ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresTravel after NOA2 but before marriage

I'm in the US right now on a visit and had no problem at POE. I'm already married to my USC husband and awaiting my CR-1 visa.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-08-22 16:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHELP!! Forgot to enter Social Security number I-129F (petitioner)

I'm not so sure, they cashed my check before I even got NOA1! Government loves their money :P I don't think they'd let it go so easy.

 

 

 

We had the opposite experience, we got our NOA1 9 days before our status updated to say our cheque bounced :P for some reason the bank didn't want to let go of the money! Thankfully our petition wasn't rejected, probably because we already had our NOA1, and my husband was given the option of paying by card over the phone. No harm no foul :)


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-08-28 14:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresStarting process to bring my boyfriend to the US

I think if/when the officer at his next interview realises you got pregnant while he was married to this other woman who also happened to be a US citizen, they may believe your boyfriend to be going through different women to try getting into the US, especially since the pregnancy happened so soon after the first visa rejection. It makes it look like the first wife was an object who lost its use once the visa was rejected, so he dropped her and found another to try again with.

 

The above opinion is not my own, but the officers at the consulates take dim views to, well, everything. Especially in high-fraud countries where they actively look for reasons to reject K-1 visas in seemingly legit cases.

 

You will need to prove with paperwork that you have both found your true loves in each other and that the first marriage ended due to normal marital breakdown, not just because immigration benefits could not be procured from the first wife. 

 

Considering he was rejected for a CR/IR-1, I don't hold out hope for the K-1, but if you don't try then the answer will always be no.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-04 16:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresDo we need to have a wedding within 90 days or is a legal marriage sufficient?

I'm doing a CR-1 visa, but still want to chime in with the kind of wedding we had.

 

We literally drove down to Columbus OH, went into a walk-in chapel with three witnesses (two of my husband's relatives and a friend of his from work) and got married for 65 bucks. Then we went to the bar next door and had a shot of whisky each before driving home.

 

Weddings don't need a lot of planning.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-04 14:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresVery emotional after mailing I-129F

I remember when I sent our I-130 package to my husband to sign the forms, I felt relieved that I'd finally finished. It took me about a month to get everything together, so I was glad to see the back of it :D

 

The most emotional I got was when our case was transferred out of the National Benefits Center to the Nebraska Service Center. I was happy that something was finally happening! When we got our NOA2 I was just like "jolly good, on to NVC". Except it wasn't so jolly good since we got there just before the backlog began -_-


Edited by Ketsuban, 07 September 2014 - 12:20 PM.

KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-07 12:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresNOA2 Approval notice- valid from...?

If the NOA2 expires before all is done, the embassy just automatically renews it and the beneficiary brings new letters of intent to marry to the interview. Don't worry about it.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-09 16:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThe Yellow Envelope

just more ####### they put us through!!! they tore the damn envelope sealing it plastic!!! my fiancee better not get denied entry because of their mistake!

 

If you're really that worried, your fiance can go back to the embassy and get them to reseal it. Whether she has to book an appointment first, I don't know.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-13 08:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresGirlfriend, VWP + K-1 ??

I'm already married to an American, have a CR-1 application pending and I visited for 2 weeks a month ago. It is very possible to visit with an I-129F pending.


Edited by Ketsuban, 22 September 2014 - 02:58 PM.

KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-22 14:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWedding in April 1st NOA recieved yesterday

 

Had emails to and from Border Control which backs up what you are saying :)

 

Sent the following to Border control:

 

 

Hi

My fiancee has applied for a K1 visa for me. She is a US citizen. My waiver is due to expire in August. I am planning on visiting her in November, hence I will need a new VWP. I have return flights booked. I can get a letter from my job, bank statements, credit card statements, loan statements etc.

I will definitely be returning and definitely will not be getting married under a VWP. I know we have to wait until the K1 is approved before marrying in the US.

Am I ok to travel once I prove that I will be returning and will not be getting marrying under the VWP?





 

 

To which the reply was:

 

Unfortunately, the Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative filed on your behalf reveals that you intend to live permanently in the U.S. at some point in the future. As a result, noncitizens with pending I-130 petitions who want to visit the U.S. face greater scrutiny when applying for a B-2 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate or from Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), if traveling on the VWP. In the worst-case scenario, this means that you could fly all the way to the U.S. only to be turned back by CBP.
This is why it is essential that you bring as much documentation as possible to show that you:
1. have binding ties to your home country that prove that you intend to return
2. plan to stay for only a short time, and
3. can pay for your living expenses during your U.S. trip.



