Starting our K1 journey

[Michelle+Tim 1]

Oh, its just because the background of your photo looks exactly like how my fiance's barracks are set up lol. You are a beautiful couple. Its ok girl from celebes, we can give each other neck massages XD

Thanks! Lol no just his bare-walled bachelor pad. Nothing on the walls but you can bet there's a 60 inch tv and game consoles... Typical lol

[Girl from Celebes 588]

Oh, its just because the background of your photo looks exactly like how my fiance's barracks are set up lol. You are a beautiful couple. Its ok girl from celebes, we can give each other neck massages XD

LOL. Problem is solved.

[Girl from Celebes 588]

Thanks! Lol no just his bare-walled bachelor pad. Nothing on the walls but you can bet there's a 60 inch tv and game consoles... Typical lol

I agree with iammrsregi. You are both look nice together. And those smiles are so beautiful. Happy you joined this website and share each other stories, .

[Michelle+Tim 1]

I agree with iammrsregi. You are both look nice together. And those smiles are so beautiful. Happy you joined this website and share each other stories, .

Thank you both! I look forward to getting to hear your stories but for now I must go, my shifts about over and I work another 12hr night tonight. Sleepy time!

Talk to you later, thanks for all the support already!

[johnmarie 1]

Good Luck i still waiting my NOA2 since 8 month hope iget answer very soon maby ur case will be easier

[makulit909 4]

Wishing you the best of luck on this journey and welcome to the community... This community definitely helps me a lot.. and yes.. lots of patience as you go along

To the OP, you sound like a wonderful, mature couple who is genuinely ready to take the relationship to the next level. I like this a lot.

You want to know the "trick" I learned from all this?

The only trick to make the approval come faster is NOT TO WAIT FOR IT. Keep living your life. Keep yourself busy. I was so focused on this process that now (that I'm so close to finishing it) I felt sad that I didn't spend more time with my family and friends. All I did was check for an approval every so often. Trust me, 6 months will go by too fast.

Use your wait time to talk to your fiance about plans AFTER the wedding. Things a normal (couples who live in the same zip code) couple considers. Like kids, how living arrangements should be, your plans after the wedding and if the budget makes it feasible, etc. This tends to get overlooked by people. The journey doesn't stop from getting the visa and being together. The journey starts when the marriage starts

Welcome to the visa journey, keep us updated We're here for ya.

I love your idea.. thanks for sharing the trick..definitely needing it right now!

[liz&Ivan 6]

Hello all!

My fiance and i are about to begin our K1 visa journey and i had stumbled upon this website, and thank god i did!

So thankful for all you lovely people that have been through/are going through this process for posting tips and tricks as well as your journey's. i had been checking out the gov't website and was beyond confused. Reading some of these posts, guides and example forms has really helped us out. So far, he's filling out his I-129F/G-325A and im gathering my stuff to send to him so we can package it all together and send it off.

From what i've been reading the process takes roughly 8-9 months, am i correct? assuming all paperwork is in order and no RFE's are sent back...

i'd love any tips and tricks or "just so you knows" if anyone would like to share, anything to put my mind at ease! can you tell i'm a worrier?! lol

Let me tell you a little about us, I'm michelle and my fiance is tim. We've been together almost 4 years now and we've been talking about doing this for probably about 2 of those years! I wanted to have a stable career in place before i moved/we got married. I'm an LPN and have been for almost 1 1/2 years, i plan on taking my RN sometime in the near future, after we're married of course! my fiance is a CNC machinist and is currently taking courses to further his career in the field. I'm Canadian and will be filing through the Vancouver consulate and he is from just outside Madison, WI. I'm a big city girl, so ill have some adjusting to do and im sure small town life will have its ups and downs for me!

Hi Michele, welcome to the group. Number one step to take with this process is patience! Lots of it. The best thing i came across through all this was finding VJ they were a great support. I never imagined i would be approved so fast i was looking at 5 months for approval but it took only 58 days. I am beyond excited for my next step. I just got approved last wednesday. If you have any questions feel free to message me. I have done alit of foot work on all the process. Good luck and enjoy the ride. Like another member wrote we are so anxious that we forget to enjoy the moment.

[r060106 109]

OP, congratulations on making the right move and going the K-1 route! The I-130 route after being married is hell on earth and spouses are now looking at a wait time just for the USCIS portion of the visa of around 9 to 11 months, with some even waiting more than a year. Our government seems to not like it when people get married and then try to bring their spouses here legally and punishes those of us who decided to go that route. It's horrible, especially with a baby on the way for my wife and I. But I'm glad you'll be with your fiance fairly quickly, given how fast I-129Fs have been approved lately. Good luck and please be thankful you're not in the predicament I-130s are in.

