fascinating123

26 minutes ago, Unidentified said:

In a way I agree but it is hard. Bad people are everywhere. I think more extreme vetting for visa applications and more limitations on ESTA would be better, something stricter than the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015. I know people hate giving up personal information but maybe it should be a requirement that the US gets to look through everything (social m.m and whatever else they can find on you online). It will mean longer processing times but then people at least have a chance to visit friends and family and hopefully keep bad people out. 

Well, I think there are ways to cut through the processing times it's just no one wants to bother because it cuts into the entrenched special interests of bureaucrats.

Anyway, having more scrutiny is an acceptable alternative to the ban for me. Not my ideal, but world's better than what we have.

I have yet to meet anyone from the impacted countries or people who have loved ones from them who was in favor of the ban. My wife has friends who would love to visit us on holiday, but because they hold a Yemeni passport, they are prevented from doing so. Banning specific dangerous individuals is fine, but a blanket ban is not the answer.

21 minutes ago, Satisfied said:

Alleged doesn't mean anything about criminality.

 

The list of countries to limit was put in place under Obama or prior.  It's not like the Trump admin came up with it on their own.  So Trump didn't ban muslims.  He just enforced a law or rule that was already in place.

I have no dog in this fight, but while Obama's record on immigration was atrocious, people from Yemen could in fact come to the US when Obama was president. I know because my wife came to the US in 2015 before we were married, under a student visa.

I've never really cared whether or not it was a Muslim ban. I thought and still think it's bad policy.

It's brought out a lot of people online (not here though) saying things along the lines of "we don't need Yemenis here anyway", etc. My wife is Yemeni, it's interesting to know how many people think she shouldn't be here. Since she came on a student visa, she would have been barred if this had been in place at the time. I would not have been pleased.

As someone who doesn't play on team red or team blue, it's annoying that this is one of the issues that has made people categorize everyone. As if being against it means you're on team blue, or that not being on team blue means you favor the ban.

Yemen is a war zone right now. People are dying of hunger. The only thing I feel guilty about is not being able to convince my wife to stay the first time around (when we were in college). I'm glad she's here now of course, but it would have cost both of us less sleep had she not been living in Yemen when the war broke out in 2015. Maybe she wouldn't have PTSD either.

Capital One. They'll let you do a joint card. Good for no credit or less than ideal credit.

33 minutes ago, geowrian said:

To each their own...but many others do want the protection.

Nobody asked me before building the road I live on, ambulance that rescues me, or military that defends me. That's how a representative republic works...we don't get asked for our opinions on every subject directly, but we still are required to pay for the services anyway.

Probably not the place for it, but there are people who think those things can be done without force.

But even if you think the status quo is fine, copping an attitude at the people who pay your salary is a bad look. If I did that at my job I'd be reprimanded and eventually fired. Must be nice to have that level of job security.

On ‎4‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 12:10 AM, CEE53147 said:

I am pleased that the interviewing officers are being vigilant. They are just protecting all who are here.

I'm not. He's a public employee whose wages are paid by taxpayers. He can vigilant without being rude.

I also don't require his "protection". Of course, no one bothered asking me before making me pay for it.

13 hours ago, ApplyingforN400 said:

Well he is a federal agent thats taking notes of what you’re saying. 

If you stick to your legitimate timelines nothing will or can come of it. But if everything is mixed up and you start talking out of your ###, of course it can be used against you. 

I mean you don't have to tell me not to trust federal agents, that's par for the course.

But, ROC is not AOS. I would hope that USCIS is not re-examining their original findings when they approved the conditional Green Card in the first place. The purpose of ROC (supposedly) is to make sure the PR is still married to the same US citizen and that the marriage is still legitimate.

Also by "unsatisfactory answers" I don't merely mean having an inconsistent story. Plenty of people who did AOS did in fact fall out of status, and were it not for the marriage would have had to go back to their country of citizenship. Precedent is that legitimate marriages overrule that fall out of status. I'm wondering if a previously approved Green Card (approved with the knowledge that the applicant had fallen out of status) would have ROC denied because of the current climate.

This story is a prime reason why I won't be suggesting that my wife apply for Global Entry. She for sure wouldn't remember her timeline. She barely remembers what she had for breakfast yesterday.

So...what would have happened if you didn't have satisfactory answers to these questions? I mean beyond the obvious of not having your Global Entry approved. I can't imagine the gentleman in this case having any say over whether or not your ROC was approved or your eventual citizenship application (assuming that's your ultimate goal).

1 hour ago, Unidentified said:

The issue was that the ID said different things not the two middle names. I have two middle names which are on all of my ID's and I have never had an issue (apart from with American Airlines that made one of my middle names a part of my last name...)

