biggish data

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

i dont know where you are in your visa journey, but there are no shortcuts, the important thing is to be very accurate in provideing every document they ask for so that there are no delays in the processing of your case.

if you read my timeline you would see I am at the end and I started soooo long ago that many things have change since then. Back when I started snail mail was the only way to pay your fees...you have no need for shortcuts now.

indianheart

Female

India

2010-02-20 09:54:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

Congratulations and best wishes!

May I ask what "shortcuts" did you use?

James short cuts once apon a time were used but with the new automated system are no longer valid, all the payments are made online now.

indianheart

Female

India

2010-02-20 01:06:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

Hi indianheart
congratulation, you did it.

my case is also in 221g AP, i am worrying if they return it to USCIS what kind of documents they ask to REAFFIRM the case???
your help will be appreciated

Thanks

For further evidence I sent phone records, chat logs, more photos of all of my trips, me with his family on my last visit, and afidavit from his parents, copies of my visa's with passport stamps, everything I could think of and it all consisted of about 5 lbs of paper. I also wrote a letter (5 pages in length) answering all points the consulate gave for returning the petition. Put it all togther before they send you the NOIR/NOID and you will be ready. I am sure you will have an idea for the reason if they send it back. AP doesnt always mean the case goes back.
good luck to you

indianheart

Female

India

2010-02-19 15:04:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

The one thing I forgot to mention, they upgraded our CR-1 to an IR-1 at the consulate. I feel like we were given a bonus.

indianheart

Female

India

2010-02-19 11:56:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

This has been such a torturous nightmare. I was beginning to think we would live our lives searching for a way to be together but after our case being reaffirmed the consulate accepted the truth and issued my husband his visa.

The one piece of advice I would give to everyone in the middle of the long wait that US immigration puts us through is to show perseverence. There is little else we can do. I got senators and congressmen involved but it did no good as far as I can tell. May it showed the consulate I was serious but all I was aware of it doing was telling me the same thing the conculate did.

I am greatful to all of you here on VJ that so willingly shared your experiences, and your encouragement. If not for VJ I would not have been able to do this whole process on my own. I used James shortcuts, so thank you to him, and so many phone numbers members have been good enough to share.
Thank you all and I am soon off to start living a life with my husband in person :joy:

Edited by indianheart, 19 February 2010 - 11:33 AM.

indianheart

Female

India

2010-02-19 11:32:00

reaffirmed petition 2nd interview done

Congratulations !Indianheart it is just a formality I hope the AP is over quickly I know how bad you feel but look how far you have come it wont be long now. Your case and Twisted K 's case gives me hope.

I am wondering if it is because of our age, we are both over 40 (I will be 49). I feel like they are torturing us. We are both concerned because they gave back his visa. should I threaten sueing them for discrimination? I havent seen my husband for nearly 15 months and cant afford a trip now because I have done everything I can think of to bring us into the same country ( I am at present working on a work permit in Canada because I thought I could bring him tied to my work permit. His ties to india are not strong enough. what a joke, US says he is tied to india and Canada says he is not).
I am so frustrated

indianheart

Female

India

2010-02-12 11:28:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

reaffirmed petition 2nd interview done

My husband went to the consulate today for "interview", this case was reaffirmed in Oct. 2009. They took all finger prints, spent 2 minutes, told him it was going to AP and gave him back his passport...WHAT THE HELL!
I called and was actually able to speak with the CO. She said they had about 8 lbs of files to review and needed nothing from us. What can we expect now?

indianheart

Female

India

2010-02-12 04:23:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

Thanks Milo,
I couldnt work in India, wouldnt make enough in one month to cover my car payment. I am looking at working in Canada, the UK, Australia, or even the middle east if I have to so my husband and I can live together as we should. I will have a better idea of my options soon, but I appreciate any information that is shared.

indianheart

Female

India

2008-11-25 13:11:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

I guess the embassy believes when a man is divorced he should not have any communication with his ex even when they have children together (my husband loves his kids very much and spends as much time with them as he can). I guess spending 6 months in India with my husband over the last 3 years doesnt count for anything with the CO's. They didnt even ask for further evidence. When my husband had his interview they kept him till the end of the day, last to be interviewed and asked to return at which time they called me at 3 am and interviewed me too. They wanted to deny us from the beginning and looked for anything they could use to send it back.
I am not done fightning, this is not over by a long shot. I am meeting with an attorney next week. I should have used an attorney from the beginning.

