I know this is likely to go over like a lead balloon, but...

if you see an immigration question posted here and your reply to said question is a 'guess' - PLEASE refrain from hitting the 'add reply' button. If you absolutely MUST post something in response, please post a few words of encouragement to the OP, and feel confident that someone knowledgeable about that particular topic will happen along and give the correct answer.

I know this is a peer to peer information sharing service where everyone is encouraged to post their experiences. VJ is obviously NOT a legal information site and all info here should be checked by the recipient of said information. It is ultimately up to the person posing the question to weigh the advice they were given, do their own research, and act according to their own conscience.

At the same time, the amount of bad advice and misinformation lately seems to be getting worse (IMHO). People will post something that is blatantly wrong, then never come back to the thread to see that they were corrected - so what happens? They continue to post that misinformation anytime the question is asked. Its a vicious cycle that can all be rectified if the responder replies only when they are confident in the voracity of their answer.

Thank you for your time and attention.

AMEN

How about if someone want s to post a response they quote the specific INA section applicable?

Might I also suggest - to members both new and old - that when you do post to a thread, you return to it later for follow up discussion.

Many a time I have returned to a thread (as is my habit) to learn something more in-depth about the subject. Even when I knew the basic part of the answer.

PS - Even though I'm a 'older member' here, I still watch myself to only post about things I know - and when I do mess up, the other 'older members' catch me! LOL!

Read More - Post Less - Return To Your Threads!

OMG.....who can read that stuff? Philadelphia lawyers?

All kidding aside - it is always good to post the source.

But for us here, anecdotal experience is really the BEST post you can offer. Something you did with your case - that worked - or something that happened with the interview - that worked.

The site was built originally around anecdotal experience accounts plus the timeline function.

I consider pertinent links as a 'right answer'. And sometimes, its better to have a link, as it forces the OP to do some research.



A-freakin-men to that!

I wouldn't have learned ANYthing about immigration if I posted and then never returned. And like RJ - I still learn things regularly, even after 3 years around here.

Double amen!

It's simple enough, surely... I know everyone makes mistakes from time to time, but if you really don't know the answer to a question that someone posts, is it really that hard to resist the urge to just pluck a random one out of the air and post it as if it's fact?

If everyone in this thread plays nice maybe we can get Captain to pin it?

In addition to Tracy's request, this is very good advice, Becca! I'm sure we've all been caught out a time or two giving out misinformation (not maliciously, of course) and if you don't revisit a thread you'll never know! I know I have been wrong and appreciate someone gently pointing out my error, which I do acknowledge.

So I guess my addition to this thread is for those doing the correcting, please be gentle! There's no need for name-calling and belittling. Not that I see it a lot, but it does happen.

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread!

AMEN Tracy!

This is MAJOR issue to me. It is NOT ok for people post responses as if they know they are 100% sure about it when they clearly have NO idea what they are talking about. Yes, it's up to each and every person here to be responsible for their own cases. But many many people are here because they cannot afford to run things past an attorney, even in serious situations. So when someone provides wholly incorrect information as if it were definitely correct, they are completely misleading the OP - often with very serious, disasterous consequences.

If you do not know the answer, it's fairly simple to post "I am not sure, but I think. . . " or "In my opinion".

Agree with both of you - RJ's 'Read More/Post Less/Return To Your Threads' mantra, and Julezabelle's point that being gentle is good. Most people would feel a bit embarrassed/silly to realise they've given totally wrong advice (I know I do...) and would surely be happy to learn where they're going wrong. Which is where 'returning to your threads' comes in handy...

I'd rather they didn't post if they dont know!

Read More...Post Less....Return To Your Thread....Know Your Consulate.

ie - What works easily in London might not work in Manila. What you have to do for Ho Chi Mihn City you might not need to do for Canada.

Soooooooooooooo.......it's not always ok to say 'you'll be fine'.

I really like when someone quotes the laws, it is very clear then. Even the experienced people here have posted incorrect information.

Well you know I agree with that D, but there are way too many people here who think they know everything and they just can't seem to help themselves from posting their incorrect information. . .

This is huge - cannot emphasize that enough. I STILL make an effort to follow up and read a thread after I've posted in it. Oftentimes when I do, I learn that I may have been right, but there may be another subtlety to the situation that I was unaware of. And that will help me advise someone else in the future.

Exactly!! Nobody should feel 'scared' to post because they're not an immigration lawyer and might not be able to give a 100% perfect answer - they might well have some very good advice, suggestions, or ideas that could be really helpful to the poster - just don't post a reply as if it's the last word on the matter if you really have no idea. A bit of 'I'm not 100% certain about this, but I think I remember reading...' or 'this happened to someone else recently, and I think *this* is how they dealt with it... I wonder if anyone else can remember...' can go a long way if you really want to help but aren't sure.

