David Allen
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Posts posted by David Allen
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The information posted on the USCIS website is not necessarily very accurate. When I was waiting for our NOA2 approval I would go to the Immigration timeline on this website:
http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/k1list...?cfl=&op3=1
You can set the filters so you only see results from your own Service Center.
and expand the number of rows to display to about 2000 or so rows and sort by NOA1 receivied. If you have expanded enough rows - you should be able to scroll down and find your NOA1 date and then scroll to where you start seeing NOA2s around the curret date. You can guage when they sent in their NOA1s and get a better idea where they really stand. As VJ members update their NOA2's you'll get a pretty good feel for how fast thier moving - though some cases take longer than others if there are issues.
Good luck.
-David
I tried to log in to my USCIS website to check my status but I couldn't get into my account so i called the customer service thinking since i couldn't get my status online that might mean i have been approved or they are updating my status to reflect the approval only to be told by the customer service person [i finally got through to a human] that I still have to wait for 73 more days because right now VSC is dealing with December petitions. I am really tired of all this waiting. I told her i will be out of the timeline in 73 days and she said to call back if that happens [as if i will get a human to answer my questions again] I told her why are people who filed after me getting their approval if they are truly working on December petitions, she couldn't answer the question. I don't really make a fuss about things but I am just frustated, can't go for a visit cos i don't have vacation time nor the money for that right now. This is truly frustrating, is there anything i can do right now [Please don't say you need to be patient] I am already doing that and believe me it's not fun. Just needed to vent.
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I would tend to agree that there probably isn't anything to worry about if the USCIS lady said everything was done correctly. Yes, Google and this website are filled with Immigration horror stories, but those are always the ones you'll hear about. Who's going to post articles about successfully delaying a USCIS apointment?? This wasn't a last second request to change out of negligence. Besides.. their anniversary trip also provides better evidence that their marriage is real.
Quite honnestly I am often skeptical of some of these horror stories because I doubt they tell the whole story. So far both in our case, and the cases of my friends, I have not seen the USCIS or the Embassy staff act out in any arbitrary ways - even when things didn't exactly go the way I had expected. They could have been more helpful and provided more direction or have been quicker to respond, but in the end it was my fault for not having our paperwork together the way it should have been, and I should have done better than a minimal effort in providing more evidence of our relationship. I must say they've been pretty even handed - even after I responded rather poorly at being sent back for more evidence of relationship for our K1 interview. (yes - after rescheduling)
-David
I am applying common sense here. I admit that this might not be a good thing to do when dealing with a government agency that has a paramount decision in one's personal case to make, but I do it anyway.They are celebrating their second wedding anniversary. They booked their trip and paid for everything already. At this point in time they can't cancel or they lose a fortune. I think that's a valid reason to reschedule. They filled out the appropriate form, played it by the book. I don't think they have to be scared shitless because of it.
Yes, it's unfortunate that these two dates interfere, but it won't be the end of the world and I doubt that that fact alone is reason for a negative decision in their case.
My two cents.
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A good friend of mine is trying to figure out the best method of getting a visa to the UK for his girlfriend. (Their equivilent of the K1 or K3 I guess) Since VisaJourney.com has been so helpfull, I was wondering if there might be a UK version of VJ that someone could recommend?
Thanks.
-David
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You can definitely do it yourself, all you need to do is just take a little time to pay attention to detail. It seems overwhelming at first but once you get into it it's not so bad.
My fiance and I actually wound up filling in the forms about 3 times - we were temporarily engaged about a year ago, but decided we weren't ready just yet, but had filled in the forms twice (first time was a practice run) anyway. We got engaged again, officially, in April, and doing the paperwork all over again was much easier since we knew what to expect. I definitely suggest just going through everything once or twice until you're familiar with it, corresponding with the guides and sample forms you'll find here on VJ, and writing down any questions you have so that you can come back and ask. We're all happy to help you through the process and since most of us have done / are doing it for themselves with no lawyers, we can speak from experience.
Welcome to VJ and best of luck on your journey!
