tomrein

I'm very sorry for the situation and would like to offer some helpful ideas. She should file a child support case immediately!. Then she should ask the USCIS for a stay of deportation until paternity and child support is arranged. In the mean time she should phone the Philippines Consulate in her area and ask for assistance home. Pleading the Consulate go after the father of the child for any charges incurred.

Fact is the man had gone to PI and promised marriage to the woman. He impregnated her. Both are obvious promises to the woman that he intended to marry her. I see absolutely no fault in her wishing to have a family with the man who fathered her child.

Personally I was a little shocked at the lack of empathy in previous posts. I was helped tremendously here on the Visa Journey site and would like to thank again all who gave me advice along my path.

P.S. I fathered two children out of wedlock, I now after 10 years of custody battles have 90% custody of my oldest child and I am working on increasing the custody of my younger child. The situation is none that I would wish upon anyone's child let alone my own. I hope the greater judge(be it God or my children) will look back upon me in the future and say I did as good as I could with my trials.

I hope the mother and child can find a happy life sometime in the future, but now I'm sure she is devastated and the child will be quite confused in the future.

Good Luck and I hope the dead beat loses half of his income for the next 18 years, plus the 750 for the plane ticket.

Besides The actual I-864, this years most recent tax info and the accompaning W2, and the birth certificate showing that the joint sponsor is an american citizen, is there anything else that is required? soooo...

1) I-864 form signed and filled out

2) This year tax info and W2

3) Birth certificate proving citizenship

Is anything else required besides the above? It says that you can put in aletter from your employer, but it doesnt say it is required, and the joint sponsor makes more than enough above the 125% poverty line.

I'm sure you will need to give 3 years tax info too and make sure the I-864 is fully signed and i-864-A. We just helped my sister for a joint affidavit of support and so far she is here now 2 weeks ago.

I have another question, it says that in order to be a sponsor you must meet 125% of the poverty line all by yourself, unfortunately my boyfriend can't so I spoke to my father in Nicaragua and he is willing to sponsor of course the siblings that are coming to the USA. The question is, can he sponsor them even though he is out of the country?

Thanks,

Carmen

If he is out of the US, he cannot co-sponsor. Co-sponsor means that he/she is willing to support the beneficiary here in the US. US government dont want to accept a public burden in case he/she dont have work yet. But you can add all the household income to meet the 125%.

Can my parents pay their immigrant visa bill at some banks in the Philippines? Or do they need to pay at the US embassy in Manila? Thank you

You can pay inside the embassy itself.

Ali was told at his interview that I do not make enough income to support him, regardless what the NVC seems to think. I handed in a partial year's Federal Tax Return which showed that I made $15,500 from April 2008-December 2008. I also submitted a statement of my savings ($3,500), a letter from my employer stating my full year's salary ($22,000) and copies of my earned scholarship disbursements to be used for living expenses ($12,000/year). Had they looked closely and reviewed all of our evidence (as it seems the NVC did, as we were obviously approved) they would have seen that I make enough money to support a family of four or more at 125% above the poverty line. I also submitted unofficial transcripts of my Master's program detailing that I was in the top 15% of my class. Instead they asked for a joint sponsor. Which leads us to our 2nd RFE.

Ali handed all of the documents to the consular and everything was in order. Ali's sponsor, a male relative of mine, is married. She asked if the wife also works (assuming because the married couple filed their taxes jointly and only the husband's wage statements were in the evidence that I sent) . Ali said yes. However, Ali was mistaken (we unfortunately never discussed this, I did not predict they would ask this sort of question). When Ali left the embassy and retrieved his phone from security he called me to tell me what transpired. I told him that he was mistaken, that my aunt does not work. Ali rushed back to the embassy to talk to the same woman who said "I have put a date for you into the computer already. Explain the situation to me then" and dismissed him. So, now we have an RFE that says that Ali needs to submit a joint affadavit of support and wage statements of a woman that does not work. What a nightmare.

What I intend to do is get a signed, notarized statement from my aunt detailing the situation told to her by Ali and myself and verifying that she does not work and has not worked for some time due to a disability. Then I will get a copy of some document verifying her disability and have that notarized as a certified true copy. I will also have my uncle write a signed, notarized statement verifying that he is the sole wage earner in the partnership. Then I may have them fill another Affadavit of Support---but I don't see the sense in this except they asked for an Affadavit of Support. My lawyer has yet to get back to me.

So, any thoughts, advice, words of encouragement?

Obviously you didnt passed the poverty guidelines family of four income. My sister just had an interview last week and was required to have a joint sponsor as well which is family of 3 at $22,000. annual income. A letter from your employer stating your income didnt helped because they want a proof of income from your tax return and w2's.

tomrein

I am a Filipina who married a US Citizen. We are in the process of filing the Petition for Alien Relative. I have two first names. I was wondering if I may just use my first name (Maria), and drop my second first name (Belinda) in the application forms. Was hoping to use my maiden name as my middle name, and my husband's surname as my last name. (It gets confusing using two first names in US documents because they use my second name as my middle name). Would appreciate your advice on this matter. Thanks!

