Charles' Angel

Thank you all for your responses!

Hello all,

I have a question that I can't seem to find the answer to. We have a friend who is currently in the Unites States on a Type R (J1) visa and he is about to get married to a U.S. citizen. The question is, will he have to go back to his country after getting married or can he remain in the U.S. because he heard that his current visa is changeable but he still has to leave the country after he has been married. Is this true? Please advise as the wife to be is concerned about her husband to be having to leave. Thanks!

Could you please elaborate on what you meant by "certified"? I contacted the NVC and they said that foreign documents can be translated here in the US as opposed to the country that the document originated from as long as the person translating signs a statement stating that they are fluent in both that language and english and signs this in front of a notary along with the translations. I just want to make sure that we do this right. It's funny - I don't understand this but all of these consulates are US Consulates, yet all of them have different requirements/standards? Why isn't this procedure uniform throughout?!?!?! Ugh!

About translating documents you can have a friend who speaks the other language do it they just have to sign the translation at the bottom with a statement like:

I certify that I am competent to translate from [Language] to English and that the above [identify the document and to whom it pertains] is a correct and true translation to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Signed:_______________

Address:______________

Telephone:____________

Date:_________________

Question asked before: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=31743

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=33828

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;qpid=529387

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=41961

Be careful. That should work as far as USCIS goes, but some consulates/embassies ask for certified translations.

What would I ever do without all the wonderful people on VJ?!?!?! Everyone is so helpful and I thank you so much for the information!

About translating documents you can have a friend who speaks the other language do it they just have to sign the translation at the bottom with a statement like:

I certify that I am competent to translate from [Language] to English and that the above [identify the document and to whom it pertains] is a correct and true translation to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Signed:_______________

Address:______________

Telephone:____________

Date:_________________

Question asked before: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=31743

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=33828

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;qpid=529387

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=41961

Help! The consulate requires that all documents in a foreign language be translated into English. Does this translation to english need to be done in the foreign country or can I have them send me the documents and I can have them translated here in the US? Also, does the translation need to be accompanied with any special certification document or does it just need to be notarized?

My fiance stayed in Guangzhou, China. Do you have any information about Ghaungzhou police reports and how to obtain them?

I hope I could help you both out.but you have to tell me where have you stayed in china.Which city?Here is phone number for the embassy of your country in beijing,china.86-10-65323631/65321650. You could try to contact them to figure it out. hope it will help you some.

I am so happy for you! Pretty soon you will be with your wife and start making wonderful memories together! My prayers are with you for this upcoming appointment!

AFTER A LONG WAIT, FRINGERPRINT RESULTS ARRIVED OCT 30 AND I WAS MAILED TO COME BACK TO THE CONSULATE NOV 20 @7AM TO FINALIZE MY CASE. EVERYONE WISH ME WELL.LOL))))

I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED , BUT I TELL YOU MY FAMILY AS SOON AS I PICK UP THE VISA, I'M LEAVING THRU. THE NEXT NORTHAMERICAN AIRLINE AVAILABLE FLIGHT TO JFK BEFORE LEAVING FOR LOS ANGELES. I PLAN ON LEAVING NAIJA NOV 27TH. WISH ME WELL OHHHHHHHHHHH

Hi all,

I really need some help here. Please, if anyone knows who to contact or how to go about getting a police certificate in China please let me know. Neither I or my fiance are in China anymore and we need this for our interview. I keep contacting the consulate in China but they are not able to help me they say. I don't know what else to do?!?

Hi all,

I really need some help here. Please, if anyone knows who to contact or how to go about getting a police certificate in China please let me know. Neither I or my fiance are in China anymore and we need this for our interview. I keep contacting the consulate in China but they are not able to help me they say.

Yes that is the letter. Look underneath the bar code for the new case # on the letter. Make sure your fiance has a copy of this letter when going to the embassy. Oh my, maybe we will bump into each other at the embassy - LOL! Take care and best wishes!

I got a letter in the mail today ...

