K1 confusion

[adalefan3]

We filed our i129 on March 3 2014 for my fiancé that lives in Greece. We payed a lawyer to help us and to make sure we send everything with no errors. We were told it would take 4months to get this done. But that is not the real truth. The website for tracking uscis says that average time for them to process is 4 months for Texas service center then changed to 5 months after we waited for 3 months but it took 8 months before it was approved. Ours was sent to NVC and then forwarded to US embassy in Athens Greece. All of this went pretty fast after uscis approved it. They notified my fiancé that she needed to start gathering the documents that they needed for upcoming interview. She sent what they needed or thought she did They sent emails for all of the processing there and was pretty fast we sent scanned copies of the documents they ask for birth certificate,divorce papers,my tax returns,affidavit of support. She sent all of that via email. They asked her to go online and fill out i130 and she did that. Then had to go to another website and register with a courier DHL but only had a few places that they could send visa and passport to closes one was three hours from her home. After all of that they wanted her to send all her original papers to them DHL and she did. They got those and finally gave her a interview date January 29 2015 she went there and they asked many questions but that was easy for her first part was in Greek and she did final in English they told her my papers were good and hers were good she will receive her visa in 10-15 days she was sure it was finally done she sent email to ask if we can buy ticket to come here and they told her she needed a different kind of birth certificate now. She will send it Monday but there is nothing clear through all of the visa processing and when you send email to ask a question they send a generic answer from a list and doesn't make it clear for us they have had all of our papers for a year and it went through uscis,NVC,us embassy and they still are not clear on anything I feel like they should have told us plainly what they needed before interview and we would be together and getting married on Valentine's Day now not sure when we will get visa and the lawyer got paid but didn't help at all after they got paid I called 2months ago and ask them a question and still waiting on answer I suggest to everyone to make sure lawyer has did a visa from the country you are getting visa from because they have no idea what each country wants

[rayb]

Adale,

Your experience with K1 processing in Greece is regrettable and definitely indicative of the "bad side" of final consulate processing. When it comes to K1 visas, each consulate has its own internal procedures, which may differ considerably from other consulates. Manila is fairly smooth, yet probably has the largest K1 workload of any Embassy. Singapore and Hong Kong differ from Manila in that they expect a "readiness" document from the applicant before assigning an interview date (Manila applicants pick their own interview dates).

Your report of the attorney performance strikes a common chord, as any attorney who pitches his ability to assist with a visa cannot speak for specific Embassy requirements.

--Ray B

We filed our i129 on March 3 2014 for my fiancé that lives in Greece. We payed a lawyer to help us and to make sure we send everything with no errors. We were told it would take 4months to get this done. But that is not the real truth. The website for tracking uscis says that average time for them to process is 4 months for Texas service center then changed to 5 months after we waited for 3 months but it took 8 months before it was approved. Ours was sent to NVC and then forwarded to US embassy in Athens Greece. All of this went pretty fast after uscis approved it. They notified my fiancé that she needed to start gathering the documents that they needed for upcoming interview. She sent what they needed or thought she did They sent emails for all of the processing there and was pretty fast we sent scanned copies of the documents they ask for birth certificate,divorce papers,my tax returns,affidavit of support. She sent all of that via email. They asked her to go online and fill out i130 and she did that. Then had to go to another website and register with a courier DHL but only had a few places that they could send visa and passport to closes one was three hours from her home. After all of that they wanted her to send all her original papers to them DHL and she did. They got those and finally gave her a interview date January 29 2015 she went there and they asked many questions but that was easy for her first part was in Greek and she did final in English they told her my papers were good and hers were good she will receive her visa in 10-15 days she was sure it was finally done she sent email to ask if we can buy ticket to come here and they told her she needed a different kind of birth certificate now. She will send it Monday but there is nothing clear through all of the visa processing and when you send email to ask a question they send a generic answer from a list and doesn't make it clear for us they have had all of our papers for a year and it went through uscis,NVC,us embassy and they still are not clear on anything I feel like they should have told us plainly what they needed before interview and we would be together and getting married on Valentine's Day now not sure when we will get visa and the lawyer got paid but didn't help at all after they got paid I called 2months ago and ask them a question and still waiting on answer I suggest to everyone to make sure lawyer has did a visa from the country you are getting visa from because they have no idea what each country wants

[adalefan3]

K1 confusion

We had a document check list for required documents and sent those but still want action of birth certificate which the translation to Greek is different. She never had heard of this and didn't know there was two different documents. She was born and raised in the same city of kalamata for 40 years and I'm sure the document they want doesn't offer any more info than the certified birth certificate she sent them.

