K-1 Visa for Cuban Fiance

[lasiren7174 4]

Hello!

My fiance lives in Cuba and being that it is impossible to mail anything and his computer access is extremely limited and knowledge of how to navigate on one is even less, we have to rely on friends traveling back and forth to get documents signed, combine evidence, etc...I see that time frames for receiving a K-1 visa for their Cuban fiances varied tremendously. I would like to ask everyone who has had experience with a Cuban fiance, do you have any tips for expediting any part of the process? We are filing for the I-129F in May and want to have all my ducks (or as many as poosible) in a row before we begin. A few specific questions:

1) I have lots of receipts for recharging his phone and phone bills for when I call him but do I need to provide our text messages (we have a ton) or emails (we only have a few)? He is very private and does nto want to use any texts or emails and I'm torn because it seems like it best to overwhelm them with evidence. Thoughts?

2) Once he receives the package from the US Interests Section in Havana with all of the forms, istructions, etc...for what he needs to prepare for his interview does he need to fill out the online DS-160 immediately to get on their list of people requesting a K-1 visa or does he simply need to do it anytime before the interview?

3) Can I make his appointment for interview as soon as I know our case # or do I have to wait for the US Interests Section to receive it? To my knowledge I am supposed to call the office to make his appointment for the interview however I recently read that it was the US Interests Section that sends my fiance in Cuba an interview date once they receive the the documents they request to be signed and returned immediately from the package that they send him. Can anyone clear this up for me?

Thank you!!

[Sarah&Michel 6]

Hi-

To answer your questions:

1. I would send a sampling of the text messages and your emails. The written content will prove that you are actually in a relationship. You should also send any call records, photos, airplane tickets, etc. You can never have too much evidence.

2. The DS-160 is a new form. We didn't have to fill out before the interview, so hopefully someone else can answer this question for you.

3. Once you receive the NOA2, you should allow 2 weeks before calling the National Visa Center to recieve his HAV#. This is the number you need in order to call to schedule the interview.

You can find more information about the K-1 process in Cuba here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/487769-k-1-visa-for-cuban-fiance/

But keep in mind this is only one person's account of the process and it has since changed a little so you may want to double check everything with others (for example, she says submitting plane tickets is not necessary, which I disagree with.)

Good luck!

PS- I find the process takes somewhat longer and is subject to greater scrutiny if the petitioner is American (as opposed to a Cuban-American). You should also make it a priority to be there for the interview.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Sarah&Michel

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

From the Havana Embassy website > http://havana.usint.gov/iv-faq.html#7

~ Moved from K-1 Process to Caribbean regional forum - topic specific to Cuba ~

[Yuni&garri 1]

You have to wait until your case get to the embassy in havana to call and schedule your interview, good luck on that I just call today abd they gave mine for aug 4 , 5 more months of waiting time , it is sound crazy especially when you check people from other countries getting aproved in less than 4 months , we send a lot of pictures together, phone records , boarding pass , plain tickets and e mails . Everything in Cuba it is so complicate !

[Peace&Love 26]

I wouldn't wait till the case gets to the Interest section in Havana. After you get your approval from NVC and have your HAV Case Number you can call and make an appointment. Here is the info below.

Calling from within the United States: 1-866-374-1769.

Callers will need to have a Visa or MasterCard ready to pay for the service which costs $11.00 for eight minutes of talk time.

How does the service work?

To use the service, callers purchase a Personal Identification Number (PIN). PINs can be purchased for $11 USD using a Visa or MasterCard. The PIN allows the caller to access the service multiple times for information and appointment scheduling for up to a total of 8 minutes. The PIN is nonrefundable. In the event it is lost the caller must obtain a new one. If the time allowed for the PIN runs out, the caller must obtain a new PIN and call the service again.

What information do callers need to schedule an appointment?

• Full name of the applicant as it appears in the passport
• Date of birth
• Country of birth
• Applicant's complete address, including contact phone number in Cuba
• Email Address
• Passport number
• Purpose of visit

[lasiren7174 4]

Thank you all so much!! I am taking everything into consideration and providing as much evidence as possible. Yes, everything in Cuba is more difficult. So unfair! I am trying to be patient and do everything calmly but sometimes it all feels like an eternity, especially when I cannot submit anything until the end of May. Your comments were really helpful and just having ears that listened to my woes and who knows what I am feeling. Gracias!!

