LisaUK

On 8/23/2019 at 1:19 PM, Rupyal85 said:

Hello, 

 

I applied for Naturalization on Aug 10, 2019 and USCIS have scheduled my biometrics appointment on Sep 5, 2019.  

Considering the average timeline for this process as per my field office, it takes about upto 15 months. During that process, my Indian passport will expire ( Feb 2020). 
 

Should I renew my Indian passport or does it not matter. I have the valid PR card which is valid until 2024. 

 

Thank you

I personally would say renew incase of an emergency. I don't know about your origin country passport process but I was able to renew mine online really easily (including taking a new photo).

7 minutes ago, RCable said:

Yes, it was via cargo ship, it only took like 3 weeks. But considering my 3000 mile move from coast to coast was only $2000 with way more than what my husband is sending, $5000 seems really steep for his 1200 mile move. But since I posted this, he shopped around a lot and we have had much better quotes. It seems like the people who were quoting $5000 just didn't want to take on the job. 

Gotcha. Yeah the longer time frame via boat makes things a lot cheaper. If he is driving his belongings down rather than flying them that will make things exceptionally cheaper. Great to hear you have it figured out and within budget.

1 hour ago, RCable said:

I had about 30 boxes and that's what my husband has to ship down, he's not bringing any furniture or kitchen stuff, just personal belongings. When I moved from New Jersey to California a few years ago it was about $2k and I brought way more stuff. That's why $5k seemed really steep for what little stuff he was bringing. But I think he decided to rent a UHAUL and bring it down himself when he moves since he's not pressed for time.

Did you ship your boxes via boat? Boat would make more sense if it was so cheap as it takes a lot longer to arrive. I just can't fathom how otherwise it would have been $800 unless they messed up.

I think at this stage just track your package using the tracking number to make sure it arrived.

On 8/19/2019 at 9:50 AM, RCable said:

My husband is getting ready to list his house in Canada and wants all of his stuff out for staging. Is it possible for him to send his belongings down to me before he has his visa? 

 

Also, can anyone recommend any good moving companies? He's just moving some boxes and he's been quoted $5000+, which seems crazy as I once moved from London to the US for $800.

 

Thanks in advance!

$800?! You must not have had many things and/or sent them by slow boat. I have done the UK to US move twice and it was way more than $800. Assuming he has an adequate amount of belongings $5K doesn't sound too crazy price wise. Worth shopping around though as you may find something a grand or so cheaper.

1 minute ago, geowrian said:

"the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time."

Unless married, it shouldn't be an issue.

Ahh in that case then if it has to be marriage the OP should be ok. OP if you are consulting a lawyer anyway regarding the cannabis issue it's worth just mentioning it.

15 minutes ago, Lemon23 said:

Agreed on this, here's what written on the N-445 question number 8.

 

Since your interview, have you practiced polygamy, received income from illegal gambling, been involved inprostitution, helped anyone enter the United States illegally, trafficked controlled substances, given false testimonyto obtain immigration benefits, or been a habitual drunkard?

Do you remember seeing it asked on other forms throughout the immigration process? I was never asked in person until the ceremony but I could have sworn it was asked before on other forms throughout my journey, It seems very odd if the only time it came up was on the N-445. If it was on other forms, my concern would be the OP had stated 'no' to the question. Even if they are not engaging in polygamy now it would be seen at the time as giving false testimony to obtain immigration. EDIT: Seems it has to be marriage to multiple partners so I guess it doesn't matter

No judgement here and not to add to your concerns but one of the questions on the approval form at the ceremony is about engaging in polyamorous relationships. You will be required to disclose and sign that what you are stating is true. I don't know the legality surrounding them (I believe it is pretty gray) so it would be worth perhaps seeking advice of a legal professional. I was never asked in person (it doesn't apply to me) but I could have sworn the question was asked on multiple forms throughout the immigration process (although I could be wrong). It is definitely on the form you hand over and check yes or no to at your ceremony and you will also be asked directly by the officer.

On 8/24/2019 at 5:26 AM, Lemon23 said:

Exactly my thought about it, the IO on our oath ceremony told us to sign the NC before we surrender the GC, maybe some local states does there oath taking differently. LOL!

 

We handed over our GC's and were given our certificate, told to check the info is correct and if not go to another table. If all is correct then told to sign it when I got home.

