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How important are photos with family and/or friends in the K-1 Visa process?

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Mexico
Timeline

We're getting ready to send our I-29F and are getting worried that we don't have any photos with any of our family or friends. She came here as a friend I'd met in an online game. We weren't boyfriend/girlfriend when she applied for her B-1/B-2 Visa but only a week or two into her 3 month stay with me, we started a relationship and fell in love with each other. We both enjoy traveling so the initial plan was for me to show her the USA and that we did but didn't take a huge amount of photos as we weren't thinking about getting married and applying for a K-1 at that point. We have at least 2 trips planned where we will definitely be taking pictures with her family and she will take some with mine assuming the officer at the airport allows her to pass (we're going to bring all K-1 documentation and NOA1 proof in hopes that it will convince them that we are planning on doing things the correct way.) but we wanted to get the process started sooner rather than later but not if it's going to make an impact on the decision. Would you say this plays a large role in things? We have some photos to include with the I-29F and will have plenty more (and at least some photos with her family) by interview time, would you say we are safe applying now or shall we wait? She's from Mexico if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance!

K1
09/21/2016 - I-129F Sent
09/29/2016 -
Received NOA1

11/09/2016 - Received NOA2 - Approval
12/12/2016 - NVC received petition
12/23/2016 - Received Instructions
02/16/2017 - Medical
02/24/2017 - Biometrics
02/27/2017 - Interview - Approved

03/01/2017 - Visa in hands

03/12/2017 - US POE (Denver)
05/15/2017 - We got married ^^

AOS
05/26/2017 - Mailed AOS  - EAD - AP
05/30/2017 - Package Delivered
06/15/2017- Check cashed
06/20/2017 - NOA received by mail
06/23/2017- Received Biometrics Appointment Notice
07/07/2017- Biometrics

09/25/2017 - NOA received by mail --- AP -- Approved

11/22/2017 - NOA received by mail --- EAD -- Approved

11/30/2017- Combo card EAD / AO in hands

04/17/2018- Interview letter received

05/23/2018- Interview - Approved ^^

06/04/2018- Green Card  received by mail

1-751

02/24/2020 - Mailed out I-175 packet 

02/26/2020 - Package Delivered
03/03/2020 - Check cashed

12/08/2020 - Card is being produced

 

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Filed: AOS (apr) Country: Canada
Timeline

I'd say photos with friends/family aren't very important. When we sent off our I-129F we only included photos of us together, and that wasn't a problem at all.

K1 Visa

Feb 2, 2013 - Met

Aug 13, 2013 - Started dating

Aug 13, 2014 - Got engaged

Nov 18, 2014 - I-129 sent

Nov 21, 2014 - NOA1

June 16, 2015 - NOA2

June 25, 2015 - Sent to NVC

July 23, 2015 - Consulate received

July 29, 2015 - Packet 3 sent

July 30, 2015 - Packet 4 received

Aug 11, 2015 - Medical

Aug 18, 2015 - Received medical package in the mail

Sept 16, 2015 - Interview - Approved!

Sept 25, 2015 - Visa in hand!

Oct 4, 2015 - POE

Nov 17, 2015 - Wedding

AOS

Dec 14, 2015 - Documents sent

Jan 22, 2016 - Biometrics

March 27, 2016 - RFE

May 27, 2016 - EAD received

July 7, 2016 - Interview - Approved!

July 15, 2016 - GC received

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Filed: Other Country: Nigeria
Timeline

id say do those trips first then apply for k1 , or do one more trip before filing , that way u can take more pics,some COs dont even look at the additional evidence you bring to the interview

 

 

 

 

 

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I'd say photos with friends/family aren't very important. When we sent off our I-129F we only included photos of us together, and that wasn't a problem at all.

The importance of pictures with family in this case is going to be dependent on what country the foreign fiance is from. For Canada you are right it would not be important at all.

Other embassies have must higher denial rates and seem to have a higher standard of proof to overcome the bonafide relationship criteria. Ghana comes to mind.

I also believe it has a lot to do with cultural norms, as relationships that may go against the sense of culture in other countries can be red flags, but showing evidence that the families involve know about/support the relationship in those cases can be helpful.

I cant see it being an issue with Mexico considering you seem to have a long history with this person and multiple trips together (planned at least).

Also just a heads up to OP, you said "get married and then file a K-1". You cannot file for a K-1 as a married couple. K-1s are for fiances looking to come to the US to then marry and adjust their status to permanent residents.

