ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaUse of family name on I-130
Like many Mexicans, the official name of my wife (e.g., on her voter ID card) has three names:

1. Her given name
2. The family name of her father (apellido)
3. The family name of her mother

Ordinarily, e.g., at the office, she just uses the first two names and that is how her name appears in the employee directory. So upon emigrating here if she were to exactly fill out the I-130 form with all three names, I am afraid when it is all said and done, she could end up with a U.S. driver license with the third name being the family name of her mother, that she is not used to when she is being addressed (e.g., in a office setting).

I asked a cuban colleague about this. He told me if I did not want to hyphenate the two family names, when I fill out the I-130 I should just leave out the third name altogether, even though some of the attachments may refer to all three names. He explained that USCIS is used to this discrepancy and that there should not be a problem.

Do you agree? Gracias.
US math guyMaleMexico2009-02-13 19:32:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaAcelerando el trámite para mexicanos - ¿Sí o No?
Yo soy norteamericano viviendo en los EEUU con una esposa mexicana viviendo en Monterrey. Estamos intentando conseguir un CR-1 para que ella emigre estar conmigo. Ambos trabajamos a tiempo completo. Ella es secretaria para su gobierno municipal; mi propia compañía hace consultando afuera Washington, DC. Nadie nos dijo que nuestros puesto son en peligro. Y en mi caso, estoy garantizado un programa de jubiliación y seguro de salud (pero no gratis).

Nuestro plan es que al llegar aquí, mi esposa va a buscar otro puesto para que ella comparta nuestros gastos y continue sus gastos mexicanos. Ella tiene 55 años, entonces sus oportunidades serán limitadas.

Este sitio hace muchas sugerencias para acelerar la rapidez de la emigración de su esposa o otra persona. Dado el estado de la economía en varios países, ¿alguien está pensando en disminuir la velocidad? Probablemente no, pero me interesa oír algunos comentarios sobre este punto.
US math guyMaleMexico2009-03-30 18:53:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaImpact of swine flue on Mexican consulate processing
My wife in Monterrey, Mexico is telling me that many offices, including government offices, are working at a reduced pace to minimize their flu exposure. She says that in her own local goverment office, the current schedule is to work one day and then take off one day, and so forth. She was not clear about whether they are actually receiving government clients in their offices, though she did confirm the school are closed until May 6 for the students. Teachers and security guards are busy thoroughly cleaning the classrooms -- sound like fun!! wink.gif

Knock-on-wood, maybe within the next week or so life will more or less return to normal by next week.
US math guyMaleMexico2009-04-30 03:23:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaImpact of swine flue on Mexican consulate processing
Has anyone been dealing with the Mexican consulates of the U.S. in the past few days? I am curious as to whether Mexico's swine flue problems will cause immigration processing slow-downs. Perhaps this is too early to say at this point.
US math guyMaleMexico2009-04-29 18:57:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionConcerns about H1N1 spread & upcoming medical exam
Thanks for the update. Stewart
US math guyMaleMexico2009-06-15 14:35:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionConcerns about H1N1 spread & upcoming medical exam
Mi wife from NL, Mexico has an interview scheduled for July at the Ciudad Juarez consulate so she can get her CR-1 visa. Of course it must be preceded by a medical exam. She is usually in fairly good health and she passed the exam last spring (in 2008) when she was going for her K-1 visa. Her current plan is to fly to the consulate, get all of that stuff done, and then return home to work for 12 weeks or so before she actually emigrates. Where she lives she has seen no sign of H1N1.

So I am not expecting any real issues. But now that the WHO has declared H1N1 to be a real epidemic and my own company (with offices in around 50 countries around the world) has appointed a global HR pandemic H1N1 response coordinator, this swine flu thing is getting a bit harder to ignore.

Just curious if anyone has had any experience in this area. First of all, just to ask I guess a dumb question, if god-forbid my wife should develop the flu (of any type), is that grounds for denying or delaying issuance of a CR-1 visa, if you otherwise qualify. I have only heard of this coming up on the news at POE immigration office evaluations. I guess in the latter situation conceivably you could be quarantined.

Also in buying airline tickets and hotel reservations, maybe it would best to be very flexible, i.e.
1. Allow at least two business days for the medical exam.
2. Do not buy non-refundable airline tickets to the consulate, either up or back.
3. Avoid paying non-refundable hotel reservation deposits.

Comments? unsure.gif
US math guyMaleMexico2009-06-12 22:36:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTAX Time in USA
My understanding from Pub. 519 is that if you are married to a foreign national as of the end of the tax year, you must use filing status married filing separately or joint filing status. For the second status, you must attach an agreement that you are wiling to be taxed on your combined worldwide income, as if your spouse had been a resident with for you the entire year.
US math guyMaleMexico2009-02-13 19:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTAX Time in USA
QUOTE (payxibka @ Feb 13 2009, 11:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Aimee and Albert @ Feb 13 2009, 09:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi to all IR-1/CR-1 Visajourney fellows smile.gif ,

Since my wife and I got married in the Philippines in 2008, do I file my taxes with my marital status as "married?"

Or do I wait and still file as "single" until she is finally here with me in the USA, and she has obtained a Social Security Number?

Thanks so much...

I hope all your endeavors to get your loved ones here to the USA are all going smoothly. good.gif


your filing status is based on your marital status as of the last day of the tax year


US math guyMaleMexico2009-02-13 19:04:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCR-1 in hand. What happens at the airport?
Does anyone know what happens in a situation like yours? I am guess when you get to the immigration officer and they see you are together, they will tell your husband he has to continue on through the line and wait for you to finish up being interviewed in that small room they referred to above.

