belize

My husband received his green card April 20th, 2006...do I file the N-400 3 months before the April 20th date? If so, that would be sending the paperwork in January 20th 2009 -- I remember that I sent in paperwork to remove the conditions on his green card 3 months before his green card date of April 20th, so do I do the same thing for the citizenship paperwork? Thanks

I'm white and I'm a nanny...I am a "minority" nanny in one of the richest neighborhoods in San Francisco. 99% of the nannies in this neighborhood are Mexican, Salvadoran, Brazilian, etc.... This is a fact. I would not say people are being discriminatory, rather, they are making stereotypes based on what they see, whether that is good or bad. When I meet nannies from Central and South America, they are SHOCKED that I am a nanny--"why are you doing this job?!" they ask, "you are American, you could do anything!"....

I don't want to say stereotyping isn't that bad but the reality is that there seems to be a correlation between the richer people are and the cheaper nannies/housekeepers they hire. Who takes the cheapest jobs and ends up getting taken the most advantage of? often time immigrants who do not have other choices...

As another Jewish member, I would also state that not just my people have been discriminated against, but pretty much everyone in the world has been discriminated against in one way or another....we have it pretty darn good in America....if you were a black African in Sudan right now, for example, you would be murdered by the Arab Sudanese government. I don't want to minimize discrimination because I know how much it sucks, even my husband faced it in Belize, as being one of the "blackest" members of his family....but I would be careful not to assume that stereotypes are always the same as discrimination..

Just wanted to say that Steven received his "Welcome to America" packet today that included his green card...his interview was April 2nd 2007 and we received an RFE and were awaiting a name check, so we think this happened pretty despite thinking the RFE and such would set us back...yay we're done for 2 yrs....i'm so glad we never gave up during this process, it is so physically and emotionally taxing on the relationship, not to mention the $$$ it costs...but we made it!!

Hey We have been approved, officially!!!!

****Application Type: I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: Card production ordered.

On April 25, 2007, we ordered production of your new card. Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you. If we need something from you we will contact you. If you move before you receive the card, call customer service. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.*********

***AS OF APRIL 25th, we really are APPROVED!****

Hey I just got this e-mail:

Application Type: I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: Card production ordered.

On April 25, 2007, we ordered production of your new card. Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you. If we need something from you we will contact you. If you move before you receive the card, call customer service. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.

.....SOOOO, I guess we really ARE approved? lol thanks for all the support!

***UUUUH JUST KIDDING***** apparently now we haven't been approved yet ...I am so damn confused!!!! it seems that we just got our I-130 approval letter very LATE...I guess this doesn't mean our AOS is approved ....in fact i haven't heard anything since the interview...such is life

My husband's Adjustment of Status was approved April 4th, After an interview April 2nd in San Francisco....they made a couple of mistakes a) telling my husband he'd committed a bunch of crimes (that had actually been committed by someone with the same name as him) and B) telling us our co-sponsor needed to be a US Citizen (wrong again)...

So, after mailing us a document saying we had to submit more evidence, we ended up just getting an approval letter before we even responded to the document they sent...crazy...

Sooooo disorganized...

But anyway, we fly back to Belize May 25th-June 11th on vacation as my sister-in-law in graduating from nursing school We're finally that we are ALMOST through this crazy journey...2 more yrs to lift conditions and then Steven's going to apply for citizenship after 3 yrs...and hopefully by then we'll have another little US citizen on the way ....first our timeline was for this dang visa and now we're thinking about a little baby We've really been able to get our stuff together here in San Francisco and save $$$--Steven got his work permit and started a job a couple days later so we've really been lucky...couldn't have done it without VJ!!!!

**UPDATE**

So I just checked my e-mail account and it looks like we got approved...I'm so confused...the e-mail says:

"The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: MSC********

Application Type: I130 , IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On April 4, 2007, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service."

**Does this mean they realized their mistake and that I no longer have to submit the info. they requested? lol...crazy....