But, it seems far too brief to be the long-awaited NVC letter. It reads something to the effect of "...we have your Case as of 11-8-06, within a week it will be fowarded..." and there's a bar code and the address to Lagos. Is this it????

Congratulations! I am so happy for you both!!!!!!!!

My fiancee just finished her interview and it was the easiest interview she ever had to do. She will pick up her visa next week. I'll give details soon. Thanks VJ family I love you immigration experts for life. Now i have to go get drunk, No driving though.

The reason I posted this was because of this information I read off of the VJ post for the I-134:

"To substantiate the information regarding income and resources the sponsor should attach two or more of the following items to the affidavit:

Notarized copies of his or her latest federal income tax return;"

So you didn't need to have yours notarized?

Lets not mix up the issues.....Form I-134 needs to be notarized but copies of most of the supporting evidence will suffice. I think the lesson of Taye`s outcome is clear: Interviews are done on a case-by-case basis. What applies to one may not apply to the other....

But if you have the resources and time to get certified copies of documents, and it gives you some peace of mind doing so, then by all means go right ahead.

Personally, I made copies of tax returns from Turbo Tax stored on my PC.

Hi all,

Does anyone know whether or not the petitioner's (US Citizen's ) original birth certificate is required at the interview? They mention the beneficiary's birth certificate is needed but does that also mean the petitioner's as well? I just want to make sure I am not leaving anything out. Ugh! So many questions....

Hi all,

For the I-134 affadavit of support form they say that you have to provide certified copies of your tax returns, etc. Does this mean that the copies need to be notarized by a notary in the US or do they need to be authenticated for Nigeria? What have others who have been approved done?

Oh my goodness - your story made me cry! Congratulations and God bless you both throughout your lives and may you never be separated again!

This is an emotional time for me but I want to share with those still in the journey. I have cried, danced, jumped and thanked my God - not in that order but repeatedly over the past week. My husband has his visa after 16 month separation.

It has been a long journey for me. My story is unlike anyone else's. We were hit with a 10yr ban after traveling to Nigeria. I nearly died when i heard the news of the denial as it was not expected.

Here is our visa journey, I met and married my husband in the US. Prior to adjusting his status in the US we traveled to Nigeria for a family emergency. Traveling was our 2nd mistake (the first being the overstaying).

Overwhelmed by the emergency we thought (incorrectly) we could apply for a K visa for his return home. While there we had a beautiful traditional wedding. 4 months later we got our K3 interview and to our surprise was denied. Big DAH! Due to my husband's previous overstay we faced a ban. Devastated but determined we begged our way into the waiver process. The Lagos consulate agreed to start the waiver process as soon as our I130 was approved. We spent 3 months writing a waiver and obtaining congressional support. As soon as our approved I130 NOA was in hand we returned to the embassy and filed our waiver. True to their word, Lagos sent the waiver to DHS in Accra for processing within 30 days. However before sending it we were told it could take 15 months to process it. I went crying to my congressman. With a congressional request of expedited processing, our I601 waiver process took 3 months at DHS in Accra. We were notified by our congressman and Washington DC that our waiver was approved. Our next interview came at the end of the following month with the Lagos embassy, where they issued a K3 denial with a 221g. We were told to wait for our I130 to be "at post" before the interview for the Cr1 visa could be set and the approved I601 waiver could be applied. Basically our K3 was denied because waivers are for immigrate visas in Lagos.

Thankfully following month our I 130 was completed. So in summary, 7 months after the I130 was approved and 9 months after our first k3 denial our CR1 was completed at NVC. We thought case complete meant “at post”. We spent the next month calling the voice response system at NVC and getting case complete and having NVC agents to say "we are still waiting for an interview to “be set” by Lagos”. Then I had a tragic death in my family to deal with and applied for an expedited request via my congressman. We also FAX’d our own expedited request directly to NVC. NVC approved it but would not send the completed case to Lagos with out them first agreeing to schedule the interview them selves. Well we held our breath and Lagos did agree to schedule it. (We were notified by our congressman of this approval). So the expedited I130 case file was sent to lagos where it sat for another month, lost. We emailed and emailed and no one at the embassy knew where it was. So we called NVC to alert them and they put a trace on it. The trace showed they received the case 4 days after it left NVC. The wait now was for them to upload the case so it would be seen and scheduled. I personally went to the embassy through the inquiry line and got an interview date. We suspect the case was uploaded when the trace was completed. Anyhoo, the interview for the Cr1 was set for 3 weeks later but I got it with no issue. My husband returned the following week to pick up his packet and interview letter.

