ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresForm I-130 Questions
14b in Part B? That refers to the petitioner, ie the US resident/citizen, and you ONLY complete question 14 parts a and b if the petitioner is a US permanent resident and NOT a US citizen.

Question 15 is indeed asking about the beneficiary ie the foreigner ie you.

Question 17 you list YOUR (the beneficiary) spouse and children. So you will list your husband, ie the petitioner (yes, even though they already know he is your spouse.) Only list children if they are YOUR children. They are not interested in the petitioner's children.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-06-22 15:32:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-864 Filling Help
Son is not listed in question 9 as he is on a separate visa petition. This question is only relevant to a few visa types, and doesn't apply to you.

As your wife is already counted as the immigrant you do NOT enter anything for 21©. (You only count each person once, and count them in the first box which applies.)
For 21(d) (dependent children) put 1 for your son. So household size will be 3.

For your son's I-864 questions 8-10 is the same as for your wife's. He will be counted as the immigrant and you will put 1 in 21© for your wife. So household size will be 3.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-07-11 06:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresSelf harming and GP's letter
I see what you mean about the tone of the letter, that is, "She claims that she is now feeling a lot more stable and settled", is that "she claims" something that you didn't like? I think though that you needn't worry about it. As far as that particular sentence goes (which was the one that hit me), it's actually totally factually true. When it comes to mental health, or even physical pain, what the patient says is what it's all based on anyway. The doctor could've chosen better phrasing, but she is a doctor not an English teacher :-) The whole letter makes it clear that you show absolutely no indication of any current problems. So, a good letter.

Don't worry too much about what the letter does or does not include. If you go to the medical and they say that you need a new letter addressing a specific incident, then so be it. They will tell you exactly what they need from your doctor and your doctor can provide it then. The really positive thing is that you already know now that your doctor will be able to give you a new letter if needed. (Some people have trouble getting letters from their doctors, so it's great that you know for sure she can provide such a thing!)

Just focus on the other things you have to do for immigration :-)
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-07-15 16:01:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDidn't disclose Intention to Marry at POE
No problem. If you were going to try to file AOS then it would be a problem. (Well, honestly it probably wouldn't be a problem, but it should be a problem, and you'd be in the wrong legally and morally lol.) But for CR1 you really needn't worry at all :-) All they're interested in is your marriage certificate and that's it! When I married my husband I said I was visiting my fiance but didn't mention any marriage plans. Never lie to an immigration official, but that doesn't mean you have to volunteer your life story and create more hassle for yourself :-)

Like Casprd said, you can send off the I-130 any time, even today.

Of course, as you're returning home in two days and have already filled out the I-130 as if you were back in the UK this isn't very helpful for you to know now. But anyway.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-07-16 11:29:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresOur Story
You don't need a tonne of proof at the first stage. Marriage certificate, I guess you could include the airline tickets/itineraries from the two trips you took together, and then as you don't have any other concrete documents also include at least 3 affidavits from people who know you. For the I-130 petition they're more concerned about proving that you are legally married and eligible to apply than anything else.

The Embassy stage is where it's more about proving that your marriage is bona fide. However, for the UK you won't need much beyond the key documents they request. So you can take your photos and chat logs and the like to the interview, but it's highly unlikely anyone will want to see them :-)
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-07-18 05:55:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresName Change AND address change.. late :(
You will also need to fill out I-865.

It is up to you if you change the name on the green card or not.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-07-19 12:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMedical - how, what, where, why
This is the information regarding medicals: http://www.visamedicals.info/us.asp There is just the one place in London which you have to go to. You can book the appointment as soon as you have your LND case number. Have a photocopy of your police certificate with you when you go to the medical.

