biggish data

H1B and K1 concurrently??

Just curious. I may explore the possibility of getting my fiancee an H1B tech visa. I am okay with incurring extra cost, but not having to start over (even if the H1B is less time). She is a project manager and there is the possibility that I could get her a job offer, then get married and do the AOS permanent residency. The question is: do you have to abandon the K1 process to do this? It is not the same as starting over CR1 and having to abandon K1 (i.e. the marriage has not occurred and the criteria for K1 still exist).

If this topic should be passed to a different forum, dear admins, please do your duty

Edited by pachacuti, 27 March 2013 - 12:05 AM.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-03-27 00:05:00

fiance is pregnant.

Oh congrats...but what if you had the baby there? is it gonna be a problem?

I have a one-year-old son with my fiancee. He was born in Peru. We went to the embassy after he was born and Registered him (CRBA: Consular Report of Birth Abroad). He now has a nice looking certificate and his American passport. Just do the same thing when the child is born (of course you will go to the consulate in Manila and not the one in Lima

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-02 21:32:00

It is usually 6 months. It can be a shorter time based on when you had your medical done. Since they interviewed back in Sept., there had already been months since the medical was done, so a shorter expiration on the visa happened.

Good to know. Thanks.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-07 17:17:00

^{Our K-1 Fiancé visa took from Feb 7^th 2012 till January 9^th 2013 to be approved and my now husband was in the US on January 31^st. Now they say you have 6 months to enter the US with this visa, but let me tell you my husband Visa expired on Feb 28^th, 2013.}

^{Just be prepared to hurry up then wait!!!!!!! But I can tell you we got approved on August 3^rd or 4^th of 2012 and his interview with the embassy was on September 6^th 2012. Then there was some complications and the embassy sent him the wrong paperwork in someone else name, but if it wasn?t for that he would have been here in October(ish) ?.}

^{I agree with the above statement that they said if you are filing for a k-1 fiancé visa to start now. I believe that cost us $340 to file, then the AOS once my husband was here cost us $1070.00}

^{It?s a long and irritating process, but it is totally worth it and I would do it all over again if it met my husband was here with me in the end again!!!!!!!}

^{Good Luck =)}

Really? They only issued him a visa that he had to use within 50 days of issue? Is this normal or was that some administrative mistake?

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-07 15:32:00

Makes sense, for the most part.

So the beneficiary will have to sign the I-129F while in the US before they leave? If so, do they have the option to return to sign it if they are not able to stay?

And the beneficiary will have to return to their country regardless in order to visit their consulate to complete their portion of the K1 process? Is this the "visa interview" at the consulate? Is this required to occur in their home country or can it occur in the US?

The timeframe I'm not clear on is how long between the I-129F filing and the K1 approval (assuming the steps on my end are timely)? In other words, how long would she be required to stay in Canada, after leaving the US (if necessary, and following engagement), before she can return to the US for us to be married and continue the AOS process to obtain permanent resident status?

Thanks.

You, the petitioner, sign the I-129F. Beneficiary will need to sign a statement of intent to marry and will need to sign the biographical data forms (I don't remember the number of the form off the top of my head).

Yes, the beneficiary would need to return. I don't believe that they can do the process here. Anything else would be AOS (i.e. someone is here on a student or tourist visa and marries, then they would file for AOS, I believe... stating the obvious with the tourist visa that you will need to prove there was no intent to marry upon entry with the tourist visa). Someone else can correct me if I am wrong with this statement.

Total timeframe is hard to say and it really depends. A few people submit their I-129F paperwork and have that approved within weeks or months. That is not typical. Typical is that you submit the paperwork, it gets accepted within like a week (NOA1). Then there is a waiting period of about 6 to 8 months (their stated goal is 5 months, but 6 to 8 seems average, some folks taking longer, much longer... there was a guy petitioning for his Brazilian fiancee and I think his took 14 or 15 months). After that, your case gets sent to DOS, that takes a week or two. Then DOS forwards to the consulate (another week or 2), but both those times can be longer... There are folks who had to wait 2 or 3 months for their case to get to the consulate. Once at the consulate things are really different. Peru, for example seems to take more than a month but less than 2. Some consulates take up to 6 months. Canada often has long wait times. Some countries have a further evil befall them. This thing called AP (but it's not Advanced Parole, but Administrative Processing). They can languish in AP for months, even more than a year. This seems to happen mostly in places like Egypt, Morocco or Pakistan.

