Applying for K-1 Visa - Overwhelmed!

[ben1987 0]

I'm going to apologise right away if a lot of this seems somewhat basic but I am trying to organise starting the process and I can't begin to overstate my appreciation for anyone who might be able to help. I suspect this is going to be a lengthy post so I'm going to do my best to keep it organised to avoid it getting confusing. I just want to make sure I have everything understood and in order.

Background

• I am a UK citizen (27) living near Manchester, England. I am a full time student studying for my masters degree, ending July 2015. I am employed part time and currently live with my father and step-mother.
• My fiancee is a US citizen (23) living in the vicinity of Birmingham, AL with her son (1) from a previous relationship. She works part time in the insurance industry but will be returning to full time work any time now. She currently does not have her own residence and lives with her mother, step-father, and little sister, along with her son.
• My mother is a UK citizen with US Permanent Resident status, is married to a US citizen, and lives in the same area as my fiancee.
• I met my fiancee in August 2013 through a mutual friend when I was visiting my mother during a 3 month stay.
• We became involved romantically in July 2014 when I returned for another 3 month visit.
• In December 2014 I returned to Alabama for 4 weeks to spend Christmas with her and her son and we became engaged during this stay.
• I am due to travel back to spend a further 3 weeks with them in March 2015.
• We are aiming to get married in December 2015.

Visa

I have looked at the various guides and flow charts on this website and quickly became overwhelmed by the amount of information and jargon. I'm going to try and break this down into steps to make sure I have everything understood.

I have been using this flow chart as a guide http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

I'll try to number my steps to match that flow chart.

1. Gather information - List of required documents:

• Payment
• Cover letter
• I-129F
• Declaration of how we met
• Statements of intent to marry from both petitioner (my fiancee) and beneficiary (me)
• Proof of having met within the last 2 years (I have boarding passes from visits and we have some photographs)
• Passport photo of petitioner (my fiancee)
• G-325A form from petitioner (my fiancee)
• Passport photo of beneficiary (me)
• G-325A form from beneficiary (me)
• Birth certificate of US citizen (my fiancee)

2. Send package - Sent to the PO Box in Dallas, TX. Simple enough. I did have a few questions regarding the package itself:

• Firstly, I hope I haven't missed anything from the list above. Information about termination of marriages, changes of name, and criminal convictions are not applicable to either us.
• Secondly, I can't seem to find how much the payment is. Can anyone direct me to where I can find out?
• Presumably following the package being sent the process is mostly passive assuming there are no problems until Step 9?

3. First Notice of Action - Is this received by the petitioner (my fiancee) at the beginning of the 2-3 week timescale on the flow chart or at the end? I presume it is 2-3 weeks following postage of the package?

4. Second Notice of Action - I have tried to understand the current processing times at http://www.visajourney.com/content/times but I'm struggling. I see the "Current Processing Times" heading on the right side but I don't know which date I'm looking at (CSC, TSC, or VSC) and what that date means.

5., 6., 7., & 8. - Case is forwarded to NVC, then on to US Embassy in London, then to beneficiary (me). According to the flow chart this takes approximately 5 - 8 weeks overall for these steps?

I am going to leave it at this point because I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I did have a question that pertains more to later on in the process.

• At what point can we start to attain joint assets, eg. bank account, rental agreement, etc.? Can I do this immediately upon entering the US on my K1 Visa, following being granted a SSN, or after getting married? What is recommended as sufficient evidence of a legitimate marriage?
• I know it varies but how long is a good estimate for how long it would take to get approved for a K1 Visa?
• Am I correct in thinking that once the K1 Visa is issued it doesn't have a specific date applied to it, rather I must enter the US within 6 months of its issue date and marry within 90 days of entering the US?

Thank you very much to anyone who can help me.

[baron555 934]

I

• At what point can we start to attain joint assets, eg. bank account, rental agreement, etc.? Can I do this immediately upon entering the US on my K1 Visa, following being granted a SSN, or after getting married? What is recommended as sufficient evidence of a legitimate marriage?

Immediately for some stuff, others you'll need the GC. Read up on the AOS Guides.

• I know it varies but how long is a good estimate for how long it would take to get approved for a K1 Visa?

Figure 10 months and be happy with 5.

• Am I correct in thinking that once the K1 Visa is issued it doesn't have a specific date applied to it, rather I must enter the US within 6 months of its issue date and marry within 90 days of entering the US?

Correct

Thank you very much to anyone who can help me.

[signalsfly 6]

3. First Notice of Action - Is this received by the petitioner (my fiancee) at the beginning of the 2-3 week timescale on the flow chart or at the end? I presume it is 2-3 weeks following postage of the package?

This would be mailed to your fiancee or if you send the electronic notification form in with your petition you would receive an email/text when they first issue the NOA1 which would let you know a week or so earlier due to not having to wait for the mail. This is to say they've received your petition and from then you just have to wait for the NOA2.

