Jeff McDonald

Hello,

On 13 Feb, my fiancee and I left Europe
to come to the United States. When we arrived
in Pittsburgh we went through customs
together and an diligent officer at the POE
denied her entry into the US. I'm a citizen,
she is from Slovakia.

So, please understand I only want to get her
back with me as soon as possible. The options
are fiancee visa I-129F or I-130 forms -- we
are not yet married but I will plan to go there to
marry her if necessary. I understand that we
can go to the consulate in Prague and directly
file with the INS.

Has anyone any recent experience with this?
I have spoke to several lawyers who give me no
hope of her return in less than
5-6 months. However, the consulate in Prague
suggests a 4-week return on the I-130/K-3 visas.

Advice or experience would be welcomed.

Thanks,
Jeff

meauxna

Jeff, search at a more specific NG, alt.visa.us.marriage-based for DCF Prague and you'll find one recent experience, at least. Filing the I-130 at the Consulate is commonly known as DCF/Direct Consular Filing, but the Consulates do not call it that.
Also, drop the K3 terminology, after filing I-130 at the Consulate, the alien applies for an Immigrant Visa IR-1 or CR-1. Yours, being married less than 2 years, would be CR-1.
I did DCF in Athens a couple of years ago. It is lightning-fast compared to other methods and provides the benefit of Perm. Residence status immediately upon first entry. You can find info at the FAQ at visajourney.com

Lawyers are often unaware of this option, or disinclined to offer their services in helping you prepare for this type of filing. It's not available to everyone, but I believe it is for Slovakia/Prague. You should communicate directly with the Immigrant Visa Unit at Prague and be clear about -your citizenship, -your residence status, -your fiance's citz and any 'issues' she may have (health, legal or overstays in the US).

Ingo Pakleppa - See Web Site For Email

I don't know anything about the consulate in Prague. Those consulates that
accept Direct Consular Filing at all (many don't) often require that BOTH
partners live in that country. So you would have to clarify that with the
consulate there.

As far as "no less than 5-6 months", welcome to the world of US
immigration. You may not realize it, but by USCIS standards, this is
lightning speed. If I wanted to bring my foreign spouse to the USA, it
would take approximately six years - you get very preferential treatment
as a US citizen.

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 13:41:42 -0500, Jeff McDonald wrote:

    > Hello,
    >
    > On 13 Feb, my fiancee and I left Europe to come to the United States.
    > When we arrived in Pittsburgh we went through customs together and an
    > diligent officer at the POE denied her entry into the US. I'm a
    > citizen, she is from Slovakia.
    >
    > So, please understand I only want to get her back with me as soon as
    > possible. The options are fiancee visa I-129F or I-130 forms -- we are
    > not yet married but I will plan to go there to marry her if necessary.
    > I understand that we can go to the consulate in Prague and directly file
    > with the INS.
    >
    > Has anyone any recent experience with this? I have spoke to several
    > lawyers who give me no hope of her return in less than
    > 5-6 months. However, the consulate in Prague suggests a 4-week return
    > on the I-130/K-3 visas.
    >
    > Advice or experience would be welcomed.
    >
    > Thanks,
    > Jeff

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