[pepper44 18]

zetete,

When you say applicants information do you mean the person filing the K1 visa or the person that will be showing up in Cuba for the interview?

I would be the applicant but I do not reside in Cuba so I do not have a cuban phone number. Just want to clarify this.

[Peace&Love 26]

You as a petitioner can call and make an appointment for your fiance. You need to have those information listed. I'm not sure if the call center is even in Havana, it might be even in the USA, but they need your $11 to make that appointment so they can make some money on that as well . Follow the direction it is easy.

[lorella 65]

You have to wait until your case get to the embassy in havana to call and schedule your interview, good luck on that I just call today abd they gave mine for aug 4 , 5 more months of waiting time , it is sound crazy especially when you check people from other countries getting aproved in less than 4 months , we send a lot of pictures together, phone records , boarding pass , plain tickets and e mails . Everything in Cuba it is so complicate !

the interview wait time is the worst! i am still waiting on my NOA2 from TSC (3 months waiting so far). And unless TSC miraculously speeds up their approval process i am expecting my fiance to have an interview in october or november of this year. seems so far away!

[lorella 65]

Hi-

To answer your questions:

1. I would send a sampling of the text messages and your emails. The written content will prove that you are actually in a relationship. You should also send any call records, photos, airplane tickets, etc. You can never have too much evidence.

2. The DS-160 is a new form. We didn't have to fill out before the interview, so hopefully someone else can answer this question for you.

3. Once you receive the NOA2, you should allow 2 weeks before calling the National Visa Center to recieve his HAV#. This is the number you need in order to call to schedule the interview.

You can find more information about the K-1 process in Cuba here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/487769-k-1-visa-for-cuban-fiance/

But keep in mind this is only one person's account of the process and it has since changed a little so you may want to double check everything with others (for example, she says submitting plane tickets is not necessary, which I disagree with.)

Good luck!

PS- I find the process takes somewhat longer and is subject to greater scrutiny if the petitioner is American (as opposed to a Cuban-American). You should also make it a priority to be there for the interview.

hi - you mentioned that there is greater scrutiny if the petitioner is American. Did you experience this with your case or know of others who experienced it? Was there just more questions about the validity of the relationship? I'm curious because I am American and would like to be prepared for the interview. I am planning to be at the interview with my fiance.

Edited April 3, 2014 by lorella

[ja0e1 2]

the interview wait time is the worst! i am still waiting on my NOA2 from TSC (3 months waiting so far). And unless TSC miraculously speeds up their approval process i am expecting my fiance to have an interview in october or november of this year. seems so far away!

Hi Lorella,

Congrats on your upcoming interview!!!! I hope that it goes very smoothly. I just learned that we have our HAV # and am waiting for the letter from the NVC. I am wondering when did you call to schedule the interview for your fiance? Once you had the letter in hand or when it got to Havana? Also how did you track it thorugh DSL? I've been trying to read other posts on the process and it seems conflicted to some degree.

Thanks much for you help in advance! And again, congrats on the Interview date! I hope it goes smoothly and perhaps hear how it goes as well!!!!!

[lorella 65]

Hi Lorella,

Congrats on your upcoming interview!!!! I hope that it goes very smoothly. I just learned that we have our HAV # and am waiting for the letter from the NVC. I am wondering when did you call to schedule the interview for your fiance? Once you had the letter in hand or when it got to Havana? Also how did you track it thorugh DSL? I've been trying to read other posts on the process and it seems conflicted to some degree.

Thanks much for you help in advance! And again, congrats on the Interview date! I hope it goes smoothly and perhaps hear how it goes as well!!!!!

hello. thanks for the well wishes.

i called the day after i received my HAV# to schedule my interview. i did not wait until i received the letter from the NVC nor did i wait until our case got to havana. they allowed me to schedule it with just the HAV# (as well as the other information about my fiance....name, passport info, DOB, etc). i would definitely try calling as soon as you get the HAV# to schedule the interview. i also read here on VJ that you need to wait until your case reached Havana - but that is not the case...or at least it wasn't for me. be sure to post your interview date on VJ once you get it. the interview wait for cuba has been closer to 5 months over the last year. somehow, i got one 2 months from the day i scheduled it. i'm curious if i was lucky or if 2 months is the new normal.

the tracking through DHL can be a little confusing to figure out. if you know when your case has been shipped, use the instructions found in this thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/302190-dhl-tracking-from-nvc-to-us-embassy/. I had to enter the day BEFORE the NVC said my case shipped in the shippers reference to find my package. if you have trouble figuring it out - send me a PM and i can help you.

best of luck! feel free to message me with any other questions you may have.

