Don't know where to begin

[verylost 0]

Hello everyone,

I got married to a US Citizen and she is in the process of filing for the petition I-130 and the background doc (g-325)a.

Today she had an infopass appointment and when she called they told her they cannot give any info, it is only for people with pending cases. She was told to visit the website for any information as they can't help. She is very upset and is taking all her frustration on me lol it sucks that your country won\t help you when you need them. anyways, she has already filled out all the information. Do I have to fill the g-325a and sign or she has to do both? I am in canada and she is usa. should she send pictures of our wedding, honeymoon, and pictures from every visit as a proof? rougly how long will the whole process take before i can move? sorry for the long message...this is stressful.

[YuAndDan 153]

Yes both petitioner and beneficiary are required to do a G-325A.

VJ has excellent guides, forget about USCIS.gov or infopass just use the VJ guide.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...page=i130guide1

Edited August 27, 2008 by YuAndDan

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Congratulations on your wedding and welcome to VJ. You might want to have your wife join as well. You will be able to find all of the information to help you through your process here - and then some! as well as some good people to keep you company while you wait. The process is not for the faint-of-heart and can seem overwhelming at first but there are many of us here who are all at different stages of the journey and are happy to share their experience and expertise.

The guides are a really useful place to start as are the different forums. You will be interested in the K-3 and the CR-1 forums especially, as well as the Canadian forum!

[chuckb 0]

Congratulations on your wedding and welcome to VJ. You might want to have your wife join as well. You will be able to find all of the information to help you through your process here - and then some! as well as some good people to keep you company while you wait. The process is not for the faint-of-heart and can seem overwhelming at first but there are many of us here who are all at different stages of the journey and are happy to share their experience and expertise.

The guides are a really useful place to start as are the different forums. You will be interested in the K-3 and the CR-1 forums especially, as well as the Canadian forum!

The USCIS has told us twice that the petioner can sign the 325a for the fiance, as "the petitioner." This was for a K-1, but I don't know why it would be different for K-3. Usually, the Fiance would fill out and sign hers as others will tell you here. I don't disagree.

Food for thought.

[verylost 0]

thank you for your help and support. so i don't need to sign the g-325a form? it is weird because at the end it says petitioner signs and right your name but how am i an applicant/petitioner? i will go ahead and tell my wife to send everything as it is. do we have to send the cheque along with the documents? who should she make the cheque to?

[verylost 0]

Hi, thank you. I am very suicidal right now lol my wife will get lost and confused even furthure if i tell her about vj. i am not saying that in a bad way but she is not good with computer and forums. she has no clue what it is. I have a question, whhen we are sending 2 pieces of pictures for both of us does it have to be signed?

Congratulations on your wedding and welcome to VJ. You might want to have your wife join as well. You will be able to find all of the information to help you through your process here - and then some! as well as some good people to keep you company while you wait. The process is not for the faint-of-heart and can seem overwhelming at first but there are many of us here who are all at different stages of the journey and are happy to share their experience and expertise.

The guides are a really useful place to start as are the different forums. You will be interested in the K-3 and the CR-1 forums especially, as well as the Canadian forum!

[Mephys 2]

First, congrats on your marriage

Second, it might seem overwhelming but let me tell you this, you'd better delay the petition for a few days and take the time to read and understand the guides here as well as explaining them to your wife. I was in the same position as you guys when I first found VJ, and here I am in the USA with my Green Card, did all my applications WITHOUT the help of a lawyer, and that thanks to VJ and the help found.

I suggest you to read the whole guide about K-3 Visa, and then post your questions in the K-3 related section, and you will get a lot of help and very fast.

This forum isn't a forum with 3 answers a week, it's a place where hundreds of people seek help and comfort everyday. Alot of them aren't started with the process, some are in it, some are done, and most of the people that went through it have a lot of good comments to help the new ones. And believe me this website is more up to date than any immigration lawyers.

[verylost 0]

thanks, this place is awesome. i did notice that is a very busy forum and with tons of info. I am confused (suprise lol) about k3? she is filing i-130? are we doing somehting wrong?

First, congrats on your marriage

Second, it might seem overwhelming but let me tell you this, you'd better delay the petition for a few days and take the time to read and understand the guides here as well as explaining them to your wife. I was in the same position as you guys when I first found VJ, and here I am in the USA with my Green Card, did all my applications WITHOUT the help of a lawyer, and that thanks to VJ and the help found.

