ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresLittle confused...early approval of I-129F?
congrtulation , yes this ur approved , you will get notice in ur mail in next few days , always they sent email first , dont worry
josie2008MaleMorocco2009-09-29 21:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHow much extra documents to send?
QUOTE (Old Dominion @ Aug 31 2009, 02:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Just don't overwhelm them with paper. Six photos printed on one sheet of paper is enough. Boarding passes, passport stamps. hotel receipts, etc. of the times you met, a month's phone bill, and a half-dozen recent e-mails...enough already!



I totally agree! If you look like you are trying too hard, you might even look suspicious! blink.gif
SuperDuper!Male02009-08-31 20:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Proceduresapplying for 2nd K1
QUOTE (abalvarez @ Aug 27 2009, 09:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
hello everybody! I`m new here. i hope somebody can give advice regarding my query.
i have been issued a k1 visa early this year. Went to the USA on my k1 visa to be with my fiancee but I went home after a month. We did not get married that time because there were some issues financially and a lot other things that`s why we decided that I go back home first until he resolves everything. We`re planning to apply for a visa to go back again next year and this time we`re ready to get married.

My question is will there be a problem if my fiance petition me again for another K1 visa since I already went there on a K1 before but with the same petitioner? Any advice please... thank you.


I do hope things work out for you next time. You shouldn't have any problem getting the 2nd visa, just have petitioner write a brief letter explaining what happened, and he will include that in the next visa application packet.

ps, Im also glad that you phrased your post the way you did. Anyone who says they were "sent back" home gets blasted around here by those who get set off by use of that terminology.

I respect the fact that you both chose to wait instead of tying the knot simply because you traveled to the US.

All the best!

Edited by itzallgood, 28 August 2009 - 07:18 AM.

SuperDuper!Male02009-08-28 07:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWait times for California Service Center
QUOTE (payxibka @ Sep 5 2009, 12:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
https://egov.uscis.g...eviceCenter=CSC


Estimates/Stats : Based on timeline data, your I129f may be adjudicated between October 10, 2009 and October 14, 2009*.



June Filers are already getting NOA2's from the CSC. I think they are getting strong coffee served there now! kicking.gif
SuperDuper!Male02009-09-05 17:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresDo you think age difference would be a problem?
QUOTE (Haole @ Aug 7 2009, 09:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Gary and Alla @ Aug 7 2009, 03:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (rajojo321 @ Aug 7 2009, 02:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hello....I posted this in spanish and now in english so here goes....My boyfriend and I are filing for the k1 visa....he is 21 and I am 35.....he is Dominican and I am American born to Dominican parents....I am a bit worried and concerned that we may get denied the visa because of the age difference which can trigger thoughts of a fake relationship (fraud).....to my surprise this relationship is realer than real and I think that if we have all of our documents in order and answer all questions truthfully and correct that age difference is not a valid reason to deny a visa....Please give me your totally honest opinion...i appreciate it....thanks....


You are correct. Age difference is NOT a valid reason and they will never use that. They CAN use "not clearly eligible". Try to appeal that one.

Again, I have not heard it is a problem in the Latin American/Carribean cultures. Make your your evidence is solid. The problem lies in that YOU must clearly prove the relationship is legitimate and not for immigration benefits. The burden is on YOU, not them. But if you have good evidence, you should be OK. I would also suggest strongly you attend the interview. (I do that anyway for anyone)

Yeah they "can't" use age difference as a reason for denial but they'll just use the subjective "lack of a bonsfide relationship".
Why does a 21 year old guy marry a 35 year woman in the US. Money or has a "mother complex"?
Why does a 21 year old foreigner from a 3rd world country marry a 35 year US citizen?
Take your pick???
Bottomline is "pile high" evidence of having a LOVING bonafide relationship.



Yes, hon, you are right. THey should pile high the photographs, too. Never let anyone tell you that "they are just secondary evidence.
SuperDuper!Male02009-08-07 23:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresDo you think age difference would be a problem?
Both of you will need to be at the interview!
SuperDuper!Male02009-08-07 22:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresK-1: Letter of Intent
Many posters here bring the 325A, letter of intents with them when they go visit their girl, have her sign them, and good to go! good.gif Otherwise, she needs to mail them back to you signed. It won't save you time to mail copies. Originals only. HCMC so rough and tough on petitions. Take the time, do it right. Shortcuts are anything but! Good Luck!

Edited by itzallgood, 20 September 2009 - 07:52 PM.

SuperDuper!Male02009-09-20 19:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresProof of Having Met in Last 2 Years and an Ongoing Relationship
QUOTE (MouadsWife @ Sep 19 2009, 10:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (TBoneTX @ Sep 19 2009, 11:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Stephen + Elisha @ Sep 19 2009, 09:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Bogota, like any other Latin American consulate, is not the relative cakewalk that Kiev apparently is. Front-loading with evidence of ongoing relationship can't be a bad thing.
Si, man. USCIS will not care about the evidence of ongoing relationship, but your consulate certainly might (or definitely will), and the consulate is obliged to acknowledge the existence of anything that USCIS has first seen.



I think sending as much evidence as you can when sending in your initial petition would be wise, whether required or not. I major front loaded because I wanted them to be aware of how strong our relationship was. I sent 122 picture, chats, phone records, letters, emails, copies of train receipts, bus receipts, flight itenerary, money conversion receipts... anything I could get my hands on. If you get a rfe for not providing enough information then it will only slow your case down. Best to avoid asking questions and just show them what you got upfront. I think if you spend exstensive time together when you met, and you only show someone 4 pictures.... it would make them think of the validity possible. I know I certainly might think... but then again not allppl like to take as much pictures either. So I guess that cant be a valid point. I took over 950 pictures. But they will want to see pictures of you both together, and not just statue like pics, but pics that show feeling for each other. Happiness, romance, and even pics with family members to show everyone elses happiness. Front load the heck out of it to avoid road blocks and doubt I say.



It is really refreshing to see that "you get it" regarding the importance of pics. Not just the quantity, but the QUALITY showing love, life, family. NOt statue or newspaper pics, hehe.

Too many folks here like to poo-poo or discount pics, saying, "Not really important in the approval process of the visa because pictures are just secondary evidence."

Bull roar! It is said that "a picture is worth a 1000 words." Heck, why not send 10 pics instead of saying 10,000 words trying to convince 'em you are bonafide? laughing.gif

Cheers.

Edited by itzallgood, 20 September 2009 - 05:40 PM.

SuperDuper!Male02009-09-20 17:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresContacting Congress
QUOTE (conquest @ Sep 21 2009, 02:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Complain all you want but it will fall on deaf ears.

You dont think others have complained? I complained every week. Now its your turn has any thing changed for you and your petition process?

When your only choice is to vote some one out( yeah right what crock of BS) that is how change works then you are stuck with that.

The only change that will ever happen in our country is change by the numbers of people revolting. Face it the arent enough peopple revolting and for imigration purposes there just arent enough people in the system to warrant change. The amercian people dont stick together enough to warrant change. There are just too many people that are spineless or lazy or complacent to make things happen. ( especially in immigration)

I dont like to be negative. I wish you all the luck in the world but there are people on VJ that complain to thier congressman every freaking day and it is any more that a flea bite on the #### of the american govenment.



