kris_hetfield

My wife filed her I751 and got a 18-month extension letter for her Green Card. However, the case is still pending and the 18 months are coming up in January 2021.

Not being sure if her case will be completed by then, especially with delays due to COVID, wanted to be proactive and request another such letter providing an additional extension. For anyone who’s been through this process, would greatly appreciate if you could tell me how to go about it.

Not sure if it’ll help, but she has also filed the N400 in April for the meantime, but not expecting that’ll before January either.

I've had some weird things happen with this application which led me to notice the incorrect address on the form:

I got a text saying the case was received and got a receipt number. When I check that receipt number online, it cannot find the case, and then I realized I didn't receive the notice of action which prompted me to check the form. Lo and behold, I screwed it up.

Would appreciate anyone who can help on what to do?

I'm not sure how to correct this mistake. Please help. Thanks.

Hi all,

My wife would like to bring down her mother in law from Romania for a visit to the US. However her situation may not sound all that great for getting a tourist visa:

• Used to have home under her name, but now it is under my wife's name
• She is a widow, but lives with her boyfriend
• She is not employed. She and her boyfriend live off of his income
• Does not speak English (Would this be a concern for the visa interview?)

We also don't have children and aren't bringing her here for childcare or anything of the like. Just for a simple visit to spend some time with us.

Considering the above, do any of you think she would have a shot at obtaining a tourist visa or will it most likely be declined? Would appreciate any suggestions that could help strengthen her case as well.

Thanks

16 hours ago, Music_en said:

I went back home this year for 2 weeks. Came back in February using AP. It wasn't exactly a breeze lol. The CBP was rude, but I expected nothing less. Was asked: where did I go? What I did there and what am I doing back in this country. After that I was sent to secondary inspection where it took about 20 minutes to get my file. They called me, stamped my passport gave me my documents back and let me on my way. By that time even the belt for the luggage had stopped turning. Just when I thought I was good to go I was "randomly" picked to get my luggage searched. 🙄 All in all i knew I had nothing to worry about , but I feel anyone would be nervous regardless. Maybe I encountered more suspicion cause my connecting flight was through Turkey. 

Wow, seems like they aren't so happy to hear you'd visit the place you grew up in

Hi all,

My wife just received her AP. We haven't been on a proper honeymoon as of yet since we wanted to visit some exotic locations. I'm a bit anxious about her travelling outside the US without a Green Card and just having an AP given the current situation with immigration. Have any of you with AP recently traveled outside the US? What was your experience like? Am I just over-thinking it?

Thanks

18 minutes ago, evapaula said:

Hi. I am the Romanian marrying a USC and I have registered my marriage in Romania on one of our visits to avoid the high translation fees and a trip to the consulate in the US. Still using my passport in my maiden name (no rush to get that changed) but I will eventually want to get a new one and I knew the Romanian marriage certificate would be required. 

Just to be clear, you married your husband in the US and then registered the marriage in Romania, am I right? What were the documents you needed to present to register your marriage there?

Would appreciate any info you can provide

Hi all,

I hope I'm posting this in the right section. My wife wanted to update her passport with her new name and we had gone to the Romanian consulate in New York which was a 4 hour trip. That consulate is completely ineffective, you cannot reach them on the phone and they don't reply to emails. Their website did not make the requirements very clear, and we thought they would require an apostilled marriage certificate. Turns out they had different requirements where they needed:

• Wife's birth certificate
• Marriage Certificate with apostile
• Marriage Certificate translated in Romanian with apostile
• My birth certificate translated to Romanian and notarized (I don't know why this is even required when they have my next item)
• A copy of my US passport bio page

These translations are very expensive. Costing in the range of $250-300. Are there any other options that other Romanians who are on here may be aware of? How have your experiences been?

People of other nationalities are welcome to comment too of course

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I wanted to pay for my mother's n-400 application using G-1450. Thing is we don't live close enough for me to hand it to her in person. Was wondering if it's possible to scan the form so she can use it? Of course, it won't be an ink signature.

Thanks

Hi all,

Me and my wife were planning to go to Maldives for our long due honeymoon. Maldives, although a country full of chill people and a laidback scene, is a Muslim country and given recent developments in the Trump administration, would it be advisable to go there? The initial plan was to take my wife (from Romania) there when she got her AP. But it seems like this won't be such a good move. Hoping if anyone could shed some light on this. Thanks.

8 hours ago, aleful said:

hi

 

no need to explain, 2016 taxes aren't required until after April 15th for that very same reason, nobody can force you to file early

 

you have up to April 15th to file 2016 taxes, so any affidavit of support sent before that date will be sent with 2015 tax as the most recent tax

 

if she has the interview after that date, she can take a new i864 with the 2016 tax

 

Thanks! That's good to know

I was going to sponsor my wife with form I-864, but I haven't filed my taxes for last year yet. When filling out the form, can I use 2015 tax return as the latest return and explain that I haven't received my W-2 yet in order to file taxes for 2016 yet?

Thanks

10 minutes ago, MariaR323 said:

 

I'm not too familiar with MA state tax rules but the little research I did looks like they do not conform to the Federal option to elect resident status for taxation.

 

" For Massachusetts Income Tax Purposes:
Regardless of taxpayer's residency status for federal purposes, Massachusetts relies on it own law in determining whether or not a taxpayer is a resident, nonresident or part-year resident ."

 

Here's the link to the excerpt above: http://www.mass.gov/dor/individuals/filing-and-payment-information/guide-to-personal-income-tax/residency-status.html#Alien

 

Since you mention there's no income at all for 2016 for your spouse, sounds like there's no need to even file a NR state tax return and you'll file your state tax return accordingly.

