ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAdditional AOS Required
I have never heard of that requirement to supply the monthly amount??? Is that what the consulate demanded you to provide???

As far as NVC saying OK... They are not the ultimate approval, the consulate is... But this statement above is strange, never seen it before???
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-13 22:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresChanging Status to 'Married'
In the USA you do not need to register anything... Once you are married (anywhere) you are married and your status is married... No registration or notification to anyone is needed...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-15 00:21:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAdditional information
Since this was asked for by the consulate, not NVC, I might suggest you try the regional forum or embassy reviews to get consulate specific info for S. Africa... others from that area might have more insight.... good luck
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-21 23:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAppeal CR1 Blue Slip?

My wife had her CR1 interview in US Consulate-Guangzhou, China on March 8. The VO said everything looked fine, except for our $45K salary. For whatever reason, it's not enough to satisfy the $22K requirement for a household size of three. The VO gave us a blue slip to get a co-sponsor, which I feel is absolutely unnecessary because I am 2X the required amount.

I have a very ordinary job. Annual salary of 45K. No sales commission or anything. Some people online think that it may be because I only started the job on Jan 5, 2010. But I fail to see how that is a legitimate concern since the government is more concerned on whether my projected future earnings will be sufficient to support our family of three.

Asides from finding a co-sponsor, what other options do I have? I vaguely remember reading that you have 28 days to appeal a CR1 decision in-person? Is that true? I do not mind flying to Guangzhou and having a chit-chat with them.

Yes, it might have something to do with the length of time employed... Did you have proof of prior employment? Did you have a letter from your employer? How about assets to offset it?? Have you done the 2009 taxes and did that meet the requirement or is this the first year of gainful employment... If you show a history of earning enough that might aid in your rebuttal... If you do not have a history of enough earnings, from a consulate point of view they have nothing to suggest that you are able to maintin your spouse.... Just trying to think of additional evidence that might back up your case...

As far as HOW to appeal at the GZU consulate.. I am not sure of consulate specifics... the regional forum might have more tips on that...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-15 00:10:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresIncome tax question

Yeah, thanks everyone. This has put me on the right track. It will be much more difficult than I though since she has income in two currencies (Norwegian and Swedish Kroners). I wonder if the U.S. government will tax her again? They have such a ridiculously high tax rate there, it would be awful if they did.

-W

If you file married filing seperate, then you do not even list her income nor can you take the exemption for her... If you file jointly, you will list her income, then file the 2555 form and if it is under $90,000 you can exempt all her foreign income.
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-21 23:06:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNo taxes
Not sure what you are needing advice on... What to do as far as the 864?? You will still need to file, attach a letter stating that you are not required to file taxes and the reason you are not required to file and get yourself a co-sponsor for the financials who will fill out an 864 and the supporting financial evidence.
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-23 15:07:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresi-864
Just keep in mind that even if it is accepted at NVC, the Consulate has the final say as to if it is acceptable... However, if you meet the guidelines and currently earn enough to support the immigrant you should be fine... But the consulate has the final approval NOT NVC
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-26 00:20:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAfter DS-230 Sent What happens?
here's Christeen's time tested formula to get you through NVC in one piece alive:

Petitioner: Get NVC # + give operator your email IDs + receive AOS fee bill + pay 70$ online + wait to show paid + print cover sheet + send I-864 AOS with all documents and case # written on each page.

Beneficiary: Get NVC# + receive DS3032 + send DS3032+ DS3032 accepted + IV fee bill available to be paid + pay & wait to show paid + print IV cover sheet + mail DS230 package with all original/certified documents

= wait for case complete + wait for interview to be scheduled.
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-27 00:19:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresIR-1 or K3
K-3s are being phased out and no longer an option... They are both processing in about the same time anyway (CR1, Ir/1 and the K3) Besides the IR1 is pretty much the "gold standard" for visas... They are for those married more than 2 years and the immigrant gets a 10 year Green Card upon entry to the USA... Go for the gold and stay IR1
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-27 20:36:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDid not filed k3
Your fine... Stick with the I-130 and read up on the process so you are ready for NVC... You can start gathering all the paperwork now
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-31 19:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWife need help!!!! how long does this all take
Ok... so just a friendly word of advice that don't start stressing the days just yet as you will be in for a LONG few months... 12 days is NOTHING in this wait... You will have to put on some patience pants when dealing with USCIS as NOTHING moves quickly. I definetly would not stress about 12 days... you figure it takes 2-3 days for the package to be opened, less the weekends so they have had about 6 business days of having it in their hands THEN the form has to be generated THEN mailed to you...

