CR1 checklist wanted

[natasha-mehdito 137]

Hi Everyone!

 

My Fiance and I were denied the K1 and now plan to marry at the end of June and file the CR1. I feel a bit overwhelmed at starting new paperwork but want to begin preparation so that I can come back from our honeymoon and send in our application. Is there a place in this forum where there is a checklist of documentation/ proof that would help me?

Thanks so much. I'm a bit unsettled by our denial and I'm so scared to forget something.

[Mary Lou 682]

23 minutes ago, natasha-mehdito said:

Hi Everyone!

 

My Fiance and I were denied the K1 and now plan to marry at the end of June and file the CR1. I feel a bit overwhelmed at starting new paperwork but want to begin preparation so that I can come back from our honeymoon and send in our application. Is there a place in this forum where there is a checklist of documentation/ proof that would help me?

Thanks so much. I'm a bit unsettled by our denial and I'm so scared to forget something.

Do you know the reason for the denial? Unless you do and have addressed that issue, getting married won't really "fix" what USCIS had a problem with.

IR-1/ CR-1 Spouse Visa Process and Procedures would be the form you are looking for

[natasha-mehdito 137]

4 hours ago, Mary Lou said:

Do you know the reason for the denial? Unless you do and have addressed that issue, getting married won't really "fix" what USCIS had a problem with.

IR-1/ CR-1 Spouse Visa Process and Procedures would be the form you are looking for

Hi! Yes, we know and fixed the issue. They accepted the fix but then,despite that acceptance, they then  said they did not believe I intend to marry him once he arrived and that they saw no proof that he knows anything about my job, where I went to college etc... its sort of ######## but it is so hard to argue with these people. 

Edited May 28, 2017 by Ryan H
Reason for edit: to remove alternate spelling of profanity.

[NikLR 13,232]

Check out our wiki guides and official guide.  The official guide may have some outdated information but the EZ spouse guide has been updated for sure. 

[natasha-mehdito 137]

1 hour ago, NikLR said:

Check out our wiki guides and official guide.  The official guide may have some outdated information but the EZ spouse guide has been updated for sure. 

Where is that exactly? And thank you!!

[Mr&Mrs G. 903]

3 hours ago, natasha-mehdito said:

Hi! Yes, we know and fixed the issue. They accepted the fix but then,despite that acceptance, they then  said they did not believe I intend to marry him once he arrived and that they saw no proof that he knows anything about my job, where I went to college etc... its sort of bull**** but it is so hard to argue with these people. 

The guides are at the top of the page. Guide http://www.visajourney.com/content/guides/ & Wiki http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

 

I would be very concerned, and marriage may not solve your problem. He will probably get a grilling at the interview stage and you may still get a refusal. 

 

This may sound terrible but do not go through with a marriage ceremony if you do not plan to go live with him if he is refused. 

 

Best of luck for the future.

Edited May 28, 2017 by Mr&Mrs G.

[natasha-mehdito 137]

3 minutes ago, Mr&Mrs G. said:

The guides are at the top of the page. Guide http://www.visajourney.com/content/guides/ & Wiki http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

 

I would be very concerned, and marriage may not solve your problem. He will probably get a grilling at the interview stage and you may still get a refusal. 

 

This may sound terrible but do not go through with a marriage ceremony if you do not plan to go live with him if he is refused. 

 

Best of luck for the future.

While I am certain that you mean well, we have no intention of giving up. He can handle being grilled. If he lived anywhere other than Iran, I would have already moved there. Anyway, many people who are denied the K1 are later approved for CR1. But thanks for the positive wishes.

[millefleur 5,048]

11 hours ago, natasha-mehdito said:

Hi! Yes, we know and fixed the issue. They accepted the fix but then,despite that acceptance, they then  said they did not believe I intend to marry him once he arrived and that they saw no proof that he knows anything about my job, where I went to college etc... its sort of ######## but it is so hard to argue with these people. 

Why were they so skeptical?

 

Did he totally fail to answer questions about you during the interview? It seems a bit odd.

 

CR-1 visas generally speaking have a higher approval rate than K-1's. But denials are not unheard of.

