Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	I know it's scary to hear about denial of a couple you think you have so much in common. But if you think about it - there should be many-many couples who were approved with their visa application in your embassy. Might be that some of them happen to be sharing your locations too - it's a small world we are living in. From tiny bit of info that you shared, your case looks so much stronger though. I am sure all the visits and your presence in town during the interview will be of a great significance. Maybe their sad experience can help you. Ask if you can about the details of the interview, and see if you can make this info work for you. Don't let this thing worry you too much. Hope you will feel better soon! Thanks so much for your post: it actually made me feel a lot better! Here's a question for others: we have managed twice to send things to each other with friends/family who were traveling between our locations (because sending objects isn't practical ordinarily, although we are experimenting with postcards/letters). This seems like it should be a fantastic bit of evidence of an ongoing relationship, but of course it doesn't leave any kind of paper trail at all. Can anyone think of a way to document this? There are some emails from when I was setting this up with the intermediaries and then emails from us acknowledging the receipt of the items to each other. Thinking in terms of evidence for him to bring to the interview, could we put together a document with the story about these two (and any future) exchanges and the relevant dates/details, and then include the emails as backup? I also have a photo of me and one of the intermediaries (his cousin) with the items I sent. (None of you will know the answer, except "Why not?" but if you have a better idea let me know. )	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-22 11:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	I'm feeling very worried today. I know someone who filed quite a while ago and whose situation is very similar to mine (same embassy, same beneficiary/petitioner locations, etc.), and her fiance had his interview today and got denied. It is really scary. We have 3 recent visits to their 1 (plus another years ago before they were together, but they started their relationship and got engaged on the same visit), and I do not have the same schedule/monetary restrictions that she has so I am planning to be in town with him when he goes for the interview, but I'm still so afraid that this won't be enough. Guess there's nothing to do but wait.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-22 10:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	I'm managing to only check USCIS every few days, for now. Somehow I find it strangely comforting, though, to come here and see my signature ticker and be assured that time really IS passing, even though it may not seem like it is.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-20 15:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Welcome, Rose! You've certainly traveled a lot! I'm so jealous that you could get a visa to visit the US ahead of time. How did you like it? And as for locations in the US that are better/worse, of course I am partial to Boston, but you may not like the weather. A lot of people also seem to like the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, Portland) and the mid-Atlantic (DC, Baltimore, etc.), and NYC is great as well (but very expensive, of course). Other than Boston, I've also lived in North Carolina (western) and Florida (central). I don't have much experience at all with the center of the U.S., so hopefully someone else can chime in! A lot of people seem to be currently moving to NC, but more to the central ("RTP" or Research Triangle Park, a.k.a. Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) part, and I understand that there is a lot of job growth there. I haven't lived in that area, but the weather is less extreme than New England and (supposedly) the people are friendlier. As for Florida, I didn't enjoy being surrounded by vacationers all the time, but your mileage may vary. Both of those last two locations are your fairly typical American suburban settings where residential areas are far removed from everything else you need, and you will need to drive and have a car to get your basic necessities (with the exception of a few very small areas in the city centers). What kind of setting/lifestyle are you looking for? And how is everyone else holding up? I'm spending (way too much) time watching Igor's List and eagerly awaiting the day that approvals start to pop up in the February group of Vermont filers: anyone else?	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-14 11:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Can anybody help me how to understand the "touched" update on your signatures? I created an account in USCIS website and everytime I check our case's status it only says initial review. Thank you in advance! When you first log into your account at USCIS, the first page is your "portfolio" with all of your active cases listed. In the listing for your I-129F, there is a date listed as "Last Updated." If this date is changed (without any change in your case status), that is a "touch." From what I can tell, a "touch" is indicative of exactly nothing as far as predicting approval, so it doesn't seem worthwhile to worry if you don't have one or never do. My "Last Updated" date is the day that they sent the NOA1 text/email.