Not sure about wait times, but I received notice of my interview date a few weeks after sending in all the info. I had already had the medical, so that could potentially be a factor too. Try to get the medical done as soon as possible :-)
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-07-26 19:35:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMaking The Move
At the top of the page there is a link to reviews of POE. So maybe you can see what people have to say about Liberty Airport. It's hard to give a definitive answer as to how long it will take. It doesn't actually need to take any longer, it's not like it involves anything that takes much time. However at some airports they may make you go into a room and wait and only have one person dealing with such things and they might be busy dealing with other stuff. (They don't really "quiz" you when you immigrate, they just have to do a couple of bits of paperwork and fingerprint you. So generally less quizzing than would occur when you visit :-) )

There's nothing you really need to do once you arrive. Apply for SSN if you don't receive it (the checkbox on the DS-230 is a little unreliable). Apply for a driver's licence. (States vary, but generally you do need to get this done pretty quickly, rather than driving on your UK licence.) Get yourself added to your wife's accounts. (You'll need SSN for this.) Get health insurance...

I think there are some threads about transferring money on VisaJourney. It kind of depends on how much you're transferring, as to which option will be the cheapest. Personally I kept my UK bank account open.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-03 23:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMarriage certificate copy - cant see the seal.
It's a little confusing when it comes to marriage and birth certificates as to whether they want copies or copies. At the time I believe I read it as meaning certified copies, and certainly it is useful to have more than one certified copy of your marriage certificate hanging around. At the interview they can generally return to you all your original documents.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-05 13:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresVisiting my husband in the US- will i have to prove non immigrant intent at the interview?
Maybe the lawyer is lying, or just confusing several cases (ie not remembering properly). Or maybe he's telling the full truth, in which case I would be pretty sure that such a thing only ever happened when a consular official had great reason to suspect someone of doing all kinds of things with illegal immigrant intent. For example, if they had record of you trying to apply for some kind of benefit whilst in the US on VWP and you said you didn't realise tourists couldn't apply for such things and then they ask if you could prove that you weren't intending to immigrate on that past trip...

Yeah, I would NOT waste one more moment thinking about anything this lawyer says.

I just looked at your past post dings, and however unusual/difficult your case may be I do not see it causing additional difficulties in this area. I'm sure you have enough on your mind, and you really do NOT need to worry about this. IF you get treated differently due to your situation it will be stuff like extra questioning about how you developed your relationship, in which case having visited him before will obviously be useful.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-05 13:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresOnly been working past 1 and 1/2 years
He only needs to submit the most recent tax return, although he needs to list on the form the amounts shown on the most recent three.

His projected year income is more important than his past year income which is more important than his most recent tax return which is more important than his income prior to that. So if the first three things are all ok then it really does not matter if he did not earn much in 2008 and 2009.

It may be useful to include his last pay stub from his old employer as well as his most recent pay stub. If the pay stubs don't show that it is a temporary job I might not bother with the letter unless they ask for additional evidence.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-07 16:37:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCriminal Record

Unlucky is an understatement.lol

The reason i ask is that a guy at work yesterday mentioned that a friend of his was denied a visa a couple of years ago so he could go on tour with his band.
They denied him the visa because of a driving offence he had been convicted of 10 years previous. Not sure what the offence was though.
I read last night on a few other sites that apparently you're not even supposed to use the Visa Wavier program if you have any kind of criminal conviction.
Apparently you have to contact the embassy and arrange an interview to be assessed for a visitors visa.


Tourist visas are different from immigrant visas, so you can't deduce too much from that.

As for the Visa Waiver Program, the relevant question is, "Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude or a violation related to a controlled substance?" I saw someone link to a DOS statement that said one episode of drunk driving was not considered to fall in this category. If it did fall into this category then it would cause a few problems if you had travelled on VWP and answered no to that question.

