Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Wife did not make it past homeland and got k-1 cancelled	I feel very lucky after reading this thread. My wife's POE was Chicago and the multiple times I flew back from being overseas I was harassed and I'm an American Citizen .Her and the kids English were poor at best, glad they didn't interrogate her.	Sayha or bust.	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2012-04-28 18:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	How much is the fee for a lawyyer?	I paid 2,000 for a lawyer, my now wife came from a high fraud country plus i didn't have the time do the paperwork ,worked too much. Money well spent! Didn't want't any foolish mistakes done on my paper work.	Sayha or bust.	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2012-05-06 11:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Question about K1 status for school	How can she go to school on a K1 visa? It is a non-immigrate visa? She's not, she will be attending because of her Permanent Resident status. K1 was used to get her in the states.	Sayha or bust.	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2012-06-01 18:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Evidence of Engagement K-1 Visa Interview	K1 requires that you have met within 2 years of filing and that you marry within 90 days of POE. You do want to submit evidence with the I-129f like pictures of you together,boarding passes from plane trip, hotel receipts abroad, letters and emails between the 2 of you and phone records, also any money xfers to your fiancee(not so important) that's what most people submitt. Basically the same evidence you sent initially with k1 Edited by Sayha or bust., 08 July 2012 - 05:10 PM.	Sayha or bust.	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2012-07-08 17:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Why are the people here so RUDE??? :(	You ad is clearly spam. $1800 for the help an attorney seems ridiculous. Yes, certain cases might warrant an attorney, and people are clearly free to do so. But you simply posting an ad for him here I think would violate the TOS and I suspect that's why your post was locked, and should just be deleted. I hired an attorney for the simple fact I didn't have the time to do all the paperwork worked too much. It was money well spent and recommend that to anybody who might be in the same predicament. All that I can say my wife made it here in 10 months. I think alot of people grab attorney's that don't know the laws like they should and are worthless. Then the petioners are whining on sites like VJ's. I found alot of info on my attorney on Vj. He was simply outstanding!	Sayha or bust.	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2012-08-02 22:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Help with I-134	Mm, I would first find the best job you can so you can have another source of income. It looks better, (probably) especially if your dad has an income with a wide gap between his actual income and the minimum requirement for family size. As far as transcripts go, my fiance also just had an interview and they accepted 2010 and 2009 along with stuff to prove my current income. I didn't even make CLOSE to the minimum requirement the years before haha. I'm sure you will be fine if you find another job? The process of actually getting the interview sometimes takes longer than you'd think, so you still have some time to get things moving. About the other stuff, try asking someone who will be interviewing at the same place?	ashlien	Female	France	2012-01-11 17:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA 1	Really? Even for the NOA 1 ? I've seen similar timelines and same beneficiary country sent within a day or two of mine and with them receiving approvals in 2,3, or 4 days. Frustrating!!! Full approvals from NOA1->NOA2 in 4 days is very unlikely (even with active duty military expedited processing, it still takes longer), and in my opinion looks like someone mis-entered something. Regarding getting the NOA1 in 2-4 days, it depends on your service center and their backlog (even on receipt there can be some backlog), and how quickly their bank makes check stubs available. For whatever it is worth, my experience with the K1 process is that mail usually takes about a week from them sending it to my receiving it (with the exception of anything from the consulate in Rio, which typically took 2-3 weeks to arrive). Edited by K and L, 15 May 2010 - 06:11 AM.