Enigma23

On 3/25/2017 at 6:19 PM, Olive4870 said:

Here is the spreadsheets pls check it out...

Thank you SO MUCH for this!! LOL I was over here with pen and sticky notes trying to do my own generic info gathering!! And scouring VJ Timelines posted.

Just added our info to the spreadsheet!! I'm seeing smooth and SWIFT Approvals without Interview for all of us!! And so it is!!!

Overnighted packet 3/23/2017

Rec'd @ USCIS Calif. on 3/24/2017

No Further Info as yet.

 It helps VJ Stats stay current. 

Did you have a red sticker on your passport? Because I want to tell my fiancé to go to the interview but he has a red stick on his passport...

Hi! My (now) Husband says yes they put a red sticker on his passport too while he was doing the tests and taking the treatment but they took it off when he was cleared..we went to the Interview anyway.

It would be more helpful to know where you are in the process of testing, etc. but yes your FIance should go,.. and you should go too if you can. Once the medication has been taken for about two weeks they are usually considered not contagious anymore... so there is no issue.

Just received my Husband's "Welcome to the United States of America" letter!!! :dance: Woot Woot!! Thank you God!!

Letter was dated June 15 - No Texts - No Emails - No online updates! Case Status still shows as Fingerprint Fee Received!! We just mailed off his EAD Renewal at the Post Office only to arrive home and find that beautiful Welcome Letter!!! Amen! Amen! Amen!

Keep faith!! It will come...

Happened to me... apparently... according to an IO. Did they tell you when it was transferred to that field office?

Did you manage to send this service request as an e-request? e-request is still down....

We called in for the Request and the letter was dated I think a day or so before we received it.

hi there. Yes, this is quite common. Our NPIW cases get sent to whichever office has less of a workload. Allegedly. About 2-3 weeks ago, we had a whole bunch of people get approved and leave this group. THEY had all kinds of experience to share. I wish they hadn't bailed.

Oh! Okay! Thank you.. I'll comb through the previous pages and see what I can find.. Are there any key words I should use to search?

We asked for a Service Inquiry on my Husbands AOS after getting the NPIW back in Feb 2015 as the website that lists the Processing Times for our Local Office (Jacksonville, FL) was "outdated" and because it does not show Processing Times for NBC center for Family Based AOS I-485's.

We were told we would get a response by email or US Mail and in a few days we got a letter saying our case was being transferred to Los Angeles Field Office!??!???!?? Anyone ever heard of this or had this happen to them? After a Service Request for a NPIW case? He is AOS'ing from K-1.

You are the Petitioner and he is the Beneficiary? USCIS only really cares about the $$$ of the USC applying to bring the Beneficiary over... but yes political affiliations could affect the petition.

I'm not sure how or if they use it in regards to reading in between the lines... but it is safe to assume in high fraud countries it will be used if nothing else as a reference during interview.

Hello!

so yesterday i got my k1 visa interview at the consulate, in Naples (Italy). the interview went well! it took me about 10 min with general questions and at the end the consuler told me congrats, my visa has been approved.

After that he said somenthing about receive my tracking number but to be honest I was too excited- nervous to listen carefully (my bad....!!)

This morning I went check my CEAC status and it says:

"Your visa case is currently undergoing necessary administrative processing. This processing can take several weeks. Please follow any instructions provided by the Consular Officer at the time of your interview. If further information is needed, you will be contacted. If your visa application is approved, it will be processed and mailed/available within two business days."

What does this mean?? te consular never said anything to me...just that it was approved!! it is normal..??

Thanks for the help!

You are so cute!!! The twp posts you made... made me smile and giggle... Big Hugs!! how you doing? Update me via inbox if you get a chance.

It's normal... Don't worry, they treat it as three separate cases/forms.

You get one for the actual I-485, one for the I-765 and one for the I-131... even though the last two are now a "combo card" and will be actually processed together. My Husbands Combo card came in the mail but if you look on the USCIS site you'll see the EAD is "approved" at one date the AP is approved on another date while the I-485 still shows only as "Fingerprint Fee received" with a date that is within a couple of days of the actual NOA-1 date... though he has already done his Biometrics appt and we are waiting for his GC approval.

If your spouse gets a job offer anytime soon you can use the number linked to the EAD to request an "Expedite" of the EAD approval.

Best of luck and love....

Also just got this letter today dated Feb 18th... Jacksonville Office but calling USCIS recorded message says we are still at NBC. Trusting God for a fast LPR/GC approval and in hand ASAP!!

Congratulations!

