Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Taking items into the London Embassy	Depends on what your "bag" is. A laptop/courier bag as described in my original post.	nutsmunkey2000	Male	United Kingdom	2011-09-27 12:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Taking items into the London Embassy	I was at the London embassy a few months ago... laptop/courier style bag and many documents for the interview .... had no problem, they just went through the bag scanner Thanks Mahi, I should have no problems then	nutsmunkey2000	Male	United Kingdom	2011-09-27 11:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Taking items into the London Embassy	I'm trying to fully understand what I can and can't take to the London embassy K1 interview. Whilst I know all about the ban on electronic devices including remote locking key fobs and mobile phones etc I'm unsure if I can bring a laptop/courier style bag to keep my documentation and an umbrella in!! The official embassy page states the following: Large bags, such as backpacks, suitcases or packages are not allowed within the Embassy grounds. Will they class my bag as being similar to a backpack or package and make me go and put it in a locker at the chemists down the road? I'm lucky enough to live in central London and I plan on walking to the embassy so I'd like to be able to carry my important docs in a bag of some sort. Thanks in advance	nutsmunkey2000	Male	United Kingdom	2011-09-27 10:23:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Brits abroad in Missouri for 3 months...need help.	Thanks for all this info. It's especially helpful to hear from people who have direct experience. I am going to look up some of the things you have suggested. Yes, 16 year old's are a special case in many ways, ha, ha. At the end of the day he is going to have to invest his time and energy into connecting with people if he wants to make friendships. I think that aspect is hard when you are at that age, because you feel so self conscious and aware of other people. It will be a good learning experience for him. Thanks again. No problem, good luck and let me know how it all goes for you. I'm interviewing at 8am tomorrow morning and will hopefully be flying out very soon.	nutsmunkey2000	Male	United Kingdom	2011-10-16 18:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Brits abroad in Missouri for 3 months...need help.	I think this same dilemma can apply to people of many ages that move to a foreign country. It was actually a worry of mine when we decided to make the move to California as I would be leaving behind all my friends etc.. I decided to be proactive and join a local expat rugby club way in advance of moving plus a few of the sports and social clubs on the meetup website. www.meetup.com could be well worth a look depending on what sort of things your son is into!! for instance, is there a particular sport he likes to play? I'm sure you'll be able to find a local youth football (soccer) team he can sign up to. There are also mountain biking, hiking and kayaking groups which is a big benefit of moving to the US, all of which advertise on the meetup website and are often free. As the other member said volunteering is an option but its not very appealing for a 16 year old lad as I remember what I was like at that age. There are organisations like the junior marines (kind of like cadets) and the scouts if that sort of thing interests him. Like yourself I also spent 3 months with my fiancee in the US whilst waiting on the NAO2, it was a great way to prep myself for the pending move. It also allowed me to meet with local expats and sports clubs to build a relationship in advance which I keep going via email until I actually make the move (hopefully next week). I hope this helps as I know how tough it is for me let alone a 16 year old lad....good luck	nutsmunkey2000	Male	United Kingdom	2011-10-14 05:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	police certificate, stepped down ?	Following on from the last reply to your question: Its important to note that you will only need the memorandum of conviction if you were convicted i.e. found guilty of anything....for instance I myself was arrested and it went to crown court but I was found not guilty therefore I was never convicted and did not need a memorandum of conviction and I never received a criminal record although I did have to declare being arrested for immigration purposes even though it was 10 years ago.....and yes they did ask me about the arrest during my recent visa interview but they didn't push me any further once I told them I was found 'not guilty'!	nutsmunkey2000	Male	United Kingdom	2011-10-20 05:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	police certificate, stepped down ?	You should have received a letter of instruction with your UK police certificate which explains the different types of info on it e.g. NO TRACE, NO LIVE TRACE etc... You have something on your file however it was likely recorded more than 7 years ago which means that the rehabilitation of offenders act has kicked in and your certificate only has limited info on it. Its important to note that the immigration process for the US doesn't recognise the rehabilitation of offenders act so you will need to disclose anything you were arrested or cautioned for even if it was more than 7 years ago.....My advice is be 100% honest.	nutsmunkey2000	Male	United Kingdom	2011-10-04 06:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Social Security Card Interview	I got my SSN back in November and my experience was exactly the same as yours...lots of questions under oath!!...maybe its a california thing??	nutsmunkey2000	Male	United Kingdom	2012-03-01 19:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Young Love and a Total Newbie at this..	