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-15 06:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Q about FAQ: Latin Name	Well now I'm even more confused because G has a middle name and all four of them are on his local ID/documents!! Let's say his name is Gabriel Manuel Flores Zambrano (Gabriel: First or "Given Name" | Manuel: Middle Name | Flores: Father's Last Name | Zambrano: Mother's Maiden Name) .. how would you suggest filling out his name? Also, as far as AOS and everything... we would want his U.S. documents to just be "Gabriel Manuel Flores" and then I would take his last name and be "Jennifer Marie Flores" after getting married. So how does what we do now affect things later?? It's a little different for us, because L is from Brazil and in Brazil, it's (Given) (Maternal) (Paternal), not the (Given) (Paternal) (Maternal) that is used elsewhere south of the border. He is "Mr Gomes", not "Mr de Silva"... though right now, he's "Mr de Silva Gomes". I would just do it like this across the board: First: Gabriel Middle: Manuel Last: Flores Other names used: Gabriel Manuel Flores Zambrano If he would prefer to be known by his maternal name, one way it could be done is: First: Gabriel Middle: Manuel Flores Last: Zambrano Other names used: N/A That way, the name is consistent (which IS a plus) and would end up with what you want.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-16 05:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Q about FAQ: Latin Name	Let's say L's name was Leonardo de Silva Gomes (it's not, but hey, we need an example). On his passport, it has "de Silva Gomes" as his last name, and "Leonardo" as his given name. The K1 forms L filled out were like this. The I-129F forms and K1 fills I filled out had first name (Leonardo), middle name (de Silva), last name (Gomes) We had no problems getting his K1 approved, even with the mismatched names on the forms. His visa has his name as first name (Leonardo), middle name (empty), last name (de Silva Gomes). When we do the AOS, we're going to do it as first name (Leonardo), middle name (de Silva), last name (Gomes), as he's not "Mr de Silva Gomes", he's "Mr Gomes".	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-15 19:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Marrying and then living abroad on K-1	Darnell speaks the truth.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-16 16:43:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Supplement for G-325A Employment Question	My fiance put the following at the top of the supplement: Name Response to G-325a Item #X Employment History Signed and dated it But then again, he's an engineer! Actually, I think that's what I did (for both my employment history and addresses), but I did it on one sheet. I think we included 4 copies, but I only signed the first one. We were approved without RFEs. Unfortunately, my K1 folder (with a copy of everything sent with our I-129F/the originals and a copy of everything needed for the K1 interview) is back at home (I've been loaned out, cross country, for the next two and a half months), so I can't double check.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-17 06:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Supplement for G-325A Employment Question	I think I signed and dated mine, but I'm not sure. I may have just written my name at the top and the fact that it's a g-325a supplement.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-16 16:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Question 18 I-129F, having met	That is true, but in this specific case, the OP's dealing with Sydney, which is not a difficult consulate.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-21 23:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Question 18 I-129F, having met	It's sufficient, and more than necessary. I would probably say: "We met in 2004 on a blogging website (Xanga.com) and fell in love in 2008. In June 2008, he came to Puerto Rico to visit me for six days. In December 2009, I visited him in Sydney for one month. He proposed in January." BTW, is it dating November 2008 / meeting June 2008 (5 months earlier)? Or did he come in June 2009 after you started dating?	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-21 12:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Frontloading I-129F w/ Evidence of Ongoing Relationship	Exactly like that. Passport stamps, boarding passes, receipts from Venezuela show you were there. A photo or two of the two of you together there would also be appropriate. Things like more photos, emails, notes/letters/cards, money transfers, IM records (or just logs if you're super chatty), phone bills that show calls back and forth, cell phone text records, etc would be evidence of relationship. For whatever it's worth, we either combined the two in our packet or omitted evidence of ongoing relationship in its entirety -- we submitted three pages of evidence (one for each of the two trips I had already taken, plus one planned trip). Each trip's page had a copy of the flight itinerary, one boarding pass from the trip (either Brazil->Miami or Miami->Brazil), a copy of the final hotel bill, one or two receipts, one or two photos, and a copy of the visa stamps. One of them also had some random admissions stubs, which I suppose could demonstrate we went on dates (or that I'm good at picking out ####### from the trash ). The planned trip (a month long trip) had the flight itinerary and a copy of our short term lease and a wire transfer (to pay the lease). We had no RFEs in the I-129F petition, and our interview in Rio was a joke - we spent more time talking about where I live, and what I do than he spent asking L about how we met and what he plans on doing once he's in the US.