Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	What do you guys think.....?	I can't believe some of the ####### I'm reading in this thread. The OP loses all credibility to discuss others' comments written in "terribly" English, with their own disregard for correct grammar and proper use of punctuation. A person's age goes up by one each year, no more no less. Has anyone ever been able to sponsor their entire village with an approved I-864 before they get a green card? And isn't this a family based immigration community? As far as English being a requirement for immigration, how can we ask that of potential immigrants when we don't hold our own citizens to that standard. Sachinky, not every immigrant comes from a country where English is spoken, or have had the opportunity to go to college in the US. This is a nation of immigrants, even the American Indians were immigrants at one time. So unless you are from the Greater Rift Valley in Africa where it is believed the human species originated, your ancestors immigrated from somewhere else.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-07-29 17:07:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Problem paying AOS online	I had the same problem months back. Try using a different internet browser. I was using Safari on my Mac and it wouldn't go through, so I tried it using Firefox and it worked fine. Hope this helps.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-11-06 03:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Just filed Income tax return...we are married since November 2009.....PLEASE HELP ME ON WHAT THE IRS JUST HAVE TOLD MY HUSBAND!!!	I think you will also need an apostille for the notarized copy.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-11-29 19:41:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Confused about Cr1 and Adjustment of Status	The I864 is also an AOS, but stands for Affidavit of Support.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-12-03 06:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Changing embassy ??	Thank you, Pushbrk, for keeping us on the right track. I knew I should have looked into Juarez and Mexico City, and I agree that I wouldn't want my wife spending time in Juarez, let alone going to the US consulate there. Thanks again Push for your continued presence on this site and sharing your knowledge long after your own visa journey has been completed, I have learned so much from your posts. Pat	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-12-05 12:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Changing embassy ??	If you look at the I130, #22 asks you to designate the embassy or consulate abroad where you will have an interview. There is a note that if this in a country outside of your last residence it will be at the discretion of the consulate. She will have a CR address listed at the top of the form, but you will be designating Mexico City. I would include an explanation on a separate sheet of why you are choosing Mexico City instead of San Jose. Also, on the G325 it asks her country of citizenship, so if you put both Costa Rica and Mexico, it should be clear that she is not "consulate shopping". And with the processing times at USCIS now being about the same length as your estimate of how long it will take to clear things up in CR, she would likely have her address in Mexico on the I230 for submission to the NVC. I see no reason why the consulate in Mexico City would use their discretion and deny her request to interview there, where she has domicile, and ask her to interview in CR, where she would no longer have domicile.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-12-05 11:04:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	ITIN Number	Have her send you a notarized and apostilled photocopy of her passport bio page. Georgia belongs to the Hague Conference and will issue an apostille for a notarized document.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-01-12 08:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Can I ask my senator for help?	My wife had case complete at NVC around 9/22/10 and we were notified 12/5/10 that her interview was scheduled for 1/5/11.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-02-17 20:14:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Appreciation for those who is working hard in USCIS	Imagine what it must feel like to answer the phone at USCIS and be the first person a lot of people talk to when they call, and all you can tell people is "They're working on it, they'll let you know when they're done, don't ask us for another month or two or three." Or different versions of the same thing. Nobody calls with questions about the number of a certain form that must be filled out, it's"When are you going to get around to my paperwork?" The way I see it, visas are gotten at a US embassy or consulate, only so many interview spaces available every month, all over the world. The US doesn't have the same diplomatic relations with every country in the world, and though I've only been to the US Embassy in Bogota, is my guess the size and capacity of each embassy reflects the type of diplomatic relations the US has with that particular country. The Department of State is the boss here, and tells USCIS how many petitions they want from each different country each month. They know how long it takes for an approved petition to possibly end with a visa being issued. And they know how many will. And they don't want to be bothered on the phone by people asking "When are you going to get to my paperwork?" And they also tell USCIS that they want no recognizable trend in how so many petitions from each country are approved each month. When USCIS is busy, DOS couldn't care less. They tell them just play dumb when people ask, don't care how you do it. I don't know, hire more people to answer the phone and tell them to wait.