Agreed, it does little or no good. We call, email, overnight, telegraph and show up in person to complain, and nothing ever happens. All we can do is pray and wait, and accept the system for what it is. Just remember: Many people have gone thru what you are now experiencing. In America, an old saying calls it, "Paying your dues." Good Luck, and remember, Just a little Patience....


SuperDuper!Male02009-09-21 07:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Proceduresmy k1 visa got denied, need advises ...
Wow, interesting circumstances. First, my sympathy to the OP missing the 2 year requirement by just a few weeks crying.gif

Second, can the OP just go back for a visit, submit proof of it, and have USCIS approve the 129F packet? Just like they were requesting a missing letter of intent or something? Otherwise I think the OP believes he is no longer eligible for a K1. To that I say, don't marry someone overseas if it were not your original intention or desire to do so. I bet you are still eligible to go the K1 route. Good luck!
SuperDuper!Male02009-09-20 20:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThai wedding on a K1
QUOTE (scandal @ Sep 12 2009, 02:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Ning @ Sep 11 2009, 10:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Stephen + Elisha @ Sep 11 2009, 09:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Wrong, ning. ONCE AGAIN you misrepresent the facts.

The thrust of the mod's post is that a non-legally-binding religious ceremony does not make one ineligible for the K-1, but because immigration and consular officials don't always understand that, it's better not to mention any such ceremony to them in order to avoid unnecessary problems.

Scandal has provided proof positive that the Bangkok consulate has no problem with a religious wedding ceremony as long as it is not registered with the Amphur.

No one should lie to an immigration or consular officer, and if asked directly about a religious ceremony, should answer truthfully. But since a non-legally-binding religious ceremony is immaterial to immigration status, there is no obligation to volunteer information about such a ceremony.

" No one should lie" bla bla bla.
Here is the quote from the O P. What do you call this statement? Read carefully where it says " IF THEY ASK TELL THEM" ect.
"I already explained toy fiencee that we can not tell the embassy that we will have a Thai marrage if they ask to tell them that6 we will have a engagement party with her family and get married in the US so I think I got it covered Thank again".
Scandal has provided proof positive in his case after questioning what would be allowed that in his case they granted a visa. Instead of following your method of leaving out the facts Scandal chose to ask them directly. I understand the responce he got.
However the mod you wanted to use as a sounding board clearly stated that they MAY NOT. I believe she is right.
Your own disertation indicates your view that the officers dont know what they are doing when it comes to determining the legal status of a Thai marrige. If you are so sure of that why not argue the point with them? After all you " are good at it & are paid well to do it".
Those are the facts Steve.


Ning -

1. If you skim this thread, you'll find yourself arguing with just about everyone on it. Reflect upon that. Why do you think that is? I understand that you are honestly trying to help the OP to avoid grief with his visa filing. I don't believe you are a troll, I think you are taking the knowledge you have in your situation and applying it to Thailand. Keep in mind that many of us who have gone through K1 journeys in Thailand (Robert, Aaron, Ray, myself) are consistenly giving the OP the same advice. Why do you suppose that is? Do you really think we want to lead a fellow brother astray and lead him to trouble? Hardly!

2. In an earlier post you suggested that the OPs plan is "visa fraud". The "visa fraud" accusation gets used quite a lot on VJ, in my experience. Sometimes correctly (and sometimes I've used it!!), such as people who want to enter the US on a non-immigrant visa, marry and adjust status, when their intent to marry was known all along. In other cases, I've seen people destroy threads where an OP asks a legitimate question and people just pile on the "fraud! fraud!" accusations. I think that's what you've done here. No matter whether you want to argue with the rest of us, the correct thing for you to do is withdraw your accusation of "visa fraud" - the OP has not committed fraud, and has expressed no such intent.

3. Whether someone is a mod or not doesn't impress me one whit in the context of an immigration discussion. Being a mod on this site means only one thing: the power to treat the rest of us like little children. Mods are no smarter, or more experienced in immigration matters, than the average member on VJ. In fact, it was a mod (Kim+Russ) who last year when I asked my questions here about Buddhist ceremonies in Thailand, advised against it. I think Kim+Russ was wrong then, just as I think you are wrong now.

4. The common wisdom expressed here by everyone that it's best not to advertise the fact of the ceremonial wedding at interview and at POE I think of as a bit of an urban legend situation. I do note that we (my wife and I) stuck with this wisdom - we did not bring it up. For example, we did not provide any ceremony photos as part of our Evidence of Relationship, only photos of the 2 of us together in other settings. We did that because that's what everyone suggested. In fact, I think that if a couple were to proudly display such photos at the interview, and mention the ceremony, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BAD WOULD HAPPEN. It's just that because we are all bending over backward to make sure everything goes smoothly that we have this common-wisdom in circulation.

#1 No I dont think you want to lead anyone astray. You believe what you say is correct. You also questioned your own belief enough to have sent email to the Embassy to ask.
My opinion is different in some areas than others. Why? Same reason you questioned what Kim & Russ told you.
#2 You are correct here. However you ignore his statement about what his fiance is to do if asked if they are married. Married is to be changed to engagement. That by any definition is a distortion of the truth.
#3 No one is trying to make you change your thinking. The mods arent capable of mind control. They just state an opion based on their own understanding & experiance. Again you became concerned enough about what would happen to cause you to send an email to get a responce. If you were so certian about the outcome why did you do that? Why didnt you listen to common wisdom?
#4 Common wisdom says its best not to let them know people are actualy married because it isnt a legal wedding. Then that changes to " In fact, I think that if a couple were to proudly display such photos at the interview, and mention the ceremony, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BAD WOULD HAPPEN".
I believe if anyone did that they have a good chance of denial.
You did this the intelligent way by sending the email questioning what might happen in your case. I accept that fact. I understand the responce you got.
That doesnt mean it is allways the decision in every case which is what the mod said & I agree with. I am not asking for anyones approval of my position.



NingFemaleThailand2009-09-11 14:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThai wedding on a K1
QUOTE (Stephen + Elisha @ Sep 11 2009, 09:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Wrong, ning. ONCE AGAIN you misrepresent the facts.

The thrust of the mod's post is that a non-legally-binding religious ceremony does not make one ineligible for the K-1, but because immigration and consular officials don't always understand that, it's better not to mention any such ceremony to them in order to avoid unnecessary problems.

Scandal has provided proof positive that the Bangkok consulate has no problem with a religious wedding ceremony as long as it is not registered with the Amphur.

No one should lie to an immigration or consular officer, and if asked directly about a religious ceremony, should answer truthfully. But since a non-legally-binding religious ceremony is immaterial to immigration status, there is no obligation to volunteer information about such a ceremony.