 

Hope this helps

Thanks, it does. I'm just not sure whether that means I file it individually.

2 hours ago, MariaR323 said:

 

I see. Ok, yes, she's considered a NRA for tax year 2016 and has no filing requirement on her own for 2016. You can elect to treat her as a resident for tax purposes and file your 2016 tax return as MFJ. To avoid any health ins. penalty you can certainly use Code C and the election to be treated as a resident has no effect on being able to use Code C.

 

You can prepare the return using TurboTax, however, you cannot e-File since you need to attach the election statement. It should go via regular mail (get tracking if possible).

 

Maria

TY for your suggestions. Would you also happen to know what should be done regarding state taxes? I live in MA, but am not expecting a specifics since it may be different to your situation.

10 minutes ago, Anthony.B said:

You should be able to file jointly easily. I was a J1 too back then. But i used turbo tax to file with my wife. It would be good for immigration if you file it jointly they like seeing things like those.

I'll check that out. I'm assuming you couldn't e-file through turbotax could you?

5 minutes ago, MariaR323 said:

Hi there,

 

A couple things... if she has no income to report then there is no need at all for a 1040NR.

 

If you are filing jointly, there is also no need for a 1040NR. If she was living in the U.S. for the entire year 2016 and the J1 labels her a nonresident, you can still file jointly by electing to be treated as a resident for tax purposes. See the IRS link here for info on the election statement: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-spouse-treated-as-a-resident

 

If the J1 doesn't label her a nonresident and she lived in the U.S. for the entire year 2016, then there is no need for the election statement and you can file jointly.

Hi Maria, I should've been clearer. She left in Oct 2015 and re-entered the US in Nov 2016, so she would still be a nonresident.

I also have a bit of an issue with the health insurance. She wasn't insured for the last couple of months and I found out that I could fill out code "C" on form 8965 (did not live in the US and/or are not a citizen) to be exempt from the insurance penalty.

Do you know if electing her to be a resident for tax purposes would affect this?

Hi all,

We got married recently in November and will be filing for AOS this month. My wife was a J1 visa holder in 2015 and should have an ITIN as she had applied for a tax return. But she will be considered a non-resident for tax purposes.

I was trying to file with H&R Block online, and after a series of questions they recommend a "best of both" approach that required meeting with a tax professional as a 1040NR would be required.

Would this form be necessary if filing jointly? She was unemployed for 2016, so it should be straightforward to fill out. I'm also concerned if this will mean we are filing separately in a way.

Would appreciate any input you guys may have. Thanks.

Hi all,

I am unsure about filling out this form in item 13 as the language states "Do not sign or date Form I-693 until instructed to do so by the civil surgeon". I am submitting my package with the DS-3025.

Thanks

Sucks to hear that, thanks for your answers guys

So my fiance had an existing SSN as she had worked in the US on a J1 visa previously. She came on a K1 and we recently got married, so she had gone to the Social Security Office today to get her name changed on her record. However the person working there wouldn't go forward with it and said the system wouldn't approve it. Has anyone else gone through a similar situation to this and is it normal? Will we just have to try again after getting EAD?

Thanks

So we got married this week and I want to add her to my apartment lease where they do a background check on her. My concern is that 1) We haven't filed AOS just yet, 2) Her name on her main ID - passport - won't be the new one.

Any advice from those of you who might have gone through the same thing?

Congrulations

I hope you have not already bought the ticket as it will take time to process the visa packet and all here will tell you

Don't make plans and buy tickets till visa is in hand

Turns out she got the passport today

Booking time!

Oh you're right KierenHby, the part about the boyfriend paying for the ticket seems to totally counteract the usual "The applicant alone must pay" advice seen on this forum. Strange. Sometimes I feel that some CO's are just nicer than others and that's all.

And yeah, the part about mentioning being the photographer that hints at possibly working in the US is even more baffling. Huh.

OP, we're just a little surprised because people with a lot stronger ties/evidence/dire reasons to go to the US have been turned down before on these forums. You're fiance's friend should consider herself very lucky!

I know, even I was surprised she got the visa. But she had pics of myself and herself with our significant others hanging out during our engagement party, so they had some evidence that we've known eachother before as well as an invitation to the wedding. I completely get your point though, she could easily be seen as working at our wedding.

I really think that the bf paying the ticket worked in her favor since it established some kind of tie back to Romania. She currently works as a self-employed photographer and it's not like she's on a payroll to prove ties.

Maybe she just had a very nice CO

Would she be paid?

And, great she got the visa.

No, she's not coming here for a work-related purpose

How'd she know they were all rejected?

Hm, I wonder if they have denial quotas or something.

She could hear bits and pieces of the interviews, see other people's expressions afterwards...that sorta thing

And no idea about the quotas :/

That's great. Some embassies really are more lenient than others. It's always nice to hear a success story.

It depends I guess. My fiance went for her K1 interview yesterday actually and there were 20 other people with her. 18 were rejected.

One guy even retorted with the fact that he was born on July 4th and deserves a shot at going to the US because of it haha

Congrulations

I hope you have not already bought the ticket as it will take time to process the visa packet and all here will tell you

Don't make plans and buy tickets till visa is in hand

I'm being optimistic. The embassy said her passport would be ready by tuesday (I'm assuming the packet comes with it too). But you're right, the lady who interviewed my fiance suggested not to buy tickets just yet and I'll take that advice.