Edited October 20, 2013 by r060106

[maricel3155 1]

Hi,

I'm newbie also here but we welcome you here. I'm now on the process of compiling the documents after I received the packet 3 requirements from Consulate where I'm working. I know it will be a long journey like us here but hopefully you'll be just fine. As other fellow VJ members says, live your normal life like everyday. Don't fall into obsession, don't turn into the dark side...lol...may the force be with you...

regards,

[Amber-Lyne 0]

My fiance and I have been talking about this entire process for two years and planned on filing last month and then SHUT DOWN. Now that it's over and I'm going through the files and guides I feel really overwhelmed. It's great to see someone else also going through the process at the same time, feel a little less alone about it all.
Also Canadian, moving to the states. I'm ready for the process to be over already haha! Here's me, wishing you luck and sending you support because I know sometimes it's hard to find.

[floridaboundcanuk 7]

Congratulations on your engagement and welcome to the waiting game. Recently some times have been shortening but mentally I would prepare for the process to take up to a year. Waiting for your approval is the hardest part but as long as you make it through that, the rest seems to zoom along.

My fiance and I have been talking about this entire process for two years and planned on filing last month and then SHUT DOWN. Now that it's over and I'm going through the files and guides I feel really overwhelmed. It's great to see someone else also going through the process at the same time, feel a little less alone about it all.
Also Canadian, moving to the states. I'm ready for the process to be over already haha! Here's me, wishing you luck and sending you support because I know sometimes it's hard to find.

You could have filed the whole time. The immigration process was unaffected. If you are truly overwhelmed and can afford it try a lawyer. I know a lot of people here say its a waste of money but I have one and in my experience it's been invaluable. There is just as much mis-information as information on this forum.

Edited October 21, 2013 by floridaboundcanuk

[melina151 2]

Good luck on your jouney! I just moved to a smaller city between Madison and Milwaukee. I love it here. I wish you all the best!

[Steve & Hazel 5]

My fiance and I started ours in February of this year. My interview is in December. My advice:

- Don't wait for your packet 3 checklist to be sent to you in the mail. Once you receive your NOA2, start getting your packet 3 together. You can find the checklist online. You will need to gather documents, such as a police clearance certificate(s). This may take time to get through RCMP. I've heard that some people had to wait months! Once you have all documents, send the packet off. I made the mistake of waiting for the packet 3 checklist to get mailed to me. I waited one month - pretty much set us back a month.

- Once you send your packet 3 off, make sure you pick the service that provides a tracking number, so you're able to know when it arrives. As soon as you find out, send Montreal or Vancouver (whichever embassy will hold your interview) an e-mail and let them know that you sent packet 3, it's arrived, and ask when you'll receive packet 4 notification. My embassy is Montreal, and they are notoriously slow with processing things. Be on top of everything by sending them e-mails - unfortunately, you can't call them.

- Get all the required vaccination shots in preparation for your medical while you are waiting for packet 4. Once you receive it, book your interview. Some panel doctors refuse to give you an appointment unless you have an interview date. It is harder to get an early interview with Montreal. Vancouver is pretty good.

Anyway, send me an email/message on here if you need help!

[djv-tco 29]

Hello all!

My fiance and i are about to begin our K1 visa journey and i had stumbled upon this website, and thank god i did!

So thankful for all you lovely people that have been through/are going through this process for posting tips and tricks as well as your journey's. i had been checking out the gov't website and was beyond confused. Reading some of these posts, guides and example forms has really helped us out. So far, he's filling out his I-129F/G-325A and im gathering my stuff to send to him so we can package it all together and send it off.

From what i've been reading the process takes roughly 8-9 months, am i correct? assuming all paperwork is in order and no RFE's are sent back...

i'd love any tips and tricks or "just so you knows" if anyone would like to share, anything to put my mind at ease! can you tell i'm a worrier?! lol

Let me tell you a little about us, I'm michelle and my fiance is tim. We've been together almost 4 years now and we've been talking about doing this for probably about 2 of those years! I wanted to have a stable career in place before i moved/we got married. I'm an LPN and have been for almost 1 1/2 years, i plan on taking my RN sometime in the near future, after we're married of course! my fiance is a CNC machinist and is currently taking courses to further his career in the field. I'm Canadian and will be filing through the Vancouver consulate and he is from just outside Madison, WI. I'm a big city girl, so ill have some adjusting to do and im sure small town life will have its ups and downs for me!

