K1 filed but still "pending"

[pacer77]

I am a US citizen and have filed the K1 visa paperwork to bring my fiance over from the UK. We have a wedding planned for June 12th 2009.

Our paperwork was sent to the Vermont processing center in September of 2008. In reviewing the time line I am concerned that we will not be approved in time since it's currently January 2009 and the time line was just updated to reflect an April 2008 processing date. At the time we filed, everything we saw and read said it would take from 6 to 9 months.

If we do not have the approval and the visa in time will we have to cancel all of the plans we already have in place? We booked venues, etc. only because the paperwork asked for proof we were getting married such as copies of deposits, copies of invitations, etc. I plan on writing to several of my local state reps and senators to see if there's anything they can do to assist.

Has anyone gone through this that can offer some words of advice? I'd hate for all of our planning to go down the drain and have to start over again.

[nichole]

Those processing dates are worst case scenarios. UK people I know who have interviews scheduled or expecting appointment letters any day now applied in June and July. You really didn't need to book something just to apply. You could send photos, passport stamps, boarding passes and things like that to show you have met in person.

People who applied at Vermont in August are getting USCIS approval right now. Add a couple more weeks to go to National Visa Center and then to London. Then maybe 3 weeks for London to log your info and send her instructions on what to prepare. (TIP: Prepare it all early so she can send in her forms the next day) Once they receive her info, maybe 3 more weeks for them to send her an interview appointment, which could be several weeks in the future. So the London end of things could be 2 months as the quickest til the visa, once they get your approved case from USCIS.

One more comment: If she/he is not a native born Brit, she will not get her visa in a matter of days after the interview. She will be put through additional processing. I've corresponded with 4 different people recently. One took 8 weeks longer. The most recent, a Pakistani student in London, got his in 4 weeks.

Google US Embassy London and look around. You will find the list of forms to fill out and the things she needs to have in hand before she can request an interview. Order UK police certificate now from ACPO. (Or any country fiance has lived since age 16) It's good for a year. Get immunization records from her NHS doctor. Having those things done before London sends you their list of things to be done will speed up your time considerably. The US citizen should prepare the I-134 Affidavit of Support as soon as taxes are filed for 2008 and send copies of tax return, W2s, 1099s to fiance.

[pacer77]

Thank you so much for the insight! We did send in photos of us together over the past 2+ years, copies of travel itineraries. emails, phone bills and boarding passes showing we visited each other, etc.

My fiance is a native Brit. I will have him check the US Embassy London for anything he can do in advance. One potential snag could be a missing phone number for him on the application. From what I have read from others, the information would be requested via US mail but would not result in a rejection of the application. I hope this is true!

Thank you again. The waiting is the worst part! I feel a bit better knowing what others are going through.

[nichole]

The phone number shouldn't be an issue. They don't call that I know of..maybe if you've interviewed and they add on additional processing. They won't keep the passport and sometimes call to say the AP is over so courier the passport to them so they can put the visa in it.

He can put a phone number on his DS forms that he sends to London. These are the forms that will be requested by London to mail in when they have your case logged in.
These forms are completed online, then printed. Make sure you get the latest version of all forms from the USCIS website or London Embassy website.
DS-230 Part I (that's first 2 pages only of a four page doc)
DS-156 (duplicate (2) copies)
DS-156K
DS-157 (for males age 16-45)

One of those forms has an oath and he will raise his hand and vow he has told the truth and sign in front of the interviewer on that form, so he doesn't sign it in advance. I suggest he prints extra copies for his records. On occasion they say they didn't get them, so he has spares to provide.

Also, one of the forms says it must be accompanied by birth certificate, etc list of documents. He doesn't mail those in to London. He takes the originals or certified copies to the interview along with a photocopy of each. They can look at the originals to verify, then put the photocopy with his file. Also in UK there are two kinds of birth certificates they call long form and short form. He has to submit a "long form" which means it has his parents names on the document. I guess the short form doesn't.

They will also send a checklist in the letter telling all the documents he will bring with him to the interview. He is supposed to have all the docs in his possession before he checks them on the checklist and sends that in. That lets them know he is prepared for his interview. They won't schedule it until they receive the checklist. So the fastest way to a visa is have all the DS-forms and the checklist docs ready before they even send the letter. Then he can mail the forms and the checklist back together immediately to let them know he is ready for an interview appt.

London interviews are easy. They won't expect you to prove your relationship all over again with lots of scrapbooks, etc. The will be very strict with the I-134 Affidavit of support from the USC, so get the latest version which does not require a notary any more. There are also I-134 instructions to download separately. If your income is not sufficient, then start getting a joint sponsor who will also fill out an I-134 and submit the same proof as you do. Proofs for you to get are latest tax return with W2s and 1099s, and then a couple of things like 3 recent pay stubs and a letter from your employer stating you have a job earning $____ and it's a permanent position.

This advice is for London only. Other countries might have different procedures for scheduling an interview and submitting documents.

[pacer77]

Thank you Nichole. This has been so helpful! I can't thank you enough for this information. I will certainly recommend this site to anyone else I come across who may have questions about this stuff.