SunflowerSweet

3 hours ago, carmel34 said:

Lots of good advice given already on the issues related to your boyfriend being in prison for the next 8 months.  For proof of meeting within two years of filing the petition, you will need evidence like an apartment lease together, hotel receipts, credit card receipts, his passport stamps and Chinese visa showing dates of entry/exit, to/from China, original boarding passes from his trip to spend 7 months with you, etc.  Photos alone will not be enough, and chat history is not evidence of meeting in person.  So ask your boyfriend if he has that additional evidence which will be required in order to file a successful I-129F petition.  Good luck!

Wait, am I missing something? Why would they need an apartment lease together for the I-129F? I’ve never heard of that.

If it’s the affidavits alone that are what is holding this all up, unless you have very minimal other evidence, I would consider whether they are actually worth it. Affidavits are fine, and can be nice supporting evidence, but there are definitely better documents out there to show a bonafide marriage and life together. We only submitted affidavits because as a young couple without kids, joint owned property (we rent), or substantial assets, I felt we needed more extra padding wherever we could get it.

If you have a decent amount of other types of evidence, and the affidavits are going to be what makes this a 4 month wait versus a 1 month wait, I would consider just filing without. Especially with what you’re saying about the statements being written completely by the lawyer and just signed off on by the parties, and not their direct statements. In the chance you end up getting and RFE (which you might not!) the delay could potentially be the same that waiting for them to be completed anyway. You could also always bring them along to any interview if you end up having one.

6 hours ago, Redheadguy03 said:

ROC interview requires the spouse to be there. I'm in Montana and our office is usually super relaxed. Last appointment we were early and they didn't care, even with covid going on.

 

The part of not knowing my situation was due to someone saying to just get a babysitter for a couple hours when it would be 10 hours just to drive there and back, not including the interview and trying to tell me how to raise my child.

Your reading comprehension is lacking if you didn't catch that. 

I’m aware of the requirements for ROC interviews, lol. Though since we’re apparently being pedantic now, then I would add that spouses aren’t required for ALL ROC interviews, as divorce waiver filing interviews exist, and there are always the small handful of other unique situations that can crop up. My post mentioned rules limiting access to specifically invited persons, and in your case your wife would likely be one of those specifically-invited people. Your child is likely not. Not sure where I implied otherwise.
 

Every USCIS office is different, all have different pandemic and non-pandemic related rules and guidances. I was literally just saying to do you best to think about and prepare for things possibly not going as swimmingly as you’re hoping, especially with the 5 hour drive situation. That’s never bad advice when dealing with immigration, in my opinion.

My reading comprehension is fine, though even if it wasn’t spectacular I would have been able to tell you were being unnecessarily combative for no reason. We’re all limited to giving advice based on the information you provide us. Being rude to members for operating based on that is a weird choice to make.

For those saying they won’t make the kid wait outside, you’d be surprised. Our local USCIS office (Milwaukee) was incredibly strict about their “no one other than specifically invited persons” policy even prior to Covid. I drove with my husband for ROC biometrics in July of 2019 and the block the building was on had a nice handful of people (including me) waiting around for their family members to finish their interviews/other business, and YES there were even some children that appeared to be alone outside. No toddlers, but some that looked as young as 7/8. They did have a guard who seemed to be sort of watching the younger kids, but still, definitely not a situation I would want to be in. 

You’ve made it very clear that you feel we don’t know your situation enough to provide our input and advice (which is weird since you’re literally on a forum asking for it) but I would just caution not to completely shut down the possibility of there being an issues with bringing your child with you.

OCTOBER 2018 filer here lol

Ex finally had his interview today. Is it normal that they didn’t give him a decision right away?

His case was a little weird because we ended up divorcing during the 2 1/2+ years it took to adjudicate. I helped him send in divorce paperwork and a few other extra pieces of evidence that cropped up since the time we filed and he requested a change to a divorce waiver filing.

It sounded like the interview went well and the guy was friendly and relaxed, so I’m thinking that’s good?

On 4/20/2021 at 8:22 PM, Wuozopo said:

My thoughts on media reports (mostly CNN). 
Media keeps referring to these “children” crossing unaccompanied. I believe these are mostly 16 and 17 year olds, but saying “children” drums up sympathy and visions of tots all alone. Why don’t they say a massive influx of teenage males.
 

On the deplorable and unacceptable conditions of these detention centers.
OMG they have to sleep on pads on the floor and it’s crowded. They need proper beds with mattresses. What the heck have they come from but sleeping on dirt floors, large extended families in a one room shack, no running water. Do we have to provide them with Marriot conditions or is a sanitary place, blankets, and meals going to be okay while this is sorted?  

Hi! I’m currently on detail working at a center in Texas caring for and interviewing unaccompanied minors to try and connect them with any relatives they may have in the states. HHS put out a call for any civilian gov workers to be temporarily deployed to help with the influx, and so far me and literally thousands of others from all sorts of agencies have signed on to help out.
 

While they aren’t all toddlers, no, they also aren’t all 16 and 17 year olds. There is a good mix of ages and backgrounds. They are definitely all kids. The conditions aren’t luxurious, and remind me of the picture and videos I would see of hurricane evacuation areas being set up. A lot of this is due to how quickly they have had to have been set up.

A lot of these kids didn’t grow up crammed in houses with dirt floors, that seems like a weird and stereotype-based image you invented in your head.

There are other (better) ways to show current income, which is what matters. Pay stubs, employment confirmation letter, etc.

