Fiancé Visa – The Financials Exposed!

[*JG* 2]

Yes and no. I'd say all of the items are accurate except that the figures are off. I think assume they may be accurate in other countries that I am not experienced with. For instance, we did not need a translator for Jamaica.

All in all, I'd say if you really sat down and figured out exactly what you spent through all this, it would make your head spin.

[Emancipation 2]

Yeah.. right..

I didn't spend 500$ on wedding rings... I spent 200$ on my husbands (Yes that's right I bought his).. and I thought THAT was excessive (he wanted 14K gold)..

I paid for AOS fees myself, as well as moving costs.. as well as 1/2 of my hubby's trips to Canada to see me.. We got Vonage.. so that didn't really "cost" a great deal, and we couldn't afford a honeymoon after all the costs.. so guess what?? we didn't HAVE one.. Why tie yourself to all this nonsense when you can't afford it I say!! I sold everything I had back home including my car to help out with the process.. my hubby didn't have an anchor weight tied to him financially speaking.. it was very important for me to contribute to the pot..

If you choose to spend this kind of money that's one thing, but it doesn't HAVE to cost this much money..

Our wedding.. total cost- $500.00 max ...Not having to pay credit card companies crazy amounts of interest for the move/AOS/marriage - PRICELESS

Edited November 5, 2007 by Emancipation

[SqdnGuns 21]

Useless............

Maybe for a gold digger it may be a bit accurate.

(No offense to those who were close to or over the estimates.)

[reach449 2]

"Telephone translation services" Pleasssse!

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

i definitely spend more than adriano, but when i come visit him, we split the cost of the flights...its a gift for us both afterall =)

we're both poor though, so we understand eachother's situation...oh, and this article is 100% inaccurate with regards to my relationship

[JVKn'CVO 11]

Hubby, is that you??

(J/K)

Saludos,

Caro

[BIG_O 0]

This topic is trully entertaining. It made me laugh a lot. It seems Mr Justin has created an uproar by raising the issue of money in a forum where folks are emotional, frustrated & IN LOVE. What I find humorous, is the fact the money has been cited as the number one reason for couples divorcing... Another interesting fact is the 50% divorce rate that we have on record in this country... Mr Justin, personally, I would have thought twice before posting this topic. There are some topics that will not be open to contructive discussion, even though they clearly have merit. B)

[hoosier 0]

This topic is trully entertaining. It made me laugh a lot. It seems Mr Justin has created an uproar by raising the issue of money in a forum where folks are emotional, frustrated & IN LOVE. What I find humorous, is the fact the money has been cited as the number one reason for couples divorcing... Another interesting fact is the 50% divorce rate that we have on record in this country... Mr Justin, personally, I would have thought twice before posting this topic. There are some topics that will not be open to contructive discussion, even though they clearly have merit. B)

I agree, I'm just amazed how quick some of the posters were to criticize or assume the OP's intent. There is definately some merit in discussing the topic of finances with the visa process. In my situation the figures are not that far off, just spent much differently because our situation is different. Other than I disagree with including the costs for the wedding, rings and honeymoon expenses added to the total as that would cost the same no matter if your fiancee is in the states or abroad.

Also there was no value put on the countless hours spent in preparing these forms, gathering documentation etc. you get nickled and dimed all the time for these forms, costs of mailing, this stuff adds up faster than you might think. I personally put a high value on my time as my time and effort I put into this process I could of spent more productively to help my finances rather than detract.

Also it also seemed most of the naysayers were people with SO's in Canada, UK or other western countries. The situation and expenses can be much different if your SO is in asia or africa or some other 3rd world far away country. I think many here actually underestimate the actual extra cost they have incurred going through this process.

I guess it is a matter of perspective. 70k a year may sound like quite a salary to some, but depending where you live and your circumstances this does not make you much above average in actual lifestyle.

I was disappointed to see how many posters were quick to personally attack rather than just constructively discuss the issue without adding emotional and personal venom to the posts.

With all this said, No price tag can be put on finding the love of your life. In the end no matter how much I spend pales in comparison to the happiness I will get for being with my wife for the rest of my life.

[BJZags 17]

I was disappointed to see how many posters were quick to personally attack rather than just constructively discuss the issue without adding emotional and personal venom to the posts.

Kinda like only fools rush into love!

[*JG* 2]

Good points and kind of why I said what I said before.

Our wedding was in our living room. I made the flowers. We had a small reception after.

And besides phone calls, we used none of the stuff in that section. But the phone calls.........geez.........$100 over usual bill is an understatment and 1/2. Phone calls nearly killed us.

I pretty much agreed with all the points, just mostly tremendously lower figures. I could see where it could happen like the article suggests. It can all get out of hand quickly when you are in the process. And, I disagree with the person who used the term "gold digger" above. I've known people to blow wads of cash on the stuff mentioned, while it all progressed very slowly to that point. In the end, I wouldn't call any of them gold diggers. It's just how it happened. Wouldn't have worked for me; but it did for them.

