MariahVine

I always felt the same way! Out of all the steps from K1 to citizen this one went the quickest and smoothest for us. Good Luck!

I am so happy that it was a quick and smooth process for you two. I hope it's the same way for us! Thanks :-)

According to USCIS until December 1st, you can use 9/29 and 3/26. However I would use the most up to date forms just so you don't get issues later on with the accepting officers.

I just mailed it all off yesterday.... I hope we don't have any issues from USCIS. ;-/ Always makes me nervous sending off applications and info to USCIS!

Cant you save the form, then open it in a way that you can edit it?

I have the form saved, I have no idea why it won't let me edit sections of it. It seems that the only thing I can't edit... everything else I can change! So annoying! Maybe it's safer to just re-do the application.. I don't want any issues with USCIS saying that it wasn't done properly.

I would re-do it. Those USCIS workers get easily confused.....

Thanks, So just fill out the latest N-400 form that has a date of 9/29/2016? I had used the 3/26 one, but don't think that is available since the updated one came out.

Thanks Pengiun_ie , So just fill out the latest N-400 form that has a date of 9/29/2016? I had used the 3/26 one, but don't think that is available since the updated one came out.

Hi! So I don't know why we did this, but on the personal info and employment information on N-400 (part 5 and part 8) where it has the spots for foreign address... I don't know why but we put USA for country, though obviously that isn't foreign!! Going back through the application, I tried to erase the 'USA' and it won't let me edit it on adobe! I don't want to re-do the whole form. I used the 3/26/16 edition of N-400 and now there is a 9/29/2016 edition... so probably can't even get the 3/26/16 to redo those few sections on a few pages. Is having "USA" in those sections (obviously we are in USA if my husband is applying for US Citizenship!) going to make a difference?? Can I still send the form in having that ... or do i need to redo the form??

Thanks!

Hi!

We are preparing all of the information to send in for my husband's N-400 form. I noticed that the most recent N-400 form is from 9/29/2016. We had used the 3/26/2016 Form but then USCIS's website says under Editions Date :

09/29/16. Starting 12/1/16, USCIS will only accept the 09/29/16 and 03/26/16 editions. Until then, you can use the 09/13/13 edition.

Do you think we should fill out the latest version from 9/29/2016 or are we okay to be using the 3/26/2016? Sorry if it's a silly question, just want to have everything done correctly.

Thanks so much,

Mariah

My husband, who is a conditional permanent resident, will have his second year anniversary of entering/living in America in April 2015. We plan to file the paperwork in January 2015, to follow the 90 days before expiration, etc. my question is whether he is allowed to travel overseas during this process. We are hoping to make a trip overseas in March 2015, for a minimum of two weeks. I've heard the process of filing the paperwork for the I-751 can take 7 months or so, so wondering what the rules are during that process. Thanks so much for any I go or help you can give!

*any info or help you can give

may it works different at some POE but I had advised my mom to do that last year(JFK) or so on her frist entry and she said she was asked to go to the visitors' line as she is not yet an LPR until her passport has been endorsed.

Ok,thanks for that. Will keep it in mind :-)

I lived in Sydney for two years and I can appreciate how painful the fares on Qantas can be... Yiiiikes.

My other half is from Monaco, or kind of... She is German by birth but became Munegascu for personal reasons... We still keep a mooring spot and summer home there but nothing fancy... I love the place in the summer and during the races and festivals when it's full of people... and yes, it is gorgeous...

Yes, Australia is quite expensive! I am looking forward to the cheaper prices back in the States. The wages of course are not the same in America as here. Oh well.

What a great location to have a summer house, Monaco! I went to France in 2004 and we did an extension to Monaco and was so glad we did! Very beautiful!

So with the CR-1 visa my husband will still be allowed to travel outside the US correct? I remember reading somewhere that he's allowed so many months a year ouf of the US, just forget how many months it is.

That would work, for you will be stateside at the time he arrives. I can understand that you are worried, but the USCIS will not check on your whereabouts as he is processed upon arrival. They will be busy getting him admitted and having him sign the card which will become the basis for the issuance of the actual green card. You are fine.

Thanks so much for your helpful information! I really want my husband to be on my flight but the ticket is $1820 on Qantas one way to America! That is just so expensive! Hey so you are from Monaco? That's so cool.. I went to Monte Carlo in 2004, it's gorgeous!

You can be on the same flight as your husband and if you are, you can accompany him to secondary and wait for him to be processed. You need not get here one day before him.

It's going to be a lot of extra money for us to be on the same flight. Just to make sure, I could leave for the States a day earlier and then he can catch a different airline that isn't as expensive as Qantas. I have friends in LA that i could stay with or else get a hotel nearby and get my husband from the airport the next day. Do you think that would work? Want to make sure we do everything correctly.. would hate to mess up his entry into America.

If it were me I would go on the same flight rather than the day before - transport to / from airports twice will add up, along with meals etc. etc. Plus you will be able to talk to someone while waiting / on the flights.

Same day seems too much risk for me, the slightest chance of having to start over is too much.

I have friends that live around Los Angeles so they would be able to come pick me up, I could stay at their house, go back to the airport the next day to get my husband.

I would die if something went wrong and we had to start all over from the beginning. I am not going through this process again! It has taken us a year and a half to get this visa and so many dramas, I could write a book about what we have gone through to get this visa.

About what would happen if you violate what you have attested, I think you have to find out by yourself since I don't have experience on that so I can't say much... If I am you, I would just book the same flight for your husband just to make sure that everything is correct. You have come this far, why risking it over a few hundred dollars you can save ?

