K1 Visa - When is the best time to file application?

[Barry P 2]

Hello Friends,

I met The Woman of my dreams when I visited Costa Rica August '12. I visited her again this past October. From August-October, we've been in contact every day and continue to do so as of now. I plan on visiting her again in January '13. There is no doubt in our minds in regards to getting married. I'm in the process of gathering necessary documents. I would appreciate some insight on the following:

1. I did not "propose" to her during my October visit. I plan on "proposing" to her when I visit January '13. I want to submit the K1 Visa application prior to January. We will not be "engaged" at the time of application submission. Will not being engaged at time of K1 Visa application submission have any negative consequence on my application?

2. We've known each other since August '12. Let's assume I submit the application now and take into consideration 6-8 month application review/approval process. There is good possibility embassy interview in Costa Rica could take place prior to us reaching our 1 year "anniversary". Will the amount of time we've known each other be taken into consideration when determining if K1 Visa is approved?

I miss her very much and I want to be with her as soon as possible. But, I also do not want to rush. I'm definitely willing to deal with the pain of waiting and exercise patience to ensure maximum chance of Visa being approved.

Thank you very for your assistance!

[Moomin 292]

Please look at the K1 flowchart; http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

And allow plus/minus some weeks or months depending on how slow or fast each single step on the stage takes.

You can petition now. But look into cultural norms and traditions. If it's the norm that the couple usually has a huge engagement party, don't try to skip it just to save time. The embassy might see that as a red flag. Some countries are culturally very lax and it's a matter of talking about marrying and that's about the time you become engaged.

My home country couldn't care less if you came to a mutual agreement on being engaged through a casual conversation, or if you threw a party for the queen and announced the engagement. Didn't matter and wasn't asked for.

The amount of time you've known each other is country specific, whether or not it's a red flag. I betcha someone from Costa Rica can answer that better than I. Otherwise select consulate/embassy and "K1" here; http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/ to see what other couples went through. For the petition itself, it only matters that you have met once(or more) within the last 2 years before submitting the petition. The K1 interview is country specific as I mentioned.

Edited November 28, 2012 by moomin

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello Friends,

I met The Woman of my dreams when I visited Costa Rica August '12. I visited her again this past October. From August-October, we've been in contact every day and continue to do so as of now. I plan on visiting her again in January '13. There is no doubt in our minds in regards to getting married. I'm in the process of gathering necessary documents. I would appreciate some insight on the following:

1. I did not "propose" to her during my October visit. I plan on "proposing" to her when I visit January '13. I want to submit the K1 Visa application prior to January. We will not be "engaged" at the time of application submission. Will not being engaged at time of K1 Visa application submission have any negative consequence on my application?

2. We've known each other since August '12. Let's assume I submit the application now and take into consideration 6-8 month application review/approval process. There is good possibility embassy interview in Costa Rica could take place prior to us reaching our 1 year "anniversary". Will the amount of time we've known each other be taken into consideration when determining if K1 Visa is approved?

I miss her very much and I want to be with her as soon as possible. But, I also do not want to rush. I'm definitely willing to deal with the pain of waiting and exercise patience to ensure maximum chance of Visa being approved.

Thank you very for your assistance!

Becoming engaged means you both sign a letter of intent and attach it to the I-129f. You can do it as soon as she mails you a signed letter of intent and a signed G-325a form. Download both here, change the sample letter (the sample letter at VJ worked fine for us) and get on with it.

[aws&ndd 103]

As long as she signs a letter of intent to marry you, you should be OK. Depending how you feel about it, I would consider proposing first and then sending the petition. To me it wouldn't seem right to propose by asking her to mail you a letter of intent. And since January is only about a month away you really aren't losing a lot of time. The processing times can go rather quickly, or they can drag on.... And length of time in your relationship is not important to USCIS, just that you have met within 2 years. The embassy in Costa Rica may care but I couldn't answer that. I have been with my fiancee (as a couple before we were engaged) for less than a year, and we were approved no problem.

[Barry P 2]

Thank you to all my virtual friends that responded. The responses you gave definitely gives me a peace of mind. Time to move forward!