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-17 06:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	we refiled	You didn't read the topic I linked then. Hi. This is a 'head's up' to any petitioners who have filed a second K1 petition after their loved one's first visa application was refused at the consulate. I have some news for you. Recently, I saw a K1 NOID from CSC that was different from what I've seen in the past. This new case was one where the petitioner had filed a 2009 K1 petition and the beneficiary was refused at the consular interview. California sent petitioner a notice of decision that the petition had expired, but that the petitioner could refile and pay a fee. So petitioner refiled and paid the fee. Then, before approving the new K1 petition, CSC sent petitioner an NOID, (Notice of Intent to Deny). And it required a response within 30 days. Here is the interesting part, the allegations in the NOID came from the previous consular interview, not from the new petition filing. So, CSC had pulled the previous K1 petition file and quoted the consular officer's reasons for denying the previous K1 visa application. But CSC had done this in the context of approving a new petition. Remember, the new petition has a 2010 case number. The old petition had a 2009 case number. It had already been approved & had expired. So CSC here was using the 2009 reasons to justify denying the 2010 petition. The old 2009 K1 petition and the consular memorandum were not reviewed UNTIL petitioner filed a new K1 petition for the same beneficiary. At that point, CSC promptly reviewed them and sent out an NOID. If Mark is correct and this is the new status quo for CSC, you will PROBABLY be getting a NOID on the basis of your previous denial at interview, and you'll essentially be re-fighting it. Even if you revoke the denied petition, you will probably still get a NOID. Granted, by front-loading your application, you may have addressed the issue if the CO wrote down that it wasn't a bonafide relationship. If the CO wrote down something else, you may not know until you get your NOID (which will give you a 30 day window to appeal).	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-04-26 14:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	we refiled	Since the old petition is now "expired" we decided to refile another K1. Did you cancel the petition? CSC is probably going to serve you with an NOID, even though the petition expired. Anyway, due to his previous illegal presence in the US, you will probably not get a different answer after the interview. You really should have fought the existing denial rather than just reapply.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-04-25 22:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Is there any alternative way of getting the Fiancée Visa?	Unless your business became marginal, and then it's back to Europe with you	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-06-04 03:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Fake Marriage in Nicaragua	For whatever it is worth, the US consulate in Nicaragua says, on the subject of marriage: Who May Perform Marriages Abroad American and diplomatic and consular officers are NOT permitted to perform marriages (Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations 52.1). In Nicaragua, legal marriages can be performed by either a Nicaraguan notary or judge. Consular officer may authenticate foreign marriage documents, but this is not required for the marriage to be considered valid outside of Nicaragua. The fee for the authentication of a document is $30.00. Documentation To legally marry in Nicaragua, a foreigner must present a valid passport (or other acceptable identification document) and sometimes a birth certificate. In addition, persons previously married must present evidence of the dissolution of the previous marriage (e.g. a divorce decree or death certificate of the previous spouse) and/or proof that they are single. As the United States government does not produce “singleness” certificates, some U.S. citizens contract with Nicaraguan attorneys to draft a “singleness” document for their signature. With the documentation listed above and two witnesses with Nicaraguan cedulas, a Nicaraguan notary or judge can marry you. Do not provide your passport or ID to your officient, do not get a license, do not sign anything, and you are good to go. Make sure your officiant (if they are a notary/judge) knows you do NOT want a legally binding ceremony due to the visa. Fully disclose in detail (as Jim discussed in detail) on the I129F that you had a non-legally binding ceremony for her family and friends. You should be good to go.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-19 21:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Interview in English ?	I was at L's interview in Rio, and the CO asked if we preferred English or Portuguese (in Portuguese), and I (the USC) requested it to be in English. That said, that only applies to the actual interview itself. The rest of it (arranging the documents with the CO in the back of the room, submitting the documents in the glass rooms and then getting the biometrics in those same rooms, is done in Portuguese.