So as you can see, you are looking at a total time of anywhere between 3 months (highly, HIGHLY optimistic) and 3 years (highly, HIGHLY pessimistic). I would say average seems to be 8 to 12 months from application to visa in hand.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-06 19:20:00

Thanks for the additional information.

So the process that I described is mostly correct? Just for clarification, is this right?...

1.) Beneficiary visits US citizen in US (subjective case, I understand engagement can occur elsewhere).

2.) Beneficiary and US citizen are engaged.

3.) K1 Visa process begins with filing of I-129F (does the filing of this occur no sooner than engagement?).

4.) Beneficiary must return to home country and wait for K1 to be approved (or can they stay during this process?).

5.) Beneficiary returns to US upon approval of K1.

6.) Marriage occurs within 90 days of their arrival.

7.) AOS is filed for AP and EAD and spouse remains in US until approved.

8.) Following approval of AOS spouse can work and travel freely.

Is this correct or am I off in my estimation?

Also, if, for example, marriage occurs 30 days after arrival and the AOS filing occurs immediately after, does the 90 day deadline for marriage apply to them in any way after that point (assuming they married within that time) as far as the waiting period for the AOS approval is concerned?

Thanks again.

Engagement is largely a formality. When you file the I-129F both of you will sign and statement of intent to marry within 90 days of entering the US.... I believe that that (plus having met within 2 years of applying and being available to marry (of marriageable age, not currently married and not related in such a way as to make marriage illegal... oh, and currently, of opposite sex... however depending on the DOMA ruling with the Supremes, this may depend on your state, so that I, living in Washington state where same-sex marriage is legal, might be able to petition for a male fiance, but this is largely supposition at this point). There are some other issues that may affect your case, such as sex crimes and domestic violence convictions, marriage broker stuff, that may apply depending on individual circumstances.

I don't know that the K1 beneficiary HAS to remain in their country. I suppose they COULD stay here as a tourist visa for the duration, but they would need to return to their country for the final stage (i.e. actually applying for the visa, once the petition is approved). Now, good luck trying to come in on a tourist visa or getting the request for a tourist visa extension with a K1 pending, but it COULD happen.

Spouse stays in country until AP is approved or green card is in hand, whichever comes first.

Spouse may work once EAD, or green card, is in hand, whichever comes first.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-06 18:55:00

1) The minimum requirements is for the petitioner to have visited the beneficiary within the last 2 years. The "prospective fiance" aka beneficiary does not necessarily have to get engaged within the US. The I-129F is the petition in order to apply for the K1 visa. Once this is approved, then you start the K1 visa process which is an additional couple of months dependent on your country and how organised you are.

2) Once you receive the k1 visa you must marry within 90 days.

3) After you are married (within the 90 day period) you can apply for the AOS. This is dependent on when you receive your marriage certificate - I understand some states are up to a 6 week wait for an official copy. You must submit this in your AOS package. After they receive their Advance Parole and Employment Authorisation, they are free to work and travel.

Small clarification. Once you receive the K1 visa, you have 6 months to enter the US. Upon entry into the US you have 90 days to marry and file for AOS.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-06 18:46:00

Thanks for the info. When did you file? Did you also file for an AP? If so, how long did it take?

In your original scenario you seem to be under the impression that she can just come down here, get married, go back to Canada, wrap up her affairs and then whisk right back down. This is not the way it works.

I kind of get the impression that you are thinking of adjusting status for her when she is here. She would have come into the country with the intent to marry which is visa fraud. (sorry if it sounds as harsh as it does, but them's the rules).

