Holly2234

Hi everyone,

This is a bit of a different angle for me as I am an immigrant and came here on a CR-1 a few years ago so I am familiar with that side of things.

I am now an HR manager and the owner of the company has extended an offer of employment to an employee who has a work authorization that will be expiring soon. He has the post-completion authorization. He mentioned renewing his authorization which is totally fine however he seems very reluctant to give me any information so I have done my own research. From his degree, I believe he is eligible for a STEM extention however it states everywhere I have looked that the employer must participate in e-verify. We do not participate. 

Is it a deal breaker for this employee to be able to renew if we don't participate? And are there any other restrictions I should know about so that we can try to overcome the roadblocks now so we don't hold up his application etc?

Thanks!

Just now, Rodrigo Macedo said:

I would wait until your n400 is done. That way there is no question on either you have a fake marriage to obtain Green Card. My n400 Process took 7 months.. It is worth wait a little be

 

Hi Rodrigo,

There are no green cards being obtained from this marriage. I already have my 10 year GC and my partner is a USC and has lived here his whole life. There should be no questions of fake marriage. 

Awesome response thank you Wuozopo!

Hi everyone, thank you for the responses.

My new spouse is already a USC so nothing complicated there. It's mostly an issue with answers on the paperwork will be correct when I file it but may not be by the time I go for the interview etc. And the question of being able to change my name. 

Thanks 

I have been a LPR since 2012 and I did ROC with a waiver in 2014 after I got divorced. 

My current partner and I are wanting to get married this year and I am unsure how my citizenship application will be affected.

I am eligible to apply at the end of this month (July 2017) but the application may take some time to be approved so we are weighing up our options.

If I apply now and get married during the process, what are the consequences?

If we marry before applying, can I change my name on the application and request to be known by my married name or do I have to request to change it on my GC first?

Any insight would be appreciated!

Thank you 

Hi everyone!

I am almost at the stage where I am ready to file my N-400 (7 weeks to go) and I have a few concerns about my outstanding property taxes.

I own a second home (more like got dumped with it by my ex so he didn't take down my credit along with his) and I am behind on the property taxes. I am about 18 months behind and pay what I can when I can. There is no payment plan with the village and they have not taken any action. I owe about $3500. The other house I own and live in is up to date. The overdue one is up for sale and will be settled as soon as I can get rid of it. Unfortunately I live in a small town where properties don't move very fast.

Does this affect my ability to apply for citizenship? The instructions note any federal or local taxes, does that mean just federal or state rather than village property?

I would appreciate any insight that anyone may have!

Thank you 

Good luck! Think of it as a cross between a bank and a museum. There are loads of chairs in the middle. The shipping company is sort of behind you, theres a snack bar with American food at the front and to your right are the windows for paperwork and around a corner are the interview windows.

It is way less formal in the London Embassy than the interviews that are done in the US. I had one for ROC in Vermont and it was in an office and filmed. Nothing like that at all in London.

As they said above, read the reviews for your specific POE. Mine was in Philadelphia PA and they sent me to secondary inspection where i gave them the envelope and i was asked a few questions and finger printed and told "Welcome to America" and off i went.

I'm not sure what the current wait times are but you can see mine in my timeline and signature. Its been 3 years since i was doing all of that and i haven't really kept up with it but it was always quicker for those who did DCF

It was the first thing i did. As soon as i could get somebody to take me to the SS office i was there getting it.

Its very important to not only think of convenience when doing these things, but also happiness. There is so much to do that is practical in regards to the wedding, GC etc that its easy to forget the small things which make life good such as having a job, driving, freedom in general to live like everybody else so try to get everything sorted ASAP so that he can do everything that the rest of us can who already have things sorted out.

Honestly, get it done before you go.

It took me a year and a half to get health insurance. The Marketplace didn't exist in the beginning but when i tried that it was an absolute nightmare. They had me listed working somewhere i hadn't for a year and insisted i give them pay stubs from there showing my current wages (not possible) and getting a human on the phone... Good luck with that.

In the end, i chose my new employer, interviewed multiple times and finally got a job there. They were headhunted by ME for their insurance benefits. $20 per paycheck ($40 a month, though it has since increased to $50). No deductible, I pay 20% they pay 80% and $10 for a doctors visit and anything preventative is completely covered such as vaccinations and well checks etc.

I am so lucky to have the insurance that i do for that cost. So far i have only been for well checks and have yet to pay a cent in co-pays, deductibles etc. Finding insurance like that is not easy in most companies so prepare for a very costly experience if you do it over here.

I dislocated my knee without insurance and i couldn't even see a doctor. I site-to-stored a knee brace at Walmart and had somebody pick it up for me. Strapped it up and went to work. Ill tell you it hurt like nothing else but i HAD to do it. I was working two part time jobs so no paid time off and no insurance. When you are in that position, if you take time off and go to the doctor it can have devastating consequences financially. Thankfully it was nothing that couldn't heal on its own.