" No one should lie" bla bla bla.
Here is the quote from the O P. What do you call this statement? Read carefully where it says " IF THEY ASK TELL THEM" ect.
"I already explained toy fiencee that we can not tell the embassy that we will have a Thai marrage if they ask to tell them that6 we will have a engagement party with her family and get married in the US so I think I got it covered Thank again".
Scandal has provided proof positive in his case after questioning what would be allowed that in his case they granted a visa. Instead of following your method of leaving out the facts Scandal chose to ask them directly. I understand the responce he got.
However the mod you wanted to use as a sounding board clearly stated that they MAY NOT. I believe she is right.
Your own disertation indicates your view that the officers dont know what they are doing when it comes to determining the legal status of a Thai marrige. If you are so sure of that why not argue the point with them? After all you " are good at it & are paid well to do it".
Those are the facts Steve.
NingFemaleThailand2009-09-11 10:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThai wedding on a K1
QUOTE (scandal @ Sep 11 2009, 07:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'd like to just echo what Robert, Stephen, Aaron have said.
I had the exact same question bigcasino had, one year ago when I was just learning the ropes.
I posed the question here on VJ, and got answers similar to what ning has been writing. Misleading and incorrect answers.
The fact is bigcasino - that what you want to do is perfectly legal and proper. It is also exactly what we did.
We had our Thai Buddhist "marriage" in Bangkok last year, did NOT register at amphur, and filed for K1.
My fiancee had her interview and was processed through POE. She did not volunteer information that was not asked for. On the other hand, she would not have lied and would have factually stated what we did, if we were asked. She was not asked.
We got married legally on US soil last week, and she is now my wife. We'll be putting the AOS papers in the mail shortly.

Here is the thread in which I asked my question a year ago
http://www.visajourn...h...t&p=2021000

And here is a post from that thread, in which I put in the text of an email I received from the US Consulate in Bangkok, definitely confirming that this is perfectly legal and acceptable. It couldn't be any more clear. Ning - you want an "official" response ? Here it is:
http://www.visajourn...h...t&p=2026665


RE:General Question: K1 visa filing with NO REGISTRATION at Amphur?
Friday, July 18, 2008 11:16 AM
From:
"Bangkok Auto Replies (Not for Public Use)" <visasbkk2@state.gov>
To:xxxxxxxx@yahoo.com
Cc:"Suttirak, Sutaree" <Sutaree@state.gov>

Dear Ron,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Thai Buddhist marriage ceremony without registration in regards to the K-1 versus CR1/K-3 question. Since the Thai Buddhist marriage ceremony is not officially registered with a civil authority in Thailand it is not considered an officially recognized marriage by either Thai authorities or U.S. authorities. Thus, if you choose you can go ahead and have the Thai Buddhist marriage in Thailand it will have no negative effective on the K-1 visa status, so you will be free to marry the applicant civilly in the U.S. after she is issued the K-1 visa.

Best Regards,

Visas Unit

U.S. Embassy Bangkok

From: Ron [mailto:xxxxxxxx@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 3:35 PM
To: Bangkok ACS
Subject: General Question: K1 visa filing with NO REGISTRATION at Amphur?

Hello,

I am a US citizen who is considering a K1 visa filing for my Thai fiancee - I have not begun any filing yet.

I am aware that a legal marriage in Thailand requires registration at local Amphur, and if we have such registration we MUST file K3 spousal visa rather than K1 finacee visae.

What I would like to CONFIRM is whether having a traditional Buddhist ceremony WITHOUT an Amphur registration could prejudice in any way a K1 fiancee visa filing? If we perform such a ceremony (we have not yet done so) but do not have it registered at Amphur, could this in any way lead to denial of eligibility for K1 visa - either at the initial I-129F filing, or at the consulate interview in Bangkok, or at POE?

Thanks for any assistance you can offer,
Ron

The thrust of the mods post is that it can go either way
This just proves that Scandal was concerned enough about the situation to do the right thing & ask them directly.
Quite a bit different than the approach bigcasino wanted to take by having his fiance change the wedding to an " engagement party" .
.
NingFemaleThailand2009-09-10 19:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThai wedding on a K1
QUOTE (bigcasino75 @ Sep 10 2009, 11:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Wow my first post to go 3 pages long, Thanks for making it happen Ning and Thank you everyone for all the help good.gif

Here is a quote from the mods post.
"HOWEVER - that does not always happen and some US immigration officials decide that if it looks like a wedding, it is a wedding".
When I read her info it seems to me it says if you tell the truth that you were married in Thailand they may look at it as a couple that now needs a different visa.
The O P asked what people thought about what he is going to do. I gave a responce. It isnt trolling to have a different opinion. In fact we can see by the mods info that the immigration officers sometimes deny visas when the truth is disclosed.
Leave it up to a trained, paid, immigration officer & the case will then be closed.
You are welcome.


NingFemaleThailand2009-09-10 14:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThai wedding on a K1
QUOTE (bigcasino75 @ Sep 8 2009, 12:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thanks everyone for the help I read a lot on VJ not to get married before your fiencee comes to US but I think it is different in Thailand if it is not a legal marrage. My reason for this is for my Fiencee and her Family they are very old fashion and to them wee will be married then and there so it is ok for her to go to the US with me if not they would look down on this even if we came back after the fact and got married there. I already explained toy fiencee that we can not tell the embassy that we will have a Thai marrage if they ask to tell them that6 we will have a engagement party with her family and get married in the US so I think I got it covered Thank again

This is a true statement of your intention to have her lie. You have just stated that if asked she is to lie about the wedding.
You have asked your question because you are concerned about what will take place if they uncover her lie. You say many people have told you not to do this. Now you are looking for others to offset that information.
"I already explained toy fiencee that we can not tell the embassy that we will have a Thai marrage if they ask to tell them that6 we will have a engagement party with her family and get married in the US so I think I got it covered Thank again"
Thats doesnt look " gray " to me.


NingFemaleThailand2009-09-10 09:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThai wedding on a K1
QUOTE (Stephen + Elisha @ Sep 10 2009, 03:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Ning @ Sep 9 2009, 03:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (*Robert* @ Sep 10 2009, 03:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Stephen + Elisha @ Sep 9 2009, 02:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Ning @ Sep 9 2009, 02:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Why not just explain at the POE if everyone is so sure its not a problem?


Why offer unnecessary information at the POE that could needlessly complicate the process?

Q: "Are you married?"

No marriage certificate - no legal marriage - legally free to marry.

A: "No."


good.gif Exactly!!!

Why in the world would anyone tell their life story at their POE? The CBP Officer doesn't ask if you got married before entering, and even if he did, the answer would still be "No".

secret7vf.gif Since you are a K-3, your advice really doesn't apply here, since you have not done what the rest of us did, so if you can't be helpfull, be gone.

You mean why would anyone tell the truth? It isnt a life story but it is the truthful information. Just explain that you got married but it isnt legal in your mind because of your understanding of Thai law. You need to have the courage to submit to the law.
Bobby it isnt for you to decide what is helpful. You are advocating people lie at at the POE. That isnt helpful or correct & neither are you.
You are correct in saying I didnt lie to bring my wife into the USA. What does the type of visa my wife had have to do with this?


You continue to misrepresent what people are saying. No one is advocating lying at POE.

