RPGwriter

16 hours ago, LTGermany said:

Wow! What is your NOA1 date and where did you file?

Gah! I'm so embarrassed. I was looking at the wrong document. We actually filed in late October or early November, and had biometrics at the start of December. Sorry for that. *puts bag on head and sinks into ground*

Checking in for the first time in forever. We just got the message today about our I-751 case being transferred to the Texas Service Center to redistribute workloads. I'm not sure if that's happening for other people.

I _hope_ it goes like some of the people in the other threads where that means we're nearly done and we'll get an approval within a month or so. I'd be so stressed out if after a year, they sent an RFE for more family pictures or something inane. We didn't have an initial interview for the green card, though, because we were considered a low probability of fraud, so hopefully we're not going to get randomly tagged for more hassle.
 

Anyway, vibes and good luck to everyone else wading through this endless process.

We got an Issued status on the 1st after a short delay from the technical glitch, but haven't gotten the visa package and passport back yet. It _should be here by tommorrow to be within ten business days, but we're starting to get a bit nervous. We've had a lot of delays already.

You've got a point. You can't prove a negative. But if AP is just to keep muslims and other races out of the USA because the USA is so racist, why do other's from the same country get in without an extended period on AP? In fact if we're so racist, why don't we just say sorry wrong color, or sorry wrong religion? Do you guys really think there wouldn't be a swarm of lawyers on this filing suits if such a thing as institutional racism was going on with AP?

I wasn't really addressing all that. I was just addressing that one specific argument. I'm not really trying to take sides in this.

I get the impression stuff varies from embassy to embassy, and case officer to case officer. I imagine that racism at least subtly influences things in some cases, but that it's not a monolithic thing. In fact, I'd imagine that on an institutional level, most of the embassy staff are less likely to act on racist impulses due to extensive training on the subject.

I have no example. Which of course proves that these AP times are worth the trouble.

As an aside you are free to leave to any country that will have you if you find the US so distasteful. That would pull the double duty of potentially solving your wait time woes that you're always on about as well.

Have you ever seen the episode of the Simpsons where Lisa sells Homer the rock that repels tigers? It goes something like this.

Homer buys into some scam for some protection he doesn't need. Lisa tries to use an analogy to explain the problem. She picks up a rock.

Lisa: This rock repels tigers.

Homer: That seems awfully suspicious.

Lisa: Well, when's the last time you saw a tiger around Springfield?

Homer: ...Lisa, I would like to buy that tiger-repelling rock.

That's what you just did. There's no proof that AP times prevented this from happening. There's no proof that anyone actualy _tried_ to do it and were blocked by the AP. You could just as easily argue that the AP thing keeps werewolves from entering our country, because we haven't had any werewolf attacks since the Patriot Act.

Does your betrothed make any income? Because for the initial interview K1, you just need to make 100% of the poverty line! not 125%---the latter is for the AOS later. As to your other questions, I'd PM Nick-Nich if I were you--she knows all about the UK K1 processes....

This varies from embassy to embassy. Stockholm, Sweden expects 125%. So it's definitely best to try to find someone who knows about the specific embassy.

(And yes, it's hugely frustrating that there's no standardized answer and the embassies don't bother to tell you up front on their websites.)

I'm very confused, and kinda panicking, even though I think there' probably not much to panic about.

My fiancee just interviewed in Stockholm. My father was our co-sponsor, but the case officer said it wasn't enough. But she said we could combine incomes from multiple co-sponsors! Which is VERY confusing, because so many people say that's not allowed.

Anyway, I e-mailed the embassy and they got back fast with responses to some questions. I've e-mailed them with a few more I wished I'd ask in the first e-mail, but until then, I'm kinda panicked and thinking about worst case scenarios.

So, my dad makes about $23,500 annually from earned disability. I e-mailed the embassy after the interview and they confirmed that disability counted. But the case officer apparently said something about the tax return saying Mom and Dad's joint account had only claimed a bit over $6000 in taxable income, and my fiancee seems to have gotten the impression that the case officer thought that's all the income they made! She may have overlooked my Dad's disability paper explaining his income. (I'm a bit frustrated that my fiancee didn't point it out and ask for more clarification.)

