Beginning K1 process and visiting fiance's country- timing ?'s

[deathbydalbhat 0]

Hello all,

My fiance and I have decided to begin the whole K1 process and I have a ton of questions...

We first met in Kathmandu last May and I am not sure if I have enough supporting documents, such as my boarding passes from my trip there - if the travel agent where I bought my ticket still has my itinerary on file would that be sufficient? I have some photos of us together and we have been emailing each other nearly every day, also I have receipts from gifts which I have sent him by Fed Ex as well as forms from gifts he has sent me.

I am planning on going back to visit Kumar again in May and will be staying for a longer period of time(originally we were planning on getting married in Nepal but now will be doing it in the US), and my question is whether I should file the I29F now(we were hoping to be together in the US by Christmas-realistic??? ) or wait until after my second trip when we will have more documentation.

[maya62 7]

Hi DBDB,

Nice to see you back... and sorry to read of your troubles with your fiance's mom. Oy. Good luck with that!

Regarding evidence.... you have the Nepali visa(s) in your passport from your last visit(s), which is/are good evidence. Boarding passes are great because they show you got on the plane, which an itinerary or plane tickets do now show, but I believe others have been successful without them. Do you have emails showing trip prep, either with your fiance or with a travel agent? Those may also be helpful. And any receipts showing restaurant visits, hotel stays, ATM withdrawals, etc... are also helpful. I can't tell you whether you should file now or wait, but...

If you decide to file after your May visit, it may interest you to know that I mailed our fiance visa application off to the Vermont Service Center (are you going through VSC?) in June 2005, and despite a 3 or 4 week delay on our part (long story), my (then) fiance and his son had their visas by the beginning of October 2005. He hand-delivered packet 3 to the Consulate and was told to come back the next day for the interview!

That is not to say it is that fast for everyone, and we have met another couple who had a much longer process (there was an infant involved, and the Consulate questioned the parentage of the infant).

Does your fiance have a GPO box at the central GPO in Kathmandu? That may help, too, as my husband's packet 3 wandered around Manamaiju for a week or two and never found him. Addresses and the mail system in Nepal, as I'm sure you know, are, uh, a bit unstructured. lol

And I'd get started on the police certificate(s) soon. They may send you on a goose chase for that...

Best wishes!

Maya

Edited January 9, 2007 by maya62

[JaJo 1]

Regarding evidence.... you have the Nepali visa(s) in your passport from your last visit(s), which is/are good evidence. Boarding passes are great because they show you got on the plane, which an itinerary or plane tickets do now show, but I believe others have been successful without them. Do you have emails showing trip prep, either with your fiance or with a travel agent? Those may also be helpful. And any receipts showing restaurant visits, hotel stays, ATM withdrawals, etc... are also helpful. I can't tell you whether you should file now or wait, but...

My fiancé didn't have his boarding passes, but we had no problems. He sent copies of his passport (with visa stamps on them), a few pics of us together (with dates and names written on the back), a few emails, a letter (short and to the point) explaining how we met...

If you decide to file now, I think you'll have no problem.

Good luck on your jorney

[deathbydalbhat 0]

Hi DBDB,

Nice to see you back... and sorry to read of your troubles with your fiance's mom. Oy. Good luck with that!

Regarding evidence.... you have the Nepali visa(s) in your passport from your last visit(s), which is/are good evidence. Boarding passes are great because they show you got on the plane, which an itinerary or plane tickets do now show, but I believe others have been successful without them. Do you have emails showing trip prep, either with your fiance or with a travel agent? Those may also be helpful. And any receipts showing restaurant visits, hotel stays, ATM withdrawals, etc... are also helpful. I can't tell you whether you should file now or wait, but...

If you decide to file after your May visit, it may interest you to know that I mailed our fiance visa application off to the Vermont Service Center (are you going through VSC?) in June 2005, and despite a 3 or 4 week delay on our part (long story), my (then) fiance and his son had their visas by the beginning of October 2005. He hand-delivered packet 3 to the Consulate and was told to come back the next day for the interview!

That is not to say it is that fast for everyone, and we have met another couple who had a much longer process (there was an infant involved, and the Consulate questioned the parentage of the infant).

Does your fiance have a GPO box at the central GPO in Kathmandu? That may help, too, as my husband's packet 3 wandered around Manamaiju for a week or two and never found him. Addresses and the mail system in Nepal, as I'm sure you know, are, uh, a bit unstructured. lol

And I'd get started on the police certificate(s) soon. They may send you on a goose chase for that...

Best wishes!

