K-1 Visa - When to Send I-129F Package?

[Nathan45 5]

Dear all,

My fiancee in the States is wondering when the best time to send the package away would be as we are planning for a wedding date around June 2017 (11 months from now) and I can not immigrate until May at the earliest due to finishing my degree in the UK. When would be the best time to send the package so that my 6 month window for entering America is still open after May?

[Unshakable Faith 493]

Send it now, there are parts in the process that you can delay if needed!

[Nathan45 5]

Would these parts be after the NOA2? Is there no timelimit on when to send those documents? The interview is scheduled after the embassy receives those forms and everything is in limbo until that happens?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Would these parts be after the NOA2? Is there no timelimit on when to send those documents? The interview is scheduled after the embassy receives those forms and everything is in limbo until that happens?

You can stall the London part a year according to email directly from the embassy.

The petition approval (NOA2) is good for four months. The only thing you have to do extra (for London) if you haven't interviewed by then, is take a new letter of intent from the US fiancé to the interview to revalidate the "expired" petition. Easy Peasy.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Forgot to say, the visa expiration is six months from the medical exam, so schedule the medical with your moving date in mind. Example, a December medical would get you a visa good until June, even if you didn't interview until March.

[mblx73 2]

If you take a peek at my timeline, we applied in March for our hopefully March 11th 2017 wedding! We just got the email this morning that the consulate received our packet, so everything is on track! My fiance plans to come in late December, if everything goes according to plan!

[Nathan45 5]

Forgot to say, the visa expiration is six months from the medical exam, so schedule the medical with your moving date in mind. Example, a December medical would get you a visa good until June, even if you didn't interview until March.

My main concern is that I am given a embassy interview date that is too soon, e.g. before Christmas.

Can I check I understand you correctly?

Lets say we get the NOA2 in October 2016, 3 months from now. There is a 4 month limit that it is valid for which would take us to February 2017. If I sent the forms away in February 2017 would I still be considered valid or would I still need a new letter? And If I sent it in March 2017 would everything proceed normally, as in, they would still give me the interview - they would just expect me to have a new letter of intent that is dated closer to the interview time that I can show them?

Also, can I have the medical exam in any city, i.e. I live in Edinburgh and traveling down to London for a medical would be a big annoyance.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

My main concern is that I am given a embassy interview date that is too soon, e.g. before Christmas.

Can I check I understand you correctly?

Lets say we get the NOA2 in October 2016, 3 months from now. There is a 4 month limit that it is valid for which would take us to February 2017. If I sent the forms away in February 2017 would I still be considered valid or would I still need a new letter? And If I sent it in March 2017 would everything proceed normally, as in, they would still give me the interview - they would just expect me to have a new letter of intent that is dated closer to the interview time that I can show them?

Also, can I have the medical exam in any city, i.e. I live in Edinburgh and traveling down to London for a medical would be a big annoyance.

Since the first week of May, you pick your own interview date online, so they can't give you one too early. And formerly they wouldn't give you an interview until they received your application, medical results, and notification of readiness to interview so you still controlled the timeline by holding off submitting those things. Now you still submit each, but pick your own date instead of waiting for a letter assigning a date.

If your interview date is not before the four month validity of the petition, you simply take a newly dated letter from the petitioner to the interview, saying she is still free to marry and intends to marry [beneficiary name] within 90 days of his arrival on his K1 visa.

A good approach is at least submit the DS-160 application during the validity of the petition so they know you are still seeking a visa. Then string out the medical, notification or readiness, and making an appointment to suit your timeline. Your fiancé sends her I-134 and proof of income to you by mail, so have her add the new letter of intent as well. Half the time they never even actually ask for that new letter, but they tell you to do that in their letter of instruction to the beneficiary, so do it.

There is only one approved Panel Physician to do visa medicals. They are in London. You will make two trips to London. http://www.visamedicals.info/us.asp

Edited July 13, 2016 by Nich-Nick

[Nathan45 5]

Thank you very much Nich-Nick!