Actually, I think a lot of the time it is up to the consular officer to decide if something consists of moral turpitude or not. Which is why they need records from any convictions. Drunk driving could mean all kinds of things after all....in your case it really is pretty clear that it was not a crime of moral turpitude. So my gut instinct would be that you will be ok. But I wish some other people would reply to this thread lol. (Examples of why someone might get denied for drunk driving: if the conviction for DUI was based on a more serious offence which they pled down or something, and the details of the case showed it to be bad. Like, err, a hit and run which somehow ended with just a conviction for DUI.)
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-11 20:10:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCriminal Record
I don't know, but dang you're unlucky!

You're right that the non-drinking driving offences probably don't need to be mentioned as they are just traffic offences. But someone else should be able to confirm that.

You were arrested so obviously that means you answer "yes" to the question asking if you were arrested etcetc. I don't think it's a "total deal breaker". Get hold of the police and court records for the first incident.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-11 06:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI think I really screwed up :(
The NVC do have all the original documents you submitted.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-14 23:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-864 Sponsor and joint sponsor docs question
If you send tax returns you also need to send the accompanying W2s etc, but if you send tax transcripts then you don't.

You only need to send the most recent tax return; generally sending more isn't helpful but examples of when it could be helpful is if the most recent tax return was low for some reason, but the previous ones were higher and you want to show that the previous year's low income was just a blip :-)

However, he does need to write the totals from the past three years of tax returns. He should back file for 2008.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-17 22:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMeeting the Poverty Guideline
Your mother's I-864 will be considered separately from yours. Your own I-864 is necessary but as you do not meet the requirements the actual details of your income etc won't really be relevant. It is your mother's I-864 which will have to meet all the financial requirements. Her income must meet the requirements for her household size. She cannot combine her income with yours.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-18 07:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresChanging my wife's Maiden name to my last name
If you want to start using her married name in some areas of life then you can do that, even whilst having her green card in her maiden name. It might even be possible, once she has her SS card, to go to the SSA office with the marriage certificate and change her name on her SS card. She will probably be asked to show her green card though, and then it would depend on the individual as to whether they let her change her name on her SS card. It seems like you should be able to update your SS records before updating your green card, however like I said it probably depends who you talk to...
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-19 05:10:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresVisa Waiver overstay and GC

I don't know if things work differently in Germany baby-wise, but if she came in September 2010 and is due in November 2011, my feeling is that she wasn't pregnant when she passed the POE. "Things" happened later on, but this would be quite irrelevant.


She was 8 months pregnant, had baby, then pretty soon got pregnant again.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-19 05:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresGot NOA2 and a cosponsor.. but petitoner unemployed?
Go ahead and send it now, no need to waste time.

Now, if by the time of the interview your husband has a new job earning a sufficient amount and can prove that with one or two pay stubs and a letter from his employer, then you can take an updated I-864 to the interview and see if they will accept just that, and ignore the previously submitted co-sponsor.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-19 02:26:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMailing IV and AOS paperwork
It's fine to send them separately. We were invoiced for one before the other so were able to send one before the other, and so that's what we did. If you send one you might get a request for the other (even if you've already put it in the mail) but that's fine.

Then again, I don't know that there's any benefit to sending them separately either. The only time I could see that would if it had been quite a few months since you had last had contact with NVC and wanted to make sure they had some contact with you, but that's not true in your case.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-21 20:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresEvidence of Ongoing Income for I-864?

A tax transcript or return is historical. Yes, at least one is required to be submitted and the affidavit requires information from three tax returns. However a tax return is not evidence of current income except when the sponsor is self employed. Retired folks usually have documents stating pension amounts or social security awards. If their income comes from investments, they need to disclose and document the liquid assets from which they derive the income.



The one most recent tax return can be sufficient proof of income. This is all that is required by the I-864EZ. It depends on the specific income, but is most certainly not limited to self-employment.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-25 10:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresEvidence of Ongoing Income for I-864?
Your wife will have to complete an I-864 but will say she has no income. If she filed taxes in the last three years she should include her tax transcripts; if she did not earn enough to need to file taxes then she should write a short letter saying she did not file taxes as her income was too low.

