Who should pay for the AOS fees?

[Trebaruna 0]

Who do you think the burden of paying for AOS and K1 visa burden should fall on? The US citizen, or the non-US citizen?

[geowrian 22,337]

Both. It's a joint venture.

 

Technically...

The I-129F petition is the petitioner's form.

The K-1 visa is the beneficiary's process.

AOS is also the beneficiary's application.

But payment for the forms is different than responsibility for them.

[Dashinka 24,512]

I agree with @geowrian, since this is marriage based, then financially, it is a joint responsibility.

[Boiler 45,525]

I would say the non US Citizen, they are the ones benefiting.

[Georgia16 2,858]

My husband paid for the I-129F, I paid for both our Medical’s, the visa fee’s and the plane tickets and move and what not to close stuff in DK. 
We got married and then we both paid for the AOS, ROC and N-400 as we are married we share finances. 
 

I mean it’s for getting married and share a life together so I think it will fall on both. 

[igoyougoduke 1,656]

49 minutes ago, Trebaruna said:

Who do you think the burden of paying for AOS and K1 visa burden should fall on? The US citizen, or the non-US citizen?

who ever has the credit card and  $$ in their bank account 

[Letspaintcookies 2,310]

42 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I would say the non US Citizen, they are the ones benefiting.

Well yea, if you marry somebody just to get the greencard because your big dream is to life in the US than I agree with you. But I for myself wouldn't have left my pretty decent life in Germany if it wouldn't have been for my husband. Sooo I would agree more with @geowrian and @Georgia16. Both sides benefit if the goal is to spend your life together with the one you love and so finances should be shared in a way the couple can. 

[NikLR 13,227]

My husband paid for everything except my medical, stay in Montreal and the uhaul to move. 

I did all the paperwork and made sure everything went smoothly from that side.

In reality it's a joint effort.  Since a K1 can't work, unless they bring savings from their home country, the USC ultimately pays for the AOS and the I-129F.  The K1 could pay for the DS-160 since that is the visa application.  I would find it odd for the K1 beneficiary to pay for the I-129F. 

 

You're asking a person to leave their life in their home country and their family.  If you're already having issues about who pays for what, maybe this isn't a good relationship.  Marriages generally require a lot of communication,  courtesy, collaboration, and some compromise.  The 4Cs if you will.  You should be nice to each other, communicate, work together, and sometimes you give up things for each other.  It's a balance.  But if you're already arguing about who pays for what, work out those details before marriage. 

Edited December 29, 2019 by NikLR

[NikLR 13,227]

Ad: I looked into your post history.  You already think you may be being used for a green card. Develop deal breakers.  But honestly if you can't trust the person, don't.  Even if they are the most trust worthy person on the planet, if you don't trust them you'll ruin a relationship that may have been positive except for your personal issues. 

[Danny10 14]

2 hours ago, Trebaruna said:

Who do you think the burden of paying for AOS and K1 visa burden should fall on? The US citizen, or the non-US citizen?

If you're already thinking about who pays for what, you need to read about the limitations of the AOS process.

Your future spouse will not be able to work(or travel outside the US) untill she gets the EAD( work authorization). This takes 4+ months.

Unless she has savings, she'll be completely dependent on you.

Based on what her skillset is, she may or may not be able to find work immediately. 

 

You need sort these things out before getting too far in the process..

 

 

[Canerican 242]

Knowing ahead of time that the fees did not stop after I immigrated on my K-1 visa, my now spouse and I prepared for the fees while I was abroad as well as when I immigrated. The fees for a K-1 were petition fee, photocopying, medical ($350 now in Canada), trips back and forth (her to Canada and me to the USA) as well as travel to the Consulate for both her and I, immigrant visa fee and then the cost of a wedding. There could be a few more costs but I cannot remember them at the moment. After immigration there was the AOS fee. Again this was all a joint venture and the fees do not stop with AOS. There is ROC and later on Citizenship if that is what she desires. With all these fees there is associated traveling to get biometrics done and possible interviews. A biometrics or Local Field Office (LFO) could be anywhere from half hour away to two hours or more away. We paid for these fees and travel out of our joint bank account, again a joint venture. If she is already informing you that she is not going to help with fees during the process then I think that is a sign that you should not be pursuing this relationship. A marriage is a joint effort, not one person taking on the responsibility. It may be hard to hear but you asked in your other post if you were being used for a green card. I gave you my honest answer to get to know her more to observe her desires. I would hate for you to spend the money to petition her to have things not work out. Ultimately it is your decision but members here are giving you good advice. 

