question/ HELPFUL advice

[sunshinecountry 0]

Im a february Filer.

my fiance lives in Jamaica... I am attempting to plan a wedding... does anyone think that if we set the date for late October the likelihood of him being here is high??! I really was hoping for an outdoor wedding... though at this point I dont care where it is/ when as long as hes here.. but I just was looking to get some advice for those who have completed some of the process, see if its possible. We have a pretty basic Visa, no kids involved, no divorces... though it is being filing in Vermont- and i hear they're sllloowww. I Dont know.. but any advice you could give me would be awesome...

Thanks

[iampatricias 17]

Hi there,

Have you filed the I-129 petition yet (your timeline seems to indicate no) ? If you have not filed yet, I would say late October is cutting it very close - 8 months. My guy and I are coming up on our 7 month mark and our petition hasn't even reached our consulate yet (nevermind the backlog there). Once you get to the consular stage, it can go as fast as 5 weeks, but other folks with experience with Jamaica can give you a more accurate estimate.

In any case, I wouldn't put non-refundable deposits on anything for October...

[YuAndDan 153]

Here is the deal, every time someone asks about wedding planning and banking on a K-1 the answer is the same, NEVER make plans that cannot be changed betting on a K-1 by a certain time.

You may make some plans if they can easily and without cost get changed.

If you want a solid wedding, then the better approach is to marry first, and then file for a spouse CR-1 visa.

OR you can always have a Legal court house marriage on the K-1, and then later have a big wedding ceramony.

[canadian_wife 1,822]

Don't make any wedding plans, and certainly no deposits, until the visa is in hand. SO much can go wrong before the wedding date which can lead to multiple delays.

And if you ignore the above advice, I don't think the probability of your fiance being in the US by October is high. IN fact, I think it is low

Good luck

[sunshinecountry 0]

okay.. well I wasnt going to plan an exact date.. I am really hoping that this processe wont take to much longer than 9 month.. which will be the time spand by october.. but thanks for the advice. we'll complete everything else in the 3 months after we have the visa.. I was going to go to jamaica in june and we would work on the rest of the visa together... I am sending the F-129 this week.. so ya I guess we'll just see what happens.

Thanks

[Aztec&Taino 144]

Im a february Filer.

my fiance lives in Jamaica... I am attempting to plan a wedding... does anyone think that if we set the date for late October the likelihood of him being here is high??! I really was hoping for an outdoor wedding... though at this point I dont care where it is/ when as long as hes here.. but I just was looking to get some advice for those who have completed some of the process, see if its possible. We have a pretty basic Visa, no kids involved, no divorces... though it is being filing in Vermont- and i hear they're sllloowww. I Dont know.. but any advice you could give me would be awesome...

Thanks

The best advice I could give your for planning your wedding is NOT TO PLAN it. Really, you are dealing with a process full of uncertainty. Whether your petition will be approved or not and WHEN this will happen nobody can tell you. From the timelines I had seen before starting my petition process it seemed as though it would take 6-7 months from petition submission to interview date. For me, it was 150 days only to get my petition approved and I am still waiting for an interview date, around 5.5 months or so into the process... I may be realistically looking at an additional 2 to 4 month wait for an interview, yet even then there is no guarantee that my fiance will be granted a visa even after all this waiting and fees! So, definitely try to take it day-by-day and do not make plans. Simply try to keep smiling when people ask you, "So, when is the wedding?" and simply answer, "I don't know."

Best wishes!

[iampatricias 17]

Simply try to keep smiling when people ask you, "So, when is the wedding?" and simply answer, "I don't know."

Hehe, I am practicing this too! Several well-intentioned (elderly) people have started with, "weren't you supposed to get married?" instead. At least I have a ring to prove to them I haven't been stranded.

[RICARDO4EVA2 194]

OR you can always have a Legal court house marriage on the K-1, and then later have a big wedding ceramony.

What do you mean when you say have a legal marriage on a K1..? Is that possible...? wouldn't the case be tossed from K1 to CR1..?

okay.. well I wasnt going to plan an exact date.. I am really hoping that this processe wont take to much longer than 9 month.. which will be the time spand by october.. but thanks for the advice. we'll complete everything else in the 3 months after we have the visa.. I was going to go to jamaica in june and we would work on the rest of the visa together... I am sending the F-129 this week.. so ya I guess we'll just see what happens.

Thanks

Hmmmmm no October isn't possible. Vermont has picked up speed of late. i know their processing of submitted I-130s have been on the approval spree.

[amykathleen2005 441]

What do you mean when you say have a legal marriage on a K1..? Is that possible...? wouldn't the case be tossed from K1 to CR1..?

I think they mean plan to get married at the courthouse as soon as the beneficiary arrives on their visa for AOS purposes. Then they can take their time to plan their wedding date for family and friends.

okay.. well I wasnt going to plan an exact date.. I am really hoping that this processe wont take to much longer than 9 month.. which will be the time spand by october.. but thanks for the advice. we'll complete everything else in the 3 months after we have the visa.. I was going to go to jamaica in june and we would work on the rest of the visa together... I am sending the F-129 this week.. so ya I guess we'll just see what happens.

Thanks

Unfortunately personal hopes and what actually happen rarely coincide. I would say that October would be almost if not totally impossible.

[CourtAndGrey 0]

Save yourself the stress. There's so much to think about when you just focus on the visa, that if you start to consider wedding plans falling through and re-booking everything and shifting it all around, it will be so hard to mentally deal with. We didn't want to do the courthouse thing, so we just planned out a small ceremony and reception that could be easily booked WHENEVER he ended up getting here. When he arrived in July, we were able to book our date for September and still gave guests an appropriate amount of time.

(By the way, based on how our timeline went 2 years ago, October would be reasonable for you. I filed in January and he was here in July. However, it seems like we are an exception, not the norm!)

Good luck to you guys! Have a great wedding - whatever it looks like!

[Aztec&Taino 144]

Hehe, I am practicing this too! Several well-intentioned (elderly) people have started with, "weren't you supposed to get married?" instead. At least I have a ring to prove to them I haven't been stranded.

My very well-intentioned co-workers mean to be friendly and supportive when they ask me about the wedding. I wish I knew when I am actually getting married! Now, they are asking about any sort of progress report on the process. I also give them a count down of when I am going to see my fiance next.

[Caramel 3]

Im a february Filer.

my fiance lives in Jamaica... I am attempting to plan a wedding... does anyone think that if we set the date for late October the likelihood of him being here is high??! I really was hoping for an outdoor wedding... though at this point I dont care where it is/ when as long as hes here.. but I just was looking to get some advice for those who have completed some of the process, see if its possible. We have a pretty basic Visa, no kids involved, no divorces... though it is being filing in Vermont- and i hear they're sllloowww. I Dont know.. but any advice you could give me would be awesome...

Thanks

I was a K1 filer and I din't start making wedding preparations until my fiance got his visa in his hand. You never know what can happen to delay the process so it's bet u wait until he is approve.

Edited February 15, 2011 by Caramel