Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Am I in trouble?	QUOTE (MarilynP @ Dec 31 2007, 01:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> all the evidence doesn't have to be in your both your names... i included some bills etc. that were joint and then I also included some bills that were just in my name and some that were just in my hubby's name but they all showed that we lived at the same address.... It sounds like the lifting of conditions requires less in legal documents but more in actual proof of a legitimate marriage. Except for the USCIS form and biometrics, I do not see that evidence is required such as proof of birth, passport, divorce decree etc. The real work now is gathering the evidence to establish a lasting marriage. I have plenty of time to get it together. Edited by Lorenzo, 02 January 2008 - 02:37 PM.	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-01-02 14:33:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Am I in trouble?	I am worried we will be short on evidence when I file in March because my wife and I have separate bank accounts and credit cards. I did have several bills set up to include both of our names and the T-Mobile account shows all our phone numbers and the calls made. I also have a Vonage account showing both names with many calls to Ukraine. My wife and stepson are shown on my health insurance policy but for some reason my auto insurance has them listed but not on the insurance card itself. They are in the system. It is quite possible I can obtain a letter from State Farm. I am purchasing a car for my wife but I left it in my name since I make all the payments and I rarely drive the car. This can be changed but I was told I will need a new contract with the finance company. This is my first marriage and in the beginning I chose to not have a joint bank account because she did not understand our money system or how to save money. I made the decision to just give her money each week from my account. I have until March 7 to get the evidence together. Are there any changes I can make to be able to have more evidence? We do have plenty of photographs. The other problem is that I rent the house from my family and there is no formal lease (it is a verbal contract). Thank you.	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2007-12-31 10:02:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I think the attorney is wrong	QUOTE (Ashish @ Mar 10 2008, 11:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Lorenzo @ Mar 10 2008, 06:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am getting nervous because my friend (also married to a foreign woman) made me feel like an idiot. Well, maybe I am an idiot. I never opened a joint bank account. When my wife arrived, she knew nothing about saving money and in the beginning she wanted me to buy everything in site. So I decided not to open a joint bank account right away. Well, things happened, she got a job and we never did find the time to go to the bank together to start the joint account. So what I have is proof of her bank account (she opened it near where she was working) and my bank account. Her name is on other things though, such as insurance policies, tax returns and utility bills. Sounds reasonable. Not everyone is comfortable with opening joint bank accounts. And IMHO having joint bank accounts does not show a valid marriage. Well it's a done deal. I just sent it to USCIS via FedEx.	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-03-14 23:08:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I think the attorney is wrong	I am getting nervous because my friend (also married to a foreign woman) made me feel like an idiot. Well, maybe I am an idiot. I never opened a joint bank account. When my wife arrived, she knew nothing about saving money and in the beginning she wanted me to buy everything in site. So I decided not to open a joint bank account right away. Well, things happened, she got a job and we never did find the time to go to the bank together to start the joint account. So what I have is proof of her bank account (she opened it near where she was working) and my bank account. Her name is on other things though, such as insurance policies, tax returns and utility bills. Edited by Lorenzo, 10 March 2008 - 08:46 AM.	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-03-10 08:45:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I think the attorney is wrong	A lot of this is subjective. At our interview we had a humorless male officer that did not even care to see our pictures. The female officer with the family in the next room was joking with them and acting as if she was a best friend. My family had no problem getting approved for the AOS, I don't know about the other family. A portion of this is luck. Any document showing all the names should help a little. I have plenty of medical bills and utility bills and hundreds of phone calls to Ukraine documented on the phone bill.	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-03-08 14:23:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I think the attorney is wrong	There is no lease or deed, it is a verbal agreement. I plan to explain it in detail to CIS and have a letter from my sister concerning the arrangement. I have been living there since 1984. Yes I am definitely in the minority because my rent is extremely reasonable considering my sister owns this old house. The house itself is pretty nice even though it is 85 years old.	