Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Geeting appointment set as Soon as NVC gives case #	Thanks for the info .we were approved today . That's a big help My Fiancee found out from some FB group. I had no idea. Shaves weeks off Process. Not posted anywhere that i have seen.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-10-12 19:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Geeting appointment set as Soon as NVC gives case #	Someone suggested I post this. As soon as the NVC assigns you the case number you can schedule your interview. When 7 days have passed start calling NVC daily. Wait until after 6 EST then call. Call volumes are lower and processing is done. Once you get your case number go ahead and pay your fee and set your appointment date. You do not have to wait on your package to get to the embassy.. We got our Case number for Manila, yesterday and secured a 3 Nov appointment this morning., less than 24 hours after case number was issued. You can download all the forms from the websites.. We hope to be wheels up by Nov 10th at latest. Less than 5 months from NOA1 to on a plane, is probably ahead of the norm, but knowing the system can help. I will say that possibly it may be a little different at other embassies but this is my experience. Thanks .	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-10-12 17:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Scheduling interview online phillipines	Hi Jim, Im trying to get my appointment online with this steps: 1. Visa Type - Non Immigrant 2. Post - Manila 3. Here I got confuse since the choices are belows: Step 3: Please select a visa category that applies to you. Business/Tourism ( Visitor Visas for Business and Pleasure ) Seafarers ( Crew ) Working in the USA ( Petition Based Temporary Workers ) All Other Nonimmigrant Visas ( Journalist , Exchange Visitor , Student , Crew ) Can you tell what u choose for this step 3. It is the craziest thing- n the world. The K-1 is a Non-immigrant Visa but you have to select Immigrant Visa on the Manila website. I did not understand that either, but it is what it is.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-10-25 04:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	medical exam	why does the embassy requir that medical exams be taken 10-15 days prior to the interview?.. is it because the forms will not get to the individual in time? just curious... Becuse if something has to be re-checked or there is a problem you will have time to address it. I am not sure it is requirement in most places, but for sure it's wise.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-10-26 16:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	nvc	That is a standard/scripted answer you get from NVC. Call them every day until you get your case #. The following is what we did a little over 2 months ago. Call NVC after about a week or so and and make sure you talk to a live person. Be sure to have your USCIS # (it starts with either WAC or VAC), petitioner's name & DOB, beneficiary's name & DOB. Ask if they've received your approved petition from USCIS. If they have, ask them for the manila case # and when it was shipped to US Embassy in Manila. It takes about a week for your approved petition to get to Manila through DHL. If not, not a big deal, but call them every other day until you get the information. You can also email them at ]NVCINQUIRY@state.gov[. On the subject line of your email, put the USCIS # and on the body of the email, put petitioner's name & DOB and beneficiary's name & DOB on the body of the email. While awaiting for your manila case #, your fiance should already be gathering her Birth Certificate, NBI Clearance, CENOMAR, Police Clearance if she worked overseas for more than 6 months from the country where she worked, Annulment (if applicable). You as the petitioner should prepare I-134, employee letter, pay stubs, and tax transcripts for 3 years (you can order tax transcripts from IRS website for free), evidence of ongoing bonafide relationship, money remittance, and anything else that proves a genuine relationship, and then send it all to your fiance as she will need these things for the interview @ USEM. When you obtain your manila case #, you can pay the visa fee through BPI. Be sure to have your passport when paying for the visa fee and keep the receipt. Wait til the next day and schedule your interview online. You do not have to wait for the eligibility letter from the USEM. Otherwise, you will be waiting for awhile. When you are scheduling online, you'll need manila case #, passport info, and the receipt # from BPI. Give enough time in between interview date and when she plans on getting her medical done when scheduling. There is no need to schedule an appointment for medical since it is walk in. You can register through the SLMEC and fill up the registration online and this will save you an hour and a half. if you don't fill it up, they will make you fill it up on the spot @ the clinic. A CFO sticker is needed to be affixed to your fiance's passport. If you do not have this, they will not let her board the plane. This can be done in advance and once you have the visa in hand, you can go back to the CFO office in Quirino Avenue and obtain it. Or, you can wait until visa in hand and then attend the CFO seminar and get the certificate the same day. Below are very useful links that we used: Link of what essentially what the packet 3 is: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/public/Revised%20K1%20Instruction%20Packet%20_3__rtf2_001.pdf Here is the website to schedule online for interview: http://cgifederal.force.com/ Link to SLEC: http://www.slec.ph/u...ml#clinic-hours CFO website: http://www.cfo.gov.p...onals&catid=140 This is based solely on our experience, but I hope this helps. Good luck on the rest your journey! Great post. You nailed. it perfectly. One small typo.. Case numbers for K-1 will start with EAC -Vermont or WAC for CSC	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-10-19 13:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	How Long Does NOA1 Take?	