ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHmm
I'd leave the glasses off and pull back my hair. I should clarify I'm not expressing frustration with anyone but the conflicting information offered by various official sources.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-09-10 11:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHmm
Oh, I agree, if she still has the option, to go for a picture with ears exposed.

But I didn't realize in order to get the correct information I had to go to the embassy website for Poland rather than the U.S. Department of State, y'know?

I had just wanted to see an official link somewhere, that's all.

Guess we'll see if I get an RFE because I'm pretty sure my hair obscures my ears (thick & curly, it's lucky if it doesn't obscure/eat the photographer. ;) )

The guide says that with glasses, one should ensure that the photograph doesn't show a great reflection or shine from the glasses. (No bright spots obscuring your face.)

Of course, who knows what the travel guidelines in East Uzbekistan or Outer Mongolia say. ;)
CaladanMaleCanada2006-09-10 11:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHmm
My hair covers my ears in my passport photo. Had the passport over a year now.

Anyhow, here is the guide for passport photos:

http://travel.state....wnload_884.html

I didn't see anything about hair covering ears in the entire guide, but it's possible that I missed something. There are several pictures where the subject's ears are completely obscured. The I-129F form says 'passport-style photo.'

Where are you guys getting the ears requirement?
CaladanMaleCanada2006-09-10 11:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresDenied a k1 visa? Mothers have the same last nmes?
They don't think that you're related, from what you've posted. Or at least that wasn't the reason for denial. They think that your relationship is fraudulent, for the purpose of immigration only. From what you're saying, it sounds like they were worried that you were related before you had your mother's birth certificate, but then denied the visa on the lack of bona fides.

If they ask for your mother's birth certificate, make sure they get that. But it also looks, from the letter, like they think there's a fraudulent relationship. Check out the Vietnam forum for advice on evidence from people going through your *consulate.

edit: consulate, not closet. no idea how that happened.

Edited by Caladan, 27 July 2007 - 04:19 PM.

CaladanMaleCanada2007-07-27 16:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureshow to best use the 90 days prior to marriage k-1
QUOTE (pushbrk @ Oct 26 2007, 11:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Seattle2Cebu @ Oct 26 2007, 07:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Ronald Reagan said trust and verify


Yes, but he was talking about an enemy nation, not his wife Nancy. Context is important.


Awesome.
CaladanMaleCanada2007-10-26 10:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureshow to best use the 90 days prior to marriage k-1
And, also.... look, people going through consulates like Manila always whine about how mean the CO's are, why they want so much evidence, yada, yada... anyone ever stop to think that one reason they're so picky might be the number of people who haven't bothered to get to know their fiancee before filing? It's a bit much to be saying on the one hand 'we need the 90 days to get to know each other' and on the other 'how dare they question whether we know each other well enough!'
CaladanMaleCanada2007-10-25 08:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureshow to best use the 90 days prior to marriage k-1
QUOTE (babblesgirl @ Oct 24 2007, 11:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
There is so much to adjust to that I doubt it can be comfortably achieved within 90 days and that is certainly not what the OP was referring to.

To be fair, I think moxcamel and the OP are coming from different tangents on this. Moxcamel is concerned about the cultural transition for his fiancee and the OP is worried that his fiancee is dishonest. Two entirely different sentiments.

Having said this, the 90 day time period is useless regardless of the validity of the petitioner's concerns. Entering the K1 process is an intent to marry and you need to set systems in place before petitioning to ensure that the marriage has the best chance of success. I'm afraid that hoping your partner can adjust satisfactorily within 90 days of entering the US is missing the point. Your partner will need your support for much longer than that and sometimes for things unrelated to relocation to the States.


