ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMarried in the USA,had baby and had to leave before applying to GC

F1 is a non immigrant visa.

meaning that entering the US on an F1 visa with the intention to immigrate (ie AOS based on marriage to a USC) is immigration fraud? im just thinking out loud here.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-18 22:21:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestions when entering U.S on VWP or tourist visa to get married?
you have not clearly stated what your intentions are entering the US on VWP.

since you are evidently getting married, there is a concern that you are asking for help getting through CBP with the intent to immigrate (ie AOSing through marriage to a USC).

tell us what your intentions are and people might be able to better answer your questions.


those of us who waited a long time to be with our partners after having done things 'the right way' have more limited tolerance for immigration tactics that seem less than 100% kosher.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-21 11:26:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNeed help on my sad complicated case

In this case it is USCIS who judges.


amen to that!
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-21 11:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresFast approvals for VSC.

Words you never hear in Vermont...

"I could be in New York in 20 minutes if it weren't for that damn lake!"


at least the view is nice of the adirondacks!
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-26 10:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresFast approvals for VSC.
there will be times that you love VSC and times you will not love VSC. (im always rooting for VSC because im a vermonter! actually, i was born in new york state and real vermonters look at me with suspicion. my official status is 'flatlander'. )

my husband is removing conditions (aka getting a 10 year green card). the USCIS website lists the processing time as 6 months. in reality it is 8 months. nothing to do but wait with as much patience can be mustered.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-25 12:51:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresthe frustrations

it is sad to see the citizens and law abiding make an honest mistake and get branded for life,but illegals from central america and mexico(and honestly others but the largest offenders really mess it up for all of us) get extra special treatment.


do you eat apples?
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-26 12:27:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPlease help me

I wanted to add that not all people work out of financial necessity


+1

its her life. if shed like to work in HK, then she should make that choice.

then she is earning her own money an can be less reliant on her petitioner. i realize there are cultural norms that might factor in, but unless she signed up to be a kept woman, she might wanna take that job.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-27 11:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPre-Marital Counseling

whoa. if you get church-based counseling you can skip the waiting period and get a discount? do they offer this to other religions? or secular pre-marriage counselling?


seems it is offered in non-religious forums as well.

http://www.twogether...I/HomePage.aspx
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-02 15:15:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPre-Marital Counseling

In Texas, there are pre-marital counseling sessions totaling 8 hours that I think I am going to sign Gesi & I up for, there are multiple benefits for it, such as waiving the 72 hour waiting period and a $60 discount on the marriage license, plus it wouldn't hurt to take the classes in my eyes, because it focuses on a lot of key points for people about to be married. Question is, would the certificate be something good to include in the I-130 packet? I assume it couldn't hurt....



Thanks! I told him about them and he is all for it. They are Christian based which he loves because our faith is very important to us. The thing I love most about this one pastor's curriculum is the very first session she asks you to write WHY you want to get married and specifically WHY your partner. She then frames them for wedding day mementos. How awesome is that?


whoa. if you get church-based counseling you can skip the waiting period and get a discount? do they offer this to other religions? or secular pre-marriage counselling?
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-02 01:03:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresUrgent Help

I TOLD YOU MY POLICE CERTIFICATE ITS CLEAN I JUST BRING IT TODAY MORNING....
SO THATS MY POINT IF MY POLICE CERTIFICATE CLEAN THERE S A WAY TO KNOW THAT I WAS ARRESTED????

AND IM NOT ASKING ABOUT THE INTERVIEW IM ASKING ABOUT THE QUESTION 41 IN THE DS230 PART 2 ...


-1

all choices you make in this process have consequences. people are telling you of what will be coming your way if you choose to tell a 'half-truth'. your record may be 'clean', but it's not spotless. there are fairly extensive background checks (especially for egpyt) throughout this whole process. your arrest will come up. it's on the radar.


and id suggest you act slightly more grateful for the free, honest and sensible advice given by members of VJ, instead of YELLING when they dont say what you want them to say.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-03 10:31:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresyr ended for immigration
darnell also rocks.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-06 17:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresyr ended for immigration
inky will still need more information.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-06 13:39:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresyr ended for immigration

Removing conditions is not a visa, what do you mean you missed out on a visa? More details and better explanation is needed to help you.

inky needs 2 things from you in order to help. more information and less lack of knowledge. comply with inky and ye shall get the answer. it's the inky way, and i have come to love it!
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-05 22:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresdecided to take early dna testing before the interview , result is negative..what to do?

