stillesgewaesser

I'm trying to figure out how many passport photos my wife will need all together and want to make sure I'm not missing any.

We both had to submit 1 of each us for the I-130. I know she will need 3 for the medical and 1 at the interview. Is there anymore I'm missing? So that is 5 all together for her and 1 for me. Is that correct?

Thanks for your help!

Get titers for the diseases she is required to have vaccinations for.

The symptoms you gave are really general. She, your wife/fiancee (I couldn't figure out), was not even sure it was because of the vaccine. She should consult with a physician she has access to, relay as much as she can remember of this issue... like can't she remember which specific vaccine?

Allergies to vaccines can do happen. However, you must know that vaccines are not made of the same components. She can probably get most of the vaccines required even if it is found out she really did have a reactoon.

Yes, we know what vaccines, but it was more than one at the same time. In 99 she had one for Polio and one Td. She does not know which one could've caused it, it probably was both. In 2007 she had only the MMR, which caused her issues. So it is not just one vaccine causing her the problems. She will need to get the Tdap, which is the same as Td, except with pertussis added.

We are going to try to get her tested for an allergy to certain vaccines as well as get titers, because she might be immune to the diseases that the Tdap protects from. She's already has had Pertussis as an adult and she may still be immune to Tetanus and Diphtheria from the vaccine she got 14 years ago. I hope so!

Two options:

- go to your local doc and/ or a vaccine expert and ask what the likely cause of her side effects are. There may be a vaccine made with other components she can take.

- Go to the doc she had in 2007, get him to write a letter that she cannot have vaccines because X Y and Z happened, apply for the waiver and hope for the best. I have only seen one vaccine waiver approved on here, it is very, very difficult.

On a side note, are you sure the Tdap is only valid for ten years and required for adults? I am not an expert on vaccines for immigration, but it was 20+ years since I had my last vaccines and all I needed was a tetanus shot at my immigration medical.

The waiver you mentioned is only valid for moral/religious reasons. We do have those as well, but I want to avoid doing that route if possible.

There also are waivers for if the doctor thinks it's a threat to the immigrant's health.

We would love to go to the doctor she had in 2007 but he is located in New York and we're in Germany, so it's not possible, unfortunately! I am hoping we can somehow get in contact with him and he's willing to put it in writing why she should not receive the vaccine. We also are going to try to go to a local doctor and get something in writing from him also. Though I'm not sure how hard or valid it will be, seeing as she is currently not having symptoms that she has immediately after vaccination. She does, however, still have some issues that are permanent.

I'm not 100% sure on Tdap being required if it's been over 10 years since last being vaccinated with it. I've just read someone on the internet state it. Actually she's only had the Td, so the Tdap will be required for sure. But who knows, maybe they'll overlook it.

Thanks for the replies so far!

shouldn't you pose these questions to a doctor and not on an immigration site????????

No. I'm looking for advice regarding waiving the vaccine for immigration purposes, on grounds that vaccines cause my wife serious health problems. I want to know how we can prove that to the panel physician.

Sorry, I thought it would be obvious...

I've done some research and have concluded that she will only be required to get the Tdap vaccine because she got it 14 years ago. I guess she had to have had it within 10 years.

Anyway, she has serious side effects, including: brain fog, feeling like she's "stuck" in her head, nausea and dizziness for around two weeks afterward, twitching, vivid violent, intrusive thoughts, back aches from lower spine up, numb left leg, social awkwardness, speech problems. Also, after she got vaccinated at age 17, she started passing out randomly, and she still passes out to this day when under stress. She not quite "normal" anymore.

All of the problems I listed she experienced after being vaccinated. She did not know it was the vaccines causing these problems at first. The more she was vaccinated, the more she noticed they were the cause, as these problems would arise right after being vaccinated.

She went to the doctor last time she was vaccinated (in 2007) and he said she should never be vaccinated again.

We don't have any documented proof of her problems being associated with vaccines, so what should we do? We know for SURE the vaccines are a threat to her health. Who knows what being vaccinated again could do to her! We can't take that risk!

Any advice would be great appreciated!

Hi,

I'm very stressed out by this because I feel like it's a HUGE barrier in our way.

My wife has always had problems with vaccines. When she got her first round of them as a child, it made her extremely passive and unsocial. When she first immigrated to the US (before knowing me), after her vaccinations, she had extreme brain fog immediately after and still does to this day. She had all types of weird problems. One of them is fainting. She never fainted before the vaccinations. Now she faints regularly when under stress. The doctors can't even say why this happens. She's had mental issues since the vaccines as well.

