We screwed up and filed for a K1 instead of DCF CR-1...

[tayae 10]

10 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

My UK fee list. I haven't checked lately for increases, but I think it's close to accurate.

 

K1 fiancé basic fees

$535 Fiancé Petition (USCIS)

£45 police certificate (ACRO)

£330 medical (Knightsbridge) pay at the appointment

$265 visa fee (Dept of State/Embassy) pay online 

$30 or $0 (Courier) home delivery or pick up at depot

-Enter USA and marry-

$1225 AOS/EAD/AP (USCIS)

 

IR1/CR1 spouse basic fees

$535 Spouse Petition (USCIS)

$325 visa fee (NVC)

$120 affidavit of support review (NVC). No fee if DCF

£45 police certificate (ACRO)

£330 medical (Knightsbridge) pay at the appointment

$30 or $0 (Courier) home delivery or pick up at depot

$220 Immigrant fee after you get the visa (USCIS ELIS)

 

The paperwork cost difference is $825  more for a fiancé visa/greencard over spouse visa and $945 more than a DCF spouse visa.  

Thank you!!!! Was finding this info difficult to find. $945 is still a lot of money but not quite as much as I thought.

 

6 minutes ago, elmcitymaven said:

London DCF graduate here (allllll the way back in 2007!). If it were me, and money and the possibility to start work ASAP were really important to me, I'd get married stat, cancel the K1 and refile via DCF, as long as I was able to sit tight in the UK for another 6 months. Why? Several reasons. First, DCF processing times in London have historically taken 4-6 months at most over the 11+ years I have been monitoring timelines. Yes, you're 7 months in and your K1 is likely to be granted sooner than a CR1 via DCF will be. But not that much longer -- maybe 3 months? Second, unless I am horribly mistaken, the cost of a CR1 processed via the consulate is still less than AOS once you're over in the States on a K1. You have to spend money anyway -- why not on a visa that will allow you to work, get a licence, etc. as soon as possible? Finally, the CR1 is just a better visa, full stop, in my opinion. Not only is it cheaper, not only are you afforded all the rights and privileges of a green card holder upon entry to the States, the clock starts ticking immediately on your ability to remove conditions on the green card, which in turn shortens the amount of time needed to wait to apply for citizenship, if so desired.

 

So ask yourself: am I willing to get married soon and can I sit tight in the UK for a little while longer? It's a horses for courses situation -- you might want to be over in the States faster. Good luck!

 

 

I actually really considered that at first because I think you're right, it's gonna be a pain in the ### for my partner to not be able to work etc... But unfortunately my residency in the UK has expired and I am now here as a tourist, which is the one visa you are not allowed to apply for DCF with. I also absolutely have to leave by Nov 14th or else the UK border control isn't gonna be happy. This is unfortunate but I'm just gonna have to get over it and be happy that we're nearing the end of the K1 process, I'm sure we'll survive not being able to work after surviving this long! Thank you though for pointing out the pros and cons because you are so right, and hopefully this will help anyone else who stumbles upon this in a similar situation.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

What Maven said. You have only paid the petition fee so far.  It would probably benefit you more  for your "husband" to find work Immediately rather than wait 4-6 months for your  "fiancé" to be authorised to work. And the waiting clock doesn't start until you have married, gotten your marriage certificate back, and filled out volumes of paperwork. More paperwork than the petition you've done. 

 

Edit:  I was posting while you were giving your reasons. Forget what I said. Cheers.

Edited August 23, 2018 by Wuozopo

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

19 minutes ago, tayae said:

Thank you!!!! Was finding this info difficult to find. $945 is still a lot of money but not quite as much as I thought.