According to my fiancee, the case officer just said we needed to get more sponsors and combine the incomes to meet the thresholds, and it sounded like she didn't expect any big problems there. I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that my fiancee didn't misunderstand on the "you are allowed to combine the incomes to beat the threshold" part, and that's really my chief fear. But embassies are allowed to set their own rules, correct? So it's plausible that they allow multiple co-sponsors to combine incomes? (Also, they expect 125% of poverty line, which is the i-864 requirement, which is something I _know_ my household beats by a safe margin.)

In the e-mail, they confirmed they were looking at 125% of the poverty line and expected a little under $30,000 for a family of four.

So, since we can combine incomes, apparently, my mom can send in an affidavit too. Mom made something like $11,000 last year, but it came in as a bit over $6000 after deductions. So, will they probably count that as $11,000, or $6000? If the former, then we're way over the line. If the latter, we'd need a third sponsor for like $1000-$2000 beyond that. Which is hardly insurmountable, assuming that we really can stack incomes like they apparently told my fiancee, rather than the conventional wisdom of "one single person has to make the threshold by themselves."

So, basically, I'm just kinda panicking right now, and need some reassurance, I think. It _is_ plausible that the embassy would say something like that, right? That we could combine incomes? I mean, the U.K. apparently lets people sponsor _themselves_, which other embassies don't do, so I guess they have a lot of leeway on how to interpret i-134 requirements per embassy, right? My household (me, mom, dad, and my fiancee once she gets here) will easily be able to make the i-864 requirements, so this whole thing came as a bit of a shock to me.

I think the thing was that we should have just sent my Mom's i-134 in as well, and then made sure my fiancee pointed out Dad's disability income clearly and asked clearer questions. I mean, if that's the issue, then we might have this resolved in a matter of _days_.

But there's still that voice in the back of my head saying that it's the end of the world and there's some kind of really obscure economic restrictions I don't understand and we're doomed and we'll never be able to live together long-term and blah blah blah. I really, really hate my mind sometimes.

Sorry for the long, panicky post.

Thank you so much, Jay-Kay. That's helpful advice. I'll do that.

I'm counted as a dependent on their taxes.

I'm still very confused here. I know you can't have two different people as separate co-sponsors, but I've seen things saying that a married couple counts as one person.

This is just really frustrating, because my family have one account and can easily support four people at far higher than 125% of poverty level (PLUS my fiancee and I both have additional income but it's smaller; including our incomes), but technicalities might mess things up.

So, my father's income alone has to be able to support himself, my mother, me, and my fiancee, and my mother's income doesn't affect things even if she can support herself?

So far, I've seen the following things stated in different places:

1) Married co-sponsor couple counts as one co-sponsor, so it's valid. Use one I-134, not two.

2) Married co-sponsor couple counts as one co-sponsor, so it's valid. But use two I-134, not one.

3) Married co-sponsor couple counts as two separate co-sponsors, so only one parent can sponsor. But the other spouse doesn't count as a dependent part of the household if she has money.

4) Married co-sponsor couple counts as two separate co-sponsors, so only one parent can sponsor. The co-sponsor has to have enough money to support everyone, including his spouse, even if his spouse already can support herself with her own income and isn't actually dependent on him.

#1-3 means that we'll have no problem with getting the visa. #4 means that we'll be right on the edge of the threshold,.

If #4 is the case, will the CO at least look and see, "Oh, gee, this guy can just barely qualify for supporting four people but his wife makes about half as much as he does in a year on top of that, so it's really more than it looks like and there's no serious threat of the fiancee becoming a public charge?"