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-02-24 20:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	scanned copy ok? g-325a	I did what Gary said when I found a few small typos on my wife's G325. I printed out new ones with the mistakes corrected and left them unsigned. I included a small explanation and included a signed copy with the mistakes on it. We got our NOA2 on feb 10 with no RFE.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-03-03 05:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Confusion over fees for Colombian Fiancee	Hola, This isn't going to help answer that much for you, but when I was in Colombia two months ago to see my wife we went to the DAS office to get her Certificado Judicial. I don't remember exactly how much it was, but it was inexpensive. I want to say 30,000 pesos or maybe even 25,000. And I don't know whether your fiancee's children will need them also, but if they do, it will be less than $50 for three of them. Oh good, I just looked at your post again and you asked approximately how much they cost. So about $15 each. They'll give you an account number and you make the payment at the bank, I think was Davivienda, and you bring the receipt from the bank back to the DAS office. So is one of the smaller costs of this whole process. Best wishes for you and your new family, Pat	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-06-07 21:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Can a Canadian with passport just come to US and decide to marry US citizen?	and travel between US and Canada is international	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-11-23 20:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Can a Canadian with passport just come to US and decide to marry US citizen?	The fiancee visa also has the AOS where travel is limited from POE until AP is received, no AOS to wait out with CR1/IR1	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-11-23 19:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Can a Canadian with passport just come to US and decide to marry US citizen?	While the AOS is being processed, you can't leave the US, unless you get Advanced Parole, and I think AOS costs more than CR1/IR1. If sufficient ties are maintained to Canada that will satisfy CBP, you should be able to travel back and forth while CR1/IR1 is being processed. I think a lot less risky than AOS as well, especially with the whole intent part. If things go wrong with AOS you will have no recourse to appeal a negative decision and things can get harder from there. If the CR1/IR1 takes a long time, I think 4 to 5 months for Canada for an interview date, you still have the ability to travel back and forth, it just takes longer.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-11-23 17:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Date on signed documents from beneficiary	I noticed the date after I had already posted the link, but we didn't get an RFE for and unsigned G325a, NOA2 back in feb.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-11-27 07:36:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Date on signed documents from beneficiary	http://www.uscis.gov...325a_110105.pdf	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2010-11-27 07:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Extreme hardships?	Read the guides, and check out all the graphs and data, and that will give you a timeframe of when different fees for the whole process will be due, some will be months apart. And look at both the I-134 and I-864. The first one is used at the embassy, and the second is the "real" one, used at the last step of the process, which would be almost a year after you first meet your fiancee. Ask your brother in law to be your cosponsor for the I-134, but tell him by the time you will be submitting the more binding I-864, you will be making enough money to do it on your own. You have over a year from now to get there.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-07-21 17:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Marrying in the US under VWP	I think it might be reaching a bit, but if the goal is to satisfy CBP that there is no immigrant intent, the USC being a stay at home mom makes it unlikely she would have an affidavit of support approved without a cosponsor, which would be necessary to adjust status from VWP. But it might not be a good idea to seem like you know too much about adjusting status on VWP. So it not very strong evidence, but could be one more reason why, though marriage is planned on this trip, subsequent adjustment of status is not.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-07-23 07:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Western Union Receipts	I know it's off topic, but I want to say thank you to the members who stay on this site long after their spouse/fiancee is here. If everyone quit after POE, this site would be worthless. The best advice comes from people who have been through this process, not people waiting for their NOA2, hoping they don't get an RFE. " Go with your heart" is good advice for your relationship, but not the immigration process.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-08-22 23:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Am I being stupid?	People throw the 10 year number around because thats how long it takes to be credited with 40 quarters of work. It can take much longer than that.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-08-28 08:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Am I being stupid?	Does the sponsor get notice from USCIS when the terms of the I-864 expire? Say an LPR who is credited with 40 quarters, but never acquires citizenship, I guess it doesn't matter if they're still married to the sponsor or not.