Needing advice on timeline for fiance visa

[kellyc 0]

I would really appreciate any advice on applying for a K-1 visa. I am an American and my fiance is South African. We are trying to figure out a timeline for the process. I will be applying for the visa this week (May 21-25) with an immigration lawyer.

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Is it possible and likely to receive the visa by the end of the year? We would really like to be married in January or even December if that is possible.

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Are there any other couples on this site who are of the US/SA combination?

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I have lots of pictures, letters, plane tickets, concert ticket stubs, and HUNDREDS of E-mails to submit with the application. Any advice on anything else that is helpful to speed up the process?

Thank you for your help!

[TomTom 0]

You don't really need a lawyer for this process, the guide on visajourney.com is often a lot better. Many here made the experience with bad lawyers who forgot things or simply gave wrong information causing the process to slow down even more. Filling out the forms and sending in all the evidence is relatively simple, all you need to make sure is that you don't forget to sign and include all neccessary forms.

To find out how much time you will need aproximately (remember, each case may vary greatly!) see the "Immigration Timeline" Link on the top of this page.

Edited May 21, 2007 by TomTom

[raymaga 25]

I agree that a lawyer is not necessary unless you have some very extraordinary circumstances, such as overstays, criminal convictions, etc. to deal with. If your case is straight-forward, you can easily do the paperwork yourselves. Most of the VJ members have done the process without the help of a lawyer, but of course, the decision is yours.

Good luck for a speedy process. It is very difficult to determine whether or not you will have your visa by the end of the year. That is only 6 months from now, and even though it is entirely possible, you should probably not make any definite wedding plans, until you have your visa in hand. Some couples who got their interviews and approvals had to wait months for security checks, etc.

Best wishes.

Edited May 21, 2007 by raymaga

[kitkat1 5]

Timing depends on several things - the service center where you will be filing your petition, how long it takes to get from the service center to the National Visa Center to your consulate, how long it takes for you two to send back all of the required paperwork to the consulate, how long they take to schedule the interview, how long it takes him to get the medical completed, and whether or not you encounter any number of potential unforseen delays - due to USCIS processing delays or due to delays in your case.

Start by reading the guides at the top of the page so you begin to understand the process. Also check your consulate website and see if you can get an understanding of what they require and how they schedule interviews. Search the timelines here on VJ for people going through your consulate for a comparison as well as your service center (based on where you live).

There is nothing you can do to speed it up aside from providing a complete petition package and timely return of any information requested from you. A lawyer cannot do anything to speed the case up. Also, do NOT make any plans for a wedding until the visa is in hand - there are just too many variable to be able to count on any specific date.

Good luck.

[no name 1]

Welcome to VJ.

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/k1list...op4=1&op5=5

[kellyc 0]

Thank you for directing me to the timeline...that is very encouraging already! I am very nervous about filing this on my own. I don't want to mess anything up, and I have a lawyer who comes highly recommended from a lawyer friend of ours. She has given us great advice so far....I just don't want to forget anything and hinder the process in anyway!

[raymaga 25]

Thank you for directing me to the timeline...that is very encouraging already! I am very nervous about filing this on my own. I don't want to mess anything up, and I have a lawyer who comes highly recommended from a lawyer friend of ours. She has given us great advice so far....I just don't want to forget anything and hinder the process in anyway!

As stated by a previous poster, there have been VJ members whose lawyers have made mistakes.

As long as you follow the instructions for all the various forms, and enclose all the required documentation, anybody can get through this process.

As well, as stated by a previous poster, having a lawyer does not speed up the process in any way. That is clearly stated in the USCIS website.

Good luck with the journey.

[msu17 0]

Totally understand wanting a lawyer, I did too until I found this site (and saw my bank balance ) They really are just an expensive security blanket, but really its what you feel most comfortable with. Are you going through Vermont or California? That will also have a HUGE difference (2 months) on how long it takes to get through.

[kellyc 0]

I am in Texas, so I'm supposing it will be through the Texas Service Center whether I do it on my own or through a lawyer.

[kitkat1 5]

I am in Texas, so I'm supposing it will be through the Texas Service Center whether I do it on my own or through a lawyer.

Texas will automatically forward to California so check the timelines for the CA service center to get an idea of petition processing time.

[TomTom 0]

Use the money you would've spent on a lawyer for your honeymoon instead.

Believe me, this website provides you with tons of information, your lawyer might not even know as much as you can learn here by reading the guides and through the forums. Absolutely no need to worry. In fact I'd worry less (rather than trusting a 3rd party) because I did it myself after learning about the process.

[ken and mintra 0]

Use the money you would've spent on a lawyer for your honeymoon instead.

Believe me, this website provides you with tons of information, your lawyer might not even know as much as you can learn here by reading the guides and through the forums. Absolutely no need to worry. In fact I'd worry less (rather than trusting a 3rd party) because I did it myself after learning about the process.

If you hire an attorney, hire one in South Africa. That is the place where most of the action takes place and your fiance will probably need the help filling out our forms. I hired an attorney only because my fiance, who is Thai, is still learing the English language and would have struggled with filling out the paperwork properly. I hired an attorney in Bangkok who also practices in the USA. Just an opinion. You could always network with others from South Africa by finding them on the aforementioned timeline. Good luck but get started. CSC runs a little slow sometimes.

[wcomer2701 0]

I would suggest that you file now if you are looking at getting married in January. That's about six months off ... and the average (no hickups) times to get this all done is within 6-9 months.

If you look through the site, you'll find a wealth of information to help you get started. The example forms are very useful for filing your paperwork. Just follow that and you'll be fine. It got me off to a good start.

Good luck!

[Zee Bee 61]

Are there any other couples on this site who are of the US/SA combination?

Check out the Sub-Saharan Africa forum.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showforum=89

Welcome to VJ!!

Edited May 21, 2007 by ZeeNusah

[no name 1]

Use the money you would've spent on a lawyer for your honeymoon instead.

Believe me, this website provides you with tons of information, your lawyer might not even know as much as you can learn here by reading the guides and through the forums. Absolutely no need to worry. In fact I'd worry less (rather than trusting a 3rd party) because I did it myself after learning about the process.

If you hire an attorney, hire one in South Africa. That is the place where most of the action takes place and your fiance will probably need the help filling out our forms. I hired an attorney only because my fiance, who is Thai, is still learing the English language and would have struggled with filling out the paperwork properly. I hired an attorney in Bangkok who also practices in the USA. Just an opinion. You could always network with others from South Africa by finding them on the aforementioned timeline. Good luck but get started. CSC runs a little slow sometimes.

They speak English in SA. I highly doubt that the OP needs a lawyer to help fill out forms there...