sheeshkabelle

Yup. Either take a copy of his birth certificate or the bio page of his passport. Both prove his citizenship

He has a job. The economy sucks, people are losing their jobs and getting hours cut all over the place. He needs a little help and he's allowed to get said help. He is a tax payer, and paid into the system. The OP has even said he's looking for another job. Ease up a little. Some need to remember the saying "Walk a mile in my shoes"
People seem to be confusing temporary benefits as welfare. Welfare is a totally different ball game all together.

Paying taxes on your benefits
Some people who get Social Security have to pay taxes on their benefits. About one-third of our current beneficiaries pay taxes on their benefits. You will be affected only if you have substantial income in addition to your Social Security benefits.
If you file a federal tax return as an “individual” and your income is more than $25,000, you have to pay taxes.
If you file a joint return, you may have to pay taxes if you and your spouse have a combined income that is more than $32,000.
If you are married and file a separate return, you will probably pay taxes on your benefits.
For more information, contact the Internal Revenue Service.

Social Security and VA benefits are tax exempt. If a person has other retirement income other than these two, then they file a US tax return on the amount of the other benefits, only if those benefits exceed $25,000.00 a year (including Social Security and VA)
The answer to your question is:
A) if all your co-sponsor makes is from Social Security Benefits, she does not have to file an IRS tax return and her statement of benefits from the Social Security Administration is enough.
B) I your co-sponsor has another form of income, (retirement savings etc) other than VA benefits, then he/she should have been filing an IRS tax return. Period.
C)if your co-sponsor receives Social Security and VA benefits, they do not have to file with the IRS no matter what the amount is.

It's been a year and a half since we finally got through the USCIS nightmare and hubby got his IR-1.

It hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. I'll tell you the sad story. It's a story about adjustments, hardship, trust and not giving up.
We had rented our house out for the six months I was in Canada to my ex-husband. I should have known THAT was a bad idea. We came home to our house tore all to hell and back. Burns in the carpets, holes in the walls, a storm had blown half the shingles off the roof and the siding off the North side of the house. He'd never bothered to tell me there was any damage to the house what so ever. He had also allowed his girlfriend to drive my car I left here, and she totaled it.

The money we'd saved went towards fixing everything and replacing my car (we're now in the process of a lawsuit over the whole ordeal)
I immediately found a new job and was working for barely over minimum wage and hubby was getting his EI from Canada. We weren't rolling in the dough, but we could at least pay the bills and keep everyone fed.

Hubby and the kids had a hard time adjusting after the honeymoon period wore off. It got so bad my 16 year old son moved out to live with his dad in Kentucky. Hubby and he butted heads over everything.
My parents are both disabled (mother has dementia and dad has spinal stenosis) mother had to be put in a nursing home and my father came to live with us for a few months. I love my parents, but my father is very hard headed, opinionated and hot tempered. That put a huge strain on our marriage. My mother's mental state got to the point I had to go to court to get conservatorship over her and her affairs.

My nine year old dog, that i'd had since he was a puppy, went into renal failure. After two weeks in the hospital and a $2,000.00 bill he survived. He requires prescription dog food and medication, which isn't cheap, but my beloved Sheltie is still with us!

Then his EI ran out. For three months we barely survived on my income. Hubby had a difficult time finding any kind of work, and he looked diligently for 10 months. Finally in May of 2013 he found work, but it was an hour away in knoxville, and wasn't his first choice as a vocation (he's a heavy duty mechanic and worked 18 years on construction equipment. The new job was working on semis)

I herniated a disc in my back at home, and had to take five months off work. When I was able to return, they fired me anyway.

Once hubby found a job, dad bought a house down the street and moved out, and the kids started back to school, Mom was still raising hell about being put in a home, but things seemed to settle down.
Then I guess we both just got complacent.. arguments over money, where the other was at what time, doing dishes, folding socks, feeding the dog.. it all just got to be too much. In October hubby said he wasn't sure he could do it any more, he was thinking about paying me my half of our assets and going back to Canada.

My first reaction was total, absolute, horrifying anger. All I could think was "How dare he, after eight years of a relationship, a year of fighting to get him here, forcing my son out of our home (which wasn't the case, i was mad) How dare he give up, tuck his tail between his legs and run home"
We decided to see a marriage counselor before we made any rash decisions.
Today, things are ok. We still have arguments over stupid stuff, but we're no longer yelling over who does the dishes.

