Hot Button Issues

[Duke 0]

My fiance and I were engaged on Feb 1st and filed our K1 fiance visa application a few weeks later. Our goal was to have a church wedding in April, spend the next 3 months together in the USA while her visa was being processed, and then have her fly home in July just in time to pickup her visa and return to the USA. Unfortunately, we were using the dreaded CSC ... not the lovely VSC.

Our plans also included a few hot-button issues on this board, namely (a) having a religious ceremony while a K1 application is pending, and (b) entering the USA on the 90-day Visa Waiver Program (VWP) while an application is pending.

We received negative feedback that our plans were "too ambitious", "too risky", that we needed to "wait" and "be patient".

I found the negative feedback interesting, as if we were all going to to everything 100% proper (and take no risks) we would all have hired immigration attorneys and turned our applications over to them. The mere fact that we're going the "Visa Journey" route, and doing it ourselves, involves a certain degree of risk.

I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion, however, the following is what we learned from what actually transpired:

* You CAN have a "religious" wedding ceremony prior to receiving your K1 Fiance Visa. I know this is a real hot-button issue ... and everyone seems to have an opinion ... but this is our experience, not our opinion.

* You CAN enter the USA on the 90-day Visa Waiver Program (VWP) while your Fiance Visa application is pending (this is another hot-button issue.) My fiance simply stated that she was visiting her boyfriend/fiance. Since it was her 3rd trip under the VWP in six months, they did ask for proof of ties to Australia, but the whole process only took a few minutes.

The following was our experience in AUSTRALIA ... although it may apply to other countries, as well:

* You CAN get your medical exam before receiving your Packet-3. My fiance did her medical exam 5 months in advance. Obviously, she did not have a case# assigned yet, so the doctor was kind enough to leave the case# blank and hold onto the exam report for 5 months.

* You CAN get your police report done in advance. Once again, my fiance did hers 5 months in advance.

* You can request a speedy interview. My fiance mailed in her "statement of readiness to be interviewed" on a Monday and had her interview conducted 8 days later.

[Neonred 3,562]

Certainly depends on where your fiance is from. I won't argue about the "religious" wedding, but for many of us our fiance is not eligible to enter the US (no VWP and not able to get visitors visa), not able to do the medical more than a month or even less prior to the interview date, and no such thing as requesting a "speedy" interview. These were all things that were not available to folks like us getting visas out of Russia and many other countries as well.

Looking at your timeline I see you were pretty slick to get "married" in April and have your fiance enter on a K-1 in August.

[no name 1]

My fiance and I were engaged on Feb 1st and filed our K1 fiance visa application a few weeks later. Our goal was to have a church wedding in April, spend the next 3 months together in the USA while her visa was being processed, and then have her fly home in July just in time to pickup her visa and return to the USA. Unfortunately, we were using the dreaded CSC ... not the lovely VSC.

Our plans also included a few hot-button issues on this board, namely (a) having a religious ceremony while a K1 application is pending, and (B) entering the USA on the 90-day Visa Waiver Program (VWP) while an application is pending.

We received negative feedback that our plans were "too ambitious", "too risky", that we needed to "wait" and "be patient".

I found the negative feedback interesting, as if we were all going to to everything 100% proper (and take no risks) we would all have hired immigration attorneys and turned our applications over to them. The mere fact that we're going the "Visa Journey" route, and doing it ourselves, involves a certain degree of risk.

I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion, however, the following is what we learned from what actually transpired:

* You CAN have a "religious" wedding ceremony prior to receiving your K1 Fiance Visa. I know this is a real hot-button issue ... and everyone seems to have an opinion ... but this is our experience, not our opinion.

* You CAN enter the USA on the 90-day Visa Waiver Program (VWP) while your Fiance Visa application is pending (this is another hot-button issue.) My fiance simply stated that she was visiting her boyfriend/fiance. Since it was her 3rd trip under the VWP in six months, they did ask for proof of ties to Australia, but the whole process only took a few minutes.

The following was our experience in AUSTRALIA ... although it may apply to other countries, as well:

* You CAN get your medical exam before receiving your Packet-3. My fiance did her medical exam 5 months in advance. Obviously, she did not have a case# assigned yet, so the doctor was kind enough to leave the case# blank and hold onto the exam report for 5 months.

* You CAN get your police report done in advance. Once again, my fiance did hers 5 months in advance.

* You can request a speedy interview. My fiance mailed in her "statement of readiness to be interviewed" on a Monday and had her interview conducted 8 days later.

um, no one I know (& trust) on VJ would say any of the above can't be done. Matter of fact the visiting thing is listed in the guides. As if the non-biding ceremony.

I wouldn't say filling out forms & following instructions involves risk, but maybe that's just me....

Edited August 4, 2007 by devilette

[L_n_O 3]

hmm, wish I wrote a statement saying I was ready to be interviewed..

glad it worked out for you