Old Dominion

Hello all! This is my first post but I have been reading for a while. I will be ready soon to start this k1 journey to bring my fiance here. I wanted to ask you all how your fiances(beneficiaries) did to cope with the fact of moving abroad and start a new life, new language, no job.

Thanks

You will know, I'm sure, to be patient and not try to speed up the adjustment. As much as we Americans think we are welcoming, we can be overbearing or overly polite to "newcomers." So don't expect too much right away.

So we are still waiting for packet 4 with his interview date to arrive. Meanwhile I am here and 3 weeks away from my due date. He would like to be here for the birth but I am worried that he will have problems crossing the border (from Canada) . Has anyone had any experience with crossing the Canadian border while waiting for the interview? Thanks

Nicole

He shouldn't mention the interview NOR the arrival of your baby. What reasons has he used before to cross the border? They worked before, and he proved he would return home. Carrying the papers that show he has strong roots in Canada will indeed help, and also that he doesn't plan to stay very long in the US...the same as a long weekend perhaps?

Hi, my husband recently came to the US, we did the k1, we got married and would now like to Adjust status. I am a student so I do not make enough money nor do I file income tax papers. We have a friend who is willing to cosponsor, he can submit his work information (letter from job), pay stubs and any other necessary info. However since he filed taxes with his aunt (he recently moved to US and therefore could not file alone) she does not want him to submit his income tax papers her info is on there too. Do you think that we should ask this friend for help or find someone else? Thanks.

You'll need a different sponsor if the aunt continues to say no

Hi All,

My finance got her K1 in April, however due to family reasons she couldn't make it to the US till early July. We got married in early Aug and are now ready to file for her AOS. However, her Visa expires in the first week of October. I read somewhere that its ok if she stays in the country after her visa expiration date as long as we get married before that date. Is that correct? Also, once we file for AOS, will she get anything from the USCIS acknowledging status change request so she can be considered legal? Please let me know. Thx.

The NOA (receipt) for the AOS application will be accepted as evidence that she is here legally. In some states, that is all she would need to obtain a driver's license or at least an official photo ID.

Hi Everyone,

I have a question about item#10 in part B on the I-129F form. The item says "Names of Prior Spouses". My fiancee is having her marriage annuled. Should I put her ex-husbands name here or write none. She was married to him for about 10 years and had 2 kids with him. I know in the eyes of the law a marriage that was annuled never happened. I'm thinking maybe I should list his name just so US imigration doesn't think I am trying to hide anything. What do you think. Thanks.

Stephen

Best to provide his name. Annulment invalidates the marriage. After all, the marriage DID happen and there are two offspring from it. Otherwise, you might be accused of withholding information from the U.S.

hello everyone, i hope someone can give me some help regarding what the fastest way to process the K1 visa. (i imagine that everyone wants the fastest time with the least headache, but i just have to ask)

ok, i leave here in the states (philadelphia) and my fiance lives in Colombia (maybe not the best country for fast visa approvals). but i want to know how long it would take to do that whole K1 visa process and have her here with me in the USA. I've heard different things, so im kinda confused.....

1.....that it takes a year......

2.....that it could take about 6 months.....

3.....with a lawyer it could be less time....

4.....with X lawyer (recomended by my cousin) would take only 3 months.....

So what am i really looking at? if it takes only 3 months with X lawyer, i think its the best way, but i really dont know, i havnt talked to my cousin much and dont know where the lawyer is located....obviously its an extra charge but im willing to pay it....

i know its kinda a pain in the neck to do the processing yourself, which i know with the help here on visajourney and the step by step guidelines it would be easy, but i kinda want some help so i dont have to suffer from those headaches and filling everything out.....so i am willing to get a lawyer to help me out and do the processing and best of all if he knows a way to get the forms in faster and faster approvals for interniew and everything.....

Please what is my best option and what should i expect? What should i prepare for?

thanks in advance for the help guys......

Turning to a lawyer can only delay the process, and you lose control over the process. The petition for a K-1 can take 3-4 months, no matter whether you submit it, or the lawyer does. Then wait a month for our Embassy in Bogota to act. Predictably, it will then take 2-3 months for the interview and hopefully approval.

packet 4 say that i need only to bring with me on the interview a BIRTH CERTIFICATE.. As what ive read here, some are preparing their CENOMAR, do we really have to present it alsoi?

