swe_jill

19 minutes ago, CHIARA.11 said:

Hi this was so helpful! I'm in the same situation and I do not know how to fill in 2.4 and 2.1 could you please help me ?

thank you a lot chiara !

We completed this a few years back (2017 form), so perhaps it has changed since then. For our form, I completed section 2.1 with " Embassy of the United States" and the related contact information. For section 2.4 I didn't tick any boxes as none were applicable to our circumstances.

Hope that helps!

(Please move if not the right place for this)

Hello! I am a USC who sponsored my husband (Irish) for an IR-1 visa. We were living in the EU when we applied/through processing. He was approved in March 2018 and we arrived in Chicago July 14, 2018. He received the proper stamp in his passport when processed at the border (i-551 maybe?) and we paid the immigrant fee before leaving the EU. I know he can work/travel freely on his stamp, but having the actual card would be a comfort. Has anyone else had such long delays? The USCIS portal sent me to the Texas Service Center, which never got back to us. We were initially told we would receive the card in a few weeks, but it's now been 3.5 months. 

Many thanks!

2 hours ago, mericancate said:

You sent it to the NVC? I need this certificate for the interview process, so I didn't send it along with I129F. (Currently I'm waiting for I129F approval.)

I actually asked US embassy about this document recently, saying the document is only translated 90 percent (it include English translation on the bottom but not the complete translation). They say I still need100 percent translation so I will translate myself for the 10 percent. 

Yes, I sent a copy to the NVC exactly as is above. I don't know if embassy requirements can vary, but this (after much back and forth...see the linked post above) was sufficient for us with the NVC and embassy in Stockholm. 

3 hours ago, Gabiraldi said:

Hello, 

 

Did the certificate without translation work out for you? 

I have received the same letter from the Netherlands and I have sent it to the NVC. Today I got a letter that says: "We cannot accept the police certificate document you sent. You must send us the correct document so we can continue to process your case." (Netherlands Police Certificate).

 

Not sure what to do with this  ... plus the original document never arrived to my mail I only have copies.

Yes, I submitted the form exactly as received from the Netherlands, with no further translation. Many of us have problems with the NVC regarding the Dutch VOG: 

I would chase NL for the original police cert or apply for a new one, as my husband needed to show (maybe submit, I can't remember) the original at his embassy interview. 

1 hour ago, NikLR said:

Nothing else is needed.

~~moved to moving here and your new life~~

Super - thanks!! 

On 6/27/2018 at 1:36 AM, Joy&Fred said:

Went to the CEAC website, still says "refused" updated yesterday 6/25. I emailed the embassy again. I feel so lost at this point, I feel like my country does not care about me and my family.  

On this point, I applied here in Sweden for my Irish husband. We have a very clean case: married for many years, children, property, joint assets, clean records, etc. On his interview date his medical report had not yet been received by the Embassy, so he received a "refusal" letter and this was reflected online. Of course it's nerve wracking to see that word after such a long process. The report was received two days after his interview and it was still several weeks before we received final approval/return of documents. I know the waiting is tough...hope you have a resolution soon. 

My husband has his IR-1 visa approved and will be traveling to the US on July 13 via the Dublin Airport POE. We have his sealed packet from the US Embassy, confirmation of payment of his green card processing fee and (of course) his passport with visa pasted in. Is there anything else he will/might need to show at the POE? I will be travelling a week earlier to manage our move, so will be limited in how much I can help I can offer at the time. Thanks! 

Do you have a photocopy of your old passport to use as evidence? It's not ideal, but losing a passport isn't unheard of. My husband's passport expired during his assessment period (though he still had the expired one), so he brought both old and new to the interview. 

5 hours ago, payxibka said:

You have several issues.  You need to provide US tax returns or US tax transcripts.  If they are unavailable then you need to explain why you did not file returns.  Living in a foreign country is not a valid reason.  You have potentially seven years of unfilled returns that you will need to repair.

 

If you don't have jobs secured before you need to submit the I-864 then you will need a joint sponsor

Not necessarily. If they meet the minimum assets requirement proof of current/future income streams are not needed. 

Visa received on Monday  Best of luck to you both next month!!

