Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Inhumane	This forced separation is why I believe that the loophole that people can adjust status from a tourist visa should be eliminated completely! If there is NO chance to stay and adjust, the consulates could be more lenient regarding tourist visa's to spouse/family to at least visit... But since they currently can just "decide on a whim to marry or stay and adjust.. Wink wink" the consulates have to view every person with a tourist visa as an immigrant risk... Thus, less visa's issued. Why not make a visa catagory just for family members with immigrant applications? And put in the specific caveat than cannot adjust status no matter what! It does nothing to address the wait times, but it will at least help alleviate some of the separation pain...	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-01-06 11:45:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Inhumane	Inefficient service for what you paid for... Now that is a much more sound argument than say in it is inhumane... I agree you should get the service you pay for and increased fees has not resulted in better service. However, moving a loved one to the USA is a privilege given to citizens and LPR's not a right... You can marry whom you wish, but the government (who theoretically represents the people) have a say in who gets admitted into the country (as inefficient as that system may be) and until there are major changes the system is what it is and will certainly not improve or change in a time frame to help anyone here... But I am sure there are future visa applicants that might benefit from your leadership in trying to change things...	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-01-05 22:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Inhumane	I have been through the Italian residency system, and it is no joke either! Who you marry is a decision everyone makes for him/herself, but the ability to bring him/her to the USA is a privilege not a right... Unfortunately, everyone pays for others crimes, whether that be scams, misuse of the immigration system or terrorism... Buearocracy is slow and cumbersome to be sure, but I think labeling it inhumane is a bit extreme... Separation from family is miserable and stresses the strongest of relationships. I do hope everyone is united soon... But being angry at those who might have information or experience that is useful for you or others because of a perceived negativity is not a productive path... Wish everyone the best	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-01-05 22:06:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	How come november i-130 filers have been approved ?	They (USCIS) has been know to "Gerrymander" the approvals... That is, approve some at record speed while leaving older applications to languish, that way their "average processing times" go down... Unmfortunatly it is not fair and is totally random (although there have been MANY Philippine petitions that have been expedited as well) don't let it get to you.... Just do all you can to prepare for your new life... There is much to do to get ready!	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-02-04 23:37:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	this is totally ridicoulous	wait, what's this BBB post everyone's talking about, I could use a good laugh Oh sad, it has gone to the VJ trash bin, sorry you missed it... It could have been a classic... A great laugh indeed.	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-04-14 17:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	this is totally ridicoulous	Or contacting the BBB?  LMAO... It would look really bad since so done did report VJ to the BBB!	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-04-14 13:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	this is totally ridicoulous	I would definitely ask for a refund for the VJ services... Especially since they did not accurately predict when you will get approved by the govt...	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-04-14 12:55:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Denied I-130	They look at the intending immigrant unless the crimes of the USC involve anything under the Adam Walsh Act.	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-04-19 12:54:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Denied I-130	If the only reason for your fear is the consulate itself, then it is more of a consulate specific question... There have been spouse visa denials, but as others have said, they are not common and have a huge variance in reasons (not proving bonified relationship, applicant has bans in the USA, drug use, past crime, USC not able to prove financial support and many other reasons)... My advice is instead of asking for random stories of denials that have no bearing or relevance to your personal situation and might scare you unnecessarily, I would concentrate on presenting your case and gathering the necessary proof and evidence so it is not even an issue. Worry about what you CAN control not what you can't and you will be fine. If you really want to get denial stories, just use the search tool here under i130 spouse visa denied and you can read stories... But I would suggest you spend that time reading how others succeeded, not failed so you can follow their example.	