Which Visa is easiest and best, K-1, K-3 or CR-1 for my situation?

[excellone 0]

Cr-1,  Get your carcass vaccinated and follow travel restrictions.  Document your visit with plenty of photos of occasions.  Keep boarding passes and receipts. You are married now and follow the guidelines USCIS and things will work out for you.   Be prudent and get your spouse and son’s civil records and have them translated and apostille before you return.   This may include religious records such as baptism/confirmation sacraments.  It’s only money!  Hope this helps.  

[PWB 213]

For what it is worth our journey also started in 2018 and each year thereafter you realize things do not get easier.  After the 129F process, after marriage, and the start of the dreadful AOS process you realize how horrid this broken system inflicted upon us by USCIS really is.   Far too repetitive, too degrading, lacks of clarity etc etc.  The options are not good.  You just go on with life and try not to let the bitterness inflicted upon us to destroy you. 

[Kimgaba 8]

On 1/12/2022 at 3:10 AM, Corgent said:

Yours was the timeline that made me decide to submit my I-129F, and I received similarly fast approval. It certainly can't hurt to try.

How long did your overall 
I-F129 process take ?

[Corgent 93]

6 hours ago, Kimgaba said:

How long did your overall 
I-F129 process take ?

44 days for I-130 approval. You can see my timeline in my profile 

[Dsam 1]

On 1/11/2022 at 5:18 AM, hunny&me said:

Just for information, Utah Web-Conference wedding is not a proxy wedding as couple represents themselves and not by another person.   https://www.utahcounty.gov/Dept/ClerkAud/PassMarr/WebCeremonyFAQ.asp

But as an immigration requirement, the meet is important to complete the marriage.
Am a former Filipino, flew to Philippines and married my fiance.  I consider it as a Destination Wedding, since we are together.   We married in Sept 2021 and got approved for I-130 in November 2021.
Here is my suggestion: 
Go visit your wife in the Philippines. 

 While you are waiting to be together, compile your story - before and during marriage into a word document - From when you met.  (That is what I did.  I collected FB postings, letters/cards we sent each other - for the 14 months before wedding, scan them and dated them)  Then attached our wedding ceremony(Utah screenshots of who attended, presided - if you do not have screenshot, I hope you still have the recording.  If you got married via the site - link I provided, you can email them and see if they still have a recording they can email you.  Our recording did not save, so I emailed them and they sent me their copy).  Prepare your I-130/I-130A form, read the requirements and scan them.  
Once you are in Philippines with your wife, take more pictures together... and attach them to your story. along with the your boarding passes, receipts of restaurants- dine out -, time you spent together.. then create them to PDF, 6mb MAX each file.  (I got 49 pages on mine and split them to 5 PDF files as my Evidence)
Other Evidence I have was adding my husband to my health insurance thru work,

While in Philippines, you can file your I-130 online with all the requirements you have gathered... Then enjoy your togetherness!

When you're back in US, file I-129F K3, you need your I-130 NOA1.  This is free filing, the evidence that you used above, use it here too.  I know K3s are dead, but during my wait, all those I was following that got approved fast all have K3s.  Coincidence maybe, but nothing to lose.  After I got my I-130 approval, I received I-129F denial.

Hope this helps!  Sadly, cannot say much on ticket price!  I wanted to visit again, but plane ticket alone multiplied at least 3 times.  I didn't mind the 10-day hotel quarantine last September, am glad to see shorter days now... but at the moment, can't stomach-in the ticket price.  Thanks for Messenger, we are online nearly 24/7

 

 

I just read this , did you get married via zoom using the Utah way? I ask cuz I checked your time line and it was extremely fast - I’m so suprised 

[hunny&me 274]

1 hour ago, Dsam said:

I just read this , did you get married via zoom using the Utah way? I ask cuz I checked your time line and it was extremely fast - I’m so suprised 

I thought you read it? You will have the answer if you actually read it 🙂

[Steve2022 41]

I didn't read everything, but.....  her name change.   I found something out when we went through this recently.   According to Philippine custom, after you are married, your wife is considered to have already taken your name.  Her middle name gets dropped and her maiden name becomes her middle name.  All you have to do is update her passport.  There are no "change of name" forms to fill out, just the form for a new passport.  She takes her marriage certificate and the old passport and maybe supporting documents (check requirements with the DFA) and she applies for a new passport, which is super easy to get in time before the interview.   She can do the same for all her identification cards.

