Either visa needs the same amount of evidences. If you are living together, getting married does look better than only staying engaged. However if the relationship is long distance, getting married but still living far apart only marginally makes your relationship appear more sincere. The spousal visa takes about 12 – 14 months to process while the Fiancee visa takes only 5- 7 months to process.  In general I recommend couples whose Fiancee Visa has been denied, to apply for the fiancee visa again as it is faster.

A one way ticket is fine.

US Immigration understands that the real purpose of the trip is to marry you and remain permanently in the USA.

I get phone calls from strangers, (strangers for they weren’t my clients, they prepared their petitions themselfs, or used an attorney), who call to share their shock and disappointment after hearing from their heartbroken fiancee that their petition was denied.  They ask: Can we sue the consulate? Can we appeal? Can my Congressman help? Yes, to all these questions. But going down that path is simply a waste of time and money, as none of these actions will bring your lover closer to reunion with you in the USA.

What can be done,  that is USEFUL?

Short answer:  Don’t get Denied in the first place.

The first time you apply should be the ONLY time you need to apply. Do your research, see why the consulate rejected couples in the past, then avoid repeating the same mistakes. If the consulate expects a formal engagement, or multiple trips, or a long courtship …. do what is needed before you submit your petition. And  make sure you provide abundant and believable proof that that there is no fraud, that you are a pure, genuine, ‘bone fide’ couple planning a future life together. While it is certainly inexpensive to prepare all  the paperwork yourself, I recommend you hire me to personally help you. My record is 100% approval. More info is at http://fianceevisaservices.com/ or speak with me at 1-800-806-3210 x702 to discuss.

Long answer:  Start Over

Either visa needs the same amount of evidences. If you are living together, getting married does look better than only staying engaged. However if the relationship is long distance, getting married but still living far apart only marginally makes your relationship appear more sincere. The spousal visa takes about 12 – 14 months to process while the Fiancee visa takes only 5- 7 months to process.  In general I recommend couples whose Fiancee Visa has been denied, to apply for the fiancee visa again as it is faster.

Comments: I met a lady who was a tour guide in The Mekong Delta for our group.  I did NOT have a photo taken of the two of us because I didn’t have a plan to bring her over here at that time.  Is it mandatory that I go BACK to The Mekong Delta in Vietnam to have ONE or more photos taken of us together?  This is NOT fraud…just circumstances as I would prefer to spend the air fare money to bring the lady here rather than for me to go back and forth myself.  Thanks for all the good work you do.  John 91320

The generic answer is, you could get the people who were on your tour to write affidavits and swear that you and her were on the tour together, and that they saw you spending time together. Such affidavits could be used in place of a photo to prove to prove you actually met in person.

The specific answer for Vietnam is: Vietnam is the most difficult post to get a fiancee visa from. The proof you must provide to have any chance of approval, is much more burdensome than just proving you and her were in the same place at the same time.

The HCM consulate reviewers expect you to make more than one trip, expect a long courtship before a proposal of marriage, and expect a formal engagement party, Vietnam style.

If you are serious about marrying this gal, or any gal from Vietnam you will have to put in time, effort and money.

Sorry to bring bad news, but I always tell clients  “like it really is”, even if it is not what they want to hear.

Assuming you choose to proceed (I can help you whether you take my advice more trips or ignore it)

Get more info at http://www.fianceevisaservices.com/

First: Couple has a genuine relationship (courtship). They have recently met face-to-face. They are both ‘free to marry’. They intend to marry.
.
The US Citizen submits the Fiancee Visa Petition to USCIS (Homeland Security).

Fee: $340

USCIS reviews the petition and the FBI conducts a background check.

Currently USCIS takes 3 – 4 months (on average) to complete their review and approve the case.

The case is passed on to the US Department of State’s National Visa Center, in Vermont (NVC). NVC sends the US Citizen notice they have taken over processing, and have sent it to the US Consulate nearest the Fiancee.

It takes about 1 month from the time USCIS approves till the Consulate recieves the case.

Then the Consulate contacts the Fiancee via mail, telephone, or not at all (sometimes she is expected to contact them first). She gets additional instructions and more government forms to fill out.

Usually, the interview is scheduled 1 to 2 months later.

In Philippines the process is very efficient and fast. Interviews can be arranged as fast as 3 to 5 WEEKS after USCIS Homeland Security approves. In Vietnam it may take 2 to 4 months later before the interview is scheduled.

A week or so prior to the interview, she attends a medical at a clinic approved by the Consulate. The clinic fees vary between $150 to $200.

