Basic Initial Form Questions

[R&J23-10 1]

Our story, like many of yours, started online. Rick lives in London and I’m a small town girl from Tennessee. After months of falling in love with one another through emails, letters, Skype chats, and phone conversations- we finally got the chance to meet in person. The ten days we had together solidified our foundation and we are now engaged to be married. Starting this process is a bit overwhelming for anyone, and we have some questions that we would like to ask for anyone willing to help two people desperately in love.

First Question: How much proof is enough to show that this isn’t a sham? What type of things are they looking for to show that we have been together???

Second Question: How long do the interviews last???

I’m sure there will be more questions as we get further into this process, but thank you for anyone taking the time to respond.

~Jordan<3

Edited October 28, 2012 by R&J23-10

[kambode 0]

first of all, i wish you guys the best of luck in this journey.

(1) Have as much proof as you can collect, the more the better: your flight itinerary, passport stamps, photos together (especially at those recognizable landscapes, i.e. England phone booth, tower clock, double-deck bus, etc), chat/email logs, etc

(2) It depends on individual case, from 15 minutes to an hour long or more.

Since Rick is from a rich country, I dont think there is much scrutiny as those from poor countries.

Best,

kambode

Our story, like many of yours, started online. Rick lives in London and I’m a small town girl from Tennessee. After months of falling in love with one another through emails, letters, Skype chats, and phone conversations- we finally got the chance to meet in person. The ten days we had together solidified our foundation and we are now engaged to be married. Starting this process is a bit overwhelming for anyone, and we have some questions that we would like to ask for anyone willing to help two people desperately in love.

First Question: How much proof is enough to show that this isn’t a sham? What type of things are they looking for to show that we have been together???

Second Question: How long do the interviews last???

I’m sure there will be more questions as we get further into this process, but thank you for anyone taking the time to respond.

~Jordan<3

Edited October 28, 2012 by kambode

[R&J23-10 1]

first of all, i wish you guys the best of luck in this journey.

(1) Have as much proof as you can collect, the more the better: your flight itinerary, passport stamps, photos together (especially at those recognizable landscapes, i.e. England phone booth, tower clock, double-deck bus, etc), chat/email logs, etc

(2) It depends on individual case, from 15 minutes to an hour long or more.

Since Rick is from a rich country, I dont think there is much scrutiny as those from poor countries.

Best,

kambode

Thank you so much for the sweet thoughts!!!We had a question though...in regards to the chat/email logs, how do we go about that? Do we have to print out our personal emails and incorporate them in the initial paperwork??? Or is it easier than that??? Also- for the letter of intent, how long does it need to be? What details does it need to incorporate? Do we each have to write a letter???

Again- Thank you for any info. Jordan <3

Edited October 28, 2012 by R&J23-10

[MrsOyetunji 9]

Yes ofcourse you will make copies of everything. the chat logs, the pictures, the skype talks, the emails. everything

[R&J23-10 1]

Yes ofcourse you will make copies of everything. the chat logs, the pictures, the skype talks, the emails. everything

I understand copying everything, but Rick and I are extremely communicative...200+ letters to each other, not including our skype chats and other things...Is it necessary to make copies of the book that we have written to each other?? Or would a few suffice??? Thanks~ Jordan

[GodgavemeU 1]

Hi there! Just take a bunch of pictures. Keep plane tickets, hotel receipts and such. When I went to my interview the Consul only looked at a couple of our pictures together. I brought with me some 100 pieces and a stack of Yahoo! FB chats, of which I was just asked if I have them. When I said YES, the Consul didn't even bother to look at them. But it's always good to have them ready. First, because it will put you at ease knowing you have them. Second, just incase the Consul actually look for it. ONE KEY THING: Just relax. The interview isn't like a KGB kinda thing. A couple of basic questions. Just make sure you have ALL of the required papers in proper order. Have all your ducks in a row. Interview is nothing but formality.

And oh yeah, your TAXES that's very important. If you're above poverty line then it's gonna be a smooth sailing.

Hit me up if you need assistance on anything. GOOD LUCK.

Edited October 28, 2012 by GodgavemeU

[R&J23-10 1]

Hi there! Just take a bunch of pictures. Keep plane tickets, hotel receipts and such. When I went to my interview the Consul only looked at a couple of our pictures together. I brought with me some 100 pieces and a stack of Yahoo! FB chats, of which I was just asked if I have them. When I said YES, the Consul didn't even bother to look at them. But it's always good to have them ready. First, because it will put you at ease knowing you have them. Second, just incase the Consul actually look for it. ONE KEY THING: Just relax. The interview isn't like a KGB kinda thing. A couple of basic questions. Just make sure you have ALL of the required papers in proper order. Have all your ducks in a row. Interview is nothing but formality.

And oh yeah, your TAXES that's very important. If you're above poverty line then it's gonna be a smooth sailing.

Hit me up if you need assistance on anything. GOOD LUCK.

Thank you for the great advice! We will definately include as many pics as we can together and I'll try to include a substantial amount of our emails to one another. Neither of us are nervous about the interview, but we just want to know what to expect. So are we including the "evidence" with the initial documentation AND bringing an additional copy to the interview??? Do we both go through separate interviews initially??? or would Rick be the only one recieving an interview before we get married?

In regards to the tax thing, I'm still in college, so I'm a dependent...is that going to effect us at all???

~Jordan

[Tigre&Tigresa 11]

Hi, first of all good luck with your journey and welcome aboard!