Maya

Hey Maya(this is how my emails to Kumar usually start, heehee!) ,

I was wondering how you guys were doing, from your timeline it seems like it all went pretty smoothly... Timikolaagi malai dherai khusi laagyo!!! I will go through my papers and see what I can dig up...I know I have the dated receipt they gave me when you pay to go through KTM Durbar Square now(cough *extortion* cough) and Kumar first wrote his email and mobile phone number when we first met...this is a precious piece of paper to me...

He doesn't have a GPO box, usually I Fedex stuff to him and they call him for pickup(the Nepali address thing is definitely a factor), but I just emailed him telling him to ask about it, so we'll see...is there any way the embassy can hold his packet at the office and contact him by mobile phone? I remember you mentioning the police certificate...Kumar has lived in the same place his whole life (KTM) so I am hoping it will be relatively simple... according to this site the certificate cannot be any older than 3 months prior to the interview so would it make sense to request it now? I was thinking we would do this when I was in KTM in May, even if we begin the process now with the VSC(I live in NYC, so I assume that is the correct one).

As for Kumar's mom, we're leaving it to Shiva Pashupati and Maa Tara...Wish us luck...

Thanks again and wishing you all the best!!

Dolma & Kumar

[deathbydalbhat 0]

Regarding evidence.... you have the Nepali visa(s) in your passport from your last visit(s), which is/are good evidence. Boarding passes are great because they show you got on the plane, which an itinerary or plane tickets do now show, but I believe others have been successful without them. Do you have emails showing trip prep, either with your fiance or with a travel agent? Those may also be helpful. And any receipts showing restaurant visits, hotel stays, ATM withdrawals, etc... are also helpful. I can't tell you whether you should file now or wait, but...

My fiancé didn't have his boarding passes, but we had no problems. He sent copies of his passport (with visa stamps on them), a few pics of us together (with dates and names written on the back), a few emails, a letter (short and to the point) explaining how we met...

If you decide to file now, I think you'll have no problem.

Good luck on your jorney

Thanks, we definitely have this much, plus probably a few more receipts, etc. which I can dig up.

Thanks for your good wishes!

[bora bora 1]

I believe it is better to send a bit of everything - we only sent 5 (translated) e-mails, one letter, six pictures..etc.

We sent visa stamps, boarding passes, proof I worked there, credit card receipts for phone cards, phone bills, a letter from a friend verifying our relationship, hotel receipt, my resident card, and a bit more.

We sent a little of each....

As far as the address, your fiance may be able to use a relative or friend's address that is permanent, or easy to deliver mail to. The consulate will only send him one packet and although my fiance never received it, we still were able to get the papers and mail them in.

Good luck.

[deathbydalbhat 0]

I believe it is better to send a bit of everything - we only sent 5 (translated) e-mails, one letter, six pictures..etc.

We sent visa stamps, boarding passes, proof I worked there, credit card receipts for phone cards, phone bills, a letter from a friend verifying our relationship, hotel receipt, my resident card, and a bit more.

We sent a little of each....

As far as the address, your fiance may be able to use a relative or friend's address that is permanent, or easy to deliver mail to. The consulate will only send him one packet and although my fiance never received it, we still were able to get the papers and mail them in.

Good luck.

Thanks...

I have bank statements showing ATM withdrawals in KTM when I was there, also my friend was traveling with us and definitely can vouch for our relationship... I will see what else I can think of.

I will see if Kumar has a friend whose address he can use. Given his parents' opinion of our relationship, he definitely cannot use his home address...

[maya62 7]

Well, I was worried about the address thing myself on our original petition, since the I-129F calls for a "street" address. I tried putting an addendum (and listing it on my cover letter) explaining that his mailing address was the GPO box, but it didn't work.

I think if I had to do it over, the ONLY address I would give on the I-129F would be the GPO box. Then his actual residence could be shown in the residence list on the bio form (G-325?). It's up to you, but you can follow the petition's progress from VSC (after you get your NOA2) through the NVC and they'll tell you when it was mailed to KTM. If you keep tabs on it from here using the Visa Svcs hotline of the DOS (202) 663-1225 , you'll know if you hit a snag. That's how I found out our stuff went to Manamaiju. Then if your packet 3 gets lost, you can tell Kumar and he can just pick another up at the Consulate.

Wow, I didn't know the police cert was only good for 3 months. I thought S's was good for a year, but maybe that's changed with the govt. If he's always been in KTM, it shouldn't be too hard. S had to get certs from his VDC police and District police before they'd give him the KTM/Nepal police cert, so his process took longer. Not to mention India...

I'm so excited for you! I wish you guys the best of luck. Your Nepali is very good... did you learn just from talking to Kumar, or have you taken a class or something?

