Serilei

Well, usually I would go to Finland for a new visa, apply and go back to Russia, but currently I am in the US, so this means that I forgot how things work after 5 years.

I know I can go through a Visa company to get one, but I am a bit limited on money and the consular fee is already $198.

What I want to ask is about the process of just doing this myself by mail.

I know I need an invitation, that is not a problem. I want to know what document to fill out and if I can send it in by mail or do I actually have to go through a Visa company?

I know I should have looked through the forums, but I have so much information coming in at once that I am beginning to confuse myself here.

So, could someone kindly lay out the process for me? I appreciate it a lot.

So I really dont need a hard copy to bring to the interview yes?

Hi, I am back once again, as I have a very confusing problem.

I was told that we need a hard copy of the NOA when we go to the interview, I am not sure how true this holds, but if it does, I have a problem.

I received my NOA in my email, but I never received a hard copy ever, it was approved on May 17th 2012, it has been over a year, so I know it is not lost in the mail, I just think it never was sent out.

Now I called the USCIS and from my understanding I am to fill out an i824 in order to receive a hard copy.

Now I read the instructions on the site about requesting a copy and this is what I have.

1. If you are requesting:

A. A Duplicate approval notice, Check Box A.

NOTE: The duplicate approval notice will contain only the information listed in the original form i-797, Notice of Action. A replacement employment authorization card, form I-94, Permanent Resident Card, or any other USCIS authorization document will not accompany the duplicate approval notice.

A Request for replacement of employment authorization card may be filed on Form I-765. A request for replacement of form I-94 may be filed on Form I-102. A request for placement of permanent residence card may be filed on Form I-90. Refer to the respective form instructions for further information.

Now you see we are required to check a box, and I need a hard copy not an email copy. And I am afraid if I send this I wont get what I need.

It also says the filing fee for Form I-824 is $405... Did I get this correct?

I have to pay money for something that they never sent me?

If this is true and the way this goes I am very unhappy with this.

Please someone fill me with information please.

And they couldnt give me the answer I was looking for.. kind of weird.

I need 2 direct answers that they said they don't have, they told me to go look up an i864p which didnt give me what I wanted.

I need to know 2 things:

1) If we cant find a co sponsor, how much money needs to be in the bank account, and I dont mean assets, I mean pure cash, I need an exact amount and the source of this information.

2) I understand for 2 people the %125 poverty line is $18,933 or something close to that, but lets say I cant find that person who meets the requirements, can we have more than one co-sponsor if they are under the $18,933?

For example, lets say I find 4 co sponsors who make 15k/year that totals to $60,000 a year between the 4 of them, Can I send in 4 co sponors who are under the $18,933 limit but together they make over the limit?

Thanks for your time.

Questions here:

If one person is co-sponsoring and we are NOT living in their place, is it still 125% for 1 person or 125% for 2 people?

Also are we allowed more than one co sponsor? For example, lets say one co sponsor makes 15k a year, the other makes 16.5k a year, totalling 31.5k, can we do this? This meets far above required levels.

Well, since we are having trouble finding co-sponsors, we were informed that if you have a certain amount of thousands of dollars in your bank account that the NVC or USCIS or the interviewer will look at how much money you have over a co-sponsor and decide if they will accept you.

Does anyone know the amount of money you must have in your bank to be accepted?

Check the following link and look at the 125% level

http://www.masslegalservices.org/content/federal-poverty-guidelines-2013

For one person $14,363

For two people $19,388

So just for her it is $14,363 yes? It is why I specified that we wont live in the co-sponsors house, because I thought it will raise the money limit.

Can we use more than one person as a co-sponsor?

Ok, some of you may know I am an American living in Russia, me and my wife have been married for 2 years coming on March 3rd. But we have been trying to get a co-sponsor back home so we can finish this process, it is all that is really left.

But I need to know the requirement that the co-sponsor needs to make.

I know it is 125% above the poverty line, but I am getting $13,900 and the wife is getting like $18,000+ (estimate)

The thing is, is that we dont know which one is correct. We do not plan on living in the co-sponsors house or anything like that.

We have everything planned when we get home, we are just looking for someone to sign the papers who can meet the requirements and we will do the rest, but we need to know what that actual requirement $$$number is.

Any help is appreciated

Ok, some of you may know I am an American living in Russia, me and my wife have been married for 2 years coming on March 3rd. But we have been trying to get a co-sponsor back home so we can finish this process, it is all that is really left.

But I need to know the requirement that the co-sponsor needs to make.

I know it is 125% above the poverty line, but I am getting $13,900 and the wife is getting like $18,000+ (estimate)

The thing is, is that we dont know which one is correct. We do not plan on living in the co-sponsors house or anything like that.

We have everything planned when we get home, we are just looking for someone to sign the papers who can meet the requirements and we will do the rest, but we need to know what that actual requirement $$$number is.

Any help is appreciated

..

I meant I have to pay the aos and IV bill. I understand the k3 may be pointless but I am having a hard time finding a co sponsor. So we may need to take another path is what I am getting at

...