If your father-in-law is qualifying as a sponsor based on his retirement income, then this income should be reported on his tax returns and he can probably just provide his most recent tax transcript.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-08-24 03:49:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHusband had UK Medical Today
It's not a denial issue, but I don't know much more than that. One issue I can think of is that being very overweight could make it hard to get individual health insurance. So if you have group coverage through your employer which will cover your spouse once he arrives, I would suggest bringing proof of that to show that he will have health insurance.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-09-13 18:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresVisas Approved Before Interview Even Happens?
How this works in practice is going to vary from country to country. If they have already received all the paperwork from the NVC then they can look through it before the interview, and as they've seen all the evidence already they may already have made their decision...but of course if, for example, you turned up stoned then they would most certainly re-evaluate the situation haha.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-09-28 14:48:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWrong Info on G325..Interview in 2 wks
I wouldn't expect it to cause a problem.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-10-01 21:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCR1 Visa in hand.. what now?

Congrats on your approval!
I had my visa approved on Thursday at the embassy and I asked the lady some questions regarding the removal of conditions to prepare myself. Interestingly she told me that I can apply for my 10 year green card after only 9 months of living in the USA. So 90 days before 2 years after my wedding date (6th Oct 2010), not 2 years after my POE which I thought was the case. Just wondering if anyone else had been told this?


This is incorrect. Someone else had an odd experience with a female CO at the Embassy recently, I wonder if it's the same person :-/
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-10-07 16:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresmedical...
Have you looked at form IV18a? Those are the things you need to reveal to them. If you have a history of some of those conditions you would need to provide medical records. But there are other things which are inconsequential, and they will see your explanation and not ask about it: for example many people will have been hospitalised and in most cases this won't be something they need to know more about.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-10-17 13:50:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedurestax transcripts with co sponsor
Unless she lives with you, she will need to fill out an I-864 as well, not an I-864A.

You will need to complete the I-864 and provide your tax transcripts. You don't need to provide any other information though, if your current income at the time will be 0.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-10-19 15:20:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresquestion for the medical
I'd assume the original psych report would suffice. And a letter from his doctor saying no problems since then would be good too. No point worrying about worrying about it otherwise, there's nothing else you can do right now but assume that will be sufficient :-)
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-10-21 22:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCouple of quick questions
Her brother will have to back-file his taxes if he is going to be a sponsor.

After you return to the UK she can visit you, and you can also visit her but that will involve slightly more thought. In general, you want to spend more time outside of the US than you do inside it, although this can vary over a short period of time. Ultimately it all decides on the immigration official you get: some are very understanding and will assume you're doing everything legally and so will be quite happy for you to spend a lot of time in the US whilst you await your visa. Others tend to be suspicious of absolutely everything. (Which doesn't necessarily mean they won't admit you, but it kind of makes you a little wary of returning again if they do.)
My own visit schedule looked like this:
10 days in US visiting boyfriend.
month in UK
3 weeks in US visiting fiance
3 weeks in UK
month in US visiting fiance ((married during this visit and afterwards he spent week in UK)
month in UK
3 months in US visiting husband
5 weeks in UK
6 weeks in US visiting husband
Back to UK for a month before immigrating :-)
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-10-21 21:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWTF? I just got this paper about my hubbies vaccines
It's fine. This will be what most people's vaccination paper says :-)
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-10-21 21:38:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresFirst time here.. help! haha
Timelines vary widely, and it varies from month to month. So it could be quicker. But you want to be prepared for a long time and then be happy when it's sooner :-)

They understand that you'll be newlyweds and living in separate countries. There is no need to go overboard with pictures and the like. As you won't be able to provide some of the more concrete things you should include the affidavits that they list as an option. That's what we did, and the only other piece of evidence we had was a boat insurance document which happened to have both our names on. Concentrate on trying to get a couple of things which show some kind of financial intermingling, however minor.

