Not allowed to attend K-1 interview?

[Lupy 0]

Greetings. I am the USC petitioner (or I will be as I am sending in the I-129F this week) and my fiancee lives in Bulgaria. We're both very organized (and perhaps a bit over-prepared for everything), and I wanted to get way out ahead of everything.

I know it will definitely be AWHILE before my fiancee gets her interview in Sofia, Bulgaria. But I wanted to plan to be visiting her at the time of her interview so that I could attend it with her. I figured that it couldn't hurt the process if I was there with her, and obviously what better proof of our bonafide relationship is there than being right THERE with her?

Anyway, I sent an email to the US Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria inquiring about attending the interview, and I received the response below:

"Dear Mr. XXXXXX,

You may enter the Consular Section with your fiancée but only she will be interviewed by a Consular Officer. Your fiancée may submit samples of correspondence or photographs as evidence of relationship.

Thank you

Immigrant Visa Unit"

Does this sound like a load of ####### to anyone else besides me? I've been reading up on the forums here about certain embassies that have a defacto "requirement" to attend the K-1 interview, even if they would outwardly not admit to it. Since I have the ability to be there for the interview, I'd like to be there if possible.

I suppose my question would be, should I push the issue further up the chain here? I don't want to irritate anyone at the embassy there to the point where they might decide to give my fiancee a harder time at the interview. Any thoughts on this?

Edited February 16, 2009 by Lupy

[dillon 6]

You can go with her all it is saying is that they are going to interview her and not you.

[Lupy 0]

Maybe I interpreted that response incorrectly. I read that email as stating that I could "enter" the consular section but that I would not be allowed to be part of the interview process-- which to me means that I would not be allowed to be present at the interview. I think I'll write back to the embassy for some clarification on this.

[pushbrk 12,898]

Maybe I interpreted that response incorrectly. I read that email as stating that I could "enter" the consular section but that I would not be allowed to be part of the interview process-- which to me means that I would not be allowed to be present at the interview. I think I'll write back to the embassy for some clarification on this.

You could respond and ask for clarification but I expect you understood correctly. If so, have her show the interviewer your passport.

[Lupy 0]

Thank you very much for your suggestion. I think that's a good idea, and hopefully it will add a little weight to our petition. We have plenty of "proof" for her to show-- including boarding passes, passport stamps, photographs, parcel receipts, letters, emails, phone bills, etc. But I thought going for the maximum amount of possible proof (including being there) couldn't possibly hurt.

Plus, my fiancee is still a bit traumatized about being denied a tourist visa. The consular officer who denied her that visa was incredibly rude (denied over lack of strong ties). So being there would also help calm her nerves over the whole process.

[Bulgarican 0]

Thank you very much for your suggestion. I think that's a good idea, and hopefully it will add a little weight to our petition. We have plenty of "proof" for her to show-- including boarding passes, passport stamps, photographs, parcel receipts, letters, emails, phone bills, etc. But I thought going for the maximum amount of possible proof (including being there) couldn't possibly hurt.

Plus, my fiancee is still a bit traumatized about being denied a tourist visa. The consular officer who denied her that visa was incredibly rude (denied over lack of strong ties). So being there would also help calm her nerves over the whole process.

if i may ask a personal question? when was your fiancee denied for tourist visa?

Thank you

[Lupy 0]

Thank you very much for your suggestion. I think that's a good idea, and hopefully it will add a little weight to our petition. We have plenty of "proof" for her to show-- including boarding passes, passport stamps, photographs, parcel receipts, letters, emails, phone bills, etc. But I thought going for the maximum amount of possible proof (including being there) couldn't possibly hurt.

Plus, my fiancee is still a bit traumatized about being denied a tourist visa. The consular officer who denied her that visa was incredibly rude (denied over lack of strong ties). So being there would also help calm her nerves over the whole process.

if i may ask a personal question? when was your fiancee denied for tourist visa?

Thank you

She was denied a tourtist visa in December. This was before either of us had any idea how very difficult it was to get one. I had intended to propose to her if she were able to come and visit for Christmas, but that didn't work out as planned. It's a shame because she didn't get a chance to meet my parents and siblings before I proposed on my next trip over there in January.

An interesting update-- yesterday I wrote back to the embassy there and pressed them to clarify whether I was allowed to be present at the K-1 interview or not. I got this response this morning:

"Mr. XXXXXX,

You may attend the visa interview at the consular section.

