Nywoek

Just wanted to say I love all your replies! I did not mean to abandon this thread. XD Since we are looking at us hopefully arriving in the summer, we will need to get married by fall.. probably closer to arrival than the deadline. Yesterday we talked about a Vegas wedding. I just want us to wear something nice and get some photos with my kiddos. We can plan a big party for everyone later, in a few years or so. 😃

I wish I had heard from the embassy, but I haven`t and I am getting more and more anxious because I know they only offer one day with k1 appointments a week. At least they did last year.. I am probably overthinking/worrying this, because I dont even want an appointment until probably either very late may or june at the earliest, but how nice would it be to be able to finally plan all these trips and the actual move?! Since my kids dont need visas this feels like a very silly reason to delay stuff, but I also want to do things right. 😕 And they were so quick to send my FTP letter so I dont know why it is taking much longer with a response to an email. I worry they dont have my contact info or something.. I was considering calling during my lunch hour at work today, but it has come and gone and I might just wait until monday. I really hope I can schedule this before I leave for my trip tuesday. Also.. looking at plane ticket prices for july is... woha. X.x Not for the faint of heart, lol. But my fiance is suggesting maybe he comes to help and then we go "home" together. Might be nice. 😃

You book your interview on the scheduling website i talked about, that’s also where you pay the fee. I know how you feel, I haven’t found anyone in my shoes since we applied last august lol. Well some but they arrived in the usa last year so I didn’t know if things had changed at the embassy since december since they added all those countries. What I have gathered though is that there aren’t a lot of K-visas coming through Stockholm, and that they only let you pick one day a week, last I heard it was mondays. But I’ll keep posting here to update on our journey so I can be helpful for future northerners.

This is lovely! Congratulations to you both. ^___^

I kinda did things the wrong way around, I made an account with the payment/scheduling website and then the form asked me "did you do your DS160?" and I went... noooo? So then I went and did that! However this was all after nvc sent my case to Stockholm. I only had to wait 2 days for it to reach them/say ready so that is when I went ahead and completed the DS160. Today I got the letter from Stockholm, and it has only been 3 office/working days since it was set to ready so they move quickly over there. So by the time nvc sends your papers to them I would start the DS160. 😃 The scheduling website will tell you not to schedule your interview until you get the email though, but the DS160 takes a while (SAVE IT EVERY CHANCE YOU GET!!!!) so just get that done. A lot of it is the same as the i129f though, so pull that up for reference.^^ I wouldnt wait a month to ask NVC for the case number. I would ask for it politely next week. Just be sure to ask for the NVC number specifically, we sent them a mail they got confused by. XD But to be fair you dont actually need the NVC number, it just makes it possible for you to monitor progress. But the only thing that happens is that it reaches NVC and they send it to the embassy, and the embassy has post dates every 2 weeks so between when they get it and the post dates you will be checking it in vain. When they mail it you will get the FTP. But there is no harm asking for it early, just be polite and wait for them to respond to the first PI until you send another. 😃

First i got stuck on a recording with them listing all sorts of k1 info lol. Was starting to worry it was impossible to talk to an actual person and get an answer to my very specific question.. But then a nice guy who was probably located somewhere in asia and not Sweden picked up, and he had to confirm all my info and then could not answer me so he ended up having to email the embassy and then the embassy will email me back.. lol. So I might as well have emailed them instead of calling an international swedish number. But its fine, he thought I probably dont need to add the kids, but just wanted to make sure he was correct and I want to do this right so I am grateful for his efforts. Guess I am stuck waiting for a bit longer to schedule! But things seem to be moving along nicely atleast.

I got the letter today! Also a bunch of jabs. Owie. XD My youngest got her measels booster early, they usually get them in 6th grade here, but since there are measles outbreaks the vaccine clinic recommended I just give it to her now. She should be set for the rest of her life after this dose too. 😃 Both the kids also got the combo hep a+b, they dont technically need it for immigration purposes since they are citizens, but they need it for school. I also got hep b and a booster for tetanus and all the other ones. XD ..but we still have to go back in a month and get another hep dose, plus another within 6 months to a year to be covered completely. So that last one we will be doing in the US. 😃 Anyway, I got the letter! Signed in to continue the scheduling/payment, but I had to stop again since they want me to list my dependants and I know I do not need visas for the kids but maybe I still need to register them?`I was planning to bring their CRBAs to Stockholm.. also my NVC number shows 3 cases and I think it is because of them so I am going to call them right now before they close for the day to hear how to proceed! Either way, super excited. ^____^