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-13 06:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Yeah, doesn't it seem like it's been YEARS since we all sent our petitions? Time is moving at the speed of molasses. And yes, birthday presents for everyone! (Regardless of whether you have a birthday in the next 4-5 months or not: early is also perfectly okay.) I feel the same way...I have to keep reminding myself that it's only been 12 days since the NOA1. Me and my fiance share the same birthday...July 14th. Looking forward to a great birthday this July. *fingers crossed* That's so cool that you share a birthday! (Is it the same year!) I thought it was a pretty fun coincidence that we are exactly 2 weeks (and some years) apart. It's also convenient that his is first so that it will be pretty much impossible for him to ever forget mine. I sent him a little care package last week with a friend of a friend who was traveling over, and I just found out last night that he sent me something back! Can't wait to see what it is.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-12 10:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	My birthday is May 29 and his is May 15. Not holding my breath (okay, maybe a little), but that would be the best birthday present of my life!	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-11 09:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Hey, I received NOA1 in the mail today with a date of February 24, 2012 - so I guess this bumps me up a week - just 4 days but always something... Yes, my hard copy NOA1 date moved me back by one day: every little bit counts. Welcome to all the new people! Now that it's March, I'm assuming that the vast majority of us have NOA1 dates now? So I can really start paying attention to the timeline update emails from here on out, I guess? In my fantasies, we all get approved on the same day, but no doubt we'll all get to do our share of being thrilled for each other and not envious at all. This will be challenging.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-05 09:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Mine, too! Of course, there are still lots of people who filed much farther back and are still waiting, which must make it extra frustrating when others get approved after only a few weeks. At least there's no chance at all that any of us should be getting approved right now: imagine if you had filed in August or something and were seeing these January approvals! (I'm trying really hard to prepare myself for all the waiting! Although I hope there won't be much of it for any of us...) 8 hours.... a cake walk... There is 15 hours difference for us and she works 6 days a week! Ummmm, wow. You definitely have us beat! Did I see you say you're from the Boston area? I'm on the MA/RI border now and went to Boston U then worked up there so lived in the city for about 5 yrs. I'm sure Aaron will do fine settling in. There's so many different cultures in this area that you should be able to find things from back home for him while he's adapting. I've already searched out the English/Irish imports stores in Plymouth and Boston and plan to make regular drives! Yes, I am in Boston: small world! There seem to be a lot of VJers around here. And yes, I think he'll do fine: it's definitely a much more diverse and easily navigable city than a lot of other areas in the U.S., so we're lucky that way. Edited by afoyoswa, 01 March 2012 - 11:49 AM.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-01 11:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	2) I bought her a book called "Living In The USA" from Amazon for like $5. It's all about our culture and includes chapters in the book on moving to the US, the culture of the US, and Immigration. It's not necessary but I gotta admit the book's pretty legit. <snip> 4) Money - We have been trying to figure out how to get her money ASAP for when it's interview time (mainly for the $350 Visa Fee). I'm going to get her a ATM card for my account. I considered buying her a travel VISA but the fees are exorbitant. I saw that book and considered it, especially after reading the reviews for Culture Shock USA which some people recommended but which seemed to be pretty odd. Helpful, you think? And that's an approach I hadn't thought of to convey money! Of course there'd also be the issue of getting the card to him, so I'm not sure it would really help. We're still going to have to get money somehow to his sister in Nairobi so we can get the payment made (and schedule the interview) before either of us actually gets there. I'm a February filer too! Didn't notice this topic 'til now, so I thought I'd introduce myself I'm Katie, my fiance is Tom. He's the American, living in Florida. I'm Canadian, living in Toronto. We mailed our package in on Feb. 10! Welcome, Katie! Nothing too specific that we can do at this stage. One thing that I and my Love started doing after filing I-129f is exchanging emails. We are not big at writing letters - all we need to tell to each other we say during 4+ hours daily conversations. But, heck, they asked for emails as the proof - let's get them those emails ))) Also, I read on one of the forums here that it makes sense to apply for police certificate when you get NOA2. I can't tell for sure how long this document is valid so I will try to get it as close to the interview date as possible to avoid unnecessary complications.  