We are not immigrant lawyers and we DON'T give you legal advices, all information you will see below is from our own experience, you shouldn't do the same way, you can only  see how WE did this and make your own mind.

Pay your attention on our K1 process timeline. Law is changeable and you must refer to recent law rules.

            - K1 Visa. What is it?
            - Our K1 process timeline
            - Petition I-129F
            - Changes in processing of visas for Ukrainian fiancées - June 2, 2003
            - Advices before interview
            - K1 Interview experience in US Consulate in Kyiv
 

      K1 visa process links

K1 Visa. What is it?

U.S. citizens who will be getting married to a foreign national in the United States may petition for a fiancé(e) classification (K-1) for their fiancé(e).

You and your fiancé(e):
- must be free to marry. This meanss that both of you are unmarried, or that any previous marriages have ended through divorce, annulment or death.
- must also have met in person wwithin the last two years before filing for the fiancé(e) visa. This requirement can be waived only if meeting your fiancé(e) in person would violate long-established customs, or if meeting your fiancé(e) would create extreme hardship for you.
- must marry within 90 days of yourr fiancé(e) entering the United States.
 

You must file a petition with BCIS on behalf of your fiancé(e). The U.S. citizen filing BCIS Form I-129F - Petition for Alien Fiancé. After the petition is approved, your fiancé(e) must obtain a visa issued at a U.S. Embassy or consulate abroad. The marriage must take place within 90 days of your fiancé(e) entering the United States. If the marriage does not take place within 90 days, your fiancé(e) will be required to leave the United States.

Until the marriage takes place, your fiancé(e) is considered a nonimmigrant. A nonimmigrant is a foreign national seeking to temporarily enter the United States for a specific purpose. A fiancé(e) may not obtain an extension of the 90-day original nonimmigrant admission.
 

Your fiancé(e) may enter the United States only one time with a fiancé(e) visa. If your fiancé(e) leaves the country before you are married, your fiancé(e) may not be allowed back into the United States without a new visa.

You may also apply to bring your fiancé(e)'s unmarried children, who are under age 21, to the United States.

Our K1 Timeline

Petition I-129F

I thank God who gave me my wonderful Dane who made perfect work about papers for INS (BCIS). He gathered all documents we needed and put them in right order. I never saw such great work before and I was surprised when had a look at a pile of papers with dividers, bookmarks and envelopes.

Here is a list of enclosed documents to petition.

    1. Attached Cashier Check.
    2. Form FC-029 stating copies are true copies of the unaltered original.
    3. Petition for Alien Fiancée (I-129F) Petitioner for Fiancée.
    4. G-325a Biographic Information for Petitioner.
            Copy of Petitioner birth certificate.

            Copy of Passport (USA) with Visas.

    5. G-325a Biographic Information for Fiancée
            Copy of Fiancée birth certificate. (Certified Translation)
            Copy of International Passport (Ukraine) with Visas.
            Copy of  In-Country Ukraine Passport.
    6.      Two visa photos of Petitioner and of Fiancée as specified on INS Form M-378.
    7.   Petitioner Affidavit of bona fide intentions to marry within 90 days arrival in the United States.
    8.   Statement of intent from Fiancée to marry Petitioner.

    9.   Certified copy of Petitioner and former spouse decree of dissolution of marriage.
    10. Proof of meeting relationship enclosed :
            Pictures of the two of us taken in Budapest  - December 2002.
            CD with Microsoft Movies and Photos of the two of us in Budapest – December 2002.
            Copy of Flight passenger tickets, boarding pass and luggage checks to Budapest. (Fiancée)
            Copy of Flight passenger receipts to Budapest. (Petitioner)
            Copy of Credit Card Charges and Exchange Receipt. (Petitioner)
            Copy of Boarding Passes from Budapest. (Petitioner)
            Copy of Apartment Confirmation in Budapest.
            Copy or Apartment Receipt and ATM withdraw.
            Communications Log between Petitioner and Fiancée.
            Phone bills. (Fiancée)
            Copy of FedEx bill. (delivery documents from Fiancée)
            Copy of Customs Declaration – Package Receipt. – (2)
            Copy of Western Union Receipts - (2)
            Copy of Flight Tickets to Kiev. – February 2003
            Invoice for Apartment in Kiev.  -- February 2003
            Personal letter of Devotion. (Fiancée)
    11. Affidavit of Support  (I-134) (documents must be within 6 months of interview) (originals are needed at interview).
            Copy of Statement from Bank
            Copy of Statement from employer
            Copy of Federal Income Taxes
            Copy of W-2s for 2001 and 2002
            Copy of Brokerage Account Statements from Prudential Securities. [two accounts]
            Copy of Retirement Savings Account from Fidelity Investments
            Copy of Appraisal of house
            Copy of Mortgage Statement

Petition was sent to

USINS Nebraska Service Center
 P.O. Box 87130
 Lincoln, NE 68501-7130

See K1 Timeline

Changes in processing of visas for Ukrainian fiances - June 2, 2003

(information from post on official site of US Embassy in Kyiv posted on the end of May)

K1 Visa for Ukrainian fiance(e)s will be issued in US Embassy in Kiev from 2nd of June.