He'll be able to visit you whilst you wait, as much as his schooling allows at least. There shouldn't be a problem getting into the US, but he can bring proof of his school dates just in case. Once he graduates he can always come visit for a full 90 days, although then he might risk doing what I did: being in America when I got my interview date and so having to reschedule for the following month :lol: But if there's a delay because you're together then it doesn't really count as a delay, right? :B
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-10-07 00:31:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAirline madness!
If you want to book flights before the interview you'd want to make them for at least 2 weeks after the interview. BUT also find out how long it has taken other Peruvians to get their visas in case you should allow longer.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-10-06 23:55:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresVaccinations from UK
Here's the list: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/39181/pdfs/vaccinechart.pdf It's out of date so know that you DON'T need the HPV vaccine.

I'm assuming you're female and aged 18-64. So you just need to have had TDaP and two MMRs. If it is flu season (October to March) when you have your medical you will also need the influenza shot (again, the link I gave you is out of date.)

That's all you need to have. Obviously if you and your doctor decide to get some of your other vaccines up to date as well that is fine. Not sure if the NHS will cover "unnecessary" influenza shots but you will need that if you have your medical after this month.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-09-15 13:29:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCR-1 Spouse Visa Process.
Regarding proof of bonafide marriage: bank statements are good. Photos and letters aren't so important, include if you want but no need to go overboard. Proof of your fiance visa and residency card are good to prove the relationship. (Not needed for what you wrote in (4) though@ as you are not filing via the Embassy in the UK there is no need to prove your UK residency.) As you guys are living together you should be able to come up with at least one other thing proving that; can your wife add you on a utility bill or anything like that? I would also include three affidavits from your US family/friends who can attest to your marriage: new ones not from back when you were applying for the UK fiance visa.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-10-19 15:28:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresJust curious...does anyone ever file to immigrate both directions at the same time?
I'd guess it's rare because doing such a thing is going to cost more money and take more effort. Also, for most people there will be enough other factors involved to help them decide on one way. Some countries are easier to immigrate to than others. Also, with some couples one person will be more firmly established than the other, whether with regards to job security, income, home ownership, family, etcetc.

In my case, I was a penniless student with no fixed abode (well I exaggerate a little haha) whereas my husband had a job, cars, military obligations, etc. Also, at the time I was under 21 and the UK wasn't allowing under 21s to be involved in marital immigration...
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-11-05 23:29:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresUnusual Income Issue_Please advise
If you have liquid assets worth over the 5x125% poverty level then you really have nothing to worry about.

Especially as you will only have to prove 3x when sponsoring a spouse. Also, you will actually only have to prove that you have assets worth 3x the difference between your income and the required income...so if your lowest income was $17,000 then you'd only need to prove about $6000 in cash.
Of course, it's also true that by the time you need to file the Affidavit of Support you will probably have filed your 2011 taxes and so be able to prove a higher income anyway.

You may want to update your profile so it shows what country your fiancee is from, as this can affect the answers to your questions.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-11-10 21:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAnyone ever used a co sponsor?

So according to the I-184P , Poverty Guidelines...I would need to make more than $18,387 this year? I will only file myself on my 2011 Income tax.... will i need an a sponser??


If you have no dependants, no children under 21, and your spouse is the only person immigrating, then indeed you will need to prove an income above $18,387.
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-11-12 15:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAnyone ever used a co sponsor?
So you are getting married this Christmas then afterwards filing for the CR-1 visa? By the time you need to submit the Affidavit of Support you will have your father's tax return for 2011 (which will at least be higher than his 2010 one), and YES you also include recent pay stubs and a letter from the employer. So long as you can prove that the figure you give for his current annual income is a realistic estimate, the lower income as shown on his tax forms will not matter :-)
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-11-10 20:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTotal medical costs???
Ditto what Nich-Nick said. The blood test and x-ray fees listed are only for cases when they require additional tests/x-rays, and there's no reason to expect that :-)
JoannaVFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-11-15 12:46:00