We are meeting for vacation in mid June, so He will have updated letters of intent and other forms ready by that time. Also a few more hundreds of pictures will be taken.. can't think of anything else that can prove "ongoing relationship"... We (read: I) have also been trying to send postal mail...a grand total of one postcard so far. Hoping he'll do the same. Not a great way to communicate in general, but certainly much more possible to put in a binder and wave around at embassies. Lucky you getting to see each other in June--definitely take lots of photos!	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-29 17:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Welcome, Mika! And yes, I think discussing what we need to do next would be a great use for this thread right now, even though some of the things are a little bit region-specific. Later on, it would also be nice to talk about preparations for our fiancé/fiancées' arrivals, and the sort of things we need to think about ahead of time to make the transition as smooth as possible (Social Security cards, documents they need to bring along when they come, etc.) I'm giving myself a month or two off from worrying about documents, but I'll be starting soon. I'm thinking the police certificate(s) have the potential to take the longest, so that will probably be a good first target. (Also, <bump>--how did we fall to page 3?)	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-29 14:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	And oh yeah..They've stayed with me and my family 5 times now, and one visit was for the entire month of August. They're pretty familiar with the Boston, Providence and Cape Cod areas and love it here. I'm looking forward to taking them to my Chiropractic School's reunion in Iowa this summer. Hoping to drive there so they can experience more of the USA cause they're having a hard time grasping the size of the country LOL Wow, that must have been nice! I really wish Aaron had had a chance to visit here before we started this whole process. I know he'll settle in just fine eventually because he's an adaptable sort of guy, but still. Joy, your wedding idea is good. I am also thinking of having ours at my church, but I hadn't really thought that far ahead. Once we get the NOA2 I am sure I will get in high gear with wedding planning. :-) So a little about me: I'm Vanessa and I'm the petitioner. I currently live and work in MD within the D.C metro area. My fiance Edward is Ugandan but works for the East African Community Secretariat in Arusha, TZ. Very interesting organization. Arusha is quite lovely...I spent a few weeks there in Dec 2011/Jan 2012 and Edward took me to just about every TZ national park near Arusha, which was amazing. Edward is a history buff, so he will love seeing all of the monuments and museums in the D.C. area. A drive/weekend trip to NYC will probably be second on the list. Me and Edward were introduced through my best friend who did an internship where Edward works. We connected immediately, and here we are! :-) Wow, another USC woman + Ugandan man couple! There are more of us than I'd realized. And if you want history, you should totally bring him to Boston. And yes, we have a 8 hour time difference, too, which means that unless he stays up really late or I call when I'm at work, weekends are the only time when it's feasible to talk. (Which is why it's so frustrating when I can't reach him for an entire weekend!) Hi my name is Steve. I just sent in my packet today. Good luck to everyone! Hello to all February Filers! My Fiancee just sent off our I-129F package today by UPS to the Dallas Lockbox and hopefully it will get there tomorrow. Happy to join the February filers group! Merryjay76. Congratulations and welcome! We did introductions a few pages back, so if you get a chance and want to, tell who you are, whether you're the petitioner or beneficiary, and whatever else you want to throw in. I'm so glad we're all here.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-28 17:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	I have a question - is it weird that we got our NOA1 from Vermont? o.O We didn't get any email or text that it will be forwarded or anything. We got it straight from Vermont =/ The paper one is what really matters, and if it comes from Vermont, that's what tells you where it was forwarded from the lockbox in Texas. Now that you have your receipt number, you can get an online account at USCIS and sign up for email and text updates there.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-28 09:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	we are thinking beach wedding, if by the time I am in USA the weather is still warm enough.. I'm attaching the picture of it, do tell me what you think And, yes, you are totally right, and I am prepared for this dress to be ill-fitted on me.. and sooooo ready for fun time hunting for the perfect dress that I can actually try on, versus looking at pretty pictures online.  P_2439_2_10073.jpg   17.92KB   20 downloads Oh, that is really pretty! I hope it looks just as nice in person! I'm hoping for Aaron to start reading/posting here at some point when he has time, so I'm not going to post my dress, but it is gorgeous. I want to wear it every day. We use Gmail chat (with video) pretty often: it seems to work more smoothly than Skype with video. Of course, we just got disconnected and no idea what's going on, so it's not always perfect.