Help me please, how can i be with my fiancee?

[mjgf77 0]

I understand your concerns. But how does that go when someone qualifies on their income, what if their immigrant partner that they got abroad gets sick? How will they pay for it?

[mjgf77 0]

I thought this forum was to gather info for people who were looking for advice and for stories from people who have been there themselves. And i feel animosity, and i do not see why there should be this atmosphere. I ask for advice and if someone can not or does not want to give info then you do not have to. Just be normal about it.

[tonyb919 107]

I understand your concerns. But how does that go when someone qualifies on their income, what if their immigrant partner that they got abroad gets sick? How will they pay for it?

Petitioners do not go into the process blindly on a wing and a prayer.

This is a long term plan that needs to be well thought out and planned.

Plain and simple either you meet the requirements or you dont!

I think everyone on this string has given you immense amounts of advice and help...maybe you need to seek the advice and guidance of a immigration attorney!

[Transborderwife 4,666]

People are giving you answers. Perhaps not the ones that you wish to hear but are legitimate answers. The scrutiny here is nothing compared to the scrutiny that is received during the immigration process

[Ash.1101 1,756]

People are giving you answers. Perhaps not the ones that you wish to hear but are legitimate answers. The scrutiny here is nothing compared to the scrutiny that is received during the immigration process

Agree'd. You will be heavily judged during the immigration process, this is nothing and while you feel that you don't need to explain your self and "we don't know you". That won't be good enough for the officer sitting infront of you. Your love won't matter. What is on paper matters. Your situation and his, only matter because it actually looks like you'll be more of a burden than you think you will be.

With that said, your fiance needs to look into this with you, not just you finding out info and telling him. Tell him to start looking up the process, it's HIM that will petition for you, it's HIS money that will be judged. Why isn't your fiance looking into this? You seem way too overwhelmed to do this process, and mind you, you can't do this by yourself.

It's literally "Do we make enough money?" "No" "What do we do then" "Find a cosponsor" "Well we can't, so what do we do?" "Nothing" "WHAT?! THIS IS STUPID, THIS SYSTEM IS AWFUL, WE'RE JUST LOVING PEOPLE WHO WANT TO LIVE TOGETHER SKIRTING THE LINE OF POVERTY FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES, WHY DO -THEY- CARE IF WE'RE POOR?"

The right reaction was "Let's see if we can find a cosponsor"

Again, while you're saying you can save to offset. That's not how that works. THE ONLY PERSON WHO'S MONEY CAN SHOW FOR AN OFFSET OF INCOME, IS THE USC. You having savings merely helps your cause but it can NOT be used to offset the USC's income because it's NOT the USC's money and it was NOT earned in the US. 90% of the time, they won't even entertain the idea of your savings, which means if you think that you're going to get by on YOUR savings alone, you could be in for a very bad time.

There is very little doubt in anyone's minds here that you will need a cosponsor. You aren't understanding that just because you "make the minimum required" and can show that -you- have to offset to MEET the minimum required, that your fiance MOST LIKELY will still be asked for a cosponsor.

You -need- a cosponsor. Whether you like it or not. We could all argue the logistics of how your disabled fiance only has so much money, and how you have no job, and how you are living off some money you got some somewhere, but at the end of the day the US government will give absolutely no sh*ts about your story. They want this money on paper, they want it ongoing, and they want it stable. If you aren't working by your interview, there's no way they would approve you on the spot. You'd be a nonworking person trying to go live with another nonworking person that just happens to get government assistance, because while it's earned due to being disabled, it's still government assistance.

you ask "Well what if a normal healthy person loses their job!?" MOST people show good job stability over the course of a while OR ARE SUBJECT TO BEING ASKED FOR A COSPONSOR. Anyone who looks like they may have less than stable income, even if they make over the minimum, get asked for a cosponsor in most cases. It doesn't matter if they're healthy, it doesn't matter if they're disabled. They have to make enough, it has to be stable, and it can't be too close to the line.