You will need to chill a bit as this next process of USCIS is about 3 - 5 months of no contact... I would find
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-30 23:50:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI 864 and DS230 Help
My husband does not have one either... I put N/A as I was afraid someone would think that his middle name was NONE!!!
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-01 23:31:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresVisa to anonother country while waiting for CR-1
Going to the UK will not affect the petition here in the US, as long as he returns for the Interview...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-04 15:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI need help! don't know which forms to file...
There is the option to file an adjustment of status... However, I must warn you that the govt looks very seriously if there was any fraud intended when he entered on the VWP. The system allows for "spur of the moment" marriage, but does not look upon planned immigration fraud lightly. This means that if he entered the country and you had the intent to marry while he was here on VWP then you have committed fraud as you intended to circumvent the system...

But if you did have a "spur of the moment" decision then you can file for adjustment of status. But keep in mind that if you do this from the VWP, you waive any right to appeal the decision (this is the visa waiver portion of the VWP agreement) so if it is determined that you committed a fraud, then you could incur a lifetime ban without recourse.

Proof of pre-planning is having a big wedding that you made deposits on before hand, him leaving a job and breaking ties with his home country that shows intent to move, taking out of leases together while he was here "visiting" etc...

So think about it carefully before you possibly screw things up... But if you legitimatly did a "spur of the moment" thing, then you can look here for instructions on filing for Adjustment of Status.
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-30 15:49:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDS-230 Q.35: List dates of all previous visits in US. within past 10 years
Yes, it is a pain, but you list all the visits... We had the same issue as my husband worked on a cruise ship for 14 years and passed immigration every 6 weeks... We just listed all the visits from the stamps in the passports... some were illigible and I am sure there were some left out... We put them on 2 sheets of seperate paper... all was OK... Just list what you can with special attention to the most recent 2-3 years...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-16 22:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAfter AOS Bill and DS 3032
here's Christeen's time tested formula to get you through NVC in one piece alive:

Petitioner: Get NVC # + give operator your email IDs + receive AOS fee bill + pay 70$ online + wait to show paid + print cover sheet + send I-864 AOS with all documents and case # written on each page.

Beneficiary: Get NVC# + receive DS3032 + send DS3032+ DS3032 accepted + IV fee bill available to be paid + pay & wait to show paid + print IV cover sheet + mail DS230 package with all original/certified documents

= wait for case complete + wait for interview to be scheduled.
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-02 01:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTax Filing as Single or Married
I know that H&R Block advises to file single... But that is not correct... Married is married is married... I checked with several accountants about this. My husband did not have a SS# for the first 6 years we were married... I ALWAYS filed married filing single and for his SS# I wrote NON LPR, No SS# and it was fine. We did not get him an ITTN because of financial issues with his income, but if you want to get the maximum deductions, file the W7 to get an ITTN and file jointly, that way you get all stimulus rebates as well as can file HOH if your spouse did not work in their country... If they did work, you just file the 2555 to exempt the income as long as it is under 90k
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-31 23:33:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedurestranslation of marriage/birth certificate
For the beneficerary info, it is not necessary to translate documents if the documents are in the official language of the consulate where the interview takes place.
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-13 00:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAttorney Dilemma - Your Thoughts...

This is what I believe to be the case as well, but I'm sure you can see from many of the replies, we seem to be in the minority here.
Again, this is not about blame, but rather owning up to mistakes. I paid for a service and this was the only issue that was not handled properly IMHO.