I very much agree... With a bit of help from this website and good attention to detail, it isn't that difficult to do it yourself - provided your personal situations don't present any unusual problems. In our case I think not being especially organized or that attentive to detail probably cost us an extra 5 months. (ok - so it was mostly my attention to detail) I'm not saying that you necessarily need to have a lawyer do it for you.. but if you do decide to do it yourself, then make sure you read this website thouroughly and ask a lot of questions. You can usually get some good answers to your questions in a lot shorter time than it takes to get in touch with a lawyer.
-David and Supattra
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Thanks all. Much appreciated.
Congratulations!
:thumbs: -
That is not true. It doesn't matter... Any Door frame would be better supported than being under the mid section of a ceiling where something could fall on your head. In your average 1 or 2 story home the greatest dangers would be something like non-anchored book cases o other heavy objects falling on you or a gas leak. In a doorway you are usually protected from heavy objects falling on you, unless someone is a practicle joker and has propped up an anvil or open bucket of paint over an open door like in the cartoons.
To answer the original question though - California is a beautiful state. I have lived here just about my entire life in both northern and southern Ca.. unfortunately - it's been taken over by nutjobs so everyone is taxed to death - but the weather is nice and there is much to see and do all over the state. I cannot wait to show my fiancee around - especially wine country.
-David
they say standing in the doorway is a big no-no as most are not load bearing walls, same goes for getting under a table etc..... the best thing they say to do is crouch beside a large piece of furniture.. if something falls it will hit that first -
It's been over 1 year in the making, but last week our Visa was finally approved, and my fiancee just picked up her visa at the US Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand today!!!!
Thank you VisaJourney and the VJ community for all the help and encouragment. A September wedding ought to be nice..
-David and Supattra
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I don't buy into your arguements. Most people do have health care, and even those without it are still able to get treatment. At least we're not left to die waiting in lines for care like in other socialist countries. The financial problems are not as you describe due to "greedy corporations". The problems are all due to GREEDY CITIZENS (and illegal immigrants) who think they're entitled to buy homes they cannot afford. Giving those ill fated loans was the bright idea of our ever socialist growing government. The banks and Wall Street where the ones left holding the bag when it all came crashing down.
Eventually - the people will feel the same type of pain we went through in the Jimmy Carter years - and a new generation will learn that socialism just doesn't work - and that people need to live within their means. As long as the first and second ammendments stay in place - there is always hope for the USA.
-David
with no more jobs to offer, professionel with degrees who had their jobs shipped to india now working McDonald's jobs, no health care for their citizens, the country going down with trillion$$$ in national debt. Unhapiness among the US population is skyrocketing compares to other nations. Over spending on luxuries we can't afford and greedy corporations who back us up with sub-prime loans, growing gap between the struggling middle class and the riches, the exhausting rat race for having more stuff than the Joneses now become a race just to stay above the water, broken families and children idolazing studid rock stars and models over their prozac filled parents who are drowned in credit card debt and over valued estates, China loaning us money so we can buy their own produced ####### at Walmart who hires illegal workers at discounted salaries.Is it the end for our beautiful USA?
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hi everyone, wish you all a great weekend. i have this question, and hope someone can help. on some my forms the box is not big enough to hold all i write, and it puts a (+) on it, but when i go to print them, the (+) is still there, and it don't show all i wrote, how do i fix this so that i can print what i wrote?
thanks for your help,
charleen
I had that problem too, with her address information. Just answer on a seperate piece of paper titled additional answers for form I-129F or whatever form it is. Enumerate which questions you are providing the full information.
-David
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LOL - no. I was refering more to the scam aspect from Tuk Tuk drivers to Those sellilng gems. Thankfully, I did my homework before visiting.
I have to ask... was this your first time in BKK??? Most people who have spent time in Bangkok usually learn very quickly not to respond to people appearing out of nowhere with offers too good to be true.-David
Hmmmm... did somebody pick up a katoey on Sukhumvit, and was shocked to discover the "surprise" within? -
About the only "Help" it would be would be to prove you've met her in the last two years. Other than that, there's no benefit to having a pregnant wife. The kid wouldn't have any problem getting a visa - but it doesn't help your GF.