I just wanted to chime in since this sounds like my situation two years back. I met my current fiancé online when I was seventeen, he was 20. He's also from Australia. At first we wanted to take things slower, we were for sure going to get married eventually, but we wanted to finish college first. But after Zach had been rejected his student visa twice marriage looked a lot easier, and truly it was what we wanted most. Zach visited me a year after we met, and we just knew we were doing the right thing. And as of right now I'm sitting in his room in Oz waiting for this whole visa process to speed up so we can go home. my thoughts to you is, research all that you can and follow your heart (corny I know...) but really this whole experience has been extremely rewarding for me, and even if it wasn't I would have still like to have tried! I hope you find a situation that works out for you! You have lots of time to figure it out. Good luck! Edited by Soneshka, 22 February 2011 - 02:42 AM.	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-02-22 02:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	ESTA entree during K1 process?	Yes, there have been cases of people who were denied a non-immigrant visa but were subsequently approved by ESTA. This usually happens when the reason for the visa denial is benign, such as when the applicant is from a VWP country and the consular officer believes the applicant does not require more than 90 days to visit the US. In this case, they may deny the visa and tell the applicant to travel using the Visa Waiver Program. The VWP waiver of rights provides substantial clout for immigration authorities. I've never heard of someone who has been denied a visa for immigrant intent being subsequently approved for travel using the VWP, but I suppose it's not impossible. On the other hand, I've seen quite a few people who were denied visas and were also denied by ESTA. The general advice given on many lawyer blogs and ESTA assistance sites is that someone denied a non-immigrant visa cannot use the Visa Waiver Program. For example: http://www.esta.us/faq.html Some lawyers advise that travel using the VWP after a visa denial is possible, but warn about the likelihood of a CBP officer denying admission because of the visa denial. For example: http://www.avvo.com/...ved-126582.html Bear in mind that the ESTA system has a presumption of eligibility if it cannot find a reason to determine the applicant is not eligible. Someone who has been denied a visa for an inadmissibility, such as immigrant intent, has already been determined by a consular officer to be ineligible. Whether the ESTA system will subsequently approve them depends entirely on how the consular officer records the denial in the computer. Well thanks for the detailed advice, I guess I'll be going to my dad's wedding stag. ;O	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-03-22 03:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	ESTA entree during K1 process?	Anyone who has ever been denied a visa to the US is not eligible to use the Visa Waiver Program. Thats not entirely true. On travel.state.gov they say "A recent visa denial for any reason could result in denial of an authorization via ESTA, additional questioning at the port of entry, or denial of admission to the United States. Applicants who are uncertain of whether they qualify for VWP travel may choose to apply for a visa." I'm not sure if his past visa deniles are considered recent, since it was almost a year ago that he applied. I think the only option he has is to apply for a tourist visa - which might be difficult to get, given the K1.. but what's the situation with the K1? I don't know that much about that particular process, but doesn't it allow you to come to the US for 90 days and get married within that time? When are you planning to come here for your own wedding? Before or after your dads wedding? Well my dads wedding is about three months before we'd come back to the states. And I have to renew my ETA visa here in Oz so we figured we'd kill two birds with one stone and go to the states for a visit.	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-03-19 21:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	ESTA entree during K1 process?	So I've been living in Australia with my fiance since I filled the K1 petition. We recently got approved (Yay!) but now we have a slight problem. My Dad is getting married in the states, he want's the both of us to come visit for the wedding. We're unsure if Zach can enter the states on just an ESTA since we're in the visa process. Zach had also been refused a student visa twice (for lack of ties). My soon to be step mom works for the Canadian embassy, she'll be giving Zach a letter to maybe help him with immigration if there are any problems. I just want to make sure Zach wont be turned away at the border, so what do you all think?	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-03-19 21:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	DS-156k UHG!!!	Thank you everyone for your help! After updating my adobe I still had the same issue, but when I open the file using internet explorer instead of google chrome the file worked perfectly! Thank you for the suggestion. Sophie-	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-04-02 01:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	DS-156k UHG!!!	Is your computer software for adobe up to date? I just opened the page and everything appears fine on my screen. Not sure what to tell you :/ Wow that's a good point, I didn't check for that. Thank you!	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-04-01 07:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	DS-156k UHG!!!	