Edited by indianheart, 23 November 2008 - 12:29 PM.

indianheart

Female

India

2008-11-23 12:26:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

Teacking list looks great...havent seen in a long time. our case has been returned to USCIS so you can update that

. The CO I spoke to (in person in Chemmai) was a real ###, very hostile with me. This whole process SUCKS. I am now looking to move out of the US till this is done

indianheart

Female

India

2008-11-23 11:51:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

Looks wonderful, thank you for your work. a great tracking tool, look foward to more completions

indianheart

Female

India

2008-10-13 16:51:00

Airline Tickets for Spouse/Fiance(e)

Hi DEVANandTINTIN

There are no restrictions on purchasing flights in Philippines or USA. I booked my fiance's ticket on delta online. But Delta does have a requirement for the purchaser to show up to a delta ticket office with credit or debit card with ID to verify. Some thing about fraud protection.

Other airlines is Cathay Pacific, Continental.

Try these sites:
http://www.farecompare.com/
http://www.travelocity.com/
http://www.cathaypac...n_INTL/homepage
http://www.delta.com/

Good luck and God Bless

I purchased my fiance's tickets from manila to portland oregon from delta as well. I went directly through the delta site as one-way for both her and her daughter. It was the cheapest way to go. We had no problems. I did have to go to the portland airport and validate my credit card as stated. I made sure they put a note in the computer stating I had done so. I also sent my fiance a copy of the card and letter stating I purchased the tickets, although she did not need them. Good luck.

-James

James and Cynthia

Male

Philippines

2011-11-22 01:11:00

Playstation 3... games region free... sooo is everything region free?

Yes he does! He loves that game! As a matter of fact, that is the game that is going to be his main connection with his mates back home.. hence the reason this whole PS3 thing is such a big issue!!

Then you're right. It is a big issue. He's gotta have his COD. Good luck.

-James

James and Cynthia

Male

Philippines

2011-02-12 20:22:00

Playstation 3... games region free... sooo is everything region free?

My fiance is dying to know the answer to this question... and so I thought I'd see if anyone out there has had experience with this.

So, he has a PS3 that he wants to bring over so that we can use Blu-ray player, netflix, hulu, AND use to play online with his mates from back home.

We know that games are region free, so that is a good sign. But, he is blocked in the UK for netflix and hulu. Will he be able to connect in the US with a PS3 bought in the UK? And will there be any problems connecting it online or whatever to play with other people? And is it possible to use a power cord made for a US PS3 on a PS3 from the UK?

If anyone has experience with this, we would be very grateful to hear about it!! There is all kinds of conflicting information on the web about it, so we want to hear from someone who has tried this!! If there are any other nerds out there

I believe the block for netflix is regional because of the internet location, not because of the box. It should work just fine in the US, but I can't say for sure.

As for the cord; my PS3 says it needs 120V here in the US. What does yours say at the bottom? If it does not say 120V, you'll need an adapter. The cord we use here has no box or transformer on it; just a plain cord. Does your cord have a transformer where it plugs into the wall? If your PS3 says it needs 120V, and your cord has a transformer with it because your power there is not 120V, then you will not be able to use that cord here. Instead, you would use a standard PC cord without a transformer. They are a dime a dozen. Nothing special about them.

Does your fiance play call of duty black ops? It's a great game on the PS3.

-James

Edited by James and Cynthia, 01 February 2011 - 10:59 PM.

James and Cynthia

Male

Philippines

2011-02-01 22:58:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

I am a US citizen.

And it is not in effect yet but it is supposed to be by the end of the year. We are aware of this new rule and it did make our decision harder but we still believe that Canada is the least risky route and it is a good place to live. This is mostly about being separated from his mother - not getting a green card. Of course in a perfect world he would be a dual citizen one day.

I do understand that and I have to apologize for my first post if it seemed out of line. It was not meant to be at all. However, reading up on the proposals for this new waiver it is for "immediate" family. Also, it states that a I-130 will have been sent in for the family member.

>>An individual may seek a provisional unlawful presence waiver if he or she:

Is physically present in the United States;
Is at least 17 years of age;
Is the beneficiary of an approved immigrant visa petition (I-130) classifying him or her as an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen;
Is actively pursuing the immigrant visa process and has already paid the Department of State immigrant visa processing fee;
Is not subject to any other grounds of inadmissibility other than unlawful presence; and
Can demonstrate that the refusal of admission would result in extreme hardship to a U.S. citizen spouse or parent. <<

I also understand that you are the US citizen, however in-laws are not considered "immediate" family for immigration. It makes it hard where here in the US there are different privileges associated with having a green card and being a US citizen. Would be a travesty for you guys to move to Canada with the assumption everything would be ok and then him not being able to come back here at all to see his mother. 20+ years ago I went through this with my first husband who was a permanent resident here from Mexico and I was not allowed to file anything for his siblings or his parents because I was not immediate family in their guidelines. He would have to become a US citizen to have those rights.