Thank you

Immigrant Visa Unit"

So I guess I AM allowed to be there.

[Bulgarican 0]

Thank you very much for your suggestion. I think that's a good idea, and hopefully it will add a little weight to our petition. We have plenty of "proof" for her to show-- including boarding passes, passport stamps, photographs, parcel receipts, letters, emails, phone bills, etc. But I thought going for the maximum amount of possible proof (including being there) couldn't possibly hurt.

Plus, my fiancee is still a bit traumatized about being denied a tourist visa. The consular officer who denied her that visa was incredibly rude (denied over lack of strong ties). So being there would also help calm her nerves over the whole process.

if i may ask a personal question? when was your fiancee denied for tourist visa?

Thank you

She was denied a tourtist visa in December. This was before either of us had any idea how very difficult it was to get one. I had intended to propose to her if she were able to come and visit for Christmas, but that didn't work out as planned. It's a shame because she didn't get a chance to meet my parents and siblings before I proposed on my next trip over there in January.

An interesting update-- yesterday I wrote back to the embassy there and pressed them to clarify whether I was allowed to be present at the K-1 interview or not. I got this response this morning:

"Mr. XXXXXX,

You may attend the visa interview at the consular section.

Thank you

Immigrant Visa Unit"

So I guess I AM allowed to be there.

yeah as i'm in bulgaria i wanted a visitor visa too, just to be with my boyfriend (present fiance) there and spend some time but they told me if our intentions are engagement/wedding to go for the proper visas, i thought you cant apply for visa at least one year after there was a denial? is it right?

there wont be a problem for you to visit the embassy in sofia with her, after all you're american

good luck

Edited February 17, 2009 by Dani^Chris Perry

[Lupy 0]

Thank you very much for your suggestion. I think that's a good idea, and hopefully it will add a little weight to our petition. We have plenty of "proof" for her to show-- including boarding passes, passport stamps, photographs, parcel receipts, letters, emails, phone bills, etc. But I thought going for the maximum amount of possible proof (including being there) couldn't possibly hurt.

Plus, my fiancee is still a bit traumatized about being denied a tourist visa. The consular officer who denied her that visa was incredibly rude (denied over lack of strong ties). So being there would also help calm her nerves over the whole process.

if i may ask a personal question? when was your fiancee denied for tourist visa?

Thank you

She was denied a tourtist visa in December. This was before either of us had any idea how very difficult it was to get one. I had intended to propose to her if she were able to come and visit for Christmas, but that didn't work out as planned. It's a shame because she didn't get a chance to meet my parents and siblings before I proposed on my next trip over there in January.

An interesting update-- yesterday I wrote back to the embassy there and pressed them to clarify whether I was allowed to be present at the K-1 interview or not. I got this response this morning:

"Mr. XXXXXX,

You may attend the visa interview at the consular section.

Thank you

Immigrant Visa Unit"

So I guess I AM allowed to be there.

yeah as i'm in bulgaria i wanted a visitor visa too, just to be with my boyfriend (present fiance) there and spend some time but they told me if our intentions are engagement/wedding to go for the proper visas, i thought you cant apply for visa at least one year after there was a denial? is it right?

If you read the tourist visa denial carefully it says something along the lines that they "do not suggest" applying for another tourist visa for another year. If she was denied a tourist visa once, they would likely deny her again for the same reasons. But being denied a tourist visa does not have any weight against getting a K-1 visa. She did NOT misrepresent herself at all when she applied for the tourist visa, as she intended to return to Bulgaria if she got visa. And I had not proposed to her yet when she applied. Now that our situation has changed and we intend to get married, there is no restriction on applying for a K-1 visa.

It' all depends on what your intentions are at the time you are applying for the visa, or so I understand it.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Greetings. I am the USC petitioner (or I will be as I am sending in the I-129F this week) and my fiancee lives in Bulgaria. We're both very organized (and perhaps a bit over-prepared for everything), and I wanted to get way out ahead of everything.

I know it will definitely be AWHILE before my fiancee gets her interview in Sofia, Bulgaria. But I wanted to plan to be visiting her at the time of her interview so that I could attend it with her. I figured that it couldn't hurt the process if I was there with her, and obviously what better proof of our bonafide relationship is there than being right THERE with her?

