US Immigration from New Zealand

Hi, I went for my biometrics appointment today which went as planned with zero problems. I got home tonight to see that my Biometrics Appointment has been marked as complete (as I expected) but also my Interview Appointment has ALSO been marked as complete (see attached screen grab). I know not everyone needs to attend an interview, but this was kind of unexpected. Am I one of the lucky ones who does not need an interview or am I misunderstanding what I am seeing? (I will be very glad if I can skip this step, but I just want to be sure I am seeing right) Anyone else have something similar?

Also another question, with the recent changes to the Keeping Families Together process, will that potentially speed up the decision for my application? I see in the last week it has changed from 15 months to 13 months till a decision is made.

I have an interesting situation. Apologies for the lenghthy text. I received a green card via marriage in 2010. I moved out of the USA back to my home country in 2013 but would continue to come back every year. A few times at the airport I was questioned as to why I'm only coming back for 4 weeks a year but was always let back in on my green card. When covid hit my flight was cancelled and I was actually looking to move back again full time in usa. Uncertain about Covid I decided to stay in my home country due to health care and family etc.... Shortly after covid hit, my mother had a massive stroke and I was stuck looking after her. My green card expired in 2020 so I thought I'll never be allowed to return to usa to live again. I was recently offered a very good job in usa from my brother so i reached out to an immigration attorney for options. He told me to apply for a replacement green card using I-90 form. He told me i might have a few outcomes. 1. I get denied.
2. I get an appointment for biometrics which can take months.
3. I get a new green card approved but the wait time is 20 months.
I decided to try option 3 and apply for a new green card. I applied on the 9th of Jan 2025 and on Jan 12th 2025 I got an update from USCIS that my new green card is approved and is being produced and will be with me in about 1 or 2 weeks.

Now. Here is my issue. I've been out of the usa for 5 years. I have a brand new 10 year green card but I fear that i will not be allowed entry once I fly to usa.

I can show evidence that I was my mothers caregiver from the hospital etc...

Any advice, similar scenarios or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

P

Hi All,

I am preparing to file my I-130 for my wife within the next day or two. We are currently residing in Istanbul, Turkey, and were married online with a Utah County online marriage. However, the marriage certificate says the following:

"I hereby certify that on the 22nd day of December in the year of two thousand twenty four in the city of Salt Lake City in said county of Salt Lake, I, the undersigned, a Reverend did join in matrimony according to the laws of the State of Utah [NAME] and [NAME]. The nature of the ceremony was according to Utah Law and was a present mutual agreement of marriage between parties."

I believe this is because the reverend who performed the marriage lives in Salt Lake City. So, is it correct to write the location as Provo in Utah County, Salt Lake City where the officiant was, or Istanbul where we physically were at the time?

Another question - I have made my wife the sole beneficiary on my brokerage and checking accounts at my bank in the United States. However, the only evidence I have of this is a screenshot, as unfortunately I don't have access to any formal documents stating this. Is this okay to submit? Overall, the amount of evidence of us being financially intertwined is quite low, for reasons I mentioned in my last post. All I have to prove this is the aforementioned screenshot. Does anyone know of any last-minute moves can I make to strengthen this? I have tried applying for instant life insurance but was rejected because I live outside of the US.

My sincere thanks in advance for any responses!

Hi All,

My fianc e and I are planning getting married on this weekend (December 2024) via a Utah online marriage, which I previously made a post about. We are planning on applying for a CR1 visa ASAP after that is complete. I have been compiling evidence of our relationship and I am concerned that it might not be sufficient. Below is a summary of what I have found so far:

Some notes:

• The evidence from Serbia/Czechia/Italy is from vacations we took to those countries together.
• I am a US citizen and she is a Turkish citizen.
• We live together at the apartment I own in Turkey, but her name is not on the deed.
• We also have no joint financial accounts and she is not on any of the utility bills except the internet bill. This is because she is currently in university (I am 23 and she is 21) and as such she is not earning an income. I am concerned that not having obvious financial ties will weaken our case.
• We are able to get affidavits from friends and family if needed but I've read that these don't really hold water.
• I also have a lesson confirmation for Turkish lessons in December 2024, not sure if that matters.

Does this evidence seem sufficient for a CR1 visa application? Are there any critical pieces of evidence we might have overlooked? I have tried to provide as much information as possible, but if there's anything else that would be helpful, please let me know. I am very new to all of this and am trying to move as quickly as possible. Thank you in advance for any replies!!!

Hi All,

My fianc e (Turkish citizen) and I (US citizen) are living together in Turkey, and would like to get married and start our CR1 application ASAP. To get married in Turkey, I need a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility to Marry from the US Consulate here in Istanbul. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to secure an appointment until mid-January, which is later than I would like. There is also the issue of getting this document translated, getting the translation notarized, and then getting it approved by local officials.

Given this, we are looking into getting married online in Utah. Because we are living together, I believe USCIS will view the marriage as consummated and legitimate. My main question is this - Will USCIS accept a "digitally certified" copy of our marriage certificate for our initial application? I have searched online and on VisaJourney but haven't been able to find a clear answer. It seems like they will, but I just want to make sure. For context, here is the Utah County Clerk's page explaining what this is: https://www.utahcounty.gov/dept/clerk/marriage/digitalvspapercertcopy.html We will also have the physical certificate mailed to us, but this will add an additional 3-4 weeks - which defeats the whole purpose of getting married online.

I am totally new to the world of US immigration, apologies for any mistakes. Thanks in advance for any replies!