THE TRUTH WILL ALWAYS COME OUT.


especially if you shout at people. scares it right out oif them.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-07 23:51:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresFREAKING OUT LIED ON DOCUMENT AND ENTERVIEW IS IN 6 DAYS!
its important to stay calm.

if you have a real marriage, everything will work out in the end one way or another. the embassy will have seen cases like yours before. meeting online is not really considered abnormal in this day and age..

how long was your visit? does he have dual citizenship? how long have you known each other? what website did you meet on? are you of the same religious persuasion? do you have strong evidence documenting your relationship? did family and friends attend the wedding?

these questions are probably more telling than the mistake on the form. (and as vanessa said, volunteer the error BEFORE the CO brings it up.)



there is nothing else you can really do before his interview. make sure he is prepared to answer any questions and he knows to be 100% honest. he will do his best and you will move forward with whatever decision the embassy makes.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-07 22:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresFREAKING OUT LIED ON DOCUMENT AND ENTERVIEW IS IN 6 DAYS!
think about bringing a corrected/accurate form to the interview. mistakes happen. be honest. it will get you a lot further.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-07 21:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresFREAKING OUT LIED ON DOCUMENT AND ENTERVIEW IS IN 6 DAYS!

Which form asked if he had ever been denied a visa? I just looked at the I-130 petition and I don't see this question on there. I also looked at the DS-230 form and couldn't find it there either. The DS-230 form does ask "Have you ever been refused admission to the United States at a port-of-entry?". Is this what you are referring to or is there another form I am missing? The reason I ask is because my wife was denied a tourist visa a year ago when I was naive enough to think that they would issue her a tourist visa so she could meet my family and friends before we got married.


a denied tourist visa is not likely to have any impact on your visa. happens all the time.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-07 21:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE received / i am lost now!
rujby, you do yourselves no good worrying! be brave and have faith that it will work out just fine.

in a way, an RFE can be viewed as not so bad because it means they are LOOKING at your case. yay! once they get the info, they can make a decision and that moves you forward!

RFE seem to most commonly be simple things. a forgotten signature, an address discrepancy, a copy of a tax return. if you can return the RFE quickly, this will not really slow you down.

keep positive and keep us informed!

best to you and the wife and the soon-to-be little one.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-05 21:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresJust got off the phone with Tier II...
the official USCIS timelines were updated today. please check the USCIS website for current processing times.

the VJ dates are based on historical data (ex past three months), and are dependent on VJers submitting acurate and timely info.

the best dates are revealed in the monthly filers threads. these progress reports allow you to see when approvals happen.




there is NO possibility of speaking directly to CSC or any of the other service centers.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-25 22:38:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresContact Senator or not?
yuck.

chin up. a fighting spirit is needed to survive this journey!
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-28 09:49:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresContact Senator or not?

I say call back again.


You probably had an ISO , but
ask for an ISO again, after you reach the first human.

Tell the ISO about the RFE on the expedite,
the fact that the casefile pending status reflects that the evidence was not logged into the casefile properly,
and ask the ISO to request (not a service request) that the Adjudicator review all again.

9 times out of 10, an ISO, when asked the proper question, can move things along with a casefile, WITHOUT a service request.


+1. heed darnells advice. call again. different people give different answers. different questions yield different answers.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-28 09:39:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI feel like my husband is being fooled by uscis
if he is calling the USCIS customer service line, he is likely speaking with contracted call center workers who can be rather flaky (at least at the tier 1 level) and seem to be working on a computer that looks like this:

Posted Image

which gives them only slightly more information than is available on the USCIS website.


for the health of his daughter and the sanity of his wife, tell him to be slightly more specific about what he is asking. give him a script. the call center people have one!
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-30 22:28:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI feel like my husband is being fooled by uscis
ive read very very good things about her. looks like you are in good hands!
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-29 10:38:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI feel like my husband is being fooled by uscis
#######. a waiver.

well it sounds like youve found a very exerienced immigration lawyer. (who is it?) good news indeed!

lets see what they have to say about the USCIS expedite tomorrow.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-29 10:15:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI feel like my husband is being fooled by uscis
im curious about what the status of the f1 visa is/was. never got resolved/answered in the old thread from last month.

there was at one point talk of attempting to re-enter on the f1, but the OP was advised not to use a non-immigrant visa to immigrate. [keep it legit, folks!]

was the f1 terminated? was illegal presence accruing when the OP took the leave of absence from school? or when she did not enroll for spring 2012? were the extenuating circumstances of her daughters health reason enough to keep her in status? did she trigger a ban upon exiting the US in november 2011?

i do think there will be an expedite given and that will likely happen quite soon. but the question is will there be further delays in the issuance of the cr1 visa owing to the possibility of the need to file a waiver to overcome ineligibilty based on illegal presence.

i sincerely hope not.

let us know what you find out on monday. maybe it will be good news. seems like you are due for some.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-29 00:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI feel like my husband is being fooled by uscis

Are the people suggesting that she sends her six month old baby to the US without her parents??


nope.

