US Immigration from Pakistan

Hello everyone, I have a little complicated case I need advice on and would appreciate help on this.

I (the petitioner) travelled to Pakistan and met my fianc there. We met and talked however both of us have traditional families so we didn't take any photos together at all neither any of the family members. (I also didn't know about the K1 visa at the time or would probably have it taken)

When we returned we continued communication and then we got engaged.

Now the main issue I am having is that we don't have any photos together and from what I read almost all applications have photos to show proof of meeting and given that Pakistan is a high fraud country it would probably be even more important. I have other proofs like passport stamps, boarding pass, receipts and can also get affidavits from family members who were there and others who were aware of us meeting. There are also call and chat logs (mostly between the parents) but its not too much.

Given that there are no photos together and I am not sure if the case would be weak and it would be better to apply with what I have or travel one more time and get photos together or apply for CR1 and people say it takes longer but is the stronger route and also given the current political climate might be better suited.

My priority is for us to be together as soon as possible and that's why I was thinking about K1 visa instead of spouse visa as I am seeing that these days the K1 visa for Pakistan takes around 1 year and couple of months while spouse visa takes around 2.5 years.

Also I am seeing that NOA1 -> NOA2 is around 8-9 months and I will have opportunity to travel in 2-3 months and also later in the year.

So I thought that there are a couple of options I could pursue and would appreciate everyone's input.

1. Visit Pakistan again to take pictures together with family members then apply for K1

Pros: Stronger K1 application. Cons: Will cost couple of grand just to take trip for photos over a weekend

2. Submit K1 application without photos and if RFE is received can submit photos from trip I take 2-3 months later to show ongoing relationship

Pros: can apply right away and less expensive Cons: have higher likelihood of denial due to no photos together before filing

3. Get married and Go CR1 route

Pros: Can appeal if any issues and looks safer. Cons: Longer

what does everyone think would be the best way to move forward in my circumstance? Would appreciate everyone's input

They are reusing my biometrics filed it online.

We submitted the I-864EZ. On tax returns, our 2023 income was around 30k, 2024 was around 50k, and the current estimate is around 130k. (1st Jan 2025 -31 Dec 2025)

Will it cause issues during the visa, as we are not expecting an interview before May 2025?
We did provide his employment verification letter, but not the pay stubs.

We got the following message:

The income reported as stated on form I-864, I-864A is insufficient to overcome the public charge grounds of inadmissibility for visa issuance. To avoid delays, an additional Affidavit of Support Form I-864 from a joint sponsor may be submitted. For more information visit https://nvc.state.gov/aos and https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p. A consular officer will decide if you meet these requirements at the time of the interview. Note: You, as the sponsor, and any other sponsors household members and joint sponsors, must provide updated or additional evidence for the applicant to present at the time of their interview such as: * Other income * Assets * Proof of current employment Note: You submitted documentation to the National Visa Center through the Consular Electronic Application Center CEAC. You can continue to upload documents to CEAC up until the date of your visa interview.

Hello all,

My mom has a PD of 04/13/2009 for her brother in Pakistan. To this date we haven't gotten any updates for the case and it still shows it is "Processing as normal". No I130 approval or anything from what we can see and address is updated for USCIS. Just wondering if this is normal...

Thanks!

I am waiting for my approval. Has anyone else filed both? And if someone recently approved because of k3? You can share your experiences. Thanks