zalim_computer

Not questioning your knowledge or credibility, but how do I know this for sure? Is it listed any official DOS website or something like it? Thanks for the info though

Assuming all Social Security Administration offices have the same rule, after you get your passport stamped with the immigration visa and that it has the alien # on it, you can walk into an SSA office and get your social security card updated. I cannot say how long it will take but you only need your A# and file whatever form they tell you to.

My experience: I was told at the airport that although I have already applied for SSN through DS-260, I should still inquire at the SSA. I arrived on Saturday, and then on Tuesday, I went to SSA where I was told to file a new SSN application even if one has already been submitted, used passport and the visa stamp as proof of residency, and had my SS card show up in Saturday's mail.

Exchanged to USD? Did they tell you whats the limit for USD though?

The CBP officer suggested that I exchange it to USD but I exchanged it to AED as I had a stop over in Dubai. I figured I could use the dirhams instead of getting them exchanged later.

As for limit, it does not matter where you are coming from and which state you are landing, the max limit is $10,000. You may get harassed at PK airport to give up some of that money but don't have to. The only requirement is that when you enter USA, you file the http://www.fincen.gov/forms/files/fin105_cmir.pdfform and submit it to CBP officer here.

Anyone with some personal experience? Would really appreicate it.

I do not have any personal experience but based on all I have read, there are no taxes or penalties for it. If your case if particular interest, then of course there might be some hurdle. But I am just guessing.

FYI, I got searched at ISB airport and they found a small wad of Rupees on me which I usually carry. They made me go back through the security and get all of it exchanged and only let me carry Rs. 3,000.

Wondering if any of you guys also got the Police Clearance Certificate as well? I know it is not required by US Embassy Islamabad, but apparently people still get it. I would appreciate if you can share your personal experience and thoughts on it. Thanks

I followed the directions given to me on package IV and according to it, I did not have to. I cannot recall the exact requirements but it said if the certificate was more than 6 months old, if I have moved and one other condition that I cannot recall.

Also, she had almost no income of her own. She got a very small financial reward from the province government for writing and submitting a bunch of academic papers and I will of course be including that money as income if I file MFJ.

Two things: it seems like there isn't any thing worth walking for around the 7th street area. Second, I am not planning to do any major shopping so souks are for browsing and the experience only.

The last time I was in Dubai, I got visa as I was leaving the area for vist, they gave me 30 days visa, for other then US citizen, they were charging $110.0 for the 30 day visa.

For US citizens, from what I recall, there is no visa fee. I did not want to spend 18 hours at the airport so I after booking a really crappy hotel, they just stamped my passport for 30 days. When I asked them what they did, they said U.S citizens get visit visa without a problem. They did not check my ticket or anything to ensure I was there for long or short trip. My crappy hotel was London Crown 1, which is different than London Crown. It seems like Emirates choice of hotel for the economy class.

OK so I hope this helps, so as far as getting places the metro is great to go everywhere except the beach, for that you will probably want to catch a taxi. Taxis are relatively cheap there and they are definitely easy to get. I am not really sure what your hotel budget is, or how nice of a hotel you are looking for. If you can something close to the Dubai Mall (Downtown Dubai) would be nice as it is not too far from the airport and is central to the marina, MOE, and souk areas. Otherwise, I would try to stay in Karama or Jaffiliya, both will be close to the metro. Also, Depending on your luggage situation, it is possible to take the metro from the Airport to the hotel, I have done this and it worked out very well. Food you can get anywhere! There is shops everywhere and as long as you stick to the cafeterias, it will be cheap. For my husband and myself 2 could eat at one of those places for 20-25Dhs total.

As for booking the ticket, that can be complicated or not.....So if you and your wife have the same last name, then you can book the ticket using your credit card. If not, and that is the route I had to do myself, as I was not married at the time Shakeel and I took our trip, you can make the reservation online for her on the Emirates website and then select the option for her to pay in person. Once the reservation is complete, she will have 3 days to pay at the emirates office in Islamabad. Shakeel paid in cash, I am not sure if they accept credit, but I am sure they would not accept my card. Once her reservation is paid for, you can apply for her visa yourself using her confirmation number on the emirates website. I applied for Shakeel's visa myself.

