ms_jinga_lala

Thank you for your responses. The reason I am bringing in statements is so I don't have to pay them $5 each to print them. The instructions on the AOS said total of all deposits. She is going to add them up. I feel like I do need this because a significant portion of my income comes from child support. I make almost double what I need to make for the AOS after including child support but without child support I make about $200 less a year than I need to make to satisfy the minimum. I do have assets worth over $30K however I am a chronic worrier and I am going to err on the side of caution. I am claiming assets and income. I know I don't need to be rich, but I don't want there to be any chance they think I don't have enough income. I know I'm a little crazy, but I always aim for success and I don't see any reason to leave out something as significant as my child support income.

Okay, I went to my bank and they didn't know about these kinds of letters that are required for the affidavit of support. This is a nationally recognized chain, just fyi. Anyway, the bank officer told me to print out my statements, highlight all of my deposits and bring them back. She would then type up the letter on business letterhead and notarize it for me. Is that going to be acceptable (it will have the other required information too) for the filing process? Not sure if it matters, but our consulate is New Delhi, our service center is VSC. Thanks in advance! Any input is appreciated.

So what if you wanted to sponsor your fiancee and you had no income, hadn't filed taxes or anything like that. The only thing you did have was a fat lottery check in the bank. Wonder if they would still let you sponsor or think you could waste all that and not have financial stability and deny the petition?

Lol, sorry...I got approved today and now I'm thinking I'm lucky and I'm happy....I should play the lottery!

I got approved today!!! Oddly enough I did not get the email or text message even though I was set up to receive both. My fiancee got his email lol. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! My nerves feel so much better. I know this isn't a guarantee but if round 1 thought I had sufficient evidence of a bona fide relationship, round 2 should be so much easier since he has most of the evidence lol. They are not gonna wanna see him walk into that interview with all the ####### he has hahaha.....YAY!!! I'm so happy!!!!

I'm hanging in there with you all on the December Visa's. That would make a spectacular Christmas present. Who knows, a few of us may run into each other in New York picking up our fiancee's lol.

Is there any chance that an interview could be scheduled between December 20 and January 4th? Do the embassies close or go to skeleton crews for the holidays? Thank you!

I submitted my case and it was accepted on May 8, 2009. It's not showing in the systems yet and I have to get my calls escalated to find out anything. Today I called to follow up and they said I had another 5-6 months before I would hear anything from them. That's a really long long time since it's already been in the system for 3 months. Does it sometimes take that long? How hopeful should I be that it could take less time than that?

Thanks in advance!

The personal assets is not acceptable to the embassy your house or anything you own.

they will only accept stocks & bonds as assets. And only 5 times as much value as what you are short on income.

I know just had interview July 30th got a white slip because of this same thing

thank you all so much! This kind of scares me though. I do own a house that I don't live in. I owe $30,000 less than it's worth and I am only short on my income for the year by $262 so I know that will cover it, but not if it doesn't matter.

I didn't see this posted, but here are some things I've always done to save money.

Keep a change jar and put your change in it. You will have less money in your pocket and you will be less likely to spend. You can put in dollars if you like, whatever works for you. And as the old saying goes - find a penny, pick it up. If you see change in the parking lot, it will look great in your change jar. I manage to save up a few hundred dollars a year this way with change only.

www.mypoints.com - you get points for reading email and clicking a link. This is a little time consuming but I earn about $150 a year this way.

If you live in a 2 story or more building, follow the principle of "heat rises." When it's cold outside, only heat the bottom floor. The heat will rise heating the other floors and you won't be paying for heat to be sent there unnecessarily. You could also close off doors and vents to rooms you rarely use and don't pay to heat those either. In the summer only cool the upstairs because that is where the heat is. Keep a fan downstairs or use your a/c fan to circulate the air. You can stay cool but not cool the parts of the house that aren't as hot while the a/c tries to accommodate for the floors that are.

Another idea is to adjust your thermostat up one degree in the summer (ie keeping it 77 instead of 76) and down one degree in the winter. That can add up to about $15+ in savings a month.

Check what new services your bank has to offer. First Citizens just came out with a bonus checking where they deposit $1 in my savings for every transaction over $25 after the first 10 transactions of each month. With the cost of gas and groceries, I am getting paid $15 a month right now with that program. Check to see what your bank is offering to try to get new business during the economic downturn.