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-03-07 09:32:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I think the attorney is wrong	I do not have a lease, mortgage or deed. I rent from relatives and it is a verbal agreement. I am trying to obtain a letter from them for USCIS.	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-03-07 07:53:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I think the attorney is wrong	QUOTE (jasman0717 @ Mar 5 2008, 01:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> We, like many others here on VJ, just followed the guide and so far so good Ok here is what I have so far: 1) Statement from Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance showing all three names 2) Auto Insurance Policy with my name and my wife's name. 3) Gas and Electric Bill in both names 4) Vonage Bill in both names 5) Statement from my sister about our verbal agreement for me to lease the house 6) Bank statement from my wife's bank account 7) Letter from my stepson's high school 8) Tax returns from 2005, 2006 and 2007 9) Copies of green cards, front and back 10) statements from three married couples that have known us for two years 11) $465 for I-751 and $160.00 for biometrics I hope this is enough evidence for USCIS. Edited by Lorenzo, 06 March 2008 - 09:44 AM.	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-03-06 09:42:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I think the attorney is wrong	Thank you. I think I knew the answer, just wanted some reassurance that I was correct. This sounds like a piece of cake compared to the Adjustment of Status paperwork. I seem to have more than enough evidence of a bona fide marriage. Lawyers are so clueless sometimes.	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-03-03 17:45:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I think the attorney is wrong	I had a brief consultation with an immigration attorney and what he told me conflicts with what is posted on Visa Journey. He said the biographical data, Ukrainian passport photo page, birth certificates, divorce decree and new passport photos are required when the I-751 is submitted, along with the evidence of a bona fide marital relationship and copies of the temporary green cards (front and back). I think this is overkill. Do I really need all of this evidence?	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-03-03 14:23:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Is this normal?	I filed last Friday and today my stepson receives a letter saying he is listed on his mother's I-751 and he can travel and work for a year. The letter shows my wife's receipt number. So where is my wife's letter letting her know that her I-751 has been received at the Vermont Service Center? Is it normal to receive the child's letter first?	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-03-21 22:54:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Receipt Notice	I have been concerned because the receipt notice that my wife received was not very legible. What I mean is that it looked like it was printed from a printer that was low on toner and is extremely light. Will USCIS issue another letter if requested and can I do this by mail? I was hoping I would not have to request an infopass appointment just to get a decent looking notice.	Lorenzo	Male	Ukraine	2008-04-01 16:27:00
Canada	Good luck with your interviews today Parinita and Amberlynn!!	QUOTE (kcmetzy @ Apr 25 2008, 01:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Leafgal @ Apr 25 2008, 11:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Congrats amberlynnglad you guys are approved, best of luck with the next part of the journey, and of course the move CONGRATS!! Surreal feeling, huh? I still don't think it has set in for me. I'm thinking that they are going to go back and say.. NOPE we messed up.. I hope that has never happened and never will! Yes, very surreal. It all happened so fast. After we left it took me a little while to process everything. I don't think it will really set in until my husband moves. Thanks everyone!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-04-26 14:44:00
Canada	Good luck with your interviews today Parinita and Amberlynn!!	Thanks! We were approved I will post a review later Hope you were approved too Parinita!!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-04-25 10:47:00
Canada	Good luck with your interview tomorrow kcmetzy!!	Congratulations!!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-04-22 09:53:00
Canada	Good luck with your interview tomorrow kcmetzy!!	GOOD LUCK!!!!!!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-04-21 09:24:00
Canada	CR-1 Approved	QUOTE (kcmetzy @ Apr 28 2008, 04:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (erinanddavid @ Apr 28 2008, 02:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> congratulations!!! and HOORAY for not having to do the long distance thing anymore Many many congrats! It's over! It's so nice to be able to tell people, "it's over" instead of, "your guess is as good as mine" "i'll let you know when I know something" "yep, we have really been apart over a year" "i know, it's crazy" "nope, you are not automatically a citizen because you marry an American" "still haven't heard anything" "just waiting for an interview" "yes, we should write a book" "yes, he really does exist" <---- usually ticks me off the most even though I know people are joking "I don't know how I do it either..must be love" I HAD so mean rote responses (I'm sure you and everyone else who goes through this process does too), I'm soooooooo glad to finally say IT'S OVER!!!!!!! No more avoiding people in the mall, walmart, church, etc. for fear they are going to ask about immigration. It's nice..enjoy it. Hahaha, I know! I am so sick of explaining to everyone the whole process we had to go through. It would also annoy me when my friends/sister would say that they missed their husbands/boyfriends if they were away from them for a day. I would say/think "yeah, imagine only being able to see them once in a while for only a few days at a time, then see how much you miss them". I don't even know how I manged to stay sane through this whole process... well, most of the time	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-04-28 15:48:00