Dude, seriously, are you like 13 or something? Use a condom, pull that little winkie you call a ####### out of that hole and release it some other place but dont try to use a pregancy to speed up the process. This would back fire on you 100% and besides what happens if you break up, now you put this woman who happens to come from a poorer country into a bad finacial situation, she will also be looked down upon by other pinoy (loss of reputation). Come on man you the head on your shoulders, not the other one.And in our case, I was able to get a expidite filed based on my wife being preggy....the key word here is WIFE. They could care less for a non-family based petition.
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I have to ask... was this your first time in BKK??? Most people who have spent time in Bangkok usually learn very quickly not to respond to people appearing out of nowhere with offers too good to be true.
-David
When I was researching getting a K1 Visa in Bangkok and went to the Embassy, it was closed, but there was a man standing in front that said he worked for an agency across the street. Long story short, I ended up using this agency that is supposed to assist in getting a visa. It cost me a pretty penny... $1800 to be exact which I put on my credit card..... I thought they were saying $1800 Baht, but they were talking dollars.In hindsight, I think I could have done everything they are doing, and saved a lot of money. But, it's too late I already paid them, and pretty much what they did so far, was fill out all the paperwork for me, which was 2 different forms, and put it in a package for me to send with a payment to Homeland Secuirty. I thought they would be submitting something in Thailand, but then I realized that the whole process starts here in the USA. I am reading people's timelines, and I see that it takes a good 4-6 months for the whole process, some longer.
I am about to submit the forms on April 13th.... I wish I had known that it was as simple as it was to fill out the forms, as I could have had this paperwork in February when I returned from Thailand to the states. Instead I waited for this agency to put it together for me, but it took a while for my fiancee to get all the appropriate documents, and then when I did get the package I was short on cash so I had to wait until I had $455 to send with the package.
My question is has anyone used one of these agencies? Do you think I was ripped off, knowing that I could do all this myself? I am not sure if having this agency will be useful later on in the process??
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I agree with some of the later posts and would think you were not necessarily scammed. Before I filed for our K1, I looked into what it would cost to have an immigration attorney do this for me, and the price would not have been that different. I went for the option of doing this myself, and while the cost was certainly less, it also took more time to figure out everything, even with all the great help here. It has also cost a bit of time in correcting some of the mistakes that we made on the forms. In the end - we should get our visa ok (hopefully - we're waiting on correcting a few remaining items) but things MAY have been better if we had a professional helping us.. There are stories where lawyers make mistakes too, so there's no telling which is the best path - but if they're competent real attorneys, they might also help in the long run. So you might as well relax and let them help you, and if in the worst case scenario that they screw something up, you'll at least have grounds to dispute the charges.
Good luck with the visa.
-David
When I was researching getting a K1 Visa in Bangkok and went to the Embassy, it was closed, but there was a man standing in front that said he worked for an agency across the street. Long story short, I ended up using this agency that is supposed to assist in getting a visa. It cost me a pretty penny... $1800 to be exact which I put on my credit card..... I thought they were saying $1800 Baht, but they were talking dollars.In hindsight, I think I could have done everything they are doing, and saved a lot of money. But, it's too late I already paid them, and pretty much what they did so far, was fill out all the paperwork for me, which was 2 different forms, and put it in a package for me to send with a payment to Homeland Secuirty. I thought they would be submitting something in Thailand, but then I realized that the whole process starts here in the USA. I am reading people's timelines, and I see that it takes a good 4-6 months for the whole process, some longer.
I am about to submit the forms on April 13th.... I wish I had known that it was as simple as it was to fill out the forms, as I could have had this paperwork in February when I returned from Thailand to the states. Instead I waited for this agency to put it together for me, but it took a while for my fiancee to get all the appropriate documents, and then when I did get the package I was short on cash so I had to wait until I had $455 to send with the package.
My question is has anyone used one of these agencies? Do you think I was ripped off, knowing that I could do all this myself? I am not sure if having this agency will be useful later on in the process??
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If it makes you feel any better - it was the same for me last month. I was at least expecting to get in to sit in an air conditioned waiting room, but instead went accross the street to wait in a coffee shop/food court with another American. Best of luck to you both.