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-27 15:12:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	I think I will never find a dress that i like Oh, you will! I expected it to be really difficult and it wasn't that bad. Too easy, almost! What is not easy is communication between here and Uganda with time zone differences and mobile network issues and internet issues and electricity issues. I feel really silly right now having bought a wedding dress and not having been able to reach my fiancé to tell him about it, despite trying since yesterday morning. I am so sad and frustrated right now. Anyone else with technological barriers to communication? (I am choosing to believe that is all it is. No reason to think otherwise.) Edited by afoyoswa, 26 February 2012 - 10:36 AM.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-26 10:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	I have my mind set on this particular dress on Davidsbridal. It's perfect.. BUT .. I guess I am superstitious, so we are buying this dress not a minute before I cross POE. My fiancé laughs at me and calls me silly, but I just don't want to jinx it ))))    Have you tried it on yet? (I'm guessing not, since it doesn't appear that there is David's Bridal in Russia.) If not, definitely make a trip there once you get here and try on everything in sight. I had my heart set on one particular dress myself, and when I tried it on, it was horrible. I really cannot express how much I hated that dress! Nothing else that was on my list looked too wonderful, either. The one I ended up loving was a random dress I grabbed from the rack while I was wandering around waiting for the consultant to bring me something. People insisted that I'd be really surprised by what I ended up with, and I so completely was. (And besides, trying on dresses is SO much fun.) Which dress is it?	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-26 08:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Yay, another Aaron! I'm a little biased toward that name. So, speaking of wedding planning: I (quite unexpectedly) found (and bought) my wedding dress today! It is perfect. I'm just not sure where I'm actually going to store it for the next however-many months. My apartment really *is* that small. But it was just the right price, and just the right everything, and deeply discounted, and discontinued so there was only one left in my size, so...I couldn't resist. Makes it all seem so real, somehow. (And makes me feel extra-superstitious, of course, like I'm taking for granted that he's actually going to get here at some point. Anyone else have these crazy superstitions?)	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-25 16:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Welcome, annrenee: good to see another Uganda case! Are you the beneficiary or the petitioner? And this is what I get for posting in the middle of the night: I *KNEW* your username sounded familiar! Glad you made it here from the other thread where I responded to your question.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-24 09:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	I am going for a backyard wedding but I am lacking a house with a backyard for now Yes, that's kind of the approach I have in mind, but I also don't have a backyard. I'm thinking of games, a sort of modified international potluck (assign a small group of friends to make different things: not everyone bringing food), and lots of music, kids, and general cacophony. For the reception, that is. * * * Hey, since we're going to be here for a while, can everyone introduce him/herself? Maybe tell your name, whether you're the beneficiary or petitioner, where you live, and...hmmm, the first thing you want to show your fiancé (or see) once he/she/you get(s) to the U.S. I guess I should start! I'm Joy, and I'm the petitioner. I live in Boston. We have a restaurant at the top of one of the tallest buildings here (52 floors up, which is nothing in NYC but very high here) where you can sit and enjoy the view over tea and cookies: I think Aaron would enjoy that! There is also a really beautiful reservoir near my apartment that has a walking path around it. I've mentioned it to him but mistakenly used the word "lake," which was hilarious because of course he lives on the edge of Lake Victoria and a 2-mile-circumference lake isn't quite the same thing: chances are we'll probably end up there first (unless it's February or something!). Anyone else?	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-24 08:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Welcome, annrenee: good to see another Uganda case! Are you the beneficiary or the petitioner? I just got my NOA1: hooray! Okay, it's not much, but at least it is something. What are they doing sending text messages and emails at 1:53 AM, though? I noticed that Mariya and Timmy also got theirs: congrats!	