Canada	CR-1 Approved	QUOTE (IR5FORMUMSIE @ Apr 28 2008, 03:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (amberlynn @ Apr 28 2008, 12:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> On Thursday 4/24 we had our interview. We arrived at the consulate around 6:45 a.m. We found a place to park and decided to go stand near the door around 7:15. A few minutes later some more people showed up and around 7:30 they turned on the lights and the security guard let us in. I also noticed that they had a sign on the door about opening at 8:30 but that obviously wasn't true. The guard let my husband and I in along with another woman after we showed him our appointment letters. We had to empty our pockets and place everything in a bin and go through the metal detector. After we were done with that he told us to go downstairs and wait for him. We found a place to sit and more people joined us in the waiting room. After about 10-15 minutes the guard came down and said for people with letters A, B, C, and D who were there for immigrant visas to follow him over to the elevator. We went straight to the back of the elevator because I had remembered reading that the door on the other side would open. When we got off of the elevator that guard told us to wait in the chairs facing 3 windows until our Letter was called. We were letter A so we were called first. The lady was nice and she asked for our appointment letter and for my husbands interview letter. Then she told us to sit in the waiting room. Some time passed (I'm not sure how long because I was anxious/nervous/excited) and then she called my husband back to her window. She asked to him to look over the DS-230 and verify that everything was correct. She also asked for the xpresspost mailer at that time too. After he handed her the envelope she told us to go back to the waiting room. Some more time passed and my husband was called to the window again and this time she took his fingerprints and then we were told to go back to the waiting room. After maybe 15-20 minutes more of waiting we were called to interview room 8. There was a guy waiting on the other side of the glass and he was very nice. He told us to take off our jackets if we liked and then asked my husband to put his left (or maybe it was the right, I don't remember) middle finger on the scanner. He then asked us both to raise our right hands and swear that everything we had submitted was true. After we did this he asked me about what I did for work, how we met, and what my husband planned on doing for work. He made some small talk with us and then quickly looked through all of the paperwork he had and said everything looked fine and that he was going to approve my husbands visa. He then explained to my husband that he should receive his passport back early the following week since he lives in Quebec and that there was going to be some other things in the envelope that he would have to give customs when he crossed the border. He then wished us luck and left the room. The actual interview part lasted maybe 5-10 minutes and it seemed like it all happened so fast. After the guy left the room I was kind of standing there thinking "That was it? We waited almost a year and did all of that paperwork for that?" I'm glad it all went well and was pretty quick (we were out of there by a little before 9 a.m.). It still really hasn't hit me that my husband can now move here once he gets his passport back and that we don't have to do long distance anymore. It's just good to know that the next time I see him will be in 3 weeks when he moves down to live with me . Looking at your avatar, how could you not be approved? Congrats to you and Laurent!!!! Hahaha! Thanks!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-04-28 14:16:00
Canada	CR-1 Approved	On Thursday 4/24 we had our interview. We arrived at the consulate around 6:45 a.m. We found a place to park and decided to go stand near the door around 7:15. A few minutes later some more people showed up and around 7:30 they turned on the lights and the security guard let us in. I also noticed that they had a sign on the door about opening at 8:30 but that obviously wasn't true. The guard let my husband and I in along with another woman after we showed him our appointment letters. We had to empty our pockets and place everything in a bin and go through the metal detector. After we were done with that he told us to go downstairs and wait for him. We found a place to sit and more people joined us in the waiting room. After about 10-15 minutes the guard came down and said for people with letters A, B, C, and D who were there for immigrant visas to follow him over to the elevator. We went straight to the back of the elevator because I had remembered reading that the door on the other side would