ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129F - send evidence of ongoing relationship or not?
Officially you do not need to prove an ongoing relationship with the original filing. You only have to prove that you have met in the last two years. Many people do send proof of relationship but you don't really need to prove that until the interview.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-30 22:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresIndirect concern regarding K1 application
First off as far as the job thing, no problem. They look at the Petitioners financial means and not the beneficiary. The biggest snag I could see is that the form asks for your address. They will use this address to send packet 3. If you have moved you want to be sure you get it. If you change your address with them later it may cause some minor delays as they access the file. If there is a way to use an address that will not change I think it might be better. All in all it should be no big deal.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-25 09:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedurestax returns
I believe USCIS calls for one years tax return if you are an employee and three years if you are self employed.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-06-14 06:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresTax returns needed with I-134?
My impression was always that one years tax return was required if you were an employee and three years if you were self employed. I don't quite understand the part in your post about "notarized" tax return. You can get your signature notarized on anything. They prefer the copies of tax returns that are you can get from the IRS but will usually accept a regular copy of a tax return. You should also have a copy of your w-2 for them.

If she does not have it at worst you will get a 221-G and have 60 days to submit it.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-07-07 14:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAttorney help
Humm, A reliable attorney? Gosh, ask something easy next time like an honest politician or a kind mass murderer.

If I was doing my 23rd K-1, from Death row for murdering my first 22 and felt an attorney might make it a little easier I would probably look at Gary Bala as one of the ones who might do the best job at slowing down and complicating a simple process a little less than the other fools who hang out a shingle and pretend they know what they are doing.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-07-11 09:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresLiving with fiancée while waiting for K1?
I am sure many have done something like that. We were in Administrative Review for 5 months which made it hard to plan because we never new when it would end.

We decided to spend the summer together in the Caribbean and are in Barbados right now. We kept our total trip to less than 90 days for visa purposes but you could always take a weekend trip to a neighboring island or country and come back and start the 90 day clock ticking again.

Our plans are going to have us hustling to make our interview. We did not want to get the police report until we were out of A/R and now when she gets back she will only have 24 days to get ready. We have our fingers crossed on the police report which they say takes 30 days.

If our A/R had not ended I was going home for 2 months to take care of business and then back here for a few months together. It is hard to be away and keep things going there. I had to arrange lawn mowings, prepaid a lot of my bills and have people picking up my mail and watching for anything important. I have my own business and it runs fine without me so that is not too much of a problem.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-07-17 06:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresShould I hire an attorney?
Most denials give you the right to appeal. It can depend on the circumstances. I think if you filed for a writ of Mandamus and they denied you there is no appeal. You forced and action and they took it.

Sometimes there are other courses, such as if you are turned down for a K-1 you can marry and file for a K-3
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-07-23 06:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresShould I hire an attorney?
Yes, you should hire an attorney. Once you go past the one year point or so that is the best course of action. I am not so sure that an immigration attorney is the right answer though. You may need one that practices Federal Law.

The action you want to file for is called a "Writ of Mandibus" It is basically an action that forces the government to take an action when they have been delaying unnecessarily. It will get you out of Administrative Review. Usually they just release your file rather than go through the expense and time of a federal trial so typically it will force an approval. You do run the risk of a denial but at least it will be settled.

If you happened to read the Immigration Ombudsman report he talked about the goverment being faced with many of the Mandibus actions because of the delays they have had with A/R's

Good Luck.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-07-22 06:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWhat to do if my No2 arrives and I am on vacation?
There is nothing that you really need to worry about. The NOA-2 is just a letter you will get. It is not certified or does not give you any information you need. It can sit there and wait for you until you get back.

The only thing you could do if you wanted is if you will not be back for the interview or before the interview you could take the stuff she will need to save sending it DHL later. Things like your tax copies, bank letter, employer letter, I-134 etc You have lots of time otherwise. I think the best you can hope for as far as the interview goes is October or November.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-07-25 05:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureswould u believe it???
My NOA-2 letter said that but it didn't happen. Actually I ended up in A/R at NVC instead. I don't think anyones file was actually sent direct to the embassy.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-07-27 06:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresShould I hire a lawyer to do the paperwork?
Assuming you have a pretty normal case hiring a lawyer will typically save you some hours of reading how to do things. What it will cost you is:

$ 700.00-$ 3000.00 in legal fees ($ 1500.00 average)
Slow you down from 3 weeks to 3 months depending on the compentence of the lawyer.
Cause you to loose some sleep unless you are very lucky.
Maybe make a mess of your whole applicaton.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-08-12 06:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFree to marry??

