K 1 Visa - Ottawa, Ontario

[NikLR 13,232]

As long as you are divorced and the petition went in after the divorce was finalized it doesn't matter. If the question comes up on the interview just be sure your fiancé is aware of everything but it likely will not be an issue at all.

It's not like the US government has room to comment on other's morality *cough* Bill Clinton *cough* Nixon *cough* lol!! As long as it's legal and the relationship is genuine.

[Melisandre 5]

Lol! Thanks! My divorce certificate was issues in July 2012. So I'm hoping it would be all good. So close of finishing up the paperwork for K 1 yet so far..

Thank you guys! Will keep you posted

[Kathryn41 3,205]

just some quick additional comments:

1) you don't turn your passport over to the Consulate until you have your interview and are approved. They then put the visa in your passport and mail it back to you, so you can hang onto it for now;

2) the best way to help ensure you are allowed in to 'visit' is to keep an up to date, well-loaded package of documented proof of your ties to Canada, including commitments that carry a financial burden on you: i.e. insurance that continues well after your planned return date, ongoing utility bills, rent or mortgage receipts or contracts; car registration and insurance; employment contract/proof - and if you are there for any time longer than a week or so, a letter from your employer specifying your expected date of return to work; a return air fare ticket and an up to date copy of your full I-129f/fiancee package or your CR-1/IR-1 package showing you are familiar with and are already involved in the process to obtain the proper immigration visa. Since you are travelling to the US and your OHIP won't cover all medical expenses if you needed medical care in the US, purchase additional travel insurance to cover you for the same stated time you intend to be in the US - and add that to your package of 'proofs'. Your job is to reassure the border authority that you are not an immigration risk on that visit and you have made financial investments requiring your return to Canada, along with having personal and financial commitments requiring your presence back in Canada.

3) Don't pack any items you intend to 'leave' in the US to 'shorten' the amount of items you will have to bring with you when you move.

4) Pack appropriately for the season and length of time you will visit - don't bring winter jackets during the summer, or shorts during the winter - unless you are heading to Florida or Arizona :-). Don't pack enough clothes for a month if you are only going for a week. This can set up 'red flags'.

5) If your fiancee/husband is able to meet the financial sponsorship requirements through income alone, either on his own or with a co-sponsor, there is no need for him to disclose his stock assets.

6) Definitely don't make any financial commitments for marriage plans that you can't back out of or change without a problem because until that Visa is in your hand there are no guarantees.

7) print out copies of the various different documents and make 'practice' runs with them - fill them out, review the information, check it to make sure it is all right, check off the list of different forms and documents you require and make sure you have them all. This will not only help you provide a correctly filled out and completed petition package, it will also help to familiarize you and your partner to the immigration process. It is multi-staged, so just take it one stage at a time - but look ahead and be aware of what else is coming down the road. You will be asked for much of the same information a number of times in the future so you will want to make sure it is all consistent.

8) Make copies of everything. Everything. Keep it safe. You will refer to the information over and over again in the coming months/years.

Good luck:-). My then fiance and I went through this process in 2003/2004 - and we are celebrating our 10th anniversary this June.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Kathryn41

[Melisandre 5]

We sent our petition today!!! We're a week behind our schedule (wanted to send it by February 28) but hey that's better than April! Here's hoping that we can get married by November..

Thank you so much each and everyone of you guys for all your help, suggestion and feedback.

Now moving on to the next step. I have 2 problems so far it seems like. 1) I have no record of immunization (my parents can't find it either!..so much for being the only child and having all the attention in the world) 2) They lost my birth certificate (I was born in Bangladesh)

What are my options in this case?

[Melisandre 5]

Also, I'm having a hard time navigating the section that would tell me what I need to do/what documents do I, the beneficiary need to gather after NOA2

[pro_star 52]

Okay losing the Bangladesh birth certificate, I can't help you there.

But my parents also got rid of my vaccination record.

Depending on how old you are, they have you immunized for different things.

What you can do in this case is get your doctor to requisition you a blood test to check your immunity, then get whatever shots are needed.

If you'd like, I have the letter from the medical place saying what shots are needed in what age groups (sadly at the office). Pm or let me know how old you are and I'll be able to tell you on Monday

[pro_star 52]

Packet three stuff (what you need to do after noa2) is standard.

Long form birth certificate (needs parents names)

Passport (must have at least six months validity from estimated date of arrival)

Three 2"x2" passport style pictures

Police record check from any country you've lived in I believe it's more than six months...since you were 16. (So if you've lived in Ontario since you were 16, just go ask the opp for a criminal record check. Name/dob is sufficient unless there's matches on it. Then you need the fingerprints)

Good lord I'm trying to remember all this now...lol

Proof of divorce if applicable

Proof of death if applicable (widow)

Hmm. Think those are the main ones....

Oh. Worry about this when you book. You'll need a new statement of intent to marry from yourself and from your fiancé dated within 30 days of the appointment. You'll also need either that affidavit of support (can't remember form number sorry) or proof that your fiancé can support you. (Tax returns dating back a ways and the like)

[Melisandre 5]

Thank you guys!!! Working on getting the birth certificate.. so frustrating.

We're in an odd situation finance wise.. we have been thinking of buying a house for a while now and we wanted to move in before the wedding. we found a house that we really like (sort of). The problem is..going for a house now would mean 1) address change and 2) whatever money we have saved up in the bank will go for the down payment.

How big of a problem would that be? Would the house still be considered an asset even if we can't show any savings in the bank? And would address change really make it more complicated?

Help

[NikLR 13,232]

You're buying a house in Canada or the USA?

