mallafri76

Just got my appointment for biometrics. 6 months after filing.

Anyone know how long is the wait between biometrics and interviews at San Antonio office?

On the N-400, I chose no on the question of name change but now I changed my mind. Can I still add the name change at the n-400 interview?

Another question, I filed my N-400 online. Where do I get a copy of my application. I assumed there’d be a copy in my account or emailed to me but haven’t received anything so far.

Golden Me, I replied to your PM but I wanted to share my experience on the forum too,for others in a similar situation. JFH, thank you for putting Golden Me and I in contact.

Four years ago, I successfully immigrated to the US with my husband still in prison. He’s due to be released in a few months. 😃

No doubt, you have more to “prove” and you’ll most likely get a few more questions with the US spouse in prison but as long as you can show that you’re in a bonafide relationship, they have no excuse to deny you.
 

They will look for visits, pictures and correspondence. Know your spouse’s criminal history, they will ask you. And don’t be surprised if they’ll ask specific information from emails or visitations you’ve had. My husband’s in federal, so it might be different with your spouse in state prison, but at my interview, the consular officer had copies of our emails and visitation logs from his prison. 

I can’t stress enough how important the visits are in our circumstances, to prove a bonafide relationship. And remember to take pictures. I brought a photo album to my interview and the consular officer had me flip through it for him while he asked me questions.
 

To answer your question about ESTA. No, if your immigration visa is denied, you’ll most likely not be allowed to travel under ESTA. 

Good luck with your visa journey. 

As long as he has a ssn, he should show up on a general background check. If there’s nothing there, the report will simply say something like “no criminal history”. 

I’ve had two jobs since moving to the US. One was about two weeks after immigrating and the background took a little longer than usual but still came back. The second one was about five months after immigrating and there were no issues or delays. 
 

You can always go into SentryLink.com and pay for a background check, just to see how it comes back. It’s like $20.

5 hours ago, mustang85635 said:

What I can never understand is this obsession with some immigrants here feeling like its there god given constitutional right as a new citizen to start bringing over there parents . Those parents contribute nothing to the USA , maybe good for free child sitting . But dont tell me you will have a sick parent on your health insurance, with premiums and stuff as it is . You have to be very rich to afford it in the long run . The minute they become elgible for Medicare they will be enrolled by all the warm and fuzzy do gooders talking rich here on the forum . 

Sending over USD will go a long way in a third world country . I can understand the person wanting to get them over but you are biased because you are an immigrant . How does the majority of americans feel about bringing over siblings and parents ? I have yet to find someone that thinks its a smart thing to do especially when the smart educated people from STEM fields ( that graduated here too )are in the H1B Loop forever until they leave for Canada or Australia where it takes them little over half a year from overseas to get PR and are welcomed with open arms. 

 

Family friend from eastern europe graduated with an undergraduate degree and graduate degree from UNC Chapel Hill ( ivy league ) and after that a PHD from same instituiton . He has been here for like 13-14 years and is now as a Ast .Professor for Political Science still in the waiting game for a GREEN CARD ! He is educating the future of our country and has so many times almost given up and packed up for another place with merit based system . His research is top notch and he is paying a ton of taxes every year . 

 

And then you have parents that can come here in 6 months with no problem and no benefit what so ever to this country . 

No other country like the USA has this parent migration.

 

End this thing of the past already good god.

If you want to take care of your parents you got a wonderful thing called western union . 

What world do you live in?!?!?! A lot of parent immigration comes from western countries where the immigrating parents will bring their overseas retirement money and spend it in the US. That’s great for the American economy?!?! 

There are easy steps to take to protect Medicare. For example, one needs x amount of work credit or x amount of years as a permanent resident before they’re eligible for Medicare. Problem solved.

13 hours ago, sparkles_ said:

I'm not too pleased that legal parental sponsorship (among other things) is being offered to the chopping block in exchange for DACA. Sure, doing away with sibling chain migration makes a lot of sense, but parents too? Sometimes this is a must for certain people and situation.

 

It just seems very unfair, the parents of citizens or DACA tradeoff, considering that our parents are willing to do things 200% the right way concerning immigration from start to end. 

Totally agree. Taking away parent immigration will break up families and create hardship. 

No, the spousal visa is for people who are married. You need to send a copy of your marriage certificate as part of the petition. 

Many people with a CR/IR-1 visa got married while visiting the US on VWP or tourist visa and then returned home to start the process. It’s perfectly legal.  However, since there are many people entering the US, getting married and then staying and adjusting, CBP can be difficult so I agree with JFH, be honest with CBP but don’t volunteer information. And you make sure you bring plenty of ties to the UK.

1 hour ago, adanielle394 said:

I'll have my greencard, which allows me to go in and out of the U.S as I please. (U.S is where I live and will live, just purely going to England to give birth so I can be with family and in familiar surroundings) I'm not planning on going until I am just about ready to pop, and before it's too risky to fly.

You should probably look into that. If you’ve emigrated from the UK and is no longer a resident, you’re not covered under NHS and will have to pay for medical care. 

