Fiance Visa Service

[jamieh333 0]

do it for free

[Mary Therese 1]

nice...thanks a lot for everybody's input, it all seems to be leaning more towards just 'do-it-yourself'...alright well..i will discuss this with my dearest, and im sure i'll be back again with more questions...

thank you all and God bless!

[RobertFrosted 2]

Oklidokli.

I guess I'm just lucky that I am dealing with someone from my own tribe.

I can see why you would say $20k in your scenario based on your situation. For me my flights to Nigeria were both $875 and $650, I stayed in my house - no hotel except in Lagos for two nights @ $60 per, $1,500 spending money each trip, initial wedding in the US will be at the courthouse.

[/u]

Well done.

I did my AOS from GC to Citizenship myself. It's just paperwork.

Really? Looking up a flight (on Orbitz) to Lagos, Nigeria, I could not get a flight under 1100 dollars. Hotel stay is a large part of the costs for any trip. I guess having your own home in the fiance's country would be something that a good majority of people would not have. You state the inital wedding to be done at the courthouse. So do you plan on having a much larger wedding at a later date? Here in the USA and one in Nigeria?

I have been in the wedding industry for years. I have seen costs soar for traditional weddings. A traditional wedding (church and catered reception) in the US can start off around 15K and go up from there. So are you going to include those costs in your overall picture or just say hey it was cheap because all I paid for was the k-1 visa filing. One could also argue that the cost to stay in your own home while in Nigeria should be factored in as I am sure your house did not come free. Everything has a cost and everything has a value. How much you decide to place on each is your own making.

Again in that 20K figure above, there is no service factored in. There is no immigration lawyer fees. The k-1 petition is filed by me from beginning to end.

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

Once you get married then you need to account for the AOS fees. However I already included these. Now I haven't included the fee for Affidavit of Support which is 88 dollars for domstic review.

Just wanted to say there is no fee for the I-864 after marrying in the US and filing for adjustment of status from a K-1. The $88 fee is for those filing for a spousal visa and sending the I-864 to the NVC.

[Iyawo Ijebu 157]

Really? Looking up a flight (on Orbitz) to Lagos, Nigeria, I could not get a flight under 1100 dollars. Hotel stay is a large part of the costs for any trip. I guess having your own home in the fiance's country would be something that a good majority of people would not have. You state the inital wedding to be done at the courthouse. So do you plan on having a much larger wedding at a later date? Here in the USA and one in Nigeria?

I have been in the wedding industry for years. I have seen costs soar for traditional weddings. A traditional wedding (church and catered reception) in the US can start off around 15K and go up from there. So are you going to include those costs in your overall picture or just say hey it was cheap because all I paid for was the k-1 visa filing. One could also argue that the cost to stay in your own home while in Nigeria should be factored in as I am sure your house did not come free. Everything has a cost and everything has a value. How much you decide to place on each is your own making.

Again in that 20K figure above, there is no service factored in. There is no immigration lawyer fees. The k-1 petition is filed by me from beginning to end.

For me, your $20K still seems overblown for most folks (single/simple K1), just like as in most folks do not have homes in their Fiances country. Another great example, the Canadians and Mexicans mostly do not have any airfare.

Here is a copy of the receipt for one of my recent trips, I'll continue to find the other one:

I offer no apology for being a skinflint who sources great deals

As far as residence, you are absolutely correct, I need to add the cost of staying in my own home as it did not come free. I charge my tenant N90,000 per annum for the 4 bedroom flat and N45,000 per annum for the 2 bedroom flat. I use another 2 bedroom flat so the cost is N45,000 per annum divide by exchange rate of 160 equals $280 per year. $280 per year divide by number of days in the year equals a rental fee of N.077 per day. So for 10 days equals $11. As you do the research I liv ein Ibadan, not Lagos or Abuja where rent is astronomical.

As far as wedding, we intend to do a traditional ceremony/reception in Nigeria with select few friend and family, maybe 50 people total, cost should be well under $1,500 and that is for an elaborate one. I personally have not understood breaking the bank on wedding ceremony (none could be bigger than Prince Charles and Lady Diana and what was the end result?) The best ceremony so far on here was the European forumer (Sweden or Norway I think) that had his in his backyard with his close friends and family. Folks should put the money to have been used on lavish ceremonies into a CD for later use in downpayment for a home. And that's folks who have the cash on hand, most even go into credit card debt. Just my opinion.

