Naples, Italy - My entire K-1 Visa process step-by-step - 2018

[fern28 61]

Hi, I have a question-- in terms of receiving paper stuff in the mail-- did this stuff only go to your fiance's american address or also to an italian or canadian address for you?

[JMK_IT 134]

12 hours ago, fern28 said:

Hi, I have a question-- in terms of receiving paper stuff in the mail-- did this stuff only go to your fiance's american address or also to an italian or canadian address for you?

Hi,

The NOA1 and NOA2 were sent to my husband’s mailing address in the US. He also received them by email, almost simultaneously.  

 

The NVC notice was sent only to his email address, while a copy of it arrived at my mailing Italian address only a couple of days prior to the interview, when I had already scheduled it and collected everything I needed. It was useless and quite a waste of paper. 

 

I suggest you to keep track of everything online and by email. It’s the safest way to go.  

[Bill&Matt 4]

Hi

Just read your experience, so useful thanks a lot for sharing! Although I am from Naples, I will apply for the visa to the London embassy, as I have been living and working in UK for the past 3 years. We are finishing to assemble our I-129f package and we should be ready to send it by the end of the month. Congratulations for the marriage! 

Edited July 5, 2018 by matteoam

[JMK_IT 134]

On 7/4/2018 at 8:03 PM, matteoam said:

Hi

Just read your experience, so useful thanks a lot for sharing! Although I am from Naples, I will apply for the visa to the London embassy, as I have been living and working in UK for the past 3 years. We are finishing to assemble our I-129f package and we should be ready to send it by the end of the month. Congratulations for the marriage! 

Grazie mille! Good luck with everything! 

[anna&grey 0]

Ciao scusami... ho letto che hai portato a Napoli le copie autentiche dei vari documenti chem hai raccolto. È obbligatorio fare la copia autentica? O basta originale + copia normale? O non è specificato?

 

grazie 😊 

[JMK_IT 134]

Just now, anna&grey said:

Ciao scusami... ho letto che hai portato a Napoli le copie autentiche dei vari documenti chem hai raccolto. È obbligatorio fare la copia autentica? O basta originale + copia normale? O non è specificato?

 

grazie 😊 

Nelle istruzioni non è specificato di autenticare le copie, è stata una mia premura personale. Molti fanno semplici fotocopie e sono accettate. Nel mio comune di residenza l'Ufficio Anagrafe offre copie autenticate di ogni documento per €2,50, ne ho approfittato perché avevo con me i certificati di polizia quel giorno. Parlando con altre persone ho notato che alcuni uffici chiedono molti più soldi e quindi non ne vale la pena. 

Ti consiglio di scrivere una email al consolato di Napoli per avere l'assoluta certezza! Sono abbastanza veloci nel rispondere e assistere gli applicant. In bocca al lupo!

[Fulvida 5]

On 17/3/2018 at 6:08 PM, ababsurd said:

Hello there, fellow Italian applicants!
I am the beneficiary of a K1 Visa submitted by my future husband, who is American. 

I am Italian-Canadian, born and raised in Italy.
On March 14th, 2018 my Visa was finally approved. I now understand the full meaning the name of this website carries, it is indeed a journey.
Throughout the process I decided to document my entire experience with the intention of posting it once it would be over, hoping that it might be useful to all those people who will be interviewed at Consulate in Napoli (or Naples). 
Perhaps most of the information will sound redundant or obvious, just keep in mind that I wrote every step in detail as it was happening, wishing to have a similar report to quiet my most trivial doubts (SPOILER: there will be MANY trivial doubts, just never feel stupid to ask).

This website has been our most used guide. However, I suggest you always follow the instructions you are given as a primary source.
There is nothing hidden, everything is pretty straightforward.
I hope that sharing my experience could help you and serve you as a general reference, nothing more than that. Every case is different.
Anyway, here’s what happened:

We decided to get married in May 2017. After doing our research, we decided to go through the K1 Visa process without the assistance of a lawyer.