usc dad is in the us. non-usc mom is in brazil with usc baby until the cr1 is approved/issued which is likely to be a number of months.



would you prefer she was only given advice that was warm and fuzzy?
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-28 18:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI feel like my husband is being fooled by uscis
more back story:

I am new here and need some help.
I have been living in the US since september 2005 when i went as an au pair did that for two years got into college and was with an F-1 visa until I married my husband in may 2011. I had complications with my pregnancy and our baby was born july 2011 with some health issues and a lot of hospital stays so I did not send my papers in. Now december my daughter was addmited again and my mother was really sick so i had to leave the US with my daughter in the hopes of getting a second opinion and help with her issue. I called the costumer service hotline before i left and explained my situation. They said my husband would have to file the I-130 petition, wait to be approved and then the consulate would call em for an interview. Well they never said that i would have to do my green card journey here and that it could take up to 5 months. I really did not want to take my daughter away from her dad for that long. Since i am married in the US and have a US CITIZEN DAUGHTER is it possible that my process could be faster? we were living together since december 09 in the same house , have cars and other things in our names. How do I go from here? Have him file the I-130 and then what kind of visa would i be getting? the greencard would be sent to my house in the US or I would receive it here?

Thank you


mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-28 16:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI feel like my husband is being fooled by uscis

I haveseen expedites for the most stupid reasons and i am going to fight to get my daughter back where she belongs withher mom and dad totake care of her.


for the second time in this thread, you are dismissing other peoples' situations as less important than your family's. this is extremely poor form. -1 for you.


you have options. no they are not ideal, but you have them. but you seem to have tunnel vision, you are loath to explore to the fullest alternate plans of attack, and only see the particular path you want. (expedited expedite.)

you put your child in this situation by failing to file for AOS in any sort of timely manner and then proceeding to leave the US with your sick child. now your child is paying for the choices you and your husband made and continue to make.

harsh words, i know, but this is the underlying truth of the situation you find yourself (edit:) in.

Edited by mr and mrs, 28 January 2012 - 12:13 PM.

mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-28 12:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI feel like my husband is being fooled by uscis
eabbas is in a pretty awful situation. her husband lives in danger each day. despite that she very kindly offered her very pertinen advice. please try not to be so dismissive of other peoples' situations. while it is unfortunate that you have a sick child, your situation (being stuck in brazil) could have been avoided with proper preperation and information. additionally, your USC child still has the option of returning to the states if your husband comes to get her. you have options.

eabbas has no option but to wait.

let us not compare apples and oranges.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2012-01-27 18:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresG-325a - really confused and apprehensive about this
and also, try to fill in your member information so we know which direction to point you to get the most help.

one tip: when filling in forms, make sure to check that the form has not expired (should have a valid until date) and try to find the most up-to-date forms.

you will get the hang of this and be a pro in no time!

but, the guides are the best place to start.

good luck!


mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-03-29 15:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresPregnant Fiancee in Philippines
QUOTE (rmncm @ Apr 12 2009, 12:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Dude, seriously, are you like 13 or something?

my sentiments exactly. jesus.

mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-04-11 19:12:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresLetter From Parents
QUOTE (JAPrincess @ Apr 13 2009, 01:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (uscandual @ Apr 12 2009, 05:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (JAPrincess @ Apr 12 2009, 07:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I was reading somewhere that it can be helpful to have a letter from your family members supporting and acknowledging your relationship.

Is there perhaps a sample letter for this? If not, what specific information should such a letter include?

Thanks in advance for any information or ideas. good.gif





kicking.gif


You were reading "somewhere". Where? On this site? I've never seen such a thing.
Then again, perhaps it could be helpful if we knew what you wanted to achieve.
You don't indicate what visa you are trying to get, or if you are adjusting status or removing conditions, or what???
You have no timeline. You don't indicate anything about yourself or your goals, only a very vague question.

Assuming that what you want is to demonstrate proof of bona fide relationship in the quest for a relationship based visa petition or AOS, then I've never heard of an outsider's letter (parent, boss, teacher, priest, whatever) as being relevant. I don't think it can hurt, but that's about all that can be said.

Rather than waste time on that, read the Guides, and follow the instructions therein.



alrighty then blink.gif


I am filing for a K1 Visa, I thought I was posting under the K1 Visa area?

I have read the guides throughly. I am in the process of completing the I-129F.

I have no timeline because I have not filed yet.

I have seen on a few sites that a letter from a relative could be helpful... here is one of them: http://www.immihelp.com/visas/kvisa/fiance-visa-petition.html


It does not give an example letter or any information on what the letter should include, so I thought I would ask the helpful people of VJ good.gif



I understand it is not necessary, however I believe it could be helpful.


