trying to get Frankfurt on the phone (freaking)

[Dr. Obvious 49]

Thanks, Mephibosheth. I was just googling for the Frankfurt checklist the other day, now it is finally posted. There is a lot more info there than was before.

[Mephibosheth 0]

I emailed the USCIS yesterday:

Dear Sir/Madam

my wife filed an I-130 petition by mail with you and it was sent of on April 4th. My name is ... and my wife's name is .... I was wondering if you can tell us wether the petition has been approved or how old the petitions are that you are currently working on.

Thank you in advance

...

USCIS answered today already :

Hello,

The processing time takes between 60 to 90 days.

Our office has received your petition on 04/24/2007

Sincerely

USCIS FRANKFURT

...seems sending in the normal mail took extra long

I guess the embassy received it before the 24th?

according to this info I have another 1 to 2 months waiting plus maybe 1 month with the embassy

:-/

Edited May 16, 2007 by Mephibosheth

[MaydayDas 1]

Sorry to hear that. Hope you'll have soon good news.

[Dr. Obvious 49]

That sucks, Mephibosheth.

Just out of curiousity, have you all considered having the baby in Germany than immigrating? It could be a real pain in terms of health insurance otherwise in the US. I was really satisfied with the care I got in Germany when I had my daughter and never had to pay anything outside the praxisgebuehr.

I don't know your situation, just throwing that out there.

[Chris Parker 10]

That sucks, Mephibosheth.

Just out of curiousity, have you all considered having the baby in Germany than immigrating? It could be a real pain in terms of health insurance otherwise in the US. I was really satisfied with the care I got in Germany when I had my daughter and never had to pay anything outside the praxisgebuehr.

I don't know your situation, just throwing that out there.

If the timing is right, that baby might be among the distinct few immigrants that would qualify to be admitted for permanent residence in the U.S. without a visa or other advance processing under the "born subsequent to the issuance of such visa of the accompanying parent" provision of 211(a). Each year, there are just a handful (5-10 babies) that get permanent residence that way.

[Dr. Obvious 49]

But the mother is a US citizen. The kid will not need a visa provided the mother can prove the child's claim to US citizenship.

[Chris Parker 10]

If the timing is right, that baby might be among the distinct few immigrants that would qualify to be admitted for permanent residence in the U.S. without a visa or other advance processing under the "born subsequent to the issuance of such visa of the accompanying parent" provision of 211(a). Each year, there are just a handful (5-10 babies) that get permanent residence that way.

Although if either parent is a U.S. citizen, the baby is a born a citizen outside the U.S. and not an immigrant at all, and therefore needs a U.S. passport to enter the U.S. for the first time. Also probably would still be considered a natural born citizen eligible to become president despite being born outside the U.S.

[Chris Parker 10]

But the mother is a US citizen. The kid will not need a visa provided the mother can prove the child's claim to US citizenship.

Correct, I missed that. Child's claim to U.S. citizenship is also much easier to prove if the mother was the U.S. citizen than if it was the father (i.e. mother's U.S. passport and child's foreign birth certificate alone should be adequate).

[Mephibosheth 0]

There's a number of reasons why we would like to go to the US as soon as possible...

1) ever since we got married (January) we've been living in temporariness, we've moved all our stuff around in suitcases and we don't really feel at home.

2) We've started the process now and paid the 190 $... the prices are going to increase and I wouldn't be surprised if at some point in the future the process would suddenly get more complicated again... the Baby will probably be due in January, so if we get the visa in July, it will not be valid anymore afterwards.

3) We're set on returning to Washington State and be part of the community that my wife was part of before, where we have friends that care about us and meaningful job opportunities (a year around camp for all generations) I've been sort of a vagabond for the last 7 years, moving at least every two years, and we both would really like to settle somewhere longterm and we feel WA is the place... my wife also has family there... staying here longer might sever the ties to the community somewhat, which we surely want to avoid.

yeah... and there's more....

plus I've had difficulty finding a job (still don't have one) and really wouldn't know what we'd be doing here

so....

I understand the health care question, but we're planning on having more babies in the states anyways

My wife also still has her old name, which she has been wanting to switch to mine, but we didn't do it before coming to Europe because we didn't have the time and wanted to avoid complications

K - I'll stop now

nice long weekend to everyone

and blessings

M

[Dr. Obvious 49]

plus I've had difficulty finding a job (still don't have one) and really wouldn't know what we'd be doing here

Mwhaha, that is what it boiled down to for us too. As soon as my husband finally finishes his BSc in September or October, he would be 93% SOL for a job in Germany. We were playing with the idea of going to other EU countries also, but just finally decided on going back to the US where at least I could work and his chances of finding work would be much improved.