Of course people make mistakes. But that's not the point of the thread. It's when people post "Sure you can adjust your status even though you didn't marry the original K1 petitioner" as if it's fact. Imagine the scenario - the OP (who by his own fault doesn't consult an attorney) goes to an AOS interview thinking that it's perfectly fine for his wife to AOS in the US even though she came on a K1 and did NOT marry the original petitioner. Guess what happens? She's deported on the spot. . . All the poster had to do was write "I think perhaps she can AOS" blah blah blah

And of course quoting sources is key.

LOL....OMG we are gonna be accused of 'too many rules'...

Mebbe we ought to stick to 'Read More Post Less Return To Your Thread'............

rebeccajo,

In what sense?

Just curious.

Yodrak

"Know Your Consulate"... that too. One of the first (no doubt silly) questions I asked when I joined VJ was a London-specific one, in which I asked for answers from people who'd been through London in the not-too-distant past. Being a newbie and all, I felt rather awkward and like I was bothering people by coming back and saying 'thanks for the quick answer, but can anyone who's had a K-1 interview in London tell me about their experience?'... only to get another answer about, I dunno, Guangzhou or somewhere. Luckily I got my London-specific answer in the end (thanks, Devilette!), and it was an entirely different one to those about other consulates.

If i dont have the answer to a question i wont guess the answer!....

Although i will admit, i thought i knew what the OP was asking, AOS related....i answered her question regarding filling her forms in .....realised my mistake but could not edit.....came back and corrected myself, also noticed a few other posts had been made since mine.....apologised for my error.......Tracy also noticed my mistake too thanks for being gentle

Maria

Hey, I have had my fair share of corrections, too - will probably have more! - so far be it for me to really have a go at someone about it!

Yes in one thread about K1 someone finally posted the specific law section it was very clear that a K1 is ONLY eligable to Adjust Status by the original petitioner and does not fall under the catagory of an overstay if the marry a different petitioner and file an I-130 with the I-485.

Right - and before that there were many, many responses telling the OP it was perfectly fine to adjust in the US. This was 100% incorrect information. Again, the point here is that people should not be posting answers to questions when they do not know the answer. The least they can do is say "I'm not 100% sure" or "I think I read" as others have said.

I love it when someone who DCFd ( when it was still being done) has something to say about I 130s and they didnt have to wait almost a year to be together with their spouse.

why is this a problem?


ETA ~ DCF is still an option

Oh well. Nice try Tracy.

Yodrak

So why is this a problem? People can comment all they want.

On THIS thread we are talking about trying to get people to post accurate information. For example: DCF is currently an option.

Argh. I think I'll just go bang my head against a wall now.

No kidding!

Do I at least get an 'A' for effort???

Ah, irony!

Of course you get an A! The misinformer who may or may not revisit this thread is another story....

I definitely agree with you!!!!

Agreed!

Sometimes it seems that it is

And often those who don't understand the details and how the system works post links to laws that are not relevant to the issue.

And you think you understand the details of how the system works well enough that you don't need to post links for arguments that you cannot support with law?

Y,

Old enough to know there's always something I don't know plus old enough to remember when Elvis entered the building.

Becca

I'm in the 'thumbs up' contingent here... I always start off by going to My Assistant and viewing my last 10 posts to check up on the threads I have contributed to. And I subscribe to the ones I want to follow long term....

Not sure I would agree to the 'read more, post less' mantra though because if it's taken out of context, it may be misinderstood. We all know what it means here, but those not following this discussion might be afronted if someone posts that exclusively in another thread down the line somewhere.

Jen

Jen,

It's actually the mantra of someone much respected here who lives what they preach....

Becca

I think ALL of us can (or should) admit to having posted incorrect information before. I know I have, which is why (as I said earlier) I make a conscious effort to revisit the thread where I can see if I have been corrected, or if I got a fact/nuance wrong. That will help me to be sure I get it right next time around.

I didn't start this thread to point fingers at any person or 'group' (newbies vs. oldsters) - I started it because I think we ALL need to take a second and think about what and how we post (meaning being more cognizant of 'drive by posting', etc and so on). Its good to remember that the answer you post may well directly impact someone's life - and surely we want that impact to be positive rather than negative.

If that wasn't clear in what I've said here, then I need to learn some new communications skills.

it was clear

your communication's pretty up to the mark as far as I'm concerned

very clear

I was hoping we could all play nice so maybe the thread could be pinned to help new members.

No bother RJ. PatientlyWaiting is confused about the requirements for a K1 to get a SS card vs. the requirements for a K1 to work. Apparently he thinks that by posting links to the SSA information, he has proven his point. But sadly, not true.