OK... so I am all owning up to mistakes... However, is the fact that your wife noticed an error and did not question or report this possible error made by the lawyer not a mistake in and of itself???
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-14 00:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAttorney Dilemma - Your Thoughts...
Sorry if you do not agree with my opinion, however your post you asked for opinions and I gave you mine... If you were just looking for people to post who agreed with you that you are fully correct and have the right to demand for the $25 back then you should have put that in your topic subject then you would have gotten all the answers you were obviously looking for.

You wife saw that there was an error yet she signed the paperwork with says that under the penalty of law that she attests that all the above information is true even knowing that it was not without even a peep to the attorney as to why there was this gap left out... Then you should eat the $25...

There is nothing wrong with using an attorney, however since it is YOUR signatures attesting to the accuracy of the information, then I would take this as a fairly inexpensive lesson learned (for everyone else out there too who assume that just because you are paying someone to do the work) to verify all the information... That is all I am saying...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-13 15:18:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAttorney Dilemma - Your Thoughts...
Asking for a partial refund depends on the agreement you have with the attorney. For example, most attoryneys will transpose what information they have received regarding the residences, then it is my understanding that they attorney sent this document to your wife for review and approval... If your wife approved it and did not raise any issues with this 10 month gap, (as it seems she "assumed" this was a deliberate omission by the lawyer and did not question it even though she knew it was wrong) then no, you have no claim for shipping costs as no corrections were made by your wife regarding the issue.

It is like say a marketing company puts a flyer together, then sends the preview to the client and the client signs off and says "this is all OK" but there is actually a misprint in the website address for example... The final review is the responsibility of the company NOT the printer if the company had final approval rights.

Sorry, but I worked in graphics for a while and I would send the final draft for approval and then after they signed off on it, once it was in print they would try to come back and say... Oh #######, you left off this or that or whatever... and they wanted me to eat the money for the printing... Not fair to the lawyer...

Hiring a lawyer is fine for those who choose to want someone else to handle the mundane time consuming stuff... However it it YOUR life and YOUR immigration situation therefore both of you need to play and active role and verify that all the info being sent is correct... The lawyer does not live your life and therefore cannot know what actually happened....

My opinion is sorry, you need to eat that money and take this as a lesson learned to question anything that does not appear correct. And you will not get an expedite from the govt because of a lawyer ** up...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-13 00:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresIS this enough to be considered a bonifide marriage
as far as paperwork proving bonified marriage... it sounds like you have a good amount... But remember that there is an interview and proof on paper yet failure to be able to answer basic questions about your husband/wife at the interview is the other part of the process... so be sure to review some of the sample questions and be able to answer them without hesitation....
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-14 14:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPossible visa fraud... what now?
I think this thread has gotten so stupid in splitting hairs... Mustafa... let it drop, the OP is trying to do things legally and has respected the intent of the immigration system by returning to their country to process for the proper visa... rehashing hypothetical situations and invented conversations with immigration officers is not of use to the OP...

To the OP... just move forward, collect the necessary documents for bonifide marriage and financial documents, tell the truth that you got married here in the USA and returned within your alotted visa time frame and hopefully all will go well and you will live happily ever after.
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-13 00:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPossible visa fraud... what now?
The intention of a travel visa is a temporary visit. If you want to get married during your visit then return home before your visa expires that's okay, but a travel visa should not be used with the intention of entering the United States to marry, stay permanently and adjust status. Can you get married on a travel visa? Generally, yes. You may enter the U.S. on a travel visa, marry a U.S. citizen then return home before your visa expires. Where you run into trouble is if you enter on a travel visa with the intention of marrying and staying in the U.S.

Since your spouse left without overstay and you applied for the CR1 via the appropriate route and they did not try to Adjust Status then you have not done anything illegial.

