PreciousMJ

When my wife came back from a cruise, all they did was look at here EAD / AP card and did not even process it. Her maiden name is her passport, her card is in her married name. I booked her cruise in her passport name just like plane tickets, but they changed her name to her EAD / AP card. They consider that a GC in their system. When we got back into Miami they just looked her card and did not even do anything in the computer. We had her GC interview 2 days later and they asked her to confirm her last entry into the US. We stated about the cruise and they just looked at her card and let us through. They say that is normal with so many people with the card.

I just got back from the cruise. They did not ask me questions when I came back to the States. I just showed my passport, EAD, and AP and they let me in. They never check the computer. It was easy than what I thought.

My passport is in my maiden name. My ticket, EAD, and AP are all in my married name. But I never had issues.

I'm glad to hear that. Thanks for the info!

No interrogation, they didnt ask me any question. they will only ask for your EAD so they can verify it with their computer and make you wait in a room. Have fun in your cruise, nothing to worry at all.

Hi! Did they interrogate you when you went back to US after the cruise? Im going on a cruise too. I only have EAD/AP because my GC is still being processed. I also entered on a K1 visa and already got married. I already filed my AOS last year.

Thanks!

Hi, i am under k1 when i came to US, filed AOS month of May last year and still dont have my Green Card. I just want to post this update about cruising without Green Card, only Combo Card. So just last month we cruised to Bahamas (Freeport and Nassau) i only have my passport and EAD/AP with me (some people says i will need visa to Bahamas, i even message the Department of Foreign Affairs of Bahamas to be sure and they told me yes i will need a visa to enter.... And then i call my friend who work with cruise and told me that NO i dont need it) --soooooo, i took my chance believe in my friend and went without visa, just passport and EAD/AP........ and had no issue at all, there was no immigration at all in both island, only crew of the ship will check your sail card and Combo Card to see if name matches...... just when coming back to US, they are strict if you are with EAD/AP they will send you to a special room while they are verifying your Card, it took us like 30 minutes inside the room waiting but thats the only hassle.

I AM NOT ADVICING YOU TO GO WITHOUT VISA. I AM JUST TELLING FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE, IT STILL DEPENDS ON YOU. :)

Is your drivers license good for 10yrs or something?

No. My driver's license is good for only 1 year. The expiration date is same as my EAD. It also says TEMPORARY.

I changed my SS from maiden name to married name after getting married. I presented my marriage certificate and EAD To SSA and they accepted it. I havent received my Green Card yet.

My SS card shows now my married name.

The officer in SSA told me that once I got my GC, I'll have to go back to their office to update my immigration status.

Hi there!

Yes, you can apply for a driver's license without GC. Just present your EAD and other requirements needed to process your DL.

I have now a drivers's license. I havent received my GC yet. I only have EAD and they accepted it in DMV. I'm from FL.

Hi,

It is adviseable to apply for SS after 2 weeks upon arrival in USA. I applied for SSN before getting married. It's a good thing I did that because an employee from SS said that if I applied for SSN after I got married from a K1 visa, they wont be able to process my SSN unless I have my GC. This is in FL. Im not sure about the rule in different states.

In your case, you may want to apply for your fiance's SSN before getting married and see if it's possible even if she's only here for a week. If not, she can apply for SSN after you got married when she received her EAD/GC.

I agree that Palawan is a nice place. I've been there with my husband and we both fall in love with the place. El Nido is like a paradise. People in Palawan are so friendly. Puerto Princesa has a lot of good restos. We went to Kinabuch and I love it. We'll try Kalui next time we're there! ?

I did not apply for AP but I applied for EAD along with my I-485 application. I haven't applied for AP because I was expecting that I can receive my GC before my cruise. My cruise is only for 5 days.

It's not clear to me yet if I can apply for AP if my reason is vacation. On the application form for AP, you need to state the reason why you want to apply for AP.

I guess, I can ask someone in USCIS when I have my biometrics if I can apply for AP . Do you think that's a good idea? Thanks!

I don't know much about the timeline for AOS, but what I do know is that the AP is not for vacations,

USCIS will only grant advance parole if your travel abroad will be for educational, employment, or humanitarian purposes. You must indicate the purpose on the Form I-131 as described below:

• Educational purposes, such as semester abroad programs or academic research;

• Employment purposes, such as overseas assignments, interviews, conferences, training, or meetings with clients; or

• Humanitarian purposes, such as travel to obtain medical treatment, attend funeral services for a family member, or visit an ailing relative.

Travel for vacation is not a valid purpose.

http://www.uscis.gov/i-131

...good luck.

I don't know much about the timeline for AOS, but what I do know is that the AP is not for vacations,

USCIS will only grant advance parole if your travel abroad will be for educational, employment, or humanitarian purposes. You must indicate the purpose on the Form I-131 as described below:

• Educational purposes, such as semester abroad programs or academic research;

• Employment purposes, such as overseas assignments, interviews, conferences, training, or meetings with clients; or

• Humanitarian purposes, such as travel to obtain medical treatment, attend funeral services for a family member, or visit an ailing relative.

Travel for vacation is not a valid purpose.

http://www.uscis.gov/i-131

...good luck.

This is also what I know. Vacation is not a valid reason for AP.

Hi there!

I entered US on a K1 visa on April 9, 2014 and got married in June. I applied AOS this month and I have a schedule on Aug 13 for biometrics.

My husband and I are going on a cruise in April 2015. I know that green card may take up to a year to receive it.

