Leland

I beg to differ with you. I am a US Citizen and I am very intelligent. Generalized judgments such as this will only serve to show one's own immaturity.

I assume you are here because you are engaged/married to a US Citizen?

I am a US citizen and believe me, I know all too well what idiots my countrymen are. How else would you explain the USCIS? A long time ago it was H.L. Mencken who said, ""No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."

How dumb are US citizens? How many times have you heard the "she is only coming for a green card statement"? Last week I actually had someone say to me, "I have never talked to someone who is going to be "boinking" a girl from Uzbekistan". I was and am speechless. If anyone comes away from the K1 or whatever visa operation without a very jaded view of the american public--you are either extremely lucky or blind.

US citizens would prefer that someone else do our thinking for us so we can just spew vitriole back out. That is what I read at the US Today article--no thinking, just spewing. Great.....

Hey, according to standardized testing, we're barely ahead of Mexico.

Sorry, I'm an American. Born & raised. Most of the time, I'm severely embarrassed at the ignorance of Americans. Sorry, but it's simple truth that most Americans are "blue pill" kinda folks. In this country we keep telling ourselves that we're the best (China does the same thing, which doesn't make it any more true), but most people just run through their whole lives on autopilot & never open their minds at all. If the fact that they can go through their life not using their brain makes them happy, so be it.

Most people I've met assume that there's something wrong with me because I married someone from another country. How stupid.

The comments on the McPaper (oops, I mean USA Today) website are just further proof to how ignorant, in general, Americans are.

As was said, TSC applications WERE being forwarded to CSC for a good long while. Now apparently it's VSC's turn to more or less bend over and take it. What I want to know is why the transfers are ALWAYS going FROM either Texas or Nebraska TO somewhere else and neither of those two locations is EVER able to get their act together enough to TAKE some transfers at whatever point. But regardless...all will be processed in the government's time and there's nothing we can really do about it (other than contacting senators, that is) so why get so worked up over it? You're here, you have your significant other, you SHOULD have a letter extending the conditional residency for a year soooo...what's the problem?

I believe that I read somewhere that TEXAS takes a huge amount of H1-B applications (temporary work permit). Since businesses selling out domestic jobs takes precedence over family visas, they're behind. We get H1-Bs in house in under 3 weeks.......

Got the same thing.... transferred to VSC... they better not let us wait another 7-8 months.... I'm so mad... I thought they'd finally approve us there at TSC

We submitted my wife's I-751 around 12/20/07. Mid-Jan she got notice of transfer to VSC WITH the greencard extension letter. On 2/2/08 she got her biometrics appt for 2/21. That's around 60 days, which doesn't seem that bad all in all.

Let's keep track of each other's process and see what our experiences are. I am heartened to read pars3211's experience as I intend to apply for my new license while my green card is still valid - as long as I get my extension letter in time. The ridiculous thing is that the green card being expired or not shouldn't make a difference if you have the extension letter. WalCruz, hopefully your extension letter will arrive before the greencard and DL expire so you can get them renewed.

Peggy, I think the trick is to bring both the green card before it is expired, along with the extension letter from having filed to remove conditions to get a one year's Driver's License. Hopefully, the 10 year card will be in before the year is up so you can renew your DL with a multi-year one. It looks like we will be on a similar time line for filing to remove conditions as well.

Thanks for all those Georgians who are adding to this thread. It helps.

Here's what happened on Saturday. My wife's condition GC expires next week, so we took the extension letter (we're very lucky our case was instantly transferred to the VSC). Driver's license was extended one year from Saturday's date.

This was @ the Sandy Springs DDS facility.

If anyone has a problem, you should ask for a supervisor. The DDS checks with the USCIS website, and can verify the letter. The letter IS dated and IS legal proof that the validity of one's GC has been extended. You need to find an employee with a brain......

I have been using Skype on the computer. I have a bluetooth headset for my cell phone that will also connect to the laptop.

I buy Skype credit and calls to Thailand are $.062/min to a bangkok number and $.116 i think to a cell number anywhere in Thailand.

The connect quality is decent to very good, more dependent on where she is in Thailand than anything else.

I only have a cell phone otherwise, and using it to call international is completely cost prohibitive. I have Cingular/ATT pay as you go, and calls to Thailand on that is something like $1/min.

Anyway, just another option.

Michael

My wife uses Skype to call family in Thailand. It's the best rate anywhere in the world. If the other person has PC & internet, also install Skype there & enjoy FREE calling.

Question, We have a parole doc and left the USA last month. Our case is still pending... however, when we do enter back to the USA, what line do we enter in? I am a USA Citizen and my wife is not ( of course) can we both go to the US Citizen line?

I guess we would need to fill out another I-94 on the plane before we enter to immigration line?

I also would guess that the inspector will have us go to another desk to complete the entry or will he be able to complete it for us.

Finaly, how long is the stamp good for when she enters back to the States? And of course her Visa has expired.

Please explain experiences

Cheers

I asked a US immigration officer my last trip and he said Rin could come through with me (she is on a K3 visa - non-immigrant, no AP required). No problem doing that when we came back from Thailand. Additionally, once we were married I went through the Thai citizen line in Bangkok without any problem.