open. When we got off of the elevator that guard told us to wait in the chairs facing 3 windows until our Letter was called. We were letter A so we were called first. The lady was nice and she asked for our appointment letter and for my husbands interview letter. Then she told us to sit in the waiting room. Some time passed (I'm not sure how long because I was anxious/nervous/excited) and then she called my husband back to her window. She asked to him to look over the DS-230 and verify that everything was correct. She also asked for the xpresspost mailer at that time too. After he handed her the envelope she told us to go back to the waiting room. Some more time passed and my husband was called to the window again and this time she took his fingerprints and then we were told to go back to the waiting room. After maybe 15-20 minutes more of waiting we were called to interview room 8. There was a guy waiting on the other side of the glass and he was very nice. He told us to take off our jackets if we liked and then asked my husband to put his left (or maybe it was the right, I don't remember) middle finger on the scanner. He then asked us both to raise our right hands and swear that everything we had submitted was true. After we did this he asked me about what I did for work, how we met, and what my husband planned on doing for work. He made some small talk with us and then quickly looked through all of the paperwork he had and said everything looked fine and that he was going to approve my husbands visa. He then explained to my husband that he should receive his passport back early the following week since he lives in Quebec and that there was going to be some other things in the envelope that he would have to give customs when he crossed the border. He then wished us luck and left the room. The actual interview part lasted maybe 5-10 minutes and it seemed like it all happened so fast. After the guy left the room I was kind of standing there thinking "That was it? We waited almost a year and did all of that paperwork for that?" I'm glad it all went well and was pretty quick (we were out of there by a little before 9 a.m.). It still really hasn't hit me that my husband can now move here once he gets his passport back and that we don't have to do long distance anymore. It's just good to know that the next time I see him will be in 3 weeks when he moves down to live with me .	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-04-28 12:34:00
Canada	Interview date Set CR1!	Congrats and good luck!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-04-30 07:13:00
Canada	WE ARE HOME!	Congrats! Glad to hear your drive went well	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-05-07 16:26:00
Canada	Feeling old	QUOTE (Delicia @ Apr 30 2008, 01:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am now the not-so-proud owner of the oldest CR1/IR1 case at CSC (VJ members). #######?!?!?!? I am so sorry	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-04-30 13:35:00
Canada	my review	congrats!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-06-01 15:49:00
Canada	It's Sex and the City Day!!!	I'm going tonight at 7 pm... I so can't wait	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-05-30 12:02:00
Canada	Congratulations Toastburglar - visa approved on Friday!	Congrats!!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-06-17 11:44:00
Canada	Montreal CR-1 Interview Review	Congrats! Glad it went well	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-08-05 07:33:00
Canada	Few tric to build credit....	QUOTE (Udella&Wiz @ May 28 2009, 02:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wow - no offense but to the OP - have you read other folks credit problems in this and other forums? Before you give free advice, please be aware that it isn't as simple as you've made it out to be. There is no hard and fast rule - some folks get credit easily through a former Cdn AMEX or RBC account, some through their husband or spouse, some were turned down (I am one of those). Some folks easily got department store cards without being asked for anything, others of us earn practically 6 figures and we were turned down because we have no credit history in the US. You are very lucky that it worked out easily for you, but please don't misguide folks. /rant over I have a secured CC through Bank of America in my own name now and that is how I am building my credit to start It is the last thing I wanna do, beleive me. I was not about luck for me, But being with RBC made everything very simple. I look through many different possible way and to join a credit union was the second option...though it would'have taken longuer to establish credit It was an alternative to consider. All this post is, is to give options to people in my situation, share what I had to go through to get to this. I no way I mean to give hope to the ones struggling to get to that point. Please be advise that a REQUEST FOR A CC that is refused, automaticaly start your CREDIT. As it will be reported to all 3 agencies as a no hit, but will give you an actual file to look at. I'm sorry if I missled anyone with this post as it was not my intentions. Sorry. Laurent	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2009-05-28 14:28:00
