Perspective/opinions wanted: how bad does this look on a K1 application?

[Cranberry_anon 6]

I am 24/f/Ireland and my fiancé is 25/m/Oklahoma. I'm worried about our proof of relationship (I'm generally a very anxious person) and I'd like some outsider perspective. 

 

We've been together for just over 18 months and decided to get married this past August. The reason I'm worried is because yes I acknowledge for most people thats very soon to get married, but one other thing: we don't have a lot of documented evidence that I've been around his friends and family or that he's been around mine. How bad is this going to look for my application? Do you think it's grounds for being rejected?

 

Niether of us are close to our families. One of the things we bonded over is a shared understanding of what it was like growing up through similar problems. He doesn't hang around with his family pretty much ever and the side of my family that I engage with lives in a different part of Ireland. The short version is that we don't have pictures of me and him together with members of our families (it doesn't help that it's usually my fiancé offering to take the picture so he's behind the camera). 

 

We have *some* with his friends because... I took the pictures and I'm holding the camera myself so I'm not actually featured in many of the pictures.

 

 

[Boiler 45,525]

I submitted no such evidence. Not an issue.

[MalloryCat 189]

when we submitted our I-129f none of the pictures we included had us with either of our families. the only pictures we had were just of us two. I believe we only included between 5-10 photos and they were all just selfies of us together.

we never received any kind of RFE or anything. I believe the 2 or 3 pages explaining our relationship (how we met, how our relationship is, recounts of the visits we had, etc.) helped significantly in our case. Since we had so few pictures(I hate taking pictures of myself, always have, so providing pictures was a struggle lol)

 

i don't believe it would cause an out right rejection. at the very least you could get an RFE to provide more proof of relationship.

But USCIS mostly wants to see that you've met in person within the last 2 years before filing (i.e. met sometime in person between October 2022 and October 2024). Which is best shown through passport stamps, I-94 records, flight itineraries,  etc. Pictures are secondary evidence to those things.

[appleblossom 2,546]

11 minutes ago, Cranberry_anon said:

I am 24/f/Ireland and my fiancé is 25/m/Oklahoma. I'm worried about our proof of relationship (I'm generally a very anxious person) and I'd like some outsider perspective. 

 

We've been together for just over 18 months and decided to get married this past August. The reason I'm worried is because yes I acknowledge for most people thats very soon to get married, but one other thing: we don't have a lot of documented evidence that I've been around his friends and family or that he's been around mine. How bad is this going to look for my application? Do you think it's grounds for being rejected?

 

Niether of us are close to our families. One of the things we bonded over is a shared understanding of what it was like growing up through similar problems. He doesn't hang around with his family pretty much ever and the side of my family that I engage with lives in a different part of Ireland. The short version is that we don't have pictures of me and him together with members of our families (it doesn't help that it's usually my fiancé offering to take the picture so he's behind the camera). 

 

We have *some* with his friends because... I took the pictures and I'm holding the camera myself so I'm not actually featured in many of the pictures.

 

 

 

I think you're worrying unnecessarily. And FWIW, I don't think 18 months is 'very soon to get married', I know loads of people who've got married within that time (myself included - 22 years ago….and still very happy!). If you search the forums you'll see that affidavits/pictures from/with friends and family aren't given much weight anyway. 

 

But one thing I would say is that if you are a worrier, have you looked at getting married first and doing a spousal visa? That is a simpler route overall and might cause less anxiety. 

 

Good luck. 

 

 

Edited October 2 by appleblossom

[Cranberry_anon 6]

5 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

But one thing I would say is that if you are a worrier, have you looked at getting married first and doing a spousal visa? That is a simpler route overall and might cause less anxiety. 

 

 

We considered taking this route if the initial attempt at K1 falls through and we are rejected/denied permission to get married in the USA. It's sort of a back up plan (or potentially something we consider doing if the processing time for the K1 takes too long)

[appleblossom 2,546]

6 minutes ago, Cranberry_anon said:

We considered taking this route if the initial attempt at K1 falls through and we are rejected/denied permission to get married in the USA. It's sort of a back up plan (or potentially something we consider doing if the processing time for the K1 takes too long)

 

Fair enough. The CR-1 would take a bit longer, but you'd only have the one application to do (versus the K-1, then AOS, then removal of conditions 2 years down the line as well). And you'd be work authorised from day 1, able to travel, be a green card holder and start working towards citizenship sooner etc.

 

It just might cause a lot less stress than the K-1 route, but your call obviously, I just thought it worth mentioning if you find these types of things anxiety inducing.

[Cranberry_anon 6]

4 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

Fair enough. The CR-1 would take a bit longer, but you'd only have the one application to do (versus the K-1, then AOS, then removal of conditions 2 years down the line as well). And you'd be work authorised from day 1, able to travel, be a green card holder and start working towards citizenship sooner etc.

 

It just might cause a lot less stress than the K-1 route, but your call obviously, I just thought it worth mentioning if you find these types of things anxiety inducing.