If you could give me some idea of your budget and what you are looking for out of a hotel, I can try to provide more help-I still know quite a few people in Duabi.

Feel free to PM me if you want.

Also, need any suggestions of things to do?

Thanks, this is very helpful.

I am planning to be there for about 3-4 days. I know flight from Islamabad lands there in the AM. So if I include the first day, it is 4 days.

My original plan was to stay near Al Barsha are but after some search, it turns out the main thing there is Mall of Emirates and the rest of the stuff is a bit far away. Therefore I thought Bur Dubai district is probably a better option as there are even less options in Diera (I think). As for my budget, I am going to try to keep my hotel bill at less than $600 (about $125/night) including taxes and charges. I am not looking for 5 star luxury but personally I need cleanliness and some class. My first visit I didn't book in advance and Emirates booked a hotel for me for $110 3 years ago at London Crown 1. It was a cheap place, bathroom had roaches and mold, and the kitchen was just plain nasty. I was only there for 15 hours so other than shower, I didn't bother staying. I know it was my mistake for not booking in advance but I didn't know about airlines rules and it was my first time travelling in almost 10 years.

In any case, coming back to the hotels. I found a decent deal on Double Tree Hilton but of course it is near Mall of Emirates. I am looking at hotels and comparing their prices with pictures and reviews in Bur Dubai so I can get some idea of money to amenities. Besides, other than some basic relaxing and breakfast, we won't be in staying in hotel anyway. For Bur Dubai, I found Mercure Gold Hotel and Four Points By Sheraton in my price range but I am sure as spring break approaches, these prices will go up. If you look at their addresses, you will see that they are around 7th Street and about 8-10KM away from Dubai Mall. And both are about $450 for four days.

Going back to what I want to do, here is my plan:

• Day 1: relax as I will have traveled from US to PK, pack stuff and say good byes and then travel to Dubai in less than 4 days. Then during evening time, hit the downtown area on foot and find some food.
• Day 2: Hit the Jumeira Publich Beach in the AM as it will be fairly warm during day time right after breakfast. Then during noon to evening time, get to the Dubai Mall via taxi and then surrounding areas on foot.
• Day 3: Probably same area as Dubai Mall but not the mall itself. If possible, I read I can take the monorail toward Palm Jebel Ali as well. Hit the souks or whatever they are called in the evening in Deira area.
• Day 4: Hit Mall of Emirates and if possible the kind palace if it is open to public. I cannot afford a meal at the Burj Khaleefa so that's out of question. Since the flights are usually at night and it will be my last day, I will also have to be out of hotel at their checkout time and haul my back to the airport. Then the last 5-6 hours probably just roam at the airport.

FYI, the names of places are taken off Google Maps so they may or may not be correct. For hotel, I am not married to that area. I just want a place where I can find some good, clean food where I can enjoy the food instead of trying to choose off the menu what fits my budget. The 25AED fits my bill just fine. I am going to try to focus on international cuisine as here in the US, I mostly don't have any options besides Pakistani and Indian food.

Thank you again for all your input.

Actually I have stayed in Dubai several times so I can give you plenty of info about it! As for the cost of the visa, it was $403.54 and of that $307.23 was refunded when we left Dubai, so the visa actually cost about $100. I got a regular visit visa, not a transit visa, Shakeel was in Dubai with me for a long 4 days. As to your question about luggage I have no clue, I have never gone over the luggage amount. Is there a way you can avoid bringing the extra suitcases? As for hotels, I would say sort of depends a little on what neighborhood you want to be in. I will say Al Barsha is nice and I have stayed there several times; however, although it is close to the Mall of the Emirates and reasonably close to the marina is is far from other things like the airport, Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa, Gold souk etc. I would actually recommend that you stay closer to the Dubai mall as it will be more centrally located. The metro is cheap and efficient so I would suggest a hotel within walking distance to the metro. Let me know what you are thinking on the trip, and I can provide more suggestions if you want. Actually one thing I would say is if it is your first time to Dubai together, go ahead and plan a stay of 4 or 5 days, 2 just isn't enough! And it really was no trouble to get the visa.

