Maliajannah

Thank you for all your opinions. I am not going to come back to visajourney, I see that my ###### stained hands are making a mess in the forums, and my rose colored glasses are pissing everyone off. Thanks again for all your help.

M-Bone: What happened?

Not as horrible as it could have been but it didn't go well. I was not allowed to participate, I had to sit at least 2 rows away from the interpreter and Patricio so I couldn't communicate with him at all. The interpreter wouldn't explain anything, she would only repeat the words of the judge in Spanish. Since I have a hard time understanding the legal-ese, I know Patricio wasn't understanding what was being said to him. Although before we went in we agreed that he would accept the charges and the fine, then pay it off month to month, once he was in front of the judge he wasn't able to communicate that. He said "I can't afford a lawyer" and "I'm not working now" and that was it. From those words they had him sign a declaration of financial ability and signed him up with a public defender, along with another court date on October 5th. I was distraught cause I knew that's not what he wanted, but no one would allow me to speak. Long story short, he has an appointment with the Spanish-speaking public defendant at 11am and the court appointment at 1pm on October 5th. The plan is that he will accept the charge (wet and reckless) and pay the fine ($1314.00) starting in January at $50 per month until it is paid off. If the judge asks how he plans to pay the fine, he'll say that his work documents should come through within 3 months.

I feel like emotionally he's coming around... specifically, he finally realizes what he does, how he changes when he's angry, and how he doesn't understand or love himself, so how can he understand and love me? I think he still has a long road ahead of him but my love is just as strong as ever and I think his is too. I'm not going to give up on him, but I'm not going to waste my life away either. I think it's working for us to be living separately right now, and I hope we can live together again in the future... I hope we can both mature enough to make our marriage work.

1. You BOTH must do an affidavit of support and it should be recent (within 90 days should be OK but more recent is better)

I'm reading over the OP's post and I see that you recently filed the I-129F (about 2 months ago). I'm not sure how the timelines are going these days, but it took us 6 months from NOA1 to interview... You will likely need to do the affidavits of support again because, as stated here, they must be signed within 90 days of the interview and your interview will likely not be in 90 days. Plan on going to Ecuador to attend the interview, it is very important specifically at our Guayaquil consulate.

Good luck!

Okay just to have the whole picture.. this is your previous thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/320526-i-need-some-opinions/ You are married to an abusive man and you know it. Why you would go to HELP him is beyond me. To help crucify him I understand.

Obviously it was foolish of me to think that the people reading and responding to this post would not have read my previous post... But that is what I was thinking, and that is why I phrased my original post the way I did. Wishful thinking I guess.

I often come on VJ just to read that post and all of the replies from you all just to remind me what I was going through and why I don't want to continue this mess... Sometimes I forget how serious it got. But the truth is, even with the seriousness of his abusiveness I still know that he loves me (not a doubt in my mind) and that he's not a bad person. He has done bad things, acted without thinking, but he is not an inherently bad person. He forgets how good things are sometimes when he gets stuck in the past. He doesn't have a good control of himself right now... And that's why we separated, because he couldn't respect me (or himself or anyone else) but I think respect can be learned and that he is trying. I'm not saying we're going to be together or file AOS but I'm not ruling it out either... I want to see him learn to be different. Maybe he can't, a lot of people try to change and don't, but I'm not going to keep telling him he can't change when he might have the ability. He certainly wants to, to respect and be respected, and he wants to be with me. He's told me that it seems easier to him to change and be a better person than to forget about me and keep on the way he is. He also realizes that the lack of respect he gives and receives will follow him through his life in whatever he tries to do. He wants to be better, to be happy, to be respectable. That being said, I am not going to spend my life with someone who isn't respecting me, and his desire to change hasn't yet produced an actual change so I feel like I'm just waiting to see. I love him and I'm not ever just going to write him off. I am constantly looking for the good in him, and sometimes, like today, it gives me hope that things will get better. But even if they don't get better and we separate forever I would still try to help him however I could, especially legally, without compromising myself. He is and always will be very important to me.

