Time Limit on Completion of Embassy Interview/Second Part of K1 Process

[nick25 0]

I'm new here so appreciate any help on offer.

Im from the UK and got engaged to my American girlfriend a couple of months ago. We started the visa process in December and we are currently waiting on the 2nd notice of action.

The time and distance have unfortunately got the better of both of us and we have decided to take a step back to spend more time with each other before going ahead with marriage etc. I'm sure many of you on here have gone through similar things. We rushed in, and the pressure of trying to force everything because we're are so far apart began to wear.

My questions are:

Once the application get sent to the UK embassy (assuming it gets that far) is there a time limit on when one can then complete the next parts of the process or can it essentially sit there indefinitely?

And if there is a time limit, will not going through with it this time affect us when applying when we are ready to do so?

Thanks in advance.

[Hell0W0rld 10]

once it get's to the consulate, you'll probably have 1 month to 1 and a half months to prepare/medical for the interview. once you pass your interview, you have 6months to use the K-1 VISA, and when you enter the USA you'll have 3 months to marry before the VISA expires. if you decide not to marry you'll have to leave before the VISA expires, which is the 3 months period. Good Luck!

[defunct 0]

Once the application get sent to the UK embassy (assuming it gets that far) is there a time limit on when one can then complete the next parts of the process or can it essentially sit there indefinitely?

And if there is a time limit, will not going through with it this time affect us when applying when we are ready to do so?

The time limit is generally 4 months. If you need extra time, then contact the consulate and ask that they extend the time limit (you can just say that you need more time to prepare your documents and prepare for the interview, which is true, so you're not lying to them).

If you do not request an extension or complete packet 3 before the expiration, then your petition will be considered abandoned and you will need to start from scratch.

[pushbrk 13,120]

Once the application get sent to the UK embassy (assuming it gets that far) is there a time limit on when one can then complete the next parts of the process or can it essentially sit there indefinitely?

And if there is a time limit, will not going through with it this time affect us when applying when we are ready to do so?

The time limit is generally 4 months. If you need extra time, then contact the consulate and ask that they extend the time limit (you can just say that you need more time to prepare your documents and prepare for the interview, which is true, so you're not lying to them).

If you do not request an extension or complete packet 3 before the expiration, then your petition will be considered abandoned and you will need to start from scratch.

Four months is the initial validity period of the approved petition. However, Consular officers can extend the validity in four month periods, if needed or when requested. Visa expiration has no meaning once it is used. The 90 days refers to the expiration of the I-94, not the visa. The visa is dead upon US entry regardless of its expiration date.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

The NOA 2 (approval of her I-129F petition) has an expiration printed on it. It is 4 months from the date of issue. You can keep the petition going by submitting documents to the Embassy before that expiration, but not sending back the checklist right away. They won't schedule an interview until you send back the checklist indicating you have in hand all the documents you will need to take to your interview. The checklist asks for your planned date of travel and planned date of wedding. A later...farther away date...like 5 more months down the road will normally put off your interview appointment to a later date. London tends to try to accomodate people with earlier plans an interview date sooner than people who don't have travel plans for months. Once a visa is issued you do have 6 months from that date to go to the US. There are ways of asking that your visa be reissued of you can't use it in the 6 month time frame.