ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
USCIS Service CentersLost I-130/CR1 Petition

Sorry - I do not know the exact person she spoke with - I only know it was at the CSC.


odd, both senators office staff are telling me that CSC usually take 30-90 days to respond to a request. wonder how you senator's staff was able to speak directly with CSC.

i have been able to confirm that many of the paper files sent to Texas Service Center and California Service Center for background checks per the adam walsh act requirement, have been sent to the National Record Center for storage rather than back to the consulate where they were filed.



my senator merely called CSC. sad to say our reps dont know a lot about what goes on in different departments. perhaps you sent a email or snail mail?

chi


no, i've been speaking directly with both senators' office staff. sadly, both are very anti-immigration and basically just want to give the appearance of helping without actually doing anything. fortunetly the consulate staff has recreated all of our paperfile and we are just a few weeks from completion.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-05-17 08:51:00
USCIS Service CentersLost I-130/CR1 Petition

Sorry - I do not know the exact person she spoke with - I only know it was at the CSC.


odd, both senators office staff are telling me that CSC usually take 30-90 days to respond to a request. wonder how you senator's staff was able to speak directly with CSC.

i have been able to confirm that many of the paper files sent to Texas Service Center and California Service Center for background checks per the adam walsh act requirement, have been sent to the National Record Center for storage rather than back to the consulate where they were filed.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-05-08 10:32:00
USCIS Service CentersLost I-130/CR1 Petition

Some of you know my situation - so I am not going to cover it again - my question is has anyone else had the experience of a lost petition at a service center after it has been approved???

Our K3 was denied, so our Senator was trying to get our CR1 pushed though on an expedited situation - there was an approval notice sent to our lawyer and so the lawyer's office thought the CR1 petiton was at the NVC by now. The problem is that the USCIS and the NVC both have no idea where our petition is - what another joke in the process of how the immigration system works!!

So now our petition is in investigation mode to find where it is! Are there any other experiences in this situation??


our paper file including all the documents we submitted with the I-130 were sent to the california service center to do the background check for the Adam Walsh Act around the first of feb. the background was noted in the computer file as complete on april 2nd. the problem is that the consulate has been requesting the paper file be returned from the CA service center since then. basically the consulate is treating it as a lost file and we had to re-submit all the original documents along with new I-130 and ds-230. i've called my senators and both have gotten no response from CA service center. according to the senator's liasons, you are lucky if you get a response in 90 days.



I am so sorry for what you are also going through! Luckily on our end the Senator has gotten response and she is not very nice about it - the post before your post has her stated message to me after she found out what they did with our file - I can not believe they actually sent it to the storage unit!!!



any idea who your senator contacted to find out about your file being sent for storage?
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-05-04 08:20:00
USCIS Service CentersLost I-130/CR1 Petition

Some of you know my situation - so I am not going to cover it again - my question is has anyone else had the experience of a lost petition at a service center after it has been approved???

Our K3 was denied, so our Senator was trying to get our CR1 pushed though on an expedited situation - there was an approval notice sent to our lawyer and so the lawyer's office thought the CR1 petiton was at the NVC by now. The problem is that the USCIS and the NVC both have no idea where our petition is - what another joke in the process of how the immigration system works!!

So now our petition is in investigation mode to find where it is! Are there any other experiences in this situation??


our paper file including all the documents we submitted with the I-130 were sent to the california service center to do the background check for the Adam Walsh Act around the first of feb. the background was noted in the computer file as complete on april 2nd. the problem is that the consulate has been requesting the paper file be returned from the CA service center since then. basically the consulate is treating it as a lost file and we had to re-submit all the original documents along with new I-130 and ds-230. i've called my senators and both have gotten no response from CA service center. according to the senator's liasons, you are lucky if you get a response in 90 days.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-05-03 16:35:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)I-601 waiver letter

Just so you know, you CAN send additional documentation after the 601 hardship letter submission. So if you are able to get more, you may wnt to send it. You don't need to have letters from family or friends -- but the more hard proof you can submit of your hardships, the better off you will be. good luck.


yea i found that out yesterday. as soon as the rest arrive by mail, i'll forward them to the santa domingo sub office.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-12-08 14:06:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)I-601 waiver letter

Hi

I agree with kitcat.
It's very importent that they don't see that you survive this situation in her country.
For the same reason my american fiance and I are seperated and now for 2 years.
I am from Denmark Europe and all our hardship letters tells how much it would affect everything if he has to live here instead.
Recently I realized that they don't even look at our feelings being seperated.
They only look at his hardship to leave everything in us.
Danish is a very hard language to learn especially for a man at 47 year.
And here he would have to learn danish before he could get a job.
That's a thing we are using alot to mention in our hardship letters.
Also we have hired an immigrant lawyer to help us.
He knows all the tricks I can tell.