The court didn't hire an interpreter so he was rescheduled for September 7th. However, they removed the driving without a license charge and lowered his DUI to a "wet and reckless" so the long term legal effects will be small. Apparently the cop who arrested him liked him and put in his report about good behavior and first offense etc. Also, as far as I can tell, him staying with his friend for a little while doesn't have much of an effect on anything because we still have the same legal address. It's the only address either of us has ever used since starting this paperwork and I don't think a little time at his buddy's (a place he doesn't even know the address) should matter at all. We have the same address, a bank account together, and a credit line as well. Our marriage is not fictional, not a fraud, we are going through a rough patch and taking a breather, but hopefully things will get back on track soon. That's all. Thanks to all of you for your help.

Your husband apparently is thumbing his nose at many US laws. Being a licienced driver, drinking and driving and working. At least 2 of these will come to light in the AOS process assuming you go forward with it. He has to report the DUI which will cause the driving without a licence to surface ( It might not have been reportable on it's own merits IF the fine was less than 500) It looks like each of the offenses carry a max fine of 1000 for the first offense, DUI can suspend a licience for 90 days but he didn't have one so that may cause him to be barred from getting a licience for a longer period. Whatever he says in court will become part of what gets submitted for AOS so his 3rd disregard for US laws may get surfaced. He is also out of status so the court may question your intentions and force your hand . You marriage seems rather short so if you are choosing to not proceed he will probably have issues proving a valid relatonship to stay. If he gave his friends address when arrested you may also have more issues with AOS. Sounds like you have to seriously think about what YOU want to do next.

So, you're saying the court fine will be approximately $2000 for a max fine for DUI and driving without a license. I am not going to try to hide anything in AOS so when you say it will "come to light" I'm not sure what you're referring to. My question is, will it cause AOS problems.

The address given was our address, no mention of his friends yet.

N or B raises some good points. I'd simply add: If you are called to testify in court (will you be?), absolutely do not lie about anything. If you adhere to this, then whatever happens (good, bad, or indifferent) will be for good reason. My question is (curiously and nonjudgmentally), why do you plan to go to court with him?

I don't know if I'll be called to testify, but I was present at the arrest. I'm going to court with him because I want to be able to support him and help him if he needs it, and to defend him if his status, or lack thereof, is brought up. Why wouldn't I go with him?

My husband has a court date on Friday for a DUI. He entered the country on a K-1 and we married within the 90 days. We didn't file AOS initially because I lost my job and thus couldn't sponsor him, and then over time the fighting became really bad and I started questioning whether I would file with him at all. I still don't have a job, and now we're on a 'trial separation' to see if things get better. He got arrested for a DUI last month, I was with him in the car but he was driving without a license.

I want to know what we can expect to have happen at his court date. What I'm thinking will happen is a large fine and a hold on his ability to get a license for 4 months. What else? He wants to pay for his own fine (thankfully) but he is not legally allowed to work yet. He wants to say to the court that he sometimes works with some friends so he'll be able to pay off the fine himself, but I think that if he says that he'll just get into more trouble (even if it's true). What are the parameters around what's legal in our situation? I plan to go with him on Friday, but he's been staying at a friends house for over a month, and we have been fighting every time we talk for a very long time... AOS is still months away if it ever happens. Also if it matters, he doesn't speak English yet, even after 6 months in the US. I am assuming the court will have hired a translator...? We live in an area with a very very low Spanish speaking population.

Please try and withhold your judgments. I recognize the foolishness and seriousness of my situation. I do not want your criticism, only your advice and/or information. Thank you.

I suggest that we withhold further additions to this thread until we hear from the OP with an update. The horse has been beaten thoroughly in the meantime.

There is no update, everything is the same. Spending so much time apart means that any progress or change is postponed. I hear the truth in everyone's comments but I haven't acted on any of it.

In fact, there are many many girls in Colombia and Ecuador that absolutely LOVE this kind of male. They truly want the dominating, decision making, cheating, drunken male. I'm dead serious. It is a way of life for many. Now, does an American woman deserve what is happening and is this acceptable in the American culture? Absolutely not. But she did know these things before she married. In fact, all of those things that we all say she doesn't deserve, may actually be the things she loves.

Maybe you're right, maybe I just love abusive machista men... I dated a man from Guatemala for 2 years before I met Patricio but I ended it because he was an abusive alcoholic. At that time I said I would never do it again, but I didn't understand the systemic machismo in Spanish speaking cultures...