I live with them, so I'm also counted as a dependent, presumably.

https://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/edu/department2.aspx?id=10127

Okay, using some keywords from Mike-eeh and Odie to get a better search result, I found something else. This is a website for a college and refers to I-134 for exchange students, but it's the same form, and it refers to married parents being able to be a combined co-sponsor if both their names are on all documentation. Which my parents' names are--they've really never had separate accounts. If that applies to I-134 for K1 visa, then we're more than in the clear. Whew!

Anyway, thanks so much for the reply.

You may only have 1 co-sponsor and he/she must meet the poverty guidelines for your household. You are better off getting a job and meeting the poverty threshold for 2, which is $15,510. Depending on where you live, this is not a terribly difficult annual salary to achieve for most high school graduates.

Second, if your mother & father claimed single 0 on their W-4, and filed jointly, then only she or your father can sponsor your fiancee. If they claimed Married 1 and jointly, however, then they can use their combined income to cosponsor you as a joint parental entity.

They filed jointly as married. So, only one co-sponsor, but they'd count as a single entity because they're Married 1, joint bank account, etc?

Sorry for being confused. It just seems like the first and the second paragraphs conflict. If my parents can count as one entity can be the I-134 co-sponsor, than they're definitely the best option for me right now. I have a job, but it's not up to $15,510 yet.

Anyway, thanks!

Simple question. I live with my mother and father. They're married, file taxes jointly, and have a joint bank account. Can they both count as a single sponsor for the I-134?

(EDIT: To clarify, I'm the USC and don't make enough to sponsor yet, though my income is slowly increasing.)

Someone on VJ said they did that and they got their visa just fine, and others mentioned planning to do it but I never saw updates. Someone else here says you absolutely can't have two sponsors even if they're both using a joint account and married and the same household. I've seen the same split all over the internet, with both sides making absolute statements both ways. And it's making me terrified.

If my mom and dad can combine income, they have 150% poverty level for four people.

If they can't combine, and mom is a dependent but her income has no effect, my dad has around 100% poverty level for four people but might be off by a couple hundred. That won't look good. I think we might have a few assets to add to that to push it over, but I'd rather have the nice 150% safety net.

If they can't combine, but mom doesn't count as a dependent because she has her own income, then my dad has well over 100% poverty level for three people (him, me, fiancee).

I have heard a dozen different variations and theories on this, all stated as absolute fact. Does anywhere here actually have a clear answer? I know it varies by embassy to some extent.

My fiancee is from a low-fraud country (Norway) and her interview will be in Sweden, if that helps. I know they accept co-sponsors in general.

Any answer would be helpful, even if you aren't sure and say "I'm not sure but I think", but PLEASE do not make an absolute statement if you're just talking out your butt and aren't sure.

Follow-up question, if it's doable, then do we use a single I-134 or one for each parent?

FINALLY GOT AN UPDATE!

NOA1 was December 16, TSC. No transfers. NOA2 (or e-mail that they were sending it forward, anyway) was today, 2/19, at about 9 p.m. EST.

Thank God we got through without any RFEs or anything. We're a same-sex couple with transgender complications added to the mix, in a non-equality state, so we're lucky that everything got through the first time. Thanks to everyone here that told us to send in a copy of the laws in the state we were getting married in, instead of just specifying an equal marriage state and assumed they knew.

Best wishes and sympathies for everyone who hasn't gotten one yet.

Good luck. My fiancee and I are both transgender women and getting married in an equal marriage state, but I'm a little nervous that some official is going to get confused and apply the pre-DOMA-overturn rules for transgender people to us. It's been a little over two months since NOA1 for us, and we're still waiting on NOA2. I'll let you know how it goes if I hear anything before you do.

Thank you all so much! After a good night's sleep and waking up to more reassuring responses, I'm feeling much better about this whole thing.

Thank you so much! That helps a LOT.

I stupidly didn't keep my boarding passes--I _think_--but I do have passport stamps and e-mailed copies of plane tickets to and from Norway (three months apart) and insurance-related documents. Will that be enough? I've been stressing about boarding passes but forgot to mention that here.

