Our Story & Some Questions

[BirdyGirl85 23]

Hello everyone! I’m so glad I found Visa Journey! I know this will help me coming here and reading others experiences and being able to ask questions. I guess I will go ahead and describe our story. I am an 24 year old American women currently living in Oregon. In 2003, I joined a message board about a movie I liked, and I met a lot of online friends there. There was this guy there I met from Finland, the same age as me. In 2004, we began to talk to each other a lot through instant messenger. Over the months I could tell he started to talk to me a little differently then he used to. I thought he might be kind of getting a crush on me, but I wasn’t sure. I was only 19 at the time and I was never in a relationship before that. (I had guys wanting to go out with me, but I always wanted to be friends first and they never seemed to want to do that) Anyways, we would talk a lot through instant messaging, emails, voice chats, phone calls, and even had web cam chats often. He told me he loved me in Decemeber of 2004. I told him I cared about him a lot and thought he was sweet, but I didn’t think I could fall in love with someone I haven’t met in person. He said things like he didn’t even know how it could work out with him living in Finland anyways, and he seemed so depressed about it… We knew we were going to meet each other a few months later in April of 2005, and I told him, lets wait and see how our feelings are for each other after we get to spend some time together in person. But soon after I said that, only a few weeks later I started falling in loved with him as well. I did end up telling him this, but I still thought we should wait until we meet in person before we decide to be in a relationship. So in April of 2005, we met up, and a week later we started kissing. It was an amazing feeling. It’s been true love ever since then. When he had to go home in June, it was really hard. After he he went home, he started working a lot so he could visit me more often. He was able to visit in in August that year, and the during Christmas. I got a job so I could visit him in Finland the next year. We visited each other many times over the next four years, mostly him coming to the U.S., but I have gone to Finland 3 times too. (We had about 2 to 3 visits a year, some of them short like 3 weeks, others as long as we could possibly visit, 3 months) We aren’t rich, we pretty much only work minimum wage, but the reason we were able to afford to visit each other, is because we are both living with our parents while going to school/college. Luckily both of our parents are very supportive of our situtation and our relationship and let us stay at their house while we visit. We have been together for over 4 years and been through a lot, and we want him to move to the United States so we can finally be together and not going through months of very hard separation…

So here’s our situation, we thought we could apply for apply for a Fiance Visa, since he is still living in Finland and we aren’t married yet. And since we can’t afford a proper wedding like we want, we thought we’ll just get married in a court when he moved since we have to marry in 90 days of his arrival in the U.S. (I would like to have a wedding at Disneyworld years later if and when we can afford it, we love Disney) But the most important thing is just for us to be together and not separated by this long distance. I love him and I miss him so much. We talked about marriage in the past, but we didn’t actually know how much we needed for the process to get this visa, and now I wish we researched it before, so we could save our flight tickets and such. (But we do have the emails saved with our flight ticket reservation, I hope that is good enough)

I bought the Nolo Fiance & Marriage Visas A Couple’s Guide to U.S. Immigration, and it mentioned Direct Consular Filing, and now I’m wondering if we should go through that instead of the Fiance Visa. It’s the fastest option, but it looks like we have to marry before and I have to be living in Finland, the country where the consulate is located? I’m just so confused what to do. Sometimes I wonder if that is the best option for us, he couldn’t afford to move that fast anyways. He was thinking it would take him until June of 2010 to save up enough money to move. (He wants to save a lot of money to help support himself while he is living with me until he can get a green card) But he also wanted to visit the U.S. one more time before moving, to spend Christmas here with me and my mom. But I read that he shouldn’t go on long trips once the visa process has started. The book says that once you’ve submitted any part of your immigrant visa application, you’re unlikely to be granted a tourist visa. But Finland is apart of the visa wavier program, but does that mean he can still be denied to come to the U.S. to spend Christmas with me and my family for a month or so?

I’m sorry I’m asking so many questions, but even after buying this book I still feel a little confused! Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you so much!

Edited May 31, 2009 by BirdyGirl85

[payxibka 10,045]

DCF requires the USC to be legally resident in the foreign country for 6 mos. or more... tourist status typically does not satisfy the requirement...

Entry requirements are the same as always and anyone at anytime can be denied entry... VWP or not.

[BirdyGirl85 23]

Wow, thank you for the fast reply. So I guess DCF is out of the question. I can't move to Finland... So I guess my only option is to apply for the Fiance Visa... I feel sad though that he can't visit for Christmas because we would already have the process started... I guess I could visit Finland without any problems once the process is started, right?

