Hi everyone,
This is my first post. My visa process was so smooth and quick so there wasn't much to tell or ask. I do want to tell people reading that are still IN the process not to worry as much as I did! If you are well prepared and you have nothing to lie about, you will be fine! I was standing at the interview with a massive pile of all kinds of evidence and all my forms and copies and nearly all I had to say was 'and this is the permit of my fiancé from when he lived here for 10 years with me...'. After that she wanted to know what the marriage plans were and what type of work we were going to do and didn't look at any other evidence. I watched a lot of videos in preparation for this that said 'short answers' but I do not think that is always the smartest. I am a talker and when she asked me how we met I told her the whole timeline right after that and she seemed to be pleased instantly. I do realize having lived together for 10 years is a big help but I do think they like to see you talk about your relationship other than giving short answers as if you have something to hide. I saw people there missing all kinds of important documents (like divorce papers, evidence and support and stuff like that) and they were even approved pending those documents. They will have a delay so not something you want, but the whole ordeal was a lot more relaxed than I thought. I only had a week delay because my medical exam was sent in late by the clinic and apparently that takes a week to arrive at the consulate because it goes through the embassy first.
Anyway , today my K1 visa status changed from refused and then approved to ISSUED so I should get my passport + visa soon as the consulate here is very quick. I do have some questions though about the next steps as I am of course already stressing out and trying to be overly prepared for the next steps. I am moving on a K1 visa from The Netherlands to the USA (POE Detroit).
1. Apparently you get a brown sealed envelope you need to bring with you. I did not receive it at the consulate, will that be shipped with my passport or is that sent electronically from the Amsterdam Consulate?
2. I am bringing our cat with me on the plane (my fiancé has lived here with me for 10 years, hence 'our' cat). I have contacted the state and the CDC and both said there are no rules or regulations for importing a cat into Michigan. I did read she will get a check at customs. Does anyone have any experience with this? Will I be there when she is checked (or else good luck to the officer!)?
3. I want to bring quite some boxes of personal belongings, around 20-30 boxes. I plan on shipping them with Fedex and I saw I need to fill out customs form 3299 but it's a bit confusing. They make a distinction between household effects and personal effects and for personal effects it says 'for residents only'. Am I a (temporary at least) resident when I enter on a K1 or do I have to wait for my green card? If anyone has more information as to how to correctly fill in this form I would be forever grateful. I have had a box stuck at UPS once and that was an expensive ordeal.
4. Can I ship my stuff ahead of me moving or do I need to wait until I actually go? I have a flight on April 8th but I would rather ship my stuff as soon as possible.
5. We plan to marry as soon as possible and I will send in the forms for my AOS right after. As my father is having health issues I will also fill out form I-131, does anyone know how long it takes for that to be approved? I would assume not as long as the green card because otherwise what's the use of I-131?
6. When sending in I-485, the forms I-131 and I-765 are free of charge right? I would only have to pay an additional fee for my I-601 if I got that right? And I see that they have upped the fees per April 1st, just my luck 😆).
7. I got a CD with my x-ray from the doctor which I have to bring with me on the plane, but I noticed it's not sealed. They sealed it at the hospital, then I brought it back to the clinic and they opened it and gave it back to me open. Is that an issue? Should I go back and ask them to seal it or does that cd not have to be sealed?
8. When I get into the US, how do I go about getting an SS#, a bank account and change my driver's license to a MI driver's license? And what did you guys do with your bank accounts in your former country? I would assume I will be able to keep that for a bit?
Sorry for the long list, I like to be prepared! Any info would be much appreciated. There is not much information about K1 visas from Dutchies online, this forum is a blessing!