iampatricias

I believe some doctors will not give certain vaccinations if you are already pregnant, because of a risk to the baby, but the vaccines on the list here are required. If she is missing any of the ones on the list, she should try to get them at home as soon as possible since most people find the shots are much more expensive in the US, and not having them *can* delay your case.

Don't just take a lot of pictures though! KEEP all your boarding passes (or his boarding passes, whatever), luggage tags, and tickets if you can, and then make several copies of them. These are your PRIMARY EVIDENCE of having met in person before applying.

The pictures are also a great idea, but only support your case as SECONDARY evidence.

Have fun together in February!!

Actually, our lawyer said the same - he gave them a call January 3rd, and was told an RFE had been issued December 20-something, but we didn't receive it so they sent another dated January 5th... how weird is that?

Yaaaaaaay!!! Us too!! Goooo CSC!

Us too - RFE after 5 months and two weeks, and today was the day of the NOA2, almost exactly 6 months after the NOA1... it could be worse, I suppose!

Hurray! Our petition has been approved!

I was just about to ask around about the Toronto medical, so thank you so much for the review!

Bob 4 Anna is right. You can be denied entry as a tourist because of the risk that you could overstay and marry without the proper paperwork.

On the other hand, it's not wrong or sneaky or illegal for you to visit him in the States, and tell the border guard that you're visiting your fiance. That's what a "tourist" visit allows for. I got a specific question in August about going on a 3 week visit, but all they said was, "3 weeks? That seems like a long visit." I didn't say anything, and they let it go (I wanted to say, "it's not nearly long enough when you're in love!!" but I controlled myself ). They reminded me that I needed to return by the flight date, and I said, "yes, I absolutely understand, we want to do this right."

That doesn't mean I'm "more right" than Bob 4 Anna, or that my experience is more valuable - I don't think, though, that you are more likely to get turned away than to be allowed to enter. It's always a bit of a risk.

** I just want to add, I'm a Canadian permanent resident from Holland, crossing into the States on the VWP too **

I sympathize with your situation - you've come all this way, 95% of the way through the process, and your guy's putting you off... It might be time to consider whether you would like to be free to travel in the future. If you two don't follow through, you're going to run into difficulty any time you'd like to go home and come back to the States...

In that, I agree with James And Oksana - your petitioner needs to face the seriousness of YOUR situation: either he needs to take a deep breath and marry you so you won't be with him illegally (and working illegally) anymore, or take a deep breath and admit he is too immature to follow through and put you on a plane home because not making a decision is not an option if you value your freedom to travel, and none of that even touches the emotional aspects of what is more "loving" at this point.

The K1 visa is valid for entry into America for 6 months.

Really? Both my fiance and I have moved since we received our NOA1 and we just followed the instructions, updating our address... about 2 weeks after that, we got a totally unrelated RFE, but our address update doesn't seem to have done anything to our processing time...

lizinparaguay - you must have passport stamps showing when you came to Paraguay? That is very important. Other things you could use are Paraguayan rental agreements or other more formal documents like electricity bills, or maybe cell phone/internet contracts from the area, or something of the like.

Other things I've seen suggested in other threads are bank withdrawals abroad, currency exchanges, or credit card charges from abroad. If you're in the peace corps, do you have a sort of work contract, record of employment or something formal indicating you've been sent to work in your fiance's country?

My fiance worked in Canada, in my area, for nearly 3 years before we met, and he moved home just 8 months after we started dating. He was employed by an American contracting company, and they filed his taxes, but he had an employment visa in his passport that proved he was in Canada...

zaim - along the very top of the screen, in the middle, there is a link called "Reviews: Embassy/USCIS & POE" that you might find illuminating People have recorded their interview experiences at many, many different embassies for their interviews - that's where you will likely find what you are looking for!

Nearly everyone is waiting this long There are theories and ideas, but no verifiable facts describing why.

We had no touches at all from our July/10 NOA1 until our status changed to RFE. Hang in there.

My guy and I are having a tough time, like everyone else. I think he's probably suffering more than I am, feeling lonely now and trying to be strong and encouraging and telling me to go to bed after we've only chatted 20 minutes because I have to be up early...

The last two months or so were pretty emotionally dreary for me, and we decided we could afford for me to join a gym and get a personal trainer, because I used to be pretty active but long work hours have left me feeling sluggish and mopey. Somehow, working out with a trainer, and trying to get to the gym even when I don't have a session scheduled has made me more energetic, and just generally less like... apathetic about everything else (surprise, surprise). On top of that, it's a short-term goal (12 weeks of training should take us through to within a month of this mysteriously scheduled interview), and it's making me feel stronger, healthier, and prettier for our long-awaited honeymoon!

It's a small thing, (and kind of pricey!), but I don't feel as defeatist and like, "hate my life" as I used to, so that's something!

Good question. I do not know.

Maybe take some time to read through the Spouse Visa threads (CR1) and familiarize yourself with the process and issues for that before you make any decisions... There is a lot to take into consideration!

OK so here is my deal.

I know she wont get her K1 visa by the time we get married looking at the processing time. so how does this work.. would i need to change the status once we get married? is it even worth filing K1 at the moment. becasue when i do get married in June do i have to start the process for a wife visa and the time starts all over again?

If/When you get the K1 and you marry in the US, yes, you need to change her status once you get married. It might not be worth filing for the K1 if the June date is not flexible, but that risk is something you and your fiancee should evaluate. And if you get married in June (outside of the US), you will have to start the process for a wife visa all over again and any K1 visa issued after you marry (outside the US) will be void.

From what I understand, the spouse visa takes 8-12 months, and costs nearly the same as the adjustment of status (AOS) application that follows the K1 visa, so if you decide to marry (OUTSIDE of America!) in June, your overall wait time *might* be about the same, but the money you spend in fees will likely be less.

