April 2009 K-1 Filers

[endoftheroad 1]

Playing the waiting game...

Yes, today is cloudy. But remember the only reason we know that is because the sun is shining. Soon the sun will shine on us.

[Ken y Leidys 20]

"April is the cruelest month" - TS Elliot

In April, my father urged me to file my K-1 so that he could meet my fiancee Leidys. He died 1 week later in the hospital of Cancer, and a few days after his funeral, I completed my K-1 package, and the next day I shipped it via USPS.

Now, my mother is holding her breath along with me over our NOA2.

USAGroom, I applaud your vigilance in keeping us informed about processing dates with the CSC as I am too busy to focus on any 1 thing at a time (Master's Degree on-line, 40 hr. work/wk, tending to 2 households, etc.).

After I return from Barranquilla in late July, I'll start focusing on that NOA2, and Packet 3.

-Ken

Sorry to hear about yr Dad, that mut suck big time!

In a couple of weeks, my Mother will experience a change of pace while Leidys' family will become introduced to an important part of my family. I'll keep everyone here posted with a few photos of our coming together, and I hope the NOA 2 arrives soon as well.

-Ken

[endoftheroad 1]

Haha, just sang happy birthday to Allie on Skype in English and Chinese.

zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè

zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè

zhù nǐ shēng rì shēng rì kuài lè

zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè

Nice seeing you A and give my best to Nigel!

[Allie and Nigel 2]

I was reading some old posts on the forum and i sure hope I assembled our petition ok...I didnt photocopy any passport stamps but sent our expedia.com confirmation itinerarys of our 3 trips and a picture of us together and recent phone bill and email....hmmmm...well maybe the 1 picture of us in the grand canyon was proof enough of the 1 meeting being they have official passport pictures of us so they know what we look like ...i didnt want to go excessive in the package we sent I wanted to keep it sweet and simple so who knows....I read somewhere that someone was saying that expedia itinerarys are not "really" official but they have our credit card and name and email info and airline confirmation numbers on it so I figured it should be ok...I donooo...just sitting here stewing over it....

[SomedaySomehow 1]

Did you include the boarding passes as well? If you only sent the itinerary there is a pretty good chance they will send a RFE from what I have read. Not really a big deal if they do this as it sounds like you would be able to produce photo copies of your passport anyway. Good luck and god speed!

[attaya_girl 1]

Allie, don't stew over it too much No one wants to get an RFE, but it seems like after an RFE, people get approved pretty quickly afterward. Just have everything ready to go just in case!

Time is crawling today!!!! It's only 9:00 here, and I've been up for almost 6 hours--haven't been able to sleep at all lately! Hope everyone is doing well.

[endoftheroad 1]

Playing the waiting game... passing the time...

[endoftheroad 1]

Here's something I saw on the March thread (posted by an April filer who posts mostly in the March thread):

When the NOA2 comes here is a comprehensive list of the next steps.

For the USC

Fill out I-134

Get letter from employer stating position, salary, time worked there, on company letterhead

Get copies of W-2 for the last year at least (I recommend getting the last 2-3 years depending on your consulate just incase) OR get IRS transcripts (which are free!)

Write up a new letter of intent (can be the same as the old one, just with a new date)

Send your fiance(e) copies of you last 2-3 paystubs (do this close to the interview so they have the most recent ones)

Photocopy the NOA2 and send that to them with everything above.

Any extra proof of relationship that you may have (phone records, pictures etc)

If you are self employed, you will want the tax transcripts and a letter from your bank stating your account has been open since XXX, and that you have deposited a total of XXX in there for the last year.

For the Bene!

Download packet 3, it differs for some consulates on what exactly is needed but a rough guide is

Birth certificate (translated if needed) + copy

Police records from every country lived in for more than 6 months since the age of 16, except for the US

Passport pictures x 5 (3 for the medical, 2 for the interview) no more than 6 months old

The financial package from the USC, as above

Any extra proof of relationship you may have (as above)

Form DS-230 part I

Some consulates ask for the DS-160 which is a new online form. If they do, you will need to print out 2x the confirmation page, and 1x the actual application (just incase)

Others ask for the DS 156 and 156k, fill these out and have 2 copies of each.

Copy of the bio section of your passport.

Any documents relating to previous marriage/divorce/deaths/children.

The medical.

The consulates usually just ask for the DS-230 to be sent back with the checklist, though some ask for the whole package to be sent back. They will let you know if there is anything other than this on the checklist and which of the 160/156/156k they are looking for.

I know my consulate (Montreal) asks for the 160, but they were asking for the 156/156k in P4, so I filled them all out. All I have to send back when I get P3 is the checklist and DS-230.

For the medical, some consulates book the medical time for you (it seems like the phillipines does this) and some you have to book yourself. They will ask you for a letter, they are referring to the copy of the P3 checklist for proof.

I recommend reading up on the reviews of your consulates to see what others have said, it will help with determining how much extra proof to bring and what to expect from that consulate.

Edited June 24, 2009 by usagroom

[attaya_girl 1]

usagroom- Thanks for posting that! I was looking for information regarding what I should do w/a self-employed co-sponsor, etc. I also didn't even think about needing his birth certificate translated! Wonder where we can find a translator in Dakar....