If the terminology still makes you nervous, wait out the 90 days. We are waiting till October only because airfare will be cheaper by then.


Are you aware that the Visa fee's are going up October 1st by about the price of an airline ticket?

Edited by Turboguy, 07 April 2007 - 04:38 PM.

TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-07 16:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFree to marry??
Yes, I understand that but we are not talking about getting married. We are talking about being free to marry and meeting that section of the K-1 immigration laws. The visa process is not an overnight thing. As long as the wedding itself did not occur within that period there would be no problem with laws anywere.

If you can get married anywhere regardless of if the home state would consider it valid then you would meet the criteria of the K-1 visa being free to marry. The visa itself is going to take 4-10 months and there are 90 days allowed for the marriage to occur so then all laws of that state would be met.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-07 13:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFree to marry??
I agree with BackPages. If you are free to marry anywhere you are free to marry. You also would not HAVE to live in Texas. If honoring the divorce was in issue you could hypothetically move to another state. Remember these aps are being looked at by a lot of governement empolyees that are basically clerks. All they are going to care about is that you are divorced. Perhaps if it is stamped in big black print that any file clerk would see that said. May not ReMarry until 7/1/2007 I would worry and wait otherwise send it off.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-07 07:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFree to marry??
One comment that came out in the other thread was that just because the law in your state says you must wait x days after the divorce is final other states may not have that law. Nevada could be one that does not. So if you are totally divorced and you would be free to marry if you went to Nevada (as an example) you could be considered free to marry.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-06 14:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresVISA attorney / document completion service in Florida?
QUOTE (rebeccajo @ Sep 29 2007, 11:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Some people just aren't comfortable doing paperwork. If they want to use a service and can afford it, let 'em.

I think a lot of us try to make rocket science out of it. In our mind it is one of the most important forms we will ever fill out and we spend hours and hours fretting over nothing.

I am in my second K-1 process. On the first I probably spent 8 hours deciding if I should type the names in all caps or first letter caps and I probably spent another 8 hours thinking about how to squeze long info into short spaces. I probably spent 20 hours thinking if I had translated her name into English properly. I filled out practice forms 6 or 8 times making sure I was going to do everything right.

With the second K-1, I just sat down and filled it all out and probably spent between one and two hours on it. The cold hard reality of it is they are not that fussy and we try to make it a much bigger deal than it is. There is nothing to it if you read here and do it yourself.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-09-30 07:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresVISA attorney / document completion service in Florida?
I will agree that you are better off doing it yourself. If you want some help with it from a Florida outfit try www.jetvisa.com
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-09-29 22:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI have only dated my fiancee for 1 year!!
You are better off doing it yourself. I hear tons of horror stories about Lawyers and few good ones. If you want some handholding for the $ 495.00 range another good service is www.jet-visa.com Lots of good info on his site as well.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-07-23 08:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresCAN HAVE MANY TRAVEL STAMPS IN MY PASSPORT CAN SEND ME IN FRAUD PREVENTION UNIT OR AR???
I doubt that any of that is going to cause a problem for you. I had a previous K-1 and my wife also had a previous K-1. It didn't cause any problems with the intial K-1 filing other than I when we applied for AOS we were asked about it but all we had to do was explain.

I am sure lots of people have many passport stamps. My wife had done a lot of traveling and probably had stamps from 10 countries or more in her passport and had they looked at mine, I had to have pages added becasue I ran out of space.

I worried just like you when I was doing my K-1's. It's normal. You will be fine.
TurboguyMaleRussia2010-02-16 16:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFiance backed out from interview

Hey Ray, she may be a unstable woman... :lol:

She definately was unstable. In my life I seem to be a magnet for unstable women. My wife is the exception and is a wonderful and amazing one. When I told that story I just hit a few of the highlights. I think if my first fiancee ever told her whole story it would make a fascinating movie or book. To the best of my knowledge she filed as an abused spouse and stayed in the country. The sucker she married did terrible things to her. An example is he bought her a pearl necklace. Isn't that just the worst thing anyone could do to a woman that he cared about?