There is no obligation to volunteer information. When a government official asks if you are married, their only concern—and the extent of their legal purview—is whether you are legally married. If you are not legally married, the answer to the question "Are you married?" is no. It's that simple.

If its that simple why would the OP ask the question in a public forum? Maybe he just needs to ask you.
You are advocating avoiding the law by concealing the facts. Why not let a someone trained in applying the laws decide instead of some amature arm chair legal expert & adviser like you?
Its that simple.
NingFemaleThailand2009-09-09 15:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThai wedding on a K1
QUOTE (*Robert* @ Sep 10 2009, 03:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Stephen + Elisha @ Sep 9 2009, 02:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Ning @ Sep 9 2009, 02:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Why not just explain at the POE if everyone is so sure its not a problem?


Why offer unnecessary information at the POE that could needlessly complicate the process?

Q: "Are you married?"

No marriage certificate - no legal marriage - legally free to marry.

A: "No."


good.gif Exactly!!!

Why in the world would anyone tell their life story at their POE? The CBP Officer doesn't ask if you got married before entering, and even if he did, the answer would still be "No".

secret7vf.gif Since you are a K-3, your advice really doesn't apply here, since you have not done what the rest of us did, so if you can't be helpfull, be gone.

You mean why would anyone tell the truth? It isnt a life story but it is the truthful information. Just explain that you got married but it isnt legal in your mind because of your understanding of Thai law. You need to have the courage to submit to the law.
Bobby it isnt for you to decide what is helpful. You are advocating people lie at at the POE. That isnt helpful or correct & neither are you.
You are correct in saying I didnt lie to bring my wife into the USA. What does the type of visa my wife had have to do with this?
NingFemaleThailand2009-09-09 14:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThai wedding on a K1
QUOTE (*Robert* @ Sep 10 2009, 01:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (AaronLV @ Sep 7 2009, 06:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
As long as it is not registered it is not a "legal" marriage. Just don't have her mention that she will be getting married in Thailand before going to the US at the interview. We had our ceremony in my wifes hometown, before we did the embassy interview, we just didn't mention it or show any pictures. This is actually a fairly common practice in Thailand with people who are doing a K1. Our attorney told us a majority of their clients end up doing this.


We had a ceremony as well, and I think you will find a majority of us with Thai fiancees (at the time) did the same thing. Though we all did it, and felt it was not a legal marriage, we also never showed pictures of the ceremony or wore wedding bands while going through POE. The fact is, you will get legally married after arriving in the US, which is the whole pupose of the K-1 visa, and it will be that marriage certificate that will be used for the rest of your immigration journey.

QUOTE (Ning @ Sep 9 2009, 12:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
This is a collection of opinions.
You must be an immigration officer or immigration lawyer. Lets hope you are correct & at the POE.
If you are she can just tell the officer at the POE her exact situation to be allowed entry.
If she isnt she can turn to you for advise.


whistling.gif eb0dfafc.gif

Why not just explain at the POE if everyone is so sure its not a problem?
NingFemaleThailand2009-09-09 13:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThai wedding on a K1
QUOTE (Stephen + Elisha @ Sep 9 2009, 10:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Ning @ Sep 9 2009, 10:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (bigcasino75 @ Sep 8 2009, 01:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi all, I would like to give you a run down of what I am doing and get some advice on if this is possable or any problem areas that you may see in advance. I will be filing for a K1 visa for my Thai Fiencee this month( I am just waiting on some docs that she must sign and send back) she is now studing at University and will graduate in May of 2010. I am hoping that her visa will be ready around that time I am starting it now and can stall sending in the packet 3 if it is going too fast. then after she graduate and hopefuly she has her visa I will go to Thailand and we will have a Thai wedding for her family but it will not be regerstered so I dont think there will be any problems and it will be after she has her K1 in hand then we will both come back State side and have a legal wedding here. I know a lot of people say not to have a regelous wedding in the fiencees country but she is a women and wants her family to see her get married. She will already have the visa so it will be no problem for the embassy and as far as the US goes it is not a legal marrage so I dont see any problem there. does anyone agree with me or how else should I do this? Thanks for any advice

There are posts here that indicate what can be done to avoid the laws of the USA. The visa is issued by the embassy based on compliance with US immigration laws. We all know what K 1 visa is used for.
What you are considering doing is simply visa fraud. You want to marry in Thailand after she has the visa; then use the visa as a K 1 to have her enter the USA. What is the purpose of the entry?
If you believe what you are doing is really ok simply tell the officer at the POE she is married but the marrige isnt legal in Thailand. Let them decide if they buy the idea & allow her to use the visa to enter. That will be the best test of who actually understands the laws that apply.
I would use RSN's method to avoid any hint of fraud. Marry her in the USA & return to Thailand to have a traditional Thai wedding.


It is not visa fraud to have a wedding ceremony if that wedding ceremony does not have any legal effect. Consulates in some countries where this is the case actually advise K-1 applicants that this practice is fine. Your accusation is offensive.

If a person is not legally married, they are under no obligation to tell a consular officer that they are married. The determining factor for K-1 eligibility under U.S. law, and as specified in the State Department Foreign Affairs Manual, is "legally free to marry" at the time of the petition and thereafter.

The purpose of a K-1 visa under law is to enter the United States to conclude a valid marriage to the US citizen petitioner and adjust status within 90 days. If the petitioner and beneficiary are not legally married in any country, they are free to conclude a valid marriage in the United States. Once again, the accusation of fraud is incorrect and out of order.

This is a collection of opinions.
You must be an immigration officer or immigration lawyer. Lets hope you are correct & at the POE.
If you are she can just tell the officer at the POE her exact situation to be allowed entry.
If she isnt she can turn to you for advise.
NingFemaleThailand2009-09-09 11:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresThai wedding on a K1
QUOTE (bigcasino75 @ Sep 8 2009, 01:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi all, I would like to give you a run down of what I am doing and get some advice on if this is possable or any problem areas that you may see in advance. I will be filing for a K1 visa for my Thai Fiencee this month( I am just waiting on some docs that she must sign and send back) she is now studing at University and will graduate in May of 2010. I am hoping that her visa will be ready around that time I am starting it now and can stall sending in the packet 3 if it is going too fast. then after she graduate and hopefuly she has her visa I will go to Thailand and we will have a Thai wedding for her family but it will not be regerstered so I dont think there will be any problems and it will be after she has her K1 in hand then we will both come back State side and have a legal wedding here. I know a lot of people say not to have a regelous wedding in the fiencees country but she is a women and wants her family to see her get married. She will already have the visa so it will be no problem for the embassy and as far as the US goes it is not a legal marrage so I dont see any problem there. does anyone agree with me or how else should I do this? Thanks for any advice

There are posts here that indicate what can be done to avoid the laws of the USA. The visa is issued by the embassy based on compliance with US immigration laws. We all know what K 1 visa is used for.
What you are considering doing is simply visa fraud. You want to marry in Thailand after she has the visa; then use the visa as a K 1 to have her enter the USA. What is the purpose of the entry?
If you believe what you are doing is really ok simply tell the officer at the POE she is married but the marrige isnt legal in Thailand. Let them decide if they buy the idea & allow her to use the visa to enter. That will be the best test of who actually understands the laws that apply.
I would use RSN's method to avoid any hint of fraud. Marry her in the USA & return to Thailand to have a traditional Thai wedding.
NingFemaleThailand2009-09-09 09:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Proceduresvisa question
QUOTE (sk7499 @ Sep 18 2009, 10:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
my fiancees visa was approved throught the embassy today she had her interview finally we got through the long 1-129f process i have a question when they say you can pick your visa up next week for example on tuesday can i make flight arrangements already or do we have to wait for example if she picks it up on tuesday can i book a flight for thursday, does anyone know i rather book tickets earlier because there cheaper thanks i will update my profile shortly

There is no reason to wait. Even if the flight would have to be changed it would only take a phone call to change the departure info. Ask at the travel agency where you buy the tickets.
We picked up the visa on Tuesday afternoon & left Thailand at about 5 pm that day. We bought the tickets 4 days before & called in to confirm the departure date.
They dont have a different rate for different days as we do in the USA.

