My wife just paid hers and she's been here 3 weeks. They gave here a note when she arrived saying to pay it to get her green card. Not a big deal to pay it here.
Hello, my wife will be immigrating to the US on Saturday this week on a CR-1 Visa. We have everything prepared and finished except the $165 USCIS ELIS fee which we are kind of confused on because on the welcome packet the embassy gave us, it says it MUST be paid before we arrive in the states, but everywhere else it says it can be paid AFTER we enter, and that it is just required to receive her physical green card.
The fee isn't a problem as much as the fact we have no way to pay it here since we don't have one of the payment methods available, and my mother who is our Joint Sponsor had handled all of the NVC/USCIS fees back home for us. However, on the ELIS fee it isn't as easy as entering your email and password and submitting a payment, you get a code every time you log in and it says to not let ANYONE have access to the website other than the immigrant. That is fine, as we can pay it as soon as we get home in the U.S., but will this be a problem at our PoE?
This is a direct quote from the USCIS ELIS page under "Immigrant Visa Fee"
"We strongly encourage you to pay this fee after you receive your immigrant visa packet from the U.S. embassy or consulate abroad (including Canada and Mexico) and before you depart for the United States. Paying before you depart for the United States will ensure that you receive your Green Card without delay. However, you can also pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee after you immigrate to the United States. We will send your Green Card to you after you pay the fee. "
So, are we ok to pay the fee a day or two after we arrive in the US or will this cause issues at the PoE?
Thank you!
