TheMilkyWay

I haven't sent it to any news agencies, how do I do that?

I'm sorry you feel that the "voting illegals" that work is a cliché. Perhaps it is. But these folks exist in significant numbers and are certainly in contrast to the monochromatic picture you painted. As far as saying privileged, well, that's your opinion.

Sorry, being friends with someone is not "abetting." You may need to look that word up. I have not encouraged nor assisted with their entry into the country illegally, nor have I encouraged or assisted them in remaining illegal.

You missed my point entirely. A vast majority of illegal immigrants are good people with families that are only trying to better their position. I do not begrudge that. I do however take issue with a government that puts the needs of those choosing to be here illegally in front of people trying to follow the law that are stuck in a poorly managed, broken process. I cannot believe it matters what side of the political spectrum you come from, I could not imagine anyone believing that is appropriate.

So yes, I have friends that are here illegally. Just some folks I met over the years working along the border. They are good people. But I still believe the government has the duty to process those legally waiting in line before those who chose a different illegal pathway. My friends that are here illegally do not hold my belief against me at all... in fact they agree. As I said, I support some form of amnesty because 12 million folks are here and the problem is going to go away. I also recognize the human toll it takes on many of these families. It is indeed tragic. They need a pathway to get legal and integrated fully. BUT...that should not come BEFORE the current process is addressed. But that won't ever happen because government is only searching for votes. That's the hard truth. I agree with the OP by trying to bring visibility to the plight of the families caught in the nightmare of the legal immigration processed and I commend that. Folks drawing attention to this should not be shushed up for saying so.

I somehow missed this post before. It is an excellent summary of my feelings, and I think the majority of people would agree.

Thanks to the moderators for their help keeping the thread on topic.

back on topic teddy, we're all getting green card refunds. i'm so excited - this is soooo gonna work.

Of course it is... Wink wink.

But really, the more ridiculous the request the more attention it draws.

Is there any way to remove off topic posts from a thread?

I did say both sides. You are right, and as long as we tolerate their garbage it will stay that way. The next step after this petition will be to call our senators and congress people to let them know it's time to fix immigration.

The people against this petition already have a huge voice in democrats, illegals, Latinos, and the media.

Legal immigrants want to suffer in silence as they are ignored completely by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Whether you love illegal immigration or not, the legal process needs work. This petition is a step towards getting attention for legal immigration. I think everyone on this board can agree with that.

I have nothing against illegal immigrants as people, some close family friends came to the USA illegally. Their life improved a ton and i can't blame them for coming. My problem is that our very own government is more concerned with helping illegal immigrants than legal immigrants.

I agree that felony offenders should be deported.

Nobody is talking about letting anyone immigrate for free. Per bi-partisan legislation that passed the senate long ago, those that are here illegally are to be afforded a path to immigrate. They would not only owe the fees associated with the process but a fine on top of that. So where that whole refund idea comes from, I don't know. Maybe you haven't been keeping up with the news properly?

Yes, it is hard to keep up with the news in the US from the third world country where I'm waiting, jobless but united with my wife, for her immigrant visa. Internet is expensive and very very slow, and CNN doesn't cover everything.

Everyone aboard. If amnesty counts for people who've been in the country illegally for years, why shouldn't the refund apply as widely as possible?

Good Luck with that.

At the very least I hope to attract attention to the plight of legal immigrants around the world. They should at least consider helping us before waving a wand and invalidating completely our sacrifices.

I have published my petition to refund LEGAL immigration expenses if Obama unilaterally grants amnesty to illegal immigrants. Please make an account, sign my petition, and encourage others to do the same by sharing the link on your facebook page. It won't show up on the website until 150 people have signed, and we have a month to reach 100,000 signatures for an official response from Obama's administration.

http://wh.gov/ianJB

I submitted my request a few weeks ago. I have gotten two separate emails now that say they are reviewing my request. One after two weeks, another a week after that. My request has been in for quite almost a month now.

Is the barcode different, or only the ATTN:? I'm worried they'll wait a month to give me the IV bill, and then another week to get the IV packet (from Bolivia).