Also, prior to the interview, she pays to the Consulate a visa application fee of $350. This is typically paid at a local bank, post office or at the consulate.

At the interview she will be asked to present identification documents, forms required by the consulate, an Affidavit of Support and income proof from her US Fiance (showing his income is sufficient) as well as proof of her ‘bone fide’ relationship with the sponsor. The consular officer asks various questions to confirm (in his opinion) that the relationship is genuine.

The decision to grant the visa is normally made ‘on the spot’. Her passport and visa is returned by courier usually within a week of the interview.

The visa is good for 6 months. She must start her journey to the USA before the 6 months is over.

Once she arrives in the USA she has 90 days to marry her Fiance, or return home.

After marriage, the final step is to apply for Adjustment of Status to be approved for permanent residency. The couple submits yet another important petition to USCIS (Homeland Security).

Filing cost is $1,070.
Doctor’s review of her Vaccinations $100

After about 1 month she visits a USCIS office for fingerprinting and photo.

Finally, 3 to 6 months later, she gets her Green Card which proves she has permission to remain permanently in the USA.

Petitioning Later, is a much SLOWER process

What most couples do NOT know, is that petitioning for the children later, is a much SLOWER process. Currently the wait is 3 to 4 years. The time needed, is based on changing annual immigration quotas. And until recently it was even slower: 4 to 8 years. What it will be next year is not yet known.

Don’t separate Mother from Child

As a matchmaker I advise any new husband who hopes for a happy marriage,
to avoid separating a mother from her children for such long times.

The most important thing to know, is that if the children are eligible, their permission to enter the USA will be approved JUST AS FAST as the Mother’s visa is approved. If however, the Mother enters the USA, and then the children are applied for, the time needed for approval for the Children is much longer. Depending on the the country they are coming from, the current delay is about 3 to 4 years, from the time the mother applies, which is AFTER she gets her Green Card.

The reason Mom and child together are processed much faster than Child alone is because of who is the official sponsor of the petition. If an American citizen sponsors his Fiancee and her child, or his new Spouse and her child, the US Government extends to the US citizen a ‘courtesy’ by expediting his request. Fiancee visas currently take 5 to 8 months, and Spousal visas take 12 to 14 months. For the husband and wife these seem like long times to wait. But as far as immigration is concerned these are quite fast processing times. The American citizen whether he appreciates it or not, is getting special treatment.

No Expedited Service for Legal Permanent Residents

After the mother has entered the USA, marries and receives her Green Card, she is now a ‘Legal Permanent Resident’. She is allowed to live in the USA
but she is not a US citizen. If the children are applied for later, it is NOT the
US citizen step-father sponsoring the petition, but it is the Mother who is THE official sponsor. Since she is only a ‘Legal Permanent Resident’, she is not entitled to ‘expedited treatment’. Her request is lumped in with all the other brothers, sisters, parents, cousins, etc from her country who want to immigrate to the USA. Each year quotas are set for how many immigrants from each country are allowed in. Each year the quota changes, and each year the processing delay time varies up or down.

Fiancee Visa Petition easily includes Children.

The Fiancee Visa petition is specifically designed to easily include dependent children (under the age of 21). There is no extra charge when filing the I-129F petition to USCIS ($340 with or without children). The children get approved as quickly as it takes for the mother to be approved, only 5 to 8 months. The child does not have to travel immediately with the mother and can join her in the USA up to a year later.

Spousal Visa is NOT Child Friendly.

The Spousal visa CR-1 is a request for immigration, for one person only, the spouse of the US citizen. If there are also dependent children to immigrate (under the age of 18), the US sponsor must submit additional I-130 petitions,
one for each person (Mother plus each child). The cost is $350 to USCIS per individual. The petitions if submitted together, should be processed and approved together, in only 12 to 14 months. The child has 6 months after issuance of the visa to enter the USA.

I recommend:

Include the children at the time you apply for the mother. Don’t start your marriage off on the ‘wrong foot’ by separating mother from Child.

Due to its faster processing time, and its ease to include the children, I recommend getting engaged, applying for a Fiancee Visa, followed by marriage in the USA. If ‘alone time’ is needed, the children can begin their trip to reunite with the mother up to a year after her Fiancee visa is granted.

Visit USCIS.gov. The forms there make applying for a Fiancee or Spousal visa look as simple as applying for a drivers licence. Anyone can fill in his name, address, Mother’s birthdate, pay a fee and a few months later his bride arrives. Easy-Peasy.