Well, it is always nice to get closure but to be honest if she contacted him and said she had thought things over and wanted to go ahead with things again my advice would be to run. The girl has problems and is going to make any man miserable. There is no way she is ever going to spend a few decades as a happy, faithful wife.
TurboguyMaleRussia2011-11-06 08:23:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFiance backed out from interview
I know it seems like a heartbreaking disaster right now but you are one lucky dude. You found out what she really was before you let her really mess up her life.

I went through a K-1 with my first fiancee who did show up for the interview but really was not the kind of woman I thought she was. My first fiancee came over for 89 days and went back. While she was here with me she was corresponding with a bunch of men and I happened to see one email where she was discussing how to do a K-1 without really meeting. The guy was real slezzy and could not afford to go to visit her when she returned to her country. When she got back she was writing me saying she had made the biggest mistake of her life and wanted me to do another K-1. I sent in the second K-1 and a week later found out she was going to Germany for two weeks to meet a guy she had the hots for. I cancelled the application.

She did stay in touch with a friend of mine and after the K-1 with me she did a K-1 with a guy from Florida and decided at the last minute not to show up for the interview. Then she did another K-1 with a guy from Florida. She had decided to return to her country rather than marry him but supposidly he said he would not buy her a ticket and she had to marry him. She did and a month later took off and divorced him. I lost track of her after that but she was a woman who seemed like an angel but really was a devil and left a trail of broken hearts and busted dreams in the wake.

I resumed my search and found an amazing and wonderful woman. We have been married for nearly 4 years now. I had to do a waver when I applied for the last K-1 but that was no big deal and it didn't create any problems for us.

Count your lucky stars. You could have married her. She is not ever going to make a man a good wife. You would have ended up far more heartbroken and much more financially drained. There are good, sincere, wonderful women out there. Try to get over the last and start a search for a new one. Some day you will look back on this disaster as something that saved your neck and the best thing that could have happened. Good luck.
TurboguyMaleRussia2011-11-05 07:22:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)Still waiting for an answer from NVC
There really isn't Greg. You and I are in the same boat with a similar timeline. I have started a few threads here and read everything I could. It seems like the A/R's at NVC are taking much longer than the ones at the embassy. I have seen few come out of it. One that I know of did. It was 1 year and 4 months. Another is still in it at 2 years and a few months. The fastest I have heard of is 10 months. Sorry if this is taking some wind out of your sails. Keep me posted and good luck.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-19 20:07:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)NVC Administrative Review twist
I wish I could answer that but dealing with the Goverment is like dealing with a brick wall. The gal at NVC told me I needed to request an extension as I posted but could not tell me where to send anything. She did give me a phone number for the state department. The number she gave me had no choices except automated replies. Someone here had posted a number for the state department and said they could give you updates on your status. I tried that and the gal said she could not give me any updates that the file was not there it was at NVC (NVC says it is not there but at the state dept).

Anyway, I e-mailed NVC at the general e-mail address for inquires and requested an extension or information about how to extend it.

Today I got a response that was basically a canned letter saying that since 9/11 extra security checks were necessary and when my file was sent to the embassy I would be notified. Nothing about the extension but they did reply and now I have a record that I asked for an extension.

Someone else posted here that after the A/R was finished they sent the file to the embassy and the embassy said it was invalid and had expired. The petitioner objected and they had them write a letter saying they still wanted the visa and re-instated the application.

I have read every thread I have been able to find here and listened to every story I can find and there are some really sad and disappointing stories. I have not found any who had a problem with an expired date other than the one I just told you about so I would say don't worry about it, but if it makes you feel better e-mail NVC and ask for an extension. You will get the same canned letter back I did but your message will be on there and you will have proof you requested the extension and that they recieved teh request.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-25 23:21:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)NVC Administrative Review twist
Well I have been hung up in A/R for nearly 4 months now. A half hour ago I called for my bi weekly news that nothing had happened. I happened to notice on my NOA-2 that my approval had an expiration date of May 22nd. I assumed it would be automaticially extended but thought I would ask just to be safe. The gal said no, that if I don't ask for an extension it will expire and I would have to start over. She really could not give me much information about who to cantact to extend it. Finally she gave me a phone number but I don't have a lot of faith in it.