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-06-08 23:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K1 and honeymoon	Report K and L while you're at it Johnny. What a load of bollocks. Get your big boy pants on if you think I was out of line and do it yourself. Emotional abuse is characterized by the abuser’s manipulation and invalidation of his or her partner. Here is a list of warning signs to be aware of. Abusive Expectations Makes unreasonable demands. Requires constant attention, or that you spend all your free time with him/her. Constantly criticizes. No matter how much you give, it never seems to be enough. Aggressing Calls you names, accuses, blames, threatens, or gives orders. Can be disguised as “helping” or “teaching.” Judgmental “I know best” attitude. Constant Chaos Deliberately starts arguments and may be in constant conflict with you or with others Treats you well in front of others, but changes into a different person when you’re alone together, or vice versa. May enjoy “drama,” because it creates excitement and brings the focus back onto him/herself. Denying Denies your personal needs, especially when that need is greatest, and does so with the intent of hurting, punishing, or humiliating you. Denies that certain events occurred or that certain things were said. Refuses to listen or communicate (silent treatment), and withdraws emotionally. Denies your perceptions, memory, and sanity. Disallows or overrules any viewpoints, perceptions, or feelings that differ from his/her own. Causes you to lose confidence in and question your own perceptions and feelings. Causes you to doubt your most powerful survival tool: your own mind. Dominating Manipulates the relationship so that the only feelings and opinions that count are his/her own. Must have his/her own way, and will hurt your feelings if necessary in order to get it. Holds you personally responsible for his/her own happiness. Disregards your personal standards or beliefs, and may try to persuade you to do things that you don’t want to do. Emotional Blackmail Plays on your fear, guilt, compassion, religious values, or other “hot buttons” to get what he/she wants. May threaten to end the relationship, totally reject or abandon you, give you the “cold shoulder,” or use other tactics to control you. Invalidation Seeks to distort your perceptions of your own world. Refuses to or fails to acknowledge reality in order to create his/her own false reality. If you tell your partner that you felt hurt by something he/she did or said, he/she might say, “You’re too sensitive. That shouldn’t hurt you.” Or, the abuser might turn it around by saying, “You hurt me too sometimes. I just don’t say anything because I’m understanding.” Suggests that your emotions and perceptions are faulty and can’t be trusted. Any time your own feelings are disregarded or denied, invalidation has occurred. Minimizing Less extreme form of denial. Says things like “You’re exaggerating” or “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.” Trivializes by suggesting that something you have communicated is inconsequential or unimportant. Unpredictable Responses Acts angry or upset in a situation that normally would not warrant such a response, or gets angry certain times but not others. Blows up or gets angry at you over innocent comments you made. You feel like you have to “walk on eggshells” around him/her. Has drastic mood changes or sudden emotional outbursts. Likes something you do one day, but hates it the next. Verbal Assaults Berates, belittles, criticizes, threatens, or calls you names. Subtle to blatant use of sarcasm and humiliation. Constantly finds flaws with you. Makes fun of you in front of others, or in private. Emotional abuse often starts out very subtly, and progresses gradually over a period of time. Abusers are master manipulators, and can deceive even your friends and family – as well as their own. Trust your own feelings and perceptions. https://wsr.byu.edu/...emotional-abuse	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-06-11 10:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K1 and honeymoon	From what I saw on Melissa's blog, she quite enjoyed living with you in England. Funny, what I saw on her blog was that their relationship really has strong signs of him being overly controlling, inconsiderate of her feelings regarding work, putting conditions on their engagement, that many of her friends seem to be concerned about how controlling/etc he is, and in short ... I believe that if it's not already passed the line into emotional/economic abuse, if the blog and the things they've both said here is accurate, it is likely to head into that way. Abusers use a variety of tactics to manipulate you and exert their power: Dominance – Abusive individuals need to feel in charge of the relationship. They will make decisions for you and the family, tell you what to do, and expect you to obey without