alliejourney

It sounds like CR1 is a better choice for you. When you enter the US on a K1, you are not allowed to work at all until you receive your work authorization, which could be several months. If your partner does not have enough income to support both of you, it will be a very difficult transition to the US, since you'll need funds to live and also the funds for adjustment of status after you're here, which is upwards of $2000. On a CR1, you'll arrive in the US with the ability to work instantly and you don't have to go through the AOS process. Here's an informational page about the differences between different visas: @Crazy Cat has a great comparison chart too which I can't seem to find now. Whichever path you take, I'd really recommend taking a long study of the guides provided here on VJ: https://www.visajourney.com/guides/ They are extremely helpful and will answer a lot of these preliminary questions!

Congratulations! You can check your case status on the USCIS website using your receipt number here: https://egov.uscis.gov/ Otherwise, nothing to do but wait for NOA2.

If you are in a western country (I agree with someone in your posting history who mentioned it sounds like you are in the UK, so that's my assumption) then there are absolutely resources for you. Homeless shelters, food banks, domestic violence shelters, government assistance programs for food and shelter and income assistance - there are programs you could definitely qualify for. Is your partner not able to help you financially, at least enough to get away and support yourself for a bit? Listen, your situation is extremely sympathetic. It sounds incredibly difficult. Many, many people immigrate to the United States because they are facing hardships at home. If the US government allowed everyone who attempted to immigrate illegally slide because they had a sad story (and to be clear, coming to the US on an ESTA with the intent to adjust status is illegal immigration) then everyone would do that. I'm not trying to be harsh, but I'm trying to make you understand that escaping your situation via illegal immigration isn't an option, no matter what kind of story you can tell them if you get caught. The best thing you can do for yourself right now is try to make your life bearable in the meantime.

I really feel for your situation. Unfortunately, nobody here would condone that path, as it is expressly against the law (as you have acknowledged yourself) and it goes against VJ TOS to give any advice that would not be a legal option. Also, for what it's worth, there's a lot that could go wrong with that plan that would just land you back at home, and even potentially with a ban from entering the US at all, or at the very least with your current K1 now under more intense scrutiny. Rather than focusing on marriage as a way out of your situation, I would really encourage you to look into whatever community resources are available to you in your area of the world. Domestic violence shelters, etc, to get you away from your parents and on your feet independently, first. There is no quick way out of your situation that is legal and involves immigration to the United States. If you fill out your timeline, or at least tell us what embassy, others may be able to tell you how much longer you have to wait in the K1 process, or even point you toward resources available in your country. I'm very sorry for everything you're going through. It sounds extremely hard.

Great to hear, congratulations!

The Hep B vaccine is a 3 dose series, but if you get the first dose, the medical center will be able to waive the requirement for the remaining two due to the time constraint. My partner got his first dose of the Hep B vaccine with his GP because we saw another review that mentioned that vaccine isn't always available at the clinic and we didn't want any hold ups. Same with the Covid booster.

Understandable - I'd definitely still take the evidence just in case your officer is more concerned with your situation, but I wouldn't stress too much about it!

Personally, with London I think you should be okay. YMMV because I (the USC) have income above the poverty guidelines so I did not need to joint sponsor. However, at my fiance's interview on Tuesday, they asked for just the I-134 form, but he didn't give them any of the evidence. They never asked for it, and his visa has now been issued, so apparently it wasn't a problem. I don't think London weights it very heavily. As Boiler said, just make sure you have it all worked out when it comes time for I-864 at the AOS stage. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Yeah, this actually makes a lot of sense in hindsight because when I was looking for info on Cleveland as a POE, it wasn't listed on this site nor anywhere else. However, I believe Dublin and Toronto are currently its only international connections, so it makes sense why Cleveland isn't listed when technically Dublin (and Toronto, which also has US preclearance) is the POE. This conversation has definitely cleared a lot up for us and hopefully this thread can be useful to people in the future!

After seeing your comment we started looking into the pre-clearance at Dublin (we had no idea this was a thing when we booked!) and it does seem like since we booked both Manchester -> Dublin and Dublin -> Cleveland on the same itinerary, our bags should be checked all the way through. Thanks a lot for bringing this up, we had no idea so now we're much better prepared, lol. Thank you for this!

2 hours 25 minutes

Oh, so does this secondary processing take place before we depart, or when we enter the US? We'll be flying Manchester -> Dublin -> Cleveland. I was under the impression that this would take place when we get to the US?

Great, thanks to both of you! Just knowing that helps a lot.

Hello all! My fiance's K1 visa was approved yesterday! As such, I'll be traveling to him in early June to help pack up, and then we'll be returning to the US together. Our port of entry will be Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Can anyone walk us through what to expect when we arrive with his K1? Will we just go through border control as usual and show the officer the visa in his passport and packet? Is there anything additional we should know? Both of us are a little anxious and just want to know exactly what to expect when we arrive in the US. Thank you!

Thank you so much! I will definitely do that.