OHH! snap! : D
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-04-12 19:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresProof of Engagement?
we are also 'low-maintenance' and had no formal engagement. we provided nothing that 'proved' that we were engaged OTHER THAN the letters of intent from each of us. no problem at all. it fairly common for couples to have non-traditional engagements - ie, no rings, no big-screen proposal at the baseball park, no engagement party.

ha! and i thought the same thing - 'am i screwed because i dont want to do what everyone else does?' im glad we did it our way. much more 'us'! : )

having said this, i am marrying UK citizen and culturally, this path is acceptable. i have read in other forums for other countries that sometimes cultural norms do play into the equation. seems like in vietnam there is a need for a more formal engagement that involves the bride's family.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-04-23 16:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresEnglish fiance - K1 questions...any help?
i vote to do it yourselves. if you have a 'normal' situation, its pretty straightforward.

no lawyers for us. took 6 months. this board is a goldmine of information. read the guides, search the forums and get a sense of the process.

i value what i have learned here because i think it gives me a better perspective on the process. i actually understand (most of) what is happening. and it doesnt end with the K-1. you will have years of immigration fun in front of you! and this board will be here to help you through it all.


good luck.

youve won the first battle already... finding your way to visa journey!

Edited by mr and mrs, 23 April 2009 - 04:37 PM.

mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2009-04-23 16:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresNo Vaccination Records

PS...this is the wrong forum for K1 or UK issues, but somebody will probably move it.


how are you not a moderator yet? you should have the *power*. because you're GREAT!
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-11-16 18:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresLegitimate Relationship = $$$

You are dealing with a faceless and inefficient bureaucracy, but not a malicious one.


very well put. very, very true.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-07 13:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresLegitimate Relationship = $$$
for me it was less about the money. yes, we visited every 6 months for 5 years. yes, we sent expensive packages once in awhile. yes, the phone bills sometimes were shocking. but this is what we chose to spend money on. we sort of budgeted for it and made it work, because we wanted to make us work.

what i found more difficult was the emotional price. it was a very stressful process for me personally. it was so scary to think that i had to prove to some government agency that i was in love and want to get married. pulling together the 129F was a huge effort, but i took the application seriously and did my research (thank you VJ x 1 million). but that effort was exhausting. i was lucky to have lots of evidence and i was even luckier that i had the luxury of a fiance from a non-high-fraud country (UK). i was aware that we had it easier than other couples in relationships just like ours. but even so, it was stressful for me.

but, once it was submitted, i just sort of let things happen. and they did, sometimes slowly, but everything fell into place. i wish i could have had the perspective then that i have now. but its something you learn. and its a good lesson because you have to keeping working with USCIS until citizenship.

i have an analogy about the various stages of this journey:

it seems we 'graduate' from stage to stage.

intial visa [elementary school]
AOS [junior high]
ROC [high school]
citizenship [university]

RFEs and administrative processing are [honors] distinctions!


someday, you will be old and wise and wont sweat the small stuff so much, especially because you will have your fiance WITH you for AOS on. and every milestone you pass will make you feel stronger and more in control of this process.

i dont think ive really said anything that addresses exactly what you brought up, but it was interesting to read your post. i wish you lots of luck, though you wont need it. you will mostly need patience and organization.



but, yeah. things would be simpler/cheaper/less stressful if we had fallen in love with a guy who lives a couple blocks away, but thats not how it happened. plus, that would have been boring! : )


again, best wishes to you and your faraway love!


ps. do k1s from india always get AP? im curious as to whether or not that possibility is factored in to your chosen wedding date?

pps, as for COs finding meaning in our submissions, i think its not a big part of it, even though to us it feels like it should be a HUGE part of it. they need to see reliable evidence that this is a bona fide relationship. you just jump through their weird hoops and smile the whole time. even in the face of an RFE. having said that, i jammed a tone of meaning into all of my submissions, because thats who i am and how i live. ive got a lot of feelings. heh.

edit: more rambling. sorry for the length!

Edited by mr and mrs, 06 December 2011 - 11:18 PM.

mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-06 23:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresFor K1 Interview-fiance's presence
this is not true for all embassies so please check the rules at the place the beneficiary is going to be interviewed at.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-28 01:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresPlease tell what does this Mean

FOR your info IBB's are Internet Board Bullies.


maybe IBB stands for = 'has spent years dealing with USCIS/DOS/embassies and took the time to post a response to a thread soliciting information regarding immigration'. no. that has too many letters. nevermind.



Post #4 in this thread is where the relevant information was disclosed and also seems to represent the one short time period when the OP was responding rationally to actual information.


wow. post #4 was 5 pages ago.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-29 11:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresPlease tell what does this Mean
i think the solution here is to only give the OP advice that she thinks is right. so all of you trying to give her your informed opinions... tsk tsk. this site really is full of ne'erdowells.
mr and mrsFemaleUnited Kingdom2011-12-29 00:46:00