If she is right then any others on A/R at NVC might want to be aware of this.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-10 22:54:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)NVC case number and additional administrative review
As far as how long A/R can take there are no anwers. There are 138,000 people in A/R according the the USCIS website. There is no logic to the timelines and no compassion in the longer cases. There is next to no information that will be available to you. You come out when you come out. Your congressman can't get info or help you nor can a lawyer.

The closest thing to a timeline I have seen is on the USCIS website. Of the people who are in A/R 68% have been there for more than 3 months and 35% have been there for more than a year. There are a lot of cases however that are in A/R for only a few weeks. Mine has passed the 4 month mark. I know of other VJ'ers who have been 19 months one who is still in at 2 years and 4 months one for 5 years and the all time record is 8 years. Most however are a few weeks to a few months. I hope yours is quick.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-26 08:42:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)Any late May NOA2's not thru NVC yet?
Yes, they will usually tell you. Sometimes they will tell you when it really is not true but just going though normal security checks.

I have seen a few cases where they totally lost the file. Shows what an efficient government we have.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-06-20 17:06:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)Any late May NOA2's not thru NVC yet?
When you call are you using the automated system or talking to an phone representative. The K-1's are never entered into the automated system because they don't stay there long enough. Press 1 then 5 to talk to a real person.

With that delay you could be in Administrative Review but I hope that is not the case.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-06-18 22:16:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)What's up with AR at NVC now?????

What have I ever done wrong to get treated like this? First of all our case took 7 months to get through at USCIS. Now NVC has had our case since the 6th of June and I find out today that we're in administrative review? AR for what???? I'm really fed up with the whole way this process works, or should I say doesn't work. The biggest problem is having to sit around and wonder what they're doing, what's happening. Why is it so hard to get information from them on your own friggin petition? Why is it so secrect??????

Lord give me patience.


Oh, sorry to hear that. Hope this damn AR gets done any day from now.


Good luck with the A/R. I hope yours goes faster than ours has and some of the others I hear about. From what I hear they are always checking something on the benificiary at the NVC level. Has she been here before on a previous K-1 or anything?
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-06-27 06:55:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)Who else is going through AR at NVC?

Add me to this list of waiting for administrative review. Wouldn't it be just wonderful if they'd tell you why? It's your petition after all.

When I've asked them how long this process is the only answer I get is until it's done.

I have a question concerning expiration of the NOA2 approval. What happens if it expires before an interview at the embassy?


Most consulates 'automatically' extend them (London being one of them), while others will take new letters of intent as well. I'd pose the question in the regional forum and see what Manila's routine is (or maybe someone will happen by here who knows).

Jim, I had the same question myself. My approval was set to expire on May 24th so I asked the brainiac lady who answered my call at NVC if it would be automatically extended. Her response was NO, If you don't request an extension when that date arrives it will be automatically cancelled and you will have to start over. Personally I have never heard of anyone having that problem. I then asked the lady how I should go about requesting an extension. I asked if I should write a letter to NVC. She said, No, that would do no good, your file is not here, it is at the state department. I then asked how I should do it and her answer was, I don't know. Finally she gave me a number for the State Department that only gave choices of which automated message you wanted to hear.

In the end, I sent an e-mail to NVC requesting an extension. They answered with the standard garbage that because of 9/11 la da la da da. But they did respond to my e-mail with my text intact so if it ever becomes an issue I have proof that I requested an extension prior to the expiration.

Personally I don't think it will be a problem for you. If you want to be safe, e-mail nvc requesting an extension.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-06-30 06:58:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)Who else is going through AR at NVC?
Burnspot, since you went into A/R a week ahead of us, nothing would make me happier than to come out a week behind you or next week. We are now over 5 months with no end in sight. It really sucks. The only bright spot is that we are spending our summer together in the Caribbean but it sure would be much better to be at home together getting on with our lives.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-06-28 07:50:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)administrative review
There is not much you can do. Call every two weeks and check the status but your congressman or senator can not help you and no one else can. If it goes on for a year or two there is one option available to you but you have a long time to go on that. Good luck. I know first hand how much A/R sucks.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-10-05 22:22:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresdo i need a lawyer?
[quote name='wasabisnack' date='Nov 4 2006, 02:35 PM' post='548352']
If you don't have complications you are far better off doing it yourself. A lawyer will increase your chances of an RFE and slow the process down. It also keeps you more in the dark.

