MrsNotBonJovi

You're going to apply for a birth certificate? Does the application ask if you were ever detained or arrested? If it does, you were detained and you would have to mention it. But I don't know why a birth certificate application would ask for that.

I think he meant to say GC and it came out as BC.

Hi,

My wife got her conditional green card recently. We retained an attorney to do the paperwork for us. (He didn't do a great job, though). Now the attorney asked us to send him a copy of my wife's green card for his record. I don't know if we should. We don't really want to. Do we have to?

Thank you.

I would say, the GC, like many other official IDs, is a confidential document and should be kept private. The fewer times that you share it, the better. You do not want the copy sitting in your lawyer's file where it is a sitting duck for identity theft.

There we go... SriLanka, Bangladesh,India,Pakistan & now Jamaica, I am sure there are many more places who do not honor I-797.

Not true about India in general. I recently traveled with my GC (not expired, though) from Chennai to NY and was not asked to show the card. They need you to fill out a form that says what your visa status is and that's just about it. Could depend on the interviewing officer, though. The line that I was in had several GC holders and none was asked for the card or the extension letter.

If you choose the route of mailing the GC Fedex or UPS would be cheaper than flying in person.

Two problems with this suggestion:

1) There is still no clear consensus as to whether it is okay to mail a GC. I have read on this forum and elsewhere that it is illegal. Given all the risks the OP has already taken, why push the boundary?

2) If the GC gets lost in transit (yes, even Fedex and UPS can screw up), the situation becomes even more murky.

On a side note.. look at this link.. the OP posted on a legal website and the lawyers are fighting for a retainer[img]http://static-forums.visajourney.com/public/style_emoticons/default/rofl.gif[/img]

They gave the same insight as we did.

Fancy that! I did not see one single useful suggestion come out of that forum.

OP, if it was indeed you who posted on the lawyers' forum, you said the GC approval came a day or two after your wife left. Best thing to do is wait for the GC to arrive by mail and see what date of approval is printed on it. If it was approved the same day as when your wife left, you may have a better chance.

I have read on this forum and elsewhere that when a person does his/her first international travel on a new GC, the scrutiny at PoE is more. I like the suggestion someone else made earlier that you fly to whereever your wife is, hand over the GC to her in person and fly back with her so you can be present at her PoE. In the long run, this may be a better alternative than being denied entry, triggering a ban, having to file for a waiver or having to do the CR-1.

I don't mean to sound judgmental, but it seriously does amaze me how many people do the same mistake as you, though they have been explicitly warned that they should not travel without the physical GC in hand, especially if they do not have Advance Parole.

Hope things work out okay for you, Keep us posted.

I wnat to warn everyone whose fiance are from india dont waiste your time applying for fiance visa they are deny in india keeping them in administrative processing and waisting 17 months to 1 1/2 year..

please get married in countries like maurtaz r any county and apply after getting married..

lettin you know from my and my friends experience

This is incorrect and far too sweeping a generalisation.

I personally know at least three people whose fiance visas got okayed in the past ten or so months.

I am guessing the OP's problem is that his/her visa was put under AP since he/she likely has a name that has raised some red flag (happens to applicants from certain faiths).

OP, please do not spread misinformation. If you are still under AP and have not been denied, then there is still hope. Getting married in Mauritius etc. will only complicate things further. All the best!

Waoh, that's unfortunate is there anyone from India that has been approved?

Yes, quite a few.

Engrossing experience and beautifully written.

I have read several posts on this site about how totally 'unkeyed' in VFS is. Hope you get things straightened up soon.

Happy pregnancy and safe birthing. And yes, here's hoping your husband gets that visa very, very soon.

Thank you all for the replies. These will definitely help to make some decisions. How do I figure out what is my office? I was of opinion that as I am living in Los Angeles (In fact, I live less than 10 miles from the LA field office), my local office will be Los Angeles field office. Will I know about the interview date at least one month before the interview? If that is the case, we will have some time to change the travel plans.

