Mike & Miche

Anyone know what is up with Rich and Bey lately? He has been silent the past month or so. I had been corresponding with him and concerned about them.

Mike

USCIS only wants to see that you have meet each other within two years before filing, so the most important will be, boarding passes, VISA entry/departure stamps, credit card statements showing uses of credit card there, etc... pictures are secondary evidence, but you can include maybe 5-10.... at this stage the only documents are forms for the initial filing and your birth certificate...

Sorry in advance if this isn't something I should be worrying about. I think doing all this research and reading all these posts has just made me a bit nervous...

Anyway, here's my question: My fiance from Brazil has two middle names. They won't fit in the middle name field on the I-29F form if i try to type them both in. Should I just use one name? Should I try to write them both in with a pen? does this really matter?

Thanks!

Just fit as much as you can in the form. My fiances' name is pretty long but we didnt have any problems.

Well, the day has finally come. Miche arrives Houston in less than 2 hours!!

Ive been in Singapore the past 9 days, arriving home just 12 hours ago myself (35 hour trip). My body clock is so screwed up at this point, along with the anticipation of seeing her walk through those doors from Customs...totally cant sleep. LOL. I bought a bunch of small US and BR flags which I lined the driveway with that she will see upon arriving home. We will also be closing on our brand new home tomorrow morning.

Thanks again to my fellow VJ'rs. Everyone who is still waiting....remain steadfast in this path; your day will come.

KEVIN/LEILEI: How is everything going since your 08/05 entry?

ELLIE: How about you guys?

Hi Guys!

We got married yesterday....this ring feels funny! :-)

Congrats to all the recent approvals and US arrivals!

....by the way, just saw your new photos. You two are looking great. Very happy for you both.

First, I would like to say CONGRATULATIONS to everyone on this topic, my fellow November filers for your progress in the various stages we are all in.

Ellie, wonderful news. Doesnt the NVC AP seem like so long ago now? Grin.

Kevin, I have been following your progress as you and Leilei were the first to start this specific topic. Im very happy to see you are just about there.

And to everyone else either subscribed to November 2008 VSC filers, keep the faith and move forward.

As for myself and Michelle, we are less than two weeks from her arrival to Houston after all this time. I have spent countless, countless hours thinking about this time, the day she arrives. When you are going through the AP, the NOA waiting, it almost seems surreal. But now, here we are....it is REALLY happening. You wanted it, you got it. GRIN. And it is ALLLL good.

But something for us USC's that I believe we always must keep in mind. Our respective fiances are uprooting themselves from their homes, the life which they have grown up in, to be with us. I hear in Michelle's voice her growing nervousness, some agitation, short level of patience as she works so hard to unravel her life in Brazil to fulfill our dream together. We must realize it isnt easy for them. But this is where our dedication to the love we have all committed to for our future spouses...our best friends, the soulmate we believe in with every ounce of our hearts, MUST be apparent more now then ever. This is REAL life.

Just needed to say those things to ensure we all remember why we are even here on VJ, the extraordinary circumstances we are each dealing with, and most importantly....our love and dedication to each other must always, always be at the top of the list. Without that, nothing else really matters. We are the exception in finding someone outside of our various home countries.

Stay true to your heart, for one another.

My two cents on the proverbial soap box.

Thanks everyone for reading, for your continued support in this forum.

Mike

Hello fellow VJers!

I am outraged at the fact that VSC is operating at such a slow pace. In the last few months they have slowed in aproving petitions drasticaly. Our lives are tied in this, our finances, our jobs, future, even our health. I myself I am putting off buying a home and loosing a lot of money in finance charges and the $8000 goverment stimulus because they are moving so slow. CSC is working on petitions from May while VSC is still November and December. This is not acceptable and unless we bring this to their attention nothing will happen.

I know that we are at their mercy but we can stir the waters and write some letters to USCIS ombudsman, to senators, congressmen, even to the white house. I believe that if they get enough letters maybe someone might take a look at this problem and try to do something about it. One: it is our right as US citizens to pursue hapiness and two: it is a service we paid for. If we do nothing about it nothing will happen but if we draw some attention to this problem, maybe something might happen and have them hire more, train more, or at least try to do something to rectify the situation. If we don't write, call, complain they will not act on anything.

Mr. President spoke about "change" lets ask for change in this department!

I'm confused, why is your petition approval delaying and/or impeding your home purchase???

Im wondering the same thing.

Hello,

I'm Janaan, and I'm a newbie to all the process. I am here in Tennessee, and my fiancee is in Morocco. I hope to be applying for him to come in September/October of 2009. I just want to know what to expect while starting the process. How long does everything take from begininng to end. A guesstamation is fine. Also, what is everything abroad going to cost? What forums should I apply first and how to go about everything.

