Purple_Paladin

So we got the visas in the mail yesterday. Of course there are a few snags (aren't there always?) For one, his passport was due to expire in October and they attached the K1 to it, so he's worried now about coming with a passport that will expire so soon. In France, you must relinquish the old passport to have the new. Also you can't file for a new updated passport earlier than sometihng like 6 months before the expiration. He did all he could for that, but his interview happened while waiting for the new passport so they took the old and attaached the K1 to it. Now he's not sure what to do about that. He can't relinquish the passport because of this. France doesn't give out passports unless you relinquish. He'll techinically come with a passport that has 'enough' time left on it... but only just. He's worried about what documentation he'll have while waiting for his COS to process. The other concern/question was: Is it possible for him to open a bank account here before he comes? He wants to close out his financials over there and would like to open his bank account here before coming so that his money is already here. Is this possible? Then there's the little things, he's bringing his cat... we're trying to figure out the best way to do that. Does anyone have experience with this? What about his cell phone? Can he use the same phone that was bought in France here and just change the cell service provider? I'm guessing that they'd just change the chip? TIA for any helpful tips!

I wouldn't. His daughter has a savings account set aside specifically for her education. He's more interested in training of some sort and hopes to save a bit of money from the sale of some of his assets before moving here. As I've stated in prior posts, we're weighing our options and gathering information to find the best way forward.

Perfect! this was what I was wondering, because I've read older posts that indicate it's risky for him to drive without the green card because an officer could consider he is 'out of status' and call ICE to detain him. If he has a license to drive, however, and the receipt notifcation of the I-485, that should be enough, correct?

Wouldn't he receive the I-94 at point of entry when he comes with the K1 visa? Or will it have expired at 90 days and will he recieve an updated one when AOS is approved? We posted at the same time but I think I understand now.

Wouldn't he receive the I-94 at point of entry when he comes with the K1 visa?

Just for clarification... is he not here 'legally' if he comes to the US on a K1 visa and we're married and waiting for AOS or EAD?

We're going ahead with the K1 process at the moment but still weighing all the options. The question my fiance has is: Can he and his daughter enroll in college or certificate/training programs while waiting for the right to work? He doesn't want to "do nothing" while waiting and he'd like to pursue something that can assist him (and his daughter) in finding employment once the I-765 is approved. Would he be permitted to do this? TIA!

Sorry I had meant the I-134, as that is what we're currently filling out.

I just sent it to him with the anticipated 'from' date as 8/15/2025 (earliest guestimate) and the end date as '11/13/2025' since that would be 90 days later and at that point we should have filed for the AOS. Should I take this out and send it again with no end date or that part left blank?

It's my understanding that you only need a letter from an employer if you can't verify employment by other means. If you can provide your W2 and even better (as I understand it) tax transcripts along with that... you should be good. I'm new to this, so I could be wrong, but I believe that is the case.

Sorry for creating multiple posts for my questions but when I combine them things get missed. On this form (I-134) Part 3, Item 12 asks for "Anticipated Length of Stay" ... I'm at a loss here. I have no idea when he's coming... that all depends on when he gets the Visa... most likely either August or September but I can't know the exact date until he has approval. And it asks the 'End Date' of the 'visit' as well... but it's for a marraige Visa. Woulld the end date be 90 days from whenever I put the start date? If he could anticipate to come any time between August up to October, really, depending on if/when K1 is approved... what date should I put here?

I see a WAC 'receipt' number, an A# and a PRS#. I have a USCIS account but I see no other numbers on this account. The I-134 form Part 2, Item 8 asks for this. Is it one of the above numbers? I'm guessing not the A# because that is asked for separately.

Do I include my fiance's daughter on his I-865 or make a separate just for her? I'm not sure how to fill out this considering she will become a dependent as well. Do I include her name on Part 2, Item 15 for his form and send a copy in her file?

Yes, ideally this. However, there is no possible way to take a second job with my school schedule. I'm a poor college student, single mom. I work full time and go to school for an incredibly difficult major. Students primarily fail out at the place I'm going to be in my studies this upcoming Fall. All. The. Time. My college is incredibly competitive. I've fought to keep a 4.0 throughout my prereqs. If I stop school for that then I loose my place in the program and have to start over... which affects my ultimate ability to have financial stability once child support for my 3 minor children runs out. I know... it's a mess. I'm trying to find the right path despite the contingencies. I appreciate the advice though! I may just be begging a family member to co-sponsor very soon.

