MrsAwakened

Wow.. what a situation. hope the couple get to be together.

Yes, hopefully...She probably moved to wherever he's from.

I have good news and I have news that's not really bad but I have no other word to explain it.

Throughout this whole immigration process, I haven't used an attorney the whole time. A point came that I needed my husband's US criminal record but the local police station only gave us some of his record. They said if we wanted the rest, we'd need to go through the court because the information is not public. Finally, I had to hire an attorney and I REALLY didn't want to. Someone on here suggested Lizz Cannon. I was skeptical to hire an attorney for reasons you all know. But I called her up and she seemed like a no-nonsense type of person so I felt I could trust her. She was able to get what we needed and while she did that, she found some very interestinggg information. 2 years ago, my husband was deported under INA 237(a)(2)(B)(i). If you know anything about the I-601, when it comes to the many drugs in this world, only people with ONE marijuana conviction of 30 grams or less is able to use the I-601. Throughout this whole process, we were 100% sure he had two marijuana convictions. I was just praying that the interviewer was this extra nice person who would magically find a way. If that wasn't possible, I was (and still am) ready to call my state Senator and see what could be done. This EXTREMELY hostile immigration officer kept insisting he had committed a felony and that he could NEVER come back. When I told her what my husband told me, she made it seem like he was lying and hiding things from me. I wish I would have taken down her information because she needs to be reported. Unfortunately, I didn't. I was too shocked, I guess.

Anyway, I've been searching up and down the internet for any information on the INA code. My husband kept telling me not to obsess over it but it was very difficult. I would take breaks from it and remind myself that we'll just find out at his interview. But I'd occasionally do some more research to see if I missed anything and to see if there was anything I could do. A few days ago, I searched this site and used better words so I could find something similar to what we were going through. My heart sank a little. A woman's husband had been denied TWICE. The first time, they applied for a K1. I don't remember if it was a government offical but someone told her if her and her fiance were to get married and try again, he would be able to get a waiver. They got married and tried again. He got denied a second time! That's how I thought it would be with my husband. Fortunately, I already accepted that he wasn't going to get one but it still sucks, you know?

Now fast forward to today... I was informed by our awesome attorney that my husband actually only has ONE marijuana conviction.

The other thing we thought was a marijuana charge is actually "Nolle Prossed"..

He. Is. ELIGIBLEEEEEEEEEE. *throws confetti at everyone*

That brings me to my "BAD" news. If you have a single offense of simple possession of 30 grams or less, you are inadmissible, NOT deportable.

We have no idea why he was deported now. If you are simply inadmissible, it means as long as you don't leave the country and don't commit anymore crimes, you wont be deported. My husband has never taken a trip after EITHER of those scenarios. Yes, he has other things on his record but they specifically said he was deported under 237(a)(2)(B)(i) and that his deportation is for 10 years. They didn't tell us anything else. We have not rescheduled his interview yet because we haven't received all of his US criminal history. When we do, I am not allowed to go so I'm preparing everything I can for him to make sure there's no more confusion for the embassy. When he went to his first interview, they acted like they knew were surprised and knew nothing about his deportation or criminal history. But when I emailed them to explain that the local police stations would not give us his adult record, they suddenly knew about his minor record (they even mention the specific year ).

Does anyone have any suggestions and thoughts? I'm wondering what your opinion of this scenario is.

Also, I'm aware that some people have to file I-601 and I-212. Based on everything I just said, do you think this may happen?

I hope this information helps someone else in some way.

Don't you just love the immigration process?

does anyone know how long will it take for them to assign interview and medical after everything is paid thanks

another question starting today when can we have an idea of an medical and or interview thanks alot

Once they tell you when your interview is, then your husband should do his medical. Once everything is paid and completed, the NVC could take anywhere from 30 days or more to give you a case complete. Once they do that, you'll eventually get an email that says you are scheduled for an interview. When you get that email, he can do his medical. My timeline under my post is an example where the NVC was actually fast but it depends on how hard they work and hopefully there aren't a lot of US holidays while they process your case lol

