no paperwork from spouse for K3 process/interview?

[phirephly 0]

Howdy all you knowledgable folks out there in VJ land...

I quite admittedly have been pretty focused on our CR-1 visa and the K3 slipped by me a bit. Now that it's approved, I'm a bit lost. I'm looking at the guide here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=k3guide

and all it talks about needing for the interview is stuff from me (I-134, NOA2, etc). Of course, I'm sure that sending all the "evidence" (i hate calling it that) of our relationship will be helpful as well. But she doesn't have to submit any paperwork? No DS-230? She doesn't need her birth certificate? Marriage certificate? For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that we would need to file a DS-230 for the K3 visa as well. Here is why this is particularly important for our case: apparently in the Philippines, you are only allowed to request one nbi (police) clearance per year. If this gets tied up in the K3, then it won't be available for the CR-1 when we need it at the NVC (hopefully in a few weeks). This is definitely not desirable. It seems hard to believe that there's virtually no paperwork required of the (non)immigrant before coming here. The guide mentions "vaccination records" (which she doesn't have), and unspecified "other items", which does concern me just a little bit.

So am I just completely overreacting again and freaking out for nothing, or is there indeed something larger looming over us that I just haven't found yet (or found once, but can't find again)? If this is the case that it's required for both, what would be the way to handle it? Of course I don't want create the paradox where I put our CR-1 on hold while the K3 is processed. Also, if this is the case, can any of our fellow VJ filipinos comment on how they handled it? Photocopy for the K3 with a note saying that the cert will be arriving with the CR-1? Thanks everyone for your comments. ttyl,

mich

[Rebster 0]

Congratulations on making it to this point!

I'm not sure how much help I can be, but at least I can reassure you that you're not crazy for thinking that the DS230 would be required.

The "guide" for the K3 is very vague - it's usually best to click on the Embassy link & read what it tells you for your local embassy. However, I just looked at the Philippine link & it doesn't say anything about a DS230. I agree that's perplexing. The UK embassy requires the DS230 (part 1), DS156, DS 156k & DS 157 (for men). As for the police certificate, we take that with us to the interview instead of mailing it in. I believe you get back any originals right then & they can make copies of what they need.

I would suggest looking at the Philippine Embassy website itself, or contacting them directly to ask about that DS230.

Good luck & be sure to let everyone else know what you find out!!

[Yodrak 7]

mich,

See the Visa FAQ for better information about what needs to be done for the visa application and interview.

Yodrak

Howdy all you knowledgable folks out there in VJ land...

I quite admittedly have been pretty focused on our CR-1 visa and the K3 slipped by me a bit. Now that it's approved, I'm a bit lost. I'm looking at the guide here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=k3guide

and all it talks about needing for the interview is stuff from me (I-134, NOA2, etc). Of course, I'm sure that sending all the "evidence" (i hate calling it that) of our relationship will be helpful as well. But she doesn't have to submit any paperwork? No DS-230? She doesn't need her birth certificate? Marriage certificate? For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that we would need to file a DS-230 for the K3 visa as well. ....

mich

[Cygnet 0]

Mich,

She'll need to present birth, marriage, police certificates and all that other stuff for a K-3 interview.

I don't know how it is for applicants from the Philippines, but for my case, I had to send all that stuff to NVC for the CR-1.

For K-3, I'm getting a second copy of all the documents. I have requested a second certified copy of our marriage certificate, plus I've applied for police certificates again... and so on. Although, as Rebster suggested, I think you can show them the originals during the interview (they'll keep the photocopies).

Good luck! (And congratulations on getting that I-129F approved.)

[phirephly 0]

Congratulations on making it to this point!

I'm not sure how much help I can be, but at least I can reassure you that you're not crazy for thinking that the DS230 would be required.

The "guide" for the K3 is very vague - it's usually best to click on the Embassy link & read what it tells you for your local embassy. However, I just looked at the Philippine link & it doesn't say anything about a DS230. I agree that's perplexing. The UK embassy requires the DS230 (part 1), DS156, DS 156k & DS 157 (for men). As for the police certificate, we take that with us to the interview instead of mailing it in. I believe you get back any originals right then & they can make copies of what they need.

I would suggest looking at the Philippine Embassy website itself, or contacting them directly to ask about that DS230.

Good luck & be sure to let everyone else know what you find out!!