Alright I have been doing some research and finally came up with where I would want to stay. These are based on random forums which were not really helpful as I am not really aware of different areas.

I want to stay in an area where I can get to the malls, the markets and the beach via metro. I am assuming considering the amount of travelling I have to do, taxi will get expensive so I want to rely on metro other than to/from airport. As for food, I will mainly try to eat the local food but not necessarily looking for a dollar menu. If you can suggest an area, I will try look for hotels and local restaurants that fit my budget.

I will have extra luggage because my wife will be migrating for the first time. So it is not like we have much of an option. I am expecting at least 5 suitcases and 2 hand carries plus her purse. I have asked Emirates Airlines and they say they will charge me for luggage for the final destination. I will send another e-mail to confirm this with them. As for visa, looks like I cannot buy her ticket and she will be purchasing it from an agent in PK. So very likely she will get visa on her own. I will have to live with whatever they charge.

I read a few articles by professionals and news sites, they have been mainly useless. Shame on them. They have mainly been covering hotels and beaches for people who are well off. Some of them do mention that budget hotels but the rates these article mentioned are probably from summer season. And of course, search engines are mainly full of spam with cheap hotels in crappy districts with no proper guide. I have mainly relied on tripadvisor forums and one or two blogs.

Considering this site is for US visa help and not vacation, any help is appreciated. I will hit trip advisory, if needed, once I get an idea of what to ask for.

Actually I have stayed in Dubai several times so I can give you plenty of info about it! As for the cost of the visa, it was $403.54 and of that $307.23 was refunded when we left Dubai, so the visa actually cost about $100. I got a regular visit visa, not a transit visa, Shakeel was in Dubai with me for a long 4 days. As to your question about luggage I have no clue, I have never gone over the luggage amount. Is there a way you can avoid bringing the extra suitcases? As for hotels, I would say sort of depends a little on what neighborhood you want to be in. I will say Al Barsha is nice and I have stayed there several times; however, although it is close to the Mall of the Emirates and reasonably close to the marina is is far from other things like the airport, Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa, Gold souk etc. I would actually recommend that you stay closer to the Dubai mall as it will be more centrally located. The metro is cheap and efficient so I would suggest a hotel within walking distance to the metro. Let me know what you are thinking on the trip, and I can provide more suggestions if you want. Actually one thing I would say is if it is your first time to Dubai together, go ahead and plan a stay of 4 or 5 days, 2 just isn't enough! And it really was no trouble to get the visa.

I have yet to discuss this with my wife about what she wants to do. For me, there isn't much besides the mall which I hate to begin with. And unfortunately we will only have 2-3 days because of my limited vacation. I have been there only once and stayed at London Crown which was horrible for $100 a night. That was my first time and I did not book a hotel in advance for my 18 hour layover. I had no idea what was going on so had to book it through Emirates desk which did everything for me. Roaches in the bathroom and the kitchen was nasty. On top of that, I am a bit of a germophobe.

I will post a list of things that I want to do after asking her and doing some more research for hotels around the mall/beach area.

I did this recently for my husband, who has a Pakistani passport. I made the reservation online through Emirates. After completing the reservation there is a place to check your visa in your reservation, just follow that and it takes you to a service to process the visa. The visa was completed within a week. Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks. Do you mind telling me what was the cost for getting the visa through Emirates?

Here is my situation and I am getting a very confusing answer from Emirates about it. I am going in pretty much empty handed but on the way back, I will have total of 6 suit cases in economy class. Now if I stay in Dubai, that means I gotta check out my luggage. My questions to them were:

- Do I pay for the extra 2 suitcases only once in Pakistan for the final destination or do I have to pay for them once in Pakistan for Dubai and then at Dubai again for USA? They only answered I have to pay for extra suitcases, I have to check them out and they offer locked facility for specific sizes for xzy AED per 12 hour

- For Visa, they said I have to go through this third party to get my wife's visa or I should contact the embassy. I know the answer here is to go through Emirates because they allow you a 96 hour transit visa through the site.