I know there may be financial requirement I am just wider what it is. If you may know offhand. It is a pain searching on a phone.

Well the question being can I (through NVC or whoever) get them to change the CR1 to a k3 visa?!

The thing is, it all has been approved. The package was sent out in May and approved on May 17th 2012. And of course further steps have been taken and all that is left is to pay the fees and prepare for the interview, but one small thing stands in our way.

A co sponsor, because I am still living in Russia with her. And finding one has not been a simple task, so we thought about a K3 instead and adjust status later.

But again I want to know if I call the NVC or Uscis can they change it from a cr1 to k3 since we are running out of time and can't find a co sponsor, or do we need to start this process all over again?!

Also if we go to the K3 do I have to be home working (as a requirement) or can we still be in Russia and she get her visa and go to the US?!

Thanks for the help.

the affidavit of support will be taken to the interview not sent to NVC, your post is a bit confusing, american citizen needs to send it by post to the person having the interview and will be presented in the embassy. If American part is a teacher making more then 20 000 dollars an year for two people( him and spouse) you are fine, if american citizen has kids he need to make more then that. There is a form with minimum household requirements, needs to do a little bit more then the poverty line. With the affidavit you only need to have the last years tax return form and the other documents, no need to present the past years tax return.

You need your NOA2 for the interview, american part should send you a copy of the one he received by post, they will ask for it at the embassy, if you don't have it call uscis to re-send.

Good luck

Sorry for the confusing part, I am American, my wife is Russian, we live in Russia.

The joint sponsor is an American teacher, so he makes a lot of money from my understanding and it is just him and his wife, she works too. He will send me all the documents needed, but what I wanted to know is (now that I mostly understand) will anyone do any background checks on his tax information, or will they just look at the papers at the interview and determine if he makes enough money? It worries me a bit.

I understand, I need his last years tax return, and not 3 years. I really have no idea why the USCIS never had my NOA2 arrive in the mail in Russia, it was mailed out on May 17th apparently.

Ok, just come to ask some questions and get some information

I want to make sure that I have the list correct for the co sponsor.

Completed I-864 document

Proof of citizenship, like a copy of State ID, Passport, or Birth Certificate

Either (A) a few recent paystubs, or (B) a letter of employment stating The date you began work, what type of work you do, and your income, signed and dated by you and the employer, whichever is easier.

A copy of recent federal income tax return, or W2, or IRS transcripts-last 3 years.

that is pretty much what I got out of the travel.state.gov website, if I missed anything please let me know.

Now, this affidavit of support, I have to send it off to the NVC yes? Or does the wife take it directly to the interview? If it is sent to the NVC, will they background check the person completely, or just look over the information they have? My only worry is he said, he has had some tax related issues the last few years, but I don't know if it is paying them, or just maybe something with his property or something, I don't know, but he is a teacher, so he makes a lot of money, will this tax issue affect anything at the NVC, or should I search for a new co sponsor.

Oh and by the way I never got the physical mail that the USCIS sent out to me, nor the hard copy.. Not a problem, yeah?

Confuses me...

The immigrant visa application processing fee for each applicant must be paid before his/her visa can be issued. Applicants whose fee has not been paid should be prepared to pay the fee at the interview or the visa cannot be issued even if the interview was otherwise successful.

ok, I have gotten the email from the NVC stating they are ready to process, ds-3032 etc etc stuff.

Now what I am confused about is the payments required. I know first of all the AOS Bill which is $88.00 and from my understanding and then you get the i864 package etc etc stuff.

Then this is where I am confused. The Immigrant Visa Bill. Which comes in total like $380. Now Ive been told different things. One, it can be paid when the wife goes to the interview. Then I am told it must be paid to the NVC before there is any further processing, which in return generates the DS-230 package..

Can anyone shed some light on this? I would much rather prefer to have it paid at the Interview place.

and "IF" par-say it must be paid now, is there a time frame we must pay? I know there is a thing on the site that says if we dont communicate for a year then everything must be started over.

But how long of a time frame do I have to pay? We are kind of broke right now.

Thanks for any info.

Yep, cases where the USC is residing in the beneficiary's home country get auto-expedited. It seems to be a new, unofficial rule since DCF isn't possible in most countries anymore.

I am still very surprised, because we went to Moscow to DCF and I couldnt because I had to be in Russia for a consecutive 6 months without leaving, even though I had been there for over a year, I had to leave every 3 months for a new visa in Finland.

So again, I am surprised even with DCF in moscow they still approved it so quickly.