-David
but they let my fiancee in so I guess thats all that counts. I pretty disappointed, I took off work early for no reason and flew to the otherside of the world. Well at least she'll have someone to fly to America with when she gets approved! I should know in a few hours, wish us luck! -
I too was a bit hesitant to print out our private email conversations for my fiancee to take to the interview. Because of that - we were told we needed to come back with more proof of relationship. We had sumbitted a lot of photographs of us together, but had little in the way of phone records or emails that we provided.. I think some of this is just going to be the luck of the draw in who is conducting the interview and what type of mood they're in - or how much different information you're submitting... but the more you leave out - the more you leave it to them to interpret what they think your relationship is like, and the better chance they might call for additional scrutiny. We have managed to scrape up more in the way of phone records and emails to give to them - so I think we should still be good to go... but it would have been better to have passed that test the first time.
-David
Hello VJ friends,I do not plan to be there with my husband at the time of interview. So I was wondering if having copies of emails and chat transcripts really makes any difference to show proof of relationship? These are personal and I just don't feel comfortable with 3rd person reading them.
We got engaged while he was in California on B1 visa. He went back to India and we stayed engaged for a year before getting married. My husband plans to carry following with him during the interview time and I wanted to know if these material is sufficient or I should really print emails/chat transcripts.
Copy of hotel reservation, car rental, flight tickets, and original boarding pass for myself to California (I went to meet my then fiance after engagement)
Copy of flight tickets and original boarding passes to India (my marriage trip)
Copy of receipts of gifts I sent to my husband
Record of skype calls - paid
Record of skype calls - PC to PC
Photo album contain pictures of Engagement, California trip after engagement (just 1 photo), wedding, and honeymoon
Original Hotel receipts of the honeymoon (can't find other stuff)
Original ICICI Joint NRE Bank Account papers
Husband's Life insurance policy papers with me listed as beneficiary
Suggestions, comments, opinions... all welcomed...
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What a load of ####### this is... A marriage from a K-1 visa is no more prone to fraud than a K3 would be. I met my fiancee while I was on vacation and got to know her over almost 2 years before even applying for the K1. When we first met, she didn't speak english much, but over the 2.5 years I have now known her, we communicate pretty well together, though she still struggles with english from time to time.. What makes that any less legitimate than a person who meets someone while on vacation and just up and marries in the foreign country before going home to apply for a K3?? (not that I would even have a problem with that). You cannot tell me that they can look into the hearts and minds of the applicants and decide because someone doesn't meet some arbitrary requirement - speaks fluent english, or they've only known each other for a certain length of time that a particular couple is any less legitimate than one where they both communicate perfectly. I'm as concerned about marriage/visa fraud as anyone - BUT HOW CAN YOU EVEN BEGIN TO COMPLAIN ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE AT LEAST GONE THROUGH THE LEGAL PROCESS FOR A VISA - WHEN IT'S ESTIMATED THERE ARE OVER 12 MILLION WHO JUST WALKED ACCROSS OUR SOUTHERN BORDER??? Give me a freakin' break! People meet and fall in love - decide to get married - maybe too quickly sometimes, but you can't just tell me you suspect all just because they maybe wanted to get married at home instead of abroad. It would have been MUCH easier for me to have married her in Thailand and to have applied for the K3, than to have gone through the K1 process - but she wanted to get married in the US. I understand and accept that there are hoops that we need to jump through in order to get the visa for my fiancee and her daughter - but it pisses me off that some would first call us guilty and have to prove otherwise based on some idiot's arbitrary opinion.
-David Allen
Sunnyvale, CA.
I came across this excellent article from the Center for Immigration Studies explaining the visa process from the side of the consular posts and USCIS. It is a lengthy article but worth reading to get an inside look at the process. Principally it is about marriage fraud. It appears that the consular post do not have the authority to deny a visa, all they can do is to send it back to USCIS for further review and it is not done often. So if your application made it to the embassy it is almost certain to be approved even if they think the application is a fraud.I printed here the recommendations to tight down the process to combat visa fraud. One of them is to eliminate the K1 and force the petitioner to go marry his/her fiancee in his/her country.
Esoll.