I don't love abusive men, I know I don't, what I love is passion, fire, close-nit families, and Latin dancing... I guess I could give those things up for a normal non-abusive relationship with a white American man. We could live in suburbia, go to sleep before 9pm, have sex once a month, and get together with our family only on Christmas. Yeah, that sounds perfect.

Sorry guys, obviously I'm not feeling myself these days...

The one thing that is killing him the most is the fact that you have separated from him. That is torture for him. If you are going to keep him here (I.e. not divorce) you have to be with him. He can't learn otherwise.

This is absolutely true. True true true.

First step: stand up to this cruel, loveless man and leave him for good. No more "we'll talk two days a week" business. Get the papers ready, serve them and move on.

He is not cruel and loveless, and that's exactly why I have been down the same road with him again and again. If he was cruel and loveless I would have left him ages ago.

Because you have a personality defect: the inability to recognize and defeat manipulative behavior.

You need to read as much literature on manipulative disorders as you can. Start off with "In Sheep's Clothing". It change my life to read all this stuff. I could not believe how gullible and stupid I was about people before.

I have always been someone people would call gullible (I fall for silly pranks), but I truly believe any manipulation on his part is subconscious. He is not actively trying to manipulate me, at least not with any real intention. Perhaps he's manipulating in the way a child is, trying to get what they want without a full picture of what is going on.

http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/20/15/54021520/documents/In_Sheeps_Clothing.pdf

Wow. Thank you. That saves me a trip to the library... or at least looking for it myself. I haven't read this before so I definitely will now.

To everyone, I appreciate all of your support, though I have sensed a sharpness in more recent replies... Sometimes the discomfort of seeing someone continue to act stupidly causes anger towards that stupid person... but it feels a little rough. I know I'm acting foolishly at times but I don't need people I haven't met telling me I have a personality defect, thanks all the same.

I'll let you all know once I have the divorce.

Thank you very much to everyone for your replies. Your unanimous response has helped me to solidify my position, though I still can't seem to break it off... I went to visit him to tell him I needed a divorce in person, and to really make a stand. It's not the kind of thing you can take seriously over the phone, and I wanted to show him the reality of our situation. It took quite a lot of explaining for me to say that I wasn't going to see him or talk to him anymore and that I was going to bring the papers for him to sign. As the idea became clear to him he began to cry, and then became hysterical, grovelling on the floor begging me to change my mind, to not be so harsh on him. At first I tried not to look at him, but I can't stare at the ceiling while someone I love is so upset and I began to cry with him. In the end I was unable to hold my line and I told him I would wait to bring the papers and that we could talk twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays... you know, to make sure we were both alright. He wanted four months of this to show me that things would change. Unfortunately, we all know they won't.

I come back here to read all your responses again, but somehow when I am with him I always change my mind... I remember all the great things we wanted to do together and I see him so loving and apologetic. I see him really wanting to change, wanting to make things better. He's so earnest and sincere... But unfortunately, he's also unhinged. He went to the ER the other night with a friend of his, claiming acute insomnia and migraines. I always have told him not to use the hospital because it's so expensive, but he believed his friend that his insurance would cover it (the friend's insurance, Patricio doesn't have his own insurance). The doctor told him he has migraines and anxiety and gave him a prescription for ATIVAN. He told me not to worry, that everything would be better soon and that I won't ever see any hospital bills. I have my fingers crossed.

On top of that, he has already breached the rules of our agreement (calling only Wednesday and Sunday) by calling me today (Tuesday) and begging me to change my mind about only talking twice a week. Saying he couldn't handle being so separate from me and that it will be better if we just talk more. I got a little angry on the phone, telling him he's always asking me for things and never sticking to his word, but I still finished the call telling him he could call me on Friday.

Why do I always give in?

I think you meant his BAC was 0.11%. It couldn't have been 1.1%. He'd be dead with half that much alcohol in his blood.

Thank you, you're right of course. 0.11% not 1.1%. Stupid mistake really.

Did he ever show such behaviors before? What is interesting to me is that you guys actually lived together before becoming engaged, therefore getting to know one another to a greater extent than many of us in this process. Can a person really change from night to day? From just crossing the border? Think about it, were there signs or symptoms that you chose to disregard for the sake of love and adventure?...