I'm sorry if this isn't a lot of help but...don't you think that's weird for someone who is in love and in a real marriage to "accidentally" put single instead of married? Since you're doing a green card based on marriage you should make sure you have as much proof as possible that your marriage is a bona-fide one. "Accidentally" putting single sounds weird to me even though I believe you are in a sincere marriage lol You and I are using different embassies but just from my husband's experience, they really emphasized our marriage. They asked questions and wanted to see the pictures we already included in the packet. Thankfully I had a feeling they would so I told him to bring them again. Anywhere you get married outside the US still counts as marriage in the US. Hopefully you reported your marriage to the US, at least? I suggest she does redo it before sending the stuff to the USCIS/NVC. It may suck but when it comes to this process, you have to be perfect, just in case. NVC tried to say we didn't send my husband's police certificate so we had to go get a new one, just for them to randomly find it again and send us a case complete. That held us back about a month. This marriage green card is based on your marriage so you should make sure it's perfect so there are no suspicions that may cause delays. If I was you, I'd rather explain the accident to the Philippines government people than the USCIS ._.

hmmmm lol true so why arent you going back monday isent that a week since you guys were there ??? they have his passport so ....

lol he is going back Monday I got the proper stuff and I emailed it to the embassy and he will bring a hard copy with him.

the first number is there main number from 8 to 12 they take calls only

Nvm, we got a hold of someone and it was a waste of time. I seriously don't understand this embassy lol The first time we called, the employee who answered was very unprofessional. He did not ask what he was suppose to (passport # and DS-260 confirmation #). I felt like I was talking to a normal friend. Fortunately (or unfortunately), the phone ran out of credit so we had to call back and we got this Bosnian lady (when some Bosnian's speak English, they sound like a French person trying to speak English, little fun fact hahaha). We're just going to not call and he's just gonna go back Monday and see what happens haha We are fortunate enough that they only said a week later and not a whole month or something terrible! We just tried the Visa Inquiries phone number on their website. The reason we didn't use it last time was because I didn't remember the DS-260 confirmation number but I just went back to the DS-260 online form and went to the last page to get it. But Bosnian passports are kind of weird and their # doesn't make sense compared to an American passport #...so when she looked up his passport #, she said she couldn't find anything lololol ahhh Lord have mercy. I don't have space in my brain to deal with phone people so I'm just going to do what I know works - do it myself!

Hvala puno!

did they return the passport back...

033 659-722

+387 33 704 000 these 2 numbers work there is an option in english and in bosnian click the one you prefer...and a live person will answer your call.Also

they answer questions from 8 am to 12pm..Bosnian time after that nothing till the next day ... hope I have been helpful to you

Thank you but we tried that and their main number just says it's not in service or something. You know how the Bosnia phones are...lol we called at 10 am Bosnia time and still we couldn't get to a human. It just kept repeating itself. So I'm wondering how to finally get to a human. What's the first number you wrote? We will try that one today.

after the interview did they return your husband passport back?

They did not, why? Lol

My husband had his interview yesterday and because of a "slow computer" and lack of information (long story), they told him to come back next Monday. Now he and I are trying to contact the US Embassy in Sarajevo and we have no idea how to talk to an actual human. I've done it before but the numbers we're calling are from their actual site but one keeps telling you to click a number option and keeps giving you info and the other just acts like it's not an accurate number. Any advice?

I cannot update my timeline. I saw other vj posts about this and they said to clear the cache and/or try from incognito and none of it works for me. I decided to try to "submit a review" for the interview just to see what it would do and it claimed I'm not registered even though I'm signed in O.o I think it thinks I'm just a visitor viewing someone else's timeline!

I suggest you call the NVC. They can explain it to you better and if it's a glitch they can tell you.

Just click on it and see if it lets you pay the IV or the AOS fee. If it doesn't let you pay either, you can either wait or call the NVC

I think for my husband, it said both were available but really only the AOS was when I finally clicked to try and pay.

As bad as a lot of people make the NVC look on this site, they actually helped me A LOT!

People with multiple drug related offenses and the others listed are permanently barred from the US. Bars that age off are for overstays and deportations. Fortunately it is nearly impossible to get a pardon for this behavior and that person will not be returning to the US.

But that's what doesn't make sense though.... multiple drug offenses but with a 10 year bar? That's the opposite of what you're saying.

You're saying there's 1 or the other...

Multiple drug offenses = permanent bar

Bars that age off = Overstays and deportations

But what if it's:

Multiple drug offenses = bar that ages off?

Speak to an atty that specalizes in waivers, crimes involving drugs

fall under moral turpitude is almost impossible to get approval to

file waivers especially by former LPRs, there are loopholes for some

cases best addressed by atty that have reviewed ones paperwork

and total situation, unable to garner that on a DIY forum...Liz Cannon

does free phone consults start there by calling her

The topic in this scenario involves being deported for a crime involving marijuana.

I know there are situations where people get deported and they aren't able to get a waiver.

I understand that if someone has a single possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana they are eligible for a waiver.

That's simple...I get that.

but...