 

I was talking to someone recently who stated that if there is a negative vibe or feeling, its there for a reason and you need to listen and not ignore that. If it turns out to be untrue fine, but do not sweep things under the rug. The fact that you asked if this person is using you for a green card and now about who pays for the AOS brings up red flags for me. Marriage is all about give and take and if she is making a big deal about who will pay for what then there are more problems that will surface. Will she expect to be showered with expensive gifts that you cannot provide? Will she believe that because you are an American you are rich and can make all her dreams come true? My now wife and I often joke around saying, "I hope you didn't marry me for the money." I often tell her that is not why I married her as I knew her financial situation going into our marriage and took it on debt and all. These are things that you need to talk about with her and plan. 

 

I do think that, if you have not already, you need to sit down with her in person or online (I would suggest online, again money) and briefly discuss hers and your financial situation and what will happen after marriage. They do say that the number one reason for divorce is money. And aside from this, if she immigrates and get a conditional green card and you end up divorcing she can still retain a 10 year green card and remain in the USA. All she has to do is prove that your marriage was entered into in good faith. The main three topics I believe that need to be discussed are children, money, and faith, if that is something that you devote your time to. If any one of these things do not line up and are major deal breakers for you it is a no go. 

 

I hope this helps you make a decision and I would caution you to be wise and discuss how she reacts to things with others. Whether that be here or with a local family member or friend. I was just reading a scripture today as faith is important to me. It states, "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed" (Proverbs 15:22). Have people that you can talk to about the situation and challenge you to think critically and objectively assess the situation. Do not make a haste decision, this is the rest of your life you are talking about and you want to be as happy as you can be. 

[Eric&Mirella 367]

IMO it’s a joint effort. 
 

Because I knew I wouldn’t be able to work for a while I saved enough money to cover a few months of living expenses, my rent is 1320/month so, I used that amount as a guideline. I also shared expenses of the entire process with my husband.  For our trip, we shared the costs 50/50. We only met once because we have been talking for a few years and because of work we could only have 2 weeks of holidays/year. 
 

For our K1 process my husband paid for the petition and visa fees and I covered the travel expenses to Colombia that included 18 days in a hotel near the embassy,meals and medical. My husband paid for my flight to LAX and I paid for my flight to Colombia, They cost around the same because I was carrying tons of baggage. 
 

For the AOS stage, my husband decided to pay for all of it and in return I took us shopping.  SoCal turned out to be more expensive than I thought.I ran out of savings by the 7th month, I’m on my 8th month right now but with AOS approved. 
 

This process requires aside from money, a lot of patience,love and commitment from both parts. I don’t think one person benefits more than the other as long as your ultimate goal is to be with your love one ❤️. My husband always offered to pay for everything but to me sharing expenses was and still is key in our marriage and in any marriage (to be honest). 

If you’re concerned about expenses I’d recommend to make a spreadsheet (so,I did)  and not to be afraid to ask your fiancée to contribute to the process. In the end, both will benefit from it. 

[Temi & Obim 24]

It depends on your relationship with each other, my wife paid for everything because she is good with money things but when I was coming here I came with lots of cash to cover us for about 6-8 months household expenses and I handed it over to her when I arrived. So there is no one way to do things, it depends on you both as a couple. 

[Crazy Cat 41,887]

My wife and I both have incomes.  We each have a personal bank account, and we have a joint bank account.  We each regularly contribute equally to our joint account......All our household expenses are paid using our joint account.  We have shared all the immigration expenses equally......because it is "We"....not "me" or "You" any longer.

[NikLR 13,227]

As you can see there is no "one" right answer.  Each couple does things differently and works together.  A marriage is more than a wedding.  It is the life you build together.