Laura the real answer to this is yes. New years 2010 he drank for 3 days straight and disappeared for 10 hours after telling me he would be right back. We broke up for 3 weeks. October 2009 we were staying at an organic farm volunteering in Canoa and he got angry at me for not being "in the mood" one night. We got in a fight, in which I'm sure some lines were crossed because I locked him out of the room somehow. We were in an elevated room and I didn't even think of the window as accessible but he climbed in, terrifying me. I thought he was coming to hurt me (though he said he only wanted to make up), but I starting calling for help and woke up the whole camp. I spent the night in a different room for a couple days. There are many more lesser fights that we had as well. Somehow through all our travels the bad stuff didn't seem so bad, the good stuff seamed more important, and the more time we spent together, the more attached to each other we became.

I don't know why I walked away from so many fights willing to keep going, but I did. I think that because we're in my home country now where I have established rules about things, the 'bad stuff' I used to write off has become bigger, and the good stuff I relied upon has almost disappeared. Put all together like this it makes me look like a fool. *sigh*

The fact that he's worked without authorization and now has a DUI on his record are going to make adjusting status extremely difficult, aside from all the financial and marriage issues you have.

How does having a DUI make adjusting status more dfficult?

The only place there is any evidence of his working without papers is here in this post, so, that is not one of the things on the list making our life harder.

Hello everyone, Thanks in advance to those who reply.

I met my husband in Ecuador 3 years ago and about one year ago we decided to get married and get him here on a K1 visa. I came home to California to do the paperwork, so we spent over six months apart and he finally arrived on February 2nd. During this whole time we talked on the phone all the time and were very much in love. I visited him, and I thought I could never be happier.

Unfortunately, shortly after his arrival (within the week?) he began showing strange behavior. I thought at first he was just uncomfortable in a new country, not speaking English, and all of the unfamiliar things he was doing, but it just got worse. He would call me 5 or 6 times during my shift at work to make sure I was working and not having sex with other men. He would always accuse me of cheating on him when I came home from work, or when we would be walking together and I would look at other men (now, when I say looking I mean with my eyes, not flirting and smiling, just looking). When I would deny it he would become angry and call me a ####### or a #######. I am not cheating on him and I haven't since we decided to be serious with each other 2 years ago. He however, feels that I did cheat on him because I didn't see him as my partner for the first year we knew each other (when I met him and spent 3 weeks out of the entire year with him). He feels like I am lying to him all the time because I was with other people during that first year. Since August 2009 when I went down to stay with him for a while I have not slept with anyone but him.

Then after a couple of months here living and fighting and wasting our 90 days away he admits to me that HE cheated on ME while we were traveling and living together in Peru about a year and a half ago. While I was sleeping in our bed, he was drunk f*ing some girl in the bathroom of the club, later to come home and sleep it off while I went to work. During all this time I have been supporting him, sending money to him in Ecuador, and later when we were traveling, paying all expenses. Of course his admission caused another huge fight in which I called him a hypocrite for calling me a cheater when he cheated worse than I ever could have. He slept on the sofa, but the next day I forgave him... I told him now we're even (even though we're not) and that we should leave it all behind but he didn't. He continued to accuse me of cheating (now with my female friends too!) and any time I would leave the house for any reason he would call me every 30 minutes to make sure I was "being good."

I lost my job after 2 months and I'm still not sure if it was related to my-then-fiance and his constant vigilance or if the owner really couldn't pay my wage anymore (which is what he told me). Without a job I am unable to sponsor my husband in AOS (I have no willing co-sponsors) and I am still unemployed almost 4 months later. I had money for AOS saved so I had a little something at least. As you can imagine, loosing my income put us in a bad place and made all of our problems worse. Luckily, he had misc. landscaping jobs he could do without documents and he supported us for a couple months. We still spent a lot of time fighting, but I could tell he felt better about himself once he was contributing. Things got a little better but our 90 days were about to expire and I couldn't just brake it off... I love him so much and we had so many wonderful experiences together that even with the fighting I didn't want to brake up... I want the best for him (of course) and I couldn't just put him back on a plane to Esmeraldas where he has no opportunities... He comes from a very poor family in a village with something like 70% unemployment. I can't just send him back, I can't.

