biggish data

interesting.

One thing that bugs me is that the example form for the g325a shows the beneficiary's name in the heavy bordered box at the bottom. But isnt that the box for the Applicant ? and isnt that the US Citizen ??
And then why would she have an alien registration number ??

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-20 16:04:00

Nope.

They couldve called me anything at all

Even names that have nothing to do with Marinus.

They could name me Marinus Arie and have my calling name be Fred.
But they did sort of base Mark on these names...

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-20 15:47:00

Yea ok...
Sorry I wasnt clear.

I meant to ask about myself.
Its not an official passport name
But it is what we call my 'calling name'
So everyone knows me as Mark.

So Im still not sure what to do with that.

At the letter of intend,
Do I leave a big 'Fiance Letter of Intent' at the top as the preview shows ??
Do I have to specify who is the applicant and who is the beneficiary ?

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-20 15:40:00

thank you for the helpful and quick response.

Anyone yet able to give a conclusive answer on the additional names question ??

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-20 15:23:00

another quick weird question...

Im conflicted about what to fill out at citizenship/nationality on the forms (G325A).
Here's why : I live in the Netherlands. Thats the country. But I know the language and the people are commonly called : dutch. So do I fill out : Netherlands? or Dutch? Or neither

?

And what about mother ? Mine died almost 10 years ago.
Do I still fill in her data ??

Oh and unfortunately I didnt sell my piano yet.
So I dont have the money yet.
Wednesday he'll come back to decide...

Edited by MarkSchot, 20 August 2007 - 03:07 PM.

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-20 15:04:00

all i can say is that Ive sent her an email with the question(s)

and she hasnt responded yet

I know she has to work today so she will check her email today,
however she first has to go to school so it might take her a couple of hours to answer me.

...

In the meantime Ill be selling my piano today ... (i hope... pray for me ! ) and that will get me all the money i need for this entire process... visa proces... not the ring and ceremony yet, but im working on that part.

Ill also be digging into my papers for my tickets and ittinaries, etc.

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-20 12:04:00

Thanks everyone for all the help so far.
FYI : We hope to be ready to file them within the next say, 2 weeks tops (depending on how complete everything is)

So far no answer yet on the heavy bordered box in the G325A
The example filled it in though... so we still have plenty confusion there then.

I really think I do have the latest Adobe Reader... but ill check again
My fiancee had the same error...

On using paper versions to fill out.... does that mean we shouldnt fill it out digitally ??

Im having her check the exact name on the passport.
I am sure she signed it with almost all names : Amy Robin Faith Elisabeth ....
There is also Claire, but thats never officially stated, where the above all show on her birthcertificate, or so i was told.

I too have no idea where my inlaws were born.
But I am still not clear on the barcode problem ...
Im thinking : if the barcode turns out to be bad, then wont they try to scan it and deny it ???
So are the forms induvidual and the digital ones only for practice ??

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-20 11:02:00

Also :
Did I miss the overview list of shortcuts somewhere ?

I'd expect it to be somewhere considering how complete this website is...

NOA = notice of action
RFE = Request for evidence
etc

But
SO = ??
EAD = ??
etc

complete list of all shortcuts anywhere ??

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-20 08:14:00

QUOTE (Karin und Otto @ Aug 20 2007, 02:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

- My fiancee's full name is Amy Robin Faith Elisabeth Bakke
Do we put her third and fourth name in the additional name section on the forms ??
Yes - List full names on forms where possible - list Amy as first,Robin as middle and of course Bakke as last whenever entire name is not possible.

On the G325A it says : 'All other names used' Does that apply to this ?? Does that box require those other 2 names ??
Also my name on passport is Marinus Arie, but I go by Mark... does that count for this section as well ??

- I noticed some saying that the evidence has to be provided as a second step, after you sent in the I-129F package,
but this website states the collection of evidence WITH the package... what is true ??
For the I-129f Petition there are two stages where evidence will be needed. Initially any evidence with the package has to do with both of your identities (birth certificates, passports, etc) and proof of having met in person in the last two years. Down the road, when the petition is approved and sent to the embassy/consulate, there is further evidence that is needed (besides your medical, and police certificate, etc) which has to do wit proof of on-going relationship.

If that package only requires proof of having met, then why would I include the proof of an ongoing relationship ? Especially if Im going to send that later ? Should I send new material later, or can I apply the same stuff ?? Or do they not need it anymore at all then ??

