Rac2012

Received approval today!!!

Submitted I-751 3/19! I'll update once we receive our NOA1.

I did mention it because I figured going alone for tourism was stranger than actually knowing someone there, I guess not wanting to lie ends up being more of a problem, it's ironic.

Unfortunately, sometimes is ironic as you said. I was away from my wife for almost one year for being honest, for trying to do everything in the best possible way. However, if you guys manage your way to still be together, if he can come visit you a couple more times, I am sure that being honest at the beginning we'll allow you to be together in the future. Dealing with the U.S immigration when you are dating a U.S citizen is not easy, it seems the only way is by getting married or applying for a Fiance Visa. Dating in site is not an option for the U.S embassy. At least, I have never heard of one case of someone getting a visa for visiting their boyfriend/girlfriend.

Hope everything works for both of you, do never give up!!!!

Hola,

Did you mention before that you were going to visit your boyfriend? If so, I believe it is not going to be easy to get a tourist visa since they are going to be concern that you'll stay in the country. However, you won't lose anything by trying again.

Hope everything works for you! I know how frustrating is dealing with the Consulate in Buenos Aires..

Hola!

It usually takes 7 business days in Argentina to get your passport back. However, for what I understand, if you have a valid reason, they might expedite your passport.

Suerte in the interview!

Hi there,

The same happened to me when I got here more than 2 months ago. Go to your nearest Social Security office with your green card and passport, and tell them that you haven't received your SSN yet. They would have to process it for you and you'll receive it within 10 business days (if you want to get your number, you can go to the same office 2 days after). If they happen to tell you that they are not able to do it, ask to talk to a supervisor. Even though this is such a common thing, it seems that they have no idea what to do.. I went 3 different times to the office until someone who actually knew their job processed my application. Even in their website says that if you haven't received your social within 21 days to please call them.. When you call them, they have absolutely no idea!! I know it's frustrating, but just go to the office, and if the don't want to do it, talk to a supervisor.. they HAVE TO do it!!

Hope it helps!

Hi,

I am not sure about your SSN, but I believe you will keep the same number for your entire life. However, double check that.. Regarding your driver license, you do not need to get your G.C before applying for your license, but you HAVE TO have a SSN in order to get one, and showing your stamp in your passport is enough. So, if you are able to use the same number, you can go to get your license the same day you get here.

As you wrote, you can only drive in California for 10 days starting the day you enter the country

Hi there,

They told me the same about the Green Card, however, after 2 weeks, I got it in the mail. Regarding your SSN, if you don't get within 21 days you can go to a Social Security Office and they will start processing it for you. After 1 or 2 days, you can go to the office and they can give you the number while you wait for the card. It takes around 10 days to get it in the mail.

You can work without your Green Card, the stamp that you have in your passport works as a G.C. However, you need to get your SSN before you start working.. Thus, you will probably have your GC by that time..

I called a few place, but I actually went to a place in Buenos Aires, were they can officially translate your credits into the U.S system. However, as I mentioned before, and as you wrote, it didn't really make sense to do it. They gave me a few examples, and my average would have been a C+, B-.. Which wasn't enough at all here..

But if your husband is still thinking about going to school here, if he does good enough, getting a scholarship when he transfers is not impossible.. And I am sure he will find school here much easier than in Argentina. I am not only talking about my own experience, have many Argentinians friends here who had felt the same way

Hi Kelah,

I am actually from Argentina as well.. I studied business administration in the UADE (great business school), but unfortunately, when I tried to get transferable credits in order to get a masters, I was a little bit disappointed. Having a 7 or an 8 in Argentina, is an amazing grade. However, in the U.S that's a C+, or a B-.. Not enough to get into a good school, and even less if you were thinking of getting a scholarship.

That's why, I decided to start all over again here, I started in a community college, and I have just applied to UCLA and USC.. Hopefully, due to my GPA, I can get a scholarship or at least, half of it.. In the future, I believe, that having 2 degrees (one from here, and a different one from Argentina) is going to be worth it.

If your husband had gone to school in Argentina, tell him that a community college in the US is a great idea.. it is cheap, and it is going to be extremely easy for him. At the same time, he might be able to get a scholarship once he transfers.

Hope my experience helps you,

Best..

Ismael.

It is definitely cheaper to get a round trip ticket.. I usually try to think when is going to be my next time in my home country. You can also contact a few airlines and ask which one has the less penalty fee for changing the date in flights!

Good Luck in the INTERVIEW!!!!!!!

I went there again today, and luckily I talked to someone that actually knew her job.. I gave her all my documentation (green card, passport), and of course she started processing my SSN because I didn't get one in 21 days..

So if someone went through the same issue, ask to talk to a supervisor because that it's what they should do..

Hope this helps someone else..

I know how you feel - I have been here three weeks and while I've received my Green Card, gotten a bank account and really want to hit the ground running, the DMV wouldn't accept my SSC with my maiden name (even when presented with a marriage certificate and my husband in person), and the woman at the SSA didn't seem to know what she was doing. I'm waiting on my new SSC and I'm frustrated. I'm sorry that doesn't help, but I know how you feel.