There are also several online jobs you can do if you have the time and the talent that pay you. Secret shopping, writing, and more. Check websites like www.makingmoneymommy.com (which is not just for women lol). They post legitimate job offers for all kinds of people. Secret shopping can take as little as 15 minutes of your time, and if you were going out to lunch anyway you haven't lost anything, you've gotten paid for something you were already doing. It's worth looking into.

Cut back without cutting out - instead of renting 3 movies a week rent 2, etc. Instead of paying for the full satellite package to watch tv at night, figure out what you actually watch and cut out what you can actually live without. As for movies, maybe you can try netflix. Not only does that save gas but it can save you a lot of money. If you like to go out, find cheaper or free alternatives. A walk in the park can be quite fulfilling instead of going to a performance. A picnic could be more fun than a restaurant, etc.

There are busses between the two airports which charge about $30 (I actually went JFK-LGA on the return portion of my 2005 trip).

thank u guys for replying,,,god bless u all

I paid $17 for my bus ticket in March 2009 to go from JFK to LGA. The ladies working for the airport helped me make sure I didn't miss it and the bus driver was kind of rude lol. But it was a fascinating experience for me.

I am trying to fill out information on the form and I am not certain if I should list my vehicle in section 7 as personal property. I do not own it, there is a lean on it. Should I include it? If I include it will I also need statements from the lienholder about it's value and how much I owe, etc?

Thank you!

Did you include the first letters as part of your number ? You number includes EAC (322 on you phone)

At first no, and the automated system promptly told me I didn't enter enough numbers lol. The second time I did enter that.

It isn't uncommon for the online tracking/progress to not register your case/receipt number - it can sometimes take a while before it 'shows' up there - however, it seems it's been quite some time since you received your NOA1 so it should be there by now. Assuming you're entering the correct information of course.

It might help, or at least set your nerves at ease for you to call and just make sure your case is indeed active and pending (I'm pretty sure the answer will be yes). You're still a ways out from a potential adjudication date but it would probably help to know they do in fact have your case and are 'processing' it.

Thank you. I wasn't worried when the online thing said it was invalid because I checked here and saw that was common. I had been watching peoples timelines to get an idea of when I should start checking on it more often and I know it's getting close (I'm like 60-75% of the way to hearing something else) and so I called. I did panic just a little when that system said it could not be found and rushed to the file cabinet to get my NOA1. Unfortunately I work during the hours they work so I think I'm going to have to find a way to get some time to make that call during work hours. Anyone know about how long that phone call could take?

I searched and could not find any other topics like this, so I'm sorry in advance if it's already been asked and answered. I submitted my I129F on May 1 and got a NOA1 back with my eac# on it. When I check online it says it could not be found. I decided to be good and not dial the 800 number just yet and wait for it to have time to process. However now I'm thinking it should be getting close to NOA2 time and I have some letters to type up to finish preparing so I called. It told me my receipt number was invalid. What should I do? Does this kind of thing happen sometimes?

Thanks in advance for any information!

I'm in NC near Danville, VA. If you live anywhere close to there, or if you just want someone to chat with, send me a message on here.

I am divorced and my fiancees parents don't know it. He doesn't want to tell them. Will they ask us at the interview in Delhi if his parents know about my divorce? Will they try to confirm that his parents know/don't know? How bad is it if he doesn't tell his parents (for the purpose of the visa)?

Thank you!

We are working with the Delhi consulate. If the no visit thing is going to be a problem do you think I stand a chance at filing a hardship based on the job situation and the kids as a reason why I can't just keep going over there? They are the only thing that keeps me from going. My mom does foster care and can't keep them, my dad has mental health issues and my husbands family isn't an option either. I don't have any other relatives that can keep them. If I can get time off of work it won't be for long enough to spend 4 days flying and have time to visit. I only get 5.5 days every 2 weeks, right now I have 2 days on the books and 1 I have to take off for my daughter to have outpatient surgery. So in one month I will have enough time to complete the flight only and that's if I didn't actually stay. In 6 weeks I could stay for 1 day. Then it would take me another 10 weeks just to complete one more 1 day visit. So at the absolute best I could squeeze in 2 very short and more than exhausting visits if I could find childcare. If I save all my time and nothing comes up that I have to take off for, in 4 months I could go over there for 5-6 days. However if I do that I won't have the time off to fly back over there for the interview. So I was thinking if I can save my time and go for the interview I can be there for that (if I can line up some childcare over the holidays which is about when all this will go down for us), then I can be there for the interview and picking up his visa and fly back with him to the states. Any advice on how bad only being able to go for the interview could be will be greatly appreciated.

