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visaqueries

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  1. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from Lucky2Lucky in Need advice on Egyptian Fiance   
    My husband is Egyptian. We had lots of red flags to overcome. I'm older by 11+years, we are different religions, he'd been married to a westerner before (she was from Australia), and he was in tourism. We worried about all those things. As a result we did everything we could to make sure that our red flags were minimized. I visited 4 times (5 if you count when we met and weren't dating), we traveled together and had matching stamps in our passports. We made sure we had messages to go along with the many months we were dating. We had receipts of hotels where we stayed. Being Muslim, we had receipts for his room and for my room. In the end, all of our work to overcome the red flags helped us. The interviewing officer didn't focus on our age, our religion, or his job. Instead he focused on the previous relationship and our relationship in which he thought we were married. My husband was easily able to answer all his questions. How this relates to you is if you have compiled your evidence to prove you are legitimate, and that evidence has depth to it, the issue with your uncle-in-law will not be important. I wouldn't worry that he could keep you from a visa. If you make sure your evidence is solid, they will not deny you.
    As for your original post, you said you picked a wedding date. Be careful with that. We were told by an immigration lawyer (we only consulted once with her) that the process would take a year. We applied in August of 2012, and we weren't approved until February of 2014. There were slow downs in the system we didn't foresee. So, I wouldn't want you to have a date that you couldn't make.
  2. Thanks
    visaqueries got a reaction from Dongbei in How many are filing N-400s before the I-751 has been approved?   
    We filed the n400 online before the I-751 was approved. It worked perfectly for us...filed n400 March 2018...citizen September 26, 2018. Our I-751 was filed in March 2017, and his joint interview was only a few months after we filed the n400. 
  3. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from Dashinka in Filing under 3 year rule, what document to send   
    You might be right about it being office dependent. It could also be that our 10 year green card was also in the works. We had filed for it in March 2017, so finally hearing about it AND naturalization in July 2018 just made us feel good about online filing. Either way, we both completed it! Yay!
  4. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from Ksenia_O in Filing under 3 year rule, what document to send   
    Our online filing seemed to speed everything up. Applied for naturalization online in March.  Interviewed in July. Husband became a citizen in September...all 2018.  So, if we did it again, we'd still choose online filing.  It also seems to reduce the amount of lost/missing documents.
     
  5. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from Ksenia_O in Problems when entering the US with GC   
    My husband had this problem.  Originally he was fine, but we drove (in our own car) over the border to Canada once.  When we returned, the officer sent us to secondary.  From that point on, my husband was always pulled aside when returning to the US...Japan, Australia, the Bahamas.  At the Bahamas, both of us were led to the secondary inspection.  From what we gathered from the side talks is that they struggled because my husband had such a long name (four last names to be exact) and that caused problems.  We always listed his first name as his first name and his other names as his last name (the way they do names in Egypt don't exactly match the way we do it here), and it appeared somewhere in their system his first name was listed with the first 4 names and his last name was the last one.  So, his name didn't match to them...even though all the names were the exact same.  He is away on his first trip as a US Citizen, so we imagine things will go much smoother on Friday when he returns (he legally shortened his name which should help).
     
    What We Did:  First name: John  Last Name: Smith Jones Carpenter Lewis
    What They Had In the System:  First Name:  John Smith Jones Carpenter  Last Name: Lewis
     
    My husband was never interviewed.  He just sat and waited for them to clear him.  The reason we felt this was the issue was because the Bahamas CBP said, "Yes, it's fine.  It's the same."  The original officer just didn't want to make the call to clear us.
     
     
  6. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from Chewbacca in Problems when entering the US with GC   
    My husband had this problem.  Originally he was fine, but we drove (in our own car) over the border to Canada once.  When we returned, the officer sent us to secondary.  From that point on, my husband was always pulled aside when returning to the US...Japan, Australia, the Bahamas.  At the Bahamas, both of us were led to the secondary inspection.  From what we gathered from the side talks is that they struggled because my husband had such a long name (four last names to be exact) and that caused problems.  We always listed his first name as his first name and his other names as his last name (the way they do names in Egypt don't exactly match the way we do it here), and it appeared somewhere in their system his first name was listed with the first 4 names and his last name was the last one.  So, his name didn't match to them...even though all the names were the exact same.  He is away on his first trip as a US Citizen, so we imagine things will go much smoother on Friday when he returns (he legally shortened his name which should help).
     