I returned to the US and gathered everything for an updated I864 and evidence of relationship and shipped to my husband. He went to the phone company and got a printout of incoming and outgoing calls.

The 7 am Cr1 interview:

They immediately called on people to collect items not in NVC File, like passport, ds230 part II, 2 passport pictures, and medical records. The were asked to Swear for oath and were fingerprinted (left and right forefinger) Then asked to return to their seats.

It was about 2 pm before they called my husband - the staff apparently went on break between 10am-1:30.

During the interview, he as asked typical questions, when did we meet, when did we marry, why did he overstay, when did he see me last. That was when true interest came in when learning of my 6 visits. He asked for proof of my visits and my husband showed my 3 Nigerian visas and 12 entry/ departure stamps from my passport. Then he asked for pictures of our weddings and family. The photo album could not fit through the whole at the interview window so my husband had to turn pages for him. That was all the evidence requested of my husband. no emails, phone logs, I864, police report etc... I am sure it is hard to doubt a relationship when you have visited 6 times over a 16 month period and sure information was being applied from our prior K3 case file. Oh yeah, they asked for a copy of the waiver. After the interview he was told him to sit back down. When the CO returned he handed my husband a pink slip and all originals from the NVC file and told him to come back in a week to pick up the visa.

We did not really celebrate until the visa was in hand because you never know...... When he got the visa they handed him an orange envelope, his passport with a beautiful CR1 visa stamp, xrays and the supporting evidence for the waiver.

Now we are celebrating because our lives can go on.

Thanks for all support obtained on this site and best of luck to those still in the journey. Remember everything that has a beginning has an end.

I am so glad you asked this because this has been on my mind all day long! I won't have much in my accounts once I have to start paying for all of the fees involved in collecting this information, plane tickets, fees, etc. so I hope they will take that into consideration as going through this whole process isn't cheap. But I do have regular activity and I plan on providing the past year's bank statements as well along with 6 months of paystubs and several years of tax returns.

Do I need huge money in account as prove or just regular money as normal bank statement. My finacee going for interview in Nigeria and just trying to prepare myself ahead of D-Day.

Do my finacee need to prove herself financially too?

I just sign up for www.pingo.com today as Phonecard not reliable, what other things do we need?

Thanks in advance.

I know!!!!!!!! I have to pay over $100 to get all of my certified and authenticated copies. It upsets me to think that I am spending all this money on stuff that may or may not be looked at. They need to be more specific as to what people need to show - make it black and white - so people aren't stressing on what to submit and how much! I literally hyperventilated last night trying to figure out what all I need to prepare! I can't wait til this is all over! But my honey is worth it!

I am glad that you have posted this topic. As on my checklist it asked for all previous marriage certificates. I was under the impression that I needed to submitt my marriage certificate of which I do nont have a copy. I have had to pay for it to be sent to me. I will be pretty gutted if I will not need it for the interview!

Hi all,

I think I am thinking too much but I just want to make sure I submit everything I need to for the interview. If you were married before and you are divorced, do you have to submit both the marriage certificate and divorce certificate or will the divorce certificate alone be okay? Obviously if you have a divorce certificate then you must have been married before but I just want to make sure - can anyone help me out on this?

Thank you all for the information you provided. I will get the certificates just in case. Too much is better than to little.

Thank you all for the information you provided. I will get the certificates - I guess too much is better than too little.

Thank you all so much for the information - I will get the certificates because too much is better than too little.