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-04-19 12:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	i want to understand my husband	The SSN is a number that is protected because if someone where to get it along with all the vital personal information, someone "could" easily have their identity stolen and their credit ruined (takes up to years to straighten out). However, he will need to find someone willing to fill out the paperwork if you want to get the visa. You will probably be denied with a piece of paper stating that you have to provide that information by a specific date or be denied. He is going to have to find someone... No money, no honey...	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-04-29 23:32:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	question about k3 visa process	I130 is for a CR1 visa... Not the K3 .. You should be asking about the CR1 visa.	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-05-06 21:03:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	IR-1	No, not really... Currently taking 5-9 months for NOA2, unless you get really lucky... Slow ur roll lest you drive ur self nuts! Good luck...	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-05-14 16:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	WHO FILED SINGLE ON THEIR TAX?	But how to approach this when you live abroad and have no income ? I am a dutch citizen and work in the Netherlands. My wife is a U.S. citizen and living in the Netherlands but has no income . She files married filing seperate, puts NRA in the box for your SSN and puts $0 as income...	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-05-28 15:12:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	WHO FILED SINGLE ON THEIR TAX?	This is a common error and rarely causes issues... However, if you are married... You need to file married. Many HR Blockheads will tell you that if they are not in the USA then it is single... They are WRONG. Married is married and you should file married. If the spouse is not in the USA then you file married filing seperate and put NRA (non resident alien) in the spouse SSN block. You can amend later when they arrive. If you filed single, you should file an am emdment... As far as immigration they will not really care unless, your proof of bonifieds are borderline... IRS doesn't care if you pay them more tax (as you are filing single ) ... But to be correct... If married, you need to file married, period.	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-05-28 09:19:00
Philippines	Hurray!!! 3-minute interview...PINK SLIP!!	Congratulations!!!!!	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-10-07 22:55:00
Philippines	We just received our Appointment Letters!	Congratulations!!!!	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-10-14 23:55:00
Philippines	Almost Halloween na!	Here, you dont have to carve anything!!! Attached Files  mooning_pumpkin.jpg   3.56KB   7 downloads	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-10-18 19:12:00
Philippines	What kind of cheese is Kraft or Eden?	In Italy, they call "kraft" the philadelphia cream cheese... If it is white and creamy, it is cream cheese... The slices are American Cheese (also know in some countries as kraft) and Velveeta is the processed cheese food that comes in a big block and is orange...	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-11-09 20:49:00
Philippines	Is Marriage a GAMBLE or a BUSINESS CONTRACT?	First and foremost, marriage is a choice... We (hopefully) chose to live as one together, But it is also in part a gamble, any time you trust your heart, soul, finances and future to someone it is taking a risk and gambling is a risk In a technical aspect also a contract. Marriage in and of itself is a legal joining of two persons and when entered into, you take on legal, financial and emotional responsibilities that are determined by the state and in many cases the religious oaths of marriage Finally, it is a committment... Not every day will you wake up and be in total bliss, some days you will go to bed and think other thoughts... But you made a committment to be each others partner in good times and bad, sickness and health, richer and poorer... etc... This is the oath you take, the committment you make, the gamble you take and the contract with the state/god that you made... So to me, it is all of them....	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-10-12 00:19:00
Philippines	Conflicting Info: Previous ITR's vs. Current Income.	The most important thing is your CURRENT income and that you can CURRENTLY support the immigrant	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-12-09 00:08:00
Philippines	The End of my Visa Journey	Big Congrats!!!	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-12-09 23:33:00
Philippines	Employment letter for i-134	As long as you provided the pay stubs and other employment info, you should be fine... There are many other companys (like yours) and situations which will not do employment letters... You just compensate with the other eveidence (as it sounds like you did)...	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-12-15 00:41:00