    What We Did:  First name: John  Last Name: Smith Jones Carpenter Lewis
    What They Had In the System:  First Name:  John Smith Jones Carpenter  Last Name: Lewis
     
    My husband was never interviewed.  He just sat and waited for them to clear him.  The reason we felt this was the issue was because the Bahamas CBP said, "Yes, it's fine.  It's the same."  The original officer just didn't want to make the call to clear us.
     
     
  7. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from visajourney# in Should I file for citizenship while I-751 is pending?   
    Press it! 😊
  8. Like
    visaqueries reacted to visajourney# in Should I file for citizenship while I-751 is pending?   
    Congrats to you and your husband and thanks for sharing your journey! Now i feel a lot more comfortable moving forward with the N-400 application. I have already filled out the form online and all i need is to press the button  
  9. Like
    visaqueries reacted to TheKingmaker in Should I file for citizenship while I-751 is pending?   
    What the USCIS Officer really means it would have been better for them. Less work for them. 😁
  10. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from Laststop in Should I file for citizenship while I-751 is pending?   
    We filed for the n400 while the I 751 was processing. My husband was told by the USCIS officer that it would be better for us to have waited. However, we applied in March 2018 for the n400 and had an interview by July 2018. My husband became a citizen on September 26, 2018.  I would say apply for the n400, but do it online if you can.
  11. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from blessed981 in No evidence for AOS package   
    We married within 5 days of his arrival.  We filed within 8 days of his arrival.  At that time we didn't have much information of co-mingled accounts, and he was from a high fraud country.  We were approved (1 year and 1 month later) for his green card without interview.  FYI...our application was sent in May and his EAD was received by August.  This was 4 years ago, but we didn't submit any extra paperwork.  
  12. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from Orangesapples in No evidence for AOS package   
    We married within 5 days of his arrival.  We filed within 8 days of his arrival.  At that time we didn't have much information of co-mingled accounts, and he was from a high fraud country.  We were approved (1 year and 1 month later) for his green card without interview.  FYI...our application was sent in May and his EAD was received by August.  This was 4 years ago, but we didn't submit any extra paperwork.  
  13. Thanks
    visaqueries reacted to marcusa in And...done! Naturalization in Kansas City   
    congrats! its surprising that your case was moving so fast after e-filing N400. especially interview 4 months after biometrics. in our state, it's normal waiting for a year to get the interview.
  14. Thanks
    visaqueries reacted to Daisy.Chain in And...done! Naturalization in Kansas City   
    Congrats!
     
    We're from KS City too. Hopefully this will be us in a few months!
  15. Thanks
    visaqueries reacted to Joyoussinger in And...done! Naturalization in Kansas City   
    Congratulations!
     
  16. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from little immigrant in I 751 is pending and N400 date is near!   
    My husband applied online for his n400 before being approved for his I 751. He had applied for I 751 in March 2017. He then applied for n400 March 2018. He received his interview on July 24 and will be taking the Oath this Wednesday. His I 751 and n400 were approved the same day.
     
    I suggest applying online when eligible :).
  17. Like
    visaqueries reacted to Jeanne Adil in Culture Shock & Adjusting to American Life   
    On the USC side it was harder for me to adjust and always eat his Moroccan food 
    than it has been for him
     
    Jeanne
  18. Thanks
    visaqueries got a reaction from Uoas in Culture Shock & Adjusting to American Life   
    My husband was frustrated with the fact that he had to go from a job where he was managing his team to a job where his position was bottom of the chain of command. He doesn’t like that his experience and education was not valued when seeking a job.
     
    He also believes people in America are not always true to their emotions...they smile at you even if they don’t like you (then talk behind your back). He says people are much more authentic with the way they relate to each other in Egypt.
     