~*INTENT IS DETERMINED AT POE*~

 

Forever wishing for an eye-roll reaction.

 

 

K-1 Visa~
9/28/2015 - I-129f Packet Mailed to Texas Lockbox
10/1/2015 - NOA 1 Email - I-129f sent to California Service Center
10/8/2015 - NOA 1 Hard Copy
10/27/2015 - NOA 2
11/21/2015 - Packet 3 Received
1/08/2916 - Medical! Lots of jabs >.>
2/23/2016 - APPROVED!
6/20/2016 - POE
7/29/2016 - Married ❤️

~*Approval 146 Days from NOA1*~


AOS ~
9/9/2016 - AOS/AP/EAD packet mailed to Chicago Lockbox
9/11/2016 - Delivered to Chicago Lockbox
9/20/2016 - Received Text/Email NOA1
9/23/2016 - Hard Copy NOA1s
10/12/2016 - Biometrics Appointment
11/04/2016 - AP Status "Approved" EAD "Date of Birth Updated"
11/18/2016 - Received EAD/AP Combo Card!
12/23/2016 - Received Green Card

~*Green Card 95 Days from NOA1*~

 

ROC~

10/12/2018 - Mailed ROC Packet

11/8/2018 - NOA-1 

7/5/2019 - Biometrics

~*STILL WAITING 607+ Days since NOA*~

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Mexico
Timeline

We have only sent one pic with family and our file was approved

Sent with the I-29F or brought as evidence as the interview?

K1
09/21/2016 - I-129F Sent
09/29/2016 -
Received NOA1

11/09/2016 - Received NOA2 - Approval
12/12/2016 - NVC received petition
12/23/2016 - Received Instructions
02/16/2017 - Medical
02/24/2017 - Biometrics
02/27/2017 - Interview - Approved

03/01/2017 - Visa in hands

03/12/2017 - US POE (Denver)
05/15/2017 - We got married ^^

AOS
05/26/2017 - Mailed AOS  - EAD - AP
05/30/2017 - Package Delivered
06/15/2017- Check cashed
06/20/2017 - NOA received by mail
06/23/2017- Received Biometrics Appointment Notice
07/07/2017- Biometrics

09/25/2017 - NOA received by mail --- AP -- Approved

11/22/2017 - NOA received by mail --- EAD -- Approved

11/30/2017- Combo card EAD / AO in hands

04/17/2018- Interview letter received

05/23/2018- Interview - Approved ^^

06/04/2018- Green Card  received by mail

1-751

02/24/2020 - Mailed out I-175 packet 

02/26/2020 - Package Delivered
03/03/2020 - Check cashed

12/08/2020 - Card is being produced

 

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Hello! My spouse is also from Mexico. For us, our immigration attorney informed us that evidence of the families being involved is very important. You want as strong of a case as possible, so the more evidence, the better! No, it won't completely guarantee you get a "no" if you don't have any pictures of family, but if you don't I suggest that you gather as much other evidence as possible :)

Also, you mentioned just "bringing the papers to the airport in the hopes of convincing them we're doing it the right way" - this will NOT WORK. They take immigration matters very seriously and there is no possible way of sweet-talking your way into making them understand. And, to reiterate what the person said above me, you do not qualify for a K-1 visa unless she is out of the country and applying to come in. Do you, instead, plan to get married now in the US and apply for AOS? Or does she plan to return to Mexico and then you will start the process of K-1 to bring her into the country to be married? Keep in mind if she returns to Mexico you will probably be separated for about a year. However, if she stays in the US and you get married now and apply for AOS, she will be unable to return to Mexico or to work until those papers are complete, too.


