crew1980

Elingeniero,

The term you used, "front loading" I didn't know that was what I was doing to my K1 app back in 2003. My cover letter was long. I included everything in my K1 app that people said didn't need to be there. I wanted to tell a story about my life, I wanted to highlight the good because truthfully I have a 30 year old arrest record that has never been expunged or sealed. I wanted to tell my fiance's story and our story together, a story of true love. I selected and included our correspondence and pix, a representative of each month prior to our app submission. I also included notarized letters from about 8 people that knew us as a couple and had first hand knowledge of our relationship.

Now I don't know if front loading was the reason why we were approved. I'd like to think it so however, I tried to anticipate everything and answer all questions before they were asked. I wanted to have the CO or whoever read our "story" and had no doubt about our relationship and have them feel good about approving our app. Hope this helps.

HSLT,

I must say I've never contacted the Nigerian embassy but I did contact the Argentine embassy on behalf of my husband then fiance. I was very frustrated with the K1 process and decided to contact the Ambassador. I was in contact with the IV staff but not getting the responses that I wanted. I found out that the Ambassodor was of Cuban descent like my husband. I knew he would understand my husband and what he was going through being from Cuba and not wanting to go back there. I was very complimentary to his staff and only had good things to say about them and their performance. The Ambassador did get the letter however he always had his staff contact me. All of my responses to him were via email. All of my contact with the staff were also via email. After my complimentary letter to the Ambassador I would always get a response from IV in a timely matter. If I sent an email to IV I would get a response literally within 12 to 24 hours. In the end I can say the correspondence to the Ambassador made all the difference as far as positive and timely communication was concerned.

The whole thing took place back in 2003/2004 so I don't remember everything but I do have all the emails. I'm not saying do what I did or even if what I did was right but if you'd like more info just let me know.

Toria

So many letters, so many words. I would have asked only 1 question: what does the RESIDENT SINCE date on the front of her 10-year Green Card say?

my husband's gc date since is 6/27/2007

You had to have filed an I-751 sometime in past 6 months or so, this is the only way you would get the 10 year card. The ROC would involve sending several pieces of evidence and had to be signed by both citizen and green card holder.

This is quite hard to forget.

OMG!! ok i found it!! i found the ASC appt notice for spouse to get his biomet done dated 5/09 in support of our 751 app. WOW!! thanks so much for helping me remember!! so now we can apply for citizenship without worry!! thanks again and putting all papers together now!!

i found my cover letters and most of the forms well, copies anyway. i filed 865, 765, 485 and 131 4/07 but no sign of 751. i'm sure i didn't file it. omg what do i do now?

Yes you're wrong.

According to your timeline you got your 2 year card back in 2007. 90 days before that card expired (card would have expired 2009) you would have filed the I-751 to ROC. Are you sure you didn't file the I-751? It would have been around $400-500. If you accidentally filed the AOS paperwork AGAIN you would have paid $1010 (or thereabouts). Are you sure you didn't file the I-751 and you're just confused about form names/numbers?

ok i'm going to go get my papers and check now. thanks...

from what i can remember, we filed 485, 765 and 131 all together within 90 days of his arrival. was that right? and is AOS and ROC 2 different things? i guess it is. hope we're not in trouble. been on here since way before 2002 researching trying to get things right. another thing is spouse is cuban so there are some special acts/circumstances that go along with this.

ok i think i know what happened now. since k-1 comes in with work auth we did file 765 with 90 days of arrival. thats when we got the 2 yr card. 4/09 is when we filed aos ead and ap. he got 10 yr gc in 9/09 good til 9/19.

but i still don't remember filing a 751. are we wrong here?

Looks like they approved it after 2 years of marriage so coded you for the 10 year card, though K-1 AOS normally should result in a 2 years card no matter what, but it looks like they took into consideration the length of time they took to approve the AOS

from what i can remember, we filed 485, 765 and 131 all together within 90 days of his arrival. was that right? and is AOS and ROC 2 different things? i guess it is. hope we're not in trouble. been on here since way before 2002 researching trying to get things right. another thing is spouse is cuban so there are some special acts/circumstances that go along with this.

we filed back in 07 May I think. It's been so long. I thought we did everything we were supposed to do. Yes he has 10 yr GC.

Hey All,

I just want to make sure we're not missing anything. Do we need to do ROC or was that done already? Trying to do everything right and stay legal. Thanks

Rebecchina,

The work stamp doesn't have anything to do with which ever flight he takes. He does have to arrive at JFK first to get the work stamp.

The work stamp was very important to us because he wanted to start working immediately.

The Cuban gov't wanted to know which flight my fiance would take prior to the granting of the k-1.

And you're right, you don't have to fly into Miami first. You can pretty much fly into any US city you want to. A lot of the fiances who wanted the work stamp flew into NYC/JFK first and then connected to final destinations, allowing for plenty of time to get through immigration.

It all depends if that work stamp is important to you. There's a big ongoing discussion on the boards about getting the initial work stamp at the POE vs not and getting it by application. For us it worked out great because he got a job within 3 weeks of arrival.

Toria and Salva

StillthePrettiest,

Of course you're not wrong!! Most of us aren't and I really don't think we're judging each other this way. I was just sharing our experience and how it fits in with the topic. I was just putting it out there.

I remember when we started our visajourney back in 2002. I was just so eager to get any info at all because there were only 1 or 2 Cuban fiance/couples who were willing to share any info. Now, there are many more and each post helps someone with their research.

Short of actually asking a conoff in HAV, I really don't know how they make their decisions, I just wanted to put our experience out there.

Toria and Salva

EdwinandMary,

You've got a real problem on your hands. Well, I'm not Cuban-American and even they have tighter restrictions than in the past.