I think this is a good point. There's a difference between saying (as moxcamel is) 'My fiancee and I are going to take the first 60 days to ensure that our bonafide relationship survives what will be for her some intense culture shock before we marry in case either of us has second thoughts' and 'I don't know if we have a bonafide relationship and that poor ###### isn't giving up anything anyway so I'm going to keylog her first 90 days so I'm not on the hook for her and if she's not grateful I'll be on here asking if I have to pay to send her back or if I can just kick her out of my house.' The former is defensible; the latter just looks like you don't really care who the girl is because you read on the Internet that girls from that country made good wives because they're not really people, just buyable property.
CaladanMaleCanada2007-10-25 08:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureshow to best use the 90 days prior to marriage k-1
Hey, he's the one acting like she isn't a person with her own wants and desires, just property, not me.
CaladanMaleCanada2007-10-24 10:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureshow to best use the 90 days prior to marriage k-1
Exactly. It's not a glorified tourist visa.

You can get married toward the end of 90 days if you want, but if you go into the interview and say 'Well, I'm not sure if I want to marry her because I don't actually know if I can trust her not to use me for a green card but I have 90 days to return her if it doesn't work out' I'd bet that doesn't end with a 'sure sir enjoy the 90 days.'

We married around day 60 or 61 of the visa. C. moved down that early because we had to attend (useless) marriage prep classes with the church. We used the time to finish up wedding planning and to set up the apartment.

And no one should say the only basis for marriage must be Western-style love. But keylogging isn't something you do to someone you know, respect, and trust.
CaladanMaleCanada2007-10-24 10:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureshow to best use the 90 days prior to marriage k-1
QUOTE (moxcamel @ Oct 24 2007, 09:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (LisaD @ Oct 24 2007, 06:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Let's be clear here: the 90 days is not a get to know you time.

If you need that time to get to know your fiance, you shouldn't have petitioned yet!

There's nothing wrong with the 90 days being a "get to know if your fiance is going to be able to adapt to a new life" period. Some people simply can't do it, as much as they love their partner. It's heartbreaking, but it's better to find out before signing papers than after.


But what the OP is describing isn't an adjustment period, or about having second thoughts, or using those 90 days to make sure she's comfortable. It's about using those 90 days to scrutinize her to make sure she really likes him and isn't using him, not about making her comfortable. If you don't know your partner well enough to know if you're being used, that's perhaps a sign you're not ready to file.

What's next? Locking her in the house and refusing to file for the green card until he's sure? Funny all those women ending up here asking for help, he's holding their papers over their head, he took away her passport... Just good ol' getting to know ya behavior, right?

I realize that it's not easy to meet someone overseas and it's often very expensive to go and visit, but that's not a reason to use the fiancee visa time as a keylogging snooping time. That's maybe a reason not to 'date' someone overseas if you can't afford to get to know them. That's not a reason to ask someone to give up their entire life (remember, she's a person, not just a potential bride) to come here.

The 90 days is there just for logistics, to give a couple time to get here, get a marriage license, arrange a date, and file the paperwork without dropping out of status. It's the standard amount of time for tourist visas, and that's probably the reason it's 90 days.
CaladanMaleCanada2007-10-24 10:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresVisitor visa and fiance visa
Ohhhh! I love your screen name! The money comes in purple up there!

(You should see my gawk at the toonies.)

Anyhow. Whilst the K-1 is processing, he can visit you the way Canadians normally do, without needing special paperwork or anything. It would probably be advisable for him to bring ties like a lease or a pay stub or an employer letter to show that he intends to return to Canada, but a visit is otherwise no problem.

My fiance is from outside of Edmonton, and he's planning to visit over New Year's.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-23 22:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresNOA2 - APPROVED :)
Finally! Yay!
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-23 22:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFreak!
Mine went through very quickly, but bounced around from mid-December through mid-January for 'expected' times. Granted, VSC. But still, the expected times are still heavily skewed towards IMBRA.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-24 16:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFreak!
Remember that the processing time is an estimate based on an average from people's data, and highly dependent on who fills out their timeline, subject to variation by outliers, and overall is just a rough guideline. With the latest batch of CSC-USCIS update problems and people only getting things snail mail (and hence not updating right away to balance 224 day outliers), it gets even more complicated.