It's hard. it was hard living apart trying to maintain a marriage and it's hard to 'start over' when your spouse is finally with you.
We were together eight years, married for two,and it was like year one all over again. We hand't lived together any significant amount of time to know that he leaves the seat up and I hate to do dishes. During brief two or three week visits you're still on your best behavior, it's all cuddling and kissing and having a good time. Once you're together it's who cooks tonight, did you feed the dog, someone needs to cut the lawn, and for the love of baby kittens could you PLEASE put the seat down when you're done.

The moral of the story, it will all be ok. Sometimes it takes stepping back, taking a deep breath and taking a good hard look at yourself in the mirror. This is the person you chose to love, honor and cherish. You fought like hell to get them to America and to have a life together. Don't give up.
(of course if the relationship is abusive or infidelity is involved, kick his @$$ to the curb)

I called so much while our case was at NVC I started knowing the agents on a first name basis. We were not flagged for anything. I found all the agents I dealt with were all very friendly, some even had a personality.

No police records needed.
You need to get an immigration medical done with a USCIS-certified Civil Surgeon (not just any doctor). Go on uscis.gov and there is a Civil Surgeon locator. Call around and get quotes; the price can vary.

Only Manila and London allow advance medicals.
They will send a case complete email about a week after the case is complete and an email about the interview date called P4. But you can find out both of these sooner with calling.
Up to 20-30 business days after it's recieved by the NVC. Normally about 20.

It's been a year and a half since we finally got through the USCIS nightmare and hubby got his IR-1.

It hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. I'll tell you the sad story. It's a story about adjustments, hardship, trust and not giving up.
We had rented our house out for the six months I was in Canada to my ex-husband. I should have known THAT was a bad idea. We came home to our house tore all to hell and back. Burns in the carpets, holes in the walls, a storm had blown half the shingles off the roof and the siding off the North side of the house. He'd never bothered to tell me there was any damage to the house what so ever. He had also allowed his girlfriend to drive my car I left here, and she totaled it.

The money we'd saved went towards fixing everything and replacing my car (we're now in the process of a lawsuit over the whole ordeal)
I immediately found a new job and was working for barely over minimum wage and hubby was getting his EI from Canada. We weren't rolling in the dough, but we could at least pay the bills and keep everyone fed.

Hubby and the kids had a hard time adjusting after the honeymoon period wore off. It got so bad my 16 year old son moved out to live with his dad in Kentucky. Hubby and he butted heads over everything.
My parents are both disabled (mother has dementia and dad has spinal stenosis) mother had to be put in a nursing home and my father came to live with us for a few months. I love my parents, but my father is very hard headed, opinionated and hot tempered. That put a huge strain on our marriage. My mother's mental state got to the point I had to go to court to get conservatorship over her and her affairs.

My nine year old dog, that i'd had since he was a puppy, went into renal failure. After two weeks in the hospital and a $2,000.00 bill he survived. He requires prescription dog food and medication, which isn't cheap, but my beloved Sheltie is still with us!

Then his EI ran out. For three months we barely survived on my income. Hubby had a difficult time finding any kind of work, and he looked diligently for 10 months. Finally in May of 2013 he found work, but it was an hour away in knoxville, and wasn't his first choice as a vocation (he's a heavy duty mechanic and worked 18 years on construction equipment. The new job was working on semis)

I herniated a disc in my back at home, and had to take five months off work. When I was able to return, they fired me anyway.

Once hubby found a job, dad bought a house down the street and moved out, and the kids started back to school, Mom was still raising hell about being put in a home, but things seemed to settle down.
Then I guess we both just got complacent.. arguments over money, where the other was at what time, doing dishes, folding socks, feeding the dog.. it all just got to be too much. In October hubby said he wasn't sure he could do it any more, he was thinking about paying me my half of our assets and going back to Canada.

My first reaction was total, absolute, horrifying anger. All I could think was "How dare he, after eight years of a relationship, a year of fighting to get him here, forcing my son out of our home (which wasn't the case, i was mad) How dare he give up, tuck his tail between his legs and run home"
We decided to see a marriage counselor before we made any rash decisions.
Today, things are ok. We still have arguments over stupid stuff, but we're no longer yelling over who does the dishes.

It's hard. it was hard living apart trying to maintain a marriage and it's hard to 'start over' when your spouse is finally with you.
We were together eight years, married for two,and it was like year one all over again. We hand't lived together any significant amount of time to know that he leaves the seat up and I hate to do dishes. During brief two or three week visits you're still on your best behavior, it's all cuddling and kissing and having a good time. Once you're together it's who cooks tonight, did you feed the dog, someone needs to cut the lawn, and for the love of baby kittens could you PLEASE put the seat down when you're done.