So now, just prepare for your interview with all the proof of relationship, financial support documents etc... I would not stress about the wedding in the USA issue...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-10 20:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPossible visa fraud... what now?
Totally agree with the posts above... No worries, it is perfectly legal to marry in the USA, you did things correctly and processed for the CR1 in their home country... No problems....
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-09 23:32:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresUSCIS letter says petitioner doesn't meet poverty guideline?
Did you send in the letter of employment and pay stubs that show how much your spouse gets paid? If the income exceeds the amount, I would contact NVC and verify what documents they need and send them.
christeenFemaleItaly2010-03-11 23:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMortgage
When qualifying with income, debt is not considered...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-04-18 20:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHad Interview in Riyadh USE
Oh gosh, I am sooo sorry that happend to you ..... What A-holes... But if it is any consolation, it is a very good sign that they kept your passport and got your cell number... If they did not intend to issue the visa, they would have given you the passport back. Chin up... Keep strong and have belief that it will work out... That is all that you can do at the moment... Give them a few days to verify all the stuff and look through everything and I think you will get your visa!!!!
christeenFemaleItaly2009-11-03 22:39:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresIs anyone getting Approved
In looking at past timelines, it does seem as though USCIS has a big slowdown in May and June to process the temporary work visas (students and others coming to the USA to work for the summer) and they pull off some of the people working on family petitions to concentrate on these visas... We got caught up in the delay last year (we submitted April 21) and did not get a touch or approval until late August.... USCIS has a small window that they must approve or deny the work visas so depending on the volume they seem to allocate the resources accordingly...

Hopefully they will keep a good number of people working on the family petitions so there is not such a back up... Hang in there everyone...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-05-07 23:14:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresco-sponsor problem

Thank you all for the support!! I really appreciate it.

Hubby called NVC and the lady told him they can't say if it will be enough or not since it's completely up to the consul to decide.

We have no option but give it a try.

She said if the consul thinks it's not enough he will ask for a co-sponsor and we will just have to send the papers to the consulate once we have it (don't know how long we'll have to wait from there though).

Christeen, we have the assets (5x guideline) and the tax returns for the last 3 years (also above the poverty guideline). If you made it without a co-sponsor, you gave me a light of hope. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you guys =)

I am self employed and because how my taxes are filed, we ended up qualifying on assets alone without counting income... Just be sure the assets are in a US account in the USC name and be sure to bring proof of these assets (aka, bank statements)...

The clarification is in section 29 of the I-864 instructions.

In order to qualify based on the value of your assets, the totalvalue of your assets must equal at least five times thedifference between your total household income and thecurrent poverty guidelines for your household size. However,if you are a U.S. citizen and you are sponsoring your spouseor minor child, the total value of your assets must only beequal to at least three times the difference. If the intendingimmigrant is an alien orphan who will be adopted in theUnited States after the alien orphan acquires permanentresidence, and who will, as a result, acquire citizenship undersection 320 of the Act, the total value of your assets need onlyequal the difference.


Consular officers tend to use the I-864 guidelines for both spouse and fiance as the fiance is then intended spouse and will be the spouse by the time the I-864 is filed.

I was just saying, the OP is already married so fiance is not applicable here... Ya'll were getting hung up on wording
christeenFemaleItaly2010-02-22 20:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresco-sponsor problem
The OP is applying for CR1 so it is spouse... From my experience we qualified showing 3x the assets alone (@ 56K)... And since you have income PLUS assets, I would feel OK about submitting. Besides, if your co-sponsor bailed, then you have no choice but to give it try... If there is an issue, NVC will let you know that you might have to show more asset or income proof at the consulate as they are the ones who decide, not NVC... But just have all your proof of income and proof of assets reaady to go...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-02-22 11:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresco-sponsor problem
If you are in doubt, get a co-sponsor and the info and bring it just in case... better to be safe than sorry, if they do not accept the AOS, then you will have to submit it at a later date, could cause a month or more depending on the consulate...
christeenFemaleItaly2010-02-21 21:48:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresProving our marriage is bonafide
QUOTE (Living In China @ Oct 26 2009, 12:47 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I’m going to Beijing soon with my I-130 and other related paperwork to apply for a spouse visa for my wife. I think I have everything in order, but one thing worries me: proof of a bonafide marriage. We are both foreign teachers in China: She is Japanese, and I am America. Our school provides an apartment for us, so we have no lease. We do not have a joint bank account. The I-130 instructions mentioned something about a marriage affidavit to prove that we are bonafide, but that would require us dragging friends to the consulate, etc. I don’t really know where to get such a document or how to create it. Any advice?