Where most petitioners get into trouble is they do not notice that somewhere in the middle of all of these ‘fill in the blank’ questions, is one terribly important ‘essay question’. This must be answered completely and well. If not done right the entire petition may fail.
Provide EVIDENCE you have a genuine relationship

I got a call from a man who had just returned from Vietnam. He had spent a half year with his girl friend, was there for the delivery of their baby. But he did not provide enough evidence with his original petition, and apparently they did not believe they needed to bring much with the fiancee to the consulate interview. His petitition was summarily denied. I am now working with him to submit a proper petition. (he had done his denied petition himself). I hope within a year, his fiancee and child will be reunited with him.

I also got a call from a gal, a naturalized American originally from India, her fiancee had just been given a blue slip in Mumbai. The blue slip asked the same critical question ‘provide evidence you have a genuine relationship’. They were lucky, as they were given a second chance to provide it.
Most couples in similar circumstances just get denied.

I helped her assemble a proper package of evidence, and convinced her to travel back to India with the ‘mini petition’ I had prepared to demonstrate by her presence, her sincerity in support of the petition. It was approved and she and her fiance traveled together back to Los Angeles.

Petitioners who submit only the basic USCIS forms, plus the ‘usual’ suspects of identity documents, but who neglect to provide ample supporting evidence of the relationship, are putting their petition in jeopardy. Providing the bare minimum of documentation, then wishfully thinking, ‘my fiancée will be able to explain everything during her interview’, gets couples into trouble.

A good petition ‘Prepares the beach’ with ample, well selected, compelling proof, so that the consular officer after he reviews the file prior to the meeting, starts the session with ‘a good feeling’ about the couple.

For specific details on what evidences to provide that ‘Demonstrate a Genuine relationship’ watch this video http://fianceevisaservices.com/youtubegenuinerelationship.html

If enough good evidence is presented properly the girl should have a pleasant ‘soft ball’ interview. If not, she could leave the consulate in tears.

No matter what, whether your fiancee can ‘think on her feet’, whether you assume it is ‘obvious to anyone’ your relationship is genuine, even if you plan to attend the interview yourself, make sure you provide abundant and quality evidence in your petition to demonstrate the bona fides of your relationship.

One element of the rainbow of evidence, are photographs, of the two of you as a couple. Imagine this as if you were giving slide show, but you only have a few minutes to tell your whole story. Choosing the ‘right’ photos to show to immigration is very important.

To see samples of photos, and a Youtube presentation that describes how to choose your photos go to:
http://fianceevisaservices.com/youtubepetitionphotographs.html

Simple Purpose:

1. To prove you have met ‘face to face’

Key purpose is your Opportunity

2. To demonstrate you have a ‘bona fide’ relationship

Easy to accomplish #1, #2 is more Art than Science.
You want to tell a story. The story should be about a genuine, ‘in love’ couple that wants to spend the rest of their lives together.

What should be in the photos?

Couple Should Be in the Photo:
This is all about the two of you, so both of you should be in each photo.

Positive Body Language:
Smiling, holding hands, leaning in to each
other. One of my clients took pictures of him and his gf on his first trip to meet each other. It was obvious from the photos that they were strangers, and a bit uncomfortable with each other. Her arms were always crossed across her chest, and they always kept as much distance between them as they could. I insisted that he go on a second trip, and get more photos and proof of the bona fides. And it worked just great. They ended up very happy to take more time to build their relationship and enjoy their engagement. The photos from the second trip showed a real couple, who were happy to be together and comfortable in each others company.

Mid-distance shots.
Another client gave me a bunch of photos of he and
his fiancee, taken when he was holding the camera at arms length away from his body pointing back at the couples faces. Such a photo accomplishs #1 that the couple met. but does nothing to prove bona fides.
Better the shot is taken at a farther distance and the background is easily identifiable. These close up face shots could have, and probably were taken all at the same time, which is a red flag.

Identifiable Backgrounds.
Make sure there are easily identifyable landmarks
or events going on in the background. If a couple are trying to trick immigration and pretend a sham marriage in order to obtain a passport, typically the tricksters don’t spend too much time together. So there photos would usually be taken all at once, one afternoon. So instead you want to make sure it
is obvious you have spent a lot of time together and shared some travel and activities. So presenting a photo in front of downtown, another at the zoo, another at the acqarium, another at a historical site or in front of a ‘Welcome to Our town’ sign, for a town far away from the city she lives in, another in the countryside, mountains, lake, beach all add up to ‘tell the story’ that you have a genuine relationship.