- Is there also a G325A example form for the US citizen ? I could only find the foreign fiancee version on this site.
There is only one G325A - it is for both of you - it's a biographical form, meaning you simply enter your/her information.

So what do we fill in at the File number box and the heavy bordered box at the bottom ?? because that one states 'applicant' who of us is that ??

- The USCIS site AND the visajourney download of the I-129F form, give me a barcode error before showing the file, while opening.
Is that a problem ? Is that form not one I should use ?? I dont want to use an old, corrupted of sample form. I want to get this right straight away.
It's not a problem - the Download section is a link directly to the USCIS forms site, so they're the same form.

But it still gives me an error. How am I sure that they wont deny it despite it maybe being their fault

Additional questions in blue

Edited by MarkSchot, 20 August 2007 - 08:01 AM.

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-20 08:00:00

I know my first post is a new thread.
That is something im not used to doing, but before all my questions were answered in other peoples questions etc.

My name is Mark and Im 24 years old.
Im from the Netherlands and my fiancee is Amy, 23 years old and a US citizen.

Weve been together for over 2 years now and though I havent 'officially' popped the question, we are planning to get married.

Thats why Ive been digging into everything there is to know about the immigration process.

First I thought of entering as a tourist, but after reading around here and there, I decided that the K1 is the way to go.
Since its the honest way to go, and the most respectful one towards everyone here that shares their experience, of which I benefit so much.

Since it stresses her out a lot to deal with paperwork, etc, Im the one who figures the whole thing out for us.
I do get stuck in some details here and there, and although I wont ask them all at once, because I dont have my checklist with me, Ill ask them a little spread out.

The first questions I have are :

- My fiancee's full name is Amy Robin Faith Elisabeth Bakke
Do we put her third and fourth name in the additional name section on the forms ??

- I noticed some saying that the evidence has to be provided as a second step, after you sent in the I-129F package,
but this website states the collection of evidence WITH the package... what is true ??
(I get confused sometimes with what happens when in the process. Packages, checkups, forms, evidence, NOA's.
The flowchart is sort of TOO detailed for a brief description.)

- Is there also a G325A example form for the US citizen ? I could only find the foreign fiancee version on this site.

- The USCIS site AND the visajourney download of the I-129F form, give me a barcode error before showing the file, while opening.
Is that a problem ? Is that form not one I should use ?? I dont want to use an old, corrupted of sample form. I want to get this right straight away.

Sorry if you already answered these questions before.
Believe me, ive read hundreds of threads and pages here, and I did not come across these answers yet.

Mark

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-20 06:43:00

K1- visa - Are photos realy needed

So what about phone bills ?

I always call with telediscount which is about 1ct a minute Netherlands > USA
and it doesnt show her phone number on my bill

How can I work with that and do they need phone bills ??

No we dont have a lot of emails or letters because we call quite a lot

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2007-08-30 05:01:00

marriage or fiancé visa?

Either one is legal and fine.

You should check and compare in the comparison tab... http://www.visajourn...mp;page=compare

The main thing you need to keep in mind, that even if you get married, you shouldnt just 'stay' ....

Fiance visa will (most likely) get the foreigner (you) to the US quicker, however it is more expensive and you won't have any real status for the first several months you are in the US.

Edited by MarkSchot, 04 May 2009 - 05:08 PM.

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2009-05-04 17:07:00

Traveling While Processing

It's safe to travel
You're doing the right thing.
If you wanted to just get married, you wouldn't have filed the fiancee papers.
I suggest bringing a set of copies of the filed papers in the carry-on.
And yes, I'd recommend bringing ANY proof to show that he will be returning, just to be safe.
Lease of his apartment, employer stating that they expect him back, copy of his contract, and of course, the return ticket. They can see in the computer that you are filing the documents, so him lying about it will not help you AT ALL. So 'visiting friends' may not be a lie, but it's also only half the truth.

Let's see what others think as well, in following comments.

Hope this helped.

I too traveled to see my USA fiancee while papers were being filed. I traveled from the Netherlands.
I brought the stuff just in case. I didn't run into any problems. He shouldn't assume he will, nor be worried.
They're trained professionals. If he seems on the edge, that might concern them more then a confident man, who is following USA immigration laws, and not only filed the right forms, but also wants to still spend time with her since he actually cares

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2010-04-21 16:59:00

Should I Call USCIS?