I returned to the US early in the visa process because I just didn't think 'perpetually unemployed' on the I-864 was the best thing to slap down, even with a co-sponsor. Not required, blah, blah, blah, but I just feel better saying I am doing something than that I am not. We also decided that both of us would have to be making money to really afford the whole process (Not just the visa. Immigrating in general and starting your life all over again is not the cheapest thing to do.) and that just wasn't going to happen in Germany.

I had to come back to Indiana because of my family, but it is not really where I want to be my whole life and I am terrified of getting stuck here. We are giving very serious thought to moving to maybe Rochester, NY or Ithaca, NY sometime next Spring. I don't have any family there so we will have to bring enough clams to get started there on our own. It was another deciding factor in me coming back early.

It sucks now to be apart, but time is ticking away quite nicely. Besides, it really is different to be apart now compared as it was at the beginning of our relationship to be apart, easier. Hard to explain. Anyway, we're hoping to get some confirmation from the IV section soon that they have our I-130 soon so we can fax off the checklist. I am hoping to have that and the visa application out by June 1st and have the medical and interview sometime in mid to late July. He is still staying until he finishes everything for school though, so probably until early September at the earliest. We just wanted to have all of this visa ####### out of the way before he graduates so he could get here as soon as he graduates.

Our tentative plan is for me to pull our daughter out of daycare when he gets here and he spends about two months getting reaquainted with her and getting used to how life here in the US works. It's hard to move to another place away from everything you took for granted. He's been here before, but vacation is not the same as actually living here day in and day out. After that, he'll start looking for work, etc.

My husband said his last name was too common and he didn't want to create more of them, so neither I or my daughter have it. He is actually playing with the idea of taking my name and occasionally does for non-official things.

Well anyway, I apologize for being nosy.

[MaydayDas 1]

Your story is welcome here.

I wish you guys to succeed in the new life in US. I will be in the same situation like your husband, I will move to US and I have to get used with the life over there. It is a little scary but I have my husband next to me so I have faith everything will be alright.

I hope you and me to hear soon from Frankfurt.

[Dr. Obvious 49]

Your story is welcome here.

I wish you guys to succeed in the new life in US. I will be in the same situation like your husband, I will move to US and I have to get used with the life over there. It is a little scary but I have my husband next to me so I have faith everything will be alright.

I hope you and me to hear soon from Frankfurt.

Hopefully the adjustment won't be too hard for all of us DCFers. I am just going to take it easy on my husband for the two or three months. It will be hard to accomplish much anyway the rest of this year. I have to figure, if my husband is coming in September or October, it will be mid November-December when the two month adjustment period has ended. The little details are taken care of like valid state driver's license, a car for him, a ssn, etc, we want to flesh them all out during that time. By mid November or December, it will be the holidays and probably not much can be accomplished. We'll see about getting him a few temporary or contracting jobs though. Like I said, we are planning to move in the late Winter-early Spring, so not looking for anything too permanent, just some more money to move with.

Did you say what part of the country you were moving to MaydayDas? I want to say you said, but I honestly can't remember for the life of me. Do you know what you plan on doing in the US for work?

Edited May 17, 2007 by Wacken

[MaydayDas 1]

I am from Romania but in the last 4 years and a half I lived in Germany, close to Heidelberg (beautiful country, I am gonna miss it). We already know where we gonna live: Elkton, Maryland. We already purchased a house there, all the house goods and the cars arrived from Germany.....my husband even adopted a dog lol....only me is missing there. I am a little scared about finding a job, even if my husband encourages me all the time that everything will be alright, I have already experienced working with the americans and for americans, here in Germany. But I am still scared lol.

First I will try to get a job in the same place my husband works ..i have a degree in Economics and I have experience working like a bookkeeper but, honestly, I am open for any kind of work, just to bring a paycheck .

[Dr. Obvious 49]

Oh so your husband already went back?

I lived around the Heidelberg area a few years back when I did an internship in Mannheim. It is a really pretty place!

I wasn't sure where Elkton was, so I found this for it: http://www.city-data.com/city/Elkton-Maryland.html . Looks OK, on the bay. I am glad you all have a house and everything all set up. Must make you even more impatient. Would make me, anyway!

I hope you are able to get a job with your husband's company. That would be sweet. I wish you luck either way though.

[MaydayDas 1]

Yup, that's the place, it is close to Delaware State so more options for getting a job, shopping etc. The house is a beauty, it has a gorgeous pool what to say, it is so hard to see everything on pictures or web cam and not to be able to be there...of course i'm impatient but i have to have faith i finish soon and i go to my husband...i didn't see him since february when he had to go to the new duty station (he works for DOD )...it is sooooooooooo hard.

so you have a baby girl ? you already in the States with the baby or you waiting to go all of you in at once?

Hope things will go easy on you and you both will find good jobs.....you guys need it for the baby .