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  • Trending Immigration Discussions
      Topic   Popularity Poster
    #1 Asking for divorce records when not previously married
    IR1/CR1 Visa Discussion
    - popularity rating: 2920 blank avatar Maitremathieu
    #2 Trending towards 12 months
    Service Center Discussion
    - popularity rating: 918 blank avatar S2N
    #3 How screwed am I ? Work visa and I-94 expired. Currently on authorized stay. Recently married a US citizen. What should I do? (DUI on record) Am I overstaying?
    - popularity rating: 882 blank avatar sompsyth
    #4 For the i864, if I'm currently unable to obtain my 2024 Tax Transcript...
    IR1/CR1 Visa Discussion
    - popularity rating: 270 blank avatar BeefedRamen
    #5 question about the i 864 (split topic)
    Green Card Discussion
    - popularity rating: 202 blank avatar koonleh

  • Community Spotlight
    PSA: If entering the USA 2 years after marriage, kindly remind the immigration officer of this
    When we last entered the US, our immigration officer said "Oh, hmm I wonder if I could go ahead and change you an IR-1."  The agent right next to him said "Yes, you can do that" and he acted surprised. His comments made it pretty clear he was going to erroneously issue us a CR-1 and he seemed to not even know he could change the visa status until his coworker advised him (THANK GOODNESS she overheard!).  I don't know how onerous the process is to correct such an oversight but I'm glad we didn't have to find out!
     
    Just wanted to pass this along in the hopes it saves someone from any problems with the wrong stamp being placed in the passport, as I've read about here before....  I would kindly remind the officer "We married >2 years ago.  We can enter with an IR-1 visa now right?"
    • 15 replies
    Traveled to Canada for 20 days after entering the U.S. on a K-1 visa (June 1–22). Seeking reentry under Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR).
    I entered the U.S. on a K-1 visa on June 1st and left for Canada on June 2nd, remaining here for 20 days. I am now attempting to return to the U.S. through Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) using Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR). My K-1 visa is expired, but my I-94 is still valid. Am I ok?
    • 28 replies
    Wrong USCIS application form filed by my lawyer!
    Hello, so my wife came in k-1 visa to USA and we got married and all. We filled for work permit and green card together but while doing that my lawyer filed for I-130 no idea why. Will that application make my process for work permit and green card slow? If so how do I withdrawal that application? My lawyer isn’t helpful at all. I need some help…
    • 20 replies
    Seeking advice for Thai/US couple - What US visa path to take?
    My gf and I live in Thailand but spend 2-4months in the US per year. Once/if we have children age 5+, the time split would become vice versa. We have no plans to live full-time in the United States in the next 5 years, but I visit my family and friends 2-3x per year for 2-3 weeks at a time. I would love it if she can join me for those trips and experience that part of my life. What options do we have -- US visa wise, maybe a tourist or fiance visa later? Other?
     
     
    • 72 replies
    Abandoned AOS and now regret it
    Please be nice, I know I made a mistake... But got my K1 approved and arrived in the US June 25, 2024 and applied for AOS February 25, 2025 -- then left the US (abandoned my AOS). Will I be banned for re-entry to the US -- even under a spouse visa?
    • 32 replies
    US Citizen with Foreign Fiancé: When and How to Get Married?
    I'm currently living and working in the United States. My fiancé currently lives in Japan. We have been dating for about 6 months, and we have met in person several times, but we are not yet married.
    My fiancé will be visiting me in the United States on a tourist visa some time in March or April and staying for about 3 months. I want to file for a fiance/spouse visa asap -- what's next?
    • 18 replies
  • Recent Immigration Discussions
    Interview Appointment Letter
    12:59 pm today

    Microscopicxp

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    2 Replies



    Hi,

    Our K1 application was marked as Ready within the CEAC system and received by the CDJ consultate on June 18, 2025 (5 weeks ago). We received our K1-FTP letter but it did not have any instructions on how to schedule an interview. We have not heard anything back since that point and don't know what to do from here. We created an account in the AIS system, and completed the DS-160 form and it says that our case is not ready for an interview yet but we are unsure what else to do. Can anyone provide some insight as to what the next step is? Will we receive an email from the CDJ consulate with interview appointment instructions? How long does that take?