Maya

PS I call "S" "mero maya" at home all the time, but he informs me that when we go back to the village, I can't do that or everyone will laugh at us.

Hey Maya(this is how my emails to Kumar usually start, heehee!) ,

I was wondering how you guys were doing, from your timeline it seems like it all went pretty smoothly... Timikolaagi malai dherai khusi laagyo!!! I will go through my papers and see what I can dig up...I know I have the dated receipt they gave me when you pay to go through KTM Durbar Square now(cough *extortion* cough) and Kumar first wrote his email and mobile phone number when we first met...this is a precious piece of paper to me...

He doesn't have a GPO box, usually I Fedex stuff to him and they call him for pickup(the Nepali address thing is definitely a factor), but I just emailed him telling him to ask about it, so we'll see...is there any way the embassy can hold his packet at the office and contact him by mobile phone? I remember you mentioning the police certificate...Kumar has lived in the same place his whole life (KTM) so I am hoping it will be relatively simple... according to this site the certificate cannot be any older than 3 months prior to the interview so would it make sense to request it now? I was thinking we would do this when I was in KTM in May, even if we begin the process now with the VSC(I live in NYC, so I assume that is the correct one).

As for Kumar's mom, we're leaving it to Shiva Pashupati and Maa Tara...Wish us luck...

Thanks again and wishing you all the best!!

Dolma & Kumar

[deathbydalbhat 0]

Well, I was worried about the address thing myself on our original petition, since the I-129F calls for a "street" address. I tried putting an addendum (and listing it on my cover letter) explaining that his mailing address was the GPO box, but it didn't work.

I think if I had to do it over, the ONLY address I would give on the I-129F would be the GPO box. Then his actual residence could be shown in the residence list on the bio form (G-325?). It's up to you, but you can follow the petition's progress from VSC (after you get your NOA2) through the NVC and they'll tell you when it was mailed to KTM. If you keep tabs on it from here using the Visa Svcs hotline of the DOS (202) 663-1225 , you'll know if you hit a snag. That's how I found out our stuff went to Manamaiju. Then if your packet 3 gets lost, you can tell Kumar and he can just pick another up at the Consulate.

Wow, I didn't know the police cert was only good for 3 months. I thought S's was good for a year, but maybe that's changed with the govt. If he's always been in KTM, it shouldn't be too hard. S had to get certs from his VDC police and District police before they'd give him the KTM/Nepal police cert, so his process took longer. Not to mention India...

I'm so excited for you! I wish you guys the best of luck. Your Nepali is very good... did you learn just from talking to Kumar, or have you taken a class or something?

Maya

PS I call "S" "mero maya" at home all the time, but he informs me that when we go back to the village, I can't do that or everyone will laugh at us.

Hey Maya(this is how my emails to Kumar usually start, heehee!) ,

I was wondering how you guys were doing, from your timeline it seems like it all went pretty smoothly... Timikolaagi malai dherai khusi laagyo!!! I will go through my papers and see what I can dig up...I know I have the dated receipt they gave me when you pay to go through KTM Durbar Square now(cough *extortion* cough) and Kumar first wrote his email and mobile phone number when we first met...this is a precious piece of paper to me...

He doesn't have a GPO box, usually I Fedex stuff to him and they call him for pickup(the Nepali address thing is definitely a factor), but I just emailed him telling him to ask about it, so we'll see...is there any way the embassy can hold his packet at the office and contact him by mobile phone? I remember you mentioning the police certificate...Kumar has lived in the same place his whole life (KTM) so I am hoping it will be relatively simple... according to this site the certificate cannot be any older than 3 months prior to the interview so would it make sense to request it now? I was thinking we would do this when I was in KTM in May, even if we begin the process now with the VSC(I live in NYC, so I assume that is the correct one).

As for Kumar's mom, we're leaving it to Shiva Pashupati and Maa Tara...Wish us luck...

Thanks again and wishing you all the best!!

Dolma & Kumar

Ke chha Maya?

I'm sitting here listening to 'dohori' music, helps me learn Nepali - Kumar has taught me a lot but I've also been studying from books - I love studying languages so it's been fun for me... Does S. speak Nepali at home or another language (Sherpa, etc.)?

I'll double check on the police certificate - I seem to recall reading that it was good for 3 months on the 'K1 tips' page so it advised waiting to request it, but elsewhere on other threads I've seen that it's good for a year - will see...

Did S. experience major culture shock when he came to the US? I'm trying to prepare Kumar for this - went through it myself coming from Hawaii to NYC so I know what it's like... At least here there are lots of Nepalis in the same boat, but when he gets tired of the urban jungle he can't take off for Chitwan or Pokhara like he can now...ke garne?