Miss M

6:33pm in California

hi Guys,

thanks for the updates on this topic..it really helps...though i still have a question!!! the petitioner living with the wife abroad..were u guys asked to prove the country of domicile???

Yes we were. We submitted proof of my husband (USC) being in South Africa legally, and then evidence that he maintained ties to the US. All his mail continued to go to his Mom's house in California - bank statements, credit card statements etc, while he was living in South Africa; and he continued to pay his US taxes.

1. Country USC resides in: SOUTH AFRICA

2. Is there a USCIS field office in this country / Is DCF still possible? YES

3. When did you file the I-130: JULY 2011

4. How long had you been living abroad: 5 YEARS

5. Do you reside in the country legally? YES

6. What is the reason for your residence: LIVING WITH SPOUSE

7. Did you list your foreign address on all forms in I-130 package? YES

8. Did you send I-130 package from abroad? YES

9. Did you include evidence of your residence abroad in the I-130 package? YES

10. Did you mention the fact you reside abroad in the cover letter or write a letter describing your current situation and the evolution of your relationship with your spouse (mentioning your residence abroad)? NO

11. Has your case been "auto-expedited"? How long between NOA1 and NOA2? 2 DAYS

Great advice ! Thanks!

Thanks ! So you didn't have any problem with highlighting the important details for the USCIS officers?

Not at all. We submitted our last 3 statements and really just highlighted the pages that indicated transactions on my (beneficiary) card. I know that Amex splits the transactions and so some pages had my name and card number on the top, separate from the front page that has my husband's details on it. We weren't sure how else to prove that it's a 'joint' credit card since the main page only indicates my husband's details as he is the primary cardholder. USCIS were fine with it.

I wish Amex would do that, they don't have release any letters stating the additional card holders, etc.

This is precisely why we sent the entire statements because Amex weren't very cooperative.

For our CR1 application, we sent the entire document and highlighted the pages that showed the second card holder's transactions.

Good luck with your application, and be careful with those people who claim they can help you with the paperwork. I've heard some bad stories involving scams.

And remember to double check the abridged vs unabridged issue with the SA Consulate.

Best of luck with everything!

http://www.hotfrog.co.za/Companies/GMTM-Consultants/Unabridged-Birth-certificate-57604

Here's an image of an unabridged birth certificate. That's what my marriage certificate looks like, too.

Yes, our son's birth certificate is exactly what you're describing. It is handwritten and includes my full details, my husband's full details and of course our son's info. It is signed and stamped by the Departmnet of Home Affairs in Cape Town. Howvere, we were advised that this is an ABRIDGED certificate and we were free to apply for the UNABRIDGED one should we need it. From my understanding, the UNABRIDGED one is exactly the same thing except that it is typed and more formal looking.

For our CR1 visa application, the US Consulate would not accept our handwritten (abridged) marriage certificate (understandably so as it is too easy to forge) and we had to apply for the unabridged (typed out) version which essentially contains the exact same info.

This website http://www.gmtm.co.za/birthcertificate.html calls the unabridged certificate 'a computer print out and the document can be apostilled or legalised.'

I would call the South African consulate in London and seek clarification, but the above is what both the South African government (Home Affairs) and the US consulate explained to me as the difference.

In my dealings with the Department of Home Affairs, there is generally a lot of confusion about correct procedures and terms so you may need some patience.

Hi

I am not sure, but could it be that they want the UNABRIDGED version of her South African birth certificate. One of my sons was born in South Africa and they issued him with that handwritten birth certificate and then told us that we could apply for the unabridged version at the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria (we were living in Cape Town). We didn't need it as my son is a US citizen and we didn't want South African citizenship for him, but my understanding was that the unabridged version is the 'more formal', typed out version of his birth certificate. In most instances, for any sort of formal paperwork, the unabridged version is required.

I just remembered too, that we got married in Cape Town and the US consulate requested an unabridged version of our marriage certificate (not the handwritten one we received on the day we got married) and we had to apply to the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria for it.

Hope this helps.

Wow, this is truly sad. Surely she knew that you had kids before she married you, and that you are the custodial parent.

If she really wants to go home, let her because now it is clear that she doesn't like living with your kids which might result in the kids being ill treated in your absence. I am not saying that she would do it, but better safe than sorry, right?

As much as it might be a symptom of a larger problem that has nothing to do with the kids per se, no parent should ever be forced to choose between their children and a spouse.

Good luck with this.

Met in Zimbabwe in June/July of 2003

Started dating 6 months later

Moved in together March 2006

Married June 2011

Definitely more than 5 years!

