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OP, I think you're getting swindled. Plenty of US citizens or LPRs in the US for the receptionist and sandwich maker positions. Cut your losses now and don't pay whoever this middle man agency is. That is not how either USCIS or visa issuance works.

Your best bet will of course be getting married ASAP and your spouse adding you to their insurance policy - marriage is a qualifying life event. I'm not sure what other insurance you'd qualify for as you're not really a tourist given that on K-1 you're expected to AOS and become an LPR. I know our company when sending folks to the US for training gets them seven corners health insurance policy - may want to check if they cover K-1?

Ceremony was today. Took about 2 hours all in 1:50 of which was sitting around. Besides sitting in the room the process couldn’t have been more painless and now we’re all done! We got married July 20, 2018 and my wife became a citizen December 1, 2025. Onto the passport office tomorrow morning, bright and early.

Just got approved!

Already answered here: It's concerning that, of your nine posts on VJ, some refer to a fiancée (K-1 forum) and some to a wife (CR-1 forum). Please put all known information into a VJ timeline so that people know your situation accurately enough to best help you. At minimum, we need to know what you've filed and when, and which consulate you'd be dealing with. Quit making people infer something like "he was engaged in July but must have married between now and his current post, so he must be on a CR-1 path now." With that said, the advice from July (fiancée) holds true for now (wife): The chances of her being granted a tourist visa approach zero

It's the NY Times. I wouldn't trust them.

You could try to get an emergency appointment at a USCIS field office for an ADIT stamp. But I'm not sure you can do it by Wednesday. Remember: If you find your Green Cards, you must also have the original 4 year extension letters if your 2 year Green card has expired.

This shouts scam, EB cases are where an Employer petitions and pays to bring over staff not available locally. Sandwich Maker, Hotel Receptionist?

This is going back donkey years but I remember on another site a Lawyer who contributed, long since retired, described the adjustment phase as being under the color of law, so not status as such. Now back in the day adjustment did not take very long. There may well be a difference at least in process if you come under a K and marry in the 90 days as opposed to having say overstayed your tourist or student visa.

People who want their spouse not to be deported from the US do. No SSN isn't really a problem. Apply for an ITIN because you'll need it to file income tax by April anyway. Add your spouse as a beneficiary for any pensions and/or 401k's and any life insurance policies. As for health care, your spouse cannot be denied being added. HR usually don't realize they can use all 0's temporarily until a SSN or ITIN are provided. Don't delay filing. This is important. It will take some time for your case to process so will have time to assemble further supporting evidence.

After 90 days, you are out of status....and deportable. Marriage to US citizen gives no immigration rights or rights to remain in the US. However, once you file a proper I-485, you are granted authorized stay in the US until the I-485 is adjudicated. "Authorized Stay" is not a legal status, but prevents further unlawful presence. It is highly recommended to file for adjustment of status before the end of 90 days after entering the US. There is no benefit in waiting to do so.

It is if you don't want to be at risk of deportation. I wouldn't leave it past 90 days with the current administration personally.

Quick update. We went on to our interview mid-October and my spouse finally got the green card. Thank you to everyone that helped and this forum has been a great asset in our journey. I will help around a much as I can to pay back to this wonderful community! 😀

past experience paints a profile, this one fit it quite well a "go fast" boat - check. visual surveillance confirms a cargo - check. cargo is packed like many other previous boats that were carrying drugs - check. and of course, it moving, acting, and quacking like a duck. i would not be surprised if there is humint reporting boat departures, along with other methods of intel collection. not much happens in the gulf without the us knowing about it if the us having an interest in monitoring things. in short, it's not exactly rocket science to figure out it's a drug boat.

Sounds like your US immigration journey was fraudulent, if you weren't divorced from your first wife? So your status isn't legit, and you therefore should absolutely NOT file for your children unless you're happy to risk being deported yourself. If you file for anything at all, your whole immigration record will be looked at. This sounds very familiar, have you posted here under another username?

The problem is where is the proof of these alleged "drug boats" and why is the US military double tapping/second striking. Abdulrahman was a bystander and not a direct target. Apples and Oranges But nah let's close our ears and not look up.

Well and truly over the line

You should only need to get the Polio Vaccine and then have the Civil Surgeon complete the Vaccine Assessment part of the I-693 (if you can find one that will do just the assessment). There is a box on page 1 of the form #4.A. you should check indicating you are eligible for the Vaccine Assessment Only because you completed your Immigration Medical Exam overseas. Make sure you bring proof of the Polio Vaccine being administered (we got ours done at a CVS) AND bring a copy of the DS-3025 Vaccine Worksheet from the medical exam overseas. If you can't find a Civil Surgeon that will do just the assessment (all too common unfortunately) you will have to do the whole exam. If this is the case, still bring the copy of the DS-3025 and the proof of the polio vaccination.