I see your letter very well written but you really need all your famely and friends to write one too.
I wish you so much luck with all this.

Sweetie



yea we had some documentation, but not as much as i would like. we had about 12 hours notice for the appointment. the consular general said he'd prefer to go ahead and get it filed. both the consular general and the consul officer we dealt with added notes of support and requests for expidited processing. the consular general was pretty adimant that it would be approved.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-12-08 13:26:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)I-601 waiver letter

Good luck, and sorry about your father.


thanks, it has been very rough on my family. he has always been a very inteligent, thoughtful, outgoing person. it has been hard for us to watch him fade like this. i don't belive my brother, sister and i have every gotten over looking at our father as a superhero in our eyes.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-12-07 15:34:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)I-601 waiver letter

It seems well written and compelling to me. There are a few grammatical errors (if you wanted to know), but you'll probably catch most of those on a careful rereading.

Good luck, and sorry about your father.


hehe yea, it was a rough draft, gonna re-read it like 10 times tonight and make some tweaks
thanks
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-12-07 15:22:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)I-601 waiver letter
Comments???


I-601 Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility
"Extreme Hardship" request on behalf of XXXXXX (BGNxxxxxxxxxx)
from her husband XXXXXX

When entering the US in February of 2004, my wife XXXXX, was provided an I-94 form marked with "B-2 D/S". We called to verify the "until date" with BCIS. We were verbally told over the phone that blank dates defaulted to 6 months and "D/S" markings which are incorrect for the B-2 visa would default to 1 year. We were also told that we need not get a new or corrected I-94. With that information XXXXX stayed 1 year and 10 days as we prepared to move overseas to her home country of Barbados. Two years later as we filed for a IR-1 visa, we were told that DHS had ruled that it was to be a 6 month stay and not a 1 year stay, which places Donna with a 190 day overstay, which incurred a 3 year ban. Continuing the 3 year ban, which only 14 months remain, would prove to be an extreme hardship for me as a United States Citizen for the following medical, economic, and emotional reasons.

My father, XXXXXX, of XXXXX, Texas, has recently been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a progressive brain disease and the second leading cause of degenerative dementia in the elderly. The clinical name, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), accounts for up to 20% of all dementia cases, or 800,000 patients in the US. Over 50% of Parkinson disease patients develop Parkinson disease dementia(PDD), which accounts for at least 750,000 patients. (PDD is also a Lewy body dementia.) No cure or definitive treatment for Lewy body dementia has been discovered as yet. The disease has an average duration of 5 to 7 years. With this in mind, I would like to see my father as much as possible before he falls any sicker. In addition I wish for my son, who is a United States Citizen to know his grandfather while he can. My father has always been a vibrate youthful person and not being with him as he fades will be very detrimental to me as well as our family entire family.

In addition to my fathers illness, the economic hardships of living in Barbados have been tremendous. My current employer until recently has allowed me to telecommute to work in XXXXX, Texas. This has afforded me time to look at the local employment opportunities. My profession is that of embedded computer systems designer. There are currently no companies on the island of Barbados that do computer system designs. Although I do have cross training in other fields of computer science the only opportunities on the island are that of system administrator which would significantly reduce the amount of money I earn. In addition the cost of living in Barbados is extremely high. In order to provide my family with the standard of living available in the US, I would need to continue earning the same salary as I am currently paid from my US employer. Factoring in the cost of such items as private schools and medical care, the kind of life I can provide for my family is severely diminished. The public schools in Barbados are only available to Barbadian citizens so I am required to send our children to private school, which is still substandard compared to even the worst of US public schools. In addition I can not use any of the health care insurance provided my US based employer in Barbados. This means that in order to properly plan for emergencies I have to purchase locally provided insurance at great expense. As of January 15th my current employer is starting a new design project which requires me to be physically present in the XXXXXX, Texas office. Although I will not immediately loose my job if I am not present, it will severely affect my long term status at the company.

