Kukolka

It's fine. Upper and lower case does not matter in e-mail addresses.

I grew up in Connecticut calling a "shopping cart" a "carriage" because my mom and grandmother (Lithuanian) did.

Were other carts wet from rain and perhaps she wanted your dry one?

My father is retired, and is joint sponsoring my fiancé for the K-1 visa. I have two questions about my father's I-134.

1. Math word problem! My father gets income from 3 sources.

His pension + social security = $x.

$x + what he decides to take out from his 401(k) each year = $y.

$x by itself is sufficient to sponsor (Above 125% the federal poverty guideline for a household size of dad's household + fiancé). He can provide statements for social security and pension amounts. However, his tax transcripts show his income as being $y, not $x. He would rather not provide bank statements. So he has statements to back up $x, but the only information to back up $y is the tax transcripts.

For "I derive an annual income of:" does he put $x or $y ?

2. The verbal portion! For question 7. "I am employed as or engaged in the business of"

Type of Business: "Retirement" (sounds better) or "Retired" (less ambiguous; 'Retirement' sounds like he may work in a company's Retirement Services division)?

Name of Concern: "<The company from which he retired>" or "N/A"?

I urge you to talk to your spouses about how you are feeling. If they don't know they can't help you make it better. Sure they can't pull a perfect job and all your best friends next door out of a hat but at least put it out there.

All I can say though after reading all your valuable words though is to please just speak with your partners about what you are feeling. You need to communicate these details. Out of respect for yourself, your partner and your relationship. No matter what they will always be by your side and I am sure will do anything possible to help lessen the burden.

Wise words. About any issue, communication is *extremely* important. I cannot stress this enough. A partner who doesn't know about a problem *cannot* help. Communication can avert potential disaster, or start you on the road to mending what's already taken place.

As for the picture, I never did upload one. Well I uploaded one that it didn't accept (just a pic of a flower, because I didn't have a pic of myself on the computer lol). And then I managed to get past the picture uploading part and made it to the end. I understand that I can just bring the pic to my interview, right? Or do I need to send it in with the DS-160 and the other forms they requested?

Yes, you can just bring 2 identical passport-style photos to the interview instead if you're unable to upload them. You do not need to mail the photos with the DS-160.

You just need to try to upload some image in the test (like you did with the flower) and have it fail in order to get through the form.

We had loads of trouble getting access to a working printer, that's why our timeline has so long between receiving and sending back Packet 3! We'd probably have our interview scheduled by now if Montréal would've accepted hand-filled forms.

They do need the barcode, it has all the information in the form encoded in it. Don't worry about any applications you've done where you didn't print the barcode, they'll only look at the one you print.

The proof they're looking for at this stage is a second letter of intent to marry, from the USC petitioner. Like the one sent with your I-129F, but dated closer to the interview.

Just the fiance.

A 'fiancé' is a male engaged to be married; 'fiancée' is a female engaged to be married.

The one who needs a police certificate is the visa applicant, the one who is NOT the US Citizen.

1. No, because he would be coming to the US with intent to immigrate. AOS by a tourist is only legal if they did not have intent to immigrate when they entered the US.

2. You would be petitioning for him to come on a CR-1 visa, because you've been married less than 2 years and because the K-3 now gets closed and the CR-1 is processed instead. On the CR-1, he will have LPR status as soon as he enters the country, and will be able to work. That he has capital does not affect it one way or the other, as he would be entering on a family-based immigrant visa.

Today I have only 4 circles. I remember having more in the past (don't remember the exact number, maybe 7). Possibly there is a problem with the site today, or they have changed the site?

How do you find out when your Packet 3 is "logged in"?

No, you don't have to include every e-mail. A small selection would be good. People here say one or a few e-mails per month.

If you can do a search on an e-mail address in your Inbox and Sent box, you could also include screen captures of those, to show you've submitted a small selection from many e-mails. It's not necessary, just one idea.

I never used Skype, but what you said sounds good, paste call history in Word.

Good luck in your interview!

Thank you both for replies.

Not when I went last year. That would suck especially in the winter.

I was thinking the same thing! Or if you had lace-up shoes and someone behind you in line outside got though security faster because they had slides!

