PepsiChic

Hi, im new here so sorry if i ask things 100 people have probably asked already.

Some background info:

I a 21 yr old female UK born and bred, my fiance is American, he lives in Missouri USA, hes also 21.

We hired a lawyer from Global Visas to help with our visa application. We've given her a load of documents, evidence, letters, forms, including a k1 forum and some other stuff, and a cheque for the $455 us application fee. We got an email a few days ago saying the visa has been submitted to the US embassy.

Im not sure what to expect now, or how long it roughly could be to hear from them.

I know at some point i have to have a medical examination - which im completely worried sick about because im phobic of hospitals and every time ive been in one ive had to be gassed outside first. no idea how that will effect the examination.

so questions guess i have are:

* What will happen now the visa is submitted?

* what should i expect at the medical examination?

* what should i expect at the interview?

Thankyou in advance for replies and help.

Im so stressed about all this, been having a hell of a rough time!

Pepsi
x

Fireblade636

I'm her fiancee, I also have one question - Should I be expecting anything or is everything on Pepsi's end for the most part?

Noorah101

Welcome to the forum.

Pepsi: First of all, since you have retained an attorney, she should be telling you all the steps involved. But, since you asked here, let me help you a bit. It's important to get all the terminlogy right so you know exactly what stage you are at.

I assume the I-129F petition has been submitted in the USA. After that, you lost me a bit. There is no such thing as "the visa has been submitted to the US Embassy". Can you double check the email and see exactly what it says, and post it here? The visa is the result of your interview at the embassy, not somthing that gets submitted to the embassy.

What I'm guessing the email is about, is that the I-129F is approved, and the case is being transferred either to NVC or to the US Embassy in London.

To answer your questions:
1. Again, there is no such thing as "the visa has been submitted". If it's the I-129F that has been approved, then the next step is that the UKC will receive a packet of forms to fill out, then return a form and checklist back to London.
2. The medical exam is very routine, they do some blood tests and they might take a chest x-ray. They make sure all you vaccinations are up to date and correct for immigration. You will need your case number from London in order to book your medical. The package you receive will have instructions.
3. The interview is to determine that you indeed have a valid ongoing relationship with the USC, and that you qualify for receiving a K-1 visa. They usually ask simple questions about how you met, how often you've visited, perhaps about your families, that sort of thing.

You will need to get a police report from any country you lived in longer than 6 months, over the age of 16.

Fireblade: If the I-129F is approved, then your job is finished, except for the I-134. You need to complete an I-134 Affidavit of Support and send your fiancee the signed original of it, plus photocopies of the backup required (employment letter, pay stubs, tax returns). In lieu of an I-134, she can self-sponsor if she has enough in savings. There is no set amount, it is up to the interviewing officer to decide if what she has is enough. If YOU don't qualify based on your income or assets, you can use a joint sponsor who does. If you have not yet completed an I-134, ask your attorney to help you with that one.

Oh, as for how long it will take to hear from "them", I'm not sure. Maybe a month or two? Maybe not that long....

That's about it!

Best Wishes,
Rene

PepsiChic

ok yes we filled out an i-129f form. sorry couldnt think of the name.

this is part of the email my lawyer sent me

"Hi Kirsty, Sorry it's taken me a while to get back to you. Your petition has been submitted. I can inform you when we receive a notification of receipt from the USCIS, although it generally takes a couple of weeks before they send it to us. "

what do you mean by checklist?

would that include evidence of us having met and so froth, because all of that the lawyer got from us.

Noorah101

OK, from her email it sounds like you have JUST started the whole process. So my previous posting is jumping the gun quite a bit. Evidently your attorney has JUST submitted the I-129F, and is waiting to get the receipt from USCIS which says they received it.

The very next step after that is, USCIS will send out a notice of approval when they have approved the I-129F. This can take about 4 or 5 months.

The checklist comes MUCH later, when your I-129F gets approved and they send the case to London. But you can get your police report done now, and your fiance can do an I-134 now too, in preparation.

What was that part you had said about "the visa has been submitted to the US Embassy?" Do you still have something which says this?

Rene

Noorah101

No, the checklist I am referring to will come from the embassy in London, and it will be a checklist that you have all your visa application forms, documents, police report, and medical done and you are ready to attend an interview. You still have quite a ways to go until this point.