My fiancee and I sent around 10 of each thing we had: 10 call logs, 10 emails, 10 IM conversations from different times that showed we've been communicating throug the 3 years of our relationship. 18 photos in different situations, on different dates. We sent photos of the gifts we've exchanged, copies of my etickets, itineraries and boarding passes as well as copies of my passport stamps. As proof we also included a copy of SMS records from his phone company (i couldn't get one from me because i have a prepaid phone) and snapshots of our facebook walls from 2009 to 2012. Make sure it's all well organized and easy to run through. I'm sure you have tons of stuff, pick what you feel is more "representative" (hard task i know!) and have faith you guys will be ok, that's what my fiance and i did

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

All the people replying so far are from higher-fraud countries. I would find the UK forum and see what London wants as far as relationship proof. As far as I remember, they usually don't want/need much of it, if any. I would send some, but no need to go overboard for London.

[R&J23-10 1]

All the people replying so far are from higher-fraud countries. I would find the UK forum and see what London wants as far as relationship proof. As far as I remember, they usually don't want/need much of it, if any. I would send some, but no need to go overboard for London.

Thank you so much for the advice. We will definately find a UK forum. Quick question...do they scrutinize on the length of the relationship- months versus years???

[R&J23-10 1]

Hi, first of all good luck with your journey and welcome aboard!

My fiancee and I sent around 10 of each thing we had: 10 call logs, 10 emails, 10 IM conversations from different times that showed we've been communicating throug the 3 years of our relationship. 18 photos in different situations, on different dates. We sent photos of the gifts we've exchanged, copies of my etickets, itineraries and boarding passes as well as copies of my passport stamps. As proof we also included a copy of SMS records from his phone company (i couldn't get one from me because i have a prepaid phone) and snapshots of our facebook walls from 2009 to 2012. Make sure it's all well organized and easy to run through. I'm sure you have tons of stuff, pick what you feel is more "representative" (hard task i know!) and have faith you guys will be ok, that's what my fiance and i did

Thank you for the great advice, we will definately utilize the "representative" approach in regards to our evidence. Good luck with your journey!!!

[LeftCoastLady 441]

Our story, like many of yours, started online. Rick lives in London and I’m a small town girl from Tennessee. After months of falling in love with one another through emails, letters, Skype chats, and phone conversations- we finally got the chance to meet in person. The ten days we had together solidified our foundation and we are now engaged to be married. Starting this process is a bit overwhelming for anyone, and we have some questions that we would like to ask for anyone willing to help two people desperately in love.

First Question: How much proof is enough to show that this isn’t a sham? What type of things are they looking for to show that we have been together???

I'm making the assumption that you have not filed the I-129F petition for your fiancé yet. With that...there are two types of proof -- primary and secondary. Boarding passes, receipts, and passport stamps help. Photos and Skype/call logs are secondary. That said, do provide a mix of both keeping in mind the goal is to show you've met at least once within the two years prior to filing the petition. London is one of the easier embassies (read: "low-fraud"), so you will likely not have to compile thousands of call logs, etc. to show proof of an ongoing relationship like some of the folks who've responded as part of the initial petition package, which is called front-loading.

Second Question: How long do the interviews last???

I’m sure there will be more questions as we get further into this process, but thank you for anyone taking the time to respond.

~Jordan<3

Just to clarify, the interview for the K-1 visa is for the beneficiary (your fiancé), you will not be interviewed. Also, you're many months away from an interview since the petition process takes several months. You can get an idea of the interview experience by reading reviews from those who have gone through London: http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/index.php?cnty=United+Kingdom&cty=&dfilter=5

For most, the embassy visit takes about two hours, but again, read through the K-1 interview reviews at the link above to get an idea of other's experiences.

But that's getting far too ahead. First, start by reading the VJ guide on the I-129F petition to get your package together and to get an idea of the entire process. Getting the K-1 visa is just the first step in a long process. Good luck!

[Moomin 292]

Hep! Good luck on your journey. I just wanted to add; always always pay attention to people who have gone through the same process and embassy recently. VJ is a great help but even greater when you get first hand knowledge. And while the other posts here sum it up pretty well, it's post #12 that has all the goodies in it for you specifically.

There are several stages of this process, all which go hand in hand. Petition - NVC(only a short stop) - embassy - US entry/marriage/AOS - ROC. The longest wait is without doubt at the petition stage in between NOA1 and NOA2(approval of the petition) because it's just months of nothing happening. Here I'd advise you to read about the future steps so you're prepared for the next steps. AT each stage there'll be costs, waiting and gathering documents. There might be bumps as well. Some receive request for more evidence and extra time is added. You can't always avoid that however, preparing is essential to a smooth journey. Again, good luck!

Remember, you can still visit each other with a pending petition but it's a chapter in itself. With a pending petition, some CBP officers might see it as intent to immigrate and the foreign fiance(e) might be turned away when trying to visit on VWP/tourist visa. But it's uncommon for low-fraud countries. I visited 3 times, one of the times with an active petition and was let in without any issues. I just don't want you to think that you can't visit each other. This pertains to the foreign fiance(e).

Again, good luck and happy gathering of loads of documents and forms.

[bigdog 376]

All the people replying so far are from higher-fraud countries. I would find the UK forum and see what London wants as far as relationship proof. As far as I remember, they usually don't want/need much of it, if any. I would send some, but no need to go overboard for London.

I agree, keep with advise from UK forum and other low fraud areas, look at your evidence as a total package, make it well rounded with a little of everything required, make sure all your primary evidence is there and then concentrate on your secondary evidence.

[Pitaya 2,577]

I agree, keep with advise from UK forum and other low fraud areas, look at your evidence as a total package, make it well rounded with a little of everything required, make sure all your primary evidence is there and then concentrate on your secondary evidence.