WANT TO GET STARTED ON THE 129f for XMAS GIFT

[torrell17 0]

Hi All, I'm very excited to find this site and wanted to know the difference between k1 and 129f. Also can I get started on ths proccess and give it as a gift to my GF. We talked about this before but due to the fact that shes so busy with school she doesn't have the knowledge or understanding about how long this proccess takes. Please let me know I wanna start writing the paper work asap.

[canadian_wife 1,808]

I-129F is the petition the US citizen files. The K-1 is the visa the beneficiary applies for after the petition has been approved

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1tips

Read the guides link and the tips for help

Good luck, welcome to VJ

[John+Lourdelie 28]

When is she planning on finishing school? Maybe that will have a bearing on when you should apply.

John

[Yellowhead 12]

Hi All, I'm very excited to find this site and wanted to know the difference between k1 and 129f. Also can I get started on ths proccess and give it as a gift to my GF. We talked about this before but due to the fact that shes so busy with school she doesn't have the knowledge or understanding about how long this proccess takes. Please let me know I wanna start writing the paper work asap.

You should fill out some of the information about your potential case (K-1 if not yet married, K-3 if married already). It makes it a lot easier for people to give you suggestions, time-frames etc.

That being said, I am from Canada and my fiance and I just did the paperwork together in September. I too am a very busy student and had to arrange the estimated time of approval for the whole process to coincide with my graduation. It can be done, and starting asap if she plans to graduate in the next 6-12 months will help. The whole process will take between 7-12 months generally, depending where you are from and where the beneficiary (the foreign fiance) is from. It is great that you want to help out by assisting with the paperwork. My fiance (petitioner) was too busy with school/work/his band to fill out the I-129f, so I did it for him as a gift of sorts as well. You should both go through the process together, however, as the process can be quite lengthy and time consuming. You should both share those duties as best as possible. There is a LOT of information on this website and you will want to frequent it regularly if doing the process on your own.

As for the I-129f, this is the petition by the petitioner (US Citizen) for the beneficiary (Foreign fiance) to become a K-1 visa applicant. To apply for the visa itself in the beneficiary's country (through their US consulate), you must fill out this I-129f form first. This process takes between 3-6 months at this point in time. I wouldn't wait until x-mas to send the forms though. If at all possible get them done and sent in asap, which will make the waiting game a little easier. If she graduates in over a year from now, don't worry about hurrying the process. The K-1 visa has an expiration date of 6 months once issued I believe (can someone confirm this?) so if she needs more than a year to graduate, it would be best holding off for a while on filing the I-129f.

Best of luck!

[pushbrk 12,568]

You should fill out some of the information about your potential case (K-1 if not yet married, K-3 if married already). It makes it a lot easier for people to give you suggestions, time-frames etc.

See bold above. The K3 visa is no longer available. For a "girlfriend" you would file a petition for "fiancee". For a spouse, the currently available visas are CR1 for newlyweds and IR1 for those married more than two years. Start by clicking on the word "Guides" at the top of any page here.

[Yellowhead 12]

See bold above. The K3 visa is no longer available. For a "girlfriend" you would file a petition for "fiancee". For a spouse, the currently available visas are CR1 for newlyweds and IR1 for those married more than two years. Start by clicking on the word "Guides" at the top of any page here.

Thanks for the clarification. I was unaware that K-3 had been discontinued.

[LDG 2]

K1 visa will take at least 5 months to have. Takes a week after you submit the petition to receive a notice, that could be your gift.

[easyukraine 1]

as you have seen from the above members the guide is a place to start, then you can start asking specific questions pertaining to your situation. as you can see the members here will gladly reply and answer your questions or point you in the right direction.

[torrell17 0]

Thanks for all this great info! I'll be sending this off by the end of the month! Will I need to attach any documents besides the i129f form? I want her to open a copy of the form for Xmas this is my goal. She will be done with school in april. I guess me handing this paper work is like me asking her to marry me. haha... Ill add pictures.She lives in surrey and im currently in seattle so I hope this will be a smooth process. We been together for 3yrs.