I would suggest reading everything you can on USCIS to get accurate information to base your decisions on. Good luck with whatever it is you decide is best to keep your family together and in close communication.

CarolAnn&Eddy

Female

Canada

2012-05-28 22:00:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

I have been doing a bit of research to help.. here is a direct copy and paste from the USCIS website that was updated 5/3/12.

>>>I-601 Provisional Waiver Is Not in Effect

USCIS is considering changes that would allow certain immediate relatives (the spouse, children or parents of a U.S. citizen) who can demonstrate extreme hardship to a U.S. citizen spouse or parent to receive a provisional waiver of the unlawful presence bars before leaving the United States.

These procedures are not in effect and will not be available to potential applicants until USCIS publishes a final rule in the Federal Register specifying the effective date. USCIS plans to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the coming months and will consider all comments received as part of that process before publishing a final rule.

Do not send an application requesting a provisional waiver at this time. USCIS will reject any application requesting this new process and we will return the application package and any related fees to the applicant. USCIS cannot accept applications until a final rule is issued and the process change becomes effective.
Be aware that some unauthorized practitioners of immigration law may wrongly claim they can currently file a provisional waiver application (Form I-601) for you. These same individuals may ask you to pay them to file such forms although the process is not yet in place. Please avoid such scams. USCIS wants you to learn the facts about protecting yourself and your family against scammers by visiting uscis.gov/avoidscams.
If you already have an immigrant visa interview with the U.S. Department of State, we strongly encourage you to attend. The Department of State may cancel your immigrant visa registration if you fail to appear at this interview.<<<<

from my reading the waiver spoken of is not even accepted anymore. And if it was it would be only for a relative of a US citizen

CarolAnn&Eddy

Female

Canada

2012-05-28 21:37:00

Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)

It's his mother! It's not just 'ANOTHER illegal undocumented' person. I'm not sure about the relationship you have with your mother, but if I had to find a administratively legal way to visit my mother I would find it. And if not, well I would still visit my MOTHER.

Yes it is harsh and cold to expect someone to cut off ties with their family because of the way the US government has set up their immigration policy.

This is exactly what I meant by not trying to be that way.. I have an amazing relationship with my mother and she lives right across the street and has for 23 years. And as you stated I would also find any "administratively legal way" to visit my mother. But, what seems to be forgotten is that in the governments eyes, neither him or his mother is here legally. That poses a problem. I personally know how harsh and cold CBP officers can be when trying to enter the US from Canada, have sat at the border office in tears because I was not believed when telling the truth and watched as my fiance was denied entry into the US. Emotions rarely or never come into play when it comes to the US government. That is all I was trying to say.

I tend to be straight with the points I make and don't sugar coat them. Was not placing judgement on anyone. I have personally worked helping illegals from Mexico get tied into the appropriate services to help them and get legal status. However, that was about 20 years ago when a person could apply and have their permanent residency within about 3 months total time waiting and total cost was around $200.

CarolAnn&Eddy

Female

Canada

2012-05-28 20:36:00

I guess I am a bit confused. If the OP has already sent of and had the I-130 approved, then USCIS already know her husband has been here illegally and "undocumented". Additionally, if he has worked here at all in the US there are records somewhere of his existence in the US (unless a fake name & SSN was used).

I agree with Gervl to not use Canada as a stepping stone to get to the US legally and bi-pass necessary steps and legal processes. I have re-read this thread a few times and the OP has stated they want to live indefinitely in Canada, wants to move to Canada then come back to the US, wants dual citizenship, etc.

As a USC, taxpayer, and someone trying to get my fiance here to the US from Canada through ALL means, I would agree with others that it is a bit offending to hear that someone is trying to work through the system. Broken down in easy terms, if I understand correctly all this that the OP is trying to do is because they are worried about being able to visit ANOTHER illegal undocumented member of their family that is living here in the US.

I don't want to seem harsh and cold, and maybe I am just not understanding completely.

CarolAnn&Eddy

Female

Canada

2012-05-28 17:23:00

How much stuff did/are you shipping from UK to US?

I was looking through the forums at the topics about shipping your belongings and am seeing that many people were saying about £400 or more. You are mentioning the measurements but that's all stuff that my brain doesn't want to figure out right now. We just kind of want to know how much you spent and for how much stuff. Not measurements of boxes, but what kind of items did you ship?
Isaac just has a couple guitars and those are the largest items then he has books and stuff like that. Everything else, like most of his clothing, can be just brought on the plane with him.
The prices I am seeing you lot have paid just kind of scare us a little but I don't know if you guys were shipping a whole bunch of stuff or what. Ahh!

