anyone4tea

We have our wedding booked in the UK for 29th May - we decided to give up on the K1 and go K3 instead because of parents' health and timelines.

However.

We hadn't yet revoked the K1. It could be called a lot of things, but lets call it curiosity!

Guess what.

Yes, you've got it - today, it was approved on its 112th day.

There is one good thing about it - we know that the I-129F petition was fine so simply copy verbatim the whole thing and send it to MSC when we're married.

Feeling wistful! This whole process really does put one through the mangle, doesn't it?!

Ho hum...

Kath

PS yes, guys, I would *love* to be able to give this approval to one of you guys!

jeffreyhy

Kath,

Do you want to think about that for just a minute longer?

Copying your K1 I-129f petition for use with a K3 is a guaranteed rejection.

When my wife and I got married and switched from K1 to K3 many of the changes of supporting documentation were obvious, but I found that I had to be quite careful in going over all of the forms (I had done all of them, ready for the visa interview, at the point where we changed our plan) to be sure I updated everything that needed to be changed.

Regards, JEff

anyone4tea

Jeff - don't misunderstand - we're not simply taking photocopies of the completed documentation - but bearing in mind we didn't get an RFE on our K1 I-129F, we know what needs to be included and what doesn't now.

I appreciate your advice, however, and thanks for your input!

Kath

CaliforniaBride

I'm confused as to why you would abandon an approved K1 to start the whole K3 process? Surely that will extend your timeline?

CB

Bluegrass Lass

To give you an idea of how quickly the rest of the process goes take a look at our timeline:

08/06/2003 - Posted I-129f to TSC
08/08/2003 - I129f arrived at TSC
08/11/2003 - NOA1 date (found out from email response)
01/02/2004 - NOA2 online (day 143)
01/07/2004 - NVC received file
01/12/2004 - Case forwarded to London Consulate
01/16/2004 - London receives Petition
01/16/2004 - London posts Packet 3 (but we think it was more like the 17th or 20th)
01/24/2004 - Rec'd Packet 3 in our grubby paws
02/04/2004 - Returned Pkt 3 Forms
02/05/2004 - London Rec'd Forms
02/07/2004 - Rec'd Interview letter from Embassy
02/17/2004 - K1 Visa issued!! 190 days from start of process

So, if you go ahead and send off for your UK police check (assuming you haven't already) you could actually be here about the same time as you would be getting married in the UK. From NOA2 to Visa Issuance was about 6 weeks. Very much worth reconsidering your decision to abandoning the K1. Unless you just don't want to move over here that soon. With the K3, you two will be suffering more time apart, at least with the K1 you'd be here quicker.

Guess it all depends on what you two really want in a wedding, and where you want it to be.

Congrats on your approval!!

anyone4tea

Hi CB,

We decided to go K3 for a number of reasons - my family can't travel to the US for ill health reasons, I wanted a "proper" wedding rather than a simple JP ceremony, and in essence it may well be a large, celebratory goodbye because I'll be moving 6000 miles away.

I have a three month notice period on my employment in the UK, and I wouldn't have handed in my notice until the day I got my K1 visa. Having looked at the timelines back in December, when we first filed, min 180 days (which is what it was then) + max 8 weeks from NOA2 to visa, then 3 months' notice took us into December for me moving there. We wouldn't have married until around Feb 1995.

Then it would have been without my family and without my friends.

With the approval we have just had, I could have the K1 visa and be over in the US by the end of August.

With K3, I can hand in my resignation relatively early on in the process. NOA2s are coming through in under 90 days now, and 6-8 weeks to visa means I can probably be there, with my then husband, in September (optimistic) or October (slightly more realistic).

It's a couple of months away, but it does also give us a couple more months of saving before I finally have to financially rely on him.

To answer your question, yes, it will now extend the timeline but there are pros and cons for each. If I want a normal wedding with family and friends, then we will have to wait another couple of months.

Kath
xxx

cindyabs

Kath,
The first time I read this I thought, oh dear, why does she want to extend things and endure more waiting? Then I read your reply and I understood. WE were married for over 3 years by the time Steve got here-a year of that waiting due to misinformation from local INS people, and then Steve was made redundant and out of work for 5 months! Financial issues can be big ones, and in our case that was a major consideration as to when the time was right for him to come over here.
So while I wish things could have gone the way you originally planned, I think you have made a reasonable decision based on the realities of the situation AND the economy.
Best of luck

jeffreyhy

a4t,

How could I not misunderstand? You did say "copy verbatim", did you not?

Anyway, I'm glad to learn that you are on the right track, and good luck to you. My wife and I did the same thing that you are doing (although my NOA #2 for the I-129f for fiancee came about 2 weeks after I filed the I-130, not before) for pretty much the same reasons. She and her family wanted the big wedding in her country, and the extra 2 months (I estimate) has put me in a much better financial position for the move and transition that she'll go through.

Regards, JEff