alliejourney

Ah! That makes a lot more sense and hopefully can help others give you more advice, then! I was worried for you 😅 I see a lot of people on this forum get in over their heads with the finances associated with K1 so it made me nervous that you just said part time job at first.

Obviously I don't know all of the details of your situation but as an outsider it seems to me that K1 might not be the best choice in your financial situation. Are you aware that when your fiance arrives in the US it could be several months before your fiance can work? You have to be prepared to financially support her while she waits for her green card, not to mention the expensive AOS phase after arrival. Instead, the spousal visa might be a better way to go. That way, when she arrives in the US, she will have a green card and the ability to work right away. Proving that you and a friend can sponsor her on a form is one thing; the reality of two people living on one part-time income and major debts is another.

I copied all of my photos into a word document and typed descriptions (where we were, the date, and if anyone else was in the picture I named them) below the photos. I also included copies of flight itineraries, boarding passes, and if there were any tickets or event confirmations that corresponded to any of the photos, I included those. All of my evidence was topped with a cover letter that briefly explained our story as a couple and included the dates of every trip we made to see one another, corroborated by the flight itineraries included. Others in this thread are correct, do not use staples or sheet protectors. There is conflicting information about paperclips and binder clips, but for what it's worth, I did use miniature binder clips and paper clips and there seemed to be no issue.

You do not need to have an engagement party unless you want to. Take plenty of photos together doing normal couple things when you visit her and that will suffice!

I'm not sure! I would probably take both a certified copy that you get from the court, and a copy, and just ask them there which one they want. Since it's fairly easy to get additional certified copies from courts, at least where I am! 😄

Congratulations! I'm still stuck in "USCIS is actively reviewing your case" but I realized I'm almost definitely getting an RFE from a mistake I made so I'm just twiddling my thumbs until that comes, lol. If you're not on any financial accounts, I'd try to gather up as much evidence of your relationship (pictures, itineraries from trips you've taken together since moving to the US, etc) and evidence of shared residence (have you gotten any mail? Phone plan in your name?). If he has put you on his health insurance or life insurance, that is good evidence, too. And once you have an SSN, definitely work on getting your name on some bills, opening a joint bank account, and getting on shared credit cards, as you'll continue to need evidence of comingling in the ROC stage!

Definitely use the father as a co-sponsor if she doesn't have pay stubs or other proof of employment. (By saying she's paid in cash, I'm making the assumption that she's being paid under the table. Forgive me if I'm wrong.) And make sure that if she hasn't filed taxes, she gets all of that in order - it could become a hurdle later on if she has not been filing. Otherwise, your situation sounds very straightforward and the K1 Visa guide at the top of this page should give you a good idea of everything you need. Between looking at those guides and very closely reading the instructions on the I-129F form, you should be just fine.

Dang, I'm gonna get an RFE because I marked no and didn't answer those questions 😅 I suppose it's probably not worth trying to upload an amended form. I'll just bite the bullet and wait, who knows what other mistakes I may have made lol

In Ohio my husband was not able to get his driver's license until he had his EAD and SSN, and at that point had to follow the protocols for any person over 18 obtaining their first driver's license. As far as documentation, we had to bring two pieces of mail/utility bills to prove proof of address, and we also brought his I-94 showing he entered on a K1 visa and the NOA showing he had a pending AOS application. Also brought his passport, EAD, and SSN for the biometric information that was needed. Again, though, this was all specific to Ohio, but just to give you an idea of what was required of us. I think New Hampshire DMV website has all the info you need here! https://www.dmv.nh.gov/drivers-licensenon-driver-ids/apply-your-first-drivers-licensenon-driver-id It includes a list of acceptable documents and should tell you everything you need and the entire process to follow.

Any news from anyone in our batch? Getting nervous about RFEs I'm seeing around the forums and thinking about uploading some unsolicited evidence to the myUSCIS portal. We don't have a ton but at least some images from our wedding celebration, shared insurance policies, MFJ tax transcript for this year, etc, would be something. All I submitted with our initial application was the marriage certificate. I don't know how reliably they take into account the unsolicited evidence but it probably wouldn't hurt?

That kind of evidence is hard to collect when you're adjusting from K1, since oftentimes you don't have required documents to open bank accounts, get a driver's license, etc! After all, us USCs agree to financially sponsor our beneficiaries while you navigate immigration and get on your feet. All we submitted was our marriage certificate as per the instructions, but as he received his work authorization and has the ability to become more independent, we've been gathering up evidence of shared address and shared finances, in case we get an RFE for more evidence of a bona fide marriage. I do think others' advice to include photos from the wedding and things like that is wise, I wish I had done that!

Just out of curiosity, by "last August" do you mean August 2023 or August 2024? My husband filed for AOS August 2024 and also had biometrics in October, so just interested if they're starting to touch the August 2024 batches! But no, as others have said, if you've been approved then there will be no interview for you. Congrats!

Agreed! Just sharing my experience.