A jump of processing time in one day is not a trend.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-24 08:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresVisa options for marriage in US
I third the motion for an attorney. You wouldn't need them through the whole process, but at a consult you can say just what you told us: that you have a serious girlfriend (are you two engaged yet?) in the U.S. who you hope to marry someday, but you want to start graduate school next fall, and while you're serious about your studies, you want to minimize the paperwork and stay on the right side of the law.

One thing about the F-1 is that you can't enter more than 30 days before the start of the school year. When are you planning on getting married?
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-25 22:12:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresVisa options for marriage in US
A good friend of mine in college married a young man from Romania while he was here on a J-1, and they adjusted status successfully sometime last year. But, and here's one possible snag, they didn't know each other before he moved here, as they met while they were both in school.

As a grad student, you should be eligible for a J-1 if you get funding. This site very helpfully lays out your options as a student. You'll have to check, if you're on a J-1, whether your field is subject to the two-year home residency requirement; if so, you'd have to file a waiver in order to remain and marry.

Your university's international office, once you're accepted and in the country, should be able to help you out with your legal options. This is most of the reason I'm posting; they deal with this sort of thing all the time.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-24 22:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresPaid Service VS DIY
It's probably worth running your case by an experienced attorney, even if you don't use them throughout the whole process.

But as for submitting the paperwork, if you're just worried about time, the I-129F and G-325A, letter of intent, itself took about three hours, total. Gathering the evidence and organizing it took longer, but you'd have to do that on your own anyway.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-26 13:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresEvidence of meeting in person is must?
One of our photos we are sitting at a table. Two of them are taken by him holding the camera, so we get that lovely smushed face look.

In the fourth, we are in Halloween costumes.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-26 10:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresEvidence of meeting in person is must?
Don't even think about Photoshop.

You have primary evidence of her being in the country. Passport stamps, receipts, airline tickets, boarding passes. You don't have photographs. You can't produce what you don't have. Her ATM receipts get her into your city, at least. That's a start.

But what do photographs do? They don't count as primary evidence, but as secondary evidence that helps tell a story with the primary evidence. If all you had was photographs, you'd be in worse shape. So think, What other things could tell a story? A sworn affadavit from your friends who saw you together. E-mails that show you have a relationship. Phone records that show you call each other. Tickets to movies or plays you saw.

I feel your anxiety. We're not photograph people either. I sent every photograph I had with our petition, and that came to four, and one of those was three years old. :) (When I'm in the mountains in Canada, I photograph the scenery, not us.)
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-26 09:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129F original submission
I would skip the plastic pockets, as some poor schmoe is going to have to remove all of the evidence from those pockets and pitch the pockets anyway.

When I sent mine I got fed up trying to find the ACCO fasteners at the store and just binder-clipped the whole thing together.

Make sure you sign and date the check properly. Otherwise you look like you're pretty good. The amount of relationship evidence that people will recommend to you will vary, but for the initial petition, the main thing you want to do is prove that you've met in person. Check with others who have gone through your consulate, but this isn't the stage where you need to prove that you have a relationship. (Lots of e-mails wouldn't prove that you've met.)
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-31 14:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresEngaged, need some help
You can't worry about law changes. They could happen at any time. IMBRA took effect in March, for example.

If you file ahead of time, they'll take that date and all the evidence two years prior into consideration. In other words, it won't matter that you're going to see her on Dec. 23 if in the paper work you send in on the 18th says 'we haven't met in the past two years.' So you need to meet before you file.

But here's what you can do. You can fill out the I-129F, gather all your supporting documents, fill out your own G325-A, sign your own letter of intent. When you're there, get the passport photos from her, her G325A (all four pages signed), and her letter of intent statement (signed). Them once you get back in January, compile the packet, send it off, and away you go.

Still might not make your August date, but you'll have a better chance the earlier you get it in.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-10-25 12:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresMissing "admitted" passport stamp during POE to US.
It shouldn't be a problem. You have the Phillipines' stamps, and those are the ones you really need.

