ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresEntry to the US Questions ( before, after, meanwhile)
Hello Rami,

On question 5: Your green card and SS card should be arriving at the address you provided on the DS-230. They will arrive via regular mail. Until then, you can use your passport with visa on it as proof of ID.

Question 7: If you get a job working for someone else, you will most likely have to submit a form called W-4 which is provided by your employer. This will let the IRS know how much to take out for taxes from each pay check.

Question 8: If you don't receive your SS card within a month, go to a SSA office to file for one. Some people had problems receiving the card even though they checked the box on the DS-230.

Question 9: You can travel any time you want after your POE. Just make sure you don't stay outside the US for more than 6 months to avoid issues once you file for citizenship if that is in your plans. When you travel you will only need your passport and your green card in hand.


Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-18 10:59:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDS-230 and translations
If you're talking about documents being sent to the NVC then yes, every document not in English needs to be original or certified and has to have a translation.

If you're talking about documents that you need to take to the embassy, then those do not have to be translated.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-25 17:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDS-230/ IV fees
Besides the fees Rina just mentioned, there aren't any more for CR1/IR1 visas.


Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-25 14:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresshortcut for DS-230 RFE
Wow, good to know that there is an RFE form for the DS-230. Is that just for the DS-230 or can it be used for other forms as well?


Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-26 14:42:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresshortcut for DS-230 RFE
I don't think there are any shortcuts for RFEs while the case is at the NVC. The only shortcuts I know of show you how to generate the DS-230 coversheet.


Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-26 10:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMarriage Certificate
You can use anybody you want to translate your documents as long as they are fluent in both languages. Then that person will state that they were responsible for the translation and that they fully understand both languages. And that's it.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-29 14:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNO Welcome letter no Green Card
All you need for employment verification is a Social Security Number and your visa. That's all. You don't have to wait for the actual green card to arrive in the mail.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-29 14:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHELP:IV billed sent in early Oct, now they still say havent received yet....
Did you send the payment via certified mail? That could show you when and who received it.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-30 10:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestions about DS230
My husband only listed high school and college and that was enough for the NVC to complete our case.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-31 09:59:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresReceived interview date!
Congratulations and best of luck!!

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-31 11:04:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedureshow many days from first touch to get the change of status online?
You can get a ton of touches before you change status, whether it's for an RFE or an actual approval. There isn't a specific time frame for it.


Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-01 12:10:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCongrats!! Geist and Stabu visa approved!
Congratulations to you too Jasmin!!! Hope you have a great trip to your new home here in the States. happy.gif


Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-01 12:07:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCongrats!! Geist and Stabu visa approved!
Yay!!!! Congratulations Stabuuuuuuuuuu!!!!


Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-31 15:32:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCase Complete at last!!!
Congratulations!!!

Make sure you call the NVC after the second week of November to find out when your interview will be.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-31 10:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresGreen Card and SS
It's been over 4 weeks for us and still nothing. Hopefully by next week.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-02 15:01:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCASE COMPLETE!
Congratulations and best wishes on the rest of your journey!

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-02 14:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCR1 Visa
You can come and go once you endorse your CR1 visa at point of entry, you don't need the actual green card to do so. They say it takes about 4 weeks for the green card to arrive, we've waited that long and still haven't received it.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-01 12:06:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresReturn of Original Documents
I just spoke with my husband and he pretty much said "screw it, they can keep them". The police and migratory movement certificates expire in 1 year and we have certified copies of everything else. It's just a bummer though since they'll throw all that stuff away anyway.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-02 11:10:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresReturn of Original Documents
Ridiculous. I also asked the officer at POE about the SSC box marked on the DS-230, he also recommended that we go to the SSA office to file in person. We go the next day, they say no problem and tell us that it would take 2 weeks for immigration to enter his info in the system, then they would process the SS# petition and that would take 2 more weeks. It's been 4 weeks already, he calls the SSA office yesterday and they tell him to wait 8 weeks. Augh.

I'll ask him to call Immigration to find out what is going on with his card and how we can request that the documents be sent back to us. I'll let you know if I find anything new with that.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-02 10:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresReturn of Original Documents
Hello Tamieka, I'm glad to see your hubby is finally with you!

I am also curious about the original documentation we submitted to the NVC. They sent it all to the embassy, the embassy didn't give it to us nor the offical at the POE which was MIA. The instructions for form G-884 say "If a final decision has been issued, submit the Form G-884 to the USCIS office or service center that took the last action on your case.", but I'm not sure what that would be. It won't be the NVC because they no longer have them, it won't be the embassy because they don't have them either, then who has them? huh.gif