My husband went through the London embassy and they didn't even collect any of our evidence for the I-134, just the form itself. I did not provide any bank statements, just a letter from my employer certifying my employment and my salary, as well as 3 months of pay stubs and the previous year's W2, all to prove my salary. To my understanding, London is a fairly relaxed embassy as it is considered very low fraud.

This is probably not advice I would give to everyone. I think in general people should probably just follow the proper protocols because they're in place for a reason. But if you're comfortable taking the gamble then you do you.

I'm sure it's different for different field offices, but for us it was fast! The application went from approved to being produced within a day, and then we received it in the mail about ten days after it said it was being produced. The status on myUSCIS didn't even change to "the EAD has been mailed" until after we had actually received it, lol.

No idea why this became a thing, but FWIW I actually really enjoyed the pre-clearance in Dublin. When I reached Cleveland, it was nice to be able to just grab my bags and go home, not have to go through customs when I was ready for my own bed after a long flight!

Any airport that receives international flights can be a POE and should be equipped with appropriate immigration facilities. One thing to bear in mind, though, is that a lot of Cleveland's international flights come from cities that have US pre-clearance. For example, in Dublin, you go through US customs and border control at the Dublin airport, so technically Dublin is an American POE. The same is true of Toronto. So when you're scheduling your flights, that's something to keep in mind - do your research on any connecting flights you may need to take, as you'll want to have ample layover time if that's the case for you! Edit: I just did a quick look at Google flights and there are no direct flights that I can see from Manila to Cleveland. Likely, you'll connect in a different US city that will serve as your port of entry. Again, if that's the case, make sure you have ample layover time!

It does technically meet the "meeting in person in the last 2 years" requirement of the I-129F, but as others have noted, you will face scrutiny about the validity of your relationship if you have only been together in person for 4-5 days before deciding to get married. Much stronger evidence would include longer visits or multiple visits. I know this is an immigration help forum and not a life advice forum, but I would also recommend much more time in person before you, personally, make the decision that this is someone you want to marry. Being in a long distance relationship is very different than living with someone in person.

No updates from me! I filed August 2nd. Looking at the monthly AOS threads, I've seen January 2024 filers start to get some approvals, but also I think someone from June. So I'm checking myUSCIS every day but realistically, as long as all goes well and no RFE, I'm not expecting any updates until summer 2025. Hoping for sooner, of course! 😁

Thank you, that's what I'm hoping! I've heard they do waive the interviews more often than not these days, so I'll be interested to see how things play out from here. I guess I'm curious how they determine whether or not an interview is needed, and whether they'll ask for additional evidence from us AFTER determining that an interview wasn't needed!

Is anyone familiar with what the steps on the myProgress tab might indicate? We filed August 2nd, they received it August 5th, and husband attended biometrics on October 3rd. Then, mid-October the myProgress tab finally showed up and put us in Step 3 (attend interview if needed) with a timeline estimate of 2 months. This morning I logged in and Step 3 has now been marked complete, and we're on Step 4, Case Decision, with a timeline of 12 months. I know the time estimates are famously inaccurate, but I'm curious about what this might mean in terms of whether we may receive an RFE during this case decision time? If they've decided he doesn't need an interview, have they only scanned it enough to determine there's no red flags that may trigger an interview, but we could still get an RFE? Or have they reviewed everything thoroughly enough that we're essentially just in the queue for an approval or denial? I know nobody can know the workings of USCIS, just looking to speculate and hear from others who may have some knowledge of what could happen next based on this tab!

Not every embassy sends back the approved I-129F, just as an FYI! Also, in our case, the A-Number was printed on the NOA2 (the I-797 acceptance notice for the I-129F). In the box that says "Beneficiary", it lists both an A-Number and his name. I would imagine that would be the same case for everyone? So for us we did have his A-Number before his visa was even issued, technically.

OP, I just went through the K1 process, filed in November 2022 and finally had my now-husband moved here and married this summer, 2024. If I could go back knowing then what I know now, I would choose CR-1. While K1 did have some benefits - specifically for us, we didn't like the idea of being separated after marriage - I can imagine how much easier life would be if he had arrived here with his green card and the ability to work. Doing simple things like obtaining a driver's license and opening a US bank account has been a pain for us. We're lucky that we're in a financial situation where we can afford for him not to be working, but that would definitely be a major issue for some people. Plus, the entire adjustment phase that we're going through now is an extra layer of anxiety that we wouldn't have had to worry about had we done CR-1. I wouldn't say I necessarily regret the K1 path because ultimately things have worked out the way they were meant to, but I do think it would have been cheaper and less stressful to go through CR-1.

Since everything is digital now, you may be able to head to your local SSA office the very next (business day) after arriving and apply for the SSN. Just go online and check your I-94, and if the most recent entry on the K1 is on there, you will be ready to apply! Also driver's license is very state dependent so make sure to check out your state's DMV website. In Ohio, we weren't able to get his license until he had received his EAD but, again, it varies state by state. Good luck!