No I understood that part. My understanding is that both options come with a need for an affidavit of support. Just different forms to the same end. I just don't know/understand when that goes into play for the CR1. My issue is always my own financial stability to cover my household plus his between now and the time I graduate. It's not an issue once I'm a nurse. It is now. I can ask for a family member to joint-ponsor but, it is a big ask and they could simply say no. So my question is: With the CR1... am I still having to prove 125% of financial support *before* he's actually here and working? I'm unsure about the whens... even after looking at USCIS.. it's still confusing and my head is swimming and we have to determine this now. (Because I'm the dummy who was busy studying microbiology instead of studying this process thoroughly enough.) I'm trying to see if the CR1 is going to get him here sooner than my projected 2027 graduation date because he'll be able to work or if we're still going to be eeking by until then. I have 3 minor children, so we're a large household. Or would that not even be an issue because they'll ask for DS-260 (for the CR1) while he's still in France (and so I'm still in the same vicious loophole.) He's required to give his job 3 months notice before leaving. I don't want him doing that if we decide our only option is to wait until I graduate and hope his daughter can come very soon after him or that we'll make it in time... especially since the current administration will likely take steps that effectively increase the length of time for everything. Again, TIA! You're lovely and I truly appreciate the advice.

2027 Thank you, it's my passion. I've been in health care for 9 years now so while some of the younger students have wide eyes about what it is, I have no illusions. Still... this is where i belong. My ultimate goal (partly because I'm an older student and also because I love the ability to inspire the upcoming RNs not just to do the job but to do it well) is to get my ASN RN and work while going for my RN to MSN so that I can also teach clinicals at university level in 5 years. Is there a different option for working while waiting for CR1/IR1 approval or is that just done with and he'd be in France for the duration until approval? I'm confused because this was on the current USCIS website: https://www.uscis.gov/family/bring-spouse-to-live-in-US and the above mentions the K3. If it's not the case, we do what? Apply for the I-130 and I-765 together? And then he can work when he comes after he's approved on the I-130? Is that correct? How and when must I prove support ability? When he applies for AOS after entry? I read on USCIS something that said I'd be filing DS260 while he's still abroad. If that's the case, aren't I still in the same financial boat here? I'd still have to prove 125% before he's actually here contributing to it, wouldn't I? In an unrelated note... I also saw this: https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-of-us-citizens/k-3k-4-nonimmigrant-visas Is this true across the board? She'd be 19 when we marry and 19-20 at time of entry most likely. Does this mean she's simply ineligible to be included on his visa? Is it regardless if it's K1 or CR1? This is all so confusing.

For my fiance and I to be eligible for the CR1/IR1 ... are there any pitfalls to avoid marrying outside the US? I think I'd prefer to marry here because my children are here. However I'm worried that my fiance won't be allowed here on a travel visa right away because we were, up until now, following the K1 path. We haven't completely discarded the K1 path... as we're very much in the middle of it... but due to our recent epiphany regarding the requirements of financial proof and income, we're definitely weighing all of our options now. Our situation is, up until now we have been invested in the K1 process. My fiance has his interview next Thursday. I didn't 'do my homework' and properly understand the requirements for the I-865 and the AOS process because we went step-by-step and only looked at the current process to get him here and get married. For that (the 100%) I meet the requirement. Now we are considering if this is the best option for us or not. Do we go forward with the K1 process and ask a family member to joint-sponsor? Or do we wait until I finish nursing school and make more money and then apply for either K1 OR Do we get married now and then applly for the CR1? Another factor and possibly one of the main factors for going forward in any form now (and before the finances are a moot point thanks to my projected nursing salary) is that his daughter will be 19 in April and likely 'age out' before then. Of course we want her to come as well. Of course the other factor is we are really tired of the back and forth and want to be under one roof asap! If he's working, we'll be able to cover the difference of the 125%. As I understand it, with the CR1/IR1, he'd be able to come and work right away? And even we could apply for him and his daughter to come while waiting for the CR1 and he could work and she could work/go to school? That's what I'm reading here: https://www.uscis.gov/family/bring-spouse-to-live-in-US and I just wanted to understand if I'm seeing that correctly. I don't have to meet the 125% alone with this? He can work and his salary can be included? Or would I still need a joint-sponsor to qualify for the CR1 but could he at least come while we wait for approval and the financial burden would be offset because he can come work immediately? So the main question I have is... will he be able to COME to visit me if we stop the K1 process and marry me here? Or will immigration consider we are trying to cheat somehow? (Even if we've been together over 8 years now with a well documented relationship and getting married was always the plan.) If it's the case... what else can we do? Will marriage in another country count against us in any way? I did look into this and have this from AI: I'd prefer to marry here, if possible. Looking for any and all info/ help from the Visa Journey Gurus! TIA!