Did anyone else here have to wait for their NOA1? I sent in the form for a text or email, but nothing.. I haven't gotten the return receipt either. Now I'm worried, even though I checked the address several times. Everyone seems to have gotten some kind of notification within 3 days, is there anyone else whose notification took longer? Thanks. How long has it been and has your check been cashed ?	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-10-27 18:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	USCIS processing times website chart	On the website to see how long VSC is taking to approve I-129Fs I saw this "Field Office Processing Dates for Vermont Service Center as of: August 31, 2011" and also this "The charts are updated on or about the 15th day of each month." Well it seems to have been 2 months since the chart has last been updated. Is this correct or am I missing something? Is VSC particularly swamped with work right now? Are they struggling to get petitions approved on time right now? It always will say 5 months no matter what. That is the standard time. Seems most run about 4 months or so. I got lucky and got mine in under 3, some run as much as 6-7. It really just luck and how many people they have working on your visa category at the time. The websites are never correct on processing times. You may or may not get an E-mail. The USICS may or may not update your touches and status on-line. It's the Govt. Forget the Website. If you have your NOA1 settle in and wait, your fine. Oh and its the same bunch wants to run our healthcare LOL.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-10-29 07:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	fastest USCIS	That's no longer correct, as other posters have indicated, the I-129F is sent to the lockbox facility in Texas (and the lockbox facility is not the same facility as the service center in Texas). The lockbox facility will send the file to one of the two service centers that adjudicate I-129F petitions (CA or VT) and there is no way of know which one until after it is routed. Vermont handles east coast filers and Cal handles west coast. depends on the address of who filed it, as to where TX will send it.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-10-30 08:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Get married before the fiancee visa apporved	Ok thank you everyone. I just wanted to make sure what I told my fiancee was correct. The only thing we can do is have a ceremony in the Philippines that does not include a legal marriage. Thanks again and also for the quick replies. I kind of went thru this. Sometimes the more traditional families will frown on a loved leaving as a single woman. It would have been 6 months or more before I could come back to the Philippines to marry, then tack on another 6-8 months for the K-3 visa process starting from new again. What I did was promise her family that I would Marry her as soon as she got here and as soon as AOS was done, we we fly back together for a wedding in her hometown. The wedding here will be for legal purposes and the one there will be the traditional ceremony with family. This seemed to make everyone happy. That was May. Her interview is Nov 3.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-10-24 16:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Tax papers qustion	My question is do I need originals or photocopies of the tax papers for my fiance's interview. The only original papers required are any papers issued by the USICS of the State department. .1-129F 325 et etc. As far as Birth certificates, divorce records, tax returns. Copies are fine.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-09 17:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Will terrorist activity expedite processing?	You must be one happy fella! Happy and scared at the same time	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-10 05:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Will terrorist activity expedite processing?	Hello, everyone. First, thank you all for the help that you provide on this site. I think it is quite helpful and it is very much appreciated. My fiancée is in Mindanao in the Philippines, and there are both Muslim insurgents and Communist insurgents active there. In the past few weeks, there have been three bombings in her city, one fairly close to her own neighborhood. Do you think this might influence USCIS to process our K-1 application more swiftly? If yes, what would be my next step(s)? It has already been just over five months since USCIS received it (Texas Processing Center). Thanks very much! Kevin To be honest you should be getting a NOA2 any day now. By the time you could affect any kind of change you will be done anyway. You are almost there just buckle up and wait. Our NOA2 was Sept 23rd. and she is flying this weekend. Once you get that NOA2 you can have her here in about a month and a half or less if you are proactive.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-09 20:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Some questions about using a lawyer	why? are lawyers code of ethic different from every other country? Oh well - just me asking - but anyways, if they don't bother do their responsibility right its because they are tolerated to do so or in worst case, sad to say and not being rude, this kind of lawyers the the ones who needs more $$ to upgrade their service . Anyways, if and when one think they get an unsatisfactory service to what they paid, I guess if you encounter irresponsible lawyers who doesn't perform their specified task and be responsible and accountable enough, the next thing a client will do is not to use them next time..not even recommend. If in the long run they lose clients do you think they will keep doing what they are doing? Not unless they are the only lawyer who offers a lowest PF well, you get the kind of service = to the amount you paid IMHO Lawyers are notorious bottom dwelling scum, that usually have one goal in mind and that is to separate you from your money.. I have had esate dealings, divorce dealings and visa dealings. There are a few good ones but not many. I hired a lawyer for my visa. After we got into it i realized we did not need one. He charged 1700.00 bucks and all he did was review the paper work and forward it. Come to find out he does not have offcies in the Philippines as promised and he has been disbared in Chicago for fraud.