Thank you

If you live that close to the LA field office, then that is most likely where your case will be posted. AOS cases are adjudicated in 4 to 6 months on an average, though many of us were lucky enough to be done in three months.

You will receive your interview notice at least five weeks before then scheduled date (going by experience of others on this site) and that should give you enough time to either reschedule travel plans (most highly recommended) or reschedule the interview itself (not recommended, means more waiting time for a second date).

You are best advised to file your papers now, finish the AOS process and then make travelm plans.

All the best on your wedding and your immigration journey!

Thank you all for the replies. These will definitely help to make some decisions. How do I figure out what is my office? I was of opinion that as I am living in Los Angeles (In fact, I live less than 10 miles from the LA field office), my local office will be Los Angeles field office. Will I know about the interview date at least one month before the interview? If that is the case, we will have some time to change the travel plans.

Thank you

If you live that close to the LA field office, then that is most likely where your case will be posted. AOS cases are adjudicated in 4 to 6 months on an average, though many of us were lucky enough to be done in three months.

You will receive your interview notice at least five weeks before then scheduled date (going by experience of others on this site) and that should give you enough time to either reschedule travel plans (most highly recommended) or reschedule the interview itself (not recommended, means more waiting time for a second date).

You are best advised to file your papers now, finish the AOS process and then make travelm plans.

All the best on your wedding and your immigration journey!

I am 10 years green card holder, due to family reason and health issues I stayed in India for 5 months and less than 6 months. I am returning back to USA After 5 and half month. I worried will they revoke my green card,   Since I stayed those months in India will it effect my citzenship.? I am planing to apply for my in 2014.

Thank for your kind help.

Ravi

You have nothing to worry about if you have stayed for less than 180 days. Your GC will not be revoked and your citizenship process will not be affected.

However, if you are planning on traveling again for another long stay abroad, that may cause problems. You need to prove that you are not abandoning your residence in the US.

ChrisPG (the original list keeper) has been unavailable

Approved

Skul Teacher (Atlanta, GA)

JDH (Las Vegas, NV)

Kish

Mizzao (Boston, MA)

Sally86 (Boston, MA)

AprilPam77 (Philadelphia, PA)

Kstrozyk (Fresno, CA)

Wattle Tree (Lawrence, MA)

Arce (Florida)

Ataribaby (San Francisco, CA)

MsNotBonJovi (Newark, NJ)

Passportitt

ChrisPG (Denver, CO)

Immig? (Newark, NJ)

Happylove (Houston, TX

Arizonabound (Tuson, AZ)

Feimao

Xloc (Philadelphia, PA)

Camo (Dallas, TX)

Alejandra (Sacramento, CA)

Hirsonu (Newark,NJ)

Dri Au Pair (Philadelphia, PA)

Srarious2008 (Newark, NJ)

Georgeramsaran

Uscisb1 (NYC)

Nene815 (Omaha,NE)

Avi30 (NYC)

Pending Approval

Basee (Miami, FL)

Mike X (Oklahoma City, OK)

BritWill (Saint Paul, MN)

Waiting with interview scheduled

Stricek (September 5th)

Waiting with no Interview Date

None

Looks like we are almost done. Still keeping fingers crossed for MikeX and the others waiting for approval news. All the very best to Strycek. Anyone else left out, all the best to you too.

I read your interview experience.

Thanks for posting in detail !

My date of Birth was not found at the local govt agency. So, i have 'Non-Traceable' certificate for birth certificate in punjabi(local language) and translated version in English.

Will that be sufficient?

Thanks for your !!!

Yes, am thinking it should be fine. The US Department of State website itself lists the Non-Availability certificate as an acceptable document.

However, you all need to do the following things:

1) Get it translated into English (if it is in another language) and possibly have the translation notarized (not necessary but recommended). I see you already have this.

