Great News and a silly question
 

Hi everybody,

NB : the silly question is at the bottom, please read !!

Well first the good news ...
My (K1) packet 4 arrived in the post this lunchtime ..yeh !!!
A bit of a shock, as I'd been told by the UK INS helpline only two weeks ago that it would be 8-12 weeks before I get an interview date.
The rest of the shock is that the interview date is 24th june, next Monday.
So people beware, be ready, you may get only 6 days notice.

For anyone interrested the timeline was ...

15 Jan 2002 - submitted the application to the Texas INS centre.
(including the I-824 form / cabling request, which is supposed to speed things up between US and UK)

Feb 2002, i downloaded "my" forms from the UK embassy web site, filled them in and sent them off to London.

7 March 2002 - Yvette received the approval from Texas INS (this was quicker than we thought)

After 8 weeks (from Mar 7) I wrote to the Embassy in the UK as I had been told (by the INS helpline - 0906-1500590 -it's expensive) that i should have heard from the UK embassy in 4-6 weeks. I was getting worried !!! But this appeared to prompt some action (maybe)
.... as
17 May - received (packet 3) from the UK embassy, filled out and returned IV15 (only one of "my" forms outstanding as i'd filled out them in Feb)

5th June - rang the helpline again and was told that my "file" had been updated yesterday and it'll now be an 8-12 week wait for an interview.

18th June - Packet 4 received with interview date of June 24th.

Almost there !!!
and Good luck to everyone else.

(and Rete, I'm still carefully keeping all notes ready to post my experiences :)
======================

Maybe I should have said, silly me, not silly question ...
anyway here it is ...
Having been told that we were going to have to wait 8-12 weeks then possibly another 2 for an interview, we decided that a visit was required, you all know how hard it is to be apart.
So considering the options, and given that fact that Yvette had the chance of booking a good deal on a few days in Vegas (inc. July 4th) ... Yvette booked Vegas and I booked a flight for the 29th June, at least we'd see each other, and the Embassy were never going to get a date for me in that time, the nice people on the helpline had told me so !!!! Nothings gone quickly so far !!
OK, you've seen it coming, I've gone and booked a trip to the US 5 days after my interview date (I didn't know ... silly muppet!!) There's no way I'll be ready to take up the K1 visa then so ...
when you've stopped laughing, prepare for another giggle,
I just wondered if theres any way to visit, after having my passport stamped (or whatever they do, I hope) or, as I'm pretty sure, does the next entry to the US have to be on the K1 visa ?
I know this is a silly question, I'm sorry, but i dont know the answer, so am askin. :)
Believe me this DOES all fade into utter insignificance when I consider the fact that we're actually nearly there, married, and will have a whole lifetime to make visits to Vegas, and lotsa other far more inspiring places. And there are people on this forum with far greater concerns and issues to be considered.

Rob.

Re: Great News and a silly question
 

Rob,
Congratulations, 6 days notice, haven't heared of that
before.
AS you say you'll have plenty of time to visit Vegas and other places in the future.
If you don't go this time, think how much money you'll save
in the casinos.
In fact if "yours" is anything like my wife, the money you save would be put to use "elsewhere"

Good luck to you both
Roger (+ Ida)

Re: Great News and a silly question
 

If you had a visa, getting a K-1 will invalidate the visa. However, if you don't yet
have the K-1, you can still enter on a visa or visa waiver.

The problem is with INS at the point of entry. If they believe your current entry is
for the purpose of immigration, they may deny your entry at the border. If you want
to risk it, bring plenty of evidence that you still have a home, job, etc in the UK

So, in this case, that trip to Vegas is a gamble. The worst case scenario, assuming
you honestly answer any questions, would be that you are sent back to the UK after
reaching your US POE. I would not recommend challenging their decision to send you
back. You do not want to be in INS detention.

Re: Great News and a silly question
 

Mrtravel,

No I dont yet have a any visa, (Today) (19/06)

but the interview (K1) is next Monday and all being well I should get the K1 visa then (Yeah?) (on the 24/06)

Then the trip is planned for Sat, so by then I'll have a K1 visa (I hope) (on the 29/06)

So if I have my pasport stamped with the K1 visa I can't enter the US on a visa waiver, or can I ????? thats the dilema ???

Rob.

Re: Great News and a silly question
 

Rob

First off in the states it is month first, day second ;-) I understand your question and that you are from the UK and do not presently have, nor even had, a tourist visa but used the VWP to enter the US.

The problem is will the examiner at the POE allow you to enter the US for pleasure without activating your K-1. If you were from Canada it would not be an issue at all.

You really are going to have to ask the examiner at the US Consulate this question. Perhaps a B-2 tourist visa can be used for this trip and thus leave the K-1's activation for another date. Or if the K-1 is activated at the time of entry for Las Vegas the US Consulate might be willing to allow you to return to have the K-1 reactivated without a problem since you have made them aware of the issues.

Rete

Re: Great News and a silly question
 

robmcintosh wrote:
    >
    > Mrtravel,
    >
    > No I dont yet have a any visa, (Today) (19/06)
    >
    > but the interview (K1) is next Monday and all being well I should get the K1 visa
    > then (Yeah?) (on the 24/06)
    >
    > Then the trip is planned for Sat, so by then I'll have a K1 visa (I hope) (on
    > the 29/06)
    >
    > So if I have my pasport stamped with the K1 visa I can't enter the US on a visa
    > waiver, or can I ????? thats the dilema ???

I assume it is like my wife's relative (CR) visa. When she got it, they voided her
B1 I would assume if you are disqualified from having a B1, you would be
disqualified for VWP.

If you have the K-1, then enter on the K-1, marry and file AOS. Then get AP. I know
Canadians do NOT have to use a K-1 to enter if they have it, but I think other
people do.

M