 

I-130? Alien Relative? K-1 is the I129F Petition for Alien Fiance :P silly CBP


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-05-29 13:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresLoss of the original K1 packet

 
Yes, you are correct.  During my gal's K1 interview the CO did ask to see documents in her packet, even though the CO had our original packet in front of her.  There should always be 3 copies made:  one submitted, the petitioner keeps a copy and the beneficiary keeps a copy.
Best of luck!
 



That was horribly redundant of the CO. "Show me what I already have here in front of me, I am just THAT lazy" :P

KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-09-23 06:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresNo Reason Denial. URGENT HELP.

I am also wondering how your petition was approved so quickly. I hear others on here complaining about how long their k-1 is taking, you were approved in only 30 days. Maybe something on the part of USCIS was not completed before it being approved and sent off in error to NVC and then the embassy. Just a thought.

 

Nah, for a while I-129Fs for K-1 visas were being approved lightning fast! It would seem that it isn't the case any longer.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-08-20 18:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresCan my girlfriend visit me under VWP? Will be her first time coming to USA

I visited the US last July and accidentally lined up at a desk with a mean-looking officer who sent an entire family immediately before me to secondary. My turn came, and shaking like a leaf, I told him I was visiting my boyfriend.

 

He asked me for how long, then stamped me in :D


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-07-04 14:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresPossible denials - curious

Another reason I've seen is where the petitioner is a legal resident of the beneficiary's country and is looking to move back to the US with them, but they failed to establish proper proof of re-establishing domicile in the US. I read a thread on British Expats about that once.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-10-11 08:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAre my evidence of ongoing relationship good enough?

Do you really think that the visa maybe refused if your fiance supports you with money? isn't it silly? I thought that it shoved that he is able to support his fiancee and he does it. 

 

It depends on the beneficiary's country of origin and also the personal opinion of the Consular Officer reviewing the file. 

 

I helped my husband pay off his (our :P) car so sent an amount of money each month when I got paid. I sent evidence of this, and it was clear in the Paypal receipts that it was to help pay his car. I'm also from the UK which is not seen as a high-fraud country.

 

However someone from Nigeria sending some amount of money per month to their American spouse/fiance could raise suspicion because it could look like they are paying the American to get them a one-way ticket to the US via marriage. 

 

It will be the overall picture of the relationship that will make or break the visa issuance in the CO's eyes, so if everything else seems in order then the wire transfers would probably be a non-issue. That's why for high-fraud countries it's a good idea to send in proof of a real relationship on top of the proof of meeting in the last two years. The CO won't necessarily want to look at anything you bring with you to the interview and will go by the case file sent from USCIS/NVC alone.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-10-11 14:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresYes, you can visit!

Hi, CR-1 filer here but thought I would post my experience to calm people's nerves.

 

I flew from London Heathrow to Cleveland Hopkins and my POE was Newark.

 

I was greeted by an empty immigration hall and the conversation was like this:

 

Her: *takes passport and customs form, then starts looking at the customs form* could I have your passport?
Me: ...you've got it already

Her: Oh yeah lololol *scans it then tells me to do the fingerprints and camera shot* So what is the purpose of your visit today?

Me: I'm going to be visiting my family today

Her: Oh, it's a family visit? Which family members?

Me: My husband and my in-laws

Her: Your husband! How come he lives here and you live in the UK?

Me: Well, he was born here and I was born there  :P

Her: Well, you should move here!

Me: We're in the process of it

Her: Oh, getting your Green Card?
Me: Yeah, we're at the NVC stage

Her: huh, ok *stamps me in* have a nice day!

Me: You too! *walks off in disbelief that I discussed my immigrant intent and still got in xD*

 

I recommend Newark. I've flown through there the last four times I've visited and have never had any trouble with the officers. Most of the time you can even pick which desk to line up at (if it's not busy - so I suggest fast walking from your plane), which is how I ended up with the nice chatty woman above. If anything, her whole demeanour made me think she wanted me to stay in the country, not that I will be! I think she just felt sorry for me :P


Edited by Ketsuban, 14 August 2014 - 02:57 PM.

KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-08-14 14:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresYes, you can visit!

Hi all

 

Below is my latest experience at the POE. I don't have a K-1 pending, and am getting married this visit to pursue the CR-1, but felt this would still be helpful as I made the border officer aware I was in a romantic relationship with a USC.

 

Officer: What's the purpose of your visit?

Me: I'm visiting my boyfriend.

Officer: How long you staying?

Me: 2 weeks and 2 days.

Officer: Have a nice stay.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-29 17:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThe RFE Master List

 

When you send in your petition, you can send in a form G-1145 that gives them your email address and phone number so they can email and text you when there has been a change or update on your case. I don't know if you can do it after the fact somehow or not. As for seeing the change in your status, if you have received your NOA1 in the mail, it should have your case number in the letter. Go to uscis.gov and then click on tools, check your case status online and put in your case number. That will allow you to see your case status online.