2) You also absolutely must get at least two affidavits of birth from family elders (those that are at least seven to ten years older than you) showing the following details: their name, age, nationality and address, their relationship with you, how they came to be aware of your birth (much better if they had physically been present during your birth) and confirming that your date of birth is what is stated in your visa application. Sample affidavits are available online if you look for them. These affidavits need to be notarized. I got mine done in Rs 20 judicial stamp paper, but am told that is not necessary. I would still recommend stamp paper, just to make it look properly official.

3) You need to back these up with as much secondary evidence as you can get, such as school certificates, any Indian government-issued document (such as PAN card and passport) showing your date of birth etc.

All of the above steps are absolutely necessary, at least they were in my case. So, I suggest leaving nothing to chance. All the best!

Hello VJ members!

Any advice from people who have been through same will be greatly appreciated.

Here is our story, We have been dating since 2007 met in india while he was interning at a NGO, then moved to europe for our masters and were living together until 2011. However later he moved to USA and got a very good job and I wanted to be with him. We did try all visa route h1b,tourist and student( I am already paying a loan for my masters couldn't afford another loan ) nothing worked.So the final option was K1, we hired a lawyer and all went super smooth, we are together in USA now and both good jobs recently bought a house. I have no complaints from life.

Here is the tricky part, I am from india and my parents will not easily approve of this relationship ( I am a gujarati, very reserve community) and we got married without telling my parents. How do I break this to my parents. my plan is never to tell them I got married as they will be heartbroken. Eventually once they agree, we want to get married in a big indian wedding and a western wedding. will the US consulate let my parents know that I am already married if they come here to see me on tourist visa? I am sure if they met him and see his lifestyle here in USA and spend some good time with him things might work out.

we both are educated,never married, only 2 yrs older then me, he speaks Hindi( broken)and more then me he is religious,I mean going to durga temple and fasting on wednesday for Ganeshji. And he loves India so much (L)

Please help me I don't want to lose my parents. I am trying to get my parents here to visit me but don't want them to know at the interview in India that I am married already. Please help me. :help: :help:

I do not think the US consulate will tell them anything about your marriage during their visa interviews. Your parents will have to qualify for their visa on their own merits and may be asked if they have anybody living in the US, for which they will have tell about you. But I seriously doubt that your marital status will come up during the interview ( I could be wrong about this, though. Please wait till you get more responses on this one). To get their tourist visas, all your parents will have to demonstrate that they have inalienable, binding ties to India and that they fully intend to return after visiting you.

I get that part about how your parents may not be too happy about your partner. All the best with trying to get them on your side!

I am very relieved now. I was concerned if they want to verify information because of lack of proof. I even went ahead and immediately called my landlord to tell him that if they get a call from unknown number then he better pick it up lol... Anyway, i do have original birth certificate and i will take it on sept 14th. I will go ahead and join her on my bank account meanwhile.

LOL, I can understand.

Relax and all the best at the next interview!

We had our interview today mrng in Newark. Went on for 15 mins. Officer asked qns to her and me about each other. Which was fine. She asked for joint account docs or tax returns documents or nething together. The only thing we had was home lease as we r just married 4 months and we did taxes separate and banks and phones r separate too.

I did have last 12 months of her bank stmts which has our common address and my last 12 months of paystubs with same address.

We showed her our pictures. Wedding pictures which was in court as religious wedding will be done in India in feb. Other pictures of us spending time together, me with her parents and her spending time with mine when they were visiting.

I had attached a colored print out of my birth certificate with initial application which she asked for but i didnt have because back in those days the birth certificates used to be handwritten and didn't look professional. In india high school diploma is considered to be replacement for it. I did show that to her but she wasnt convinced with her.

So finally she kept my lease, few pictures, and all my paystubs and gave us another date (Sept 14) to bring my original birth certificate. I have already requested my family to send it here. But what i am curious to know is why did she keep these documents? Does she want to do investigation meanwhile, not that i care but i am curious.

