templeton

Just based on my own experience, claiming to be a Web Designer seems to be a red flag for CBP as well.

As others have said, you can apply as often as you want. Next time you interview, all you can do is address the problem head-on and let them know that you answered a question about your previous petition incorrectly during your last interview, and why.

I'm not sure why you need to be nervous? The US is doing a whole bunch of background checking on him, so the apartment should be a breeze when the time comes. If you've been living in the apartment for a while without issue, his lack of credit shouldn't hurt anything. The form just asks for previous addresses, if convicted of crimes, stuff like that. Just fill it out as best you can. There obviously won't be any crimes on his record (I assume).

I used to have SSN and worked years ago when I had J1. I realized that this time around in tourist visa I was able to be employed full time so I didn't look for it. This freelance job could be for traveller who works in their country or when they are on vacation. And it's not paying so much and not a real job like what I left it before.I think maybe because the company is a US company.

Yup, freelancer is the key term here. If you're self-employed and actively working to generate revenue while in the US then you would definitely be considered to be working in the US. Obviously a no-no while a visitor.

It normally shouldn't take that long. Like you say, most times the AP-EAD card should be in the mail within a week or so of approval. Something has probably screwed up somewhere, as I'm sure you've guessed.

Yeah, my I-485 online status didn't change from "biometrics received" until the actual green card was approved.

I think you'd get a lot more support for a petition asking to remove the ability to AOS from visitors - tourist visas, VWP, etc. By removing that incentive, they could relax the burden of proof potential VISITORS need to meet.

Haha I got the big 'X' the first time coming back to the US via air travel as a PR. I was traveling with my wife and in-laws. I remember holding it up for them to see and laughingly saying something like "Hmmm..do you think this is bad?"

Of course a little concerning for a second but turned out not to be a big deal. It hasn't happened since, but I'm sure it's pretty normal for APers and Green Carders to get extra scrutiny, especially when travelling for the first time after getting PR.

The immigration process is long and often inconsiderate. When it comes to marriage there are often long-standing expectations from family members and friends who will be disappointed that they can't be part of the pomp and circumstance of the real wedding in these situations. We try to think of ways to keep everyone happy and the fake ceremony back home before leaving is frequently considered.

But in the end you don't answer to them when it comes to the visa. All it takes is one person posting a photo to facebook to potentially ruin everything. Don't risk all you're investing and working towards for the benefit of others who have no skin in the game. They'll get over it.

Party, yes, but have the fake ceremony later.

It's a really Bad Idea to split transfers into smaller amounts to try to sneak under the $10,000 reporting requirement. This is illegal and it will be caught. They call it "structuring" and the IRS will take it. All of it. And at that point it won't matter if it was all legally obtained, trying to hide the transfers is all that will matter.

This.

Stop giving advice when you have zero experience with tax laws and bank rules.

Definitely this. Some of the suggestions people are giving here - especially about transferring it in small amounts - are terrible advice which could lead to ALL of the money being seized.

There is no tax. Anything over $10,000 is reported but not taxed. The banks or transfer company will do the reporting for you. They are required to. If you move $100,000 across town from bank A to Bank B, it is reported. The government wants a paper trail created so they can track money of suspected terrorism or money laundering.

Money going from an account in her name to an account in her name is not the same as $100,000 getting paid into her account by an unrelated person who happens to have the same name as a suspected terrorist or a huge transfer from a known South American drug cartel. You won't have to prove anything with receipts. If later she becomes a drug dealer, they can go back and say "Ahh, in 2016 you transferred $100k into the US so explain where the money came from". Just transfer the money, all at once, when she has a US account in her name.

Banks are charged with knowing their customers and asking for certain IDs when you open an account. They can ask questions of you about transfers if they want to, but it is not routine for the U.S. Treasury to super investigate every transaction and require precise documentation. My husband moved more than $20k from hIs UK bank to our US bank in February. It was seamless. No reports to the Feds or questions to answer. I recommend Transferwise.com for better exchange rates and lower fees than your bank will charge. The fees are not taxes.. Anybody handling a money transfer for you is going to charge you a fee for their service. That's how they make money. Find one that charges a smaller fee.

Nich-Nick nailed it. Everything said here is accurate.

Despite what the odd person always seems to say on here, it's well proven that being added as an authorized user to an existing credit card with good history is a perfect way to get your own credit rating established very quickly. That card's history transfers to you. My credit rating went from 0 to 720 within 6 months just by having my wife add me as a user to her AMEX account. Soon I was approved for my own cards. In just over a year, I'm on the new mortgage and car lease.

Unfortunately the credit rating system is used for a lot in the US - not just for lending, but jobs, rentals, etc. - so making a plan should be a priority for every couple even before their spouse (or spouse-to-be) arrives.