Hello! Now that my fiance's visa interview is near, we are looking ahead at the requirements for the AOS packet, as we'd like to get it done ASAP once we're married! I just have a couple of questions on the EAD form: Part II, Question 18: List all countries where you are currently a citizen or a national. Will he be considered a US national? Or should he only list the UK (where he is immigrating from)? Part II, Question 24: Immigration Status at Your Last Arrival (would be K-1 Fiance) Part II, Question 25: Your Current Immigration Status Would question 25 still be K-1 Fiance? Or is there a more suitable response since we will be filing the EAD with our AOS packet?

Once you get to the interview stage, the US citizen will fill out form I-134. Along with that form, they'll gather evidence of their ability to support you financially, including IRS tax transcripts, a letter from their employer verifying salary, and/or a few recent pay stubs. They can scan and e-mail that to you, and you'll submit it with other required documents at the interview. As a side note, it has been extremely helpful to my partner and I to really study up on the K1 guides here on this site: https://www.visajourney.com/guides/ The flowchart and K1 visa guide give a really detailed overview of the entire process, including giving you an idea of what to expect at each stage. Since you're in the waiting portion right now, it's a great time to become an A+ student in immigration. Studying up helps relieve my anxiety a lot and I think it may also help you and your partner wrap your head around everything. Another great resource is the consulate reviews page on here.

You cannot move there indefinitely during the stay, but you are certainly allowed to visit for as long as your ESTA would allow. Not a permanent solution to your problem, because I'm sure it wouldn't allow you to live there for the full couple of years that you're looking at while everything processes, but you are absolutely allowed to travel to the US for brief relief. Could your partner perhaps help support you financially? Would they be able to contribute at all to you renting a place of your own while you find better work? As others have said, I'd focus on cutting your parents off and trying to improve your situation. Unfortunately the process is going to be long.

Thank you so much, best of luck to you as well!! Quick question for you that my partner is requesting, lol - were you allowed to keep your phone with you, or did you need to turn it in somewhere?

Thanks so much for this. My fiance has his medical a week from today, so it was really helpful to see such an exhaustive breakdown that's so recent. Also, it was extra helpful because we had read Covid vaccinations were not required before, so now you've given us time to get that sorted before his appointment. When he called to book his appointment, he asked about how long to leave between his medical exam and visa interview. He was advised that it usually takes about 5 days for shipping between the medical office and the embassy, and another 5 days for the embassy to receive/process it all, and said we'd be safe booking his visa interview at least 10 days after his medical. To my understanding, the whole entire file gets sent!

Typically, it will be automatically extended and at your interview you will just need to provide an updated letter of intent to marry, like what you provided in your I-129F. It can be the exact same letter, just dated closer to your interview and with a new signature. But this could be dependent upon the embassy, I am not familiar with Pakistan. Has your fiance not received anything from their embassy? It took me several months to receive my NOA2 (and I had to submit 2 requests for documentation before it finally arrived to me) but we were able to move forward anyway because my fiance had received his packet from the London embassy. Again, though, I'm not sure how the Pakistan embassy operates - hopefully someone else can jump in.

As far as I know, the key phrase that needs to be in a mental health related letter is that you are not a harm to yourself or others, which is in there, so I think that looks good and I'd definitely take it. My fiance had to obtain a similar letter. I can't speak to the PCOS diagnosis but it sounds to me like you've very thoroughly prepared and have your bases covered. Good luck at your appointment! My fiance's is next Friday!

They will release interview appointments gradually! My fiance just scheduled his interview in London yesterday after we had been stalking the site for a month or so waiting for the May date that we wanted. It's most likely you're only seeing April dates because the May ones that had been released have been taken. Just keep on top of checking back on the site consistently - we checked every day, even though we knew it seems like they only release them about a month out.

Thanks so much for this, that's helpful! So since he's a K1 he isn't technically authorized to work. I already saw that I should print out the webpage memo that states he is still eligible for an SSN, so I'm hoping that we get a good agent who will accept that for the work authorization piece. I know this also means he'll have a social security card with a restriction, which is fine. We'll apply for the EAD and AOS as soon as we're married. Then if I'm reading this correctly, we'll also just need his I-94, show the visa stamp in his passport, and then they'll accept his foreign birth certificate and foreign passport for identification and proof of age - anyone, please feel free to correct me or let me know anything we may need in addition!

Hello! Just trying to plan ahead - my fiance should be arriving here on a K1 visa in June and we'd like to get on the process of getting his SSN as soon as he arrives, before our marriage. In looking at the instructions/accepted documents, it is my understanding that you need two separate documents to prove age and evidence of identity. However, everything under the "evidence of identity" section specifies that it must be a US license, US state ID card, or US passport, obviously none of which my fiance will be able to get. Under evidence of age, it also specifies a US birth certificate. So my question is, what documents can we bring that would be acceptable? Will his foreign passport and foreign birth certificate in addition to his visa and I-94 suffice, or is there something else we will need? I searched but haven't found a consistent answer. Thanks for the help.