dogspot

Yes, i wish I could but if that will complicate things then I'll just stick to what is right and legal. Thanks.

Thanks to everyone. Will take note of all your comments and suggestions. As you said, K1 should not be legally married and I guess I should just stick to what is legal. Thanks again.

It is possible to have a ceremony so long as you are not legally married at the conclusion of said ceremony. Couples often have traditional ceremonies in the home country of the person who is leaving and then use the term "Engagement Ceremony."
Also, if you wish to have a ceremony in a church before your departure to the US, you can as long as you would not be legally married at the conclusion of the ceremony. I would check to see what the laws on that are.
When you use a K1 visa at a US POE, you must not be legally married.

I'd just like to add that it doesn't help when people from other regional forums come into RUB for the sole purpose of berating. I think there's an inherent desire to protect your "home turf," and it just winds up causing even more problems. Probably better to just press the "report" button rather than engaging.

Newbie here, so pardon if it seems like I'm intruding, but the topic of this thread is one I've been asking myself for some time. I'm newly registered but I've been lurking one particular regional for some time. And instead of beating around the bush any more, I'll just come out and say it's the Russia/Ukraine/Belarus regional. Some...no...MUCH...of what I read in that forum is to put it mildly, disgusting. It's like some good old boy's club from the 1970s. Women are spoken about in the most awful terms, and when someone takes issue with it then they're just one of those awful Western feminazis, or they'll defend themselves by saying they're just joking and having good fun. I should caveat that I'm not talking about everyone in there. In fact, it's really only about 3-4 names that keep popping up this way. But there never seems to be any moderator who steps in to say this or that is inappropriate. I dunno, is this normal for this site?
I get the impression Visa Journey tries to label itself as "family friendly," and I think I've even read it somewhere. I also don't see quite this level of inappropriate locker room "humor" in the other regional forums. I'm too new here to offer up any reasons as to why that is--are there specific moderators who handle specific regions and this one is just being neglected? I don't know. But at least the forum I mentioned isn't even close to what I'd call "family friendly."
I've kept my mouth shut for these few months because we're coming up on our 10 year green card, Visa Journey seems like a great resource that I wish I'd known about in the beginning, and I didn't want to alienate possible resources in the specific regional forum that could be of the most help. But thanks to this thread, I just can't keep my mouth shut anymore so I'll take my chances. I tried using the "Contact us" link to voice my concerns, but I don't think anyone reads it because I've had no reply.
Anyway, my experience so far is that if this site is labeling itself as "family friendly," then it's got a long way to go. Ironic in a sad sort of a way for a family immigration web site.

I think it would only be showing proof of a bad decision.

I think it would only be showing proof of a bad decision.

I think it would only be showing proof of a bad decision.

I don't think this is about your wife making adjustments, concessions, or comprises for your marriage. It's not even about the Russian language. It's simply about parents and children and step-parents. To this day, even though my mother and step-father have been together for twenty years, I still don't want him privy to everything I say to my mother. I respect him. On some level I even love him. But he is NOT my father, and there are certain matters with which I'll never trust him. Fortunately for me, and fortunately for my mother, he is a man of great wisdom and understands that he doesn't need to be a part of everything.
His wisdom, and his respect for the privacy my mother and I deserve, is a big part of the reason he and I are close at all -- and it's an even bigger part of the reason he and my mother are still together (for there can be be no mistake: he who comes between mothers and children does so at his own peril).
My sincere advice to you is to respect their privacy. They'll always have a special and unique relationship that sometimes excludes you, and that MUST be okay. If it's not, you might as well file for divorce now because somebody eventually will with this lack of respect poisoning your marriage.
Good luck
Z

That's what my weekly visitors from the church always tell me when they come by "You should come to church, lots of single pretty women that would really like to meet you". Ick! You marry a woman you met at church do you know what she is going to want to do every Sunday? Go to church.. That's worse than having to dress up and go to a wedding every week.. I have to dress up for work, Sunday I want to wear a T-shirt and take my dogs to the mountains or go on a hike with the wife or something useful like that.