4. Second Notice of Action - I have tried to understand the current processing times at http://www.visajourney.com/content/times but I'm struggling. I see the "Current Processing Times" heading on the right side but I don't know which date I'm looking at (CSC, TSC, or VSC) and what that date means.

CSC, TSC AND VSC are the different service centers - California (CSC), Texas (TSC) and Vermont (VSC). Only California and Texas process I-129F's and because your fiancee in Alabama yours should be sent to Texas which is unfortunately the one with the longest waiting times. Currently you'll be looking at around a 5 month+ wait for your NOA2 as they have quite a bit of backlog.

Best of luck with your process!

Edited February 20, 2015 by signalsfly

[Marco&Bettina 502]

4. Second Notice of Action - I have tried to understand the current processing times at http://www.visajourn...m/content/times but I'm struggling. I see the "Current Processing Times" heading on the right side but I don't know which date I'm looking at (CSC, TSC, or VSC) and what that date means.

CSC, TSC AND VSC are the different service centers - California (CSC), Texas (TSC) and Vermont (VSC). Only California and Texas process I-129F's and because your fiancee in Alabama yours should be sent to Texas which is unfortunately the one with the longest waiting times. Currently you'll be looking at around a 5 month+ wait for your NOA2 as they have quite a bit of backlog.

More like 7-8 months for NOA2.

[rob999 51]

As you would be TSC I would suggest not organizing a wedding for December '15 TSC is really delayed and getting worse. It takes 200 days from NOA 1 to NOA 2 then two to three months after that. You cannot get married until you have the visa and gone through POE (you also cannot exit the country for 3.5 months - to get the Advanced Parole).

For us we are just going to do a quick wedding at a registry/clerks office as soon as I arrive and then we are holding the actual wedding in August '16. Plus less stress of visa + wedding organisation!

[signalsfly 6]

More like 7-8 months for NOA2.

Definitely much more likely, yes! However, there are some who have had their NOA2's after filing in August which was why I suggested 5 months or more as there is the possibility of it being less.

[rob999 51]

Definitely much more likely, yes! However, there are some who have had their NOA2's after filing in August which was why I suggested 5 months or more as there is the possibility of it being less.

We filed in November. The processing delay looks like it's getting worse. I reckon we'll be June, I was hoping for May but no point being disappointed, might as well aim for it being really late. They could do a bulk transfer to CSC, who knows! But for us we are planning nothing until we get the NOA 2

[signalsfly 6]

We filed in November. The processing delay looks like it's getting worse. I reckon we'll be June, I was hoping for May but no point being disappointed, might as well aim for it being really late. They could do a bulk transfer to CSC, who knows! But for us we are planning nothing until we get the NOA 2

It definitely does seem to be getting worse. Hopefully they will do another lot of transfers to CSC, looks like they could really use it and it'd surely be beneficial for everyone. It's pretty crazy how delayed they seem to be .

Also for the OP, I'd definitely agree with the not planning anything wedding wise till you've got your NOA2 OP. We got sent to CSC but still didn't even consider anything concrete really until we got ours.

[yuna628 9,671]

I'm going to apologise right away if a lot of this seems somewhat basic but I am trying to organise starting the process and I can't begin to overstate my appreciation for anyone who might be able to help. I suspect this is going to be a lengthy post so I'm going to do my best to keep it organised to avoid it getting confusing. I just want to make sure I have everything understood and in order.

Background

• I am a UK citizen (27) living near Manchester, England. I am a full time student studying for my masters degree, ending July 2015. I am employed part time and currently live with my father and step-mother.
• My fiancee is a US citizen (23) living in the vicinity of Birmingham, AL with her son (1) from a previous relationship. She works part time in the insurance industry but will be returning to full time work any time now. She currently does not have her own residence and lives with her mother, step-father, and little sister, along with her son.
• My mother is a UK citizen with US Permanent Resident status, is married to a US citizen, and lives in the same area as my fiancee.
• I met my fiancee in August 2013 through a mutual friend when I was visiting my mother during a 3 month stay.
• We became involved romantically in July 2014 when I returned for another 3 month visit.
• In December 2014 I returned to Alabama for 4 weeks to spend Christmas with her and her son and we became engaged during this stay.
• I am due to travel back to spend a further 3 weeks with them in March 2015.
• We are aiming to get married in December 2015.

Visa

I have looked at the various guides and flow charts on this website and quickly became overwhelmed by the amount of information and jargon. I'm going to try and break this down into steps to make sure I have everything understood.

I have been using this flow chart as a guide http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

I'll try to number my steps to match that flow chart.