 

Are you asking for a checklist of evidence to make your case stronger? I would focus on really hard evidence such as passport stamps showing travel together, photos with friends and family (these carry a lot more weight than photos of just the two of you), any financial co-mingling such as shared bank accounts or credit cards where he is an authorized user, insurance policies or wills where you list each other as the beneficiary.

 

Also, when you get married, save absolutely everything connected to the wedding and get it translated. That means: car rental contract, restaurant contracts, photographer contacts/receipts, wedding ring receipts, basically anything which involves you paying for something wedding related.

 

And again: since it sounds like he obviously didn't say the right thing during the interview stage, he needs to know as much about you as possible. Practice on Skype with him with interview questions.

[natasha-mehdito 137]

8 hours ago, millefleur said:

Why were they so skeptical?

 

Did he totally fail to answer questions about you during the interview? It seems a bit odd.

 

CR-1 visas generally speaking have a higher approval rate than K-1's. But denials are not unheard of.

 

Are you asking for a checklist of evidence to make your case stronger? I would focus on really hard evidence such as passport stamps showing travel together, photos with friends and family (these carry a lot more weight than photos of just the two of you), any financial co-mingling such as shared bank accounts or credit cards where he is an authorized user, insurance policies or wills where you list each other as the beneficiary.

 

Also, when you get married, save absolutely everything connected to the wedding and get it translated. That means: car rental contract, restaurant contracts, photographer contacts/receipts, wedding ring receipts, basically anything which involves you paying for something wedding related.

 

And again: since it sounds like he obviously didn't say the right thing during the interview stage, he needs to know as much about you as possible. Practice on Skype with him with interview questions.

Hi! There was an issue with my name still being on an existing lease which showed up in public records. It was an error but looked as if I still lived with my ex. We were unaware of this and when my fiancé went to the interview, the CO basically told my fiance that i did not live where i said and that i did not live alone and told my fiancee that he knows nothing about my life....it started off the interview in a bad note and the CO would not let my fiancé talk. We refiled and that's when we found out what the problem was. I cleared it up but then they said I did not really plan to marry him when he arrived and he does not know me ( again). He knows me very, very well. 

What I was looking for is more of a basic document checklist, which i did find. Thank you for the extra input though. I have to be extra diligent with that denial history attached to our case history. 

I can't travel to Iran, unfortunately, so pics with family/friends will not happen. 

[millefleur 5,048]

9 minutes ago, natasha-mehdito said:

Hi! There was an issue with my name still being on an existing lease which showed up in public records. It was an error but looked as if I still lived with my ex. We were unaware of this and when my fiancé went to the interview, the CO basically told my fiance that i did not live where i said and that i did not live alone and told my fiancee that he knows nothing about my life....it started off the interview in a bad note and the CO would not let my fiancé talk. We refiled and that's when we found out what the problem was. I cleared it up but then they said I did not really plan to marry him when he arrived and he does not know me ( again). He knows me very, very well. 

What I was looking for is more of a basic document checklist, which i did find. Thank you for the extra input though. I have to be extra diligent with that denial history attached to our case history. 

I can't travel to Iran, unfortunately, so pics with family/friends will not happen. 

Since you said you're planning to marry in June, focus on taking photos during that time. Even if you only have photos with one or two friends, I think it'll strengthen the case and show that he knows you and your life. Your family members won't be at the wedding?

 

Also, for your honeymoon, document proof of travel together as much as you can.

[Sukie 1,486]

Natasha, the advice you got about "practicing" is really important.  Your intended should know about your Mom and Dad, your siblings, your education, your religious background, what music you like, where you grew up - the things that most people who know each other well know about.  Do pretend to be an Officer - and help your intended to answer clearly - but succinctly.  That is - he should not volunteer information, but should completely answer the questions.  The more practice, the better!

 

Good luck.  Save everything - letters, emails, travel, receipts - from him, from you, from family, from friends.

 

Sukie in NY

[natasha-mehdito 137]

2 hours ago, Sukie said:

Natasha, the advice you got about "practicing" is really important.  Your intended should know about your Mom and Dad, your siblings, your education, your religious background, what music you like, where you grew up - the things that most people who know each other well know about.  Do pretend to be an Officer - and help your intended to answer clearly - but succinctly.  That is - he should not volunteer information, but should completely answer the questions.  The more practice, the better!

