Jon and Fangfang

Sorry if this is the wrong location.  I don't see a forum for this specifically.  We have set an appointment for Dec 20th to get a stamp extending my wife's green card.  I tried to schedule the appointment further out, but they could not schedule it for more than 2 weeks from the time of the call.  I'd like to move it to Dec 26th or 27th so that I don't have to take time off work, but I can't find a holiday schedule for the Detroit field office to save my life. lol  Anyone know if they are open Dec 26th or 27th by chance?  

Thanks in advance.

Thank you tbabs9, we called and they said to wait, we are on hold again right now.    

We filed April 2018 and still nothing.  Our 18 month extension expires Dec 29th 2019.  When I try to get help they tell me we are still in the normal processing time.  I explained the issue with the I-797 expiring and they said to try again within 30 days of expiration.  I submitted an inquiry and they said they will respond by Dec 26th. lol  This is feeling pretty terrible at this point.

Thanks.

Her daughter was 11 years old when we got married, she is 14 years old now.  

I will file the I 130 to save that time.

Do I need the custody agreement when I submit the I 130, or is that a follow up document?

I brought my wife to the US  a couple years ago.  She has a daughter in China that her ex-husband has custody of.  Her ex-husband has decided he does not want his daughter anymore and asked that we take her and bring her to the US.  From everything I can find, my wife as a LPR should file an I 130 to start the process.  I see the list of required documents, but I don't see anything about custody documents.  I have been told verbally that one is needed, and that my wife will need to go to China to get one made via Chinese government.  I want to avoid that cost if it is not needed up front.  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks for all the help in advance VisaJourney!

Jon

The Chicago and S.F. sites still have a form from 2011 linked. I actually got a response from a Chinese consulate worker yesterday, he sent me a link to get an appointment and the form.

I am aware it is all in Chinese, thanks for the heads up.

Looks like I am set, if anyone finds this post and is having the same trouble, I suggest emailing the Chinese consulate, they respond quicker than expected.

My wife's passport will expire in December this year.  I have searched the internet, and can't find a company I can hire to do this.  I can't even find English directions on how to do this.  We have three months, but it seems like I should get this started so we don't let it expire.  Has anyone done this before?  We live near Detroit, it looks like we'll have to use the Chinese consulate in Chicago if I am reading everything correctly.

Thanks!

Jon

It ended up taking about 11 months.  But, I am convinced the only reason we got it done was because I contacted my senator.  I suggest calling your states senator.  The way it worked in Michigan was, I submitted a request on the state senators website, and they called me the next day.  From then on, they walked me through what needed to be done.  It went quickly after that.  I wouldn't delay doing this, USCIS has too many people that don't know what they are doing, so unless you get lucky and find one that does, you will just get bad information after bad information!

Good luck!

Just so I can not worry at all.  The I797 says this in the first paragraph.

Thanks for responding so quickly everyone.  I have put a stop payment on the check, and I feel better now!

Thanks again!

So, I feel a bit dumb, but USCIS told me to do it!  We sent in the I751 package with a check and all required documents, unfortunately, we didn't get a tracking number on the USPS mail.  Stupid I know.  Anyway, I talked to USCIS several times, and they had me wait and wait.  Finally, we couldn't wait anymore, and we sent a second I751 package.  USCIS cashed the check and sent me I797 one day later.  This leads to my two questions.

1.  My wife will travel to China in July, that is after her GC expires.  Does this I797 Notice of Action count as an extension, or do I need something else before she can travel?

2.  Can I put a stop payment on the second check I sent, with a second I751 package?  What will happen if I do that?  I don't trust the random people I am talking to at USCIS anymore, it feels like they are just guessing at what to do.

Thanks again!

Thank you!  That is what I thought we would have to do, and I figured about a year. 

Do you know of a standard "permission" form that her ex husband would need to sign in order for her daughter to get a visa?  I know she needs to have him sign off, but I don't know if their is a standard form.

Hi all,

My wife and I moved to the US October 2016, my wife has her first green card.  She has a 13 year old daughter from a previous marriage that did not come with us, her daughter is in the custody of her ex husband.  Recently her ex husband has been having a lot of trouble, and now wants their daughter to come to the US and live with us.  This is a bit of a surprise to us, so I suspect he has some big legal troubles, but that is beside the point.  I have read the guide stickied to this page, and can't determine what applies to us.  Can we add her daughter on to her forms even though they were processed over a year ago, so do we need to do a new petition (I think this)?  I have read we will need her ex husband to sign a form releasing their daughter to come live in the US with us.  I want to do that form first, because I expect him to go back on his word to let her come here.  Does a standard form exist for that?

Thanks all,

Jon

I am not sure how others with this problem are progressing, but I wanted to give an update on what we did.

I got in touch with my state Senator.  I sent an email, and they called me the same day.  The person that was helping me contacted USCIS, they confirmed everything was done, but that they just were not working on mine.  We had my wife's green card within a month.  It is ridiculous that it takes a Senators prodding, but it did the trick.  I highly suggest this route for anyone that has waited a couple months longer than they were told.  USCIS has so many people that don't have a clue what is actually supposed to happen, but is frustrating and disappointing.