Seriously think about what kind of medical problem you have and whether it will be something that could start off your married life with a huge financial strain or whether waiting to get married and starting things off in good health with a healthier bank balance is the best option.

It sounds as though you have a pretty good list. Are you close to being divorced already or have you just filed? This post originally said you would be divorced in June 2015, now it says May so im a little confused on whether you are just filing or if you are at the end of the process.

If you are just filing, be prepared for a bit of a wait. Mine took 6 months. You dont want to file now thinking it will be done before the end but actually get to the end of the ROC process without the divorce decree then be denied based on not having it.

When does your GC expire?

Preparing to file for I-751 waiver please tell me how my documents look and what I need
Brief story got married in June 2013 got conditional green card in October 2013. Separated in May 2014 as ex-spouse did not want to move. I got a new job. Divorce this May 2015. One yr separation required.
I will submit

Letter of declaration saying what happened
Marriage cert
Green card
Divorce decree once I get it
Joint lease spanning one year
Joint bank statements spanning 1yr before separation
IRS transcripts 2013 married filing joint and 2014 married filing separate
Utility bills in apt for 1 yr
Mail from church addressed to us listing our names and addresses
Vacation itinerary both of us
Joint car insurance for both of us
2013 life insurance showing me as beneficiary on ex-spouse plan
2014 and current 2015 life insurance at my job listing ex-spouse as beneficiary. (Will remove ex spouse soon as divorce soon to be finalized)
Vision insurance 2013, 2014 showing both our names
Vacation packages owned together with both names and addresses listed
Included copies of emails to each other
Photos of us together. including vacation photos
Other miscellaneous documents showing spouse

Any thing I am missing and what are my chances? Interview likely or no? RFE? This is all I have

I got my new green card 10 days ago and my category is wrong.. Its supposed to be IR-6 but it says IR-1 so i called up and got through to tier 2 with no wait time. He then put me on hold and finally decided that he thinks im right and that it is wrong.. They put in a service request and i may have to send it back. I just have to wait to be told what to do. Good news is that i do have it and i was able to FINALLY change my name on my SS card!

I don't know what to think anymore. It's 10 days after the approval, but my status online is not updated to the approved. I guess it's mean the card is not ordered too ?

Honestly i wouldn't worry about the online status. Its probably something that is manually done and is something that the officers are not currently doing. The officers i saw today in Vermont were busy discussing how to get rid of the garlic smell that was lingering after one of them had eaten so i saw them as more of a regular office team than on task robots churning out emails and texts.

In my job, we send confirmation emails to people and when they dont get one, they worry because they think its automatic and it actually isnt so they think nothing has been done, however, if we say it was done then it was, the email makes literally no difference its just a courtesy thing. Its all done manually so we have to choose to do it and take that time and when we are particularly busy, we slip up at times and we dont do it.

I try to take the experiences of my job and see that sometimes the little things dont make a difference at all. Hang tight and wait for the card. If you get nothing in 60 days then give them a call.

I love following all of your journeys. I dont have much up to date input on timelines or anything these days as its been 3 years since i paid too much attention. I just waited 9 months for ROC at Vermont so things seem to be slow for everything.

I really hope that you all keep us updated on how things are going when you start your new lives!

As for banks etc, they accepted my National Insurance number after a bit of a fight. They wanted proof of address but i had my UK bank statements sent to my ex husbands parents house so i just used that as proof. They never updated my SSN when i got it and gave it to them though which was a pain when money went missing from my account and i was trying to stop the card over the phone and couldn't because of how they put the numbers in. I switched to a Credit Union after that and ill never look back. I had my GC and SSN by that time though.

Christmas was horrible my first year. At my ex husbands parents they just bought some cold meat and sub rolls and told us to make a sandwich for Christmas dinner. That in my book ruined it totally. My first impression of an American Christmas was all wrong. The year after just sucked and last year i went to work and honestly, i liked it better. One of my colleagues got me a Cadbury selection box! She left it on my desk and i was so happy. It was the only gift i had received too. You will all find your place as will your families.

My drivers license i needed my GC and SSN in New York. I dont recall having to prove my address or anything, just prove my identity so i had to wait a little until the SSN came then i also applied for jobs and got my first one within a couple of weeks.

Good luck to you all! If anyone has questions that i may know the answer to or anything NY related for people heading this way feel free to ask!

Thanks everyone

I got approved today! I went for my interview and after waiting around 45 minutes, i got called in by the interviewer. He took me to a chair and took my fingerprints and photo, then took me to a kind of messy office in the back. He told me the interview would be filmed and had me stand in front of the camera, put up my right hand and swear i would tell the truth. Then he asked me to sit in any seat i liked (there were 3). He started off with asking me the correct name i was using, my ex husbands name, my daughters and my address then asked if i had been arrested or convicted of a crime. After answering those questions he said "Well im going to approve you so there is nothing to worry about". He then asked me why the marriage came to an end. I told him literally one tiny snippet and that was all he wanted to know.