You'll need an ADIT stamp, but I agree, by Wednesday isn't likely. They're usually mailed, my daughter's came pretty quickly after she lost her green card, but not that quickly. https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-related-news/temporary-status-documentation-for-lawful-permanent-residents-lpr But you don't need the GC to leave the country, only to re-enter. So I'd suggest you phone for the ADIT stamp and then when it arrives ask somebody to courier it to you in NZ? I'm sorry to hear of your situation, and hope you can find the GC's.

I forget, which field office is this? Some offices are slower than others. That being said, you could try the CIS Ombudsman if you are outside the processing time. Good Luck! P.S. I reported this and asked a moderator to move this to you original thread as it really is an update to what has already been discussed even though it is a new line of questioning.

Some jobs don't require that you be married to get added to the insurance. Your partner should contact HR to see how it works ASAP. They do typically require that you live together, but some places are more lax than others. They should also look at the paperwork needed and how long it takes to kick in, and also how much it costs per month to add you (I've heard a lot of dependent coverage increased a lot per month). Until you are on your husband's policy, you might be able to qualify for short-term health insurance. You'll have to call to see if you qualify. I used this insurance when I took time off between 2 jobs and it was like 80 dollars a month. Even though travel insurance might not work, I would still do some research about it, because a quick google search left me a bit confused and it might be an option at least until you get married. My dad had travel insurance and they never asked him about his visa or anything, and he did have to go to the doctor once. If you take medication, I would recommend you talk to your current doctor to be able to buy and bring your medication. Between the insurance kicking in, getting an appointment, and getting the medication, it can be a couple of months. Doctor's appointments can be difficult depending on the area, so even if you don't take medication, I recommend you make an appointment as soon as you get insurance.

When visiting you would buy Travel Insurance, K1 is Immkgrating. I assume you are talking about Medical and yes the best bet is to marry asap and get added to your spouses cover.

If you're from Iran then you can't get a visa anyway, and haven't been able to for quite some time. It's already on the banned country list and you don't qualify for any exemption - https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/restricting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-united-states-from-foreign-terrorists-and-other-national-security-and-public-safety-threats/ I'd be VERY concerned if your 'agency' hasn't told you that, and that makes it sound even more scammy. This doesn't sound legit at all, I'd ask for your money back (cite the visa ban, point out you aren't eligible for a visa anyway so they shouldn't be demanding payment from you).

I’ll give you a piece of advice that served me and Jaycel well and was inspired by reading one of @TBoneTX replies to another poster back then about becoming an A student of the process…while you are waiting approval for the I-129F, study what’s coming next with the NVC & Embassy process. We did this and from the time we got the K1-FTP email to visa approval for Jaycel was only 6 weeks. A little luck was involved in picking up an appointment but I chalk that up to also being prepared and being on the scheduling site scouring for cancellations at the most likely times of the day. AND it’s never too early to being thinking ahead to the AOS process once your fiancée arrives. Preparation, planning and understanding the process are the keys to success. Best of luck, stay here with the community and let us know your progress and share your experiences for those that follow you

I think this is far fetched. Look at timelines for your USCIS local here and on social media. My city seems to be 3 to 6 months from filing to interview. But things could change. Trump's recent social media rantings don't give comfort but who knows what he means in practice. Trump's words are like a Rorschach test, people see whatever they want. All we can do is take our best shot. Per USCIS Policy Manual "An applicant for naturalization is generally required to have been physically present in the United States for at least half the time for which his or her continuous residence is required." 3 years is 36 months divided by 2 equals 18 months. You can go over 18 months as long as you still have 50% in the USA. Until you get your Naturalization Certificate in hand, I would make sure you meet all the requirements for the N-400 on any given day, including physical presence of at least 50% of the time on US soil.

After we filed our I-751 for Removal of Conditions, we had 44 months of silence.

She needs to meet the criteria at the time of applying, and 'up to the time of naturalization'. So no, she can't go over 18 months out of the country. If she wants to travel more then she'd be better off remaining a LPR and applying for a re-entry permit.

The interesting thing to me is that the party line here at at VJ (and I’ve been reading here for ten years) has been “intent is established at the border,” and “overstays are forgiven for immediate relatives of USCs.” Personally, I’ve always thought this condoned lying at CBP, and circumventing the long queues the rest of us doing consular processing encounter…

Happy Thanksgiving to all VAWA filers. Sometimes it may seem otherwise, but there's stuff to be thankful for. Think about it, latch on to it, and focus on it.

Just i-751! No interview. Yes! Thank you I will say, I did submit an inquiry to my congressional representative around the 2 year mark. I didn't get a reply from the congressional office, but I do wonder if it helped.

