sheeshkabelle

How can people make it on 125% of poverty level?
I do just fine. I have four kids,(two teenagers and two early elementary) plus me and I make $34,000 a year. We're not starving, no one is wearing rags, my kids have everything they need and some things they don't.
How do I do it? I'm responsible with my money. I own my home,(well the bank technically owns it) I own my vehicles. I pay cash for everything and I have savings for emergencies. I even mange to put a little away every month for retirement.
Sure someone living in New York City probably couldn't get by on my income, but I live in small town, backwoods Tennessee. Where I live the cost of living is cheap.
Do I think the requirement is unreasonable? No.
I make $4,000.00 below the poverty level requirement to sponsor my husband. Would one more person make things difficult around here? Maybe. But we could always tighten the belt and do away with the cable and internet, not eat out, and not take trips until my husband found a job here.
USCIS does not take into consideration I'm a responsible adult who knows how to budget my money. They see my adjusted gross income on my 1040. We had to get a co-sponsor. My sister had no qualms about helping us out. She knows we'll be fine and she will probably never have to help support anyone here.

How can people make it on 125% of poverty level?
I do just fine. I have four kids,(two teenagers and two early elementary) plus me and I make $34,000 a year. We're not starving, no one is wearing rags, my kids have everything they need and some things they don't.
How do I do it? I'm responsible with my money. I own my home,(well the bank technically owns it) I own my vehicles. I pay cash for everything and I have savings for emergencies. I even mange to put a little away every month for retirement.
Sure someone living in New York City probably couldn't get by on my income, but I live in small town, backwoods Tennessee. Where I live the cost of living is cheap.
Do I think the requirement is unreasonable? No.
I make $4,000.00 below the poverty level requirement to sponsor my husband. Would one more person make things difficult around here? Maybe. But we could always tighten the belt and do away with the cable and internet, not eat out, and not take trips until my husband found a job here.
USCIS does not take into consideration I'm a responsible adult who knows how to budget my money. They see my adjusted gross income on my 1040. We had to get a co-sponsor. My sister had no qualms about helping us out. She knows we'll be fine and she will probably never have to help support anyone here.

How can people make it on 125% of poverty level?
I do just fine. I have four kids,(two teenagers and two early elementary) plus me and I make $34,000 a year. We're not starving, no one is wearing rags, my kids have everything they need and some things they don't.
How do I do it? I'm responsible with my money. I own my home,(well the bank technically owns it) I own my vehicles. I pay cash for everything and I have savings for emergencies. I even mange to put a little away every month for retirement.
Sure someone living in New York City probably couldn't get by on my income, but I live in small town, backwoods Tennessee. Where I live the cost of living is cheap.
Do I think the requirement is unreasonable? No.
I make $4,000.00 below the poverty level requirement to sponsor my husband. Would one more person make things difficult around here? Maybe. But we could always tighten the belt and do away with the cable and internet, not eat out, and not take trips until my husband found a job here.
USCIS does not take into consideration I'm a responsible adult who knows how to budget my money. They see my adjusted gross income on my 1040. We had to get a co-sponsor. My sister had no qualms about helping us out. She knows we'll be fine and she will probably never have to help support anyone here.

How can people make it on 125% of poverty level?
I do just fine. I have four kids,(two teenagers and two early elementary) plus me and I make $34,000 a year. We're not starving, no one is wearing rags, my kids have everything they need and some things they don't.
How do I do it? I'm responsible with my money. I own my home,(well the bank technically owns it) I own my vehicles. I pay cash for everything and I have savings for emergencies. I even mange to put a little away every month for retirement.
Sure someone living in New York City probably couldn't get by on my income, but I live in small town, backwoods Tennessee. Where I live the cost of living is cheap.
Do I think the requirement is unreasonable? No.
I make $4,000.00 below the poverty level requirement to sponsor my husband. Would one more person make things difficult around here? Maybe. But we could always tighten the belt and do away with the cable and internet, not eat out, and not take trips until my husband found a job here.
USCIS does not take into consideration I'm a responsible adult who knows how to budget my money. They see my adjusted gross income on my 1040. We had to get a co-sponsor. My sister had no qualms about helping us out. She knows we'll be fine and she will probably never have to help support anyone here.

Anyone trying to support themselves or another on 125% of the poverty level is kidding themselves. The line has nothing to do with "having enough" to live on, it has ONLY to do with having enough income for the government to confiscate if your fiancee becomes a public charge.
That said, provided it costs ME nothing, I could not possibly care less if someone else is prepared for their wife or husband. Make your bed, lay down and STFU! Not my business. I make no judgement. I do not care. I have enough to do to keep my own @ss afloat.
If you ask me they should do away with the Affidavits of Support altogether and simply make it impossible for a family based immigrant to collect ANY means tested benefits until they are citizens. Job done.