So, assuming you are not intending to break the law, you are looking at either a CR1 (marriage visa) or a K1 (fiancee visa). As far as timing is concerned, let me kind of play with the scenario you talked about and see if I can paint a picture.

CR1. She comes down as a tourist, you get married and then she returns to Canada. No fraud. You would then file a petition to apply for a CR1 visa. The petition will take several (6 to 10) months to approve. Once that is approved, the case is sent to the Department of State and the foreign consulate where the actual visa processing, interview, affidavit of support, etc will take place. This will take another few months (I don't 2 to 6). She would have 6 months to immigrate. Once she enters the US would be a Permanent Resident (Conditional, but that is a story for another day). She could work and leave the country whenever she wants.

K1, you would file right now a petition for her to apply for a fiancee visa. You would again wait a long time (5 to 10 months). Then the case is forwarded to state and the consulate for the second half (another 2 to 6 months). Then she would come here within 6 months of having her visa. Once she gets to the US, she has 90 days to marry. Once she marries then you apply for the Adjustment of Status, the Employment Authorization and the Advance Parole. The AOS takes loads of time, but the EAD and the AP take 2 to 3 months. She would not be able to work or leave the country until she has the EAD and the AP, respectively. The AP can be expedited, in the case of some kind of emergency (death in the family). Of course "expediting" with USCIS can itself be a lengthy process.

I hope you can see that in both situations, your fiancee would have ample time to settle their affairs before immigrating. Your timing issues seem to me only relevant if you are considering having her overstay a tourist visa (or whatever they call what Canadians come down here on), which everyone on VJ would advise you not to do.

Good luck on your journey.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-06 10:21:00

Denial decision

Baby is 18 months....

18 + 9 = 27 > 24 == 2 years.... inconclusive... of course, further statements by OP indicate that he was there in 2011, so that covers the 2 year criterion.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-08 15:49:00

Recent Approvals, Get Your Tax Transcripts Now

Just a heads up for recent petition approvals. If you need to get tax transcripts, get them now. The IRS site says that the service will be unavailable from 05/23 to 05/28.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-22 21:58:00

Mixed messages on Affidavit of Support: asking for both the I-134 and I-864

We just received our NOA 2 and I'm collecting everything, but I have contradicting statements from the State Dept website and the Embassy website.

The Embassy Consular Section in San Salvador says I need the I-864:
http://travel.state....L-0002-1212.pdf

Then the embassy K-1 packet page tells me I need the I-134....
http://sansalvador.u...packets/k1.html

THEN the spanish version says I need the I-134...
http://photos.state....a_o_K1_Dec4.pdf

That first letter is about Immigrant Visas. The K-1 is considered a non-immigrant visa. You fill out the I-134 for the K-1. Feel free to contact the consulate for confirmation of this information. At least with the consulate in Lima, they are very quick to respond and the information should be of higher quality, since it comes straight from the horse's mouth.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-25 15:29:00

So my fiance didn't pay her taxes.....

even if she didn't make any money she is supposed to file her tax return.

If she didn't make ANY money, there is no income. There would be no reason to file income tax returns. However, if she didn't make MUCH money, which implies that she did make SOME money, then there would be income, and you would be correct that she "should" file income tax returns. She can do so now, I believe... She should contact the IRS and ask how she could go about filing a late return.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-08-05 09:27:00

Medical exam, vaccines.

Yikes!! I hope it doesn´t take that long; we already booked our flight back to Tacna!!!!

Do you know how often they turn people down? I am worried that because I quit my job to move back to Peru a couple months ago, and I have to use a financial sponsor they will tell us no, even though I have a job lined up back in the States... We are both so nervous; I hope they are nice!

We will be living in Tacoma; although I do love the Olympia area!!!

--Rose

They seemed nice enough.

I will let others who went to Lima and used a co-sponsor, answer on that aspect of your case.

Best of luck again.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-09-11 11:15:00

Medical exam, vaccines.

Hello All,

I am a little confused as to where to post this... sorry!!! My novio and I have our interview in Lima on October 9th. We are both very, very nervous! Does anyone have any pointers for us?? What kind of questions will they ask? ALSO! Can anyone please tell me how long the interview lasts?