I mean you can hope for 4-6 months, but that is not a realistic expectation. You have to remember this is not standard timeline expectations. They are still backlogged from the shutdown and right now a LOT of people are scrambling to get naturalized as they have this unrealistic fear of deportation. I live in Southern California so filing centers here likely takes a lot longer than others. I see you are filing through Texas though so you are also going through an office with a HUGE number of immigrants. I would be prepared for a long wait. At my ceremony recently I met someone who filed through a different office than Santa Ana and they still had a 9 month wait for an interview date.

I mean you can hope for 4-6 months, but that is not a realistic expectation. You have to remember this is not standard timeline expectations. They are still backlogged from the shutdown and right now a LOT of people are scrambling to get naturalized as they have this unrealistic fear of deportation. I live in Southern California so my filing center likely takes a lot longer than others. I see you are filing through Texas though so you are also going through an office with a HUGE number of immigrants. I would be prepared for a long wait. At my ceremony recently I met someone who filed through a different office than Santa Ana and they still had a 9 month wait for an interview date. You can check processing times here: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

Your name on the mortgage makes zero difference to your AOS or anything immigration wise. Building credit is going to be the hardest part. It makes no difference how great your credit is in the UK it is irrelevant unfortunately here. Just get your name assigned to as many bills as possible when you get here, get a phone, etc. You will need a co-signer if you are buying a car and making payments, but all of this helps build credit. My husband makes great money and has excellent credit but even being added to a joint bank account and the house title still didn't boost me up overnight. 

Mine took two weeks from filing for biometrics, but then a year for my interview to be scheduled. 

4 hours ago, N400NYC said:

Hopefully they said APPROVED! 

They did 😃

On 7/17/2019 at 4:57 PM, sravi_12 said:

Thank you Jamrep and Jeanne. My timeline of N-400 is 

Service Center - Cincinnati

05-16-2019 - Submitted

06-05-2019 - Bio Metrics done

 

Initially Estimated completed Time is - Jan 2020 and reduced to December 2019 after 2 Month

On 07-13-2019 Estimated completion time is changed to 2 Months (September 2019) and estimated wait time is 3 days

on 07-16-2019 Estimated completion time is still 2 Months (September 2019) and estimated wait time changed to "We are taking longer than expected to process your case. You do not need to do anything at this time" 

 

Working in same company for 17 years and changed address only once that too in same zip code

 

Had one speeding ticket (paid fine - $130), mentioned in application and attached payment receipt.

 

All of my friends got interview in 1 month after bio metics 

I submitted July 2018 and had my biometrics three weeks later. Then nothing. Every month I would get an email saying there were no further updates on my case. About three months ago the monthly email changed to 'We are taking longer than expected to process your case' Finally about 6 week ago my email say I had an update on my case. I had a date and today was my interview/test. So I had a 12 months wait but I am in CA so wait times may be much longer.

I just had my interview for naturalization and they wanted to see all of my passports (even the one from the 90s) but I think that is because I brought with me all of my passports. Although they took photocopies of all of the main photo pages, they only seemed really interested in the passports that showed any visas or travel since the start of my immigration journey. As long as you have those passports with your stamps and visa in then from my experience I believe you will be ok.

On 6/23/2019 at 2:31 PM, JudeB77 said:

Hi all. I've been over here in the US for almost four months now - I arrived on March 4 on a K1 visa, married April 3, filed AOS at the end of May. This is meant to be what I wanted, and what I waited for for many months. I love my husband dearly. But I'm homesick.

 

When I say I'm homesick, I mean that I'm crying every day because I miss my home, my friends and my family so much. I lived in London for 18 years before coming over here, where I had a job that I (mostly) enjoyed. I had my life over there. I'm now living in a small town in Mississippi where there's very little to do, and there's not a lot to distract me from thoughts of home.

 

I'm trying to do all the things I've read that you're supposed to do to stop feeling homesick. I'm trying to keep up with hobbies, I'm trying to be social, to accept invitations and to meet new people (my husband knows a LOT of people) even though naturally I'm more of a homebody. But I can't stop thinking that this has all been a mistake and that we should have done things the other way round and my husband should have moved to the UK. 

 

Not being able to work and not being able to leave the country are making things worse. Some friends back home have said I can stay with them if I want to - and knowing that I can't is just killing me. Looking at photos of back home on Facebook just brings on more tears.

 

My husband is being wonderful and supportive. He keeps asking what he can do to help, and says that we can move wherever I want to once I'm able to work. But that's going to be the end of the year at the absolute earliest and I honestly don't know how I can wait that long. All I can think about is that I want to go home.

