biggish data

F2A upgrade to CR1

They counted the processing time in our case. It took approx. 2 weeks from upgrade to approval. Good luck!

Thank you! For how long would you say they were processing your i-130 before you became US citizen and upgraded? It must have been a while since you said it was 2 weeks from upgrade to approval. Are you still on some stage or after approval your wife was granted visa and entry to US?

Thank you for your time

Dmitriy

dmitriy_zolotov

Not Telling

2013-01-21 17:37:00

F2A upgrade to CR1

Dear velrich,

I checked your timeline and it was a bit confusing, because it's says it was upgraded to IR? Is IR same as CR1? I was thinking about getting married in Moscow to my fiance while I'm permanent resident (and during the wait of becoming US citizen), then come back to US and send I-130 and wait till I become US citizen, and upgrade to CR1. Also it says 500 something days for the entire process until approval, is it pretty much back to back or you skipped some months?

Thank you,

Dmitriy

dmitriy_zolotov

Not Telling

2013-01-21 17:30:00

F2A upgrade to CR1

Hello VJ community,

Just curious how long would it take for my wife to come to US after CR1 upgrade if we get married in her country. The reason I'm asking, when I apply for I-130 F2A during the waiting time of getting my citizenship, would they count the processing time before an upgrade to CR1 or I would have to wait for a standart time of what it takes for CR1 without any upgrades. I know it takes 2+ years for F2A and I'm worrying about this whole "upgrade" thing, is it a reliable and known process, or I should just wait for my citizenship and apply for K1 visa instead?

Thank you in advance!

Best regards,

Dmitriy

dmitriy_zolotov

Not Telling

2013-01-19 23:40:00

tips for the "interview " please

I got my interview scheduled on the 8th of september. Need some tips on how to get by with the interview, what other documents and requirements are needed..What are the usual questions asked.. Please help.. thanks so much.
:help:

kisshappy

Female

Philippines

2011-08-26 11:35:00

Post visa interview questions here

thanks so much ..

kisshappy

Female

Philippines

2011-08-29 08:18:00

Got an email from the US embassy saying my Visa was issued 21st of sept!!! all i have to do now is just wait for them to send me my passport! yeepee! God is sooo good.. thanks VJ'rs for all the help!

kisshappy

Female

Philippines

2011-09-22 21:48:00

Hi there! just curious of A.K.A. (also known as)... do we really have to produce NBI clearance with AKA, what if I only use one name (the name I used in all my documents ever since), thanks and I will appreciate your reply.

hi.If you're using just one name ever since, and your name on your birth cert doesn't have any errors then i think you wouldn't need an A.K.A. on your NBI Clearance..

we have same case they ask my nbi, latest pay stub of my husband and status of his work from his employer, i sent august 26, and got my visa just yesterday sept. 15

thanks for the info..

kisshappy

Female

Philippines

2011-09-18 19:11:00

Not sure but congrats on the successful interview!!! There's a thread in the Philippines forum on how to track togo.

Bob

thanks Bob! :yes:

kisshappy

Female

Philippines

2011-09-15 20:29:00

Interview last sept 8th went well.. Thank God.. They asked me to show them our wedding photos, previous emails and letters.. The Consul said he would have almost signed my papers but he needed one more document from me.. an NBI clearance with my A.K.A.(also known as ) name on it..so they returned my passport and gave me a white paper 221g form.They said once i got my document i will need to send it together with my passport to the US Embassy via 2GO Courier..
I was able to sent the documents last sept 12 and I would like to know how long will it usually take for them to process the visa??
thank you soo much..

kisshappy

Female

Philippines

2011-09-15 19:51:00

RFE at interview.

6 photos, two letters and a birthday card are good when applying for the I129f petition but typically not nearly sufficient for an interview especially considering its been 1.5 years since you last saw each other.

Gather up all your records of conversation and start praying. Is there any way possible your fiance can make a visit. It may go a long way towards proving bonifide relationship. If he was there its possible it could sway their decision (still no gaurantee).