So I've been helping my fiancé fill out his papers from the packet three, and the DS-156 was done electronically on the governments website. But the DS-156k pdf file on the gov's website is all... glitchy. It has "undefined" written in all sorts of slots and none of it makes any sense. I thought maybe that was put there on purpose but clearly this is not the case since the example form here on vj is without these things. Here's a link to the page... http://www.state.gov...ation/82063.pdf I don't know what to do since this is the only place I can find with the up to date version of this form i.e. 2010. Can I just fill it out like this, will the visa officer not take the form like this even though it was like this on their site? Any help is appreciated! -Sophie	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-04-01 06:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Sending in form stating "readiness to be interviewed"	My question is do I need to send in proof of our relationship along with forms DS-156, DS-156k, and the documents on the check-list. I was also wondering if it was okay to just send in his immunization records as his "medical records" since these are the only records he has. Where should I put the two photos they request? There is only a spot on the DS-156, should I just put them in a plastic bag? Also Any good ideas on how to send off this stack of papers i.e. should I just stuff them in and envelope or partition them in some way, how did you guys do it? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to be as prepared as possible so this goes smoothly! Thanks for the help. Sophie Edited by Soneshka, 26 May 2011 - 04:34 PM.	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-05-26 16:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Packet three question! (and some others)	It won't have any bearing. Out of interest, was he denied for having not being able to show non-immigrant intent? I, myself, was denied a tourist visa for this reason last year, as I was up front with the immigration officer about my relationship with my fiancee and my intentions for short term study. He was denied because of non-immigrant intent. But more so because the college he was accepted to was a community college, and since he had never gone to uni before it seemed like he wasn't really into school in the first place. This is basically what the VO said, they advised him to go to school in Oz for a few years and reapply. He was honest about his situation but didn't say anything about me since he thought it best to give more direct answers. I really think it was because they thought he didn't show a real need to study in the states rather than Oz since to them the educations are the same unless you need to come to the u.s. for a specific reason. I could be wrong but this was the impression we got from them.	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-06-26 18:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Packet three question! (and some others)	The past student visa refusal will have no bearing on the pending K1 application. Oh thank god... you have no idea how good it is to hear that!	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-06-25 14:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Packet three question! (and some others)	So basically I am wondering if I need to send in proof of our relationship (plane tickets ect.) along with the check-list or if that is saved for the interview. I am also a little worried that my fiancés past visa denials will hinder the fiancé visa in some way. We are rather young so we figured it'd be best to go to school and live together before getting married, so Zach applied for a student visa and after being denied twice we realised it would be much better to get married now. Especially since the k-1 process would eventually have to be gone through. He was denied for his student visas for "lack of ties to his home country". Do you think this will reflect badly on him? I've been living here in Oz for the past eight months with him, we have lots of photos, we went on a little trip to New Zealand ect. I'm hoping this out-weights the visa denials. I'm hoping it'll be obvious that we're legitimate. What do you VJrs think? Any advice is appreciated!	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-06-25 14:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I-134 Questions!	So two days ago we had our interview and everything went well (Vo said he believed our relationship was genuine and all our paperwork was perfect) accept for the Affidavit of Support. I knew it would be an issue. We used my Step-Father as the co-sponsor but he didn't have any recent pay-stubs and his income was not sufficient. I figured we would only need to prove 22k in income but it was 27k. BUT it's okay! My Mom makes at least 2-3 times as much as my Step-Father. We hadn't used her as the co-sponsor though because her taxes weren't in order. She owns her own clothing business (she makes bathing suits,dresses, ect. So she was in the process of finally doing all of her taxes. So at this point we just need to get our I-134 and send it off and we'll have the visa. The thing I'm wondering is what is the best way to prove your income when you own your own business(personal tax returns and business tax returns I already know). Most of the money she makes goes through PayPal. So I'm wondering what kind of supporting documents we should include since she wont have W2's or pay stubs being that she is self employed. Are the tax returns enough in this situation? We're really itching to get home and we're hoping my mom's taxes can be sorted in a couple weeks or so. But we want to know of anything else we may need. Any advice helps! Thanks for your time! Sincerely, Sophie	Soneshka	Female	Australia	2011-07-28 02:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	This is really strange... a second approval notice letter?	CSC is so happy for you, and so approving, you have been approved twice over! I would say keep both copies, but stick with the first approval date. Send Jinky both, and any more approvals you get for her interview... Bizarre, but doesn't sound like a bad thing! Good luck! Thanks! I had called USCIS on Tuesday afternoon and spoke with a live person who said my petition was approved on Oct. 11th. She noticed that no email notice was sent out so she offered to track it herself and that she would follow up on it if I didn't get an email within a couple of days. She said something about a glitch in the notification system. I'm guessing that is why I got the second notice, but it's a bit troubling that the approval date is different.	