Our interview is scheduled for 8:45 in the morning, but we have booked a flight for 3:30 in the afternoon to return to Tacna... is this ok?? Will we have enough time?!?!?

Please reply!!! GRACIAS!!!!

3:30 might be pushing it. The embassy is in the middle of nowhere and it will take you forever to get from there to Callao for your flight.

The problem is that you will sit around and wait a potentially loooooong time. So, if you are unlucky and don't get out of there until, say, 1 PM. Now you have 2 and half hours to get from the embassy to the airport, check in, clear security and make your flight. Good luck, but I would schedule a later flight (remember you are going to be exhausted and hungry when you get out of there, so I suggest lunch and a round of pisco sours and you will want a little leisure time to enjoy that).

The questions they ask will depend on the information you presented. First, they will call you up and you will give them the application form and then be told to pay the visa fee. Go to the window to pay the fee and if no one is there, press the green button. You can pay in dollars, soles or credit card (visa and mc I think). After that, they will call your fiance over and he will give them the forms they ask for (judicial certificates, I-134). She will also ask a few questions about how you met, etc.

Then you will get to wait. After a waiting period you will either be called to a window or a little room. You can go with him at this point. I let my fiancee answer all the questions, except for a couple that were directed at me.

Think about any red flags in your situation (age differences, few visits, short relationship, etc) as those may be asked.

I think Lima is a pretty easy embassy from what I have read here and the experience we had. You will probably be okay.

Where in WA are you guys going to be? We are down in Olympia.

Mark

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-09-11 10:55:00

Medical exam, vaccines.

You should have waited. The doctor in Lima will assess and apply the needed vaccinations. My fiancee had no vaccination records, and this is what was done.

Edited by pachacuti, 31 August 2013 - 11:45 PM.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-08-31 23:45:00

Name: MARIA and MA.

I wouldn't sweat it too much. USCIS should be familiar with the common Latin abbreviation of Ma. for Maria. You could, however, always add a note explaining this if you want to. Some of our docs had this abbreviation, where we had always used the complete Maria. We provided no further explanation. We had no issues. Having said that: YMMV

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-10-12 13:00:00

It's not meant to be rude. Just a general observation.

This whole visa process makes us so stressed out, I fully understand why someone would create a thread for a simple question. I've posted a link to Igor's List a couple of times. The way I see it is more like: I give the information to someone now and this person will hopefully help others in the future. And also, trying to educate them on how to find the information they want.

I have to say, sometimes I get bothered by the amount of "NOA2 APROVED!!!!" threads, but damn sure I'll make one myself when I get mine!

Me too. I think it ultimately comes down to this. If someone posts something you don't like, move on to another thread. No one is forcing you to read a particular thread.

As for whether people are lazy or not, I don't think that is necessarily the issue.

The issue is that this is a complex and overwhelming knowledge area. When you first come here, you don't even know what is what. You should be comfortable enough to ask the questions you need to to get your bearings. I would hope that these forums (fora???) are inviting enough for people to do that. Trust me, the dude who asked the clueless question may very well be the guy answering stuff in a few months. Pay it forward. But if you are feeling bummed but repetitive stuff, move along; there is nothing for you to see here.

I too will be crowing about my NOA2, so get ready folks

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-12 19:30:00

It's not meant to be rude. Just a general observation.

Everyone accesses information differently. Some search, some don't. I think we should continue to be helpful, even when the question seems obvious. When helping, point to links they should have found, don't answer straightaway. This may have the effect of helping those folks find stuff on their own. But the big benefit, is that those links will come up in searches more towards the top and be more helpful to those who do fend for themselves.

Just my two pennies, but I believe in being as helpful as possible. Remember that your grandma still doesn't get what the internet even is

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-05-12 14:15:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

Interview in Manila

Congratulations! I'm happy for you...I can't wait for my day to come, how I wish hayyy...God Bless Us.

Virgogirl518

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-12-30 04:23:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

Interview day : TODAY!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS! God is Good ALL the TIME...God Bless.