----------
"U.S. EMBASSY TO PROCESS FIANCE VISAS

Beginning Monday, June 2nd, U.S. Embassy Kyiv will begin processing fiance visas (K1 visas). This move will eliminate the need for these applicants to travel to Warsaw for their interviews. It also is the first step in moving all immigrant visas cases for Ukrainian citizens from Warsaw to Kyiv. Additional immigrant visa processing is expected to begin in early 2005.

This service will apply only to new applicants, not those with pending petitions. If an applicant’s petition has already been sent to Warsaw, that case will not be transferred to Kyiv.

If you are just beginning the fiance visa process, please consult our website at http://www.usembassy.kiev.ua for information, instructions and downloadable application forms. If, after reviewing the website, you still have questions, you may email the Embassy at [email protected] .

Please note that the Department of State and the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services are the most reliable sources of information on how to process fiance visas. Private companies that charge a fee for their services are not affiliated with the U.S. government. It is not required that you go through an agency to obtain a fiance visa.

In addition, be aware that the petition needs to be filed in the United States, not at the U.S. Embassy. Petition approval may take several months to obtain, but the Embassy will contact the applicant to schedule an interview once it receives the approved petition.

 

Some advices for period between getting an approval from visa center and interview.

What can I advise? NVC will take about 2 weeks. In our case it was less. If you didn't pay for cable notification, Kyiv Consulate won't send Packet 3 to fiancee without original petition. So you can call sometimes to NVC and get to know about approval. Then fiancee can download Packet 3

from here http://www.usemb.kiev.ua/visa_K1K2_eng.html it is on English
or
from here http://www.usemb.kiev.ua/visa_K1K2_ukr.html (Ukrainian).

I advise not to wait for Packet 3 by post mail, because it is too long. Then fiancee should filled out Form KEV-1, signed it and email to Consulate [email protected]. Frankly speaking I am not sure if it is possible to send this Form when case is on its way to Consulate and without mentioning about case # in Form. Anyway sending Form KEV-1 by email will make faster your process. Especially if fiancee has all documents for interview so she/he can ask interview even for the next day. And DO this by email. I was advised to do this by officer in Consulate. So they would be able to answer her/him at once after they received KEV-1. If fiancee won't ask for the date, she/he will get appointment in 2 weeks. I saw this from experience of all couples.

All documents fiancee needs, she/he will find in KEV-1.

- Fiancee needs police report which is done in the slowest way in compare to other documents.
- It is possible to do medical exam. I wennt to Clinic of Oil Ministry for $ 65. There were many people and it took me till 3.30 pm. Fiancee should call there and to get an appointment in 2 days, then go on early morning (at 8 am). Anyway they will exam all people who is scheduled. But if fiancee wants everything to be done fast, she/he may go to Clinic of Embassy for $ 100.

Before interview fiancee has to download Forms DS-156 and DS-156k from Packet 4.

K1 Interview experience in US Consulate in Kyiv

(from the post on visa.us.marriage-based discussion group)

Hello my dear friends!!!! Thank you very much for your support during all time of K1 visa process… Now I am happy….. not totally because I am still in Kiev and not with my Lovely, but I have my visa in my hands and soon I will be on another side of ocean being in strong hug of man whom I love :)

First of all I want to tell you that I was surprised with my quiet mood and almost no nerves :-D Of course I won’t tell you a lot how my fingers trembled before going to talk with Consul even water tried to jump out a glass I drank from …. lol… 

September 17 morning started at 6 pm for me. I got up with decision that I shouldn’t break my rule to have morning run, so I took my stereo player with sound tracks from movie about Ukrainians and Russians in US (“Brother-II”) and went out to enjoy fresh air, good running with relaxation of mind :-) Of course no relaxation for body. My advise to you, my dear friends, have physical exercises before something important. It really helps. Then My Lovely called to me with best wishes and great support. These  were cool minutes. Light breakfast. Then I put my jeans and jeans jacket with my high heels. As my client told me “American girl” style :-D and I took off to bus carrying very heavy bag with my papers.  