question. Your abuser may treat you like a servant, child, or even as his or her possession. Humiliation – An abuser will do everything he or she can to make you feel bad about yourself or defective in some way. After all, if you believe you're worthless and that no one else will want you, you're less likely to leave. Insults, name-calling, shaming, and public put-downs are all weapons of abuse designed to erode your self-esteem and make you feel powerless. Isolation – In order to increase your dependence on him or her, an abusive partner will cut you off from the outside world. He or she may keep you from seeing family or friends, or even prevent you from going to work or school. You may have to ask permission to do anything, go anywhere, or see anyone. Threats – Abusers commonly use threats to keep their partners from leaving or to scare them into dropping charges. Your abuser may threaten to hurt or kill you, your children, other family members, or even pets. He or she may also threaten to commit suicide, file false charges against you, or report you to child services. Intimidation – Your abuser may use a variety of intimidation tactics designed to scare you into submission. Such tactics include making threatening looks or gestures, smashing things in front of you, destroying property, hurting your pets, or putting weapons on display. The clear message is that if you don't obey, there will be violent consequences. Denial and blame – Abusers are very good at making excuses for the inexcusable. They will blame their abusive and violent behavior on a bad childhood, a bad day, and even on the victims of their abuse. Your abusive partner may minimize the abuse or deny that it occurred. He or she will commonly shift the responsibility on to you: Somehow, his or her violent and abusive behavior is your fault.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-06-11 10:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K1 and honeymoon	Well, if I really wanted to be rude about it I would have said her fiance was acting like a spoiled brat, and throwing a tantrum over a requirement they should have known about before they submitted the petition. He seems to feel he's being treated unfairly, and I wanted to remind him that he will be treated far more fairly than many others who are also waiting for a visa, for no other reason than the country he happens to come from. He should be grateful that his visa journey will likely be relatively painless. In that light, I think the comparison is a fair one to make. Remember when your mom used to say "You should be thankful you HAVE spinach and cauliflower. There are kids starving in China!" To be honest, if you read the posts he made whining about his fiancée buying the wrong car (Oh Gnoz! She bought a used Porsche instead of new Benz because her 90s Nissan was just too gauche to be seen in! The least she could have done is buy a NEW Porsche for a few grand more!), this seems to be par for course. But I just want to second that bolded portion. He's from the UK. For the most part, he can enter and leave the US at will (with minimal restrictions) under the VWP. He's not required to get a B2 to visit the country. Many of us have SOs who could not meet our families until after the immigration process was more or less complete because tourist visas have such a high standard to be granted that either they didn't bother to try, or like us, applied and was denied. That he's from the UK means unless they completely screw up their financials by him moving all sorts of money to her name if she's not got sufficient means to sponsor him or starts bagging on her in front of the CO, he's almost certainly going to be approved without much question (unlike, say, Starlight95, who was in AP for what, a year, or the woman who was 5 people in front of my fiancé at the interview and ran out the door crying after her interview because she was denied). Hell, he could probably even get away with coming on the VWP, get married, go on his damn non-US honeymoon, return, and THEN file for the I-130+AOS because he IS British. (And while it's technically visa fraud, I know a ton of people not on VJ who have done so. Some of them didn't realize that that wasn't how you were supposed to do it, some of them did but figured as long as they were honest with CBP and anyone else, it was all good.) He has the opportunity to come here, meet her family, see where he's been living, something that he probably takes for granted and doesn't even think about.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-06-11 08:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	When to file...?	I wouldn't file later than mid-November (and that's really pushing it), and now is as good as time as any. Most of the UK filers from October '09 (when I filed) interviewed 1-2 months after I did. All in all it took them right around 8 months from application to receipt of the K1, but with the 6 month validity to enter and the 90 day window, you're perfectly fine to do it now. (And personally, as someone whose fiancé is entering almost 2 months after the visa interview: it's been really nice to have these last two months to *actually* plan the wedding.)	