Just getting started.

[PachucoBro 3]

After wasting a month saving up for the $1500 an attorney said he would need to perform my K-1 Visa petition I come across VisaJurney.com. WOW! Very helpful and informative. So help me feel good...

1. I am making a sane decision to make the petition on my own rather than pay an attorney $1500 to tell me to gather the same paperwork the K-1 Visa Guide tells me to gather, right?

2. I see posts mentioning translated documents for the I-129F petition. Other than evidence of seeing eachother (I have many papers and receipts in English) what else is going to be in the initial petition that is in another language?

3. Other than 2 passport photos and FOUR signed and filled out G-325A Biographic Forms, is there anything else that my colombian fiancee needs to sign and provide for the initial filling of the I-129F?

4. Am I ok with thinking I can fill out all the information on the I-129F and the G-325A forms that pertain to my fiancee and then just mail her the documents to sign and date? She can then return those signed documents and her passport photos and I can complete the entire package and wait for NOA1.

Thank you so much for all of your posts and experience. I hope that after my Visa Journey I will be able to help someone avoid making a mistake like paying $1500 or more for someone else to do exactly what they can do themselves.

-= Abel =-

[happyimmigrant 0]

After wasting a month saving up for the $1500 an attorney said he would need to perform my K-1 Visa petition I come across VisaJurney.com. WOW! Very helpful and informative. So help me feel good...

1. I am making a sane decision to make the petition on my own rather than pay an attorney $1500 to tell me to gather the same paperwork the K-1 Visa Guide tells me to gather, right?

Yes. If you have a standard, straightforward K-1 case, you're nuts to pay $1500 to an attorney to have him fill out forms. I have had extremely poor luck with incompetent immigration attorneys, and other people here have posted horror stories of careless attorneys filing applications to the wrong service centers, etc.

2. I see posts mentioning translated documents for the I-129F petition. Other than evidence of seeing eachother (I have many papers and receipts in English) what else is going to be in the initial petition that is in another language?

I'd send translations of anything not in English. Being from Canada I did not have any translation issues, perhaps someone else here could better answer this.

3. Other than 2 passport photos and FOUR signed and filled out G-325A Biographic Forms, is there anything else that my colombian fiancee needs to sign and provide for the initial filling of the I-129F?

There's a pretty good description here of what needs to be included:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=k1guide

You can include what you like - some people include reams of evidence and say "more is better." Some people provide what they think is the bare minimum and say "just provide what they ask for."

You can include an FC-029, but it's not essential. You need to sign the letters of intent, as well.

4. Am I ok with thinking I can fill out all the information on the I-129F and the G-325A forms that pertain to my fiancee and then just mail her the documents to sign and date? She can then return those signed documents and her passport photos and I can complete the entire package and wait for NOA1.

Yes, this is fine.

[luvaLimey 0]

After wasting a month saving up for the $1500 an attorney said he would need to perform my K-1 Visa petition I come across VisaJurney.com. WOW! Very helpful and informative. So help me feel good...

1. I am making a sane decision to make the petition on my own rather than pay an attorney $1500 to tell me to gather the same paperwork the K-1 Visa Guide tells me to gather, right?

2. I see posts mentioning translated documents for the I-129F petition. Other than evidence of seeing eachother (I have many papers and receipts in English) what else is going to be in the initial petition that is in another language?

3. Other than 2 passport photos and FOUR signed and filled out G-325A Biographic Forms, is there anything else that my colombian fiancee needs to sign and provide for the initial filling of the I-129F?

4. Am I ok with thinking I can fill out all the information on the I-129F and the G-325A forms that pertain to my fiancee and then just mail her the documents to sign and date? She can then return those signed documents and her passport photos and I can complete the entire package and wait for NOA1.

Thank you so much for all of your posts and experience. I hope that after my Visa Journey I will be able to help someone avoid making a mistake like paying $1500 or more for someone else to do exactly what they can do themselves.

-= Abel =-

1. I'd say yes you are. I initially went to an immigration lawyer, who sent me some forms to fill out. I was completely confused as to why I was filling out a form for "my relative" (I-130) when I was petitioning for my finace. Also, from what I'd read on the USCIS site, we didn't have to do the EAD paperwork until he got here, but this guy was asking me to fill all of it out right then, even the AOS paperwork.

My finace found this site, and it's given us so much more confidence that we can do it on our own.

My personal opinion is that unless you have a very complicated case, you'd be wasting your money on a lawyer.

