LilMissB80

Hi there everyone

I've been reading through your posts and am finding the whole thing a little overwhelming at the moment. There is so much information on the net and some of it's conflicting but most of the stuff here is really helpful and you are all doing a great job.

I have a few questions regarding finances though... from research and some of what Ive read on here I've got a list of what I think the costs will be but I'm not entirely sure I have everything.

This is what I have so far:

1) I-129F ($455)
2) Medical Appointment ($??? no idea!)
3) I-765 ($340)
4) I-485 ($930)
5) After 2 years I-751 ($465)


Other costs
Biometric Fee? ($80?)
Photos?
Police Reports?
Affidavit of support?

Is there anything I am missing and does anyone know how much the entire process has cost them from start to finish? I don't have a lot of money and my USC fiance and I are trying to save up for it all and the cost of the wedding etc. I just want an idea of what we are aiming for cost wise so I can get an idea of timeframes of when we can finally afford to start the ball rolling.

Also, I have a lot of debt in the UK and I was made redundant (laid off) from my job earlier this year and unemployed for over 7 months. I finally started working in Sept but I am on minimum wage now which is less than half what I was on before. I can't afford to pay my debts each month so I've had to make an arrangement with my creditors to pay what I can afford rather than go bankrupt. I wanted to know if this is going to effect my visa chances or make things difficult for us?

My fiance works but it's freelance and he's had less work over the past year with the way things are with the economy. He's moving state soon though and will be working full time again as well as freelancing so the affidavit of support shouldn't be an issue. I will also hopefully get a job fairly quickly when I get there working for a mutual friend of ours. I just want to know if my debt and our lack of work in 2009 is going to affect our chances of my getting the K1 visa?

Any help is much appreciated.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and good luck to all the others out there trying to be united with their loved one permanantly.

Many thanks

Corrie

Rete

I see you are trying to get a handle on all costs over the next 3 to 5 years. Possible to be approximate but note that fees change periodically so nothing is written in stone.

For I-129F there is the fee for filing in it the US; then the visa fee at the US Consulate; the fee for the courier to send the Passport with the visa back to you; the fee for the medical; the fee for any missing jabs you require; photos; copies of documentation; postage.

After your marriage there is the main fee for the I-485 which includes the fee for the I-751 and the I-131 - $1,010 I believe. Not sure if that includes the biometric fee.

From beginning to end the total costs for immigration to US Citizenship will be around $5,000.

After two years, there is the fee for the I-765 and the biometrics.

After three years of residency, is the fee for naturalization.

All in all you will immediately require at minimum $2,250 for the Fiancee Visa and the Adjustment of Status after marriage.

Your financial status in the UK will not have a bearing on your visa.

Hope this helps.

Noorah101

You're mixing up different parts of the process. It's really a two-step deal to getting your green card. Step 1 is getting the K-1 visa; Step 2 is filing for adjustment of status (AOS) once you are in the USA and married.

For the K-1 visa portion, I'd budget $2,000. The fee for the I-129F ($455), then the fees for the medical, your actual non-immigrant visa ($131), police report, and travel, if necessary. And of course the cost of the plane ticket to get here.

I'd budget $1,500 for the AOS portion. The AOS portion is done after you arrive in the USA and get married. That's the part which includes forms I-485, I-765, I-131, and I-864. The total fee for filing all this is $1,010 (not the individual amounts you listed). You'll also need to pay a US civil surgeon for the vaccination supplement, shop around in you area once you get here...they set their own price.

You also quoted the fee for removal of conditions, but that's not for 2 years after you get your green card, and the fee can change before that. Save up for it, but don't include in your immediate cost needs.

No, your debt in the UK does not affect your visa at all.

Rene

Noorah101

Yes, it does.

I-751. I always make the same typo.

Rene

ian-mstm

Baby steps... baby steps. Not everything needs to be done "right now", so you have lots of time to plan and save. Don't worry about stuff after marriage before you even have the K-1 visa... think about it, but don't worry about it! It'll take 6-8 months for you to get the visa, so there's lots of time for your fiance to save some money.


Your financial issues and unemployment are totally unimportant as far as the US and the visa is concerned... so no worries there! If it would be easier for you to declare bankruptcy, go ahead... it will not affect the visa at all.


Excellent... so it sounds as though you're in relatively good shape.


Happy Christmas to you also! And welcome to BE.

Ian

BritishGuy36

Most of your questions have been answered above.

To flesh out the question of recent/future work having a bearing on things:

Lack of recent work isn't likely to be an issue, as long as current work at the time of filing of the Adjustment of Status application brings in enough to satisfy the requirements. Remember, you can't work from when you're I-94 runs out until you apply for AoS and get the EAD (employment authorisation document) which can take a while from when you send in the AoS package - so you may be relying on hubby's income solely to satisfy said requirement.

LilMissB80

thanks so much for all your help... I was finding it all a bit much to understand everything... information overload.. there are so many different forms and fees and everything and many threads on here.. .thanks for making it easier to understand.. fingers crossed we;ll get the ball rolling in the new year.

Thanks all. Happy holidays

Corrie