I hear what you're saying. Just to clarify, as far as 'doing my homework' goes, I'm working full-time and I'm in nursing school. I delegated the homework for this to him, I read what he gave me and did a bit of research but clearly not enough... and that was my mistake. How could he fully understand the deficit? Also, he wanted to focus on one step at a time and it seemed a logical format to me. It never occured to me to study all of the steps in advance... call it 'good faith' or naivete or whatever. In any case, yes it's a pickle. I've spent all of my waking hours since this post researching and I'm even more confused than before. There's no clear path here and every thing I read is a black hole of doubt and conflicting info. It's very frustrating. I had thought that all of the success stories I read about here meant that it's really just a matter of dotting the "i's" and crossing the "t's" on the paperwork... I hadn't anticipating needing to do that 5 steps ahead. In any case I thank you for your answer and the advice. If anyoone else has anything helpful to add... I'm all ears.

My fiance and I are currently in the middle of the K1 process and he has an interview at the embassy next week. However I didn't fully understand the I-864 requirements. I had thought he'd be permitted to work as soon as we were married and that his salary would be counted as income for support. I now understand this is not the case. I make enough for the I-134 requirements but I'm just shy of 5k per year for the 125% requirements of the I-864. If he's able to work, we'll be fine. OR If I'm able to use my home equity as collateral for the difference, we'll be fine. (It was suggested on the K1 forum that the home the immigrant lives in can't be used for this, but there's nothing to that effect on the instructions and I'd technically be using the home's equity.) Barring that... I need to start looking into the CR1 I guess. My question is this: if he comes on the K1 visa and we don't get approved for the AOS but we're already married... then what? does he go back to France while we file for the CR1? He'd have to quit his job to come... so that might not be the best option. Or if we decide to scrap the K1 process to avoid that possible mess... how do we swtich to CR1? Where would we get married? I mean, you have to have a marraige license to marry here... I'm not sure that PA approves those for non-US citizens. Should I go there (to France) to marry him? Would USCIS accept that for the CR1 application? If we do decide to pursue the CR1 instead... what do we do with his embassy appointment next week? If he goes and we're approved but are concerned with what happens once he's here... does he just contact the embassy and say 'on second thought...'? How do we switch over? I feel gutted with the idea that we've gone this far and could have to begin at 1... and it doesn't seem any less complicated. TIA for any help/info...

I understand. From what I've read, the documentation that I've already assembled plus a certified property appraisal should suffice for that though.

Are you referring to the fact that the AOS requires 125% rather than 100%? That's what I'm referring to as well. I already meet the requirements for the 100% and, honestly, considering the low amount that I'm short to reach 125%, I might actually be at that by the time we get to that point. My hospital has recently been bought out by a bigger network and we're expected to get increases. Also, on the I-134 form instructions it states that you can use your home equity as an asset. Does a joint sponsor have to meet the requirement of covering the 125% of the entirety of my household plus their own, or just their own household and the 2 immigrants?

I'm literally only short less than 5k per year for the 125% so I'm really wondering if the asset of my home would work here.

I do own my home and have about 130k of equity in it. Would including that as an 'asset' work in leiu of joint- sponsorship?

I appreciate the response and the advice. I sincerely do, and I'm not discounting it. Unfortunately, we're down to the wire here on 2 things... First: His embassy appointment is next week and we've already sunk a ton of money into this process. Second, The CR1 Visa takes up to 15 months from what I've just read and his daughter is 19. He ( understandably) really wants to bring her with him and she might age out on the CR1... that's why we tried on the K1/K2 now instead of in 2 years when I've graduated... that and because we've been together 8 years now... and we'd like to finally get to live together. Wouldn't filing the I-765 along with the I-485 AOS allow him to work? Do we not have any way to make this work? By the time he gets here it would likely be Sept. Then we'd have to marry and apply for the I-485 by end of November. Also... is there anyone that can answer my other questions? I need to finish filling out this form and I can't find anything that explains how to properly fill out these sections of the form. Thanks everyoone for your help!

Just to clarify... I do meet the federal poverty guidelines on my own and with my children. Just not when 2 more dependents are added on to me... it's for that I need to include that the cost of supporting my children is aided by child support. It's also why we need him working asap to get to the 125% for the I-864... either that or I won't have it until I graduate and work as a nurse (in 2 years.)