Ruark

I appreciate all the responses, positive and negative.  A few points:

 - yes, my MIL has a "bucket list" of becoming an American citizen. It's a dream of hers, really, whether there is any practical reason or not.  She's only been here 5 years, and her husband died 2 years ago from cancer, so she's just been living with us since then.  She's a very simple, plain old lady, no formal education, very meek and timid and scared of just about everything here. 

 - I talked with a local immigration attorney who knows the officers at this location.  He said most of them were nice, but some of them weren't, and this particular woman "was the worst of them, very, very bad."  Apparently she has a reputation.  When my MIL came to her, she didn't smile, say "how are you," nothing. Just waved at her to follow her and strode to her office.  I did NOT go to the office with them.

 - Once in the office, not a word was said. She just pointed at a  chair, sat behind her desk, grabbed a piece of paper (apparently with civics questions on it) and started throwing questions at my MIL so fast she didn't even have time to answer some of them.  No greeting, no "small talk," no oath, nothing. The woman (and I can testify to this) talked VERY fast, and with a hispanic accent. She didn't even look up at my MIL when she asked the questions.  She had an angry facial expression during the entire interview.  On one occasion, my MIL asked politely, "can you repeated, please?" and the officer displayed an angry, frustrated expression. My MIL didn't try that again.  It was pointless, anyway; this woman was utterly IMPOSSIBLE for her to understand.

Some people seem to think that just because you "know English," you should be able to jabber like a TV sports announcer. 

When she finished, the officer simply stood up, walked to the door and held it open, said "2nd interview" and motioned for my MIL to leave.

 - My MIL *CAN* pass all three tests, and answer the N400 questions.  That wasn't the issue.  The issue was that she was not ABLE to take and pass the tests because of the officer's behavior.  If she had JUST been a LITTLE more polite and a little more patient, my MIL would have passed with flying colors.

And again, a major issue here is her age.  It is virtually impossible for an 80 year old woman to learn to read, write and speak English from scratch, no matter what she does.

- FWIW, having a translator present is an option only if they've lived here 15 years.  My MIL won't even be alive 10 years from now.

Talking to an immigration attorney Monday who has a reputation for being aggressive and being a fighter when it comes to dealing with the U.S. government.  Hopefully he will be able to contribute something.

Thanks again for your comments.

9 minutes ago, geowrian said:

 

If she's been an LPR for 5 years, she can use Medicaid anyway.

https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/outreach-and-enrollment/downloads/overview-of-eligibility-for-non-citizens-in-medicaid-and-chip.pdf

To my understanding, that option doesn't apply if you have a sponsor who has filed an Affadavit of Support.   The Medicaid benefit for her is "means tested," which means my wife's income (her sponsor) is included as part of her financial resources, thus rendering her ineligible.

Regarding those comments about understanding somebody with a foreign accent, you are all certain correct.  But that's a different situation than asking the specific civics questions, where the answers are already known to the officer. E.g "who is the father of our country?"  She would say something like "Woshington," which would certainly be understandable.

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Begs the question why you put her through all this, I know somebody who has been here for 40 years as a LPR.

One reason is for her to be able to qualify for medicaid.  She has a LONG list of medical issues, but no health insurance.  You can't get health insurance for somebody who's 80 and has never paid into Medicare, etc. 

Quote

Learn English when you decide to make America your home.

Easier said than done for an 80 year old woman who's only been here 5 years.  And most of those 5 years she's lived in a mobile home on our farm 60 miles from the city, where there was NO access to foreign language instruction (as if that would have helped).  I read on the USCIS web site that officers can consider external circumstances in their decisions, such as the person's age, access to instruction, etc.  But I don't know how they're supposed to be made aware of that sort of thing.  Nobody is able to talk to the officer beforehand, or anything like that.  Hopefully the attorney can help with this mess in some way. 

I appreciate the responses so far.  For what it's worth, she DID learn English enough to pass the tests with flying colors.  She passed the writing fine.  She can read as well as a native reader, but didn't get the reading test because the officer assumed she didn't know what she was supposed to do.  We just went through the 100 civics questions again and she got 94 of them correct.  We play-acted the interview process here at home several times.  She was all set.  The problem was the officer being so rude and short with her, looking angry, talking too fast while not even looking at her, etc. 