So, we interviewed April 2nd (Monday)...we weren't nervous or anything and everything was going so well until the officer asked my husband if he'd ever been arrested in the US--uh, no....she kept asking and asking and trying to intimidate him until finally she told him she had his fingerprints and criminal rapsheet and EVERYTHING...

I was like, honey is there something you haven't told me?! lol....we asked her when he was arrested and where but she got strange and bitchy and wouldn't tell us anything! She told us we needed to submit court documents from the rest and all kinds of ####### and we were like HOW can we do that if there are NO court documents since steven was NEVER arrested--duh--!...the lady got soooo weird on us and kept saying "I hope you're not lying to me...I'll call you on your cell phone with further information"...

Sure enough, later that day she left a message on my cell phone that had nothing to do with this arrest #######....however, she DID say that I needed a new co-sponsor who was a US citizen! I knew that wasn't true but sure enough I get a letter in the mail friday that says our green card is delayed because:

**"Since you are no longer living with your co-sponsor, he must fill out an affidavit of support and submit his birth certificate or copy of his US passport"

We lived with my parents for 2 months before we moved to our own apartment. My dad is my co-sponsor and he is US permanent resident and makes more than sufficient income. Last time we'd already submitted my dad's information including copies of his green card and so forth...

This letter does not make any sense! Why would I have to submit a NEW affadavit just because we moved into our own apartment? And why would she say we needed a new US CITIZEN sponsor in the message she left on my cell phone?! and to make it worse, of COURSE there is no way to contact her!! HELP!

My husband came from a "poor" family, financially, but they always had food and shelter. As the US citizen, I want to give just as much as he does, so we have no problems with this, even when I was the only one working 6 or 7 days a week and knew what it meant to work hard to earn that money.

So now for Christmas and birthdays we send some money down. However, instead of money, we focus more on sending down high-quality gifts and also visiting as much as we can. For example, this time we are bringing down like 20 pairs of name-brand well-made shoes for friends and families, things that will last and that are too expensive to buy when they are imported there. We take care of other expenses, for example, like buying all the school supplies for our nephew who is about to start preschool and buying dresses for my sister-in-laws school graduation.

We send things that are meaningful and needed in the area...when we go down in June we have lots of toothbrushes and things for the kids and school workbooks and such. I grew up in a Jewish home very focused on charity and to my husband and I, this form of giving is a part of life. We make a great living, even on my wage--why? because we don't buy #######! we don't go shopping for the sake of shopping, we eat out ONCE a month (if that) and home cook everything, we don't own gym memberships (we play soccer for free), we don't own a TV, we use the library for internet access, we own one old car between the two of us, etc....

Whatever my family in belize needs, potentially we can provide, especially if it is something more serious like medical. However, I married into a family who does not take advantage of this. For example, some of the money we have sent helped my sister finish a nursing degree, so she will now go on to be a nurse working at the top hospital and making her own wage--that, to us, is sustainable.

My husband came from a "poor" family, financially, but they always had food and shelter. As the US citizen, I want to give just as much as he does, so we have no problems with this, even when I was the only one working 6 or 7 days a week and knew what it meant to work hard to earn that money.

So now for Christmas and birthdays we send some money down. However, instead of money, we focus more on sending down high-quality gifts and also visiting as much as we can. For example, this time we are bringing down like 20 pairs of name-brand well-made shoes for friends and families, things that will last and that are too expensive to buy when they are imported there. We take care of other expenses, for example, like buying all the school supplies for our nephew who is about to start preschool and buying dresses for my sister-in-laws school graduation.

I think you're right that many people don't last in their spouses country....however, i think it might be different for those of us who have actually lived in the other country before. when you move to a different country, there is always going to be a slight sadness of something missing from your home country.

Sorry, but no hot water... and a 2 yr old? Maybe I'm too comfortable, but I'd just wait it out.

A 2 yr old + no hot water wouldn't bother me...doesn't most of the world live without hot water? i think americans think kids need a whole lot more than they do (take it from me, I'm a nanny for really rich baby twins....).