Recommendations
Eliminate Fiancé (K-1) visas. There is simply too much fraud associated with this visa category. Americans who intend to marry foreign nationals are free to do so, but making the effort to get married abroad testifies to the legitimacy and seriousness of the relationship. Couples can always have a second ceremony or reception in the United States once the foreign spouse receives his or her immigrant visa.
Adjudicate marriage-based immigrant visa petitions in the foreign spouse’s country of residence, with the American sponsor present. Authorize consular officers (or overseas USCIS officers) to rule on the validity of the relationships and deny fraudulent petitions. Appeals could be heard by an officer’s supervisor — with both petitioner and applicant present.
Eliminate waivers of ineligibility for marriage-based green card applicants with criminal convictions, involvement in a criminal street gang, or long periods of illegal stay, unless the health or welfare of their citizen spouses or children would be severely affected. Not knowing a foreign language or having to find a new job overseas should not be grounds for waivers.
Create a national marriage registration database to help combat serial marriage fraud.
Create a third option for USCIS adjudicators when a couple is interviewed to remove the foreign spouse’s “conditional” status on his or her green card (typically after two years of marriage). Rather than just revocation or approval, conditional status could be extended for up to three years with a supervisor’s approval. Would-be cheaters would have no guaranty that they would only need to remain married for two years.
Deny all applications filed by couples that cannot hold a basic conversation with each other in a common language. Legitimate couples will learn to communicate with each other and can reapply at that time.
Eliminate the co-sponsor system for Americans filing immigrant visa petitions for spouses overseas. This means that Americans living below the poverty line would be unable to sponsor immigrants. Exceptions should be made for bona fide full-time students at the university level and young petitioners still listed as dependents on their parents’ most recent tax return. Since many, if not most of the Americans that engage in marriage fraud for cash are in a weak financial situation themselves, this move would add a difficult hurdle for would-be scam artists who want to engage in a sham marriage to a foreign national for money.
Eliminate the possibility of adjustment of status to anyone out of status or on a short-term visa.
Give both the State Department and USCIS significantly more resources to combat marriage fraud.
Require USCIS officers to seek the assistance of overseas consular officers when conducting investigations on suspect cases. Officers in-country often have language skills and local knowledge that can help expose sham marriages.
Give American spouses all immigration-related documents that the interviewing officer has access to, including previous tourist visa applications, case notes, criminal histories, etc. Americans should know if their foreign spouses have track records of immigration fraud.
Investigate claims of marriage fraud made by American citizens who only realize that their spouses were “in it for the green card” after they receive permanent residency. While not taking the Americans’ word at face value, USCIS must investigate these claims and deport those found guilty of fraud.
Deny visa petitions for foreign spouses who previously have been divorced from an applicant. This will eliminate the opportunity for a foreign national to divorce his or her spouse, enter into a fake marriage with an American citizen to gain legal status, and then divorce the American and re-marry and sponsor for immigration his or her original spouse.
Aggressively prosecute everyone involved in marriage fraud, from those involved in personal schemes to large-scale marriage fraud rings. Penalties should include jail time for those convicted
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Something for you to keep in mind here - what passes for proof of having met in the past two years for the initial part to get your NOA2, and what you'll eventually face with the embassy visit for proof of ongoing relationship are going to be vastly different. We initially sent 5 photos, a few emaiils and my passport stamps as proof we met in the past 2 years to get through the initial part. For the embassy interview, we submitted some 40-50 photos, plus my passport stamps plus receipts from western union from times I have sent her some money, with a small sample of emails, and they came back asking for more proof of our relationship. The moral of the story here is - even though you might think you have enough evidence - don't hold back on anything you have. Bus tickets, emails, phone records, passport stamps, pictures whether or not they're date stamped, homemade porno videos, letters from friends who have have been out with you and your fiancee, and don't forget so send in the kitchen sink. (ok - so I'm kidding about the homemade porno) When it gets to the embassy part - it really is in your best interest to send in everything you can think of that links you with your fiancee. The time and headache you save, could be your own.
-David
I am wondering if I have sufficient evidence of having met my fiancée in the past two years for our I-129F. Here is what I have:Photographs. The last time I visited my fiancée I Lima, where she lives, I forgot to set the camera so that the date would be printed on the picture. I don’t know if that hurts me given that any idiot could submit a photo with an incorrect date on it anyway. We do have a bunch of photos of us together, though, including several in which the two of us are standing in front of a Christmas tree. I think that might help given that my passport will show that the only time I was in Peru in December was in 2007 and 2008.