Anyways there you go.

PS: Where do we stop with armotizing costs? Do we include the lease feeds for the car I used to take the envelope to the USPS, the gas cost for the car, the use of my computer to type up the forms, internet fees?

Edited May 27, 2012 by Iyawo Ijebu

[Mrs. NSA 6]

For me, your $20K still seems overblown for most folks (single/simple K1), just like as in most folks do not have homes in their Fiances country. Another great example, the Canadians and Mexicans mostly do not have any airfare.

Here is a copy of the receipt for one of my recent trips, I'll continue to find the other one:

I offer no apology for being a skinflint who sources great deals

As far as residence, you are absolutely correct, I need to add the cost of staying in my own home as it did not come free. I charge my tenant N90,000 per annum for the 4 bedroom flat and N45,000 per annum for the 2 bedroom flat. I use another 2 bedroom flat so the cost is N45,000 per annum divide by exchange rate of 160 equals $280 per year. $280 per year divide by number of days in the year equals a rental fee of N.077 per day. So for 10 days equals $11. As you do the research I liv ein Ibadan, not Lagos or Abuja where rent is astronomical.

As far as wedding, we intend to do a traditional ceremony/reception in Nigeria with select few friend and family, maybe 50 people total, cost should be well under $1,500 and that is for an elaborate one. I personally have not understood breaking the bank on wedding ceremony (none could be bigger than Prince Charles and Lady Diana and what was the end result?) The best ceremony so far on here was the European forumer (Sweden or Norway I think) that had his in his backyard with his close friends and family. Folks should put the money to have been used on lavish ceremonies into a CD for later use in downpayment for a home. And that's folks who have the cash on hand, most even go into credit card debt. Just my opinion.

Anyways there you go.

PS: Where do we stop with armotizing costs? Do we include the lease feeds for the car I used to take the envelope to the USPS, the gas cost for the car, the use of my computer to type up the forms, internet fees?

Some of us didnt spend that much, we looked for the deals and spent wisely, so not everyone spends 20k. Now if you did, I am sorry and good luck with your journey since it has only just begun.

[pddp 240]

No actually its not the company that is charging 20K. Its all the other stuff. In my 20K see the post above for the breakdown of costs associated with marrying a person from outside of this country. I can take all of the skin off the apple and wittle it down to its core but you still had to go through all of the apple to get to its core. When you add up all the associated costs, the fee for a fiance visa service or an immigration lawyer is just a small part of the overall picture.

Yes there are ways to cut costs but the fact remains, it costs to fly to a foreign country, to eat in a foreign country, to dp things in a foreign country and to marry a person from a foreign country. The k-1 visa process is just a small portion of that cost. It is not the entire cost. That is where you read the post wrong to say that I am saying that it costs 20K to submit the k-1 Visa process. It doesn't. Read the post again.

mclfxr- your scenario is the classic "buy-a-wife" mail order bride scenario. Be aware that your views and experience(?) may severely clash with other people here whose journey has been drastically different. Not all spouses who came to this country were "purchased" the way you describe.

Edited May 27, 2012 by pddp

[Tinchen_ 21]

Really? Looking up a flight (on Orbitz) to Lagos, Nigeria, I could not get a flight under 1100 dollars. Hotel stay is a large part of the costs for any trip. I guess having your own home in the fiance's country would be something that a good majority of people would not have. You state the inital wedding to be done at the courthouse. So do you plan on having a much larger wedding at a later date? Here in the USA and one in Nigeria?

I have been in the wedding industry for years. I have seen costs soar for traditional weddings. A traditional wedding (church and catered reception) in the US can start off around 15K and go up from there.

i am in the wedding buisness myself for any years in europe and in the states, as a special event manager and catering sales manager and most traditional weddings start off around 5-10k. it all depends on how many guest you have cuz the price gets calculated per guest.

i have a question why do you dont stay with ur gf/fiance????? i think most ppl stay with their loveones. so hotel expenses are falling away. and dont bring the gf/fiance some savings/money with her as well???

