K-1 Visa Experience

[JimandDonna 0]

Greetings-As new members, we would like to share some of our experience with the K-1 Visa process. My fiancé is from Canada, but had lived in Germany for five years the 1980s (1984-1989).  We submitted a form for a Certificate of Good Conduct from Germany on January 16, 2017.  We thought we would get the Certificate of Good Conduct fairly quick.  Our interview at the U.S. Consular in Montreal was scheduled for March 15, 2017.  We went to the interview as scheduled, hoping that the Certificate of Good Conduct would arrive before the interview.  The Certificate of Good Conduct from Germany never arrived. So we got the 221(g) form.  I eventually went to my congressman to track down this Certificate of Good Conduct.  That took several weeks thru back channel connections. We learned that the Certificate of Good Conduct was sent on January 30, 2017 from Germany.  We  concluded that the Certificate of Good Conduct got lost in the mail going from Germany to Canada.  So we had to send another form requesting another Certificate of Good Conduct.  The second Certificate of Good Conduct in early April and it finally arrived on May 29, 2017.  Of course, the Certificate of Good Conduct had to be translated from Germany to English. We finally got the Certificate of Good Conduct (and some other documents) to the consular in Montreal on July 11th and they finally open the case on July 26, 2017 only to get a RFE for a second medical (six month expiration). As of this writing, we are still in Administrative Processing (AP).  So we caution anybody applying for an K-1 Visa and you know that your fiancé had lived in other countries other than the country of birth, we strongly encourage candidates to start very early in requesting for Certificates of Good Conduct and do not set up an interview until you have all your paperwork in your hand. If anybody else had similar experience, please share.

[KULtoATL 1,551]

About the police certificates, this is exactly why foreign beneficiaries should research how long it would take for each country's authority to issue one and what's the validity. If the certificate is valid for a year, a foreign beneficiary can easily apply for one in advance and still receive it in a timely manner. 

 

And yes, it is always better to have all documents in hand before scheduling for an interview to avoid such unnecessary delay as you've experienced. In fact, most Packet 3 advises the same. But of course there are people out there who gambled their luck and they got out without a scratch.

Edited August 25, 2017 by KULtoATL

[C-ma'am 684]

**Post moved from K1 Process to Progress Reports

[hassan247 38]

Hi I'm a new poster here at VJ but I would to see what advice I can get. Me and my fiancee applied through an immigration lawyer application 129f on July 13, 2017 and as of today August 25, 2017 me nor my attorney have received a receipt notice nor has my check been cashed yet. I'm very worried and stressed about this. Please any information or advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[JimandDonna 0]

On ‎8‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 1:30 PM, hassan247 said:

Hi I'm a new poster here at VJ but I would to see what advice I can get. Me and my fiancee applied through an immigration lawyer application 129f on July 13, 2017 and as of today August 25, 2017 me nor my attorney have received a receipt notice nor has my check been cashed yet. I'm very worried and stressed about this. Please any information or advice would be greatly appreciated. 

It is a long process and it takes about a month of two to move from the I-129F to the Embassy.  Usually, the provide notification as it moves from one processing center to another. It sounds like you are at the front end of this process. 

 

[hassan247 38]

9 hours ago, JimandDonna said:

It is a long process and it takes about a month of two to move from the I-129F to the Embassy.  Usually, the provide notification as it moves from one processing center to another. It sounds like you are at the front end of this process. 

 

Yes I am aware that it is a long process but I haven't even received NOA1 or had my check cashedafter 6 weeks yet

[LionessDeon 2,060]

On 8/25/2017 at 1:30 PM, hassan247 said:

Hi I'm a new poster here at VJ but I would to see what advice I can get. Me and my fiancee applied through an immigration lawyer application 129f on July 13, 2017 and as of today August 25, 2017 me nor my attorney have received a receipt notice nor has my check been cashed yet. I'm very worried and stressed about this. Please any information or advice would be greatly appreciated. 

First you should really start your own topic.  Your question has nothing to do with this OP subject and is against TOS for hijacking a thread.

You pay your lawyer good money.  Your lawyer should be tracking down your package.  Did they send it with tracking?? (I certainly hope a lawyer would know that is a must)  Does the tracking show it has been received??  It generally does not take that long for your check to be cashed.  Your lawyer should be getting to work on this for you.   