Passport stamps. I don’t know if this helps, because it doesn’t really prove that I met her, but I can show that I have gone down to Peru a whole bunch of times, that I got a whole bunch of “extension of stay” stamps in Lima, where she lives, and that my trips to Peru are generally in agreement with what I said in my statement answering Question 18 of the 129-F
Hotel receipts. Again, this really only shows that I was in Lima, not that I was with her, but I managed to get receipts for all of the times that I paid a hotel down there. Thank God I always stay at the same hotel and they have a record of all of my payments.
Boarding pass stub. I kept the stub of the boarding pass I used to get on a plane on January 1, 2009 in Lima. I forgot to keep the stub from my flight down there. Again, doesn’t really prove that we met, but does prove that I, along with 8 million other people, was in her city.
Bus tickets. This, to me, is the clearest piece of irrefutable proof that we have met. I have copies of two bus tickets from Lima to another city which include our names and ID numbers. The tickets show that in December 2008 the two of us bought bus tickets in sequential order one minute apart from one another, and that we sat next to each other on the ride. I think this would have been absolutely impossible had we never actually met one another. The downside? The way that the printer printed out these tickets was kind of messed up, and they are hard to read. I don’t know how much effort USCIS puts into reading these things.
So what do you think? Do I have enough evidence? Is there something in particular that I should include or exclude? Should I write something up explaining all of this evidence?
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Hi Nate,
I will be arriving in Bangkok on the 22nd for our interview on the 24th. To my knowledge there is no requirement for travel plans in advance of the visa. I have never heard of that before..
Good luck with the interview - and PLEASE post how everything went. I'll be very interested to hear what they ask.
-David
Hi everyone,I am in Bangkok with my fiancee, and she is scheduled for her K-1 interview on the 18th.
One of the documents she received from the Embassy a while back (in the packet including the checklist, etc..), it says "***You are strongly encouraged NOT to make any nonrefundable travel plans until the visa is printed and in your passport.***
To me, this sounds like it's basically saying not to purchase any plane tickets until your fiancee is completely cleared/given the green light to go to the US. However...
My fiancee says some of her friends (who know other women who have gone through the K-1 process) have told her that she absolutely must be able to show a plane ticket or something similar - like an itinerary - at the interview, showing her travel arrangements to go to the US have already been made.
So I'm a little confused, as the two lines above seem a bit contradictory... Unless it means that you must purchase plane tickets, but make sure they are refundable tickets rather than nonrefundable tickets?
Anyway, we are flying standby from a benefit my uncle has who works for a major airline. He is supposed to send me an itinerary via email, but I just learned his wife is sick and in the hospital, so I'm a bit worried whether he'll be able to send it in time. Any advice or clarification on what the rules are? Is this anything I should be worried about? Any help would be appreciated.
Nate
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Thanks for the response back. Much appreciated.
Question 8 states: The following persons are dependent upon me for suppot: (Check the box in the appropriate column to indicate whether the person named is wholly or partially dependent upon you for support)Am I correct in thinking that this line is NOT intended for my fiancee and her daughter - but if I was paying spousal or child support to another party??
Question 11 asks if: I do - or do NOT intend to make specific contributions to the support of the person(s) named in item 3. (My Fiancee and her daughter).
Since I am intending us to marry until death us do part - is it correct to answer that I do not intend to make specific contributions as room/board and allowence of some sort??
This is just a tad confusing.
On a side note - The US Embassy in Bangkok had sent out our interview appointment which went out Dec. 29th 2008. The Interview was scheduled for January 9th. Due to all the Holidays and increased mail - our appointment request didn't arrive until January 8th. Not exactly sufficient notice to get the medical exams and Packet 4 material together. What were they thinking?? Thankfully I had sent them an email beforehand requesting a status update since they hadn't yet responded to our packet 3 submittal and they had informed me by email that the scheduled date was the 9th. It was still not enough time to get everything together - but at least it gave us enough time to tell them we wouldn't be able to make the appointment and to ask them to reschedule. From what I had seen of other people's cases it looked like they gave more time between packet 3 and 4. Has anyone else ran into this lately?? Just a heads up for those who might be working through the BKK Embassy.