Put your 2 names together in the first name space. Never change your name, or else you will have problem in the future. you cannot modify your name by yourself, only court can do it. Use your name as is....Like First Name: Ma. Belinda, Middle Name: Blah Blah, Last Name: Blah blah. that's how you should do it.

tomrein

My wife just had her interview in jakarta (US embassy) and will get her visa a little over a week. We want to avoid her having to go back to Indonesia after she gets here. How should we apply for the green card? We just don't want to make a big mistake of her having to go all the way back to Indonesia for some sort of required interview to get her green card. We are going with the K-3 visa. Will we be able to get the green card for her when she gets here to the US without needing to go back...thanks for any good advise..God bless VJF

yes but you guys didn't use the I-129 petition..My wife got the K-3 visa through I-129F petition. I saw you guys went directly with the I-130...the I-129 I thought was for waiting for permanent residency. I assume what you are saying might work for us as well..but I am just trying to avoid any regrets..thanks so much for your reply..God bless

If you were approved thru I-129, you need to apply for it. Sorry I got confused.

My wife just had her interview in jakarta (US embassy) and will get her visa a little over a week. We want to avoid her having to go back to Indonesia after she gets here. How should we apply for the green card? We just don't want to make a big mistake of her having to go all the way back to Indonesia for some sort of required interview to get her green card. We are going with the K-3 visa. Will we be able to get the green card for her when she gets here to the US without needing to go back...thanks for any good advise..God bless VJF

You don't need to apply for her green card. Once she gets here, in less than a month you will receive it. This was my experience when i got my greencard though. 3 weeks after my arrival.

Tomrein

Hi Everyone,

My son, a 10 year old, living in the Philippines with my sister. My husband and I are here in the US. We filed a tourist Visa for him while his Petition is ongoing. And today, my son had an interview and was denied for the reason that he should travel with his parents not with anyone else nor father alone. Anyway, the letter we sent stated there that my sister was scheduled to travel to US this May and he will escort our son to come in the US.

My questions, can I appeal the denial for reconsideration and will tell them that we will be the one to escort him on his travel? Can one parent alone will be allowed to travel with the minor, or do we really need to be both parents. When can we reapply again?

Thank you so much,

Tomrein

Hi,

My fiancee applied for her social security card after 14 days upon her arrival in US.

After a month, we didn't get the card so we checked back with the SSA and they said it might take up to another 2-3 weeks because of their error.

I'm getting worried because her visa is about to expire and we can't get married because we don't have marriage license.

Is there a way for USCIS to extend her K-1 Visa? I mean we're trying to get married but we just can't!

You don't need a social security no. to marry. Try Las Vegas Wedding, no requirements needed except your fee, bride & groom. (lol) My friend just had a wedding there last Feb this year and she is on a tourist visa. Now, she's in a process of adjusting her status. Anyway, I got my social security almost a month from the day I applied and got green card in 3 weeks from date of arrival.

The child must meet the following requirements:

• Have at least one American citizen parent by birth or naturalization;

• Be under 18 years of age;

• Live in the legal and physical custody of the American citizen parent; and

• Be admitted as an immigrant for lawful permanent residence. (have a green card)

In addition, if the child is adopted, the adoption must be full and final.

It doesn't matter what order things happen in, nor does it matter which parent is the one through which citizenship is gained. It sounds like, right now, the mother isn't a US Citizen, but she's a legal parent, and you are a US Citizen, but not yet the child's legal father. The child will have a US Citizen parent when either you become the child's legal parent or when the mother gains US Citizenship. Furthermore, it sounds like the child doesn't yet have a green card.

I am the US citizen, my wife just removed her conditional status(ongoing). We both legally adopted out son Jade in the Philippines, so yes I am the legal father. I cannot obtain physical custody personally until he is allowed to come live with us. Yet my wife has had him since childhood. The adoption decision was granted retroactively to July 2006, the day we filed the adoption case. We went trough a foreign DSWD(social services) investigation/home study, the child was declared a foundling and ward of the state. The bio-parents were searched for via radio and print adds, Then the DSWD recommended custody for us. And the court ruled Jade is now our son.

I wish the USCIS would allow him here,ie change rules so that we can achieve the Physical Custody requirement then after two years we can complete his paperwork. I would rather live in limbo with our child then apart.

No offense was intended, but you did seem weak in understanding basic immigration law regarding citizenship and will admit to being wrong in what you went through to bring your son over here at the same time as your wife.