Virgogirl518

Not Telling

Philippines

2014-01-02 01:48:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

Interview day : TODAY!!!!

Congrats! all I can say is keep praying and praying more praying is the only weapon we can do right now. I can't wait for my turn next month or so wishful thinking...Lets hope for the best GOD BLESS TO HER.

Virgogirl518

Not Telling

Philippines

2014-01-01 19:10:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

Interview experience (Seoul) I finally have visa in my hand =)

Congratulations! I love South Korea and I miss Korean food very much=)) we used to work there in Masan City it is South of Seoul and Tongyeong City and btw Tongyeong food is excellent compare to some other city yum yum. I have my IR-1 visa in hand goodluck to us in the USA.

Virgogirl518

Not Telling

Philippines

2014-07-20 20:11:00

Step by step procedure pls help

Hi LH3an you can call US Embassy in Manila and ask for requirements and how to apply citizenship for your baby...God Bless and good luck.

Virgogirl518

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-09-25 04:31:00

Does age difference affect approval?

Hi Freckle, don't worry too much you're not alone, my husband is 24years older than me and we have been married for 13years now, our marriage relationship is getting stronger everyday...at the consulate interview stage? nah no worry about that there are alot of people who are older than thier spouse and vice versa who got approved. This is very light problem to worry about is just nothing:) God Bless Us ALL.

Virgogirl518

Not Telling

Philippines

2013-09-13 02:54:00

REQUEST FOR EXTENSION I-129F

Hi guys sorry if I join your conversation without making my own trade. since this trade talking about K1 extension. my question is How can I extend my IR-1 visa? I still in the PH and my IR-1 expiry date is Nov.20,2014 next month. I want to extend at least until the end of December2014. If anyone out there have personal experience about this process please share it with me. please please please. Thanks and God Bless.

Virgogirl518

Not Telling

Philippines

2014-10-08 01:01:00

Is my wife banned from the US until K-3 Visa given?

Again so very appreciative of all the input and support!! I'm amazed what people can do when they work together!

zaragozazaragoza

Male

Italy

2013-08-24 14:39:00

Is my wife banned from the US until K-3 Visa given?

Are you saying this because I mentioned I-129F docs? Sorry about that. I know we are going for IR-1/CR-1, I'm trying to figure out what's next, and find the site a little confusing (maybe I'm slow!) and keep seeing places that say i-129F. So, its not clear what docs we need next or what form we fill out next. So any help would be appreciated. On a positive note, i received the email USCIS Acceptance Confirmation and am awaiting the I-797... IS that the only next form or are there others? Thanks!

zaragozazaragoza

Male

Italy

2013-08-24 09:33:00

Is my wife banned from the US until K-3 Visa given?

You keep saying K3. Did you also file a I-129F after you got the I-130 case# receipt?

But if you just filed I-130 thats a CR1/IR1 Visa in the end.

Yeah, I'm clear that there is no K3 and that I am working on CR1/IR1. It was the title of the thread so I think that's why it continues to come up. But at this point I've only recently filed the i-130 and am waiting for the NoA from it. We have gathered I-129F docs and are finallizing those. Additionally the big thing is getting us together and figuring out how to do that without jeopardizing or delaying the process in any way.

zaragozazaragoza

Male

Italy

2013-08-23 13:05:00

Is my wife banned from the US until K-3 Visa given?

Thanks again! So, now our question is: if while the I-130 is being processed my wife comes for a visit on VWP visa and leaves the US as she said she would within the 90 days, is there any chance that this visit would jeaopardize the spousal visa or delay it or be seen as a mark against us?

zaragozazaragoza

Male

Italy

2013-08-23 12:41:00

Is my wife banned from the US until K-3 Visa given?

Again thank you all so much. So, if she were to come to the US to visit with the intention of returning to await the rest of the process to play out, what would she tell the customs and immigration official upon arrival? Would she say that she is married to a US citizen who has filed for spousal visa, and she is coming to visit with the intention of returning to her home country and has strong ties there (job, mortgage, family, bank accounts, etc.) or would she simply say she was coming to visit the country or what? Seems quite risky!