What I took with myself: 

1) papers from Form OF-169 (KEV-1):
- birth certificate,
- police report,
- passport,
- 2 photos (I made them 3 times, because II was not sure about size – my head was too small on first photos I did … lol),
- medical exam,
- translations,
- AOS(affidavit of support) I-134 from Danne,
- 2 copies of DS-156 and 1 copy of DS-156kk. Forms DS-156 I made on 2 languages –English and Russian. I was told that before in Warsaw English forms was not good, so I decided to make both. When officer asked  me to give these forms, I asked what language would be better and she answered that doesn’t matter. So I gave English ones, and her smile of satisfaction about how wonderful it was was the best award for me for my efforts (I adore pdf.files).

2) Evidences of our relationship (some papers were in petition, some of them I added):

-Folder #1 – Meetings, Packets, Money transfers, Phone bills, Story of LOVING HEART (hooray, Consul read it a little bit) with dividers and exact description of papers which were there;
-Folder #2 – Correspondence – printed emails (about 330 or more) – unfortunately officer was scared when she saw my big folder with emails and I was told that it was enough what I gave them already. I think they were scared that this folder will stuck under window and all interview would be stoped …. lol so Consul didn’t see it, even I asked  very much
- 3 envelopes with about 100 photos - #1 BBudapest, # 2 Kiev, # 3 Prague.

3) advices of my mom to be serious and don’t make jokes as I do always, don’t ask them many questions and don’t tell them a lot about our story, because I like to do this very much :-D 

Consulate told me to be to interview at 11 am. I was surprised, because from experience of others girls I knew that it started at 1 pm before. Good that I was good girl and I came to Consulate exactly at 11 am. I met girls whom I saw on medical exam. What a small world :-D I even didn’t know that they were fiancées like me. I was let to Consulate  at 11.05 am. I was checked, some words with guards who knows me already from my previous visits and I went to building, then to window 1 where I paid $ 100 and then went to waiting room. There were many people waiting for interview to obtain tourist visa. There were 4 another fiancées as I got to know later. All people were asked by there numbers they had after payment. But not fiancées, we were asked by surnames.

11.35 am – I was asked to window #2, I saw a girl and said “hello”, but then I saw that she had Ukrainian face and spoke Russian. I recalled her, she was an officer of immigration part of Consulate who gave me Packet 3 :-) She asked my papers from Form KEV-1 and asked standard questions which were asked every girl. Talking about psychology I can tell you that this method is used by many tests. You are asked questions, then you will be asked them again, just to test your memory and how honest you are.  

Questions:

- have you ever been married?

- Do you have children?

- have you ever been to US?

- when did you meet your fiancé (here I started to ask if she was interested in our first meeting on Yahoo or meeting in flash… huh… here she understood that not only she would ask questions?

- When did he come to Kiev? I asked: “would you like to get to know the time when he came to Kiev or when we met first time, because first time we met not in Kiev, but in Budapest” She was pleased with my full answer, because she was sure we met in Kiev first time or she wanted to make such view.

- where did you meet your fiancé? How many times? for how long? (lol… here she was in mess because we met 3 times and she couldn’t understand when? how? where?)

- Did you meet with help of marriage agency? (it is common for Ukraine)

- When were you engaged? (she had heard about romantic dinner during midnight of New Year 2003 and proposition with sounds of striking watches….oh…. it is a pity that Dane didn’t hear this)

- do you know that he was married before? what reason of their divorce? what is your mind about this? (yuk…. I am happy that I am with him now :-) it is his past and I am his future)

- Did you have a correspondence with other men along with your fiancé? – oh…. she didn’t know about all my friends from Forums and many of them are men, so I asked: “do you mean men who are just friends or men who could be my fiance?” She smiles (ok… Olenka gained her good mood) and answered: “Who could be your fiancé”, “of course none!!!” she had reply.

- when were your petition filled out? – (hehehe I will remember Nebraska for all my life and the same with date of our approval). Men who has Ukrainian fiancées, tell your loved ones more about process, because every girl who was in Consulate wasn’t aware about service centers and Notices of action. Every girl was asked this question.

- what does he do for living?

- What do you think about age difference? – this question is very common in Kiev Consulate, because Ukrainian-American couples have age difference as a rule. “oh…you added a couple of years to our age difference :-)  and we are happy to have each other with common views and mind. For me there is no age difference”

 Sorry if I forgot some questions, but I think that is all. So she took papers and gave me number “804” and told to come at 2 pm to have true interview with Consul. “oh… do you have any proof of your relationship?” “of course I have” – I answered and started pushing my folders under window. It was really hard, believe me :-D 

11.45 am - So I went out from building, tried to calm down my mom who thought everything was over with bad end and we went to Mc’Donalds to have some lunch. Then we went to buy earrings to my wedding dress. Frankly speaking this new order of interview I liked more than it was before, because I had a chance to go out before interview, to breath fresh air and to walk, because when you are nervous (I was a little bit only) walking makes you feel better. 