 

I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that this will get better. If you were homesick how did you cope? How long until you got over it? 

 

Hi there.

The bad news is you will probably always be a little homesick, especially with such a big change. The good news is it will get better as the months and years pass. I was in the US for 2 years, went back to the UK for one and then came back to the US. I have now been here in the US 8 years (I'd have to check my timeline lol) and still miss things from the UK. I don't work and haven't since I got to the US. Personally I love not working but I understand some people do miss those interactions. 

It's nice your husband is trying to help you meet new people but honestly I would focus on meeting your own people outside of your husband's network. I would suggest looking online for local meetup groups for people new to your area (meetup.com is a good one). Sometimes there are groups specifically for immigrants (some even country specific) if you are not too far away from the city. By attending the meetups you will not only get to know your area better but you will also be able to interact with people in similar situations that understand and also start making friends. If there are no groups close by then why not start one? I am sure there are other new to the area or maybe just feeling isolated in general. There is also a site called https://www.girlfriendsocial.com/ you can sign up to. It's all women looking for female friends. 

I can relate to being a homebody but honestly in this situation you have to push yourself out of that comfort zone. Nobody is saying you have to attend or arrange day trips or be out partying until the early hours. However meeting for an hour for a coffee or going to watch a movie isn't all that bad and you can always just duck out if you are feeling uncomfortable.

I think you will find things improving over time but if you really don't I would suggest sitting down with your husband and discussing it. Unless the marriage isn't working then I would not look at packing up and head back to the UK until an absolute last resort. I would suggest discussing a move in State or out of State where you can both start a fresh and there is more happening than in your small town.

Finally just a bit of advice around the FB and social media thing. Try and keep off it or at least limit yourself. Honestly I made that mistake and spent months looking back at the good old times and what I was now missing out on. You think it makes you happy but it doesn't. It does nothing positive it just drags you down when you are feeling isolated and lonely. There will be a time when you can get back online and do the social media thing but right now you are not giving yourself a fair shot at building a life here if you are just spending your days looking back at the past. This is what is making you feel how you feel right now more than anything else.

39 minutes ago, Howins said:

So, I've got my interview scheduled for Monday and, predictably, I'm an anxious mess.

 

I've been through the required documents list on the London embassy website multiple times, and I just wanted to run through my checklist here so I've got a second (third, fourth...) pair of eyes on it:

 

• Passport
• Four US passport style photos
• Certified copy of my long form birth certificate (and photocopy)
• ACRO police report (and photocopy)
• I-134 with wet signature (and  photocopy)
• Supporting evidence for I-134; petitioner's 2018 tax return (federal and state), two recent payslips; a letter from his bank confirming its balance and total deposits from the last year; letter from employer confirming wage and full time employment status
• Print out of payment/confirmation of embassy appointment and courier page
• Print out of DS-160 confirmation

 

I do also have copies of our I-129F, NOA2, receipt for my medical and evidence of our ongoing relationship, but from what I can tell, none of this is needed for London.

 

Have I missed anything from my list? Thanks so much.

I took with my photos, wore my engagement ring etc to back up my relationship. They briefly asked and scanned through but I know others they didn't even ask. Don't stress about it but if you have a couple of things you can take it certainly wouldn't hurt.

5 minutes ago, ellieflo said:

is a wet sigature necessary for the interview? ive had people tell me a copy is okay  i hope so as my interview is tomorrow!!

When I went through the process it had to be a wet signature. I would imagine it is still the same but can't confirm.

Lloyds TSB also offers the same service. I have been banking with them for 25 years and been living in the US for 10 of them. Safe travels.

Pay ZERO attention to any of the 90 Day Fiancé shows in regards to the immigration process. The only accurate information they have ever given is on the K1 you need to be married within 90 days. It's a great show for entertainment purposes but from someone that has been through the immigration period twice it is completely inaccurate and just edited and changed to entice viewers.

14 hours ago, Skii said:

😊 thanks. I was worried due to the fact that’s my fiancé maybe going to the interview a lone and I was worried about them grilling her with questions about it. 

No problem. I would be extremely surprised if they even mention it beyond just confirming you are divorced. 

I wouldn't worry about it at all. I was married to a US citizen (K1 Visa process) and we divorced after 2 years and I went back to the UK. I redid the K1 process (with my now 2nd husband) about 6 months after returning back to the UK and about 4 months after my divorce was finalized. Basically if I didn't get a hard time in my interview then I don't think you will 😃