Don't ever go K-1

[mariepear 12]

I am sorry your process is taking that long! Of course I am not measuring my love with the amount of money I spent...but a lot of people says that k1 is cheaper and I don't think it is...maybe the forms, but in real life is different. As I said, I would have done the cr1 and wait with family and friends and keep working, and come here as a resident already.

Of course I might be totally wrong, I am just expressing my opinion.

Good luck and hope you get together with your love really soon!

And for how long have you been together? Did you think about all the options before you submitted or was it a rush decision so you could just get to USA ASAP? And why are you here anyway if your husband is cheating on you and you keep talking about your family, friends, job and country...what holds you over here? Sorry, it just seems to me like you want to stay in the US no matter what.

[n and m 10]

OP, I feel exactly your situation and I understand what youre trying to say here..I came here last March 2013 and and my K-1 process lasted for 10 months.I already got my EAD and AP but not working yet and still waiting for my GC (which I don't have idea how long Ill get them)....I chose to be with my husband and left everything I have, the comfort, great job, apartments, family, friends back home and Im still in the process of adjusting myself and even trying to be happy while at home 24/7.. Cant believed the shifting of my daily routine from being extremely busy at work everyday when I was still in my home country to just sitting down (sometimes) whole day at home...But Im not complaining because I have already anticipated all of these and all the sacrifices that I'll still be making even before my k-1 journey begun...

However, I would also want to advice, to anybody who ever wanted my advice, not to go k-1 route and instead go for CR1. Ive met friends who came here thru CR1 and they got their GC a week after they got here...which, for me, is more practical.... no more additional medical and more money, papers, trips just for AOS and most of all the waiting time...Good luck to everyone

[Xanax 349]

There are pros and cons to the K-1 and the CR-1/ IR-1. I encourage everyone to look the both paths individually and evaluate each based on your individual needs.

IE/ CR-1 You must marry your significant other and then spend time apart waiting for your visa, K-1 You marry and then stay together; CR-1 You can work straight away once you enter the US, K-1 You have to wait for your EAD.

Good luck everyone on your visa journey.

[BraveAmnay 56]

i agree too K1 is so long so expensive we went trought then it was expired then visited my husband after 1year and 3 months due ty my job and waiting for the result of k1 interview .unfortunatly no visa then as isaid it was expired then visited my husband got married now almost 10 months appart under cr-1 still nothing new .my advice wait go trough cr-1 is the best way for me maybe i'm wrong but my experience telling me k-1 is not the easy way

[Me&myBaby 10]

And for how long have you been together? Did you think about all the options before you submitted or was it a rush decision so you could just get to USA ASAP? And why are you here anyway if your husband is cheating on you and you keep talking about your family, friends, job and country...what holds you over here? Sorry, it just seems to me like you want to stay in the US no matter what.

Sorry but you can't be more wrong. I never had the american dream, and actually dreamee about living in Europe. I keep talking about friends and my country necause the thread got so long that I want ti make sure that nobody think what you are thinking...and it might sound easy to say just go back, but is more complicated. Don't take conclusions on someone's life if you dont know the whole story. I wish you the best

[JRF 117]

my biggest complaint with the process is that it forces people to marry, without a real opportunity to find out if that is what they want. 3 months before marrying is not enough, when all you've had before is visits. I think there needs to be something before the K1. A tourist visa is not an option when you have a boyfriend/girlfriend as once you're looking at extended visits (months) it is assumed you intend to immigrate, which is not necessarily the case, and a visa (or visa waiver) isn't given.

Wouldn't it be much better to find out before you marry that maybe it wouldn't work out? And sorry, but not everyone in the world wants to live in the USA...I just can't convince my guy to move here instead. Trust me, immigrating is not my first option, but it is the only option to be together.

Great point. It seems that people are more focused on the visa than on the relationship. I know most would disagree but if the process took longer (and required more than a single visit) perhaps in the end people would be less likely to end up in a bad relationship because they had time to both know the other person better, and "cool down" before taking the step of getting married (and moving to a new country).

[Me&myBaby 10]

You should stop telling people they will be here soon because you have no idea of who or what you are talking about. They feel just as you did.

Your opinion about the mistake you made in choosing the visa you did is correct and should serve to allow you to be less frustrated with your situation because you are exactly where you choose to be. If you had chosen the C R 1 visa you would have be able to work much sooner ect.

You can feel any way you like of course about the system the allowed you to enter the USA. You can even express it but when you do don't expect others to feel sorry for you. They might be like me and could care less about the problems you caused yourself. I don't see the point in what you have to offer anyway.

If You dont have anything productive to say I think you shouldn't post at all.

I didn't cause any problems to myself, and specially not looking for anyone to be sorry for me.

And have you heard about cheer up? That is what it means when saying you will be here soon!!!

[Me&myBaby 10]

Keep in mind, your personal experience does not necessarily reflect the experience of the whole. Yes the system isn't perfect and it is frustrating. However things could have been much worse and taken much longer. Just read others experiences. Although I can sympathize with not being able to work.

You did mention two things that made some question marks come up. You said you have spent almost $10,000 in this process. I imagine this has to include other expenses (airfare etc etc) and not just the processing fees. Also you mentioned in sequence getting married and more papers. Did you apply for a working permit the day after you arrived? Some people overlook the fact that this is indeed an option.