The moral of the story, it will all be ok. Sometimes it takes stepping back, taking a deep breath and taking a good hard look at yourself in the mirror. This is the person you chose to love, honor and cherish. You fought like hell to get them to America and to have a life together. Don't give up.
(of course if the relationship is abusive or infidelity is involved, kick his @$$ to the curb)

It's been a year and a half since we finally got through the USCIS nightmare and hubby got his IR-1.

It hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. I'll tell you the sad story. It's a story about adjustments, hardship, trust and not giving up.
We had rented our house out for the six months I was in Canada to my ex-husband. I should have known THAT was a bad idea. We came home to our house tore all to hell and back. Burns in the carpets, holes in the walls, a storm had blown half the shingles off the roof and the siding off the North side of the house. He'd never bothered to tell me there was any damage to the house what so ever. He had also allowed his girlfriend to drive my car I left here, and she totaled it.

The money we'd saved went towards fixing everything and replacing my car (we're now in the process of a lawsuit over the whole ordeal)
I immediately found a new job and was working for barely over minimum wage and hubby was getting his EI from Canada. We weren't rolling in the dough, but we could at least pay the bills and keep everyone fed.

Hubby and the kids had a hard time adjusting after the honeymoon period wore off. It got so bad my 16 year old son moved out to live with his dad in Kentucky. Hubby and he butted heads over everything.
My parents are both disabled (mother has dementia and dad has spinal stenosis) mother had to be put in a nursing home and my father came to live with us for a few months. I love my parents, but my father is very hard headed, opinionated and hot tempered. That put a huge strain on our marriage. My mother's mental state got to the point I had to go to court to get conservatorship over her and her affairs.

My nine year old dog, that i'd had since he was a puppy, went into renal failure. After two weeks in the hospital and a $2,000.00 bill he survived. He requires prescription dog food and medication, which isn't cheap, but my beloved Sheltie is still with us!

Then his EI ran out. For three months we barely survived on my income. Hubby had a difficult time finding any kind of work, and he looked diligently for 10 months. Finally in May of 2013 he found work, but it was an hour away in knoxville, and wasn't his first choice as a vocation (he's a heavy duty mechanic and worked 18 years on construction equipment. The new job was working on semis)

I herniated a disc in my back at home, and had to take five months off work. When I was able to return, they fired me anyway.

Once hubby found a job, dad bought a house down the street and moved out, and the kids started back to school, Mom was still raising hell about being put in a home, but things seemed to settle down.
Then I guess we both just got complacent.. arguments over money, where the other was at what time, doing dishes, folding socks, feeding the dog.. it all just got to be too much. In October hubby said he wasn't sure he could do it any more, he was thinking about paying me my half of our assets and going back to Canada.

My first reaction was total, absolute, horrifying anger. All I could think was "How dare he, after eight years of a relationship, a year of fighting to get him here, forcing my son out of our home (which wasn't the case, i was mad) How dare he give up, tuck his tail between his legs and run home"
We decided to see a marriage counselor before we made any rash decisions.
Today, things are ok. We still have arguments over stupid stuff, but we're no longer yelling over who does the dishes.

It's hard. it was hard living apart trying to maintain a marriage and it's hard to 'start over' when your spouse is finally with you.
We were together eight years, married for two,and it was like year one all over again. We hand't lived together any significant amount of time to know that he leaves the seat up and I hate to do dishes. During brief two or three week visits you're still on your best behavior, it's all cuddling and kissing and having a good time. Once you're together it's who cooks tonight, did you feed the dog, someone needs to cut the lawn, and for the love of baby kittens could you PLEASE put the seat down when you're done.

The moral of the story, it will all be ok. Sometimes it takes stepping back, taking a deep breath and taking a good hard look at yourself in the mirror. This is the person you chose to love, honor and cherish. You fought like hell to get them to America and to have a life together. Don't give up.
(of course if the relationship is abusive or infidelity is involved, kick his @$$ to the curb)

Your lawyer is WRONG. Do not do anything else with the lawyer. Read the I-485 instructions and it will become painfully clear. You will be applying for I-485 based on approved I--129F and subsequent marriage to the petitioner within 90 days of entering the US, choice C in part 2.
Have you found the appropriate VJ guide?

All states differ, but TN is the same way. It will only be valid until the visa expires, and then when you get your green card you have to go back and get a regular license.

We had the experience of walking in with hubby's green card, Alberta driver's license and was told we needed a MVR (driver's abstract)
We had his brother go get that for us and mail it. We go back to the DMV with every piece of paperwork we thought we'd need, but his passport, to be told they had to see his I-94 in his passport... DMV people are ridiculous.