You should never purchase a ticket prior to having the visa in hand, take it from me! We were approved but the consulate had an internal issue with our case and we were delayed a month in getting the visa. I had booked tickets after the approval but without the visa in hand. A few cancellations and new reservations and a few thousand more dollars and we were all set :bonk:

Your goose is not cooked but you have some work to do to satisfy the consulate. Focus on gathering every tidbit you can to show maintained communication and relationship.

Do be cautious of the hubby word also - some consulates do try to trip you up. They asked my fiancee (now my wife) the same thing but she corrected the CO and when she did he smiled. We rehearsed the interview and she was prepared for those.

Wish you the very best and good luck.

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-05-18 16:29:00

Form I-134 Problem

Both ways work. I checked "Do Not Intend" and wrote in N/A (K-1 visa process for permanent residence)

We had no problems!

As far as scanning and emailing it - what about the supporting documents, Letter of Employment, Tax Records, Pat Stubs, Bank Statements etc...

Have him scan and send this all to you and then take and send it to you also. If you get an RFE it will be on its way to submit with the RFE. Make sure he sends everything including the supporting evidence.

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-05-18 13:02:00

Interview

Although the USC has submitted BC and divorce decree with the petition, the consulates typically request in their checklist that the original and copies be brought to the interview. They may request to see them, they may not. It would be in your best interest to have them in the event they ask to see them.

Once you receive your visa you have 6 months to enter the US (typical - always check the actual date of validity stamped on the visa).

Then once you enter the US you have 90 days to get married. It is recommended to file AOS within the 90 days but it is not techn ically required to do so. Again, it is in your best interest to do it as soon as possible after your marriage to avoid potential complications with ICE.

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-06-25 11:00:00

Interview questions you got wrong

I'm adding this as a comical perspective but the question is true and real and is actually asked. Believe me, if anyone gets it wrong they will be denied.

My fiancee was asked the following question as well as some friends we made that were interviewed and others we talked to at the Ho Chi Minh Consulate. The question was:

WHAT IS YOUR FINANCE"S NAME!!!!!!!!!! :wacko:

Now it seems so totally stupid and I cannot imagine ANYONE EVER getting THAT question wrong.

BUT IT IS REALLY AND TRULY ASKED (in some places) :blink:

CAN YOU IMAGINE

It is also true - in high fraud consulates the answers are scrutinized to different levels.

Sometimes they will ask the same question three different ways just to try and trip you up. If you are prepared and pay attention it should not be a problem.

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-03-03 08:39:00

Our interview

Congrats and a great write up. Wish you the best and a long and everlasting love.

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-09-08 14:33:00

Little Emergency

1st check all your paperwork to make sure you did not make any errors.
2nd Check your NOA2 and verify all the information is correct.

If all that is correct then it would be apparent that they made an error. You could then contact them (NVC) with the NOA2 information and verify that what they received is correct.

When you call the NVC they should request your name, DOB and case number and the name and DOB of your beneficiary as verification.

Did they request that info when you called?

It appears that someone made a boo boo. Getting their errors corrected can prove to be a challenge.

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2011-02-12 10:54:00

K1 Visa denied in Lagos after 8 months of AP!

Unfortunatley it sounds like you gave them the opportunity to "interperate" the meaning of your words.

After reading your post I can see where it could be viewed in two differetn ways.

One simply as meaning that you wanted him to meet your family before the wedding.

The other could be interpreted as meeting to determine a decision.

The fact that you made 4 trip in 15 months would lead me to belive that the full intent was a commitment to get married - why else would someone go throught the expense of traveling so far if the intent wasn't there.

Another case of failure by the CO to look at objective evidence and make a determination on personal opinion.

Hopefully you will get some good advice but it may be necessary to discuss with an established and reputable immigration attorney with experience in Lagos.

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-03-25 08:38:00

time from NOA2 to packet 3?

It took just over a month for my fiancee to receive packet 3 after the NOA2.

Did you get a letter from the NVC? I have read that it does not always happen.

You'll want to call the NVC and give them your case number from the NOA2. They should be able to give you the new case number for the consulate. Then you can contact the consulate to see if they sent packet three. It usually takes the consulate about two weeks to respond to emails.