Since there is confusion over the cost of extra luggage and of course the hassle of hauling 6 23kg+ bags around all by myself, I am reluctant to add a stay in Dubai no matter how much I want to. Any opinion on that?

Also if there are any suggestions for budge hotels, that would be great. I am reading a few things on trip adviser where some hotels are in good location (such as close to the beach) for cheap but they are nasty whereas some hotels are a bit far away, cost a little more, yet are truly 3+ stars hotel. For example CityMax Al Bashra.

My wife will be getting her immigration visa and will be traveling with me to USA in spring. Of course she will just have an immigration visa on her passport and not a green card. We will be travelling via Emirates airlines and are hoping to have a stop over in Dubai for two days. I have been researching Emirates airlines and the UAE embassy Web sites along with other online forums about how to get her a visa but I am getting conflicted information. Some sources say get visit visa from the hotel where you will be staying, some say you can get the 96 hours visa upon entry, and some say apply through the airlines. I know I do not need an advance visa since I am a US citizen. My question is: where do I apply a transir or a tourist visa for her? Our stay at max will be 72 hours. We may stay at a hotel or we may end up staying at a family friend's house to save some money. We have not decided on that part yet. If anyone has done so in the past, please let me know. I am sure the process is the same for a lot of countries as long as you are not from one of those countries where advance visa is not required. So you do not have to be from Pakistan.

TIA.

I have updated the timeline. Mine is last week of February. In your interview letter, you got a link for instructions about preparing for the interview. Review that.

For medical exam, you have to make the appointment yourself. There is 1 center in Islamabad, 2 in Lahore and 2 in Karachi. Make sure you make appointment for medical right away as your interview date is creeping up.

Thanks. That is what I had in mind as well that if they do not return the passport on the same day,which is the case almost all the time, they will keep the passport and ask for the courier fee to return the passport in 5+ business days.

My wife's interview has been scheduled at the Islamabad embassy in Pakistan. From what I had heard that there is a visa fee that must be paid along with turning in your passport at the embassy. However I have not been able to find any information regarding that online. So my question is, is there any fee that my wife must pain in Pakistani ruppees at the embassy when turning in her passport for the visa and if so, how much is it? I am aware of all other fee, including the green card fee that I must pay before she travels.

There is no point waiting for your AOS to be approved before sending your IV package except you are not in a rush to get thru this immigration process. AOS and IV package are been reviewed by different department. Send whatever that needs to be sent in and then wait to get a case complete, hopefully without any checklist.

What about the DS-260 application? Should I submit that as well as soon as they acknowledge the package?

I was looking over DS-260 and it asks for a beneficiary id, along with case number and invoice number. Further research showed that beneficiary id is not required for spousal visa applications. I do not have an official confirmation on this and only read it on random forums (not VJ) so I am still a bit skeptical about it.

Like several other people, I just received an e-mail from NVC that they have received my AOS package but it may take them up to 60 days before they finish their review. I have already paid my VI package fee and I just received all the documents last night from my wife. What I would like to ask is whether I should submit the package VI and submit DS260 application online yet or wait until AOS is approved? I am not expecting any objections over my AOS package.

I agree with Boiler, you may not be responsible for all of them if you only signed one I-864A. Therefore, if the people you are responsible for is considerably less the better. Which only means you only have to make less and won't need a joint sponsor.

By the way how exactly does he go about getting a copy of the I-864A? FOIA request?

No, I asked his friend to find a copy of i864A that he sent or ask his relatives who migrated to find a copy in their records.

I finally understand what Boiler meant after reading your comment. The form only allows up to five immigrants to be listed and there are no instructions to use extra paper for attached sheet. I only signed one form, not multiples. So that mean I might be safe. Nonetheless, I am still waiting on them to give me the copy of I864A just to be sure.