Seasons, Events, Holidays:
If you make multiple trips. Try to vary the time of year you go, so that the background of the photos clearly indicate this was a totally different trip. For example if the fiancee’s country has winter and summer, some photos with snow in the background, or wearing heavy coats easily delineate from another trip taken during the heat of summer. If the seasons
look similar, try to find backgrounds that indicate a seasonal holiday. The background might have a decorated Christmas Tree, or a Happy New Years
banner, or show an independence day, Kings Birthday or other national holiday, or celebration.

Time of Day:
Vary the time of day. Choose some photos taken at day and some at night.

Date Stamping:
Having your camera automatically insert the month,
day and year onto each photo. Is the simplest, and most effective way to demonstrate when your photos have been taken and that they have been taken on different days. Another way to also show the date is to find a background that shows the date, a sign in front of a wedding party, or a sign in a hotel lobby often show the date.

Clothing:
Vary the clothing you wear. Again you want to dispel any suggestion that you are taking all the photos on the same day. So each day of your trip vary the wardrobe that you and your partner are wearing.
So each photo that you say is taken on a different day, looks consistent with another day.

Friends or Coworkers:
If a couple is genuine, one would expect the proud
fiancee to ‘show off’ and introduce her fiance to her friends or coworkers or fellow students. So a group photo at her place of study, work or liesure with
her peers is a good choice.

Family:
A serious fiance will meet his new ‘in laws’ and especially want to meet her parents or family elders to ‘ask for her hand’. A photo showing the couple together with her happy ‘on board’ family is a must.

Less is More:
Don’t be repetitive. One of my clients gave me 12 pictures of him and his fiancee at a single restaurant. Of course, every single picture was precious to him and his fiancee. But they should be saved for the
family album not used for the visa petition. One, possibly two pictures telling about a moment in your time together is interesting. 10 pictures repeating the same story is boring and not effective at all. Better to share 12 photos that each and every one tell of a
different activity or event that occured while the couple was enjoying their time together.

What you should Avoid:

You want to keep the Consular officer who is reviewing your petition and preparing to interview your fiancee, friendly and on your side, interested and feeling positively about you and your fiancee when he sees your photos. Each photo should bring him closer to identifying with you as a genuine couple. He may have strong moral, racial, religious and/s cultural biases. Be extra careful not to inadvertantly offend him. If he feels offended, or that something is wrong, he will dig for problems until he finds justification to deny your case. Make sure your entire petition consistently leads him to be utterly convinced you are a bona fide couple

No Sexually Charged Images:
No Kissing or groping. My clients present me with a lot of photos with them kissing, hugging, the girl sitting on his lap, laying on a bed together or simply obviously in a hotel room. While none of these so far has been X rated, I am a liberal person, butI would be
uncomfortable if my daughter was in those pictures. Just show normal happy, friendly, comfortable couples.

No King Kong carrying Fay Raye, images:
When I see a 6 foot tall, 270 pound man, bear hugging while towering completely over a tiny 5′, 100 pound, girl. I can’t help but feel uncomfortable for her. Try to minimize size differences. Try mid range shots, or have both sitting down side by side, so their heads are about the same level.

Avoid Negative Body language:
Any negative body language by the couple obviously should be avoided. In addition look how the other people in the photo appear. I got one photo of a couple with her parents. The couple was smiling but the parents were scowling. Perhaps thats the way the
parents always look. We will never know. But that particular photo made it appear they were not happy with the engagement. That could be a red flag.

Avoid Culturally Offensive Images:
I got a photo and the couple were in front of a statue of a character out of her countries cultural history. The couple made hand gestures like the character was wearing horns. Perhaps the CO would have thought that funny, like the couple did. Or perhaps he would have been offended. I would not take the chance.

Don’t cheat:
Every week I catch one of my clients faking the dates on his trip photos. He took a few photos on one day, then falsely claimed they were taken on different days, so he could (he believed) tell a better story
about his trip. Ever CO carefully looks at the clothing the couple is wearing and the backgrounds in each picture. If told two pictures were supposedly taken a week apart, but the couple is wearing exactly the same outfit, the CO knows there is fraud going on. Don’t attempt to use photo processing software to fake photos. Once caught in even the smallest
misrepresentation, the entire petition is put in question. My clients were lucky I caught their ill advised attempt and stopped it before it could get
them into trouble.