At the moment I'm in school and working as well as taking care of my child who is under the age of six, but is starting elementary school this year. So, being able to assist him during the interview would be impossible. Do I have to attend with him? Any information would be helpful.

Before I close, I must state that his parents are not fond of me for cultural reasons, of being divorced and raising a child alone. Will this effect us trying to get the K-1 visa during the interview?

Any advice would help.

Thank you,

Janaan

Not to burst your anticipation of a quick entry for him to the US, but you need to realize the process will take you longer than 3 months. The AVERAGE time from NOA1 receipt to visa being issued is currently 203 days....

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...ge=k1historical

You can check specific timelines for Morocco beneficiaries in the "Immigration Timelines" section as well.

There are forums on VJ which provide you with specific process steps in making it to the proverbial finish line.

All the best in your journey through this process. Be prepared to BE PATIENT.

Definitely celebrate BOTH !!! Not married, yet, but one will be in Vegas (later next month), the other in Campos dos Goytacazes Brazil next Spring.

Why not? Celebrate the love and commitment for one another!!! GRIN.

Okay, so, if everything goes according to MY plan, my fiance should be getting his interview date approximately for the last week of August (God willing!). I won't be able to go to Bogota to accompany him to the interview as I will be 38 weeks pregnant by then. Is there anything that I can do to assure the issuance of the visa? I would love for him to be here by the time our daughter is due - September 15!

Link / post your timeline. Will help others see what your progress is.

yep they need to.. but it's good to see though that those who have been waiting since december are finally getting NOA2s, i cant imagine how that feels to have waited for so long

Hang in there everyone. The NOA2 email / document will arrive before you know it. Patience is the key ingredient through this process. My fiance just received the visa in her passport one week ago and we filed mid-late November and had to endure an additional 31 days at the NVC for "Additional Processing". Talk about frustrating.

We definitely feel for everyone dealing with the anxiety and feeling as though this visa process completely controls your ability to plan ANYTHING.

If there is anything we can do to assist anyone here, please do not hesitate to send a PM. VJ is where you can find the support everyone. Take advantage of it. We are all in this together in one way or another.

Hello,

I am still waiting for my NOA2 and we are hoping for aproval in September. We will be 140+ days then. I am going to see my fiancee next week and I want to bring her as much of the paperwork she will need for the interview as possible. I got the tax returns, W2's, 1099's, etc. I don't have any problem with the income requirements but I guess all this supporting info is going to be helpful.

I was thinking of getting the letter from my employer, but I was wondering if it would be better to wait and send it to her via FEDEX after NOA2. How long would a letter be valid for the interview? Would it still be good for 3 months from now?

Also, my empoyer cannot specify the annual income because it is not fixed, it totally depends on how much I work. I will have supporting evidence showing my base salary with the hourly pay but each month's paycheck is different. Would it be a problem if there is no mention of my salary on that letter?

Can I fill in the Affidavit of Support and give it to her now, or is it too early?

Would they accept faxed (or scanned and e-mailed) bank account info?

I know there are a lot of questions. I thank you for your help!

Was never able to find anything specific to the employment letter validity time period. I had my employer issue their standard letter about 4 weeks before the interview date, indicating when I was hired and what my current position is with no indication of salary. That is where your 2008 tax return and supporting documents, i.e. W2, etc come in.

I scanned the original and emailed to my fiance. She breezed through the interview on June 30th.

Just wanted to let all of the people going to interviews in Brasil that the forms on the embassy website are outdated. We had to redo all of our forms and use the ones directly from the state department. Thankfully we found out before getting NOA2 and scheduling our interview--still waiting nearly 4 months later for them to acknowlege us and put our case online. So my advice is to download the forms from the state department and not the consulate website.

Hey Menina,

How did you know that? Where do I get this info?

By the way, is the state department website the USCIS one?

Thanks!

Lu

I just googled the US Department of State visa forms, but I think you can get the forms from USCIS. I was just having trouble opening them with my browser. I only found out that the forms on the consulate website are oudated because I couldn´t get one to open, so I went to the state department to download it from there. When I saw the updated forms, I checked all of my forms and found that most of them had an expiration date that had already passed. I redid all of them with the new forms and noticed that some say at the bottom that previous editions are obsolete. I found out by chance. There was no notification anywhere. Sometimes they accept previous editions, but as I said, there were some that stated they were not acceptable.

Although these documents have expiration dates on them, the embassy in Rio accepts them..so dont panic if you did expired ones. Also the police papers technically expire 3 months from the date they are issued... but the Rio embassy will accept until they are 1 year old.

We failed to receive packet 4 from the embassy, so we submitted the "expired" ones from the website with no problem.

In the past couple of weeks I have read that police papers expire after twelve months, six months, and now three months. Does anyone know for certain how old they are actually allowed to be before they are no longer legally valid?

