what do you need to file a fiancee visa?

[Dave]

is there anything other then the application that you need to file it? i know that you need a photo of the 2 of you but does that photo need to include anything special? i mean does it have to be taken in front of the immigration office or can it be any picture of the 2 of you? just doing some preliminary research on this and wanted to know what i will eventually be up against.

[schlegs]

Dave, they want anything that proves you and yout fiancee have actually met face to face.  I sent in 2 or 3 pictures along with scanned copies of airline tickets (1st trip I made certain I had real tickets, not e-tickets), hotel reciepts, and any other items to show I visited Russia and we had met.

Other than that, follow the instructions and you should be ok.

Good luck!

[Greg]

Dave I had to send in copies of her bith certificate and marriage certificate and her husbands death certificate as well as proof the two of you have met in person. The documents she provides must be translated into English and they must have a document attatched saying that the translator has been certified as, blah blah blah.....I send my application in and it weighed 1.5 lbs. Couldn't go into the Fed-ex standard envelope. And you want to make 2 exact duplicates of them. If you need any more info on how to file let me know I'll get you some great info on it.

Greg

[Son of Clyde]

I found it beneficial to photocopy the pages of my passport that show entry and departure date stamps.

 A small paragraph describing how you met her would be a nice touch.

[Turboguy]

Well I am just ready to send a packet off to my gal for her to get me the things I need to start a K-1 Fiancee Visa for her.

What you need is a completed 149 form (?) I am close on the number but may be off a bit.

You need a 325-A form for you and one for her.

You need two passport style photos of her

You need photos of the two of you, copies of airline tickets, hotels, letters, phone records, etc.

You need a letter of intent from you and one from her saying you plan to marry her within 90 days, and the same for her.

You need a copy of her birth certificate and any divorce decres or death certificate for a widow.  You need the same for you.

Prior to her interview at the embasy she will need a medical exam at an approved clinic, you need financial info on you and a statment of support saying you will support her for 3 years.    She will also need a statment from the police saying she is not a criminal

That is what comes to my mind.  The process takes from 4 to 12 months and can vary a lot on which service center serves your area.  (Vermont is the fastest.)

After this goes through

 

[Son of Clyde]

I'm using an immigration attorney and he says that some of the things visa journey asks you to include are unnecessary.

Look at it this way, the people examining these applications are underpaid, overworked government employees. What they want to see are neat applications with all the items completed. They want to be able to flip through them quickly and to see the forms are completed.

I would be more concerned you have her parent's names and dates of birth, her correct address, name of employer, names of children etc. Airline ticket receipts , passport copies, photo's are great but I would not go for overkill. 

 

[Bruno]

[line]
Look at it this way, the people examining these applications are underpaid, overworked government employees.

[line]

I don't know for US but i think that europa is the same that US... i have work all my life for government... first in Army, second like gardener...

We are good pay, we have hospital insurance and pension pay by state, we have a lot of holliday, we don't work very hard, and we have retirment before every body, we have life contract for the work, we have stability ( always the same income same when in holliday, ill, ...) ...

T-Dude, you forgot TWO very important documents: a copy of her Intl' passport main page and a cashier's check for the processing fee.

Be sure that you put it all together in the correct format (two hole top punched in an Acco type binder) with a list of documents submitted. Yes you are dealing with government employees so the better the presentation the faster it will get handled.

Some guys say to send the minimum amount of documents and if the BCIS needs anything else they will write you for it. I am of an opinion that you should send everything that you have in an orderly format to prevent any delays if you can get it together in a timely manner (ie. don't hold off sending anything in if you are going to have to wait 4-6 weeks for a police report). Remember that entire files get lost in this system so what are the chances that your additional documents will catch up to your file.  Also, if your file gets pulled aside to wait for further details it will go back to the bottom of the stack after it gets updated (if you are lucky and it doesn't get misfiled somewhere).

[jb]

Rags is absolutely right on the money with this post.  It is very important that the presentation is correct when you send a petition to the BCIS; Acco fastener, cover sheet, etc.  
When we went for the AOS interview I was amazed to see how much my little file had grown, when I had sent it in it was maybe 1/4 inch thick, by the time we were ready for interview that file was close to 2 inches thick. And still organized in that same Acco binder, with everything tabbed and easy to locate.

When dealing with the BCIS, neatness counts.

[ConnerVT]

When dealing with the BCIS, neatness counts.

I'll second jb's comment.  When I was working in the mortgage industry (another place wich paperwork and gov't BS is the order of the day), it was usually the loan packages which were complete and organized that got processed first and quickly.  It is just human nature to go for the 'low hanging fruit'.  The easy ones are done first, the packages that are a mess and need more effort (on the part of the processor) came after.  I can't imagine that it is any different at USCIS.

[RacerX]

[user=130]Son of Clyde[/user] wrote:

I would not go for overkill.

 

listen to Clyde...overkill IS a bad thing for two reasons: 1. they might not find something they really need and 2. if it's contradictory (for example, with dates) that may cause more problems later.

However, you WILL need to give copies of "hard evidence".... for example, stamped passport pages, airline tickets, and other receipts.  Photos are not hard evidence, but you will need a few.

e-mails, letters, telephone logs are not hard evidence, but I understand the examiners really enjoy reading the e-mails (no joke!) and the consulate likes to see them as proof of a continuing realtionship.

A really good thing to include is a copy of the e-ring receipt (you did buy her one, yes?)

BTW, her BC and passport is not required for the I-129F, but including the face page of her passport may not be a bad idea for several reasons.