Welcome to VJ, Michelle! Congrats to you and Tim on deciding to go on this journey. I'm fairly new here, too. My fiancée and I sent our package in late September. I was hooked on this site the first few weeks after we submitted but I realized that I've been channeling so much energy into waiting. I decided that it is better to just keep living my life as if there is no application in process. So what iammrsregi said below is definitely a great advice.

My name is Donna and I am in Vancouver, too. If you want to meet up for coffee and compare notes and be each other's support through this crazy and sometimes overwhelming adventure, send me a message.

Cheers and good luck!

To the OP, you sound like a wonderful, mature couple who is genuinely ready to take the relationship to the next level. I like this a lot.

You want to know the "trick" I learned from all this?

The only trick to make the approval come faster is NOT TO WAIT FOR IT. Keep living your life. Keep yourself busy. I was so focused on this process that now (that I'm so close to finishing it) I felt sad that I didn't spend more time with my family and friends. All I did was check for an approval every so often. Trust me, 6 months will go by too fast.

Use your wait time to talk to your fiance about plans AFTER the wedding. Things a normal (couples who live in the same zip code) couple considers. Like kids, how living arrangements should be, your plans after the wedding and if the budget makes it feasible, etc. This tends to get overlooked by people. The journey doesn't stop from getting the visa and being together. The journey starts when the marriage starts

Welcome to the visa journey, keep us updated We're here for ya.

[djv-tco 29]

My fiance and I started ours in February of this year. My interview is in December. My advice:

- Don't wait for your packet 3 checklist to be sent to you in the mail. Once you receive your NOA2, start getting your packet 3 together. You can find the checklist online. You will need to gather documents, such as a police clearance certificate(s). This may take time to get through RCMP. I've heard that some people had to wait months! Once you have all documents, send the packet off. I made the mistake of waiting for the packet 3 checklist to get mailed to me. I waited one month - pretty much set us back a month.

- Once you send your packet 3 off, make sure you pick the service that provides a tracking number, so you're able to know when it arrives. As soon as you find out, send Montreal or Vancouver (whichever embassy will hold your interview) an e-mail and let them know that you sent packet 3, it's arrived, and ask when you'll receive packet 4 notification. My embassy is Montreal, and they are notoriously slow with processing things. Be on top of everything by sending them e-mails - unfortunately, you can't call them.

- Get all the required vaccination shots in preparation for your medical while you are waiting for packet 4. Once you receive it, book your interview. Some panel doctors refuse to give you an appointment unless you have an interview date. It is harder to get an early interview with Montreal. Vancouver is pretty good.

Anyway, send me an email/message on here if you need help!

I think this is one of the best tips a beneficiary should heed. Studying the K-1 process and preparing what you should do next is a great way to occupy yourself and not worry too much about the application. My fiancée and I submitted the K-1 package late September but I have been proactive in gathering all other necessary documents for the next steps.

Here are some tips:

• Practice filling out forms. Gather information on what further forms you and your fiancé/fiancée (beneficiary and petitioner) need to complete. Read each question twice, three times to make sure you understand what is being asked. Practice filling them out. Completing them will be such a breeze if you have ample time to go over the details.
• I downloaded Packet 3 for Vancouver here.
• Commissionaires process criminal record checks 24-48 hours. I know VPD takes about 3 weeks to get your criminal record check.
• Dr. Cheema is the appointed panel physician who performs the medical exam in BC. His site also lists the required vaccinations for all age groups.

I may be jumping the gun here but I've also started reviewing the process for when I cross the border. I've looked into what I'm going to need in order to move my belongings, import my car, etc. I like to be ready and have enough time to prepare for requirements if I can help it.

Then there's the AOS (Adjustment of Status) process for after my fiancée and I marry. What am I going to need to apply for SSN (Social Security Number), AOS, EAD (Employment Authorization Document) and AP (Advance Parole). Our plan is to apply for this as soon as we receive our marriage certificate. The goal is to get the EAD or the green card so I can work ASAP.

I hope I didn't overwhelm you. I can only hope that this extra information will help you prepare for what's to come. Using our time to our advantage will greatly help us in this journey. Being proactive about the application certainly beats twiddling our thumbs while wondering when our application will be approved.

Good luck!

P.S. Break a leg at the interview, Steve & Hazel!