The First Step: Filing the Petition

You, the U.S. citizen sponsor, must file Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), with the USCIS office that serves the area where you live. You will send your petition to the address below:

The USCIS Dallas Lockbox
For U.S. Postal Service:
USCIS
P.O. Box 660151
Dallas, TX 75266

For Express mail and courier deliveries:
USCIS 
Attn: I-129F
2501 South State Highway 121 Business 
Suite 400 
Lewisville, TX 75067

Current Filing Fee: $340.00 (Money orders or personal check are accepted. Click: Guidance on paying immigration fees)

Required Forms for the petition:
Form I-129F - Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)
G-325A - Biographic Information
G-1145 - (Optional) Clip this form to the first page of your application (on top of the cover page). By completing this form and attaching it, USCIS will send you an email and/or text message to alert you when your application was received.

Here is how we assembled our K-1 Packet.
Cover Letter - this is optional but it helped organize our documents
Payment ($340.00) Payable to U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Form I-129F - Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)
I-129F Supplement: Part B, Question 18, explanation of meeting in person
G-325A and passport style photo (Petitioner)
G-325A and passport style photo (Beneficiary)
Birth certificate/US Passport (Petitioner)
Letter certifying intent to marry (Petitioner and Beneficiary)
Proof of having met in person in the past two years (Pictures, visa stamps, boarding passes)
Proof of ongoing relationship (Western Union receipts, chat transcripts)

Make sure to sign and date the forms. Triple-check everything before sending your petition to USCIS. Good luck on filing your petition!

P.S. below is our K-1 Timeline

03-24-2011 Filed i-129F Petition for Fiance(e)

04-06-2011 NOA1

07-11-2011 NOA2

07-15-2011 NOA2 (Hard Copy)

11-02-2011 Visa Interview

11-25-2011 POE (Chicago)

01-27-2012 Civil Wedding

Sources:
VisaJourney
Travel.State.Gov
USCIS
Personal Experience

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What is a K-1 Visa?

If you are a U.S Citizen and your fiancé(e) is overseas and you want to marry in the United States. This visa lets your fiancé(e) enter the United States for 90 days so that your marriage ceremony can take place in the United States. Once you marry, your spouse can apply for permanent residence and remain in the United States while the USCIS processes the application.

While the K-1 Visa is legally classified as a nonimmigrant visa, it usually leads to important immigration benefits and is therefore often processed by the Immigrant Visa section of United States Embassies and Consulates worldwide. If the non US Citizen fiancé(e) has a child (under 21 and unmarried), a K-2 non-immigrant visa may be available to him or her. Be sure to include the names of the children on the I-129F petition.

What are the basic eligibility requirements for a fiancé(e) petition? 

You must be a U.S. citizen to file a fiancé(e) petition. In your petition, you must show that: 

• You are a U.S. citizen;

• You and your fiancé(e) intend to marry within 90 days of your fiancé(e) entering the United States;

• You are both free to marry; and

• You have met each other in person  within 2 years before you file this petition. However, there are two exceptions which require a waiver:

– If the requirement to meet your fiancé(e) in person would violate strict and long- established customs of your or your fiancé(e)’s foreign culture or social practice; or
– If you prove that the requirement to personally meet your fiancé(e) would result in extreme hardship to you.


Sources:
VisaJourney
Travel.State.Gov
USCIS

Related Posts: The First Step: Filing the Petition
                            Getting Married on a K-1 Visa

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Silly Sleep Positions by Ninja Cat!

oh yeah!

Such a hard day today

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A big leap of faith

 I grew up going to airport waiting areas to either meet or see off my mom, aunts, their husbands, and cousins. I've had always wondered what it's like to be behind departure doors, take care of luggage and all airport transactions for the flight. I thought it must be exciting to board a plane, leave to a different country... leave everything behind instead of being left behind.

Six months ago I took a leap of faith and was aboard this plane. A choice that changed my life in just 24 hours. I remember the mixed emotions and I was right it was exciting to do all the airport stuff, however it felt odd that I'd be the one leaving this time. Excited and sad at the same time.