 

Good luck.  Save everything - letters, emails, travel, receipts - from him, from you, from family, from friends.

 

Sukie in NY

I agree it is crucial! We did practice before his interview but he did not have a chance to even talk much. it was just a disaster because they felt I was lying...ugh. Thank you for answering! 

[natasha-mehdito 137]

2 hours ago, millefleur said:

Since you said you're planning to marry in June, focus on taking photos during that time. Even if you only have photos with one or two friends, I think it'll strengthen the case and show that he knows you and your life. Your family members won't be at the wedding?

 

Also, for your honeymoon, document proof of travel together as much as you can.

Unfortunately, we are marrying in a 3rd country. It is near to impossible for Americans to travel to Iran and even then its only if you join a tour group. This is very strict and you are not allowed into anyones home or to ever leave the group. Marrying there would entrap me and is only possible if I converted to Islam. My fiancé is not even religious and I'm certainly not either. We are going to marry in Tbilisi, Georgia. Friends and family will not join as it is a HUGE expense and long flight...I understand this. This is one of the reasons we did the K1 instead of CR1-so at least one of us would have family & friends to celebrate with! We have to work with what we have. 

Thanks for your advice! It is much appreciated!!!

[millefleur 5,048]

4 minutes ago, natasha-mehdito said:

Unfortunately, we are marrying in a 3rd country. It is near to impossible for Americans to travel to Iran and even then its only if you join a tour group. This is very strict and you are not allowed into anyones home or to ever leave the group. Marrying there would entrap me and is only possible if I converted to Islam. My fiancé is not even religious and I'm certainly not either. We are going to marry in Tbilisi, Georgia. Friends and family will not join as it is a HUGE expense and long flight...I understand this. This is one of the reasons we did the K1 instead of CR1-so at least one of us would have family & friends to celebrate with! We have to work with what we have. 

Thanks for your advice! It is much appreciated!!!

I see. I hope everything goes well. Be sure to document everything, even save receipts from your honeymoon/trip. Try to take pictures other than selfies, with various backgrounds showing that you're doing a bunch of activities together.

 

Are your parents aware of the marriage and do they support it? You can include 'Congrats' cards from them if they do. We did that with our case. They can even write "Have fun in Georgia!" or something along the lines to show that they are aware of the whole situation. If your family aren't supportive, you can have close friends do the same. Sometimes the Embassy likes to see some confirmation that the people in your life know of the wedding/relationship and support it.

 

And other than that, practice the questions until you're blue in the face and sick of them! It can only help. I hope that old public record was cleared up. Since they were worried about you still living with the ex, they might ask him questions about the ex. Maybe he won't like discussing that (my husband certainly hated the fact that he had to know about my ex's for the interview) but it will be necessary in case it comes up, especially since your case is already under scrutiny.

 

[natasha-mehdito 137]

20 minutes ago, millefleur said:

I see. I hope everything goes well. Be sure to document everything, even save receipts from your honeymoon/trip. Try to take pictures other than selfies, with various backgrounds showing that you're doing a bunch of activities together.

 

Are your parents aware of the marriage and do they support it? You can include 'Congrats' cards from them if they do. We did that with our case. They can even write "Have fun in Georgia!" or something along the lines to show that they are aware of the whole situation. If your family aren't supportive, you can have close friends do the same. Sometimes the Embassy likes to see some confirmation that the people in your life know of the wedding/relationship and support it.

 

And other than that, practice the questions until you're blue in the face and sick of them! It can only help. I hope that old public record was cleared up. Since they were worried about you still living with the ex, they might ask him questions about the ex. Maybe he won't like discussing that (my husband certainly hated the fact that he had to know about my ex's for the interview) but it will be necessary in case it comes up, especially since your case is already under scrutiny.

 

The cards are a great idea!!! My Fiancees parents are both deceased and my Mom is deceased. My Dad is our biggest support and so is the rest of my family. I communicate often with his family via Telegram app. You are right, they may ask about the ex but my fiancee knows everything. You bring up a lot of great points! Thank you so much...after the denial, which was just a week ago, I thought i was going to lose my mind and I am so worried that I all miss something. You are really sweet to help me this way!!! XOXO