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-08-28 07:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Religious wedding	If it's a wedding, you are married and the K1 is not an option.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-08-24 23:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	what false information can do to you	One of the first things I look at in a post is when the member joined VJ. You can also check out a member's timeline, to see where they are in the process. Those of us still waiting on the next step owe a big thank you to all the members who remain active on this site long after they need advice, and are now sharing their knowledge of this complicated process.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-09-03 14:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Have a spiritual marry before K-1, will it cause any trouble?	Like Brian said, it's the words a couple says to each other in front of a qualified witness that makes someone married, not the piece of paper. I have read through many threads on this topic, and the consensus seems to be if it could be registered as a real marriage, or even looks like a marriage, it's not a good idea. People usually suggest they will have a religious ceremony, and just not register it, though they could. But it makes me wonder, what could happen if there was a ceremony where the couple was married by someone who would not be qualified to do so legally, to be able to have it registered and documented?	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-09-26 19:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K1: Red Flags Lagos !	Our NOA3 was 1/5/2011	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-09-26 19:36:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	How About A $1000 i-129f	I can't help but think that a one month NOA2 would cause just as much frustration if it means waiting five or six months longer for a consulate interview.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-11-12 09:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Can we get married and immediately LEAVE U.S.A?	NOA2's seem to be taking around six months these days. OP should start reading up on the K1 and be ready to file soon. I've seen posts "Whoohoo, NOA2 in 28 days!", and others that say "8 months and no NOA2, who do I call?"	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-01-13 21:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Can we get married and immediately LEAVE U.S.A?	What Aaron just described is the proper way to go but there is no way to know how long things will take. If you file for a K1 very soon, there is a good chance your fiancee will have visa in hand, and be able to be in the US for your December wedding. If you have everything ready to file for AOS and Advanced Parole, you can send that in before you leave on your honeymoon. So you won't be able to leave immediately after being married and going on honeymoon, but immediately after receiving AP document. It could come soon after filing, and it could come a week before the green card. Best case scenario, you file very soon, K1 visa in hand by sept or oct. Courthouse wedding in the next few days, and send out AOS and AP applications, in the few days after that. Good chance she will AP document and/or green card before you're ready to leave after your honeymoon. I read somewhere on this site a while back, that if your petition or application is received on either an odd or even date of the month, it may take longer to process, or something to that extent. The risk is inversely proportional to the flexibility of your plans. After rereading the other posts, I see that Dupont described another option. If your fiancee came on a tourist visa, you would be able to leave right after the honeymoon, and hopefully getting a spousal visa petition filed. But it doesn't seem like the process would be complete in six months. It would probably take longer, but the good thing would be that your wife would be a LPR when she arrived with you in the US, and you wouldn't have the hassle of AOS. The difficult part of this type of plan could be getting a tourist visa. I'm not sure how tough the consulate in Slovakia is, but she may have to show strong ties to Slovakia that would compel her to return. Your plans of living in Slovakia after the wedding should demonstrate strong ties. She's not likely to file AOS and stay in the US, while you go to Slovakia for six months without her. Maybe you have to apply for some type of spousal visa to live in Slovakia for six months with her. Copies of this type of paperwork could bolster her ties Slovakia. And living together in Slovakia should give you plenty of evidence of a bonafide relationship at her CR1 interview at the consulate. Whatever route you go, you likely have a yes and no to the two questions you asked, could you leave right after getting married?, and could it be approved in six months?	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-01-13 20:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	She is HERE and i need help!	CR-1 has only one AOS, and K-1 has two AOS's	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-01-15 22:43:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Didnt met my fiancee in the last two years	If you met online, you can't say it's an arranged marriage.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-02-20 21:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Another $350 at the time of scheduling interview	Last year when my wife had her medical in Bogota, the vaccinations she needed costed , I want to say around 110,000 COP.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-01-29 21:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Im scared! no taxes from 2011, only a W2	Looks like is the petitioner making 56k, and the potential cosponsor president of the bank. Nothing REALLY going on.