237(a)(2)(b)(i)

"(B)Controlled substances

Let's say someone is deported with a 5, 10, 20 year ban (compared to a permanent ban)

If someone has a 10 year ban for being deported for having 2 separate occasions of possession of 30 grams or less, how does that not give someone the ability to be eligible for a waiver? I'm guessing the 10 year ban without a waiver just means in 10 years, the person wont need a waiver or anything, they can just reapply?

Side note: I once talked to a lawyer who said (I don't know exactly HOW he said it but this is in my own words) the person with 2 can possibly have their case "reopened" and if one of the 2 possessions was longer than x amount of years ago, maybe it can be "taken away". I wrote that terrible but that's what I heard haha Does anyone know anything about this?

----------------------------------------

This is written BEFORE the stuff I quoted above:

(2)Criminal offenses

I don't understand the things that are bold/highlighted.

Are they saying that those things listed ARE eligible for a waiver? Or are they saying those things are IF they are pardoned by the President of the United States or the Governor of any of a state? On top of that, are they saying someone with multiple criminal convictions is eligible to get a waiver and not someone who has 2 convictions of possession of 30 grams or less instead of 1? Isn't that "technically" 2 convictions too? I know these are kind of questions that a normal civilian may not be able to answer but these are just the questions in my head. I know they are laws and there is nothing I can do about them but it's still just...really unfortunate. This is an occasion where you wish you were super rich and famous and the President invited you to the White House and you're just like, "Hey man, I need you to pardon someone....you can? Sweeeeet!! *HIGH FIVE*". Okay, I know it's not that easy but some famous people get a lot of stuff handed to them and if it's not handed to them, they can usually pay to get it.

Also, on an old post from 2013, this person was extremely rude to this person asking questions about waivers. I understand where they were coming from but I felt they were out of line. I understand that it's not okay for people to break laws and that America takes drug related crimes very seriously. I appreciate that America has laws to try to protect US citizens and I've even been made fun of for being super serious about following laws (even if it's not illegal, I think about how God would look at it) ...At the same time, if you don't know that person or their situation, you should not be attacking them. No one knows if that person has changed or why they did what they did. If you don't know, it's best to leave the harsh judgement at the door. Even if you DO know, being rude doesn't really help the situation. People come here for advice, not for another mother..

Thanks in advance! I haven't seen any topics on this 237(a)(2)(b)(i) so I'm wondering if there are people out there or people who have helped others. But I will accept any advice.

Hey, after the interview, can you tell us how it went? I'm wondering the specifics of what we should try to bring lol

thanks

Hi guys I just want to let you know I got my Visa today Thank you for your support

That's great! Congratulations!

I think it depends on your individual case. Just keep calling and asking for an update maybe?

how long do you think you will wait...

Well, right now I'm just waiting for myself to submit the IV application haha

Then we will send the AOS packet and IV packet together soon. I think the NVC said

they may take 30 days to review the packets.

thanks alot it helps

Good! You're welcome

https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplayInit.do

is the place to check the service center processing times...

Texas Service Center Processing Times

"I-130 Petition for Alien Relative Permanent resident filling for a spouse or child under 21 - 5 Months

I-130 Petition for Alien Relative U.S. citizen filing for a spouse, parent, or child under 21 - March 25, 2015

I-130 Petition for Alien Relative U.S. citizen filing for an unmarried son or daughter over 21 - March 25, 2015

I-130 Petition for Alien Relative Permanent resident filling for an unmarried son or daughter over 21 - 5 Months

I-130 Petition for Alien Relative U.S. citizen filing for a married son or daughter over 21 - March 25, 2015

I-130 Petition for Alien Relative U.S. citizen filing for a brother or sister - March 25, 2015

- Last Updated October 15, 2015"

It also says:

"Instructions for Using the Chart

The chart will show most of the types of forms processed at the field office or service center. You can select the form type that applies to your case from the drop-down menu.

If the field office or service center is meeting its goal for processing a form, you will find the timeframe listed in months. For example, if the office is processing Form N-400 naturalization applications in five months or less, then the chart will say "5 months." However, if the office is experiencing a processing delay, you will find the filing date of the last case that the office completed before updating the chart."

That's why some of them just have dates, compared to 2 of them having "5 months"

It actually says it "URGES" the spouse to accompany the intended immigrant.
You know you can ask me anything lol I didn't know that's why you were

wondering if we had our interview yet. I could have answered this for you easily.

http://sarajevo.usembassy.gov/iv-faq.html

"Does the U.S. citizen petitioner have to attend the interview?

We urge the U.S. citizen petitioner to attend the interview if he or she is present in BiH."