On 1/22/2018 at 9:12 AM, swe_jill said:

Good to know, thank you. Yes, we've been living together since 2009 (in Sweden and elsewhere). I submitted proof of domicile to the NVC, including tax, banking and voter info, plus proof of a secured residence once we return to the US. I'll send that info along with my husband to his interview, in case it's needed. Thanks again!

He can bring it but the US Embassy in Stockholm don’t usually view things brought to the embassy, or at least that’s what it was like a couple of years ago when I went through.

Don’t worry, you live together, you have more than enough evidence.

If you’ve been married for eight years, you should have tons of evidence. How about emails and chat logs? Provide boarding passes and pictures from visits you’ve had the last eight years. What about birthday cards and Christmas cards sent to each other? 

If your wife is not working, she either needs three times the poverty guidelines in assets or a joint sponsor.

Also, if one of you is divorced, you have to provide the divorce papers.

Once you’ve immigrated, you can leave the country to pick up your belongings and then come back. That’s one of the benefits of the spousal visa.

If you’re asking if you can visit your husband for his birthday without using your immigrant visa and then immigrating on another day, then probably not, although it is up to CBP. 

The US Embassy in Sweden wants the evidence with the package. They usually don’t accept evidence at the interview except for photos, so make sure you put all evidence you want to use with the I-130.

I would try and get some more visits in. Visits are strong evidence of a bona fida relationship and when you live in Scandinavia, there’s no real excuse not to have more visits as you don’t need a visa and there a cheap flights available. I’m just telling it from the CO’s point of view. Especially since they’re used to seeing people coming through the embassy in Sweden with many visits or having lived together.

Good luck on your visa journey. 

On 12/23/2017 at 6:45 PM, EandH0904 said:

I filled out my husband's i-130a and signed as the preparer. 

I did the same thing. I firgured better safe than sorry and filled out myself as a preparer.

Have you guys thought about moving to a third country, somewhere you can both be happy? Why don’t you guys sit down and talk through what you both want out of life, a pro and con list of countries that fit the bill and is available for you both to move to. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for love.

There’s a three month exemption although if the new tax bill is approved, there’ll be no more penalty for not having insurance.

I can totally understand why you couldn’t just walk away from your job. Especially if you actually have a career and want to continue that career after moving to the US, then it’s very important to leave on a good note and having a good reference from your previous job.

Anyway, no one can tell you whether or not you’ll be able to get the k-1 re-issued. Of course, it would have been better to speak to the embassy about this BEFORE the visa expired but too late now. At this point, all you can do is request to have the visa reissued and hope for the best. If all else fail, you’ll have to start over with the k-1. Good luck.

On 12/7/2017 at 2:31 PM, Marnousse said:

I don't receive my green card yet. I did my driver's license and they check with immigration and they give it to me for 8 years. Does that mean my green card is going to be for 10 years? Because somebody had told me, if your green card woud have been for 2 years, your driver's license would have been for 2 years too. I need some explanation from you guys please.

If you had been married for more than two years when you immigrated to the US, you will get an permanent green card. If you were married less than two years when you immigrated, you will get a conditional card.

Most DMVs only issue your driver’s license for as long as your papers give you statues, i.e if you’re only showing them your endorsed passport visa, they should only give you a driver’s license for less than a year. If you show them a conditional geeen card, less than two years and so on. 

Like others have said, registering the marriage in Italy have nothing to do with the US immigration process. However, your spouse may want to check the rules of Italy as several European countries have laws stating that marriages by their citizens must be registered in the country. 

Your petition is active as long as you maintain contact with NVC at least once a year. No need to explain anything to them, just so your choice of agent and then within 12 months from that, submit something else and so on until you’re ready to proceed. 

2 hours ago, RB&CB said:

Hi,

 

Anyone taken their driver's license in Oregon and knows how it works? For how long time will I'll be able to drive on my Swedish driver's license when I have moved over? 3 month's? Do I just contact the DMV to do the writtten test? Do I need anything more than my passport as an ID? Thank you in advance.

You usually have to do both the written and the driving test. But don’t worry, all that’s required for the driving test in US is keeping both hands on the wheel, don’t use your phone while driving and drive straight. It’s a joke. No wonder car insurance is so ridiculously expensive in the US. Be prepared that what you pay for car insurance in the US is about to 10 to 12 times higher than what we pay in Sweden. 

You need photo-ID and usually proof of legal status too. But since it varies from state to state, it’s best to check on Oregon’s DMV website. 

8 hours ago, TexaninTaiwan said:

I have talked to a green card holder who paid a fine ($585) and retained residency. 

I had an old colleague who did the same thing. She’s divorced from her USC husband and she lives in Denmark with their two kids. She hadn’t been in the US for about two years and were flying over with the kids and her fiancé to visit the ex-husband. She got detained and questioned by CBP and then given the option of paying a fee or go before a judge. This was about two and a half years ago.

If it was me, I’d just move past it. Respond to the RFE and get the visa. Why make waves and upset the people who decide whether or not your mom can join you in the US?!?!