She doesn't need money for your future life in the US? Might as well find something she can continue doing after you move to the US.

Don't be concerned, waiting for EAD takes much longer nowadays. You had your biometrics and a receipt notice so you're in there somewhere.

Received our NOA2 today. (April 18 noa1). So happy! Feels like a major milestone has been reached 😁

This is misleading. This bill doesn't target Muslims, but rather attempts to secularize public institutions from any and all religions. Prayer is not banned. Collective prayer in public spaces without a permit would be banned. This isn't new - people have chosen ignorance over education on what is required to have any sort of gathering, be it religious or otherwise, in a public space, and it has now come back to bite them in the proverbial behind. Prayer in dedicated religious houses remains untouched, as it should. Let's be real here too - as a Muslim, would you really appreciate a bunch of protesting Catholics assembling on the doorstep of your mosque? So why was it ok for protestors to camp out in front of one of the most historically significant Catholic churches in Quebec? People are going to worship in their chosen house, so leave them to it. Religious symbols would be banned in certain publicly funded institutions, now including publicly funded institutions of child care, be it public daycare or a publicly funded in home daycare. This isn't exclusive to face coverings, but all religious symbols, so you could lump people wearing crucifixes into this group. The bill also proposes phasing out public funding for religious based educational institutions. This one is a pretty direct hit at publicly funded Catholic schools as they make up the largest percentage of subsidized religious educational institutions. Pre-emptively invoking the "notwithstanding clause", which is questionable in and of itself as it's a real push against the Constitution. QC is trying to be France and this will land them in the Supreme Court. I highly recommend visiting other news sources to get a better understanding of the whole picture. Cherry picking information to depict a certain narrative is how non-neutral news agencies incite anger and upset in populations. Education is power. You can read the details of the bill from the QC government here: https://www.assnat.qc.ca/Media/Process.aspx?MediaId=ANQ.Vigie.Bll.DocumentGenerique_215931en&process=Default&token=ZyMoxNwUn8ikQ+TRKYwPCjWrKwg+vIv9rjij7p3xLGTZDmLVSmJLoqe/vG7/YWzz

I agree with @appleblossom, I would avoid a preclearance airport such as Abu Dhabi, etc. They might also want to consider flying into Toronto or other Canadian airport and crossing by land if that is convenient. Good Luck!

Agreed, while I don't have proof, to me, denial of entry / boarding is a lot easier to get while at preclearance. You simply have more rights on US soil

Pre clearance is airport dependent, not airline. I’d go to the US personally, so they’re on US soil when questioned. Which country are they in now? It’s been a month since you posted this. I really wouldn’t leave it any longer and would urge your family member to get back asap. The more time they spend outside the US, the harder it could be. Make sure they take evidence of tax filings etc, to show they didn’t intend to abandon their residency status. Good luck.

What you have is good but not enough. What concrete steps has your wife taken to show her intent to re-establish domicile in the USA? Note that even though London is not particularly strict on the Domicile issue, you have to satisfy NVC first. Where do you and your wife intend to live, exactly, and what steps have been taken to that end?

Where will she be living?

I wouldn't be surprised if there was an extra long admin processing for all types of visas for this country now.

Welcome to the forum! Two of the best pieces of advice ever found on VJ: 1. Become an "A" student of the entire immigration process. 2. Your success throughout this process depends on your ability to read carefully, interpret instructions literally, and answer completely & honestly.

You are processing normally

I would just try to stay busy until your EAD and/or interview comes. It will take as long as it takes. You filed only 5 months ago. Waiting is always tough....but you could be oceans apart, and separated for more than a year. Just roll with the punches.

New details. I had the same with my son, we just took his new passport to the interview and we informed the officer the number had changed so he could update the DS-260, wasn't an issue at all. Good luck.

As long as you apply as soon as she's eligible, there's no way it should take that long. But winters out of the US should be fine anyway, if you spend 3 seasons in the US and only one out of it, then she'll easily meet the continuous residence requirement. Good luck.

Yes, so exactly the same as spouses, who also get 50% - 18 months out of 3 years. It doesn't matter if it takes 5 years for her to get to the citizenship interview, if she applies under the spousal provision, then that's what she needs to meet the requirement of.

Yep. One of the listed articles I read yesterday seems to imply that submitting an I-485 is no longer granted authorized stay.....I will have to dig a little deeper. If so, this is a game changer....BIG time.....

US President Donald Trump said that current immigration policies have "wasted the gains of technological progress" and contributed to "weakening the living conditions for many," announcing his intention to implement radical changes to the US immigration system. https://www.alnourr.org/2025/11/trump-i-will-permanently-stop.html

i think kip had the right idea - look for a mute gymnast.

Wonderful to hear! Sometimes the VAWA process features little crumbs of happiness.