16 minutes ago, Khallaf said:

you will need to file I-130, I-130A but in the mean time since you are currently living overseas you will need to have a domicle in USA set up. With that being said I do believe that living overseas you will need also a co-sponsor.

 

here is the link to petition for spouse https://www.uscis.gov/i-130

Re: co-sponsor, not necessarily. If the USC has a job that can transfer to the US paying more than the minimum requirement, or assets to satisfy the requirement, no co-sponsor would be necessary.  We live overseas and applied based on assets (no co-sponsor), and my husband received his IR1 visa on Monday But yes, agreed re: domicile. 

38 minutes ago, pepestru said:

@swe_jill I called the NVC as you had mentioned and they told me that the letter I received was meant was a reminder to bring the VOG to the embassy. The week after I received a notification that the DS-260 was approved. Now awaiting the interview date. With a bit of luck I should get something in the next 2 weeks.

 

How did your husband's interview go?

That's great that you were approved - congratulations! Interview went fine, but they haven't received his medical report yet, so processing should be complete within two - three weeks. They wanted to see our marriage certificate, his birth certificate, and police certs and we were surprised that they asked to see pictures of our kids, as we've been married for a long time and have a lot of proof of shared property, insurance, accounts, etc. He had them though, so that was fine. We're using assets to satisfy the AOS requirement, and they never even asked to see evidence of our account balances. All in all took around ten minutes. 

Best of luck with your interview! Glad we've both jumped the hurdle of the Dutch VOG

FYI: I've used this email address previously (Sweden used to file to the UK, but not any longer). The people were always very helpful and quick with responses.   

Hey @pepestru by way of an update, my husband had his interview at the Stockholm embassy and there were no questions/problems with his Dutch VOG. Hope you've cleared it with the NVC by now...once that is done you should have clear sailing. Good luck

Yes, this. When we first started this process and I was quite naive to how things worked, I posed this question (but for IR1, not CR1) to a USCIS Field Office and received in return a seriously stern email informing me that would be visa fraud and my husband would possibly be refused entry for intent to commit fraud. 

The list in that link is great. I'm a USC living outside of the US for 14 years () so expected a difficult time proving I never gave up US domicile. I provided a letter from my parents confirming we can live in a family-owned property upon our return, bank and credit card statements, state tax returns, copy of drivers' license, voter registration confirmation, emailed shipping quotes and emailed school and day care queries/correspondence. It worked for us.

Maybe the NVC are angling for a “gift” of some nice Gouda and tulips 

But really, good luck. There were many 40 min phone calls on our bill too during that time, but it was eventually cleared up. 

1 hour ago, pepestru said:

HI Jill,

 

How did you resolve this? I just received a similar letter from the NVC concerning the VOG (Letter of Conduct) from The Netherlands. I'm now at a loss as to either request a new VOG from The Netherlands and have them send it to the NVC in Portland, ME or to have them send it to the US embassy here in Singapore.

 

Thanks!

 

Peter

Hi Peter,

Well, because of the NVC delay on this issue and our kids’ school schedule, we ended up delaying our interview six months and are intending to move in the summer. 

I did however get some joy on this issue (I think/I hope). I made several calls to the NVC, always with different responses. On one call I was transferred to who I assume was a manager. He took the time to go to the website my NVC letter referenced, and saw himself that their letter did not match what the website instructs. He confirmed that previously Dutch VOGs went directly to the embassy where your interview will be held, but that that is no longer the case. He had to note in my file that this issue was resolved; I’m not sure that I would have gotten a CC without his notation. I also emailed directly to the visa section in the Stockholm embassy. They wouldn’t answer specific questions, but confirmed they did not want files sent directly to them. I would suggest calling the NVC and pushing hard for them to clear this up, but we had no need to reapply for Dutch VOGs.  

I’ll update after our interview (2 weeks) if things don’t go as expected in this regard. Sorry you’re facing this too - it’s ridiculous!