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-06-15 07:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	translations	Remember, if the consulate does not require it, if it is a document that will be required by USCIS for AOS then you will still need it translated at some point. It may be much cheaper to get a certified translation done in your home country than in the US. (It cost us $55 USD here just to have a BC translated). Definitely this! It was $25 for us to get L's birth certificate and criminal report translated; it was going to be $100 for the birth certificate alone.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-06-22 07:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Consulate at Juarez closed for security purposes	When Rio closed in April, we got our new interview day the day after they reopened (for less than a month later), but they were closed for hazardous weather conditions (flooding & mudslides), not for security issues. They also only were closed for two days.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-07-30 02:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	USA is now Arizona	After this post I think I know the specific issue which was likely her past visitor visa refusal in 2007 which I did not think would be an issue. I would be happy to share the detail of her circumstance for others to learn but I have already put myself out there so I want to go back in my personal shell (Teepee) and just fight for her like a warrior and I am sure we will be ok, just a little more time. For whatever it's worth L was denied a B2 the year before we filed for the K1, and our CO acted like it was no big deal - and in fact, he seemed pleased that he had applied for it... but our circumstances at the time of the B2 denial were very different than yours (you hadn't met her then, so it wasn't relationship-related; we had been dating for a year and known each other for nearly two, and he had applied for the B2 specifically so he could meet my family and friends), as was our consulate (though, the fact he was denied in a year where over 95% of the B2s were approved was daunting before our interview). Also, do make sure if you re-file, you properly kill this one first, otherwise you may get denial on the basis of non-bonafide for your I129F. And I strongly suggest that if you re-file, you: a) Make at least one more visit to China before you re-file, and get plenty of photos of the two of you around China and with her family. It'd probably be a good idea if you made another trip after re-filing, so you have new evidence to include with Packet 3 (and show all of your passport stamps with the extras you send with Packet 3), but not really a requirement. It looks like you have two visits already planned, so re-filing between them would work. b) Front-load the I129F, and given what Bleau said about the NVC, do make sure to include more at the Packet 3 stage (which goes directly to the consulate). c) Most importantly, go to the next interview. I don't thing GUZ is yet at the point where both parties being at the interview is a back door requirement like it is in Colombia and Ecuador, but nothing screams bonafide as much as both people being there. If you have to pick between two trips now and one now/one at the interview, do the latter.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-07-31 16:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	USA is now Arizona	I'm glad you felt the need to bring socioeconomic standing into things. I applaud you if you make more than twice my family (as statistically speaking, not many do), and question why you didn't immediately seek the advice of an immigration attorney (as you'd readily be able to afford one), rather than ranting here.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-07-30 03:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	USA is now Arizona	If you presented as much rambly incoherency in your EOR letter, I'm not surprised you were denied. I doubt it had anything to do with your respective ethnic backgrounds and more to do with you not doing your due diligence in thoroughly preparing your documentation.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-07-30 01:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Cost of K-1 Process	Right - but that does show some of the other costs associated with the K1 process, which is what the OP (who is just starting out) is trying to track.