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-24 02:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	The trickiest part I'm finding is -- how do you plan for the wedding? We would like to have a small yet proper wedding, but doing so also takes time (most venues are already booked a year in advanced I'm finding!). But at the same time, how do we commit to a venue and give our friends and families dates to plan for traveling when we don't know for sure... we can't. If any one has tips on how to plan for the future without knowing for sure I'd love to hear them! Yeah, I'm finding that part really frustrating, too! Not really so much with the location, date, etc. since I'm thinking of having it in the church I attend, and most people I know will be fine with a month or two's notice, but...it just feels wrong somehow even pre-planning wedding details when he's not even here and I don't have any definite idea when he will be. Makes my superstitious side come out. But it will be very helpful later on if I just get some ideas and put everyone on alert. So I'm trying to do what I can. (Whoo, wedding dress shopping on Saturday!) And yay, Team February! (And dayum, where is that NOA1 of mine?) Mariya and Timmy, strange that you're getting a hard copy before the email. Eric1Viking, I'm so jealous that you get to see each other so soon! I'm trying to come up with a way for us to, but it just doesn't seem like it's feasible for me to go there or for us to meet in a 3rd country (because of cost, unless a bunch of money falls on my head unexpectedly). I don't think it's as important for our visa chances as my going over when he has his interview, so since I can only do one, that'll be it (and so I'll be waiting another 5-6 months to see him).	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-23 08:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Mailed in on 11th February. Still no NOA1.. I am getting worried :/ Oh, that seems too long! Did you track the package and confirm that it was delivered, and if so, when was that? Still waiting on my NOA1, but they just received it yesterday so it's a little early yet I suppose.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-22 11:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Good to know. But can they deny you visa if petitioner is not around? Thats what seemed to happen in Dorah's case. Seems strange Without personally knowing anything about what Dorah submitted with her petition or what she and the CO said to each other during the interview, it's hard to know exactly why a visa application was denied. I hope the petitioner's absence was not the only reason, as I am also a USC petitioner with a Ugandan fiancé, and I will also be physically absent (albeit in town) during the interview. We submitted a wide variety of solid evidence of our continuing relationship (and plan to amass more before the interview) and have no red flags, so I am optimistic that we will be okay.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-21 22:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Wait .. Petitioner was'nt around for what? Interview? Does the petitioner have to be there at the fiance(e)'s interview at their home country? I get the impression that, depending on the embassy, it can really help (but is not mandatory, nor is the USC allowed to attend the interview in a lot of cases). I'm planning on being in town for my fiancé's interview, and we will be going through the same embassy as Dorah did. I don't expect to be allowed in for the interview, so it will still largely be a question of our supporting evidence and his confidence/demeanor, but my traveling over there to spend time with him ahead of the interview can really only add to both.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-21 22:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	200 pages? Wow. I sent 82 (some of which were dividers between the sections). How many did the rest of you send?	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-21 20:59:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Congratulations...I know you put a lot of effort and thought into everything you did and were very organized. Good luck to you and everyone else waiting! Be blessed in your journey. Thank you so much, Jill, for all your invaluable help and answering all my crazy questions about the petition! I can't wait til it is time to pick your brain about pre-interview matters.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-21 14:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Yes Afoyoswa,we were advised to start over,this time all bases are covered and pretty sure things will go well.Although we had a formal engagement in Uganda I don't really have a big family in Uganda,Its pointless for us to get married in Uganda with only my sister to attend yet we can get married in the states where his family and friends can attend That's good to hear! I hope things work out better this time. What are you doing differently with the petition this time?	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-21 11:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	Welcome, everyone! Dorah, I remember you from the Nairobi embassy thread: have you decided to start over rather than getting married and applying for a spouse visa?	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-21 07:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Any February 2012 filers?	I just mailed my I-129F package this morning! So happy to have that (small) part out of the way. I know Heather K. started the thread below about mailing hers 2 days ago: anyone else?	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-02-18 14:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January I-129F filers	So called NVC and they said case is additional processing. This sucks.... February filer here, but I was just told by NVC that we are in additional processing as well. Have you found out anything further since the initial report? I am really worried.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-08-17 14:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January I-129F filers	February filer here hoping for good news soon (and especially fair & timely adjudication: they really should be cranking out the January stragglers before going anywhere near February...