Review the K1 flowchart  Step 3: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

For any other questions please start your own topic.  Good Luck!

Edited August 28, 2017 by LionessDeon

[John & Rose 7,239]

On 8/25/2017 at 0:30 PM, hassan247 said:

Hi I'm a new poster here at VJ but I would to see what advice I can get. Me and my fiancee applied through an immigration lawyer application 129f on July 13, 2017 and as of today August 25, 2017 me nor my attorney have received a receipt notice nor has my check been cashed yet. I'm very worried and stressed about this. Please any information or advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Are you saying you never received the NOA1?  I would call USCIS ASAP.  That usually only takes a few days to a week.  The NOA2 takes about 5 to 6 months.

 

Are you sure the Lawyer actually sent it?  Did it go to the correct address (probably Dallas then Dallas sends to California).  If the check hasn't been cashed and you have no NOA1, my guess is the Lawyer sent it to the wrong place or not at all - there are all kinds of stories about lawyers dropping the ball and charging their clients.

Edited August 28, 2017 by John & Rose

[hassan247 38]

On 8/28/2017 at 6:10 PM, John & Rose said:

Are you saying you never received the NOA1?  I would call USCIS ASAP.  That usually only takes a few days to a week.  The NOA2 takes about 5 to 6 months.

 

Are you sure the Lawyer actually sent it?  Did it go to the correct address (probably Dallas then Dallas sends to California).  If the check hasn't been cashed and you have no NOA1, my guess is the Lawyer sent it to the wrong place or not at all - there are all kinds of stories about lawyers dropping the ball and charging their clients.

Yes im saying I never received NOA1 and I continuously call USCIS and they nothing is in the system with my name my fiancee name or her ssn. I try and call my lawyer and he keeps saying I'm with a client I'll call you back but never calls back

[John & Rose 7,239]

2 hours ago, hassan247 said:

Yes im saying I never received NOA1 and I continuously call USCIS and they nothing is in the system with my name my fiancee name or her ssn. I try and call my lawyer and he keeps saying I'm with a client I'll call you back but never calls back

I hope you didn't pay a lot for your lawyer!  I would ask him for a copy of what he sent and send the package yourself. Look everything over. If you have questions ask us here. We will help make sure that it is completed correctly. I would just re-file as soon as you can. 

[JimandDonna 0]

7 minutes ago, John & Rose said:

I hope you didn't pay a lot for your lawyer!  I would ask him for a copy of what he sent and send the package yourself. Look everything over. If you have questions ask us here. We will help make sure that it is completed correctly. I would just re-file as soon as you can. 

I agree with John and Rose.  I would cut your loss and submit a new package directly to the agency and pay them directly. To go back and try to recover your money (and paperwork) may result in a waste of time.  I am sorry to hear about your circumstances but you are still in a good position to recover from this situation.

[John & Rose 7,239]

4 hours ago, hassan247 said:

Yes im saying I never received NOA1 and I continuously call USCIS and they nothing is in the system with my name my fiancee name or her ssn. I try and call my lawyer and he keeps saying I'm with a client I'll call you back but never calls back

I used a third party to help me compile everything.  So far I am very happy with them.  They actually caught a few things that would have been an RFE.  I got receipts when they mailed it and I received updates as it progresses through.  They were reasonable at around $300 for their service.  They are cradle to grave so they will be with my through AOS.  

[hassan247 38]

5 hours ago, John & Rose said:

I used a third party to help me compile everything.  So far I am very happy with them.  They actually caught a few things that would have been an RFE.  I got receipts when they mailed it and I received updates as it progresses through.  They were reasonable at around $300 for their service.  They are cradle to grave so they will be with my through AOS.  

How can I get the copies from the lawyer if he is not answeringme at all. Plus it was difficult to get the 535 together the first time? Plus how can I contact that third party you used?

[John & Rose 7,239]

1 minute ago, hassan247 said:

How can I get the copies from the lawyer if he is not answeringme at all. Plus it was difficult to get the 535 together the first time? Plus how can I contact that third party you used?

I will message you off line...