can i support

[little immigrant 801]

She won't be able to work until she receives the employment authorization so she can't contribute. 

 

You could get married and get her the spousal visa https://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1/ Upon entry she's a green card holder and authorized to work. I did it this way and I was able to work three weeks after I arrived. 

[debbiedoo 2,339]

think of it this way.

 

if someone moved in with you and could not work... could you afford the extra utilities, food, clothing, other stuff, insurance, medical bills, etc?

 

do you earn enough to TOTALLY COVER ALL OF THEIR LIVING EXPENSES AND NEEDS AND BASIC WANTS?

 

no?

 

then you can't afford it.

 

The k1 process itself is around $2K in filing fees ALONE. that doesnt include around a grand (or more) of other miscellaneous expenses (medical, airfare, etc)

[K & R 343]

My husband and I did the K-1. I was a full time college student and I worked full time. If you plan it right (we spent two years planning prior to filing) you can make it work. The biggest thing is being aware that you're going to have to work your butt off and you're still going to need a joint sponsor. My husband not being able to work for 6 months here was definitely challenging but we knew that that was going to be the case and prepared for it. Although my dad was our joint sponsor we never needed any money from him. Another thing to consider is where you live in the USA. I used to live in Philly and there is no way I would have been able to afford both of us there. I moved to Florida before the process and the cost of living is much cheaper. Definitely do your research and SAVE SAVE SAVE money. Also consider the CR1 process as others have mentioned because it's cheaper in the long run and even though the wait is longer, your spouse will be able to work almost immediately. This can all be overwhelming at first, I remember the feeling. Good luck!

 

[Boris Farage 353]

Came over on a K1, I was lucky to adjust status quickly (quirk of when I filed to adjust in early 2011). Drove me nearly insane being stuck at home -- I was a company director back in the UK and there was nothing for me to do here, can't say it was a good way to start the marriage. If I had it to do all over again I would have insisted on doing a CR1 like I wanted to do in the first place. At the time CR1 was very slow and the K1 was relatively quick. My ex couldn't understand why it was more important to have a solid start when I got here rather than have her dream wedding. I second the advice to save your money and make economies where possible. That's good advice in life in general.

[WaterLeaf 201]

Do spend time researching through this forum for at least 3 months.

 

-Consider expensive like ones mentioned above. Living situation, financials, etc.

-Check over the K1 visa process form, the quick link is on the Guide navigation on top.

-You the USC have to consider your process and plans, and have plans available for your Fiance.

-Do keep looking and note down anything that you will need to focus attention on so you know you'll have it ready.

-It took me 3 months to completely fill out the Petition myself, gathering all specific documents and stuff that I needed.

-Waiting game...

-It will take your Fiance about 3 months to do her as long she stay on top of it - medical, etc. and do NOT buy a plane ticket until she get the Visa in the passport in hand! The K1 Visa is a 1 time only entrance.

-Be aware, once she is in, she have to stay, marry, and AOS. No job or such until she get those combo card. Here you should look over the "Welcome to USA Starter Kit" and go over some of the interesting stuff that may help her. Study guides will be useful too, especially preventing running into the issue that she may not be aware of.

-If she decide to leave before getting the combo card in hand after getting married, there is no return and you'll have to file for CR1 Visa for her, that can be another year and some months to wait for.

 

And so on.... take your time. Don't worry about the lawyer, it's better you do it yourself.

[Loren Y 2,756]

I saved up 10k in a high yield saving account before I started the process of the K1. That account is currently almost 6k even balance right now, so I129f thru AOS has cost me around 4k. Still have ROC and then the N400 for citizenship. That should be around 2k for both. It's not just the fees that you have to consider it's all the small stuff that nickel and dimes you till no end. I can't even begin to list all the small things that come up doing the process. I have a excellent spreadsheet for all my expenses down to the penny that sooner or later I will share. It's more the little things that drive you crazy. If you have at least 5k saved up, it's a good start, but I say that is the minimum to begin with. This is doing it myself with no attorneys that will add thousands more to the costs. 

I also had a little issue as about 4 months after she got here she got acute appendicitis, and had to have emergency surgery ASAP. Check my previous posts for the full details, but in 36 hours she managed to run up a 61,000.00 medical bill. Yes, that's 5 numbers before the decimal point. I'm not saying that it's going to happen to you, but I sure didn't expect it to happen to me. My saving grace was I had her on my insurance luckily, and that kept things in check, but it still wasn't cheap. I'm not counting that in my figures above, but I can't stress enough to make sure you have a way to cover your fiance's medical insurance. You might still be on your parents as you are in school, but it is an expense most people completely forget about. Like others have said... Research it until your an immigration expert, and that takes a little time in itself.

[Nicola and Jordan 668]

Also need to consider her healthcare. I am on my husbands work plan which is great and I’ve needed to use it. 

 

As everyone else has said it’s not fast and it’s really expensive and not being able to work for months on end! 

[Boiler 46,113]

The fees are a small part of the total cost.

[Ed&Midori1031 330]

From personal experience, please do reconsider the financial aspect of all of this, especially when it come times to the AOS stage!  The whole proccess is not cheap.  It's solely up to you if you feel "ready" to take on the financial aspect of everything.  Not putting you down, but do think.  Good luck! 

Edited June 19, 2019 by Ed&Midori1031

[Mezyan 153]

23 hours ago, not-so-clueless said:

what are the aos fees? and I know there are expenses and have saved up for almost everything I am aware of such as medical fees plane tickets and document fees and such

fiancée is in brazil and we think we can have the process done quickly from what I read online so far it would take a few months I know

what is the threshold? are you talking about the poverty line or is there a different threshold for the visa specifically and are they super picky about it or are they lenient?

 

I would do that if I thought I could but I have a few semesters left and that would take a long time to be far away and I do not want something to happen in that time

 

and what should I be doing if this is an issue should I try to find someone who would help sponsor such as a friend or family member and if they do sponsor would they be required to give money cause I do not want money I have a rough plan outline that shows that I should be able to get everything taken care of no problem or would it be best to find a better paying part time job

It will take a few months if processing times stay the same, BUT only to receive the NOA2. So the petition is approved by the USCIS, but it still needs to go to the NVC and the Embassy and processing times for those vary and could add on more than a few months. Also, if you get administrative processing it can add on more time.

[LaBeach 29]

On 6/18/2019 at 11:56 AM, not-so-clueless said:

hey guys so a coworker told me about this forum that he used to get his family over here and I am going through a similar process as him and I just wanted to know about something

so my situation is a bit different I am not bringing over a family just a fiancée so I hope I posted this in the right  section but I need to fill out a form about financial support saying that I will support my fiancée when they are here in the us but I am actually a college student and work part time part of the year and full time when college is on break and I have taken a couple of student loans as well from the fafsa and I know that support will not be an issue but my coworker was saying that if I am not working year round full time it may be an issue? if I am not working year round what do I need to do so that my finances are not an issue? or would it be ok since I am still in college and getting loans and stuff so money will not really be a problem for me for the next few years and when I graduate I will have a nice job already lined up and everything

Loans are not income and will not be considered. You are required to give the embassy a reasonable belief that your fiance will not become a public charge. part-time work that brings in enough money to meet the guidelines is not a problem per se, the consistency of it may be an issue. You will likely need a co-sponsor.