I could not chance the doctors at the medical interview questioning why my wife had never given birth and yet we were petitioning a son. I felt we needed to legitimize the child's status, thus adopt him. They changed the rules on the very day our adoption case finalized. So none of this is neither here nor there as we still need a way to bring our son here.

I dont know if we can get the uscis to waive the 2 years physical custody of the Petitioner as my wife has had total custody of the child for 8 years.

The delays in bring my wife here among other things was her getting full physical custody of her daughter during the AOS stage, she just couldn't come here nor would I agree by herself leaving her daughter in the street someplace.

Whatever stack of forms we had to fill out to bring my wife here, had to do the same for her daughter, plus we needed indisputable proof that her daughter was free to come here and free of any claims from her biological father. For the I-751, only had to pay the biometric fee for our daughter, but she turned 18 due to extensive delays when applying for the N-400. No way to get around those delays, tried, and tried very hard, so daughter has to wait those additional two years before she can get her USC.

I would have a very difficult time comprehending how you and your wife could have left her son behind.

You should not assume I would leave our son in the street or the care of someone we do not trust implicitly,..My wife's sister is caring for him and he stays in the house I built in the province. I send him to private school and send money weekly for his every need. Sorry I kinda take offense when someone implies that I am abandoning my son on the street or forcing my wife to do the same. I have done nothing but fix the problems my wife has had in her life for over 5 years, and some of those problems were big! Our son is the perfect example of how taking the easy way is not always the best, we had to adopt him legally so that he can come here properly with no chance of either of them being blacklisted forever. that was a hard choice we both had to make mutually. And YES WE MISS OUR SON TREMENDOUSLY.

Your case, your life does not apply to my situation.

sorry i miss typed,

i am not overly concerned regarding liabilities, its is my brother in laws immediate family, brothers-sisters.

Sister-In-Law??? US Citizens CANNOT file an I-130 for IN-Laws. Only your wife once she has become a US Citizen through Naturalization can file an i-130 for her sibling.

I am not filing the petition, I have been asked to CO-Sponsor the income. My brother in law didn't earn enough last year to qualify for the poverty Guidelines. The petition was approved at the Interview in Manila on Wednesday, consul is holding it for the addition of a co-sponsor.

My brother in law's is concerned about the liabilities a co-sponsor takes on. Can anyone clarify what co-sponsoring entails? Is the financial liability for the co-sponsor only for the beneficiary becoming a government ward or does it include an at fault car accident, or hospital bills, bankruptcy and bad debt?

Do I have to fill out G-325's for everyone in my family plus my sister-in-law? Any help or guide to this process will help alot. I'm still unsure whether co-sponsoring my sister in law will impact my already filed I-130 for my son which I just filed some additional Information USCIS requested.

any info is much appreciated, Thank God for Visa JOurney.

Do you make enough income (without counting your husbands income) to cover the level needed for your sister?

No. My wife about 11USd per Hr. quick computation is $22,880 which I believe falls just short.

sorry for the bump

Is your wife the biological mom? If she is, then the child is also your step-child which means you can apply for the child without having to meet the 2 years custody requirement.

My wife found our son on her doorstep nearly ten years ago, she did wrong and filed a simulated birth certificate. I was not willing to petition him as her biological son at the time I filed her papers. We together filed an Adoption in the Philippines. Our son was declared a foundling, a ward of the state and then he was made our son when the adoption finalized on April 4th 2008. Which I believe is the first day Philippines became a Hague Convention Country.

Now USCIS wants me(citizen Petitioner) to have two years Physical Custody. My wife has had him 8 years, but I fail to see how I can get Physical Custody Myself. WE have missed two years of our sons childhood now and seems USCIS wants us to miss 2 more. There must be a work around this. I sent them a letter apologizing for not knowing that during the Adoption procedure I should have been doing either an I 600 or AN I 800. USCIS was just yesteday sent the best we could provide, that my wife has had him for his entire life and I have completely supported him for four years now.

If there is a moderator who could place this post where It may garner the attention of peoples knowing a good deal of foreign adoption it would be appreciated.

again thanks in advance for any and all advice you may provide.

tom rein

We are approved. Visa is not in hand yet, but the embassy has called to ask for his passport. I'm sooooo excited. We've been on AP for 18 months. What do we need to do now to get his approval to work so he can work as soon as he gets here? He will be bored and homesick if he has to sit at home alone much.

Thanks,

Robin

Congratulations!!!

Well, for him not to get bored, enroll a short course maybe, that's what I did during my first 6 months. Its the best thing you can do. Make his mind busy not to focus on anything that can lead to depression, adjusting to a new environment is a very tough situation.

Best wishes

Tomrein

My wife has just adjusted her status after two years as a Conditional Permanent Resident. I heard someone saying that if a Permanent Resident Marries a Natural Born U.S. Citizen they can file for citizenship after obtaining their Green Card for only two years .