What you're proposing, the religious ceremony without a license is a very fine line - I asked my (Anglican) priest to do this for me and he said it was morally too shady, because will you tell the border guard you're NOT married when you actually believe that you are?

Secondly, your fiance is free to visit on a tourist visa while you wait for your K1 visa, but she cannot "live" with you for 3 months at a time until the visa comes, because then she's technically not a tourist anymore...

I may be corrected if I'm wrong, but if your fiance disclosed these 2 things to the customs official when she lands in the US, ("we had a church ceremony but didn't sign a certificate, and I'm staying with my fiance for 3 months until the visa comes") she stands a very high risk of being denied entry because you're *technically* bending the rules.

Neither my fiance nor I wants a "big" wedding in the first place, and both sides of our family are going to have to travel considerable distances to attend, so we've "planned" a little church wedding within days of crossing with the K1.

We don't have an interview date yet (not even an NOA2, actually...grrr), but I have a dress and have started to make plans with a church across the border. I've enlisted several friends to help with flowers, music and the like, and I have an amazing matron of honour who just got married in the fall so she is a great resource for ideas, but we're not having a formal reception, so we won't have a DJ or dance, and are still deliberating about whether to cater a lunch in the church's hall or book a section at a restaurant for dessert in the evening... Either way, if 35 people attend, that'll be plenty for us.

My fiance's mom has talked about having a reception for his side of the family out west after the wedding but I think we'll avoid it unless it becomes a source of conflict.

Pictures are handy but on their own they're not enough! Printouts of emailed itineraries are also not acceptable proof you've met within the last 2 years.

The USCIS is firstly going to look at primary evidence: passport stamps and visas (colour copy every page, including photo page), boarding passes/luggage tags (including full dates with year), bank/credit card statements showing use abroad (ex. her use in your country, yours in her country), currency exchange/ATM receipts, hotel invoices with your name etc.

Without primary evidence, you don't have a case, even if you send pictures and itineraries.

When primary evidence is weak, it is very important to submit carefully labelled secondary evidence to support the primary evidence: labelled pictures, itineraries with dates highlighted that correspond with any passport stamps or boarding passes you have, and other things testifying to your time together, like affidavits from friends or family, phone records (with use abroad highlighted)... there are many other possibilities here, and they're listed in the guides too, but don't take the PRIMARY evidence too lightly!

Also, don't let the paranoia get to you! If the USCIS wants to see more, they'll let you know!

Crossed again at the Fort Erie POE and had no issues. This is the second time we've crossed there. One time the Officer didn't even ask how long I was staying. Second time (just this past weekend) the officer asked and let me through no problems. At the buffalo (Queeston Lewiston POE) I've had to go in to the immigration offices both times we crossed and be issued a I94.

CanadiaGirl! Queenston Lewiston has been my only source of trouble! On one visit, I was ordered (not asked) to "exit the vehicle and go inside". The lady I talked to did a soft interrogation, repeating questions several times in a roundabout way, and she went through every scrap of paper in my purse and wallet. She even asked me why I had a yoghurt cup in my purse ("I was going to eat it on the way to the airport, ma'am ) It was 4:30am and there was not a soul on the road.

Okay, also, I hadn't printed my itinerary, had no return ticket in my possession or proof thereof, no evidence of my enrollment in school, and nothing at all proving I was really only going for 5 days. It was totally my fault, but the Peace Bridge and Rainbow bridge have never given me so much trouble! They haven't even asked me for all the evidence I now always bring!

Anyway, as a Dutch citizen and permanent resident of Canada, I haven't had any experience trying to enter the US on the VWP which would make me nervous to visit my guy in the future. But I'll never do it without an itinerary and work contract again...

Apparently, the Texas service center is used to sort applications, which then get sent to either Vermont or California. I'd follow the USCIS advice and mail your package to Texas

I've never flown to Japan, but if you're worried they will deny you entry into Japan because there is a risk you'll overstay your tourist visa, I think the same process (bringing proof of ties to home) could apply?

Your repeat visits might draw more attention and questions if you are just "visiting friends" than if you were actually visiting your honest-to-goodness fiancee with whom you've applied for a visa with in order to live together in the States. If you're caught in a lie at the border, you'll be much, much worse off than if you get questioned for an hour while they decide if you're an immigration risk.

When I travel to my fiance's country, I always carry my work contract (showing that I'm expected to complete these responsibilities until mm/yy or whatever), and pay stubs, because those can contribute to "proof I won't overstay". Other helpful documents are things like rental/lease agreements or a return ticket/itinerary, or anything else showing your obligations at home. I don't have a copy of our I129f paperwork, or our NOA1 (probably unwise) and they've never asked to see any documentation after asking a few questions about my fiance and the purpose of my visit, though I have been told by a border agent that it is *my* responsibility to carry such proof on every visit.

Anyway, don't be afraid to tell the truth! You're just a visitor after all!

I hope you get your interview as quickly as possible with Montreal!! I know when I got my packet3 from Montreal and went on the website to register they were booking into January and that was October so I know its super backed up.

Ah, yeah, I noticed your location was Sask. right after posting...

Thanks for the well-wishes though. I wish we'd known better and allocated 10 months to this whole process in our minds instead of feeling like every week is another delay.

*sigh*

Wow, Jason & Sheri, 3 weeks to an interview is my dream! How did you request a transfer to Vancouver? I live in Ontario, but the Montreal interviews seem to be taking ages! My fiance is in Washington state, so it'd be a shorter drive from his house to Vancouver, than from my house to Montreal! It's very nearly worth it to us to pay for a flight for me to Vancouver if it cuts six weeks off our wait time!