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-21 16:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	This is really strange... a second approval notice letter?	I just checked my mail box and another I-797, Notice of Action ...same receipt number, alien registration number...everything, except... The approval date is October 18, 2006 while the first one was dated October 11, 2006. Has anyone heard of this happening? Which date should I go by? Should I call USCIS on Monday just to make sure this isn't going to cause any confusion with NVC?	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-21 16:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	ANOTHER STRANGE APPROVAL	Hoooooraaaaay!!!! I had a feeling you'd be getting yours very soon! Congratulations!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-21 02:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	He Got the PAPERS for the RFE	Hang in there, Bridgett! He deserves a big, over the phone kiss for that!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-21 22:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Approval letter	Congratulations!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-23 16:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 Approved!	Congratulations!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-24 01:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Got NOA1 today!!!	hehehe...Congratulations! I remember how excited we were when we received ours as well! When I saw our names on an official government document - it was a great feeling of relief!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-24 01:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	There is Hope for us from NVC!	Wow! That is fast considering that for awhile there, CSC was dragging their heels on forwarding the approvals to NVC. Congratulations! Isn't it nice to be out of CSC's hands? We can all go, "Pheeewwwww!"	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-24 01:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Finally got 129K NOA2 (CSC)	Congratulations!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-24 01:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Holy Cow! Received Approval Today	Congratulations!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-21 16:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Finally after Two and a Half Years	Oh my gosh! You must have saintly patience! Congratulations!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-18 11:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 - APPROVED :)	Whoooohoooooo, Bill!!!! Way to GO!!!!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-23 16:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	RFE Confirmation!!!	hehehe...Alright! Congrats and hope you'll get your approval soon!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-24 19:40:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 on Oct. 18th	Congratulations!!!! Wow!!!!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-23 20:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	waiting	Waiting,and checking daily for a interview date.Does anyone know how long after approval you will recieve a date. Congratulations on your approval BTW! Your fiancee will receive packet 4 from the US Embassy in Manila first. I believe you can try calling them after a couple of weeks if you have your case # from NVC.	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-25 02:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA 2 for Us Too!!	Congratulations! Is Marichu from Cebu? Edited by Steven_and_Jinky, 18 October 2006 - 09:40 PM.	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-18 21:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Help...need advice Plzzzz	Hi all: I am new to this forum so I would truly appreciate a bit of advice. I filed my 129F on September 21. Just "today" I realized that I did not submit 4 of the G325A bio documents. I just submitted one for my fiance and one for me. I was unaware of this site but also missed it when going over the instructions. Thus, my question: Can I/should I make 3 copies of each and send them in now??? I will not have her original signature, though. OR, should I wait til I make my next trip to Colombia and have her sign 3 more and then send them in? I will see her November 10, 2006. My package has not been touched since the CSC received it on September 21, 2006. PLEASE let me know. In reading past posts, I note that at least one person failed to send all 4 copies but nonetheless he never received a RFE and was approved. What should I do??? Thanks so much. GM Welcome to VJ! I would not recommend sending the extra copies in - just wait for CSC to take the next step. You can try searching this forum for threads about the G325A, but as I recall, I had read at least one person saying that was all he sent in (1 copy each) and he got an approval. The worst would be that you would received an RFE. While waiting for CSC, you might want your fiancee to sign the forms and mail them to you in case they ask for them. This site might seem undaunting at first, but there is a wealth of info here and the search tool is good, although it takes a few tries to know what's the best settings. Good luck on your journey!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-25 02:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Finally ..about time	Congratulations!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-24 21:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	GUesS WHAT!!!!??	Congratulations!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-25 02:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	May Case Approved!	Congratulations!	one...two...tree	Male	Philippines	2006-10-25 20:25:00