That SSN is your SSN for life. You wont get a new one.
You don't want a replacement card if you still have yours because you only get 3 cards given to you.
Also for k1 they don't issue SSN you have to go get it yourself from the SS office ( but you already have an SSN. )
Also also DS 230 has example forms lol http://www.visajourney.com/examples/Form-DS-230.pdf
Only you would fill in a little different because you do have an SSN.

I am sorry to hear this. My suggestion would be to communicate explicitly with him about his behavior and lay out your expectations. Ask him to act in a mature manner and tell him to address these issues that you are experiencing. If he responds in an immature fashion, you will know what to do.
What is important to sustain a relationship is not love or chemsitry or anything else like that. What is important is the character of the other person. If they are of a good character and they respect you then they will work towards the betterment of your relationship. If a person only thinks about themselves and their rights and what they want then you will know that no matter how much you try and compromise on things you will never be able to satisfy them. You know your husband better than all of us. You will know what needs to be done.

I've noticed a few threads here about 'mis-payment' -
Basically what will happen (if yer lucky)
is that
you'll receive a notice back from USCIS stating you have 30 days to PAY, with instructions on HOW TO PAY
or
the entire casefile will be sent back to you, DENIED because of improper payment.
I can't tell you WHICH path you'll be on - but you should know something within 30 days.
A DENIAL at this stage is easy-peasy - just re-submit what was sent back to you (the I-130 casefile) with the proper payment.
Good Luck !

She asked in the right place, in the Canadian forum.
A Canadian citizen can visit the US while a CR-1 is in process. My husband has done it many times. They have to show proof they will return to Canada and not stay to circumvent the laws. In fact, Canadians can stay up to 180 days as a visitor on VWP.
It is very few and far between a Canadian Citizen is turned away from visiting the US while they have an immigrant visa in process. Those that do, show up to customs totally unprepared.
She specifically asked "Can my husband stay and then AOS?"
The simple answer is no. If he stays after they have filed the I-130 and tries to adjust status, it's fraud.
She was advised to continue to wait out the CR-1 process.

Like the previous poster said. It's fraud to come to the US with the intent to immigrate then adjust status to circumvent the laws.
What isn't fraud: coming to the US with an I-130 in process to visit. Canadians can visit for six months with out any kind of visa
You already have the ball rolling, don't let it roll off the cliff by not letting it roll on the right path.
You've only been waiting since September.
I've been waiting since June.
No matter how long the wait, we'll all forget how hard it was once our spouses are with us.

There is a whole thread about people getting EI etc http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/8-the-canuck-ei-thread/
A lot of people are approved but it depends on certain things and how you leave your job.

I-130 APPROVED FINALLY!! :wow:
NOA1 July 19 2011. NOA2 February 15 2012. 211 friggen days!!
We believe spamming USCIS phone line WORKS cus we called at 1PM to check status, they said they're still on July 12 blah blah blah then 2 hours later we got email status update!
Time to put NVC on speed dial :lol:

The first year of any marriage is always a tough one. The first year of a marriage where the couple has been focused on dealing with long distance and immigration issues can be even tougher as you no longer have that unifying focus and have to start developing the closer relationship based upon other issues. All relationships evolve - some bringing the couple closer together and some, unfortunately, moving them apart, whether they are from a long distance relationship or with the boy/girl next door.
Homesickness is a big issue. There is a finality about knowing you no longer have a home back 'home' and you are suddenly faced with a transition to a new life. Even if you have been in the US for a while as a visitor, there is still that unexpected sense of loss which creates a huge wave of homesickness. For some people it happens fairly early on; for others it may even take a year or two to sink in.
I honestly think the best thing the two of you can do at this stage is to find a marriage counselor with whom you can meet and discuss some of the issues that are coming between the two of you. You both need to find a way to discuss your differing expectations of each other, the relationship and even of ourselves in the relationship. A good marriage can be hard work - it doesn't just happen - and sometimes a knowledgeable marriage counselor is the best way to learn what works best for your unique relationship.
Good luck. While there are immigration implications with your situation, t think the real focus should be on the relationship itself, and not on immigration at this point of time..

