US Immigration from Germany

Hi,

This might be a dumb question, or I'm overthinking it, but for those of you who went through consular processing outside the US and got the visa page in your passport... "how" do I enter the States?

1) United Airlines asks for travel document... So, am I technically still arriving on ESTA until my CR1 page has been stamped, or do I select "US visa" and type in the number listed on passport page?

2) in case someone knows Dulles Airport.. what line did you end up in? I'm coming in through Dulles and used Global Entry before... Am I a US Citizen/LPR line candidate, am I a foreign visitor, should I still go through Global Entry?

Thanks!!! Just don't want any confusion by checking "ESTA" with the airline if it should be a visa.

To my understanding it's only a valid visa once it's stamped by the agent there.

I came across the O 1 and EB 1A visas a few months ago and figured I might have a shot at obtaining them. I also did a ton of research on the topic, especially from people in my industry (software engineers and other tech workers).

I'm posting here because I know some of you have already been through this process, and I'd love to hear any tips or opinions you might have.

I'm speaking hypothetically, since I haven t achieved all these accomplishments so far.

A little about me: I m a 22-year-old German citizen majoring in computer science. I co-founded my tech startup with a buddy when I was 20, and we're focused on modernizing the government sector in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. We've also partnered with another company that's a major player in our regional market. It's a win-win for both of us, and we expect huge growth this year and next.

Here s a breakdown of my accomplishments (some are still hypothetical):

- I co-authored five publications, though my contributions were minor and have nothing to do with my startup.
- 15 letters of recommendation from former college professors, one letter of recommendation from my co-founder and our employee, one letter of recommendation from a someone in Portugal with whom I built a software product remotely, one letter of recommendation from someone in the Bay Area, CA, who I met at a conference, and one letter of recommendation from the person who runs our partner company.
- I'm CTO of my own company, earning an annual salary of 150,000.
- 15 different articles highlight our company's product, and one magazine features it regularly.

- I was on the jury on my college's hackathon.

I included the hackathon judging experience because I ve heard that immigration lawyers can interpret the O 1 and EB 1A visa requirements in different ways, meaning the criteria are pretty broadly defined. In other words, serving as a hackathon judge might count toward the requirement/criterion of having reviewed the work of your peers in your field.

So, I'm just interested in hearing your opinions and any advice you might have. What I really like about the O 1 and EB 1A visas is that they're tied to my personal achievements rather than being based solely on my company, for example, holding a managerial role in my company (like the L 1A visa requires).

Just to be super clear, my goal is to achieve a green card and eventually US citizenship.

Thanks in advance for any insights you can share!

Hello,

I became LPR (CR1) later April 2019. I stayed one week and went back to Germany. Then returned after 5 months 14 days for 2 weeks (where I was sent to SSSS and was asked when I am going to move permanently) for 2 weeks. Then returned to Germany for the last time and returned to the US after 4 months 29 days (no BPO issue at all). During these years I left the country for only 12 days for one trip. I have paid taxes in the US since 2019, Removal of Conditions didn't require an interview.

My question is now, being 2 months away from being 5 years here physically and having my GC for almost 6 years would it be smart to wait these two months to file N400 or doesn't it matter since once the interview takes place I'll have hit that mark. Or does it matter at the day of filing N400? I could do marriage based N400 but it's a lot more documentation (that I have but I recall the work for i751 to put everything together).

Thank you

My kids received their N-600s after more than two years of waiting in April last year.

Their USCIS accounts still show "interview scheduled". It didn't bother me initially but the reason why we filed their N-600 was to make sure, USCIS tracks the kids as citizens and not LPRs. Is there a second, internal database which is showing they received their certificate and the one we have access to is not that important or would I need to schedule an info pass appointment to show they already have it in hand?

I just like to have everything in order in case I am not around one day to help out with all the documents, (paper) trails etc. At the same time, I am still recovering from USCIS and the thought of contacting them is something else...

Hello,

as most of you might know, it is really hard be to be in a long-distance relationship with your partner. So my girlfriend (29, US citizen) and I (30, German citizen) are trying to come up with a solution and seeking advice from you. Here is our situation:

I came to the US at the end of April in 2024 (first time in the US ever) to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Since it takes between 4-6 months, I applied for a B2 visa. Which went pretty smoothly since work-wise I was able to go on a sabbatical for 6 months and would just return to Germany afterward. During the application interview the officer asked me about my previous attempts to score a Green Card through the Green-Card Lottery program. I answered honestly, and it did not seem to be a problem. So the interview took about 3-5 minutes (I think she knew about the PCT). Smooth sailing when entering the US in San Diego as well. The CBP Officer asked me about my plans (she did not seem to know the PCT), where I am going to stay, what my financial situation looks like and about my sabbatical. I explained everything, and again it took something like 3-5 minutes. No need to show any documents/proof.

Then 5 months of awesome hiking. But fast forward: During my last few weeks in the US, I met my girlfriend. We dated, spent a lot of time together, went on hikes, I met parts of her family and so on (this was in September). We talked about the situation and we're determined to make it work. So I went back to Germany and my work (mid October). I visited her again for a few days in November (no problems with CBP officer; I used my ESTA this time) and after that she visited me for 3 weeks (christmas with my family in Germany, NYE in London). It is February now and I'm about to visit her again for 17 days. Now to our idea:

1. We file for the K1 visa early March.
2. Optional: We meet in Mexico for a short vacation in April.
3. I quit my job (since I cannot go on another sabbatical), keep my lease and visit her again in May ideally for 4 months (on my B2 visa). Since I already have a new job lined up, starting in the beginning of September.
4. I go back to Germany to start my new job and we wait for K1 approval.
5. She visits me while we wait and if/when it gets approved (hopefully at the end of 2025), I quit my job again, move to the US, we marry and I file for Adjustment of Status.

Money is not a problem. Without going into specifics, I am able to live off my savings for at least 6 years without working. So I have no intention to work before I am legally allowed to. During the 4 months in the US and while I wait for my Employment Authorization Document, I would pursue hobbies (Ultra running, meeting friends from the PCT and go hiking in California, etc.) and maybe even do some courses that are career related (Sig Sixma, Project Management, etc.). I hope the money part helps to convince the CBP officers that I have no intent to work/immigrate illegally. But I could see why they might be suspicious, since I spent a long time in the US in 2024 when I was hiking. Do you think an ongoing lease, a signed job offer and enough savings is enough to show that I'll return to Germany?

We also thought about her moving to Germany, which is still a possibilty. But certain circumstances make it pretty hard (at least for now).

What are your thoughts? What s the worst case scenario? I guess that CBP officers won t let me in and I have to return to Germany until the K1 gets approved. Yeah, that would definitely suck. But on the other side, if it works out, my girlfriend and I would get to spend a lot of time together while we wait for approval. Looks like a high risk, high reward scenario to me.

Sorry for the long post. Any advice is appreciated!