VNL

Folks, some of the best advice that all of us could follow is to heed HFM181818 and everything that he says. It's a true boon to have a retired CO on this site, willing to offer accurate, real-world insights about issues that the rest of us could otherwise only guess at.

The consulates, and CBP, thrive on the truth. Withholding or obfuscating information leads only to a spiraling situation of trying to remember what (and how much) you said to whom and when. It can become a miserable scene quite rapidly.

Remember that some people's "delivery styles" are more direct than others'. In the current situation, view this as intensity in wanting to help all of us out.

I agree that honesty is the best policy, but such delivery style seems more like bullying than wanting to help out.

Documents cannot and have never proved why a person would depart the US....imagine the documents given by the OP during her J1 interview....how did those work bringing her back?

Her transition from J1 to F1 to finding a USC husband may or may not impact her parents' chances of getting a B2; they will, however, have a significant impact on how the next wave of SWT applicants from Russia succeed in getting the same opportunity for the not surprising mind change...

The question of this thread is not about the next wave of J1s. Thank you for all your responses HFM181818.

all well and good...except....sounds like you were doing what we used to call the 'summer, work and stay' program (aka summer work and travel)...you gave the reasons for returning as 'having to return to finish my education...' which turned out not to be a strong reason.,...and that will (and likely has) affected others from Russia who offered the same reasons...if returning meant little to you, why would it mean more to the next applicant? Answer (from the CO's perspective): it won't,

I see your point. I travelled to the US before I stayed here and I got back on time. The second time I toured a local school and I got an opportunity to finish my degree here by paying my russian rubles for it. I did not abuse the system by staying here illegally, I have no idea if embassy in Russia keeps track of people who stayed in the states and their status. If adjustment of status is wrong, why is it allowed? I know ppl who left their countries with intentions to stay in the US for good. I wasn't one of them. The decision to stay here for school wasn't easy, because i did have to give up a lot.

I see how me changing the status made it harder for others to obtain the visa but I also see how me staying here made a difference for my husband. I contribute to the local economy and I set example for my stepdaughter who wants to be an account too now I'll be praying for my mom and dad come see our lives here and I will never think that what I did was wrong.

Some COs take a dim view of such actions....after all, you had offered reasons why you would be returning to Russia after your J1, and yet.....at the very least, you have made it harder for others from your country to obtain J1s, because many of those future applicants will offer similar reasons, but now, the COs will begin to doubt the veracity of those reasons (by now experienced COs already know this)...was the J1 an au pair assignment or summer work and travel ? ( if the former, that will negatively impact future applicants....which when I was still working, was one of the things we explored in depth....the more COS, the fewer summer work and travel visas we issued...a simple solution to mind changing...disallow the opportunity for such mind changes, since they seem to be so frequent from developing countries.

Anyway, letters and such are mostly fodder for trash bins....again, all such letters do is explain why someone wants to GO to the US, but much like the reasons you gave for returning, no letter can explain nor guarantee that the visa applicant will RETURN to their country....

It's the latter (summer exchange work and travel program). I see where you are coming from. I guess we'll have to wait and see. It's very heartbreaking to even think that they might not be able to come over and see us. I never meant to make things harder for other J1s. I never did anything wrong. I got my BS and CPA license, I fell in love and I got married. And I hope for the best!

I'll keep all of your advice in mind and I'll keep you posted!

Thanks so much for your replies!

@HFM181818,

I got to the US on J1 then I changed my status to F1 and 2 years later I got married. So definitely it wasn't the best way to establish the residency. I really hope it won't ruin my parent's chances to come visit us . My dad had travelled a lot in Europe on business (awhile back). However my mom never left the country! They have assets and a small business. They do have jobs though they are of retirement age (early 60s). Does the age play any difference?

Here's what US embassy says about visiting a relative:

"Visiting a relative

Bring photocopies of your relative's proof of status (e.g. Green Card, naturalization certificate, valid visa, etc) and a letter (or scanned/faxed copy) from friends or relatives in the United States describing your relationship and details of your proposed trip. The letter does not need to be notarized."

That's why I am thinking weather it would be better if I write a letter or my husband.

Also it says to bring the "travel itinerary and/or other explanation about your planned trip". Should they purchase their plain tickets before the interview?

Thanks again,

Lisa

Hello Everyone!

I am a permanent resident of the US and I would like my parents to come visit my husband and I next year from Russia. I have already looked up the documents they would have to present in the US embassy (pay stubs, title of assets, etc.) The list mentioned that they would need a copy of my green card and some kind of letter from friend(s), which confused me. Do i or my citizen husband need to write a letter of invitation?