1.40 pm – I was running to the Consulate with my mom hurried up to my interview with Consulate and with happy smile that I had found earrings I wanted to have. I came in to Consulate breaking their door handle …lol…. it was broken before, but I finished it :-D When I came in third time, guard woman laughed from me holding door handle again and asked me if I liked Consulate so much that I am here for so many times. 

2pm – waiting room was crowded with waiting people. I sat to talk a little with girls-fiancees about our process. I was calm and tried to calm down girls. There were only fiancées in room and we were waiting till 2.45 pm. There was ring and one of the girls was called to Consul. I had to go third by my number “804” I had in my hands, but I was called second one.  

2.55 pm – I was going to the window #4 to talk with Consul. She was nice lady, I liked her hair dress. Actually no smile on her face, but eyes were very kind and they reflected a lot, even I didn’t look at her eyes, more to her papers.

“hi”

“hello”

“do you need translator?”

“no. I speak English.”

oh….. how happy she was to speak her native language. I think it was the reason why she asked me so many question. As I was told by girl who had interview after me: “she didn’t ask us so many questions like you, probably because she asked you too much and she had enough talk with you”…. well… I like to talk also :-)

Interview:

- She:-“When did you meet you fiancé?” – Me: “do you mean meeting in person or in Internet?” She raised her head and her face showed kind expression like “do you ask me questions?” and she told: “tell me from the start” I told her from the first mails till our last meeting. She asked me about dates of meetings. Frankly speaking she asked about dates in details, even she asked me the same question again and again like checking how honest I was, whether I would make a mess. At the end she replaced all our dates. “when did your fiancé come to Kiev?” – they think that first meeting happens in Kiev as a rule, so I explained that we met first time not in Kiev. Then we made great list of Olenka and Dane ’s travels.

- “did you meet with help of marriage agency?“, “you met on Yahoo? how did you communicate?”

- “do you know that he was married before? what do you know about his previous marriage? The reason of divorce? what do you think of this? “

- “does he speak Russian?” – she had got the list of words my Lovely knows from me….. I gained her invisible smile.

- “what does he do for living?”

- “What do you do for living?” – I was surprised with this question because I never have heard that someone else were asked this :-(

- “Did you communicate with his parents?” – she had heard story how I talked with Dane’s mom in chat with mic when he visited his parents last time.

- “Did he meet your parents?”  - “of course, you can see photo where we are all together at my home.” She was hesitated, because a minute ago she tried to push all envelopes with photos under window to me. “and my parents like him very much!!!” I finished with thought “is it possible not to LIKE such great man like Dane???”

- “have you ever been to US?”

- “were you married before?”

- “do you have children?”

- “Does your fiance have children ?”

- “are you going to have children?” – Me: “YES.. YES and as soon as possible. We live because of children”

That was my last answer which satisfied her totally, she asked me to lift up my right hand and  to tell: “everything among this papers is truth and…. sorry, what is then?” she smiles and gave me to sign it. During all interview (about 10-13 minutes) she almost never kept her eyes up, she always read something, made notes in computer and in papers.

She returned my birth certificate and told me that I can get my visa today in 30 minutes. I was surprised, because I had $8 for FedEx, which must deliver the visa to me in a day.

 To my great surprise all fiancées who obtained visa have got visas on the same day in 15 minutes after interview. I don’t know why Consulate decided to change rules, but I was happy with this changing :-)

Consul left me with big smile…. maybe she really liked me :-D <wing….wing>

3.50 pm – I have got visa and brown envelope.

3.55 pm I had greeting from mom.

later – my Dane was happy to hear my voice with good news :-)

 Among other 4 fiancees 2 of them have got their visas at the same day with interview. One of them was lack of a paper (she didn’t tell me what one) so she was asked to bring it later and she will get her visa. Another lady’s petition was lack of her maiden name in some line, so as I understood Consulate will send mail to service center (I guess Vermont, because she filled petition on the end Of June) to approve some info. It is called “temporary denial”, but it is not so serious as I understood.

I don’t know how Consulate treated girls who didn’t speak English well, so I can tell nothing about this.

 Phiew…. now I feel myself so free like I have wings from my back….. it is great to know that soon I will be with HIM and I will enjoy my life with GREAT LOVE. I was surprised that I didn’t worry too much and now I understand that when you are waiting for something for long time and it happens you think that it must be so and you ask yourself a question: “Why did I worry so much?” it had to be in good way!! For what all my worries :-)

 I want everyone keeps his mind clear and soul calm…. if you LOVE, you deserve for the best. My best wishes in process of everyone. I keep my fingers crossed.