Your fiancè can visit you with a B2 visa and come back to DR for the medical exam and interview of course.

But this is a long shot, though it is possible based on my experience.

Otherwise there is nothing you can do to expedite it unfortunately.

Safe delivery and congrats again.

Blooms

Read our Personal experience here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/473521-i-miss-my-wife-do-i-have-the-right-to-visit-please-enter/?p=6736318

And here's what Border Patrol has to say about it:

For USCIS you need a few things but from the Court House you just tell them you need two "certified copies" for Immigration purposes and they should give them to you. There is sometimes a fee for the second "certified" copy but I explained why I needed them and my fear of needing another copy later and having to rush around to get one so they actually gave me 4 copies for free!! LOL

I sent one officially stamped & certified one and two copies of that same marriage lic... one with each form because I treated each form (I-485, I-765 and I-131) as if I sent it solo...

Also I kept a folder in the crack of my seat with copies and "certified" copies/originals of our Marriage License, I-797 for K-1, I-94 Entry stamp and a Internet printed one, passport Bio Page, Visa and Stamp pages, Affidavit of Residence for Social Security Office ,Drivers License, Bank changes, etc.. While you are changing everything keep them SUPER HANDY you'll probably need something from that packet at every turn... and you don't want to go back home or panic trying to find.

I'll sen d you a copy of the Checklist I made and sent to USCIS.. Maybe it will help you organize everything easier... it does have redundancies but I have not gotten and RFE so far so I feel good about it.

I should clarify... following MrTee12's wiki/advice I also too k both forms to be safe... you can always shred them later... I believe they asked about my I-14 but can't really recall as it went so fast at the first window and she asked for several forms at once.

In fact, the petitioner does not need to be at the interview unless they requested, ususally petitinoers aren't allowed to enter with the beneficiary.

In the Dominican Republic it's pretty much a requirement for the Spouse or Fiance (USC) to attend and both are interviewed... It's actually on the packet that the Beneficiary receives it says "the Petitioner is strongly encouraged to attend"

And usually from what most DR Couples report and my own experience it has been the USC who is most asked the majority of questions or both are asked similar questions.

And yes took a filled out 864 and No they didn't ask for it.

And you should be aware that AP does NOT guarantee the Non-USC re-entry into the USA.

It's supposed to only be used for specific reasons not general leisure travel.

Interestingly enough there was topic started on this very thing today.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/533695-i-131-travel-authorization-strange-sounding-rules/

Personally, I wouldn't do it... Wait for the Conditional LPR. That's what my Dominican husband and I have decided to do We decided on a Cruise wedding AFTER working a while saving up money, getting settled in and most importantly AFTER he has His LPR card in hand.

Best Wishes.. I hope this helps.

Just my two cents... If you are sincerely sure that you want to marry and due to financial worries you are not sure how he can support you both.. have you considered just marrying (small courthouse equivalent where you live) and submitting the Spouse Visa? It can take a little longer which you have indicated is not an issue as you'd rather save up money first.. but it's actually cheaper overall than the K-1 and you come to the USA already approved to work and travel as soon as you have the green card in hand... you may be better off in the future going that route even now... you can cancel the K-1 and apply for the Spouse visa at the same time..

Again just another option to consider.. Best of Luck an many blessings.. I am sure the perfect solution will appear!

My Husband now (then Fiance) and I filed 3.5 months after meeting and we were approved.... They did ask a lot of questions trying to trip me up about how well I knew his family here in the states (making sure it was not organized by them) and asked why we applied so soon... my fiance answered it was not too soon to apply... that the wait was very long for us to find each other... :-D

So if the love is real.. they see it... no worries... but still takes TONS of Evidence, pics, etc. Better to have too much than not enough.

Best wishes!!

I also would recommend having the taxes reevaluated because while I do not prepare taxes professionally now it used to be a my second income and I should not go up.. It should have been an additional refund due for each of those years that you were not claimed. I think something was done wrong somewhere.

Each person filed on the same return as a Dependent or Personal Exemption (1 for Self and 1 for each "Dependent" reduces the Taxable Income by $3900.

the you also get the Filing Status Deduction (Head of Household, Married Filing Separate, married Filing Joint or Single).

Here is the official rule per IRS

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Seven-Facts-about-Dependents-and-Exemptions

Personal exemptions. You can usually claim an exemption for yourself. If you’re married and file a joint return you can also claim one for your spouse. If you file a separate return, you can claim an exemption for your spouse only if your spouse had no gross income, is not filing a return, and was not the dependent of another taxpayer.