Address changes within the USA aren't a big deal, especially if you haven't filed yet.

A primary residence is a hard thing to show as an asset because you'd have to liquidate it and you'd be without a home. Also the asset value of a house is it's worth minus the mortgage. So lets say you buy a 240,000 house. it's assessed at 255,000 but you have a 220,000 mortgage. You only have 35,000 of assets in a primary home that would leave you without a home if you had to sell it. Granted that's 15k more than the down payment you put down, but that down payment was a liquid asset.

If the asset is foreign that doesn't really help you that much either.

I wanted to get our own home as soon as I moved down, but it's almost a year later and we're finally wanting to look because our current residence is just too much per month for us to save.

[Melisandre 5]

We're 'thinking' of buying a house in USA. I get what you're saying about a house being an asset when we're only paying for the down payment..that's a bummer. What happens if we move the money from the bank and pay for the down payment 'after' my interview. Would there still be problem in terms of address change? Coz at my port of entry I'll be showing the address of the new place right?

To be honest, we're sort of rushing mainly because 1) my fiance pays a lotttt in rent and 2) we plan to have a very, very small wedding and wanted our families to stay with us during the wedding. We're sort of expected to pay for every expense and I mean every expense of our friends and family members that would be attending the wedding (cultural thing?). And we really didn't want to pay for a decent hotel for 15 people for 3 days + eating out :\ If we had a house we could keep at least some of them with us and save some money. + I could really use the space..my fiance sure loves his electronics, action figures and Lego. So there's no room for me.

Trust me I'm not planning the wedding or setting a date already. I know I just filed our petition this week and anything can happen. It's just I'm trying to plan it out financially.

[NikLR 13,232]

The I-134 is not legally binding. It is the I-864 that will go with your AOS in which you need to worry IF you need assets because your soon to be spouse doesnt make enough. However if is current income is enough, buy all means, buy a house!

I had a wedding lunch vs a reception. Might be an idea for you?

[ricnally 259]

Thank you everyone. We are in the process of collecting all the documents..I panic easily and I have severe anxiety issue so this is gonna be a huge test for me

I'm not sure if it's relevant or if I'm over analyzing this.. but one thing I forgot to mention is that I was married before...I got married when I was 19, lived with the person I got married to, who's from Europe for 3 months and then he moved back to Europe. Since then I was separated/ out of touch with him for over 3.5 years. Arranged marriage. Couldn't file for divorce because of family pressure and all that for a long time. I started dating my fiance about 2 months before I officially filed for divorce in Ottawa. My divorce certificate was issued while I was already in a committed relationship with my then boyfriend now fiancee. My fiance and I have been friends since way before I got married to that person. Is there a chance that the embassy will question 'morality'? Or wonder that if I'm "good enough" to be a US resident looking at the timeline of my friendship and my relationship with my fiance? I was separated though.. Also, I never applied for ex's immigration or anything. I sort of started to freak out while filling up the divorce information... and got a little sad. Just a tiny bit.

Thanks a bunch! Q11 is all done!

I had the same situation as you: I was separated from my husband for 4 years before actually divorcing, and I was in the relationship for several months with my now-husband before my divorce was final. They asked me about it at the interview, and I was VERY glad I had thought to bring my separation agreement which showed the date of separation as being a few years before my rel'p with my new fiance started.

[Melisandre 5]

I had a wedding lunch vs a reception. Might be an idea for you?

That's actually a really good idea! But the problem is all our family/friends would be coming from out of State, out of country so we'll have to keep them somewhere. Do you think it would be considered rude if we just ask them to stay for a day/night and not turn this into a 3 day vacation? Even though I understand they're coming from far but...but..I'm a new graduate and my fiance just started his new job..we're poor

I had the same situation as you: I was separated from my husband for 4 years before actually divorcing, and I was in the relationship for several months with my now-husband before my divorce was final. They asked me about it at the interview, and I was VERY glad I had thought to bring my separation agreement which showed the date of separation as being a few years before my rel'p with my new fiance started.

I do have the divorce order that had the separation date on it but the divorce certificate doesn't have the date of separation. I guess I should bring both with me.

Thank you!

[pro_star 52]

lol my plot is we do the city hall wedding.

We'll do a vow renewal (really auto correct? A COW renewal? Thanks...) later when we can afford to and have that be the big party.

I admit. I'm a brat. I don't need the stress of my family and hosting them when I'm trying to get settled in the whole new world thing.

[NikLR 13,232]

I think that asking your parents or bridal party to spread the news to family and friends that you would like a close knit wedding and for them also to say you can't afford much because of immigration and limited finances is not rude. It's hard because etiquette says that you shouldn't say this yourself, but I told my mom and my aunt (who helped with my wedding plans) that I just couldn't afford things like a wedding reception and I needed the guest list to be as small as possible, and they spread the word. My family is understanding about that sort of thing because everyone has had hard times. My husband wasn't working but had enough savings to support himself. I was a single parent.

We had a BBQ the night before the wedding and a lunch the next day. My mom and step-dad were awesome and paid for my dress ($250) and the lunch. People came to the lunch expecting to pay for themselves so that was a nice surprise for everyone. It was at a nice restaurant but because it was lunch we got 3 course meals for $15 per person. I know catering can be cheaper than that but then you have to pay for a place to have it! I probably had to do the most driving out of everyone to be honest, but my one cousin did drive 6 hours.

Nothing wrong either with having a very informal civil ceremony with parents and siblings (or just parents) and having a larger party for your 1 year anniversary when you have established yourselves.