The following link is the visa photograph requirement:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/visaphotoreq/visaphotoreq_5334.html

Thanks. I've looked at that a _LOT_. I'm just confirming that the piercings are okay.

Searching deeply on this site, it _seems_ like cutting the pictures out by hand is fine as long as it's not damaged, so that solves one issue.

Also, that requirement that the biometric file and statement of intent be physically mailed to me, then mailed to the government, rather than scanned and sent is soooooo frustrating.

Hi, everyone. First time poster, but certainly will be posting for quite a while forward. I just have a few quick questions.

I'm an American and my fiancee is Norwegian. We're getting the initial package together for me to apply for a K1 visa. I'm REALLY scared of messing up some minor thing and getting everything denied.

1) My fiancee had her father (skilled photographer) take a photograph with a high-quality camera. She wears glasses but tilted her head to reduce glare. She also has a lip ring that she always wears. The background and everything else were fine, and she cropped the photo using the tool on the U.S. government site. Then she sent the final version to me electronically.

I took the file to the local CVS to get two copies printed; one to send to the government, and a backup to send to my fiancee. The cashier apologetically claimed that lip rings weren't allowed in passport photos. She also suggested that my fiancee not wear her glasses in the photo because it might be rejected due to glare, even though there's no glare. Finally, she claimed that she couldn't print a 2x2 photo file, and that printing it on bigger paper and cutting it out would disqualify it due to "tampering."

Is this true _at all_? The U.S. gov site doesn't say anything about piercings other than you might need to change your passport photo if you get a bunch of new ones, which implies that not only can you wear them in your photo, but that you _have_ to.

I can't get 2x2 photos printed anywhere I know of. Could I get them printed on 4x6 paper and cut them out? Or print them on 4x6 paper and leave the whitespace around the 2x2 inch picture? What should I do?

2) I went to get passport-style photos made of myself, and they gave me two 2x2 photos of me printed out on one big piece of photo paper. They couldn't give me the file for my picture, they said.

So, I now have two print copies of my photo on a big white piece of photo paper. Do I cut them down to 2x2 and remove the white paper around them, and send one in and the other to my fiancee? Or can I cut the paper in half so that there's a picture and whitespace on each one?

Or do I need to find a way to print 2x2 photos out? The cashier mentioned earlier claimed they couldn't be cut out, but there's a post on this site about printing out a bunch on one sheet and cutting them up.

3) I have some nice photos of my fiancee and I when we were in Norway a year ago. They're photos of us in different places, such as eating with her family, visiting a medieval church, visiting a museum, etc. We're holding each other and sorta cuddling in most of them.

I went there because I missed her, not because I wanted to fill some K1 requirements. (DOMA was still in effect then, so we weren't really thinking we could even get married and were sorta losing hope. But then various things turned around.)

So...I didn't write down the exact date of each photo, and the files don't have the right date either. I still know the locations and people and can pretty accurately specify the month. Is something like "August 2012" good enough as a date?

4) How many photos can I send? This site says 2-5. Would 6 be a problem? I just want to make absolutely sure they see us in different places and understand we have a legitimate relationship.

5) Visajourney says I need to send a copy of the entire application package to my fiancee. I'm totally going to do that, but I was just wondering why that's needed. It sounds weird that I'd need to send another passport-style photo, another copy of the proof of relationship and meeting photos, etc. Is that just a backup in case they lose documents or something?

6) Anything else I need to know?

7) What happens if I mess up on the photos? Hopefully they just ask for me to send corrected versions and I don't have to pay the fee again and start all over? That sounds logical, but I'm just kinda scared and all.

8) How tough is this process? I've quadruple-checked everything and we have a legit relationship and I have a co-sponsor who makes plenty of money, but I'm still worried they're going to decide that my girlfriend is too punk for having blue hair and piercing, or have a problem with us being LGBT, or whatever.

Basically, when can I stop hyperventilating?

Anyway, thanks for your time, and sorry my post was so long.

(EDIT: Made a typo. She tilted her head slightly to reduce _glare_, not "tint."