Of my trips to Canada, two of them had no U.S. return entry stamp, on one of them they'd stamped my boarding pass, and one time, Canada didn't bother stamping it at the Edmonton POE (1am, very tired border officer, and 500 people from delayed flights in the area. I think I would have gotten through without a passport as long as I didn't look like I had a bomb.) Between the boarding passes and the other evidence, I could show that I'd been in the country.

No worries. You should be fine.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-01 22:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHOLY NOA2 BATMAN!!!!!!!
Hooray!
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-02 09:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresVerification
Depends. How much before the interview are you planning to arrive? There's no problem with bringing it along, mind, and I know you'd keep the paperwork on your person.

However, if you are cursed with my travel luck, and I hope you aren't, and you get delayed, then what? (Seriously, last time I flew, all of Air Canada Jazz went down and they cancelled a day's worth of flights.)

I'd probably send it ahead of time. But that's because the airlines hate me. :)
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-03 16:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresQuestion on How to Assemble the I-129F
Well, you could file a waiver. Would allow you to get another fiancee, and, as a bonus, you'd get to use up an ACCO fastener. ;)
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-06 09:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresQuestion on How to Assemble the I-129F
The pinned guidelines are fine. I ignored them because I couldn't find ACCO fasteners at the local Staples and figured that packaging probably wasn't that important.

I included a cover sheet that listed the contents in order. Supplements to G325A and I-129F Q18 were clearly labelled as such. Passport photos were each placed in a little baggie and the baggie stapled to a piece of paper. Same with the evidence photos and the payment.

When I first sent in the petition, I binder-clipped the entire packet together. When it was returned because I screwed up the check, all of the clips were gone. The second time I sent it in, I just put it all neatly in the envelope.

2. I would write on the back of the copy of the birth certificate 'back is blank.'

3. On the supplement to question 18, I had a list that described the evidence I included, and I noted on which page of the passport the stamp was. I then included a copy of the whole passport and on the relevant pages I drew red lines to the stamps.

I honestly think how the package is packaged is probably the least of their concerns.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-05 18:23:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresOther Names Used
Both my fiancé and I use different names in day-to-day life than our legal names. In his case, it's only used personally by family & friends. In my case, my legal name is on about half of my third-party paperwork (school, credit card, lease) and my usual name is on the other half (phone bill, bank, cell.) (Basically a few years ago I started filling out forms with the name I use rather than the legal name I don't.)

We put down both of our daily names as 'other names' as some of our evidence is likely in those. No problems thus far.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-10 10:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresConstructing a receipt number from the cashed check
Such an explanation would be consonant with my case number. And if that's the case, man, they're busy little bees.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-10 18:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresConstructing a receipt number from the cashed check
Ooh, good point. probably around 275, then. (I filed in late September and was in the high 250s.)

so dark the con of uscis...
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-10 17:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresConstructing a receipt number from the cashed check
They can't be processing 60000 cases in a day. Do you mean total cases that year, sequentially?
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-10 17:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresConstructing a receipt number from the cashed check
The code breaks down into pieces.

Service center code: Three letters. For you, it's WAC.
First two numbers: The last two digits of the year it was accepted. We're on fiscal year 2007 now, so 07
Next three numbers: The day of the year that the petition was accepted. Goes from 001 to 365 (maybe 366 in leap years?). You're probably between 032 and 045.
Five more numbers: Not sure how these work, but it's just the end of the file number.

I had to read mine off of the stamp on my check, and it was the very last line.

Annnddd, now I read Yodrak's post. Meh, posting anyway, it's sort of like Da Vinci Code USCIS-style.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-10 16:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWhat to do (in terms of immigration) when fiancee wants to go home?
I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out, Joe. If she leaves within the 90 days, that's acceptable legally if heartbreaking romantically. You could drop a note to USCIS if you want, but there's nothing more you need to do.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-09 13:43:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI-129F payment
When my petition was returned from Vermont (because I was a dolt), there was a note at the bottom indicating that while they wouldn't reject packages because the check was made out to USCIS Vermont, they preferred it to be to the Department Homeland Security.