My imaginary ideal of the timeline of a genuine romantic engagement

My ideal couple have been corresponding for 6 months or MORE. The man flys to meet her for the first time. They spend a week getting to know each other. She shows him her country. They are in love.

3 to 6 months later, he can’t bear to be apart from her any longer and flys back to her country. He stays longer this time. He meets her family. He gives her a ring. They have an engagement party. She shows him
more of her country.

Upon his return to the USA he submits the petition.

The photos this couple should attach to their Fiancee or Spousal, I-129F or I-130 petition are:

From First trip:
Photos of the couple together on different days, wearing different cloths, in various identifiable locations.

Second trip:
Same: Photos of the couple together on different days,
wearing different cloths, in various identifiable locations. Now added are photos with her family, and/or friends. An engagement party. She wearing the ring.

Certainly not everyone’s experience is like this ‘ideal case’. But the closer your courtship and engagement appears to be like that of other genuine
couples from her country and culture, the better.

When you choose the right photos, and tell a clear and compelling story, the more likely it is your petition will have smooth sailing.

To see samples of photos, and a Youtube presentation that describes how to choose your photos go to:
http://fianceevisaservices.com/youtubepetitionphotographs.html

Transcript of the Video

In preparing a fiance or spousal visa petition for USCIS it’s important to include some photos that proves that you and your life partner have met each other.

In addition you have the opportunity here to tell the story about your relationship and to to give the impression how sincere your relationship is. So it is important to choose the right photos and that’s what this presentation is all about.

My name is Fred Wahl and i am the Matchmaker and Webmaster at the Heart of Asia Romance Network.

We’ve been online for about fifteen years now and have helped thousands of couples usually from USA to overseas to Asia Pacific find each other and to get married and start families.

Almost everyday i get many phone calls from people advising the of their happiness, their success and asking questions about the Fiancee Visa process. It’s a bit complicated it needs to be done properly the first time. I’ve put together this presentation to help answer a lot of questions up front. I hope you enjoy and good luck in starting this adventure.I am not an attorney. I do not work for the US Government, I you need legal advice, please go to an attorney or to the Government.
What i provide here is practical, useful advice.

A successful visa petition is both art and science. The science is filling the blanks correctly and remembering to attach all of the required documents. The art comes in when you choose evidence to present that will convince even the most unfriendly and skeptical consulor officer that you were a bona fide couple.

One element of the rainbow of evidence sources you have are the photographs that you send in. Imagine this as if you were giving a very short slideshow of holy amended too and you’re using that opportunity to tell your whole story. Choosing the right photos to show to immigration is extremely important. The simple purpose
of the photo is to show that the two of you have met face to face that’s accomplished with one photo, but to demonstrate your bona fide relationship you need to tell a complete story and this is going to be about choosing which photos to tell the story and even more importantly to talk about which photos NOT to share, which would hurt your chances.

It may seem pretty obvious in the photos you send them both you and your fiance should be visible in the photo. Only choose those photos that show positive body language between you and your Fiance.

Look at the couple on the left. They’re both smiling. They’re both leaning towards each other. They are in body contact. They obviously by their body language, by their posture show they are a happy couple. Compare this to the picture on the right, where it looks like they just had an argument.

If you only have tight tonight close-ups on the couple’s faces, the story is very limited. It shows the two of you together but you’ve already said that
a hundred times, so better that you pulled the frame out a little bit. Take the photos at midrange so that we can identify the couple together as WELL as where you were and what you were doing. This shows that you spent time together and most importantly shows that you traveled and you did activities together and you were happy in each others presence
while you were doing it.

Try to go on more trips to visit your fiancee and if possible go at different times of the year is so your photos will reflect different seasons, or the different events or festivals for holidays that are going on so that they will be verry clear when the picture was taken.

Take photos at different times of the day to show that you spent a lot of time together.

Having your camera automatically insert the month day and the year into each photo is the simplest and most effective way to demonstrate when your photos have been taken and that they have been taken over more than one day.

Pick some shots with friends or co-workers. If a couple is genuine one would expect the proud fiancee to show off and introduce her fiance to her friends or co-workers or fellow students.

A group photo at her place of study, work or leisure with her peers is a good choice.

A serious Fiance will meet his new in-laws and especially would want to meet her parents and or family elders to officially ask for her hand.

Photos showing the couple together with her happy and “all on board” family is of value.

Don’t be repetitive. One of my clients keep me twelve pictures of him and his fiancee at a single restaurant. Of course, each one of these pictures was very precious to him and his fiance. He should have saved these for the family album, not used for the purpose of the petition.