Anyway, I sent an email to the US Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria inquiring about attending the interview, and I received the response below:

"Dear Mr. XXXXXX,

You may enter the Consular Section with your fiancée but only she will be interviewed by a Consular Officer. Your fiancée may submit samples of correspondence or photographs as evidence of relationship.

Thank you

Immigrant Visa Unit"

Does this sound like a load of ####### to anyone else besides me? I've been reading up on the forums here about certain embassies that have a defacto "requirement" to attend the K-1 interview, even if they would outwardly not admit to it. Since I have the ability to be there for the interview, I'd like to be there if possible.

I suppose my question would be, should I push the issue further up the chain here? I don't want to irritate anyone at the embassy there to the point where they might decide to give my fiancee a harder time at the interview. Any thoughts on this?

No need to. For the K-1 there is never an interview of the petitioner. It doesn't matter if you go, sit in the room or ot, you will not be interviewed. Maybe no one will. We did not even have an "interview", they called my fiancee (now wife) up to the window and gave her back her original documents and that was it. Don't worry about it. There may or may not be an interview, there may or may not be a separate interview room. You may or may not be allowed into the separate interview room (if there is an interview and it is in a separate room) but at any rate, there will be NO interview of you.

In Kyiv the "interviews" are conducted at a "bank window" kind of arrangement so everyone there more or less "sits in", they are only minimally "private"

[TBoneTX 45,324]

For the K-1 there is never an interview of the petitioner. It doesn't matter if you go, sit in the room or ot, you will not be interviewed. Maybe no one will.

I'm sorry to disagree with the excellent Gary, but the foregoing statements cannot be flatly made. It's gladdening to hear that interviews in Kiev have apparently been easy, but interviews elsewhere can be quite the opposite. In fact, the U.S. consulate in Ecuador ORDERS U.S. citizens to appear for interviews (if the citizens did not attend the foreigner's FIRST INTERVIEW), and these "interviews" are really Stokes interrogations. Furthermore, even when asked, the consulate has directly denied that the presence of the U.S. citizen is necessary or desirable at the first interview. Edited February 18, 2009 by TBoneTX

[anitacastillo 0]

For the K-1 there is never an interview of the petitioner. It doesn't matter if you go, sit in the room or ot, you will not be interviewed. Maybe no one will.

I'm sorry to disagree with the excellent Gary, but the foregoing statements cannot be flatly made. It's gladdening to hear that interviews in Kiev have apparently been easy, but interviews elsewhere can be quite the opposite. In fact, the U.S. consulate in Ecuador ORDERS U.S. citizens to appear for interviews (if the citizens did not attend the foreigner's FIRST INTERVIEW), and these "interviews" are really Stokes interrogations. Furthermore, even when asked, the consulate has directly denied that the presence of the U.S. citizen is necessary or desirable at the first interview.

It is a requirement in the Dominican Republic as well.

But - now that we have survived - it is much better than couples sent to AP/denied over doubt of relationship after one interview with the foreign fiance.

[Shad and Dani 3]

I say if you have the means then go to the embassy with her. You might not be able to actually attend the interview, but I'm sure she will feel better if you are right outside Good luck! and God bless BG!

[payxibka 10,045]

Stokes interview is a form of interview in the New York Immigration District created by the District Court decision in the case, Stokes v. INS. In some other Districts, the interview is called "Fraud Interview" and amongst immigrants, it is known as the "second interview". Regardless of the name you wish to call it, the intent of the interview is to determine whether or not your marriage is fraudulent or bona fide.

[just_friend 2]

Hello from Bulgaria. I don't know if that would help at all but when i was having an interview in October (denied tourist visa) there was this couple in the embassy and they were together at the interview. At the embassy in Bulgaria first you go trough passport check, security check and then you are let into the consular office (i am assuming that's what they ment by letting you in for the interview). Then you go to a clerk (bulgarian guy it was) who reviews your documents at first before they are passed to the consular officer. I didn't see much before i left but yes they were asking questions to the girl (bulgarian) and her fiancee was just staying there next to her. the interview is right there with the rest of the aplicants so you don't have much privacy. Our cases are very similar (i was denied a tourist visa too) and i am really hoping this won't be a problem but again we shall see.

Good luck in your journey