If it means a lot to you, you could always just bring along a copy of a 2020 W-2(s) if you have that. That’s the most important piece that shows the income was made in 2020 anyway. Though the income comes from less traditional sources, you can bring whatever else your partner planned on filing with the IRS to show income.

2 minutes ago, Lucky Cat said:

The OP posted "The issue being that we have not met so haven't seen each other in the last 2 years per the requirements."  I'm not sure whether a meeting has ever taken place. 

In a previous thread from December where they ask about the possibility of marrying on ESTA and returning, they mentioned “We have been dating for a while, but of course have not seen each other for what feels like forever due to the pandemic” which to me sounds like they are at least implying they met once, but who knows!

I’m a little confused, have you met this individual in person at all yet? In your thread from December, you mention a partner that you have been dating a while but you haven’t seen in what feels like forever due to Covid. Was the meeting just over two years ago?

If you haven’t met at all yet, you should definitely fix that. Not just because Covid will not be an acceptable reason for hardship waiver. The UK is a low fraud country, but having a past marriage and spousal visa filing that fell apart, I’d imagine it would be wise to be able to show you have met and know this person well.

11 hours ago, Mike E said:

I will play devils advocate for a moment because of course I believe one should file for AOS before 90 days after POE.  
 

There is one benefit: waiting a year will make it all but certain the green card will be issued two or more years after the marriage which means a future I-751 filing can be avoided.  Waiting two years guarantees it.  
 

With USCIS about to be overwhelmed with more than 100,000 refugees a year, I don’t think there will be any I-751 cases processed next year.  They weren’t a high priority before.  They will be the lowest of the low priority now.  

What in the world are you talking about? You realized we’ve taken in close to 100,000 refugees/year in the past, right? And we people were still able to have their immigration applications adjudicated.

Our K-1 was approved in 26 days in 2015 and AOS in 3 months in 2016. In both of those years the US admitted close to 100k refugees.

You have no idea what you are talking about.

35 minutes ago, PWB said:

Applicants pay for over 96% of the USCIS budget with the paying of fees, that is what I mean.  Why should DACA get off free?  They need to pay like the rest of us.  

??? They DON’T get off free. They complete a DACA APPLICATION and pay a filing fee, just like every other applicant.

https://www.uscis.gov/i-821d

3 hours ago, PWB said:

All this political talk about "fixing" immigration is being directed towards illegal immigration and not to those paying the bills for USCIS, and that is us.  I don't mind taking care of others but fix legal immigration first.  Take care of those paying those outrages fees for visa issue and the never ending road to citizenship for those of doing it the legal way.

Last time I checked DACA applications aren’t free, so I don’t really know what to make of your “paying the bills” comment. I also highly doubt any path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants will be free either. 

Hello everyone!

My husband has been here for a few years and unfortunately is having trouble locating his passport. We are still earnestly looking for it, but want to start getting prepared for the possibility of ordering a new one from in the U.S.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where we could go to get a passport photo taken that meets the UK guidelines? Better yet, with Covid in mind and wanting to limit contact, has anyone here ever taken a UK passport photo themselves that worked when uploaded?

Any hints or tips at all regarding getting a new UK passport issues while overseas are very helpful and appreciated!

My husband doesn’t currently have any plans to apply for citizenship. No real specific reason, just doesn’t feel the need to at this juncture. 
 

It does get a little annoying when I post about our 2 year+ wait for his ROC and 99% of the responses are just that he should just file for citizenship to push it along. 

39 minutes ago, Boiler said:

That is not the issue

 

Adjusting is.

OP specifically asked if they were still legally married in the first post and no one had touched that question yet, glad someone did if no one else was going to.

Of course adjusting is the issue. But not being legally married would add an entire new layer onto that.

If I’m being honest I don’t think your chances of getting the requirements needed for a waiver are very high. I definitely do think your partner should apply for a visitor visa once the opportunity opens back up. 

If your argument is that you can’t travel to *him* because of your father, and he can’t travel to *you* because he can’t get the correct visa, you’re going to want to actually show him getting denied the visa. It’s a weak argument that gets even weaker if you haven’t at least tried having him visit you.

My LPR spouse and I used TurboTax up until last year, when it was asking us to upgrade for a service that H&R Block let us use for free. Something related to an HSA he had through his place of work, I don’t remember 100%.
 

Either way, both were really user-friendly, I recommend!

Lol October 2018 still waiting...

Officially 26 months since we sent in the ROC packet! Last movement was a notice that an interview would be scheduled 86 days ago. Seems like it’s up to the Milwaukee Service Center now...

1 hour ago, Timona said:

 

Who sent you back? The security guy? If so, I would go back in the afternoon today and ask to speak to a manager. Stand your ground. When the manger comes, put on a show depending on your quick scan of the manager (firm/ puppy eyes etc).

You seem to have gone early and not in the afternoon/ lunch as was suggested to you.

 

 

What “ground” are they standing on exactly? Appointment letters are specifically coming with instructions now making it very clear that you should not come unless you have an appointment.

Walk-ins are a courtesy, not a right. At the Milwaukee service center this was a courtesy not to even allowed BEFORE Covid (at least in summer of 2019). 

There are of course multiple sides to every story, but unless the OP is blatantly lying, BOTH her and her husband are currently working and sharing childcare responsibility while the other one is at their job. I don’t know the specific hours they are clocking, but that sounds like it could be an even split.
 

If the husband is the one getting stressed with the arrangement, maybe he should be the one to think about cutting his work hours down, or look into work from home jobs if he can’t hack it.