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-02 18:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	nervous about going to juarez	has anybody been to juarez this year for their interview and returned safe? im really nervous about going there. i hear its really dangerous there. Hard to say I have never heard of anyone that has been that has had a problem, but there have been a lof of people posting they are going and we never heard from them again. I got a good friend at work, who just brought her Mother out. She lived in Juarez. Just be very safe and don't go anywhere you don't have to. Don't wear any thing that would make it look like you have money	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-14 12:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Food Stamps	I saw that too, and it immediately made me cringe. A tax credit or deduction is NOT the same thing as a subsidy. The fact that me and millions of other Americans get to deduct the interest we pay on our mortgages doesn't mean somebody else has to pony up more in tax payments to make up for the difference. In an ideal world, the government would spend only what it takes in, and not determine how much it must take in based on how much it thinks it must spend. By that twisted logic, I should be able to claim that anyone who earns less than me is being subsidized by me because I pay more in taxes. That's just ludicrous. Anyway, there were some other tidbits of information tossed out in this thread that were accurate but misleading. For example, sheeshkabelle posted a couple of times about the official definition of "public charge". It's important to understand where this definition comes into play in regards to the immigration process. Whether or not a US citizen is a public charge has no effect whatever on their eligibility to submit a petition for a foreign spouse or fiancee. Any means-tested public benefits they receive will not be considered as income for an affidavit of support. At a minimum, they would probably need a joint sponsor. Some consulates rarely accept joint sponsors for K visas. An immigrant is not eligible for most means-tested public benefits until they've been an LPR for five years. After that, they can apply for and legally receive most public benefits. However, if the immigrant was sponsored with an affidavit of support, and if that affidavit of support is still enforceable, then the sponsor can be forced to reimburse the government for those benefits. As sheeshkabelle noted, receiving temporary benefits would not make the immigrant a public charge, as defined, but that wouldn't change the fact that the sponsor is liable to the government to repay those benefits. What's more, an immigrant will NOT be credited by SSA with having earned a quarter of work credit if the immigrant received any means-tested public benefits in that quarter, which only postpones the day when the affidavit of support will no longer be enforceable. An immigrant who actually becomes a public charge is deportable, and this is precisely why the consulate is charged with determining the likelihood that the immigrant will ever become a public charge. For the OP: If there's any way you can avoid collecting food stamps and still get by then you should do so. I suggest you read section 9 FAM 40.41 N4.1 of the foreign affairs manual. http://www.state.gov...ation/86988.pdf There is no provision in the law to indicate that the receipt of means-tested benefits by the sponsor would, in itself, result in a finding of inadmissibility for the applicant under INA 212(a)(4). The sponsor's reliance on such benefits, however, would clearly be an important factor in considering whether the applicant might have to become a public charge. If the sponsor or any member of his or her household has received public means-tested benefits within the past three years, you must review fully the sponsor's current ability to provide the requisite level of support, taking into consideration the kind of assistance provided and the dates received. You must review carefully Form I-864, Affidavit of Support under Section 213A of the Act, or Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, and all attachments submitted with Form I-134, as well as evidence of the sponsor's current financial circumstances, in such cases. In other words, if you collect food stamps, or any other means-tested public benefits, up to three years before you submit an affidavit of support then the consular officer will look more closely at your financial situation. They have a lot of discretion with an I-134, and they're going to weigh the positive and negative factors. If you collect food stamps then you're adding a little more weight to the negative side. ]]Ha kept looking for the like button buts its not face book	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-13 04:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Food Stamps	ANY deduction or credit you take is subsidized by others or made up for with borrowed money which someone else must pay back at a later date with interest. The only way anything you said would be true is if we had a flat tax which raised enough money to