 

I-129 F PACKAGE

We filed our I-129F form and sent the package at the end of June 2017.
Our I-129F package contained:
- e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, which you can use to keep track of the status of your application. I highly recommend anyone to file it, they will send you a Receipt Number and your Case Status will be easily kept under control.
- Completed Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)
- Declaration of How We Met, written and signed by my future husband, the petitioner, in which he stated the day we met and provided some additional details about our relationship, such as the days we met each other’s parents and relatives, the trips we took together, how we keep in touch when we are apart, etc. It is a very personal statement, so feel free to compose it according to you own experience.
The declaration is an extended point from the I-129F form, part 2, item number 54, that we decided to expand in a separate paper to provide further details. On the form, my fiancé wrote “Please read attached declaration”.
- Both Letters of intent to Marry within 90 days of entry; we wrote and signed one letter each. 

- Passport copies
- The petitioner’s birth certificate
- The beneficiary’s most recent I-94, to show all my past entrances in the United States.  You can get it for free on the USCIS website, after submitting your passport number.
I also included copies of expired passport pages with stamps.
- EVIDENCE OF RELATIONSHIP, for which I provided 8 photos of us in various situations (photos of just the two of us, photos with our families, etc); receipts of airplane tickets we took together; receipts of hotel stays and various tickets.
I would suggest you to gather as much evidence as possible, and it’s totally up to you to evaluate how much material to send to USCIS. We felt we wanted to be safe, and we submitted anything official that had both our names. 

 

In the package I also decided to include a personal statement in which I informed USCIS about my dual citizenship. I am Italian and Canadian. I was born in Italy and I’ve always resided there, so I applied to the K1 Visa as an Italian citizen, but I’ve always used my Canadian passport to travel and I felt it was safer and nicer to explain it, in case anything would come up. I included copies of both my passports.
I’m informing you about this just to suggest you to provide all the information you can about yourself from the very first step, to avoid delays in the process. As a matter of fact, it did come up during the interview, but did not constitute any setback.

The package that we sent was a regular folder that we organized in sections. We also put a list on the first page to recap all the documents that we were submitting.

 

MAKE A COPY OF THE WHOLE I-129F PACKAGE BEFORE SENDING IT AND KEEP IT FOR ANY FUTURE REFERENCE. Actually, what I did was updating the original folder as we moved on with the procedure, adding a new section each time there was progress. On the interview date I arrived at the Consulate with this massive (but very organized )  creation that contained every single page, notification, document submitted. It helped me to keep everything under control, as you will often need to check, double check, triple check.
 

NOA1 - July 5th 2017
We received our NOA1 on June 5th 2017, about a week after sending our petition.  We received one copy in the mail and we also got a notification by email. 

I made a copy of the NOA1 and placed it in a new section the folder.

Visiting your SO during the wait:
After receiving our NOA1, the longest wait of our life started. I visited my fiancé in the United States for a few months and we did most of the wait together, so I can’t really complain about the distance, but not a day went by without checking our status.
If you wish to visit your SO during the wait and travel with your Italian passport, make sure you have a valid ESTA before you start the I-129F. It is indeed possible to visit, but remember that there is always the chance of being denied by a POE officer. 

As for my experience, I had the possibility to travel with my Canadian passport,  which allows a 6 months B2 Visitor Visa. I spent 5 months in the United States, from the end of September 2017 to February 2018, because I was a non working student and I had the chance to go. I took the time I had to write my final thesis and be with my man. We were together when we received our NOA2 and my return ticket was shortly after that. During the interview I was legitimately asked questions about my frequent long stays, but because I have always been meticulous with my dates and in good faith about my travels, it didn’t raise any red flags.

The website to track the status of your petition is:
https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/mycasestatus.do
You will need to enter the Receipt Number written on your NOA1.

NOA2 - 18 Jan 2018

Our I-129F petition was approved in 197 days, with no RFEs.
On January 18th 2018, we finally received our NOA2 in the mail.
It was a moment of great joy, and things definitely moved super fast for us after that.
I made a copy of the NOA2 and put it in the folder.

At this point, you could start gathering the documents of Packet3, if you plan to schedule your interview as soon as possible. Do not start gathering documents before you receive your NOA2, as most of them have an expiration date of 6 months.

NVC NOTICE - Case sent to Naples, Italy - 06 Feb 2018
On February 6th, 2018, my fiancé received NOTICE FROM NVC, which includes your CASE NUMBER that you will need to use when filing the DS-160.
The notice also informed us that our case had been sent to the Consulate in Naples.