<sigh>) for all of us! So, I got inspired by sabi's receipt # monitoring system and am now monitoring a group of receipt #s for petitions received the same day as mine (Feb. 21). I remember sabi saying that, when assembling the group, only every 10th receipt # was checked because the I-129Fs tend to occur in groups. I thought you might find my data helpful as to whether or not this is true. So far, I've individually checked 5,581 receipt #s (I do some most days, so it's not as mind-numbing as it sounds) and found 213 I-129F petitions. Of these, 46.7% were in clusters of 10 or larger, and 53.3% were in clusters smaller than 10. Of course, even with a cluster smaller than the sampling interval, you'd still have a pretty decent chance of hitting an I-129F: 88.7% of them were in clusters of 5 or more. So, by checking every 10th receipt #, if my data are representative, you would find (roughly) between 46.7% (only 10+ clusters) and 88.7% (assuming you managed to find all of the 5+ clusters) of the total petitions. Considering there are well over 200 (still counting) petitions from a single day in February, there are probably way more than 500 for January, and thus possibly more movement than it looks like right now! (Fingers crossed!) Best of luck to all of you.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-07-30 15:47:00
Middle East and North Africa	Is there anyone lived my story	To the OP: I am just poking my head into the MENA forum (despite not having connections to this region) because it is helpful to read accounts from difficult embassies, as I am also dealing with one that is known to be somewhat difficult, and I really cannot believe the tone of your messages. People are trying to be helpful, and you are alternating between defending yourself and attacking them, without really listening to what they have to say except to evaluate whether they agree with you or not. An attitude like this won't go over well at an embassy, regardless of the facts of your case. And I don't think anyone has problems understanding your English, necessarily: it's just that the very long sentences with many ideas run together without punctuation or organization (not typical in written English, as you can see from the posts of others, even those who are not native speakers) and your non-standard spelling (correct letters, but jumbled in a way that suggests hasty typing rather than not knowing how to spell the words) really increases the degree to which you come across as careless and easily riled up. That's not helping you here at all. If you and your petitioner are approaching this visa journey as a team, you will want to work together to do everything you can to make this work, and having her join/post here as well would be a big part of that.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-22 14:18:00
Middle East and North Africa	age differience urgent help plz	thanx for replying .. so pictures can do the job if it's with my family and me .. if there's a stronger way to proof that plz tell me ... i'm bringing her to egypt for a weak so we can take pictures togither So, you've never met each other before in person, but you keep implying that the main purpose of her visiting you is to take some photos? I'd really like to hear her side of this! I agree with Rae Anne that the first step is to spend some time together in person and *then* decide whether it's a relationship worth pursuing further. Although I know many people feel differently, it seems like putting the cart before the horse to decide on the immigration approach first and then deliberately construct the relationship to match the requirements. We personally don't have a bunch of photos, and the ones we have were taken kind of as afterthoughts. I didn't come to VJ until after we were engaged and I had traveled back to the U.S., and so we didn't have a chance to specifically stage any photos for the petition (nor did it even occur to me that people did that!). And it's probably better that way. We were busy getting to know each other and learning to relate to each other as a real-life, in-person team, and taking photos was nice but kind of secondary to that. All the immigration stuff came together after the fact (although we did discuss the existence of the K-1 visa, which I had read a little about, and decide to go that route after we decided we wanted to be together), and only happened after we had decided that what we had in person was worth preserving to the extent that we would go through this long, expensive, stressful, frustrating visa process together. And the photos we do have look like the genuine sort of photos people take as they're going about their lives.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-09-12 13:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	IR1/CR1 or Fiance Visa?	We would start processing the visa around September when he returns to Chile, which would already give us a good amount of time until he wants to be in the US in April.. so I think processing times on both visas work within that time frame but I just have a few doubts. Others addressed most of your other questions, but no one mentioned this one. Even if you submit paperwork in September, that's only allowing 7 months before he wants to be here. There is no way to predict how long the process will take or to guarantee when/if someone will be able to come here, but 7 months start to finish would be on the quicker side of average for K-1 and very quick for CR-1. So, just be aware that you can't really decide when someone would like to be here and then work backward from there: it's a completely unpredictable process.