With a lawyer instead of sending the paperwork in you send stuff to him. Then he has some questions. When he gets to it he sends it back for signatures, they you send it to him. When he gets around to it, he sends it in. He does many so he is not as careful. Any contact will be with him so you don't know what is going on.

When I start my K-1 in a month it will be my second. I had a friend who's lawyer mailed his K-1 to Vermont the same day I sent my first one and I gained a month on him though the process.
TurboguyMaleRussia2006-11-05 14:17:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCan I send the copies?
I have seen a lot of people suggest you use blue ink for the signature so it does not look like a copy. Also as suggested, press hard as you sign.

As far as documents such as divorce decrees and birth certificates you send, always send copies. They will not return anything.
TurboguyMaleRussia2006-11-05 14:09:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion¨packet 3¨being denied to me for K-3
The sad part is that we all have to deal with the government. No matter what, you won't get the visa until you have the interview. The forms will be there in plenty of time for you to complete them before the interview. Trying to get a leg up on the forms will really not gain you anything. Might as well just sit back and wait.
TurboguyMaleRussia2006-07-29 16:08:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussionreturned passport & DD
That is the first time I have heard of them not wanting something. I got a 221-G a year ago and they asked for more proof of a relationship. One visit to the embassy, a few e-mails and a visit to my congressman's office and we got the visa.

From what I remember at the time they said if it was not satisfied it would be returned to the NVC and I could file an appeal there. My guess is the number is to track it at the NVC and you will have to file an appeal there.
TurboguyMaleRussia2006-11-18 15:10:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussionreturned passport & DD
I am not much of an expert on this and your question is not detailed but the blue sheet sounds like a 221-G. If it is that is an "intent to deny". You should have received a similar blue sheet at the interview. It means you have an amount of time to provide evidence why your application should not be denied. If they do not hear from you in that period of time, the passport is returned to the fiancee and the file is sent to the NVC where you can appeal the decision.
TurboguyMaleRussia2006-11-18 08:54:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionFiling for an Extension???
I can't say for sure about Jamaica but last year when I did a K-1 in Russia they were all running after the expiration date and they just automatically exteneded them. They realize it is their fault not yours. Some of the guys just to be safe sent an e-mail to the embassy asking for an extension but the response they got back was that it was automatically extended. Hopefully you will get your date soon and it will not be a problem anyway.
TurboguyMaleRussia2006-11-06 08:59:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionAfter interview K-1 PLEASE HELP
I too went through a 221-G last year. If it is the police report and a certificate of being single they are looking for which is what it sounds like, if it is for the beneficiary it will likely be decided at the embassy. If the police check is for the applicant, which should have been done before the file was sent to the embassy then it would come back to the USA.

Did they keep your passport? My guess is they did and will issue the visa soon after they get the papers they need. A week may be cutting it close. I think it will not take months though. Ours took about 3 weeks to streighten out but I had to submit data 3 different times.
TurboguyMaleRussia2006-12-15 09:06:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionAffidavit of Support help
A photo copy of the last 12 months bank statements accomplishes the same thing as the letter from the bank.

As far as copies of your tax returns if you are an employee you need one, if you are self employed you need the last three years. You need your 1040 and three consecutive recent pay stubs.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-01-17 00:19:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionInterview concern
The white slip is very unusual in a Fiancee situation. It would generally be in a case where they are convinced there is fraud.

The blue slip which is officially a 221-G is also called an "Intent to Deny" What it really means is they feel there was not enough evidence presented in one area (or more) of your proofs. They will detail what they want and you have 90 days to produce evidence showing that you do meet the requirements. Quite often this is in the area of proof of a relationship and they will ask for phone records, letters, e-mails, boarding passes and the like.

Lately there seems to be a rash of 221-G's My guess would be that about 10 percent of K-1s get a 221-G and that about 90% of those are able to produce evidence to get the visa but that is just my guess.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-01-21 10:51:00