Let's suppose I were to file a FOIA request, who would it go to, USCIS? I do not see any other option for immigration record request.

Sounds like there were multiple sibling with spouse and children.

If OP signed one then he would not have signed up for 14.

Impression I get is that they split them amongst several people.

I should have been smarter about it even though I had never dealt with immigration issues before. The family friend should have known better actually since he had been dealing with this kind of stuff and should have split the members between multiple sponsors. I am hoping that is the way he submitted document as I have no recollection of what I signed as it has been 3+ years. I will have my answer by tomorrow night.

In any case, for those who are reading this for your own general knowledge, let it be a lesson: if you are sponsoring a large family and need multiple cosponsors, split the migrating family members between the cosponsors instead of adding them all and creating one giant list of dependents.

So your household size should be 16 people. You and your spouse, plus the 14 people. That means you need to make $90712. If you make $90713, you are good to go. If you don't and decide to combine your income with dad, then you only need to make $95787 between the two of you. So if the two of you make $95788, you are also good to go.

I had my math completely wrong. I will need to get my father either on i864A or as a cosponsor. Thanks.

I think you may be a little confused regarding the requirements. First what do you consider slightly? $10? It would help if you gave specific amounts. As long as you meet the requirements for the household size, it doesn't really matter by how much. For example, my cousin's joint sponsor only met the requirement by like $500 over and had no issues.

As for the household size, it depends. You didn't mention if you live with your father or not. If he doesn't live with you, he only has to include your spouse and anyone else that is part of his household size, not you.

The only reason I ask that you be more specific is so that we can find a way around your situation and tell you exactly what you should do. It would be unnecessary to go through the burden of finding a joint sponsor and preparing their paperwork when you may not have to.

You are worried about the number of people in relation to your income, but this isn't a problem as long as you make over the 125% poverty level.

I do still live with my father but as I mentioned, not at a term where I could comfortably ask him to cosponsor. We both own the house and a joint mortgage.

As for household size/dependents, it would be my father and my mother (they file jointly), and me in the house. Plus the 14 members that sponsored on my father's i864 and my i864A.

And as dollar amount over the 125% poverty level, I am about $2,000 over it if I were to all of my assets. Based on my calculations that's about 2.3% over. I am including and calculating assets based on LingChe NVC Shortcut wiki.

Basically you are telling me that as long as I am over 125%, I am safe and that sounds relieving and I can stop worrying my head at 1:33 in the AM, go to sleep so I can wake up on time for office in the AM and file I864 including my assets peacefully tomorrow evening.

Thank you both for your help.

Do you still live with your dad? If so you can combine your income with him if it will put you over the amount. If he doesn't live with you can he be your joint sponsor?

This is what I am trying to avoid: finding cosponsors. I am already at the exact amount calculated based on I864P (2014 hhs poverty guidelines). Even if he agreed to cosponsor, he would still be including the number of people he included in his previous I864. So again, assuming we all sponsored all 14 members before, both my father and I would be putting more 14+ people as dependents. But of course, that would put total income significantly over the 125% of the poverty guidelines for all the members combined.

Assuming I cannot find the old I864A form and just to be safe, I include all 14 people, and that I barely meet the minimum income requirement as described in I864P after including all the people I am going to sponsor this time, would NVC raise any financial objection in my case? I am asking this based on any one else's experience as I know there is no definite answer to this question. I understand the technical answer is no, they should not raise any objections. I am worried now. I was not expecting myself to get married overseas when I was helping out the family friend and now I am stuck.

It was a family based visa that the friend filed for his brothers and sisters about 14 years ago and they finally came about 2.5 years ago. So the family grew from six to 14 over time. I am not sure how many people I included in my I864A but I am sure they must have saved a copy somewhere. But it looks I am SOL and will need to find cosponsors which is going to be extremely difficult for me as I am not on those kinds of terms with anyone now.