[Son of Clyde]

Bruno,

The US federal government has good benefits too and a good retirement system however for years there was a freeze on hiring. To make matters worse there was a massive downsizing in the 1980's which has resulted in fewer people doing twice the work. Only recently did they start hiring again in mass numbers. Not a nice place to work. 

[jb]

It was my understanding that BCIS, like the Postal Service, runs on fees,,,, no tax dollars at work there.  

The money you send in with your application to process your petition is what they make.  Taxpayers not involved in immigrating someone do not help pay your way.

[jb]

listen to Clyde...

OK, from now on we will do everything Clyde's way, sounds good to me...  Oh~! BTW, did he mention that he's paying a lawyer to do his K-1?

I think you'd better re-think that...

[Son of Clyde]

Come on jb sometimes I must shake the rocks loose in my head and say something right. My lawyer has a lot of clients so he must be doing his job.

[jb]

Clyde,

I compiled and filed all of my petitions without the help of a lawyer, that includes the I-130, (for the K-3 visa, which is much more complicated that a I-129F), I-131, and the I-485, and etc., etc., etc.,, also figure everything twice because there was a step child involved.  I also struggled thru all the interviews on my own without backup.  Soon to file the N-600 for my family, once again, without a lawyer.

Your lawyer isn't doing anything you couldn't do for yourself, you just seem to have more money than good sense.  I shoulda just had you send me the info, I'd have filed your petition and saved you a bundle, and the processing time would be the same.  Lawyers ain't special, ya know, they just like to wrap everything in red tape to confuse the gullible.

[RacerX]

Your lawyer isn't doing anything you couldn't do for yourself.

I would say yes and no... if you a have a straight forward case, you can certainly be a DIY.  However if your fiancee has ever been declined a visitor's visa or she has children and the ex is being a jerk, a good lawyer will more than pay for his/her services.

Lawyers are given a special number to call at each of the service centers, and it does seem they get faster processing times, but it's difficult to generalize since there are so thousands of petitions filed.

If you get a immigration lawyer to help, the better ones have connections at the consulates, which can often help your fiancee, especially if you can't make a visit during her interview.

Although the AOS usually goes pretty smoothly, questions about EAD's  and so on is another area where having a relationship with a lawyer can really pay off.  If you use a local one (in your USCIS district) they will know everyone and be able to help if you run into problems.

Oh really? A special number to call...right!  

[Frank]

I put together my whole K-1 visa packet.  I learned how to do this properly by looking at the visa journey web site.  It is very thorough and goes into great detail.. There was not one problem during the whole process from the initial filing with the Nebraska Svc Ctr to the interview at the US Embassy in Kiev.  Doing all of this yourself is really easy if you are attentive to details and provide lots of documentation.  

In addition to 2-3 photo's, copies of the passport, airplane tickets, etc, one should provide samples of letters and e-mails from various points throughout the relationship.  In my paperwork, I provided 4-5 as further proof of our relationship.    Frank 

[Turboguy]

Well my two cents worth are that first, there is not a speical number for lawyers.  Second if you look at the website for the Immigration Service they are quite up front about applications being processed at the same speed filed by the attorney or the applicant.  They don't give any priority to Lawyers.

If you are good with details and hang around somewhere like visa journey and do not have complications in your situation your fastest results will be doing it yourself.   You will hear lots and lots of horror stories of incompetent lawyers who wasted months and months and would not communicate and could not care less about getting your fiance here.  

If you have a good attorney, it will go a little slower because you have one more person in the loop.  ie.  Instead of getting something and handling it, you get it and send it to the attorney and when he gets back from golfing if he has time he will do it or at least put it in his to do stack.   If you have a bad attorney and the world is full of them, you went from a problem to a nightmare.

The pluses of an attorney are you have someone to hold your hand and if he has an office in the city where the fiance is going to have her interview they can go over the process with her and make her more comfrotable.   God forbid she gets in for her interview and they ask some really tough question like what is your Fiancees last name.  Duhhhh.  I just always called him George. 

[BillyH]

Where are you finding this requirement for Acco binders?

[jb]

From:
http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/scnational/index.htm#H

General Tips on Assembling Applications for Mailing

Mark both the envelope and the cover letter as to the nature of the submission. Example: ORIGINAL SUBMISSION - BRIEF FOR AN APPEAL - RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - etc.
 
Use the appropriate mailing address and mark both the envelope and the cover letter as to the form type. Example: I-129; I-130; I-690; I-698, etc.
 
Provide both the receipt notice number and the A-Number as an identifier, if they are available.
 
If the packet is being resubmitted in response to a REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE, please place the notice requesting the additional evidence/information on the top of the packet. Also, please use the special mailing envelope provided.
 
If evidence is being submitted in support of a previously filed appeal or motion, a cover letter stating "BRIEF FOR APPEAL", etc., should be placed on top of the packet.
 
In preparing your packet, please take note of the following:
 
Do not use binders or folders that cannot be easily disassembled.
 
Use ACCO fasteners to hold together thick or bulky applications or petitions. Two-hole punching the top of the material for easy placement in the file is appreciated.
 
The use of tabs assist in locating items listed as attachments. The tabs should be placed on the bottom and not the side for ease in filing.
 
Avoid using heavy-duty staples; instead use ACCO fasteners or heavy clips.
 
Avoid submitting originals unless specifically required (Forms I-94, Labor certifications, etc). Avoid submitting oversized documentation when possible.
 
If you are sending more than one case in an envelope, clearly separate the cases by rubber band or clip fasteners.