 

Now there is a new option they just started where she CAN keep her maiden name as her legal name, but this is not the custom, and it would be considered abnormal and you'd probably have to jump through some extra hoops to do it, I would guess.  I'm just guessing.  I have no idea.   But what I do know is that I first figured that it would be easier to change her name in Texas than to deal with Philippine bureaucracy, then I found out that it was actually easier in the Philippines because it happens by default. 

[texastincup 52]

I have not read through all five pages here, and I'm not familiar with the Philippines, but look into the possibility of DCF, Direct Consular Filing of your I-130. You would have to be in the Philippines to do so, and the consulate would have to accept DCF but that would shorten the wait time dramatically I'm heard. 

[pushbrk 12,892]

1 hour ago, texastincup said:

I have not read through all five pages here, and I'm not familiar with the Philippines, but look into the possibility of DCF, Direct Consular Filing of your I-130. You would have to be in the Philippines to do so, and the consulate would have to accept DCF but that would shorten the wait time dramatically I'm heard. 

Zombie thread here, but DCF is all but dead everywhere in the world for about two years now.  Can only file DCF under exceptional circumstances these days.  Just living in a country is not enough now.

[Pandora Gadomski 22]

On 1/10/2022 at 5:21 PM, Jimmyzr1 said:

First of all, I initially visited my girlfriend in the Philippines in October of 2018, traveled the country and with her, then came back to the US. I moved there in January of 2019, leased a couple of houses, then moved back to the US in February of 2021. We married online through Utah on a zoom wedding in December of 2021.

 

I am wondering if I should go to the the Philippines to consummate the marriage for the CR-1 requirements, which in Manila is starting to lockdown for unvaccinated, like myself, or stay in the US and file a K-1, K-3 Visa? If I try to go to the Philippines currently, they could shut down totally for foreign, unvaccinated between when I purchase the airfare and book quarantine hotel and actually get there. I would have to currently book a 7 night hotel, which could change to up to 14 nights.

 

Also, the President is not currently letting unvaccinated move in or around the city. I would have to travel an hour away after quarantine, if even allowed to travel. I have heard of others getting stuck in the quarantine hotel, saying they tested positive for covid, even though no symptoms and would either have to stay there 14 nights, or maybe get moved to a government facility.

Things there could worsen at any time. It would be pretty costly, Probably spending at least $3000, could be much more, between airline tickets, meals, covid tests for a 3-5 week stay. Altogether, the trip could get up to $4-5000, all said and done. 

 

The main thing I’m considering is which way would be the quickest and easiest avenue to get her and her son to the US during this covid (removed)? I realize the CR-1 is only one step, the K-1 or K-3 requires 2 long processes to be completed. I may also end up having to hire help with processing the paperwork as I seem to get off track or at times. 

The next thing I’m wondering about, is I’m planning on moving, probably back east somewhere, possibly South Carolina or Florida, moving away from California. I’ve heard California has long processing times, but maybe everywhere does. Are any states to file quicker than others? Thanks for any help or advice!

I was married via Utah courts as well. I have a letter from Utah clerk of courts stating that the wedding is NOT considered a "proxy" or "virtual" wedding and is in the same standing as all weddings that are performed in the state of Utah. Can you contact Utah Clerk of Courts and get this same letter? Check to see, it might help. 

[Boiler 45,522]

Plenty of people have used Utah, so help in what way?

[Jimmyzr1 36]

3 hours ago, Pandora Gadomski said:

I was married via Utah courts as well. I have a letter from Utah clerk of courts stating that the wedding is NOT considered a "proxy" or "virtual" wedding and is in the same standing as all weddings that are performed in the state of Utah. Can you contact Utah Clerk of Courts and get this same letter? Check to see, it might help. 

Thanks, I already got my 9a Philippine visa, made it to the Philippines on the last day possible for unvaccinated foreigners, February 9th, consummated the marriage, came back to US after a month or so, filed the Cr-1 and Cr-2 visa paperwork, now am in the long wait mode! I wonder how long this will be...

[TBoneTX 45,303]

This thread is now essentially passé, so it's closed to further comment.  The OP is welcome to join the appropriate CR-1 Case Progress thread for his further updates.