The $10.000 I mentioned where for a work visa that a small business sponsor me while I was here on vacation a few years ago...it took ne almost 10 months to get a no. So I have experience being patient. I just want give my opinion regarding going through cr1 instead of k1.

[mariepear 12]

Sorry but you can't be more wrong. I never had the american dream, and actually dreamee about living in Europe. I keep talking about friends and my country necause the thread got so long that I want ti make sure that nobody think what you are thinking...and it might sound easy to say just go back, but is more complicated. Don't take conclusions on someone's life if you dont know the whole story. I wish you the best

Ok I'm not saying that that is what you are doing but what it sounds like... I never had the american dream either but I'm here for my man... If he was cheating on me, I wouldn't have any other reason to stay here because I don't want to stay here no matter what. I understand your frustrations with not being able to work, it bothers me too but I want to suffer through it just so one day we can live a normal life. But to me it sounded like your marriage doesn't work and you don't like it here but still trying to stay over here....

I don't understand what your real problem is...the immigration process or your husband cheating on you? If you are not happy over here, I just want to know why you are still staying...

I would just like to know how long you knew each other before you got engaged and made the decision to go the K1 visa route... I might be completely wrong, but it seems to me like there are many "met once and decided to get married" relationships....

[Me&myBaby 10]

Ok I'm not saying that that is what you are doing but what it sounds like... I never had the american dream either but I'm here for my man... If he was cheating on me, I wouldn't have any other reason to stay here because I don't want to stay here no matter what. I understand your frustrations with not being able to work, it bothers me too but I want to suffer through it just so one day we can live a normal life. But to me it sounded like your marriage doesn't work and you don't like it here but still trying to stay over here....

I don't understand what your real problem is...the immigration process or your husband cheating on you? If you are not happy over here, I just want to know why you are still staying...

I would just like to know how long you knew each other before you got engaged and made the decision to go the K1 visa route... I might be completely wrong, but it seems to me like there are many "met once and decided to get married" relationships....

We dated for 8 months, but were together all the time, while I was here in the US waiting for a work visa. Then I left (after a denial) and we split...he went to visit me last year, then we took a trip to Bahamas and that is pretty much it.

It wasn't just once, but I agree with you and maybe it was a rush, but was the only option so we could be together. He says he didn't cheat on me, that it was just text messages, he even brought his friend over to help apologizing...

The immigration process is not a problem for me, I just wanted to give my opinion regarding which visa to pursue. The cheating or not is obviously a problem, it wasn't my american dream, but for sure it became something like that. Having a good life here, being with the man I love...........don't know, that's a whole different story.

[Girl from Celebes 588]

We dated for 8 months, but were together all the time, while I was here in the US waiting for a work visa. Then I left (after a denial) and we split...he went to visit me last year, then we took a trip to Bahamas and that is pretty much it.

It wasn't just once, but I agree with you and maybe it was a rush, but was the only option so we could be together. He says he didn't cheat on me, that it was just text messages, he even brought his friend over to help apologizing...

The immigration process is not a problem for me, I just wanted to give my opinion regarding which visa to pursue. The cheating or not is obviously a problem, it wasn't my american dream, but for sure it became something like that. Having a good life here, being with the man I love...........don't know, that's a whole different story.

I think you did what you think you should do by give them an option which visa route would a better choice to be with their significant others. And of course, you could never make everyone's happy for it, that's for sure. Even wives/husbands, friends, girlfriends/boyfriends sometimes have different opinion in their minds about same thing. I hope you can sort things out all of your problems. Wish you luck, .

[Ning 619]

If You dont have anything productive to say I think you shouldn't post at all.

I didn't cause any problems to myself, and specially not looking for anyone to be sorry for me.

And have you heard about cheer up? That is what it means when saying you will be here soon!!!

What I said is productive if others reading this avoid the mistakes you make and don't end up like you have. Maybe its you that shouldn't post if all you are doing is whining about the situation you put yourself in.

You will be here soon means cheer up? It would if you had any idea of the facts surrounding someone's case but of course you don't.

Peace out sweetheart

[Me&myBaby 10]

I think you did what you think you should do by give them an option which visa route would a better choice to be with their significant others. And of course, you could never make everyone's happy for it, that's for sure. Even wives/husbands, friends, girlfriends/boyfriends sometimes have different opinion in their minds about same thing. I hope you can sort things out all of your problems. Wish you luck, .

Thanks!!! I hope my experience/mistake/or not, help someone else deciding.

There is no way to make everyone happy.

Good luck to you too

[Me&myBaby 10]

What I said is productive if others reading this avoid the mistakes you make and don't end up like you have. Maybe its you that shouldn't post if all you are doing is whining about the situation you put yourself in.

You will be here soon means cheer up? It would if you had any idea of the facts surrounding someone's case but of course you don't.

Peace out sweetheart

That is the exact point of my post. So people can avoid my mistake.

My post = give an idea or which visa fits better someone's else needs and preferences.

Not whining. And of course I don't know everyone's cases, as you don't know my whole history.

There is no need to be angry or upset about a post you didn't like.

Good luck.

[Newsha 10]

I can feel you and you're right, I'm struggling with this never ending process from 2011, had my interview 70 days ago and I'm waiting my AP out, my life is put on hold and I don't even know how long we should wait

not that I'm impatient I just got many things to take care of and I don't know wether to wait or keep going with them, I'm tired of living away from the one I love and I don't even know if this K1 thing works or not....never been in this situation before

thanks for your adivce

good luck