2. If she was married before, but then was divorced, she would need to provide that document and a translation. Or, if they need her birth certificate, they would need a translation for that. Basically any document that would be in her native language that would be required, they would need translated. But each case is different.

3. She will need to send her photos, all four pages of the G-325A AND a letter of intent to marry signed by her.

4. Yes, you could do that. My fiance and I actually filled out our forms on the computer, and since my printer was wonky, I sent him my filled out forms (file transfer) and he printed them for me. He signed all of his documents, and sent all our documents to me along with the copies he had made of phone record and hotel reciepts and ticket stubs, so that I could sign all my things, and put together the final package.

EDIT: forgot to add: $1500 is better spent on plane tickets!

Edited April 5, 2006 by luvaLimey

[aussiewench 9]

Hi and welcome to VJ

1.

2. Translations: Any document eg Birth Certificate, Divorce Decrees etc needs to be translated into English and certified by someone conversant in both english and the language. A photocopy of the original document should also be submitted.

3. Your fiance needs to send you her signed G-325A (4 pages), passport photo (2" x 2"), Letter of Intent (sample here) and any Divorce Decree if she has ever been married.

4. You can do so, yes.

Have you checked out the K-1 GUIDE

Good luck on your journey.

[Vagina Journey 0]

Good Luck with your Journey....Welcome to INSANITY!!

[PachucoBro 3]

Ahh yes... though I knew I needed it, I forgot to include the letter of intent that she needs to sign and date in my post.

Yes, I did go through the K-1 Flowchart and Guide. This is how I knew what forms I needed and other items, etc.

Since my fiancee has never been married and has no kids, there really are no documents in the initial I-129F package that will be in a foreign language. I do not see where it mentions to include a birth certificate of my foreign fiancee. It just says I must send a copy of my birth certificate front and back or alternative paperwork to prove my citezenship.

[aussiewench 9]

I do not see where it mentions to include a birth certificate of my foreign fiancee. It just says I must send a copy of my birth certificate front and back or alternative paperwork to prove my citezenship.

Correct. Some do submit the foreign fiance birthday certificate though even though it is not a requirement so I mentioned it just in case.

Rule of thumb.....anything submitted to USCIS not in english must be submitted with a translation. Anything submitted to Consulate can be in english or the country of interviews language.

[Ladylethal 12]

I´ll use his thread for a question. Someone said they got an RFE ´cus the alien fiancee didn´t supply a translated birth certificate, or a birth certificate at all! I didn´t read anywhere that such was necessary. So, is it?

And in case they´re asking for that now, will my passport do?

[aussiewench 9]

I´ll use his thread for a question. Someone said they got an RFE ´cus the alien fiancee didn´t supply a translated birth certificate, or a birth certificate at all! I didn´t read anywhere that such was necessary. So, is it?

And in case they´re asking for that now, will my passport do?

Whilst a birth certificate and or copy of passport is not required to be submitted by the beneficiary with the I-129F, an adjudicator can request either or both by sending an RFE to the petitioner. Just the same as an adjudicator can request original documents that were submitted with the petition as photocopies. Its totally up to them. However those cases are few that I have seen on this board.

[Jasman0717 9]

I see that you already have been given some good answers so will just welcome you to VJ and wish you the best with your petition.

[Ladylethal 12]

Aussie, in that case I can just follow through with only my passport and IF they give us an RFE, I translate my birth certificate and send it, right?

[Miranda&James 8]

I would venture to say that most, or at least a large part, of us on this board have filed our petitions without the help of an attorney and only by the guides here on VJ, so yes, it can be done! Good luck to you!

[meauxna 15]

I´ll use his thread for a question. Someone said they got an RFE ´cus the alien fiancee didn´t supply a translated birth certificate, or a birth certificate at all! I didn´t read anywhere that such was necessary. So, is it?

And in case they´re asking for that now, will my passport do?

Whilst a birth certificate and or copy of passport is not required to be submitted by the beneficiary with the I-129F, an adjudicator can request either or both by sending an RFE to the petitioner. Just the same as an adjudicator can request original documents that were submitted with the petition as photocopies. Its totally up to them. However those cases are few that I have seen on this board.

Is the beneficiary's birth certificate required for the visa application?

[TracyTN 237]

To my knowledge, not at the petition stage, m.

[meauxna 15]

To my knowledge, not at the petition stage, m.

Yeah, I was thinking though.. if you're going to need it later, why not get it now? And, the translation may not be required at the Consulate level, but if you ever need/want to use it in the US for anything meaningful, it will need to be translated into English.

I guess I could've said that in the first post.