Guzzardi is exactly right about the importance of eliminating the K-1 visa.

[trillium13 84]

Forgot to add, Lal, I love that blog!!

[SuperDuper! 230]

CR1 for one?

Brilliant, simply brilliant.

[Fandango 1,440]

Gotta be honest, I partially agree with the article (I read up until th '7-11' part)...it does tend to leave people out in the cold....beneficiary comes here, couple starts to 'get to know each other' (yeah, cos that never happens right?), and the petitioner bails. Not fair at all to the foreign bene, who just presumably walked away from a whole life to move here. I say, in that regard, the K-1 sucks and CR-1 would be a much better route.

This thread has legs! Huzzah!

[thongd4me 69]

Gotta be honest, I partially agree with the article (I read up until th '7-11' part)...it does tend to leave people out in the cold....beneficiary comes here, couple starts to 'get to know each other' (yeah, cos that never happens right?), and the petitioner bails. Not fair at all to the foreign bene, who just presumably walked away from a whole life to move here. I say, in that regard, the K-1 sucks and CR-1 would be a much better route.

This thread has legs! Huzzah!

To each his/her own. Either way if it's denied it sucks.

The down side of the CR-1 is now each has a relationship

that can only be ended by divorce with no possibility of being

together except through international travel.

Old English proverb:

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder,

longer makes it wander."

[Gemmie 142]

I kind of agree as well.

I went through the K1 process and hated it; the 9 months waiting time, the amount of money, the paperwork... to be told that you got it, and your prize is the right to enter the US. Is that it? I was able to enter the US anyway, in fact I entered the US about four times while the thing was being processed, so what point is there to it? Then knowing that I still had to apply for a GC, and hearing about all of the people that were able to skip the K1 and not get caught. It did leave me feeling like there was no point to it other than mental safety, knowing that I had a visa that allowed me to have all the intent in the world to stay, proven.

But basically, you have to think of it like this: there are some countries that aren't like the UK, they aren't able to get visits to the US and some of them aren't safe for the American to move there. Sometimes their only option is to file for a K1 and then use it to enter and adjust status. And even those are denied for stupid reasons often. I'd like to know that even though there are so many fraudsters and couples that don't get to know each other first, there's a way to get people together.

[Fandango 1,440]

I kind of agree as well.

I went through the K1 process and hated it; the 9 months waiting time, the amount of money, the paperwork... to be told that you got it, and your prize is the right to enter the US. Is that it? I was able to enter the US anyway, in fact I entered the US about four times while the thing was being processed, so what point is there to it? Then knowing that I still had to apply for a GC, and hearing about all of the people that were able to skip the K1 and not get caught. It did leave me feeling like there was no point to it other than mental safety, knowing that I had a visa that allowed me to have all the intent in the world to stay, proven.

But basically, you have to think of it like this: there are some countries that aren't like the UK, they aren't able to get visits to the US and some of them aren't safe for the American to move there. Sometimes their only option is to file for a K1 and then use it to enter and adjust status. And even those are denied for stupid reasons often. I'd like to know that even though there are so many fraudsters and couples that don't get to know each other first, there's a way to get people together.

You make a really great point...I say, no K-1 for VWP countries....just come on over and adjust!

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I agree. And I also think it's a little crazy that in the K-1 process all relationships are treated the same way.

[LaL 418]

You make a really great point...I say, no K-1 for VWP countries....just come on over and adjust!

criminal backgrounds aren't really a big deal from VWP countries?

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

well - you can currently do exactly that, adjust without a police report, when you adjust from a VWP visit

[LaL 418]

well - you can currently do exactly that, adjust without a police report, when you adjust from a VWP visit

That's a sticking point for me. What about people who moved from T-6 countries to VWP countries. Should there be no K1 there too? What about people from VWP countries who have TB?

Edited November 2, 2010 by LaL

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Pay attention to source AND dates before getting panties bunched! The article is FOUR YEARS OLD. And it's on vdare.com.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VDARE

Try not to take it very seriously, folks. It's all hate.

[Fandango 1,440]

That's a sticking point for me. What about people who moved from T-6 countries to VWP countries. Should there be no K1 there too? What about people from VWP countries who have TB?

What Robin said. Since you could do it anyways by doing AOS from VWP, what's the diff? The way it's set up now, is it really accomplishing anything? And if you've already been vetted enough from a VWP country, then all systems go, I'd say.

Take it even further...someone with TB visiting only and no aos...isn't it just as much as a danger?

JQ - the OP acknowledged that the article is old...whether it is or isn't doesn't really change the theories behind what people are saying here anyway.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Lisa C

[Staashi 371]

What Robin said. Since you could do it anyways by doing AOS from VWP, what's the diff? The way it's set up now, is it really accomplishing anything? And if you've already been vetted enough from a VWP country, then all systems go, I'd say.

Take it even further...someone with TB visiting only and no aos...isn't it just as much as a danger?

Amen to this, Lisa. TB is rampant in parts of this country - mostly because of all the Eastern Bloc folks who were given tourist visas in the 90s and came into the US with live TB strains. It is especially active in Florida, where many public health departments have TB wards. I know this because I was exposed to it when I was living in St. Pete - huge Eastern European community. Due to a health check for a job I had been employed for, my mantu test came back positive. The health department asked me 50 different questions about my living conditions, etc - which were all fine, but when they realized that I lived in a beach community in close proximity to Eastern European tourists/illegals they deemed that I was infected that way. Six months of Isoniazid treatment, blood work and clean chest x-rays and I am home free. So, to me a VWP tourist/any tourist can easily come on in infected.

[LaL 418]

What Robin said. Since you could do it anyways by doing AOS from VWP, what's the diff? The way it's set up now, is it really accomplishing anything? And if you've already been vetted enough from a VWP country, then all systems go, I'd say.

Take it even further...someone with TB visiting only and no aos...isn't it just as much as a danger?

Sure they are - I am just asking questions out of curiosity. I distinctly remember you stating removing HIV from the list of inadmissible conditions for immigration purposes was a bad idea. So I was just trying to figure it out.

Certainly I have the same questions about K1 usefulness for certain countries - as my husband entered the US probably 20 times (mostly for business) during our idiot K1 process.

[Fandango 1,440]

Sure they are - I am just asking questions out of curiosity. I distinctly remember you stating removing HIV from the list of inadmissible conditions for immigration purposes was a bad idea. So I was just trying to figure it out.

Certainly I have the same questions about K1 usefulness for certain countries - as my husband entered the US probably 20 times (mostly for business) during our idiot K1 process.

Oh I totally see your point, but I also see how utterly useless it is to have that loophole for VWP countries. I think it needs to be either one way or the other....either no AOS for VWP, or eliminate the whole visa process entirely until they get here and marry. If they eliminate it, it'll free up staff to process the others' visas more quickly.

eta: I do think we should be protecting our nation and our people from serious communicable diseases...but it's like, you can plug up the one hole, and three more will appear. At the end of the day, someone with HIV could come here on hols and infect God knows how many people, who in turn can do the same...so I dunno, I guess I'm feeling a bit 'defeated' as to my opinion because there really is no way to control it. It's all just going thru the motions for nothing, really.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Lisa C