and from the medical/embassy. Luckily, it didn't come to that for me but I would advise you come to terms with the possibility too.