Mephibosheth

Stanwood, 45 min.-1h north of Seattle. I might come, but my work schedule may not permit...

I'll add this thread to my watchlist

My fiancé just got here and was interrogated at POE in Seattle. The officer at the main entry area asked him what the purpose of his visit was (he's coming to see me for 85 days on the VWP) and apparently he didn't like his answer. So he gave him a giant red card and he was sent to the interrogation room, all his bags thoroughly searched, asked about all his finances, how he and I met, why I had paid for his ticket, what he was doing here, etc. My fiancé says he was questions over 30 minutes... then they called me and asked me just about every question the same. I don't think I've ever been so nervous... and simultaneously pissed off. He kept reasking me the same questions, I guess to see if I'd come up with a different answer. I finally asked him "What, is there something illegal about me paying for his ticket?" He's like, "no, but the US has laws about intent to immigrant" blah blah. Of course I know this, and I try very hard to explain he's returning in September and he's here just to visit and that yes, I'll be supporting him during his stay. He of course doesn't believe me and keeps asking more questions. That phone call felt like an eternity, and he hung up without even telling me if my fiancé was getting through! Ugh...

Thank goodness he made it through. We haven't even filed our K1 paperwork yet!

I had a similar experience at POE Seattle Oct. 2006 with the VWP. I think they first get suspicious if you are staying for a long time (like i was going to stay 89 days) The guy also mumbled something about some problem with the passport (I wonder if it was because it's not a new digital one yet?) I was sent to the back and got lots of questions, but eventually was let through. He was slightly aggressive in his speech, but not too much.

When I came in through Vancouver Canada with my immigrant visa i was just waived through, at the US/Canada border the first guy we talked to was a freak. He looked at my passport and visa and got mad, mostly because he didn't know what to do about it. He also was very irritated because my sister in law only had her US driver's liscence. In the end they sent us inside and they were nice, albeit slow.

at my POE I was laughed at when I tried to give it to them.

Nobody wanted it.

I was a student in Chicago 1999-2001... when I was back in Germany, my college forwarded mail to me. I still got jury duty notices. It's a violation not to respond, and even though I was in a country far away, I wanted to keep the American law happy in case I wanted to return. I guess you get into the system when you apply for a Driver's Liscence or state ID and they don't ask if you're a USC or not. Getting off of that list while already living back in Germany took me a couple of phone calls with individuals who mostly didn't know how to answer my questions (though finally somebody could help me) How ridiculous! Checking the "I'm not a USC" box on the answer doesn't get you off the list for the future. I could keep going on how silly this all is, but... really, it's just silly...

Hey .... haven't been around for a long time

Really. How have you been?

well lots has happened. not sure where to start. I'm still in WA, north of Seattle at the same christian camp & conference center, no longer a cook, but a Guest Service Host. Generally things are going well. In January our first child was born, a little girl, which was quite an amazing event to witness. Though all seemed well following the birth, to our deepest grief, our newborn daughter died the same day of an infection. We had a lot of support from our community, friends and family and our faith, so that we were able to carry on, but of course this isn't something that will ever seize to effect us. So.... On a brighter note, we're going back to Europe in the summer for 2 weeks for my brother's wedding (in Denmark) I'm really looking forward to see my family again.

that's a bit of my life in recap...

also....

my passport runs out a few days after returning from Europe. Silly me for not thinking about that sooner. And now I've found out that to get a new passport i have to go to San Francisco !!!!! (crazy!) so... I'm going to risk traveling with my almost outdated passport since from what I could gather it should be fine. And then I guess I'll go to San Fran sometime in the fall?! Stupid electronic fingerprints!

Well, my fiancé and I weren't originally planning on going this route, but things aren't working out with his student visa. I've read/heard from other VJ'rs that Frankfurt doesn't require 6 months residency in Germany to do DCF there, just a resident permit. Has anyone done this more recently and can verify this? The last post I saw verifying this is from August 07. I know that getting a resident card in Germany is pretty simple as a spouse and have checked into that already.

A couple more general questions regarding DCF:

Assuming we file in person, do I need to be present in Germany after the original filing? Or could I fly back to the USA?

My fiancé has no criminal record, does he still need to get a police certificate?

When do we file an AOS - the guide for DCF isn't clear to me, but the K3 stuff says it's at the spousal interview. Is that the case? I have to get a joint sponsor, so it'd be good to know I have a little time to get that.

I could really use some good news today. Bad bad day hearing this student visa isn't working. The prospect of even more months apart just sucks so much.

Hey.... I did DCF in Frankfurt (me German, wife American) and i decided not to ask about the 6 months rule and my wife would not have fulfilled that requirement, but their website didn't say anything, so ...

