K1 Visa – Joint Financial Evidence
If my fiancé comes to visit soon and I have her added to my current apartment lease and utilities bill before her visit ends after three weeks. If I do that, will that draw unwanted scrutiny or would that work as two solid pieces of proof? We have a free resource in our resource center…
Lawsuit Filed – Work Permit Delays
There was a lawsuit that was filed by the American Immigration Lawyers Association against USCIS because of the long work permit delays. If you’re eligible and you file your application for adjustment of status in the United States, part of that application is a work permit. The idea of the work permit is that USCIS…
Can I Get Married on a Tourist Visa to a US Citizen? (ON ESTA at 2020?)
If someone who’s not a US citizen comes to the US, either on a tourist visa or on a visa waiver program, or commonly referred to as ESTA, can they get married and apply for a green card in the US? With this question, there’s a lot of online forums that have said that they…
How Do I Confirm USCIS Received My RFE Response?
If you do not respond to a request that USCIS sends you, they’re going to deny your case automatically. It’s important to figure out whether it was actually received. When you respond to the government, you always want to keep a copy of what you send in case it gets lost. But they actually want…
Top 3 Reasons for K1 Fiancé Visa Denials
There can be many reasons for a K1 visa denila but there are three things that we commonly see for denials. With the K1 fiancé visa, there are certain requirements that an individual has to meet. 1. Eligibility Requirements The first basis for denial with K1 fiancé visas is that the person is not eligible. We…
K1 vs CR1 – Which is Faster?
One of the most frequently asked questions we have been receiving in the past few weeks and months is whether it’s faster to do the fiancé visa or the spouse visa. A lot of couples become paralyzed by this decision. The K1 is the fiancé visa route and the CR1, also called IR1, is the spouse…
Important Tips USCIS Form I-134 – 2021
Important tips for USCIS form I-134. For those of you who are going through a fiancé visa process, you are probably already familiar with this form. Form I-134 is a form that’s used specifically for tourist visas and fiancé visas. Focusing on fiancé visas, form I-134 is used during the fiancé visa process right before the…
Work Permit and Travel Document – Processing Times
We have received a lot of questions about work permits and travel documents from where are they processed to how long will it take. Are they two separate documents? What do they look like? The work permit is processed separately in a completely separate place from where your interview will be. To answer that first…
Truth About Green Card Processing Times
Most people are shocked to find out that it can take more than a year, oftentimes, many years to receive a green card by marriage to a United States citizen. If you’ve ever seen a Hollywood movie that has any kind of reference to immigration, it makes it seem like you just marry someone from…
K1 Visa Welcome Letter Timing
K1 visa welcome letters and when you can actually begin the next step in the K1 visa process. We’ve had a lot of people asking questions ranging from “When will I receive the welcome letter? “When can I get started with the next steps?” “I have received multiple letters, what do they mean?” “Can I…
What is 221(g) Administrative Processing?
What is 221(g), also called administrative processing or admin processing? When you have an interview in a US consulate, it can either be because you want a K1 fiancé visa or because you are getting a spouse visa or other types of visas as well. 221(g) is not a rejection of your case. It doesn’t…
K1 Visa – How Long is the Process? 2021
For K1 Visas, how long is the process in 2021? The thing about guessing visa time frames is that we are always predicting. We can only say what’s happening currently for different clients and look at the known variables looking forward from here and make our estimates based on that. As far as what we’re…
Is It Better to Apply For a Work Permit or Wait For Your Green Card?
“Does it make sense to apply for a work permit or wait for your green card instead?” Definitely still apply for your work permit. We do that for all of our clients. The best practice when you’re filing your adjustment of status case is to file your work permit application. Immigration is so random that…
Refused Immigrant Visa Status Explained
“I’ve checked the status of my case online and it shows visa refused. What does this mean? Is my case over? What can I do?” Usually, when a visa refusal would show up, it’s for individuals who are going through consular processing or a fiancé visa. Part of the process after a petition has been filed and…
Who Qualifies for Adjustment of Status?
