ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNEED ADVISE K1 or K3
Hi Jill,

I'm pretty new to all this, so don't take me at my word......I recommend that you check around and verify if what I say is correct. But, I looked into this too, and I discovered two things:

1. The K-1 fiance visa is considered faster than than the K-3 alien relative (spouse) visa.

2. For an American to get married in Brazil, it's not too simple. When I looked into it, it seemed to be that you need to get various documents/permits (medical tests, and so forth), but besides all that, you have to remain in Brazil for more than 30 days.

My conclusion was:

A. Even if I could be in Brazil tomorrow, and even if everything else went perfectly, there's still the additional 30-day delay before the marriage can take place and the application process started, and

B. I'm not in a position to take a month-plus vacation anyway.
Chris and JanainaMale02008-04-28 07:40:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI-134, I work on commission
I tried using the search feature several times, and I couldn't seem to find anything about this.

My job doesn't have a "salary," or even an "hourly rate." I work straight commission.

My paychecks go like this:

--Two small paychecks in a row (every Thursday), with my "draw"......basically they "lend" me a little money to live on, followed by:
--A slightly larger paycheck with my draw, and my car allowance, followed by:
--A much larger paycheck that has last month's commission.

Also, my income varies during the year (I install a lot of remote car starters in the winter, earning a lot.......and earn much less in the springtime). My income for March is much different from my income for December, for example.

What's the best way to show my income?

I'm sure my employer will write/sign whatever I need him to.

Also, I do have my last three years' tax returns.

IN SUMMARY:

--My annual income is enough to meet the requirements of the I-134.
--My pay stubs probably aren't useful, because they're very, very varied.
--I have no "rate of pay" to speak of. I do get a certain percentage of all labor charges where I work, could I state it that way somehow?
Chris and JanainaMale02008-04-28 07:47:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI-134, I work on straight commission
Thanks to both of you.

I'm a regular employee, paid on a W-2.

I already have a copy of my last three years' tax returns, last three years' original W-2 forms, and plenty of pay stubs.

To be safe, I'll include everything I have: tax returns, W-2s, a few pay stubs (including one showing my commission), and I'll draft up an employment letter for my employer.
Chris and JanainaMale02008-08-08 19:36:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI-134, I work on straight commission
My job is 100% commission. I don't earn an annual salary, or even an hourly wage. But I'm well above the poverty line, and I'll be including my past three years' tax returns to show that.

My employer does, I guess you could say "lend" me a small amount of money every week (my weekly paycheck), and then at the third check of the month, I get the rest of my commission.

So, my pay stubs don't accurately show my average income. Most of the time, my pay stub makes it look like I make very little money.



I thought about having my boss type up my employment letter something like this:

To whom it may concern:

Chris (last name) has been employed with ABC Company since (date) as an (my position).

In 2005, he earned XX,XXX, in 2006 he earned XX,XXX, and in 2007 he earned XX,XXX.

As of August 5, 2008, he has already earned XX,XXX, and is projected to earn XX,XXX by year's end.

Sincerely,
(boss' name and position)

Does this sound about right?
Chris and JanainaMale02008-08-05 21:55:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionDS-157, Question 9, Countries entered in last 10 years
Question 9 on the DS-157 asks for the beneficiary to list all countries entered in the last 10 years. Exactly what is meant by "entered?"

Late last year, my fiancee tried to go to England, but was not successful.

She flew from Brazil to England, was denied entry at Customs at the airport, and turned around and got on the next flight back home. There was no foul play or criminal accusations. They simply didn't believe that she was only there to take a vacation in Europe, because they found out that one of her hotel reservations (in Spain) hadn't been paid for.

My opinion is that since she was denied entry, she never "entered" England, even though she did indeed land there.

Am I ok to put "none" as the answer to this question?

I've already advised her not to mention this trip to England at her interview, but not to lie about it if they ask her.
Chris and JanainaMale02008-09-01 21:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsAPRIL '08 Vermont K-1 Filers
QUOTE (Fernanda O. @ Jun 3 2008, 03:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (susita83 @ Jun 3 2008, 02:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Sterling Girl ~ If your fiance flies into JFK then maybe he'll bump into my Luis and me. I'm going to get him. He's a scaredy cat and has never been on a plane. Plus that gives me an excuse to go to Peru, and I love it there. smile.gif

Kim ~ I'm sure if anyone gives you any new info on the touch thing you'll let us all know ASAP, right? lol

offtopic45vn.gif

I'm not my happy self today, summer classes just started and I'm taking my "science" requirement, astronomy 105. Uhmmm, it's 3 1/2 hours long 2x a week and we have a test already on Thurs. This means that I will be studying for the next two days and pulling my hair out because "sciences" are not my best subject, if you know what I mean. I mean, c'mon I'm gonna be a Spanish teacher. I haven't used exponents in like 10 years, so I kinda gotta brush up on that, LOL


wow, Luis has never been to the US?! It´d be quite a change for him to just move there, right!!
So you teach spanish, I´m studying spanish and trying to teach my fiance how to speak portuguese! Portuguese and spanish are kind of alike and I think they´re difficult to learn. I´m having trouble trying to teach him how to conjugate verbs and everything... Any tips?