Didn't have to remove my shoes and regretting wearing the ones I did as nobody except the other people waiting ever say them anyways! Everything is done at a window....frankly I doubt anybody ever noticed what I was wearing from the waist down (higher even, I'm short). You walk up to the window they are busy looking at papers, after you are there they look up to talk to you. I seen a lot of women in dressed in high heels and skirts...I was glad I hadn't gone to that extreme. I wore business casual, blouse, heels etc. I'd have went for the more comfy shoes if I had known, my feet were killing me after walking to the consulate and being in there for hours and then walking back.

hehe, I'm short too. I may wear a skirt anyway, but based on your experience, I'll wear comfy shoes. :]

There is no guidance so you must use logic and deductive reasoning...

Thank you, that works. And extrapolating income to the whole year looks better than the alternatives!

I haven't seen this in reviews and yes I obsess over every little detail!

1. At security at the US Consulate in Montréal, do they have you take off your shoes? If so, is the floor there carpeted?

2. As far as I can tell, everything past security happens at one window or another--is this correct?

(If so, it would follow that no-one who's going to pass important judgment on you is likely to see your footwear anyway!)

Thank you, payxibka! Do you have a source for this information?

Yay for pics! Everyone looks so nice! Colleens, we're stealing your colours. :} Peachey, lol @ pre-wedding jam session! xD Kayla, your dress is gorgeous and you looked radiant! So much fun!! Gratz to all of you!

I've searched and been unable to find this answer elsewhere. I'm not sure what to put for question 7 of the I-134, "I derive an annual income of:"

My situation: I'm currently employed in a contract-to-hire position, on a 6-month contract that started in May 2010 and will end in November 2010. I am currently paid hourly.

Do I put:

- What I expect to make if I continue at my current rate of pay for the remainder of 2010?

- What I expect to make if I continue at my current rate of pay for the duration of the 6 month contract?

- What I would have made if I had been employed at my current rate of pay for the 12 months of 2010?

(I know it's gross not net, and I know that I and my joint sponsor each need to fill out an I-134).

After you marry, along with AOS you may apply for Advance Parole http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Advance_Parole to travel, but it takes time to process. ("As of late 2007 AP's were taking up to 100 days to be issued").

It's possible to reschedule your interview date, though if you're going through Montreal I don't recommend that, because people are waiting 5-7 months for a rescheduled interview.

It's also possible to be approved at the interview but then have them hold off issuing the visa. From trailmix's post here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/264181-visiting-us-after-k-1-is-approved/page__view__findpost__p__4051359

"A few have requested, at their Montreal interview, that their visa not be issued until later - basically you mail in your passport when you are ready to have it issued. Be forewarned though that Montreal is very slow in getting through mail, it can take weeks and weeks for them to get to additional documents that are mailed in(...)"

As canadian_wife said, the easiest way for you to hold off the interview once the process is started is, once you get Packet 3, to not send it back right away.

Good luck!

There is no citizenship nor residency requirement to change one's name in Connecticut.

I realised I misspoke here: there *is* a residency requirement to change one's name by court order in Connecticut; there's no *length of residency* requirement.

I called the local probate court today to ask whether he needed to get an SSN before petitioning for name change. The clerk said to attach a copy of the visa and explain why he didn't have an SSN yet. That sounds like the better way to do it (name change before SSN).

And since I haven't found anything anywhere whatsoever about the immigrant husband changing his name before AOS, just going by logic, we *should* be able to do the steps in this order: marriage, name change, get SSN, file for AOS. Because immigrant *women* are able to do it (with the marriage and name change in one step); the only difference is the name change document is a court order instead of a marriage certificate.

It seems if you're inviting a lot of guests from overseas, and *not* using most of the 6 months before POE, yes, it's easier to get married at a courthouse to fulfill the K-1 requirement, then plan a large celebration on your own time.

It's *possible* to plan a large wedding in the time allotted by the K-1 visa. Using most of the 6 months before moving would be useful for that. Have everything that's not time-sensitive ready to go (guest list, attire; pick out menus, invitations, favours). To save time on printing invitations (printers typically take about 5 weeks), use packaged blank invitations formatted to print from your computer printer. Have a few choices for each vendor: location, officiant, photographer, caterer, DJ, florist, cake artist, etc. Find a hotel that will let you reserve a block of rooms with no penalty. Gather information for a few hotels in different price ranges to pass on to your guests. Keep your guests informed that they'll be invited to a wedding on short notice. Address envelopes.