Hi all,

I think I am thinking too much but I just want to make sure I submit everything I need to for the interview. If you were married before and you are divorced, do you have to submit both the marriage certificate and divorce certificate or will the divorce certificate alone be okay? Obviously if you have a divorce certificate then you must have been married before but I just want to make sure - can anyone help me out on this?

Thank you for the scoop.

It takes about 3-4 days from interview date. If there is a name hit, they will have to do fingerprinting and checks and this takes about a month (i've only seen this happen twice)

Thanks for the all the information - very helpful!

From what I have been told it can take another 5 days after the interview, this is what we are doing, our interview is 12/13/06. I am flying there, (I just feel that it leaves less to chance) I have bought us both tickets to fly out from Lagos 12/23/06. I just made sure his ticket was refundable, just in case. Remember that Nigerians tend to go home to Nigeria for Xmas, the flights will be FULL in December. Then In January, everybody goes back so flights out of Nigeria will Be FULL. When he picked up his packates the date was about 8 weeks out.

Hi all,

I think I am thinking too much but I just want to make sure I submit everything I need to for the interview. If you were married before and you are divorced, do you have to submit both the marriage certificate and divorce certificate or will the divorce certificate alone be okay? Obviously if you have a divorce certificate then you must have been married before but I just want to make sure - can anyone help me out on this?

Hi there,

For members who have gone through the K1 interview process at the Lagos embassy:

Once approved, how long did it take to have your visa issued? Same day, next day, one week, longer? I am just trying to get an estimate of an idea to see if it would be at all possible for my love to fly back with me once the Lord blesses us with an approval (gots to trust in the Lord!) Thanks!

Thanks! So is any of the information in these packets due before the interview or do you take all of the information to the interview with you?

packet 3 and 4 are picked up together. It is a notice of your interview date as well as documentation needed, like where to go to get the police report and medical exam. There is a form that must be completed but NOT SIGNED and turned in on the day of the interview. It must be signed in front of the Interview officer. Oh BTW Congrats on your packet being forwarded

Hi all!

I have gotten different information so I need clarification. First, does anyone know the specific contents of Packets 3 and 4? Also, when does my fiance need to submit this information - I have heard that you must submit packet 3 before you get packet 4 and then you get the interview date. I have also heard you submit both packets 3 and 4 at the interview only. Can someone help me on this because if I am supposed to be gathering paperwork right now I need to get on the ball since the embassy should be receiving our paperwork sometime next week - thanks be to the Lord!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YUP!! About damm time!! 234 days!!!

I'm happy but mostly just relieved at the moment. My stress level was peaked at 9.9!!!

It's a bitter sweet victory though!! No one should have to go through this for this long.

No 2nd RFE......only IMBRA!! not in Security checks.

They had all the evidence they needed, they just took their sweet azz time.

I actually just got home from my Congressman's office. She was peturbed I was bugging her again!!

I was there at 1pm and she changed her time frame again about my inquiry.

First she said she would be updated every 10 days.

Then mid Oct she said 30 days til we hear an update from the first inquiry.

Today she said 30-45 days which it said on the e-mail from CSC.

These people are friggin nuts! Now if I can just get out of CSC as soon as possible.

Here's the e-mail they sent her.

-----Original Message-----

From: Congressional DHS

Sent: Friday, October 27, 2006 1:43 PM

To: ***

Subject: FW: LIN**************

Good morning

I have just received word that the petition is approved. It will be sent to our records division to remove the I-129f from our file and forward the petition to the National Visa Center. This part of the process takes as much as two weeks and then transit in integration into the NVC takes about 3 weeks. Therefore, it is safe to say that the petitioner will receive notice from the NVC regarding the visa application some time in very early December

Congrats to you and you are right prayers truly work!

M REALLY HAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPY!!!!! I got a message from my fiance, he got the mail from CSC/USCIS!!!!! No electronic mails yet.

Prayer really works!!!!!!!!

Wishing the rest of the VJers for a speedy approval!!!!!!

For all the people who helped us along the journey THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

Congratulations! We are so happy for you - you are halfway there!

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Approved and very excited. We are all getting very close!