pay all the country's expenses and everyone paid the exact same percentage of their income. I would go for that. You? I would guess that the deductions and credits you received (if you have children in particular) were worth far more than food stamps. The OP, not having much income would not have access to those deductions and credits...just the food stamps. I would not trade positions with him. You? Good luck and I hope you get back to the 53% real soon so you can get in on all the real goodies! I am all for a flat tax. How ever the fundamental flaw in your thinking is that you are equating "allowing me to keep more of my own money that I earned" as being the same exact thing as " Taking my money that I have earned and giving it to someone that did not earn it". At the end of the day I am still paying way more into the system than I am taking out. Trying to equate I am only paying 30,000 in taxes this year instead of 35,000 as being the same net game as someone that is taking 5,000 from the system and giving nothing back is not a very well thought out assumption. You right I would not trade places with the poster, and I did not get where I am by luck.. That is why I have worked my tail off since I was 15. That is why I spent my Summers at Ft. Benning when I was in college so that I can pay for my college by serving my country. . That is why when my Unioun thug co-workers were sitting on their lazy butts , crying and pissing and figuring out ways to stick it to the company, I was working my butt off to make the company more competitive, only to be heckled with Chorus of "that ain't my job" and "that will never get you anywhere". Of course when I made supervisor, then Asst Plant manager, then Plant Manager and my salary tripled that was unjust and not fair. Bottom line is I am sick of paying upwards of 50% of what I make in some form of tax or another. I am sick of seeing people in designer clothes, with Government paid for cell phones, buying items with food stamps at the store, that I will not buy because they are luxury and convince items I would not buy for myself. I am tired of seeing people that pay 400 dollars a year in taxes get back over 5000K then spend it on 120.00 dollar polo clothes and partying, while thier 8 kids run ragged around the section 8 housing. I am fed up with 20 year old moms with 4 kids walking out the door of a decent job, and tell me F you on the way out the door, life is easier living on the SYSTEM. I am sick of hearing tales like my buddy, who rents a very nice section 8 home that the Govt pays him 1000.00 bucks a month rent for, to support a lady with three kids who does not work, drives a late model luxury car, and sits home and watches her direct TV all day and talks on her Govt cell phone. I am tired of asking people to stay over and work OT and they will not do it because it might mess up thier Govt check. I am pissed beyond measure that we have almost 13 million unemployed people in this country, many drawing benifits, and we have almost 8 million illegal immigrants here who ARE employed busting their tails to better themselves, in jobs many of the "SO called Poor" will not take. I am livid that Farmers here in GA are having trouble getting crops harvested, because all the Hispanics have left due to the new immigration law, but many of the farms are in areas that have 45% unemployment rates for people under 25 many of who are on government assistance. So maybe the OP is an exception to this rule. I hope is and wish him the best of luck. However until he pays more into the system than he takes out he has no business trying to bring a another person into this country. Until he no longer accepts assistance that I help fund, YES I can JUDGE that, If he is Dependent on the Taxpayers to subsist right now, then no way in hell there should be money available in his world for Visa fees and Plane tickets. Trying to assert that because of a few deductions I am only paying 210% of my fair share as opposed to 220% of my fair share is the same as someone who pays a negative % of his share is absurd Well I guess you all know how i feel know	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-12 10:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Food Stamps	Yep, more than the poor OP will collect in food stamps! Guess we'll all be paying for her plane tickets. Go for marrying her December 31! Feel better now? BTW, I am married to Alla, I don't need tax breaks to feel better! I can assure you no taxpayer money is to help me buy plane tickets. Maybe i will pay 28% instead of 31%. I am still paying way more than my fair share. I still stand by my comment that if you take more out of the system than you give, you should spend every spare dime on substance.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-11 13:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Food Stamps	Let me help you feel better. I have a good job making good money and I do not get food stamps. Relieved? Good. Alla qualifies for the "hope credit" $2600 in our pocket each year that other taxpayers pay for. In addition to her 50% tax free scholarship worth $8000 per semester, it covered a lot of the expense of her Masters degree from a private university. Thanks. No food stamps here! $1000 child tax credit for our immigrant LPR son under age 17. $11000 off our income from itemized deductions! We use the tax return to pay for our trips back and forth to Ukraine and it has been enough each year for all of us to go twice! No food stamps in this house! Just focus on food stamps, don't worry about how our country runs its revenue system. Yup agree with you 100%. I am firmly part of the scrap the IRS and everybody pay their fair share crowd. BTw if it makes you fell any better I plan to marry my fiancee in Dec so I can claim her in 2011. With with no reportable income it should save me thousands	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-10 21:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Food Stamps	These are questions you should not ask and no one should. The problem comes from the fact that we have to make this affidavit of support. We should not. The immigrant should simply be ineligible and then there is no question Your standard for what someone should do with their money is not realistic nor is it in any way in line with reality and what is required to receive food stamps. Would you take a child tax credit? Why should the rest of us subsidize your child? Would you take the "hope credit" for education? Why should we subsidize you for that? A tax deduction for your home mortgage interest? Why am I subsidizing YOUR house???? How much further would you care to go? The problem is not food stamps, the problem is a revenue system that creates class envy or class warfare and exempts 47% of the population from paying any income tax at all. If you have issues with our revenue system (and I do) then address that and do not try to decide what is best for others to do. Personally I hope his fiancee gets here OK and they get married and she gets a job and they live happily ever after. I agree 100% with most of what you just said, I think I am part of the 53% and I promise you with the taxes I paid last year no one is subsidizing anything for me. Yes I do know what it is like to be in his shoes, I have been poor. I do disagree with this . When he is taking more out of the system than he is putting in, the 53% that is funding it have a right to ask such questions. Bottom line is i also ope they make it and get married, but only after he can afford it. Good luck to him.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-10 21:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Food Stamps	I don't recall the OP asking you to buy his fiance's food at any point of his post. I give the kid credit because at least he seems to have a plan for his future and he was receptitve to getting a second job for additional income unlike some of the people who stay on the public rolls for years and who know how to work the system. With all the wasted tax payer money spent on things that aren't important I have no qualms with him getting a few bucks each month in food stamps. At least the OP is a USC getting the benefit, not someone in a completely different country. I agree totally that he seems to want to work himself out of it. and no problem with short term help for people who thru no fault of their own need a hand up. All right, tell me. Who pays for the K-1, interview, Medical, for the plane ticket and who provides for her when she first gets here ?	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-10 21:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Food Stamps	"I don't know his situation so I can't judge what he is or isn't doing. Didn't you in fact JUST judge him? Nope I judged the fact that as long as he is depending on others for his support he should spend 100% of his energy, money and time to not being dependent t on others for his support. . If Him and his fiancee have money to file K-1 Visas, buy plane tickets then they should not need tax payer funded assistance. If a person really needs help , then fine I have no problem with that. How can you be so poor you can't buy food, while at the same time making plans to secure a K-1 visa and bring a spouse to this country which is very expensive. So who is going to buy her food. I sure don't want to have my tax dollars contribute to any of the above.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-10 20:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Food Stamps	[quote name='beejay' timestamp='1320972072' post='5000746'] [/quote I don't know his situation so I can't judge what he is or isn't doing. What I can say and I stand by it is, that if you are at a point in your life, that for whatever reason, you have are relying on tax payer funded assistance to subsist. , then you should be spending every dime you make towards that subsistence.. When he no longer has to use my tax dollars to subsist, he may do whatever he pleases and I will have no opinion on the subject. Edited by scruffydog, 10 November 2011 - 08:24 PM.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-10 20:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Food Stamps	I have tried to do some research about this topic, but I can't seem to find an answer that I can feel comfortable with. What I want to know is whether or not me apply for Food Stamps will mess up my fiances K1 eligibility or not. I do have a job & I am working full-time, but I just need a little help right now. I'm only making about $1,000 a month & am hoping to go back to college soon. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am not sure, and I don't mean this mean spirtied but I hope with every fiber of my being, that the US Government would not let you sponsor another person to come to this country, while you are receiving tax payer funded benefits to support yourself.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-08 17:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Bury them in paperwork ???	