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-09-04 00:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Cost of K-1 Process	Unless the USC was not born in the US, or the beneficiary was not born in an area that uses the language for the country they presently live in, there are no translation costs for the K1. Our costs, which are different from yours because the DOS raised the prices of the interview, USCIS dropped the price of the K1 petition and raised the price of the AOS, were: Initial travel: ~$1000 (includes visa to Brazil, airfare, hotel, food, entertainment) I-129F petition for K-1 visa: $500 Petition itself: $455 Passport-sized photos: $18 Postage to the US: $9 (his G325A, photographs, etc) Photocopies: $0 (scanner/printer at home) Postage: $18 (USPS Express) K-1 visa: ~$1950 (though if I hadn't've come, it would have cost only $370ish because L has family in Rio) Airfare to Rio de Janeiro (him): $150 Airfare to Rio de Janeiro (me): $900 Hotel, food, transportation in Rio: $600 Photographs: ~$18 (4x3cm photos for the medical, 5x5 cm photos for the visa) (R$33) Medical exam costs: ~$180 (R$330) Visa interview: $131 Courier fees: ~$30 (R$50) I-485 (adjusting to permanent residency/green card): $1430 I-485, I-131, I-765 petitions: $1010 Postage: ~$17 Passport-sized photos (we only had 4 and needed 6): $9 Medical transcription of vaccinations: $75 Travel to biometrics: ~$320 (at the government travel expenses 50c/mile + $30 per diem/person for food, times two trips) So when all is said and done, we spent about $5,000, plus what was spent on the other trips I made to Brazil, plus what we spent trying to get his tourist visa.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-09-03 22:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K1 or Marriage First?	Also, with the new $350 bump in K1 interview price, instead of being $455 (I-129F) + $350 (K1 interview) + $1010 (AOS) = $1815 in direct USCIS costs, it's $355 (I-130) + $470 (NVC) = $825 in direct USCIS costs. Both also have various medical expenses (in Brazil, ours were ~$175 US for all of the medical, x-ray, and blood test fees).	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-05-22 10:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Brazil Ring Size Conversion	Was the Brazil size you got a man or a womans? How sure are you of that chart being accurate for a size 16? Thanks for your help!!! Ring sizes are the same for men and women. L is a man, and had his finger measured in Brazil. His ring is a family ring, that was sized in the US & was going to be resized but was the correct size according to HStern. As for accuracy for a 16, as you see the other response that a BR13 is a US5, that's what the chart says... so you've got an accurate one at BR13 and an accurate one at BR26,5.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-10-04 19:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Brazil Ring Size Conversion	On gringoes.com, they recommend highly HStern's conversion, which gives it as a 6,5. FWIW, it was accurate for L's wedding band/engagement band* -- he had it measured in Brazil and purchased in the US. It fit perfectly! *Brazilian tradition (or, at least, Bahia tradition) is that both people wear an engagement ring - which is later used as the wedding ring. We followed both traditions, and I wore an American-style engagement ring on my left hand & my wedding band on my right hand through the engagement. Edited by K and L, 04 October 2010 - 02:50 AM.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-10-04 02:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Contacting a Congressman	A couple of weeks for what? For a decision?	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-09-27 21:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Leaving the USA after sending the i129f form (K1 visa process)	Thanks for answering. My finaceé (petitioner) adress is the same as her parents...so it should be ok with letters. However, I just found out that the petioner needs to be working during the time of the embassy interview overseas (in order to have the income writen in the I134). I wish there were some way to have her living in the same place abroad with me during the 6 Months of process... That is not true. Brazil allows co-sponsors if your income does not meet the requirements for sponsorship. If her parents are willing and able to co-sponsor you and mail anything from USCIS *Global Express* (as there are deadlines with RFEs of about 30 days, and it will otherwise take about 2 weeks to arrive in Brazil), she can easily live in Brazil while the process is going on. Regarding her ability to stay in Brazil through the process: a 90-day tourist visa holder is allowed to apply to the PF to get a 90 day extension. For the most part, a simple K1 application typically takes roughly 3-4 months to go through USCIS and the DOS and reach the consulate. Once it has reached the consulate, Rio typically interviews 5-7 weeks after it has arrived, and if approved, your passport should be returned to you within a week. (For instance, my husband's I129 was processed by the consulate on 8 Feb, for a 25 March interview date. The later interview was at our request.) There may not be enough time for her to be able to to stay in Brazil during the *entire* process and be in-status as a tourist, but if you waited two or three weeks after filing for her to arrive, she should be able to be with you the rest of the time. Edited by K and L, 27 December 2010 - 01:46 AM.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-12-27 01:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	What type of Visa is best for me and my Brasilian fiancee?	