 

Just quick clarification: The G-1145 will alert you with the NOA1. If you want updates after that, you need to make an account on the USCIS website, then add your receipt number to that account :)


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2014-08-14 16:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresNeed Help In Trying To Provide Primary Evidence and Secondary Evidence

Yes your Skype and Facebook messages do help. I copied and paste all my Skype conversations but not word for word, but to show dates and times on and off. same as Facebook, I had over 9000 conversation on FB from 2011 till present, I edited it down to 200 pages for the 3 years and put all conversations in a folder to show all types of communication between us including Yahoo Email, Yahoo Messenger, KIK messenger, What's App messenger. Have all passport entry stamps photocopied , keep all plane tickets/ boarding passes etc. You should be ok. My RFE was just a certified signed and seal divorce document that I need to send them since my photo copy had no seal on it to verify it was a court document. Good Luck.


JayMariFemaleSingapore2013-10-10 10:53:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDS260?????

You can also send certified copies.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-10-23 13:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedureshelp

Make sure you have enough money in the bank this time.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-10-30 16:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedureshelp

Hi, this happened to us too.

 

You'll get an NOA informing you that you'll receive an invoice.

 

Then you'll receive the invoice. You can send the remittance slip back to the address printed on it with a money order or a check. There is also the option to pay by card over the phone which is what we did.

 

If you don't pay within 14 days of the invoice date (bear in mind it'll take 3 - 7 days to even reach you in the first place), your petition will be rejected and mailed back to you, meaning you'll need to start over.

 

Also forgot to mention there will be a $30.00 bounced check fee you'll have to give them too on top of the $420.00 for the petition.


Edited by Ketsuban, 30 October 2013 - 04:04 PM.

KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-10-30 16:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNeed some advice and insight from those who have, or are, doing this..

If they base on age, thats discrimination, you are also of legal age to decide who you date and who you're with. I wouldn't worry about the age difference.

 

Some consulates around the world have been known to deny based on age differences and even based on inter-racial relationships. Discrimination doesn't come into it, they can and will deny if they think it is contrary to the beneficiary's country's customs. However, Australia is a lot more accepting of older women dating younger men, so it doesn't matter in OP's case.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-03 08:29:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNeed some advice and insight from those who have, or are, doing this..

Australia isn't a high fraud country. You'll be fine smile.png

 

And as far as I'm aware, they won't have to sponsor you if they choose not to. Any US legal resident/citizen can sponsor you, as long as they make the 125% poverty rate for their current household size + you.


Edited by Ketsuban, 03 November 2013 - 08:17 AM.

KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-03 08:14:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresEvidence of Bonafided Marriage

Hello :)

 

I was also a little disconcerted about USCIS apparently expecting us to have lived with our spouses when that's what the visa is supposed to be for!

 

A lot of people who file for the CR-1/IR-1 are people who have lived together either in the US previously, or in another country where they are filing from, which is why they ask. USCIS don't expect newly-weds to have joint accounts or common residency because they do understand you are getting the CR-1 to do just that, so don't worry about it.

 

Send in some photos covering the span of your relationship, gift receipts from online shopping, maybe any emails you have between each other, phone bills showing texts and calls to each other... that's some stuff I can think of, if you have it available.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-03 08:00:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresBest POE for getting GC fast

Your passport stamp when coming in on the CR-1/IR-1 counts as a temporary GC for a year anyway. What's the rush?


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-06 13:48:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRight thing to do?

You could make an Infopass appointment - then you can go to an office in person and speak to someone. You can make such an appointment via the USCIS website.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-06 07:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresVaccination records in maiden name

Don't you have a passport or driver license showing your photo and that maiden name?

 

I got my name changed and subsequently updated my passport, but I do have the old one with my maiden name. I will take that with me whenever the time comes :) thanks
 


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-08 18:20:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresVaccination records in maiden name

I just thought of something that probably has a very simple answer.

 

Can I use vaccination records with my maiden name written on them at the visa medical? Or will they think I have stolen someone else's records? :P


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-08 16:14:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHelp w/ denial. Positive drug urine test & Stupidity

Am I the only one who had no problem reading from the OP that her husband smoked weed during the going away party before the medical? I don't understand.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-10 07:42:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestion on I-130--About to Send Today, Please Answer, Urgent!