Just out of curiosity, for those of you who plan to "bury them in paperwork", I personally witnessed a close friend with a file that was over 6 inches thick in court. His court appointment was for 8am. The judge took one look at the outside of his file and told the bailiff to put it on the bottom of the stack for the end of the day since it was obviously so full. At the end of the day, we ran out of time and were rescheduled. If you plan to irritate the person handling your paperwork, I don't think that can help your case any. Seriously, I know that if I were the person with a stack of case folders in front of me, I'd always pick the ones that looked manageable first. Who has done this and had a positive result? Who has sent only what was asked and had a positive result? What are the outcomes that are negative either way? (Please don't respond at all unless you have finished the process and have a visa in hand. Anything else is just space/time wasting clutter.) My fiancee got here last Sat. My initial file was not very big at all. Just about 8 pictures, copies of entry stamps, airline tickets, etc etc. Very well organized and everything in order. Same thing with interview file. She breezed thru interview and they barley glanced at evidence. On my affidavit of support I just enclosed my last 3 years Tax return, W-2 and a letter from my bank saying I had an active account. I did not list bank account details, brokerage accounts etc. Took me 5 months from NOA 1 until the day she got here. Hope this helps. Keep in mind from what I understand every embassy is different .	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-16 20:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Notarize?	Many people are very confused about what a notarization actually is. You can't get your birth certificate or passport "notarized". All a notary does is confirm that you signed some document. They don't confirm the validity of the document. I can sign a paper saying I am the King of England and get it notarized. Nothing in the normal K-1 visa petition process needs to be notarized. It never hit me until you just said it but your right. You can get an offcial copy, but you can not get it notarized. As many times as I have seen that question asked it never dawned on me they were using the incorrect term until now.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-17 18:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Common misconception about K1	No. USCIS isn't interested in testing your relationship until it's their turn to adjudicate an immigration benefit. That time will come when your fiancee applies for a green card. For the petition, they only care if the petitioner is eligible to file the petition and if the statutory requirements have been met. FWIW, the backlog is intentional. They try to keep enough pending petitions in the pipeline to ensure that there will be a steady flow of work for the adjudicators. If they start falling too far behind on one type of petition then they'll try to reallocate resources so that they can catch up. If they start getting too close to processing petitions as fast as they are coming in then they'll try to reallocate resources to petitions that have a bigger backlog. They don't want to reach either extreme, where they're either falling behind on all types of petitions, or they have adjudicators waiting for new petitions to arrive so they'll have something to do. They don't want to hire new adjudicators except to cover for attrition because it's takes considerable time and money to train them, and they don't want to have to lay anyone off if things slow down too much. Given that USCIS is funded almost exclusively by it's customers, I think this is the way most people would want it to be. If they started processing your petition the day it arrived then that means somebody might have had nothing to do if it weren't for your petition, and you might question whether the fees might be lower if they cut staff and engineered a little backlog into the system. You understand the system perfectly I see. That is exactly what goes on at the service center. I will also tell you that Visa apps that are high dollar revenue like H-1B's tend to get more attention. To say that all people that work at the Service centers are overpaid lazy ( omit 4-letter word) is the opinion of an ignorant person who has no clue or understanding of what they are talking about. Also to the other poster. As to your rights.!! You have the right to live and die, and anything else is because we follow laws and won our freedom thru blood and sacrifice. No one who is not a citizen of this great country has a "right" to enter and live here without following the laws that are in place to regulate it.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-18 22:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Common misconception about K1	That would imply a higher order of thinking than most government employees and their "management" are capable of. The wait is simply because they're a bunch of useless, mismanaged, lazy a-holes with zero accountability, yet with great benefits and lifelong pensions. 160 days and still waiting for my NOA2. F-you USCIS and all the useless c-nts who work there. I acutually know someone who works at a service center and your comments could not be further from the truth. 1o hour days, they are held to productivity standards and they are understaffed. You have to remember they have a lot more to deal with than just K-1 visa and they get massive boatloads of requests everyday and everyone thinks their petition is the top priority. Actually the 3-5 month wait is a good thing and it has probably saved 10's of thousands from making a big mistake. If t he relationship is real it can wait 5-8 months.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-18 06:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Common misconception about K1	Let's define a "clean" K1 petition as one that does not require an RFE nor does it trigger any alerts in any world-wide databases nor does it trip any other delay causing mechanism in place. Simply put, a "clean" K1 petition can be approved in 20 minutes' time. So, if that same "clean" petition took 5 months to be approved, it means that "clean" petition waited five months for an employee to finally open the box in which it was contained and approve it. I bring this up because I have read in many threads that people believe shorter approval times means those people did a better job preparing their petitions. In reality, it just means they got lucky that their petition was selected and processed sooner. Let's leave RFE's and expedited petitions for another thread. Any other misconceptions out there about K1 petitions that I might be guilty of believing? Well said. I had a very short Noa1 to Visa in hand time. People asked me what I did or did the fact I used a Lawyer speed it up. I always say. My Lawyer was a complete waste of money and that I just got lucky. My K-1 petetion came up at the exact time Vermont had reallocated people to clear out the K-1's. I just got lucky.