That is true, why risk it just for a few hundred dollars? And this visa process has cost us thousands of dollars extra (i had to fly from Australia to America last Sept for an interiew with Homeland Security--not part of the normal process to my understanding, no one could tell me why I was scheduled for the interview, but that if I didn't attend, I would most likely have my I-130 refused..had been waiting 9 months by the time of the interview and then approval of i-130). So I guess either we make sure we are on the same flight or just to be safe, I leave Australia a day before my husand does. Do you think that would be ok?

Worst case scenario........ they would refuse him entry and send him home.... then you start all over again

that would be awful!!!! do you know if that has happened to other people before? when you said we start all over again, do you mean we'd have to go through the entire process from the start.. the i-130, etc?

I don't have the link to the rule - but the fact that you are the sponsor means that he is not supposed to enter the country until you are in it. There are a few scenarios, a) if your fight arrives a few hours later they may allow him to sit in secondary processing and wait, b) they may not notice and let him through, c)They accept that you will be arriving later in the same day and allow him through d) they refuse entry (given it is the same day I think this is unlikely).

You don't need to go through the poe together or be on the same flight but really your flight should arrive first.

Wow, thanks for all of that. Do you think it's a bit risky to go on different flights to America? We could just make sure my flight arrives first or maybe even if I left Australia the day before my husband left, to make sure I arrive in the country first. Either that or pay the extra money and see if we can get on the same flight.

Hang on there. If you are residing abroad with your husband, you had to prove that you are re-establishing US domicile and you did sign that you will re-enter US no later than your husband's entry.

If you arrive at US sooner or at the same time as your husband then it's ok. If you arrive later, it will be considered a violation of what you have attested. I would be careful if I were you. The fare saving is not worth the hassle, just travel with your husband just to be safe.

That is true.. thanks for mentioning that, I guess I kind of forgot that I did state I would re-enter the US no later than my husband's entry. We could make sure that my flight arrives earlier.. but if something went wrong with my flight and say if his then entered America before mine... then I would be in violation? What would happen then?

It would probably be fine but I just meant that if his flight arrives first, you may have a small problem.

what would the problem be??

You need enter the US before him or at same time - you cannot support him I-864 if not in the country

We will be arriving into America on the same day, just different flights as I have a return ticket to get from Australia to America (my Australian visa expires in May, that is why I have a return ticket to America already) but my husband dosen't as of yet. When we looked online to see if we could get onto the same flight, it would cost us around $700 more than if my husband flew on a different airline. But we would arrive into America the same day, just different times. I just didn't know if I needed to be with him when he went through the POE process with the visa, packet from the Embassy, etc.

Yes it does cut down on time.Makes a big difference in some large airports.

We will be flying into LAX, so anything to cut down on time is great! Thanks!

Absolutely. All his processing will be done at the secondary inspection, so there is no reason for him to wait on the visitors' line only to be sent to secondary anyway, and yes, depending on POE that might save him a couple of hours...

Awesome, thanks so much for helping!

Upon arrival you will be taken to secondary inspection. They will collect the package you received from the consulate, endorse your I-551 and process your entry into the US. It should take no more than 1/2 hour, in addition to the waiting time, which depends on how many persons should be ahead of you.

If you want to save some time, upon your arrival go to the line reserved for US Citizens & Residents to avoid the lengthy wait associated with the tourist visa.

Good luck!

So my husband, who has the CR-1, can go to the line reserved for US Citizens and Residents? Guess he will be a resident then, so it should be ok. That's a good tip to know, thanks. May cut down the wait time :-)

As mimolicious stated you don't have to accompany them however be prepared that there are additional processes they do upon arrival with the visas.So while you would zip through immigration the spouse will take a bit longer.

What other processes do they do upon arrival? Can you estimate how long it may take? It's not a huge problem because we plan to stay in CA for a few days with friends and then fly to our final destination in the US. Thanks so much for your help!

No you do not need to be with him at POE. most beneficiaries travel alone through POE. Please don't use caps, it is considered yelling. Good luck and congrats on the visa!!

Thank you for that information and sorry for using caps, I didn't intend to seem like I was yelling.

HI MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE RECIEVED HIS CR-1 VISA IN THE MAIL ABOUT A WEEK AGO! FINALLY!! MY QUESTION IS WHETHER WHEN WE FLY BACK TO AMERICA, DO WE NEED TO BE ON THE SAME FLIGHT... DO I, THE US CITIZEN, NEED TO BE WITH HIM AT THE POE IN AMERICA? THE ONLY REASON I ASK IS BECAUSE I HAVE A RETURN FLIGHT TO AMERICA, MY HUSBAND DOESN'T YET.. BUT IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT CHEAPER IF HE GOES THROUGH A DIFFERENT AIRLINE. WE WOULD GET FLIGHTS ARRIVING INTO AMERICA THE SAME DAY, BUT DO WE NEED TO ENTER AMERICA TOGETHER OR DOES THAT NOT MATTER SINCE HE IS THE IMMIGRANT? THANKS SO MUCH

thanks everyone! i had a bit of a meltdown because i thought maybe we forgot to have the doc fill out the form. my husband called the doc's office.. when he told the lady it was the ds-2053, she said that is already done. she was looking at the photocopy that she had of ours in our file. so the doc signed it, x ray technician, my husband signed it... what a relief! i just thought "are you serious, our interview is tomorrow?!!?" but its all good. so yes the doc had it all taken care of and its in our packet with my husbands medical results, x ray.

My husband has his interview tomorrow.... he has the results of his medical, but we didn't get the doc to fill out the DS-2053. The interview is for the CR-1 visa... is the ds-2053 required for this visa?!?! please help!!!