W199

Before getting married, not before the AOS.

You or your attorney should send details and proof of her criminal background, that she lied on the DS-260, and other lies to USCIS. This maybe useless, but at least you gave it a shot to try to make it more difficult for her to remove conditions, become a USA citizen, etc...

It is not automatic. In my Wife's country, if they suspect you will flee, the prosecutor can go to court and ask the judge for a hold-departure order, but they must present proof that you plan to flee to avoid the court date.

I would think your biggest concern or issue would be on departure. Your ex might have tried to put a hold-departure order in place to prevent you from leaving. But it doesn't seem like that has happened. But perhaps you should verify.

Oh, some banks give you starter personal checks the same day as when you open the account, or can even print some on the spot for you. However, I don't know if using a starter check would pose a problem or not since it doesn't have your name printed on it etc..

Cashier check is fine, it is just not as good as a personal check when it comes to knowing when it was cashed, having proof of such, if it gets lost, etc... Many people seem to use it.

Given your specific case, you have zero chance of getting a visitor approved for her. It would be a waste of time and money. If I were you, I would apply for a K-3 visa. They often will then speed up the I-130 process to avoid having to issue a K-3 visa. Google it for more info. It could also be a waste of money or only save a few months, so factor in your financial resources.

Why not just use a personal check so you can see when they cash it, and have proof as well?

My fiancee’s interview at the Manila Embassy was about 2 months ago. The 1st screener also collected the divorce certificates without returning them too. But we didn’t care since we didn’t give them the originals. One was just a scanned photocopy that was even on the wrong size paper (original was A4 size from Thailand). There was a new rogue officer that was indeee asking for originals/certified copies, but they have appeared to get her with the program that certified or originals are not needed and never have been except in cases where something is suspicious or its a really bad copy or who knows what else. They also didn’t waste anytime asking for the I-134 since they know my job, etc

My Thai divorce certificate’s english translation simply has a stamp saying it is a certified translation by the ymca, which was listed by the embassy as an acceptable agency to do certifed translations. No other statement or attestation that it is a accurate translation, simply the certified translation stamp. So I agree with your company, that is all is needed and you are reading too much from the internet. Surely, they have had countless experience and would know if it is not adequate. I have used my stamped certified translation with uscis and different embassies without any issues.. a scanned photocopy nonetheless. never did they even need the originals. this goes for uscis, usa embassy in Indonesia, Philippines, ..

Hi Any update on this so we can all be educated on how this works? How did the embassy handle this with the pending court date? Did they give you more time until the trial is over?

Yes, that tis all extremley good and very valuable. But the point is that here are paralegal agencies, that specialize in K-1's and have many times more K-1's than the lawyer do, and do the exact same thing, they did it for me, for $600. Not the $2500-$4000 that the lawyer dharges. And it does't end after 8 months, plus they provide am unlimited amount of inquires and questions regarding the million different little details that come up from the time you apply and the time she arrives in the USA. They help with preparing for the interview, and the DS-160. The only difference is they don't charge rip-off prices, and do not sign the form saying "they represent you" .. which has zero benefit anyways. A lawyer is good when you need to go to court, etc.. etc..