Good morning from the Netherlands

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

Good morning all you lovely people.  

I have been reading this website for a while and it has been a huge help to understand what the immigration process all entails. I figured, since my love and I are planning to start our own big K1 adventure in a few months time, I'd drop in and introduce myself.

 

I'm 33 and from the Netherlands. Work at the city archives as a historian, archivist and floormanager. I'm currently enrolled in the Media, Information and Communication course at the University of Amsterdam and spend my free time sheepherding with my border collies and riding my 17 hand high Belgian draft. If I'm not chattering away with my baby that is.

 

My boyfriend and I met each other through an online friend a little over a year ago. We chatted for hours on end and became very good friends. We were both in a pretty rough space at the time (both going through divorce) and we had a lot of support from each other. When everything settled down a bit the chatting quickly evolved to calling and the calling to videochatting and at one point we realized we really wanted to be more than just friends.

Last July I flew out to Indiana to go see him and it was everything I hoped for. No nerves, no awkwardness. As if I came home. I got along real well with his kids too and I met his parents and stepmother. I already booked my next flight (December/Januari) and he got his tickets for March 2018 booked as well.

 

So, that's us in a nutshell. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and hopefully weedle some more information out of ya.

 

 

 

[KULtoATL 1,551]

Welcome to the forum!  Happy to see a new face here. If you are planning for a future K-1, I'd like to share the following with you to help you kickstart your research or process:

 

1. Review the official I-129F form and instructions sheet here: https://www.uscis.gov/i-129f. The required documents or evidence stated in this instructions sheet cannot be discounted and must be submitted.
2. To put together a comprehensive petition for submission, refer to VJ K-1 guide: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide. This guide is perfect if you want to get an idea on the types of supporting documents or evidences you can include to help back up your petition and relationship. On top of that, this guide will also be useful when you are gathering subsequent documents for the K-1 stage. HOWEVER, please ignore the forms stated within the guide because that particular information is not updated. For current required forms (excluding supporting documents or evidences) for a I-129F, please read my next two points below.
3. I-129F stage: You only need I-129F and G-1145, you NO longer need G-325A. 
4. K-1 stage: I-134 and DS-160 (completed electronically).

 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them and the helpful members on VJ will try their best to assist you  

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

Thank you very much.  And congratulations on your own K1 approval!

I have studied the guide excessively and it's a very big help! Thank you for the warning on the forms not being up to date. I will keep that in mind.

 

Right now we are planning to file in December, but he still has something to ask me first.

[TBoneTX 45,265]

Welcome to the forum.

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

Thank you! Happy to be here.

As I posted on the Dutch thread. My bf has been talking to a co worker of his, who married a Columbian woman. He advised on getting married and apply for a greencard after. He said it only cost him 200 USD that way. Not sure what to think about that.

He gave my bf the name and number of an immigration attorney who does volunteer work at one of the churches in town. He will go in and talk to her next week.

[Fr8dog 312]

There are a lot of "My friend knows someone who....." stories out there. Regardless of what you end up doing, it's going to be more than 200,=. Personally I would look into the CR-1 route vs the K-1 route. May take a little longer, but it's cheaper and you don't have to deal with the Adjustment of status. That is the big ticket item currently.

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

I read this article the other day and showed it to my bf. He will go talk to the attorney but my gut feeling says we should proceed with the K1 visa.

[Fr8dog 312]

That story has no bearing on you since you are from a waiver country and it talks about the ajustment from one visa to another. The CR-1 route is different. You get married before you apply for it. Read the excellent guides on this forum about what is required and all. There really is no need for a Lawyer/attorney, all can be done by the two of you and it's easy enough to complete. A lawyer is really nothing more than an over paid office clerk that files the paperwork for you. You still need to prepare most of it yourself.

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

Doesn't coming in on an esta count for the same thing? I'm sure when applying for an esta I had to answer a question about only entering the country for business or holiday and any change in status would be seen as fraud. But I'd need to look that up. Its been a while since getting my esta.

 

But, do I understand you correctly thabk can enter on my esta, get married, and apply for CR1 without any consequences?

 

Anyway. We were being referred to the lawyer to give us advise on a no pay volunteer work basis. She won't do the paperwork. Just listen to us and answer questions. 

[KASH2011 382]

Welcome to VJ!

[X Factor 1,112]

Welcome to VJ

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

On ‎22‎-‎10‎-‎2017 at 12:56 AM, X Factor said:

Welcome to VJ

Thanks X

[Marion63 22]

On 20/09/2017 at 12:22 PM, Little_Vixen said:

Doesn't coming in on an esta count for the same thing? I'm sure when applying for an esta I had to answer a question about only entering the country for business or holiday and any change in status would be seen as fraud. But I'd need to look that up. Its been a while since getting my esta.

 

But, do I understand you correctly thabk can enter on my esta, get married, and apply for CR1 without any consequences?

 

Anyway. We were being referred to the lawyer to give us advise on a no pay volunteer work basis. She won't do the paperwork. Just listen to us and answer questions. 

Hoi..ik kom ook uit Nederland but I am a permanent citizen of Canada.

I still have my dutch passport..

As well as Esta and am wondering the same thing

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

10 hours ago, Marion63 said:

Hoi..ik kom ook uit Nederland but I am a permanent citizen of Canada.

I still have my dutch passport..

As well as Esta and am wondering the same thing

I've since got kind of an answer to this and more experienced VJ'ers will step in if I misinterpret anything. In short: it's not illegal... but...

 

When you travel on an esta you agreed to enter the country as a tourist. If you have any premade plans on getting married when you enter the country, and thus are entering the country not as a tourist but with immigration intentions, you are violating esta agreements and you can and will be sent back.

Now if you enter as a tourist with no intention to get married but your situation changes, like you find the love of your life, get her pregnant and, entirely voluntarily and out of your own free will, decide you want to get married on the spot while her daddy is smiling happily over the barrel of his shotgun, you have every right to get married and apply for an AOS afterwards.

 

All joking aside, this is technically legal because it's kind of a loophole that they are trying very hard to close. Doing this will make your application stand out like a sore thumb. It's against the initial intention of the visa's and esta and you will not be making many friends at immigration while doing this. And to be honest, with current administration pushing immigration regulations, I wouldn't be surprised if they find a way to close the loophole and get you stranded in an even bigger mess.

 

So to recap: don't do it.