It is normal for the officer to keep those documents in her file. Usually, people make copies to give during interview. If you did not have copies, they will keep the originals. Nothing to worry about.But the birth certificate is a critical piece of evidence. You need to make all efforts to get it and if you are still unable to get it by your next interview date, you should at least be able to demonstrate that you made the maximum possible effort to get it. Else you will be denied. High school diplomas are not enough evidence.

I am from India too and interviewed at Newark and had the same issue as you. I have posted my experience here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/372590-aos-approved-at-newark-nj-the-devil-is-in-the-details/page__p__5442450__fromsearch__1#entry5442450

Dear All - I have submitted I130 application for my wife who is based in Bangalore currently. We have got NOA2 and are waiting for NVC case number to be assigned.

I was looking at interview schedule on Chennai US consulate web site (http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/appointment_schedule.html) where they are listing schedule till only Dec 2011. Is there any issue with this consulate or have they just stopped updating the web site?

I would appreciate your inputs.

Thanks!

Starting early this year, immigrant visas such as K1 and spousal visas will no longer be processed at the Chennai consulate. They will henceforth be done only at Mumbai or Delhi, while Chennai will still process non-immigrant visas such as tourist, business and work visas. Your interview will be moved to Mumbai, which is the nearest consulate to you. Check their website. All the best!

Once I get my green Card and I update my SSN and DL do I still need to keep renewing my EAD (Form I-765)or it becomes invalid as soon as I become a permanent resident?

I just filed for my I 130 and I 485. Do you advice me to file I 765? or just wait?

You do not need a EAD once you get the green card as the latter itself authorizes you to work. You will be asked to surrender your EAD during your AOS interview. If you have already filed the I 485 and received your NOA1, then you can send in your I 765 separately, citing your NOA1 receipt number and ask them to sync it up with your I 485 as concurrent application. You do not need to pay anything extra for this. If you have not received your NOA1, please do not send in your I 765 until you receive it. Your EAD will be adjudged much before your AOS interview.

Hi Everybody,

My wife and I were out of the country for 2 weeks. We finally got our interview notice (text message & email) on the day we returned, Friday the 3rd! Our letter came the following day in the mail. Our interview is scheduled for Wednesday September 5th! Glad we're almost done with this.

We actually had some problems in London with her EAD/Advanced Parole card. The airline had never seen the card before and apparently there are some US customs officers in London. The airline called one, and we had to wait until he arrived. The guy obviously was not very up to date. I think he thought advanced parole was still issued in paper form. He said the card had to state on the front "valid for reentry". I'm pretty certain no such card exists because advanced parole is not guaranteed for re-entry. After considerable arguing with the man (although I tried to do so assertively and not argumentatively) he told the airline to let us on the plane. The airline was hesitant, but the customs officer said to note that he approved it. This was already a sad and stressful day for my wife, and that experience just added to it.

When we arrived in Chicago, we didn't have any problems. The Passport control officer took her card and scanned it real quick, and then sent us to secondary processing. We were there for 10-15 minutes, and they didn't even ask her any questions.

After that, I was even more appalled by our experience in London. The State department should issue a list of approved documents to the airlines, so they actually know what they are looking at and what is valid for travel.

Luckily we should have a green card in a little more than a month, so we won't have to deal with that again, but I feel bad for anyone else who has to go through that. A less assertive person would probably still be in London. Just wanted to share my experience.

Hope everybody is receiving their green cards

Congratulations on getting the interview date. Sorry for what you had to go through at London, but glad that you finally broke through. Must have been a rookie officer that you had to deal with at London.

Me too I got it whoooohooooooooo ... although am still confused whether I am a conditional resident or not and if I have to file ROC or not in 2 years? My GC is for 2 yrs not 10.