Edited by US math guy, 31 May 2009 - 07:13 PM.

US math guyMaleMexico2009-05-31 19:12:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWHAT DOCUMENTS NEEDED TO BE SEND WITH DS-230?
These vary a bit by country (e.g., police certificates) and the personal situation of the beneficiary (is the person married now and was he or she previously divorced). But to give you idea, here is the text of the cover letter that my wife used for her DS-230:

Enclosed are the following items per the immigrant visa instructions. Please return the government-issued documents to me at the time of my interview in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico:

• Bar-coded cover sheet
• DS-230 Part 1 completed and signed (2 pages)
• Additional sheet to answer DS-230 Part 1 questions for which there was not enough space
• DS-230 Part 2 completed but unsigned, per instructions (2 pages)
• Certified copy of my birth certificate
• Photocopy of my birth certificate
• Certified copy of my current marriage certificate
• Photocopy of my current marriage certificate
• Certified copy of the judgment of divorce from my prior marriage
• Photocopy of that judgment of divorce
• Photocopy of the Biographic Data Page(s) of my passport
• Two passports photos, bagged and attached to a sheet of paper with my name and case #

US math guyMaleMexico2009-05-31 19:01:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresSo who is the applicant anyway?
Thanks all for your comments. I work a lot with computers so I should be more respectful of Murphy's law. Obviously I see your point. Redoing an interview because of possible RFE could be a real pain.

At the same time, I work a lot with IRS regs, so I tend to lean towards actually finding out sources for what people say. I suppose immigration is a very different kind of animal than IRS--we are talking about people's lives, families, etc., after all. And of course most of us are not attorneys.

I must confess what prompted the original question was not so much my personal situation but a comment from another VJ'er wondering if it really it was necessary to get the original divorce decree from the very first marriage of her husband as part of her interview prep. This is his third marriage with her--I think he has the second one. Evidently her husband no longer has a copy and the I-130 sailed through without any problem. I would assume the copy can be had somehow (evidenty the first marriage was in the U.S.A.), but sometimes going after every last document can be a lot more work than just a 5-cent stamp. Especially if you are short on time.

Edited by US math guy, 14 June 2009 - 11:27 PM.

US math guyMaleMexico2009-06-14 23:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresSo who is the applicant anyway?
Anh map, do you have a source? I do have a copy a second copy of the I-130 that I can send her, but I woud rather first know what the basis is for your suggestion. Thanks for your prompt reply.
US math guyMaleMexico2009-06-14 20:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresSo who is the applicant anyway?
I am helping my beneficiary wife prepare for her CR-1 Ciudad Juarez consular interview. We both have been previously divorced. The way that I read this interview prep web page

http://travel.state....ges_termination

she will not need to bring an official copy of MY divorce decree, just hers. After all, she is the one applying for the visa, not me. I am already a U.S. citizen.

Agreed?
US math guyMaleMexico2009-06-14 20:30:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresGetting your interview after I-864 & DS-230 NVC approval
Based on a discussion I had with two NVC CSR's last night, here is my compilation of some notes on getting your interview date if your are going for a CR-1 / IR-1 visa and both the I-864 and DS-230 have both been approved by the NVC. Thought others might be interested or can tell me if some of the notes are wrong.

1. For the consulate at which the interview is due to occur, the name of the beneficiary is put on the list of those requiring an interview.

2. Having an earlier priority date can get you higher up on the list, but that is not the only factor in placement.

3. The interview is never scheduled for the month in which you get final NVC approval (except in China).

4. Rather what happens is as of the start of the second week of the month in which approval occurs, NVC contacts the consulate/embassy doing the interviews to find out how many slots they will have for CR-1/IR-1 visa interviews for the following month. So if for example your approval occurs in the first week of June, conceivably your interview could be scheduled for the month of July. In contrast if approval occurs in the third week of June, your name will not appear on the interview list until July, meaning the earliest possible interview month for you would be August.

5. The earliest possible interview month will not necesarily be the month for which you are scheduled. There may be for example be too many requests for a month relative to the slots that are available, meaning you will have to wait for a later month. It also means your notice of the interview date will likewise be delayed.

6. Anyway, once the NVC works it out with the consulate and has a specifc interview date and time, they should be e-mailing this information both to the benefiary and the petitioner. If for some reason you do not receive the info and you think you should have received such an e-mail; they said to wait until after the 15th of the month before calling the NVC.

7. I am pretty sure the interview is never scheduled on a U.S. Federal holiday or a holiday of the country with the consulate. Other than that, apparently it can be any weekday in the designated interview month, regardless of your priority date.

8. The notice of the NVC date is sent by e-mail to both the petitioner and the benefiiary shortly after it is assigned. Along with the notice you will received detailed instructions on what to bring to the interview and what else you must do beforehand, such as a medical exam. The time frame on when those items should be done I understand is also indicated.

9. If the benefiary cannot make the date and time that the NVC scheduled, the beneficiary has the option upon receiving the e-mail of requesting a different date and time. The NVC said for this purpose you should contact the consulate directly, not the NVC.

10. Often it would appear that the medical exam is done in the same city as the consulate doing the interview, but not always. See the following web site for an advance copy of the detailed medical instructions. Note towards the bottom of the web page is a drop-down where you enter the enter the first three letters from your NVC number to pull up the interviewing consulate (e.g., CDJ). Then you click on the Panel Physician link to pull up the relevant instructions.

http://travel.state..../info_3739.html

11. If you pass the medical exam and the interview, I believe they courier you the visa. So you do not get it the same day as the interview.

US math guyMaleMexico2009-05-29 12:32:00