NingFemaleThailand2009-09-18 09:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresA I-129f/K-1 visa MESS...Suggestions?
QUOTE (BitingMyNails2 @ Sep 25 2009, 04:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
SO...I think I've come to a serious halt on our visa case. We are already approved for a I-129f visa, but since I did all the paperwork myself and didn't realize until just a few weeks ago that Thailand seems to be the one and only consulate not accepting co-sponsorship for I-134, I really think we've lost this battle. Of course I'll have him try anyway with my father as a co-sponsor, but I'm not hearing anything positive about this issue - PERIOD.

So whats next then? Do I really have to pay another 500 and refile? Or go to Thailand and marry him and come home and do it all over? Or can I just switch consulates since he's really from Cameroon just residing in Thailand so pretty much already has clearance there too? (ha, fat chance, ya i'm fishing!!!)...I really don't know what to do to save myself some time. My son is already 1 and a half months old, and still has yet to see his father. =( Makes me super sad. Can I use him maybe? We can always establish paternity, does that help?....Eeeeerg. I could cry. Any suggestions would be cool...Thx

There are posts today on V J about the percentage of visas connected to V J. No matter what numbers are used they still only represent a small percentage. The embassy in BKK told me they see about 700 cases per month. Keep this in mind when you read these posts. I dont know what percent are K 1 types.
I helped two friends with their K 1 visas. Each of them required a co-sponsor. They were both approved in BKK & are here in the USA now. There have been many cases reported here on V J where a co-sponsor wasnt allowed.
You will not know what the outcome will be on your case until you submit all the docs & he walks up to the window on the given day. It seems you have paid the fees & waited all this time so why not submit the co-sponsor & see what takes place?
NingFemaleThailand2009-09-25 10:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFiance Received K1 Visa....
Kam,

As you know, my fiance is in the UK, has been there for ~5 years now on a UK student visa but he is a citizen of Pakistan. In contrast to what most people have said, I understand exactly where you are coming from...

First of all, UK creditors cannot follow your fiance into the US,

"Your credit record can't actually be transferred between the United States and the United Kingdom, or vice versa," Jones says. "Nor can it be done between the United Kingdom and Europe or the United States and Europe. There is just no facility to do so at the moment." (quote from the following link)
See this link: http://www.creditcar...ore-foreign.php

But this does not mean in anyway that you should encourage him maxing out his credit cards or that he should do such a thing, which is not morally, ethically or financially correct. Of course you are going to be frustrated due to him making such a decision...

Also, as you mentioned, the life experiences of South Asian citizens who come to the UK to study such as my fiance and your fiance are quite tough. Not only does one have to maintain good standing as a student, but one also has to support himself/herself and usually a family back home or save up enough for themselves...this is not the case with every single foreign student in the UK, but it is quite common. Also, countries like India and Pakistan put strong values on family and extended family...my fiance has not been back home to see his family for a while now, and we are planning a trip there before his POE in the USA after he gets his visa...and as you mention, your fiance has not seen his parents for the past 4 years...it must be extremely hard on them as well as him, and so you are wondering why on earth he would want to spend two weeks in the UK to max out his credit and do shopping when he and you have been waiting for this day for a long time-- the day that you two will be together forever, the day that he will leave the UK towards a brighter future with loved ones near, the day he will see his parents, all of that. So it is very unsettling for you that he is creating a delay such as the one he is...it doesn't make sense to you, which is totally understandable to me.

my thoughts to you is to let him know that it is not a good idea to max out his credit score even though the UK creditors can't collect from him in the USA, if he ever has to go back to the UK, he may have to deal with skeletons in the closet so to speak, such as pending CCJ's (County Court Judgments) and the like. And also let him know how you feel about him taking these two weeks FOR THE PURPOSE he is...taking two weeks to say goodbye to the UK is not the issue here as many are misunderstanding, it is the reason for this two week delay that is rightly upsetting you. Remind him of everything you both have been waiting for for so long...a heart to heart will clear up the frustrations and anxiety and you both should be able to come to an agreement on whether he will take the two week stay for his said purpose or not...

You know your fiance better than anyone else on VJ or anyone else for that matter in the real world, so take everything into perspective. If it was just the two week time period that he needs to say good-bye and share some time with his UK friends, that would be just fine, in my opinion, two weeks is nothing compared to the long time you both have waited to see each other, but I can see that this is not what is bothering you, so it's not like you are being unreasonable or selfish.

Just talk everything out with your fiance, I am sure after the excitement of getting the visa emotions were running like a roller coaster on both ends, so take a deep breath and talk it out, I am sure everything will work out! smile.gif

-MARM

Edited by MARM, 28 August 2009 - 02:40 AM.

MARMNot TellingUnited Kingdom2009-08-28 02:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWhat are our options?
QUOTE (GuardianOne @ Sep 1 2009, 04:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Have you got ahold of your senator?



Yes, we got a hold of both our senators and congressman, all three have made more than one inquiry each, yet all they get is the same standard response we know: his case is in AP and there is no max/min, he will be notified once it is over.
MARMNot TellingUnited Kingdom2009-09-01 04:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWhat are our options?
Currently, my fiance is undergoing Administrative Processing at the US Embassy in London. He interviewed there on May 12, 2009 and as we all know, there is no set time limit for when it will be over. The problem is that my fiance's UK resident permit (he is a student in the UK) will expire on Nov 30, 2009. He does not qualify to extend his stay in the UK as a resident any longer after that based on the fact that he will no longer be a student in the UK. We don't know how long the AP will take, but he cannot extend his stay after Nov 30, 2009 based on his status as a student either. So we were wondering what options we have if his AP is not over by mid-November. He will be leaving the UK back to his home country of Pakistan before his residency expires in the UK (Nov 30, 09), so I am not sure whether we can request for his case to be transferred over to the embassy in Islamabad? Or are we better of canceling the K-1, getting married in Pakistan and going the CR-1/IR-1 route? We just want to be prepared before hand because he cannot stay longer in the UK after Nov 30, 2009, yet his case is under AP at the US Embassy in London since May 12, 2009.