Continuing to live in Barbados or separating our family for the remaining time of the 3 year ban would have tremendous emotion repercussions. I have continued to be isolated from my family in which the cost of me to travel to the US or for them to visit me here is extreme. In addition to the heightened security measures for air travel, the process of visiting each other has been become very tedious. As a result of the isolation from both family and coworkers , as well as culture shock from moving to a country with a very unique culture, has caused me to suffer from sever depression at times. I am constantly treated as an outsider, and very disheartened when I am the only one around that is celebrating American holidays such as July 4th and Thanksgiving. Even as a person who served in the US Army, I honor those who died at Pearl Harbor on December 7th. These are the holidays I wish my our children who are US citizens to honor and celebrate. My son's mother died just before Thanksgiving of 2004. Although he hasn't forgotten his mother, he thinks of XXXX as his mother now. They have grown very close and share a strong bound. If we had to separate for the remaining 14 months of XXXXX's ban, he would suffer greatly. With the loss of his mother, this would feel as he had lost XXXXX as well.

In summary, you should be able to recognize that I have some very strong medical, economic, and emotional reasons for requesting approval of this waiver. XXXX and I consider ourselves very law abiding people, however, even the most honorable people can make unintentional mistakes and violate the law. We wish to correct our mistake properly and legally.We wish to return to the United States as a family. We hope with this letter, showing the reasons that not returning to the US would prove to be extreme hardship on our family, will lead you to approval of this waiver.


prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-12-07 15:01:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)I-601 and Adam Walsh Act

We're in the same situation as you. We filed the I-130 on July 31, 2006 and the I-601 in November 20, 2006 in Sweden.

Both files are now in London, and they assured me that the waiver and the petition would be adjudicated simultaneously.

I'm glad they're handling our cases with common sense :) Good luck!


i just received an email from the barbados embassy saying that they are no longer accepting I-601's per a directive from USCIS and all previously uncompleted I-601's will be forwarded to the USCIS in the US. has anyone else heard this?
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-02-01 10:21:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)Overstay or Criminal Conviction - Which Is Worse?

When filing an I-601 waiver for an overstay would it be safe to say that it MAY be easier to get approved than if you had a criminal conviction or is it the other way around?


i've asked the same question to several consulate and uscis staff. all off the record responses to me indicate that the USCIS has the attitude that if you were convicted of a crime, served your punishment, and haven't commited any additional crimes , then you have paid your debt to society and are reformed. however for overstays, uscis seems to consider the 3 or 10 year bar the punishment for the crime of overstaying your visa. therefore, when asking for a waiver of the 3 or 10 year bar due to an overstay, you are basically asking for a parole from your punishment.

boils down to this:

convictions: you are asking for the privilage of coming to the US even though you were convicted of a crime and served your punishment

overstays: you are asking for the privilage of coming to the US AND for them to shorten the length of your punishment
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-04-04 12:10:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)Gonna be a long weekend
well we received word early this morning that our I-601 had been completed in Santo Domingo and sent back to barbados via diplomatic mail. unfortunately we have no clue at this point if it was aproved or denied, so its going to be a long weekend waiting for the results. we also receive word that our original paper file has been sent to the Nation Record Center for storage and that many of the other DCF applications were sent there as well. the barbados consulate has been great and treated it as a lost file and allowed us to recreate the file with the original documents, so everything is set and waiting on the I-601 results!
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-05-11 08:40:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)Montreal not getting waiver notice from Vermont

When the I-601 was approved from Vermont, did they issue you any paperwork stating it was approved? If they did, maybe you can color photo copy it and send it to the US Embassy in question, and also give the contact information of the Vermont Office so that they can verify that the paperwork is authentic?

