The "Yes, I am sure" reflections.

Hello,

You know how in life there is ALWAYS all kind of people surrounding you, no matter where you go, that's just part of life in society. 

By this, I mean there is always the kind of people who makes questions about your decisions because they care about you and there's the kind of people who makes questions about them because they just want to know to gossip about it as soon as you turn around. I am very thankful to realize most of the people around me care about us and ask questions because they want the best not only for me but also for Joe as the couple we are and family we are about to be; so when they ask them,  I don't even get upset,  I just have the very same answer. 

> Isn't our culture very different to his? 

Yes, we come from very different cultures, we are not only an international couple, we are also different races, our families and communities are very different. I like things he doesn't like and vice-versa. But for one, our hearts matched and it's what matters and for two, our differences makes us special, we had to figure out if we were willing to live with those differences and if we are together as a couple soon to marry, it is because we said yes to that. I am sure there are gonna be aspects of our lives and temper that we will have to change or moderate at some points of our lives, but that is what life is about. So yes, I am sure. 

> How much time did you actually date? 

Enough, we have even lived together before. The time we spent together before I came back to Mexico was maybe short compared to what Mexican society is used to (couples normally date for at least one year before getting married, less than that is really rare).  We started formally dating in December 2013 and I came back to Mexico in June 2014 so we dated for 6 months before this turned into a long distance relationship.  But when you go through the things we did in a very shot period of time, you get to discover a level of connection that even after one year and a half of long distance relationship love stays alive and strong enough to wait for a very long immigration process to finally be together.  So yes,  I am sure.  

> Aren't you gonna miss your family?  

Yes,  I will.  But I'm not gonna live at my mom's forever.  For people who knows me,  knows that my life goals were never stay at my home town.  Sure I never thought I was gonna live in another country but again,  I would not do it if it wasn't for someone who I truly love and who's company makes me really happy.  Also,  being able to see my family having the chance to come and go to/from Mexico is the reason why I had to come back in the first place,  to avoid being undocumented in the U.S. The way I see it,  we have made a big effort to make things right.  So yes,  I am sure. 

> Being an interracial couple both from minorities in América, aren't you afraid of racism?  

I have always been a person who believes. I believe in good people, I believe that even people who made mistakes in the past can change.  I believe it because I have made mistakes and I have changed.  I believe that the U.S. has many good people, just as Mexico does. I believe God will put great hearts in our paths. I bet we will face challenges for many reasons, but things like that would happen no matter where we are,  and I know I'm a strong person, just as Joe is and we can take shit. It doesn't consern me.  But for those in our way who aren't as nice,  we will be glad to shut some mouths,  so yes,  I am sure.

> Why start a relationship that you knew was going to be super hard?
Sorry I didn't know relationships could be easy.  Like seriously,  no matter if you're in a long distance or not,  each couple has their own struggles for many different reasons.  Life it self isn't easy and yes,  maybe both of us could have save a bunch of problems by not dating in the first place,  but we would not have meet the joy and happiness we have experienced so far and the many more about to come when we finally close the distance.  So I don't know, I don't care and YES!!  I am sure!

If you are going through a process like ours,  you have probably experienced some of this questions and maybe more.  The only advice I could give you is take things from who they come from.  Haters' opinion might be hard to hear but easy to forget.  If the people who love you ask and say it's because I they care and in that case,  forgive;  they'll realize when things fall into place.


Thanks a lot for reading.
-Kar

Five basic points of a K1 visa

Immigration process are always a hard thing to start and follow.
Speaking of the United States, it becomes almost impossible since they have many filters and you have to be prepared for all the paper work,  time and money that is gonna take according to your process. 

Joe and I applied for a K1 fiance visa, in order for me to travel to the U.S.  and get married there. Here we show you five basic points of making a K1 fiance visa petition according to our experience the ones that others have share with us. 

• First of all,  you don't need a lawyer.  

There are always doubts about using a lawyer or agency to help you through the whole process.  While they might help you in the organization of your documents and give you some recomendations to have a successful case,  they can never guarantee you will get your visa and there's not much they can do about the time frames,  so if you want to save a few bucks and DIY the process,  don't be scare.  You can do it! 

• Get as much information as you possibly can before you send your petition.   
In the internet there is a very large community of people helping each other,  asking and answering question that might give you a nice start on your case. For example,  Visa Journey has all the forms to download and examples of them to guide you.  You can also make an account and join the forums where people from all over the world ask for advice.  Talk to people.  We have found people in the K1 process also from Instagram,  Facebook and Tumblr just for using tags.  #GreatIsntIt? 

• Send your petition with all the supporting documents you have for your case.  The fee payment has to go with the petition as well.  