We can not let her get vaccinated because we fear something worse will happen, as there have been cases of it. The only problem is we have no proof, it is only based on her experience. I would love to pay the vaccine fees without her getting the vaccines. I feel desperate because I just want to return home, something simple, and I'm faced with this.

Can someone please give me some advice? Would the doctor understand this and state she can't be vaccinated or what?

Thanks so much!

Great.

In the cover letter should I include an explanation of how my wife "lost" her status and why we're in Germany, or is that irrelevant?

Thanks so much guys!

I've got another question. When she receives the visa, it's valid for 6 months right? So all we have to do is land in the US within those 6 months? The reason I ask is because we most likely won't be able to pick up and leave. We'll need some time after she gets her visa.

Thanks again!

Did she surrender her GC?

If not how did she lose her status?

She lost it by default by being outside of the US for more than a year. It is considered "abandoned".

Q. What will happen if I refuse to receive one or all of the required vaccines?

A. Tell the civil surgeon if you do not wish to receive the required vaccines or a particular vaccine. You should also tell the civil surgeon the reason you do not wish to receive the vaccine(s). In this case, a waiver may be available to you, but only under the following circumstances:

You are opposed to vaccinations in any form– that is, you cannot obtain a waiver based on an objection only as to one vaccination

Your objection must be based on religious beliefs or moral convictions; and

The religious or moral beliefs must be sincere.

The form used to apply for a waiver depends on the adjustment category under which you are seeking legal permanent residence status. For example, refugees and asylees seeking adjustment of status should file Form I-602, Application by Refugee for Waiver of Grounds of Excludability. Individuals seeking adjustment of status as a result of an approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, or Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, would file Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility.

In my opinion, you may have a tough time getting a waiver for immunizations (if any are required) because your wife has already been vaccinated for her previous Green Card.

You may qualify to file for DCF (direct consular filing) from Germany which would speed up the process for you.

Good Luck.

Yeah, you're right. That's why I'm hoping she won't be required to.

We live in Germany, so we are filing here. I think that what DCF is...

Thanks for your message!

As per costs you'll have to pay the I-130 fee, the $88 for the Affidavit of Support and the $240 visa fee and the new $125 green card fee. The medical exam costs can vary and probably require a bit of research into panel physicians in Germany. I wouldn't count on them being the same as last time. If she has proof of the vaccination from before then she won't need them again. The physician she received them at last time should have her record if she doesn't. At most they'd ask for a flu vaccine but if you try to time it so it's not within flu season that would save you the vaccination waiver fee.

Thanks! Will I have to pay the green card fee when I'm in the US or while I'm here?

I've already figured out the cost for medical exam, it's around $200. She does have her record, but it was 5 years ago that she got them.

Thanks for the advice about the flu vaccine.

OK, you're right, I made it not about immigration. Sorry about that. Carry on.

I understand perfectly why you would disagree with our choices. But you don't know our reasons, and they are not based on anything religious. Being a seemingly reasonable person, I'm almost certain you'd understand our reasons. I just don't want discuss it here, as it's not what this thread's about.

Hi,

I apologize in advance for having so many questions, but it's hard to get these answered! Soon I'll be filing an I-130 for wife. She was already a permanent resident before. We foolishly stayed out of the country for over a year without knowing she would lose her status. We came to Germany to spend time with her family. We have a child that was born in the US. We don't qualify for the Returning Resident Visa, so we will have to file for a whole new visa.

How do I make sure in the application that they know she was a permanent resident before? I also don't want them to have a bad impression that she lost it. It was a simple mistake, and she and my child were with me the whole time. Should I explain the situation with a letter included?

What happens to her "old" status when we get her a new visa? Her bank account and other stuff are still open in the US and we can use them. She has a social security number. Will she resume her old status? For example, is the bank account still hers? Are her credit cards still hers? This is confusing to me! Technically she still "exists" in the USA. They don't "know" we're here. We told an officer that we're here and if he could update that we're here. He said it doesn't matter because she already "lost" her status. I wasn't sure if there were any consequences for technically still "existing" in the USA, while being here.

Another question. She originally immigrated to the US 5 years ago and was vaccinated then. Are those vaccines still valid? We want to avoid further vaccines for moral/religious reasons.

Also, I'd like to know the total costs we will be expected to pay. I know we will have to pay $420 for the I-130.

Around $200 for medical exam

$585 for vaccine waiver if she is required to get them

What are other costs I will be expected to pay? including costs when we arrive in the US? I need to know close to exactly how much it will be.

Thank you all for your time and help. It will really help me out greatly!