One possibly two pictures that tell about a particular moment in your time together is interesting and effective.

The consular officer will be reviewing your petition and then sitting down with your fiance interview her about your relationship. You want to make sure the photos that he sees, keep him friendly, and interested on your side: that he has a positive feeling about you and your fiance.

This person may have strong moral, racial, religious or cultural biases. Be extra careful not to inadvertently offend him. Do not allow any suggestion of sex, NO MATTER HOW SUBTLE, into the photos few you choose. No hugging, no pictures in the bedroom.

Avoid looking like King Kong with a tiny Faye Ray. Organize the photos so that you don’t seem to be overwhelming and overpowering to your Fiancee. Try midrange shots, perhaps with both of you sitting down together so your heads are side by side.

Avoid negative body language shown by the OTHER people in the Photo. I got one photo of a couple with her parents. The couple is smiling, but the parents were scowling. Perhaps that’s the way the parents always look. I will never know, but that particular photo made it appear that the parents were not happy with the engagement. Such a photo should be avoided.

Be sure not to be culturally offensive. I got one photo and the couple were in front of a statue of the character out of her country’s cultural history. The couple were making hand gestures like the character was wearing horns.

Perhaps the consular officer would’ve thought that was funny, like the couple did or perhaps he would have been offended. I would not want to take that chance.

And also don’t cheat.

I’ve seen many photos where people have faked the date stamps on the photos. This will always get caught. Please don’t even attempt this.

Everyone’s case is going to be different, but my imaginary ideal of a timeline of an authentically romantic engagement would be as follows:

My ideal couple has been corresponding for six months or more. The man flies to meet her for the first time. They spend a week getting to know each other. She shows him her country. They are in love. Three to six months later he can’t bear to be apart from her any longer and flies back to her country. He stays longer this time and he meets her family her friends. He gives her her a ring. They are formally engaged. She shows him more of her country and upon his return to the USA he submits the Fiancee Visa petition.

Now the photos I would like to see from the first trip are just simple photos of the couple together, on different days, wearing different clothing in various identifiable locations. From the second trip, somewhat the same idea, again photos of the couple together on different days, different clothing, different locations but also added would be photos with her and her family with their friends, with an engagement party, she wearing the engagement ring.

If you need assistance to prepare your petition come to FianceeVisaServices.com

For do-it- yourselfers, I will review your package and give you my comments before you submit to immigration. and finally also for do-it-yourselfers I have a two e- books one for Fiancee Visa applicants and another for Spousal Visa applicants.

Each applicant must schedule an appointment at the consulate, and convince the consular officer that theirs is a “bone fide” genuine relationship, and that the purpose of the Fiancee Visa application is solely for sincere marriage.

This video is for couples who are applying for a fiancee visa for immigration to the United States and who wish to prepare for the interview at the U S Consulate in the fiance’s country.

This information is general, not specific to any particular embassy and will provide an accurate idea of what to expect.

Should you be interviewing in Manila, I have recorded another video that describes the Manila interview process in exact detail.

My name is Fred Wahl I am the matchmaker from HeartofAsiaOnline.com

Over the past thirty five years I have helped thousands of couples find each other.

I’m not an attorney. I cannot give legal advice. I do hope however that you will find this video entertaining and informative.

Let’s talk about the chain of events so far. Aabout four to six months ago you submitted your I-129f petition to USCIS homeland security.

Eventually, USCIS approved the petition and sent you a notice telling you the good news. Also at the same time, they passed your petition on to the US Department of State, to their offices in Vermont called the NVC or National Visa Center.

About a week or two later, NVC sent you a letter, telling you that they had received your file and are forwarding it to the US Embassy that is situated closest to your fiance.

The letter tells you that you should standby and wait for the embassy to contact her directly with further instructions.

The consulate attempts to contact your Fiance directly and provide her with instructions and government forms.

They usually send these via postal mail. Sometimes now, Embassies are also using email and refering the Fiancee to go to the Embassie’s website to download the documents from the internet.

Sometimes they try to reach her by telephone. In some countries the postal mail is terrible. Items regularly get lost or stolen. In some of these countries the only dependable solution is for your Fiance to physically go to the embassy and pick up the package of instructions in person.

If your fiance has not received an email from the consulate after a few weeks, you should contact the consulate directly to chase the status.