    I searched for places he could go that would remind him of home. There are a few coffee shops/shisha places he goes where the Egyptian men gather. We also eat at Mediterranean restaurants. Thankfully he has found some friends who understand his culture and way of doing things.
  19. Like
    visaqueries reacted to Bella_28 in Thank you very much Visajourney   
    I would like to say thank you for this wonderful visajourney website as it helps me a lot from the beginning until the end of my immigration journey. Today I had my oath Ceremony and I am now American citizen. Thank you very much, without the helps of everyone here in this website I probably would have lost on my immigration journey also whoever made this website I owe you much. Thank you.
  20. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from Cm6307 in Green card delivery   
    It was the beginning of August 2018.  Come to think of it, they might have just checked my ID because I was picking up all the held mail from vacation...not because there was a green card waiting.
  21. Thanks
    visaqueries got a reaction from Cm6307 in Green card delivery   
    We went out of town and had our mail held.  It was supposed to be delivered to our home on a Saturday, but when we arrived home there was none in our box.  So, the following Monday I went into the post office to pick up our mail.  It just so happened that my husband's green card was in the mail.  They did take my ID, and they gave me the mail.  My husband and I have different last names.  When she asked, I just said it was my husband.  The postal worker didn't hesitate to give me all of the mail (green card included).  
  22. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from jerseygirl2010 in Applying for Removal of Conditions/ I-751   
    Things we included:
    Tax receipts
    Joint checking and savings accounts
    Titles for cars with both names on them
    Retirement account information with our names on each other's account
    Electric bill with both names
    Credit card statements with both names
    Cell phone bills with both names
    Affidavits of support from mutual friends
    Letters/cards from friends sent to our address with both names on it
    Continued to send hotel stays, boarding passes, vacation itineraries
    Bills from contractors who remodeled our kitchen with both our names on it
     
    I'm sure some of our stuff was overkill, but we didn't want to receive a denial.  We were approved without any issues.
     
  23. Like
    visaqueries reacted to AlluringSoul in N-400 and I-751 combo pending   
    Looking at your timeline, this is actually pretty fast! Congrats!!! :-)
  24. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from SabineGriffin in N-400 and I-751 combo pending   
    We are almost done! The interview went well. When we went in the officer just asked us how it was going. Then we started to tell her. I was able to show how my husband helps me out (he works for an airline) and his perk helped me fly to my friend’s wedding last weekend. The only question she really asked was what we did together. We talked about how our schedules are very different (he works overnight) but we often watch movies at home or go shopping at Sam’s Club weekly.
     
    One of the nice things she did was ask him the civics and English questions first. She said that when she does that it usually helps put the interviewee at ease. She was right.
     
    After she finished the interview (both of us stayed in it), my husband got a paper saying he passed and he was recommended for approval for his green card. She previously had said the oath ceremonies were a few months out. I mentioned that I’d seen there was one just down the street from out house, and if it was possible, we’d love that because then my mom would be able to go. My mom can’t go far from home. The officer noted that on a paper and said if there is a spot available it might be possible. At any rate, the status changed three times in one day. Currently, his status says the Oath Ceremony has been scheduled.  We will see soon enough when it is.  Soon...
  25. Like
    visaqueries got a reaction from Dashinka in N-400 and I-751 combo pending   
    Hi all!
     
    My husband applied for the I-751 in March 2017. We decided in March 2018 to go ahead and electronically apply for the n400. My husband also had to travel out of country, so he made an info pass for his I-551 stamp. When he went in the officer told him he had made a mistake filing the n400.  The officer explained we would have to call in to get his n400 activated again after the I-751 approval. As he explained it, the application would be put aside until his I-751 was adjucated. Chances were they would forget the n400 without an inquiry call.
     
    Well, in June 2018 we received notification that he had his naturalization interview. There was no mention of his I-751 interview. We began to prepare for the naturalization interview, and I just planned to go in case there was another interview.  Well, last Wednesday they sent notification of the I-751. It will also be tomorrow. We were a little frazzled because they requested employment letters and a few other things. We have everything, but we were a little sad there was less than a week’s notice for the new things. Yes, we already have most of it, but it would have been nice to not feel like it’s a rush job.
     
    So, today we will spend all our time reviewing the paperwork and asking ourselves questions we might receive. Hopeful for a positive outcome and thankful the officer who told my husband we made a mistake was mistaken himself.
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