Everything went well for me, but that was about a year ago. The following post: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1182840 says that the 6 month rule now applies. (posted after I made it through) so... that is all the info I have... you can either just risk it, try to get an official answer from somebody in Frankfurt or go a different route... those are the options

best of luck to you

Hey .... haven't been around for a long time

1. Since she is Ukrainian and not German, we didn't change names yet otherwise it would delay everything as she would have to go back to the Ukraine to change it all, time is not on our side. Is this going to be a problem or if I explain it in the cover letter perhaps that may help?

I guess the question is, are you planning on changing it later? If not, that's not an issue at all, if you are, then you just have the problem later of taking care of it all (new passport for your wife, new greencard for your wife, which I don't think would be too complicated, but I don't know). My wife didn't change her name for about a year later, but the easy part was that she was the US Citizen. We also waited because of not wanting to wait for a new passport for her.

2. Police check; She has lived in Germany for 7 years, do you think they will want one from Ukraine as well or just a German one should do? How do I apply for it and can I start it now already? I only know they come from Berlin and take a few weeks to come back.

To get a police check (Führungszeugnis) you would usually go to the Einwohnermeldeamt which is usually in the city hall (Rathaus) and then they can send it to your address. You can also request one by fax or mail, but that seems more complicated to me. I think she would have to apply for it though, not you (you can call the city hall of your city and ask them). If you can get one from the Ukraine and she lived there for more than six months, then you should get those as well (same applies to any other countries she might have lived in). Sometimes however police checks are considered unobtainable (for example, the USA doesn't offer them) but you would have to check if the Ukraine offers them or not.

3. For the support form at interview time, would an offer letter and perhaps pay stub work? I will start a new job in July in the US and haven't filed my tax returns for the last 3 years although I am working on it (I've filed in Germany for 2005 and 06).

A pay stub should be good stuff, also account balance print outs showing payment... an offer letter may work as well, depending on your other financial info. The main thing they actually look at is if you met the requirments for the past year(s). Of course I'm not sure if anything has changed in this field, so you could go with Wacken's advice and call them.

Hey Everyone

got a job, got my greencard two days ago, two welcome notices so far, might get a car soon, practical driving test on the 19th of Oct. everything dandy

no internet at home yet

wow julchen... almost can't believe it can go so fast...

I'm in the states since wednesday now... POE was interesting... first borderguard was super rude and ignorant, my sister in law who picked us up in vancouver had only her drivers liscence with her and apparently that's not really enough anymore for americans in canada... she got in anyway though, but first after some harsh preaching from the guard... he didn't know what to do with me, but eventually he asked someone and we were sent inside, where there were more friendly people, though a little slow... I gave my finger prints in actual ink even though they had one of those digital scanners... dont know why. Took like 30 minutes, but mostly because the guy was tired and slow

job interview tomorrow

VISA ARRIVED TODAYYYYYYY

:dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:

I'm feeling a little crazy

Health insurance, Bank, Unregistration in Germany taken care of... pretty much packed

flying out in 6days!!!!!!!!!!

WHAAAAAAAAAAAA

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1155201

this post confirms there is no 6 month rule in Frankfurt

NOA is note of action, but that's all i know about that

wish you luck

watch your credit card

congratulations

BY THE WAY...

people looking for cheap flights... www.condor.de has really cheap ones and they are the only ones apart from icelandair that I know of, who sell cheaper oneway tickets

we bought tickets for the 5th of September for 379 Euro per person (one way, all included) from Frankfurt to Vancouver (Canada) .. then we'll take the car across the border

My wife had been a resident in Germany for 1 day when we sent the I-130 to the Embassy we never asked if that was ok. We were in Denmark before, but no one ever asked about that

For your husband to get resident status you go to the Einwohnermeldeamt/Rathaus and register him and then you go to the Ausländeramt and apply for the Aufenthaltserlaubnis on basis of marriage. I don't even think it costs anything if i remember right... they are just very particular about pictures and I'm not sure what the exact requirements for health insurance are, but any public German health insurance is acceptable for sure. If you marry somewhere else than in Germany, your marriage certificate needs an Apostile (Überbeglaubigung) which you get in the country of marriage, but we forgot and they didn't ask (wouldn't recommend to push your luck though) oh, and btw getting married is easier in the US than in Germany (or in Denmark) though I don't even know what exactly you need to get married in Germany. Maybe he'll get residency through his job anyways?

still waiting for the visa...

my medical records went to the Embassy on Friday, so I should get the visa this week

I emailed them today to ask (learned my lesson there)

@tuscon

I don't think it matters how long your husband lives in Germany, just that you're married, and that he has resident status in Germany (which, if you are married you can get in one day if he has acceptable health insurance)

wish you the best

All I had was a copy of the city registration proving we're living at the same address, a copy of a bank statement (German bank account with both names) and a copy of something from the German health insurance (DAK) with both our names on it

I read somewhere that if you insist that it was a gift and that you do not have to return it, it's acceptable.