    Thanks so much for your help!



     
    View Topic

    Marriage Based Green Card Interview Experience - Denver, CO Field Office
    12:58 pm today

    Edward and Jaycel



    Read 59 Times
    3 Replies



    Interview Account

    Sorry for the delay on this but Jaycel and I went out to celebrate getting past this part of the process last night :)

    Our interview was scheduled for 11:05am yesterday (July 23rd). There is covered, on-site parking for anyone going to this office. (Very fancy LOL) We walked into the building at 10:25am and went through security which is pretty much the same as TSA security with belt and shoes and all belongings going in the bin to be scanned and you walk through a metal detector. All in all we were through security in about 3 minutes. No line to get in the building at all. After security, you go to the reception window to the left while still on the first floor to check in. The receptionist will scan the barcodes on your interview notice to check you in and then direct you to go back behind the security station to the elevator and go to the 2nd floor waiting room. There are 3 doors (A, B & C) that we saw officers coming out into the waiting room on the 2nd floor to escort applicants out and call people in for their interview. We got to the waiting room right about 10:35. There were about 30 people waiting in there to include what we assume were applicants, petitioners and some who were obviously attorneys. Our officer called us at about 11:20am and she came out of the elevator to get us and took us up to the 3rd floor. She greeted us with a warm genuine smile and said, "Good morning Jaycel & Ed I'm happy to meet you!" She immediately put us at ease and joked with us that we're special because we were going to the "Management Floor" where her office is. She was kind, professional and you could tell that she was very experienced. I would even go so far as to venture a guess that she even may have been a supervisor? I don't know if they do interviews themselves ever? Maybe since everyone is getting interviews now (which she confirmed with us is absolutely the new policy) the supervisors are chipping in? If she wasn't a supervisor, I would definitely say she was one of the more senior officers at this FO. We got to her office and she asked us to remain standing so that she could swear us in. After that she asked me for my Driver License and asked Jaycel for her passport that she entered the US on, any other passports that she had (which she doesn't), her EAD card, her SS Card and her Driver License. Once we handed her our IDs, I noticed her take our licenses and put them side by side and compare the addresses to verify they were the same. She then did Jaycel s biometrics (fingerprints of each index finger and photo). She mentioned that sometimes she would be typing while we were answering questions and not to feel like there was anything wrong, she was just recording our answers for the record. She also mentioned how slow their system is so that could cause some delays. She saw that I had taken out the sealed envelope from the civil surgeon and asked what it was I had to give her. I told her that we had the vaccine assessment part of the I-693 done by a civil surgeon because Jaycel was missing the polio vaccine from her overseas medical she had done for the K-1 visa. She said, Thank you for getting that done! She then said, Ok, I love a good love story so tell me yours! We asked her who she wanted to answer so Jaycel, who loves to tell our story, started. She listened very intently, asked some questions along the way to both of us and was typing at the same time. She then asked the following questions:

    Has either of you been married before?

    Do either of you have any children anywhere in the world?

    To me (the USC) are your parents still alive? Do you have siblings?

    To Jaycel - Have you met any of his siblings?

    Confirmed our wedding date and asked where we had our ceremony and who attended

    Did you have a celebration afterwards? Where was it? (Turns out she knows the exact place we had our celebratory dinner, as she had eaten there a few times)

    To Jaycel - Where do you live? Who lives there with you? Asked questions about our dog, in friendly way as you could tell she is a dog person

    Then she asked about 20 of the Yes/No questions from the I-485

    She then said she was thankful for all of the uploaded evidence as it made her job easier. She asked if we had anything else to give her that we hadn t already uploaded. She had the sealed medical and we gave her some proof that we were each other s emergency contacts at our jobs, me as beneficiary on Jaycel s insurance at her new job, a printout of our Amazon Family page with us both listed and some mail Jaycel had received in her name at our house.