Oi Fernanda,

I'm American, first picked up a few Portuguese words here and there starting November '04, and started seriously learning in July 2006. I'm not fluent yet, but I can already have a conversation about almost anything, and I did pretty well in Brazil all by myself last October!

I have half a shelf worth of books, but there are a few I especially recommend:

--Portuguese in 10 minutes a day. It looks like a children's book, but it's excellent. For example, it'll have a drawing of a dinner table, with all the words (plate, napkin, and so on), and they also write how to pronounce the words.

--Portuguese for Dummies. It does have a pretty good explanation about conjugating verbs. And it's written in a way that even someone who didn't pay much attention in high school (like me) can understand.

--Audio CDs from Pimsleur. Pimsleur is the only one around that doesn't come with any books. That's right, just play the CDs in the car as you drive. I found them very helpful, for not much money, and I didn't have to invest much time, since I'm on the road a lot anyway.

--Larousse concise dictionary. There are two versions, one with 80,000 translations, and one with 120,000. Spend the extra $5 on the bigger one. Ideally, if he has one in Orlando, and you have another copy there in Brazil, it'll make it much easier to explain things over the phone.

--Does Orlando have much of a Brazilian community? If so, he should start spending time with Brazilians. Ideally, he should have some Brazilian friends who speak a lot of English, who can explain things to him.........and some other friends who speak ZERO English, who will force him to learn faster because he'll be forced to converse with them in Portuguese.

--I can't remember the other person's name now, but the person who said that if he knows any Latin, that would surely help a lot. The Romance languages all have a lot of similarity.........I find that even with my very basic Portuguese, I can already understand a lot of Italian, Spanish, and even French.
Chris and JanainaMale02008-06-05 08:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresBrazilian with composite name (two first, two last)
Len and Bren,

Thanks for the fast response!

I should have been more clear. We'll be applying for the K-1 fiance visa, and will marry after she arrives in the US.

I just read your timeline, and it appears that you married first, and came here as an alien spouse with an I-130, right?

In my case, I assume that until Janaina is my wife, her new (married) name can't be used on the I-129F.
Chris and JanainaMale02008-02-25 12:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresBrazilian with composite name (two first, two last)
This is my first post here, but I've been looking around for quite a while, answering most of my questions on my own with the search feature. What a great place here!

In our case, the beneficiary is a Brazilian with what's called a "nome composto" or composite name.

She has two first names, like in the US we might have a Mary Ann, for example.

She has two last names, which are her mother's maiden last name, and her father's last name. I'll use Smith Jones in my example here.

Brazilians generally don't have middle names.

After our marriage, she'll drop one of her two last names, and end up with one of her last names, along with my last name.

I'm thinking of two possibilities:

1:

last: SMITH JONES first: Mary Ann middle: none

or 2:

last JONES first: Mary Ann middle: Smith

Which is better?

Am I right in thinking that anything on the I-129F will also end up affecting her American driver's license, credit cards, checks, and so forth in the future?
Chris and JanainaMale02008-02-25 11:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFiance letter of intent
I'm still new around here, but I have to fully agree with djaedi.

Also, I had Janaina sign and date everything, even the attachments. It's better to have a signature that's not required, than to need one and not have it.

This is a long process, and a few more weeks waiting for the mail won't hurt.

Also, are you already 100% finished with the rest of your application? If not, you can use the time waiting for the mail from her, to work on your other stuff.
Chris and JanainaMale02008-04-14 16:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresCeremony vs. Legal Marriage
Janaina and I talked about this too, and decided against it.

Also, in Brazilian culture, a "noivado" (engagement party) is also common.

If your religion and/or culture allows for it, you might consider an engagement party to keep your famil(ies) happy. I would avoid using a wedding dress, or anything in a church, just to be safe.................but an engagement party might be just the thing to satisfy the beneficiary's family and friends, while keeping everything legal.
Chris and JanainaMale02008-05-06 07:56:00