Legal Disclaimer: We are not lawyers. Information provided on these pages is neither intended as nor should be interpreted as legal advice.

Note: The information on this site was current at the time it was posted - generally, that was from 1998-2001. Please be aware that the cost of filing has increased since this site went online. Also, there have been many changes to immigration law and procedures as a result of the September 11, 2001 tragedies. None of these changes are reflected in the information on this site. The information on citizenship, however, is current as of May, 2004. As of June 25, 2004 this site will no longer be updated.

There are many K-1 pages out there, but most of these are written by folks whose fiancé(e) is from overseas. There just aren't many K-1 pages where the fiancé(e) is Canadian, so this will help to fill the void. Also, this page will not provide links to INS information - such information is readily available at many other sites. I want to keep this as simple as possible.

Sheila and I met online at the end of March, 1997, in the true spirit of the 90's - a situation which is becoming more and more common as we enter the 21st century.

I'll point out, for those who are concerned, that when I went for my interview at the US Consulate in Montreal, the immigration officer didn't even bat an eyelid when I told him about how Sheila and I met. When I asked him if he was surprised, he said: "No, we get many similar stories".

The conversation in the chatroom was about bald men and, being one, I quickly jumped in. We talked often in the chatroom and after a couple of weeks exchanged email addresses. This led to an exchange of phone numbers and on April 11, Sheila called me and we spoke for 7 hours! Sheila had the definite advantage here, because she knew what I looked like since I already had a photo of me online at my web site, but I had no idea what she looked like, although she did finally send me a photo in the mail. After another month or so of emails and phone calls, we finally arranged to meet face-to-face. On the weekend of May 16, she drove and I flew to Cincinnati, Ohio and she met me at the airport! The rest, as they say, is history. There were many flights back and forth for both of us, a slew of email, and a mountain of phone calls. I proposed to her on October 19, 1997 and she readily accepted. And the K-1 saga began!

Now, while I'm thinking about it, I'll add something here about Canadians crossing the border as visitors while the K-1 visa is pending. As Canadians, we are in the unique position to not need any sort of visa to enter the US as a visitor, as long as the visit does not extend beyond 6 months. In most instances a birth certificate or passport is all that is required to cross the border - and very often if you're driving, simply telling the border guard that you're a Canadian citizen is enough to get you waved through. Because of this, there is often some confusion regarding whether or not a Canadian can visit his/her fiancé(e) in the US during the K-1 process. As far as I know, no -- you can't, because once the K-1 process has begun, any border crossing by the fiancé(e) could be viewed as an intended immigration. Since a formal visitor's visa is not necessary for them though, many Canadians routinely cross the border during the K-1 process without any adverse effects on their petition. For example, our I-129F petition was filed on November 28, and I visited Sheila for two weeks over Christmas. I took the precaution of not mentioning that I had a US fiancée, and indicated only that I was visiting friends for the holidays. Be honest at the border, but it's probably not a good idea to offer that you're visiting your fiancé(e) because that might cast a suspicious eye upon you. Do not lie to the official though, you will *really* regret lying!  As my mentor Mr. Spock so eloquently said: It is not a lie to keep the truth to yourself!

This K-1 Ring of Gold site is owned by Ian & Sheila.