You are a conditional resident for two years and can file for removal of conditions three months before the two year period expires. You then get an unconditional ten year card and can apply for citizenship three years later (if filing based on marriage to your USC spouse) or five years later. Hope this helps. Congratulations on the GC!

Can some one post the list with all approvals and those that are still waiting!

**** update on myself*****

Husband and I are not in divorce proceeding and there is no violence or drama in put marriage! We are very happy! My brother in law posted on her last week while we were on a cruise! Thanks to everyone for the advice that was given! He was house sitting and my homepage is vj so I am always login! Any who! I am not sure why he wrote on here but I apologize and I have since changed my password! The cruise was wonderful and we had a good time! I haven't been ok vacation in such a long time that it was def needed!!!!

P.s. we r expecting as well!!!!! I'm on cloud 9 right now

Whew! What a situation! Happy for you that things finally got sorted out and congratulations on the baby as well!!

Approved

Skul Teacher (Atlanta, GA)

JDH (Las Vegas, NV)

Kish

Mizzao (Boston, MA)

Sally86 (Boston, MA)

AprilPam77 (Philadelphia, PA)

Kstrozyk (Fresno, CA)

Wattle Tree (Lawrence, MA)

Arce (Florida)

Ataribaby (San Francisco, CA)

MsNotBonJovi (Newark, NJ)

Passportitt

ChrisPG (Denver, CO)

Immig? (Newark, NJ)

Happylove (Houston, TX

Arizonabound (Tuson, AZ)

Feimao

Xloc (Philadelphia, PA)

Camo (Dallas, TX)

Alejandra (Sacramento, CA)

Hirsonu (Newark,NJ)

Dri Au Pair (Philadelphia, PA)

Srarious2008 (Newark, NJ)

Georgeramsaran

Uscisb1 (NYC)

Nene815 (Omaha,NE)

Avi30 (NYC)

Pending Approval

Basee (Miami, FL)

Mike X (Oklahoma City, OK)

BritWill (Saint Paul, MN)

Waiting with interview scheduled

None

Waiting with no Interview Date

Strycek

Almost done! Strycek, hoping you hit the final stretch too very soon.

Time for an update on our Green Card, which we just received after being lost in the US Postal system for nearly 8 weeks:

I kept going around to different postal locations and calling various offices and no one ever knew anything.

After being lost in the mail for nearly 8 weeks, we received it, marked "Delivered to Wrong Address". What's scary is, I had just been sent a form to report it lost or stolen, and because the GC wasn't received by USCIS "Returned to Sender", we would have had to pay over $500 again.

Had I not dragged my heels on filing that form, I would be in another phase of red tape, because the green card we finally received would have been flagged as lost or stolen.

To future searchers finding yourself in this predicament, make of this what you will and good luck to you.

Finally!! This has been such a nerve racking process for you...hopefully you can catch your breath now and move on. All the very best!

thank you!

Thanks Nene!!!

Congratulations!!

Children under the age of 18 automatic becomes citizen when their parents are granted citiznship if the under-age children are of legal status and livivng within the US territories.

You an establish that with the parents naturalization cert an applying for a US passport for the children. The children must be listed as part of the parent citizenship appliation.

Thanks for correcting me....I did not know this.

Hey all, pls i need a advice on this issue. I am a permanent resident by marriage in the U.S and still married to my wife who is a citizen by birth. it turns out also that while she filed for me initially my kids were included in my filing and they are currently with us and have been given their ten year permanent residency while i will be eligible to apply for citizenship since i have been married to a US citizen for at least three years. Now here is the deal. My lawyer told me that it is possible to include my kids while filing for my citizenship even if they have not been here for up to two years and that if he includes them in my filing that all of us when approved will become citizens. Pls all what do u think? Is this true? Can my children actually become citizens with me so fast? Thanks in anticipation.

Your lawyer is either not knowledgeable or trying to get your money. Be careful, what you have been told is not correct at all, from what little I know about the citizenship process.