[JoannaV 174]

Thanks for all this great info! I'll be sending this off by the end of the month! Will I need to attach any documents besides the i129f form? I want her to open a copy of the form for Xmas this is my goal. She will be done with school in april. I guess me handing this paper work is like me asking her to marry me. haha... Ill add pictures.She lives in surrey and im currently in seattle so I hope this will be a smooth process. We been together for 3yrs.

I'm not sure how possible it is for you to make it a surprise... You will need to include on the forms a lot of information about her, including information about her parents' names and dates/places of births. Maybe you can get this from her without her wondering what you're doing, but I don't know... You also need a recent passport photo of her, and a statement from her saying she intends on marrying you within 90 days of entering the country with the visa. Not sure how you would get the latter from her without first asking her to marry you...

[torrell17 0]

LOL Your right! Wellllllll I guess.. Ill break the new to her in the next few days...!

[ZedbraGuy 6]

The benificiary also has to sign things so it can't be that much of a suprise

[Yellowhead 12]

Thanks for all this great info! I'll be sending this off by the end of the month! Will I need to attach any documents besides the i129f form? I want her to open a copy of the form for Xmas this is my goal. She will be done with school in april. I guess me handing this paper work is like me asking her to marry me. haha... Ill add pictures.She lives in surrey and im currently in seattle so I hope this will be a smooth process. We been together for 3yrs.

Most people say it isn't required for the I-129f process, but I would recommend having more info than not enough.

A brief run through of the necessities:

-Cover letter w table of contents

-Check

-I-129f

-G325A for you both, signed and dated

-Passport photos (US size) in colour from you both (2 each I believe)

-A copy of your birth certificate or all pages of passport

-A letter from each of you stating intent to marry (Basically a letter saying you are engaged and will marry within 90 days of her entry into the USA on her K-1 if approved). Signed and dated

-Proof of your meeting in the last two years in person. You will want to have enough here to give your case validity, but not toooo much. I included 6 photographs from varying times within the last 2 yrs, phone records, passport stamps, flight itineraries and boarding passes, emails planning our visit, receipts from a trip to disneyland we took together with both our names on it.

You will definitely need to consult with her about this. I assume you both have talked about taking this step? The asking part is the only thing left to do?

It is a good choice to do the K-1 in your situation, with you in Seattle and her so close to Vancouver. The K-1 is the only visa that the Vancouver Consulate processes for marriage based immigration. If you married first, she would have to fly to montreal for her interview. This way she will be in Vancouver for medical and her interview.

I would check with her to make sure the timing of the petition is okay based on what she has going on in her life. A lot of the work after the 1-129f will be on her hands, not yours, including all of the moving details, and documentation required for the interview and medical. I started preparing mine last month (and we have not even received our NOA1 yet). Moving across the border is a huge task and it requires a lot of prep work. Make sure she can handle the time and pressure if she is finishing up school. I probably would have killed my fiance if he had gone ahead without telling me he had filed out 1-129f! It is just a heavy load to place on her shoulders and she may or may not realize how much work is involved. I would ask her to marry you and discuss this prior to submitting everything just to be sure timing is okay on her end.

Not to mention the cost.... if you aren't able to pay for the whole process of her obtaining the Visa portion and filing for AOS once approved, talk to her about this as well. The overall cost can push past $3000 for just the first year or so of paperwork and other mandatory costs.

Edited October 27, 2010 by hithalynn

[Yellowhead 12]

See bold above. The K3 visa is no longer available. For a "girlfriend" you would file a petition for "fiancee". For a spouse, the currently available visas are CR1 for newlyweds and IR1 for those married more than two years. Start by clicking on the word "Guides" at the top of any page here.

Could you provide some info about where it says K-3 are no longer available?