I heard that it's tough to get a tourist visa when you have relatives in the US. Is that true? My parents have a family business back home and they have no intentions to stay in the US. Do you have any advice on how to make this process as smooth as possible?

Thanks!

Congrats Akdua1!

A quick question to you guys who have been approved already.. I have received the update with the approval on the 27th but we have't received the actual approval letter in the mail yet. I am assuming it's supposed to be mailed from the local office. How long did it take for your approval letters to arrive after your status changed online? Thanks!

Hi all!

I sent my I 751 packet nearly 2 months ago, but I am worried that my evidence may not be enough. We sent bank statements, tax returns, insurance policies (health, dental, life) and photos. We did not send lease information because we were living rent free with family for a few months to save up for a house, we did not send drivers license copies because we have moved to a new state the day before sending our packet and did not have the new address on there yet, no utilities had been set up either, no car insurance info because we hadn't changed it to the new state yet.

We now have the above documents as well a copy of our house purchase contract and mortgage documents will both of our names on it. Should we go ahead and send these documents preemptively? We haven't received an RFE, but I am worried that we might get one and delay this process even more.

Thank you in advance!!

That's exactly what we did. We submitted our documents back in Feb and didn't hear anything for 8 months. We consulted with our lawyer and submitted additional evidence and got approved a week later.

Good news! I have just received a text message (7.30 EST) that my new card is in production! We've been waiting for over 8 months and finally we got approved! I wish I found this forum much earlier, because, compared to everyone else our package was not that impressive. But only a week ago we decided to mail USCIS additional evidence though they hadn't asked for it yet. We sent every bank statement for the past three years of marriage and Target debit card statements and we got approved a week after! So happy! Just in time for my new dream job!!!!

That's really lame. My current employer didn't ask for my extension letter when my green card expired. And I work for a quasi-government department.

The DMV takes the extension letter and so does the airport immigration officers. I would question your new employer why they don't? It's an official document which you can use to enter into the country with, after all.

They haven't questioned it yet but it's not listed under the I-9 accepted legal documents. It's a big public accounting company so I hope their HR is knowledgeable.. I have my orientation next week and I hope they'll accept it. I was hoping to get my 10 year GC before I start, but it doesn't look like it's happening. I made an info pass appointment just in case in two weeks. My husband and I want it to be over already!

Ok - So my letter congratulating me and stating my approval for Green Card came from my local office.

A day later my green card arrived and doesn't state where it came from there's a PO box address in Laguna Niguel, CA on the letter and than a number for USCIS National Customer Service Center.

Thanks @Helpme123,

I guess my case is indeed in my local office (Baltimore). We sent our bank statements there AND to CSC. I am just hoping that the office is busy and that's why there's a delay, we are starting to get worried though.. I can't wait to get this weight off the shoulders. I am starting a new job next week and the extension letter is not listed as one of the acceptable documents to prove work eligibility so I might have to go and get the stamp in my passport and find out what's going on.

haha I hope we both will get the approvals soooon.. My husband and I will be submitting case inquiry next month if we don't hear anything

Well try being the only guy in the jan thread who has not even been processed.

Yeah it didn't sound like they knew what they were talking about. We'll go ahead and mail them to both locations. I filed in Feb and most of Feb filers got their approvals except of me of course.. It's weird that none of Feb filers who got transferred got RFE yet. We might be the lucky ones ending up with an interview.

Congrats NYBrit61!

Guys, all of you who got approvals and/or RFE letters, did you get them from your local office or from CSC? I called USCIS and they were trying to assure me that my case is in CSC when the status says local office.. so confusing. I haven't received anything since my case was transferred and we want to send some extra bank statements as evidence (we sent only 2 initially ) but we don't know where to send them!

Yes VNL, i didnt hear anything yet either, as soon as processing time for CSC changed to February 16th (in Processing time information), as it is beyond my NOA1 date which was February 6th, i called USCIS and they checked my case and said there was NO RFE or Interview scheduled and they assigned my inquiry to an officer and i should hear something in next 2 weeks. so i hope something good will come out from this. good luck to everyone who is still waiting.

Thanks for the response! I can't submit a case inquiry yet (NOA is dated Feb 23) but I will do so if we don't hear anything till next month. Please keep us updated on the progress of your case and good luck!

