heynaoj

20 hours ago, mike81 said:

I'm not surprised the manila cdc didn't reply. This isn't about health, it's almost religious, protecting grandma and being a good person.

 

I think that bill is just for tourists. I don't know if that bill passed or a similar one but they removed the vax requirement for tourists a month or two ago.

 

I haven't heard of any proposals to remove the vax requirement for immigrants...

 

My wife is applying for a tourist visa now. We'll see how it goes, after being rejected for an immigrant visa and being married to an American it's not very likely she'll be approved...but worth a try.

 

Maybe it's better if your mom applies for a tourist visa without already being rejected for an immigrant visa

 

I think it would raise a red flag for my mom if she applies for another tourist visa (she already got denied twice before applying for an immigrant visa). But it’s always worth a shot. I honestly don’t think she needs an immigrant visa, she just wants to visit her children and grandchildren since she is a senior and disabled person. I don’t see her living her for longterm. 
 

All the best for you and your wife.🙏🏼

On 1/12/2023 at 10:09 PM, mike81 said:

AFAIK unless the rules changed recently, your Mom won't pass her interview and won't be allowed to travel to the US unvaccinated.

 

My wife's IR1 got rejected August 2022 because she won't take the covid vax. She did the medical check at St. Luke's, they really tried to pressure her into taking it but she refused.

 

Her interview was a couple weeks later, the interviewer knew she was unvaccinated and rejected her application because of it. They also canceled her existing US tourist visa because she is unvaccinated.

 

We filed a form I-601 request for waiver, saying it's against her personal religious beliefs and moral convictions but that was rejected after a couple months. They said she didn't establish sufficient proof she is against all vaccines. (You can't be just against covid vax) We explained that she had vaccines as a child but nothing as an adult and that we didn't vaccinate our 2yr baby with anything but I guess that wasn't enough proof. I think they wanted her to be of a specific religion that doesn't allow vax and letters from a priest or if she had a medical reason and doctors letters saying she can't take vax...

 

So we will wait a few years and hopefully the vax requirement will be removed and than apply for IR1 again...

I am trying to figure out on how to reply on your response, hope I’m doing this right. 
 

Anyway, I apologize for not responding sooner. Although I already had an idea that it won’t go smoothly since my mom did not also take the Covid 19 vaccine when she did her medical at St.Luke’s early February and only got one shot (age-appropriate).
 

I sent couple emails to the manilacdc for waiver and sent a lot of proof that she has autoimmune disease so we really couldn’t take the risk of her having the Covid vaccine and 2 of her cousins died days later after getting the shot. Most of all, we really do not believe on getting it. Never got a single reply even to this day. 
 

The consul at the Embassy in Manila was a really nice lady and she said they will have to wait for the waiver that I submitted to the CDC in Manila (not the I-601), and must be received before medical would expire couple months later. 
 

We didn’t go the I-601 route since it would take 2-3yrs according to the timeline at that time and that would cost us another $. 

They didn’t approve her visa due to the missing Covid vaccine requirement so will just have to file again especially when it will finally be removed sooner than later. 
 

Here’s to hoping the HR 185 Bill will pass. They are really taking it slow to get this approved. 🙄
 

Happy Summer 2023! 

Hoping to hear what other people’s experience doing the waiver I601 for personal belief not doing the medical examination specifically Covid vaccine during Adjustment of Status here in the US. 
 

My sister came here on a J1 visa in March 2019 and had to extend as B2 when the pandemic first hit in March 2020. Took so long to process her B2 so she had lots of time spent with family and friends in the country while waiting and apparently met her now husband a US Citizen. They have been together for almost 2yrs now and just gotten married last December 2022.

Couple months later filed their I-130, I485, I-765, etc. 

Before those even got filed, they had her husband’s tax returns amended due to some errors in the past so that took even longer process. 
 

She was supposed to mail I-485, I-131,I-765 by March 2023 so the I-693 Medical Examination signed by a civil surgeon was still temporarily waived then but tornado hit their town on the day she was to mail the documents and got mailed instead early April.

Question is, she got an RFE letter asking for the I-693 medical. 

Would she still need to submit that but just do the physical exam or can she go ahead and file for the I-601 waiver? 
 

They are opposed to the vaccines since her husband’s side has a history of autism for taking those vaccines.
 

Appreciate all of your inputs. 

Parent on Immigrant Visa (IR5) with no covid vaccine -

This rarely gets mentioned on social medias so hoping to get answers here on this forum. 

My mother will have her interview at the US Embassy in Manila, PH Feb 2023 and will get her sputum results this month from St.Luke’s. She was able to proceed with the medical process in Nov 2022 but had to sign a waiver just like most of the applicants there who did not want to get the covid vaccine or didn’t like to get it completed with all the boosters. 
I am aware that CFO sticker is the last prior to departure and a negative covid test.

2 Questions:

1) Does anyone know or have first-hand experience if St.Luke’s will forward her immunization record to the embassy for interview even without her covid vaccine record? 

2) I know I have read before that she can fly to the US with no covid vaccine but with all the changes recently, would she still need to provide Covid vaccination record to fly and enter the US on an immigrant visa? 
 

Also, other than mentioned above, anything else that I should know before her flying here to the US? Thank you so much. 

You need to renew it within 120 days before expiring.

thank you so much for the info

Any March filers still waiting? Our status has been the same since March 3, had her fingerprints done March 30 in Philadelphia, PA. And we received a potential waiver letter in June.

On March 3, 2014, we accepted the fingerprint fee for your Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status, Receipt Number MSC**********. Our National Benefits Center location is working on your case. We mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

My wife's EAD card expires in May.

same here, they received our papers on March 6, 2014 and been the same ACCEPTANCE and got the letter on June 27, 2014 and still at NBC.

As I was reading all the posts here, I finally have some people who are in the same shoes as I am. So frustrating for waiting on this thing, I called and talked to an Immigration Officer this week since it's already past 6 months from the date of the waiver letter (June 27, 2014) and she just told me that it's gonna take 2 years for the greencard. I'm like what??? My combo card (EAD/AP) will expire on May 2015. Do we need to renew it or they will automatically extend our work permit?