[nin 1]

Yes, let's add up

Travel - Yes, Travel. You'll eat no matter where you are and who you date. Frankly I'm surprised you didn't add in any non paid vacation time and lost in earnings there too. I'll assign it a in our case way high $6000 to make it pretty.

-I paid my travel, he paid his.

Increased monthly expenses- Phone, and extra electricity for the computer and all that web cam action $2000 over 6 months.

-Like I said above, but he did call more often.

Immigration - While many skip the visa prep service I think you missed the adjustment of status and the removal of conditions, which I feel are valid here. Add some embassy and medical travel costs to fuzz up the fact I don't have a clue about the actual numbers anymore.

$2000.

-Everything on my side of the ocean I took care of on my own, so about half there too.

$6000 + $2000 + $2000 = $10000. And in reality this whole thing cost us about 1/2 of that. And we both chipped in...

I'd call it a good deal to acquire such an outstanding specimen of a husband for the lowly sum of $2500! =D

Especially since he's doubled his salary since i got here, so he can now afford to have his imported wifey sit on her toned tuhsie and watch the small horde of adorable dual citizen kids' play while she eats bonbons and files her nails while browsing VJ.

The line so often cited: "Priceless!!!"

[TracyOz 0]

What an interesting read....

IMHO - all relationships come at a cost - both financial and emotional.

You can be engaged to a person who lives 5 minutes around the corner from you and encounter all of these same costs, if not a LOT more... (including translator, if necessary)... Just think of movies, dinner dates, outfits for same, extra gas for driving places, weekends & vacations away, extra phone bills because you still call each other when not around, plus then the cost of the marriage anyway (rings, documents, service) etc.. these figures are NOT just restricted to K-1 relationships, not at all...

Our story comes with a much, much higher figure than the one that Justin quoted, and that purely is because I have children involved who are also going through it as well, both for all of the (exhorbinant application fees, along with the visa fees, medicals, etc - which BTW I am paying for) and then of course the travel for all of us to the USA, and also for his travel here to Australia for Xmas, the costs associated with the selling up of homes (both mine and my SO - so that we can purchase a family home together for us all)... We have never sat down and said "he will pay, I will pay etc" but we have certainly looked at our finances and worked out the best way to cover all of our expenses - from both of us... I REALISE fully that not everybody is in that position, as many countries in the world are not as fortunate as we are... HOWEVER...

Personally - the biggest cost to this K-1 journey, for us is the emotional cost - the time apart, the days when all I want to do is SCREAM at the system and the long process, the days & nights where all I want is to be in the arms of the man I love, the day to day activities that go on that we are just unable to share with each other, the packing up of our life & home over here - while he is over there, the getting ready for the emotional pull of saying goodbye (for a bit) to family & friends (for me and the kids).... the time zones that make some normal communication difficult... ...

That's the stuff for us that has come at a cost that when we first embarked upon this journey that we didn't realise would be so HUGE.... knowing however that at some point (LOL... when USCIS get around to it) that we will be together, forging ahead with our family and our future, and how lucky & fortunate we feel that we actually had the "accidental fortune" of meeting each other when we least expected to, and discovered what soul mates we are .... WOW it is so worth it...

have a GREAT day folks

Tracy

[Jasman0717 9]

I got off cheap

[jundp 191]

Personally - the biggest cost to this K-1 journey, for us is the emotional cost - the time apart, the days when all I want to do is SCREAM at the system and the long process, the days & nights where all I want is to be in the arms of the man I love, the day to day activities that go on that we are just unable to share with each other, the packing up of our life & home over here - while he is over there, the getting ready for the emotional pull of saying goodbye (for a bit) to family & friends (for me and the kids).... the time zones that make some normal communication difficult... ...

That's the stuff for us that has come at a cost that when we first embarked upon this journey that we didn't realise would be so HUGE.... knowing however that at some point (LOL... when USCIS get around to it) that we will be together, forging ahead with our family and our future, and how lucky & fortunate we feel that we actually had the "accidental fortune" of meeting each other when we least expected to, and discovered what soul mates we are .... WOW it is so worth it...

have a GREAT day folks

Tracy

I fully agree with this Tracy. Finances aren't the real issue for many of us here, though it does figure in. That's not to say that I'm independently wealthy...I'm a high school teacher with 2 kids, definitely not! But the real cost is the emotional toll on both of us and my children.

Yet, it's worth it.

[golias 0]

Looks like an invoice for the purchase of a bride. IMO, who gives a ####### what you spend?

Agreed. What the hell are we trying to prove with that? Aside from pondering the hugely inflated "costs," I found myself wondering what kind of tool would ever hold that kind of ####### over his intended. Unreal.