Received K1 Visa how do we rent an apartment?

[Roy&Chanel 109]

I believe most of us who came as a K1 visa and renting a new apartment unit as newly weds face the same situation as you. But do not panic.

I was in the exact same situation where apartment managers rejected me initially. 

Here's what you need to do, have your salary requirements 3 times the amount of rent, example 1k rent x 3 = 3k (before taxes)

Rent the unit lease agreement under your name, after your fiance/fiancee POE, get the SSN and State ID, then inform them that you would like to include your fiance/fiancee as "AN OCCCUPANT" in the lease agreement not as a tenant.

That will cost about 100-150usd to include that. 

You can later on remove as an occupant and add as a tenant after she/he has credit build up. I am not working either, and I have no issues with adding as a tenant after building my credit, I was able to include myself as a tenant on Oct 2017. (came on Oct 2015)

Hope that helps.

 

Edited April 6, 2018 by Roy&Chanel

[Boiler 46,108]

offer a larger security deposit

[Roy&Chanel 109]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

offer a larger security deposit

I doubt that will work, because when I first came to America, I offered to pay in FULL 12 months of lease and they rejected me lol

[Boiler 46,108]

Depends who you are dealing with, I know people who that has worked with.

 

Lots of people rent who have no status, can be done.

[noraliz73 243]

I don't have the money to rent another apartment on my own.  I used the money to attend the interview, which I really believed helped decide whether or not he receive the visa.  Over the past year, my fiancé is the one who has been saving for our first year together, but his income is in Egyptian currency.  He is in the process of buying dollars, but there is no way to transfer money from one country to another without losing a very substantial amount of it in fees.  I have more than four times the amount of income needed for most apartments and good credit.  We'll see what happens.  This will only be my second time renting an apartment and I am going to be learning how things work along with my fiancé.  I think that @Boiler must be right because I'm pretty sure my downstairs neighbors are criminals and if they could get an apartment, anyone can, lol.  We might just have to rent from a regular person who owns a house with apartments to rent out rather than from a complex.  We're laughing because the K1 headache is over and now there are new challenges that could have been prevented if only we knew about them.  That is sort of why I posted this topic.  Hopefully, someone will read this and be aware of the issue and rent the larger apartment ahead of time! 

[lauragp91 31]

Did they give you the option to get the lease on your name only? This is what worked for my fiance and me since his income alone was enough to meet the requirements. We already have an apartment that is currently listed only for him and we will add my name to the lease once I get my SSN. 

[TexasHeartsIndia 371]

When I moved into my apartment, I had very little credit history and had just started a new job, but my landlord is independent of any large company ownership, so he can make decisions on his own. When my fiance (now husband) was about to move in, I told him the situation and he was more than happy to accommodate. I think your best option would be to find an apartment owned by an individual and not a large complex owned by a company. Individuals often (albeit not always) have more understanding and a greater ability to bend rules a little. In fact, my landlord didn't even charge us an application fee or do a background check on my husband. He said with the visa process, he had already gone through enough security checks!

 

Also, you could try asking for assistance from a non-profit that assists immigrants. Sometimes they know of apartments/houses where the landlords are more open to new immigrants. 

 

I wish you and your fiance the best of luck. 

[TexasHeartsIndia 371]

38 minutes ago, noraliz73 said:

I don't have the money to rent another apartment on my own.  I used the money to attend the interview, which I really believed helped decide whether or not he receive the visa.  Over the past year, my fiancé is the one who has been saving for our first year together, but his income is in Egyptian currency.  He is in the process of buying dollars, but there is no way to transfer money from one country to another without losing a very substantial amount of it in fees.  I have more than four times the amount of income needed for most apartments and good credit.  We'll see what happens.  This will only be my second time renting an apartment and I am going to be learning how things work along with my fiancé.  I think that @Boiler must be right because I'm pretty sure my downstairs neighbors are criminals and if they could get an apartment, anyone can, lol.  We might just have to rent from a regular person who owns a house with apartments to rent out rather than from a complex.  We're laughing because the K1 headache is over and now there are new challenges that could have been prevented if only we knew about them.  That is sort of why I posted this topic.  Hopefully, someone will read this and be aware of the issue and rent the larger apartment ahead of time! 

For transferring his money to America, try Xoom, which is a PayPal company. We had to pay some of my husband's bills back in India and sent money that way. It was way cheaper than the bank. However, be aware that money coming from another country into America (especially a high-risk country like Egypt) could be questioned later on, so be prepared for that. Also, amounts larger than $10,000 will be subject to income tax (I would speak to a CPA or tax attorney before and/or after making the transfer).

