Alianza Terps

I was told that you couldn't change your name on your Social Security card until you received the green card - which will have your new legal last name on it. Until then, the SSA goes by whatever name is on your I-94.

Off topic - just a bit:

I think if the OP actually knew anything about Latinas in general perhaps he would not have the problems he's had...

First of all, most Latinas are posessive of their men (in varying degrees). You need to understand their upbringing and family attitudes. They were raised to be loyal to their men with very strong family values. BUT - most Latinas (and I know more than a few) have been cheated on or abused by their Latin boyfriends / husbands, etc... I am not putting down the Latino male species, just that without exception my fiance and ALL of her friends and acquaintces have has these experiences with their Latin mates. So - this in general makes Latinas more suspicious of their men and more possessive. They simply don't want any more pain or disappointments.

So - when the OP met his beautiful wife at first I'll bet that he found her attention as a positive attribute. It's a wonderful thing when a beautiful woman makes you the center of her world. Then when she arrived here the same attuitudes she displayed when they dated in Argentina continued and all of a sudden they became unacceptable?

Getting to know a person AND their culture is the most important thing when it comes to mariage. When men see their foreign fiance in their environment the romance overwhelmes the senses and most guys don't see that the relationship they have in "Argentina" is not the same as what they have here on Main Street USA. That is why repeated trips and truly getting to know the person is crucial to a sucessful marriage.

You just stereotyped an entire continent and region of women. Way to perpetuate and endorse stereotypes. It's not true, your opinion is completely subjective, and does not help any situation.

Remember, a pre-nup only goes into effect in the event of the divorce. While no one plans for a divorce, no one knows what the future holds. I think there are several perspectives you can take on the issue. Some people believe that a pre-nup is a sign of distrust or disrespect. Other people just see it as protecting each others future and assets. Perhaps your fiance believes that this pre-nup is to appease his father and nothing more. Signing a pre-nup is a personal choice and you can decide how you want to interpret your fiance's request.

My advice is to talk with your fiance, express yourself, read over the terms of the pre-nup closely and then make your decision.

About his family and your marriage - perhaps you two should decide on how, when, where and under what circumstances you want to commit to your future together. If you would like his family there, then express it.

My advice would be to do research on past cases of sex-same marriages and immigration, discuss options with your partner and then prepare for battle. Love isn't easy but it is worth the fight. A fight, not only for love, but for your fundamental right to marriage and championship. Good luck!

I would recommend just filing for the EAD and AP with the green card application. It's no additional cost with filing everything together. The extra paperwork isn't that bad if you just follow the VJ guides.

If the EAD and AP are processed before you receive your green card then the EAD and AP cards will allow your fiance to travel and work while waiting for the actual green card.

This makes no sense to me, if they were gonna reject him from the start after they found out he did drugs 4 years ago, why did they ask for a SECOND test? Why not just call it quits after the first test? Why bother again with his paperwork?

Well, the embassy plans on giving him random drugs tests throughout the year. This could be the start of that. Why not start the random testing at the interview?

If he told the embassy that the last time he tried drugs was 4 years ago and he tested positive now, then wouldn't he receive a lifetime ban for lying? The consulate asked him during the interview if he was on drugs and he replied "no" so if his test was positive, he is committing fraud. If he told the embassy he had tried drugs 4 years ago and he continually tests negative now and throughout the year, the consulate can give the visa knowing that this applicant has been clean and is true to his word.

My point is that if he actually tested positive, then I would think he would be facing harsher penalties, like misrepresentation and fraud, not just a one-year ban.

I was talking about if the tests were negative and he was clean NOW.

If even the tests were negative and he was clean NOW, the fact that he admitted drug use in the past is reasonable grounds for the embassy to deny the visa. U.S. immigration is not very forgiving about your past illegal history and he will need to "serve his time" and try again. This will always be a part of his immigration record.

I think the only exceptions for an embassy to excuse past drug use are if you engaged in the acts over 10 years ago or before you turned 18. I could be wrong but I remember reading something about this on a past VJ post a few months ago when someone admitted smoking marijuana in high school during their medical and the doctor asked if it had been over 10 years ago.

