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My U.S Naturalization Timeline

Below is my U.S. Citizenship Application Timeline. All applications have different timelines. Your application might be process faster or slower compared. It's a case to case basis.

05-15-09: Mailed N-400 Application to Lewisville, TX
05-18-09: Delivered to TX Service Center (USPS tracking)
05-20-09: Application Check Payment was cashed out
05-26-09: Received NOA (Receipt) from USCIS dated 05-20-09
06-06-09: Received NOA Biometrics Schedule 06-12-09 USCIS Atlanta
10-06-09: Citizenship Interview USCIS Atlanta

Passed and had sworn in as United States Citizen right after the interview.

U.S Citizen Petitioner: Requirements in Filing K-1 visa

Tips For K-1 Visa Applicant

If you are thinking of possibly applying for a K-1 Visa, and find this, you probably have questions about the K1 Visa process. It all starts with your initial filing.

Helpful Links

Check out these helpful links to get more information about the U.S. Visa and Citizenship Process. Most links are for Philippines to USA processing. I will add more links soon.

1. http://www.uscis.gov - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Website

2. http://travel.state.gov- US State Department (Office of the Secretary of State) - Instructions, FAQ's, etc. for various visas

3. http://manila.usembassy.gov- Embassy of the United States in Manila, Philippines

4. http://www.cfo.gov.ph - Commission on Filipinos Overseas (Pre-Departure Registration and Orientation Seminar)

5. http://www.vitalrec.com - To obtain birth certificates in the USA

6. https://www.ecensus.com.ph/Secure/frmIndex.asp - request online birth, marriage, death certificate or CENOMAR.

If you know some more helpful website for U.S. Visa and Citizenship Processing, please leave links in the comment section.

The K-1 or Fiance' Visa Application Process

If you and your fiance' have decided to apply for K-1 Visa, you need to review the K-1 Fiance' Visa eligibility requirements and make sure that you are eligible. The K-1 Fiance' Visa allows the foreign fiance' of a U.S citizen to legally enter the United States of America in order to get married. A K-1 Visa holder has 90 days to get married in the U.S.

Steps in Obtaining a K-1 Fiance' Visa
1. The U.S Citizen files a Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), Form I-129F, with the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office that serves the area where he lives.

2. Once the I-129F is approved, the Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), Form I-129F, is sent to the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC) and it will be processed and will be forwarded to the corresponding US Embassy and Consulate where the foreign fiancé(e) will apply for a K-1 Nonimmigrant visa.

3. The National Visa Center sends the foreign fiance' a follow-up application and further instructions. He or she will fill up some forms like Form DS-156 Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-156K Supplement to Form DS-156 and Form DS-230 Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration. The forms and instructions that NVC sends and their requirements varies a bit among consulates.

4. The foreign fiance(e) fills out some more forms and present them during his/her interview at the U.S consulate in his/her home country. He or she will also have a medical exam before his/her interview appointment.

5. Once the K-1 Fiance' Visa is approved, the foreign fiance' may enter up to into the United States within 6 months of the issue date. The K-1 Fiance' Visa is good for only one entry.

6. Once the foreign fiance is in the United States, you have 90 days to get married.

The next step after the marriage is the Adjustment of Status Application using Form I-485, for the K-1 Visa holder to become a permanent resident.

Documents To Bring During K-1 Visa Interview

Here are the list of documents you need to bring at the U.S Embassy during your Fiance' (K-1) Visa Interview. Please note that I base this list from my own experience, please check out the U.S Immigration website for the most recent requirements.