[redglasses 1]

Wow, thank you for the fast reply. So I guess DCF is out of the question. I can't move to Finland... So I guess my only option is to apply for the Fiance Visa... I feel sad though that he can't visit for Christmas because we would already have the process started... I guess I could visit Finland without any problems once the process is started, right?

You can visit your fiance whenever you want.

It is not 100% impossible for your fiance to visit you in the US even after the process has started, but his entry really depends on the IO at the POE.

[maritoni 3]

Welcome to Vj..

[BirdyGirl85 23]

You can visit your fiance whenever you want.

It is not 100% impossible for your fiance to visit you in the US even after the process has started, but his entry really depends on the IO at the POE.

Ah ok I see, thank you! I actually searched on Visa Journey about the same issue and found a lot of lot people ask that, everyday! Sorry I didn't look before. So I guess he can visit me for Christmas. I'm just so worried he would be denied though. But it looks like a lot of people in his situation have been able to visit before. I wouldn't mind going to Finland to visit him of course, it's just hard for me to leave for long periods of time since my mom is ill and I feel guilty leaving her for long. But we'll see what we do this Christmas.

Thanks for the welcomes too!

[JillA 2]

You can visit your fiance whenever you want.

It is not 100% impossible for your fiance to visit you in the US even after the process has started, but his entry really depends on the IO at the POE.

Ah ok I see, thank you! I actually searched on Visa Journey about the same issue and found a lot of lot people ask that, everyday! Sorry I didn't look before. So I guess he can visit me for Christmas. I'm just so worried he would be denied though. But it looks like a lot of people in his situation have been able to visit before. I wouldn't mind going to Finland to visit him of course, it's just hard for me to leave for long periods of time since my mom is ill and I feel guilty leaving her for long. But we'll see what we do this Christmas.

Thanks for the welcomes too!

Hello, welcome to VJ! It helps if your fiancee brings proof he plans to return back to Finland when he is visiting, such as a lease, bills, letter from employer, etc. This can help satisfy the IO that he is going back. Also, a return ticket!

[BermyCat 1]

Welcome to VJ!

Listen to Jill's advice about your fiance proving ties to Finland if he wants to come visit for Christmas..

As for proof of relationship, we didn't have boarding passes either. We just submitted photocopies of the stamps in our passports from visiting each other and several pictures of us together. I'm sure the emailed itinaries would be good evidence too.

~ Catherine

[BirdyGirl85 23]

Welcome to VJ!

Listen to Jill's advice about your fiance proving ties to Finland if he wants to come visit for Christmas..

As for proof of relationship, we didn't have boarding passes either. We just submitted photocopies of the stamps in our passports from visiting each other and several pictures of us together. I'm sure the emailed itinaries would be good evidence too.

~ Catherine

Ah ok! Well that makes me feel better that you didn't have boarding passes either. So we have the emailed itineraries... We could also get photocopies of stamps in our passports, and pictures of us together. Do photos have to have the date on them? I hope that's enough evidence, but it sounds like it was for you! So that makes me feel better.

[Zee Bee 61]

Welcome to VJ and good luck on your journey

[BermyCat 1]

Welcome to VJ!

Listen to Jill's advice about your fiance proving ties to Finland if he wants to come visit for Christmas..

As for proof of relationship, we didn't have boarding passes either. We just submitted photocopies of the stamps in our passports from visiting each other and several pictures of us together. I'm sure the emailed itinaries would be good evidence too.

~ Catherine

Ah ok! Well that makes me feel better that you didn't have boarding passes either. So we have the emailed itineraries... We could also get photocopies of stamps in our passports, and pictures of us together. Do photos have to have the date on them? I hope that's enough evidence, but it sounds like it was for you! So that makes me feel better.

Phil only sent photocopies of the pictures and wrote the date next to each for our original K-1 petition. Everything was approved with no problems.

Later, for our AOS application, I turned the date dsiplay back on before I printed the digital pictures.

~ Catherine

[PrinceandPrincess 0]

Welcome to VJ and good luck on your journey!

[Mrs. Disney 0]

Welcome to VJ! Your story is the cutest thing , hope you too can be together soon. Good luck in your journey!

[apricot 0]

I know how difficult and frustratng it can be to be away from a loved one. But hang in there, at the end of the day it's worth it!

[forchika 4]

Hello welcome to VJ....wishing you well on your journey!!!!!