We have notified the US Embassy in London about his residency expiring in Nov 2009, but I don't think they care, we got the standard response: Case is under AP without a set time frame and it cannot be expedited, we will contact you once the AP is over, blah blah blah...

We don't know what options we are looking at... helpsmilie.gif

Edited by MARM, 01 September 2009 - 04:14 AM.

MARMNot TellingUnited Kingdom2009-09-01 04:11:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresDo you think age difference would be a problem?
Thanks Haole. Who gave you the idea that CO or IO s are made to think like USA ? they are given special training to adopt to the specific culture of the country. So they do think and try to compare cases according to cultures prevelant in respective countries but they dnt think absurd stuff. All they are interested whether its bonafide or not.............. if the person think the USC wife as mother or daughter is none of their concern.
2ndly i dnt want to to setup an argument here but then open you eyes Haole. Surely you wd see many immigrating to India. And USA invites Indians to come and give growth to industries here. Must have seen Ajay Bhatia , co founder of USB, in the Intel AD !! Thats it .......there are visas like H1B, L1 and organisations like Intel, IBM, Sun to name a few to wd bow down to hire asian and Indian employees . Indian job standard is hard working and good quality and thats why the outsourcing. They immigrate as a part of the process to work for their companies...... that too happens not even marrying any USC and normally offered by their individual organisations. That way the organisation can keep them with themselves. I have examples where the copany has offered residentship to my friend and he has refused and went back to India and he says US is boring and nothing to do apart from work.
So open your eyes and understand the facts. India is no more being a third world country, it makes its own rice, steel & alcohol & no dependency on China . I am not saying this being biased but from some truth.As i said I am here only for my wife, and most probably we wd immigrate to India soon. BUt I do love USA for its unanimous attitude in laws and regulations & also for its universal helping hand. Study a bit of world history and you wd understand what I am saying.
In addition if an employer decides to hire an employee in H1B, the employer has to pay for his/her visa application, immigration lawyer fees etc that will run into thousands. If you add all these, hiring an American in place of a H1B visa holder is less expensive and less time consuming for the company. Still American companies hire H1B visa holders. Why?
To answer this question let me take you to a graduate class in any University in US. More than 80% of the students in those classes will be non-Americans. Go to any Computer Science or Electrical Engineering classes and you may be extremely lucky if you can find an American in that class. Bottom Line – Americans will high skill sets are almost an extinct species and American companies are forced to hire skilled people by sponsoring H1B visas.
Now what will happen if politics takes an upper hand and makes H1B visa rules stricter? The US is going to lose big time and countries like India and China are going to gain big time. Let us see how it is?
Suppose it becomes difficult to get H1B visas. The majority of the H1B visa holders, who pump majority of their salaries back to US economy will find it tough to get a job and go back to their motherland. The skilled people have gone back and the US employers cannot find enough “qualified” Americans to fill the skilled jobs even though there are lot of “unqualified, unemployed” Americans. In the mean time there will be thousands of qualified skill people in India who cannot be brought to US because of visa restrictions. What will the American company do? Outsource the work to India. What does that translate to? America’s loss is India’s gain.

I dnt want to go into any details but you can google and see for your own .............. no hard feelings here Haole. You take care.

Edited by christera22, 09 August 2009 - 01:44 AM.

christera22FemaleIndia2009-08-09 01:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresDo you think age difference would be a problem?
ALso i forgot to mention in my reply is that the advantage the OP has is both of them are from DOminican background. So that cocultural bondage is of course a big advantage. Tell him to point that out during the interview.
christera22FemaleIndia2009-08-08 11:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresDo you think age difference would be a problem?
QUOTE (itzallgood @ Aug 8 2009, 12:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Haole @ Aug 7 2009, 09:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Gary and Alla @ Aug 7 2009, 03:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (rajojo321 @ Aug 7 2009, 02:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hello....I posted this in spanish and now in english so here goes....My boyfriend and I are filing for the k1 visa....he is 21 and I am 35.....he is Dominican and I am American born to Dominican parents....I am a bit worried and concerned that we may get denied the visa because of the age difference which can trigger thoughts of a fake relationship (fraud).....to my surprise this relationship is realer than real and I think that if we have all of our documents in order and answer all questions truthfully and correct that age difference is not a valid reason to deny a visa....Please give me your totally honest opinion...i appreciate it....thanks....


You are correct. Age difference is NOT a valid reason and they will never use that. They CAN use "not clearly eligible". Try to appeal that one.

Again, I have not heard it is a problem in the Latin American/Carribean cultures. Make your your evidence is solid. The problem lies in that YOU must clearly prove the relationship is legitimate and not for immigration benefits. The burden is on YOU, not them. But if you have good evidence, you should be OK. I would also suggest strongly you attend the interview. (I do that anyway for anyone)

Yeah they "can't" use age difference as a reason for denial but they'll just use the subjective "lack of a bonsfide relationship".
Why does a 21 year old guy marry a 35 year woman in the US. Money or has a "mother complex"?
Why does a 21 year old foreigner from a 3rd world country marry a 35 year US citizen?
Take your pick???
Bottomline is "pile high" evidence of having a LOVING bonafide relationship.



Yes, hon, you are right. THey should pile high the photographs, too. Never let anyone tell you that "they are just secondary evidence.


What is all these ?? GaryandAlla & HAole , who told you all these informations. There is no written rule as if :
"Age differences can be a problem in some areas of the world. If a 23 year old Pinay marries a 50 year old American man...no problem. If a 28 year old Russian marries a 55 year old man from the USA...no problem. Such things are NORMAL in their own culture, it is not unusal that they would seek the same in marrying a foreign person. If a 35 year old US woman wants to marry a 21 year old Syrian...can be a big problem. I have not heard of these problems with younger men/older women in Latin American cultures."

Also Haole pls dnt humiliate members here by saying all these stuffs :
"Why does a 21 year old guy marry a 35 year woman in the US. Money or has a "mother complex"?
Why does a 21 year old foreigner from a 3rd world country marry a 35 year US citizen?"
You are acting against VJ policy.
Who told you that a person from a third world country is always liiving in worser condiiton ? I am still richer with my wealth when i came in USA. So USA for me was not money but my wife. Trust me this is a total wrong notion. We live in India in much more safer and free and non fear way. No job loss no tension of how to pay the bills. So dnt think all these. Apart from the high fraud countries neither USCIS nor the consulate tend to think that way. My consulate asked me a strange thing when i was coming USA for the 1st time. She asked 'well there are so beautiful women in usa..... wd u get attracted and married.1st time i came only for business.' My reply was well there are more beautiful women in India than USA .... so no hard feelings , I am more attracted in India than I think I wd be in USA'.......she smiled and switched offt o different questions. Any way I am moving away from the topic as usual. wacko.gif