I'm not sure that a disability exception would be viable.  There is an exception for mental disability, but it's more for things like mental retardation. 

This was at the San Antonio USCIS center.

I took my mother in law, from Russia, to her citizenship interview yesterday. It was a nightmare. She is 80 years old, no education, a very frail, meek, gentle old lady, who has struggled for 2 years trying to learn enough English to pass the interview.  We practiced daily, and she reached the point where she can do the civics questions, speaking and writing tests almost perfectly.  But still, she can BARELY use English.  Good grief, she's 80 years old, remember.

We watched the "sample interviews" online, where it showed these warm, smiling officers greeting them, asking them to raise their hands, "please remain standing," etc. and she was prepared for that at well. We actually play-acted these situations in the living room.

None of this happened.  The officer stepped into the waiting area and called out her number.  She walked over and smiled at the officer, who was stone-faced, cold as ice.  The officer waved at her to come, without saying a word, and walked back to her office.  There, she just pointed at a chair, gesturing for my MIL to sit.  She didn't greet her, introduce herself, nothing.  No "please remain standing," no oath, etc. Then she sat behind the desk, grabbed a piece of paper and started throwing questions at my MIL, never looking up at her, just looking down at the paper and mumbling the questions at a high speed. Of course, my MIL had NO idea what she was saying.  One time my MIL asked her, with a smile, "can you repeat, please," and she looked angry. My MIL was too intimidated to try that again. 

Then she tried the civics questions. She asked a couple of questions and didn't even give my MIL time to answer them. A couple of times she did answer, but the officer claimed "I couldn't understand what she was saying." Of course, my MIL speaks with a heavy Russian accent, but she is by NO means understandable!  She gave my MIL the writing test, and she did fine, she passed that.  The officer didn't even GIVE her the reading-aloud test, which surprised me, as my MIL reads PERFECTLY, better that some native English speakers. I asked the officer why she didn't give the reading test, and she smirked, "I couldn't, she didn't even know what I wanted her to do" which was total bullcrap. For heaven's sakes, just put the sentences in front of her and say "read these"! 

When they were finished, the officer stood up, walked to the office door and opened it, and rudely motioned for my MIL to leave.  No comments, no smile, no nothing.  She just barked "2nd interview" and stood there by the door.  The entire thing was less than 10 minutes. 

My MIL was despondent, not just at failing the test she was CAPABLE of scoring perfectly, but at the rudeness of the officer.  We talked to a friend whose parents had been through it, and she said, "oh, they're all like that, just rude and ugly, this is all normal...." and she advised taking an attorney to the next interview.  So we are going tomorrow for a preliminary visit with a good attorney ($$$).  Meanwhile, my MIL was crushed.  As of 10 pm last night she was still crying.  Have you ever seen an 80 year old lady crying herself to sleep?  It's not pretty.

My wife, of course, was livid that this could treat her mother like that and walk away scott free.  We plan to write a complaint to the supervisor, but will consult the attorney first, before doing anything. 

Thoughts, comments and advice are welcome.

Thanks.

In a couple of weeks, my elderly mother in law, from Russia, has her citizenship interview. She's 80 years old and has REALLY struggled with preparing for the tests, and we're still worried that she won't pass it; it's just so difficult for someone that age.  Like, I'll tell her (to write) "Washington is the father of our country," and she'll start writing,  "Washington.... is...." and then she'll look at me and say "Washington.... is.... what?....."  It's hard for her to memorize the entire sentence just from hearing it one time.  So, a couple of questions, if anybody can help:

Interviewers are supposed to be able to exercise their personal discretion in such situations.  We knew one person in his 80's that failed the exam several times; it was just a nightmare for him.  But his interviewer was ridiculously strict.  Then he got a different interviewer who was very understanding and just poo-poo'ed it and gave him a "pass."  Does it really work like that?  How common are these "generous" interviewers.  If it makes any difference, we're in San Antonio, TX.

