kintu

that explains a lot! guess they used the K-1s as toilet paper and they didn't flush so well.

Not all of our fellow VJers are financially sound. And not all of our fellow immigrants arrive with a fat wallet....
How do you plan for your financial future here in America?
Backstory...I live in NYC (You guys know that already). So naturally I grew up with many immigrants from all areas of the world. In my life I have seen many many great success stories by these immigrants. And many failures.
In my adult life, I'm fortunate to have done some things right. And I'm sure there are many VJers that find themselves in great shape. And many VJers that are even in the field of finance/banking/ etc...
Why not share some of the things that we do to plan for our financial future, for us, for our kids.... If not for advice, for reference......
Things such as personal finance, loans, investments, shopping strategies, educational funding, retirement, and anything else that you can think of that might help us along the way.
And field questions in the same process.

is there an echo is here?

do take sealed transcripts from your school showing how many courses have you done and how many are left,which proves that you will return back to Finland to complete your studies.also,if you have already paid the fees for the future semesters,bring the receipts along to the interview.getting a B/2 is share luck. i personally know at least 6-7 people out of few who fulfilled all the conditions what they need to have to get a B/2 but they could not get it and few of them who even lied on their visa application,provided fraudulent documents and still were able to get the B/2.the political relations between the US and your Native country has a lot to do too.to conclude, there is no hard and fast rule to get the B/2."you make your own destiny" does not apply here. your luck would . good luck

67.5% chance. good luck

It has passive RFID in it, not the GPS for God's sake. If also can be surrendered at any time if the owner doesn't like it.

For the people jumping the gun and shouting TAX FRAUD!!!!! Quiet down. I have stated that I worded the OP wrong (which I can't edit). I wasn't the one that handled my taxes ( I wouldn't know where to start). I went to a tax preparer, he looked at my two previous taxes. Told me that the guy who filed my previous taxes (another tax preparer) filed them wrong. Do I know ####### he did specifically? No. Do I have the records? Yes. Have I cashed the checks? No. Will I go back to the Tax preparer to double check (just in case) since some people here have expressed concern the APPROPIATE way? Yes. Most likely sometime next week i'll be able to make the appointment. Would I purposely do anything stupid to jeopardize my wife's AOS? No. Do the checks amount to more than 2k? No. Am I trying to go behind my wife's back to cash a few extra bucks? LMAO ridiculous since they are signed by both. Have I gotten some important feed back from good people on this thread? Yes. I had no Idea my wife could get a state ID/Drivers Licence. I have everything prepared to go with her tomorrow morning to get her state ID. hopefully we don't have a problem seeing as other people who aren't Residents (yet) on this thread have recieved their state ID or opened up bank accounts. Will I now try to open a jointly account with a different bank regardless of the issue with the checks? Yes. I had no Idea banks allowed it. The two tellers I spoke to are obviously ignorant so i'll be speaking with manager.
If you have any more negative and presumptious things to say, go ahead and post it, I'll respond in kind. If You have any more helpful information, please post it because every bit of information helps me and others alike. - Cheers!

If a us citizen gives birth to a child outside of the us then the child is entitled to us citizenship. Just have to file the right paperwork.

This sounds like a recipe for disaster. I surely think you will encounter some concerns/ be prepared

Yes I can see my post was removed, but all I did was question the OP for name calling. I did not call anyone anything! Please read the posts more carefully before removing them.

