hxxrmonkey

My husband came over while we waited for our NOA2. What tipped the scale to allow entry was a letter from my husband's boss saying she allowed him to go on holiday and expected him back in 3 months. Also advised are mortgage/lease documents, any long term contracts, unpaid credit card bills, cell phone contracts, anything to prove she'll be returning to Ireland after the visit. The mortgage/lease is usually the best bet though.

Oh okay, so it took 8/9 months to receive the visa? Or do you mean it took that time to get to the US and have the ceremony?

We sent in our K-1 Petition on Sept. 5, 2008 and got our NOA 2 on Dec. 18, 2008. Interview was on March 19, 2009 and was approved. Then another week to receive the visa in the post. Then he got to the USA on May 12th 2008.

So 9 months to get to the US and have the ceremony.

See that little timeline link under my photo?

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Click it.

Oh wow that's quite quick! Thank you for your help!

Actually, I should clarify. If you take away the time we could have moved faster the entire process from start to US entry took about 8-9 months. Just the Dublin part of the process took 2 months. Sorry, after I re-read your question I decided I had misunderstood.

Anyway if you get stuck and have questions feel free to PM me.

Ours took about 2 months, and that was with my fiance (now husband) dragging his feet a little on the doctor's visit. View my timeline for details.

I'm glad this was asked. My county marriage license application only asks 'Are you a resident of the county?' for purposes of determining if there will be a 3-day waiting period unless a class is taken first.

I was thinking yes because she will be living there at the time but she can't very well be a resident of the county if she's not a resident of the U.S. This should exempt us from the wait. Not that 3-days is a lot, but hey...

I *think* this means do you physically live in the county at the time, different from being a federally classed resident. After all, you don't exactly have to register when you move into a county. We had to answer the same question but it was a single question for both of us, rather than asking once for each of us, so it was easier to answer

No, not until after you're married, have filed AOS and received her green card.

I'm with Darnell, file AOS and hope they forgive the time lapse.

We sent three, labeled. They were in front of obvious national monuments in both of our countries though, so it's clear both of us had to have traveled to be with the other.

We went through the Dublin consulate this time last year. Have a look at my timeline for details. I will note that husband didn't send off packet 3 for a while after he received it, and there was a delay after the interview that normally wouldn't happen because his last name on his birth cert didn't match his passport, so bear that in mind. After my husband sent in his notice they did call within two or three weeks, and the interview was about a week after the phone call. It's possible they're backed up, but it would be with other things, not K-1's. Lottery winners are being processed right now too, and there's always other types of visas and people who don't use VJ. In any case, if they're moving at the same pace as last year you should hear from them any day now, and a late April flight should be fine but cutting it close. That being said, you never know.

Also my husband somehow had a phone number that he called and spoke to a human, but it might have been a direct line after his interview because he had to clear up an issue with his passport.

Between NOA2 and your interview you (or your fiance...)will receive a letter with a checklist you have to send back. They won't schedule your interview until they've received it. So the time between can really be as long as you like, within reason. You could go ahead and get your medical and police report to shorten things a bit. The shortest you would have to wait between NOA2 and your interview is about a month. Ours was about 6 weeks, but that was mostly due to a delay on my husband's part.

Regarding an RFE, it's probably a little bit too soon to worry that you're getting one. The RFE and NOA2 basically arrive at the same time, theoretically. Even if you do get an RFE it should only delay you a few weeks.

Remember you're spending a few months apart now but you have the rest of your lives together. Try not to get impatient

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Okay, i think i need to drive down tomorrow!!!!

Thank you!