[rayb]

The "two documents" for same purpose (birth record) is not unusual. Many countries have been maintaining national databases, in addition to local originating "Local Registrar" document generation. Many of these national databases just came into existence in last couple of decades. The Philippines' National Statistics Office (NSO) seems to have been a reaction to a plethora of counterfeit and fraudulent document creation after WWII to justify U.S. citizenship claiming for Filipinos purportedly working with U.S. military during the conflict (among other reasons).

Mainland China has a similar system in effect now, which I just became aware of in the last year, though it might have been in development for a while. Prior to it's acceptance as the official source of civil documents for immigration purposes, birth, marriage and divorce docs from mainland China were often "ad hoc" or "little red book" documents, and even hospital records. Now the NVC and the Guanzhou U.S. consulate insist on the national versions.

The irony here is that many nationals of countries with two- document systems are unaware of the national document source until they become engaged in some procedure (foreign visa application) that requires the more reliable national version of civil documents.

--Ray B

We had a document check list for required documents and sent those but still want action of birth certificate which the translation to Greek is different. She never had heard of this and didn't know there was two different documents. She was born and raised in the same city of kalamata for 40 years and I'm sure the document they want doesn't offer any more info than the certified birth certificate she sent them.

[adalefan3]

K1 confusion

My main complaint is the embassies do not make it clear exactly what they need and I know it is different in each country but a lot of the trouble would be eliminated and we could be able to give them what they need. This has really upset my fiancé and depresses her by not knowing what her future is. And never getting a sound answer from them.

[rayb]

Adale,

I've found that all the Embassy requirements are clearly spelled out in their instruction letters to the applicants, and on their individual websites. But the problem I see, and which you experienced, is that they add new requirements and change the rules as you go through the process.

--Ray B

My main complaint is the embassies do not make it clear exactly what they need and I know it is different in each country but a lot of the trouble would be eliminated and we could be able to give them what they need. This has really upset my fiancé and depresses her by not knowing what her future is. And never getting a sound answer from them.

[adalefan3]

K1 confusion

We looked on status check at dept of state and it said it was issued and sent to courier but didn't receive any email from them does this mean that we did get our visa and its approved.

[rayb]

You need to check with the courier to find status of your visa packet.

--Ray B

We looked on status check at dept of state and it said it was issued and sent to courier but didn't receive any email from them does this mean that we did get our visa and its approved.

[adalefan3]

K1 confusion

Thanks ray. The package is at the DHL office to pick up but the office is three hours away for her they didn't have one closer it is in Athens and that's where the airport is we just wanted to know it is a visa so she can pick it up when she goes to Athens to come here Sounds dumb but she can't pay 50 euros to go get it and take time from work being they get 25 euros a day pay there. I am ready to purchase ticket here for her but I'm not rich lol I just wanted to know since it said issued that meant whati think it means that the visa is in the package that is in Athens now

[rayb]

That's what we call a "catch 22." Well, something is in that DHL package, and it will only be held for a specific number of days.

--Ray B

Thanks ray. The package is at the DHL office to pick up but the office is three hours away for her they didn't have one closer it is in Athens and that's where the airport is we just wanted to know it is a visa so she can pick it up when she goes to Athens to come here Sounds dumb but she can't pay 50 euros to go get it and take time from work being they get 25 euros a day pay there. I am ready to purchase ticket here for her but I'm not rich lol I just wanted to know since it said issued that meant whati think it means that the visa is in the package that is in Athens now

[adalefan3]

K1 confusion

That is funny Ray lol. There is something in there lmbo. But does status saying issued normally mean visa was sent? She got approved at interview then they wanted one more document and she sent that. Lol that was funny how you said that and wasn't being sarcastic. Thanks for your help