The packet (or packets there may be more than one) that she receives, picks up, or downloads should contain general instructions and checklist from the Embassy, government forms, details on where and how she should pay the visa application fee, details on where to get the medical at the clinic that’s been selected, approved, by the consulate and finally details on how to contact the Embassy and schedule her interview.

The required forms that she should fill and then bring with her to her appointment at the Embassy,
or sometimes mail to the embassy (if that is what they request): are the DS-157, DS-156, DS-156K.

There is some variety among the different Embassies and some Embassies also require the DS-230.

The instruction packet will tell her exactly what to do and will have copies of the blank forms within it.

Each Embassy requires that your fiance bring with her, her passport, and birth certificate. Also she must contact per local police authority and obtain a police clearance certificate. This basically should show that she has no criminal record. And if after she was sixteen years old she ever lived in any other countries she will also have to obtain a police certificate from each country that she resided in.

To be eligible for a Fiancee visa, the Fiancee and the american Fiance must both be free to marry.

If the Fiancee has been previously married she must bring with her an original or certified copy of evidence to prove that her previous marriage was terminated: such as a divorce or annulment decree or death certificate.

In some countries it is the practice of the local government to issue a Certificate of No Marriage. This document shows that the fiance has always been single. If your fiancee’s country issues such a document the consulate will want to see it.

And finally, in some cases the American Fiance is also asked to provide original proof that he is free to marry too.

The american sponsor must prove that his annual income meets the minimum income requirements to be eligible for a Fiancee Visa.

To do so he must give his Fiancee his signed affidavit attesting to his income along with proof of the income such as his recent tax returns, a letter from his employer confirming what his job is and what the salary is, and three to six recent pay stubs. She will bring all these along with her to the consulate.

There are still more items for her to bring to the interview. She received an appointment letter and that confirms the date and time for interview she needs this to get into the embassy on her interview day, plus a few visa photos and the receipt showing that she paid the visa fee.

It is also a good idea to prepare a letter signed by the Fiance as well as one signed by the American sponsor confirming that the couple is still engaged and still plan to marry once she arrives into the USA.

Finally, she should bring with her the various proofs she has gathered that show that the couple is a genuine, bone fide couple.

There are various proofes of a bona fide relationship. The Fiancee should bring in whatever she has: such as photographs, samples of correspondences, travel itinerary showing that her American sponsor came to visit her or the two of them traveled together, telephone bills, histories of emails or chat sessions.

If there was an engagement: proof of the engagement such as the receipt from buying an engagement ring, photos of the party, or invitations that may have been sent to relatives and friends.

If the proof is a bit thin, then perhaps affidavits from people that the couple know, ideally those in a position of trust such as ministers, politicians, employers that know both of the couple and can attest that they are sincere couple but really don’t have any reason for misrepresentation.

And finally, if the American sponsor has been sending monies to his fiance on a regular basis, proof of those transfers is a good item to bring to the interview .

Once the fiance has everything ready or can reasonably estimate when the final documents will arrive, she should contact the embassy, in the way that the embassy requested (that could be by mail or fax or telephone or in person) to tell them she is ready to have her interview.

Then they will schedule an interview and send her a document, a letter confirming exactly when and where.

For some embassys they have a system where the American sponsor can pay eighteen dollars using his credit card, that gives him the privilege of telephoning the embassy directly to talk to someone at their American Fiance hotline.

He can talk to the embassy three times if he wants, to answer and ask all his questions. The most important feature is he can sit down and talk with the scheduling clerk to put his Fiancee onto the the embassies appointment calendar.

This may be the best eighteen dollars any american Fiance has spent.

Once her interview is scheduled she should attend a medical at the clinic designated by the consulate.

This should be accomplished at least a week prior to the interview. When she goes to the clinic she should bring with her proof that she is a Fiancee Visa candidate. That’s usually the letter that the embassy sent her. Plus her passport, any vaccination records she may have, some visa photos, and she’ll probably need cash to pay the clinics fees.

When the big day arrives she should arrive at the embassy early, bringing with her all the documents and evidences that she needs.

There will be security checkpoints long lines and she should mentally prepare herself to stay calm and poised, for the potentially long and frustrating day.

Some consulates recommend that the American sponsor attends the interview if that is the case you should do so, but today many of the consulates, most even, perhaps due to terrorists, will not even allow the American in the door.

He’ll have to wait outside the embassy for his Fiance to return with the final results.

Eventually your fiance’s number will be called and she’ll be asked to speak directly with the consular officer.

Perhaps they will be together in a cubby or perhaps facing each other through thick glass panels.