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-03-25 11:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	issues about calling your fiance "hubby" on emails.	Hi, i'm the benificiary and i'm from the Philippines as well. We actually call each other "dad" and "mom" and it never got us into thinking that this would be a problem in our petition. we had an RFE but they never asked us about this and instead they just asked for an ongoing relationship from the last 2 years. I'm just worried since the letters we provided stated "mom" and "dad" in it and we're still waiting for their reply on our case. Will this lead to bigger problems? Although my Fiance mentioned in his statement that it's just our endearment and before we we're in a relationship, we were already teasing each other mom and dad and that's how it lead us to that name calling. Will this cause denial even though my Fiance stated this on his statement? They never mentioned this on our RFE but it just scares me. They're going to think you're marrying your parents	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-04-07 18:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Petition returned to USCIS	I am sorry to hear your story and hope that it all works out for you. I can see why there might be some hesitation on the part of the embassy to approve the visa though. I read the article on your finace's accident. It was in Feb. 2010 and by Sept. 2010 he was engaged to you. Also as a taxpayer of this country, I have a problem with him getting disability. I am no doctor but, I can see his broken bones are healed, he has 2 arms and 2 legs, he can obviously pick up at least 50 pounds ( He has his son on his shoulders) and can lift his arms above his head. I am tired of paying taxes for people that collect taxpayers money when they can be employable. If he has a disability that is not apparent, I will apologize but from appearances it looks like someone taking advantage of the system. I'm not a doctor, but I play one on Visajourney. In lieu of a physical exam, I'll take a look at a picture of you online. I didn't think it was necessary to open your medical file. In my professional opinion, the picture gives every indication that you are ready to go back to work. You can't apologize in advance for ####### like this, especially when it's completely off topic and unhelpful to the OP	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2011-10-12 18:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Wife did not make it past homeland and got k-1 cancelled	If she had his wedding band with her, maybe she was wearing hers. CBP sees that on a K1, "is your husband here to pick you up?" "Yes, my husband"	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-04-25 19:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Wife did not make it past homeland and got k-1 cancelled	So you don't speak Korean and her English is not great. And you were ok with just buying her a ticket home and going home yourself? Was for fiancee wearing her wedding band?	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-04-25 19:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Immunizations	Well, the obvious thing would be for the doctor to just do the medical exam since the other one was done over a year ago and not tell her she needs new vaccines, but the doctors in Colombia are famously known for saying that vaccines that were given less than a month before the medical are too old. We all know is a tactic they use to get more money out of the beneficiary but people have complained about it with them and the embassy and they still do it. Diana the doctor said the vaccines she got from him last year expire in six months, and she also was told she needed an influenza shot . he also told her some ####### that if she visits Colombia after coming to the US, she will have to get them all over again, before coming back to the US.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-05-03 16:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Immunizations	For K1 they do not need to be complete. They would determine what you need and get you started. Going to a local doctor first would be a good head start for the medical review. You must then continue vaccine process in USA, before AOS. not in Colombia. Doctor said they are only good for six months, and have to be renewed. They determine you need as many as they can sell you. You're lucky that the panel doctors in Ukraine are honest Edited by Julie y Pat, 02 May 2012 - 10:23 PM.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-05-02 22:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Immunizations	just spoke to my wife, and she's getting more shots, from the same doctor. Edited by Julie y Pat, 02 May 2012 - 06:17 PM.	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-05-02 18:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Immunizations	The vaccines needed to get an immigrant visa to the US are TD, MMR, and varicella. People can get them at the doctor's office during the medical exam if they want to, some people have said it's more expensive while others have said it's just about the same as getting them somewhere else. They can also get them at the Red Cross as someone else suggested or through thei EPS if they're covered. If they do choose to get them before their medical make sure they don't do it more than 4 weeks before their appointment since these doctors are famous for rejecting vaccine records claiming those new vaccines are too old to qualify. Diana my wife had her medical exam and she got the vaccinations from the panel physician on 1/4/2011. We had to wait for an I-601 to be approved, and she has a new appointment at the consulate May 14, so obviously she will need a new medical exam and lab work. Are they known for rejecting their own records from over a year ago, and requiring new vaccinations?	Julie y Pat	Male	Colombia	2012-04-28 09:16:00