We married on the 89th day of the K1 visa and that day I felt so wonderful but less than a week later we got into another screaming match in which he called me a ####### and a ####### and a bad woman and all the rest. He has never been physically violent with me but that night he threatened me so I went to sleep at my mothers house. After that I told him I couldn't live with him anymore... I sent him to live with some buddies he found playing soccer, about 30 minutes away from our house. Once he is living somewhere else he becomes so apologetic and loving he says he's so sorry (as he always does after a fight) and that he wants to come back etc. I tell him we need time to get our sh*t together and that I won't take him back until he stops calling me puta y sorra y el resto.

It's been over a month that we've been living separately now, and things have been better. We don't fight hardly ever because we only see each other for a couple of hours a week and I love it (the not fighting part). I decided to move to a bigger city because I can't find a job here and I thought maybe a couple of months later he could come and move with me there- once I have a job again and I am able to support him again he could come back... This is what I was thinking, but he doesn't want that, he wants to be with me NOW. He says he's changed, that he loves me, and that he didn't come to the US to live with a bunch of guys, he came to live with me. But, I know he hasn't changed because he still accuses me of cheating or planning to cheat, and he still becomes irrationally angry and rude whenever something doesn't go his way. And he still drinks. I know that planning a future on some unknown "change" is not very smart... but...

To make all matters worse, last week I went to bring him to visit late at night and I was so sleepy he offered to drive. Even though he doesn't have a license yet, I trust his driving skills. He said he had had 2 beers earlier and I thought he wouldn't offer to drive if he had been drinking (besides, 2 budlites are not going to get you drunk). Shortly after we get going he begins to drive erratically. He got angry about something (probably that I was still unwilling to have him back at home) and he began to speed up and slow down quickly and inappropriately. I got scared, I thought he was going to crash, and so I tried to get out of the car at the stop. He wouldn't let me leave and began to speed up again (on a crowded Friday night while everyone is walking the bar crawl) and a police officer saw us. He stopped us and I apologized saying we were fighting and that I would drive, but of course the cop had to pull my husband out of the car and test him for drunk driving. Turned out he blew 1.1% BAC (legal limit in CA is 0.08% or approx. 4 beers in an hour) and got a DUI! He maintained he had only had 2 budlites to the cops and to me, until 3 days later when he finally admits he had had 10 beers.

So, now he has a court date for his DUI and driving without a license, he's lying to me about I who knows what, we're still fighting, I'm still unemployed, we still haven't filed for AOS, and... we're f*cked right? This is just one long nightmare, right? Someone hit me over the head. Please.

You didn't receive any replies to this question so I thought maybe my opinion would help. I don't know for sure, but I am assuming it won't effect his visa chances at all. When we went through the visa interview they didn't ask for any bank information or really any financial information at all from my fiance. All the information provided was mine and all they cared about is whether or not I could sponsor him. Since you have co-sponsors you should be fine, I doubt they will ask you about any loans he may or may not have at your interview. However, for your own protection, make sure you won't be paying out the nose for his loan for years to come! Some loans have strange fine print (and Ecuador is the queen of fine print), make sure he reads it. Good luck!

Folks, I wanted to clarify for everyone who came on K1 got married and is in AOS and wants to drive. There was a lot of wrong information going around so I wanted to clarify. While you are in AOS you CAN get a California DL. It does not matter how much time is left on I94! You need to take:

1) Your SS card

2) I94

3) Passport with valid and active K1 visa

4) Foreign DL (important!)

5) Marriage Certificate

They clear you with your SS number, give you written test. Once you pass it they give you full temporary 60 day license that you have to use together with your foreign license (in our case from Russia). Then you schedule driving test, pass it, and have a valid CADL. No problem!

Hope this helps as the largest hurdle for new arrivals is inability to get around.

It does matter how much time is left on your I94 because it can't be expired, right? Also, if you were stupid like me and didn't get your spouse a SS number within the allotted time (before the I94 expired) than you can't get a drivers license until after you get your SS from AOS. Also, what if there was no foreign DL? Is the process still this easy?

First, RELAX!! If you feel confident you are more likely to do well in everything. :-)

--Review your paperwork, make sure everything is signed and dated. Get a checklist from visajourney or the USCIS website and check it all off. I printed out packet 4 and went through checking everything off as I went. Organize all your documents in the same order as your checklist so it doesn't get confusing.

