18 hours ago, geowrian said:

Any leeway would be by the CO in determining whether to issue a new visa or not. For example, one day overstay given the circumstances is probably favorable, but it's the CO's call.

Thank you, I think that's probably the best answer and pretty much what I was curious about. I think given the circumstances they would view it favorably, but of course, as always, it's their call. 

18 hours ago, geowrian said:

"Restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying the Forums. "

She is inhibiting me from enjoying the forums.

18 hours ago, Steeleballz said:

she must request an extension of status before that date.

Thank you... that's helpful to know.

16 hours ago, Lemonslice said:

I strongly suggest that you do not count on them being lenient, and instead do all that is feasible for her to keep her visa. 

That is solid advice. And that's what we're going to try to do.

I read it 7 years ago when I signed up on this site. I don't remember it saying anything like that.

Oh so I don't have the right to ask someone who has been rude to me to stop responding to my thread?

1 hour ago, Pinkrlion said:

She is able to stay until June, change her plane ticket until May and then have her leave.

No, we're going to keep it as is for April 28th and let her go back then if it's possible. If it's not then we'll look at moving it to a later date.

When Pakistan closed their airspace a week or so ago - there was literally no warning at all. There was no announcement that "we're closing our airspace in 3 days, so get home now." There was only, "our airspace is now closed."

I think there's a pretty good chance it will open again sometime between April 28th and June 18th. So I don't think we're going to have to worry about it. But my question was theoretical. IF it remained closed from when they suddenly announced it recently - until say, July 18th and she went home on July 19th... would they consider that a valid reason for over staying? A natural disaster that caused unforeseen consequences beyond her control. And yes, I'm sorry - but this was quite unforeseen. We had no idea that the country she was flying back to would completely close down their airspace to ALL incoming foreign flights.  And if they were to keep it closed from March until July - that would be quite unprecedented and therefore also unforeseen and unknowable. 

I'm just asking - don't they have certain types of events that they give people leeway for?

And SusieQQQ - I would appreciate it if you would refrain from responding to my conversation here. I've found your replies to miss the point and be completely unhelpful. So please... just stay out of this conversation.  Thank you.

We haven't quite gotten to this point yet - but I wanted to get some information from you guys in case we do.

My mother-in-law is here from Pakistan on a tourist visa. She's able to stay until June 18th. But we have her return ticket set for April 28th. 

I'm not sure if this is still going on, but a week or so ago Pakistan completely closed its airspace to international flights. So I'm wondering, if by chance this closure held until after her official deadline of June 18th and she had to stay sometime longer, how would USCIS view that? Would they understand it was an unavoidable situation completely outside our control. Or would they penalize her for an overstay?

Thank you all so much for your responses. They've all been super helpful!

I had a roommate about 10 years ago who was from Austria. He was here on an artist's visa. And I remember every six months he was required to leave. But he would literally leave for two or three days. He'd usually spend a long weekend in the Bahamas and then he'd come back - no problem. So I thought this was like that. But from what you all are saying - apparently not!

So, a couple of issues people have raised. No, she's not working. She's an old lady... couldn't work even if she wanted to. And she doesn't want to! And yes she's here on a tourist visa. She's allowed to stay until June 20th. But her return ticket is for April 25th. 

One thing I'm curious if you all have any insight on... on these multiple-entry tourist visas, I realize now (thanks to your responses) that they don't want you staying for the max of 6 months, leaving for a day and coming back. But if she stays 4 months, is that okay? And what's a reasonable amount of time to wait in between visits? 

We love having her here and would love to have her as often as possible. But we don't want to do anything to jeopardize her visa and her ability to go back and forth.

My mother-in-law is here from Pakistan. She has a 5-year multiple-entry visa good for 6 months at a time. She came in mid-December and is scheduled to go back in April. Then we were thinking of bringing her here again in June.

However, with this virus I don't think anyone even knows if international flights will be allowed in April. She could stay until a maximum of mid-June, but we don't want to push it until the last minute in case other unforeseen problems come up. We really want to make sure she leaves the country well before her time is up so there will be no possibility of an overstay.

I was wondering if anyone knows if we could take her into Canada for a day and then bring her back across the border from there. We could drive to Canada and wouldn't have to worry about flight problems. But would that do the trick and prevent her from being charged with an overstay? And does anyone know if Canada would allow a Pakistani citizen to cross the border?

On the link @AlluringSoul provided, it says:

"One of the requirements for naturalization is to take the naturalization test to demonstrate that you are able to read, write, and speak basic English and that you have a basic knowledge of U.S. history and government (civics)."

I thought if you married a US citizen, you didn't have to take any test.  But it doesn't give an exemption there for that reason.

Thank you all so much!  I had no idea about that!  I thought we couldn't do anything until we actually received the permanent 10 year green card.

So thank you so much for this great news!!!

Oh wow!  I didn't realize that.

So, my wife became a conditional permanent resident on 10/9/2015.  Her conditional residency expired 10/9/2017 and they issued her a continuance letter which expires this year on October 9th.

So, could we apply for citizenship now?  

Thanks for that info.  But I'm still a little confused!

When you say on your 3 year anniversary of becoming a permanent resident.  Does becoming a permanent resident start at the time when you get the first green card - with conditions?  Or does it start after you complete the removal of conditions process?

So when can we file the N400.  Do we have to wait until after the 10-year green card is issued?  Or can we do it after our spouses have been here for 3 years?  (We're going on 4 years now).

Yes, we'd like to know too whether using Obamacare tax credits or subsidies is getting people denied.