 

Edit: Xoom will automatically convert the currency for you, so there is no need to "buy USD" before transferring the money. We found that Xoom had a better exchange rate than the bank.

Edited April 6, 2018 by TexasHeartsIndia

[javadown2 308]

2 hours ago, noraliz73 said:

I don't have the money to rent another apartment on my own.  I used the money to attend the interview, which I really believed helped decide whether or not he receive the visa.  Over the past year, my fiancé is the one who has been saving for our first year together, but his income is in Egyptian currency.  He is in the process of buying dollars, but there is no way to transfer money from one country to another without losing a very substantial amount of it in fees.  I have more than four times the amount of income needed for most apartments and good credit.  We'll see what happens.  This will only be my second time renting an apartment and I am going to be learning how things work along with my fiancé.  I think that @Boiler must be right because I'm pretty sure my downstairs neighbors are criminals and if they could get an apartment, anyone can, lol.  We might just have to rent from a regular person who owns a house with apartments to rent out rather than from a complex.  We're laughing because the K1 headache is over and now there are new challenges that could have been prevented if only we knew about them.  That is sort of why I posted this topic.  Hopefully, someone will read this and be aware of the issue and rent the larger apartment ahead of time! 

Uhm...your journey has ONLY just started. What made you think of the last minute of getting an apartment, that should have been a priority well ahead of time. I'm sure every state has their own rental laws, but my wife and I had no issues renting an apartment, even though she doesn't work, but she did have a SSN and I'm not even sure what came up on that. They didn't do a criminal background check, maybe just try a different apartment or rental. 

 

You can transfer money no problem, so I'm not sure what your talking about? Can't you at least use Western Union, it's like $10, but I'm not sure if it will work from another country to the US. There are ways to wire money though. 

[databit 328]

Some landlords will NOT let you add another person to the lease unless they have a job and a background check, as that is a way some tenants try to sneak in a bad person.

 

You can look into extended stay hotels until your situation gets straightened out. Even most motels will offer a monthly rate.

[noraliz73 243]

     I think that a decision like where to live should be a family decision.  We have known for a long time that when he comes to the United States, the apartment I am living in is too small and that we will have to try to find another place to live.  We would like to go and look at the apartments together.  How can I even choose a city or town and tell my fiancé that he is going to be stuck living there?  There are many places within driving distance of my job, some of which might appeal to him more than others.  We also have to consider which areas he is more likely to find work in.  When I chose the apartment I live in now, I moved from living with my ex.  It was my first apartment ever and it was what I could afford at the time.  There was never any illusion it was to be anything other than temporary. 

     Western Union takes out about $15 dollars in fees out of every $100.  If you are using it to transfer $3000, that is $450 lost.  That's half a month's rent.

     If we were not certain we were going to get the visa, I was not going to leave an apartment where I only had to pay $650 a month in rent to one with a brand new lease where I have to pay $1050 a month.  If receiving a visa is not guaranteed, why make major financial decisions?  For all I knew, I would have to settle my affairs and move to his country. 

    I will try a different place, or he will have to deal with living in that tiny space with the destructive and loud neighbors.  Seeing as though neither I nor anyone I know ever had to rent an apartment with or as an immigrant before, we had no way to anticipate this being a problem.  Even if we have the down payment and I make enough money and have the credit, his recent arrival could be a problem.  Again, I hope reading this thread makes people aware so that maybe they will rent the apartment ahead of time.

[Boiler 46,108]

Why use Western Union when there are cheaper/better options?

[noraliz73 243]

 

9 minutes ago, databit said:

Some landlords will NOT let you add another person to the lease unless they have a job and a background check, as that is a way some tenants try to sneak in a bad person.

 

You can look into extended stay hotels until your situation gets straightened out. Even most motels will offer a monthly rate.

I have a place to live and the landlady does not want me to leave.  When he gets here, we will have the money for a security deposit, etc.  I have the salary, credit, etc.  If we have to wait a bunch more months, it will be lousy and I'm afraid life will be miserable for my fiancé.  But, obviously there is nothing I can do except try other places.  In the meantime, at least my rent is very affordable! 

[Boiler 46,108]

One of the downsides of a K1, a loooong wait before he can work.

[TexasHeartsIndia 371]

32 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Why use Western Union when there are cheaper/better options?

Agreed. Even my bank was cheaper than Western Union.