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-11-17 18:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Link to the Interview with VSC head	I can't find it but a few days ago one of the mods posted a link to a dinner interview they had with the head of the VSC. Anyone got a link Duh uh to me. It is push pinned right above my post. Sorry guys	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-25 09:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Link to the Interview with VSC head	I can't find it but a few days ago one of the mods posted a link to a dinner interview they had with the head of the VSC. Anyone got a link	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-06-25 08:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Experimental Drug Use :(	For my fiances medical he checked off the box that he had not misused or abused drugs. He thought that he was answering honestly because he considered abusing drugs as currently using them and relying on them. In the past he tried ecstasy experimentally, once, when he was 17. From previous medical records that we also sent in for his medical it does state on there that he has tried drugs. He got a phone call today from the Medical office asking why he lied and that could cause us not to get out visa. He explained everything that I just wrote above. They said that they would keep in touch, but according to my fiance the lady on the phone didn't seem very happy. Will this keep us from getting our visa? I read somewhere about a life ban from the US is this true? For something he did once when he was 17? I'm just confused. Does anyone know anything he could do to possibly help the situation? Thanks So what kind of other questionnaire did he fill out were he admitted it ? I would advise anyone anywhere who did something like that when they were young to never ever admit it ever, on any document --immigration or otherwise. In my opinion it's irrlevant to anything and what he did in the past is nobody's biz. When I joined the army years ago, it was standard to ask recruits if they had ever smoked weed or used drugs etc. I think they used that question to rule out the people that said yes, for having bad judgement.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-10-14 19:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K-1 Advice Needed	Hello all. I've been reading through these boards for a few months now and will hopefully filing my I-29F in a few months after my divorce is finalized. In the meantime I have a few questions as I start to pull together all the information for my submittal. I know there will be a couple red flags in my submittal so I want to try to address up front. The first is our age difference of 20 years, I'm afraid I can't grow younger (I'm 48) and she can't grow older (she's 29) so I don't think there is anything we can do about it, it's just the fact. The second red flag that I would appreciate advice on is the fact that we meet before I was divorced and before I was separated. I don't need any ediorial comments regarding morality or other issues, I was in a failed marriage and it wouldn't have mattered either way, it is what it is! So now my question, how much information should I give regarding my recent divorce. I plan on including a timeline and proof of ongoing relationship that is very extensive. By the time I file the application we would have met more than 10 times since our first meeting in early 2011, I will have been to Vietnam no less than 5 times and we will have spent over 120 days together. This will all be substantiated with pictures, airplane boarding passes, passport stamps, etc. There is no doubt this is a bonifide long term relationship, but I want to make sure I address that fact that we met prior to my separation. 1) Just fill in the blanks on the form and include a copy of my divorce decree and leave it as is. Every Embassy is different but I don't think the age difference will be an issue.. As for your divorce.. They are not the moral police. As long as you arre both free to marry and satisfy the meet in person requirements you should be fine. Vietnam is somewhere I have always wanted to visit. Growing up with the war and having spent so much time as a young infantry officer studying It I would love to visit it one day. Good luck. Where in Vietnam did you visit. I told my wife that next time we go to the Philippines we are going to Vietnam.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-12-02 18:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Please tell what does this Mean	My fiance went on his interview on Friday. After providing his proof of relationship, Immigration Officer asked him for more proof. My fiance asked him what more proof can he give? He had phone records, Western Union receipts, Pcitures, Letters, and Proof of my last visit in July. The Immigration Officer asked him why didnt I come back after July? He told the immigration officer because I started a new job and couldnt get the time off from work. So the immigration officer told him that they will have to conduct a background check on me for more evidence. They handed him a white sheet stating that enough evidence wasnt presented to believe that we were in a legitimate relationship. The officer told him that after they do a background check on me they will call him back and make sure he doesnt lose the paper because he will have to bring it back with him to the embassy when they call him back. I am totally confused. Is this the Ap process or what? Was he denied or what? I was told usually when a person is denied their passport is stamped. His passport wasnt stamped and my fiance said during the interview they fingerprinted him. Please somebody let me know what this means. Good luck. From what I have read in the past few months it appears Jamaica is strict.