BowieChick

Female

England

2009-05-29 18:02:00

Novel ways to keep in touch with your other half! :)

Though Skype chats with webcams are our main form of communication (normally lasting 3-6 hours, ha) we do use Twitter when I am away from the computer.
Just as you say with Facebook, Isaac updates his twitter and it sends to my phone and I @reply him. He doesn't have a cell phone so it only works when he's online but it's nice if I am running late for our daily chat and we can still tell each other what's going on. His Twitter is private and he uses it purely for that purpose.
We also play online games against each other. Normally just simple stuff like MySpace pool or darts.
We have a hard time finding 2 player games that don't involve downloading stuff to your computer, anyone got any for us? We love scrabble but the only good version I found only worked in America. Lame.

BowieChick

Female

England

2009-07-25 01:30:00

I think what "mail order bride" sites mean are those sites that market the foreign woman as a commodity that is being "sold" to the USC male. Obviously you will not find sites openly trafficking in humans (at least I hope not). But the websites do advertise their "products" this way.
BINGO! In IMBRA2005's own words- they passed a law which does nothing to protect women, but instead targets crappy marketing. This hits the nail on the head. Create laws which make us feel better, not which have no teeth and are not written to actually provide results. They for all intents and purposes legislated good taste in advertising!

Once again, the laudable intention to do good slams into the concrete wall of unintended consequences.

All of us on here know, for a fact, that the whole purpose of the fiancee visa process is to allow the various governments to ascertain if the relationship is real or sham. Law was already in place, and the mechanisms were working.

I don't know, the law has some pretty serious teeth -- fines, jail time, sounds pretty serious to me if you violate it.

I understand that the concepts driving the law may be a bit sophisticated and difficult for some to understand. Let me try to put it this way. These relationships have a power imbalance built into them from the beginning and it is precisely that imbalance that these companies try to capitalize on in their marketing. The law isn't targeting the marketing, its targeting the power imbalance.

Unlike an ordinary dating service, the IMB industry charges its American male clients fees of up to several thousand dollars to gain access to foreign women from developing countries. The women are marketed to men as commodities that are submissive, docile, obedient, and sexually attractive (and available at command). The women recruited by these agencies usually have no idea how they are marketed and believe, erroneously, that the agencies screen their male clients for “bad apples.”

Other IMB practices, from “satisfaction guaranteed” assurances to so-called “romance tours” during which a dozen men may be introduced to several hundred women at once competing for the males' attention, firmly establish the “male as client, female as commodity” dynamic. The sense of entitlement that the male client develops in his costly investment is a recipe for domestic violence. These companies have been making themselves an easy conduit for predatory abusers to find their next victims. The consequences can be fatal.

Obviously, the system before IMBRA didn't work for Alla Barney. The system didn't work for Anastasia King. The system didn't work for Susanna Blackwell . . . and countless others.

I do not believe IMBRA would have had the intended effect to save those women.

I am sorry I cannot agree with you. I respectfully concede you have some good points, but we differ philosphically. I hope that IMBRA works and no more women suffer. That would be great! Sadly, I cannot see that happening.

The thing is this law does not focus well on the problem. The laws were already in place to save Anastasia King and Susanna Blackwell, but the consulate could not identify them properly. The police check adds a layer to help prevent that at the time of K1 petition, but again, that is the only thing that helps with this law. I hate to say it, but we as humans, no matter how many laws we pass, will make mistakes and people will die. Its a cruel world, but I am so tired of the government trying to save me from myself.

IMBRA is law, women will still be exploited at the same rate, and there will be more Anastasia Kings' and Susanna Blackwells'.

Edited by Chuckles, 18 June 2006 - 06:16 PM.

Chuckles

Male

Russia

2006-06-18 18:13:00

They can advertise falsely all they want. If you go to the Phillapines you will find the girls are just girls there. And I can say from personal experience that Russian women are not as advertised there. Any man who thinks otherwise will simply NOT have a lady fall in love with him and will NOT have a fiancee to abuse... Because independant women anywhere do not fall in love with heartless, caulous jerks.

I find most of this offensive really. It is degrading to women of other cultures.

Chuckles

Male

Russia

2006-06-18 17:29:00

The organizations you describe ARE NOT brokers. They are illegal organizations akin to the mob.

They will operate EXACTLY the same with or without the IMBRA law. IMBRA is targeted at businesses that operate with the law.

OF COURSE these crimes happen. I have NEVER seen anyone dispute that they do. Please show me where this is disputed ?? The fact is however that IMBRA doesn't address this problem at its source, which is what you describe.

