jeessgb

Hi everyone,
I figured I'd give my last update in case someone comes here needing more info, specially for the San Diego Office.
I sent I-751 on June 2019 and did biometrics in Nov 2019. In July 2020 I sent my N-400 application and didn't get any news until Dec 14th that my biometrics were reused.
Mid april 2021 I got a notification that my naturalization interview was scheduled for May 17,2021, no news for the I-751 at all. I went yesterday and took my husband with me just in case. They didn't let him in which discouraged me but when I met the officer he said he had reviewed both applications and that technically he should bring my husband in but since we have two kids together he wouldn't. He did ask questions about our life together and marriage, and also did the tests for N-400. He said he was going to approve me and congratulations I was a US citizen. He told me to go to a different floor for the ceremony. I got there and was only another person and myself and they already had my Naturalization Certificate. We did the oath of allegiance and everyone clapped. LOL. It was awesome, I wasn't expecting the ceremony to be the same day.
I realize I got really lucky and I'm so relieved this is all over.
Good luck to everyone still waiting.

Hello, everyone. I haven't completed my timeline, but I'd like to share my I-175 interview experience yesterday at USCIS Newark. 
 
I have a pending I-175 (November 2018) and N-400 (November 2019). My appointment notice for the N-400 arrived in March, scheduled for April. Sadly, that was cancelled due to COVID closures. 
Last month, I received an interview notice for I-175. I was a bit disappointed as I was hoping to head straight into an N-400 interview, which I read could turn into a combo interview. In any case, I prepared the required documents, more evidence, and we trooped to the USCIS office in Newark, NJ, yesterday.
 
The case officer assigned to us was extremely nice. As soon as we sat down, he said "So, the reason we have you here today is you need to get through the I-175 before naturalization. But since I see you already submitted your application for naturalization, we can do your naturalization interview NOW. But, do you know all your history questions? Are you ready?"
 
I was not prepared for that!!! I'd read about N-400 interviews that covered I-175, but not the other way around. Unfortunately I wasn't 100% confident. I even asked him if I could have an hour to review (haha) to which he said–if I wasn't sure, best to schedule a separate N-400.
 
Lesson: Be prepared for a chance to take your N-400 test during your I-175 interview! What a pity! Otherwise, I would've completed I-175, N-400, and gotten sworn in on the SAME DAY!! I was this close to completing the immigration journey then and there 😢
 
The case officer said they are expediting processes as fast as they can, so more of us can vote in November. He approved my case within the hour, and my card is currently being processed. Hope some of you get the same chance!
 

Tell her you will move to Russia and see what her reaction is

Just some reflecting here...since it was "so difficult" for her to even get pregnant, as she claims, and a "miracle" that she even conceived, for the sake of argument here lets go with her claim (even though none of us are buying that from her)...this was not a one time "thing" that happened with her and this man. Lets say it was an ex....as difficult as it is for her to get pregnant, there were many and I mean MANY hookups and tries. Please save yourself. You will find love again. Dont bear this responsibility. 

Look, let’s assume the best case scenario.  Let’s assume she got pregnant by an ex boyfriend who she was totally faithful to right before you met.  Maybe I’m being too generous, but I’ll go with that because I can’t assume anything here.  So she’s 45 days from giving birth.  That means she’s known she was pregnant for 4,5,6 months?
 
and how long did it take her to tell you?  I can tell you one very important thing about relationships.  They are built on open communication and trust.  You do not have that.  She kept that from you.  Regardless of her reason, she’s not mature enough for a loving relationship.  You are setting yourself up to be a victim with no recourse if you go through with it.  I would tell her that you are going to put things on hold.  Cancel the i129f and go see her.  Then reapply later.  When she freaks out and tries everything to manipulate you into moving forward, you’ll know what kind of person she is.  Best of luck

Honey.... from a womans perspective here....I need to say something. For an engaged woman to get pregnant by another man is more than just cheating. Are there no more chances in life for you where you can't POSSIBLY find another woman to love and respect you? Run now while you can! For so many reasons. Stop the bleeding while you can. You will be raising another mans child because whether you like it or not, she's now a "package deal". 

I recommend POF, plenty of fish. And the best part, no immigration process 😉

From my perspective, your fiancee is a green card chaser.

I can’t speak to the particulars about the workings of the visa, but I just want to say that while whatever you decide is your prerogative, you really should consider how much you are about to invest in a woman who has already been unfaithful to you. You will be signing your life away to support this person. Just keep that in mind. All the best to you. 

All the faithful, eligible women in the world to choose from, and anyone would stick with this?

I forecast, divorce after green card, and she marries her baby daddy and files for him.

