K1 Interview question - family meeting

[beewhitlow 1]

We’re still waiting for the embassy in Port-au-Prince to reopen, but I was wondering if anyone knew anything about if they ask if our families have met. 
 

For context, I’m not very close to my family, especially when it comes to personal matters. I meet all the financial requires to bring my fiancé here without a co-sponsor, so my family has not been involved in this process. If this question comes up in the interview, the most honest answer I know for my fiancé is to respond with is that the people close to me know him and have met him on video several times. 
 

I just think every family dynamic is different, and them knowing or not shouldn’t be a deciding factor. Also, I tell him about my family and send pictures of them, so he already knows who/how they are without meeting. I feel pretty confident about any other questions, but I’m curious if anyone has any insight on this. Thank you! 

[SalishSea 17,503]

33 minutes ago, beewhitlow said:

We’re still waiting for the embassy in Port-au-Prince to reopen, but I was wondering if anyone knew anything about if they ask if our families have met. 
 

For context, I’m not very close to my family, especially when it comes to personal matters. I meet all the financial requires to bring my fiancé here without a co-sponsor, so my family has not been involved in this process. If this question comes up in the interview, the most honest answer I know for my fiancé is to respond with is that the people close to me know him and have met him on video several times. 
 

I just think every family dynamic is different, and them knowing or not shouldn’t be a deciding factor. Also, I tell him about my family and send pictures of them, so he already knows who/how they are without meeting. I feel pretty confident about any other questions, but I’m curious if anyone has any insight on this. Thank you! 

This question is quite consulate-specific, and where we have seen it become an issue is for countries where culturally it is very important for the US petitioner to meet and be accepted by the beneficiary's family.

 

I can't recall seeing it ever be an issue for the intending immigrant to have met the petitioner's family; particularly since many immigrants never travel to the US prior to immigrating.  I can't imagine it would be an issue for Haiti.

 

Do you have kids?  

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

39 minutes ago, beewhitlow said:

We’re still waiting for the embassy in Port-au-Prince to reopen, but I was wondering if anyone knew anything about if they ask if our families have met. 
 

For context, I’m not very close to my family, especially when it comes to personal matters. I meet all the financial requires to bring my fiancé here without a co-sponsor, so my family has not been involved in this process. If this question comes up in the interview, the most honest answer I know for my fiancé is to respond with is that the people close to me know him and have met him on video several times. 
 

I just think every family dynamic is different, and them knowing or not shouldn’t be a deciding factor. Also, I tell him about my family and send pictures of them, so he already knows who/how they are without meeting. I feel pretty confident about any other questions, but I’m curious if anyone has any insight on this. Thank you! 

My husband was not asked this question however it was obvious since we did submit photos of my moms visit to Haiti to meet him. I don't think it's a big deal at all. I don't know many people that go to Haiti (other than Haitian Americans)- and its not common for family members to travel overseas to meet a child's fiance and most Haitians can't travel to the USA. Seriously you have nothing to worry about

 

However, your fiance must be honest if asked; no I haven't met her family yet.. he should know if you have siblings and if your parents are alive, etc. 

[beewhitlow 1]

32 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

This question is quite consulate-specific, and where we have seen it become an issue is for countries where culturally it is very important for the US petitioner to meet and be accepted by the beneficiary's family.

 

I can't recall seeing it ever be an issue for the intending immigrant to have met the petitioner's family; particularly since many immigrants never travel to the US prior to immigrating.  I can't imagine it would be an issue for Haiti.

 

Do you have kids?  

Yes I have a son who knows my fiancé and they talk on video regularly. I never took him on any trips with me to Haiti though, so they haven’t met in person yet. Thanks for your response!

[SalishSea 17,503]

10 minutes ago, beewhitlow said:

Yes I have a son who knows my fiancé and they talk on video regularly. I never took him on any trips with me to Haiti though, so they haven’t met in person yet. Thanks for your response!

He may be asked about him at the interview, but more likely at the AOS interview.

 

Best wishes, and let us know how it goes.

[beewhitlow 1]

29 minutes ago, Luckycuds said:

My husband was not asked this question however it was obvious since we did submit photos of my moms visit to Haiti to meet him. I don't think it's a big deal at all. I don't know many people that go to Haiti (other than Haitian Americans)- and its not common for family members to travel overseas to meet a child's fiance and most Haitians can't travel to the USA. Seriously you have nothing to worry about

 

However, your fiance must be honest if asked; no I haven't met her family yet.. he should know if you have siblings and if your parents are alive, etc. 

Thanks for your response! He knows everyone by name and has seen many pictures of everyone. I would never want him to be dishonest in an interview, I just wanted to see if it looks bad that they haven’t met. I was fortunate to meet some of his family on my trips at least. 

[JFH 12,189]

It’s less “important” that the American family meets the foreign fiancé. And not an issue at all in western cultures. My mother didn’t meet my husband until we had been married for over 3.5 years. It’s also understood that the intending immigrant often cannot travel to the US as a visitor. 
 

It raises eyebrows if the foreign fiancé is from a culture where meeting the parents or getting the parents’ blessing is important, as is the case in some African and Asian countries. 
 

So, whilst i was not even questioned at the London embassy as to why my mother had not met my husband, in some countries that would cause a huge issue at the embassy if it is culturally completely unacceptable to agree to marry someone your parents have never met. 

Edited October 5, 2020 by JFH

[Limey 551]

I was asked at my k1 interview in London whether I'd met her family, and whether she'd met mine (my wife's parents are divorced but I'd met both multiple times, and she had met mine).

 

Just answer honestly - I'm sure they appreciate that not all families are close or fully involved/supportive of the k1 etc, and that visas for travel to the US can be difficult to obtain. There are plenty of reasons that families might not have met. In my case I was able to make frequent trips to the US before we were engaged so had lots of opportunities to meet her family even though they lived hundreds of miles away from my wife, but not everyone is going to be that lucky.

 

Edited October 7, 2020 by Limey

[Greenbaum 12,259]

On 10/4/2020 at 11:25 PM, beewhitlow said:

We’re still waiting for the embassy in Port-au-Prince to reopen, but I was wondering if anyone knew anything about if they ask if our families have met. 
 

For context, I’m not very close to my family, especially when it comes to personal matters. I meet all the financial requires to bring my fiancé here without a co-sponsor, so my family has not been involved in this process. If this question comes up in the interview, the most honest answer I know for my fiancé is to respond with is that the people close to me know him and have met him on video several times. 
 

I just think every family dynamic is different, and them knowing or not shouldn’t be a deciding factor. Also, I tell him about my family and send pictures of them, so he already knows who/how they are without meeting. I feel pretty confident about any other questions, but I’m curious if anyone has any insight on this. Thank you! 

There were several things that I thought would be important for the processing of our visa. When I had visited, I made sure that I had met her family and had pictures with us together. I also made certain I had photos of myself with my fiancé and her children as the children would be immigrating with Mom. In those pictures I included landmarks that were familiar to the CO or could be read and interrupted the location where we were. I can't say if they had an influence on the approval as the embassy in the Philippines is very lenient on their requirements. But I write this as a FYI more than anything. Cultural customs play and important part in the success of a marriage and the CO will know the local "requirements or traditions" to use for their decision. Good luck and stay engaged. 

[jaysaldi 212]

I've never heard of the beneficiary meeting the American's family being an issue at all. 

I have heard that consular officers may ask the beneficiary at the interview  whether the petitioner has brothers/sisters, their names, etc.