ANG isang US citizen (USC) ay maaaring mag-file ng petition upang madala ang kanyang fiancé(e) bilang K1 nonimmigrant upang magpakasal sila sa US. Kailangang maipakita ng USC ang mga sumusunod: (1) sila ay nagkita na ng personal sa loob ng 2 taon bago i-file ang fiancé(e) petition (2-year requisite period); (2) sila ay may totoong intension na magpakasal; (3) sila ay maaari at legal na pwedeng magpakasal sa US sa loob ng 90 araw mula sa pagdating ng beneficiary bilang K1 nonimmigrant.
Ang USCIS ay may discretion upang mag-waive ng requirement ng personal na pagkikita ng USC petitioner at ng beneficiary kung ang personal na pagkikita ay magdudulot ng lubos na pagpapahirap o extreme hardship sa petitioner, o kung ang kanilang personal na pagkikita ay magiging labag sa mga mahigpit na mga kaugalian, kultura, o mga kasanayan ng lipunan ng beneficiary. Sa determinasyon ng USCIS ng extreme hardship ng petitioner, tinitingnan ng USCIS kung sa loob ng 2-year requisite period, may mga pangyayari na (1) wala sa kontrol o di mapipigilan ng petitioner; at (2) ang mga pangyayaring ito na wala sa kontrol ng petitioner ay magtatagal o walang kasiguraduhan ang magiging tagal ng mga pangyayari.
Sa isang kasong napagdesisyonan ng Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), ang Petitioner ay nag-file ng fiancée petition noong Agosto 2015. Dahil dito ay kailangang nagkita na sila ng personal ng Beneficiary mula Agosto 2013 hanggang Agosto 2015. Sinabi ng Petitioner na hindi siya nakapagbiyahe upang personal na makipagkita sa Beneficiary dahil siya ay full-time na estudyante ng isang unibersidad, siya ay Arizona National Guard, at siya rin ay nasa US Army ROTC. Sinabi rin ng Petitioner na siya ay hindi nakapagbiyahe dahil sa mga dahilang pinansyal at pangkalusugan. Kanyang ibinigay sa USCIS ang kanyang mga university transcript at uniformed service identification card. Ibinigay rin niya sa USCIS ang kanyang medical records na magpapakita na siya ay nagkaroon ng back injury noong Hulyo 2015. Dahil sa back injury, ang Petitioner ay nagkaroon siya ng limitadong paggalaw, sinundan pa ng surgery at 6 linggong pagpapagaling.
Sinabi ng AAO na hindi naipakita ng Petitioner ang extreme hardship na nakapigil o naging balakid sa kanya sa pakikipagkita ng personal sa Beneficiary sa requisite 2-year period. Hindi siya nagbigay ng kanyang mga dokumentong pinansyal para maipakita na siya ay hindi nakapagbiyahe dahil sa pera. Sinabi rin ng AAO na hindi naipakita ng Petitioner kung paano naging balakid sa pakikipagkita sa Beneficiary ang kanyang pagpasok sa unibersidad, at kung may mga obligasyon niya sa National Guard na humadlang sa kanyang pagbiyahe sa 2-year requisite period. Sinabi pa ng AAO na kahit na ang Petitioner ay may back injury at surgery, hindi naipakita na ang back injury ay balakid sa pagbiyahe ng Petitioner. Ayon sa AAO, kung hindi makapagbiyahe ang Petitioner para makita ng personal ang Beneficiary, maaari rin namang ang Beneficiary ang magbiyahe upang makipagkita sa Petitioner. Ngunit hindi nila ginawa ito. Dahil hindi naipakita ang extreme hardship, hindi naaprubahan ang waiver ng personal na pagkikita ng Petitioner at Beneficiary at ang fiancée petition ay na-deny. Sinabi ng AAO na maaaring mag-ulit na lang ang Petitioner ng filing ng fiancée petition kapag siya ay nakasunod na sa lahat ng mga alituntunin tungkol dito.
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A US citizen (USC) may petition to bring a fiancé(e) in K1 classification for marriage. The USC must establish that the parties (1) have previously met in person within 2 years before the date of filing the fiancé petition (2-year requisite period), (2) have a bona fide intent to marry, and (3) are legally able and actually willing to conclude a valid marriage in the US within 90 days of the beneficiary’s admission as a K-1 nonimmigrant.
USCIS maintains the discretion to waive the requirement of an in-person meeting between the two parties if compliance would either result in extreme hardship to the petitioner, or violate strict and long-established customs of the beneficiary’s foreign culture or social practice. When determining whether extreme hardship prevented a petitioner from meeting beneficiary, USCIS looks at whether during the 2-year period, there existed any circumstances that were (1) not within the power of the petitioner to control or change; and (2) likely to last for a considerable duration or the duration could not have been determined with any degree of certainty.
In a case decided by the Administrative Appeals Office, the Petitioner filed the fiancée petition in August 2015 and was therefore required to have met the Beneficiary in person at some point from August 2013 to August 2015. The Petitioner asserts that he was unable to travel to see the Beneficiary because he is a full-time university student, is in the Arizona National Guard, and is in the US Army ROTC. Furthermore, Petitioner alleged that he was unable to travel due to financial and health reasons. He submitted his university transcripts and uniformed service identification card. Petitioner also submitted his medical records showing he suffered back injury in July 2015, subsequently had limited functional activity, and underwent surgery followed by a 6-week recovery period.
The AAO found that Petitioner had not established that extreme hardship prevented him from meeting the Beneficiary within the required time period. He did not submit financial documentation to support his assertion that he was unable to travel due to financial reasons, and there was no evidence in the records showing how Petitioner’s academic or National Guard responsibilities prevented him from travelling to personally meet the beneficiary during the requisite 2-year period. The AAO found that although petitioner’s medical records showed that he was injured in July 2015, he did not present evidence that such injury prevented him from travelling. It was also not shown why the Beneficiary herself did not travel to meet with Petitioner. As Petitioner was unable to show extreme hardship that prevented him from meeting the Beneficiary within the 2-year period prior to the filing of the fiancée petition, the fiancée petition was denied. However, this is without prejudice to the filing of another fiancée petition at a future date once statutory requirements are met.
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ATTY. RHEA SAMSON is a Partner at LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM. Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson are both licensed to practice law in California and in the Philippines. Both Attorneys were also professors. LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM aims to provide excellent and efficient legal representation to clients, and support clients in achieving their goals and dreams. As professors, Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson wish to educate the younger generation, as it is through education and continuous study that one can achieve success and serve others.
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