We made the mistake of sending only the I-129 form by itself without the fee payment and almost no documents to support our case in the end of march. Then we sent the I-129 with the payment but still almost no documents. We got an "Intent of Denial" where USCIS basically just asked us for the documents they need to actually process the case so we sent them and it was all done, it didn't cause that much problem but it definitely caused delays in our timing.  Be sure you send everything you have to support your case since the very beginning. 

• Be ready for the expenses. A K1 fiance visa involves more money than a CR-1 Spousal visa. 
You definitely need to be aware of what a K1 visa means when it comes to how much money you will need. If we see it as it is shown in the USCIS information, the I-129 application cost is $340 USD, while a I-130 application cost is $420 USD. K1 seems cheaper but it is not, since you still have to file an Adjustment of Status (AOS) after getting married so you can stay in the U.S.  That is of course more money in fees and documents. Also, having mind that in both cases you still need to add the fees of the interview, medical exams, document translation (if applies), etc. 

• Make sure you know your fiance well. 

That's logical, isn't it? Be sure you know more than the basic information of your fiance so the interview questions won't take you by surprise. 

So.. I can't think of more right now except maybe, BE really sure and really in love! We hope this info was useful and I am pretty sure we will come up to more as we go forward through  the process. 

Thanks for reading and see you soon! 

K&J

What K stands for...

Hola!

I wanted to explain today a little bit why the name of the blog and where Joe and I are standing right now. Yesterday I wrote about how we met, how our relationship became what it is today, but to get there, we have been going through different situations, some good, some bad. And we have many more waiting for us!!

To start, let me tell you what K stands for,  you might thought K was for Karla, my name. But no, K actually stands for the kind of immigration process we started with USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) for me to be able to live in the United States with Joe.

After I had to come back to Mexico because of my cultural exchange visa expired, J and I knew we wanted to stay together no matter what, but we were confused about what the next steps were. For a while, we couldn't decide what option suited us best, there were so many but the three main were:
     > Apply for a B1/B2 Tourist visa
     > Have J move to Mexico
     > Get married in Mexico and apply for a K3 Spouse visa
     > Apply for a K1 Fiance visa

I applied for a tourist visa at first but at that time my situation didn't match the requirements for it, so it got denied. We decided then to go for the last one, a K1 fiance visa which is a immigrant process for a U.S. citizen's foreign fiance  to be able to travel into the States for 90 days. During that time, the couple has to legally marry in order to to apply then for a green card (adjustment of status). If the marriage doesn't take place during those 90 days the visa expires and the foreign fiance has to go back to their home country.
Each visa has it's own requirements and restrictions and this was not the exception, especially because although is not a permanent visa, it shows the intention the beneficiary has to stay in the United States permanently.

The whole thing takes several months, there are different timings from 5 to 12+ months, so you got to be prepared for the waiting. In our case, it was exactly 5 months from the date Joe sent the petition to the date we got our approval, however, after USCIS approves the petition we still have to have the National Visa Center (NVC) and local Consulate (the consulate/Embassy at your country) approval in order to get the visa and travel.

May 2015

 We receive the USCIS approval last September, and were instructed to wait for the letter NVC was about to send us with the information for the following steps. That letter actually came to Joe's home while he was in Mexico with me celebrating my birthday at the beginning if October.  Following the instructions of the letter, we have now scheduled in December our appointment at the U.S. embassy where I will be interviewed and they will either approve or deny my K1 visa.

There is where we are right now in our immigration process, hopefully I will be sharing it through this blog so if anyone is going towards the same path or have any questions related they can just take a look and maybe it will be helpful.

Welcome!

Hello world!

We are Kar and Joe, a couple that fell in love in the most random way and ever since then, our lives changed. K is for Love is a space for us to share our journey to being together. I am from Guanajuato, in Mexico and he is from the States.

When we met back in 2013, I was a confused au pair living with a host family in Iowa and J was an unemployed young man.
Our first encounter was the most random event of my life so far... a simple girls night with friends that ended up being the definition of our lives.  Our first kiss was the most exciting collision of feelings and emotions. We knew then that it was going to be something big, although I didn't think then it was going to be life-lasting.

In the beginning of December 2013, J told me he wanted to formally date. My little confused heart doubted a moment before saying yes. You see, I was already in love with him, the way he treated me and the way he made me feel, but I was on a complicated situation being a foreign, I knew I wasn't going to be in Iowa much longer and I didn't want to start a relationship that might not last. After thinking about it, I remember thinking "Take the chance, embrace your feelings, you idiot." And I told him I wanted to try it.  
We started dating formally on December 27, while I was in Mexico for a couple of weeks.

Here we are gonna tell you a little of our story and the journey we have stared since we decided we love and want each other for the rest of our lives.
Welcome!

2015, San Miguel De Allende, Mexico.