Better to be prepared - get the CENOMAR as proof you are eligible to be married.

So i have recently married religiously in Mexico and have filed for teh fiance visa. We have not heard yet whether we are approved but I wanted to know how do I fill out the form I-134 to show support if I live in Mexico with my fiance? Does that work or am I somehow disqualified? I am worried now that I know that we need it and I need to make a certain amount of money. I am 23 and female, so how much do I have to make to make it? I made around 25,000 the last year I was in the US, but since oct 2007 I have been in Mexico and working? Thanks for all your help.

If you are married in the eyes of Mexican law, then the K-1 isn't appropriate. SOMEONE, if not you, needs to provide evidence that the two of you can be self-supporting when in the U.S. I take it that you currently have no regular income, is that right? Can you find a co-sponsor?

I need clarification. Younes was told he would have to pay $100.00 to immigration clerk at P.O.E. Is this true?

Not true

Hello to everyone!

My fiance and I are still stuck with USCIS-NVC for I-129F. Got approved (NOA2) 07-07-08 and still no notice from NVC whether they received it or not. Called US embassy here in Manila.. been told we don't have a manila case number yet. Called and emailed NVC and told us our papers haven't reached their systems yet and that we need to wait 90 days to get a notice from them. USCIS claimed/informed us that within 2-4 weeks NVC should receive the petition.

My fiance and I are confused as where is our paperworks now. We are stuck in a big black mystery. Anybody who has the same experience? What should we do?

Thanks!

maybe it has to do with summer vacation schedules at these places in New England...short-staffed, can't add staff due to our economy, etc. etc.

I recently went to my local USCIS office and cancelled the AOS process due to serious problems in our relationship. I need to know if this cancellation is sufficient for annulment of my marriage or what proceeds now in the divorce process. She had not recieved the work permit, nor any other documentation other than the biometrics appointment. Any help will be appreciated.

For this, you'll need a lawyer to get the process going ASAP. I assume you no longer want to be responsible for her -- as her sponsor, for example.

Please during interview for IR-1/CR-1 do they refer to petitioner's records if he file for a visa through the consulate some years back?

There will be a record of that but unless the record contains some alarming questions or notes from the previous application, there would be no reason to refer to it in the interview.

My case was received by NVC on the 18th, and since then I've made 4 unsuccessful attempts to get my IIN as follows:

19th @ 11:30pm: "I can't give that to you."

20th @ 8:30am: "Its not generated yet."

20th @ 11:00pm: "Its not in the system yet."

21st @ 8:15am: "I cannot give that information over the phone."

I intend to call in the first and last hour of every day that they're open until someone gives it to me. I'm just curious...for those who have successfully obtained their IIN from the NVC, how did you word your request and/or overcome their objections? So far I've simply outright asked for the Invoice Identification Number. No one's asked me why or given me any more info, just an immediate "No" response. I'm also interested to know if anyone's been refused, or threatened with refusal of, further assistance for calling NVC too much. LOL

Patience is a virtue. There is nothing to be achieved by pestering anyone for information that isn't yet available. It's only been three days since they received your case.

Hi all....

We have just gotten married last week (hehehe) and I have a couple of questions that I need help with:

1. I have decided to take my husband's (the USC) last name. I have not applied for my SSC yet, in fact we have done nothing since I got here 2 months ago. We will go to the SSA to apply for my SSC with my new married name this week and therefore the question is, do I need to notify anyone about my intention of name change or do I need to go through any sort of name change procedure before applying for my SSC?

2. My I-94 will expire on the Sept 14th. I believe that we don't need to file for AOS before that date, right? If so, does anyone know when is the latest we could file for AOS? I am asking this because we're trying to make sure that we have some other important things situated before we proceed on the AOS.

Thanks in advance for your help.....all replies are appreciated!

Cheers..

Since you don't have an SSN, your application should be in your married name (carry the certified marriage certificate to prove it). You may want to apply for an EAD (work permit) before expiration of your I-94, so yoiu have some official record from USCIS that acknowledges that you have standing with them (i.e., the receipt notice). It would be cheaper to apply for AOS at the same time, but it can wait a month or two.