[pddp 240]

I have been in the wedding industry for years. I have seen costs soar for traditional weddings. A traditional wedding (church and catered reception) in the US can start off around 15K and go up from there.

i am in the wedding buisness myself for any years in europe and in the states, as a special event manager and catering sales manager and most traditional weddings start off around 5-10k. it all depends on how many guest you have cuz the price gets calculated per guest.

With all due respect, there are PLENTY of ways to have a less expensive and, for many of us, a more meaningful wedding ceremony. Personally I (nor my husband) didn't want the "wedding industry" anywhere near our wedding... and that wasn't for financial reasons. To each his own I guess.

[Zharren Young 32]

i say do it yourself, more accurate and pretty easy too. you can get alot of guides and help her and aside from saving money you will learn alot from doing it your own.

[jaycali 415]

I used visajourney.com for free.

[Tinchen_ 21]

With all due respect, there are PLENTY of ways to have a less expensive and, for many of us, a more meaningful wedding ceremony. Personally I (nor my husband) didn't want the "wedding industry" anywhere near our wedding... and that wasn't for financial reasons. To each his own I guess.

i know that, thats my job. i have it all the time weddings with a budget under 5000 or even just 500.. my point was to the other post that it starts at 15k cuz it doesnt. should reply to him.

[RobertFrosted 2]

i am in the wedding buisness myself for any years in europe and in the states, as a special event manager and catering sales manager and most traditional weddings start off around 5-10k. it all depends on how many guest you have cuz the price gets calculated per guest.

i have a question why do you dont stay with ur gf/fiance????? i think most ppl stay with their loveones. so hotel expenses are falling away. and dont bring the gf/fiance some savings/money with her as well???

First let me start off by saying I have been very busy lately with school and whatnot. SO I apologize for the late reply.

If you say you have been in the business for years, then tell me what is the one expense that usually gets put off til last in the wedding industry?

I like how people eat costs and don't look at them or brush them aside without thinking twice about them.

Let's address something and that is culture. Now some places it might be perfectly all right to stay with a fiance, however others it is a big no no before being married. So you have to take that into consideration when planning a visit. Another thing is that some families all live together so there is no privacy for your fiance and you in the family home. So it is better overall to rent a room that youo can affford.

Good god I would like to find a hotel for eleven dollars for ten days! The cheapest one I can find is 54 a day with taxes and has a minimum stay of so many nights.

Just because you claim you spent 5K for your fiance does not mean that it will be the same for me nor may I not want to go the same route you did. Some might have met their fiance through an internet chat site and proceeded the relationship from there. Personally I would have added the money for the chat program into the overall figure.

If people want to take blinders off and really add up what they spend on a foreign spouse they will find out it costs a lot more than they really think. When I was looking into owning a DJ company I subscribed to a wedding statistic company for rundowns of weddings not just in my area but other areas as well. At that time the average wedding was around 17K. 5-10K for a wedding is way cheap and I have to ask what all you are including in that figure for a traditional wedding. Now if you decide to do something else beyond the realm of what is considered traditional then your price and mileage may vary. Yes weddings can get very expensive and yes when you are talking about having a church wedding that is catered you go by cost per guest. However, going by cost per guest leaves out a good bit of what I include in a wedding that you do not. Or would you figure the cost of wedding rings divided per guest? No I don't think you would. I been aroound the block a feww times and I see a more realistic picture than most. If you were to come to me and tell me that my wedding would cost between 5 to 10K And when the day was done and the bills added up to be over 15K I personally would sue you to recoup my costs that you did not include. Or you might have put an asterik by the things you don't include in the over all "cost per guest".

When I included in my cost for the foreign bride I included what is called a destination wedding. Not sure if you know what that is. An intimate destination wedding at Walt Disney World for two people is 2500 dollars. Thats like a bride groom and officiant and up to six guests. Now those can go higher the more guests you have. However, the prce they quote is probably more akin to the price you quote when you do your weddings. However the actual cost of the wedding encompasses that part but that isn't the whole picture.