 

PACKET3 - 08 Feb 2018
On February 8th 2018, my fiancé received an email from IVNAPLES@STATE.GOV, notifying us that they had received our petition. In the same email they attached the Packet3, containing all the instructions for the interview and the medical examination.
I immediately started to prepare and gather all the documentation required for the day of the interview. You won’t have to send anything to the Consulate, you just collect everything and present it on the day of the interview. 
The instructions also tell you how to book your interview once you have everything in hand, and pay the $265 fee.
The medical fee is €220, and the visit will be automatically scheduled by the Consulate for the day before your interview date.

REMEMBER TO GATHER EVERYTHING IN DOUBLE COPY. On the interview day, you will be asked to provide everything in duplicate evidence, and at the end they will give you back either the original or the copy of each document.

This is what I had to do and what applied to my case, but there may be additional requirements if you need to present divorce certificates, if you were in the military, if you were adopted, if you lived in other countries than Italy for more than 6 months, etc.
I happen to have never been married before, have never lived in other countries for more than 6 months, have no children, have never been in the military, was never arrested or have never had problems with the law, thus:

- I completed the DS-160 ONLINE NONIMMIGRATION FORM, and printed the confirmation receipt. You will need the CASE NUMBER provided in the NVC notice, and after submitting the form you will be able to track the status of your case on the CEAC platform (https://ceac.state.gov/ceacstattracker/status.aspx).
NB: When you check your status, remember to select “IMMIGRATION VISA (IV)” from the list of the Visa Application Type. Although the K1 Visa is a “non-immigrant” type, the tracking will only work if you select IV. I guess this depends on the fact that your nonimmigrant status will be extremely temporary, just the 90 days window to get married.
- I requested my CERTIFICATO DI NASCITA at my Comune di residenza, and made an authenticated copy of it. I was also requested to gather the birth certificate of my fiancé again.
- I requested my CERTIFICATO DEI CARICHI PENDENTI and CERTIFICATO GENERALE DEL CASELLARIO GIUDIZIALE at the Tribunale of my city. They need a stamp (marca da bollo) of €19,84 each, and I made an authenticated copy for both.
I made authenticated copies at my Comune di residenza, and paid €2,5 each.
- I re-printed a new I-94, because I travelled to the United Stated during the process
- I took 6 American passport photos for the interview
- My fiancé completed the I-134 Affidavit of Support Form and provided evidence of support, such as a letter from his employer, two pay stubs, his W2, a statement from his bank. Remember to verify if you need a co-sponsor by checking the income guidelines.
- I printed my fiancé’s passport copy again
- EVIDENCE OF RELATIONSHIP: I gathered 26 new photos and submitted other additional evidence, including new airplane ticket receipts and anything else we had.

Then I had to verify that I had all the vaccinations required. I went to the Italian ASL and requested a new LIBRETTO DELLE VACCINAZIONI and CERTIFICATO DELLE VACCINAZIONI. I also had two shots that I had missing for free. I would recommend to do the same to any Italian applicant, because otherwise you will have to pay for them on the day of the medical exam and the fees are not exactly cheap.
One of the vaccinations required is the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (the Italian TRIVALENTE). Since I had mine done privately during the ‘90s (it wasn’t mandatory in Italy back then), I had no proof of my immunization, so my medico di base suggested me to get IGG blood tests, which will tell you if you need to get the shot again.

I was able to obtain all these documents in 10-12 days.
On February 26th, 2018 I scheduled my interview for March 14th, 2018 and paid the $265 fee on the website indicated on Packet3, (https://ais.usvisa-info.com/). You will need to access the platform through “IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANT”.
You won’t be able to complete this step unless your case is marked as “Ready” on the CEAC platform, so if you have any problems just wait a couple of days.
I was actually able to book the interview only two days after my case was marked as “Ready”. I guess there was some processing from the Consulate in the middle of the way.
I paid an additional fee of €30 for a DHL courier service that will deliver my passport at my residence. There are several options for the delivery/pick-up of the passport once the Visa is issued. You could either pick it up at the Embassy, at a selected DHL facility, or have it sent to you.
The website only accepts payment with debit cards, Visa and Mastercard.