The consular officer will ask about the time-line of your relationship and ask detailed questions about the courtship, proposal and about each other.

It is very important that you and your Fiancee discuss and practice at the questions and answers in advance, so that your Fiancee will be relaxed and knowledgeable.

And in case you are both separately asked the same questions, your answers will be identical.

I have put together about one hundred and twenty typical questions and if you want to get a free copy please visit Fianceevisaservices.com and subscribe to the free Fiancee Visa Secrets newsletter. The questions will be automatically sent to you.

Assuming the interview went well your Fiancee will be given a pink slip and advised that her visa will be ready a few days later. Sometimes she is instructed to return to the consulate a few business days later to pick up her passport or the passport is sent to her via a delivery service. She needs to fill out the delivery service forms before she leaves the embassy.

Once she receives her passport and visa she can start her trip to the USA anytime within the next six months.

Getting through immigration is one of the toughest obstacles most couples will face.

As a matchmaker my mission is to bring couples together as quickly and reliably as possible, by providing nurturing supportive responsive expert help.

If you’d like to speak about your situation please call me I would be very happy to speak with you directly.

Datestamping is Important for Immigration

One of my clients submitted photos without date stamps to USCIS. A few months later his petition was pulled from the processing que and an RFE (request for evidence) was sent to him. It read:

Though you have submitted photos of you with the beneficiary, they alone do not establish that you have met the beneficiary in person within the two-year period immediately preceding the filing of the petition. The photos are not electronically date stamped, so it is not possible to determine if the meeting was within the two-year period.

During the last 5 years he had made three trips to China. the first five years ago, another 3 years ago and the last one 1 year ago. His first face to face meeting with his fiancee took place during the last trip. So far so good. He submitted evidence of the trip from 1 year ago, the plane tickets, passport entry stamps, and the photos of he and his fiancee.

There are many eligiblity requirements to be approved for a Fiancee Visa.
One requirement, is that the couple has had a “face to face” meeting within the 2 years prior to submiting the petition.

The RFE was sent because immigration was not confident that the photos they received were actually taken during the recent (eligible) trip. They suspect that the photos may be over two years old, taken during an earlier trip. Since photos are really the ‘best’ proof of a ‘face to face’ meeting, we were in trouble. We had to scramble to find additional proof that the meeting really took place.

IF the photos originally presented each had a date stamp, this would NOT
have happened. The process would not have been halted, not delayed, and no
‘cloud’ would have been attached to the petition.

Why are Date Stamps so rare?

In the old film days, most cameras came with a feature that could imprint a date stamp onto the photo. It was done by exposing the film with a small embedded LED display that could be turned on or off. Most digital cameras no longer have this function. However, date, time and other information IS retained. It is stored in the digital file ( .jpg, jpeg, gif) of the photo as embedded data, called EXIF tags. This means that the digital files of your photos STILL has the important information you need.

Digital datestamps can be resurrected

It is possible to extract the date from the EXIF tag, and then print it onto the
visible part of your photo, and it will look exactly as if you used an old film camera.

There are many software programs available to do this. The program can take each ( .jpg, jpeg, gif) , read the date information (EXIF tag), then paste the date onto the ‘front’ of the image, and finally save as a modified (.jpg, jpeg, or .gif) digital file. When your modified photo files are printed, the datestamp will be right where it belongs, where it can HELP your visa case.

All petitions benefit by datestamping

It is true that if you got your first passport, only ever traveled once, and that
was solely to meet your partner, date stamps would not be strictly necesssary. If you only were there one week in October, that MUST be when all photos were taken.

However you should take the ‘long view’ you should planning that photos will again be needed for the Green card application, and if ‘heaven forbid’ your petition is delayed or denied, and more ‘face to face’ meetings, would be needed. Having your photos ALL have date stamps, will guarantee your petitions to immigration will be more convincing and won’t raise red flags.

For those who have many trips overseas, or who are together for extended visits, datestamping is even more important. This is the best way to provide definitive proof of the course of your courtship, and to tell the story in a thorough and easily understandable fashion.

Professional Processing

There is much software on the internet that you can use to recover and print the EXIF data on your photos. With time, patience and savvy you can probably achieve this yourself. I did not have any luck myself. I spent a few frustrating hours trying different programs and finally gave up.

BUT that lesson gave me the incentive to find someone who could professionally provide this service. And I use him for my client’s photos.

For information o professional help to recover date stamps from your photos click http://www.fianceevisaservices.com/add-date-stamp-on-photographs.html