My wife USC is 56 and I am 32. So what ?? that man must have demonstrated deeper sense of maturity and spiritual evolvement. Thats why she choose her. If he is using her for GC thats a different case though. But thats not is expressed here. In consulate stage interviews age difference can create a bit problem but rajojo321 i will give you certain things they looks as good proofs and you can use to circumvate these flags, if at all it arises which at all i doubt.
i) at least 15-20 pics together with the application
ii) A statement written by the USC where she states why she married,how did you two meet, add humour and make it believable. Trust me they read that. Though our marriage was from b1/b2 visa and didnt involve consulates but then they read it . Thats what our IO said us during interview.
iii) I dnt know about Dominican but many consulates do allow USC s to join ................. see if you can do that or not.
iv) last but not the least, write a letter from his perents and relatives about you two................ do the same from your end... means ur relatives write something about him and it matters. Our IO was very very impressed by the way her relatives wrote about me.
I dnt think there can be any problem in such little age difference so long he can convince the consulate officer. No one has ever been denied for age difference but they look at how much deep you are into each other. Thats what they want to see...... nothing else. They may ask you about plans to have babies together. Get a good reply ready.
Hope this helps............. be confident and tell him to gather all these & look into the eyes of the officer during interview and smile. They take stuffs as , looking down or looking away or to left, as signs of telling lies of hiding facts. So tell him to avoid these. Thanks .. If you need more to know pls ask.... and we will all be most glad to help. yes.gif good.gif

christera22FemaleIndia2009-08-08 10:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureschildren listed on k-1
QUOTE (Gary and Alla @ Sep 13 2009, 09:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (JimVaPhuong @ Sep 13 2009, 02:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (strega @ Sep 12 2009, 10:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Gary and Alla @ Sep 1 2009, 02:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (mamajew @ Sep 1 2009, 11:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Now should we have included her information (i.e. birth certifiate and passport photos) in the packet we sent up as well or is their a second process we will have to go through later? I have been thinking about that, if we made a mistake or not by not submitting with the original packet. But I hope you all have some good answers for me.
QUOTE (Gary and Alla @ Aug 31 2009, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Before they will issue her a K-2 visa, you will need a notarized letter of permission from the mother with a copy of the mother's passport photo and signature page, OR he will have to have sole custidy and transport privileges ordered by a court. As Jim mentioned, you can get a K-2 up to one year after the K-1 is issued, so you have that much time to work these things out. After that you have to file a regular application for a family member and that can take years to get a visa number

The K-2 to follow process is very easy, just schedule a visa appointment when you are ready using your same NVC case number and present the same documents you would at a regular visa interview. It was rather painless for us, other than getting all the documents in order, but that is the same either way.



I answered your PM but just to be clear...no, her information is not needed for the K-1 except to list her name where it asks for the names of ALL children. The next step will come at the visa interview where she will also apply for a visa. She WILL NOT, absolutely and positively WILL NOT get a visa unless the other parent gives express consent for the father to relocate her permanently to the US, as I mentioned above. This is something you need to address NOW.

hi, i am in the same boat, we have our noa2 approved and all documents ready for the embassy (napoli italy) my fiance has a son that is 7 years old, that has lived with my fiance and fiances family since 6months age, the mother did not want him , they were never married, we did get the mother to sign a consent for the child to come to america and live permantly with the father,she does not have a passport only an ID, her signature was notarizied......we have not faxed the ds230 forms yet to the embassy because we thought we needed some kind of document from the court as approval or custody to take to the embassy in addition to the letter of consent of the mother..this is the only thing holding us up as the courts in italy have not even answered yet and we dont know how long it will take.
my question is ,,do we only need that letter of consent from the mother to get the k2?? and also , what kind of problems would we run into without a document from the court giving my fiance custody in america?? does anyone know??
thank you so much


The lack of a custody document from an Italian court isn't a problem for the K2 visa. You just need the quit claim letter, and you can get a K2 and the child can enter the US. The question is whether a custody document is needed in order to take the child out of Italy. This is a matter for Italian law to determine.


Jim, and OP

I addressed this question with the US consulate in Kiev, regarding bascially the same issue. I was concerned that we would get the K-1/K-2 then head out of the country and get stopped and asked for who knows what else, some obscure Ukrainian law required. I was assured such is not the case. I was assured the consulate worked closed with Ukrainian authorities and that if Ukrainian law would require any such thing, we would be required to obtain it before visa sissuance and present it at the interview. As it turned out, we WERE asked for the "quit claim" letter when leaving the country and no other questions were asked.

I would presume that the Italian consulate similarly cooperates with the Italian government (and I bet it is much easier than cooperating with Ukrainians) and has the same policy. The OP can write the Italian consulate and ask.

Also, we went through quite a procedure to get firm answers on another topic also. That of how long the letter is valid for. While I couldn't get any definitive, written, clear answer, the consensus seemed to be (From US and Ukrainian agencies of various descriptions) that IF the letter states PERMANENT relocation, the letter is valid permanently. Makes sense, but wanted to be sure before we went back for this summer's vacation. When we left this year my wife and son showed their passports and green cards and they never asked for the letter this time.

The valid photo ID you have should be acceptable if the mother has no passport and if the signature is notarized. Since the mother is not there for the interview, they just need to be satisfied (cover their @ss) that the letter is genuine.

thank you so much,,,i think i will fax the ds 230 form now and get the appointment,,,seems to me that everyone says all you need is a "quit form"" that we do have..i did make the "quit form myself and in it was the mothers and fathers name and address, passport and id info and numbers and also the childs info...the letter states that the mother authorizes the dad to take custody of the child and take him to the US to immigrate with him permanantly and also to travel back and forth to italy as needed. also it states that the dad can make all medical and education decisions without her. does that cover everything?? what did you use?? is it a special form or mine is OK?
i just was wondering if i will need the custody document for any reason when he is here in america , if so, then i better wait to get it, after they get here it will be harder to deal with to get it i think
strega and ningiaFemaleItaly2009-09-13 17:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureschildren listed on k-1
QUOTE (JimVaPhuong @ Sep 13 2009, 02:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (strega @ Sep 12 2009, 10:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Gary and Alla @ Sep 1 2009, 02:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (mamajew @ Sep 1 2009, 11:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Now should we have included her information (i.e. birth certifiate and passport photos) in the packet we sent up as well or is their a second process we will have to go through later? I have been thinking about that, if we made a mistake or not by not submitting with the original packet. But I hope you all have some good answers for me.
QUOTE (Gary and Alla @ Aug 31 2009, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Before they will issue her a K-2 visa, you will need a notarized letter of permission from the mother with a copy of the mother's passport photo and signature page, OR he will have to have sole custidy and transport privileges ordered by a court. As Jim mentioned, you can get a K-2 up to one year after the K-1 is issued, so you have that much time to work these things out. After that you have to file a regular application for a family member and that can take years to get a visa number

The K-2 to follow process is very easy, just schedule a visa appointment when you are ready using your same NVC case number and present the same documents you would at a regular visa interview. It was rather painless for us, other than getting all the documents in order, but that is the same either way.