1. Gather information - List of required documents:

• Payment
• Cover letter
• I-129F
• Declaration of how we met
• Statements of intent to marry from both petitioner (my fiancee) and beneficiary (me)
• Proof of having met within the last 2 years (I have boarding passes from visits and we have some photographs)
• Passport photo of petitioner (my fiancee)
• G-325A form from petitioner (my fiancee)
• Passport photo of beneficiary (me)
• G-325A form from beneficiary (me)
• Birth certificate of US citizen (my fiancee)

2. Send package - Sent to the PO Box in Dallas, TX. Simple enough. I did have a few questions regarding the package itself:

• Firstly, I hope I haven't missed anything from the list above. Information about termination of marriages, changes of name, and criminal convictions are not applicable to either us.
• Secondly, I can't seem to find how much the payment is. Can anyone direct me to where I can find out?
• Presumably following the package being sent the process is mostly passive assuming there are no problems until Step 9?

3. First Notice of Action - Is this received by the petitioner (my fiancee) at the beginning of the 2-3 week timescale on the flow chart or at the end? I presume it is 2-3 weeks following postage of the package?

4. Second Notice of Action - I have tried to understand the current processing times at http://www.visajourney.com/content/times but I'm struggling. I see the "Current Processing Times" heading on the right side but I don't know which date I'm looking at (CSC, TSC, or VSC) and what that date means.

5., 6., 7., & 8. - Case is forwarded to NVC, then on to US Embassy in London, then to beneficiary (me). According to the flow chart this takes approximately 5 - 8 weeks overall for these steps?

I am going to leave it at this point because I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I did have a question that pertains more to later on in the process.

• At what point can we start to attain joint assets, eg. bank account, rental agreement, etc.? Can I do this immediately upon entering the US on my K1 Visa, following being granted a SSN, or after getting married? What is recommended as sufficient evidence of a legitimate marriage?
• I know it varies but how long is a good estimate for how long it would take to get approved for a K1 Visa?
• Am I correct in thinking that once the K1 Visa is issued it doesn't have a specific date applied to it, rather I must enter the US within 6 months of its issue date and marry within 90 days of entering the US?

Thank you very much to anyone who can help me.

Your NOA1 will come when they receive your petition. If you'd like early confirmation of it, your fiancé can fill out a G-1145 and place this on top of your application. Your fiancé should *hopefully* receive an email or txt notice of a NOA1. The hardcopy in the mail will come several days/week later.

The fee you send in with your application is $340.

Your NOA2 will come when you are approved at your service center. Since your fiancé is in Alabama, unfortunately I'm sorry to say you will be placed in the Texas Service Center. Currently you can expect a 5+ month wait, for most this turns into a 7+ month wait. Currently according to their website (and the phone operators) will tell you they are working on June 2014 applications. This is not true. They are finishing up June/July and now moving onto August. By my estimate, filers like me will probably not see their NOA2's until May/June. If let us say your NOA2 takes 7 months, things generally move a little faster to the NVC-consulate stage. You'll need to complete your medical, make sure you have your financial support form/evidence from your fiancé, file form/pay visa fee, and get your interview date. I can't say how long that would take, but perhaps a month or two extra. I would strongly encourage not to make hard plans on the date of your marriage at this time. They not only recommend it, but TSC is so slow, it can very easily lead to disappointment. Focus on the little things, and once you're past the NOA2, you can start making better plans.

Always plan for the long haul of waiting, and be delighted if you're surprised.

You must enter the US within 6 months from the date of your medical, and marry within 90 days of entering. From then on you'll need to file all the more lovely paperwork to adjust your status.

For the rest of the steps for the K1, I will strongly recommend you read Nich-Nick's post in the UK specific form. It's a great help.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/474161-london-k1-a-complete-guide/

Edited February 21, 2015 by yuna628

[raven52 233]

VJ.com "golden rule" posted by Mods., many times, ""never"" plan anything nor buy a ticket anywhere until """YOU HAVE a visa in your passport""".,.,..,.,.,.never!

Especially planning a wedding.,.,.,never until visa in hand!

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

Form, fees and instructions > http://www.uscis.gov/i-129f

[Pheebs1201 269]

Here is the forum specific to us UK folk: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/99-united-kingdom/

And here is the guide specific to UK K1 petitions: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/474161-london-k1-a-complete-guide/

The general guides will get you to NOA2 but after that I recommend the UK specific guide as the process then varies quite a lot between consulates. We are also very friendly on the UK forum and have a thread for UK updates here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/534020-uk-vjers-progress-update-thread/so feel free to pop over and say hi!

Sounds to me like you've done your research and you are on the right track. It can be overwhelming at first but take it one step at a time and you'll get there. Good luck!

[vicks5721 18]

something else nobody mentioned is if your passport is damaged at all even minor things it is wise to get a new passport, as The US embassy I have heard can be fussy about tatty passports and they would tell you to get a new one and that would be delay to getting your visa til you send the new passport to the Embassy.

[imcoming 21]

Our Noa2 took 6.5 months, waiting for medical and interview now. I would get it in your head that it's gonna take at least 9 months, from initial filing to interview.

Though depends on what USCIS office you get. The journey is hard, but you will get there, and it will be worth it in the end! It can seem overwhelming at times but

the actual paperwork etc you have to do isn't too bad, it's the waiting that's a killer. If you can spare the cash, I would really recommend you see each other during the process.

Good luck!