Out of curiosity, is there a waiting period after being rejected for the K1 before we could try it through the CR-1 route? I know K-1 has a waiting period to try another attempts at the K-1 if the first was failed

[appleblossom 2,546]

12 minutes ago, Cranberry_anon said:

Out of curiosity, is there a waiting period after being rejected for the K1 before we could try it through the CR-1 route? I know K-1 has a waiting period to try another attempts at the K-1 if the first was failed

 

No. I'm sure you won't be rejected though, good luck. 

[Boiler 45,525]

I assume you are Irish and the number of cases rejected is very very small.

[yuna628 9,676]

1 hour ago, Cranberry_anon said:

I am 24/f/Ireland and my fiancé is 25/m/Oklahoma. I'm worried about our proof of relationship (I'm generally a very anxious person) and I'd like some outsider perspective. 

 

We've been together for just over 18 months and decided to get married this past August. The reason I'm worried is because yes I acknowledge for most people thats very soon to get married, but one other thing: we don't have a lot of documented evidence that I've been around his friends and family or that he's been around mine. How bad is this going to look for my application? Do you think it's grounds for being rejected?

 

Niether of us are close to our families. One of the things we bonded over is a shared understanding of what it was like growing up through similar problems. He doesn't hang around with his family pretty much ever and the side of my family that I engage with lives in a different part of Ireland. The short version is that we don't have pictures of me and him together with members of our families (it doesn't help that it's usually my fiancé offering to take the picture so he's behind the camera). 

 

We have *some* with his friends because... I took the pictures and I'm holding the camera myself so I'm not actually featured in many of the pictures.

 

 

 

Take it from someone that knew their fiance a loooong time before filing a K1 - we had almost no photos of us with family members, no photos with friends, but we did have plenty of photos together. Back then we had a lot of old school camera photos, but with cellphones it's easy to take selfies together. Photos ultimately don't prove a relationship, it just proves you've met each other.

[Edward and Jaycel 171]

My fiancee and I knew each other only 7 months when we got engaged and had an RFE only for a missing document not for proof of relationship. I would not sweat it too much! 🙂 We were approved within days of responding to the RFE with the missing document and the embassy interview brought forth no questions about the "legitimacy" of our relationship. Most of the pictures we submitted as part of our I-129F were just the two of us. They are most concerned with proof that you have been together in person within the previous 2 years, that you are both legally eligible to marry each other and that you have the intent to marry within 90 days of your entry into the US (Covered by you both including letters of intent to marry in the application).

[smilingstone 175]

Your ties to each other's family/friends are irrelevant. None of our documents nor evidence mentioned anyone but ourselves. Specific to our relationship evidence, we included a single image together, a selection of text messages and a 2-page statement of how we met/how our relationship developed. Alongside this, we included all other required evidence of meeting. We did get an RFE, but it was because we missed a question on the form, nothing to do with our relationship.

 

All that matters in terms of I-129F is evidencing:

• You have both met within the past 2 years and;
• are both legally willing and able to marry.

 

All that matters in terms of K1 is evidencing that:

• Your USC can support you or that them and co-sponsor(s) can support you and;
• are both still legally willing and able to marry.

 

I had the same worries as you when we first filed. I was scared that what we had wouldn't be enough, and some faceless entity was deciding if our relationship was real without even knowing us. Ultimately, they know the red flags to look out for and they know what to query. You are from a low-fraud consulate, so although it is not a given, you generally do not need to worry about having a thoroughly documented relationship. Nothing you mentioned (not knowing family, becoming engaged after 18 months) would be much of a concern to USCIS.

Edited October 2 by smilingstone

[TexasRafael 134]

When we filled out our K1 application, we sent no pictures of us together with any family, I did go visit in Indonesia and we travelled to various cities in Indonesia and also Thailand and Malaysia and we did send those pics but not a one with any family and it was approved.

[smilingstone 175]

1 hour ago, yuna628 said:

Photos ultimately don't prove a relationship, it just proves you've met each other.

 

Photos are great to include, but are ultimately secondary for evidencing meeting. It's very easy to say a photo was taken on X date, when it wasn't.

 

Primary evidence for meeting is flights, accommodation, passport stamps, I-94, etc.

[SalishSea 17,835]

4 hours ago, Cranberry_anon said:

I am 24/f/Ireland and my fiancé is 25/m/Oklahoma. I'm worried about our proof of relationship (I'm generally a very anxious person) and I'd like some outsider perspective. 

 

We've been together for just over 18 months and decided to get married this past August. The reason I'm worried is because yes I acknowledge for most people thats very soon to get married, but one other thing: we don't have a lot of documented evidence that I've been around his friends and family or that he's been around mine. How bad is this going to look for my application? Do you think it's grounds for being rejected?

 

Niether of us are close to our families. One of the things we bonded over is a shared understanding of what it was like growing up through similar problems. He doesn't hang around with his family pretty much ever and the side of my family that I engage with lives in a different part of Ireland. The short version is that we don't have pictures of me and him together with members of our families (it doesn't help that it's usually my fiancé offering to take the picture so he's behind the camera). 

 

We have *some* with his friends because... I took the pictures and I'm holding the camera myself so I'm not actually featured in many of the pictures.

 

 

Have you read the requirements for a K-1?  None of that is required.   We didn’t submit any photos at all.