Team_Healey

You must feel great!  Thanks for the update and especially for the helpful recommendations.

Ack, I haven't logged on in a while. Congratulations!!! Hope you're enjoying your new home after quite an annoying process.
 
I agree with you--we're working with a local lender and so far are having a great experience. We've made it to underwriting and now they're asking for the green card, which of course we'll send along with the I-751 form. Fingers crossed! We haven't had any hiccups yet. Actually, my husband was wondering last night if they had forgotten he was a green card holder! I'll post again later to tell everyone what happened.

You must feel great, and rightfully so.  Thanks for the insights and for the happy update.

Congrats!!! I'm sure you are very excited. My wife finally "moved in" this weekend after coming over, so we are also in "new home" bliss (even though I've lived in it for 3 months...I've kept it quite bare while waiting).
 
Still strange about the loan vs title thing. As I said my wife's name has been on the title since the beginning, but not on the loan. Doesn't matter though if you can change it later.

Final Update!
 
Closed today and got the keys in our hand! 
 
According to our Realtor the lender mentioned they did not really need any of what the previous underwriter asked for! 
Very happy everything tied together in the end!
But since everything has to basically match the loan paperwork, my name can not be on the title yet!
We have to wait until we get the title in the mail and then add me to it but they said it will be no problem after that. 
Now to move, the move itself seems easy because of the mess we went through to get the home in the first place! lol
 
Local everything is so much better!
We secured a pre-arroval and a lender before we went house hunting with an online recommended lender, but for everyone on our boat, please please please get a local Realtor and ask for local lenders they recommend and go from there! I thought getting the pre-approval was a good idea but it seemed to set us up for a long and failed process in the beginning.
 
Now to move in and celebrate our family home.
 
Thank you all for the responses! I hope this thread can help anyone ever finding themselves in this situation. 

American here. We have terrible bread in the US because we just don't have a bread culture. Bread isn't seen as a staple to be eaten with every meal. I can't really explain why this is, but it's not a staple for us. It's more of a tool to make sandwiches with really.
 
I'm living in Russia now and people here are baffled that I can eat soup without bread. They think I'm ill and dying and not eating enough. That said, while we lack in bread in the US, we have a thousand more options in crackers, chips (even healthy versions! which don't exist here) and other snack type things that we prefer to use in soups. When I get back to the US, I'm honestly dying to have that cracker/snack selection again!
 
So, if you want to get over the lack of good bread, I suggest branching out into the gourmet/organic cracker and chip selection. It won't fill the void totally, but there are even whole grain/healthy options out there certainly worth trying, especially with soups. But yeah, dark bread like you find in Central/Eastern Europe is really a hard thing to come by in the States, even in big cities. Perhaps a local Eastern European market might have some.
 
Looking at labels in the States is ESSENTIAL. So much food in the US is low quality garbage filled with added preservatives and other stuff. We don't have the food traditions nor the regulations like the have in Europe. If you want to eat well in the US, you have to become a vigilant grocery shopper.

Agreed, when shopping for groceries now I look at the labels and try to find things with less preservatives and colorants as possible. My husband loves junk food and doesn't seem to care now that he is in America!
It is like the opposite for me, an American living a somewhat clean eating life in NZ that I started to feel better and actually tasted wholesome foods and ate tons of vegetables, and my husband a New Zealander coming to the US and his eyes become as big a saucers looking at the chips and dips section. I was sure after a year it would taper off but he seems to be an eating tourist for now.  

Very good news! An idea what your rate is going to be on the loan? I wonder if they are penalizing you guys because of your situation. I wouldn't be surprised

Hi everyone 
 
Thank you for the advice and your good wishes. I'm sorry I haven't been able to log in earlier - the stress of this process has been getting to me and I ended up cramping and on bed rest. It's still very very early in my pregnancy and I'm trying to navigate this the best I can. It's hard being alone. 
 
Ok, my husband has been living in the States for about 20 years so looks like we should be eligible for the CRBA for the baby. 
 
As for the medical process (vaccinations and X-rays), that's worrying 🙁🙁 
 
The last two days have taught me that I better learn how to manage my stress because this is just the beginning of a longgggggggg (not to mention stressful and painful!) process otherwise I'm going to loose my baby.
 
A heartfelt thank you and Best wishes to you all... 

Thank you!  I actually was able to open a checking and savings from BOA.  Gratefully also opened a secured credit card for him with Discover Card.  Yesterday, we was able to get him a car with me as a co-signer as well. 

Agreed, when shopping for groceries now I look at the labels and try to find things with less preservatives and colorants as possible. My husband loves junk food and doesn't seem to care now that he is in America!
It is like the opposite for me, an American living a somewhat clean eating life in NZ that I started to feel better and actually tasted wholesome foods and ate tons of vegetables, and my husband a New Zealander coming to the US and his eyes become as big a saucers looking at the chips and dips section. I was sure after a year it would taper off but he seems to be an eating tourist for now.  

Everything is too processed here and most of it is not even FDA approved. It worries me a lot, so I try to find food that not super processed. My grandmother in law used Kraft singles, yuk! Horrible horible horrible 

I can totally see why that is now! I used to eat those horrible square kraft singles like they were cocaine as a child in the USA. We use sugar to disguise anything with no taste haha, I feel duped! 

I can totally see why that is now! I used to eat those horrible square kraft singles like they were cocaine as a child in the USA. We use sugar to disguise anything with no taste haha, I feel duped! 