If there is a problem with your cheque and it bounces, they will send the invoice to the address on the cheque. That's what they did in our case, as my husband hasn't had a new chequebook since moving. Might be worth setting up a postal redirect if you anticipate problems.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-10 07:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAm I married or still single in the US (weird question)

Btw, if your paystubs currently say "single", that is fine. It is when you file in January that you need to be sure you put "married" to avoid scary tax repercussions. Obviously you can tell your employer you're married now, but my husband tried that and was ignored by them, which is why I had to find out for sure it was ok for paystubs to be wrong like that.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-03 08:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-130 confusing transfer - Need advice

 

At least you got a letter, We no idea that ours had been transfered untill I spoke with a teir II a few weeks. We  still wouldn't know as they have never sent us anything and to think our fait is in the hands of this agency.... ranting33va.gif  The news I received from them "We are working on Oct, 2012 I-130's"
 

 

Eh, they always say that. It's to decrease the amount of investigations opened into I-130s that still haven't been adjudicated.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-09 19:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresadministrative procesding with 221 g form given

If the writ of mandamus even goes through, that just means they need to make a decision within a timeframe (I think 60 days?) so if the security checks and whatnot aren't complete by then, they'll just deny the visa since they ran out of time and need to make a decision. That's the risk you take by trying to force them to hurry up.

 

Edit: mimolicious beat me to it


Edited by Ketsuban, 12 November 2013 - 07:10 PM.

KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-12 19:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCR1 -USCIS got petitioner name wrong?!!

The NOA1 says to verify the information they have written is correct. So just call the number on it and fix it.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-13 15:37:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-864 - taxes not filed

Actually, we're not going to file his 2011 return. I read somewhere he needs to prove he got an extension (he didn't, obviously!) and to be frank, he didn't need to file anyway. So we'll just attach the statement about him not needing to file and not tick either box about the tax returns. Worst case scenario, we get an RFE but I don't want him to tick any statements that aren't true without NVC's explicit say-so.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-14 08:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-864 - taxes not filed

It's an example of a form that likely fits most, but not all. And it doesn't fit you

Suggestions from my brain, not any official source:

1) Cross out 3 and write in 2 years. (I have crossed out on a USCIS form with no repercussions)

2) Tick it anyway and don't worry about it.

3) Don't tick it and tick the other one about sending tax returns for the second and third most recent years. Then behind the form send 2013, 2012, and statement about 2011. Ot's kinda like the statement takes the place of the third year.







 

Thank you. These are good options. However, I have asked my husband to retrospectively file his 1040 for 2011 (took me a long time to find the 2011 form!) and send it off to IRS so we can order the transcript later down the line and save us all the hassle. Since he doesn't owe anything with a $0 income, it should be fine.

 

Should anything happen and for some reason they don't acknowledge it, then I will go with ticking it anyway and hopefully NVC will just shut up and take it :D
 


You can include only your most recent tax return. Check off the first box where it says I have included my most recent year of taxes. 

 

It might not be a bad idea to get a co-sponsor. Maybe his parents? Or a sibling who makes just as much money? They want to be able to see that your husband will be able to support you and that you won't become a burden to the government by getting things such as public assistance.

 

Good luck smile.png

 

We don't really have anyone who could be a co-sponsor, so hopefully this should all work out. Otherwise we'll go to the tabloids to sell our story of our "20 year long Skype marriage" and make money that way :)
 


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-13 18:32:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-864 - taxes not filed

My husband is going to be the sole sponsor. He currently earns circa $30,000 a year.

 

As this is his first full time job, he only has taxes filed for 2012, the year he started working, and will have the 2013 taxes done by the time we need to do the Affidavit of Support. He didn't file for 2011 because his income was $0.

 

Now, the tick-box on the I-864 says "I have filed a Federal tax return for each of the three most recent tax years. I have attached the required photocopy or transcript of my Federal tax return for only the most recent tax year". We are going to provide the most recent transcript, but since he hasn't filed the past three years, we can't tick this box because that would be a false statement. Is that a problem?

 

We are going to attach a statement saying he didn't earn anything in 2011 and that is why he didn't file taxes but we just want to be sure we can leave that tick-box blank.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-13 17:15:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHELP! I-864 number 23 my current individual annual income

Yes, the gross income before taxes.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-17 21:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHELP! I-864 number 23 my current individual annual income

We are in the same situation. Advice I got from another site told me to use the W-2 figure from the year before, or to average out paychecks over 6 months then give a total annual estimate, with paystubs and a letter from the employer as back-up. I would go with the second option if your income fluctuates quite significantly year-to-year.


KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-10-23 13:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresContent of letter in lieu of tax returns/transcript (split topic)

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but in the spaces where you write your income for the past three years, write something in there like "did not file". This is because it is asking you to enter an amount as it appears on your tax returns (which you didn't file). My husband will be doing this for the year 2011 because he was unemployed at that time.


Edited by Ketsuban, 14 November 2013 - 03:06 PM.

KetsubanFemaleUnited Kingdom2013-11-14 15:05:00