Diamond507

I'm from a European Union country. I moved here on a K1 visa to live with my American husband in December 2014.
 
My personal biggest issue was the lack of public transportation. Back in Europe, I lived in a big city of 2 million people and I had access to buses, trolleybuses, subways, trams, etc - even night service. Also, I used to walk a lot. Now I live in a big Midwestern city and even though there are a few bus lines, the whole metro is so spread out that it's very hard to get from point A to B without a car. A lot of people drive even for very short distances like a few blocks away. Many streets don't even have sidewalks and I find this to be quite disappointing. I still walk a lot but a lot of times cars have stopped next to me and people thought that I was lost or that I was thrown out of a car or something. I just like to walk, plus it is very healthy. Also, I take the bus to work and I hate this stereotype that only poor people use the public transit.  I use it mainly because it reminds me of Europe. I hope to live in a city with better public transit and more walkable areas one day. 
 
The other thing I will probably never understand is how Americans call everybody a "friend". Even people they barely know and the ones that are acquaintances at best. Basically to say that "you are not my friend" would mean that "you are my enemy". To me, a friend means someone very close that I have known for years and shared every secret with.
 
To sum it up, I enjoy living in the US but I doubt I will ever get used to the two things above.  

I'm from a European Union country. I moved here on a K1 visa to live with my American husband in December 2014.
 
My personal biggest issue was the lack of public transportation. Back in Europe, I lived in a big city of 2 million people and I had access to buses, trolleybuses, subways, trams, etc - even night service. Also, I used to walk a lot. Now I live in a big Midwestern city and even though there are a few bus lines, the whole metro is so spread out that it's very hard to get from point A to B without a car. A lot of people drive even for very short distances like a few blocks away. Many streets don't even have sidewalks and I find this to be quite disappointing. I still walk a lot but a lot of times cars have stopped next to me and people thought that I was lost or that I was thrown out of a car or something. I just like to walk, plus it is very healthy. Also, I take the bus to work and I hate this stereotype that only poor people use the public transit.  I use it mainly because it reminds me of Europe. I hope to live in a city with better public transit and more walkable areas one day. 
 
The other thing I will probably never understand is how Americans call everybody a "friend". Even people they barely know and the ones that are acquaintances at best. Basically to say that "you are not my friend" would mean that "you are my enemy". To me, a friend means someone very close that I have known for years and shared every secret with.
 
To sum it up, I enjoy living in the US but I doubt I will ever get used to the two things above.  

I'm from a European Union country. I moved here on a K1 visa to live with my American husband in December 2014.
 
My personal biggest issue was the lack of public transportation. Back in Europe, I lived in a big city of 2 million people and I had access to buses, trolleybuses, subways, trams, etc - even night service. Also, I used to walk a lot. Now I live in a big Midwestern city and even though there are a few bus lines, the whole metro is so spread out that it's very hard to get from point A to B without a car. A lot of people drive even for very short distances like a few blocks away. Many streets don't even have sidewalks and I find this to be quite disappointing. I still walk a lot but a lot of times cars have stopped next to me and people thought that I was lost or that I was thrown out of a car or something. I just like to walk, plus it is very healthy. Also, I take the bus to work and I hate this stereotype that only poor people use the public transit.  I use it mainly because it reminds me of Europe. I hope to live in a city with better public transit and more walkable areas one day. 
 
The other thing I will probably never understand is how Americans call everybody a "friend". Even people they barely know and the ones that are acquaintances at best. Basically to say that "you are not my friend" would mean that "you are my enemy". To me, a friend means someone very close that I have known for years and shared every secret with.
 
To sum it up, I enjoy living in the US but I doubt I will ever get used to the two things above.  

I'm from a European Union country. I moved here on a K1 visa to live with my American husband in December 2014.
 
My personal biggest issue was the lack of public transportation. Back in Europe, I lived in a big city of 2 million people and I had access to buses, trolleybuses, subways, trams, etc - even night service. Also, I used to walk a lot. Now I live in a big Midwestern city and even though there are a few bus lines, the whole metro is so spread out that it's very hard to get from point A to B without a car. A lot of people drive even for very short distances like a few blocks away. Many streets don't even have sidewalks and I find this to be quite disappointing. I still walk a lot but a lot of times cars have stopped next to me and people thought that I was lost or that I was thrown out of a car or something. I just like to walk, plus it is very healthy. Also, I take the bus to work and I hate this stereotype that only poor people use the public transit.  I use it mainly because it reminds me of Europe. I hope to live in a city with better public transit and more walkable areas one day. 
 
