Which Direction Do I Go?

[Sinatra 0]

Brother,

I am really looking forward to following your journey as it unfolds. I have no idea what all of those forms and acronyms are that you mentioned. I suspect each is an independent AND necessary part of the process.

Can you shed some light on where to start and which forms I should start with? There are so many.

[canadian_wife 1,822]

It depends on what visa you are going for.

The 'guides' section lists each visa step by step

good luck

[Kazulie 132]

you will either file a K1 if she is just your fiancee. She would come here in about 8-10 months.

or a cr1 if you go there and marry her before you file. She would come here in about 8-10 months.

If you do a K1, you must marry within 90 days of her getting here. And then you have to "adjust her status" which is more time and more money before she gets her greencard. (about 4 extra months and about $1000 more. time is estimated as things could be held up or go faster).

Cr1 is cheaper than K1. both are under $2000 (not including travel/wedding stuff/moving/flights/etc.)

You can message me if you need more help, but be forewarned that I am not a man.

[googled 13]

Sinatra, My wife is from Thailand and I filed for the K-1 (Fiance Visa) for her. From the day I sent the first paperwork to the USCIS to the day that she arrived here in the U.S. it took 8 months.

[love4life09 15]

I am an American born male / U.S. Citizen.

In 2010-2012 I was a DoD contractor in Kuwait. While there, I met a Filipino woman. Over the first year our friendship blossomed into a wholly committed and loving relationship. We are deeply in love and we continue to maintain a Godly relationship.

Long story short, I have since returned to the states and I am working on bringing her (Dyn) here. I am ignorant to the immigration / visa processes and have few acquaintances that can offer insight.

Which direction do I go regarding a visa? Where do I start? Do different types of visas have different timelines?

I have been told that the process could take anywhere from 6 months to 5 years and costs thousands of dollars. Is this true.

I am hoping to meet (here) American men and their spouses who have already completed the process. I want to network and gather as many resources as possible to make this process as efficient as possible. I want to know what you did right and I want to learn from your mistakes so i don't make the same.

Can you help?

While you were in Kuwait did you get a few pictures together and collect other evidences of having met in person ? You will need proof of that for K 1. And she will need police clearances from every country she has worked in. Best to start gathering paperwork early . It helps if you have a printer. Get your forms from the USCIS website and follow the instructions with each form to the letter ! Make duplicates of everything ! Congrats and best of luck.

[Bumbero 130]

Welcome to Vj!

I also recommend you set the country the beneficiary is immigrating from to the Philippines. That way it will post in the Philippines' Portal and experience members with the same setting can provide you with country specific information.

Good luck on your journey!

[Ismael&Blair 66]

Not just American men "import" a partner.

You should start by sitting down and reading the VJ guide to decide which option is best for your situation, either the fiancé(e) petition for the K-1 or the spousal petition for the IR-1/CR-1: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?autocom=custom&page=compare

Both options have their pros and cons. This process will take a number of years when you consider the various steps involved from the initial petition to entering the country to getting the green card to becoming a naturalized citizen. (If your partner decides to go that route.)

On cost, yes, it will cost thousands of dollars when you factor in the costs associated with moving, flying to/from, wedding, housing upgrades, etc.

I love your first sentence and seeing your smile on your profile pic made me smile too. I am also a US citizen and a loving wife waiting for my sweet husband to join me here! Wishing you and everyone a wonderful happy new year. It will be our year to be with our love one.

[matteo66062 1]

I truly appreciate the response. Can you offer specifics on wait times and costs?

i have read that a fiancée visa is much quicker than a spouse visa. is this true? One of the options we have considered is getting married in the American Embassy (Philippines) and applying for spouse visa from there. Its my understanding that this process can take two to five years versus six months for a fiancée visa. an you shed some light on this?

I am an American Citizen living in the Philippines. We were able to Direct Consular File at the US Embassy in Manila, however there are restrictions (posted below) the most important being you must prove to the US Embassy that you have been a resident of the Philippines for more than 6 months to Direct Consular File. As far as I know you can't get married at the Embassy. You do need a document from the embassy stating that you are not married. It costs 50 USD and must be given to local government before a marriage license will be issued. It took us two and a half months from filing to the visa approval at the interview. The visa costs in Manila are 420 USD to file form I-130, 232 USD for the medical exam available only at St Lukes in Ermita, Manila. Then another 230 USD for the visa processing the day of the interview. This not counting the thousands of pesos spent on NSO certified copies of marriage, birth certificates and NBI clearance which are all required for your wife. Honestly, looking back, it was an easy process for us, but we had a simple case. We married in April 2012 and filed August 2012. Here's some reading to get you started!!! If you need help on the marriage process here, I would be glad to help. I would definately consider myself an expert in the Filipina/American Marriage process.