MEDICAL VISIT

Istituto Diagnostico Varelli - March 13th 2018

 

The Varelli medical clinic is located quite far from the city center, although it doesn’t take long to reach by car. The instructions of the Consulate suggest you to get there by 8AM. 

I arrived there at 7AM and I already had 5 people in front of me, already waiting. I highly recommend to get there early as well, as you will have to re-do the same line each time for each part of the visit (blood test, urine test, X-rays, vaccine examination, general visit)

I took a ticket number from the C (Consulate) button of the machine and waited in line. 

A woman at front desk called my number and took my passport. They will keep your passport until the end of the whole procedure. 

I signed a document and they sent me to a new waiting room, where shortly after I was called for blood and urine test. They need these tests to check you don’t have gonorrhea and syphilis. 

After that, I was sent to another floor, where I waited in line in a very narrow space, to talk about my immunization records and provide personal information. Two people were sitting behind desks taking care of this step. They were talking without any discretion. I could hear what the missing vaccines of other people were, where they were going to live in the United States, and all of the personal information asked. 

I didn’t like that. 

When my turn came, I provided my Italian address, my future American address, email, phone number and I had to give them my vaccination certificate and 4 photographs. 

I came prepared and I had every vaccine needed for immigration purposes. I gave them Italian style document photos and they accepted them, but warned me that the Consulate would only accept American style ones. 

I paid €220 and I was sent back upstairs, where I started a new line to get the X-rays done. 

After that, I was sent downstairs again, started a new line, and waited for the final medical visit, where they registered my weight and height, measured my blood pressure, checked my lungs and sight, made me complete a questionnaire of my medical history. 

After that, I was free to leave. They informed me that the Consulate would give me my results. 

Overall, I wasn’t impressed by the experience. 

The structure could improve its organization, but everyone was kind and informative.
I personally feel that €220 is an overpriced fee for what you get. 

 

INTERVIEW - March 14th, 2018 - Approved! 

 

I arrived at the Consulate half an hour early, and passed the airport style security. 

I had to leave my phone and was given a number and a visitor pass.

Once upstairs, two young ladies at a welcome desk made sure I had all the documents, took the originals and the copies, put them in their own order and gave them back to me. They were kind and informative.
I sat and waited in a spacious room. There are booths where you will interact with consuls and functionaries though a glass window, standing.
My interview took place in two steps. 

Step 1: my number was called from one of the booths. I walked there and I talked to an Italian woman, who took all my documents, examined them, and asked me a few questions about my fiancé and I.

The documents were: passport, DS-160 receipt, interview and payment receipt, my birth certificate, my fiancé’s birth certificate, my fiancé’s passport copy, my police certificate, Affidavit of Support with the supporting evidence (letter from employer, pay stubs, tax documents, statement from bank), 2 American passport photos.
The questions were about where my fiancé is from, what he does for a living, what I do for a living, if we had already made plans for the wedding, and confirmed our future home address. 

She organized all my documents in an open hardcopy file with our names, where they have the approved I-129F and all the previous documents submitted, took my fingerprints, gave me an envelope containing the results of my medical visit, and sent me back to the waiting area, informing me that I would shortly be called for the final phase of the interview.
You will need to take the medical exam results with you when you will travel to the US with your new Visa.
Step 2: my number was called again from a different booth, where the consul was waiting for the final interview. Upon arriving, I was asked if I preferred to speak in English or Italian, swore to tell the truth, and the interview began.
The questions were different this time, more specific and detailed, asked in rapid fire.
I guess each experience varies according to your own case and situation. What is important is to provide all the information truthfully and clearly, they are legitimately serious about your immigration petition and need to make sure you are too.
Although it was a nerve-racking experience, I cannot write this review without expressing my appreciation for the way it is conducted.
The CO who interviewed me was very formal. She listened carefully to my answers, insisting on various points when she needed more information.
I was asked about 20-25 questions about my background, my family background, my fiancé’s family background, where, when and how we met, how old he is, where he was at the time of the interview, when was the last time we had heard from each other,  how often we hear from each other, how we are going to arrange our wedding, what our respective families think of each other, requested quite detailed information about my fiancé’s family members, about how many times I had been to the United States, and since each time I went I did long stays, she wanted to know exactly my dates of entry and exits. I said that I had provided a I-94 to further document my travels and asked if she’d like to see it, and she replied that she preferred to hear it from me.
After the interrogation, she concluded telling me that she was going to approve my K1 Visa and reminded me about the 90 days. I asked if I needed any proof of approval and she replied that I just have to wait for my passport to be delivered at home with the sealed Visa package which you must not open.
My evidence of relationship wasn’t requested at all, let alone looked at.