Married: 5-July-2015
I-130 Petition Sent: 11-May-2016
NSC Received (Our Priority Date): 12-May-2016
NOA2 Received: 30-September-2016 141 days for I-130 approval
NOA2 Hard Copy Received: 06-October-2016
Petition Sent to NVC: 17-October-2016 17 days for petition to be sent to NVC
NVC Received: 21-October-2016 4 days to be received at NVC
NVC Case Number Assigned: 31-October-2016 10 days for case number to be assigned
NVC Welcome Letter Received: 3-November-2016 @ 12:10 AM 3 days from case number assigned until Welcome Letter received and invoices unlocked
IV and AOS Fees Unlocked: 3-November-2016 @ 7:00 AM
IV and AOS Fees Paid: 3-November-2016
DS-260 Unlocked: 7-November-2016 2.5 business days for DS-260 to be unlocked
DS-260 Submitted: 8-November-2016
AOS and IV Documents Sent: 9-November-2016
Scan Date: 14-November-2016 5 days to receive scan date due to a holiday/weekend
Medical expedite requested: 14-December-2016
Medical expedite approved at consulate: 19-December-2016 Expedite approved with consulate but denied at NVC; still need to wait for case complete
Case on Supervisor Review: 22-December-2016
Case sent to the Review Department: 13-January-2017
Case Complete: 24-January-2017     10 weeks and 2 days at NVC before case completed
Case arrived at consulate/CEAC status "Ready": 1-February-2017
Interview: 21-February-2017   We scheduled our own interview because we had an approved medical expedite with the consulate. By sheer luck we got such a quick interview date because someone cancelled their appointment less than 20 minutes prior
Interview Result: Approved!!
Visa Issued: 21-February-2017     Visa issued same day as interview
DHL tracking information received: 22-February-2017     DHL tracking number appeared 28 hours after interview, scheduled for delivery the next day
Visa in hand: 23-Feb-2017
US POE (Minneapolis): 26-Feb-2017

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Mexico
Timeline

Sorry for the confusion. We are not married now. We are planning to apply for a K-1 in order to make this happen. She came here legally on a B-1/B-2 Visa and has already returned home. We're just figuring out our best course of action from here.

In regard to passing through the airport - you may be right but we've already purchased a non-refundable round-trip ticket for her and according to some guides/posts here - it is possible and they did mention bringing the K-1 paperwork through to help but again, nobody can be sure of what will happen.

We will at least have some photos of me and her family by interview time but the initial packet would be lacking those if we sent in our application now as we'd like to do.

Edited by mszr

K1
09/21/2016 - I-129F Sent
09/29/2016 -
Received NOA1

11/09/2016 - Received NOA2 - Approval
12/12/2016 - NVC received petition
12/23/2016 - Received Instructions
02/16/2017 - Medical
02/24/2017 - Biometrics
02/27/2017 - Interview - Approved

03/01/2017 - Visa in hands

03/12/2017 - US POE (Denver)
05/15/2017 - We got married ^^

AOS
05/26/2017 - Mailed AOS  - EAD - AP
05/30/2017 - Package Delivered
06/15/2017- Check cashed
06/20/2017 - NOA received by mail
06/23/2017- Received Biometrics Appointment Notice
07/07/2017- Biometrics

09/25/2017 - NOA received by mail --- AP -- Approved

11/22/2017 - NOA received by mail --- EAD -- Approved

11/30/2017- Combo card EAD / AO in hands

04/17/2018- Interview letter received

05/23/2018- Interview - Approved ^^

06/04/2018- Green Card  received by mail

1-751

02/24/2020 - Mailed out I-175 packet 

02/26/2020 - Package Delivered
03/03/2020 - Check cashed

12/08/2020 - Card is being produced

 

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Ohhh, I was thinking she was still there with you! That definitely changes things. Well, my husband and I are filing for CR-1, so I can't help you much there. But, I can tell you what we provided as evidence (as far as proving it is a "bona fide relationship") for our case, if that helps:

Pictures of us

Pictures of us with our families

Flight records

Boarding passes

Phone records

WhatsApp records

Cards we gave each other for holidays/birthdays

Letters written by family and friends supporting our relationship and confirming our history

Detailed explanation of our relationship written and signed by me

Letters written to me from my parents while we were living together in Mexico

Receipts from vacations we took together (ex. hotels, adventure outings)

Our written wedding vows

There was more evidence provided, too, but if you are not yet married, they will not really apply/help you in any way.

Good luck in your process!! My husband lives in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and our consulate is in Ciudad Juarez. We started the CR-1 10 months after our marriage.