Or perhaps it is time to engage in the services of an experienced attorney, or maybe make a request to a member of congress/senate?


that seemed to do the trick for me! i faxed to the consulate a copy of the approval letter along with a note stating that it had been in excess of 30 days since approval. 24 hours later the I-601 mysteriously showed up!
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-06-06 09:35:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)Montreal not getting waiver notice from Vermont

The 601 waiver was approved almost 6 weeks back by Vermont but the Consulate at Montreal still has not received any kind of internal notice to them from Vermont. According to Montreal, they cannot move forward with the visa until then.

Any info on how long can this wait take ?



any news on your issue? seems i'm in the same boat. our I-601 was approved in Santo Domingo on May3rd, and as of May 29th, the barbados consulate hasn't received notification.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-05-29 16:46:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)OMG I-601 Approved!!!!

Hi, I reviewed your posts and it looks like you wrote the hardship letter on your own. Did you have any supporting letters from Doctors, employer, or other?

I am REALLY worried about taking this step, but unless we do something, my husband remains in LIMBO, unable to work, unable to drive..mmm



yes, each place in the HSL where you see the note "(see attached documents)", a document was provided as support.


if you are not comfortable doing this yourself, get a lawyer.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-06-05 08:29:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)OMG I-601 Approved!!!!

HORAY!!!!!!!!


just got a letter in the mail saying the I-601 was approved!!!! My wife goes into the consulate next week to finish up!!!!!


What was the waiver for if you don't mind me asking?

Congrats by the way! :thumbs:


unlawful presence over 180 days but less than one year

a full detail of the issue involved - http://www.visajourn...php/t40093.html

and a complete breakdown of the process including the I-601 hardship letter:

http://www.immigrate...pic.php?t=15150
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-05-15 23:59:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)OMG I-601 Approved!!!!
HORAY!!!!!!!!


just got a letter in the mail saying the I-601 was approved!!!! My wife goes into the consulate next week to finish up!!!!!
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-05-15 11:06:00
United KingdomWe have to fly to Texas

Why did you start this thread agan? So you could moan?

Many people tried to help you & you won't have it. :blink:



fear is neither rational nor logical, if you've ever read "men are from mars, women are from venus" (ISBN-13: 978-0007152599) many women don't nessarily want a "solution" for their problem, more so an outlet to discuss their problem.

homesick - fear is fear, and nothing that anyone says mitigates that. difference between humans and some gazelle on the african plain is that humans can choose to deal with their fear, be it an attacking preditor or a cross atlantic plane ride. saying the fear doesn't exist is wrong, choosing to deal with it is right. if anything stands out to the courage of spouses, it should be the testimate of the loved ones who go through the immigration process. as a sci-fi fan, the only words of wisdom are those writen by frank herbert in dune:

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when my fear is gone I will turn and face fear's path, and only I will remain.

only you can conquer your fears, not by words of another or chemicals to condition your mind

Edited by prpplague, 08 June 2007 - 08:58 PM.

prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-06-08 20:55:00
United KingdomWe have to fly to Texas

I'm getting sick with fear at the thought of having to fly. I hate flying.



i assume you guys closed on the your house in the UK, you decided on a place in dallas yet?
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-06-08 20:38:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaTrinidad
QUOTE (Jesse G @ Nov 28 2007, 12:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Jengles @ Nov 27 2007, 08:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I found roti way to messy to eat,


Maybe you just need to find a Trini to teach you proper technique! wink.gif


we've been trying to find some roti skins in the DFW area for ages. there is a new grocery specializing in international foods, gonna try it this weekend!
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-11-28 20:09:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionConsular Approval Without I-601 waiver

Her I-94 had a date to leave the US or D/S? Did she enter as a tourist or as a student?


i found a photocopy of the I-94 we were going to use with her I-539 application. she entered on a B-2 visa, and the I-94 has a D/S on it. odd thing is i didn't think the D/S was used with B-2 visa. so the question is, how do we determin if she overstayed?
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-11-13 13:08:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionConsular Approval Without I-601 waiver

Sorry, but she will need a waiver.


yea i figured as much from my reading, just was curious about the authority of consular's authority.

i figure that the I-601 won't be a problem, by the time it gets processed (estimated 6 months) she'll have been out of the country for the three years anyway. and since both our children are US citizens and i work in the US , i suspect a I-601 would be approved.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-11-07 12:47:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionConsular Approval Without I-601 waiver