The total cost of all of this is very expensive. You not only have filing fees (340$), you also have your visa fee, 265$, medical which could be up to 300$. Cost of going to the interview and medical, staying at a hotel if you have too. Then coming here, marriage liscense, getting you a Drivers liscense, working on your AOS which is a good 1090$ or some odd number. Oh not to mention plane tickets.

I think we've spent more than 1800$ just on the K1 process alone, due him taking a train to the interview and having a hotel. This is from filing to booking plane tickets.

[Pennycat 880]

Another thing what is the difference between the i-134 and the i-864? can i work with an i-134? Or only with a i-864? And another point on that. What if he qualifies on the minimum 100% of poverty, can i work then or not?

You are very, very confused.

You will apply for two things:

1. A K-1 visa that gives you permission to enter the United States with the intention of marrying and staying. A K-1 visa specifically does not allow working. You absolutely must apply for your green card and work authorization first.

2. After that marriage, you will apply for a green card ("adjust status") which is permanent legal residency that includes the right to work (you will also apply for a temporary work authorization to use while the green card is processing).

The green card or EAD (Employment Authorization Document) is what gives you permission to work.

Neither the I-134 and I-864 are work permits or green cards or anything. They are forms that your fiance (or a co-sponsor) must fill out showing his financial information. The I-134 is for the visa stage, the I-864 is for the application for the green card. They check it in both places because it is strictly necessary for the green card. And why would they grant a visa to someone who will need to adjust status but who doesn't have a strong enough financial sponsor?

Now. You need a financial sponsor to be granted both the visa and the green card. Why? Because the US government does not want immigrants to come here and start taking welfare/dole/benefits/whatever you want to call it. An easy way guarantee that an immigrant won't go on welfare is to require the immigrant to have a financial sponsor who makes "too much" money to qualify the family for welfare. This is where household size and money comes into play. For now, his "household size" will be three. Him, you, daughter. His current income is not above the threshold for a family of three. Once the daughter no longer qualifies as a dependent, the household size will be two and he will make "too much" for welfare and thus will be able to sponsor you.

Your current income doesn't count. If you share assets, then I think that can help make up any difference. They don't care about your promises that you'll always be employed. One, you could be lying. Nothing personal, just... people lie. Two, things happen. You could get sick or injured, or pregnant, or unable to find a job, or change your mind, or, or, or, or. That is why promises are nothing. Their only guarantee that you won't go on public assistance is if you CAN'T go on public assistance, by having a sponsor that makes too much money for it.

[Ash.1101 1,756]

I understand your concerns. But how does that go when someone qualifies on their income, what if their immigrant partner that they got abroad gets sick? How will they pay for it?

There have been people who have literally blown their life savings on their non-USC partners. A lot of them being people who blew the savings on their fiances. The government only cares, SLIGHTLY, about married couples. If you're not married, they don't care if you end up homeless because you aren't married, you weren't legally obligated to pay their bills. You made that choice.

For marriage, they care slightly more, but only in hardship cases meaning, you would have to prove that the USC is suffering hardship because you aren't there, but that requires proving they weren't doing fine before you came along, which clearly he's doing fine because you're alright with waiting 2 more years to marry him if that's what it takes. There is a guy with a wife dying from cancer that is being denied a visa. That situation is MUCH more dire.

Some people will be sympathetic to you. Most won't though because we have all done this and we know that the US government doesn't care about your situation unless it makes you look bad in which yours does.

Again, I'm an engaged mother of a disabled daughter who can't work due to taking care of my disabled daughter. I recieve SSI for her and Child support from her father, and then help from my own father and my fiance. I'm that stereotypical struggling USC trying to bring their loved one into the country. It took us TWO cosponsors to get my fiance approved, the CO knew we have a legit relationship, at the end of the day, finances were the issue. Yeah, it sucks, but it is how it is.

This isn't a case of people not understanding a hard situation, it's that we know that there are literally some cases that you have to wait years before you can do it. We're also aware that some cases are impossible.