Your husband is technically self-employed and should be filing taxes as such.
There's no such thing as getting 'paid under the table' when you're getting paid in checks. That leaves a paper trail. If the night club(s) he's promoting do not issue him 1099's for contract work, they're going to get in trouble. Not being issued a 1099 is no excuse in the eyes of the IRS for not filing self employment taxes. (if they are issuing him 1099's and he's not declaring his income to the IRS, he's in even bigger doodoo)
It will only be a matter of time before the IRS catches up to him. He needs to file taxes, and he needs to do it NOW.
Your husband sounds like mine, and you need to give him a kick in the a$$ and nag him until it gets done. (Trust me it works. I nagged from 3000 miles away and hubby finally filed five years of taxes he 'kept forgetting'.) Use the argument he is married and has a child, he could be eligible for the EIC and or the child tax credit and he's letting the government keep his money interest free.
If the income isn't sufficient, get a co-sponsor, which you already have.
As another poster said; if your husband and child are USC's then they can get assistance. He can mosey down to the local Department of human services and get anything they will give him for him and the child. You on the other hand, can not. USC's getting benefits does not effect the immigrating beneficiary. BUT he'll need his 1040 and Schedule C for self employment income to prove what income he does or does not have to be eligible for anything.

I believe, as long as the Civil Surgeon signed off on his medical, he's not 'required' to have the second MMR. But to be on the safe side, as soon as possible have him get his booster.
Measles, Mumps and Pertussis (whooping cough) are making a comeback for two reasons.
1) it was discovered one vaccination was not enough. Your body's immune system can 'forget' the antibody and you can be infected with the virus. Since 1990 all children have two shots of MMR and another booster at age 12. The same for Td now TDAP. (Most people get TDAP every few years. Instead of giving the good ol' fashioned Tetanus most ERs and Drs dose you up with the Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis at once)
When this was put in effect, older people, like me, did not get a second shot and ended up getting a booster as an adult.
2) People quit vaccinating their children over the Lancet Journal that stated Thiomersal (used as a preservative in Vaccines) was falsely linked to the increase of Autism diagnosis. The report was thoroughly researched and had more holes than swiss cheese. The doctor that released his findings was later stripped of his credentails for falsifying his medical findings.
In the age of the internet, people got a hold of the story and spread like.. well.. a virus and before you knew it people were not letting their doctor Vaccinate their kids. Now these kids are in University and spreading Measles and Mumps like no ones business.
People in Reason 1 get the viruses because of people in Reason 2; who caught the viruses from someone else. (Measles can live up to 14 days, Mumps 30 days, floating around in the air from just one sneeze. Makes you want to wash yourself in hand sanitizer every time you get off the bus)
Thirty years of vaccination protocol down the tubes, because of a small percentage of the population.

I believe, as long as the Civil Surgeon signed off on his medical, he's not 'required' to have the second MMR. But to be on the safe side, as soon as possible have him get his booster.
Measles, Mumps and Pertussis (whooping cough) are making a comeback for two reasons.
1) it was discovered one vaccination was not enough. Your body's immune system can 'forget' the antibody and you can be infected with the virus. Since 1990 all children have two shots of MMR and another booster at age 12. The same for Td now TDAP. (Most people get TDAP every few years. Instead of giving the good ol' fashioned Tetanus most ERs and Drs dose you up with the Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis at once)
When this was put in effect, older people, like me, did not get a second shot and ended up getting a booster as an adult.
2) People quit vaccinating their children over the Lancet Journal that stated Thiomersal (used as a preservative in Vaccines) was falsely linked to the increase of Autism diagnosis. The report was thoroughly researched and had more holes than swiss cheese. The doctor that released his findings was later stripped of his credentails for falsifying his medical findings.
In the age of the internet, people got a hold of the story and spread like.. well.. a virus and before you knew it people were not letting their doctor Vaccinate their kids. Now these kids are in University and spreading Measles and Mumps like no ones business.
People in Reason 1 get the viruses because of people in Reason 2; who caught the viruses from someone else. (Measles can live up to 14 days, Mumps 30 days, floating around in the air from just one sneeze. Makes you want to wash yourself in hand sanitizer every time you get off the bus)
Thirty years of vaccination protocol down the tubes, because of a small percentage of the population.

Perfect! So I got 3 paragraphs 1 how we initially met. 1 how we developed long distance relationship and had baby and 1 describing a few circumstances we've been together that I have some proof of. I'm happy now

Apply immediately to adjust her status. It won't take until July unless your are insanely unlucky. Even if it does, since her case is pending, it won't matter if her visa expires while waiting. Avoid a visa interview in Ecuador at all costs. If you're going to Ecuador to try it out, make sure she maintains her permanent resident status until you're certain you want to live their permanently. Just Google, "maintaining permanent resident status USA".

