keerrchiinnggg!! The price of moving to the US!??

[sharky 2]

I don't want to sound a bit like a synical old fool here, but I guess that I'm only starting to realise how much all of this K1 visa thing is costing!

Original I-129f application = $150-$200 (can't remember exactly)

Medical for K1 visa = $170

visa at embassy = $ 60

waiver (I-601) that I had to file = $ 250

now I find out that the I-485 form AND biometrics are gonna cost $ 250 (or thereabouts)

So it's looking at nearly $1000 so far, that's a heck of a lot of money for the US DHS eh??? Somone's living in the lap of luxury over there!

I don't want to sound a bit like a synical old fool here, but I guess that I'm only starting to realise how much all of this K1 visa thing is costing!

Original I-129f application = $150-$200 (can't remember exactly)

Medical for K1 visa = $170

visa at embassy = $ 60

waiver (I-601) that I had to file = $ 250

now I find out that the I-485 form AND biometrics are gonna cost $ 250 (or thereabouts)

So it's looking at nearly $1000 so far, that's a heck of a lot of money for the US DHS eh??? Somone's living in the lap of luxury over there!

sorry the medical and visa price should be in pounds!!! that makes even more!

[almaty 19]

not so much..some others had to pay much more due to distance...and travel...plus $100 is the standard visa charge in most countries..you are lucky...

[pax 0]

now I find out that the I-485 form AND biometrics are gonna cost $ 250 (or thereabouts)

$250 would be a bargain for AOS.

I-485: $325 + $70 biometrics fee

I-765: $180

I-131: $170

+ any fees applicable for vaccination supplement.

So even if you just file for AOS and decide you can wait to work and travel outside the States until you have green card, you're still looking at $400+.

[Canuck Carrie 1]

My Visa was $100 US! Add in passport photos, sending paper work to each other, getting to/from my interview ($250) and what ever else I'm forgetting.

No wonder I'm broke

[john_and_marlene 162]

+ wedding

+ medical insurance

+ dental insurance

+ life insurance

Looking at the larger picture of the cost of living, the fees for immigration and adjustment are acutally quite small.

[sptruck 0]

Cha-ching, indeed.

I don't have a problem with the fees. I'd pay more if it meant expediting or simplifying the process for married people, who should be united without delays, IMO.

For us, the price of moving to the States includes lost income -- I'm self-employed, so tripping around to various appointments with my wife soaked up lots of hours. When we left Canada, we had to divest most of our assets (house, stocks -- everything but the tax-protected retirement accounts). Of course the Canadian dollar was at 78 cents when we coverted everything; it's at 87 cents now. I pay close to $1,000 a month in health costs. The unpredictable length of the K3 process meant living at four different addresses in eight months. Lord knows where half my magazine subscriptions are going.

And if someone here can place a value on the emotional distress of this whole process, I'd like to know what it is. (I figure it's shaved 6 months off my lifespan.)

The best money I've spent may be on my Canadian citizenship. I lived there a long time, travelled extensively, will go back every summer, and may want to move back some day. Having citizenship at least means we won't go through this process again. (It's *almost* as onerous there as it is here.)

[Kajikit 65]

don't forget plane tickets and travel expenses for getting to your visa interview, unless you're lucky enough to live in the same city where they do the interviews - there's only one consulate per country (or in some parts of the world, one per three or four countries!)

[flipside 0]

Add in the lawyers fees some people have paid as well!

[john_and_marlene 162]

don't forget plane tickets and travel expenses for getting to your visa interview, unless you're lucky enough to live in the same city where they do the interviews - there's only one consulate per country (or in some parts of the world, one per three or four countries!)

And tickets to visit.

I flew to Manila 4 times in 9 months.

But hey! I have tons of frequent flyer miles now

Add in the lawyers fees some people have paid as well!

almost forgot that: Add $2500 for me

[ladybutterfly 0]

And also the cost of not being able to work for months and months once you get to the US! Oh yes, me thinks you have to be very rich to go through this whole process!

[gtigiant 0]

I honestly expected it to be a bit more expensive. My initial budget going into this whole process was 5 grand just for the k3 / AOS process. It looks like that may actually be a little high if i can avoid doing the lawayer bit. It is just the stress of the whole situation I am not looking forward to.

[Peter Miami 0]

It adds up.

[motu 6]

Hey you forgot

The PRICE of Weding Rings

the PRICE of Wedding (small or big)

The PRICE of updating your wardrobe (to US styles)

The PRICE of SHOES (yikes)

For me all of the above added about $10,000 more to the rest of the process!

But hey I am contributing to the economy!

[trey 0]

How much would you spend to date someone here in the US for a couple years before getting married? Probably a lot more.

[dmartmar 1]

I don't want to sound a bit like a synical old fool here, but I guess that I'm only starting to realise how much all of this K1 visa thing is costing!

Original I-129f application = $150-$200 (can't remember exactly)

Medical for K1 visa = $170

visa at embassy = $ 60

waiver (I-601) that I had to file = $ 250

now I find out that the I-485 form AND biometrics are gonna cost $ 250 (or thereabouts)

So it's looking at nearly $1000 so far, that's a heck of a lot of money for the US DHS eh??? Somone's living in the lap of luxury over there!

Are you complaining or informing us?

How much would you spend to date someone here in the US for a couple years before getting married? Probably a lot more.

So basically, you're saying that it's just much cheaper to marry and bring foreigners over, than date and marry someone here already.

I'd rather date someone already here for a while, regardless of the money spent, than take a chance and marry someone from overseas w/o barely knowing him/her.

Just take a look at Nate's post, with that gal from Vietnam. Big mistake! Costly; perhaps?

Edited February 23, 2006 by dmartmar