    She then printed off the paper shown below - She said basically that s just our proof that we attended the interview and that her plan was that afternoon to upload what we brought her and would approve our case.

    Hope this helps anyone awaiting an interview and feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

    2025-07-24_10-57-54.png



     
    View Topic

    Combo Interview Decision Delays (I-751 and N-400)
    12:28 pm today

    national

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    Read 39 Times
    2 Replies



    Hello. We had our Combo Interview this month. We filed for I-751 (Removal of Conditions based on US Citizen Spouse) back in May 2023 and 2 years later we finally got our interview scheduled alongside with N-400 (Citizenship). Interview went great, I-751 was recommended for approval by officer but as we were told it had to be reviewed by supervisor. We assume it's due to lack of latest Tax Transcripts (2024) because at the time of filing it was only year 2023. But we brought the 2024 Tax documents with us and passed them over to the officer at the interview. Citizenship interview followed after that and went great, we passed! After the interviews we were told to wait approximately 3 weeks to see the status change and decision. 3rd week date approaching and status still shows Interview Was Scheduled with no updates. We assume that the wait will continue beyond the 3 week waiting window. We are on the final part of all the processes and looks like hit the slowdown.

    Anyone else was in the same situation?

    Is there anything else we can do but waiting?

    Can we speed it up or inquire somehow?



     
    View Topic

    How screwed am I ? Work visa and I-94 expired. Currently on authorized stay. Recently married a US citizen. What should I do? (DUI on record) Am I overstaying?
    11:22 am today

    sompsyth

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    Read 126 Times
    7 Replies



    Here's the background:

    I entered the US originally on an F-1 visa and have been working on H-1B for a while. I have been in the US on valid status for many years.

    A few years ago, I made a terrible mistake of driving while intoxicated and was subsequently convicted of class 1 misdemeanor (no accident or injuries). There were other charges with it such as breath refusal (civil infraction), no turn signals.. Those were all subsequently dropped as part of a plea agreement. Court mandated alcohol education and have an ignition interlock on my car. However, 6 months in I had an interlock violation and was sent to court by my PO. The reason was it registered a very low BAC that was enough to fail the test. My PO sent me to court because it wasn't cleared within a 10 min timeframe. I entered no contest. That is now resolved - All court fines are paid, classes are done, and interlock is now removed.

    Separately, my employer filed for my greencard, but due to delay in processing by the USCIS, I had to file for a 1-year H-1B extension. This extension was timely filed before the H-1B and I-94 expired and it's still pending. I should note that my I-140 is also currently pending. My extension which was originally filed under normal processing took more than 6-7 months to get a RFE, and by that point you know who was in office. We converted to premium processing and it's been pending ever since. There were some what appeared to be deliberate delays in handling the RFEs that extended this process far beyond normal timeframes. and the most recent RFE has a deadline to respond that is past the 1-year mark from my original I-94 expiry.

    Key dates for reference:

    H-1B expiry - Late July 2024

    I-94 expiry - about 10-15 days later

    1-year extension filed - Before H-1B expiry

    1-year extension RFE deadline - Late Aug 2025

    Currently out of work (still employed, but no pay) because of the 240 day rule.

    My questions are

    1. If this extension is denied, what happens to the authorized stay I was in since last year? Will that be forgiven and would the unlawful presence start the date of denial or would it start from the original I-94 expiry? Am I in the risk for NTA or removal proceedings if this happens?

    2. If the extension is approved, after we respond to the RFE, would the new I-94 date be Aug 1, 2025? Is there a likelihood that it would be extended past Aug 1, 2025 since it's already been a year since the petition was filed?

    3. Because the RFE deadline is September 15 2025, what happens when we respond to the RFE in September? Because this is a 1-year extension, the approval will be until Aug 11 2025? Would I be in unlawful presence from Aug 11 2025 to whatever date USCIS makes a decision on my petition?