Again thanks in advance! I'm quite impressed with how quickly I have received this information and wish that I would have been posting on here long ago.

Best to you all!

zaragozazaragoza

Male

Italy

2013-08-23 10:17:00

Is my wife banned from the US until K-3 Visa given?

Thanks for your replies! I filed the I-130 on Tuesday Aug 20th. And can work through the CR1 process, but if K3 is obsolete, why is it still on the Visa Journey site?

By the way who is OP? The attorney I spoke with didn't handle the paper work, I did, but I may have misquoted her. The key thing is she advised us that my wife wouldn't be able to move over or shouldn't attempt a visit until the visa is approved.

zaragozazaragoza

Male

Italy

2013-08-23 10:00:00

Is my wife banned from the US until K-3 Visa given?

I am a US citizen applying for a spousal visa for my wife who is outside the country. I filed an I-130 earlier this week. Before I did this I talked with an immigration attorney who told me that while the I-130 is being processed my wife cannot enter the country for any reason. We are still going through denial about the fact that she can't come to the US while we await the visa.

So, is it true that she would not be able to fly to the U.S. until we go through the whole process and she receives the K3 visa?

Are there other options? Are we as a couple really going to be separated for that long?

One thing that has made me confused is that on the Visa Journey site (http://www.visajourn...tent/compare#k3),
it says under the section on advantages of the K-3 visa: "The K-3 Visa Holder may apply for Adjustment of Status within the US BEFORE the underlying I-130 petition is approved. " This makes me think that Anna can be here before the i-130 is approved.

I'm so confused, please help!

Thanks,

Anthony Zaragoza

zaragozazaragoza

Male

Italy

2013-08-23 09:36:00

Good news? Bad News? Or No News?

I received an email today saying, "On February 18, 2014, we transferred this case I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN to another office for processing and sent you a notice explaining this action. Please follow any instructions provided on the notice. We will notify you by mail when a decision is made."

Is this good news? Bad news? Or no news? And when they say a notice is this coming in the mail?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

zaragozazaragoza

Male

Italy

2014-02-18 20:05:00

Can IV Package Documents Arrive Separately?

We are at the NVC stage; we've paid the AOS and IV fees (and gotten receipts); we've sent the AOS package; and are about to submit the DS 260 form and send the IV documents.

The NVC wants a specific set of documents in the IV Package. My spouse can send in documents from her end along with the bar code cover page and her own cover page listing the documents she is sending. But there is one document she does not have with her, which is my divorce decree. Can I send the divorce decree to the NVC using a bar code cover page and my own cover page indicating that the remaining documents will arrive separately with her IV package? Or do I need to send it to her so that she can send it all in one package?

Thank you for any information you can provide!

Sincerely,
Anthony Zaragoza

zaragozazaragoza

Male

Italy

2014-07-02 13:26:00

IV Package: Duplicate Documents or Supplemental Documents

We are at the NVC stage; we've paid the AOS and IV fees (and gotten receipts); we've sent the AOS package; and are about to submit the DS 260 form and send the IV documents. The NVC wants a specific set of documents. Most of these documents we sent in with our original application. Do we need to send in a whole NEW set of these documents even if they are documents we've already sent? Or do they have all those documents from the packages we sent in before? Do we simply look at the list and supplement what has already been sent with what we have not yet sent (such as a police record)?

Thank you for any information you can provide!

Sincerely,
Anthony Zaragoza

zaragozazaragoza

Male

Italy

2014-07-02 13:21:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

Thank you for your advice I do know that it will be a difficult period for him and for me. I have been talking to him and my family about how he will be 100% dependent on me and us as he will not know anyone else and will still be learning to perfect his English.

We have also been trying to figure out the best place for us to live as he has only spent his life in his very small campo town in Peru. We have discussed him living in my small town in Maine with my family as it would be more similar to the small town life, but I'm afraid he might be very uncomfortable there as the only minority. We have also discussed living with my family in Chicago where there is more diversity and he might feel a little less of an outsider, but then we will have the adjustment for him to live in a big city....