1. For Applicant's Personal Identification
1.1. Birth certificate - make sure that you got the original birth certificate, or a certified true copy from the National Statistic Office.
1.2. Valid passport
1.3. CENOMAR - Certificate of No Marriage from the National Statistic Office.
1.4. NBI Clearance

1.5. 2 Form DS 156 (Nonimmigrant Visa Application)
1.6. 1 form DS 156K
1.7. 2 copies of form DS 157
1.8 Divorce or death certificate of any previous spouse for both the applicant and the petitioner

DOCUMENTS FROM PETITIONER

A. Evidence of financial support (Form I-134, Affidavit of Support ) *NOTARIZED
B. EMPLOYEMENT LETTER
C. INCOME TAX RETURN
D. BANK STATEMENT
E. Divorce or death certificate of any previous spouse for both the applicant and the petitioner

EVIDENCE OF MEETING

A. PICTURES
B. RECEIPTS
C. BOARDING PASS
D. REMITTANCES

EVIDENCE OF ENGAGEMENT

A. RECEIPT OF ENGAGEMENT RING
B. PICTURES

My Removing Conditions of Residency Timeline

Within the ninety (90) days before the expiration of your two-year Conditional Green Card, you can submit your applications for the removal of the conditional basis of your permanent resident status. Following the instructions in Form I- 751, we sent our at USCIS Texas Service Center.

My I-751 Removing Conditions Timeline

4- 18- 08 - Sent I-751 Application to USCIS Texas
4- 23- 08 - USCIS Received Our Application (Domestic Return Receipt)
4- 29 -08 - Case Transferred to Vermont Service Center (USCIS Website)
5- 07- 08 - Received Biometric Appointment
5- 13- 08 - Received letter Green Card 1 yr extension
5- 17- 08 - Biometrics (Atlanta, GA)
3- 05- 09 - Received email from USCIS, card production ordered
3- 10- 09 - Received postal mail from USCIS, application APPROVED
3- 12- 09 - Received 10 years Green Card through postal mail

This new green card is valid for 10 years.

Our K-1 Visa Journey

My sweetheart and I did not hire a lawyer for our K-1 Visa Application. The K-1 Fiance' Visa process seems long because of the amount of paperwork and forms to submit. Add the number of appointments and the waiting period, the process can be daunting. But guess what? The K-1 Fiance' Visa process is really not hard. You can do entire K-1 Visa process without an immigration lawyer. I know several Filipino-American couples who done their application themselves too. The K-1 Fiance' Visa process is simple and easy to follow. You just have to comply with the requirements and be organize with yourself to keep a good track of the documents and steps involved in the process. You also need to make sure that you have ALL the documents required for your case. Some K-1 Visa applicants were put under AR or Administrative Review because of insufficient documents. That's why it is great to be resourceful, read and learn more about the process. If your case is complicated and if you don't have much time to do all the work, then it is best for you to get an immigration lawyer.

Couples who are undergoing the K-1 Visa Journey can do research online to learn more about the whole process. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website has the detailed instructions about the different application and the requirements. VisaJourney.com has a very helpful post about the Step-by-Step Guide on How to File for a K-1 Visa for your Foreign Fiance(e)

During our K-1 Visa processing, I read a lot and searched a lot online. I found awesome forums where I can relate to other K-1 Visa applicants and compare our timeline. Though I know that every case is unique and that timelines are case to case basis, it feels good to connect and relate to fellow applicants. There are a lot things that I learned from them, especially from those Filipinas or couples who are ahead of us in the processing time. Learning about their K-1 visa journey has help me checked what other documents I might need, and what possible questions I'd get, learned about different issues and the possible scenarios that I "might" also go through. It was kind of funny because I gather other documents that I am not sure needed. Why? because I heard it from other applicants that some Filipino interviewer asked them about it, like Baptismal certificate and other stuff so I have mine ready. You can never be too prepared because when you want something so bad, you sometimes get scared to hear bad news. But it's great to have the documents that you "might" need, than not have it and need it.

The NOLO book Fiance' & Marriage Visas, A Couple's Guide to U.S. Immigration written by Attorney Ilona Bray has helped us a lot. My now husband, brought me a copy when he visited me in the Philippines. It was a big help for us, especially the line-by-line Instructions for K-1 Fiance' Visa Petition Forms and the other forms needed for the entire K-1 Visa Process. There's probably a newer edition of the book now.