Don't get me started on the headache it was to register his imported vehicle....

I plan on calling again in 2 days and if no # I will ask for a supervisor. I have to say, I am real tired of this bureaucratic bs.

That's your responsibility to know, but if you don't have one already you sound like the perfect candidate to get a Nexus card. Best $50 you'll ever spend.

From all you said, that's good prima facie evidence for CBP that your husband was planning on moving to the US on this trip. You say he wasn't and I take you at your word (it would seem fairly silly, with his immigrant visa interview right around the corner) but you have to understand how it looked to CBP. They particularly seem to take an interest when you bring pets here; I recall someone else having the same problem who was bringing a cat or dog or something like that.
Anyway, it won't have any bearing on anything. He can try again armed with more proof of needing to return to Canada at the end of his authorised stay (and chief amongst this would be his visa interview letter, as someone else pointed out), although you could always visit him instead.

I have only been on this support site a week or two and I have had a few people quote me and make snide comments on me filing for AOS. I find it upsetting as me and my husband have been through so much to be together and I have 2 step-children to consider in this whole situation, Why would I leave my husband and stepchildren to go back to England and file, when I can stay here, file AOS and be with my family? I try not to reply to the snippy comments I have received so far LOL, but your comment did make me smile.... this particular thread has been refreshing

It doesn't matter where you were married, you're married.
You can apply for an individual taxpayer ID number and file as married, file as married filing seperate and amend the return after she gets an SSN, or if you qualify, file as HOH (Head of Household),

Rescheduling with Montreal is VERY VERY VERY difficult. As an IR1/CR1 you cannot do it on the Loomis site. You can try to contact Montreal via their online form (you cannot email them.) What I would do is try to get the NVC to reschedule if they haven't yet sent your packet to Montreal. Call them first thing Monday morning if your CEAC doesn't say it's already in transit. Otherwise you really should just try to make the interview assigned.

First off, my sincere condolences. My marriage went t!ts up due to infidelity 11 months after we entered the US, despite having lived together abroad for a couple of years before we made the move. He and I tried to reconcile for almost a year while living separately, and did six months of marital therapy. Ultimately, though, you both have to be committed to counselling to make it work, and he wasn't. (In retrospect, although the break-up was cataclysmic, I've come out the other end happier and healthier than I've ever been as an adult.)
You need to step back from all of this for a while, even though it is all you can think about (and will be for some time). What is the outcome you desire most of all? Is that outcome realistic? Does it involve her? Does she want to be involved?
There are many on here who will say once a cheater, always a cheater. Personally, I don't agree that this is always the case. But you do need to look at your wife's history in this matter, and determine whether you can trust her. I don't know about you, but what was most painful to me was that he lied to me. Not being with another woman, but all the lies. He still lies to me about what happened, even though he and I have grown to be friends again. When you marry someone, you open yourself to them completely, bring them yourself and trust them with your heart and soul and body. Breaking that trust can be fatal. Only you and she know whether the trust can be rebuilt.
My best advice would be not to do anything rash right now, when you are at your most vulnerable and most raw. It feels surreal, like you're walking in a dream, I know. If you can stay with friends now, do. Talk to your friends and family. They know you best. There are people on here who will tell you to go home, you have nothing invested here. Only you know how much you have invested here, in terms of life and relationship.
It is your decision. Be strong, and take courage.

Nope, else we all probably would've jumped on that opportunity!
Your best bet is to go with a spousal visa. You'll end up residing in the US for a year or so longer than you want, but then he can apply for citizenship which will make relocation much easier should you have to move back to the US.

See what I did for that question here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lNEm0btviWXw89jNWv0fh1sgPpo8-f2DpVXdv3SFWss/edit#bookmark=id.26d497d460f3

It doesn't matter when you got the certificate, as long as it is the long-form certificate (must have parents names). Good Luck!

Just got home from the consulate - visa approved!!!!
It was exactly what I expected thanks to the information found on these forums, got to meet a few fellow vjers, I was the 2nd person through so I didn't get to see whether they left as happy as I did but I'm sure they did.
A huge thank you to everyone on this site for you knowledge and generosity, I'll post my review soon, not that I have new information, but now I'm off to work.

I'm in!
Drove as far as Idaho today. Crossing was quiet when we go there so one guard dealt with my visa and one dealt with hubby and car.

Visa in hand...they REALLY don't want you to open the yellow envelope LOL. There's a stamp on one side that says "do not open", they've taped the seam and ink stamped it twice (and signed the stamps), and then on the other side they've got a big white piece of paper that says "do not open." Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and leave it alone