Good luck!

I have thought about it.  I actually thought that is what Umbudsman was, but turns out that is not the case.  I feel like they should be able to solve this, and after really searching the forum, it looks like I am not alone in this issue, but the other stories I have read are early to mid last year.  I guess it might be time to contact my Senator.  It is just crazy it has gotten this far, I mean the green card was approved, they just need to print it and send it to me right? 

So, my wife and I are going through your exact story Snakebite.  We have been waiting almost 11 months for the green card.  I can't track anything through the IOE number they gave us, no one can explain anything when I call other than "keep waiting" and the Detroit field office was less than useful.  Did you eventually get your wife's green card? 

Thanks,

Jon

Yeah, I wish the people at USCIS understood what was going on as much as the people on this forum!  I am convinced they still think I am trying to process a visa when I talk to them.  I don't understand what is taking so long! 

Hello again everyone.

So, a little back ground.  I lived in China and we filed our CR1 marriage visa via DCF.  Everything went pretty smooth overall, and we got the visa last May.  We made our first trip to the US, and went through border patrol on June 30th 2016 in Detroit.  That also went smooth.  Border patrol told us we were done with everything, and we should expect the green card in about a month.  We waited 3 months and then I called USCIS.  This is where the trouble began.  On our first call they told us to wait a little longer, on the second call we got elevated to tier 2, and they said they would look into it, they would send us something in the mail to update us.  I got the mail a could weeks later, and it said to wait 90 days before I called back if I didn't get the green card.  After 91 days, I called back, that time USCIS tier 2 told me I was still inside the normal processing time, and to wait until 9 months after June 30th.  I waited, and called back.  That time tier 2 told me I should us Omsbudsman, when I went to that website, they suggested I meet with the USCIS Detroit field office.  I submitted my help ticket with Omsbudsman, and made an appointment with the Detroit field office.  Omsbudsman said if they can't help me, they will message me in a few days, if they can help me, it would take up to 45 days.  I have not heard from them, and it has been 47 days.  So, I will follow up with them again today.  The Detroit field office appointment seemed to go well, the man told me everything was done, and he would email the Texas Service center and copy me.  He said we should have the green card in 2-3 weeks.  After 3 weeks I set up my 2nd appointment with the Detroit field office.  I went to that appointment 1 month and a day after the first appointment.  This time it was a different man, and he told me that the visa was stuck in back ground check, but no red flags and nothing to worry about.  I explained that the last guy told me it was done, and he said he didn't know why he would have told me that.

Long story, I apologize.  I am frustrated that I can't get a consistent answer from any two people at USCIS, and that they ask the exact same questions every time I call.  It was my understanding that doing the CR1 via DCF and coming to the US meant they had already done background checks, I mean they did give us the visa.  Everything I have read says that we am waiting an usual amount of time for a green card.

One other unexpected thing.  Our case number changed.  When we were in China, we had a GUZ number.  After we came to the US, and I had to pay the $165 fee, it changed to an IOE number.  Does that sound normal, or should I be concerned?

Any advice is appreciated.  My wife's stamp expires on June 30th this year, we are really running out of time at this point.

Hello again everyone. We came to the US on the CR1 visa on June 30th, got stamped and processed. They told us the Green Card would arrive in 2-3 weeks. On August 12th I got a notice we didn't pay the $165 fee, so I paid it electronically that day. It has been 3 1/2 months since then, and I want to call someone and see what is going on. Does anyone know which department I should call for this update?

Thanks,

Jon

Thanks everyone, we just got a notice in the mail that we didn't pay the $165 fee for green card! . Sent it today, now the wait begins!

Hi all,

My wife arrived in Detroit MI on June 30, everything went fine processing her CR1 at the airport and they told us we would get the green card in 2-3 weeks. We are now partially through week 6 and it still hasn't shown up. How long should I wait before I start calling, and who exactly should I call when the time comes?

Thanks,

Jon

Go for the DCF if they let you. I did ours in China and it took less than 4 months. Good luck to you both!

Check out the irs website in the post previous to mine, you can get the previous 3 years tax receipt/transcripts for free. It only takes a couple weeks, nothing to worry about. Check it out and if you can't find the right page someone will help with a link. If not I will get you the link tomorrow.

Good luck and don't worry, this is a very normal request.

Hi all,

I understand that the 7158 stamp we got when we entered the USA for my wife's CR1 visa counts as a temp 1 year GC. The stamp is half over her visa and half on the next page, and the officer wrote CR1 inside the 7158 stamp. The stamp is dated June 29 2016, so I understand that it is good for a year after that date. Do I have that all correct? Worst case my mom could mail us the green card. We will live in China for another 4 months. That keeps us under the 6 month limit. Once we come back in December we will stay living in the USA.

Thanks for all the help over the last 8 months!

We got her passport back today with the visa stamp inside. Less than 4 months from start to finish and I would estimate 2 months of that time was on us for not having the proper documents(Notarized Certificate of Birth). DCF was a great way to file, thank you all for the help so far. I am looking forward to using this forum in the coming years as we navigate all the remaining hurdles.

Thanks again everyone,

Jon