Photos together, plane tickets, phone calls/logs, affadavits from freinds and family on BOTH sides saying they know you as a couple (there are templates on the VJ for those), credit cards, buy an insurance policy online and put her as the beneficerary... Just some ideas
christeenFemaleItaly2009-10-25 23:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHow Long Do We Have to Know Each Other Before Applying for K1
Although it is a personal decision, I have found that I am better able to control my own situation through my own research versus an attorney. After all, who cares more about getting your fiance over here than you do??? There are very qualified attorneys out there and I admit, in some difficult cases they might be of use. However, I have found that by using this site (the guides, others advice and the many step by step tutorials) that in many cases, it is much more efficient to do it yourself. Many have also found (as you have discovered) that attorneys are not always prepared for such cases and can be a waste of money and precious time....
christeenFemaleItaly2009-09-25 19:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresNVC Sent to WRONG EMBASSY!
OMG!!! That is Terrible... First I would contact NVC to see what they will do with the file... Second I would contact Aruba and see if you can do a pre-paid Fed-EX to NVC and explain the situation to them. After all NVC sends DHL, why cant you/they???

I really hope they sort it out!!! I am so sorry for your delays....
christeenFemaleItaly2009-10-10 23:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresStarting a business...when?
No problem... Best of luck... Seriously, I used the idiots guide and everything was pretty easy, just had to take the time to do a business plan (which you can get help with at the SBA (small business administration) they are a GREAT source of info!!!
christeenFemaleItaly2009-10-10 23:23:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresStarting a business...when?
There is no residency requirements to start a business... However, you have to apply for a SSN (ITTN) and go through the steps to form a LLC or incorporate... I would spend this time to research all the necessary steps becuase if you start things off on the right foot, you are one step ahead...

Steps include, registering a name, getting ITTN for taxes, doing business plan (VERY IMPORTANT especially with a partner), registering business with the state where your business will be located, getting all local and county business licences.... etc... I would invest in a book that outlines how to do this.... The dummy and idiots guides are quite to the point...

It seems like a lot, but like immigration, there are lots of websites and info out there and once you understand the system, it is pretty easy... I have had my business for 8 years and would not have it any othe way!!!

Bottom line;

Many US non-residents are forming companies in the United States, some of which are operating within the country, others of which are operating entirely outside. With the proliferation of the Internet, many non-US citizens are forming US companies to own their web sites even though they have no tangible connection with the US other than the registration of their company.

In general, there are no citizenship or residency requirements to forming a company in the US. However. there are several factors that should be considered.


christeenFemaleItaly2009-10-10 23:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresUSPS frustration
They (someone from USCIS) will pick it up tomorrow.... Unless they have it marked for re-delivery in which it will be re-delivered tomorrow...
christeenFemaleItaly2009-10-13 23:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures41% K 1 Fiance Visas Denied?
QUOTE (Fred N Emilia @ Oct 18 2009, 11:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hey JROC, this is all about preference.

You don't feel comfortable doing the papers yourself, then hire a lawyer.

You feel confident enough to do the papapers yourself with the help of this forum, then go for it.

It's all about preference!

I must add that it is not just about being confident, but having the time and dedication to do it yourself. For some, work and home situations do not allow enough time to really do the research required for this process... In that case it might actually be quicker to use a lawyer if a person does not have the time to do all the paperwork and research in a timely manner...
christeenFemaleItaly2009-10-18 23:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWho is a good agency to handle the visa (attorney?)
QUOTE (baron555 @ Oct 23 2009, 02:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (manserious48 @ Oct 23 2009, 01:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Just wondering what/who is a good agency to use to handle the whole k-1 visa process (fiancee visa for marriage minded persons). THANKS !



The best that I can recommend is the trio of "You, Yourself, & I"

They handled my petition and there were no problems or any issues. All has gone smoothly. And the price is perfect.

Yes, I highly recommend that firm too! Nobody cares more about your case then you! Just follow the instructions on this site and you will be FINE!!! The guides are your friends!!!
christeenFemaleItaly2009-10-23 21:15:00