Wow....I'm thanking God they sent me to CSC. That's too crazy. You should have just gotten married first! What were you thinkinggggg?! Haha but seriously maybe someday it will work out. ...and whaaat background checks? Weird.

@mrsawakened. So they finally respond to my inquiry not that it matters. They say cant go forward with my case until background checks are complete and if i dont get a response back in 6 months from receiving this message for me to call. I read somewhere that it takes 2-1/2 months at least for them to get back to you in regards to the background check. It supposedly takes those who file their k-1 petition at tsc 6-7 months for a response whether it be an rfe, approval, or dissaproval. It would not surprise me if they surpassed that 6 months and their response on top of that be either denial or an rfe. Doesnt matter anymore as you know im leaving in a few months anyway its entertainment for me lol. Hows things on your end?

Wow....I'm thanking God they sent me to CSC. That's too crazy. You should have just gotten married first! What were you thinkinggggg?! Haha but seriously maybe someday it will work out. ...and whaaat background checks? Weird.

Welllllll we paid the AOS fee and did the DS-261. I may call tonight and look at the CEAC to see if anything happened

Actually, you should seriously call about that because Bosnia does this weird thing that you're suppose to get a new birth certificate every 6 months or it may not be "valid". My husband and I were talking about this also. So when we get closer to the interview process, we will probably go to his birth city and get a new birth certificate. We will call the embassy soon (Monday, most likely) and I will tell you what I find out, okay? There are even Bosnians who have lived there their WHOLE life who didn't know the every 6 months thing! I think there was talk about changing it but I don't know how close they are to that. It's kind of a little thing about Bosnia.

Dobila sam ja Check list i uradila Medical ali nista konkretno u tom pismu za Interviju, i evo sad sam nasla taj broj na NOA2, ali online da apliciram nikako ne mogu, na Ceac,state,gov kad upisem moj broj status pise Ready, ja jos nista nisam dobila od njih sem Check List koji su trazili da posaljem njima zajedno sa DS-160, moj verenik je cak zvao NVC i pitao tamo sta dalje oni su mu rekli da to vise nije do njih nego do Ambasade, zvao je cak i neke advokate da pita niko nista konkrento, ja sam zvala u Ambasadi Gdj, Nadja nije uopste bila ljubazna i nikako da ogovori na moja pitanja sve je izbegavala, pitala sam ljude koji su su dobijali takve vize ali nikako neko skoro i svi su uz advokata tako da za proceduru i da ne neznaju

Neznam stvarno, sacekacu jos malo pa mozda dobijem taj Packet 4 ako ne moracu nekako nekog u Ambasadi da kontaktiram

Hvala vam puno

If NVC is saying it's not up to them then you should see if you can get an appointment at the embassy but just for questions and ask them what you should do. It seems like you need to keep hammering the embassy until someone tells you the right thing lol...That really doesn't make sense that they'd just not know?

Nadam se da radi! ? Keep us updated when the weekend ends and our favoriteeeee day (Monday haha) comes around.

I called in Belgrade, and she wasn't helpful at all, I just wanted to ask her do I receive an appointment letter from Embassy, she didn't have an answer on that, I asked can I get the number where can I call? She was changing the topic, all I wanted to know is do I get an appointment letter from the Embassy for my interview thats all.

Your Alien registration number is on the NOA2 copy.

Check the NOA2 and see if it is there for you like Minka said. If it's not there for some reason, call NVC and explain that other people are saying their NOA2 has an A#. But seriously, people like there Balkan business people are not helping the cause of being generalized and judged ? It's like, if you don't know what you're talking about, admit it. Then I can hang up and not waste anymore time! haha Anyway, I hope you can find it on there!

because they are asking for alien registration number which I don't have it, now I know it depends from the Embassy's, but my concern is what next? Are they going to send me another letter on the mail with that Alien registration number in it or what,my fiancee also called the NVC for case number and they said I should be good for the Interview, but how do I know that? I am really confused.

Did you call the embassy in Serbia? A specific person is asking for an A# or are you saying you're trying to do it online and they're asking for an A#? Usually only people who've been in the US have an A# so that seems stupid if they're trying to force you to give an A# that doesn't exist. It sounds like the embassy is the one with the problem so did you ask them what in the world you're suppose to do if you don't have an A#. Maybe they don't comprehende the concept of A# even though they should understand by now lol. How many times have you called the embassy? I remember calling the Bosnian Consulate in Chicago and it was always the same two women (one was very rude and the other very nosy...no surprise, right?) so I don't know if the Serbian Embassy is like that.