Also - when the interviewer gives these sentences, do they ever repeat the sentence or part of it, like in the example above with "Washington is....." or do they just give the sentence one single time and that's it?

We have our fingers crossed that this is going to go smoothly.  She is doing the absolute best she can.

Thanks

Even if the immigrant doesn't live in the same household as the sponsor, that income is still calculated.

If it's means-tested, it wouldn't be calculated, though, would it? Seems self-contradicting. I'd like to ask what your source is for that.

- If the household MAGI (modified adjusted gross income) is between 100-400%, they can apply for premium tax credit, in advance or on tax return. Still didn't confirm 100% if this credit is considered means-tested benefit or not; a no-no for immigrants with affidavits of support.

My wife's parents are very interested in this topic. They've been here 2 years and are in their 70s and are LPRs, and of course they have never been able to buy health insurance because they're over 65. My wife sponsored them on her affadavit of support. Are you saying that they can buy insurance on the exchanges, but the affadavit of support blocks their getting any kind of government benefit to cover the cost? They current each get a small pension check from Russia - about $500 a month each. It has been absolutely impossible to find reliable information on this subject.

Thanks

Can we get this garbage off the forum and post something meaningful?

My wife filed for family visas for her parents, in Russia, to come to the U.S. to live with us. Everything went fine, they were approved and have their visas and are preparing for the trip. But a question has come up:

They both have their current Russian travel passports, as per interview requirements. They are concerned that since they now have immigrant visas, they need to have their passports changed to show that they are permanent US Residents. They're worried that some customs official at the Russian airport will not accept their travel passports and not allow them to leave, since this time they're traveling as immigrants, not tourists, and thus "not coming back." Personally, I doubt that this is the case, but nevertheless they're worried about it. Can anyone advise?

Thanks,

Ron

My USC wife's parents are immigrating to the US via the I130. It's all going fine, but we're a little concerned about the vaccination requirements. The DOS web site has a LONG list of vaccinations that may or may not be required:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_1331.html

The actual vaccinations needed will be determined by the physician, depending on their age, health history, etc. They are both in their 70's and are extremely healthy. Obviously they won't need ALL of those vaccinations, but can anyone suggest which ones they will probably be required to get?

Thanks very much,

Ron M.

I am going to ask but how are they going to deal with Medical Insurance here?

A question often asked but for which no one has come up with an answer.

Unless you are stinking rich.

I would be grateful if this could stay on topic. That is a serious question, but I don't want to open that can of worms here. Thank you.

My wife is bringing her parents here to live. They are in Russia. The process is going fine, but we're concerned about the medical exam and the required vaccinations. The Dept. of State web site has a LONG list of vaccinations they may or may not be required to have. This is at:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_1331.html

According to this web site, the examining physician will determine, based on their age, health, medical history, etc., which vaccinations to require. They are both in their 70's. Can anyone give an idea of which ones they will most likely require?

Thanks so much,

Ron M.

Sounds exactly like my situation...Yes file I-130 and I-485 together! The following link will help you...

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide2

Good Luck

That's a good link, Candybell. This involves a parent, though, not a spouse, which is slightly different, although most of it is the same.

An person is visiting the US on a tourist visa, and after a few months decides to stay here permanently, with his USC child as a sponsor.

He will not return to his home country, but will remain here and file for Adjustment of Status, I-485.

When doing it like this, would the I-130 still be filed? If so, are they both sent in at the same time, or separately?

Thanks

There's actually a better way: simply emailing the DS-3032 form. There's no printing, no signing, no scanning. Simply inputting the same information that's on the form into the body of an email. Please read this wiki very carefully: http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Email_DS-3032_form

You're correct. I talked to the NVC and confirmed it. In fact, the lady there brought up the idea in the first place. Great.

My wife, a naturalized USC here in Texas, is petitioning with an I-130 for her parents, who live in Russia, to come here to live in the US. She recently received the email from the NVC containing the DS-3032. She wants her parents to sign it so she can handle the communications and paperwork, as her parents are elderly and don't speak a word of English.