Anyways, I arrived right in the middle of Fall so it was very cold for me. That was the major adjustment I had to deal with and I hated the bitter winter coldness. It was the mildest winter I experienced so imagine that.. Pfffft.

Half a year away and am still adjusting to everything... Taking it all one at a time. My new life now  is like a blank sheet of paper waiting for me to write on and I hope to write good things on it.

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Introducing a new cat

This post is about Spider's progress as he adjusts in our home. Introducing a cat to its new home is stressful for it especially if you don't understand their needs.

I have had searched articles and tips on how to introduce cats into the house. Here is one article I read:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2072459_introduce-cats-each-other.html
I didn't and couldn't follow all the tips but it was helpful in understanding cats' behavior.

Day 1 - Spider was very scared and skittish; he was able explore the whole house though; he hid a lot; hissed at the towel which has Ninja's scent.

Spooky Spider!

Day 2 - Spider survived his first night. He seems to hide in the basement, still a little skittish
Day 3 - Both cats have been touching noses in greeting; unsuccessful attempts in sniffing Ninja's butt; Spider's hissing stopped
Day 4 - Spider walks around the house casually; placed both bowls of cat food across each other
Day 5 - More nose touching in friendly greeting; Spider still tries to sniff Ninja's butt (LOL!)
Day 6 - Both cats are familiar with each other's scent and can be close to each other

Day 7 - Spider has been running around the house and is now comfortable with his new home
Day 8 - Starting today they share a bowl of cat food and so far no growling or hissing

Day 9 - Successful butt sniffing! Well, Spider did it while Ninja was busy eating
Day 15 - They chase each other playfully. Yay!

We're so glad both cats are getting along quite well. They're not yet buddy-buddies but I'm sure it'll happen soon.

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Getting married on a K-1 Visa

After two vacations to the Philippines, Greg and I decided to start the K-1 process. It is also known as the Fiance(e) Visa, a faster visa process than the Spousal Visa and it requires the applicant to marry the U.S Citizen fiance(e) within 90 days after the applicant's U.S entry.  This way we weren't rushed into marriage first  -- main reason why we chose it. 

We waited seven months from date of filing to visa approval but average wait time is 4-6 months. We wanted to make sure we were ready for the interview and everything fell in place like a puzzle. Surely good things do happen to those who wait. :-) It was a stressful wait, somehow we saw it as a blessing in disguise. We were tested by distance, how far we could endure being apart from each other for a year.

I was quite proud with how we filed the paperwork because there were no lacking documents plus the fact that we didn't hire an immigration attorney and I recommend NOT to get an immigration attorney because you are going to save a lot of money, no arguments and some of them aren't sure of the process itself or even lazy to file your application promptly. For us, the tedious hours of gathering all paperwork were worth it.

So this is just a summary of my whole experience as a K-1 Visa Holder. Below is my K-1 Visa timeline:

03-24-2011 Filed i-129F Petition for Fiance(e)
04-06-2011 NOA1
07-11-2011 NOA2
07-15-2011 NOA2 (Hard Copy)
11-02-2011 Visa Interview
11-25-2011 POE (Chicago)
01-27-2012 Civil Wedding

Related Topic: What is a K-1 Visa?

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Online Shopping: Wholesale-dress.net Review

Two years ago my Facebook News Feed was full of  friends being tagged with pictures of fashionable clothing with prices that ranged from Php 400 - Php 1,000 plus which is ridiculously pricey. Curiosity got the better of me so I searched on the internet and found the site Wholesale-dress.net They offer a wide range of products from women's clothes to Cosplay costumes. The prices aren't too bad either.

I ordered a few times but I got disappointed with most of the dresses. Well, I should have known better -- they're made in China! Made of cheap fabrics and just copies of dresses in magazines which the company uses as product photos. I guess you get what you pay for.

The chat support was bad too because of poor customer service and bad communication skills. I remember I complained to this chat agent about a rip in the dress when I received it. She just told me to sew it because it's just a tiny rip. I got mad of course there shouldn't be a rip in any dress  you bought!

Anyways, below are pictures of some stuff I purchased from them. I still have some $7.00 credit but I don't know if I'll purchase again. Also, I purchased enough items that I got access to their database of product photos.

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