Like Pops said " I'm sure it will work out".

In the old days people did plan a bit before they married. Not just jump in and not check how deep the water was.

It definitely will work out!!

Sometimes a church will arrange sponsorship...or in your case, maybe an uncle or some other relative as well?

ANyone know cheapeast doc in the manhattan/queens/brooklyn area? one place i called said it would be $300 plus $100 to $200 for lab work! !!

No doubt the USCIS, which has the list of approved civilian doctors to use, more or less regulates the fee and it varies from place to place. In October it was $350 near where I live.

Long story short, my visa package hasnt arrived yet (supposed to show up by last Friday) and I'm extremely concerned it's been lost Australia Post can't launch an investigation until I get confirmation from the Consulate that the package has been posted.

I emailed them once on Sunday night, and again this morning. Usually they respond to my emails within 1 working day but I haven't heard from them yet and since this is my passport and I'm due to fly out on Friday (they know this), I am a little more anxious than usual!

I called their number (02) 9373-9200 but the lady I spoke to said that all Immigrant Visa inquiries had to be directed via email or post(?!). And there was no way she could pass a message through for me

Help!! I am getting desperate here. Does anyone know of any way I can contact them and actually speak to someone about this issue?

btw, here's what my visa approval letter said:

Congratulations, your visa application is approved.

...

There is no need to call the Consulate to follow up on the status of your visa package. Your passport and visa package will leave our office within 2 business days of your interview.

Which means it should have left there by last Thursday and I should have received it Friday (overnight delivery).

Did anyone promise next-day delivery? Maybe it will arrive midweek.

Hello Vjers,

Thoughout this immigration journey, the lawyer caused nothing but a headache. simply put this person doesn't seem to know what she is doing and has no clue about immigration. This person doesn't know when our I-130 was approved means that she doesnt even check the client's case and haven't informed us CR-1 is better and faster option than K-3 in our case. But more recently she proved why she is disqualified and failed for her job with her email. our ap has been issued and theres an error in it. And she hasn't even notice it until we found out and call her. then she threw this one email, call the 1-800 number(which wasn't even an full 1-800 375 5283, actually said 1-800 number). Today my anger finally burst out when she replied "I don't understand what is the stress?????" Right.. my aos is pending my ap is messed and you do not understand what is the stress. you do nothing but sit there eating up my time and money.. we have to be the one finding out all the info and we have to be the one who fix. then what is the need of the lawyer really?> Communication was always delayed. No she was not only unhelpful, but also failed accounting of her lack of professionalism. We could've done this more earlier and efficiently without this person. sorry folks that I maybe sound too much of rage cause I am beyond my anger or whatever but I just want to get what i paid for. Now can someone tell me how to sue this person, or any comment will be appreciated.

This is the kind of sad stories that others have to tell about hiring a lawyer to help them in the immigration process. Best to take back the stuff and finish it yourself....try to get a refund and if not, report the situation to your state's bar or whatever agency regulates lawyers.

I read on another site that to be approved for fiancee visa you have to have known your fiancee for 2 years.

I have visited my fiancee, but I have only known her for 9 months.

Is this True ?

Does that mean I am wasting my time sending in a K-1 I-129F petition ?

Is there anything I can do to overcome this ?

Thank you

That site is wrong, plain wrong. Even six months won't raise an eyebrow at the Manila Embassy....unless there is some big age difference or other factors unrelated to how long you have known each other.

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this forum so first off I would like to say hello to everyone, I am really happy that I have found this place. I am an American who is living in Boston and just got married to Virginia (my mozambican wife) on June 7th. I am getting ready to officially start the k-3 visa process but was wondering, in all of y'alls professional opinion, if you you think it is worth it to pay an immigration lawyer to handle the paper work? The one I am looking at is Allen Lolly of www.visa-fiancee-k1.com. Does anyone know anything about them good bad or ugly? I am looking at doing it this way because I know I can sometimes be easily confused by backwards government documents. Is it worth the money or is it really not that hard to do on your own? I guess what it comes down to is that I am really nervous about this whole process and just want to get to be with my wife again as soon as possible. If these same exact questions are posted somewhere else I am sorry for cluttering your forum. Thank you all for your time to help this "Newbie" get started.