The number one requirement for adjustment of status is that the immigrant is physically present inside the United States when you apply. They have to stay there until the process is complete unless they get travel authorization. The general rule says that you have to be here legally. That means you would have some type of…
Bypass the USCIS Phone Robots
“How do I get past the phone robots when I call USCIS?” If you’re going through an immigration process, you may have had a need to call USCIS. You need to know what’s going on with your case or you haven’t received a receipt notice or you haven’t received your green card among other things.…
DIY Immigration Case
If you are at the beginning of your immigration journey, you might be asking yourself, “Should I do my own immigration case? Is DIY immigration a good idea?” You do not have to have an immigration attorney assist you with your immigration case. There’s no requirement that you have an immigration attorney. For those of you who…
How Long Do I Have to Have a Green Card Before Becoming a US Citizen? (3 vs 5 Years)
It’s a long haul to get a green card no matter which way you got there. A lot of couples are asking, “What’s the next step? When do we get to actually become a US citizen?” There’s a lot of confusion because some people are eligible at three years and some people are eligible at…
K1 Fiancé vs CR1 Spouse, Which is Better?
Which path should I choose? The K1 fiancé visa or the CR1 visa? To help you really understand which option is better, it’s important to understand there isn’t a one-size-fits-all option or there’s no best option for everyone. The option between a K1 fiancé visa and the CR1 spouse visa is going to depend a lot…
Scheduled for a Second Immigration Interview?
Part of the immigration case for couples is proving to immigration that you have a real relationship that’s based on love and not just to receive an immigration benefit. For most couples, the process is submitting relationship evidence and an interview with an immigration officer who asks the couple questions about their relationship. Typically, it’s…
USCIS Outside Normal Processing Request
“I’ve checked online and I see that the date of my receipt notice, that my case is actually outside of normal processing times. What can I do? Should I make a request? Will it help?” USCIS has a tool for checking case processing times for various forms at https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times. We regularly use this tool in…
Waivers for COVID Vaccine?
The COVID vaccine is now a required part of the immigration process to receive your green card. “What if I don’t want to have the COVID vaccine? What are my options?” As part of the process to receive your green card, an individual has to receive a medical exam. This is completed by a civil surgeon…
Alert! Changes to USCIS Interview Scheduling
Our attorneys at Immigration for Couples are members of AILA, the American Immigration Lawyers Association. AILA has liaisons that work with USCIS to report issues and trends. One of the things that AILA has announced is that there have been changes to interview scheduling specifically as it relates to USCIS offices that are here in…
Important! COVID-19 Vaccination is Required
The COVID vaccine is now required as part of the process to receive a green card. Part of the process to receive a green card includes a medical exam with a civil surgeon and the CDC, the Center for Disease Control has announced that the COVID vaccine is required. Read More: CDC Requirements for Immigrant…
28-Day Legendary Love Challenge
What do you think is the number one most important thing in your immigration case? You’re probably not expecting this as the answer but the most important thing in your immigration case is your relationship. Here at Immigration for Couples, it is the most important thing for us as well. We are helping you to navigate the…
K1 Visa Interviews Are Being Scheduled
Are K1 visa interviews being scheduled? What is going on with K1 visa interviews? Yes, they are being scheduled. Before COVID, you would be able to go online and schedule your interview for your fiancé visa. But with COVID, US embassies and consulates closed and there weren’t interviews occurring. As the US embassies and consulates…
K1 Fiancé Visa Process 2021
Are you in the process of applying for a fiancé visa and feeling overwhelmed by all the steps that are involved and unsure of where to even begin? You’re not alone. Many couples feel this way at the beginning of their immigration journey. There’s a lot of steps involved but it can be broken down…
Great News! Social Security & Green Card Updates
In August 2021, USCIS announced that they are revising the adjustment of status form to include a question about the Social Security Number and that they’re coordinating with the Social Security office so individuals can automatically receive their Social Security card in the mail after receiving their green card. Read: USCIS Expands Partnership with Social…
Fiancé Visa Eligibility Requirements | 2021
Have you fallen in love with someone from another country? Are you excited but confused about where to begin the next steps for you to be able to start your lives together in the United States? The immigration process for couples is different, depending on what type of relationship you have. If you are engaged to a…
Medical Exam Requirement – US Immigration for Couples
One of the requirements in your immigration process is that you would receive or have completed rather a medical exam. For this medical exam, we’ll discuss medical exams as they relate to the adjustment of status process. An adjustment of status is a process that is completed inside of the United States. Someone who’s completing…