Err on the side of caution....get your certificates within 4-8 weeks of the interview. The BR Federal Certificate takes 15 days to obtain once you request it. My fiance obtained her local certificate in about the same time.

She didnt have any problems with her documents submitted at the Consulate on the interview day, but she / we put alot of time into ensuring they were all correct, current and in the required order shown on the website. I was amazed to hear about the number of couples at the Rio Consulate the day of the interview who did not have their documents completed.

Here is a tip when it comes to the medical. You dont have to wait to receive the Packet 4 before getting this done. Get this started as soon as you know the documents have been received by the Consulate. You can find this out by calling the US State Department at 202-663-1225 (Press "1", then press "0" without listening to the long list of options). Have you NVC Case Number available...they can confirm receipt by the Consulate from the NVC.

Also, if your BR fiance is working and has medical insurance (which I believe most do), you should try to get the xrays, blood work and vaccinations done through your insurance. This seemed to save us quite a bit of money. But, you obviously cant arrange for those until you get your appointment and meet with the consulate physican first.

Hope that helps.

hi guys..

i'm new in this site, we'll me and my fiancee has been talking through the internet for almost 3 years now and we're actually engage before our 1st anniversary, he sent the ring through fedex. it's funny or weird or whatever you call it..but i do love this guy so much..we haven't met yet,he's planning to visit me in the philippines this cming october, youi think the consul will find it weird? i mean, i'm Asian, but let's just say i don't follow that tradition religiously, cause we're in the modern age right now..my thing is if you love each other go follow your heart..we'll my family knows him already . you think once we file our k1 visa and once i'll be interviewed you think the consul will find it strange that we're engage really through the internet and the ring was sent through fedex? should i tell them that?

thanks i need your opinion guys..

thank you,

jparis

If I am reading correctly, you have not yet met in person. If that is the case, then you most likely will have problems with the initial petition review. You absolutely must be able to prove that you have been together, in person (doesnt matter where) at least one time. Flight receipts, hotel receipts, photos together with family, etc etc.

... I flew from London to New York on 10th July (yesterday).... and told her I will be leaving on 19th April...

Holy crud! 9 month stay??!?

USAGROOM: God Bless you for enduring a 429 day time since being together with your Fiance.

Although these documents have expiration dates on them, the embassy in Rio accepts them..so dont panic if you did expired ones. Also the police papers technically expire 3 months from the date they are issued... but the Rio embassy will accept until they are 1 year old.

We failed to receive packet 4 from the embassy, so we submitted the "expired" ones from the website with no problem.

Yep.

Agreed. We received the Visa last week after a June 30 interview at the Rio Consulate using all of the documents shown on their website...the Consulate Officer clearly indicated that the documents were in perfect order. We pulled them from the website during June.

KEY KEY KEY: Make sure your documents are in the EXACT ORDER shown on the website list. So, if you do decide to utilize the State Department documents, make sure you put those in the exact order shown on the RIO CONSULATE WEB SITE. Others interviewing on our day were either delayed or turned away and told to return after getting a new interview date because documents were missing.

http://www.embaixadaamericana.org.br/index...amp;itemmenu=58

Hope that helps.

Interview today.....APPROVED !!!!

What a relief. She said everything went completely smooth; no problems at all with the documents (make sure you have them EXACTLY as your respective Consulate requires).

Next step....see her in Rio in 16 days!!! Im in Aberdeen Scotland at the moment on a 12 day business trip through here then Norway then Holland. Hated that I couldnt be there for this big day, but all is well. Planned entry to Houston is August 9th, one day before we close on our new house (on my Birthday no less...lol).

Our thoughts continue for all those still in the process. This site has been a HUGE help and much of our success is due to the information and support found on VJ.

If anyone needs assistance which I / we can offer, please dont hestitate to send a PM.

M & M

Hello all,

I am in need of some rather quick assistance.

Fiance has interview one week from today. We have all documents together except for one remaining police certificate. This was requested as per the consulate instructions two weeks ago. My fiance picked up the document this morning, however she is very concerned it is not the correct certificate.

I was wondering if anyone might have an example they could supply or share (obviously with their personal information blacked out) to compare against what she received today.

If there is somewhere on VJ where this example also exists, I would be happy to check that directly. Have been unable however to locate one. I can send you my personal email address through private message if needed...just shoot me a VJ message.

ANY assistance someone could provide would be a HUGE help. We have been enduring this lllooonnnnggg process for so long with one week to go until the interview and a possbililty this one last document is not correct....that would be a huge blow.

MANY MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE !!!!!

Mike

Two more references for you:

1) Link for SSN application: http://www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.pdf

2) Work authorization: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203500

Please note K-1 Visa holders are permitted to work without specific authorization....see section C.1 of this authorization.