Philippines	co sponsorship is not ok	According to the letter, it seems pretty straight forward that generally they DO NOT accept co-sponsors as a general rule.... HOWEVER, in the totality of the curcumstances they might be considered depending on the total circumstances... Personally I can share that the consulates have recently been given direction to pay particular attention to the means of support for intending immigrants (k visas as well as CR/IR) visas... We had ours approved at NVC but the embassy refused to allow foreign investements so we had to move some $$$ arounds. During his interview at the Naples consulate, my husband was shown a correspondance from the Department of State to US Consulates stating something like "due to current financial events they are requesting that consulates be extra diligent in confirming petitioners still meet income requirements" and it had a list of things for the consulate to check like recent pay verifications, bank accounts, employment validity etc... and it had something about "calculating real value of assets such as house etc" but he did not have a chance to read it all and since that part did not pertain to our situation he did not retain that info... it was in more formal govt mumbo jumbo, but the CO pointed to it and paraphrased that they needed further information. This document was in a big binder that the CO referred to and was dated from August. Not sure how many consulates are following this advice but better to be safe then sorry I know we were IR1, however I believe that this general advice was given and being heeded by many consulates... Visa Information Date: April 24, 2009 This is in reply to your inquiry of April 24, 2009, regarding your visa concerns. Petitioners in fiancé(e) (K1) nonimmigrant visa cases are generally expected to provide the adequacy of their own financial resources to ensure that an alien, after admission into the United States, will not become primarily dependent on the US Government for subsistence. While our immigration law does not disallow joint sponsorships for K nonimmigrant visa applicants, the mere submission of an I-134 Affidavit of Support from joint sponsors is not sufficient to establish that the alien is not likely to become a public charge. Accordingly, we make a thorough evaluation of other factors, such as the sponsor’s motives in submitting the Form I-134, the sponsor’s relationship to the applicant or petitioner, the length of time the sponsor and applicant have known each other, etc. An I-134 Affidavit of Support submitted by a casual friend or distant relative who has little or no personal knowledge of the applicant has limited value. Unlike the I-864 filed by joint sponsors in immigrant visa cases, the I-134 is not legally binding and imposes no legal obligation on the joint sponsor to make good on his or her promises. Please be assured that we look at the totality of circumstances in assessing the credibility of joint sponsorships. For information about financial sponsorship guidelines, you may visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website at http://www.uscis.gov. Information regarding fiancé(e) and immigrant visa petitions may be found at our website at http://travel.state....types_1315.html or http://manila.usemba...v/wwwh3204.html. Please direct future fiancé(e) and immigrant visa inquiries to this web link: http://manila.usemba...v/wwwh3230.html. We hope this information is helpful to you. Immigrant Visa Correspondence Unit Consular Section U.S. Embassy, Manila 1201 Roxas Boulevard Manila, Philippines Telephone: (632) 301-2000 Fax: (632) 301-2037	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-12-18 13:58:00
Philippines	Evidence of support question	Ditto... They just want to make sure you earn enough to support your SO when they enter the country, whether you do that working 1 hour or 80 hours and whatever your "official" status is... You show steady income and are with the same company... You should be fine	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-12-16 20:38:00
Philippines	How long would you wait on immigration before giving up and moving to the philippines?	No knowing your situation and which provision you fall under for IMBRA waiver (previous k-1s, criminal background or interntl. marriage broker) it would certainly depend on the specifics of your case... However, knowing that in a usual case it is about 6-9 months I would certainly give it a bit more time since you are only at the 5 month mark for the moment... Good luck	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-12-31 00:05:00