Mail can still be somewhat unreliable in Russia. We are wondering what is the best way for her to go about getting their signatures onto the DS-3032s. Her father does have a computer and uses email. She could send them to him in email and he can print them out. We would prefer that my wife mail them to the NVC, however. What is an acceptable way to get the signed forms back from her parents, besides snail mail? For example, could they sign them, then fax them here? How about scanning them and then sending them as email attached images, which we could print out and then mail to the NVC...?

Thanks a heap, this is a wonderful source of information.

We are currently going through the process of bringing my wife's parents to live permanently in the U.S. from Russia, with the I-130 petition. They will remain in Russia until it is all done, and go to their interview in the US Consulate in Moscow. My question is, when will they receive that actual green card (I-151)? Will they get it from the US Embassy in Moscow, or will they come here on some kind of visa, then go through some process here to get the actual card?

Thanks!

Hi, You can log in to your parents email and send the DS-3032 yourself, you have to choose who is your choice of agent. This link help us alot http://visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/LingChe_NVC_ShortCut. Goodluck!!!

Thanks... I don't know if we could log in their email or not. They are in Russia, all their computing is in Russian language, with a Russian ISP, etc. That link was really helpful.

We're also concerned about mailing. Mail between the US and Russia is somewhat unreliable. Once we sent them a letter and it took them 3 months to get it. If we do the DS3032, would we fill out the DS 230, mail it to them to sign, then they'd mail it back to us to mail to the NVC? We're just trying to get a good mental picture of it all.

Thanks again

My USC wife filed I-130s for both of her parents, who are in Russia, to come to the US. The petitions were received and assigned case numbers and are now in initial review, which reportedly will take about 5 months. What is next? If I understand correctly, we will be contacted by the NVC and billed for $404 each. And $88 AOS fee is in there somewhere, too. We are trying to get an accurate picture of the sequence of events - who will get what in the mail when. I also understand that if they do a DS-3032, my wife and I can handle some of the paperwork, but can't sign anything. Another issue is that neither of them speak a word of English, so they may have difficulty emailing the NVC, etc. Is there somewhere we can get more detailed information about this process, so we will all know what to expect and what to do?

Thanks a heap,

Ruark

My USC wife has filed I130s to sponsor both of her parents for immigration to the US. Of course the I864 is required at a later point. Also, the I130s are filed and processed separately, and she will need to file an I864 for each one.

Will the fact that she is filing two petitions in this manner affect the minimum income required to report on the I864? Will it double it? Her gross annual income is about $42,000. Remember, the petitions are separate. I can't find this information anywhere on the web, some reliable advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

My wife, a naturalized US citizen from Russia, is filing I-130s to bring her parents to live here. Later in the process they are supposed to provide their "Russian passports." I'm having trouble finding out WHICH passport this refers to: their "Russian," "internal" passports, or their "international" (travel) passports. Can anyone confirm?

Thanks so much

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your comments, and the time and effort you expended in writing them. Hopefully someone else will benefit from this information as well.

I have discussed this with my wife and her parents, and have decided to just do the I-130 myself, consulting with an attorney if needed. There will also be an attorney on call for her parents in Russia if they have a question.

I did my wife's I-130 back in the middle 90's (with a ball point pen!) and it was really simple, and that was WITHOUT the enormous internet resources we have today. Her parents will go to Moscow and do the medicals and the interview, then return to Ekaterinburg and receive their visas there via DHL. Then they will be all finished, and have 6 months to relax, settle their affairs, etc. before coming to the US.

In any case, I will definitely continue reading this forum, and hopefully I can help someone else here as much as you've helped me. Again... thanks!

For some reason, I've lost the ability to quote on here....

The parents are in Russia. They have come here on a B2 every year for the last 10-12 years, for 30 to 90 days. They were here last year and decided they wanted to stay, and that's when we talked to the lawyer about the AOS - the one that would charge them $10,000. That was to cover his fees, the AOS, the I-130, Advance Parole, Work Authorization, etc. It was just too much money, and they were out of time, so they just went back for now. Now we are just exploring various options for getting them over here. I'm beginning to think about just doing the whole thing myself, maybe with just periodic checks with an attorney.