It's a very good thing you asked

The embassy page listed above does not list DS156k, but you need it. Otherwise it's correct. Make sure you have the most up to date version of the form, regardless of what they send you in the packet. They sent my husband an outdated 156k and he had to run out to an internet cafe and print a new one before his interview.

hi my fiance mailed the I129f back in early Dec 2009 and we are still waiting to get the 2nd notice. In the meantime i am trying to get all the paperwork sorted so ill be set for the interview when the letter comes eventually, just wondering what paper work will i need to get ready? does anyone have a list that i could have a look at so i can get organised?

how long does it normally take to recieve the 2nd NOA? It has nearly been 2 months and our status says that it is still being reviewed?!

sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, its my first time posting a question!

looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks : )

Hi there, first, your NOA2 should take about 3+ months, so hang in there. Regarding your interview, the most important and most time consuming things you'll need are your medical results and your police report. You should go ahead and get the ball rolling for those. Your medical could be spread across two visits over a few days, so be prepared. You need your immunization records for that as well. The police report has to be done via mail and can take a few weeks, so you should go ahead and request that. If I remember correctly you have to request it via the local superintendent, which may or may not actually be at your local guarda station. Your US fiance should also send you the items listed at the bottom of the K1 Guide, here. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=k1guide . Additionally they will send you a few forms in your packet 3 that you'll need to fill out, but they're not a big deal. Your fiance also needs to fill out the affadavit of support, listed there in the K-1 guide.

My best suggestions from experience: put all your documents for your interview in a binder with separators and labels. You don't need a huge load of evidence because chances are they won't even look at it, but concrete evidence is a must. Make sure you take a self addressed stamped large envelope (about 8eu worth of stamps), even if someone tells you you don't need it. Make sure you call ahead so you know exactly how much your money order should be made out for. It changes as the dollar/euro value changes. Check the date on all your forms to make sure it's not old. That happened to us and my husband had to run out to an internet cafe and print the new one. Make sure that your name on all your documents, passport, and birth cert all match. If they don't, get it fixed BEFORE the interview. Any papers they give you after the interview also check for name/date accuracy.

Finally, don't get nervous. If you truly have a loving relationship you have nothing to worry about.

If you have any more questions just PM me. Good Luck! I'm sure you'll be fine.

Yes xd-data-ii, I agree, the sausages are a serious shortcoming! Also I have to say the hotdogs in Ireland were tastier too. We had my husband's brother send us some purple snacks as well, mmm mmm.

I really like the Tazo brand black tea called Awake. You can get that at Target, Starbucks and a lot of grocery stores. It doesn't really taste like Barry's but it's flavorful (you might want 2 bags). You could always try it once at Starbucks before you buy a box for yourself. Hubby tried it and he said it wasn't bad, which is saying something for a man devoted to Barry's.

We get our Barry's from a store called World Market, but I didn't see any in AR on the store locator. Maybe if you try your specific zip code you can find one close.

That is really encouraging, thank you. At first glance, the K1 didn't seem like the way to go — and I'm still not sure about him having to wait to work. I assume if he left his current company, however, he could look for jobs during that three months, just not begin work.

That the '90 days a year' on the VWP/tourist visa isn't hard-and-fast is good to know. I had read he would be barred from coming here at all in the interim and I still may consider trying to go over there for a time. Being able to work would be an issue for me, however — I wouldn't want to go stir crazy!

Regarding looking for work, from experience, it's hard to look for work during that 3 month period because you don't have a set start date, and most jobs open fast and fill fast, unfortunately.

Regarding my hubby's 89 day visit, keep in mind he did NOT tell the CO that he was in the middle of a K-1 application. He most assuredly would have gotten turned away. However, that being said, we decided to risk not saying anything because we weren't getting married during that time and didn't feel that we would be doing anything illegal by him visiting.

Regarding working in Ireland, they are just as strict as the US for working. However, if you're married you can work straight away, it's much faster over there. I know a couple that got married, and she went over there and got residency VERY quickly and started working. If you really don't want to be separated maybe you should get married there, put in your CR-1 application, and be an Irish resident in the meantime.

hxxr, how long before filing for the K1 did you get engaged? Did you get married in the U.S.? How was he able to come for 89 days if 90 is the cap? I want to understand what the process would be like for us on the K1. My boyfriend has actually not proposed yet!