After 1990 the second booster of MMR was given to children at the age of 12. Those of us that were over the age of 12 in 1990 or it wasn't required by the school system in our states did not get it. (I had to get an MMR booster when I was 19 after I had my first child.)
IF you did not get a booster of MMR during your teen years, then yes, you have to get it. You had the first shot as a baby.
Varicella vaccine was required vaccine for children over the age of 1 after 1999.
If you HAD Varicella (chicken pox) as a child then you get only the TDAP, MMR and influenza.
If you did NOT have Varicella or the vaccine, you have to get Varicella, TDAP, MMR and infuenza.
MMR and Varicella are attenuated (live) vaccines, you can get both of these shots at the same time, it depends on the doctor.
TDAP is inactive (dead) so you can get it any time
Influenza is inactive, except for the nasal spray.

They will exchange it.
One because you are an immigrant and they know it takes a while to get all your documents.
Two because they really don't care, as long as your previous driver's license is valid. They make the law for people that move from state to state and never bother to get a new license. Because they can't track one down for jury duty and other civil matters.
The only time waiting over the 30 days is and issue, is if you get pulled over and the cop is having a bad day, and you can't prove why you had to wait over the 30 days.

CSC is still bloody "processing 16June"
"All you can do is keep waiting sir."
Take your "keep waiting" and die in a fire

Evidently there is not much going on.... Real life example of the glacial pace of activity at a government bureaucracy. We are all just treading water....waiting.....waiting....waiting....
Good luck.

My husband has only noticed American's are rude compared to Canadians.
I said something on my last visit. I didn't say "Thank you" to the lady on the other side of the drive-thru speaker at Burger King. Instead I thanked her at the window when I paid and again when I got my food.
But it was mentioned "that's kind of rude" and my husband replies "it's the American part of her, all American's are like that."
I do not believe in 'God', I don't attend church and I use their deity's name in vain on many occasions. While it shocks the little old ladies here in the bible belt, it doesn't my friends or family, because we all believe the same thing; Organized religion is a crock, and it's a shame it runs our country.

I had an awesome time while visiting my husband and his family for the holidays!
I started out with a 15 hour day just getting to Calgary. Soo many lay overs. I finally get there and forgot about the 20 mile hike from the gate to customs at the Calgary airport.
Since I'm a NEXUS card holder I zipped right up to the kiosk. I went to hand in my slip of paper and I was asked a few questions. Then asked "Why are you staying so long?" (19 days) "I'm on my semester break from school and wanted to be with my husband for Christmas" I was immediately whisked off to secondary...
I was asked a bunch more questions and the last, he asked "How do I know you're going to leave Canada and not stay with your husband?" "Because I have four children in the US that I am NOT, nor do I ever intend to abandon" I guess that was a good enough answer, then I got something I've never had, nor ever heard of before. He stamped my passport and wrote 5/1/12 under it. He said he was giving me an extra day to leave Canada (my return flight was on the fourth) I walked out in a kind of daze thinking 'holy #######, I got my passport stamped' This was such an anomaly that everyone in the family wanted to see my stamp!
There are places I MUST go while in Calgary, one of them being Chianti in the NE part of town on 32nd Ave, Keith's Deli by Chinook Centre
I've been to Canada many times. But only to Calgary and Winnipeg and a few day trips to Banff.
On this trip I experienced:
Hockey games! We went to one Flames game and two World Junior's games. While not being my first NHL game, it was my first World Junior game and WOW.
I traveled (what felt like) half way across the country to Winnipeg with stops in Esterhazy, Sask and Shoal Lake, Man along the way. Going 100km/h on snow covered gravel 'hiways' totally blew my mind.
Ukrainian-Canadian's eat a metric tonne of food at Christmas. The 12 courses of Christmas Eve was a bit over whelming. Christmas day, holy crow, we had 6 meals during the day and a 'midnight snack' that was another meal. By the second meal I was skipping over the turkey and ham (we have turkeys and pigs in Tennessee) and loading up on perogies, holubtsi, kubasa and kutya. How those people don't weigh 1000 lbs each I have no idea! I also learned some Ukrianian so I can some what converse with hubby's grand parents. Totally awesome to experience another culture and their customs.
Kit-Kat bars and ketchup are NOT the same as in the US.
I'm not fond of Smarties.. I'll stick to M&M's, thanks.
Timmy's coffee tastes 90000 times better from a store than the pre-packaged coffee my in laws send me on my birthday.
I discovered my new favorite candy bar (yes, I know, chocolate bar to you Canucks) Coffee Crisp, I bought a dozen back home.
I also played my first bout of shinny. I'm sure my slap shot where I fell on my #### and missed the puck was a sight to behold.
I can't wait until next Christmas!