Also, how did your husband get his SSC so fast? It's been 4 weeks for us now and nothing and we even went to the SSA office in person to request it.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-01 12:22:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresSS ,Green Card and POE
Without a SS# your SO cannot work in the US and it may take up to 8 weeks for them to issue one.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-05 12:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresArriving in the US from Colombia on a CR-1 Visa
1) Did your spouse travel alone or were they accompanied by the USC spouse? I accompanied my husband.
2) Which form did your spouse fill out on the plane before landing? The one per family one.
3) Where was your spouse's Point of Entry (e.g. JFK, Miami, Atlanta etc)? Miami.
4) What line did your spouse get on when they got off the plane? Visitors, Resident? Citizens/Residents line.
5) Did the immigration agent speak in Spanish or attempt to speak in English to your spouse? The first guy didn't speak Spanish so I translated. The other official in the Immigration room spoke Spanish.
6) What documents did your spouse have ready to hand over? Passport and visa brown envelope.
7) If traveling with the USC spouse, were you split up or was your USC spouse with you the whole time? Never. We were together the whole time.
8) What kind of questions did they ask your spouse? If it was his first time in the States, if he travelled alone or with Spouse.
9) Were the immigration officers friendly, rude? Very friendly.
10) How long was the whole process? 15 minutes.
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-06 17:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresArriving in the US from Colombia on a CR-1 Visa
My husband speaks very little English as well and I really hope I get to not only accompany him on his interview, but fly back home together. I've seen that it's worked out fine for some people but for others, not so much. :huh:
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-04-23 13:42:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresanyone know about temp. I-551
Nicole,

My husband entered the US on 10/02 and we still haven't received anything, no Welcome to America letter, no green card and no social. We called the USCIS, they transferred us a few times until the last person told us that his info was not in their system yet and that we should give it another 3-4 weeks. It's been 5 already. But until they enter this info in their system the SSA cannot issue a SS #.

You should call the USCIS to find out if this is your case or not. If your husband's info is already in the system then you're good to go to the SSA office to get him a SS #.


Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-07 16:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCR1 interview in London - Approved!
Congratulations to you both!!!
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-07 12:53:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMY WIFE HAS ARRIVED
Congratulations and best wishes to you both!
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-06 14:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPlzz help me i m so confused now
That's correct. The letter you received was most likely mailed out before they received your payment and the documentation they're missing is the DS-230 and all other documents you need to send along with it.

Call the NVC to make sure they have received your payment.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-12 12:50:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresJame's Shortcuts
Cover letter of Cover Sheet? There is a big difference between these two. I suggest you go to the National Visa Center forum and read the Timesavers thread found on the top of the page, pages 1, 10 & 11. They tell you in detail how the process works at the NVC and how to generate the barcodes needed for the coversheets.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-15 13:26:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-130 Questions Name Change
Many people fill out the forms with their new married name.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-15 13:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCase Forwading to embassy???
Call the NVC to find out WHEN it was mailed to the embassy. Then try to figure out how long it might take to get there since it varies from country to country. Then call the embassy itself and tell them that the NVC told you they had already sent it out and that you were checking to see if it had arrived. They should be able to give you that information.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-19 10:12:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresBAR CODE FOR THE AUTH. TAX RELEASE NOT WORKING!
Yup, don't even bother with that, it's no longer needed.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-29 12:45:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCR-1 fee's
I'm guessing you haven't gone through NVC yet. Their fees are $70 for AOS and $384 for the IV Bill. Once you pay that to the NVC, you don't have anything else to worry about.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-28 17:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresu.s. citizen spouse translating documents?
I would call the NVC to find out. The DOS website says that the documents need to be originals or certified copies ALONG with translations, period. It doesn't say that the translations need to be certified or done by a certified translator, it just says the documents need to be accompanied with a translation. Call the NVC if a simple translation done by you, the petitioner is acceptable.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-10-09 10:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresFees for Interview
There are no more fees to pay at the time of interview since you already paid for everything at the NVC.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-12-04 11:12:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresgetting through to a 'real' person
You can get thorugh the USCIS faster than the NVC. I've called several times at whatever time of day and I always get through. But to get to the NVC you have to call really early in the morning, around 7:30AM EST or really late at night, 11:30PM EST.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-12-05 12:12:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresgetting through to a 'real' person
Are you asking about the NVC or the USCIS?

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-12-05 11:03:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresSuccessful CR-1 interview in Paris
Congratulations! Glad to see it's all over now!

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-12-05 12:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestion for newlyweds not living in the same country
I only included a copy of the marriage certificate along with 2 affidavits from my mom and sister, that's all.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-12-05 11:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresUSCIS Appointment
You definitely need to go to your Infopass appointment to find out what is going on. They will find your petition with the receipt number and will be able to tell you if it was approved and if it was sent to the NVC or not. I just find it odd that your husband had to sign a DS-3032 (Choice of Agent) form and the lawyer didn't even give you a case number then. Then he asks for money to cover the AOS fee bill and still no NVC case. Something doesn't add up.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-12-07 10:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresLive itself is temporary
Hey Alan,

Glad you made to the US ok. And if it makes you feel any better, my husband still hasn't received his SS card so he can't get his driver's license, I can't change my name, he can't go to the English school he wanted to and can't get a job.

Diana
Mononoke28FemaleColombia2007-11-28 13:32:00