Gathering Info for K1 Visa

[LDinTW 0]

Hi everyone! Our situation is a bit complicated. We are not yet engaged, but we have been discussing getting engaged/married and the fiance visa process for a while now. He will be visiting me soon, so we are planning to discuss our future, engagement, visa process, timelines, etc. I suspect the proposal will happen before the end of the year. I've been reading and reading about all of the K1 info to start to understand the process and such. I would like some advice on the best way for us to go about the application process, since our situation is all over the place.

We met in the USA while he was working. I am a USC. He is a Filipino. We met through an app and talked for a couple months before finally going on a couple dates before he went back to the Philippines. Due to my plans to move to Taiwan in the coming months, he decided to pursue a relationship with me. I moved to Taiwan in August 2014. I have visited him 3 times since, and he will visit me soon. Here are some facts about us and our future plans that are making this whole process very confusing for me:

Him:

• He currently has a b1/b2 visa. I'm not sure when it expires, but it still has several years left.
• He is in the process of applying for a Canadian visa, currently waiting for notification to schedule medical exam.
• If all goes as planned, he would go to Canada no earlier than December 2015 but probably later due to contract (and early cancellation penalties) with current company.
• He might try to petition for his sister (plus brother in law and their 2 daughters) when he gets to Canada or help them with their own visa process. I have no clue how any of that works, just going off things he told me. This had been his plan before he met me, and I'm not sure how/if meeting me and becoming anxious to marry me has changed all of this.

Me:

• I'm staying in Taiwan for 1 more year (return to USA in July 2016).
• I plan to attend grad school from fall 2016 to spring 2018.
• Grad school stipend is unknown as of now but unlikely to fit the requirement for 125% above poverty.
• My parents have offered to help however/wherever they can.
• My dad is "retired" but works various jobs to continue bringing in income and have something to do. He has a good amount in savings and investments as well. My mom has been a stay at home mom/wife for many years.
• I also have a brother with a very good job, who I'm sure would co-sponsor if necessary.

What are our options for our visa process? When should we start our application? How will these factors affect our application process? I believe I included most of the important (and maybe not-so-important) details, and all of these different issues are making my head spin. haha. So thankful I found this website and looking forward to learning from everyone's wisdom for the next few years! Sorry for the longwindedness!

[Unshakable Faith 493]

For right now, just make sure you keep lots of documentation of your visits and relationship- pictures, a few chats from each month that you've kept a relationship, boarding passes, receipts while you're together, things of that nature. The K-1 visa can take anywhere from 5/6 months to a year, depending on circumstances and service center. You can apply while you're still Taiwan, since you have plans to relocate back to the US. Just remember, after the visa is issued, he will have 6 months to enter the US, and then you'll have to marry within 90 days- so make sure you don't file too early before you will be back in the US! Some of the petitions are being filed and they have a visa in hand in just 4-5 months- so plan accordingly.

Edited June 8, 2015 by FN&KO

[LDinTW 0]

Thank you! That's about what I expected, though I wasn't sure if I would be able to start the process from Taiwan or not.

For anyone reading, I have thought of some more specific questions. How will his moving to Canada and his USA b1/b2 visa affect this whole process?