I talk to him about 3-4 hours each day and we email and send letters and packages back and forth. I have witnesses that hear me talking to him and he talks to my kids all the time and my dad just loves him. They could all vouch for our relationship and on his side his parents and quite a few other relatives could vouch for us as well.

Thank you all for responding so far, and thanks in advance for any more advice that is posted.

I know I may sound a little crazy but I filed my I-129F not too long ago and since I filed it I've had this fear that it won't get approved. I have no idea why, I sent everything from the list I got here off the site. I make enough money for the 125% but I'm just nervous something could go wrong. Is this kind of craziness normal after filing? And does it last the whole time lol?

And also, there is no way I can go see him again during the filing process. I can't get enough time off work to go back in the next few months. I might be able to squeeze in a short trip for his interview depending on when he gets it but I have kids and they create issues with finding someone to keep them while I'm gone. How much notice do you get before the interview? I have to put in my time off request at work 6-8 weeks early to get any blocks of time (more than 2 days in a row) off. Is this going to cause problems because I'm not going back over there between now and then?

Thank you!! I did calculate the 125% I just forgot to mention that. I make way more than that now thankfully lol cause I must have read the 2008 numbers wrong. It works out good for me now and takes a huge weight off my mind with worrying I don't make enough.

I was just checking to see what they were for 2009 because I'm about to file my initial K-1 paperwork. I could have sworn that last time I checked for a family size of 5 was $36K+ but this says it's only $25K+ and I just want to make sure I'm looking at the right website. Can anyone tell me if this is the correct poverty guidelines? I don't want to start my paperwork if I don't make enough money, and to be honest I had taken on a second job to make up for the $2000 I was going to be short on the $36K, but now it looks like that wasn't necessary. If this website is not the one I should be checking, please let me know, thank you for your help.

http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/09poverty.shtml

Thank you both for your help! It's very much appreciated!

Okay, here's the problem. My fiance was born on August 6th but when his grandfather filled out his 10th certificated he put the 16th so now since that is what has been used for everything all my fiancee's records say he was born August 16th. My fiancee doesn't have a birth certificate and I've searched on here and couldn't find anything about alternatives. What qualifies as a legitimate birth record when applying for a K-1 in regards to India? Can he use his 10th certificate? Do we need to try to obtain a birth certificate (which from what I am finding are still hand written so I'm not sure how much weight that is going to carry)? Or is there something else we need to do to prepare for when these documents are needed?

Thank you for your help!

I was reading the other topic related to this and I know each circumstance is somewhat unique, though somewhat the same. Reading the other topic just got me curious. I know no one on here will have a definitive answer, but I am seeking opinions on this. I will be starting our K-1 process in a few months and I like to have as much information as I can before I start anything major, and this is by far the most major thing I've ever been involved in. So I do really appreciate and value insight and opinions on this matter, especially from those of you who have been through this part already. I'm concerned about how much evidence to send in. Currently, this is what I have:

4-9 hours of phone calls each and every day for 8 months all logged and traced by a third party service

Consistent emails between us dating back over a year

Online instant messaging archives and recorded sound files to accompany them

Snail mail letters from me to him and some to his family members as well as mail from him to me and some of my family members

Gifts from me to him and family members as well as from him to me

Proof of involvement with my family members including a business he is starting with my brother before he gets here (not enough to qual. for that kind of visa though).