MY BEST ADVICE: Most of the interviews that take place at the Naples Consulate are generally reviewed to be shorter than mine has been, with less and more generic questions. 

I didn’t know what to expect and I was prepared to any possibility.  I am happy about how it went.
Do not take the questions I was asked as a reference. Actually, do not take any question of any review as a reference, or at least not to the point where you use them to prepare for the interview.
They will have questions for you, and you will have answers for them. It could be about things you expect more, or things you expect less. To each their own. Just make the exchange worth all the sacrifices you’ve done to get to this final step, and everything will end smoothly. After all, you want to be there to prove you agree to play by the rules and to confirm the consistency of all the information you have submitted. 

 

Obvious tips that never get old enough:
- Be confident. The interview can indeed get arduous, but as long as you are there in bona fide and with all the documents in the right place, there is no need to feel intimidated.  They will understand you being nervous, so just worry about the accuracy of your answers and ignore that vocal tremor of yours. 

- Arrive early.
- Smile! It’s the final step of your long awaited process. You will be married soon!

AFTER THE INTERVIEW
After the approval on March 14th, my CEAC case changed to “Administrative Processing”, and switched to “Issued” on March 16th. That’s when I knew my Visa was finally being printed and sent to me.
Do not panic when you read that the Administrative Processing may take up to several weeks. If you were told your case was approved, it just means they are doing their final reviews and printing the super cool Visa on your passport.


Here’s a recap of the fees:
I-129F fee: $535
Embassy fee: $265
DHL fee: €30 (optional)
Medical fee: €220
Marca da Bollo for “Certificato dei Carichi Pendenti” e “Certificato Generale del Casellario Giudiziale”: €39.68



That’s all, FOR NOW!
Good luck to you all!
 

Ciao!

Per prima cosa auguri per il matrimonio e grazie per questo post così preciso, mi dà speranza il fatto che sia possibile fare tutto senza aiuto da un avvocato.

Ho qualche domanda:

1. Hai avuto bisogno di traduzioni di documenti? Per esempio il libretto delle vaccinazioni o il casellario giudiziale?

2. Sapevate già dove sareste andati a vivere? Immagino di sì visto che il tuo futuro marito aveva già un lavoro.

3. Al momento di inviare l'I-129 avevate già inizio i preparativi per il matrimonio?

4. Last but not least, come ti trovi negli USA?

 

In bocca al lupo per tutto e grazie ancora!

 

[JMK_IT 134]

4 hours ago, Fulvida said:

Ciao!

Per prima cosa auguri per il matrimonio e grazie per questo post così preciso, mi dà speranza il fatto che sia possibile fare tutto senza aiuto da un avvocato.

Ho qualche domanda:

1. Hai avuto bisogno di traduzioni di documenti? Per esempio il libretto delle vaccinazioni o il casellario giudiziale?

2. Sapevate già dove sareste andati a vivere? Immagino di sì visto che il tuo futuro marito aveva già un lavoro.

3. Al momento di inviare l'I-129 avevate già inizio i preparativi per il matrimonio?

4. Last but not least, come ti trovi negli USA?

 

In bocca al lupo per tutto e grazie ancora!

 

I'll send you a private reply in Messages, I'm not sure if the forum terms of service allow users to write in other languages   

[Chiara_5 7]

Hi!!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience

I am waiting for my NOA2 which should come in september hopefully. 

 

Since this month I will be in italy, I was hoping to obtain all the documents now to not loose time when the time to go to Naples comes( hopfully december...).

 

My questions is,how did you manage to get the vaccines shots for free? Did you just go to Asl or you went to your doctor first? I am just curious about the process and which steps to take.

 

Thanks in advance for your time

 

Chiara

[JMK_IT 134]

3 hours ago, Chiara_5 said:

Hi!!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience

I am waiting for my NOA2 which should come in september hopefully. 

 

Since this month I will be in italy, I was hoping to obtain all the documents now to not loose time when the time to go to Naples comes( hopfully december...).