Your journey has become more complicated so I would advise to take your time and investigate your options, your feelings, and your relationship. Personally, I would think that if the embassy ever received a positive drug test, they would be very unlikely to ever let him into the U.S. The fact that he got a one-year ban seems more like a consequence of having done drugs in the past and making sure he isn't doing them now or in the future.

God only knows what is going on, but as far as I know, the embassy wouldn't deny you unless they did find something your recent tests, not something you did 4 years ago, I mean simply think there might be tons of people working at the embassy that smoked something during high school or whatever, everyone falls (just think Lindsay Lohan), I know some people here come with cases with past addictions or criminal backgrounds and they get accepted anyway cause they said the truth, not because they did something stupid in the past.

Only God and Fady now know the truth, and that's just me, I wouldn't be upset that he did weed at a certain point of time, I'd be more upset if he lied to me. Hopefully that's not the case with you, maybe someone did a mistake somewhere. Fady would need to find a good lawyer to represent him, I'm not sure if the ban is reversible?

I hope I didn't upset you in any way, I'm honestly trying to help.

From my understanding, simply admitting to past drug use can be a pretty big deal. If the tests were positive, would the U.S. embassy even consider giving him a second chance to repent and try to obtain a visa again? U.S. federal law on drugs is not that forgiving. Perhaps the tests were negative and they want a year to reconfirm this? 4 years isn't that long ago in the world of U.S. immigration.

Isn't admitting to past drug use in itself a reason for denial of the visa, especially within 10 years of the last time? Do they even need a test to deny the visa if he admitted to using in the past?

I'm really sorry that things came out this way for you. Good luck with whatever you choose to do

In Peru, it is pretty simple. A few vaccinations (like two or three shots that have multiple vaccines in it), a TB test, standard physical and the doctor will ask some questions about your health and confirm answers that were written on the forms provided by the embassy.

Some people, including myself, have written Peru medical exam reviews on the U.S. Embassy/Peru review section of VJ so check those out

Oh, also some standard blood work - mainly to test for syphilis, I think

I´d like to know what is the medical exam about, I have checked t in the travel state page but it just lists the vaccinations they ask for, I´d like to know about the medical exam especificaly, Thanks!

In Peru, it is pretty simple. A few vaccinations (like two or three shots that have multiple vaccines in it), a TB test, standard physical and the doctor will ask some questions about your health and confirm answers that were written on the forms provided by the embassy.

Some people, including myself, have written Peru medical exam reviews on the U.S. Embassy/Peru review section of VJ so check those out

Your sis-in-law has to demonstrate to the officer that she would not over stay her visa.

In most cases its difficult to get visa for young single female bear that in mind. If she is married and has kids she can put that on her file kid would not be traveling with her and they would continue to stay in home country etc. would be the social ties to home country.

Oh okay - good point. So when the officer is looking for strong social ties, they are looking for someone with a spouse and kids that they need to return to rather than just having your parents, all of your relatives and friends in the city where you reside. Is that correct? So would a list of all your relatives and friends who live in the city not really be that convincing to the officer?

So my sister-in-law from Peru is applying for tourist visa to visit my husband and I. I sent her this list of documents to gather and prepare. I was wondering if anyone had any other input or suggestions:

Documents/evidence of strong connections to Peru:

• Letter from employer (with position, salary, when employment began, permission from employer to take vacation)

• Contract from employer

• Car documents with your name on it

• Bank documents demonstrating you have enough money and the ability to support yourself while visiting the U.S.

• Credit card payments

• Anything sort of credit receipts (if you have bought anything with credit that you are still paying off, bring those receipts to demonstrate that you are responsible)

Other documents for the Visa include

• Birth certificate

• Passport photo

• Electronic application form, DS-160 form (look at U.S. embassy in Lima website)

My other question is how does one demonstrate strong social ties in their country? Do they just make a list of family members, relatives and relationships in Peru? Should they include addresses and phone numbers? It does not seem like the most official way to present social ties to the country but I'm not sure how else to do about it. My sister-in-law lives with her parents so doesn't own any property or have any bank loans. But she is an engineer with a good salary and savings so I'm hoping that will help. But as we all know, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to visas...