Let us know, but don't worry about it too much. Everyone deserves a mulligan now and then. :) It won't take long for them to return it if they need to, and you can also check whether your check was cashed through your bank.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-06 19:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresSome silly questions about the I-129F
Hiya, MMH! Love the screenname.

Onto your Q's.
You're the USC, right? If you were born in the U.S., and are a U.S. citizen from birth, then you don't have a certificate of citizenship. The layout on the form is confusing.

For Q18, the guides here are good. In the space provided, I wrote: See attached. For mine, I wrote two or three sentences that described how we met (online) and then how we met in person, and then listed the dates we met in chronological order. I noted, where appropriate, the evidence I had under each of the dates, so it sort of looked like this:

March 200x: Fiancé visits me in Hometown.
[Passport stamp, boarding pass, photo #1]

July 200x: I visit Fiancé in his Hometown.
[More evidence].

.... (ad nauseam)

Signed and dated the attachment. And then I just organized the actual evidence chronologically after that.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-26 01:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresBest Type of Visa
The problem isn't getting married. The problem is entering on a tourist visa while intending to stay.

It's all about the *immigrant intent.* if she wants to come here, get married, and stay, do the K-1. If she wants to come here on a tourist visa, get to know you and then go home while you two apply for a K-1 (and endure the separation), that's completely cool. If she wants to come here on a tourist visa, get to know you, get married, go home, and do one of the spousal options, that's fine, too.

(if, in hypothetical magical world, she was in the U.S. for other reasons, like school, met an American, and married, guess what, 'tisn't fraud, as the intent upon entering wasn't to stay. Plenty of grad school couples meet this way.)

The problem in the OPs case seems to be that there will be a strong presumption of immigrant intent.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-26 01:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFemale USC vs. Male USC
Doesn't seem to be true as a general rule. Perhaps in cases where the man is from a country with high fraud or ME/NA, due to extra background scrutiny. But there's no other presumption near as I can tell.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-27 10:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHas anyone else received this?
Aussiewench, if you look at #11 on page 4 of the I-129F instruction, it indicates that the database counts K-1s and K-3s when determining whether the beneficiary needs to be notified about the previous K petitions. But the waiver instructions at #4 on the first page say only if two or more K-1s have been filed is a waiver needed. (And it doesn't seem that the OP has two prior petitions filed, let alone two prior K-1s.)

This is indeed very strange, and it sounds like crossed wires. Maybe the wrong box is checked in the database? Or a false name hit?
CaladanMaleCanada2006-09-28 23:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHas anyone else received this?
The IMBRA rules cover both K-1 and K-3 visa classes, so if you filed for a K-3 and then a K-1, both would show up as applications. I'm guessing that the I-130 counts as far as the database is concerned.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-09-28 18:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHas anyone ever had any success filing an expidited fiance visa case?
If you won't tell the reason you need it expedited, there's no way for anyone here to judge whether you have a shot. The successfully expedited cases here have generally been military.

As to proof of relationship, yes, e-mails, phone calls, photographs of the two of you together and chat logs are acceptable. Proof of pregnancy isn't; all that proves is that you've been pregnant.

Were I you, I'd check the guides and the ME/NA forum, as the Casablanca consulate can be tricky to navigate, especially for a couple that hasn't known each other very long.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-11-15 19:12:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHow should I submit pictures??
adam, if you lived in Japan, you probably have a copy of a lease, or a student housing area (or something similar). Basically, you want to put yourself in the same place as your fiancée.

Passport stamps, boarding passes, bank statements (showing location of withdrawals), receipts, basically anything that is a 'paper trail' that puts you and she in the same place counts as primary evidence. Photos, e-mails, phone records, etc, are generally secondary. You're not going to have an a priori logical proof, but that's not what's needed. Think of it like a probability, or painting a picture in their head: does it look like this couple has met and intends to marry? Is that the best explanation of the data in this petition?

I printed 4 photos ($0.97 at Rite-Aid) and put them in a Ziploc bag. Then I stapled the bag to a plain sheet of paper. C'est ça. I just put the entire petition in an envelope neatly. No holes or fasteners.
CaladanMaleCanada2006-12-03 23:02:00