 

I actually really considered that at first because I think you're right, it's gonna be a pain in the ### for my partner to not be able to work etc... But unfortunately my residency in the UK has expired and I am now here as a tourist, which is the one visa you are not allowed to apply for DCF with. I also absolutely have to leave by Nov 14th or else the UK border control isn't gonna be happy. This is unfortunate but I'm just gonna have to get over it and be happy that we're nearing the end of the K1 process, I'm sure we'll survive not being able to work after surviving this long! Thank you though for pointing out the pros and cons because you are so right, and hopefully this will help anyone else who stumbles upon this in a similar situation.

Oh bummer! You guys are going to be just fine, DCF or no DCF. Be well and enjoy this time together before you go home!  

[JFH 12,190]

5 hours ago, tayae said:

It is definitely the most important thing but we are both very poor just finished students so the whole K1 process has really financially hurt us. As far as I can tell the K1 process and AOS is gonna cost us around $3,000 total...

 

Is there still AOS fee with a CR-1? The estimates I see for CR-1 fees is $1,200, if there's an adjustment of status fee on top of that I'll definitely feel better about it.

 

You're all right and I just need to be happy we have gotten this far. It's just a nightmare realising how much money and time we could've saved!

If it was all about money from the beginning I'm surprised you did a K-1 at all. CR-1 would have been much better (you could still have your wedding in your dream location in the USA) as your spouse would be able to work upon arrival and no AOS to pay. As it stands, you have AOS to pay and your spouse will be out of work for at least 4 months. In our case, we would have lost $24,000+ if I was out if work for 4 months. I get that you didn't know about DCF but I can't for the life of me think what attracted you to a K-1. 

 

But what's done is done. Best just make the most of it. 

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from Process & Procedures to Progress Reports.

[ShanghaiSurfer 135]

7 hours ago, tayae said:

I am so distraught right now. We are 7 months into the K1 process and only just realised that we could've done DCF for a CR-1 because I have been living in the UK for 4 years. At the beginning of the process we looked into CR-1's but saw that the usual processing time is 12-14 months and didn't see anything about direct consular filing, and we liked the idea of getting married in the US. Anyone else gotten themselves into this ordeal? The thought of those thousands of dollars going down the drain is nearly bringing me to tears...Can't believe we screwed up this badly...Getting married in US is not worth that amount of loss... 😞😰

Yes I stupidly did the same thing when I was living in China for 13 years. Ooops. I even had some VJers tell me to cancel K-1 and proceed with DCF. So now anytime anyone asks which one they should do I say CR-1 and especially if it’s a country with DCF.

 

Anyway misery loves company. The good news is she has her green card now so you’ll get through it too. Try not to live with too much regret. 

[SeabreezeUF 31]

21 hours ago, tayae said:

I am so distraught right now. We are 7 months into the K1 process and only just realised that we could've done DCF for a CR-1 because I have been living in the UK for 4 years. At the beginning of the process we looked into CR-1's but saw that the usual processing time is 12-14 months and didn't see anything about direct consular filing, and we liked the idea of getting married in the US. Anyone else gotten themselves into this ordeal? The thought of those thousands of dollars going down the drain is nearly bringing me to tears...Can't believe we screwed up this badly...Getting married in US is not worth that amount of loss... 😞😰

Oh gosh. I feel really bad now since I'm the one that pointed out that option.  Please don't beat yourself up over this! There's no right or wrong path and you're almost done! It seems like a huge deal now but in a few years, it won't. This whole process is good at causing anxiety and panic but it gets better. All that matters is reaching the finish line.

[bakphx1 789]

The cost differential can be made up by your spouse being able to work months sooner on a CR1.  The factor here is how soon you plan to move.  If you’re planning to move right away, sticking with your K1 may make the most sense.  I don’t know if you might be stuck having to wait for your K1 to be canceled before starting a DCF. There’s also the inefficiency factor.  Since these are coordinated among different agencies, the possibility of beraucratic errors goes up.  If things are going well with the K1, I would be inclined to keep it simple at this point.  The system is opaque and always several levels deep, so any changes can mean a lot of emails and phone calls to keep things on track.