2 minutes ago, jakejon said:

My fiancé  Jake lives in Vegas. Yes I got so embarrassed as people were like, “keep talking...it’s beautiful the accent”. I wish I had the republican accent! Dublin feels like a another world to me! I read earlier that Dublin is meant to be great for the interview for visas. I’m not sure if I get the option of having my K1 interview as I’m technically British and not Irish (even though I was born and bred in the North). Everything is going to be great for you guys-I can feel it! Tell him to bring his lucky leprechaun charm! I tell you a few years ago well before I met Jake I had a psychic reading and they repeatedly said USA to me and I was like what the heck as I’d never been. Well that changed. The USA is awesome. It’s far more liberal. Gay marriage isn’t recognised in the North and sadly the only part of the UK that it’s banned from. Loves a human right? Well it never stopped us. I always remember being a child and was amazed with pictures of a Chicago! Some day I hope to get there 😊

Oh lovely...you two have kismet   I'm always encouraged when I hear people excited to move to the US. Lord knows there are problems, but it's still an amazing place. I hope all goes well for your process too and if you ever find yourself in Chicago feel free to message me and we'll show you the real city. And for what it's worth I've always liked the northern accent 

7 minutes ago, jakejon said:

So did your Irish fiancé go to the US during processing? We’ve been cautious as it’s recommended not to but I do miss the beautiful country! Please let me know as I do love Dublin on a whole and do love the airport! Hey-there’s a bar before security and I’m sure you know the Irish love to drink 😂

Oh he hasn't been my fiance for approximately 325 years (or eight, but who's counting). He has his interview for an IR-1 visa later this month. I'm from Chicago and O'Hare immigration has been a nightmare for us lately, which is partly why we are considering processing in Dublin. We love it there too...we met while I was living in Dublin and married there seven years ago. Where do you plan to live in the US? I  laugh because my husband's accent becomes stronger when we are in the US...he caught on quickly that Americans love an Irish accent

It's worth a shot then. If he's travelling alone with the kids, a short processing time would be key. @jakejon if we go through Dublin I'll update the thread to let you know how we get on. And yes, like your fiance I'm American and since last summer have faced crazy questioning when entering the US since last summer 

Does anyone have experience using Dublin Airport (which has US Immigration processing onsite, so once you land in the US you only have to clear customs) as a chosen port of entry on an IR-1 visa? My family and I live in Sweden, though my husband is Irish. He would like to visit family in Ireland immediately before our move to the US, though I'm not sure if he would encounter any problems with processing his visa there. It is likely that I will arrive in the US first and he will follow a week later with our two kids (both US citizens). On top of him wanting to see his family, we're hoping that the smaller/quieter immigration clearance in Dublin will make the process (wait times) go faster. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

41 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

Yes, but they would likely need to delay six months or more in order for the money to be in her account long enough to be considered "hers" in this context.

 

Usually, the offer of cash is in lieu of becoming obligated under the contract terms of the I-864.  People tend to be more ready to trust their daughter to return money than to trust daughter and son in law to support themselves for the rest of the joint sponsor's life.  This is why temporary possession of gifted assets is "seen through" by Consular Officers.

Completely understood and agreed. We initiated a delay of approximately 6 months between my husband's appointment notice (July 2016) and scheduling his appointment (now next month) because it better suited our needs and our kids' school schedule. We had the option to delay up to a year at that stage. 

Granted it's been a long time since we were at the I-130 stage, but if there is an option to delay before initiating the next stage, it suits the original poster and his wife, and it helps to ensure the success of their application, then it's an option worth considering. 

I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that your MIL can only be a joint sponsor for the AOS if she is a resident of the US or can prove domicile in the US. If that is the case with your MIL, it would certainly be easiest to have her serve as a joint sponsor with your wife. If that's not the case, if your MIL's property was transferred into your wife's name (with or without a subsequent sale of the property), it sounds like that appraised value would meet the assets requirement. 

If transferring the title isn't an option, could you take the gift from your MIL and let it sit in your bank accounts for a while? Delays by the petitioner (up to a point) are allowed through the visa process. 

Thanks all. Yes, our kids just recovered from the stomach flu, so all of our recent texts and emails have been about diarrhea, vomiting, and needing the other to stop at the liquor store on the way home. It's gross, but definitely shows that we are married