AnaMaria&Andrew

Just wanted to provide updated information. Apparently, we had a miscommunication where I misunderstood due to a lost-in-translation issue. She hasn't taken THC drops for her headaches in over a month, so that shouldn't be an issue. It's just the other medication, that happens to contain cannabinoids, which could yield a result that makes it appear that she's a drug user, when she isn't, and I was getting all worked up over the thought of her being denied a visa over a misinterpretation of test results.

I realize that this sort of question has been asked several times before, but I ask for your forgiveness and grace. My wife and I are deeply upset at the prospect of having to wait yet another year to be together, all because of our ignorance. We have been so diligent and organized with everything else up until now. 😢 My wife had her medical appointment today. She was asked to give a urine sample tomorrow. The reason is that one of her daily medications (something homeopathic, in a dropper) that she disclosed turned out to be a cannabinoid, and we honestly didn't know. A doctor recommended it to her to help her regulate her sleep. But the other issue is that she also takes THC in the form of a liquid, also via dropper, a couple of times per month, when she gets her migraines. It is the only thing that has helped her, without the debilitating side effects she experiences with the various other prescription medications that she has tried. The last time that she took THC drops for a migraine was last week, and she takes the aforementioned homeopathic medication nightly, around 10-20 drops, sublingually. At this point, after the various threads I have skimmed about this, I'm guessing that there is a high probability that she is going to get denied. Would it help if she could get a doctor's note for both the homeopathic sleep-aide and the THC drops for the migraines? Because my wife is not a drug abuser, and she doesn't smoke anything.

The NVC finally gave my Colombian wife a date for her visa interview, and we are looking at the pre-interview checklist. It says the following: The appropriate Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for each financial sponsor along with a photocopy of the sponsor’s IRS transcript or most recent U.S. federal income tax return, and any relevant W-2s. Do I have to send her the original of the I-864? I ask because Colombia doesn't have a reliable postal system anymore, so it costs over $100 USD to send documents by international courier, such as FedEx (and that's with a membership) or DHL. Thanks in advance!

Summary: My cousin (Venezuelan/Colombian, female, late 30s) and I (Colombian/American, male, also late 30s) fell in love during 2020. What was supposed to be her short, spontaneous vacation in the US turned into an unexpected, 10-month stay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not having grown up together or seen or talked to each other in over 25 years, we were more like strangers; but over the course of weeks that turned into months, we got to know each other, and we discovered to our astonishment that we are very compatible emotionally, intellectually, and in the context of living together. Now, two years later and two continents apart, after many long-distance video calls and messages via WhatsApp, we realized that we want to spend the rest of our lives together in marriage (although without children, as neither of us wants any). Naturally, we would like to advance to this next stage of our lives as soon as possible. Our respective parents and the rest of the extended family have come around to our decision, as that is not so uncommon in Latin America. But due to several complicating factors, we are struggling to figure out which visa to petition for, whether the fiancé or the spouse visa. The lawyer that we consulted said what most of us here know already, which is that the fiancé visa is faster, at least in theory, but was hesitant to fully recommend it due to the aforementioned complicating factors. And, so, we are hoping that someone on this website or on these forums, ideally someone with similar circumstances, can offer us some guidance, because we don’t want to have to wait a year only to have the fiancé visa rejected, and then to have to wait yet another year after that when following up with a spouse visa. The complicating factors: We are both first cousins. However, our marriage would be legal both in Colombia, where she has been living, and here in California, where I live. She already has dual citizenship: Venezuelan by birth, and Colombian from both of her parents. I have dual citizenship too, but American and Colombian. Because of the international COVID lockdowns, she both overstayed her visa and exceeded the total time that she was allowed to stay in the US (though it was less than 180 days) before she could return to Colombia. She had petitioned USCIS very early for an extension in order to not overstay her visa or exceed her stay in the country. They responded almost 12 months later, a couple of months after she had already returned to Colombia. We filed all the appropriate paperwork and corresponding evidence of her departure with USCIS, and they closed her case/file. Thank you in advance for any advice or insights offered. -Andew & Ana María