I suggest you to read the whole guide about K-3 Visa, and then post your questions in the K-3 related section, and you will get a lot of help and very fast.

This forum isn't a forum with 3 answers a week, it's a place where hundreds of people seek help and comfort everyday. Alot of them aren't started with the process, some are in it, some are done, and most of the people that went through it have a lot of good comments to help the new ones. And believe me this website is more up to date than any immigration lawyers.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

No - you aren't doing something wrong. She is filing a petition to sponsor a spouse - the I-130. That is the correct place to start. There are two possible visas for you to look at - the K-3 and the CR-1. Both of them start the same way. The CR-1 does all of the immigration processing while you are in Canada. When you get the CR-1 visa you enter the US as an immigrant with a green card and can work right away. The K-3 allows you permission to enter the US before you get your immigration status but once you are here you can't work unless you apply for separate permission (an EAD - employment authorization document) and you need to submit an application to adjust your status to an immigrant (AOS with the I-485 form). The advantage of the K-3 is it is supposed to re-unite partners faster but now it is often taking the same amount of time as the CR-1. There will be an additional form to fill out after the I-130 to apply for the K-3 visa. It is confusing, yes, but read the guides and ask questions here and in the CR-1 and the K-3 forums. Knowledge is power.

Edited August 27, 2008 by Kathryn41

[verylost 0]

Thanks, We will gather all the documents and hopefully send the petition this week. Who needs help from immigration people when we have VJ

No - you aren't doing something wrong. She is filing a petition to sponsor a spouse - the I-130. That is the correct place to start. There are two possible visas for you to look at - the K-3 and the CR-1. Both of them start the same way. The CR-1 does all of the immigration processing while you are in Canada. When you get the CR-1 visa you enter the US as an immigrant with a green card and can work right away. The K-3 allows you permission to enter the US before you get your immigration status but once you are here you can't work unless you apply for separate permission (an EAD - employment authorization document) and you need to submit an application to adjust your status to an immigrant (AOS with the I-485 form). The advantage of the K-3 is it is supposed to re-unite partners faster but now it is often taking the same amount of time as the CR-1. There will be an additional form to fill out after the I-130 to apply for the K-3 visa. It is confusing, yes, but read the guides and ask questions here and in the CR-1 and the K-3 forums. Knowledge is power.

[verylost 0]

on the g 325 do i have to sign at the bottom or my fiance? sorry to be a headache here

[Lona.C. 16]

on the g 325 do i have to sign at the bottom or my fiance? sorry to be a headache here

now I am confuessed on the start you said wife now she is your fiancee , if she is your fiance you guys will have to go for the k1 visa if she is your wife you guys have to go for the k3 or cr1 ,

to my knowledge you will have to sign the g325a that contains your data if your going for k1 , but am not sure if the rules aply the same to k3 ( I would just fill it out sign it and mail or fax it to her ) good luck

[SonoranSongbird 3]

Yeah, I'm a bit confused about wife vs fiancee too, although I'm sort of assuming she is your wife and you are doing the K3 visa (I have been married for a month and occasionally call my husband my fiance out of force of habit....).

We went the K1 route, so I am not sure if this is different, but for a K1, BOTH fiances need to fill out a G-325A. Each of you will sign in the "applicant's signature" box on the G-325A with your own information. Yes, it is a little misleading that it says "applicant," but it is a multi-purpose form. There is a box at the bottom where you check "purpose." For ours, we checked "other" and then wrote "I-129F petition for K1 visa" on the line. I think you also need to check the "other" box (because the other two boxes are for citizenship or permanent residence, I think). Someone who had a K3 can probably tell you what to put in the line (I-130?).

Also, I will second the recommendation to take some time to read the guides on VJ and maybe read through some of the threads before even starting. It takes less time than you think to familiarize yourself with the general process so it becomes much less daunting.

Good luck, congratulations on your marriage, and welcome to VJ and (soon) the US!

[verylost 0]

on the g 325 do i have to sign at the bottom or my fiance? sorry to be a headache here

lol sorry, that is a mistake i am sure we are married lol, it was late and i was tired when i was posting.

[Reba 2]

You each have to sign your own G325A forms.

There are also example forms here that you can have a look at to make sure you are completing yours correctly.