Please let me know what I have missed.

Do a Google search on "Mail-Order Brides". See how many agencies you'll get. Or type "Russian Brides". When did MOB agencies become illegal? I'm asking that because I honestly don't know but apparantly there are plenty of them up and running - and plenty of American men paying for their services.

I'm just stating my opinion here based on the new question the updated I-129F. It appears that immigration wants to know if the petitioner did in fact pay an agency and if so, they require additional information as to the nature of the relationship. Maybe I'm not communicating this well, but I can see how that kind of pressure applied to the petitioners will affect future petitioners if there is a trend after IMBRA of more K-1 Visa's being denied. That in turn is going to effect the whole marriage broker industry which will either fight a legal battle with IMBRA or adjust their business practices to lesson the chances of their customers being denied visa's. Am I making any sense?

Mail Order brides... how does that work? I see lots of sites that operate EXACTLY like the Yahoo personals, is that what you refer to as 'mail order bride' sites?

Ok, I googled it. Nowhere can I pay a fee to have a wife delivered. Sorry. For that I need to go underground and contact organized crime that deals in human trafficing.

I understand your opinion now, but I still think you miss the mark. There are plenty of checks along the way when applying for the K1 petition. The added police check is great, at the time of the petition. The rest is a bunch of ####### that makes no sense in the real world, IMO.

And oh... Organized crime i.e. the MOB has been illegal for a long time ... not sure what you were thinking there.

Edited by Chuckles, 18 June 2006 - 05:06 PM.

Chuckles

Male

Russia

2006-06-18 17:02:00

I just got to say something.

Just because someone is not happy with the IMBRA law does not mean they are pro-rape and/or pro-abuse. I wish the legislation actually had a chance to effect these things. The police check at time of the K1 is fine, and I really hope it helps someone, but there is more to the law that just makes me go... hummmmmmmmmm.

Chuckles

Male

Russia

2006-06-18 15:32:00

The organizations you describe ARE NOT brokers. They are illegal organizations akin to the mob.

They will operate EXACTLY the same with or without the IMBRA law. IMBRA is targeted at businesses that operate with the law.

OF COURSE these crimes happen. I have NEVER seen anyone dispute that they do. Please show me where this is disputed ?? The fact is however that IMBRA doesn't address this problem at its source, which is what you describe.

Please let me know what I have missed.

Chuckles

Male

Russia

2006-06-18 15:28:00

Please....

These rings ARE illegal and have ALWAYS been illegal !!! How does IMBRA stop this at all?

Perhaps I am not following your logic, please explain.

Chuckles

Male

Russia

2006-06-18 14:50:00

YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED !

Especially a felony against a woman. You can thank IMBRA for that and support it 100%. This is why we have IMBRA to protect women fro those killers,pimps,pediphile, molesters drug addicts e.t.c. This IMBRA does not bother me 'cause i have no criminal past to worry about. And frankly i think most interviewers are gonna frown at any criminal records. Especially a violent one. which is good. No need putting an innocent woman at risk because she wants to live in America !!!

You mis-understand the law. You can file for and recieve a K1 visa for a benificiary even with a criminal record.

Before you get all high and mighty, I have no criminal record, I did not use a IMB, and I was uneffected by the delays of IMBRA. I'm only an advocate for effective legislation.

I hope the information helps someone, but it stops nothing.

Chuckles

Male

Russia

2006-06-19 17:32:00

Ok... you need to learn to relax... Its not your message board, its about immigration.
And everyone should come and see the little pi$$head chuckles start flame wars with senior members to show how inferior and arrogant he is.

All hail the great chuckles, the new king of VJ and master of the IMBRA.

Sheesh

I never said it was. You started talking #######, not me. It's not your message board either, and there is no need for you to come in here causing problems.

Good, now all your stupid little posts are moved!!!

Thanks Captain Ewok!!!

Negative, you started in with me on another thread. Timestamps are neat. Not sure what your problem is with me, but you are a right angry little fellow!!

Chuckles

Male

Russia

2006-06-21 02:09:00

Ok... you need to learn to relax... Its not your message board, its about immigration.

Chuckles

Male

Russia

2006-06-21 01:40:00

Maybe, maybe not... the fact remains, complaining about it on here isn't going to change a damn thing, and I doubt it will ever change. If nothing, it's only going to get harder.
Those are just the facts of life. Guess for those that don't like it... move to another country, or find someone local to hook up with!

NO DISCUSSING OPINIONS WITHOUT ROI_AGGIES APPROVAL PLEASE !!

Chuckles

Male

Russia

2006-06-21 01:27:00