Our plan at this point is to do a little of both to see where we will be most comfortable, but I know it is going to be a learn as you go process. Either way I feel that we are strong enough to overcome the difficulties and stresses. He has helped me during my two years of really difficult living as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and now it is my turn to give back and support him. As long as we are together, I feel that we will always have strength.

h

Maine is a long way from Washington, but feel free to connect with my and mine, if you need any kind of support

Of course my love is Limenha pura, so she will be going through the opposite of what your fiance will experience. Also, Patty has traveled all over Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina. She has also been to Europe (Spain, Italy, Germany), so she is not completely unfamiliar with being in a foreign place. This, of course, is the first time she will be relocating to a foreign place, so that will be new for her. But, I think I am ready. She still has to get her head around the idea... I think it is still a little too far off for her. Once she is the heat of doing stuff for the embassy portion of this journey, it will hit and she and I can talk again.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-03-24 20:05:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

Thanks to Darnell?s advice in another thread, I started exercising.

It gets me moving and away from the computer at least one hour of the day.

My moods improved and so did my fretting about this process and being apart.

I still miss my hubby dearly but he has noticed that I seem happier as well.

From your timeline it looks like you only have a month or two more to go... Sweet. Or not... isn't the embassy in Canada one of the long wait ones? Peru is supposed be only 2 or 3 months tops.

Edited by pachacuti, 22 March 2013 - 03:55 PM.

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-03-22 15:54:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

...

So, you have done IV-A stuff too then (assuming that is what DSS does). I was the ombudsman for my agency for two years, so I know what complaints are like. The difference was, when they called me, I actually investigated what was going on with the case. If it was being processed normally, that is what I would tell them. If there was something amiss, then I would contact the worker's supervisor and I had the power to tell them what to do

But we made (make) every effort to be transparent. There are obviously lots of workers who don't take this attitude, and when you work there, you know who they are. I moved into IT about 12 years ago (but I left state service a few months back) and even in IT, I would sometimes get calls from the public that just ended up getting routed to me. My attitude with each of those calls was that I was the department as far as that person was concerned... I made sure they had my phone number and that I was responsible for them until I managed to get them to the right person. In 100% of those cases I left members of the public with a better attitude about my department and about government in general. This is the level of service I expect from every agency... every single one. USCIS is failing miserably and giving government a bad name. I was very proud to give public service and took great pride in my work. Why can't they do the same?

Thanks for the encouragement about my relationship with my son. I know that everything will be great once we are all together and can get on with our lives together. This limbo ####### is horrible...

I don't hold Yemen against you. And I strongly encourage complaining from everyone

Oh! And I don't get the "immigration should be hard" comments from people I associate with. Quite the contrary. Of course, I always preface my diatribes with my view that immigration reform should start with streamlining the process for family-based visas. I think no one wants to argue with me after that

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-03-22 15:45:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

For the last 22 years, my whole life has been all about hurry up and wait. I've actually been through this process once before, but it was 10 years ago, and I don't remember how it went by so quickly last time. I've written a request for expedite, but have no REAL grounds for it, as I know I'm not deploying soon, and will not have to move for another 4 more years if I'm lucky. I'm planning on going over for my birthday, and we are going to Europe for hers, and then I'm not sure if I will go for the interview, or to go and pick her up, but I will go for one of those. Yes, it's a lot of money in airfare, but I'm also racking up all those air miles too!

As always wishing everyone luck in all their processes, so long as my packet goes first. hahaha

I wish you the best of luck. I fear we will be forum-mates for a while.

I hear you on the airfare. I am glad I can at least afford to do that. That and my job will let me remote for a week or two, letting me stay a little longer without having to decimate my accumulated leave. I was down for more than 3 weeks over Christmas and New Years and I am going back for a couple weeks mid-April. Depending on timing, I hope to be there for the interview... we will see.

And if you get your packet before I get mine, just know that my envy will seek you out to cause you some pain

pachacuti

Male

Peru

2013-03-22 15:25:00