My fiancee' has been here for over 3 weeks now after coming here on a K-1. When she filled out her original visa application, she checked the box that said she wanted a social security card issued after she arrived. She showed me the instructions she received with her visa that said if she checked this box on her application, there was no need to visit a social security office and that she would receive her card within 3 weeks of entering the U.S. No card has arrived yet. So here's my question: I'm wondering if we should visit a social security office anyway, or do we just keep waiting for one to arrive?

Here is the SSN reference guide for K-1 holders:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=ssn

This notes that checking the box is only applicable to CR-1 visa holders. So, complete the noted forms (probably need to check for updates on the SSA website) and head to your local SS office.

Here is the link to the SSA website for applying for a SSN.

http://www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.html

I got my NOA1 November 12th 2008, and still not a word.....yet.

Congratulations to all who got approved so far! How exciting!

I hope ours is not too far behind!

Thanks friends!

Just curious...your signature ticker shows you havent seen each other in 17 months? That takes serious dedication to your relationship. I wonder if CIS is taking a look at that. Just a thought.

I definitely agree with the others....you need to start pushing CIS, get a request off to your representing US Senator to push a button on this.

Keep us posted.

Hi guys! Just a quick message to say...

We are approved! I am one happy girl right now.

Thank you so much my K1 november family......here's to many more upcoming approvals!

Ellie....congrats!!!!! Very very happy for you!!!!!!

Hi Everyone...!!

Had my interview today and everything was done and completed in less than an hour from going through all security checks, finger prints, waits, and interview! Oh, except one "minor" hiccup - my birth certificate has my mother's maiden name as my middle name. However, my passport and all other legal documents doesnt include this name (I was born overseas). So, prior to issuing the visa I need to either amend the passport to read as my birth certificate or obtain a name change certificate and send it back so they can issue the visa. Either way, there is a waiting period from 2 weeks to 4 weeks and my k1 approval expires in 2 weeks. I have emailed the US consulate explaining the waiting period so hopefully, they can extend this 4 month period for at least another month!

But other then that - they said all was in order and gave me a pre-departure information sheet to read over.

Congratulations! Sorry about the hiccup but providing an extension should definitely not be a problem as these kinds of situations occur all the time. Let us know what they say!

Also did I mention......CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!

I'm so nervous about my interview on friday....EEEEEEEEk!!!!

Ellie, all the best with your interview in TWO days....you must be so excited.

Miche and I have made progress on our side. While I was in Brazil last week, we received confirmation of her interview date for June 30. We also found out that there is no Packet 3 sent for K-1's from the Rio consulate which was a relief since we hadnt received anything. We have been waiting for Packet 4 since May 28 (when they said it was mailed), but nothing yet. However, we have email confirms from the consulate she is all set for June 30.

So, at this point, all the required forms have been completed, all photos, plane ticket receipts, ticket stubs, copies of passport stamps and visa, Affidavit of Support and supporting documents completed, all other certified copies of other legal docs received (i.e. divorce), medical exams and shots completed (all clear...woo hoo). So, now it is a waiting game again until June 30. Unfortunately, I cannot be with her during the interview because of travel I have to make to Europe for two weeks (Scotland, Norway and Netherlands). So, she will also have a letter with her that I wrote to the Consulate, along with my confirmed travel itinerary explaining my absence.

As noted in our signature timeline, we are anticipating her arrival to the US on August 9 (one day after I return from two weeks in Singapore....lol), I / we will close on our new home on August 10 (which happens to be my B-Day), then off to Vegas on Aug 14 to get the legal marriage completed (we will have a religous ceremony and party in Brazil next Spring). The next eight weeks are going to be a whirlwind !!!!

So, its all coming together. I am glad to see my fellow November filers are moving along well. Keep us posted on your continued progress !!!!

Mike

Great to see so many approvals! Congrats to all. We finally got an interview date at the Hong Kong consulate for June 22.

Final Countdown!!

Update on our process.

May 18 our file was released by NVC after 31 days in AP and "sent" to the Rio consulate. As of May 22, not received. Called back May 26 to be told by the US State Department our file was received May 21, Packet 3 was sent on May 21, and Packet 3 was returned completed May 21....but we never actually received Packet 3 !!! The SD said to contact the Consulate directly. So, we contacted the Consulate to be told they havent received the file yet. OMG, here we go again.

I called the SD today to be told that Packet 3 was received completed, Packet 4 was mailed May 28, and an interview date was set for June 30.

With all that said....we never received Packet 3, Packet 4 not received as of today, and we have an interview date. LOL.

She is going for her medical exams on June 3 even without the packet 3 documents.

I am in Rio until tomorrow night and have sworn we will get this mess straightened out before Im on that plane back to Houston.

Gotta love our government intelligence.