Applying for a visa!
There’s been a lot I’ve been meaning to write about for a very long time now, but my life has quite suddenly become overwhelmingly busy. Luckily it isn’t stressful-busy the way it has been in the past, but I have more going on than I have time for.
The main activity (outside of work and commute) which is occupying my time is applying for Jules’ K-1 fiance visa. The process is long and involved and even just applying requires an incredible amount of paperwork, photocopying, filling in forms, and providing evidence of an actual relationship. This site and this site, although a bit out of date, explain pretty well what’s involved.
At first I was really anxious about the process, terrified that I would screw something up. I still am, but to a lesser degree now that Will suggested the book Fiance & Marriage Visas: A Couple’s Guide To U.S. Immigration. I picked it up at Barnes and Noble for $38 after tax, which in Will’s words is “a small price to pay for the peace of mind it gives you.” He couldn’t be more right. I haven’t read through all of it yet but it gives detailed information on how to fill out the forms.
I’ve also dealt with my anxiety by putting as much effort as I can muster into locating evidence of our relationship (which there is *heaps* of.) The main problem is paring down what is important, as there is way too much of it to include. We have four years worth of emails and chat logs (megs of it, easily over 1000 pages of printed material) and being so close to it, it’s very hard to be objective about it because from my point of view it’s all very important. In the scheme of things, there has barely ever been a non-loving word passed between us (most coversations involve many declarations of love and adoration with an occasional video game reference thrown in…that’s just how we are and have always been to some degree!) At some point we will have to decide what goes and what stays, as I’m sure the government official does not want to be reading a full-fledged romance novel. What I plan on doing is assembling a good chunk of evidence in one place and then going through it with Julian so we can decide together what is most important. At the moment, our “selected” emails comprise 30 typed pages in 8pt Arial with no extra whitespace. I haven’t even dived into the messages I sent him from 2004-2005 as they are stuck in a .pst file somewhere on one of my PC harddrives!
I’ve begun making a spreadsheet of our Skype call logs as I can’t seem to find a way to export the logs into any format. (Does anyone else know how to? That would save me a TON of work and time.) I also had about 50 photos printed up at Shutterfly which turned out *amazing.* The color and detail are better than any I’ve ever seen from digital photos (you can’t tell they’re digital other than the filename and date printed on the back!) I had my passport-style photos taken last night after I stopped in a ring store to poke around for a ring for Julian. The man who took care of me was really nice and agreed to make an exception for us in terms of return policy due to our situation. I almost guarantee I will buy from him because their customer service is incredible. Also, they donate to KEXP, which doesn’t hurt. :3
I wrote a draft of my answer to question 18 of the I-129F form which asks “Has your fiance(e) met and seen you within the two-year period immediately receding the filing of this petition? Describe the circumstances under which you met…” Unfortunately, what should have been a simple and straightforward statement of fact turned into a rambling, wordy, emotional description of the evolution of our relationship. This is very difficult for me to be concise about without making it seem suspect in some way; after all, there is nothing traditional or normal about the circumstances in which we got together. Undoubtedly I will have to go back and revise it or even just start over. I may speak and write in a very matter-of-fact manner, but I am also no stranger to verbosity.
The good news is that despite our severe lack of time we’re making great progress. After a lot of disappointments, Jules was able to find a place that does American-style passport photos so he has most of his end of the bargain taken care of for now. He’ll still have to write up a statement of intent and sign some forms, but that’s easy enough. My part in this application is pretty substantial, but this is one of the most important things to me so I am more than willing to make the effort to work on it, even if it means not getting dinner until after 9 PM, like last night. :D