DOMINICANIZED CHECKLIST and Cover Letter that I submitted with our AOS

Petitioner Name Date

Address

City, State Zip

RE: Petitioner name and A-##

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

ATTN: FBAS

131 South Dearborn – 3^rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60603-5517

Nature of the submission:

I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status together with the I-765 Application for Employment Authorization Work and I-131 Application for Travel Document for Petitioner Name and A-## whose eligibility is based on admission as the fiancé of and subsequent marriage within 90 days of entry to USC’s Name who is a U.S. citizen.

Contents include:

____ Money Order, Personal or Cashier’s Check # ____ for $1070.00

____ Form G-1145 - Notification

____ Form G-325A Biographic Information Sheet individually for Petitioner and USC

____ Form I-485 - Application to Adjust Status

____ Dominican Birth Certificate with certified translation

____ Dominican Passport Bio page

____ K-1 visa page and Entry Stamp page

____ I-94 Arrival/Departure record

____ Photographs (2) of Petitioner

____ I-797 Notice of Action, I-129 Petition Approval Notice from USCIS

____ Certified copy of Marriage Certificate

____ DS-3025- Vaccination Report

____ Form I-864 - Affidavit of Support filled out by USC with supporting documents:

____ IRS Transcripts for last 3 Tax years (Transcripts are free and you can print them immediately from IRS website)

____ W-2 for 2014

____ I-797 Notice of Action, I-129 Petition Approval Notice from USCIS

____ Certified copy of Marriage Certificate

____ I-94 Arrival/Departure record

____ Form I-765 - Application for Employment Authorization – Category ©(9)

____ Photographs (2) of Petitioner

____ Dominican Passport Bio page

____ K-1 visa page and Entry Stamp page

____ I-94 Arrival/Departure record

____ Form I-131 - Application for Travel Document

____ Photographs (2) of Petitioner

____ Dominican Passport Bio page

____ K-1 visa page and Entry Stamp page

____ I-94 Arrival/Departure record

I treated each application as if they were three separate files but sent them all together because I didn't want to take a chance that they would say they needed more than one copy of anything. So I sent/made a full file for each, even sent extra photos.

Yes Mam!! you can! I filed my Fiances all by myself! You can do it Chica!! No worries I'm here for you and so is the rest of VJ Family!

I even got my Hubbys EAD expedited and he was got his EAD Combo card and was able to work within two weeks of the expedite.

And it doesn't take any longer to do it by yourself.. I believe it's better because you care so much about your case that you nitpick and try to follow every step... so I think if you follow the guides you'll be fine.

Thanks everyone. We had a talk today and decided that our best option is going to be to go ahead and have a legal wedding in Mexico next month for her family, as planned, and just wait and file for the CR-1 then. I can't believe it's going to be another whole year before we can be together, but I guess it's just something that has to be dealt with in this situation. I really appreciate everyone's thoughts on here and I'm sure I'll be asking a ton of questions as I start to file those forms.

I think that's the perfect choice for you guys!! It alleviates a lot of headache and honestly some petitions get approved CRAZY fast and other take normal time... so really you lose nothing.. And this way when she arrives everything will be handled. no extra stress!! Adjusting to "new everything" is enough... :-D

Best Wishes and really enjoy your lovely wedding!! God Bless and guide!

Enigma, I'm confused. So you are telling me that if we have a celebration, that has no legal binding whatsoever, they may deny a K-1 visa? I find that hard to believe since everything is driven by legality. How can they deny you a K-1 because you had what appeared to be a wedding celebration, but there is no documentation anywhere that you are a married couple? Has anyone else ever heard of this?

And this may be a totally dumb question, but she doesn't currently have a Mexico Passport. This isn't a prerequisite to getting one of these Visas is it? Having to file for her change of status when she gets here isn't important to me. She can wait and get a job after all that goes through. I'm just trying to find the fastest and smoothest way to get her over here for now.

See the following links for more information and case accounts...

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/426569-having-a-non-legally-binding-wedding-before-the-k1-visa-is-processed/?p=6181794

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/331197-non-legal-religious-wedding-before-k1-visa/

and she needs a Border Crossing Card at least but a Passport is best.. I'm not sure if they can issue a Visa to a BCC??

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/572/~/entering-the-u.s.---documents-required-for-foreign-nationals-(international

A visa and passport are not required of a Mexican national who is in possession of a Form DSP-150, B-1/B-2 Visa and Border Crossing Card*, containing a machine-readable biometric identifier, issued by the Department of State and is applying for admission as a temporary visitor for business or pleasure from contiguous territory by land or sea. Mexican citizens using the Border Crossing Card may travel 55 miles into the U.S. - except in the Nogales/Tucson area, where travel to Tucson is authorized.