I was NEVER asked about how/why I travelled to Cuba. I'm with all the other posters in that you need to consult a QUALIFIED immigration attorney. Someone who is familiar with the problems that a Cuban fiance can sometimes face.

Even if you withdraw and resubmit, it's possible that you could face some type of problem, I just don't know.

GET A LAWYER!!

Toria and Salva

Rebecchina,

My fiance flew from HAV to Panama City, Panama and then to JFK Airport in NYC. We wanted to get the work stamp in the visa so that he could work immediately.

Immigration took about 20-30 minutes and he did get the work stamp.

Also, his choice of flight needs to be known to the Cuban gov't prior to his exit.

Good luck!!

Toria and Salva

Hey All,

The vast majority of Cubans don't have to return once they arrive here. I think it's called the "wet foot/dry foot policy". Officially, Cuban Immigration Act of 1996. It is irrelavent how they get here according to US immigration officials.

There are a small number of Cubans who are asked to return to Cuba because primarily they have broken the laws of the US in some form.

In general, Cubans can't come and go unless they have permission from the Cuban government.

My fiance was in Argentina for 9 years, 1996 to 2005 and out of status. He had to ask for permission to return, which they did allow. The Cuban government also paid for his plane ticket home. Cuba made him pay for that plane ticket before he left for the US on the k-1.

I'm not quite sure what's going on in this situation however, it sounds like we don't have all the facts. Your friend should be honest about what's going on, it's the only way we can offer any usable advice. Remeber it's all just advice.

Toria and Salva

Hey All,

Babbelsgirl is correct in that the overall process for Cuban fiancees/es is much longer. For example my finance had his interview 8/8/06 and did receive his k-1 on that day. Now, Cuba is different than most countries in that you must apply and receive permisson to leave the country.

Maybe not all countries but most countries allow you to leave as long as you obtain USA visa.

My fiance applied to leave Cuba on 8/10/06 and did not receive permission to exit until 2/6/07 which was 1 day before his k-1 would expire.

He flew into JFK airport about 12:30am on 2/7/07 with no problems with his entry.

I picked him up at the airport and we stayed in a hotel overnight and applied for the marriage license that morning and were married on 2/8/07.

I think that the conoffs do all they can to approve Cubans ASAP because SOMETIMES they get caught waiting well after the k-1 expires. I think they try to avoid this as much as possible because they absolutely cannot intervene on the Cuban side.

Also, Cubans don't travel to Switzerland for the interview. They interview at the US Interests Section which is housed inside the Swiss Embassy in Havana.

Toria and Salva

Mike,

It's been almost 1 year for us also, 11 month wedding anniversary!! We survived the first year so I guess we'll make it!! Congrats!!

Toria and Salva

Thanks for your reply. As for the time it takes the K1 process in Cuba, I think most of it has to do with how many people are coming out vs how much money can potentially come into Cuba. There are many who are going through this process in Cuba but many people are not coming out. They are waiting to see what is going to happen next in their beloved country. Cubans do want a better life but by and large, Cubans don't want to leave Cuba to get it.

Also, If 1 or 2 family members leave Cuba it is certain that they will funnel money into Cuba to help family survive. I think the Cuban gov't knows this and allows a certain number to leave since they know each will send back X amount of dollars. Not only dollars but goods too are being taken into the country. Of course all of this helps the gov't to get needed foreign dollars to spend.

Toria and Salvador

Tim,

Please can you give your opinion?? I know every case is different and the DR is a VERY special place when it comes to K1/K3 immigration. As you know, my husband came to America from Cuba as my fiance. Cuba is another one of those special places. However, I've a dear friend who has a fiance in the DR. They started their process in 2004. They were denied at the interview and what she has now found out is that the case has been sent back to the US.

Now, she has retained the services of an immigration lawyer who is advising her to start the process over again from the beginning, I-129f stage. I told her I disagree with this tactic. I think she should appeal, do the MTR or whatever is next after denial. I say this because it may be faster than waiting for the 27,000+ cases that are now in backlog. As it is now, if they re-apply, it could take up to 16 months before they get another interview.

Please Tim, and all other DR's, please weigh in on this. I know you can't tell her what to do. Can you just give your opinion/experiences and how things turned out for you. BTW, their case was very straight forward with absolutely no complications. Don't know what happened, I think it was a combo of not being in sinc at the interview and the CO just wanted to deny them. They had some pretty heavy interrogation at the interview.

Thanks,

Toria and Salvador

Thanks,

It has been quite a journey!! When I was at JFK waiting for the plane to land, I was in shock, I felt so numb. It all seemed like a dream.

Toria and Salvador

Okay,

Green card was ordered on 6/28/07 according to our emails from USCIS.

Toria and Salvador

Okay guys,

Now we understand. Thank you. So the green card comes after AOS approval?? We just received an email from USCIS that AOS was granted.

Toria and Salvador

Jashley820,

Yes, our case was NOA1 5/8/07 and transferred on 5/25/07 to CSC. Approval 7/4/07. Does the transfer to CSC have any major significance?

Toria and Salvador

The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: MSCxxxxxxxxxx

Application Type: I485 , APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR

TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On July 4, 2007, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I485

APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS.

Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive

the notice, call customer service.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case

status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from

USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS

Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.

Guys, we filed 4/30/07 with a NOA1 5/8/07!!! I-485/131/765 all together!!! Does this mean we don't have to interview for AOS status??? Oh my!!! What a great gift for the 4th!!! Check the date guys, someone is working on the holiday!!!

Toria and Salvador

Yodrak,

My husband did receive his Employment Authorization Document EAD just last month. Is this not what we consider the green card? This card has a caption that reads, "not valid for re-entry into the United States".

Toria and Salvador