Rene

PepsiChic

well thats a phrase ive been using with her, so maybe it is just in fact a phrase.

i think you are right tho about what she means, she did say we have up to a 6 month wait for stage 2, and then didnt answer when i said "whats stage 2?"

i have a feeling you just answered that!

i think we're doing ok then, i have the police check letter already in a "checklist" the lawyer gave us of documents to get together for her.

Fireblade636

Well Noorah, our lawyer already had us fill out the I-29f and send it in, he said he'd sent it.. have we effectively skipped a step?

I know you said we should find this information our from our lawyer however.. both of us have gotten incredibly impatient as of late.. [as our lawyer told us we'd be done with this and have the visa by november.. now we're being told may..] and are tired of waiting weeks for a reply. so thank you, very much for your help.

PepsiChic

no the k1 you mean fb.

ok let me explain,

our lawyer had us fill out the i-129f AND the k1 form at the same time, and send both to her, with the evidence and the visa application fee of $455. Which she said shes sent to the USCIS.

so we've kinda jumped ahead a bit, but still have to wait for both to be approved before we get the checklist...

Noorah101

OK, I can tell you the only things your lawyer has sent out so far (and the only things he should have correctly sent) is the I-129F, G-325A's, statement of intent from both of you, and evidence that you guys have met at least once in the past two years. He might have included some evidence of your ongoing relationship, if he included things like phone bills and correspondence between you guys (Pesi and Fire).

I dont' know what form you mean when you say he sent the "K1 form". The actually K-1 visa applications are not filled in and submitted until the whole case gets moved over to London (figure 6 months from now or so).

If the I-129F has just been submitted, there is no way the K-1 will be finished by November. May is far more realistic, perhaps even mid-summer next year. It takes about 8 to 10 months to complete the entire process, from filing the I-129F to getting K-1 visa in hand.

Fireblade - you haven't skipped a step. So far it sounds all right, it's just that you are still at the very beginning.

By "Stage 2", he probably meant once the whole case moves over to London, and they send out the actual visa application forms. Perhaps he had you fill out something that would normally come from London, just to have it prepared ahead of time...but that would not have gotten sent with the I-129F package.

Rene

Noorah101

No, not both approved. At this stage, only the I-129F will be approved. Your actual K-1 visa application will be approved at your interview in London.

Rene

Noorah101

The $455 is not a visa application fee. It was the I-129F petition fee. This is why it's important to make the distinction between all the different forms and applications.

Rene

Noorah101

I understand what you're saying. I don't know how long ago you started working with the lawyer, but it seems he has just now submitted the I-129F, so this is only the very first step in the whole process. You will have to dredge up a lot more patience...you have about 8 to 10 months of waiting left to do.

Don't feel bad, though. I also hired a lawyer to start me out in our K-1 process. She said it would take about 4 months to get the K-1 visa, 6 months at the MOST. Well, my fiance was Iranian and because of lengthy security checks and such, it ended up taking 14 months altogether. I was mad at first that the lawyer had given such false information to me, but what can you do? She probably didn't know it would take that long for security checks for a Middle Eastern man. We spent the 14 months apart, he finally got his K-1 visa, and we've now been happily married for 4.5 years, and he's eligible for citizenship now. So it turned out great after all.

Rene

PepsiChic

ugh, now im more confused!

(i havent slept yet so im very tired!)

um

um

let me get this right

* USC and UKC had sent lawyer i-129f gform of some kind, k1 (i swear we filled out a form called the k1 evidence, letter of confirmation of intent to marry, letter of support from mother-in-law-to-be (USC)

* lawyer has submitted i-129f

* $455 was the petition fee for the i-129f

* we still have a long way to go - because we were originally told november, went and bought a wedding dress - its now going to have to sit around for months and months

Noorah101

I-129F, yes. I'm sure you both also must have done a form called G-325A, biographical information. I don't know what the K-1 form is you are referring to, but maybe the lawyer had you fill in something else, not sure what that would be. Letter of support from mom in law is the I-134, but it does not go with the I-129F package...the lawyer is hanging onto that so you can take it with you to your interview in London (hopefully he's doing that). You might have SENT all these things to the lawyer, but all the lawyer needed to file right now was the I-129F, G-325A, confirmation letters and evidence of you meeting. He might be holding onto the rest of it for your future use.

Correct.

Correct.

Correct again. Sorry to say. I'm thinking you sent stuff to the lawyer a while back, because the attorney should definitely know the whole process cannot be completed in only 2 months.

Now go get some sleep!

Rene