John

Haha!!!! My wife & I do the same thing!!!! I always asked at US immigration if it was possible for my wife to come through the US Citizen/Permanent Resident line, and the answer was always "yes." Now my wife's a permanent resident.

But, like you, I always go through the short "Thai Resident" line in BKK. I get funny looks.....

marknir................12/06/07........12/06/07........??/??/??..........??/??/??

Here's the list again.

Marknir, this thread is tracking people who filed at TSC before they started transferring petitions to CSC (after June 30, 2007). You would be better to make sure you are being tracked on the master list in the following thread.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=87218

So does this mean that the application we sent last week will likely be transferred to the CSC???

USCIS no longer routinely requires submission of original documents or "certified copies." Instead, ordinary legible photocopies of such documents (including naturalization certificates and alien registration cards) will be acceptable for initial filing and approval of petitions and applications.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

I had to look at the forum header to figure out that you were lifting conditions. You profile says filed for N/A, how about updating that?

US YOU http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=1949 There are too few people maintaining timelines at the later immigrations stages, they do help us all in estimating how long things take.

Sorry, we'll do that......I actually found the answer by reading the I-751 instructions about 10 more times....it says to send ORIGINAL affidavits....

thanks, we'll get the timeline updated.

I know that the instructions say to submit copies of all the evidence proving an on-going relationship, but does this apply to the affidavits from friends as well? It seems that normally, someone would want the actual document, especially since it has been notarized.

It's clear to me that normally we should send copies of everything, but the affidavits to me seem somehow unclear through all of the instructions and guides I have seen.

As always, thanks in advance!

A stay outside the US of more than six months can be construed as abandonment of status.

Untrue. My wife accompanied me with an AP document for 8 months while I worked on a project in China.

I would keep documents that establish that you have been together, but the AP is valid for one year.

You only have to notify the USCIS if you're planning on being gone for one year.

Hi,

We're sending the I751 for my wife this week. My wife's conditional GC expires 24 Jan, so we have to get a move-on.

I have 2 questions on what everyone else did:

1) The instructions said to send copies of everything. Some of our "proof of happy marriage" is pictures of us together.....everywhere from home, to China, Thailand, Germany, DC, etc. Was everyone else sending developed (or in our case, inkjet) photos, or were ya'll just sending copies of these photos. Of course, it's cheaper to print these in B&W on copy paper rather than color photos.......

2) I understand from the VJ website that after she applies for lifting of conditions, it will take about 1 year. In the meantime, she's going to receive some document which officially extends the validity of her GC for about 1 year. What's been the timeline for everyone else getting this document & doing the biometrics. Like I said, we should have her paperwork mailed this week. GC currently expires on 24 Jan.

I ask because it looks like I have a good opportunity (which is actually kinda mandatory) for me to go & work in Germany for 6-8 months starting early next year. Of course, I want my wife to come along......

Thanks.

Hello,

I'm sending in the I-129F and I have to talk about meeting in person and show proof of an ongoing relationship.

Here is the situation. I lived in Korea for 2 years during which I met my wife online. She lives in Thailand with is about a 5 hour flight. We visited each other often and for weeks at a time. I have airline receipts for at least 5 visits. My wife is in school in Thailand so she never came to live with me. Now, I am back in the USA and I've been to see her 2 times in the last year.

Here is my question.

What kinds of things should I include in the I-129F to demonstrate our ongoing relationship? Should I tell our story to them? Should I include copies of tickets, ring receipts, or maybe bank statements showing my financial support to her. I applied forand received a Tax Identification number...should I provide them with a copy of that document?

What is the very best type of information to provide, and how much should I include in the I-129F packet? I could send them 50 pages worth of stuff, cards, letters...I mean, you name it, and we have it. Like all couples do, we have lots of momentoes.

thank you!

Brad

Sawsdee Brad!

I supplied things like the following:

E-mails

Pictures

Plane tickets

yahoo/msn chat printouts

Cards

FedEx receipts for gifts

I submitted about 20-30 pages of the above stuff. I also marked in the copy of my passport all of the entries into Thailand, including the 6 month stay when I met my wife. Keep in mind for the basic submission, you have to supply a lot of stuff, so throwing in a lot of substantiation is just making the thing a bigger & bigger book.

I would say that you have MORE than an adequate amount of stuff. Pick some stuff and send it with the rest of the information requested with the I-129F submission. I'm an enginerd, so I really well organized mine. I had labelled tabs corresponding to the table of contents on the submission letter.

FWIW, I took about 700 pages worth of stuff to Thailand for the interview & didn't need much at all.

Just be well organized & double, triple, quadruple check your work & you'll be ok.

Best of Luck!

Lee

Hi everyone!

We received 2 separate letters today that stated that Ae's application for permanent residence has been approved. It said that we should get her green card in about 3 weeks.

This caught us completely blind sided as we submitted last February did the biometrics in the spring & then a letter in the fall about our case being sent to the California service center. No interview, nothing.....

I saw one other person post something like this. Is this normal now?????

I'm ecstatic, but somewhat confused.