Philippines	How long would you wait on immigration before giving up and moving to the philippines?	QUOTE (nonversation @ Dec 30 2009, 11:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just curious if any of you guys have drawn a line in the sand so to speak , of how long you will sit and wait without an answer before giving up and moving to the philippines. I think you might employ a bit more patience... based on your timeline in your signature, you only filed in July, and 5 months is frankly a drop in the bucket for waiting time... Plus with all the holidays it is a bit slower... Any reason you filed K3 versus just the CR1.. I ask as it seems that the approvals for the I-130 are delayed when you also file the K3 as the petition for the CR1 is held until the K3 catches up... Not to woulda, coulda, shoulda... just saying that might be a factor... But I would give it some more time... you have been married for less than a year and have a lifetime to look forward to and live together... Perhaps an extended stay with your SO would be a nice diversion while you pass the time???	christeen	Female	Italy	2009-12-30 23:36:00
Philippines	I-551 stamp	No problems... she can come and go with the stamp as she wishes... HAVE FUN!!	christeen	Female	Italy	2010-01-08 22:37:00
Philippines	the flight home	see this link http://www.visajourn...h...=236131&hl=	christeen	Female	Italy	2010-01-10 22:20:00
Philippines	Visa envelope	It's normal... Not sure what the purpose is! So the staff can peek in and verify who's package it is before it goes out to you...	christeen	Female	Italy	2010-01-06 23:05:00
Philippines	a question for the guys here that have there loved ones with them now!!!	Your local planned parenthood can get the prescription for free, then the pill is between $9 (walmart generic, $12 Walgreens and $15 at other places)...	christeen	Female	Italy	2010-02-21 22:29:00
Philippines	Can hubby claim me in his taxes?	Of course you can always file a 1040X to ammend the taxes if you file married filing seperate because of no SSN... Once they get the SSN# you just ammend the taxes... Of course it is easier to do it on the front end...	christeen	Female	Italy	2010-01-06 16:53:00
Philippines	Can hubby claim me in his taxes?	Yes, you can file married filing jointly, you need to have a SSN/ITTN...	christeen	Female	Italy	2010-01-06 13:30:00
Philippines	Any tips on Credit?	Be sure to add her as an authorized user on your credit cards... This starts to establish credit history... Then a secured credit card... I am not sure how wise giving a new wife a kohl's credit card is... (Just saying, awfully tempting with all their kohls cash and discounts... LOL... ) just start slow, not too many inquiries (don't go around applying for tons of cards as each request is a ding on the score)... Let it build.	christeen	Female	Italy	2013-01-30 21:43:00
Philippines	please help. BiG problem ahead	First, go se a business or contract lawyer and see what the exit clauses are or loopholes... So at least you know what your are dealing with legally speaking...	christeen	Female	Italy	2013-12-31 13:47:00
Philippines	Can a Green Card Holder Travel to Dubai?	From my little bit f research, she will need a single entry visa, they have 10 day validity ones for about $60 and takes 5 days to process. As a citizen of phillipines, she travels as such, there are some places that give entry with green card (some Caribbean etc...) but UAE, she has to apply for a visa (they will not grant the 30 day on site one as they will for USA residents)	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-01-14 18:26:00
Philippines	New middle name after marriage	I personally think that continuing to hold your maiden name is an important part of our heritage and our family name... It is difficult for a man to imagine being expected to just "poof" one day giving up who we are to assume the name of another... That is why hyphenation is a good compromise... That way, you honor your family name as well as what in many cultures, an expected adoption of your husbands name. I personally kept my last name but it is not necessarily expected for women to abandon their maiden name and as an artist, my name is my business... Bottom line... I also vote for hyphenate	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-02-02 20:03:00
Philippines	New middle name after marriage	It's your name, use what you like...	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-02-02 19:47:00
Philippines	Sons biological dad :( pls help	So threaten to counter sue him for back child support... But I would find any way I could not to put my child in the possession of "bad people" .... Furthermore, how can he threaten your unfit when he has not supported the chi,d since 2007/2008. What is the custody (legal) situation now? Being he was born out if wedlock, I am assuming you have a sole custody order? But I would get to a place you all could live together, and Hawaii is as great a place as there is.	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-02-19 14:50:00
Philippines	Illegal immigrant for almost 15 yrs...	Oh snap! Time warp... Hope he went home by now!	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-02-21 21:51:00
Philippines	Illegal immigrant for almost 15 yrs...	Not an expert on this so I could be wrong.. but I'm not sure what he is worried about.. If he is caught wouldn't they just deport him? I was thinking the same thing... Contact the Philippine embassy, they issue a travel document and you go home... If not, immigration gets contacted, he gets picked up and sent home... Same result! He goes home...	christeen	Female	Italy	2014-02-21 19:07:00