Her I-94 had a date to leave the US or D/S? Did she enter as a tourist or as a student?


it had a date, she entered with a six month tourist visa B1/B2
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-11-07 11:14:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionConsular Approval Without I-601 waiver

Yes. If the person who overstayed was an I-94 D/S holder.



yes she had a valid I-94 which was surrendered when she left the US. she actually overstayed 190 days.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-11-07 08:46:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionConsular Approval Without I-601 waiver
i've read about all the issues about visa overstays and when a I-601 waiver is required.
for example most people agree that any overstay less than 180 days does not require
a waiver, but anything over 180 does because it includes a ban. my question is this:
does the consular have the authority to approve a visa without requiring a I-601 if there
was an overstay more than 180 days?
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-11-07 07:39:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionDivorce Decrees

My attorney in BANGKOK just called TWO weeks before my SO's interview and said the U.S. Embassy requires the original decrees of my divorces; not copies. Has anyone ever heard of this? Is this true? The VJ guidelines state copies of the decrees.

Has anyone's SO had their interview yet that the interviewer has required originals? Can anyone point me to USCIS or DHS webpage that states these requirements? Or is it up to the embassy to what they want?

Thanks,

reach449


my divorce decree was out of texas which normally only provides "non-certified" copies to the divorcee. the embassy(barbados) did require a certified copy from the county clerk's office, which i was able to obtain pretty easy for a small fee(if i recall correctly it was $10USD). generally the CO can accept just about any documents, certified or not, however the CO often gets his work reviewed and if there is a problem the CO can get a reprimand, so they generally are very strict with the policies regarding the documents.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-07-20 08:32:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDS-230 II SSN question
quick question, my wife has an ITIN but not a SS number. do we need to get a SS# if she already has a ITIN ? will appyling for SS be a problem if we already have the ITIN?
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-11-10 07:49:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresIs it possible to be approved for a green card if my wife owerstayed her visa before?

We have a very good reason for overstaying, that reason is: my wife was pregnant at the time, and wanted to go back home to have the child, we had to wait to get me a passport, and once that was completed, she had over stayed the 180 days by two weeks. At the airport she said she had lost her green slip (boarding pass you get attached to your passport when you enter the country).


an overstay is an overstay, doesn't matter the reason. you will most likely still qualify for a I-601 waiver which will allow you to "overide" the 3 year ban (possibly 10 now)

She had honestly lost it!
The airline worker said (when we left) to that "the green slip is for the INS to know when you left the country, since you dont have it anymore, you have to report the INS yourself when you left"
We ofcourse, never reported.


there are procedures for handling a failure to report your departure. items such as entry stamps in your passport, plan tickets receipts, or other documents stating when you left.

Do they know that my wife overstayed?
She has a new passport. A new last name due to marrying me.
Will they find out? And if they do, will she have to wait in her country for two more years?

We have already set up an appointment at the US embassy.
But we would rather not tell them about this overstaying, even though we did have a reason!


lying about it will only assure you a perminent ban. telling the truth about it will make things a little longer to process, but it should eventually get you a visa. my suggestion to you is to apply for the I-130 asap, and in the mean time correct the unreported departure before you have to go for your interview.

IANAL
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-12-04 14:54:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresVaccinations to be taken

Hi all,
I thought I had this clear in my mind but now I am confused :wacko: I told my husband that he should get his vaccinations now while he is waiting for his package from the consulate to arrive, (we are in the very early stages of applying for his visa, I am waiting for the fee bill to arrive for the AOS). He told me he checked with the physician who will be doing the medical for his visa and he told him to wait until he receive his packet from the consulate and once he receives the packet bring it to them and they will tell him what vaccinations he will need.



my wife had lost her vacination card, so she was going to have to get some shots. we asked about doing it before hand. turns out in our case it was cheaper and easier to just get it done at the time of the medical exam. after reviewing her records, the doctor said she only need to the MMR and DPT. the only thing i would recommend as a concern with getting the shots at the medical is that 1 in 20 people have a reaction with the MMR shot about 7-12 days after receiving the shot. so if you can help it, try to get the medical done at least 14 days before your interview. you don't want to be sick at the interview.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-12-11 11:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPassport changed to married name for NVC