I will think about it for two days before making a decision and read other experiences...then send it, or wait.

Hey thanks for the reply,

I can't believe you were able to pay both at the same time, I check every day but my IV bill is not available yet. When I call they say you can't pay the IV bill until the other docs, the AOS docs, are approved and it comes up online that I can pay those. Maybe there is a stricter policy for Taiwan and countries like it!

I've been checking multiple times per day too. AOS is paid and mailed. I'm really tempted to mail the IV packet ASAP. I have no idea how long it could take for them to give me the chance to pay the IV bill.

Can you request to expedite before you get a case number? I'm about to run out of time on my bolivian visa, after which I will have to pay fines for every day I stay in Bolivia. Is that a valid reason to expedite?

I will try to contact the embassy tomorrow, but isn't the police certificate supposed to be sent to nvc headquarters? Or do I only bring it to the interview?

Thanks

While our spousal visa petition was in progress we moved to Bolivia from Italy. We got a police certificate last year from Italy and moved to Bolivia this year. Do we need a fresh police certificate, or will the one we have from 2013 work? It would be a pain to get a new one from Italy sent.

Second question: It's been about a month since USCIS approved our I130. I emailed and called NVC to tell them about the move to Bolivia, but they said to call back and never answered the email. We still have no case number or invoice id. Should I be worried?

USCIS says they shipped my case the 20th of June. What phone number do I call? And which numbers do I ask for? I'm currently with my wife in Bolivia. We moved from Italy to Bolivia because it's cheaper to live here. I sent an email notifying NVC of the move, but received only an automated response. Should I tell them over the phone too?

Thanks! Are there any steps I need to take to inform USCIS or consulates that we've moved, so they don't schedule the interview in Italy?

My wife is currently living in Italy, and we applied with her Italian address. We are considering moving to Bolivia together while we wait for her visa. Will her moving affect the application?

What is your wife's status in Italy?

She has a Permesso di Soggiorno - next year she will be eligible for a Carta di Soggiorno - like a "permanent resident" card.

Excellent responses from both of you. Thank you very much. I'm much more confident going into this now. I changed my profile to IR-1/CR-1 now, yes that's what I meant! I don't know why it doesn't appear.

Background:

I am trying to get everything in order for my I-130 application, but feel as though my evidence may be lacking.

We were married in Italy in August this year. A month after we got married I had to come back to US to stay in compliance with Italian law. My wife is from Bolivia, but has lived in Italy for 8 years. She is NOT an Italian citizen and does not yet have permanent residency.

We lived together in her apartment after the wedding, but my name was not on the lease. We have no children (yet), have never co-signed a lease.

Basically, I feel like the only supporting evidence we could produce would be statements from witnesses to our relationship. My family has all met her and spent a week with us before the wedding, but she has never been to the US, so no other US citizens could really witness.

Questions:

Can our friends in Italy who are Bolivians, Peruvians, and Italians make acceptable statements? Do they have to be notarized? I would have to translate the statements from Italian and Spanish into English, is that OK?

When I get back to Italy in a few weeks I will try to open a joint bank account with my wife. Do we need to have a certain amount of money in the account for it to be valid? Or can we simply have a statement with details blacked out that shows we have an account together?

We are Mormon so comingling finances and living together before marriage are unacceptable if we want to be in good standing with the church. Can a statement from our bishop corroborating this serve as evidence?

Thanks for everyone's help, this is an overwhelming and nerve-racking process for me!

From what I've read I have three options right now:

1. Fiance Visa - I will stay in the US (apart from my fiancee). Won't be able to submit until originals get to me (could be another week, two weeks, or they could be lost...)

Then I would be waiting 8-12 months before I could marry my fiance. I would visit, but only 90 days. (We are traditional/religious, which makes the waiting a bit of a challenge, I'll have to rent an apartment)

2. Marry in Italy: This has two suboptions

A. Spousal Visa From Abroad(Could be 8-12 months)?

B. Direct Consular Filing - but there are special requirements, right?

Am I correct in these assumptions? Or would my spousal visa application move more quickly because I am abroad? Or more slowly?