D.Ba

In 2010, the latest year that could be examined, the top 10 countries for cases referred to fraud prevention units for closer scrutiny were China, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, India, Brazil, Ghana, Cambodia, Jamaica, Peru, and Ukraine. Most cases involve applications for non-immigrant visas. About 74,000 cases were referred worldwide, and 22 percent were confirmed to be fraudulent.
http://cis.org/vaughan/gao-report-state-dept-has-good-tools-lacks-coordinated-approach-address-rampant-visa-fraud

I wouldn't spend USD100 on it, honestly. It is straightforward. The form has quite a few pages, but you don't need most of them. You just need a list of your bank accounts, you write down the account numbers and the maximum amount of money that was in them during the course of the year. That you have to do on your own anyway. It all works online.

In my case we filed jointly, I reported ALL my German income for the year (I didn't even have US income in that year) on which I had already paid hefty taxes, and THEN we could subtract all those hefty taxes in a line called something like "foreign tax paid".
 
But I believe it also depends whether your country has a bilateral tax agreement with the US.

Welcome to Arizona!
We got married in Pima County (Tucson). There, the marriage license turns into the marriage certificate once everybody signs. We had the lady from the county come out to a random park in our neighborhood where we did a quick ceremony, and they happily obliged.

Don't forget to file your FBAR before April 15 if you had more than $10,000 accounts in your home country at any time during the year.

Approval and green card received on the same day!

It seems that Nevada has no full reciprocity with Germany. It does with Taiwan... Just goes to show each state is different.
 
In Arizona it is:
Driver license applicants who have a current/valid driver license from one of the countries listed below may not be required to take a road skills or a written test.
Countries with Reciprocity
Country Road Test Written Test Canada Waive Waive Germany Waive Waive Taiwan (age 18 or older) Waive Waive South Korea (age 18 or older)  Waive Waive

Well, license from another COUNTRY might be different from license form another STATE.
First of all, check whether you need to take an additional test. Here in Arizona (hi to Phoenix) ONLY Germans and one other country worldwide, I forgot which, did not have to take a written or practical test and could get the AZ license (that was 2015, so you never know).
Also, the German license was good for the first 90 days.
I went to the MVD in Tucson, that was after marriage, AOS was in the works, but no greencard yet, and they wanted EVERYTHING: My German passport, my German drivers license, my marriage license (original), my social security card (original), the AOS letter... and then they disappeared for half an hour and finally gave me a license that was good for a year or so. They admitted they had to look up what to do and phone around. Not a common case, I gues...
And, of course, they are not supposed to take the German license... defend it with claws and teeth.

In my case we filed jointly, I reported ALL my German income for the year (I didn't even have US income in that year) on which I had already paid hefty taxes, and THEN we could subtract all those hefty taxes in a line called something like "foreign tax paid".
 
But I believe it also depends whether your country has a bilateral tax agreement with the US.

In my case we filed jointly, I reported ALL my German income for the year (I didn't even have US income in that year) on which I had already paid hefty taxes, and THEN we could subtract all those hefty taxes in a line called something like "foreign tax paid".
 
But I believe it also depends whether your country has a bilateral tax agreement with the US.

In my case we filed jointly, I reported ALL my German income for the year (I didn't even have US income in that year) on which I had already paid hefty taxes, and THEN we could subtract all those hefty taxes in a line called something like "foreign tax paid".
 
But I believe it also depends whether your country has a bilateral tax agreement with the US.

In my case we filed jointly, I reported ALL my German income for the year (I didn't even have US income in that year) on which I had already paid hefty taxes, and THEN we could subtract all those hefty taxes in a line called something like "foreign tax paid".
 
But I believe it also depends whether your country has a bilateral tax agreement with the US.

There is also the Green Card Lottery (or did that get ended)? I actually have met people who have won, so it is not that hopeless.
 
I would also not give up on the work visa quite yet. If you complete a German traineeship you are actually pretty qualified for your profession.

There is also the Green Card Lottery (or did that get ended)? I actually have met people who have won, so it is not that hopeless.
 
I would also not give up on the work visa quite yet. If you complete a German traineeship you are actually pretty qualified for your profession.

Yeah, this has been floating around VJ forever. In my humble opinion, rubbish. Let the government look into it. What will they find? Nothing whatsoever. Fully legal money, earned and taxed in my home country, brought into the US in increments because it technically not possible any other way (you simply CANNOT do larger amounts with my bank), so I can spend it in the US to boost their economy. If anything they should be grateful I bring it all here.

Bringing your personal money has NOTHING to do with tax fraud (neither with money laundry). They are concerned about money leaving the country and/or money not being taxed because you have it in some tax haven (which Germany certainly is not). My money is not being taxed, regardless in how many steps I bring it.

I think there is a good reason to despise credit card debt! I for one despise it, but of course I am German, so I completely fit the stereotype!
 
When I arrived and opened my bank account, I naturally had NO credit score, and then after a while a very dismal one. Which I found annoying, since I have never had a penny of debt in my life... I immediately bought a car and paid in full, although I realized it would "build my credit score" if I bought it in installments. Crazy, right? I am a better debtor borrowing money that I am if I have enough funds to pay in full. Us Germans don't get that, haha.
 
Anyway, I staid with my ONE credit card, which I also use very little (don't like to be fully traceable), always paid it off monthly, naturally, and after a while my score jumped from one month to the next, probably because I suddenly had some kind of history. So, my five euro-cents: no loans, no multiple credit cards, unless, I guess, you are really looking for a mortgage soon.

"Engagement" is not in that sense a legal term, but you actually have to write a letter stating you intend to marry that person. That is kind of an engagement in itself. Nobody much cares about rings, parties, and such.

Yes, AA did also ask for Green card expiration date, and, yes, we just added 18 months.

I wouldn't count on no one asking. Anyway, as an LPR you are supposed to have your greencard on you (and therefore it makes sense to carry the extension letter with the expired card).
Even if you just drive inside one state you might be asked by Border Patrol to show your papers - think Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, etc. - because they have checkpoints inland. I guess the same in California.
 
 

Hobbitspouse,
some people here tried to get the passport stamped, but didn't get it.
I think we will just have to join the long line for the next year (I am doing it again next week...)

We met in person because at that time there WAS no Internet.

how " Destiny " put " Soulmate " together is sometimes funny and irrational xD
 
I met J in Heidelberg Fireworks, me asked random people to take pic of us ( bunch of Asian ) lol he helped and we said "Thanks and BYE", then we separated but 2 h later he and his group sit in the same Korean restaurant so we talk and now it's been 7 years since then
 

On Ireallywannagreencard.com

Yuna6287 explained it very well.
 
For my German travel insurance it was no "grey" area at all! It stated very explicitly: if you have no permanent German domicile, it does not cover you.
Being a law-compliant citizen, of course I had told my local registry I am leaving the country and had my address deleted from the file.

I bought short-term insurance in the US for the time before marriage. Expensive, but if you get an option with a high deductible that only kicks in if you have a major accident or such, it is bearable.

Someone in VJ mentioned they went to get the passport stamped for an upcoming trip and succeeded. Look for that post.
Other people also do walk-in biometrics, but I have no idea how successful that is.