The other thing I will probably never understand is how Americans call everybody a "friend". Even people they barely know and the ones that are acquaintances at best. Basically to say that "you are not my friend" would mean that "you are my enemy". To me, a friend means someone very close that I have known for years and shared every secret with.
 
To sum it up, I enjoy living in the US but I doubt I will ever get used to the two things above.  

I'm from a European Union country. I moved here on a K1 visa to live with my American husband in December 2014.
 
My personal biggest issue was the lack of public transportation. Back in Europe, I lived in a big city of 2 million people and I had access to buses, trolleybuses, subways, trams, etc - even night service. Also, I used to walk a lot. Now I live in a big Midwestern city and even though there are a few bus lines, the whole metro is so spread out that it's very hard to get from point A to B without a car. A lot of people drive even for very short distances like a few blocks away. Many streets don't even have sidewalks and I find this to be quite disappointing. I still walk a lot but a lot of times cars have stopped next to me and people thought that I was lost or that I was thrown out of a car or something. I just like to walk, plus it is very healthy. Also, I take the bus to work and I hate this stereotype that only poor people use the public transit.  I use it mainly because it reminds me of Europe. I hope to live in a city with better public transit and more walkable areas one day. 
 
The other thing I will probably never understand is how Americans call everybody a "friend". Even people they barely know and the ones that are acquaintances at best. Basically to say that "you are not my friend" would mean that "you are my enemy". To me, a friend means someone very close that I have known for years and shared every secret with.
 
To sum it up, I enjoy living in the US but I doubt I will ever get used to the two things above.  

Who do you think made this country what it is ?
The few rich and famous who came over or these :
 
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
If you think we have no obligation to take in people as described above then you are many decades too late.

Elitists with a masters degree or an Olympic medal or rich investors did not make this country. The sweat of the poor, the hardworking immigrants did.
Understand that. They brought the next generation and the one after that to the successes they are enjoying today.
 

Yep. I already feel it is an issue in the process at times, more scrutiny, longer AP etc.

I have a bad feeling that there will one day be a determination that "US Citizen" will not be the same as "US Naturalized Citizen" when it comes to the right to sponsor a spouse or family member on any level.  Almost like a determination that a Naturalized Citizen is not a "real" citizen in spousal applicants.

I hope it won't affect spouses of US citizen as a further step in the future but it should not affect immigrant's spouses either.
I am aware that other countries have a point system and pretty much anyone can apply themselves to learn a different language but the age, education,
wages 3 times higher, Olympics and Nobel prize are a bad joke and that won't fly here.
 

And there we have it, a lot of spouses would be excluded.
Thanks for the link.

So how does everyone like the point system now ? I guess just fine if your spouse
is young, rich, famous, a genius and well educated or already here.
Of course no surprise that the less fortunate are excluded and only the rich and well off who can afford education in their countries are "let in".
What a bunch of horse manure. So much for family values.
I know this won't fly in the senate.
My husband wasn't able to finish his degree though he started it, speaks fluent English but doesn't have an Olympic medal or the Nobel Prize (give me break
with that ridiculous requirement), neither was he able to get the required high wage.
Now that he is here he works circles around his US co workers and was promoted and by passed all the druggies and lazy Americans in his plant.
I say it again this point system is the biggest mess I have seen in legal immigration "reform".
With all the foreign brains supposed to come here only, who will work blue collar jobs, agriculture, construction, meat plants, hotels etc...etc....?
Americans ? Somebody has to do the jobs Americans or brainy immigrants don't want to do.  More unbalanced baloney.
Immigrants are motivated to come here and work hard and get an education to better themselves ONCE THEY ARE HERE BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT
DO SO BEFORE THEY COME in many countries. That's the whole POINT, aside from those who just want to be with their spouses and children.
Discrimination against the poor was not what this country was founded on. The poor come here, the ones without degrees and work their tails off
making this a better country by creating jobs. It's a lie that they come and immediately go on welfare but the base laps it up.
Point my behind.

 

Well said!

Don't stress out too much about it...there is no legal requirement by USCIS that stipulates a GC holder or visa holder must keep all expired foreign passports when applying for Naturalization.
.
A lot of people lose old expired passports, or have them securely shredded/not returned when renewing passports.  I've always opted to not have mine returned and instead securely destroyed by the passport agency when renewing.
 
As long as you have your current one, that's the important thing.  They only want to see the passport to confirm any travel stamps, and sometimes to confirm ID.  Mine doesn't even have any travel stamps in it even though I've travelled frequently over the past years....so they'd see nothing in it even if I did have the older ones.

