Bruce n Jen

... my husband (who is 24) needs a Hep B shot (that will cost $120 for the first) though he was told at the London medical for his K-3 he did not need the Hep B series. ...

Um, I hate to harp on this, but I strongly suggest completing the series of 3 Hep B shots required for protective vaccination. Like I've said before, there is a reason for a full vaccination regimen, not just to fulfill green card requirements. Hep B is serious, treat it accordingly.

Saying this is a disservice to the people on this forum. It is NOT a requirement for green card or AOS. It is age specific, see other posts, or my thread at http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69857

and as a dentist, it is not necessarily a general requirement for the public at large. YES, it IS for health care workers!

If you read all the links above regarding CDC instructions to panel physicians/civil surgeons - it's quite clear: Hep B is NOT required over the age of 19. It is NOT required for the immigration process. Now, your friendly physician may still try to coerce you into getting it. As a dentist, I know darn well what's what, and when I put it to the physician he finally admitted it was NOT required although he still maintained it was good to get. I strongly disagree. Your choice!

I will be paying a visit to the MD to PROTEST this abuse !

I did just that - I presented the MD with web printouts verifying that Hep B is not required - AND I got a refund of $75 - so be persistent when you're right ! :dance:

Here is a link to a chart that is used to determine which vaccinations are required for each age group for individuals who are adjusting status as immigrants to the US. It is from the instructions sent to Civil Surgeons with regards to completing immigration medical examinations:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/pdf/ti-03/tbl1-cs-clrd.pdf

and here is the link for Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/civil.htm

This link also provides the Technical Instructions page for Panel Physicians:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/panel.htm

Kathryn - you made my day !

I will be paying a visit to the MD to PROTEST this abuse !

Well my wife is 44, so she's out of the "age" related group - but still was made to take it. As a health care worker I'm aware of the Hep B value, however my wife is still not a candidate for it...

Sorry, didn't mean to offend. It would be too bad if she was vaccinnated unnecessarily. This didn't occur during my experience, however maybe someone will respond where they too were given the shot and they shouldn't have had it.

Carla

nah, not offended but as a dentist I was quite annoyed that she was made to take this - and I questioned it several times before done! Unfortunately I don't feel I have a strong enough case to confront the MD with just the PDF chart of the vaccinations that's been posted here recently - otherwise I would! I haven't been able to find anything else to support what's on that age chart of vaccinations...

I'm thinking that Hep B vacinnations are done in only certain age groups. I have no idea what your wife's age is! I'm 49, and I was not required to have a Hep B shot.

Unless you're really low on funds, I think it's a great idea if she had it anyway.

Carla

Well my wife is 44, so she's out of the "age" related group - but still was made to take it. As a health care worker I'm aware of the Hep B value, however my wife is still not a candidate for it...

I've read the recent threads about vaccinations and the supplement form. The age related chart was most informative. However, my wife's vaccination supplement was done last weekend, so it's now a done deal for us.

But the question remains, was the hepatitis B vaccination that she was "coerced" to get correct? I know what the age chart shows, AND I know what's posted on the USCIS lists of vaccinations....

the question is: who has been required to have the hepatitis B vaccination?

I just thought I would post this here...hope it helps someone.

Damn, I wish I had that yesterday when my wife was forced to have the hep B vac!

thanks to all the great information here, our application for a SSN went smoothly - my fiancee and I showed up on the 14th day after her arrival with application, birth cert and passport in hand. Besides the waiting to be called it took less than 10 minutes to be processed! We went to the Pompano Beach FL office after I had earlier read that the Delray Beach office was problematic for someone else a few months ago.

What a nice feeling. It was super simple and fast too...!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Where did you go for the Florida ID? I assume that's because you can't do the drivers license yet?

So, for the months that we are not do anything but sit on our butt while under AOS then I have some things to do, such as take classes and do reports for my school on the other side of the ocean(that's what I'll need an AP for but that's for another thread).

The question is, but what about things that people would need and F-1 for such as for getting Private Pilots licence at a flight school, would that be permissible while under AOS or not?

As the process does not allow a lot of fun, then my guess is that the answer would be no, but it would be nice to know.

While I honestly can't bother to wade through the TSA rule at this late hour - you can always independently do ground school. When I learned 20 yrs ago we used the Cessna private pilot course - I'm not sure what's in use now, but you can always study an appropriate flight manual. You're going to have to do it sooner or later. And you can begin to prepare for the written test. Get the latest copy of the FARs and AIM - good reference material too.

My fiancee has had her visa approval since Feb 20 and is busily wrapping up things at home so she can leave for the US by mid April.

I've read of so many others here wherein their fiance(e) got the visa and within a week or two was on a plane bound for the US.

My fiancee's first "obstacle" was her employer's requirement for 30 days notice of resignation. But since that was done she's been faced with closing out a retirement fund and handling the bank to closeout and transfer the proceeds. She has a condo which needs to be rented out and more paperwork with a bank. And lastly there's the tax clearance process from the South African revenue department.

Some of this red tape has been as bad if not worse than the forthcoming SSN process, and this K-1 visa process.

What have others experienced? or have some just ignored these requirements of their home country?

