keysjangle

Time to book a trip and pack a bag.

You have to have met in person in the last two years before you file for the K1. It's a requirement.

My mom surprised me with a new luggage set... I hope my husband's car will be able to handle everything

The issue for USCIS, as I stated, is that the marriage must be legal in the state in which the couple resides. They could get married in another state or country, but they cannot get any immigration benefits from the marriage.

That's the one, Saylin! yayayaayay

Absolutely not. Just because I don't believe beating a child is effective it doesn't mean they will run wild either. Keeping a kid entertained is vital of course so let them watch movies, bring toys, colouring books, whatever or keep them up late the night before so they sleep, etc. I believe in explaining my expectations to a child and then following up with consequences. If you treat kids like humans and reward positive behaviour you get much faster, healthier results. This is how I was raised and I have a loving relationship with my parents who I respect deeply and do not fear. I don't fear them because they raised me like I was an adult, not like a dog who pissed on the carpet, so out of respect I do as they ask of me, not because I'm scared of getting my #### tanned.

Sorry to sound callous but this is the risk you take for marrying a girl from Vietnam, especially if you're Viet Kieu, not loaded with cash and the girl is younger and prettier than someone you could get here in the US. There's no shortage of stories of girls leaving after they get here.
I hope this is not your case. Best of luck to you.

Absolutely not. Just because I don't believe beating a child is effective it doesn't mean they will run wild either. Keeping a kid entertained is vital of course so let them watch movies, bring toys, colouring books, whatever or keep them up late the night before so they sleep, etc. I believe in explaining my expectations to a child and then following up with consequences. If you treat kids like humans and reward positive behaviour you get much faster, healthier results. This is how I was raised and I have a loving relationship with my parents who I respect deeply and do not fear. I don't fear them because they raised me like I was an adult, not like a dog who pissed on the carpet, so out of respect I do as they ask of me, not because I'm scared of getting my #### tanned.

Keep your hands off my kid. Period.
My mother grew up in Turkey and got the living hell beaten out of her at school and at home by her mother. Every Monday at school they had to present their hands for a nail length inspection (any white showing was a no-no.) If they failed, they got a wooden ruler across their knuckles. If they did anything out of line they got beaten. She grew up hating authority and her mother. Her relationship with my grandmother has only in the last 10 years begun to turn into a loving, laughter-filled one.
I don't want a child who learns that misbehaviour (it happens, they're f*cking kids) leads to their own parents turning on them with violence. Sickening.

Absolutely not. Just because I don't believe beating a child is effective it doesn't mean they will run wild either. Keeping a kid entertained is vital of course so let them watch movies, bring toys, colouring books, whatever or keep them up late the night before so they sleep, etc. I believe in explaining my expectations to a child and then following up with consequences. If you treat kids like humans and reward positive behaviour you get much faster, healthier results. This is how I was raised and I have a loving relationship with my parents who I respect deeply and do not fear. I don't fear them because they raised me like I was an adult, not like a dog who pissed on the carpet, so out of respect I do as they ask of me, not because I'm scared of getting my #### tanned.

Absolutely not. Just because I don't believe beating a child is effective it doesn't mean they will run wild either. Keeping a kid entertained is vital of course so let them watch movies, bring toys, colouring books, whatever or keep them up late the night before so they sleep, etc. I believe in explaining my expectations to a child and then following up with consequences. If you treat kids like humans and reward positive behaviour you get much faster, healthier results. This is how I was raised and I have a loving relationship with my parents who I respect deeply and do not fear. I don't fear them because they raised me like I was an adult, not like a dog who pissed on the carpet, so out of respect I do as they ask of me, not because I'm scared of getting my #### tanned.

Aw Flying to Hawaii takes about 13 hours when all's said and done. I travel in comfy clothes, no make-up, glasses. First lay over, I put in contacts and put my face together and then when I get to HI I race to the washroom and change my clothes, haha. I'm gonna look sexy as I'm dragging like 5 bags of luggage behind me

Holy hell, there's an Indian restaurant here that has a butter chicken poutine but I haven't tried it. Seriously considering it now.

You should never toy with "playing married" when you're doing the K-1. A friend of mine was recently denied and slapped with material misrepresentation because they thought her and her fiance were already married. They didn't even do a religious "wedding" ceremony, only an engagement ceremony (Which might I add, is VERY common in India). I believe someone has already provided the link to my thread regarding this.
You should never ever make firm wedding plans while doing the K-1. You never know what bumps you are going to encounter along the way. You have to remember that you are not in a normal relationship and because of this, you may not have the flexibility to plan your wedding like people that are residents of the same country. If your wedding plans are that solid and cancelling them is not an option due to severe financial loss, then cancel your K-1 and instead file for the IR-1/CR-1. This is a much wiser decision than doing a "faux marriage" or trying to get an expedite based on financial trouble.