I just wanted to say that I understand that sickening feeling.  The same thing happened to me with an ex (came home, opened the door, all of his belongings were gone and left a one-sentence letter, to this day never received an explanation as to why).  He wasn't a fiance, just a boyfriend I'd lived with a few years...but I do understand the feeling.  It is a shock to your system, you are left literally shaking, and the grief of how it ended will be with you for a while.  You will need time to get through it, and you have a strong support system in your family and friends which is amazing as they will help you get through it.  I promise you, you WILL get through it.
 
It won't feel this way right now, and it won't feel this way in the short-term...but...
 
Later on, you may realize (as I did) that he ended up doing you a huge favor.

No. His old AP was due to a pending I-485 that is no longer pending. As such, it is now invalid. Even if it arrives, he left the country without an approved AP. His AOS application will be deemed abandoned. On what basis can he enter the country without a valid AP or visa? You can try, but again...on what basis would he enter the country? I could be wrong, but I think the attorney is hoping that AP will be issued because USCIS might not notice that he left the country yet. Then is hoping he can enter on that with CBP also not noticing / USCIS not recording his AOS as abandoned yet. This is sketchy at best and fraudulent at worst. The moment he left the US without a valid AP document, his abandoned his AOS application, and he needs a valid travel document to re-enter.
 
Assuming he has not accumulated 180 days or more in unlawful presence while he was in the US, he won't have a bar. As such, he can qualify for another visa (i.e. a CR-1/IR-1 spousal visa) without a waiver.
 
Unexpired AP* (still not valid if the I-485 was closed).

If the original I-485 is withdrawn, then the EAD/AP card is no longer valid, regardless of what the card says, as the validity of that card is ENTIRELY based on the PENDING I-485 until a decision has been made (in this case, withdrawal).
 
If he makes an attempt to come back, POE officers will see this in the system.  
 
I dunno...so far it sounds like the AOS was abandoned and you'll have to re-sponsor him as an IR-1/CR-1 to bring him back legally. 

He's having an affair with Hillary. 

Melania is pregnant 😂

Maybe he'll announce his resignation. 

this bill has nothing to do will illegal immigration.

How are legal immigrants disrespecting our laws and customs? Talk about convincing yourself of made up stuff.

we will not accept folks from Quebec though, English only

any immigration related bill that has the support of white nationalist crybaby miller is a no go for me, you got that right.

full text of the bill.
 
https://www.cotton.senate.gov/files/documents/170802_New_RAISE_Act_Bill_Text.pdf
 
Washington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senator David Perdue (R-Georgia) will today introduce the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act, a bill that would spur economic growth and raise working Americans' wages by giving priority to the best-skilled immigrants from around the world and reducing overall immigration by half.

"For decades our immigration system has been completely divorced from the needs of our economy, and working Americans' wages have suffered as a result. Our legislation will set things right," said Cotton. "We will build an immigration system that raises working wages, creates jobs, and gives every American a fair shot at creating wealth, whether your family came over on the Mayflower or just took the oath of citizenship."

"President Trump campaigned on growing our economy and fixing our immigration system," said Senator Perdue. "Right now, our current immigration system does not meet the needs of our economy. We want to welcome talented individuals from around the world who wish to come to the United States legally to work and make a better life for themselves. The RAISE Act will create a skills-based system that is more responsive to the needs of our economy and preserves the quality of jobs available to American workers."

Specifically the RAISE Act would:
Establish a Skills-Based Points System. The RAISE Act would replace the current permanent employment-visa system with a skills-based points system, akin to the systems used by Canada and Australia. The system would prioritize those immigrants who are best positioned to succeed in the United States and expand the economy. Applicants earn points based on education, English-language ability, high-paying job offers, age, record of extraordinary achievement, and entrepreneurial initiative. Prioritize Immediate Family Households. The RAISE Act would retain immigration preferences for the spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents while eliminating preferences for certain categories of extended and adult family members. Eliminate the Outdated Diversity Visa Lottery. The Diversity Lottery is plagued with fraud, advances no economic or humanitarian interest, and does not even promote diversity. The RAISE Act would eliminate the 50,000 visas arbitrarily allocated to this lottery. Place a Responsible Limit on Permanent Residency for Refugees. The RAISE Act would limit refugees offered permanent residency to 50,000 per year, in line with a 13-year average. https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=765

the video backs up the transcript. but whatever. you think acosta is an idiot, i think the offended white nationalist man child miller maintains his king ding a ling status. bill aint' goin anywhere ..ciao.au revoir.adiós.
 

good thing there's video of the whole thing online as well, or has that also been faked by cnn to make acosta look good? i think nb is saving a seat for you..