Newbie with questions on support, wedding planning and I need Aussie friends!

[Eowyn_1 0]

Hey all. I'm a newbie here. Engaged to an Aussie, and I'd love to hear the expeinces others have had with the VISA process in OZ, so I can be prepared. We plan on marrying in May 2015, and I'll be applying hopefully in January 2014. In your experince was that enough time?

Also have a few smaller questions. I currently have a part time job and was wondering how much I need to make to be accepted as his affliant of support (or whatever the term is). Do I need to make a certain amount per year? Per hour?

Also I am wondernig what my fiance has to write down as his "point of entry", as he is going to be with me in Ohio, but will likely enter the US in LA or San franscisco.

I'll leave more of my questions until I get a reply.

[dutdutout 4]

Hello! My first advice to you is file as soon as you can. My fiance and I filed our I-129f in late august. We thought we would have everything would be done in 10 months....but he has just gotten approved today. Visa time varies, so it could take 6 months or over a year. It's best to be prepared, because the US never does anything on the time you'd like it to be.

Also, send your evidence of a relationship (photos, chat logs, etc etc) along with affidavits from yourself, your fiance, and 1-2 other people of proof of relationship. Also put in affidavits from yourself and your fiance of your intent to marry within 90 days of him entering under the k1 visa. I find this best to send with the i129f so that they don't have to request more evidence (which adds more time).

MAKE 3 copies of EVERYTHING!!!

They actually lost my fiance's paperwork when he went for his interview this morning, but luckily he had a copy of his original to hand in. It's best to be organized and keep a binder of everything.

As for the support, you need to make above the poverty line.

Port of entry is the place he will go through customs.

I Hope this helps. Please feel free to ask any questions

[charlottelizabeth 11]

I think that is a very reasonable time frame! I am in AUS, and we applied Sept 24th 2012, and my interview was approved Sept 24 2013. That was a much longer process than normal because I was unlucky enough to catch the service center at its slowest point.. It has picked up again since then.

You need to make above the poverty line (see pic dutdutout posted) to be the sole supporter. If you DON'T make this much, don't panic. The US Consulate in Australia DOES accept co-sponsors! I had one, and was accepted without issue.

Point of entry is wherever he lands first in the US. So you would write either San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Good luck!

[Eowyn_1 0]

Hey- someone on another message board brought up a questions about the 2 year requirement. Do we have to have known each other two years, and have had a visit, or just visited one another in the past two year period leading up to the wedding. Please reply with some solid information so I know what to do please. It could change everything.

[tessyht 1]

Hi!
You have to have met each other in person within the last two years from when you send in your I-129F and give proof of this.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

You have to have seen eachother face to face in the last two years. This requirement is to prevent people who have never met from filing, and something like childhood friends petitioning who haven't seen eachother since they were kids.

[clairegie 265]

You met each other, in person, at least once within 2 years of filing your petition.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=640a3e4d77d73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=640a3e4d77d73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

[TBoneTX 45,663]

*** Two threads with newbie questions merged. ***

[fantonledzepp 159]

Understand that planing a wedding already is a bad idea. Once he arrives in the US, you have 90 day to marry. You must, absolutely, follow this requirement. Say your petition and visa are approved by October 2014, and he enters, say, in December, you would have to marry before late February / early march. Yes, you can always have a courtroom ceremony during that time, and then have your wedding after that. No harm there.

The real issue comes when it's the other side of the coin. He hasn't been approved yet and the wedding date is fast approaching, and he could still be in Australia.

The idea is to not make concrete plans before he has the visa in hand.

[sandgoose 8]

Yeah... as others have stated, it's kind of tricky to plan a wedding when you don't have the visa in hand. As things progress and you have an interview date and such, then it's easier to judge, but there are too many what-if's in the early stages of the application. My wife (then fiance) did plan a wedding before - which was far later than the expected visa approval date - but we both did it with the mindset that we did it on a refundable deposit or changeable agreement basis. Photographers, DJ, etc (even the majority of wedding guests) were aware of this, and worked with us. In the end our originally scheduled wedding for June 1st worked great and she had already been in the US for about two months.

Again, I wouldn't advise doing this, but we built in a backup in that we didn't have any money invested that could not be refunded or have dates altered. To each his own. It's not illegal to plan a wedding while you're in the waiting process. Just don't get married before the visa is issued. That's a whole other ball game all together.

[charlottelizabeth 11]

You guys are fine, as you have met within two years of knowing each other. That's all that is required. You could have only known each other ONE MONTH, and you can still file so long as you have met FACE-TO-FACE and have proof of doing so BEFORE filing.

Edited October 9, 2013 by charlottelizabeth

[Eowyn_1 0]

Thanks for the information guys. I haven't replied sooner because I couldn't find the forum, and finally found the advanced search options. If you guys stumble upon a user named DoctorSheldon- that's my fiance, so encourage him.

[Eowyn_1 0]

Hello! My first advice to you is file as soon as you can. My fiance and I filed our I-129f in late august. We thought we would have everything would be done in 10 months....but he has just gotten approved today. Visa time varies, so it could take 6 months or over a year. It's best to be prepared, because the US never does anything on the time you'd like it to be.

Also, send your evidence of a relationship (photos, chat logs, etc etc) along with affidavits from yourself, your fiance, and 1-2 other people of proof of relationship. Also put in affidavits from yourself and your fiance of your intent to marry within 90 days of him entering under the k1 visa. I find this best to send with the i129f so that they don't have to request more evidence (which adds more time).

MAKE 3 copies of EVERYTHING!!!

They actually lost my fiance's paperwork when he went for his interview this morning, but luckily he had a copy of his original to hand in. It's best to be organized and keep a binder of everything.

As for the support, you need to make above the poverty line.

Port of entry is the place he will go through customs.

I Hope this helps. Please feel free to ask any questions

I live with my grandfather who has stocks, social security and some assets, but doesn't currently work- do they consider him as a part of my "household", or just consider my income?. If they consider his income as well that would change everything. If they don't, I work anywhere from 16-35 hours a week. I earn under 9 dollars an hour right now (I get a raise every 3 months though). Any more insight on this?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

I live with my grandfather who has stocks, social security and some assets, but doesn't currently work- do they consider him as a part of my "household", or just consider my income?. If they consider his income as well that would change everything. If they don't, I work anywhere from 16-35 hours a week. I earn under 9 dollars an hour right now (I get a raise every 3 months though). Any more insight on this?

Study the instructions on the I-864. To get the visa you will need the I-134 which is slightly different but the idea is the same. I-864 has better directions. The poverty line guideline quoted is from 2009, so be careful.

You can also have a co-sponsor if you do not qualify. That can be a friend or family.

[Eowyn_1 0]

Study the instructions on the I-864. To get the visa you will need the I-134 which is slightly different but the idea is the same. I-864 has better directions. The poverty line guideline quoted is from 2009, so be careful.

You can also have a co-sponsor if you do not qualify. That can be a friend or family.

yes, I know I can have a co-sponsor but I live with a grandparent who has investments, and I'm the only one actually working in my household of 4 people total. My fiance won't live with me before we're married (we're against living together until we're married). Is the government going to just consider my income, or also factor in my grandparent's?

Looking for a co-sponsor now. This is hard stuff. I may know more though once I get my W2's back from work so I can see what a year's wages looks like for me.