Get a hobby, as everyone have stated you are not in the red zone yet. This process calls for patient, it's not on your time, but theirs. There is many things that you can be doing to prepare for next step. Start collecting the documents for the next 2 steps. Your Senator cannot receive any information until the case is outside of the processing time.

This EXACTLY !!

Don't harass those people when they aren't late.
It's not a grocery store where you walk in, grab what you need, and walk out with the product.
Patience, patience, patience. There are a lot of people ahead of you that are also waiting, and filed before you.
If and when you do exceed the prior stated amount of time, and STILL didn't hear anything, contact them.
You're more likely to flag your application as suspicious if you'd act paranoid, than anything else.
They're not going to put it on the top of their list because you asked nicely, or can't wait any longer.

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2010-04-21 23:52:00

Should I Call USCIS?

On top of that I want to add :

I got concerned at a certain point of the process, and called them.
I didn't have a direct number (which exists) for people who already filed, so I called the number that costs me 10 or 15 euro by creditcard to talk to someone. Only to find out .... that I had to wait more.

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2010-04-21 17:15:00

Should I Call USCIS?

Hey everyone, I was just wondering if I should call USCIS and ask whats going on with my K-1 application. I had sent it in on February 2, 2010, and received the NOA1 on february 10, but so far I havent gotten anything from them and its been about 3 months, I was thinking about calling them and asking them what is going on but I'm afraid it might actually slow down the process, so I wanted to know if any of you have called them and gotten any results. Is there a way I can have the process sped up? I go to the site regularly to check on my status but its just been on Initial Review the whole time

I Appreciate any help

Calling them won't harm your case, but it probably won't help your case either.
If I'm not mistaken (and I didn't check the timelines on this site yet - you should try that) it can easily take an average of 6 months until NOA2. I did get my reply sooner, but if you count on the averages, you might be pleasantly surprised if it is in fact quicker, but at least you won't stress when yours takes a normal amount of time. I wouldn't worry if I were you.

I counted on 6 months, and it turned out to be 3. I was pleasantly surprised. You're counting on less then 3 months, and you seem stressed and concerned. Happy seems nicer

BTW : If I were you I'd start collecting all the information you'll need for the next step in the process, if you haven't yet. I wasn't counting on my NOA2, and so I needed to rush it all together. If you want to speed it up, I suggest you prepare for the next step so you can send it out as soon as you get your NOA2.

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2010-04-21 17:04:00

1) I'm expressing what helped in my personal first hand experience.
The customs guy didn't seem like he was going to let me stay the amount of time I planned for,
despite the return ticket. Fortunately I had brought proof of ties, and after volunteering those,
he dated the I-94 as I had hoped and planned for.

2) Annoyance about being corrected on own my experiences has nothing to with annoyance about being wrong.
I am not wrong about my own experience. I have the best 'proper understanding' of those, since they are my own.

3) What I stated may not be the whole truth, that doesn't make it wrong. What harm is there in their situation, in bringing additional documentation just to be safe, like when I brought it along.

4) I never said it would grant some unlimited time-frame or an expiration later than the return ticket. Simply that it wouldn't harm to bring it as an extra tool to get what they're hoping for.

Can you please not be rude, and just appreciate I'm trying to give back from my experiences.

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2010-04-22 14:29:00

If he had a hotel reservation and a return airline ticket, they would have stamped his 1-94 for that alloted time frame, but since he probably had neither, they gave him two weeks.

Showing that you have ties in your home country doesn't play into the time frame that the POE officer allot for a visit. Showing ties only shows that you will have a reason to leave the US and go back home.

Well it worked for me.
So thanks for continuously putting words in my mouth and correcting MY experiences...
Geez.

Thought this was a place to share experiences to help one another.
I'm just getting annoyed now.

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2010-04-22 09:34:00

She is not asking how to obtain a vistor visa, she wants to know how to request for more time to stay in the US. Just ask for the amount of time you want, it may or may not be granted.

Actually she is saying he is scheduled to come in May.
She wants to know how to not have a repeat of what happened in February,
when he intended to stay longer, but wasn't allowed.

Bringing the evidence I posted, would show he is intending to return,
and customs would likely let him stay longer than 2 weeks this time around.

If they only let him in for 2 weeks, the NEXT step would be to request more time after arrival.
Since she stated it won't be until May, he currently isn't in the US, and thus can't request more time yet.

M4rinus

Male

Netherlands

2010-04-22 00:11:00