My question is, can I apply for an Advance Parole to travel before going on a cruise? The destination of the cruise is Mexico and Florida.

Thanks for your advice!

Good Evening,

I am currently trying to file my K-1 Visa to get my fiance and my daughter here from the Philippines. I am having some hiccups a long the road, regarding the financials. I did not make enough last year to support my fiancee and our daughter according to my tax statements. but I was transitioning from active duty to reserves and was without work for 3-4 months. I currently am employed full time and would meet the requirements had I worked a full year. Also I will be going back to active duty as soon as they both arrive. Which will put me well over the required requirements. Would they take this into account? Also I'd like to use my cousin as my co sponsor. He is currently active duty Navy as well and is like a brother to me, he is more than willing to help me and my fiancee and daughter out. Would it look bad to use my cousin and not say a mother or father or brother/sister? I appreciate all the help guys thank you

Hi Juvenyle,

I have the same situation as yours but I'm the beneficiary. My fiance did not make enough last year and I was questioned about that by CO in US Embassy during my interview (Dec 12, 2013). My fiance started working in Jan 2013. I tried to show the CO his pay stubs from Jan til Dec 2013 to prove that he's making a lot this year. The CO just check the 3 months pay stubs and visa got approved.

I think you have enough time to make more money. The most important thing is that your current income is enough by the time of interview instead of checking the last year's income.

Goodluck!

Hi. Congrats on the approval.

Can you join our Philippine thread regarding Dec 2013 interviews? http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/468428-december-2013-interviews-lets-update-each-other-re-visa-issuance-delivery-pick-up/page-11

Let's update each other about visa issuance and delivery/pick-up? I will add you to the list. It would really be helpful. Thanks.

Thanks! I already joined the thread.

VJ Username ---------- Interview ---------- Result ---------- Visa Issued at CEAC ---------- Visa delivered/picked-up

PreciousMJ---------------Dec 12---------------Approved-----------------XXX---------------------------------XXX

Hi VJ team! I was interviewed on Dec 12. Although, my fiance didn't have enough income last year, I still got approved. He's working now and meeting the income requirement. You're right, current income is what they're looking for. While I was waiting in US Embassy, there were 4 american consul who were interviewing. 2 American guys sound strict and were grilling some applicants. I'm so lucky to be interviewed by a nice old lady.

Thank you to all who's always active in VJ to help.

To those who are still waiting, your time will come. Just be patient!

Thanks again to all of you. It was a long journey but so happy now that I will be with my fiance.

More power to VJ!

Congrats! Thanks for sharing your experience. I'll have my interview on Dec 12. ?

You can submit few copies of chat logs and submit other evidences too. Try to Focus on primary evidence.

We did not send chat logs on our I-129F application and did not get RFE. We submitted evidences that we met within 2 yrs such as boarding pass, hotel receipts, ATM, restaurant receipts, passport stamps, receipts for dollar convertion, etc. For our secondary evidences, we submitted pictures, emails, phone logs, package receipts, cards, paypal money transfer receipts, gifts, etc.

Goodluck! ?

Our case was shipped to NVC on Sept 30 and haven't received a case number yet. It's almost a month now.

Nice experience at the embassy. Congrats! ?

Hi VJ members! Me and my fiance are starting to prepare the documents needed for interview while waiting for the letter in the mail. Our NOA2 got approved on Sept 27. I asked my fiance, who's the petitioner to prepare his paystubs, W2, and ITR. He said that he doesn't have W2 as that is being given by HR dept at the end of the year to file for income tax.

To give you an overview, he didn't have a permanent job last year. He got a temporary job and he had his house being rented. His income for 2012 was only $23K ($10K for temporary job + $13K for rental income). He started working permanently this year and he's above the 125% poverty level.

My question is, is it okay not to have W2? His ITR and pay stubs are available. He has also savings on his bank account. We'll include that when I have my interview at USEM. Thank you for your help.

Guys, just an update regarding my original post:

Our NOA2 got approved on Sept 27 and didn't get RFE for the missing "III" or "Jr" suffix. The NOA2 we received in the mail stated my fiance's complete name. It includes "III" although we forgot to put it in I-129F form. I guess, the name suffix doesn't really matter.

Thanks.

Duane78, you can't file for k1 visa because when your wife will have an interview in US Embassy, she needs a CeNoMar (proof of singleness). In her case, It will show that she's already married. However, If you apply for CR1, US will see that you're already divorce. Your situation is complicated. Based on my friend's situation which is same as yours, you can only file a visa if you have your marriage annulled. You can apply this and show your divorce papers to a court in the Phils to have your marriage nulled and void. After that, you can remarry. My friend said that it took them a year to finish that nullity process. For their visa, it's been more than a year now and they haven't received NOA2 yet. You may also want to contact a lawyer for consultation since your issue is complicated. Goodluck!

I have a friend who have the same situation. The husband is an American Citizen who married a filipina. They first married in the Philippines and when they got separated, the US citizen filed a divorce in US. The filipina haven't been in the States yet. After few yrs, They got back together so the husband wants to petition the wife but it's complicated. In US, they're divorce but in the Phils, they're married. He can't file either fiance or spousal visa. The attorney suggested to file a nullity of marriage in the Phils and remarry. That's what they did and now they filed a spousal visa.

Chuck&Jade, we haven't corrected it yet since we're still waiting for our NOA2. We'll have to wait and see if there's RFE. We'll correct it from there.

hi we have the same issue, our noa 2 doesnt have the name extension JR. on it and NVC has already mailed it to the embassy. Have you resolved this already?