There were days that I got nervous, especially when I read "sad" news about other applications. But, I just remained positive about my case. When your relationship is genuine and your intentions are real, you already won half the battle. You just have to gather and organize all the proofs, and politely comply with the requirements. In short, there's nothing to worry about.

Our K-1 Visa application was approved more than 6 months later. The U.S Embassy in Manila, Philippines sent my K-1 Fiance'(e) visa through Delbross mail. I got my Fiance'(e) Visa three days after my interview. You can read about my K-1 Visa Interview experience at Manila U.S. Embassy and some of my Tips for K-1 Visa Applicants During Interview and documents organization. I hope those will help you in your journey. Good luck!

Sample Letter of Intent To Marry

During our Petition For Alien Fiance(e) processing, I remember myself and my then fiance' submitted a letter of intent to marry. You can read it in the I-129F General Instructions, #5. part B that says; "Provide original statements from you and your fiancé(e) whom you plan to marry within 90 days of his or her admission, and copies of any evidence you wish to submit to establish your mutual intent; and." You can check the most recent instruction for Form I-129F, Petition For Alien Fiance'(e) here.

Here is our Sample Letter of Intent to Marry. The body of our letter of intent is very simple. We wrote almost similar letter of intent. You can make it a bit longer. Maybe state your intention why and when do u plan to marry. It's up to you. I think the letter of intent is more into you and your fiance'(e) intends to marry upon the issuance of your K-1 visa, and that you intend to marry within the 90 days of the foreign fiance'(e)'s entry into the United States.

Sample Letter of Intent To Marry Fiance'(e).

********
Date
Address (of the Petitioner or the foreign fiance'(e))


United States Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Address of the USCIS office


Dear Sir/ Madam:


I, (U.S citizen petitioner OR foreign fiance's name) , do hereby state that I am legally able and willing to marry my fiance'(e) (U.S citizen petitioner OR foreign fiance's name), and intend to do so within 90 days of his/her OR my arrival into the US using the K-1 visa.


Truly yours,


(signature here)
( printed name)


*****
Note: Some couples had their letter(s) of intent notarized and I heard some couples did not. In our case, we just signed our letters and that was it.

Sample Cover Letter: Petition To Remove Condition of Residence

Below is a sample cover letter for Petition to Remove Conditional Status applicant. Please note that this sample cover letter for Petition to Remove Conditional Status is not required but in case you want to submit one for your application, this sample below is similar to what we submitted during our application process. I highlighted most of the things that you need to change. Letters printed in red, should be personalized.


Sample Cover Letter: Petition To Remove Condition of Residence


Mr. and Mrs. ____
Your Address



U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
The Service Center that is assigned to accept applicants from your area
Address of the Service Center


Dear Sir/ Madam:


Enclosed please find Form I-751, Petition to Remove Condition on Residence for my wife, Name of Applicant, A# ____. My wife entered the U.S. on a fiancee visa. Her conditional residence is based on our marriage and we are filling this petition together.

We are enclosing the following:

• $_____ Check payment for the Application and Biometrics Service Fee
• Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence
• Copy of wife's first name's (Conditional) Permanent Residence Card
• Copies of our Passport
• Copies of our Identification Cards showing the same address of residence
• Copies of our Drivers License
  
• Copies of our Joint Tax Return for 2006 and 2007
• Copies of recent statements of our Joint Savings and Checking Accounts
• Copies of my Life Insurance Policies showing my wife as the beneficiary
• Copies of our Health Insurance cards
• Copies of some postal mail correspondence from family and friends
• Some of our pictures over the past two years
• Notarized affidavits sworn to by my parents knowledge about our marriage
  

Copies of documents submitted are exact photocopies of unaltered documents and we agree to submit original documents at a later date, if required.



Sincerely yours,


(signature over printed name)
Name of Husband


(signature over printed name)
Name of Wife, A# _________