rbv_shard

And yes, get it before the wedding, because the K-1 visa expires upon marriage.

The numbers right now in VJ trackers are about 6 months longer for CR-1 vs K-1 (current NOA2 are being sent for June 2024 for CR-1 and for Dec 2024 for K-1). Result is K-1 gets the beneficiary into the US faster, but CR-1 gets the beneficiary a green card faster. Don't let anyone twist your arm into thinking CR-1 is better than K-1. Give due consideration to both, understanding the process for each and then make a decision about what's best for your situation. For my fiancee and I the K-1 was a significantly better choice, we filed in February and our estimate for NOA2 is October.

There is a US embassy in Mozambique, but it says "pause on non-immigrant visas", so NVC may indeed have sent the case to South Africa for the interview. https://mz.usembassy.gov/visas/ It's not clear why that would be, nor whether K-1 is included in the pause. Mozambique is not on the latest group of countries where non-essential travel is being denied. You said both petitioner and beneficiary are Venezuelan. Venezula IS on the ban list, and if the US government is not accepting official documents from Venezula, then your friends may have a problem. I'd chase down whether their birth certificates, background checks (will be needed from Venezuela and all countries of employment including Mozambique), and other vital records are even going to be accepted before arranging beneficiary's travel to Johannesburg. Having an interpreter definitely seems like a good idea because the document check has high potential to get very complicated. This isn't a DIY situation. There is probably no hope of success considering the ban looks at nationality, not residence or where the interview takes place. It's also probably worth asking for a review of the full document list (don't post copies of the documents, but e.g. title, issuing agency, and date of issue for each one is important information). Do they have dates set for document review, medical exam, embassy interview? How fast is the document review approaching?

Couples that follow the tradition of one breadwinner, one homemaker don't necessarily need work authorization (if the USC is the breadwinner). Yes, I know that's very last century, but it's what the K-1 is designed for, and that's reflected in other ways too (such as needing evidence of approval of families). In such a situation the faster arrival in the US means less time supporting separate households and less travel, which can make the K-1 more cost-effective in total despite the higher fees. (That does assume that K-1 is faster processing than CR-1, which is not guaranteed and varies with agency priorities, but for traditionalists, having that processing overlap with the engagement period also is a benefit)

You need to understand that this is completely wrong. Immigration is under jurisdiction of the federal government, and marijuana is banned under federal law. It doesn't matter if state and local officials turn a blind eye to it. Coming from a high risk country, the two of you need to avoid any possible problem. He needs to stop using, urgently, and stay clean after his arrival in the USA. Even residue of marijuana smoke on his clothes or luggage could cause scrutiny that you really don't want.

Have you checked what the minimum enrollment at your university is for full-time status? It may feel wasteful if tuition is the same for 12 credits or 18, to take only 12, but you may find it practical to maintain enrollment while working.

Yes February 2025 filing here, not a peep from USCIS yet. But I see that December filers are getting NOA2 now. If you create your timeline, VJ will predict when your NOA2 comes.

The one time inside the US you must assert your single status is when applying for the marriage license, and most places they'll just take your (written and signed) attestation. But if you already have such a document, bringing it when applying for the marriage license is certainly a good idea.