-David
Your answers are correct for both questions
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Question 8 states: The following persons are dependent upon me for suppot: (Check the box in the appropriate column to indicate whether the person named is wholly or partially dependent upon you for support)
Am I correct in thinking that this line is NOT intended for my fiancee and her daughter - but if I was paying spousal or child support to another party??
Question 11 asks if: I do - or do NOT intend to make specific contributions to the support of the person(s) named in item 3. (My Fiancee and her daughter).
Since I am intending us to marry until death us do part - is it correct to answer that I do not intend to make specific contributions as room/board and allowence of some sort??
This is just a tad confusing.
On a side note - The US Embassy in Bangkok had sent out our interview appointment which went out Dec. 29th 2008. The Interview was scheduled for January 9th. Due to all the Holidays and increased mail - our appointment request didn't arrive until January 8th. Not exactly sufficient notice to get the medical exams and Packet 4 material together. What were they thinking?? Thankfully I had sent them an email beforehand requesting a status update since they hadn't yet responded to our packet 3 submittal and they had informed me by email that the scheduled date was the 9th. It was still not enough time to get everything together - but at least it gave us enough time to tell them we wouldn't be able to make the appointment and to ask them to reschedule. From what I had seen of other people's cases it looked like they gave more time between packet 3 and 4. Has anyone else ran into this lately?? Just a heads up for those who might be working through the BKK Embassy.
-David
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If your ultimate goal is to be in the US - then file for the K1 and wait for them to process. Yes - the K1 still takes a fair amount of time, but it will be the fastest way to bring her to the US.
-David
Dear members,I need some HELP!!!
I am male (US Citizen) and my fiancee female (Cananda Citizen) is trying to figure out what is the best way for us to be together. I currently reside in Chicago IL USA and she is in Vancouver BC. We have been together for about a year now.
About two month ago she came to united states to be together on my birthday and holiday. US custom gave her such a hard time at Vancouver airport. she was held at the custom for over 4 hours and she ended up missing the flight. Her plan was to visit US for 2 months and they wouldn't allow her to stay that long. They accused her from not returning to Canada.
They told her that she must return to Canada within a month. So she stayed for a month and she has returned back home to Vancouver. We both figure it will look good on her record since she has returned to Canada on time.
after staying in Vancouver for about a month, she has recently tried to come back to United States for Christmas and new year. and once again she was pulled to custom and was held of over 5 hours this time. And they would not let her go. They accused her saying " you will not come back. you don't own a house, or you don't work" so you are not going to come back to Canada. They told her that only way for her to visit United States is that she will need to either have to own a house in Vacouver, have a job, or get a Visa. but she is not banned since she did not violate any law.
is this possible for US custom to do that to her??
is there anyway for her to come visit me in the US??
and second question that I have is this...
1. is it faster to get married in Canada and file for permanent resident? attorney told me that process doesnt take that long if we file for permanent resident outside of US. he said it is cheaper and faster. is this true?
2. or is it faster to file for K-1 visa?
Our goal is to reside in US.
Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much
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You are both better served if one or both of you develops some marketable job skills before getting married. Your marriage will stand a much better chance if the two of you are able to maintain some financial stabillity without the help of sponsors. I understand you want to be with each other now, but what is the point of starting sooner if it means a greater chance of ending soon? Certification programs to learn networking or telecom don't take that long to complete, and he can earn a pretty good living with that. If it's really forever, then what's the rush?? You can then follow the K1 process and bring him over here.
Good luck.
First off this post is a mixture of visas but I decided to put it in this topic because we are still looking into the possibilities left for the K-1.Hello, my name is Deanna. I am an 18 year old female who holds a United States Citizenship. I am currently finishing my last year in high school. I obviously do not have a degree in anything. I am not individually wealthy but do have people who could co sponsor me in the United Kingdom and Untied States if allowed. Also, I am able to receive a few grand to place in my account if needed.
Now that I have told you about myself I will tell you a bit about my fiance.