To the Original Poster--don't let what Americans call "necessities" stop you from going with your heart...i see you're already along in the process, but have you ever considered just living in Jamaica? my husband and I will be living in Belize permanently, but we have our reasons for spending a few years in the states...i've found living frugally and rustically incredibly relaxed and rewarding, as you may find...the only think I would look into is health care for your 2 yr old, especially because he's still so young...unless you have a fabulous creole mother-in-law like myself who seems to know every home remedy in the world...lol...good luck!

I've lived with my husband in the middle of the jungle with no running water/electricity or anything....so that said, buy a camping solar shower that you fill and leave in the sun each day to warm, because that hot Jamaican sun will do the trick. Otherwise, take a cold shower in the middle of the day, as it is very refreshing.

I dunno if you have a bathtub out there, but one time i got so desperate for a hot bath that i took our decent sized laundry bucket, hauled water from the creek and boiled 3 huge pots of water under a fire--haha...so i think you will be FINE

My only words of caution are that you NEED to have an AMERICAN job in order to bring your hubby in the country...i hope you do not overlook this...what i did was go back and forth to belize while finishing my last 6 months of college...i then stayed in belize another 3 months then flew home to the US and got a job as quickly as possible so I had a contract in time to submit to the US embassy in Belize...even with a co-sponsor, if that's your case, you still need a job i'm pretty sure--can someone please correct me if I'm wrong? I also did the K-3 visa...honey, just wait it out if you can...and make sure you are not getting yourself into more of a hassle by not having a US job in time.

peace,

ilana

"BTW, for the environmentalists, why would you go to Belize? That sounds just a little off kilter."

what do you mean exactly? we would return to our organic farm in Belize. I am also active in Belize Organics Producers Association, in developing an organic industry there...there is plenty of land and eco-research potential, great for universities, studying plants, herbology, etc...sooooo many reasons to choose belize, as an environmentalist--and did i mention it is absolutely stunning? when i could never afford land in California, this makes the most sense.

Gabacha--it sounds like we have a lot in common....like you, i randomly chose to do my undergrad field work for my thesis in Belize and again randomly, met my now husband. My thesis was about a student's guide to social change-work with NGOs in developing countries...what was yours about? i agree with you, in that if i could move to belize right now i would...and the thing is, we potentially "could"...but, we have a bunch of random goals that require money so we wouldn't have to say, take out a loan, to open up a dancehall...such is life....even if you guys don't last long in the US and end up moving back to Mexico sooner than you might like, i do think the move to the US is an important cultural experience for the non-US spouse, especially in getting to understand where you came from...my husband and i were raised in incredibly different environments, economically, religiously, etc. so i think even though the move and transition is tough, it is well rewarding...i imagine you're young too if you were in school at the time, i'm 21 and steven is 25...just wanted to say hi

wow i didn't realize one could lose ones' permanent resident status...hmm....how long does citizenship take again? 4 yrs after you get the green card or something like that? we plan on birthing our children in the US, for obvious immigration reasons, so we will be in the US for some time (because babies are in the fuuuuuture for us...) so maybe we'll still be here for the citizenship...thanks for bringing that up....

I was just wondering if anyone else here has considered and/or will be living in their non-US-citizen spouse's country in the future...just curious....my husband and i plan on moving back to belize and starting a family in about 5 yrs--we are in the US to save money and further our educations so we can lead successful lives in a third-world country. We also wanted the visa so we could travel back and forth to visit family, whereas before, Steven would have never been able to even take a vacation with me in the US. If the US is only temporary for you, why?

We have chosen to live in Belize for many reasons...we are environmentalists for one, and have land down there and secondly, want to raise our kids in a less-materialistic place, in the hopes that they will grow up valuing different things in life...my husband's country is such a beautiful place, with so much diversity, and we are both so in love with it....has anyone else chosen this path?