Paul J. D.

Others' experience with "attorneys" picked from a website may be different than what I have heard from friends who have used them. You will not be served by an attorney, but someone following a process that he or she is trained in. Kinda like H&R Block at tax season -- one may never really get to meet a trained accountant. In two cases, I ended up doing the work for friends who had paid their fee and ended up more confused than they were to begin with.

It's much easier to do it on your own, believe me. You won't be standing in line waiting for your turn in their office, you won't be subject to delays caused by their own schedules, and you won't risk getting bad advice if some issue arises with USCIS. Just pay attention to the details and keep good records -- and be patient with the USCIS.

Just my opinion.

I called USCIS and requested that my I-130 be expedited. USCIS gave me a confirmation number and stated it will take two weeks to look at my request. My question to those who apply for expedite before. What is the next step? I have not submitted the supporting documents yet. how USCIS is going to look at my case or make a decision without these supporting documents.

Unless you have a very GOOD reason you are wasteing USCISs and other peoples time requesting an expedite. Just ties up the phone lines more and moves everyone back a notch.

Yeah EVERYONE would like to be expedited but what a mess it would be if USCIS had to deal with the paperwork involved. We'd all going backwards. Unless it's critical fall in line with everyone else and "Hurry up and wait"!

I agree -- USCIS is doing the best it can with too small a staff. Maybe you could share with us why you want your case rushed. Others may have had experience with such a reason...

hi all

i'm a k-1 visa holder and have filed for my aos. I have my biometrics appt in a couple weeks. I was wondering what happens after the biometrics? do i have to go to an interview with my hubby? or do i just get the greencard in the mail??

smiles!

It depends, it's not the same for everybody. Some people get transferred to the California Service Center (CSC), and then are usually approved without an interview. Other cases are transferred to the local office for interview. Nobody knows how they choose who gets transferred where, it's the luck of the draw. It's like playing lotto, except that we all win in the end, but some have an easier and quicker time with it.

The common denominator is that we all wait until we hear something.

any idea what typical wait time is after biometrics from green card?

Ours was a six-month wait until the interview which is later this month.

Hello - not sure where to post this question. I'm Canadian and I'm in a relationship with a wonderful man from the US. We are seriously considering a future together. I am currently disabled due to a chronic illness (Fibromyalgia and CFS.) My guy wants me to marry him and move to the US. Do I have any chance of being accepted into the US as a disabled person? Here in Canada I am on social assistance but I do work part-time (very part-time) from my home.

What are our options? Thank-you for any comments.

If our friend can show enough income to support you, there is no problem. There won't be any social assistance here in the U.S. (you can't become a public charge) and your health insurance will be extremely expensive, unless you can be covered inexpensively through your friend's health insurance plan as a fringe benefit from his employer.

My fiancee scheduled for an interview this Friday Aug 15, 2008 in Manila USE. Would it affect her K1 VISA because of her denied touring VISA? Would they ask alot of questions about her denied touris VISA last year? Waht she should say to the CO? Right now she is very worried the CO may ask a lot questions and possible dennying her K1 VISA. Because it was my uncle sponsoring her, my uncle he is married to her Aunt(long distance Aunt/Relatives...not by blood).

Any advice and inputs are welcome and appreciated.

Thanks...

Not to worry. Happens all the time and has no effect on the K-1 visa

Hi all!

I am now happy to be writing from the USA! It feels great to finally be over here. So here begins the first step of the next process for AOS. Oh boy!

We filed the paperwork for AOS earlier this week with our lawyer. So hopefully that has been sent off now.

What I would like to know is what happened to my medical paperwork from the medical I had in London just a couple of months ago? Was it in the packet that I had to give to US immigration when I entered the country last week? Can I get hold of that paperwork to forward it for the AOS medical, as it is good for a year? If so how do I do this?

Any help and advice will be greatly received.

Thanks

Dave

Welcome! Your lawyer will be the best to answer your question -- the AOS paperwork submission requires a sealed medical report from an American civil surgeon (a list of approved civil surgeons is on the USCIS website). No doubt your British medical exam report is part of your file in the Consulate there.