You need to think long and hard whether you want to continue with this. Not only are you looking at raising someone else’s child for the next 18 years (were children part of your plan? Can you afford it?), you also have to consider whether you want to continue with someone who lies and cheats, unless the child is the result of a sexual assault. 
 
You can halt the process if you wish. 

Hi everyone 
 
I hope you all have been good. I haven't been here in what it seems a long time (three weeks) haha. A lot of things have happened. After receiving my EAD I started applying for jobs and scheduled an appointment at the DMV. Everything went smooth with the DMV, they gave me a temporary driving permit that only allowed me to drive with an adult next to me, that is until I scheduled a practical driving test, and then I got the driver's license. 
I tried to get a credit card but they told me since the SSN says "only allowed to work with DHS authorization", they cannot give me a credit card basically until I have a green card. 
Yesterday after going to 3 different interviews I got a job offer and I start tomorrow.  
Vacations are over so fast! Enjoy while you can!!!
 
Still no news about the I-485 interview. For what I've seen in the timelines of other applicants in San Diego, I should be getting an interview date around April or May. 
 
Oh, I also forgot to add that I already used my combo card to seek parole. I went on a quick trip across the border (Tijuana) and was very nervous coming back. They literally just looked at my card for 5 seconds and let us go through. Maybe it helped that I was with my husband. 
 
 

Hi everyone 
 
I hope you all have been good. I haven't been here in what it seems a long time (three weeks) haha. A lot of things have happened. After receiving my EAD I started applying for jobs and scheduled an appointment at the DMV. Everything went smooth with the DMV, they gave me a temporary driving permit that only allowed me to drive with an adult next to me, that is until I scheduled a practical driving test, and then I got the driver's license. 
I tried to get a credit card but they told me since the SSN says "only allowed to work with DHS authorization", they cannot give me a credit card basically until I have a green card. 
Yesterday after going to 3 different interviews I got a job offer and I start tomorrow.  
Vacations are over so fast! Enjoy while you can!!!
 
Still no news about the I-485 interview. For what I've seen in the timelines of other applicants in San Diego, I should be getting an interview date around April or May. 
 
Oh, I also forgot to add that I already used my combo card to seek parole. I went on a quick trip across the border (Tijuana) and was very nervous coming back. They literally just looked at my card for 5 seconds and let us go through. Maybe it helped that I was with my husband. 
 
 

She can't deport you, you have 10 years GC yet if you cheat on your wife, of course she becomes angry. cheating during the marriage could be a ground for divorce in some states. Anyway, if you wish to chat, text and be with other women, stop hurting your wife, divorce and be free to go date anybody you wish.
Good luck
Tasha

And please, OP - even if you want to try to get through this, don't pay for her annulment.  Your lover got herself into the mess she is in, and you need to make sure SHE can get herself out of it.
 
Been there.  Done that.  And boy, was it NOT worth it.  I paid for someone's dissolution of marriage, but luckily realized I was being taken for a ride before I up and married that person.  Whew.
 
Time seems so precious when you are 20.  You are her immediate ticket out of an unfortunate situation.  Don't be that ticket.
 
Sukie in NY

Sure, you can ride your high horse knowing you're not like "those people who just rather throw it all away". In the end it's your own choice. 
People like me who are recommending you reconsider aren't doing so because we're heartless. It's because we're older, have been around VJ for a little longer, and have seen lots of similar stories. To be heartless would be to pretend everything is dandy and fine, and let you spend upwards to 6k on filing for annulment, a new petition and potential rejection etc.
 
Good luck sorting it all out, and mending your broken heart, however you do it.

This girl is straight up lying to you!!!!!! she got MARRIED AND DIDNT TELL U! why? who knows! but she LIED
and she LIED on a GOVERNMENT FORM!!!! she will need a waiver and it will take a really long time! 
 
you are 20! go out, have fun, get drunk and move on! lots of girls out there!!!!! you dont need to deal with this ! you met her what, ONCE???? sorry, but you need to hear the truth - this girl is LYING about being married and i am willing to bet she is LYING about other things as well!!!!!! 
you are looking at now an annulment - then a k1 (or pob a cr1) and THEN you need to do a waiver which could be 6k + and as u couldnt even do a k1 on . your own u wont be able to do a waiver on your own!
 
reagardless, the fact she got 'married' to this 'sperm donar' (for those people who dont know, when you get knocked up on a one night stand or by a guy who turns out to be a bad father women often refers to these men as sperm donar, it isnt to be taken literally but more specifically lots of american women who are young and pregnant and the guy takes off they refer to a sperm donar) anyways, the fact she married this sperm donar, makes me think that he is more then that! first 'oh, he signed a paper at the hospital' then 'oh, i signed something too' and now 'oh, it was like at a court house' 
 
she continues to LIE. please, you are 20.. enjoy life... call it a fun adventure! u got to see the phillapines and go have fun!!!! i would ignore her and drop her! this isnt worth it for you!!!! 

I'm sorry this has happened to you. I am from Philippines and I can tell you that what your fiancée told you was a lie. First of all you do not need a marriage license for her to process her son's birth certificate at the hospital unless she was married to the father. There are kids that are born out of wedlock in the Philippines and such paperworks are not necessary. I don't want to judge her because I know few women who really just want to start a new life and move on from previous relationship. But it is not an excuse for her to lie to you and wait until up to this point. It seemed like she try her way around this situation and just hope that things will go her way but it didn't worked out. I know that you spent a lot already for her but I think it's best to re-assess your relationship with her. It's not fair to you to be paying the annulment for her and plus she was not honest with you in the beggining. What makes you think she will not lie to you about other things? This is a difficult situation for you and I hope you will think hard about it before making any sudden decision. Sometimes we need to take a step back to see clearly. If you really love her and she loves you she will owned up her mistakes and won't rush you into making decision. You will recover the loss that you spent working for her visa but if you pursue into helping her with the annulment you will spend much more than you can possibly think. Philippines is not known for having a fast process of things. Even wealthy people takes years for them to have it finalize. goodluck and I hope you decide wisely. 

so she 1) hid the truth about her kid's father 2) told you she was free to marry you 3) when presented with the evidence (her name/the kid's father's name being the same), she made up a story about him signing paperwork at the hospital
Only when you confronted her/pressed for more details, she confessed she actually was involved in the "going to the mayor" thing. As you can read in other comments, there's probably a whole lot more involved in that, too - so if you keep pressing, there may be other things she's not telling.
 
I'm sorry, man. It's a hard lesson to learn, and I appreciate you wanting to be faithful and following through, but these lies are HUUGE red flags. Contrary to what you seem to think, not every woman "these days" has a baby at 18.
 
You are still young. It'll be a major heartbreak, but you WILL survive. Take it from someone who didn't find true love until age 33, it's well worth the wait. 

I would agree with this. I dont buy the story of "just signing the paperworks at the hospital" to make the processing of her kid's birth certificate easier. I am from Philippines and obtaining a marriage license in Philippines is not as easy and quick as compared in U.S. She is obviously married and she hid that fact from you. In Philippines, you cannot get a marriage license in just 2days. 
You have to attend a pre-wedding seminar. And if you are 25years old and below, you need parent's advice/consent. 
 
What I am trying to say is... Marriage in Philippines is a long complex process. One cannot simply say, I didnt know I was married. I signed something and I didn't know it's a marriage thing. Philippines is semi-conservative. Having a baby before marriage is not socially accepted on some parts of the country and so some rush into marriage knowing that there is a baby on the way. It's still planned marriage though. 

OP,
I think you are getting scammed.  I know it seems like she's the only girl in the world, and you will never find anybody else, the reality is that there are plenty of women for you. 
 
I would consider forgetting to tell me that she was married as a deal breaker, i.e. IMMEDIATE TEMINATION. 
 
Try testing her.  Tell her that you are looking for a new job that can transfer you to her country.  Forget moving to the US, and see what she says.  At first, she may act all cool about it, but keep it going for a while (make up interviews, etc) and I'll bet that eventually she'll show her true colors. 

I hate to say this .... But turn around ...... and RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!! 
 

If you were my son I would be slapping you on the back of your head (no disrespect).
 
If you were my brother I would be taking you out for a few drinks and telling you to move on.
 
But since I can only go by what you posted here I will say that I agree that you need to take a step back. There is nothing wrong with loving someone. But don't allow that love to blind you. In your first post you put all the blame on the "sperm donor". Now you are realizing that she is actually married. You are calling him a poor father. How do you know this if you are not there with her. He could be sitting in another room watching TV while you Skype with her. We have seen it before on VJ.
 
This was NOT, I repeat, NOT A MISUNDERSTANDING. She willingly withheld that vital information from you until there was no way but to admit it. Now you are unsure of other information that she may be not telling you. You are young so you have plenty of time to seek a life with someone who does not hide aspects of her life. This is not the end of the world. 
 
As for moving forward, as mentioned, an annulment is not going to be quick and easy ESPECIALLY with a legitimate child involved. You have to weigh the options whether investing time, money, and more emotion, for something that has a cloud of uncertainty over it.

You say that you are middle class, but can't afford 100k pesos?  My understanding is that this is about 2k usd, right?  
 
I agree with taking a step back right now.  First, if you can't even put 2k aside, you aren't ready to take on the responsibility of supporting an immigrant and her child. When that child comes here, it becomes your responsibility as a step parent, don't mess up that kid's life.
 
Secondly, as others have pointed out, she lied to you about being married.  That isn't a minor oversight at all.