--Think about what you're going to say- they will almost definitely ask you why your fiance isn't with you, they'll ask you about your relationship, and how you met. Always tell the truth! They'll ask you repetitive questions, if you tell the truth you won't have any trouble keeping your answers straight..

--Rest! Try not to stay up all night stressing! Also, be sure to get to the consulate at least 30 minutes before your appointment time. Bring your paperwork and a jacket, nothing else. They won't let you bring any electronics or anything in your pockets.

Have faith and good luck! If your paperwork is in order and you answer truthfully they should approve you without problems!

G-325A

1. Some areas of the form are too small to fit the information. For example, my finance is Polish and the length of her birth city is too long to fit into the field. Her middle name is also long and difficult to fit into the field. How does she properly provide that information?

I see in examples that you can attach a sheet with "Form G325A, Q: Employment last give years" as the title . Can this be done for other parts of the form as well where there is not enough space to fit? We are afraid of having to write so small that they will RFE because it cannot be read.

2. Some fields ask for the address of previous marriage/divorce but do not give enough room to give the full address. Are they only looking for the county it was performed in?

Letter of Intent

1. I believe this is needed for the initial packet of information I send in, but the example template from this site talks about it being written for the interview itself.

1a. Should there be two letters, one to the embassy here and another to the embassy where she lives?

You need two letters of intent. Several months will probably have gone by between the first I-129F packet and your interview, and they want to make sure you still love each other. So, you both write new letters for the interview restating your continued desire to marry. :-) Make sure you do this because at our interview they asked questions about them. Good luck!

I have a question about filling out the Form I-134. On question 11, it asks if I will be making any specific contributions to the support of my fiance. How do I answer this? I will be completely supporting her. I will be the only one with a job.

When I filled out this form I answered yes, because I am the only one with a job until his work documents come through. I would only have answered no if he had his own assets that he would use to support himself. I think I put something like, "I intend to fully support Patricio until he has his work documents and we can support each other." Nobody ever asked me about it though...

Sign up for an account with the USCIS.gov website here:

https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/jsps/selectusertype.jsp;jsessionid=bcaBaEqehokASgN7Jmg-s

Add your case to the portfolio.

Look at the 'last updated (mm/dd/yyyy)' date.

Sometimes your case number won't be in the system (mine wasn't). If that happens, don't stress, they'll still work on your case you just don't get to know when it's been touched.

I searched for an answer to this question but nobody seemed to be asking it..

I need to translate my husbands Long-Form birth certificate. It is in a very specific format with finger prints and stamps, and the page is blocked out in a specific way. I can translate the words myself but I'm wondering how the formatting works... and if I need to put EVERYTHING or just the part that pertains to his birth...

It seems that a simple word document won't do because of the complexity of the birth certificate. What's the best way?

Sorry I seem to have double posted. My bad! Good luck everyone!

I also fell in love and he is in Puyo, Ecuador.

I fell in love in Puyo too! Puyo is a great place for love apparently.. :-)

I just brought my fiance to California on a K-1 visa and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be based on what people said here on VJ. Definitely keep track of all the paperwork, make sure every i is dotted and t crossed. Also, be heavy on the evidence. Hand-written letters, call logs, tickets together, anything and everything you think makes you a couple. Be prepared to travel to Guayaquil for the interview, it is not technically required for the USC to be there but most people who make it through the Ecuador consulate recommend that both partners attend the interview.

If you have not yet sent your I-129F, include as much evidence as you can gather in the original package. That way they have to acknowledge it and it's guaranteed to be accounted for. When you go to the interview 6 or so months later you can bring the evidence covering those six months since you sent the package and everything will look really solid.

My fiance doesn't speak much English either and so far we've been ok. You'll have to fill out all of the forms and translations yourself, make sure she gets 2 copies of the original birth certificate so you can translate one for AOS. You won't need to do any translating for the consulate, it's only after when you adjust status that you'll need the English versions.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me, we just had our interview Jan 24th so it's still fresh in my mind. :-) Good luck!

The second time is after you marry and apply to adjust status to that of permanent resident. See the guide here.