Yeah, I just double checked her Green Card. It only has a middle initial. Not the full name or names. I don't know, I kind of feel like if that's the case they should have put all the names on the card or addressed her in communications by only the middle initial.

Also, they gave my wife a little bit of a problem with her two middle names. In Yemen you have to put four names on your passport: your first/given name, your family name, your father's name, and your grandfather's name. When we filed originally we put these names on there because that's what her passport says. Apparently the Green Card doesn't reflect this, even though we never had any problems before. Thankfully my wife had her driver's license on her so it never became an issue. But just FYI if anyone else has a similar situation. Just bring another form of ID just in case.

Went to fingerprinting yesterday with my wife. When we went in October/November of 2015 for the first fingerprinting the USCIS center in Alexandria VA was a packed house. Took about an hour and some change before we were out and on with our day.

Yesterday? Ghost town. Just us and one other person. I can only speculate on the reason, but it was a little disconcerting.

My wife got her biometric appointment letter in the mail Saturday. Appointment date is 4/19 at 1 pm.

19 hours ago, databit said:

You are lucky that the clerk did not sense, or did not interpret your anger as threatening. Most offices have a security officer on hand and the police could have easily been called. Arguing or trying to "reason with" the police could have gotten you arrested, and put a serious blockage to your ever becoming a full-fledged citizen. Any charges from the SS office would be federal charges, by the way. 

 

To all:

IT IS UTTER STUPIDITY TO EVER SHOW ANGER WHILE AT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY. In the current climate with all the shooters and terrorists, all federal, state and county agencies are on hyperalert. 

I guess it's a good thing I go with my wife to all of these things. Since I'm a citizen by birth, I can show all the anger I want and they can't do a thing about my status. Yeah sure, they can arrest me, but I doubt the charges would stick.

Btw, you can show anger, you just can't threaten anyone. There is a difference.

You being from the UK, I'm not sure what the pros and cons would be for you.

For my wife, being a citizen would mean we could work or travel overseas without jumping through a thousand hoops because having a Yemeni passport is essentially worthless these days.

I am an American by birth and I've never been called for jury duty. I probably would not make it out of the initial screening anyway since I would let them know point blank that I refuse to convict for any victimless crime, no matter how guilty the defendant is.

Further detail on our timeline: Conditional residency expires 4/18/2018, we filed a little on the late side (though still within the 90 days). Sent package on 2/19, received at VSC 2/23. Check was cashed 2/27, NOA arrived 3/5.

I was (and still am a little) worried because of the new focus on "extreme vetting" or whatever and whether that would impact us since my wife is from one of the travel ban countries. But so far there haven't been any issues.

57 minutes ago, fascinating123 said:

My wife got her NOA on 3/5. So we're beginning the last leg of this journey.

And we are VSC. Forgot to mention that.

My wife got her NOA on 3/5. So we're beginning the last leg of this journey.

I'm sorry if this has been answered but I haven't been able to read through the whole thread. Has anyone had any experience traveling on the letter from one of the "Travel Ban" countries (by which I mean being a citizen of one of those countries)? I know officially Green Card holders are exempt, as are immediate relatives of US citizens, but I'm still a little worried.

My wife (a Yemeni citizen) wants to travel to Jordan to visit her sister. Her GC expires in April, so it's not an immediate issue, but we're trying to figure out when she should go (she works from home and would just work while visiting for a month or two, I would follow during my two weeks of vacation). Go in December or January and come back prior to GC expiry or wait until Spring (which would work better for our budget to be honest).

Anyway, just some thoughts. I think I'd lose it if my wife were turned away from returning home.

It is a little soon.

Did you propose to her after she got here? That could explain how she didn't intend to stay and then changed her mind because of the proposal.

Yes. I proposed a week ago. About a month after she arrived. Nothing has changed regarding her enrollment in courses.

I am a US citizens currently engaged to a woman who recently entered the US on a student F1 visa. She previously was in the US from 2004-2010 on a diplomatic A visa, and then a student visa before leaving prior to the completion of her studies, which is how we originally met, in college. We didn't date in college but remained in sporadic contact after her departure back to Yemen. When she made plans to come back to the US to complete her degree we made plans to meet up and hang out since I still live in the area, and we'd see where things may go while she was here. Well, things have gone very well and we're getting married tomorrow.

I know about the paperwork that needs to be filed and all of that. Is there anything else we should watch out for? I'm afraid that she'll get accused of visa fraud if they think she came here to marry me rather than to actually attend courses because the marriage would take place so quickly after her arrival in July. Thoughts?