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-03-31 09:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	How to document/submit text messages (SMS) as evidence?	That would have been a useful detail to include! No, I'm still using a very basic flip-type phone: no advanced features at all.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-01-18 11:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	How to document/submit text messages (SMS) as evidence?	As part of my evidence of a bonafide relationship, I plan to submit text messages that we have sent to each other over the last year. What is the best way to present/submit these? There is really no way to reliably show who they came from or when they were sent. I can forward them to my email account, but that strips off the header information and leaves only the text of what was said. My carrier is Verizon, if that makes a difference, and my cell phone bill shows the number of international texts I have sent in a given billing period, but not the numbers to which they were sent. More detailed records are listed in my online account (the phone number & date, but not the message itself), but if I submitted these it would only be as a screencap. And quite a few of them were sent using a third party PC application my long-distance provider has, so they don't show up anywhere (I have only the date and the text that was sent). Does anyone have any ideas? Does this even matter?	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-01-18 11:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	a little help with I-129F	For purposes of the I-129F, sumbit evidence of one meeting in person within 2 years of filing the petition. Sounds like the most recent visit would be easiest for you to substantiate. The other visits can be discussed at the interview as evidence of relationship. Thanks: this is helpful! I'm getting the remaining necessary documents from his cousin when I see her next week in Dublin, so I will be sending my petition around 2/8/12: later than I wanted, but happy to at least have a starting point. I wrote the following for Question 18: is this enough (or too much) detail? I wanted to give a little bit of the history, while still keeping it short and mentioning the Nairobi trip. "Aaron and I met for the first time in Entebbe, Uganda at the home of --name-- (my friend and his cousin) where he also lives, during my visit 12/27/10-1/11/11, since which time we have kept in touch by phone and email. I visited him again 7/2-7/9/2011 and 12/24/11-1/9/12, during which we traveled to Nairobi together to see his sister 1/6-1/8/12, and he proposed 1/8/12 in Entebbe."	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-01-22 00:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	a little help with I-129F	Question 18 is only asking for the circumstances under which you met in person within the last 2 years (when & where), not how you initially met. Don't even mention the personal ads website. Keep it short and to the point. It may be asked at your interview how you initially met and meeting online is not an issue at all. Answer question 19 "No". To piggyback on Joseg's question about Question 18: I have visited and seen him three times over the last year, but the only firm evidence (passport stamps, bus tickets, etc.) we have of being in the same place at the same time concerns a trip we took together on the most recent visit. How should I answer Question 18? Should I talk about all of the times we have met in person, or only about the occasion for which I will be presenting primary evidence? I will also be presenting secondary evidence such as photos, airline ticket confirmations, boarding passes, passport stamps, and so forth to verify that I was there on other occasions, but these will of course not prove that we definitely saw each other at those exact times.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-01-12 11:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Getting ready to file!	No need for a photo album. It is too bulky for the petition. Sticking the pictures (if they're not printed on regular paper) in a plastic baggy is fine. USCIS frowns upon binders and such when sending in applications/petitions. This is very helpful! My photos are all digital, so I can either have them printed as individual prints at a drugstore on real glossy photo paper, or print them myself on cardstock (color laser). Are the "real" prints inherently better in any way, or is it just as good to print them myself (which has the advantage of allowing multiple images to be grouped together on one sheet and more easily captioned)?	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-01-25 03:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Getting ready to file!	Everything is signed and dated. Do you mean the letters/forms are signed and dated where signatures/dates are required, or that everything is signed and dated? I am almost ready to send my I-129F package myself, and I haven't seen any instructions everywhere saying to sign/date every single thing I include, so I'm curious. Otherwise, looks pretty much like what I am including! (Which could, of course, mean that we are both wrong.) How are you including/labeling your photos? Edited by afoyoswa, 24 January 2012 - 02:20 PM.	afoyoswa	Female	Uganda	2012-01-24 14:19:00