Hi guys,
I recently brought my dog with me to the US. I had a 24 hour flight and I flew on United Airlines. This guide is to help everyone else who may be wondering how to bring their dog to the US without the hassle of quarantine (NOTE: Hawaii will quarantine your dog regardless of how well you prepare) or a chance of your dog flying back. This may also apply to cats. I hope this helps!
Step 1: Making Sure It's What You Want
Decide whether you really want to bring your dog to the US. Prepare to spend a lot of money. Bringing a dog is not like bringing a check-in baggage. You have to think about whether or not you can take care of your dog once you get there and whether or not you are ready to go through whatever extra processes you have to go through. Keep in mind that your dog's readiness to fly is also important to consider. Some dogs go through separation anxiety and it might be turned away at the airport if it is deemed to be aggressive.
Step 2: Choosing The Right Airline Company
Choose the right airline for you. It is the next step because different airlines have different policies on flying a pet as well as different pricing. I chose United Airlines for their Petsafe program not knowing that it will be more expensive than the rest. So, I spent about 700$ to fly my 10lb dog with me. United Airlines also does not ship pets as checked baggage any longer. In some countries, you might have to contact the local office to get your pet booked.
I sent the pdf Petsafe booking form at petsafe@united.com and I was informed to contact the local office. They gave me the wrong number so be sure to double check for yourself if you are calling the right one. If you booked a flight using a travel agent, you can tell them to inform the airline you chose that you will be bringing a pet with you. They might also provide you with a list of numbers to contact. If you are in the Philippines, Rapid Cargo is the cargo company that works with United Airlines. They will send you a form once you contact them, and they will correspond with the local UA office in the country. The UA local office is very unreliable. Sometimes they won't even pick up the phone. I called to book my pet 1 week in advance and they said that everything should be set once I sent in the form I got from rapid cargo but I never heard anything from them about pricing or confirmation until I raged and called them 3-4 times 2-3 days before my flight. I called them every single day before that. They told me that they needed confirmation from Petsafe since they never got that pdf form that I sent 1 week in advance! So a tip, e-mail petsafe@united.com the pdf form you can get on their website. Then call the local office and ask for someone's email address so you can forward them the e-mail that you sent to petsafe. Be firm with them or they will just sit on their butts and do nothing.
I believe that Delta still ships pets as checked baggage and is a lot cheaper than United Airlines. You can search for that information online to check. Philippine Airlines charges 200%-300%excess baggage rate + extra 100% for additional 10kgs. I suggest not only to look at which airline will fly your pet cheaply but also try to research their quality of service when it comes to handling pets. We don't want our pooches to get treated horribly at our expense!
Step 3: Prepare Your Dog For Flying
Contact the airline company and ask for information on what they require from you if you are taking your dog. You might have to call their local office to check. You can also go on their websites for information. United Airlines and Delta airlines have forms you have to fill up to book your pet. The website will also provide you with information on whether or not they will accept the kind of dog you have. Some airlines do not take short nosed breeds for health reasons. You might also want to check the kennel size that is appropriate for the airline you chose.
United Airlines has a guide on their website on the acceptable shipping kennel sizes. Other websites also offer the same information as well as the type of acceptable kennels. The dog must be able to move freely inside the kennel. For my 10lb dog, I bought a 27x20x19 kennel. You will also need to buy food bowls you can attach inside the kennel. You can even watch videos on youtube on how to prepare your dog for a flight.
The biggest thing you have to do to prepare is to get your pet accustomed to the kennel and being by itself. You don't want your dog barking the entire time it's inside the crate especially once you are at the airport as it might get turned away. Do this at least 1 month in advance. My dog learned pretty quickly. I placed snacks in there and fed her there. You might want to include a t-shirt you slept in inside the kennel so your dog can smell you even when you are away and feel comforted by it. That's what I did. I also brought a calming collar for my dog.
Step 4: Country Requirements
You need to get health certificates, vaccination card and perhaps an exit/export permit from your country. It depends on your country. For the Philippines those are the things we need to ship a pet out of the country. The US requires to see Health Certificates and Vaccination cards proving that your dog is free of rabies and swineworm infection. Take note that the Certificate is only valid for 10 days and that is why this is step 4. While you are getting your dog accustomed to its kennel, you can work on getting the vaccination card from your vet and then get the health certificate at most 5 days before your flight to make room for changes. Don't do it too early because the count starts from the date that is stamped on your health certificate. So if your flight leaves on the 10th of the month don't get the certificate on the 1st day of the month.
Step 5: Final Step
Once you have confirmed that your pet has been booked, the kennel well prepared and the certificates, export permits, vaccination cards have been acquired, then you are ready to take your pet to the US. Bring your dog to the cargo bay or the airport, whichever one applies, pay the fee and say goodbye.
OH! Walk your dog for at least an hour beforehand. Get rid of all its excess energy before the flight so that they just lay down and sleep in the kennel and make less of a fuss when you leave.
I hope that this guide helps everyone interested in bringing their dogs with them to the US! Bon Voyage!

Greetings. I am looking for people who are willing to be interviewed by email and telephone with the possibility of being selected to do on camera interviews describing the nightmare that often comes from the lengthy, expensive and often heart wrenching effects of family visa denials. Let's face it, we all know that there are frauds out there. But having been a victim of this process myself, and also working in the film industry, I feel that I have the ability to be an instrument of change. Something needs to be done. Yes, there is fraud. There is fraud in everything--but there are also some measures that could be put into place that monitor and severely punish those who even think about it! I am looking for those of you that I cry with having been separated from the person I love for years. I want to hear your stories. I want to know what you've done, what you've endured, what you've lost and what your means of coping have been. If you care to share--please free free to put some general comments here, leaving me any contact information that you will so that I can reach you privately as well--and may God bless you all and keep you strong for the battle that this often seems to turn into. For those of you who finally got through it, please share also. I want to hear some success stories too..and any tips you have to offer. Also--I want to hear from anyone who may be thinking about giving up. I have learned of one couple's heartwrenching story about how they gave up because their situation was just impossible. Borders should never tell us who we can love or build a life with.

you must have some of your friends there. Try to talk to them, everything is possible in Pakistan if you have good connections. what about your new in-laws.

The wait is frustrating.we are doing the AOS.got a RFE online on sept 11 and the hard copy on sept 16.the mail should reach ya in 28 days(i think).i knew what my RFE was going to be for(i did not submit the I-693 with the petition,the attorney screwed us for that)and i got a good 2 months to reply to the notice.i am pretty sure they will give you plenty of time to reply but yeah,the notice will put a hold on the both I-485 and I-751.i did my medical and the biometrics in this week and will be sending the sealed I-693 by tuesday and than will join the wait club again.i am confident that i will be done with the whole AOS procedure by Feb 2013.good luck to you , do not lose hope and be positive.after all immigration is a privilege not a right.wait is what we can all do.god bless

Tim/Mav reply makes sense