Did you all see the topic "NOA2 already?" Non-expedited and received his NOA2 in 22 days! Jealous....VSC, though.

[endoftheroad 1]

usagroom- Thanks for posting that! I was looking for information regarding what I should do w/a self-employed co-sponsor, etc. I also didn't even think about needing his birth certificate translated! Wonder where we can find a translator in Dakar.... Did you all see the topic "NOA2 already?" Non-expedited and received his NOA2 in 22 days! Jealous....VSC, though.

Some may know that we acquired the services of Roger Lin (specializes in helping Chinese understand this USA process) to assist us in our K1 application. NOA1 went smooth and as we await NOA2 I asked him what he needs from me. In the hope of helping others, here is a list he sent to me:

1. I-134, Affidavit of Support

Download from here:

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-134.pdf

2. Your three most recent years' tax returns and W-2s. If you did not file the tax please write an statement explaining why, sign your name and date.

3. Statement from an officer of the bank or other financial institutions where you have deposits, identifying the following details regarding your account:

a. Date account opened;

b. Total amount deposited for the past year;

c. Present balance.

4. Letter/Statement from Employer

a. Date of employment

b. Title

c. Current position

d. Current salary

e. Whether the position is permanent If self-employed:

a. Copy of last income tax return filed; or

b. Report of commercial rating concern.

List containing serial numbers and denominations of bonds and name of record owner(s).

5. Remittance slips/Western Union receipts that you sent money to your wife/fiancee

6. Provide as much evidence of correspondence that you can that demonstrates the development of your relationship, from initial stages until the current date. Examples include letters, e-mails, and chat sessions.

7. Records of telephone contact made by petitioner verifying the caller's name, address, telephone number, as well as the length of each call and the receiver's phone number. If providing evidence of contact, do not submit calling cards as proof. Calling cards companies often provide itemized lists of all calls made using those cards. If a company does not offer tha service, provide a letter from the company verifying they do not offer this information.

8. A detailed statement, written by the petitioner, describing the evolution of your relationship. Be sure to, at the very least, explain how you met, when you started dating, and how, when and why you became engaged. Do not include any third people such as interpreter and visa agent in that letter. Please email it to me for my review. Please sign your name and date after your print it out.

9. A notarized copy of your passport pages clearly showing Chinese visa and entry/exit stamps. Copy the entire passport, even if some pages are blank. Properly notarized each page as seen and compared to original copy by notary. All entry and exit dates must be legible. If you will accompany her to the Consulate then you do not have to notarize your passport but give her the original one, she will present to the interviewer.

10. Your plane tickets and evidence that purchased your plane tickets you used to visit. Provide (1) credit card statement that verifies the purchase (2) a cancelled check or (3) the bank statement that shows you withdrew cash from your account for the purchase (also provide bank statement for the months before and after purchase).

11. Include copies of termination of all your previous marriages (if applicable) -- divorce and/or death certificates. Recently the Consulate had requested American petitioner ex spouse's Social Security Number and her current living address if you know. Please print the information on a piece of paper.

12. Proof of your residency in the US. Such as lease/deed/mortgage statements, utility bills, copy of driver's license.

We did a heavy front load of info with our I-129F including birth/divorce certificates, pictures, tons of proof of relationship and travel, so mostly when I go to China next month I will be bringing the originals and everything we hadn't included in the initial package. She'll need the originals at the interview.

[Danu 19]

lol it was posted by me, not an april filer

Its definately a great list but make sure you guys visit your consulates because I've heard some are very harsh on what they want for additional proof, so you want to make sure you bring tons in, and go over the questions they might ask with your fiance(e)'s to prepare them as well.

[attaya_girl 1]

hmmm. usagroom, I've actually heard that you might consider NOT sending in Western Union slips because it could be misconstrued as buying or bribing your way into a marriage. Can't remember where, but I remember seeing that on this site at one point.

[Danu 19]

hmmm. usagroom, I've actually heard that you might consider NOT sending in Western Union slips because it could be misconstrued as buying or bribing your way into a marriage. Can't remember where, but I remember seeing that on this site at one point.

I think it was under just the normal K-1 Fiance(e) Visa guide, but they were arguing both sides. I remember Gary was mentioning that he sent stuff in, but others were saying not to for the reason u posted above. I think it just depends on what your other evidence is and how strong it is to show that its more than bribing or buying anything. Quite a few people seem to have sent it in with no issues, but thats one of those things you might want to read the consulate reviews about because each consulate looks at certain things differently unfortunately.

I was looking for translation places for you too. They have a few listed on this site

http://dakar.usembassy.gov/service/living-...in-senegal.html

Not sure what their charge for translation would be though as they are also attorneys.

[endoftheroad 1]

hmmm. usagroom, I've actually heard that you might consider NOT sending in Western Union slips because it could be misconstrued as buying or bribing your way into a marriage. Can't remember where, but I remember seeing that on this site at one point.

I think Roger wants the info for his files, not to actually give to the consulate. Shows to him that there's something bonafide. Anyway, Roger has 99.9% success so I trust him.

[endoftheroad 1]

lol it was posted by me, not an april filer

Oops, sorry Danu!