Sh*t people in LA say. That was funny. My husband lived in LA for a while. That video is just too funny.

Animal style!!

JNEKG, interestingly, we were faced with the exact same question when we moved here. My husband, the USC, was born in Northern California, but spent a huge amount of his life in Southern California. He still works overseas in a consulting position so technically, we could live anywhere in the world, as long as there is good airport nearby.

We picked San Francisco and don't regret it. It's a very expensive place to live, but the climate is temperate and there is so much to do here. It's a very diverse city and people here have been very friendly.

We have 2 children so having access to a lot of fun stuff to do with the kids was a big factor too; and being an African, I didn't want to live in any place that gets too cold.

We live in a neighbourhood where we can walk to tons of places - supermarkets, restaurants, parks, museums etc. I love that!

But like some posters said before me - there are so many variables and we all have very different things that are important to us, in terms of looking for a place to live.

Good luck with your decision making.

26. The baby does not need any specific vaccinations before they are allowed to fly. Just follow whatever the vaccination schedule for the Philippines is, while the baby is still there, and then pick up on the US one upon arrival. You will be asked to present it when registering for school which is only a few years down the line for you.

As others have mentioned, you may be asked to undergo a DNA test before your child is issued a US passport. We had to do it, and it was NOT cheap. The actual testing is done in the US, all at the petitioner's expense. We submitted samples at a hospital designated by the US Consulate and then paid to have them shipped off to the US, and to have the actual tests done.

Just bear that in mind.

POE is up to you and is the very first airport you land at in the United States. It really all depends on which airline you choose and where they fly in to.

Liza

Before you confirm your travel plans, just check with USCIS in Jo'burg because I had planned to travel to the US during our CR1 process and they said that because I was an intending immigrant, they could not guarantee that the immigration officer at the port of entry would let me through. Like you, I had strong ties to home, had been to the US several times before but they said during the actual immigration process, it is not recommended that I travel to the US. I was obviously annoyed, but we cancelled the trip anyway.

Our circumstances might be different but I'd check all the same.

To answer your other questions, I was given 2 weeks notice for my interview, and they asked me what dates would suit me. Once that was confirmed, I then went and did my medicals almost immediately.

Our process took about 6 months in total - see my timeline.

Good luck with your visa journey. In my opinion, USCIS Johannesburg were really helpful and easy going, compared to what I've read on here.

And....... cue silence from OP even though she is still online. SMH

As someone who has been through DNA testing for my son, just tell the truth. My USC husband and I have 2 USC children. When we went to get the consular report of birth abroad for the 1st one, we were asked to undergo a DNA test. Totally random, but they asked for it. Thankfully, we weren't trying to hide anything or do anything weird so we were able to get my son's US passport without further issue.

For the second son, they didn't (was a different embassy as our boys were born in 2 different countries) so I'm just saying - be careful. They could send you for DNA testing and if you've lied, you may be setting yourself up for long term heartache.

I had been driving for almost 20 years in Africa (on the left) and was nervous about driving in CA. But I passed both the written and behind the wheel test on my first attempt. I spent hours online, using practice tests for the written exam (there are so many free ones online - some really good) and then for my behind the wheel test, I looked at You Tube videos. Again, there are so many online and some specific to the California test. I then booked 3 driving lessons and told my driving instructor that all I really wanted was specific advise on the behind the wheel test, so my instructor took me along the test route, and highlighted stuff to me as we drove - what to look out for, what to be careful of etc.

Good luck!

I'm sorry, but why is he keeping the marriage a secret? Is there any specific reason for that? I am asking because if the marriage is a secret, then it seems that would make it hard to provide evidence of a bonafide relationship.

Is there any reason why he doesn't want you to file?

A very warm welcome!

Witch hazel

Unfortunately, there is no short cut. You are going to have to be very patient.

Like Anh map said, there are no questions to be studied like a test, you just have to be ready to answer a lot of questions about your relationship and about your girlfriend/fiancee.

You and your girlfriend need to spend time reading the guidelines here and getting well acquainted with how the process works, and what the approximate wait times are.

In all my time on Visa Journey, I've never seen a post quite like this...I "thought" I'd seen it all on here...guess I was wrong.

LMAO!!

Hi.

We used Aspiring Logistics http://www.capegrape.co.za/ out of Cape Town though. I believe they use British Airways Freight. Took 4 days for our 4 boxes to get from Cape Town to San Francisco, and then another 3 days to be cleared. Check them out and see if they ship from wherever you are. I thought their rates were pretty good and we opted for them to handle customs for us, which made it more convenient.