WHAT YOU NEED TO FILE I-130 PETITION IN MANILA

USCIS MANILA accepts and adjudicates I-130 Petition filed by U.S. Citizens residing in the Philippines. Proof of residence: resident alien card, foreign tax returns, foreign property deeds, rentals and/or leases, foreign business ownership, utility bills, working/student permit (proof of enrollment, etc.)

- Filing fee of $420.00 (US Dollars or its PESO equivalent on the day of filing) – Only cash, U.S. Postal Money Order payable to “Department of Homeland Security” or major credit cards are acceptable.

- Proof of Citizenship: A copy of your valid U.S. Passport or U.S. birth certificate; Naturalization Certificate, if naturalized; Form FS-240 Report of Birth Abroad.

FOR SPOUSE:

- Accomplished Form I-130 Petition signed by you (Petitioner);

- Accomplished Form G-325A: One for the petitioner and one for beneficiary;

- A passport-style color photo taken within 30 days of the date of filing the petition: One for you and one for spouse;

- Marriage Certificate and termination of any prior marriage of petitioner and beneficiary if there’s any;

- Evidence of your marital relationship. Please see page 2 of the I-130 Form, “What Documents Do You Need to Prove Family Relationship?”

FOR CHILDREN:

- Accomplished Form I-130 Petition signed by the petitioner;

- If you are the mother: copy of the child’s birth certificate showing your name and the name of your child.

- If you are the father, copy of child’s birth certificate showing both parent’s names and your marriage certificate.

- For adopted child, please ask for separate questionnaire and visit our website: www.uscis.gov

- For children born out of wedlock and you are the father, (child not legitimated before reaching 18 years old), please see I-130 instructions on page 3.

FOR PARENTS:

- Accomplished Form I-130 Petition signed by the petitioner;

- Your Birth Certificate showing your name and your parents’ name

- Marriage Contract and termination of any prior marriage of Petitioner and Beneficiary (if there’s any);

- Please see I-130 Form on page 3.

FOR BROTHERS AND SISTERS:

- Accomplished Form I-130 Petition signed by the petitioner;

- Birth Certificates of Petitioner and Beneficiary;

- Marriage Contract of Petitioner and Beneficiary, if married;

- Marriage Contract of Parents. Please see I-130 instructions.

NOTE: TO EXPEDITE THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PETITION, PLEASE SUBMIT CLEAR/CERTIFIED COPIES OF DOCUMENTS AND ANSWERS MUST BE CLEAR AND LEGIBLE (TYPED OR PRINTED).

While I-130 Petition is pending with USCIS Manila, changes in the given information must be reported to:

USCIS, US EMBASSY

ROXAS BOULEVARD, MANILA 1000

Telephone No. (02) 301-2224; Fax No.: 301-2208

Email address: mphinquiry.cis@dhs.gov

Edited December 31, 2012 by matteo66062

[Ismael&Blair 66]

I'm not sure what is the driving factor to where petitions go, but I live in Indianapolis, IN and mine went to the California Service Center. The same goes for Michigan.

So it's a crapshoot

I know...I had asked that question too...coz I live in Los Angeles and it didn't go to the California Service Center but it went to Missouri (National Benefits Center). I guess they had too many cases at the service centers and they just routed to where ever. I just cannot believe there are so many applications. I am so glad to have found this website; unfortunately, I didn't find this until AFTER I submitted my application. At least, I am more knowledgeable of the next stages. So far so good, no RFE and I submitted everything that was required. So they better hurry up and do their job coz I miss my husband sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much! Thank goodness for modern technology internet, SKYPE & of course VISA JOURNEY.

[Kelli/Ozzy 8]

I am an american female who petitioned for my fiance in Turkey to come to America. We got engaged in Turkey on 11/3/11. I filed for a fiance visa on 2/6/12 and he received his visa on 11/22/12, he entered the united states on 11/27/12 and we got married on 12/20/12. we will be filing for the adjustment of status, working papers and advanced travel parole in the next few weeks.

to file for a K1 visa the initial cost was 340.00. he then paid 240.00 at the embassy at the time of his interview and spent about 170.00 for his physical exam and immunizations.

the K1 is a fiance visa.

[bigdog 376]

Good Luck what ever you do.

[Darnell 8,478]

One of the options we have considered is getting married in the American Embassy (Philippines) and applying for spouse visa from there. Its my understanding that this process can take two to five years versus six months for a fiancée visa. an you shed some light on this?

That smacks of a DCF'd I-130, which takes:

1. 6 months of your residency in the PI and

2. 3 months (max) from filing the I-130 till the IV is approved.

It's a nice way to pass the time, you betcha.

[TBoneTX 45,284]

*** Thread moved from K-1 Process forum to General Immigration Discussion -- OP hasn't decided on a visa path. ***