HI GARY: I AM A TOTAL NEWBIE HERE ...BUT I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE WOMAN WOULD NEED TO CHANGE HER NAME ON THE PASSPORT BEFORE CONTINUING WITH THE PROCESS. HAVE YOU FOUND MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC? GOOD LUCK! PHOEBE


Hi Phoebe,

I actually don't have any information that says the passport name should be changed for the visa process. When my wife and I returned to the Philippines after our honeymoon, she was scolded by the officer at the POE for not having her passport name changed to her married name. Of course how could she have, we'd only been married for a few days. Couple this with her trying to get a certified copy of her passport for me to get her ITIN for my U.S. income taxes, and I just started thinking she needed to get it changed. I think now that is not the case.

But I do intend to make sure she gets her passport name changed before she immigrates to the United States. I think it is hard to get the change once you leave your country of issuance.

Gary


we have done all of our paperwork in my wife's maiden name with no problems. the only issue i see later is that her social security and green card will probably be in her maiden name as well, which is a pain. i've been meaning to ask if anyone else has been in that situation but haven't had time.

so.... if any of your VJ'ers who know the answer to: what happens if you filed with maiden name, and after receiving your visa, get your passport changed from maiden to married name?
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-03-29 08:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMedical Exam Question
QUOTE (tidanemu @ Aug 29 2007, 06:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Has anyone gone for the medical exam and needed vaccinations? If this is the case, will the physician give the needed vaccinations then, or will we have to go get the vaccinations before the interview. If the interview date is close to the medical exam and we are unable to get the vaccinations by interview time, will the embassy hold off on granting the visa until all vaccinations are complete?

Thanks



my wife had lost her vacination card, so she was going to have to get some shots. we asked about doing it before hand. turns out in our case it was cheaper and easier to just get it done at the time of the medical exam. after reviewing her records, the doctor said she only need to the MMR and DPT. the only thing i would recommend as a concern with getting the shots at the medical is that 1 in 20 people have a reaction with the MMR shot about 7-12 days after receiving the shot. so if you can help it, try to get the medical done at least 14 days before your interview. you don't want to be sick at the interview.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2007-08-29 16:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTax Identification Number
QUOTE (nova71 @ Jan 4 2008, 04:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Is the ITIN number only needed if filing jointly. What about if married, filing seperatley. I know on the 1040 it asks for spouse name and SS, but I would like to skip this dance if I do not have to wink.gif; but I still need to file since my wife is abroad and does not have her visa yet, and has her interview sometime this Spring. Thanks for the great info wink.gif
Dave & Pricilla


if you file seperately there is no need to get an ITIN. if your spouse has no income in another country you get a bigger standard deduction by filling jointly, therefor more money back. which is why most people go to the trouble of getting a ITIN prior to a SSN. (btw, my statements can not be considered tax advice)
prpplagueMaleBarbados2008-01-04 18:01:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTax Identification Number
QUOTE (Roserick @ Jan 4 2008, 12:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Count me in guys..

I'm in the same situation.. My wife and daughter are in the Philippines right now and I want to include them on my 2007 filling..

What should I do? I know the passport thing has been discussed..

So I have a photocopy of her passport, I just have to get it notarized? To any Notary Public? Stating what? unsure.gif

I also want to include my daughter on the filling.. But she haven't been here and she's a USC.. Since she haven't been here so she doesn't have a SSN.

What should I do? helpsmilie.gif


if it were me, i would also file for an extension to october 15th. then i'd go ahead an apply for a SSN for your daughter. in the mean time, have your wife visit the consulate/embassy and get a certified copy of her passport made. it will cost you to fedex/ups to the states but you'll have untill october to get it done.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2008-01-03 23:00:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTax Identification Number
QUOTE (Roserick @ Jan 4 2008, 12:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (rjp44 @ Jan 3 2008, 10:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Here is another thing that can effect an ITIN. I called IRS because we sent in DS-230 in Oct. '07 and checked the box that we wanted a SSN issued. Found out the IRS considers this a SSN applied for and aliens can not hve both SSN and ITIN applied for. Since we won't be coming through POE until late March, there will not be enough time to get SSN before filing deadline of April 15th. IRS specialist advised me to make sure enough tax had been paid in to avoid owing anything and just file for automatic extension, then file taxes when SSN arrives. He told me "applied for" is no longer accepted in the SSN/ITIN box.