Hi there,

I agree, not being able to drive is extremely frustrating. Even more here in Los Angeles that there's no public transportation.. I am also sad for my wife, she has to drive me everywhere.. However, I just printed everything out from their website the page where they state that we should go after 21 days.. Maybe if they are able to see that, they would do something about it..

Hope you get it soon as well!

Thanks so much for your reply Amanda. In fact, I tried to do that. However, they told me to keep waiting.. I do not really understand why because in their website they tell you to go to the nearest office if you do not get it within 21 days..

amykathleen2005, sorry if my answer sounded rude.. I am just extremely frustrated getting all these different answers from the social security people, and I might have interpreted you answer incorrectly.

Hi everyone,

It's been 21 days since I've arrived to the US with a CR1 VISA. I checked the box in the DS-230 for a SSN, but nothing has come yet. I was told by a worker at the SSA that I had to wait 21 days from POE in order to apply in case it hadn't arrived. However, today I went again, and I was told to wait another 2 weeks. The woman told me that the number hasn't been issued yet.

It's extremely frustrating because I can not apply for jobs, I can not get my license (and in California you can not drive with a foreign license after 10 days).. I am basically STUCK due to bureaucratic matters. In fact, I have no idea if they know what they are telling me. First 21 days, now 2 extra weeks.. then what?

I would appreciate any advice..

Thank you all!!

Hi People how r u? My interview is tomorrow....

Good luck Rujby! Wishing you all the best!

It is only natural that after such a long process it all seems too good to be true. You'll be just fine. Snap out of it!!! LOL

Haha thank you Gegel! After dreaming about this moment for the last 9 months, it really does seem too good to be true! You are right..I need to RELAX!

go back to the embassy and have them correct the mistake or take your chances at the border.

it would be nice if you where more specific and had more information of what the mistake is???????

.

Well, there is no apparent mistake....but of course we can't look inside the envelope! And I wouldn't even know what mistake to look for on an A#. As of now, everything seems perfectly fine, but I'm concerned something could come up that I wouldn't be able to spot.

Hi everyone,

My husband and I will be entering the US at MIA, and I am freaking out that something is going to go wrong. Does anyone know what happens if the embassy made a mistake with the contents of the brown envelope or the A#? Will we be sent back at the border?

My husband has entered the US numerous times as a tourist and as a student, and he has never had a problem. I know I'm being paranoid, but I can't help it--we are so close and I would just die if anything went wrong! Thanks!

So here's how the month looks so far

sheeshkabelle: June 4 (APPROVED!!!)

bahialove: June 4 (APPROVED!!!)

adil12: June 4 (unknown)

Rac2012: June 5 (APPROVED!!!)

Knockse: June 5 (APPROVED!!!)

july+marydeht: June 5 (unknown)

Erichson: June 6 (unknown)

bbz: June 11

Nally: June 11

WelcomeMOM: June 11

Rujby: June 12

happylove13: June 13

chaine1: June 13

Mariyah: June 14

tobytype23: June 14

Santfeliugiuxols: June 14

onlybelieve: June 26

VaggoLena: June 27

trojam227: June 29

Great news on all the approvals..congratulations everyone! We picked up our visa today and are headed back next week!

Mr. & mrs. knockse were approved today at the Brussels embassy!!!

They checked the case thoroughly to see if all documents were present, the whole procedure was explained clearly and they also told us what to do to lift the temp green card after 2 years.

The interview was done by the vice-consul of the embassy. the was no doubt about the status of the relation, but he did check the assets once more. We did the whole procedure with only assets. The interview itself took about 15 minutes and was quite pleasant. The whole embassy thing took about 1.5h to complete.

Knockse

Great news-congratulations!!!

CONGRATS!!!!! Did they look at your evidence? :dance:

THANK YOU!! Not at all...the secretary during the first screen only commented on the amount we had (which was a lot) and said that our photo albums were pretty. Other than that, my husband told me that the CO glanced at my wedding ring and smiled, but he did not ask for anything else.

Thank you, we are APPROVED!!

Interview was sooo smooth; the questions asked were the following:

When did you meet? How did the relationship develop?

Who is your co-sponsor?

Where are you going to live?

To my husband (beneficiary): have you ever committed a crime?

That was all...it went more like a conversation than an interview. Good luck to everyone!!

Hi there,

We're looking at doing our interview probably sometime in July. We'll be interviewing at the Bs As Embassy.

I was wondering if there was any way to expedite the TWO WEEKS between the visa approval and actually receiving the visa.

I ask this because Bs As is a 12 hour bus ride from where we're currently living, and waiting two weeks after approval would be a bit financially stressful. Because after we receive the visa, we would fly directly from Bs As to the states. It doesn't make much sense to return to Mendoza after the interview, just to come back to Bs as, and paying for an EXTRA two weeks of lodging will be expensive. If we could somehow get the visa maybe a few days after the interview, we would fly directly from Bs As to the States.

Do you think such an expedition would be possible, and who should I contact?

Thanks!

We're looking at the same time--from what I understand it's about 10 days from the interview to get the visa. I asked this question yesterday in a different thread, and someone told me there is something called "premium delivery" that costs an extra $16 but supposedly takes less time. If we are approved tomorrow I will ask about it during the interview and let you know. Feel free to PM me.

Good luck to the following three people with interviews tomorrow: sheeshkabelle, bahialove and adil12!!!