Tracey immigrated to the US on a K-1 Fiancee Visa in May 2016. In December 2016 we had our Adjustment of Status interview with USCIS and Tracey became a permanent resident of the United States.
Tracey is working on tips for couples going through the K-1 visa process. They and updates on our process will be posted here. Welcome to America Tracey!
Our K1 Visa Journey Timeline.
- November 2015 - We got engaged.
- December 2nd, 2015 - We submitted our K1 visa paperwork to the Dallas lockbox.
- December 7th 2015 - I received a notification that our case had made it to USCIS.
- January 27th 2016 - Our K1 visa was approved.
- March 4th 2016 -Medical completed at Knightsbridge London.
- April 21st 2016 - Interview at the US Embassy London (Visa Approved)
- April 28th 2016 - Passport arrived with visa in it!
- May 12th 2016 - Flew to the US and entered using K1 visa.
Obtaining a K1 Fiance Visa.
A K1 visa is a petition filled out both the US spouse and their fiance(e), this is a one time entry visa to legally enter the United States, A K-1 visa requires a foreigner to marry his or her U.S. citizen petitioner within 90 days of entry, or depart the United States.This visa also includes a medical which I will go into more detail below!
The paperwork for the K1 isn't that difficult but it is important to take your time when completing the forms to ensure they are all filled out correctly, they can be filled out by hand or on the computer but must be printed off to sign and assemble.
We completed our visa process by ourselves but I know some people use a
lawyer to help them with the paperwork and process but that is entirely
up to you!
A website I found very helpful was Visa Journey they provided which forms you need to send in with your I-129F (K1) visa application and also have example forms which were very useful when unsure on who needed to fill in which part.
Forms/Evidence needed for the K1 visa package.
- Payment as required by USCIS. Use a personal check so you can track the payment. Money Orders are also accepted.(Current price is $535 as of December 23rd 2016)
- A Cover Letter. this should include a description of what your are petitioning for (I-129F), a table of contents (list everything in the packet). If you need additional room to explain your case, attach a separate sheet (list the attachment on the cover sheet). Make sure to sign and date the cover sheet.
- Form I-129F: Petition for Alien Fiance.
- Declaration of how you met in person in the last two years. This should be a single typed page attachment regarding question '34.a' of the I-129F. Make sure to sign and date it.
- A certified statement from both parties intending to marry within the 90 days of arrival on the K1 visa.
- Proof of having met within the past 2 years.
- G-325A filled out by the US Citizen with their information, signed and dated.
- 1 passport photo of the US citizen, the US citizen must write their name of the back of the photo, place it in a plastic bag and attach to blank piece of paper and place behind the G-325A.
- G-325A filled out by the foreign fiancee with their information, signed and dated.
- 1 passport photo of the foreign Fiancee, the foreign fiancee must write their name of the back of the photo, place it in a plastic bag and attach to blank piece of paper and place behind the G-325A.
- A copy of the US citizens birth certificate (front & back) or all pages of their US passport which must be valid with at least 5 years left on it, a copy of the US Citizen's naturalization certificate (front and back). This is used to establish citizenship.
- Copy of final Divorce decrees from both the US citizen and Foreign spouse of any previous marriages if the previous spouse of either the US citizen or Foreign spouse passed away then include a copy of the death certificate documenting that fact.
- Proof of Legal Name Change if either the US Citizen and/or foreign fiance is using a name other than that shown on the relevant documents. You must give USCIS copies of the legal documents that made the change, such as a marriage certificate, adoption decree or court order.
- In regards to Section C Question 2, if applicable provide certified copies of all court and police records showing the charges and dispositions for any specified conviction(s) (in accordance with the IMBRA). See section 9 of the I-129f instructions for more information.
Its important to include lots of evidence of you and your spouse having met in person and are in a genuine relationship, all evidence helps from plane tickets, passport stamps, cards/letters to each other, social media posts, text messages/emails, hotel reservations, engagement ring receipt, anything that you can provide will help the officers looking at your case show that your engagement and relationship is real.
My Medical Experience at Knightsbridge London.
On March 4th 2015 I headed to London for my medical, Knightsbridge is the only place that undertakes the K1 visa medical so no matter where you live in England, Scotland or Wales you need to go to London for the medical appointment, unfortunately its not possible to just have it done at your local doctors.
As I headed to London I felt nervous and anxious about finding my way to the practice as I'm a country girl and never really been a fan of big cities before!! I had a 3 and a half hour train ride followed by hopping on 2 different tubes to get to the Doctors.
Knightsbridge doctors have two practices in London, one is on Basil Street and the other is on Bentinck Street, my medical was completed at the Bentinck Street location which was easy to find and there were a lot of shops nearby which I explored as I was early.
To get from London's Kings Cross to Bond Street I took the Victoria Line to Oxford Circus then got the Central Line to Bond Street.
Once I arrived for my appointment I checked in with the receptionist, I had received an email from the clinic when I had made my appointment and it had told me what information to bring with me (Passport, Passport Photos, LDN Number, Vaccination Record, police record and any medical history.)