[ja0e1 2]

hello. thanks for the well wishes.

i called the day after i received my HAV# to schedule my interview. i did not wait until i received the letter from the NVC nor did i wait until our case got to havana. they allowed me to schedule it with just the HAV# (as well as the other information about my fiance....name, passport info, DOB, etc). i would definitely try calling as soon as you get the HAV# to schedule the interview. i also read here on VJ that you need to wait until your case reached Havana - but that is not the case...or at least it wasn't for me. be sure to post your interview date on VJ once you get it. the interview wait for cuba has been closer to 5 months over the last year. somehow, i got one 2 months from the day i scheduled it. i'm curious if i was lucky or if 2 months is the new normal.

the tracking through DHL can be a little confusing to figure out. if you know when your case has been shipped, use the instructions found in this thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/302190-dhl-tracking-from-nvc-to-us-embassy/. I had to enter the day BEFORE the NVC said my case shipped in the shippers reference to find my package. if you have trouble figuring it out - send me a PM and i can help you.

best of luck! feel free to message me with any other questions you may have.

Thank you soooooooooooo much for your help!!!! I am super excited as I followed your advice and we have our interview on 10/14!!! Thanks also for the link to track, and you were right that day before was what had been needed to find the package. I also looked on the CEAC website and it showed that it was "In transit" however, it also said your interview date has been provided by the NVC. Did your message also look the same? I had thought that at Cuba--we the petitioner call for the date. I'm so grateful to have this date so close, but hope that we don't have two. Also any advice for where your fiance went for the medical exam? My fiance also has been seeing a counselor in Havana who helps people prepare for all the documentation and the interview (he found this counselor through a friend); however, the counselor told him that his documents do not need to be translated. I thought all documents in Spanish had to be translated to English--was this your experience too??? Sorry for all the questions and I so appreciate your help. I feel that without Visa Journey I wouldn't know where to turn.

I am again very grateful for your help, and also very excited for you--in some small way I feel that we are together on this as our dates for interviews are very close and I know from your timeline you and your fiance have been waiting for a long time. I'm happy you both will be reunited soon!!! I'm sending a lot of positive energy both your ways!!!

Take care!

[lorella 65]

Thank you soooooooooooo much for your help!!!! I am super excited as I followed your advice and we have our interview on 10/14!!! Thanks also for the link to track, and you were right that day before was what had been needed to find the package. I also looked on the CEAC website and it showed that it was "In transit" however, it also said your interview date has been provided by the NVC. Did your message also look the same? I had thought that at Cuba--we the petitioner call for the date. I'm so grateful to have this date so close, but hope that we don't have two. Also any advice for where your fiance went for the medical exam? My fiance also has been seeing a counselor in Havana who helps people prepare for all the documentation and the interview (he found this counselor through a friend); however, the counselor told him that his documents do not need to be translated. I thought all documents in Spanish had to be translated to English--was this your experience too??? Sorry for all the questions and I so appreciate your help. I feel that without Visa Journey I wouldn't know where to turn.

I am again very grateful for your help, and also very excited for you--in some small way I feel that we are together on this as our dates for interviews are very close and I know from your timeline you and your fiance have been waiting for a long time. I'm happy you both will be reunited soon!!! I'm sending a lot of positive energy both your ways!!!

Take care!

that is awesome! i am happy that other people have been able to schedule interviews within a couple months of NOA2.

do not worry about the NVC message about "you interview date has been provided by the NVC". that is a standard message for immigrant visas. K1 visas are exempt from that - like you said for cuba, the petitioner calls to schedules the interview. you will not have two interviews.

have you seen the Cuba Wiki here on visa journey? here is the link: http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Cuba_K1#Frequently_Asked_Questions_Specific_to_Cuba

that page has examples of the packet 3 documents - including a list of hospitals that can perform the medical examinations.

i am not sure about the document translation. i have not read anywhere that the documents obtained for interviews in cuba (police certificate, medical examination, etc) need to be translated. i'll do a little research and let you know what i find out. but my initial thought is that they do not need to be translated. could be wrong though.

you are very welcome. this website has been a great resource for me so i am happy to help others who are going through the same process.