Married: 5-July-2015
I-130 Petition Sent: 11-May-2016
NSC Received (Our Priority Date): 12-May-2016
NOA2 Received: 30-September-2016 141 days for I-130 approval
NOA2 Hard Copy Received: 06-October-2016
Petition Sent to NVC: 17-October-2016 17 days for petition to be sent to NVC
NVC Received: 21-October-2016 4 days to be received at NVC
NVC Case Number Assigned: 31-October-2016 10 days for case number to be assigned
NVC Welcome Letter Received: 3-November-2016 @ 12:10 AM 3 days from case number assigned until Welcome Letter received and invoices unlocked
IV and AOS Fees Unlocked: 3-November-2016 @ 7:00 AM
IV and AOS Fees Paid: 3-November-2016
DS-260 Unlocked: 7-November-2016 2.5 business days for DS-260 to be unlocked
DS-260 Submitted: 8-November-2016
AOS and IV Documents Sent: 9-November-2016
Scan Date: 14-November-2016 5 days to receive scan date due to a holiday/weekend
Medical expedite requested: 14-December-2016
Medical expedite approved at consulate: 19-December-2016 Expedite approved with consulate but denied at NVC; still need to wait for case complete
Case on Supervisor Review: 22-December-2016
Case sent to the Review Department: 13-January-2017
Case Complete: 24-January-2017     10 weeks and 2 days at NVC before case completed
Case arrived at consulate/CEAC status "Ready": 1-February-2017
Interview: 21-February-2017   We scheduled our own interview because we had an approved medical expedite with the consulate. By sheer luck we got such a quick interview date because someone cancelled their appointment less than 20 minutes prior
Interview Result: Approved!!
Visa Issued: 21-February-2017     Visa issued same day as interview
DHL tracking information received: 22-February-2017     DHL tracking number appeared 28 hours after interview, scheduled for delivery the next day
Visa in hand: 23-Feb-2017
US POE (Minneapolis): 26-Feb-2017

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Jordan
Timeline

Pictures are secondary evidence. I know people who didn't send any pictures with their petitions and were approved-one of the beneficiaries is from Syria, a so called T country.


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Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Morocco
Timeline

Country dependent

in Morocco it is very important to show family of morocco with the US citizen to show they meet future spouse and approve

they also will ask in RFE to name the people in photos and dates

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Mexico
Timeline

Should not be a huge issue for you going through Juarez. Provide what you can.

Focus on providing proof of meeting within the 2 years prior to filing. That would be passport stamps, boarding passes, various types of receipts and bank/credit card statements from the times of the visits. Add in some photos you do have from your in person visits together. Front-load with a little bit of bona fide/ongoing relationship evidence, such as chat and call logs, snail mails, etc. If you have more visits while waiting for the I-129F to be approved, then take that evidence with you to the K-1 visa interview.

Link to K-1 instructions for Ciudad Juarez, Mexico > https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/K1/CDJ_Ciudad-Juarez-2-22-2021.pdf

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Filed: AOS (apr) Country: Canada
Timeline

The importance of pictures with family in this case is going to be dependent on what country the foreign fiance is from. For Canada you are right it would not be important at all.

Other embassies have must higher denial rates and seem to have a higher standard of proof to overcome the bonafide relationship criteria. Ghana comes to mind.

I also believe it has a lot to do with cultural norms, as relationships that may go against the sense of culture in other countries can be red flags, but showing evidence that the families involve know about/support the relationship in those cases can be helpful.

I cant see it being an issue with Mexico considering you seem to have a long history with this person and multiple trips together (planned at least).

Also just a heads up to OP, you said "get married and then file a K-1". You cannot file for a K-1 as a married couple. K-1s are for fiances looking to come to the US to then marry and adjust their status to permanent residents.

This is very true! and great sound advice! lots of people want to compare their jounrey to another persons journey.

Where are you from? what country? As a canadian i can say, my interview was a breeze! but we had pictures from visiting my husbands family in NYC 2 years in a row and that defintely helped - i would say having family besides the partner/friends helps. of course, i dont know where you are from and if you are from a high fraud country they will want to see much much more proof!!

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Filed: AOS (apr) Country: Canada
Timeline

interesting but if you search on here and see how many canadians get stokes interview, i think only 1! and if you are doing K1 you need to understand that you are applying thru your embassay - find out what the embassay wants/needs!!!!! no one can answer your question because no one knows where you are from and about your journey/relationship.

i will say one thing - if you are a real couple it is so obvious! you will walk in and not have a problem! i am saying this assuming you are from a low fraud country.. their are some countries unfortunately (morocco) that have problems and alot of visas get denied


interesting but if you search on here and see how many canadians get stokes interview, i think only 1! and if you are doing K1 you need to understand that you are applying thru your embassay - find out what the embassay wants/needs!!!!! no one can answer your question because no one knows where you are from and about your journey/relationship.

i will say one thing - if you are a real couple it is so obvious! you will walk in and not have a problem! i am saying this assuming you are from a low fraud country.. their are some countries unfortunately (morocco) that have problems and alot of visas get denied

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