I was just wondering if anyone else here has considered and/or will be living in their non-US-citizen spouse's country in the future...just curious....my husband and i plan on moving back to belize and starting a family in about 5 yrs--we are in the US to save money and further our educations so we can lead successful lives in a third-world country. We also wanted the visa so we could travel back and forth to visit family, whereas before, Steven would have never been able to even take a vacation with me in the US. If the US is only temporary for you, why?

We have chosen to live in Belize for many reasons...we are environmentalists for one, and have land down there and secondly, want to raise our kids in a less-materialistic place, in the hopes that they will grow up valuing different things in life...has anyone else chosen this path?

Hi, my husband came into the USA September 2006 on a K-3 visa. His residency interview is this coming April 2nd. On a K-3 visa alone, say if he doesn't get his residency by May, would we be able to take a 2 week vacation from May 25th-June 11th to his home country of Belize? we are going down for his sisters' graduation...i'm pretty sure the K-3 is a 2 yr re-entry visa, but i just want to double check with people who have actually done this. Thank you!

I met my husband in Belize when I was doing field work for my thesis and teaching organic farming in the town he grew up in. Although we lived 3 blocks away from each other and worked only 1 block away, we did not meet via work. Rather we randomly ran into each other on a corner, like magnets, star-struck and couldn't even say anything but "HI"....a month later we met on another street corner where he was talking to a mutual friend of ours--after I discovered that his job was making me sick (he was the guy spraying insecticides for malaria control on my house every monday)....i decided to lecture him all night long about bad chemicals and enviornmental jargon...we fell in love and he took me to work travelling the country with the malaria department, camping out in all kinds of funky places....we moved to a little farm because--get this--the NGO i was working for made us sign a form saying we would not date or have any sexual relations with the local men--riiiiight....so that's our story....we made it to the US in September 2006 after getting married in 2005 and plan to move back to belize permanently in 6 yrs or so. we are in the US for the education, money, and um " cultural" experience that is necessary for intercultural relationships...

I have no idea if this has been done...but has there ever been a bay area visa journey meet-up? It coule be a get-together for anyone on visa journey who is anywhere along the journey...including people whose spouses are not here yet...it coule be fore support, answering questions, making new friends, etc.

We're Ilana and Steven and we live in San Francisco. Steven arrived here (from Belize) September 13th 2006 and is still awaiting his EAD and his residency interview is April 2nd. What about the rest of you bay area people?

San Francisco here. We live in an apartment in the marina district, pretty but a bit yuppie for us....the main perks are that it's a mile from my work and we can play soccer overlooking the bay...

Do you have everything ready to go as far as the whole AOS packet? It takes some time! Make your local appointment (you can do it via websit). While you wait on the appointment get everything ready to go and then hopefully just add in your 1-84 copy and numbers. It took me a couple of weeks to pull it together. Be patient and hang in there, and get your appoinment ASAP!!

Allison

What appointment?

**BUMP**...i want to know the same thing...what appointment?

UPDATE:

It look an entire DAY LONG to get the airport people to ADMIT they made a mistake, even after the officer swore, under oath that he made no mistake.

In the end, he ended up admitting the mistake and the supervisor sent him from his higher position, back to training because to the airport it was a huge deal.

They are sending me a new I-94 (with my old # on it) free of charge. In addition, they are sending me a pre-paid fedex envelope for me to send the brown package to them in). They will then stamp it, process it, and send it to wherever they normally send it....

Keep in mind, i had to HUSTLE to get exactly what I wanted....i had to let them know that there was no way in H#LL i was gonna pay for a new I-94 that they had never given to my husband OR pay to mail my heavy brown package..lol....but the hustlin paid off....i basically threatened them with an "I can make this a looooot worse for the airport if you want, and contact the higher authorities to let them know this airport is not up-to-par at the oh-so-important POE".....in times of all this ultra-security, i think they caught my drift and played the PR card....

ugh....this delays my process but at least it won't overly screw it up...