I was just looking at the Embassy Info too and yeah... it's a bit strange. There's not even a mention of a DS-230. I hope that you're right that they'd just make copies and send us on our way. I think that you're right that in the end I'll just need to contact them and find out what the deal is. I didn't think my situation was terribly unique... but I guess I'm just a special person Yeah, will definitely post back what I find out... it's starting to seem that this is a bit specific by consulate, so I hope that it will still be useful.

mich,

See the Visa FAQ for better information about what needs to be done for the visa application and interview.

Yodrak

Howdy all you knowledgable folks out there in VJ land...

I quite admittedly have been pretty focused on our CR-1 visa and the K3 slipped by me a bit. Now that it's approved, I'm a bit lost. I'm looking at the guide here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=k3guide

and all it talks about needing for the interview is stuff from me (I-134, NOA2, etc). Of course, I'm sure that sending all the "evidence" (i hate calling it that) of our relationship will be helpful as well. But she doesn't have to submit any paperwork? No DS-230? She doesn't need her birth certificate? Marriage certificate? For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that we would need to file a DS-230 for the K3 visa as well. ....

mich

Yodrak - Thanks! I hadn't even noticed that tab up there, but I see some things in there that look pretty useful. Though a *lot* of the links for the K3 point back to the same guide that I cited above Looks like 12.0 might be a step closer and a bit more help. Though I also compared the Embassy info for Philippines to UK and noticed there are some differences, so maybe Rebster is right that contacting the embassy will be the only way to really get the info that I need (hey, VJ can't have everything, right? ).

Mich,

She'll need to present birth, marriage, police certificates and all that other stuff for a K-3 interview.

I don't know how it is for applicants from the Philippines, but for my case, I had to send all that stuff to NVC for the CR-1.

For K-3, I'm getting a second copy of all the documents. I have requested a second certified copy of our marriage certificate, plus I've applied for police certificates again... and so on. Although, as Rebster suggested, I think you can show them the originals during the interview (they'll keep the photocopies).

Good luck! (And congratulations on getting that I-129F approved.)

This is what I was concerned about. Unfortunately, she's told me that in the philippines, you can request only one nbi clearance per year. Making things even more interesting is the fact that there's a local one and one for traveling abroad - and you can only get one or the other of those, not both! I guess they'll just refuse/ignore any subsequent requests. This is why I'm particularly concerned about it. The marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc, we're getting plenty of copies since it seems like we need new ones for everything all the time.

I guess if they just inspect and photocopy the original at the K3 interview (which I'm sure will be before the CR-1 as we haven't even started the NVC process and the average waiting time from case complete to interview for a CR-1 seems to be about 3 months and the K3 NOA2 expires at the beginning of sept), then maybe that would work as we'd still have the original for the CR-1 paperwork - the trick will then just be making sure that she has it for the interview and I have it to send to the NVC at the right times.

Thanks everyone for your comments!

[phirephly 0]

Howdy... I've been chasing around links on the Embassy in Manila page for a while and I think that I finally ended up in the right place. According to the state department here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/ty...es_1315.html#6c she will need all those things, but as long as she has clear photocopies, they will be returned to her. This seems to pretty much match up with the comments everyone's posted so far. I may still drop an email to the embassy to make sure that this is still accurate and that there will not be any difficulties for us to maintain posession of the original. Hope this helps someone else too! ttyl,

mich

Applying for a Visa

The embassy or consulate where you, the spouse of an American citizen, will apply for a K-3 visa must be in the country where your marriage took place. Here are the procedures to apply. The embassy or consulate will let you know any additional things to do, such as where you need to go for the required medical examination. The following is required:

* Two copies of form DS-156, Nonimmigrant Visa Application

* One DS-156K, Nonimmigrant Fiancé(e) Visa Application form

* Police certificates from all places lived in since the age of 16

* Birth certificates

* Marriage certificate for spouse

* Death and divorce certificates from any previous spouses

* Medical examination (except vaccinations)

* A passport valid for travel to the United States and with a validity date at least six months beyond the applicant's intended period of stay in the United States.

* Two nonimmigrant visa photos

* two inches/50 X 50 mm square, showing full face, against a light background)

* Proof of financial support (Form I-134 Affidavit of Support may be requested.)

* Payment of fees, as explained below

The consular officer may ask for additional information. It is a good idea to bring marriage photographs and other proof that the marriage is genuine.

Documents in foreign languages should be translated. Take clear, legible photocopies of civil documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, to the visa interview. Original documents can then be returned to you.