60-90 days is the official version, but it can be faster as you observed, especially if you turn it in in person.

sounds good to me...

one thing though is that i think you need a signed job contract, not a job promise ...

blessings and good luck to you

I'm no expert on I-864s, but I think if you want to mention your assets, you would have to file the I-864A in addition and mention it there... unless your wife has full access to the bank account, then she can mention the assets as her own. I think a copy of a bank account statement is enough, but if the money showed up quite recently you might have to explain where it came from (if it has accumulated over time through income for example that looks less sketchy), you can also take the account statement for the whole quarter with you if you think that proves that the money is truly your own and not temporarily borrowed. I don't think anybody will check 2 months later... basically if your visa is through, nobody goes back to check the legitimacy of your I-864 again

I know it seems a bit complicated with not leaving all papers there right away, but I guess their thinking is that they want to limit the amount of paperwork they have at the embassy, so they want the other stuff only if your I-130 is approved, and that takes 60-90 days... Frankfurt is quite a busy place... But then that's just me guessing. I think you might be able to leave the checklist there right away as well, but don't quote me on that

I think it'll be fine

my interview was supersmooth

check this post:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=274181

and this post:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=326023

maybe talk to the embassy where you wish to file and ask them if they would accept a job contract as proof of income

you might want to read this post

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=208494

and call the physicians to ask if they need a case number

So here is some advice, please feel free to disregard it:

It seems like I've read somewhere that people have been accepted on the basis having a signed job contract in the US, I'm not sure how you would be able to obtain that, living in Portugal, but if that is an option for you, it may work. I think it's up to the discretion of the embassy if they accept it... on the I-864EZ it asks to give an estimate of your current annual salary.. if your (future) job pays enough, you can put a high number there and back it up with your contract and a letter from your future employer... if you are in the states already you can include a recent pay stub. Also, if your husband is able to secure a job contract in the US beforehand, his future income can also count to meet the requirements (look at this thread for more on that http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...c=35199&hl=)

"A copy of your individual Federal income tax return, including W-2s for the most recent tax year, or a statement

and/or evidence describing why you were not required to file. Also include a copy of each and every Form 1099,

Schedule, and any other evidence of reported income. You may submit this information for the most recent three tax

years , pay stub(s) from the most recent six months, and/or a letter from your employer if you believe any of these

items will help you qualify." (from the I-864 EZ)

Another question is how you can prove your domicile in the US if you lived in Portugal all your life (which is a requirement to be a sponsor), a job contract would make that a lot easier

How you can proof your domicile in the US: (from the I-864 EZ)

"B.You are living abroad temporarily. If you are not currently living in the United States, you must show that your trip abroad is temporary and that you have maintained your domicile in the United States. You can show this by providing proof of your voting record in the United States, proof of paying U.S. State or local taxes, proof of having property in the United States, proof of maintaining bank or investment accounts in the United States, or proof of having a permanent mailing address in the United States. Other proof that could be evidence that you are a student studying abroad or that a foreign government has authorized a temporary stay.

C. You intend in good faith to reestablish your domicile in

the United States no later than the date of the intending

immigrant's admission or adjustment of status. You must

submit proof that you have taken concrete steps to establish

you will be domiciled in the United States at a time no later

than the date of the intending immigrant's admission or

adjustment of status. Concrete steps might include accepting a

job in the United States, signing a lease or purchasing a

residence in the United States, or registering children in U.S.

schools. Please attach proof of the steps you have taken to

establish domicile as previously described."

Another question is if you were required to file taxes in the US even though you lived in Portugal and if you did so (check with the IRS) :

"If you were required to file a Federal income tax return during

any of the previous 3 tax years but did not do so, you must file

any and all late returns with the IRS and attach an IRS-

generated tax return transcript documenting your late filing

before submitting the I-864EZ Affidavit of Support. If you

were not required to file a Federal income tax return under

U.S. tax law for any other reason, attach a written explanation

including evidence of the exemption and how you are subject

to it. Residence outside of the United States does not exempt

U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents from filing a U.S.

Federal income tax return. See "Filing Requirements" in the

IRS Form 1040 Filing Instructions to determine whether you

were required to file.

For purposes of this affidavit, the line for gross (total) income

on IRS Forms 1040 and 1040A will be considered when

determining income. For persons filing IRS Form 1040EZ,

the line for adjusted gross income will be considered."

all quotes are from the instructions to the I-864 which can be found here:

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-864EZ.pdf