They said that you're now a K-3? What a load of BS. You should have asked them for a new American visa, if that was the case. Go back and ask for a manager or go to another office. You are a K-1, you are whatever is on your visa, only the state department could change that, and they never would. As long as you have not sent anything to USCIS, you are a K-1. Iquit has a point, something does need to be done about the SSA'a.

This happened on Social Security Administration Office in Delray Beach,Florida.

Well I'll scratch that office off my list and head to Pompano instead! thanks...

Congratulations!!!

Just curious, was your case transferred to the CSC?

Thanks,

Keith & Xiang

says so in the timeline

Is it a bad idea to commit fraud?

Let me think........

Yes.

I don't think this person - the OP - really cares - in another thread in this forum they mention working illegally as it's an ok thing to do since "everyone" else does!

So, as a K-1 holder, I can legally work with a I-94 and a SSN? When my I-94 expires, then I'll need an EAD to continue to work legally, unless my boss doesnt care. You'd thinkd that the US government would make working legally easier for us, considering working illegally, which most of us do, we don't claim out income on taxes...I wonder how much the US loses every year in tax revenue due to the complicity of loopty loops they put us through.

As a USC I take strong exception to your whimisical remark about "most of us do" with regard to working illegally! It's unfortunate to see you have such low regard for the laws of this country !

The example form may be using an older version, but they still give you an idea about how to correcly fill the newer form, they are a GUIDE.

Also the WARNING is well posted. in the terms of service. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...&page=terms

Good points!

From the TOS:

VISAJOURNEY.COM DOES NOT ATTEMPT TO MONITOR THE ENTIRE CONTENT OF THE SERVICE (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE DISCUSSION FORUMS) AND TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUCH CONTENT. INSTEAD, VISAJOURNEY.COM MERELY PROVIDES ACCESS TO SUCH CONTENT AS A SERVICE TO YOU.

I can't advise you on the I824 issue. Sorry.

No need to be sorry. Ok, let's forget my situation, and let me rephrase the question:

Does the use of the I824 ever help, speed up, or in any other way aid the process of an I-129/K-1 visa along any part of the process?

Hi and again, welcome to VJ - you're shedding much light on this "dark" process many of us have undertaken.

I do have a quick question: I was ill advised by a mutual acquaintance claiming to know the K1 process very well, to file an I824 - APPLICATION FOR ACTION ON AN APPROVED APPLICATION OR PETITION with my I129F for the K1 visa, with the notation to Cable Notify the consulate. Well that never happened. Of course my $200 was gratiously accepted.

Now what? I'm curious to ask for my money back. Nothing was ever done on the I824. Currently the online status of the I824 is the same showing the Sep 29th day received, but the update date has changed a few times, once on Jan 31, then on Feb 20 - the day the visa was approved at the interview, and again on Feb 21.

A bit of background info regarding the money/check cashing issue.

All petitions come into a centralized mail room at the NSC. Any monies attached to the petitions is immediately separated and locked away into the vault or repository where they keep the funds until a Brinks truck arrives at some point during the day. The mail room is a “secure” area and not accessible unless you work there (badge in and out etc..).

So, in case you are wondering, the adjudicator (or other staff) never handles any money. Once the application arrives in the mail room and the funds are removed, it goes to a central receiving/processing area where it is keyed/entered into the CIS system by contractor staff, placed into an A-File, assigned an A-number and corresponding bar code and placed on the shelf in the centralized storage area to await further processing. That’s why similar dates stay together because they are in-processed at the same time. Boxes of applications are withdrawn from storage on a first in first out basis, always working from oldest to newest.

The reason why it seems the checks are cashed before the petition is touched is because CIS deposits the checks and monies before a application is ever ready to be worked.

I hope that help to explain that.

Got it on the money, but....

what about the I824 issue - is it irrelevant to file? and I wasted $200?

Do they ever 'cable notify' the consulates anymore? I thought that was a thing of the past.

Good question, but like I said, I was misled with the false hope to do so.

Hi and again, welcome to VJ - you're shedding much light on this "dark" process many of us have undertaken.

I do have a quick question: I was ill advised by a mutual acquaintance claiming to know the K1 process very well, to file an I824 - APPLICATION FOR ACTION ON AN APPROVED APPLICATION OR PETITION with my I129F for the K1 visa, with the notation to Cable Notify the consulate. Well that never happened. Of course my $200 was gratiously accepted.

Now what? I'm curious to ask for my money back. Nothing was ever done on the I824. Currently the online status of the I824 is the same showing the Sep 29th day received, but the update date has changed a few times, once on Jan 31, then on Feb 20 - the day the visa was approved at the interview, and again on Feb 21.

How about a GPS for the car - so she wont get lost when we finally figure out the drivers license process!

Thanks to everyone - and the same good wishes to each and everyone going through this process!

At this point it hardly seems the wait was that long, been 5 months since I dropped the petition in the mail box -

Jen spent the day at the Johannesburg consulate and at 8:30am EST called to tell me she got the APPROVAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Good luck to everyone else! :dance:

gee nothing like a few roadblocks as you get to the end - keep persisting!!!

looks like we'll both be finishing up within days of each other - good luck !!! :dance: