Lillyandkip

Hi everyone, I hope this is the right place for my question. 
So my husband and I got married in the US in 2016 and I came to the US in 2019 on an IR1 visa. 
I never changed my passport to my married name because my hometown requires the spouse to be present for that and we didn’t have the opportunity for that. 
My IR1 visa was issued in my maiden name to match my passport and so was my greencard. The officer at my interview told me that I could later change my last name by filing an I90 form. 
I would now like to change my last name to my married name on my greencard. 
I started looking at the I90 form and understand that I can change my name if it has been legally changed since the current greencard was issued. I’m confused because my marriage certificate was issued in 2016 and my greencard was issued in 2019 so technically nothing changed since my GC was issued. 
Can I still use the I90 for with my marriage certificate to update my last name or are other steps needed to get that done? 

 

13 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

It is not a public charge.  It is managed by Washington's department of employment security, and funded through a payroll tax.   It is a great and unique program in our state.  And you're right, your eligibility is entirely based on your recent (previous year's) work history.  

 

I've used it twice (once to provide hospice care to my dad, and once to recover from an emergency surgery),  it is excellent and we are so lucky to have it here!

 

 

Thank you for your reply, that’s great news! 

Hi everyone,

We are thinking about trying for a baby sometime next year. I’ve been a greencard holder since May 2019 and have been at my current job since June 2019. I’m in Washington State and would qualify for 12 weeks of paid FMLA upon the birth of a child. Would the paid FMLA be considered a public charge? I was thinking that it wasn’t since I “worked” for it and qualify based on my work history and not based on a financial need but am not 100% sure. I can’t find anything officially about it online either. Does anyone know?

21 minutes ago, aaron2020 said:

A non-resident foreigner owning property in the US is not a simple matter.  Your parents should be discussing the purchase with a qualified accountant.  The US doesn't tax like the rest of the world.  

Thanks for your response!

im meeting with a tax specialist next week.

I am a greencard holder living in the US. 

My parents are German citizens, living in Germany who want to buy a house in the US for me and my USC husband to live in. 

The house will be on their name and we wont be paying rent. 

They are sending money to my US bank account so I can Wire Transfer it to the Escrow company at the time of closing. 

I’m now wondering if that would be treated as a foreign cash gift or as something else? Technically they aren’t gifting me anything since the funds will be used to buy a house for them. Would I need to file form 3520 or something else? 

Any help would be appreciated!

2 hours ago, RLA said:

Did you bring your marriage certificate as evidence for your name change? 

Yes I did. She said that she could see in the system when exactly I changed my name, when I became a LPR and all of that but still couldn’t take the restriction off my card because my greencard name doesn’t match my ssc name. 

I don’t really care what my ssc says but I want to be sure that there won’t be any problems when I’m applying for work, filing taxes etc.

Hi everyone

I think I got a problem. I've had a social security number in my maiden name since 2014. In 2016 I entered the US on a K1 visa, got married, changed my maiden name to my married name on my social security card and applied for AOS under my married name. However I had to go back home for a while before my green card was approved to we withdrew the application and I applied for an IR1 a year later. I did not have the chance to change my name on my passport yet because my husband would be required to be present for that in my home country. So my IR1 visa is in my maiden name and so will the green card but my social security number and my US drivers license are in my married name already. I didn't think it would be a big problem but today I went to the social security office to have them take the "valid for work only with DHS authorization" off. The lady there said she couldn't do that because they couldn't match my visa/I551 stamp to my social security number. Now I am super worried that I will run into problems applying for work! I looked at the I9 and it seems like my passport with the I551 stamp is a stand alone document. However the name on there doesn't match my social security number so I'm worried it will show a mismatch if they try to verify it.

I can't change my name on my Social Security Card back without a court order and if I apply for the green card in my married name it will take several months to get it and I didn't even get the initial card yet.

What do you think? Will this cause problems getting hired?

On 1/16/2019 at 4:21 PM, Erlenfee said:

Danke!!

Du mal eine kurze Frage, mein Status auf der CEAC Seite war vor dem Interview natürlich "Ready", heute Morgen "AP", auch nachvollziehbar aber jetzt wieder "Ready". Irgendwie seltsam. Kannst du dir da vll einen Reim draus machen?

Das ist ganz normal und heißt, dass das kurze AP vorbei ist  wenn es jetzt noch nicht „issued“ zeigt, dann bestimmt morgen! 

7 hours ago, Erlenfee said:

Congratulation and a safe flight!

I think we'll still have to carry the X-Ray pictures and the CD we got from the doctor with us at POE?

I have 10 more days till interview and getting nervous 🙈

Yes! One of the papers I got back with the passport said that it’s unlikely we will be asked for the xrays but should carry them with us just in case. 

I think Frankfurt is one of the “easiest” embassies and there is no reason to get nervous. (Easy to say for me now haha, I was a nervous wreck before the interview and seriously thought I would pass out in the waiting area 😅) 

We thought the whole process would at least take a year so I still need to finish up some things here and won’t leave until Spring but it’s just so relieving to have the visa sitting at home, ready to use. 

I finally got my passport with visa back today. It didn’t come with a sealed envelope even though I was told so at the embassy. I had a miniature heart attack until I saw “iv docs in ccd” on the visa which apparently means that all the documents are in a digital case file and I won’t need anything but my passport at POE. It took 15 days from the interview to visa in hand (6 business days).

im so happy and relieved!! We pray for everyone on here to continue having a smooth process and get their visas soon!

I had my interview dec 19th in Franfurt, Germany. The interview went well but my medical results weren’t there yet so I was given a 211g for that. I was only asked how we met and why I left the States again after already going through the K1 visa process a couple years ago. The Medical made it there on the 20th and today my ceac Status changed from AP to Issued. Frankfurt was closed Dec 24/25/26 so it took 3 business day for the visa to be issued after the Interview. Now I’m waiting to get my passport back. I chose to pick up my visa from the pickup location in Berlin instead of getting it delivered to my home address and hope everything keeps going smooth and i will have my visa in hand next week hopefully! 

Just now, nicedamsel said:

Congrats dear. Which embassy 

Thank you! It’s Frankfurt, Germany.

I got the email with our interview date last night. Case complete was on 11/05 and interview is scheduled for 12/19. 

33 minutes ago, aland said:

Unfortunately this won’t be the case! She is trying to have a job lined up in US before we move there. Would this then work? Or must she move back to the states and live there for a while before I can join her? 

I’m not completely sure about this because my husband lives in the US, but from what I read she needs to be working in that job already and show pay stubs or a letter from her employer as proof of current income. But you can just find a joint sponsor that lives in the US and won’t have to worry about that. 

she will also have to show that she is planning on re-establishing domicile in the US before you can get your visa. I think things like a valid US drivers license, job offers, rental agreement, school enrollments etc would be okay for that. 

1 minute ago, aland said:

Thanks for your response. The problem is that she hasn’t lived in US for 10 years! However she has filed her taxes every year since so I am hoping that would work. 

It should work as long as her income is coming from a source that will continue after she is moving back. If she is self employed for example or has income coming from rental properties etc. 

On 11/13/2018 at 11:25 AM, aland said:

Is anyone in/ or have been in a situation where both the petitioner and the beneficiary reside outside of the US? If yes, how would you/ did you complete the affidavit of support part? Could my wife sponsor me whilst living abroad with me? We intend to relocate to the States the soonest I have my green card completed. Any feedback would be much appreciated. 

I think she can sponsor you using assets or income that will continue after moving back to the States and if that isn’t an option you will need to find a joint sponsor. 

On 11/10/2018 at 6:21 PM, db2016 said:

hi all, quick question. did anyone use a household member to co-sponsor? my sister is going to be co-sponsoring with me as I am currently unemployed. what types of proof of relationship did you guys use? She is writing a letter as our proof of relationship and signing it, is there anything specific she needs to include in the language?

You could submit both your birth certificates, showing that you are having the same parents, as your proof of relationship. 

12 hours ago, Erlenfee said:

 

 

I really hope so! It'll mean we two are getting close! Would you keep me updated about your experience with our embassy?

Of course! Du mich bitte auch  

I’ve been to the Frankfurt embassy twice already for a J1 and a K1 and both times everything went really smoothly. No long waits and everyone was nice and I had my passport back within 3-5 days. 

Hoping it will be the same this time around! 

Where are you planning on getting your medical done? 

11 hours ago, anayazhere said:

 Congratulations... how long did u had to hold and wait on the call?

I always call right when they open and never wait more than 5min  

2 hours ago, Erlenfee said:

Hey guys.

 

I still don't know when my case was approved, got send to NVC nor when it arrived there. But I got a case number and invoice ID the 25th of October.

we paid the fees, the 26th and finished uploading all documents, 2nd of November.

Today I heard back, only have to upload the W2 form of my husband again. I plan on doing that tonight or tomorrow morning and hope to get a case complete asap.

As far as I know NVC is scheduling embassy appointments for December until 16th of November. So hopefully I get to be with my husband for Christmas.

 

I hope it helps some of you as of figuring out a timeline of how things can go.

 

Good luck everybody!! 🍀

 

Congrats! 

I called NVC today and tried to get some more information but all they said is that they can’t predict when the interview will be scheduled for but that we would get at least a months notice. 

If they still schedule until the 16th that would be awesome! 

Can I make an appointment for my medical already even though we just got CC and no interview date yet? 

Is the medical good for 6 or 12 months? 

13 minutes ago, Khallaf said:

In my opinion, I would say based on others in your country, you are looking to get interview letter in the next few days, if you don't get one with in a week, you will get it end of November for the January interview time.

 

I am of course guessing based on the timeline of others.

 

its an average of 144 days to interview from when you got NOA2.

awesome thank you! I will browse through some German timelines tomorrow. 

Hi everyone! We just got the CC email and are now waiting to be scheduled for our interview. 

What is the average time it takes to be scheduled and how far in advance do you get the notice? I'm a little worried about work since I'm working in shifts and we get our schedules 2 months in advance and it will be hard to switch shifts with someone or take a day off once the plan is published..

2 minutes ago, Khallaf said:

for the CR1 the interview is scheduled by NVC you can not schedule your own, once there is an interview set you can send an email to the embassy asking them to reschedule but then you run the risk of it being further out.

Okay thank you for your answer! Do you know how far in advance they schedule those interviews?

Hi everyone!

We just got a case complete at NVC and the email stated that there will be an interview scheduled for me.

When we went through the K1 process a couple years ago, I was able to schedule my own interview with the embassy online. Does anyone know if this is different for the IR1 now?

I would very much prefer to schedule my own interview because I'm still working and can't just take off two whole days on a short notice.

I will send them an email about it tomorrow but in the past I have only gotten pretty unhelpful automated responses back, referring to their website.