I am visiting next month and I will be spending time with his immediate and extended family. We will be staying at several relatives houses throughout the visit and we will be visiting several destinations. We will also have our ring ceremony (he's Hindu). That visit will add the following to the proof I send in:

pictures of us

pictures of me and his family

receipt for the ring

Is there anything else I could get as proof now or while on the trip? And are those kinds of proof from before my trip even valuable to the filing process? I talk to his parents also (in their native language) but I have no real way of proving that because I've either talked to them on his phone, or when I call their phones the conversations are brief. I do have records of the calls though. Does the exchange of gifts now between myself and his family members bear any weight? Another question is whether or not video files we share now (sending over email) are worth anything? I have video and sound files of him professing his love to me in his native language and though they are very personal, I would gladly send them if I thought they would help. And my last question, do personal references as proof of the relationship matter? What I mean is can we obtain letters from friends and/or family who have been aware of our relationship and know about us and send that to or would it be a waste of time?

Thank you all so much in advance!

Thank you pushbrk, that information was helpful too.

I posted this on the South Asia thread and just thought maybe it would be good here too. There current rates from the US to India is 2.4 cents a min and it keeps a call log for you that you can download to MS Excel and print. You have to prepay for the minutes of use, but there is also a free option too that might work for you.

www.jaxtr.com

How this works is you put in your phone number and information and the number you would like to call. They give you a number that is local to you and as long as you have unlimited long distance it's a free call. For example, I live in North Carolina but got a Texas number to dial. It's free for me to call, and I only get billed by jaxtr. You have to prepay your jaxtr account and they have several options available. It works in many countries, just check to see to make sure yours is available. My fiancee tried to use it in India, but received a number that cost him 2 rupees a min which was better than the 10 it cost to call me before. Then he had to pay for jaxtr in addition to that. It was still a lot cheaper.

Also they have something you can set up to call for free to anyone on the jaxtr network. You have to approve callers before jaxtr will allow the calls to go through. Check into it and see which options work for you.

As of right now things are not too bad over there. I am leaving for India on Tuesday to go see my sweet man and visit his family. I have talked to fiancée about the situation over there and he says as long as we stay out of certain areas things will be fine. Security has been heightened and I am not planning to go to any tourist spots so for the most part it should be safe to travel. No matter where you go these days there is always a risk of something happening. Also the meeting of his family is very important not just so that he can come here with their permission but also so you can start building a relationship with them. Indian families are very close knit and there is usually some form of family close by even if it cousins or aunts and uncles. They are just concerned about their son.

When I had talked to several lawyers before we filed for the K-1 and they had said that it is very difficult to prove a relationship and intent to marry if you have not met in person. So in July I got my visa and got my butt over there. Even in this day and age of the internet you can document all your phone conversations and chat sessions but it still probably not be enough to prove the relationship. I would say to plan a trip over there and watch the advisories. Get a plane ticket that can be changed or you can get a refund on if you need to cancel. Talk to him about the situation over there and ask his and his families opinion if it is safe or not for you to visit. Worse case scenario is you have to change or cancel your trip and if you get a plane ticket that can be changed or canceled then you have not lost any money.

Good Luck

Thanks for the idea. The problem with us is that he lives in a hot zone. He's right in the middle of a tourist destination and right along the border with Pakistan. Maybe I'm just fighting a losing battle. I'm going to check into the plan ticket options. I've never flown but I've purchased plane tickets for others before and they all said non-refundable. I didn't know you could get tickets that were anything different than that. Thank you.

Charles: Thanks for the advice, but thankfully he doesn't snore. He's fallen asleep on the phone enough for me to know that lol. And as for bad breath, there are always breath mints. I'm not trying to shortcut the system, I'm merely concerned that my chance to be with him will be delayed indefinitely and there is nothing I can do about it. We've both put a lot of effort and time into this meeting in February and now there is a possibility I won't be allowed to go.

Shaggy: I really don't know how his family situation is going to impact our marriage. I know his mom and dad are accepting of me and I talk to them on the phone as well. There are members of his family he doesn't tell because he says they will start trouble to try to keep him from going. I know this isn't going to be easy at all. The relatives that are most important to him all approve of me and one is even learning English just for me. His parents are really over protective though.

For those of you who left me rude comments, I really don't appreciate it. His culture dictates the kind of close family relations that don't leave someone alone to fend for themselves. His family is concerned for his welfare at all times. I would never ask him to just ditch his family and go running off with me because they are over protective, that would destroy my marriage before it started and I am not a controlling, psychopathic narcissist like that either. And I'm sure no one comes to this website looking for snotty remarks just because you don't agree with something or because it's not what you are used to.