Where did you get the information about the 180-181 days rule? I have never heard that before. It's a typical rule for tourist visas -- you are supposed to go home for one more day than you were there before returning to the country. It's used to prevent people from taking short trips abroad to re-set the re-entry date, to allow them to essentially live in the US without procuring a green card. If your new wife has been staying with you for 6 months, going home for a month or two, and returning to the US for 6 months on a regular basis, I am surprised that she didn't get in trouble for this earlier. (BTW, as far as I know, this is one of those things that is sort-of-but-not-really policy and left to the discretion of the CBP officer. Some may not notice the frequency of visits and time between them, some may not care. But the rule of thumb I see quoted constantly on the internet is just what I said - return home as long as you were here before coming back to the US, unless it's an emergency.) Regarding your plan to come back immediately after the interview, it will take some time (about a week, but it varies by TNT, the courier the consulate in Rio uses) before her visa is ready, and she will need to surrender her passport for them to add the visa. Attending her interview IS looked highly upon by the consulate, but is not required.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-12-27 01:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	What type of Visa is best for me and my Brasilian fiancee?	If you do not have her paperwork (birth certificate, vaccination record, paperwork concerning previous marriages/divorce, etc) here, then you have no choice: she has to return. Even if she had someone in Brazil who is able to go to her cartario and procure these things and mail it express (which costs R$30 and takes roughly two weeks), you cannot overnight it to USCIS and have it received and accepted in time. With overnight express shipment of your immigration package, it still takes roughly 10-14 days for them to fully process it, which means you've got about a week -- and a really crappy week (being the week between Christmas and New Years) -- to get everything done. If you have her birth certificate/etc, she would have to get a medical exam by a registered civil surgeon, her paperwork translated, you would need to get your tax transcripts, etc AND you would need to get married and get a copy of your certified marriage certificate. All by Dec 31. With all the other holiday stuff going on. Regarding the amount of time she's been spending here: is she going back to Brazil for MORE than the amount of time she's been spending here? If not, that is probably the root cause of your problem. 180 days in, 181 out before you can return. Edited by K and L, 23 December 2010 - 10:55 PM.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-12-23 22:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	What type of Visa is best for me and my Brasilian fiancee?	Oh, Brazil won't care. They have never asked me the purpose of my visit, just welcomed me to Brazil. The PF that run immigration at the Salvador airport (where you're probably going to enter if you're going to Recife) is pretty straight forward, won't sit there and chit chat. Most don't speak much English. Worst case scenario, you fall in love with Brazil and want to stay. Lucky for you, it's ok to apply for the permanent visa while in Brazil on a tourist visa (if you're married to a Brazilian). Edited by K and L, 05 October 2010 - 06:58 PM.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-10-05 18:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	What type of Visa is best for me and my Brasilian fiancee?	If you were to go the route of the CR1 visa, my (not a lawyer) advice would be to marry before she returns to Brazil, and begin the proceedings afterwards, so the issue of "intending to immigrate via tourist visa" isn't there. You married, she returned, you filed proper paperwork upon her return, blahblahblah. If you really want to go the route of marrying in the US and being able to visit while you're waiting for the visa with minimal risk of being turned away at the border, the K1 may be a better route, as there's nothing stopping her from being in the US on her tourist visa while the K1 is being processed. For instance, file the K1 when she arrives, and if she's there for 3mo, you should be close to a NOA2 approval by the time she leaves. From your NOA2 approval, for Rio, it is about 12 weeks to your K1 interview (L's original interview date was 2mo, 10 days after the NOA2 approval), so she would be able to go home when she was planning, and come back about the time she normally would - but this time, for good. Marry quickly and file your I485 AOS/131 AP/765 EAD quickly, and she should be able to return to Brazil in about 3 months should she wish to, and about 3 months after that, she probably will have her green card and will be able to go back and forth between here and Brazil as the two of you wish/can afford. Edited by K and L, 05 October 2010 - 12:04 AM.	K and L	Female	Brazil	2010-10-04 23:59:00