We were engaged about 4 months before we filed. We got married in the US in a civil ceremony in June 2009. (See timeline). He came for 89 days in one visit. 90 days is the cap per visit, not per year. See above post by Wyld Blu for the process details, we were exactly the same.

Regarding working, we were fortunate enough that I could support us both while he wasn't working, albeit barely. In fact, even though he's been here for 8 months he only just starts his new job this Tuesday.

If earning money is a major concern for you, some folks get married in Ireland and file the CR-1 then return to their home countries until the CR-1 comes through. Your hubby would stay there and work while you stayed in the US and worked but you'd be married. It takes around 6 months, maybe less. Then as soon as he comes over he'd be eligible to work.

PM me if you have detailed questions, I've helped a few Irish folk through the K-1 via VJ, I'm happy to answer questions. I'm not too knowledgeable about the CR-1 though.

Just do the K-1. Being apart is hard, but if you really are in love and have a solid relationship a K-1 from Ireland is easy-peasy. Ours took 6-7 months but he's here for good and we didn't break the law. It could have been faster but he took his sweet time getting his paperwork together. He also visited me for 89 days on a VWP after we filed for K-1 but just said he was on holiday visiting a friend and showed LOTS of good evidence that he'd be returning home, including a letter from his boss. So we really spent half of the K-1 wait here, and just a couple of weeks after he got back to Ireland from his visit he got his interview papers.

Just remember it might be a hard year for you, but you have the rest of your lives to be together.

Sorry, someone else will have to answer that part, we did K-1, not CR-1.

Thanks for the response...Yeah turns out I have to write a letter to my GP in the north and request my medical records. Will I have to go to a GP in the south before going to the medical, or will bringing these to the medical suffice? I don't want multiple visits....If I do have to, will it cost more?

Thanks!

You don't need to go to an Irish GP, other than the one doing the medical for you. Bringing your own records will be enough. It will only be multiple visits if you don't have your records and need to get bloodwork done, as far as I know. You can call to confirm tho. My husband needed the bloodwork so I'm not sure if it would take less time otherwise because you still have to do a chest x-ray (useless, by the way). Multiple visits don't cost more, no. You only pay more if you need extra shots.

I received my appointment CVR letter today confirming my interview. I am just confused as to what I need to do now, as I have read about a packet 3 and 4. Is the packet 3 only for DCF's? What was the packet I just got?Also after reading the Dublin experiences there seems to be trouble with the Visa fee as the amount has changed. There is no mention of this amount on my letter....Do I not have to pay as I was CR-1 through NVC, rather than DCF?

I have several questions about the medical too, as my medical records are all from the UK, not Ireland, so I need to get these to give to the GP. Will I need to go to a GP in Ireland first, or just bring these records to the Medical? Thank you in advance! Not long to go now!

I'm not sure about the first half, but for the doctor part, you definitely should have your records before you go to the Irish GP if at all possible. However, if you can't get them they'll just do a blood test to determine what you need and give you the shots. That takes 2-3 days or more, depending on the lab, and multiple visits.

Green Card arrived in the mail today. We're done! See ya'll in 2 years!

WOOOOO YAY! Oct. 19th touches on the rise!

Well, at least we can still be thankful for the simple fact that we are with the one we love...that's way more than we could say before through the K-1/K-3 process, right?

Oh, and Josue got a full-time position with the same company that he is working for, so he is now working 8-4:30 M-F...amazing schedule...except for the fact that I work 7:30-3 M-F and we only have one vehicle. Oh well, one step at a time, right? haha!

@cdneh, what exactly can we do after 180 days?

Compared to our schedule that's a dream. We have one car and I work 8:30-5 and he works 4-9:30. How do we work that out? So far I've had to work out a deal with my boss where I go home early on the days he works and give him the car, then work from home to make up the time lost... sigh. I wish he could find a full time day job.

ccarter was approved at her interview.