Any advice and suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

Thanks for your response. The embassy now only has one civil surgeon available to perform the medical exam, which is at the Clinica Anglo-Americano. I told my fiancée to try calling again on Monday and insist that the medical exam needs to be done sooner. Hopefully she'll get to speak with someone else.

Does your husband happen to remember which phone number he called to schedule the exam? When my fiancée calls, she has been told multiple times to call back later or that their computer system is down and they can't make appointments. The whole thing just seems very sketchy to me.

Perhaps since there is only one civil surgeon available now there are less appointments and times available. My husband doesn't remember which phone number. I remember he said that the doctor was nice but some of his assistants weren't super friendly. Keep trying and good luck!

I'm not sure if this is something you want to consider or not but you could explain to the embassy the issue with the medical exam and reschedule your interview? Just an idea. We had to reschedule our interview because they only gave us a few days notice and we couldn't get the documents together in time. Or go to the interview without the medical files, discuss it with the consulate and bring them the medical when you have it. Either way, the process is a pain and stressful but I'm sure SOMETHING will work out. Good luck!

Peruvian VJers...Have any of you (or your significant other) tried to schedule your medical exam recently with the clinic in Lima? My fiancée called today to schedule her appointment but ran into some trouble. She was asked for the date of her visa interview, which is Monday, July 18, and the clinic scheduled her medical exam for Friday, July 15. She tried to explain that the consulate wants the medical to be done at least 5 business days before the interview, but the clinic claimed that they don't have any appointments available until July 15 and that it isn't necessary for her to have the medical exam results with her at her interview.

It seems to me like the clinic is giving her the runaround for whatever reason because the information she was told is completely different than the information she received from the consulate. Has anyone else had a similar experience in Peru?

My husband went to the Clinica Anglo-Americano in Lima. He had no problem scheduling his medical exam a week before the interview. Also, he called only a few days before his medical exam to schedule the actual appointment. From past conversations with other VJ members and friends who are going through this process, I'm surprised that you have having difficulty with this. There are two different civil surgeons in Lima that you can go to so maybe try the other doctor to see if they can be more flexible. Otherwise, my advice would be to just keep calling and bothering them until they give you an earlier appointment. You still have some time before the interview so hopefully something will work out!

Hi everyone, just had a few questions...

We are currently adjusting status from a k1 visa and are trying to understand how we are to go to our future interview with a bank account in both our names without being able to open a bank account together since my husband doesn't have a SSN. I called the Social Security office today and was told that a Social Security number was only to be used for work purposes and since he does not yet have his EAD, we aren't able to apply for one.

I just read and used the information on obtaining a Social Security number in "Guides" here on VisaJourney. I double checked the info here with the SSA website and forms. It was very helpful and we had no problems. We went to the office 12 days after my husband arrived in the U.S. on a K1 visa and received his card about 3 weeks later.

They have to issue the SS Card (if issued before AOS) in the name that appears on the I-94 Departure record. When he receives his EAD and/or GC with just his first last name on it, he can return the the SSA office to have it changed.

It's not going to be a problem, other than the hassle of having to make multiple changes to the card, accounts, etc. The name on the GC will be his legal name in the U.S.

Thank you for your response! So in the next year when my husband receives his green card and wants to travel outside the U.S., when he returns and goes through customs he wont have any issues with the fact that his green card name and passport name will not match up exactly?

I know this is a common issue for women who change their names, but usually people understand that custom of adopting their husband's name more than a man having multiple last names and trying to drop one.

Okay so I think we just complicated our lives a little more than necessary. My husband is from Peru and like many other Latin American countries, he has two last names on all his legal documents.

My husband (who entered on a K1 visa a month ago and we got married promptly after) applied for a SSN and on the application form we agreed to stop using his mother's last name and just start using his father's last name on our applications and American documents. We figured it would make certain issues less confusing in the long run.