Planned Parenthood operates a little over 800 health centers across the nation. And this is what the GOP wants to shut down to the degree that it is funded by the federal government (appr. 1/3 of it). That's roughly 270 health centers that the GOP wants to shut down. These health centers provide overwhelmingly health services such as cancer screenings, STD testing and treatments, prenatal care, infertility treatments and so on. All that would not be available if the GOP had their way. And this is one of the major points where the GOP refuses to move. That's a fact. Members of Congress cannot talk about facts anymore without someone coming out complaining about it? Odd.

I almost cried watching that.

I almost cried watching that.

I may as well say it here..it's just as good a place as any...Damn man! Is there anything that you don't know?! LOL Awesome!
Maybe it's the Shiraz.

The inconsistent answers to the questions about her kids is not the reason you are in this mess. They conducted a Stokes interview, which means they had serious doubts before those questions were asked. They didn't view any of the evidence you brought, so there is NO WAY that this suspicion arose at the interview. They had strong suspicions before the interview ever began.
I strongly suspect that her first husband is the reason for this. You said he got his citizenship through her. He also has custody of her kids. Fathers don't usually get sole custody of the kids in the US unless the mother is found unfit, or she simply has no emotional connection with the kids. If there are any other unusual circumstances with the first marriage, like if they divorced before he got his 10 year green card or if there was a VAWA claim involved, then that would only compound their suspicion.
They focused their questions on the kids because they want to know how a woman could live with her new husband for more than a year without having regular contact with her children, and without her new husband also having regular contact with them. This situation makes it look like she had no emotional investment in her previous marriage, and therefore no emotional attachment to the children produced from that marriage. In other words, they suspect that first marriage was a sham to help her first husband get a green card, and now she's interviewing to help her second husband get a green card. 2 + 2 = ???
Your attorney has failed you miserably. When she learned about the circumstances of the first marriage, and the fact that immigration was also involved in that marriage, she should have asked a million questions and collected as much information as possible about that marriage, the immigration benefits involved, and the circumstances surrounding the divorce. She should have also known that a second marriage to an immigrant would be scrutinized by USCIS, and she should have prepared both of you for the very real possibility of a Stokes interview.
You need a new attorney. This time, you need to grill the attorney about their experience and track record with similar cases before you write a check. Do a little basic research into the law, as it relates to your case, and you'll be better equipped to ask questions that will help you determine if your attorney knows what they are doing. A good attorney will be expensive, but it will mean the difference between success or deportation.

Weren't they up 400% under Bush?
I remember when gas was under a buck back in 1999 and even as recently as 2003.

I've been wondering the same thing the past couple weeks. He probably drove himself and his lady nuts. As much "venting" as he did around here, one can only imagine how much he did via skype with his lady. I certainly hope everything is ok with him/her.

I've been wondering the same thing the past couple weeks. He probably drove himself and his lady nuts. As much "venting" as he did around here, one can only imagine how much he did via skype with his lady. I certainly hope everything is ok with him/her.

Our role model should be (and is, simply by strength of character), the VJ member by the name of sara..... (with the dots). She filed, and waited and waited and waited and waited. She tried Congressional help, legal help, all kinds of other help. Over a 2-year period, I believe it was, all of her contemporaries got their NOA2s, but she was passed by. Sara never complained, yet always posted a note of congratulations, without any hint of self-pity.
USCIS finally found the I-129F application, and everybody on VJ was ecstatic. However, the 2 years was too long, and the relationship failed to survive (his decision, not hers). Although her heart was certainly broken, she gutted it up and has remained the very sweetest and classiest of acts.
Sara is still around on VJ. Next time we're consumed by impatience or self-pity, let's think of her, and strive to emulate her.

More than a couple pounds of paper is too much. Concentrate on examples, not killing trees.

Hey, wait a minute...didn't you do THE SAME THING?

Would you like somebody to say this to you when you remove those rose coloured glasses stuck to your ego? That was mean Baron. Knock it off.

Have you tried posting in the regional section and asking your question? They seem to generally leave thos ones alone and people seem to answer them pretty well.
Other than that.. the I-134 is a embassy/consul requested form so it was moved to the correct place. Its just a shame that not many people post in that section or they are not as active at certain times of the day in that section.

Hey, wait a minute...didn't you do THE SAME THING?

Hey, wait a minute...didn't you do THE SAME THING?