Given the situation you describe, marriage seems to be her only path to live with you permanently. Look at the guides to decide whether the K-1 or CR-1 Visa would suit your preference, but since she wants to be able to return and work, CR-1 might be the best option.

Please do some research. All US citizens, whether they live in the US or not, need to comply with US tax laws. If you have been earning money while living in Venezuela, that income needs to be reported to the IRS. Every year. You might not have to pay US taxes depending on the tax treaties, but your income at least has to be declared in a return.

I can understand people taking chances, but it just seem unfair that someone like me who has no intention of moving to the US can be denied because the CO for whatever reason decided I didn't want to return to my own country.

You can thank all the people who come on this site asking how their B-2 parents/children/siblings can adjust to permanent residency now that they're in the US. Those "visitors" all claimed they had no intention of staying in the US during their interviews too.

Thanks for sharing. My expiry date was based on the date of the medical, like you mentioned, but I've also read from others recently that said theirs were 6 months from the issuance date. Curious if USCIS has changed the policy, or if it's just random inconsistency.

Yes, permanent resident status is intended for just that - residing permanently in the US. It doesn't have the same flexibility in terms of coming and going for extended lengths of time as citizenship does. But keep in mind, you're not even close to a green card yet. Realistically it will take at least another six months after you get married. You're just in the first of several drawn-out steps - none that reconcile well with being away for long periods of time. Interviews, biometric appointments, more form submissions, etc. that you generally have to be around for.

Frankly, you're wasting your time and money going through this process now if you don't intend to stay in the US for the majority of the first few years. If Australia is where you want to be, cancel the K-1 application and go there. If you know you want to get married, then I'd recommend you do it as soon as possible, because the silver lining here is that if you've been married for two years or more when the time comes to immigrate to the US, you get to skip right to the 10-year green card. It's very nice perk that will save you a bunch of hassle.

While the information on the CR-1 is solid, and probably would be the best way to keep them together during the application process and move, people seem to be missing the "aren't quite at the marrying stage yet" part.

So with that in mind, you basically have three options.

1. The TN Visa is a possiblity if you meet the requirements. This gets you to the US independent of your boyfriend (as in you don't need his help to qualify).
2. If you think you'll be ready for marriage in a year or so, he can go back to the US ahead of you and get started on the K-1 process. Assume it will take about year, though it is possible to visit during the process.
3. He goes back at some point and establishes a life there. You visit each other until you decide you're ready to marry. When that time comes you can both decide if the K-1 or the CR-1 is best for you.

The short answer is yes, it would probably be difficult. There would be a record of your previous immigration intent, so future attempts to enter would certainly be scrutinized.

In reality it is much more complicated. It would totally depend on what basis you were originally immigrating, why it was denied, and the ability to establish significant ties to wherever you were living at the time.

No one can say for sure, but it seems fine to me. Time will tell. Matching passport stamps is excellent.

You're fine. Engagement isn't a legal status, it's simply a personal agreement between two people to get married. Whether or not you two came to that agreement sometime before it was officially announced to the public or a ring was given is irrelevant to USCIS. If you thought of yourselves that way, then you were. The intent to marry statements that you included when the application was sent is all USCIS cares about.

What evidence proving you met in person did you initially send with your application?

OP, I think you've been on the wrong track from the beginning. If you weren't planning to stay in the US after getting married, there's no need for a K-1.

You come as a tourist, get married and then go home.

Is it 3 years married to a USC or 3 years after you become a permanent resident. ( to be eligible to file for citizenship) I'm asking because we'll be married 3 years on the 9th of March, but he only became a resident January 2015. Our petition took almost 2 years...

Permanent resident (green card holder) for at least 3 years.

See https://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-naturalization/naturalization-spouses-us-citizens for the full criteria.

As others have said, the stamp is only needed if there is some SNAFU in getting the card to you and you need to leave the country for an emergency while it gets sorted.

All you need right now to do is cross your fingers and wait for your new card to arrive in the mail.

I am always surprised at people who are willing to jump on a foreign spouse for fraud when a US spouse comes here to complain. We hear one snippet of a conversation (heated argument most likely) obviously angled to garner sympathy and wham, the other person must have alternative motives from the get go. Sigh...

Normally I would say "It's pretty obvious what's going on here" but this time I agree that so many people on here is making a pretty colorful bird after the discovery of a grey feather. We don't know enough in this situation though sending money was a very bad idea.

Wow, voices of reason?!?! Haha! I'm usually the one saying these things (or at least thinking them) when everyone breaks out the torches and pitchforks for threads like this.

The funny thing is, in this case I kind of agree with the pitchforks. Unless it's just talk, or she's testing you, this is obviously a bad sign. If within two weeks of arriving she's serious about leaving the OP behind in order to get work in another city so she can support family, then it's pretty clear her priority isn't the marriage.