Canada	Few tric to build credit....	QUOTE (JillA @ May 28 2009, 01:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I have an RBC account in Canada but they don't have any branches in PA, so they said I couldn't really open a US account.... I was rejected for a Target CC but approved for a Capital One CC with a small limit, so I've been using that to hopefully start building some credit I do not have a branch in MD either, my account is base in Jacksonville, FL. They should open one for you without a problem QUOTE (Southern_Canadian @ May 28 2009, 01:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I was recently told that to be approved for a CC, you have to have a job for at least a year to show income. Is that true? I've been a nanny for about 9 months.. getting paid cash so there is no proof of income. Are my chances of getting approved for a CC slim? Thanks Slim to none... My advise to you is to join a Credit Union... no other way	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2009-05-28 14:19:00
Canada	Few tric to build credit....	Hi to all who might need help with this. Here a trick for you to build credit in 6 months. The first advise I can you if your bank is RBC or HSBC(in canada) is that you will have no problem getting a US credit card (of course unless your credit score in Canada is bad) wich is the easiest way to start. I'm a member of RBC Royal bank and when I moved to the US I had already establish a checking account with RBC Centura (USA). I called to ask if there was any way to get a US credit card from them. They simply mirrored my Canadian credit with RBC Royal bank and within 5 min I was approved for GOLD Visa Card. After 6 month my credit was established with all 3 agencies (Trans-union, Equifax & Experian) with a score of 720+. Of course your Canadian bank as to have a branch in the US. RBC being one of them made it very easy. I was very surprised. The next best advise is to join ASAP any credit union in you r living area. Most only require to open a checking account with Direct deposit. I hope this will help. Truly yours Larry	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2009-05-28 12:32:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	QUOTE (Toastburglar @ Apr 29 2008, 05:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I got a June 13th interview!!!! yay me!!!!!! YAY! Wonderful news! Good Luck!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-04-29 17:40:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	bump	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-03-18 11:21:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	QUOTE (parinita @ Mar 4 2008, 08:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> hey Amberlynn, That's a wonderful news!! congrats!! I am thrilled that we will see each other on that day!! This is amazing. I was wondering about you getting the interview date around mine as well when i didn't see ur updates on the list. Well, see ya there and Good Luck. Just for my info...r u in Toronto?(that is if you want to share). Thanks, pari Thanks Pari and good luck to you as well. I was wondering too because I knew your case was completed a few days before my husband's so I was hoping that he'd be getting an interview around the same time as yours. I had actually tried calling today but the lines were busy and when I got home from work today the letter was here. I'm actually in Baltimore and my husband lives in Quebec about 30 minutes from Montreal. I think i'm more nervous about the interview than he is and I'm the US citizen. Well see you there!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-03-04 21:53:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	Thanks trailmix!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-03-04 20:29:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	I received a wonderful surprise in my mailbox today.... The letter from the NVC stating our interview is April 24th See you at the consulate on the 24th parinita!!!!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-03-04 16:19:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	QUOTE (kcmetzy @ Feb 22 2008, 05:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> APRIL 22ND 9:00 AM!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! ) I'm the happiest person alive. Congrats and good luck!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-02-22 19:02:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	Thanks trailmix!	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-02-20 11:38:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	Here's some more good news, our case was completed yesterday 2/19	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-02-20 07:40:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	I'm so confused. We got a RFE because my husband messed up question #20 but it did not say anything about sending in photos. I don't know if I should include this with the new DS-230 or not since the checklist letter did not tell me they needed photos. When I spoke to the operator to find out what the problem was (before I received the checklist in the mail) she told me the only problem was missing or incomplete info on one of the questions and she said nothing about needing to send in photos. UGH... I just want this to be over with	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-02-04 14:08:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	Congrats on the NOA2 jynxNdragnfly! And congrats to everyone who has received an interview date We sent out the DS-230 today	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2008-01-04 13:38:00
Canada	IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview	Hi! Could I be updated please? We got the IV bill on 11/24/07. Thanks!!!! Amber	amberlynn	Female	Canada	2007-12-01 22:29:00