If you must know I wittled down the price for a fiance to approximatley 15K. I took out the second trip. The first trip to go see her for 14 days is roughly 5300 dollars. This includes hotel stay, driving to a relaives house to go to a cheaper airport, not having a town car service to and from the airport, and not putting my dogs in a kennel for the duration of the trip. First off I have asked neighbor to watch he dogs before for an 11 day trip. Big mistake. Neighbor has no problem of driving me to and picking me up from airport but need to put my dog in kennel. Some people might be satisfied with 50 dollar wedding rings but I am not and I would not expect my fiance to be either. I budgeted a set amount for the rings. That doesn't mean it will get that high. As I have done checking around for rings and price compared but you need to actually physically look at the diamond before you buy it or get a damn good warranty then have it appraised when it arrives. A decent wedding dress can be had at Michaels for less than 150 but you need to be there when its on sale and you might have to fend off thirty other women fighting for the same dress. Then you have the shoes for the dress and the jewelry for the dress. Budget 1K for all of that. Shoes can and do make a difference when you wear them. Buy cheap lose your feet! Last thing I want on a wedding day is a bride complaining how her feet hurt from cheap shoes. Now you could say just have a JOP weddin (justice of the peace). That would cost with marriage license here about 110 dollars. Wedding solved eh? Not until she brings up the fact she would like a proper wedding in a church or on a beach or some such place as that.

Yeah I read your posts and I am glad you paid what you did for your wedding. However to each: YMMV. I personally have an idea how I want to get married and will compromise that on how she would like to get married. If we need to do a JOP wedding to meet the 90day requirement then have a proper wedding later than that is fine. However you cannot tell me that your first visit to see your fiance that you stayed with her especially if you had never met her before other than chat through online or email. Sorry doesn't work out that way. The firt visit will cost you some money. Not all countries are as cheap as 11 dollars for 10 days. Maybe in Africa but find a hotel that cheap in South America. Sorry bud not here and not where I am going. I prefer to stay in a decent hotel with amenities I want.

Like I said add up all the costs you incurred since meeting your fiance and you will come up with a figure between 15K and 20K. Even bare bones I got it down to 14K.

Oh that reminds me of something, the female is in a city 500 miles from the embassy, you going to 1) bus her or 2) fly her? You going to have her stay at relatives when none exist in the capital city? The med exam needs to be taken a few days before the interview so she has to stay somewhere right? Guess she is staying in a hotel. You need to pay for her to ship her belongins to the states after you get married or before. That isn't free and its not cheap. People were complaining how much it cost to ship something small via DHL to Colombia, think about how much it is going to cost shipping a whole closet full of items. Or are you going to just say bah we will just buy her a new wardrobe? Unless you shop at goodwill, a new ward drobe is not cheap.

See you guys think a ticket stay with her and jus the visa fee is all that is required but when you sit really analyze how much it costs to actually bring a young blushing bride to the USA, it costs more than you are giving credit for. I dare you to find all bills related to this issue. Add them up and then tell me it costs what you thought it cost you. I know for a fact a calling card to Colombia is like 7 cents a minute and that is a conservative one. So you could be spending 200 bucks a month or more just on calling cards. Did you factor that in?

When I posted my numbers I facotred in a reat many things people took for granted or not adding into their overall figures. When you purchase a car does it cost you 15K or did you factor in cost of repair, tires, oil changes etc. When you buy a new item and comes with a subscription did youo factor that subscription into the cost of the item? Probably not. I am not comparing human beings to material things I am using them as an anology of how people factor things in to the cost of things. To tell me a wedding cost 5-10K when I have definitive industry proof that a traditional wedding with a modicum of guests will set you back a lot more than that. If it only cost 5-10K why the heck are so many bride and grooms having trouble payingoff their 15-30K weddings?

[RobertFrosted 2]

I used visajourney.com for free.

Really? visajourney.com may be for free but the visa the trip to see your bride and everything else wasn't free. I can guarantee that!

[sunshinenate 8]

I used easyvisa and they were good at taking the strees of knowing how to file away. I will say they really are no more than someone that knows how to fill out and file the paper work.

They will not help you with time lines or tell you any great info, but they will make sure you qualify to apply from the start and make sure everything is filed right. I have my NOA2 and am waiting for it to be sent to the NVC.