    4. I recently got married to a US Citizen, so if I decide to file AOS (I130+I485+I765+I131), what would be the "right" time to do it. Because of a pending I-485, I would automatically be in an authorized stay correct? Because I don't have an underlying legal status right now, would filing AOS grant me an authorized stay? Do I wait to get a decision from the H-1B extension and then file the AOS? Are there any benefits to this?

    5. If my intention is to resume working as soon as possible, what are my options other than hoping the I765 gets approved within a couple of months.

    6. Easiest is to leave the country, but I am worried about being stuck there for a while and unsure about reentry because of the DUI.

    7. Should I file FOIA and get information in the meantime? Are there risks with this?

    Given this context, am I missing anything important? Are there any questions I should be asking that I haven t considered? I d especially appreciate hearing from anyone with first-hand experience with DUI + AOS timing, H-1B extensions after status expiration, or concurrent filings.




     
    View Topic

    I-864/I-864A Income Question
    8:45 am today

    trucphong

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    Read 61 Times
    2 Replies



    All,

    I (US citizen) petitioned my mom and dad by filing I-130. I am filling out I-864 for my mom first and I have some questions to ask for I-864.

    I started working in 2024 and made 65k which my spouse and I filed 2024 tax as married jointly. We filed tax together as married jointly since we got married. However, I had no income in 2023 and 2022 but my spouse income had been steady around 80k the whole time. I am still currently employed and expected to make around 75k in this year (2025) however the tax 2025 might not be filed during NVC step. I assume I need my spouse to file I-864A.

    I have question relating to I-864 incomes for 3 previous years in Part 6 questions:16.a, 16.b and 16.c. which is total my income as reported in federal income tax returns fir most recent year was

    16.a) most recent year 2024, do I put 65k or my spouse plus my income together in irs transcript?

    16.b) 2023, Do I put 0 or total income from irs transcript that only has my spouse income?

    16.c) 2022 same as 16.b)

    Thank you.



     
    View Topic

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    • Josh B K  »  Billy Bob

      @Billy Bob, I wanted to check in with you to see if you have received notice of an interview assignment for your case in Ciudad Juarez? 
      · 0 replies
    • Josh B K  »  johanna_q

      @johanna_q I hope you and your spouse are doing well. I wanted to check with you and ask if you have received notice of an interview assignment in Ciudad Juarez for your case. I look forward to your reply. 
      · 3 replies
    • EricN  »  OldUser

      Hey you OldUser:  Can you help remind me where on VisaJourney we can go an view applicants with similar Visa applications to get a real idea of where we stand in the line?  Or maybe it is easier to go somewhere on the USCIS website??   We applied for my Wife's adult brother some 12 years ago and originally we thought it was going to b a 20 year process....it sounds like it might be a much longer process putting in jeopardy his ability to bring his under 21 year old children along with his wife.   Thanks, Eric
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    • hopiiee

      need help everyone. thank you!
      1. i am so confused between these two. the first one states I should include my husband’s current annual income and he got a higher annual income now since he got promoted to a new position in the company a week before our wedding.
       
      and the 2nd one shows his recent 2024 annual income and it’s a different amount from his previous position in the same company. is it ok if both amounts are different?
      2. hubby had jr in our petition but it was omitted on our marriage certificate, for i-864 and i-485 should we continue using our last name with jr?
       
      3. in the i-864 should we include hubby’s current job position in the same company, even it it’s different from the i-134 job position he has?
       
      thank you
       
      · 1 reply
    • jodijadane

      I have a question. my i485 was denied because of affidavit wasn't done incorrectly. but my son case still pending. should I refile for him or just myself? when I refile should I add him on the new affidavit even though his case still pending? what's the best way to fill out a i864 with a joint sponsor if my spouse doesn't meet the requirements? Is my son case on Hold till I sort my stuff out? or will it be denied? sorry a lot of questions thanks in advance
      · 0 replies
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