So does anyone think Trump's new plans of finding reasons to deny removal of conditions to legal immigrants is having any effect on all this so far?

https://www-nbcnews-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna897931

Oh wow!  I got the same notice too - for the exact same date!

Well, that's a good reason!  And I will just confirm that what you said is very accurate - even to our experience from a few years ago.  

The only thing that turned out a little different than what you said - AND what they told us - was the sputum test didn't take 48 days.  It was much shorter than that.  We were told that if it came back negative they might know sooner than 48 days, but they would wait 48 days anyway just to make sure.  But in the end I think it came back in a little under 30 days.  And that sped things up a good deal from what we were expecting after finding out she had to do the test.

Haha!  Thanks @PAK123, but my question was from more than 3 years ago!  Fiancee got here a couple of months after I posted it and we've been married for 3 years now!  And have a baby son!  

I hope your answer may help someone else though.

On 12/1/2017 at 12:52 AM, Ebunoluwa said:

Yes. If  the marriage occured more than 2 years before the approval of a GC then a 10 year GC will be issued and ROC is skipped.

Oh wow.  I didn't know that.  So, my wife and I have been married 3 years as of two days ago.  But we sent in the ROC application in August.  Does that mean we didn't have to do that?

I thought it was if you had been married two years before you started the process.  

Wait, are you saying people who have been married more than two years will automatically be approved for a 10 year green card?

Thanks guys!  Those were very good suggestions.  And thanks for letting me know we don't have to do fingerprints BEFORE filing!

When I do a big file like this, I like to have an exact copy of what I send, on my computer in one file.  So if I ever need to re-create it I can easily do so.  Or, if I just need to look at it to see what we sent, I can do that as well.  So, we're taking photos, which are all already digital and placing them into a Word file and typing captions under them.  Word just makes it so easy to write around any photos or documents you're incorporating.  So, it would be nice to have some program we can put EVERYTHING into and edit it there as well.  But apparently there's not one.  I'll check out Fox It today.  Thanks for that suggestion!

I do have a pdf program where I can create files, but it's very limited compared to how you can manipulate files in Word.  But that might be what I end up having to use.  

My wife said last night, 'why don't we just print it all out and assemble it by hand!'  At this point that's looking like the better option.  So, I'm glad to see it looks like that's exactly what some of you have done!  It's either that or my spending another few weeks trying to figure out a way in my head to do it on the computer!  At this point, it's better just to get it out and filed as soon as possible.

Thanks everybody!

Hi,

I have a couple of random questions about filing the I-751.  

First, the instructions say you have to do your fingerprints which makes it sound as if you have to do that before you send in the petition.  But, I thought that's what the biometrics fee was for and they would let you know if you had to actually do the fingerprints.  Does anyone know if you have to do the fingerprints first?  Or do they let you know if and when you need to?

My second question is a practical one about how others have done all this on a computer.  I want to end up with a pdf file for final printing.  But I'm finding for many pages it's only possible to create them in Word, which I can then later convert to a pdf.  But other files we have, like the I-751 application itself is already a pdf file which can't be put into Word.  So I'm ending up with files kind of scattered all over the place.  An application file over there in Adobe and a photos file over here in Word!  It's turning out to be an organizational nightmare.

I'm just curious how others have done this.  I'd love to be able to do everything in one program so I could be sure I didn't overlook something or leave something out.  I'm just afraid with the way I have files scattered all over the place I'm going to end up leaving out important items!

On 7/29/2017 at 6:02 PM, CookieCat said:

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!  Really... you've been amazing to us and everyone else here!  

I thought my wife (petitioner) and I were going to be fine until I started reading all this!  Our ROC is due in October of this year.  

Since we are legitimately married and have lived together at the same address, I thought we had plenty of evidence, but now I'm getting worried that we don't have enough evidence of co-mingled accounts.  

I would appreciate if anyone could give some feedback.  

We live in the apartment that I lived in 7 years before we got married.  My name has always been on the lease and it didn't even occur to me to add her name to it (until now)! But, even if it had, I would be leery of asking the landlord to do it.  He's a small landlord, he just owns this building that only has 3 units.  So, if you bring something like this to his attention, it may remind him to do something else. In other words, if I asked him to issue a new lease with my wife's name on it, it might also remind him that it's time to raise the rent!  Something he's forgotten to do for the last couple of years.  For that reason, I wouldn't have asked him to do this, even if I had thought of it in relation to ROC.

As far as financial accounts, I put my wife's name on three personal bank accounts I have as soon as possible after she arrived.  That was about a year later because the banks wouldn't accept her name until she had her green card.  They said she didn't have enough time left on her existing visa at the time.  

On utility bills, it did occur to me to add her name to one or two of those when she first arrived.  But when I called the electric/gas company they said, "there's no reason to add your wife's name to this. It's fine to keep it in your name."  I told them I needed to do it for identification/immigration purposes and they basically wouldn't let me do it.  They kept saying they only need one name on the account.  

I do have three years of joint tax returns with both our names on them.  We have the three bank accounts with her name on them.  And we have health insurance with both our names on it.  And that's about it.  The only other evidences we have that we live together (which I think are strong, but apparently the government considers soft), are friends who have written affidavits for us.  And we host guests through Airbnb.  We have numerous reviews on Airbnb where the guests have mentioned both of our names, meaning they saw us both living together in the same apartment. 

So do you think it will matter much if we don't have our names together on our lease or utility bills?  

Also, when we send copies of the bank statements, do we have to send every page of every statement - or just the first page that shows both our names on it?  

Thank you all much!

Great!  Thanks so much p-ana.