Why not right away???

[Bill and Eve 1]

I have seen several posts about whether it is good idea to apply for I 129f as soon as you return from meeting the 1st time. Any opinions appreciated as I hope to get this process started as soon as possible. Thanks

[amykathleen2005 441]

In my opinion the K-1 visa is a fiance visa, not a wait and see what happens visa. If you can tell after one face to face meeting that you are sure you want to marry and that you both love and trust one another than apply. But if you are not sure don't waste immigration's time and resources for a visa you are not going to use.

[amykathleen2005 441]

Also in terms of the application and interview you will probably want to front load your petition with evidence of your relationship, is one visit enough time to get enough evidence to include to prove to one of the hardest consulates that you have a relationship?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I have seen several posts about whether it is good idea to apply for I 129f as soon as you return from meeting the 1st time. Any opinions appreciated as I hope to get this process started as soon as possible. Thanks

Makes no difference. Once you have met in person you qualify to have a K-1 petition approved, it does not matter how long you know the person or how many times you met them in order to get a PETITION approved. Getting the VISA approved is another matter and requires evidence of a relationship. Some consulates are different than others in this regard. Chec with people that have been dealing with the consulate YOU will use.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I have seen several posts about whether it is good idea to apply for I 129f as soon as you return from meeting the 1st time. Any opinions appreciated as I hope to get this process started as soon as possible. Thanks

What you've read are people cautioning against the general guidance that anyone can file a petition immediately after returning from their first face-to-face visit with their fiancee. While that's enough to satisfy USCIS and get the petition approved, it could be disastrous at some consulates. Since this is a general K1 sub-forum for everyone, any advice should either be relevant to everyone, or carry a caveat if it's not relevant to everyone.

Filing after only one meeting is not advised for someone with a fiancee in a high fraud country. It's no problem at all for someone with a fiancee in a low fraud country. The Philippines falls somewhere in between the two extremes. Spend some time in the regional forum for the Philippines to get an idea what the consulate expects. Having this knowledge before you file the petition will help you to avoid making any mistakes you can't fix.

[baron555 934]

I have seen several posts about whether it is good idea to apply for I 129f as soon as you return from meeting the 1st time. Any opinions appreciated as I hope to get this process started as soon as possible. Thanks

We did. Took us about a week to get the documents together and for her to send to me via FedEx her documents.

[mrsean 4]

I have seen several posts about whether it is good idea to apply for I 129f as soon as you return from meeting the 1st time. Any opinions appreciated as I hope to get this process started as soon as possible. Thanks

yes you can and no problem i filed as soon as i got home and i know many others that have,you meet,in love want to marry u file!!!do yourself a favor and just stay in the philippines forum!!!

[EllaC 190]

Yes, you can. And you can even be approved. You meet the requirements for your I-129F Petition so go ahead. Getting the visa at the consulate it's a different story. You're going to need more evidence of your ongoing relationship: photos, emails, ym conv., skype conv. & call logs, phone records yada, yada. You should consider visiting your fiancé(e) again. That way you'll have more evidence and, why not, you can get to know him/her better.

[Bruin85 9]

If you are sure this is the person you want to marry, then why not? That's what I did. Me and my wife started emailing each other in April 2009, I flew to Manila in July 2009 to meet her in person and we also flew to her home town in Northern Samar to meet her parents during that same trip. That was enough for me to know she was the one. Now, she wasn't the first girl I had flown to the Philippines to meet. I had been emailing, im'ing and webcaming with different girls in Phil for over a year and a half up to that point, so when I met her I could tell that there was something special about her, and she was the "real deal". When I got back from that first trip I immediately put together the paper work for the K1 and sent it in. I went with my then fiance to her interview in Manila in Feb. 2010 and she had no trouble being approved. The main thing they were interested in was pics of me with her and her family. So I say yes, why not apply right away. I think quality is more important than quantity. As far as getting approved, having plenty of pics is the best evidence you can have. And while you're waiting for your K1 to get approved stateside, you have plenty of time to build more evidence. While we were waiting, I visited her again in Nov. 2009 and we were constantly emailing, phoning and im'ing. So why wait? Now, if you're not sure she's the right girl, that's another story. There are plenty of girls in Phil who want to marry a foreigner, so there is no reason to rush unless you are sure you found the right one. But if you are sure, then why wait? Go for it!

[baron555 934]

Spend some time in the regional forum for the Philippines to get an idea what the consulate expects. Having this knowledge before you file the petition will help you to avoid making any mistakes you can't fix.

This is very important. Go there and spend your time there.