I am from Norway, but also interviewing in Stockholm. Our case got sent to Stockholm last week, but after doing my DS160 I went on to pay and the site for Stockholm told me to wait for an invoice number or something, so I am waiting to see if I hear from them. The case only reached them Thursday, so it makes sense I have not heard anything. NVC sent our case pretty much as soon as they were able to, so Stockholm seems like an embassy without a backlog. 😃

Our case went into transit last tuesday, and by thursday it said "Ready". 😃 But I have not heard from the embassy yet, so even if I filled out my DS160 I have not been able to schedule an interview yet.

Yeah I know, I have found /no one/ that is ahead of me since they made changes last december lol. I have an update thread in the sub forum for this k1 forum, its called progress and something-something. I have been documenting a lot, so if you wanna ask questions or check up on it you can read about it there or message me if you want. 😃 And I think you still have to register? Even with an ESTA? Because you dont do an interview process with the ESTA, they dont take your biometrics and such. But I could be wrong. I know they took mine when I entered the country, so maybe that is enough?

If you are staying a month or more I think you have to look into the new alien registration. https://www.uscis.gov/alienregistration More hoops to jump through. But we do it! 😅 And Finnish applicant go to Stockholm, like me (Norwegian)! And NVC sent my case straight there so I don’t think there is a backlog but I am still waiting for a letter from them. 🙈

I am wondering the same thing now. 🙈😅 How long did it take for you?

Thanks you guys, you are very sweet and supportive. I finished the DS160 today. Phew! But success! Then I logged on to the consulate website, but they told me I need an email from them before moving forward. So I really hope they have the right contact info for me. XD Also checked our NVC case number and it says ready! So I guess it reached the embassy already, that is cool. ^-^

Oh my what a day.. XD Decided to follow your advice and get started on things TB! But I think I misunderstood so I started with the consulate login, and that was a whole mess. I ended up having to make a third account, and a new official looking email address, lol. But I am crafty, and I never give up, so I eventually got it to work.. only to get stuck at needing my DS160 number lol! So.. onwards I went to that part! And I remember telling my fiance that its pretty cool that I get to submit this online, since the i129f was on paper.. ..i regret that, i take it back, please! Let me use paper! XD XD It is very very buggy. And I was very very very overwhelmed. And then the website bugged out and who did not have the retrival number? MOIS! However... like I said I am crafty, because I clicked back in the browser and the application # was showing for like 0.03 seconds so I think to myself... why dont I just screen record it? And pause it on the number I need? Worth a shot! It worked! Lmao. So.. onwards and upwards. My fiance was working late from home so we were both dealing with stuff on a call.. he broke something at work he had to fix and I felt like I was breaking my brain. 🙈 I kept going insane over the buggy website. At one point they asked if I have ever visited the US.. yes? But when I had finally put in all.. I think 11 times I have gone, then it was TOO many filled in fields and I got kicked out. I mean I got kicked out a lot but that one stung a little extra. So I had to delete the two first trips.. one was from 2002 and definitely an estimate so.. its probably fine. But I managed to fit the contents of my I-94 on the form, so that is good. I kept going and going and going.. and now I am at the photo, but I am in no mood to take that so maybe tomorrow! But that is probably at the end... right? XD It has been a frustrating time, but it feels good that everything is moving along (fairly) nicely!

Well I fixed my second account where I could still input Sweden. I got rid of the error message by adding some numbers to my secondary email, because I was using the same one for my second account. That fixed that problem. However, I am very concerned about this name business. My passport has a part where it says my name with two As. My esta has two As because that is how I registered it. My NVC papers only has one.. probably because my fiance wrote it that way on our papers. But the website clearly states: "Applicant's first and last name should match the name mentioned on their passport and cannot be modified after it is entered." So I think i have to make a third account with the double As and Sweden as my country. Sigh.

Yeah, I figured. 😕 Guess I will have to make a third account, because it seems the second one has been banned.

