I have done it, and my best friend has done it, and I have met and spoke with others who have done it. Some on their own, others with immigration lawyers. Some have tried on their own, then later went ahead and got a lawyer, wishing they had done it from the start. In some cases, it is relatively easy. In other cases it is not. I would suggest that the best way to approach it is to understand that it appears to be easy, but there can be a lot more involved than what appears on the surface. One way to look at it is this: if it were really as easy as it appears to be, then there would be millions and millions of it done every year. But there aren't. Each case has factors that make it different from other cases. For example: Who would expect that a copy of the receipt for the engagement ring would have been requested? Perhaps not so difficult to acquire. But to find that out that it is needed, the application will have had to have been submitted, reviewed, and requests for clarification or unknown missing parts returned and then resubmitted. Then received again, and with the requirement of documentation of an engagement ring. That will have taken time just to get to that point. And/or finding out that written letters going both ways between the two people involved going back at least 6 months or longer are necessary? If those don't exist, then those will have to be started, meaning the time that has already elapsed from submitted the application to that point in time, it will be a minimum of another 6 months after starting with those letters back and forth so as to be able to submit those letters 6 months later. And/or what if a picture of the couple together taken sometime within the last 12 months is needed? If none can be found, then a trip is necessary just to get that done. And so on. And/or whatever else. And what if something gets lost during any of it? Then it means more time and redoing it. And then assuming that everything is in order, who knows what the appointment scheduling time frame is at the particular embassy or consulate? Maybe once everything is in order the appointment is scheduled and it is three months out. And then what if during that meeting come to find out that something is missing or that some aspect of the law has changed, thus another appointment is necessary thus possibly adding more months onto it. And/or what about if it is better to go ahead and get married in one or the other country, and then move forward as a couple? Or would that be worse and end up taking more time? The point that I am making is that it is extremely easy to see what is expected: that there is a K-1 application, and further, that it is just a rubber stamp that is needed, therefore it is easy to sit back and hope/guess/assume that that is all there is to it, therefore there is no need for concern, no need for action, just do it whenever one feels like it and assume that that will be that. If that's all it ends up being needed in a particular case, then great!!! But still, waiting another day means that another day has passed, while getting on it today is the only way to start reducing the time to find that out and to ultimately get a decision on that particular case. What is more difficult is to look at is the unexpected, because it is exactly that: unknown and thus unexpected. So instead of expecting the expected and assuming that the K-1 application is all that is needed, it allows for postponing in doing any, waiting, or worse is basing all future actions on that single supposition. By doing nothing today it means that the unexpected will not be known and thus cannot be dealt with until even further points of time in the future. And if there is one overriding aspect of the whole thing, it is "time." Reducing the time frame is ultimately the goal. If it would otherwise be 6 months, then trying to reduce it to 4 months. If it would be one year, then trying to reduce it to 9 months. ANd I know of a case where it took 5 years. It is all about each individual case. Each day that passes is yet another day that adds to the time. So by starting today and being so on top of things everyday and in everyway, whatever the particulars are in any case, and whatever decision and outcome ultimately will be in a particular case, at least the number of days is shortened by 1, 10, 30, 180, or 365 days, etc. If there is the desire to unite with a loved one, then anything and everything in one's control will be done to shorten that time frame by any amount of time. If it ends up being extremely easy and extremely quick in that particular case, so be it. Or if it ends up being extremely difficult and complicated in that particular case, so be it. Starting today is the only way to do it. The best conclusion drawn is the conclusion drawn at the end after all is done, not at the beginning, and worse of all is drawing a conclusion before even getting started at the beginning. I would purport that the easiest thing to do is get started, and that it actually takes more effort and time to continue to justify not getting started.