My fiance, Luke is a 23 year old male who holds a British Citizenship. He doesn't qualify for any skilled working visas for the United States. He just has his general education just like me. He is the same financially. He has someone who could sponsor him in the United Kingdom and United States.
Our goal is just to be together. We would love to get married and live together. We are trying to find any visa that would suite us. UK or US.
Now with that being said, we have looked everywhere and looked into MANY visas. We have spoken to people on forums, immigration lawyers, immigration helplines, called US and UK embassies and have studied both US and UK government websites. We first Luke applied for a B-2 tourist visa. This would buy us 6 months in the United States when he would come to visit me. He was denied this visa under section 214( b ) [lack of ties to the UK].
Then we were going to do the UK fiance visa. The UK fiance visa is no longer accepting Co Sponsors so we would have to prove Luke could support me. We have been over it and it doesn't look too bright. He just got a job working for O2 [Cellphone company] he will be working 38 hours a week. Also, we found out that they have changed the age requirement from 18 to 21 just recently.
Then, we looked into the newly added UK temporary work visa called the Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme. This would have suited us perfectly as we would gain all the points need in this point based system. The only problem is, the United States is not included in the scheme.
Finally, we looked into the K-1 fiance visa for him to come here and would allow us to get married and then Luke would apply for permanent residency. This visa allows co sponsors. We were going to have my dad co sponsor us but all plans broke apart when finding out he will be in South America in a military base working on planes. He will not be able to get the supporting documents for us. If we do go this way we wont have 2 months of supporting documents as he would have to collect them early before he goes in february.
- good idea or no?
We don't know where else to go from here...
Is there anything we could apply for, either to buy us time together or to apply for a visa that would allow our lives to begin together without those sad goodbyes.
We've been through a lot and have hit rock bottom. We need every bit of help as possible.
Thank You so much for taking time to read this and thank you in advance for any advice or possible plans for us.
I will be checking up on this post daily.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or for an easier way to communicate.
E-mail and MSN Messenger
d.c.mcclain@hotmail.com
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d.c.hayes
Again thank you,
Luke and Deanna
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If you two are planning on getting married - then she's going to have to go though the official divorce anyway whether it's K1 or K3 - so she may as well start the proceedings asap. Other than that - you could see if getting in through a work visa was possible - if your goal is just to be near her.
Unfortunately there aren't really any shortcuts - so talk with her and make your plans accordingly. Read up and follow the rules... it may take a little while, but it's worth it in the long run.
Best of luck.
My opinion would be to go down the K1 route fiance visa, and file as soon as possible, you are looking at around a 7 month time frame if there are no problems and everything goes through smoothlyGood luck
Hey thx, i assumed K1 would be the best way, i did look at the guides and it looked the best option, so she has to file that right? one more problem, she was married but has been seperated for a while now, not devorced yet, what about that, does she have to wait a while before she can file the K1?
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We have done the paperwork ourselves. The K1 guide on this site is pretty good for explaining everything you need - and answers to anything you don't quite understand from the guide is just a post away. Unless you think you have an especially difficult circumstances for your case - you should be ok filling out the forms.
I notice that a lot of people here filed their own paperwork. After consulting two lawfirms and getting two different views of the pluses and minuses or working with them. I am about ready to try it myself. Are the I 129f and the I 134 the only documents I file initially? :innocent:Can someone give a quick rundown of their experience doing the paperwork themselves
need immidiate help with k-3 visa?
in K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures
Posted
All that information is available if you read this website. Start with the K3 Guide section which will tell you about the requirements. The processing time varies depending on which Service Center you would be using (depending on where in the US you live) and whether or not there are anything special about your case. You can view how long cases are taking by visiting the Proccesing time section of all places. Having a specific amount in your bank is not necessary, but you would need to show you had an adequate income capapble of supporting your spouse. If you do not make enough to qualify you can have co-signers. Everyone wants their visas processed yesterday void of any complications - but there are no magic bullets. Start reviewing everything now so that when you marry your boyfriend you will be able to have all the paperwork ready to send in. The sooner everything gets started the sooner it will be done - provided you follow the correct steps.
Good luck.
-David