Nice thread, will be happy to add mine as well

1. Country USC resides in: Russia

2. Is there a USCIS field office in this country / Is DCF still possible? Yes/Yes but did not DCF

3. When did you file the I-130: Sent by mail May 2nd, 2012

4. How long had you been living abroad: 1.5 years

5. Do you reside in the country legally? By private visas

6. What is the reason for your residence: work permit/student/tourist/other - No residency

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

8. Did you send I-130 package from abroad? No, sent from the US by my Brothers wife

9. Did you include evidence of your residence abroad in the I-130 package? Yes, pleeeeenty of evidence of everything.

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)? Yes

11. Has your case been "auto-expedited"? How long between NOA1 and NOA2? Auto-expedited??? I suppose so 7 days I want to say (still havent recieved the thing in the mail yet, but the site gave me a date they mailed it out)

You must have used your address in Russia. It seems that USCIS is fast-tracking petitions from US citizens who reside abroad. There are many of us (myself included) who have been lucky to go through USCIS so quickly: Read through this thread and add your info if you like.

May I ask how fast yours went though?

Did the sister-in-law indicate that you lived in Russia? While it is not an official rule, we have found here on VJ that when the petitioner lives abroad, the petition gets fast tracked and so yes, 2 weeks is possible for approval.

On your Timeline, click on "Timeline" under your name and country on the left of your post, and you should be able to add your timeline.

Well we scanned everything here, and sent it to her by email and she printed it out, I wrote them a big nice letter explaining why she sent it off because of money order and bank issues, and that I was living in Russia still, so they had gotten the full understatement.

My mind was completely blown when I saw it though, 2 weeks. I really was not expecting this that fast honestly. I had no idea it goes faster because of me being abroad. I just really want to make sure I have all of this correct, and not making a mistake and my hopes get shattered.

I have rechecked my case number like 8 times

Thank you for the reply

I am a US citizen in Russia right now, and I had my brothers wife back in the US get all my stuff together and sent off May 2nd 2012, it successfully arrived May 7th, I get an Email that says

"Your USCIS application/petition has been received and routed to the California Service Center for processing. Within 7-10 days by standard mail you will receive your official Receipt Notice (Form I-797) with your Receipt Number (number)"

Then I check my case last night on the USCIS and it says

"Post Decision Activity

On May 17, 2012, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283."

How is it possible that it was accepted that quickly? While I have NO complaints what-so-ever, I thought it was normally like 5 months processing time? Or did I just get lucky?

Also how do I start my time line here!?

Thanks

They're going to want to see a marriage certificate and photos, I can promise you that

no no, I have all that, very understandable, just wanting to make sure I will bring everything that is needed

No need for financial documents or forms within USCIS. Just I-130, supporting documents for it, evidence of bonafide marriage, and evidence of residence in Russia (for DCF).

And the bonafide marriage, can we just have someone write a letter that they were there during our marriage, and have proof of its existence when I DCF? Or can I show pictures or something?

Yes, it's worth a shot. Have you called them yet? They were very helpful to me over the phone (and it's free).

I had a job.. >.> but I cant tell them that.

I called, and wanted information over the phone, but the guy told me if I didnt have an appointment then to make one, and he gave me their email.. Maybe he didnt full understand what I wanted?

I see you got yours done in 1 month, congrats.

I am just super stressed out today. I personally have no money because I had to shut down my bank account due to "security" issues that they wouldnt send me a new card.

I have pretty much nothing, it is all back home.

I dont know what they will be looking at though. I think I understand everything I need to bring to DCF..

Let me try to explain things here.

The wife wants to leave today to Moscow if possible. She wants to start the application. Tuesday I have to leave to Finland for a whole month, to get a new private visa (long story).. I saw how quick they processed yours, I am afraid that while I am gone that they will call her to the interview.

I still dont have my co sponsors papers (Tax returns, letter from his job, pay stubs, drivers license, birth certificate) and after spending nearly 2 hours on the phone last night with the IRS trying to get my Tax papers, they are sending it to my brothers house, so they wont arrive to his house till next next week, then take like 2 weeks to ship here to SPB. But I dont know if copies will work instead, because if so then I wil lcall them back up and get them to fax my stuff.

And i dont know if you can reschedule an interview or how many times.. Because I think that may have to happen. And Senya thinks that after February people will start lining up because it is closer to summer and we will have to wait longer to get our green card.

Very stressful, and Im just spinning in a circle, afraid I will bring or do the wrong things.

Hmm.. See like I was saying above the only proof I have Ive been here over a year are visas and stamps, i really have nothing else, I do not own anything, no job, nothing. Can I get her mom and her bosses to write that they have been responsible for me over the plus year and responsible for getting me my private visas? This is all i have to go on.

Oh an also, do I bring my co sponsors documents now to DCF or only at the interview?

You'll need proof that you live here permanently to file DCF (and I strongly recommend you do file DCF if you want a short turnaround). I used my work permit, work visa, employment agreement and lease agreement for my flat. Some subset of those documents would probably suffice.

Documents are the same as filing through the Lockbox, but they'll want to meet you and your wife for an interview when you submit your I-130. We brought photos of our wedding, reception, vacations together, etc.

USCIS office is open every weekday from 1pm to 4pm, and no appointment is necessary.

Hmm.. See like I was saying above the only proof I have Ive been here over a year are visas and stamps, i really have nothing else, I do not own anything, no job, nothing. Can I get her mom and her bosses to write that they have been responsible for me over the plus year and responsible for getting me my private visas? This is all i have to go on.