The Border Crossing Card (BCC) is acceptable as a stand-alone document (by itself) only for travel from Mexico by land, or by pleasure vessel or ferry. Together with a valid passport, though, it meets the documentary requirements for entry at all land, air, and sea ports of entry (to include travel from Canada). Note: You must be a Mexican citizen and a resident of Mexico to have a BCC.

Anywhere a Mexican Citizen can or cannot go she will be limited to until such time that she has her Lawful Permanent Resident card...

Anywhere GREY on this map is off limits without a visa until she has her LPR card (takes about a year to receive after applying for AOS). So if you don't intend to travel outside of theses areas you should be fine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Mexican_citizens

Also be awre that just marrying you does not give her rights or protect her. 90 days after US Entry she would become "out of status" from her K-1 until you two are married and file for her AOS and actually have the I-797 proving you applied for her Adjustment of Status readily available. There have been a few cases of folks being near the border and not AOS'ing who were detained and had to hustle up. If you are legally living there.... See if you can get DCF as someone else previously suggested.

http://www.visajourney.com/content/dcf

Also any celebration or event religious or otherwise that can be considered a "marriage or wedding" has on occasion caused people to get denied for the K-1 visa as some Consular Officers look at is as married or as I have seen it put "not married enough for a Spouse visa but too married for K-1"...

And as said the Spouse visa can be a little bit longer but is cheaper and she arrives with full rights... similar to a USC.

Currently my Husband and i are waiting for his LPR so we can have our "real wedding and honeymoon" so that we can take a cruise honeymoon without any immigration hassle. Until the incoming immigrant has the LPR card (Greencard that is no longer green lol) The new immigrant has ot use their passport from their country and are restricted by their countries visa requirements. So if their country needs a visa normally after they arrive here they will need to apply for that visa to travel... If the come on the Spouse visa they can immediately work and travel freely on arrival as they are treated as if they are a US Citizen.

Looking back now.. this is the route we would have chosen.

15 ppl on standby with 16 available seats.... theres a 5 hour layover....

I am seeing you make your flight... Just make sure you get off the plane and through Customs as quickly as you can and when you get to the gate let them know you are there. Ask for a seat change or something and ask to to get your Boarding Pass printed. Sometimes they will give the seat to the first arrivals banking that the later folks will miss it anyway. I found its best to be nice!! They are under a LOT of pressure by their Employers to not have these kinds of issues and they are human beings who can be quite compassionate given the opportunity.

Be nice but concerned about making your destination and leaving your fiance worrying, explain your situation and ask them what No Boarding Pass means for you?

It's important to know that actually from what i could tell the Gate Agent actually makes the decision to some degree of who boards and who bumps.... I've even had them bump me so I got ticket credit (I had volunteered to give up my seat to get the HUGE deal they were offering...(I had explained how it would be a HUGE help to seeing my then-fiance, now-husband again soon... I have gotten at LEAST 4 free or nearly free roundtrip flights this way! :-D )

One time the Gate Agent tried really hard for us... you just have to be nice and explain your situation (it was going to be a 600 credit) in the end though I had to board but she tried so hard and let others in the group board as she tried to save me until last to board.... waiting for the other passengers to show up they did leave two others behind though (that they wouldn't bump me for instead) so there must be some sort of criteria or hierarchy for who gets bumped )

GoodLuck!! Just know and BELIEVE You'll make the flight if it's what's right for your situation!

COPIED FROM A WEB ARTICLE:

The airlines are allowed to discriminate when they pick passengers to involuntarily bump from flights. You're most likely to get to watch your plane take off if you paid a particularly low rate, showed up at the gate at the last minute, and are flying alone. Thankfully for business travellers, members of loyalty programs are rarely bumped.

And if not here's some legal stuff:

What should you do if your plane is overbooked? Almost every business traveller has been in this situation at least once. Usually, it's no problem: people who aren't in a hurry or have a particular itch for free tickets give up their seats. (In America, airlines are actually required to ask for volunteers to skip an overbooked flight.) But if you're on a packed commuter flight and everyone is rushing to catch connections, you might run into a problem. And if you're slightly more likely to be horribly inconvenienced, it's good to know you have rights.

By law, if the airline denies you a seat because of overbooking but arranges to put you on another flight that arrives within an hour of your original arrival time, the carrier is not obligated to compensate you at all.

From Hillsborough County Website:

http://www.hillsclerk.com/publicweb/marriage_license.aspx