Here is the list of documents Carla took to her (successful) K-1 visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in London on May 24th, 2012.
Some of the documents were requested at Carla’s interview, and some were not. But we know that every K-1 visa interview is different – so if you’re going to your own K-1 visa interview, we would urge you not to leave any visa-related piece of paper at home! We strongly believe that it’s better to take too many pieces of paper to the interview than too few!
It’s also important to bear in mind that Carla’s interview took place in 2012, and it’s possible that visa requirements will have changed since then. We recommend that you always seek expert advice from a trained visa professional if you have any questions. If you have your own immigration lawyer or attorney, and they’ve given you a list of documents which is different from this one – please follow their list, not ours!
On our attorney’s advice, Carla took photocopies of just about everything to her interview. This turned out to be very wise advice, as the photocopy was requested by the consular officer at the same time as the original document.
So… here we go!
Documents needed on arrival at Embassy – Make sure you can find these easily!
- Interview appointment letter
- Passport of applicant and any accompanying children
Documents required by consular officer:
- Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee receipt (to prove that your fees have been paid in advance)
- Birth certificate original, plus photocopy
- Birth certificates of any accompanying children, plus photocopies
- 2 (U.S size) passport photos for each applicant
- Signed and notarized consent form, or custody agreement (for accompanying children), plus photocopy
- Evidence of termination of previous marriage, plus photocopy
- Police certificate, plus photocopy
- I-134 Affidavit of Support (from petitioner), plus photocopy
- Petitioner’s Tax Return – full document was requested at Carla’s interview, and kept by consular officer
- Petitioner’s Certificate of Employment
- Vaccination worksheets (given at medical exam)
- Photocopies of passports – these were not requested at Carla’s interview, but she had been advised to take them.
Documents which may also be requested at the interview:
- Copy of NOA2 and Packet 3 Documents, as follows:
- I-129F – Petition from Alien Fiancé(e)
- Statement of Intent (from petitioner)
- G325A – biographical information (one for petitioner and one for beneficiary)
- Copy of petitioner’s birth certificate
- Copy of petitioner’s passport
- Copy of petitioner’s divorce decree (if applicable)
- Copy of petitioner’s marital support agreement (if applicable)
- Copy of package mailed to U.S. Embassy prior to interview, as follows:
- Cover letter
- DS-2001 Statement of Readiness
- DS-230
- DS-156 (in duplicate)
- DS-156K
- DS-157 (in duplicate)
Evidence of relationship – Don’t forget to take this with you! Examples are as follows:
- Phone records
- Skype records
- Copies of emails
- Facebook chat records
- Letters and cards
- Photos as evidence of meetings
- Letters of support from friends and family
- Evidence of travel plans and/or wedding plans
- Engagement ring (if you have one, make sure you wear it to the interview!)
- Credit or debit card – you’ll need this to pay the Courier Delivery Service for the return of your passport and documents, because they don’t accept cash (or American Express).
You should also bear in mind that the interview experience involves a lot of waiting around! Make sure you’re prepared to do a lot of waiting. If you like to read, take a book or magazine – but we’d suggest it’s something light that’s not going to take too much concentration, because you will also need to listen for your ticket number to be called, and it’s important not to miss that!
Please remember that all information given is from our own personal experience only. We’re not immigration experts, and nothing on our website should be construed as legal advice, or relied upon for your own visa process. Every case is different – and for expert help and advice, we would always recommend that you contact an immigration attorney.
If you’d like to talk to us about your own visa experience, or your long-distance relationship, you’re welcome to get in touch with us on our Facebook page. We can’t give legal advice or financial help, but we’re always happy to hear from people in long-distance relationships, so if you’d like to talk anything through with us, please get in touch.
© Larry and Carla Sue