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1k3aos

This is the next step - and a necessary one. A K-1 entrant's status will expire after 90 days. Good luck.

An absolutely necessary step which I'd better know about if I just completed a K-1 visa!! Are there people on here who get through the visa approval and POE and don't know about AOS? I hope not because they're in waaayy over their heads...

Unfortunately Yu&Dan used the wrong term which is why you were confused. The K1 process is completed once you have your K1 visa and you are correct, during the K1 process only 1 G-325A is submitted each.

However, although technically AOS isn't part of the K1 process, some people think of it that way because in order to remain in the US legally a K1 visa holder must adjust their status to legal permanent resident once they have arrived and married their USC petitioner.

I guess that's what confused me! I consider K-1 to be until you enter into the US on a K-1 visa... After that is AOS which is different (in my mind).

Thanks to you both for clarifying!

G-325A is used at two times during K-1 process.

When is the second time? We just finished K-1, got approved on Jan 24th and entered the country on Feb 2nd, but we only used G-325A in the original I-129F petition...

Our visa was approved! thank you so much to all of you for your help. I will write a review when I get back to the states. Everything went smoothly except for the hotel which we discovered is for ¨gentlemen¨ to bring their prostitutes. But, no problem! we´re good now. more later! :-D

I posted this in its own topic but nobody replied so I'm re-posting it here hoping for a response!

I am organizing all of the papers for the interview and I want to make sure I've got everything. Neither one of us has ever been married, no children, no co-sponsor, and no prior visas.

This is what I have:

1. NOA2

2. Letter from NVC with case number and bar code

3. Copy of entire I-129F packet

4. His passport and 2 passport style photos

5. DS-156

6. DS-156k

7. Birth Certificate (original del registro civil)

8. Police Record from Ecuador

9. Packet from Medical Exam

10. I-134 Evidence of financial stability

-Cover letter with contents

- I-134

-attached answer to #7 - two employers

-letters verifying employment

-pay stubs

-evidence of stocks and values

-verification from bank with total deposits for 2010 and amount in savings

-copies of tax returns from '07, '08, '09

-my US birth certificate (do I need this?)

11. Proof of Relationship

-Cover letter with contents

-New Intent to Marry letters

-Recent photos + older ones that I sent with I-129F

-Recent airline stubs and passport stamps + older ones sent with I-129F

-Recent emails + older ones sent with I-129F

-Google voice call log (how do I print this out!? The formatting is terrible!)

-Skype call log

-Facebook messages

-Hand written letters between him and I and him and my mother.

I plan on putting all of this in a flexible style binder with clear plastic inserts. Have I forgotten anything? When I arrive in Ecuador I will pay the $350 to Banco de Guayaquil... Can I go to any branch? Will they know what I'm talking about?

We are going to arrive in Guayaquil the day before the interview and stay at Hotel Chile on Portate and Avenida Chile (hopefully still $7 a night). We plan on arriving at the consulate at 7:30am for our 8:30 interview. Anything else?

Thanks for your help everyone!

(Also, TBone you mentioned taking lots of pictures in the week before the interview... We already have 20 timestamped photos from different locations and dates spanning 2.5 years... Do we need more? (I included photos before June '10 in my I-129F packet).

I have my interview with my fiance in Ecuador on the 24th and I want to make sure that I have all of the documents organized.

Ecuador does not have a packet 3. Neither of us has ever been married before, no children, no co-sponsors, nothing fancy (lucky I know). This is what I have:

1. NOA2

2. Letter from NVC with case number and bar code

3. Copy of entire I-129F packet

4. His passport and 2 passport style photos

5. DS-156

6. DS-156k

7. Birth Certificate (original del registro civil)

8. Police Record from Ecuador

9. Packet from Medical Exam

10. I-134 Evidence of financial stability

11. Proof of Relationship

I plan on putting all of this in a flexible style binder with clear plastic inserts. Have I forgotten anything? When I arrive in Ecuador I will pay the $350 to Banco de Guayaquil... Can I go to any branch? Will they know what I'm talking about?

We are going to arrive in Guayaquil the day before the interview and stay at Hotel Chile on Portate and Avenida Chile (hopefully still $7 a night). We plan on arriving at the consulate at 7:30am for our 8:30 interview. Anything else?