reynardine

Our daughter entered America at Chicago on July 6 after a 10.5 month absence with absolutely no questions and no problems. I believe that the immigration officials are looking mainly for people living and working outside the US, with no intention of living here. A student with no permanent home abroad and no job is NOT who they are looking for. While technically they could be denied entry, I believe it is extremely unlikely. I sugggest others in a similar situation to pay attention to the actual experience of other people, and not somebody's interpretation of what they have read on the internet. I have read everything. I already know the laws, rules, and regulations. I can interpret them myself. What I needed from this forum was actual experience of other people. Thank you so much to everyone who responded.

Thank you so much to everyone who responded. It helps a lot to hear from other people in a similar situation.

My daughter, who has her green card, is attending University in her native country, Ukraine, on a full scholarship plus a stipend. She stays with her grandparents while she is in Ukraine. Usually she comes home during winter break, as well as every summer. This year, however, she stayed with her grandparents during winter break. She left America in August. Now we are worried that she will have problems entering the United States this July with her green card. Is it possible that her green card will be taken away and she will be sent back to Ukraine? She has never had a job in any country. She is listed as a dependent on our tax returns. She lost her student ID card and will not get a new one until September. Now, she has to use a color photocopy of her student ID. Is there anything we can do to make sure that she will be allowed to enter America? If anyone reading this can help, it will be greatly appreciated. If anyone who experienced a similar situation reads this, please tell us your experience.

I find it unlikely that your passport needs to be notarized. A passport is already an international document, accepted by countries around the world. Also, a notary is usually witnessing a signature, and you are not going to sign your passport. What MAY be necessary, however, is a notarized TRANSLATION of your passport, which would probably have to be done in China. In this case the notary is witnessing the signature of the translator attesting to the accuracy of the translation.

Thanks Kez! As you can imagine, we have been worrying about this situation for a long time.

Hello all! I can't find an answer to this question on the site so I am appealing to all my fellow VJ'ers. First, some background info. My wife, Lena, wants to be able to travel back to Ukraine at any time. Her mother is seriously ill with a brain tumor. Right now her condition is poor but stable. Eventually she will need an operation. The operation is extremely risky. Lena needs to be with her mother and father at that time. They have nobody else who can help them. My question is this: What are the consequences if Lena is out of the country when her biometrics appointment or her AOS interview is scheduled? Note that she is k3 and thus has a multiple entry visa. I'm still concerned that there will be problems if she is unavailable to appear when scheduled. Thanks in advance for any insight!

We got I-129f approval this morning! It's dated February 6, the same date as the I-130 approvals we got last night. I guess they really are approving both petitions simultaneously.

I would like to use James's shortcuts but the DS-3032 link in the pinned topic links to a form that expired at the end of December 2006. Does anyone have a link to a non-expired version? On second thought, maybe it's better to just try the email method of choosing an agent. What do you think?

Hello all. You can add us to the list:

reynardine --- new form --- 09-27-2006 --- pending

I am inspired to write today because our I-130s (wife and daughter) were finally approved today, after filing in early September. Woo-hoo!!! Hope everyone who's been waiting a long time gets good news soon.

Nikki,

You MUST send your I-130 to Nebraska.

They WILL transfer it to California.

If you want to check official I-130 processing dates, you will have to check them at the California Service Center. I don't believe these dates mean much, but they do give you a basis for complaining loudly if your petition takes longer than the government says it should.

I know it seems ridiculous that you can't just send it directly to California, but when dealing with USCIS it's best to just do EXACTLY what they tell you to do, no matter how insane it seems. My I-130 was handled just like Robor007's except that I first sent it to Nebraska, since I live in Iowa. Good luck with your visa and may you have a quick journey!

What is the procedure for getting the actual green card after entering USA? Is it only a matter of immgration officials at your point of entry putting your date of entry into a computer somewhere and having it sent in the mail? How long does it take? Is it possible to travel out of USA before getting green card? I ask this because my wife's mother is seriously ill. My wife wants to be able to return to Ukraine at a moment's notice.

I was just told by someone at my senator's office that our I-130 is likely to be approved before our I-129F. This was a big surprise to me since I read the official government news release a couple of months ago announcing that they would stop processing I-130s for spouses, assuming that everyone intends to get K-3 visa. It seems from what I have seen and heard that processing of 1-130s is actually continuing as before. Anyway, I began reading the information on this site about the CR-1 visa process. It seems to me that there is a lot more processing done at NVC for CR-1 than for K-3. Is the amount of time between petition approval and forwarding to embassy significantly longer for CR-1 visa applicants compared to K-3 visa applicants? Any insight is appreciated!

How can the documents listed in the instructions for I-130 prove a stepparent/stepchild relationship? Required documents are listed in part 7H of the official government instructions as copies of marriage and divorce certificates. No documents are required that show names of the stepchild's natural parents! This can't be right. Do I need to submit the stepchild's birth certificate or G325A?