I am trying to bring our adopted son here, but She is the only one with two years physical custody. So if she can adjust to citizen she can put her name on my petition for our adopted son and qualify us for the physical custody requirement?

thanks in advance and if you have knowledge about adopting a foreign child I would love to be able to chat with you to help me through some very trying times. We have not been with our son for two years now.

Hi Everyone,

My sister just had an interview yesterday 4/16/2009 in manila embassy. she was petitioned by her husband thru K3 visa. Now my brother-in-law didnt able to reach the poverty guideline family of 3 which is $23,000 and my sister was advised by the people in the embassy that she has to get a co-sponsor in order to give her a visa. anyway, the interview went well and visa is pending for submission of co-sponsor papers.

Now, I am in the process of adjusting my status, because I just reached my two years conditional residence last April 10, 2009. Also, my husband is currently petitioning my 10 year old son from Manila. The question is, Can I co-sponsor my sister without any effect on the ongoing petition for our son, by the way, it's my husband's name declared as Petitioner? My husband and I filed Tax jointly.

Please help us, I want to help my sister. My husband and I Annual tax together this year is $65,000. Will it be possible?

Thank you so much for all the help we got when I was in the immigration proceedings, I love this site a lot, very informative!

Tomrein

My friend went to marry my wifes sister, he is living in our house in the provinces, he is not registered in Phils as a resident and a guy at embassy wants 35k psp to make his residence there.

This dont add up too me. How does he apply for foreign residence?? how does he start the process that will actally lead to the I-130 process? He wants to do direct consular filing !

any step by step would greatly be appreciated as my dad is critical condition in hosp, im going thru custody issues in court for my daughter and her alcoholic mother and I work full time and help my wife work part time, I just dont have the time to research everything for my friend in the Phils.

You guys are awesome I want to send a really big THANK YOU in advance for any help!!!!

Ok to clarfy some,

My wife is 36, when we met she needed an annulment and she had adopted her child ilegally and now thru my insitance we are straightening it out the correct way, it takes time. I was patient and finaced it all besides the house and so many more things. I gave my life up nearly completely to get these things done. I AM NOT trying to play the martyr. I am the one doing what needs be done. I just feel a little more appreciation is waranted. I Love Rein with my life and dont put my previous children above her. I have a different love for them all. I know life will get better once she gets to work and this is partially due to her frustration at not finding work. But because see never got a reply from a few online resumes she refuses to try harder. Well today she is on interview and hope she gets the job.

Im just tired. I worked so much and so hard to get the visa done and now i hear" you bought me" or if i say i love you a response " i doubt it" or "lies". All I know is I gave up on American women when both my childrens mothers took my children away. No I wasnt married and yes I should have been smarter, but I did think I loved those women, but now Im sure I love the only wife I will ever had or wil have. If this aint it, I think Im done with women completely. Theres always the inernet.

Thank YOU all for your thoughts and I pray you all find the perfect life and harmony of being.

Tom

My wife has been here and looking for a job since April. Still no lick with job search. Se has the usual loneliness associated with leaving her life behindas well as the added anguish of having left her adopted so behind in the PI. We are trying to make the adoption move butthe attorney there is dragging her knuckles and we are strugglig to get by on my salary. I dont make a great deal only 40k or so and live in San Diego county, one of the highest cost of livings in USA.

Now my wife is fighting with me always, complaining i dont ever do anything for her, she states everything I do is for my Daughter, movies once a month maybe. Yet I take her to free concerts, and out when I can but the budget just isnt there for entertainment until she finds work. She had finally started to try to bond with my daughter and it wa bearing fruit, but with her attitude it may just stp short soon. I mean this weekend i asked her if she wanted her hair done, she aid yes then and now she ays it wasnt what she wanted, thats $70 later and now she is yelling agin i dont do anything for her.

I gave up my life when she was in PI to support her, for two years I did VERY little with my kid, ad nearly gave up on my second daughter(didnt fight for custody thru attorney exspense). I wrked major overtime,didn take my kid to but maybe two movies in those two years. Now my wif is here and I been wanting to do something special formy daughter before school starts again. So I made camping reservations at Doheny statebeach for ONE night next week and wife is threatening nt to go because everything i do is for my kids. I mean Mywife was living with her mom and coulnt stand it so i built her a house fo 7k. Im at a loss but iknow she needs freinds and work.

I hope she can adjust because even I KNOW I'm a good man I cant take the pressure of this kinda life, work , cook for her, pay school for kid, live perpetually broke, never do nothing for me, let alone be able to just have a lazy day and then get bit** at for doing all i have done.

Any advice is welcome as well as any offrs of online friends for my wfe Rein

Peace ALL

I wish America had it

Tom