To clarify, in Peru, his documents - including his passport - look like:

(First name) (Middle name) (Father's last name) (Mother's last name)

In the US, as we know, it's more common just to have (First name) (Middle name) (Father's last name)

So anyway, on the social security application we put down the US-version of his name. However, when we received his SSN today it had both his mother and father's last names on it.

Last week we filed his AOS application. On all the forms, we put down his last name as just his father's last name. Whenever it asked "other names used" we put down his name like it used on his Peruvian documents (both mother and father name).

Now, my concern is the fact that there may be inconsistencies on these official documents. Since his SSN card has both names, so does his passport, so in the next few weeks when he goes to get a driver's license, this will also have both last names on that. His green card, AP and EAD, MAY be processed with only his father's last name.

My question is how much of a problem will this be in the future? Should we be concerned?

**Sorry for such a long post for a fairly simple question - just wanted to clarify the situation. Thanks for the help/advice, everyone

Okay great, thanks!

Hello everyone!

I was just wondering if you are supposed to submit evidence of a marriage/relationship with the AOS package. At what point during the AOS process will the USCIS want to see evidence that demonstrates that my future husband and I are in a legit marriage? I'm referring to evidence such as joint checking accounts, health insurance, car insurance, apartment lease, and all that other fun stuff.

I noticed it wasn't mentioned in the AOS guide so is the evidence what we'll need for the GC interview?

Thanks for the help!

My fiance lives in the provinces (Piura). DHL service there is not that fast or reliable, in my experience. His interview is when I am 36 weeks pregnant so I want to make sure he gets his passport back as fast as possible so he doesn't miss the birth.

Does anyone else have experience getting the passport back living in a province? How many days did it take?

Or could he pick up from a DHL office in Lima? How long would that take?

I am reading the consulate reviews and I still am having trouble figuring out exactly how long he will have to wait after the interview to be able to travel.

THANKS!

My fiance picked up his passport about 4 days after the interview. Once he has the actual visa in his hand, I believe he would be free to enter the U.S. right away. My fiance lives in Lima and the DHL office at the embassy told him to pick it up at the DHL office in San Isidro despite the fact that he lives in a different neighborhood in Lima. That was our experience and I don't really have a good answer to your question but perhaps if your fiance could wait in Lima for a few days after the interview, he would be able to pick it up right when it's available? That seems like the fastest way to get your passport back. You could probably discuss the matter with the DHL office at the embassy and see what your options are.

I'm not sure if there are different wait times for different visas. For the K1, we received our NOA2 at the end of January and we were scheduled to have our interview a month later. However, the embassy never contacted us and it took almost a week to get in touch with them (due to holidays, timing, etc) so by the time we did contact them and found out about the actual date, we had to reschedule since we didn't have enough time to get everything together. I wasn't expecting them to be that fast. I think, in general, the US embassy in Lima is less busy than other embassies and you may be able to get an interview rather quickly. You can also request an earlier date/time. They don't have to honor the request but they might!

Will Adams need to have his Birth Certificate, Criminal Record and all other official documents re-translated? Apparently some of the documents, like the criminal record, expire in 3 months from original date. We want him to take care of any requirements like this before he leaves for USA on Tuesday.

Also, is there any other documents you can think of that are required to obtain marriage certificate, work permit, drivers license, etc in the USA that was not part of our K1 package?

Thank you for your feedback.

Have a BEAUTIFUL day!

From my understanding, he will only need to have his birth certificate translated for the AOS. I don't think he needs to have his criminal records. If I'm mistaken, hopefully someone will come along and correct me on that.

Also, you should look at the marriage laws in your state to figure out what your fiance will need. Where I live, my fiance just needs to have a form of identification (passport) and if he was married before, divorce papers or a death certificate. Some states require a SSN - which your fiance will get when in the US.

I'm in the similar situation and would also love some advice on this matter! Having health insurance is extremely important in case of any unfortunate, costly accidents (broken bones, emergency surgeries, etc).