I can still log into the original account, so something obviously went wrong with account number two. Sigh. It is confusing though, the wording says "Country from which you are applying". Can I still use Norway, even if I need to go to Sweden? I mean Im still applying FROM Norway? I feel very... not smart. ;_;

Is this still the right place to post this? Im not sure. Anyway. I went to the Swedish embassy page to continue the application process, and they had me make an account with them. However, I am confused on two fronts: 1. They made a big deal about my name. I have a norwegian letter in it, so I cant use my actual name. The problem is that in my ftp letter they write it with one A, but in my passport it both says the norwegian letter Å but at the bottom with a bunch of numbers it is replaced with two As. An Å is basically two As so that makes sense, but since nvc has my name with an A should I also do that? In the 129f application we wrote it with an A plus in the section where you can add special characters we spelled it correctly. My ESTA however, spells it with two As.. 2. I started off with an account and it asks for my country. So I picked Norway, because it isnt asking for where I want my appointment. But then when I managed to sign in it is stuck on Norway so now I dont even know if I can make an appointment? This is very confusing to me. X_X I am assuming this should be Sweden, since that is where I have to interview? I started off making an account, writing the name like the nvc letter and picking Norway. Then I made another when I realized the mistake. I used a different email, but it might be on file as my second email? Now I cannot log in at all... Should I make a third account? At that point I might need a new email. What a mess. X_X Luckily I havent put in my passport info or anything yet.

I had never heard of orange chicken or general tsos before I visited america. XD We have a nice place in my hometown, but I am picky so I will often do the sweet and sour pork, lol. Closest I have been to real chinese food was eating it in Hong Kong. But they used knuckles in the pork and I was not a fan. 🙈

Time spent in person could also be documented with a print of your travel history, I think it makes a nice addition with photos. 😃 You can get it here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/search/history-search

AN ACTUAL UPDATE! I was checking the website, because someone in a fb groupchat said their case moved to in transit. They were about a week ahead of us, but then a little while later my fiance sent me the k-ftp letter so we are also in transit. Now I am not sure what to do. Should I start my application? People have told me it should be fine that I will be getting a new passport between now and when I am doing the interview, but isnt it better to do the application with the new passport? I wont have it until probably the middle of may though. X_X

So happy for all you guys! Hopefully everyone will be approved shortly. ^-^

We probably did not need all our trips. I had visited 7 times at the time we sent it in, and he had been to norway 3 times. But in my head it makes sense. All you really need is prove you have met in person and for your relationship to seem real. So 20-30 pages of pictures is not really needed, but now it kinda looks like a fun scrapbook lol. The video call photos I added were on just one page, and mostly of us opening presents together, me and him around christmas and him and my kids opening stuff on their birthdays. No rfes, we got approved january 31st. Got sent to state 20 days later, now we have had our case number a few weeks and I am really hoping the case gets sent to embassy today or tomorrow, because they only do that every two weeks. Wont be able to do the interview stuff until then, but I am also waiting for a new passport so I might wait until may to fill in the next forms and stuff anyway. Im currently getting vaccines in order. 😃 Good luck with your application! It is honestly more important to make sure you fill in everything correctly and send in the other documentation; with that many meetings and photos it should be just fine.

I had the same thought, so we decided to make a page dedicated to each visit, bot me to the us and him to norway, and then we just put them in order. We added some photos, descriptions and possible scanned tickets. I recommend adding your passport "stamps", these are available online. It shows you entered the country, looks nice and only takes up a page. 😃 We added one page with screenshots from video calls, but no texts because we have talked daily since 2022 so I would not know where to begin. Also added a scanned train ticket to Boston with our names. And the receipt for my engagement ring. Try not to overdo it, so if you want to cover every trip, a page or so should be enough, and then if you want to add some compelling evidence in addition you can make an extra page or two. 😅

My fiance has a very very sweet older cat lady who is.. absolutely obsessed with him. She loves on him constantly, and merely tolerates everyone else, although she likes to sit in the middle of room when he has people over. I have spent every visit giving her both space and any cuddles she comes and asks for. She seems to like me, enough. Nothing compared to him, ofcourse, but I am in the top 3. The last time I visited, in October, she was sitting on his lap and headbutted him (which she does all the time), and she turned to me, I put my head forward... and she headbutted me too. I would say I nearly cried, but that would be a lie, because I full-on cried. XD He is not the only one working hard to make sure he has a good relationship with his future step-kids! XD And I love her so much already, lol. (Could never have my own cat, my mom was allergic).