ScarletWitch6x

This is what I’ve heard 🙁 I’m trying to prepare best I can because I know for a fact my county courthouse has never dealt with this paperwork. I’m think the SS office people may be the same.

Okay! That makes me feel a lot better. It would be much easier for us to get it done after - as holidays are hard to get time off of work and offices are closed etc etc. Definitely is a high priority for us and would be done within the first 2 weeks of him being here. He wouldn’t be changing his name at all so sounds like it would be fine after. It would also be nice to only have to go to the SS office once for both of us, as I live pretty remote and will be changing my name after marriage (I’m the USC). thank you~

My fiance is planning to keep his UK number. He's going to transition his plan from a full cellphone plan to a 'pay as you go' sort of thing. He talked to them today and they said he needs to use the phone once every few months and $5 in minutes every other month or so. I'll add him to my phone plan so he has a US number. Once he is here we might look at upgrading him to a dual-sim eligible phone so that he can have both on one device. If not, I think he has an old phone he might put the UK sim into for things like 2FA.

Hi there, I know that the recommendation is that the beneficiary apply for the SSC prior to marriage, but I was wondering if anyone had success with getting it after marriage? Due to my fiance wanting to spend the holidays with his family before moving here, and the timing of the weekend/flights he can get, we are looking at a really tight window (one business day) to get the SSC before our wedding. We thought about having him fill out the online application first to save time, as we saw someone else on VJ had success with it. We are looking at options to still make it happen on that one day, in addition to a visit to the courthouse, but wanted to see if anyone had any recent success stories or ways to make it happen after if needed Thank you in advance!

We received the visa from the embassy this morning Now to plan for moving over to the US and our wedding!

My fiance was not asked for this at his interview. I think the most important thing is that you know what was said on the form, like the timing of visiting each other. My fiance had a copy in his folder to look at but never did and was never asked for it lol. We filled out the form together so we both knew what it said upon filing

Same! We used Google Chat for a lot of our communication and the calls were not something that was easy to show, and the messages weren't timestamped the best so we skipped it. I included an overview of our relationship in my intent to marry letter to better define how long we have been together. We submitted boarding passes, flight receipts, hotel receipts, his ESTA showing me as his contact in the USA, and his I-94. We also submitted pictures as well

Just to add my experience, my fiance also interviewed in London. He only had the short form so he got his long form reissued months ago, as we knew he would need it and it doesn't expire (like an ACRO would). He had his reissued about 3 months before the interview and had no issues. It might be because it was just issued a week before the interview, and combined with what the person above said, definitely probably raised a (reasonable) red flag. If that is the case it probably is just as simple as verifying the validity of the document

Normally the US petitioner receives the NVC letter via email and the foreign fiance receives it via snail mail. So there is still a chance that you receive a copy. My fiance received his at about the same time he got the snail mail letter from the embassy. This was after we had scheduled his medical and interview as well. The medical appointment checklist we received from Visa Medicals says you need:

You should receive your passport and 'do not open' file in the same courier delivery.

If you check CEAC you can see the last day your case was updated. I just did this to check my fiance's case and it shows it was updated yesterday, making me think that they have received the medical results from last week. I also did this after he completed his DS-160 and saw it updated when that must have been received, Not foolproof but it might give you peace of mind if you're looking for some.

Per the I-134 instructions, photocopied signatures are valid on this form. https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-134instr.pdf The signature would be considered invalid if it was stamped, facsimile, or typewritten instead of signed in ink.

Yep! I had actually gotten no response on previous inquiries to try and get the case number and had finally resigned to waiting when the email came across with the case number. The email includes a digital copy of the letter the beneficiary receives, so to be honest the physical letter is just a bonus, for us it meant he didn't have to print a copy of it for the medical/interview. The physical letter from the NVC came maybe a few weeks after the email. The embassy letter showed up around the same time. I, of course, immediately checked CEAC to see it showed in transit. Next day (or two) it was marked ready To set the interview on the online system you'll need the case number and the number from the DS-160. I do believe if the case is not 'truly' ready to schedule the system won't let you.

Hii! Our NOA2 was June 10th - NVC sent the case to the embassy on July 19th (notified me via email) and it was ready to schedule by the end of that week. My fiance and I had a paperwork facetime date on the following weekend to fill out the DS-160. We also created his account for scheduling an interview, and we were able to set an interview that day for the end of August. Keeping in mind that when we accessed the portal mid-July there were only 3 slots available, there were 2 available that following week in July (so great for anyone who already had medical done) and then 1 for the end of August. There were not any September dates when we were on there. I think we managed to log on to snag a just recently released appointment, to be honest. I am not sure London has a set time for releasing the next set of appointments. We had already set his interview and medical exam well before the NVC letter and the embassy letter had been delivered to him. We honestly had a visit planned for November of this year as well, and once we got the NOA2 we had to give that up (for a good reason, of course. I'm not trying to sound complain-y). It means a longer wait, as we have been apart for a few months now, but worth it since I'll get to keep him for good this time.

I would recommend actually talking to someone at the BMV in person or through email. I am preparing for my fiance to arrive (hopefully!) in December and was a bit dismayed when looking at the website that said you need the EAD or green card to get a license. The person I spoke to wasn't the most helpful, but they gave me options as to what documents to bring to get a conditional (non-renewable) license for my fiance. All things that are not found on the website. I have seen others say the same thing.

In my state, it would license would be issued for the length of time the EAD is good for.

Honestly, the best advice to anyone reading this is to reach out to your specific state's BMV. Since this is a power delegated to the states it can get really messy. For example, here in Ohio someone who is establishing residence can only drive on an out-of-state (or country) license for 30 days after establishing residency. As someone preparing for my K1 fiance I have started contacting them to ask what they would need for someone pending AOS, because it is not something they blatantly advertise on their website (unless you get an EAD).

I would say yes! Things can change but they are asking about your wedding ~plans~. If you have true intentions about getting married on that date, I would share that. My fiance and I have our wedding date picked out, but also nothing is booked yet (because things can change outside of our control). If asked he will be sharing our wedding date

~Not financial advice, please do your research~ If you do not qualify for your own credit lines right off the bat you can also try: 1. Secured credit cards, where a small deposit secures your credit card and allows you to build credit. 2. If your spouse is a responsible credit user you can look into becoming an authorized user on one of their cards. This does not open a trade line in your name but does start a credit history for you.

Keep in mind that US credit rankings only apply to credit based trade lines (loans, credit cards, mortgages). They do not factor in bank accounts.

I believe if you check the reviews there are some people who mention nearby cafes that allow you to rent a locker/leave bags there during your interview.

I get it! Especially so close to the finish line

We are going through a different embassy that uses that system. We were able to pay the VISA fee after selecting an interview date. I would suggest checking back as often as you can to keep an eye out for new openings.

Mine was changed to "sent" in the USCIS portal two weeks after NOA2. The case was sent to the embassy nearly five weeks after NOA2. The case was created around week four after NOA2, but I was never able to get the case number via inquiry. I found out I had a case number when they sent me the NVC letter via email, stating it had been sent to the embassy. My fiance received the physical letter in the mail at the same time he got the letter from the embassy about scheduling, which was about 2 weeks after it had been sent and ready at the embassy (and we had already scheduled medical and interview). This was June/July of this year.

Oh no - stay safe!! He has his medical next week and the interview is the last week of August!