He asked me if i had questions and i asked why it was me that was called for an interview. He said to explain what caused the end and to stamp my passport. I get the feeling that the service center wanted the interview and the field office (which happens to be down the road!) just saw everything as ok and he had made the decision before i had even walked in. He told me he will order production of the card today and he took away my green card and extension letter and put an I-551 stamp in my passport which is valid for 1 year from today.

So the truckload of evidence i took with me was not needed. They did not even want my new divorce decree which was the original problem! After the initial wait to get in, i was in and out in 5 minutes with an approval on the spot.

I got approved today! I went for my interview and after waiting around 45 minutes, i got called in by the interviewer. He took me to a chair and took my fingerprints and photo, then took me to a kind of messy office in the back. He told me the interview would be filmed and had me stand in front of the camera, put up my right hand and swear i would tell the truth. Then he asked me to sit in any seat i liked (there were 3). He started off with asking me the correct name i was using, my ex husbands name, my daughters and my address then asked if i had been arrested or convicted of a crime. After answering those questions he said "Well im going to approve you so there is nothing to worry about". He then asked me why the marriage came to an end. I told him literally one tiny snippet and that was all he wanted to know.

He asked me if i had questions and i asked why it was me that was called for an interview. He said to explain what caused the end and to stamp my passport. I get the feeling that the service center wanted the interview and the field office (which happens to be down the road!) just saw everything as ok and he had made the decision before i had even walked in. He told me he will order production of the card today and he took away my green card and extension letter and put an I-551 stamp in my passport which is valid for 1 year from today.

So the truckload of evidence i took with me was not needed. They did not even want my new divorce decree which was the original problem! After the initial wait to get in, i was in and out in 5 minutes with an approval on the spot.

I would suggest filing a new petition right at the very last opportunity that you can in hopes that your divorce is a little further along by then.

My life started to come together through work. I still dont have any friends but i have people to speak to at work so it makes a big difference.

I live in a very small town so a lot of people know who i am already or would be able to get to know quickly if they wanted to so i tend to avoid getting close to people because everybody here just seems to snipe at or about each other or try to cause trouble. Definitely not my scene!

Thank you both for your kind words it means a lot! My ROC interview is in 2 days time. (Yes i was unlucky and got one!) Wish me luck!

Sorry to hear you have been waiting.

Im a May filer and still not approved. I got an RFE and an interview and i sent a truck load of evidence.

Its just the way it is sometimes. Honestly, if your wife has an extension letter to go with her green card, whats the rush? You are happy and together so that is all that matters.

Wow, I really wish you the best of luck. Sometimes it seems like the people at immigration live inside a bubble and do not know how the procedures around them work, they want papers to prove everything, I guess that the way it is. So, are you thinking on going to the interview or will you try to call back to see if they can tell you what to do?

They actually called me this morning at 8am. I was sleeping so i didnt answer (i work until midnight). So i called back and left a ridiculous voicemail while still mostly asleep that made me sound like a total idiot. I left that at around 8:45. Then about 9am, i got a call from the judges secretary telling me my new divorce decree is complete and i can go pick it up. About 9:30, uscis calls me back again. The lady was really nice and pleasant sounding. She told me its fine to go alone and not to worry about the divorce decree if i cant sort it out. I told her i literally had just got the call that it was ready. She said bring it in and they will take a copy and advised me to bring originals of any documents i had given them copies of and she said anything i need back, ask at the interview and they will take a copy and return what i had sent back to me.

She had got all of that info directly from the interviewing officer and everything sounded as though it was just a formality rather than serious. Instead of dreading it and hoping the 12th would never come, im looking forward to it being over now!

Honestly i dont miss much any more. I could murder a gammon and chips from Wetherspoons but thats about it. Even then i worry that id get it on my plate and hate it since ive been eating ####### for the last two and a bit years.

When i first got here, i missed literally everything. Then when my relationship got rocky i was a bit numb to it all for a while because so much was going on that i couldnt think straight to start with never mind think about food or other people. After my life started to smooth out again it hit me pretty hard. I had been here about a year by that point. Ive never been one for wasting time on things i cant change so i threw myself almost completely into my career and ive done pretty well. I got two promotions within 6 months in a big Casino Resort and im in the management team in the hotel now.

I went from living with a loser who had promised me the world, working at pizza hut, walking everywhere because of having no car or licence and living in a bug infested apartment. Now i own my own home, two cars, good job and normal life achieved alone.

For the people who still miss the UK, it does get easier and those who are trying to make it easier for their spouse, i commend you for doing that. Looking back, part of the reason for the breakdown in my marriage was due to him not thinking twice about how i felt. He understood exactly what it felt like to be an immigrant and the process marked the beginning of him going home and me leaving mine. So as he got back to normal, he forgot all about me and the changes i went through.

As others have said, under $200 is fine. I order things all the time because i find the clothes in my local area absolutely vile. Its cheaper to pay postage from the UK than drive to a big city to get normal clothes!