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-12-26 22:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Expedite due to work reasons	My fiance is working for a company in the Philippines but sometimes her check is delayed for months. I run a small law firm and really need her help. I am thinking that my need for her help and her loss of income due to delayed pay may form a basis for a request to expidite. Any thoughts? How does the phone request work? How do you get anyone on the phone? When I call all I get is automated responses. Not going to happen. Good luck.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2012-01-15 21:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	A courthouse marriage followed by 'wedding' 8 months later?	Good Afternoon My fiance filed our I-129f just yesterday so we are at the very early stages of applying for a K-1 visa. I'd just like to touch base with some people in a similar situation or those that may be able to answer my questions! My fiance and I are hoping to get married in the US within 3 months of the K-1 visa being issued but, because we do not know how long this process will take, have decided to plan for a courthouse marriage and then have a 'proper' wedding later. Logistically this works better for us as he is hoping to return to school in August and won't finish until May/June of 2013, so our theoretically timeframe looks like a marriage in September/October 2012 (assuming the K-1 has successfully been issued by then) and then to have our wedding in June/July 2013 time. Has anyone done a similar thing? Also, assuming our marriage to be in September/October and us staying on top of all the paperwork, when will it be likely that I can start applying for work in the US? What is your experience with getting AOS and your greencard for work? Thanks for reading! Charlotte (British) If you applied now, you should be able to marry in the April -May time frame. You should be able to work by Sep-Oct time frame. Whatever kind of second marriage you have is irrelevant and will not affect the process. The first one counts.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2012-01-16 05:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Fiance Visa with Tourism Visa denied	Hey Everyone, It was denied because they said i dont have enough proves that i would come back to my country, and they think i could imigrate to USA and do not come back to Brazil. I never done any crimes, drug staff, have no problems with the police. In that case it should not affect your K-1. Your fine.. Good luck.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2012-01-18 18:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Hello All !! Newbie Here	I have heard the horror stories of lawyers , but I was pressed for time and did some digging. I found a good lawyer and in only 2-3 weeks after filing I was granted a approval. Her interview is Friday. Just be sure if you go with a lawyer its a certified immigration lawyer and not a visa agent. If you want anymore info contact me , I m not saying your visa will be approved as fast as mine was but they are still really good and I am happy I got them. You are saying you went from Noa1 to Noa 2 in 2 weeks... ?? Please clarify that ?	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2012-01-18 21:23:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Hello All !! Newbie Here	Welcome to the forum. I used a lawyer and regret wasting the money. People can help you here, but beware don't take the first post as Gospel. Get several replies. Sometimes people guess or assume that don't know. Also their are several forums on FB that are exclusive to Pinay women working on the K-1 or who have been thru it. Those ladies can share tons of info with your new love to be if she is on line. They know every shortcut possible. My fiancee at the time now wife, really helped. We were a little under 5 months from NOA1 until she landed here. As far as K-3 marriage in the Philippines vs. K-1 marriage here. really a preference, but much like you I did not have time to go back several times. If you decide to get married there, you have to find time to go back, and marry before you can file for the Visa. With K-1, you can file after your first trip.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2012-01-18 18:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I-129f sent 01/31/12 no NOA1 yet !?	Hi, as the title suggests, my Fiance sent the form and everything with it last Tuesday to the Dallas lockbox, was told by the lady that it would arrive in Dallas by Thursday 2nd. She hasnt received an NOA1 yet and am getting a little nervous as my I want everything approved and done so i can move August 1st if possible. I have noticed one possible issue... she didnt clip the G-1145a form to the top of the pack, it was about 4 pages down. But still, she hasnt received anything in the mail yet either. Im getting worried... It's way too soon to worry yet. Also just a bit of advice, like the otehr poster said the Email/text and website update are hit and miss.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2012-02-08 19:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	getting ready for the juarez trip, just a few questions	My only question is, You are really going to Juarez ? Good luck. That is the most dangerous place on earth right now. I have a good friend here in GA from Juarez, they are trying to get their mom out and will not visit right now.. Good luck with your trip and your interview.	The Nature Boy	Male	Philippines	2011-07-01 20:22:00