TTell her to send you the nvc interview embassy invitation letter that should be a proof cause it has your address and name on it 

Walmart sells Arla Gouda Cheese. (Looks like a giant babybel) As a Dutchie, I approve this cheese a lot! Just a tip :-)

Hello everyone :),
 
It's a shame I found this forum so long after I actually went through the immigration process (k1 from Germany)
 
I have been reading a lot of the threads the past few days and decided to create an account :). 
 
The first year I was here I struggled I won't lie but this second year here has been great. I guess I am just writing this to say that even though a lot of people do have troubles integrating into American culture there are some success stories too
 
I will first go through the things I had troubles with then move onto the positives
 
- I don't think the bread here is very good
- People can seem very superficial in the beginning 
- Philadelphia has a lot of trash everywhere and crime (which i never experienced in Germany)
-Healthcare is so complex and confusing (good thing my wife works in healthcare and can help)
- Missed speaking my native language
 
 
Now things I have been pleasantly surprised by
 
-My certifications for my job were accepted and helped me find a job somewhat easily
-even though people are tough in Philadelphia I couldn't believe how much people wanted to help me
-The amount of food from all over the world in Philadelphia is great
-cost of living for a big American city is much lower than I thought it would be
-salaries for IT in the USA is almost 3x higher than what I made in Germany
 
 
I am going into my 3rd year here in America and I finally don't feel homesick or like I'm questioning everyday why I moved here. So to people who are looking at moving here or are having a rough first few months there is hope! I just felt like I had to spread some seemingly rare success in this forum
 
- Robert
 
 

Even as a Canadian or "America lite" it was tough to adjust.  I definitely miss some things from home

Quick update, previous LO e-mailed letting me know they will contact the other lender and explain our situation so we won't get into the same predicament with the underwriter as before. He also quoted an e-mail the underwriter from Chase that kind of cringe, "I know you wont be able to find out until the 13th, but if you're able to obtain an I-551 Stamp extending the CR-1 Status, we would be sufficient to approve funding."
They think USCIS can just stamp to extend at our USCIS Infopass appointment, and not only that extend the CR-1 status. 
For those who may not understand, you can not get this stamp (called the I-551 temp) into your passport until a year passes from your extension letter from filing your I-751 form. The reason this is, mostly because it can take the USCIS 6-12 months to send you your new 10 year I-551 (Green Card). You have to make an USCIS infopass appointment to get this stamp when you have still yet to receive your Green Card. 
Also, you can not extend CR-1 status, that my friend is a Visa. Once you enter your POE with that visa, get a temp I-551 stamp on top by the Immigration Officer and in a few weeks to months receive your Green Card, you are a Conditional Permanent Resident! 
There is basically no difference in Conditional Permanent Residency Vs. Permanent Residency, you have the same rights and responsibilities (of course no right to vote). The condition is only that, you must lift this condition off of your status in continuance to satisfy USCIS you are in a legitimate relationship 90 days before your Green Card expires. 
Ok, no more ranting... Just know that the Bank and their Lawyers do not know a thing about Immigration and it takes them up to 3 weeks to figure this out. I know they are doing their best to protect their butts when approving a loan, but the lack of misinformation is astounding and I am sure a lot in my situation will get this kind of response. Let my horror be your guide as I continue to update our very best efforts into securing a home for ourselves and our children.
Rant over.

Good luck! I'm sure the realtors have already, but appeal to the sellers hearts. Perhaps it will help? If won't hurt I'd imagine. "Young couple, first home, international couple who are finally living together yada yada"

We purchased a house actually even before my wife got her visa. Her name is on the title.
 
However, we didn't include her on the mortgage because it would complicate things so I am technically the only one with the giant loan. Is that possible for you guys? We were still able to use my wife's money (for the down payment). Does your job make enough money to qualify on your own?
 
I would also concur with others who used a smaller mortgage company. Our mortgage did eventually get purchased by a big bank (Wells Fargo), but the personal attention at the smaller place was amazing. They also were able to give us a lot more options that the guy in the large bank just couldn't do it. It was night and day. The big bank offered a great rate but with a lot of fine print that in the end wouldn't have suited us as well.

You said you're wife is not on the mortgage, which is different from OP. If I understand OP correctly, they are both on the mortgage and using both their wages to secure the loan. So two very different situations, as your wife was not asking for a loan.
 
OP, I've heard about this issue before as technically, as a conditional resident, the ROC could be denied and your spouse be forced to leave the US and abandon house and mortgage. I think that's what they're scared of. Not sure who you're using for your loan but often, you'll have more luck with less traditional lenders and outside the bank system. 

Well maybe it's just terminology but there isn't a mortgage until there is a loan. So I think the other poster, as well as myself, were just offering up an alternative if it was possible. The OP responded to me though and made it clear it wasn't possible.
 
I will echo again to look for a smaller company. I used Republic State Mortgage, which isn't a "mom and pop" shop but is definitely also not a big bank. They are in several states. They were wonderful.
 
Keep in mind though they can't do magic, so while they may be able to find a solution it may involve either some "insurance" for the period when the spouse is conditional (you pay more during that time), or just a higher interest rate all around. You won't get the "best" deal, since you aren't the "best candidate".

Perhaps it might help if you printed and sent portions of relevant information from the USCIS website, or found and printed information from an immigration lawyer's website.  The underwriter is obviously uneducated as to the process, and no one ever got fired for saying "no" when they were unsure about whether to proceed.

No issues my wife is on the deed but not on the mortgage. Clear sailing through the loan approval and closing in fact no need to show any ID apart from her drivers license.