In the next 2 years, get your fiance to be a part of this. Don't do this by yourself. In 2 years when he SHOULD make barely enough (only meet the limit by 128$), you guys can try to petition for premission to apply for the K1 visa. Again though, at the interview, you most likely will be asked for a cosponsor, which means NOTHING will happen until you give them a cosponsor that they feel is good enough. You need to try to spend the next 2 years finding someone that can cosponsor.

If you find a cosponsor that has no dependants NOW, that makes at least 19,912$, you can get your fiance to start the process.

No one is going to hold your hand through this process. It's up to you and your fiance to research on your own how to start and proceed through the process. If you choose to do the K1 visa, follow the intstuctions here: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

An overveiw for the K1 process is here: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

An over view for the AOS process once you're married: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1k3aos

Read up on it, have your fiance read up on it. No one can help you fix your financial situation, all we can tell you is that you will need a cosponsor, you can't include your own money to offset what your fiance does not make, and that you are a higher risk case being that you do not work, your fiance is on disability, and ya'll simply don't meet the financial requirements no matter how much flim flam you throw out to try to meet these requiements.

With that said, the story changes, the not knowing of basic things of the process, the lack of involving your fiance in the process yet trying every way under the sun to fix -his- financial situation when you can't, I can't help anymore. I wish ya'll the best of luck and I hope that your fiance will be more involved in this process. He knows his financial situation, a lot of this is based on HIS ability to support you financially BEYOND a doubt. He needs to know what he's up against.

Edited November 16, 2015 by Ash.1101

[Boiler 46,057]

I added up all the direct and indirect cost of getting here on a K1, $20,000 give or take.

[Ash.1101 1,756]

I added up all the direct and indirect cost of getting here on a K1, $20,000 give or take.

Jesus! We're lucky cause we're just a boarder away, but it gets you when you're further from the US.

My calculations are, for us at least:

340$ - Petition fee

25$ - Expedited shipping to send the petition

About 30$ for fedex to print documents over the course of the process

45$ for a cert copy of my birth cert (twice because I sent the original in the petition)

22$ for a cert copy of my divorce decree (twice because, again, sent the original like a dummy)

25$ fedex to send fiance papers from me for his interview.

350$ish for medical

265$ for the visa fee

75$ for a copy of fiances long form birth cert

25$ for police check

300$ to take a train to the inteview

250$ for a night at a hotel for the interview

91$ to overnight documents to complete our AP process

450$ plane ticket

60$ baggage

about 500$ shipping goods

66$ marriage liscense application fee

Total cost (Not including gas to go to medical and pick up visa, drop off things, etc,, or food while at the interview, or anything to do with the wedding OTHER than the license) : 2986$

Again, for me, that's just K1 from petition to applying for the marriage license.

Mines on the cheaper end! And I'm sure I'm forgetting things. Luckily for me, my fiance has savings that will offset him living here. Not everyone is so luck and would have to take into consideration the costs of having another person in their household while they can't work.

Edited November 16, 2015 by Ash.1101

[Boiler 46,057]

Lost wages is the biggie.

[Lemonslice 4,963]

I understand your concerns. But how does that go when someone qualifies on their income, what if their immigrant partner that they got abroad gets sick? How will they pay for it?

I would guess most people are covered by some kind of heath insurance? I know I was on my husband's plan from the day we got married, so long before my move to the US. Not a fun answer, but it is true that the process is easier for those who have higher income.

[HFM181818 750]

Likely the OP was (or is) looking for some magic solution instead of following the requirements...and at the end of the day, there is NO magic solution....money from here, money from there, who pays what to child care, etc, is not the issue....bottom line, follow the requirements listed on the I-864 instead of hoping that somebody will tell you that if you give the CO a pink piece of paper notarized by the local dog catcher, why, all of those pesky rules and regs about proper financial support will magically vanish...or, that the rules will change tomorrow if you whine enough....they won't....fulfill the requirements, or, expect long delays before those requirements can be met. Those are the only two options. What ifs, etc, won't do a thing towards changing the regulations nor the decisions of the COs, who must abide by the laws.....period.