 

My questions is,how did you manage to get the vaccines shots for free? Did you just go to Asl or you went to your doctor first? I am just curious about the process and which steps to take.

 

Thanks in advance for your time

 

Chiara

Hey there Chiara! 

 

I can't speak for every ASL unfortunately, apparently the current vaccine situation is not regulated at a national level and there are different arrangements according to each region and to each hq. I was lucky enough to get the two vaccines for free, but talking to some other applicants from different areas of Italy I noticed that it's not always the case. 

 

Anyway, I still recommend you complete your requirements through the national health system and make sure you get to your medical examination appointment already vaccinated. Your ASL may request fees, but you would still pay considerably less than you would if you got your doses at Istituto Diagnostico Varelli on the day of your medical examination.

 

You can check the USCIS requirements on the CDC page here: https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/pdf/Vaccine-Requirements-According-to-Applicant-Age.pdf

 

You will most likely need MMR, TDaP, Varicella, and Influenza (only during flu season). 

 

I strongly suggest you leave Italy with 2 MMR shots listed in your records, if possible. The recommended doses are two, and this will become important to avoid delays or RFEs during your AOS process. 

 

Let me know if I can help you w anything else 😉

[Chiara_5 7]

Thanks so much!!!

 

I called the Asl and i can get most vaccines for free too! 1 point for italy

 

Thanks a lot for your answer

 

What about the police certificate? 

A local police office is ok or I need to go to Procura?

 

I hope everything goes smooth

 

 

[JMK_IT 134]

Just now, Chiara_5 said:

Thanks so much!!!

 

I called the Asl and i can get most vaccines for free too! 1 point for italy

 

Thanks a lot for your answer

 

What about the police certificate? 

A local police office is ok or I need to go to Procura?

 

I hope everything goes smooth

 

 

You're most welcome!

 

For the police certificates I went to the Tribunale of my hometown, you will need to request "carichi pendenti" and "casellario giudiziale generale". They both have a marca da bollo of around $20 each. 

Don't request them too soon, they have a validity of 6 months! (same thing for l'estratto di nascita)

[Erica Coco 21]

This is awesome really! The bible as somebody else said before me

 

Wondering around I found this link that might be helpful, it was updated on the 1st of june and it includes a checklist ( I love checklists :D)

 
Just thought it might be useful for those waiting for the interview Naples Checklist

 

Best of luck to everyone!!!

[Erica Coco 21]

So I was just trying to go back to the checklist I recently posted from the link and I realized it does not work. I somehow messed it up. Anyways I'll upload the PDF. Hopefully it's going to work this time

NPL-Naples.pdf

[JMK_IT 134]

4 hours ago, Erica Coco said:

So I was just trying to go back to the checklist I recently posted from the link and I realized it does not work. I somehow messed it up. Anyways I'll upload the PDF. Hopefully it's going to work this time

NPL-Naples.pdf

 

It looks like the instructions from the page you shared apply to the immigrant Visa category.
Remember that K-1 is a nonimmigrant Visa, so applicants need to file for DS-160 and not for DS-260. 

They will also need a different checklist of documents than the one listed there. For instance, the correct Affidavit of Support for K-1 Visa applicants is Form I-134. You will need Form I-864 when you file for AoS.
Same for the translations: for the interview stage, you will not need to translate any Italian documents in English. You will need to have the birth certificate translated only during the AoS filing.
Keep this in mind so you will prepare the right documents for this phase of the procedure 😊

If you're looking for an official source, the U.S. Consulate General of Naples recently updated the instructions for K-1 Visa applicants here: https://it.usembassy.gov/it/visti/iv/k1/

It's a very useful link, where you will find a recap of everything you need. You will also find a link to a .zip file containing the Packet3, but many applicants have pointed out that it doesn't seem to be functioning. It would be probably best to inform the Consulate about this, so they can update it and applicants will be immediately allowed to access the detailed instructions and start gathering the right documents as soon as they receive their case #. 
Anyway, the Consulate usually e-mails Packet3 to the petitioner as soon as they receive their case from NVC. Make sure to consult it thoroughly before taking any further action! 😃

 

Good luck! 🤩

 

Edited September 4, 2018 by ababsurd