Once you get the visa (and not before), put the plan into action: pick a range of dates (remember you have 9 months total to work with), and find out which of those work for the people who *must* be there (closest family, wedding party?) Call your first choice vendors to find out which of those dates all of them are available; contact backup vendors if necessary. Book everything. Reserve a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests. Mail invitations. E-mail or call guests, as well, so they know when the wedding will be before receiving a snail-mail invitation.

In my case, we're having a smallish wedding (around 40 people) but that would've been the same had we both been USCs. We don't have many guests coming from out-of-state. We're planning with great help from my parents, who do the legwork as soon as we come up with an idea. He's moving soon after he gets the visa instead of waiting most of the 6 months because we don't want to be apart any longer than necessary.

My fiance wants to change his surname to one part of his current hyphenated surname. Once we're married, I want to change my surname to match his.

He does not want to change his name in Canada before he POEs on the K-1 visa, so as not to cause any complications that would delay us being able to be together.

I do not want to change my name more than once, because it would be unnecessarily tedious to change it everywhere, *twice*.

We will be married in, and residing in, Connecticut. Under Connecticut state law, a woman can change her surname to her husband's surname at the time of marriage, but she cannot choose a new surname. Only the wife can change her name at the time of marriage, the husband must obtain a court order. (So, without a court order, I cannot change my last name to only the part of his hyphenated name that he wants to keep.)

There is no citizenship nor residency requirement to change one's name in Connecticut.

We understand that if he's planning to become a USC, he can change his name then at no extra charge. We do not want to wait that long.

He will need a SSN before changing his name, because Connecticut form PC-901, APPLICATION FOR CHANGE OF NAME (ADULT), requires one. (We know, bring the printout about K-1 visa holders being allowed to get SSNs to the Social Security office.)

So it seems given the circumstances, our best option is to petition the local Probate Court for both of our name changes together, after we have the certified marriage certificate, and before filing for AOS.

Will this likely cause problems with the AOS process?

How about for getting a Canadian passport in his new name?

Hi majay, If your fiance went to his medical, it sounds like he is the beneficiary, and you are the USC (United States Citizen) petitioner; is this correct?

According to the K-1 flowchart http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

Packet 3 and 4 are sent to the beneficiary, not to the petitioner. In Canada the packet 4 is what tells the date of the interview, so yes it's sent before the interview. I don't know if Liberia does this differently. Some countries have a packet 3 and no packet 4. Has your fiance received anything in the mail?

Also, please fill in your timeline, it will help others know where you are in the process to better answer questions you may have.

The Guides and FAQ at the top of this site are helpful for the whole process. In the FAQ there are some example interview questions for the K visas: http://www.visajourney.com/content/exampleq

Good luck in your journey!

I had to go to work and couldn't find out right then; the POE is Lewiston Bridge Complex in NY.

This page https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/238/kw/duty is... informative but bleh (don't have debit as an option)

So I called CBP today and the man I spoke to (at Vehicle Importations NY number) asked what kind of car it was, and said that kind of car would have been made in the US, Canada, or Mexico, and not be dutiable anyway. He said people entering on K visas don't need to pay duty on personal belongings, and asked if the car is in my fiance's name. He says there's no ATM at the POE. I kept badgering him with what-if's and he said if I'm that concerned about it I should be with my fiance. I thought, duh, I *want* to be with him, that's why we're getting married!! Then realised he meant be with him *when* he POEs.

OK, thank you for your answers.. He already does know about the letter of compliance, the exact fee for it from his vehicle's manufacturer, and plans to request it soon. I should have mentioned that.

I have read on this site that most people don't have to pay duty on their cars. A few have, and we want to be prepared. He may not have passed the six month mark by the time he POEs.

My real question is: if he has to pay duty on *anything*, *how* do they want it paid?

I don't have time to find out the POE now, will later. It's one of the ones to Buffalo, NY.