I answered your PM but just to be clear...no, her information is not needed for the K-1 except to list her name where it asks for the names of ALL children. The next step will come at the visa interview where she will also apply for a visa. She WILL NOT, absolutely and positively WILL NOT get a visa unless the other parent gives express consent for the father to relocate her permanently to the US, as I mentioned above. This is something you need to address NOW.

hi, i am in the same boat, we have our noa2 approved and all documents ready for the embassy (napoli italy) my fiance has a son that is 7 years old, that has lived with my fiance and fiances family since 6months age, the mother did not want him , they were never married, we did get the mother to sign a consent for the child to come to america and live permantly with the father,she does not have a passport only an ID, her signature was notarizied......we have not faxed the ds230 forms yet to the embassy because we thought we needed some kind of document from the court as approval or custody to take to the embassy in addition to the letter of consent of the mother..this is the only thing holding us up as the courts in italy have not even answered yet and we dont know how long it will take.
my question is ,,do we only need that letter of consent from the mother to get the k2?? and also , what kind of problems would we run into without a document from the court giving my fiance custody in america?? does anyone know??
thank you so much


The lack of a custody document from an Italian court isn't a problem for the K2 visa. You just need the quit claim letter, and you can get a K2 and the child can enter the US. The question is whether a custody document is needed in order to take the child out of Italy. This is a matter for Italian law to determine.

THANKS, but i dont think they require it as that his son just came to the US for a 2 week vacation with his dad with no problem.....he does have his own passport.

strega and ningiaFemaleItaly2009-09-13 17:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureschildren listed on k-1
QUOTE (Gary and Alla @ Sep 1 2009, 02:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (mamajew @ Sep 1 2009, 11:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Now should we have included her information (i.e. birth certifiate and passport photos) in the packet we sent up as well or is their a second process we will have to go through later? I have been thinking about that, if we made a mistake or not by not submitting with the original packet. But I hope you all have some good answers for me.
QUOTE (Gary and Alla @ Aug 31 2009, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Before they will issue her a K-2 visa, you will need a notarized letter of permission from the mother with a copy of the mother's passport photo and signature page, OR he will have to have sole custidy and transport privileges ordered by a court. As Jim mentioned, you can get a K-2 up to one year after the K-1 is issued, so you have that much time to work these things out. After that you have to file a regular application for a family member and that can take years to get a visa number

The K-2 to follow process is very easy, just schedule a visa appointment when you are ready using your same NVC case number and present the same documents you would at a regular visa interview. It was rather painless for us, other than getting all the documents in order, but that is the same either way.



I answered your PM but just to be clear...no, her information is not needed for the K-1 except to list her name where it asks for the names of ALL children. The next step will come at the visa interview where she will also apply for a visa. She WILL NOT, absolutely and positively WILL NOT get a visa unless the other parent gives express consent for the father to relocate her permanently to the US, as I mentioned above. This is something you need to address NOW.

hi, i am in the same boat, we have our noa2 approved and all documents ready for the embassy (napoli italy) my fiance has a son that is 7 years old, that has lived with my fiance and fiances family since 6months age, the mother did not want him , they were never married, we did get the mother to sign a consent for the child to come to america and live permantly with the father,she does not have a passport only an ID, her signature was notarizied......we have not faxed the ds230 forms yet to the embassy because we thought we needed some kind of document from the court as approval or custody to take to the embassy in addition to the letter of consent of the mother..this is the only thing holding us up as the courts in italy have not even answered yet and we dont know how long it will take.
my question is ,,do we only need that letter of consent from the mother to get the k2?? and also , what kind of problems would we run into without a document from the court giving my fiance custody in america?? does anyone know??
thank you so much
strega and ningiaFemaleItaly2009-09-13 00:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresMultiple Employers...Long Employment History
If you had seasonal Job, don't be too picky about it, if you just worked one month here and one month there, if were you I would just ignore it, but if you had a job for about 6 months, just list that one, and mostly write your education time lines.

As long as you have some proof relationship you are all set and you don't need to go to Iran.

Attach a copy of:
http://travel.state..../tw/tw_920.html

to your documents and say that you are afraid of going to Iran because your safety.

Make sure you have photos together and attach a copy of your plane ticket and boarding passes also his ticket too to show that some where you to saw each other.

you also need to attach your TAX returns, one or two years of income is enough, I can't find any were about how many years, because peoples situation is different, if some one is self employed they need more but you/your dad are/were employed by some one with steady income, just one or 2 years is enough.


KGHMaleIran2009-07-22 11:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresMultiple Employers...Long Employment History
are you the one who wants to come to the US? or you are applying for some one else to come here?

Well you don't need to go too far on your Job history, just the last 4-5 years is enough, don't get panic over this form, there are a lot more to worry about than this questions.

Co-sponsor needs to submit I-864 with his/her tax returns along with I-134 from the petitioner + Tax returns if any. also I recommend to call IRS and get the TAX Transcript which is the official TAX return and is free of charge and you should get it within 10 days.

If you are applying for some one try to send every thing in very organized manner and as you are an Iranian (me too) don't let them question you on any document that you send, try to send them as official as possible.
KGHMaleIran2009-07-21 23:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresVisa Service?
why attorney when you can do it your self? unless you or your fiance(e) has so much money to waist you don't need an attorney, unless your case is complicated.
KGHMaleIran2009-08-30 01:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresRefiling for Same Beneficiary
You should probably include with your statement evidence of the facts establishing your story. For example, records showing that (1) your SO is currently enrolled in school, (2) took a semester off, etc. You will also need to include in this application a clear copy of her entire passport showing that she exited the US on time.


brlukathNot TellingDominican Republic2009-09-08 15:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresK-1: Charting options
(1) No way you'll be done in that time frame.

(2) It doesn't hurt for you to travel while there is a pending I-129F, but whether they allow you to enter is discretionary (need proof of intent to return to Finland)... but, generally, it is not a problem for Europeans on VWP.

Edited by brlukath, 08 September 2009 - 04:54 AM.

brlukathNot TellingDominican Republic2009-09-08 04:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureshow long we have to wait to reapply?
You are better off submitting the additional evidence, assuming that you can get it. If you just ignore the request then your petition will be considered abandoned.

An option is to submit what you can and include a letter stating your difficulty in obtaining the additional information. You will probably get another RFE... assuming this is an RFE.

Edited by brlukath, 08 September 2009 - 11:03 AM.

brlukathNot TellingDominican Republic2009-09-08 11:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresRE:the I-94 on the I-129F form
First, you only need to answer Part B, Question 12 if you are currently in the US. If you are in the US, use the space provided to fill in the details, but leave the I-94 # blank.
brlukathNot TellingDominican Republic2009-09-08 12:12:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresPLEASE HELP ME !!!
No, that's not possible until you have the PR. The option is to delay receipt of the visa or take a term off from school until you get AP.

Edited by brlukath, 13 September 2009 - 11:41 AM.

brlukathNot TellingDominican Republic2009-09-13 11:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWhich address to write?
On the I-129F, I would use "permanent" addresses (i.e. Japan and USA). On the G-25A, I would concurrently list the Korean addresses. This makes sure that you don't misrepresent yourself, but are not stuck with some random, irrelevant, short-term address on your forms.

I never live in the same place very long, but I maintain a permanent address which I list on all my forms for the USCIS.
brlukathNot TellingDominican Republic2009-09-05 07:16:00