You mean amend it? unsure.gif


i assume he means get a standard extension until october 15th.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2008-01-03 22:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTax Identification Number
QUOTE (rjp44 @ Jan 4 2008, 12:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
He told me "applied for" is no longer accepted in the SSN/ITIN box.


yea we were told the same thing, problem at H&R block along with all the other tax preparers i tried, their software packages will not allow them to complete the tax return without something in the space provided for a SSN or ITIN. what i did as a backup was made a photocopy of that page, used white out on the "applied for" and then made another photocopy of the page. i then took both the "applied for" marked paged and the blank page with me to the IRS office. i pointed out the "applied for" section to the IRS rep, she said the "official" policy was that it was not accepted but they do all the time. so she accepted the page with "applied for" on it.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2008-01-03 22:53:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTax Identification Number
QUOTE (simple_melanie @ Jan 3 2008, 11:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (ktmracer @ Jan 3 2008, 07:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
http://www.irs.gov/i...d=96287,00.html


What documents are acceptable as proof of identity and foreign status?
IRS has streamlined the number of documents the agency will accept as proof of identity to obtain an ITIN. There are now 13 acceptable documents.
An original, or a certified or notarized copy, of an UNEXPIRED passport is the only document that is accepted for both identity and foreign status.


I recieved a letter from the IRS in Sept. 2007 that for a foriegn spouse I must submit a valid passport. Some of those acceptable ID's in the instructions do not apply for foreigners. They did reject a certified copy of her passport from DFW office in the Philippines. Here is the number for ITIN information 215-516-4846. I hope this will help.


yea we went round and round about who could make a certified or notarized, it finally boiled down to either i had to send the passport in with the income tax return or take it in to the IRS office.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2008-01-03 21:59:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTax Identification Number
QUOTE (ktmracer @ Jan 3 2008, 10:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You do not have to send the passport. Just get the passport and make a copy of it and have it notarized here in the states, then send the copy.


i tried like 15 different notary services, none would certify a copy of a foreign passport. i don't know if it was just my bad luck or if there some rule regarding foreign documents.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2008-01-03 20:33:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTax Identification Number
we applied for a ITIN for my wife prior to her visa approval. here is a summary of what we learned 3 years ago, no idea if the rules have changed:

1. the return has to filed in paper format, it can not be electronically filed.
2. the section where your spouses SSN or ITIN is suppose to be filled in should be left blank or in the case of H&R block they had to put in "APPLIED" in the space provided so their software wouldn't complain.
3. the completed W-7 needs to be included and....
4. here is the kicker, you have to either include the passport with the application OR go to an IRS where they will photocopy the passport when accepting the tax return.

i went directly to the IRS office to file our return. the offices won't tell you but the office supervisor is authorized to make certified copies of foreign passports. i wait in line for about 30 minutes, the irs rep took the return, had the supervisor do the photocopy and said that was it. if you do go to the IRS office, make sure you record the date and time as well as the IRS rep's id number. there have been reports of "misplaced" returns with W-7's attached.

here is also a giant warning, after your spouse gets their SSN number you MUST, i repeat, MUST notify the IRS that the ITIN needs to be revoked in favor of the SSN. the IRS will not automatically void the ITIN after a SSN is assigned. i've been told that using the new SSN without voiding the ITIN will case a flag for getting audited.
prpplagueMaleBarbados2008-01-03 20:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAPPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, we were approved!!!!!! Had the interview yesterday and the guy that interviewed us was really nice. After my question about the I-134 they didn't even ask for one from me. We were in and out in an hour and twenty minutes. Neil will post a review about the entire interview later on. Thank you everyone for your help. We're so excited to be able to spend Christmas together.



congrads!!!!!!!


its always nice to see someone was able to navigate the mine field we call an immigration system!
prpplagueMaleBarbados2006-12-05 13:57:00