I sat down and filled out a questionnaire which was given to me by the receptionist, it required basic information such as height/weight and simple questions such as have you used drugs? Have you had major surgery? etc
After completing this I handed it back in at reception and got told to wait in the waiting room which was large with big windows and leather sofas to sit on, I was the only one there when I first arrived but a couple of more people came in whilst I was waiting, after about 10 minutes I was called by a lovely man who I found out was the X-ray technician, he was very chatty and friendly which put me at ease as I hate medical appointments anyway. He took me to a room and explained that he needed to take a chest X-ray, this was to get a clear picture of my lungs and to clear me of any diseases such as tuberculosis, he showed me where to get changed and gave a a hospital type gown to put on, there was a little area that had a pull around curtain, you go behind there to change, once I was ready he told me to press my front on a large plate with my chin up and my hands behind me, he told me to take a deep breath in and he took the X-ray, it was over in seconds. He brought the x-ray up on his computer and showed me where my heart and everything was, he said it looked fine and there was no apparent issues and he emailed it through to the doctor I was going to see.
Next I got taken straight into the room next door by the X-ray tech he told me to have a seat and the nurse would be with me shortly, a lovely lady came in and she was very chatty and was just asking why I was planning to move to America, where had I traveled from just general conversation, she asked me for my vaccination record which I gave her, I had 2 shots done a couple of weeks before this appointment to ensure I was all up to date. I had the flu shot whilst I was there.
The important vaccinations are:
- Td or Tdap - Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis.
- MMR -Mumps/Measles/Rubella (If born in 1957 or later).
- Varicella - This isn't routinely given in the UK, if you have had chicken pox as a child or anytime in your life this excuses you from having this vaccination, just let the nurse know you've had chickenpox at the medical and they take your word for it.
- Influenza - The flu shot is only required during flu season October 1st through to March 31st.
After this I was put in a ladies only waiting room which was so small you could hardly move! Another lady was having her medical done too and she was waiting to see the nurse so we had a little chat which was nice.
A short while a female doctor called my name and she took me into her room, she went over the questionnaire I had completed and asked me about my medical history at this point it became obvious I was missing some information from my own doctor about an operation I had when I was 5.
I think it's important to say at this point, If you have had any surgery when growing up or recent try get your medical record from your doctor to take to the medical as Knightsbridge are very through in their examinations, she also requested more information from my own GP regarding a condition myself & my own doctor had never ever heard of, this scared me as it is a life limiting condition which would involve a transplant to survive, at the time I could see why she thought I may have it as my medical history did meet most the criteria, it was decided that I didn't have it but I was told to keep an eye on my health in the future!!
My case was delayed for 2 weeks whilst I got the information required from my own GP to send to Knightsbridge.
After this my height & weight were taken, I got told to lie on the bed and she took my blood pressure and took some blood from my arm whilst the BP cuff was still on. She prodded my tummy and listened to my chest and she also made a note of any scars I had.
They are required to have a look down below just to check for any STI's or infection, it is just a brief look nothing scary.
After this I was told to sit up and she looked in my ears and I had to read letters off a chart (like at the opticians) which were fine, I got told to get dressed whilst the doctor wrote up her notes and I signed the paperwork,she gave me a letter to give my GP to get the information she required.
I was escorted to reception where I paid for the medical and the flu shot and I was allowed to go, the whole process took about an hour and I was so glad to get it over with!
My arm after my blood test :(
K1 Visa Interview, London.
After I had got the information sent from my own GP to Knightsbridge I waited about 4 days, I then received an email from Knightsbridge saying everything was fine and my paperwork had been sent to the London embassy.
2 weeks later I received a letter in the post which was my interview date it was set for April 21st! I was really excited as it meant we were getting to the end of this journey, I took sometime making sure I had all the paperwork that was needed.
It's important to make sure that the US citizen sends over a signed copy of the
I-134, Affidavit of Support: To
file a promise with the Bureau to support an alien entering the United
States and that the alien will not become a public charge. A separate
affidavit must be filed by the sponsor for each person. You must also take the last 3 years of tax returns from your spouse and co sponsor (if required) to show they meet the criteria to support you whilst you wait for AOS (Adjustment of Status)
I got to the embassy early about an hour before my appointment, 2 people came out of the embassy with a clipboard, I went over to them and they asked for my interview letter and ID, my name was ticked off the list and I was allowed to proceed to the security check point which is a hut where you go through an airport security and after that you walk around to the side of the building to get in (the embassy is fenced off)
Once inside there was a reception area where you go and get a ticket with a number on, this is used to call you for your interview, I then took a left up some stairs and came to a large waiting room, there were two screens at the front, one had the ticket numbers on and pinged every time someone was called to a window which were on the right hand side, it reminded me of being at the post office with individual stalls which were all closed! Luckily there were some around the side which were open, I got called up a short while later, this was to give in copies of my paperwork which was needed like my birth certificate, I-134, police certificate and passport photos. I was told to go back and take a seat and I would be called again shortly and about 45 minutes later I was called again and I had a really nice chatty woman.
She told me what the interview was for and asked me to raise my right hand and state that I was going to tell the truth, she then looked at the file which was all the paperwork that had been sent in for the K1 visa.
The questions I got asked were:- How did you meet?
- Where did you first meet and what date?
- Who proposed first?
- Who said 'I love you' first?
- What is your spouses job?
The interview was about 10 minutes long and I didn't find it scary at all! I was so glad it was over and couldn't wait to tell Shannae and our families how it had gone. The visa took a week to come in my passport and it also included a big white envelope which had all the visa paperwork in, this was given to the immigration officer at Phoenix when I arrived.
Thanks all for this part of the blog!! I will be writing about our Adjustment of Status (AOS) journey on how I got my work authorization and what was involved in the AOS interview.
Feel free to leave a message below if any questions!!
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