It just so happened that in our case I was in Vietnam visiting my finacee, when I returned home the letter from the NVC was in the mail box. I called to verify they had sent the pacakage to the consulate and they confirmed it. I waited a few weeks and sent email to the consulate and the same day they replied my fiancee received packet 3 in the mail. What a sting of coincidence for us!

There are some delays in the process of sending, receiving and acknowledging these steps at each location. Hang in there, hopefully you can get some peace of mind soon (if thats possible :wacko:

)

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-03-10 07:38:00

I did not have the tax records notarized. There even has been debate over whether or not the I-134 requires being notarized, there is no longer a place on the form for this (unfortunatley the consulates and embassies are not to good about updating their paperwork!). To be safe, I created the cover letter and stated all the documents I was providing. Then I had the cover letter notarized. All the notary is doing is witnessing and certifying your signature.

When you make a statment as below and have it notarized you are subjecting yourself to perjury laws of the US if you provide false information.

I, (Your Name), a citizen of the U.S and currently residing at xxxx Brierwood Drive, Erie, Pennsylvania 16xxx, do hereby state that the information contained within the above referenced, attached documents is true and accurate the best of my knowledge.

______________________________ _______________________________
Name Signature

You can include multiple factual documents under one notarized signature, just list them and cover them in your statement.

I hope I'm not being confusing!!!! The whole cover letter example is posted in another post earlier in this string.

I didnt use a sponser so I am not comfortable advising on those requirements. I'm sure someone will come along and help on that.

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-01-27 08:43:00

Agree with Otto and Karin. If your income has increased for whatever reason, include the info and you can calculate based in current earnings. Having the pay stubs and proofs, letter or letters of employment , will support that. Also the past records show history of employment and pay.

Anything and everything you can provide to show you meet the requirements.

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-01-26 17:27:00

Thanks! What did your cover letter say?

I tried copying it here - hope it helps.

I-134 Cover Letter
(MY NAME) (MY ADRESS) (MY PHONE NUMBER)

Consulate General of the United States, Visa Unit
Ho Chi Minh City
4 Le Duan, Quan 1
Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh
Vietnam
Affidavit of Support I-134 for Case Number HCM-xxxxxxcase number)
To whom it may concern:
Following please find Form I-134, Affidavit of Support for my finacee, (beneficiaries name), and supporting documents as follows:
I-134 Coversheet
Form I-134
2007 Federal Tax Return Form 1040 & 1040 Schedule A
2008 Federal Tax Return Form 1040 & 1040 Schedule A
Letter of Employment
Pay stubs from the most recent six months
Bank Statements from the most recent six months

I, (Petitioners Name), a citizen of the U.S and currently residing at (my street adress), Erie, Pennsylvania 16510, do hereby state that the information contained within the above referenced, attached documents is true and accurate the best of my knowledge.

______________________________ _______________________________
Name Signature

___________________
State of
___________________
County of

On this _____ day of _____________, 2009, before me, a Notary Public for said County and State, personally appeared ______________________, known or identified to me, to be the person whose name is subscribed to the within instrument, and acknowledged to me that he executed the same.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my official seal the day and year in this certificate first above written.

Notary Public for the State of Pennsylvania
_____________________________
Notary Signature

(SEAL)

__________________________________
Name

__________________________________
Residing at

__________________________________
Commission Expires

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-01-26 17:21:00

Yep - Gross annual income before taxes and deductions. You can interpolate the current years income but it cannot be proved since it is not "real" income yet and in this economy nothing is for sure.

For factual data, provide your latest years salary. Submit a Letter of Employment from your employer stating your salary or pay rate, hours you work, how long you have been employed, full time / part time, etc... all relevant information and have it signed and dated by a authorized company individual.

Provide a minimum of two years tax returns and w2's, bank statements and pay stubs. Check out the guides here on VJ, they are very helpful.

I included the following:
I-134 cover letter (optional)
Complete signed and dated I-134
Letter of Employment
Most recent 6 months bank statements
Most recent 6 months pay stubs
Copy of Tax returns for 1040, 1040A and W2's (atually I forgot the w2's but there was no problem - whew)

Everything included was outlined on the cover letter including our case number, names, consulate address etc...

Hope that helps.

Bernie C

Male

Vietnam

2010-01-26 16:56:00