Congratulations to all of you who got their approvals! We are still waiting.. Anyone else here who haven't heard anything yet? I was thinking that we might get RFE but I don't see any Feb filers who ended up with RFE. This wait is so long.. We are planning a vacation which I'm not sure we should book now. If we get called for the interview I wouldn't want to miss it. Well I guess we'll just have to put it on hold for right now and keep waiting..

It does not state marital status. I know what you mean, but it's only a reflection of the tax rate you elected to be withheld at. It has no bearing on what your actual marital status is. Someone who is single can submit a Form W-4 to have taxes withheld at a married rate and visa versa.

Not all Form W-2's look the same, so we don't know if the W-2 will say that. It's not on the Form W-2 issued by the IRS, but ADP (who prepares the majority of W-2's) will include this information on their version of the W-2.

Now, if the tax return says single, then that's something.

I'm sure either way it's not a big deal as long as you have a strong ROC package. Good luck!

After the year-end your employers will send you W-2 forms where it will state marital status: Single. From what I have seen on VJ, the USCIS has been requesting the copies of all your W-2 forms so they might get confused on why you told your employer you are single. I don't know what is going on through their minds but when I saw one of my hubby's W-2 stated single I asked him to call his HR and change it.. but it's just us.

Virola,

I think you should explain why there's a 5 months gap but I really don't see an issue with that. Your bank statements showing that you both have been using the account, will make up for this gap.

If for some reason they are not satisfied with your additional evidence, they'll call you for an interview. I honestly think you shouldn't worry about it though.

My husband and I also didn't include a lot of bank statements, which was silly, because we use the account all the time to pay for groceries, bills, etc. So we are expecting RFE as well.

Don't worry! It sounds like you have enough evidence already as it is. They have probably sent you RFE because they want to see all the bank statements! They've been asking EVERYONE for them. So breathe, get everything you have listed together, mail it, and you'll be fine I don't think that your publications are needed, because obviously you don't have to be married to publish together. However if your publication has a page where it says something like "dedicated to my dear husband such and such" I would include a copy of it as well. Also, think of including a medical power of attorney. Include all the W-2s and tuition statements from the past three years.

Good luck! RFE is a better news than no news!

Hello everybody.

After a long wait I was approved today. I received a text message and email saying that my new card was ordered for production.

Just want to give you my timeline so you can can compare with yours. Good luck everybody !!! I know that ROC is very stressful.

Date of I 751 - 02/17

NOA - 02/20

biometrics - 03/27

transferred - 08/20

received local office - 09/01

approved - 10/14

Congrats!

I understand that the 751 petition requires evidence spanning the duration of the marriage. But does anyone know or have experience with whether or not events that happen post-submission carry any weight at all? My wife just got a job, her first in the US and will be naming me as her beneficiary on her work insurances. Her pay will also auto deposit into our joint account.

If you get RFE very little bit will help! If she names you a beneficiary at her new job it will show them the continuation of your relationship after you applied for the ROC.

Im doing the same.. im sending in a copy of our tax return year 2014 since it would take days til i get the transcript and 90 window falls on the 16th of October.

Any perspectives if i should just order the tax return transcript and just send the renewal after the 16th of October, would that be fine?

Thanks everyone!

You can always physically go to the IRS office and pick up your transcripts the same day.

Hi guys, i've some question about Credit card statement, because i just got the cards, so on the statement, it'd be still just my husband name on it or it'll have a description that i am an authorized user with my name on it ( i check on the CC website, my name is already on the authorized user )

and let says, if i am using my card, so on the statement, there'll be description that this purchase from my card with my name on it or not? Because i'm thinking to do small little purchase just to make my name appears on the next statement

Oh and if i am making copy for the cards, does it danger if someone could use the number eventhough not having the back number? or should i just hide the last digit number?

On my RFE letter, they just asked for CC statement though.

Thank you

It really depends on the bank. Both of our credit cards show only my name since I am a primary holder and my husband is an authorized user. However, If you add your spouse as an account holder, the statements will have both of your names. Also my bank statements don't show when he uses the cards, but I printed out the details of the transitions from the online banking website that show his transactions. So it's better if you call your bank and they should explain you what their policy is.

And we blacked out the last four digits!

Nothing.. just for us to be there and bring all the original of everything we sent...and about the RFE? Exactly! what ever it is I'm gonna mention the fact that unnecessary money is coming out of our pockets for us to be there hehehe. Even our attorney said that she wasn't understanding the reason because we had plenty of evidence. Anyways, I will keep u all on this thread posted in a month from now

Thanks any good luck!