It takes less than 200 days to receive the NOA2 approval, not the K-1 Visa. Again, I suggest you review the K-1 Flowchart and the timelines from others.
It seems as if you're just looking for someone to justify your plans and to tell you to go ahead with what you have planned in spite of the advice and recommendations of others on this board. If that's what you want, I doubt you'll find it in this forum.
And if I sound condescending, perhaps that's true, but when someone comes on with the expectation that everyone will justify their ignorance, it annoys me. Have a good evening and good luck with your visa journey.

The Texas Service Center is not the same thing as the Dallas Lockbox. The Lockbox will process your payment and then forward on your petition and supporting materials to the appropriate Service Center -- as already noted, either California or Vermont. Whether you send it to the PO Box or via FedEx/UPS to the street address, it's going to the same place.
You can visit the Timeline link at the top of the page to see the timeline estimates.
If you file a petition for the K-1 Visa and get married before it's in your hand, you will essentially void the visa and will have to start over again with the IR-1/CR-1 visa process. The K-1 is for fiancé(e)s only!

Do you guys breath when putting together AOS or IV packages?
or is it just me? i stop breathing and blinking when doing this task

Ohhhh, I just got another under my name! Which means I've hit 5,000 posts. I bet 1,000 were due to this thread

Buy a bike?

SF2007 pretty much covered it. You're better off going on shorter visits as opposed to super long ones. When you travel you must, must, must bring ties back to Canada to prove that you aren't trying to take off to the States (as this is a big no-no.) Lease agreements are one of the more solid means of evidence you can use. If you convince the Border Officer you're not trying to live in the U.S. as a tourist, you might get issued a B2 visa at the border (a stamp in your passport.) As Canadians we don't have to apply for them and can are granted depending on the officer you talk to. It gives you six months/180 days of unlimited travel between the U.S. and Canada. The stamp should include the date that the visa expires (mine always did - I've gotten three. One for a two week visit, two for summer long visits.) In general, when preparing to travel just put yourself in the shoes of the officer and think how they would. Hope for the best, expect the worst.
As for marriage/spousal visas, it really depends on the lives you two are living. Either way, she needs to show a certain level of income based on who will be living in her household, assuming there will just be the two of you. It varies depending on the state as well and if she's in the military, which I'm assuming she isn't. A lot of people forget about this vital part of the process. If she doesn't make the mark she can use a co-sponsor. Here is the table that shows her income requirement: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864p.pdf She'll need tax transcripts to back this up.
My husband (he's the USC) and I went with CR-1 (get married, then sit out most of the process apart) because I was still in university and didn't want my school to be interrupted by a move to the U.S. It just made more sense for us overall, and yeah being cheaper than a K-1 helps too. You can still travel to see her while the Visa is being processed, but it gets riskier and your ties need to be pretty damn great. I haven't been to the U.S. since last summer, but he's been here once - I didn't want to risk a denial at the border.
Good luck! Once you start to read over the information in guides and government websites things become a little more clear.

To be totally honest.... I would move to Canada.
Welcome to VJ.

I don't see why the beneficiary doing the bulk of the work is so bad. I'm the beneficiary in my case, and I've done literally everything (because I'm a control freak and I want things done my way and my way only )

The IO was probably accompanied by an ICE enforcement officer. They probably wanted you to come home because they wanted to inspect your home for evidence that you were actually living together.
Your husband had every right to respond the way he did. Simultaneously, he probably made your situation much worse. Immigration is not a "right", so he can scream "human rights" all he wants but it simply doesn't apply here. You and your husband asked the US government for a privilege. They asked you to prove you're eligible for that privilege by allowing them to inspect your home. Your husband basically said he wasn't going to cooperate with them, which is certainly his right. They now have enough evidence to deny your adjustment of status.
Your lawyer has been blowing smoke up your skirt. An IO can't read your mind and determine if your relationship is genuine. They need evidence to back up your claim. They apparently found something about your relationship that made them suspicious (your age difference, for example), and they wanted to conduct a home inspection to verify your claims. Your husband exercised his right to refuse. They may try another home inspection visit, but I think it's more likely they'll just deny the AOS. They don't like getting jacked around. Your lawyer wins in either case because now you'll have to pay him to file your appeal and represent you in immigration court.
Your husband drew a line in the sand. Immigration crossed that line. Now he has to be willing to accept the consequences. Nobody's rights are being violated here.

Why did your name change? Was it marriage? Through the courts? You need to provide the document that shows your legal name change, so if your name is different than the one on your birth certificate because you got married before, then provide your marriage certificate that shows your name change. Also provide the divorce decree that shows that marriage was terminated. If you filed a name change through the courts, then send a copy of the name change document from the court to prove your name being changed. Where the forms ask for old names or other names used, put your name that is on your birth certificate. So, the name you put there matches with the name shown on your document that proves the name change occurred, and when you show your birth certificate at the interview no one is confused. They know that is you, and it is indeed your birth cert.