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JasonGG

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  1. Like
    JasonGG reacted to HanhChi in IR-5 interview   
    Hi Jiinna,
    You’re welcome! I wish your Mom safe travel to the US as well! My parents are on the plane right now coming here. As the the Covid situation in Vietnam showed sign of worsening, I thought we did the right thing booking a flight that was pretty close to the date my parents received their Visa. We also knew that the Vietnamese government would be very aggressive in their attempt to control the virus. But I am still in shock (and relief) that a lockdown order has now gone into effect in Hanoi for 15 days, which happened in less than 12 hours since my parents left for the airport. We are incredibly lucky!
  2. Like
    JasonGG reacted to Nitas_man in Fiancee has been captured by police and being deported   
    This dude appears to be playing us. 
     
    😡
     
  3. Like
    JasonGG reacted to Nitas_man in Fiancee has been captured by police and being deported   
    ??Two years???
     
    That ain’t COVID.  
     
    Actions have consequences, and getting married won’t escape these.  Proving “extreme hardship” for a waiver isn’t easy and it isn’t quick.  Sorry bro.  Tough break.
     
    There IS a waiver process but it’ll take awhile. 
  4. Like
    JasonGG reacted to Captain Ewok in Vietnam US Family Visa Approvals by Month (IR5 Visas Way Up, K1 and IR1 Recovering)   
    We've had tons of questions on whether the Ho Chi Min City US Consulate in Vietnam has been approving family based US Visas (and if so at what rate).  To answer that, we dug into the official US State Department data and plotted visa approvals for K1, CR1, IR1 and IR5 visas over the last 2 years. Here is what we found:
     
    K1 Visa processing is recovering.  It's still below average after a 3 month pause in processing last summer, indicating a backlog. IR1 Visa and CR1 Visa processing times are back to pre-Covid rates.  There was a processing surge that seems to have made a dent in the backlog due to the 3 month pause last summer. IR5 Visa processing had a HUGE surge in April showing an all hands on deck effort to process the backlog after 11 months of being stopped.  This is very promising!  
    The full data is below.  What are your thoughts?
     

  5. Thanks
    JasonGG reacted to aaron2020 in Identity Document for naturalized daughter   
    If your daughter was under 18 years old, had a green card, and was living with her US citizen mom, then she automatically derived US citizenship.
     
    When your wife naturalizes, nothing is provided for her daughter.   Her daughter is not naturalizing.  She is automatically deriving US citizenship based on the Child Citizenship Act.  Using the mother's naturalization certificate, the daughter can obtain an N-600 and/or a US passport as her proof of citizenship.  

     
  6. Like
    JasonGG reacted to aaron2020 in Adjustment of status not approved   
    USCIS properly denied your sister's adjustment of status.  Your sister does not qualify to adjust status in the US.  
     
    Your sister was petitioned in the F1 family preference category, US citizen parent petitioning for an unmarried child over age 21.

    The reason your sister's adjustment of status was denied is because overstay is not forgiven for a beneficiary in the F1 category.  An F1 family preference beneficiary must be in status in order to qualify to adjust status.  Your sister is out of status and does not not qualify to adjust status in the US.

    Your sister needs an I-601a waiver for her unlawful presence.  After the I-601a is approved, she will need to interview for an immigration visa in Juarez, Mexico.   This is the way to resolve your sister's situation.  

    If your sister had been petitioned before age 21, it would have been a different story.  Under 21 and being petitioned by a USC stepparent would have resulted in an Immediate Relative case where your sister's overstay would have been forgiven and she could have adjusted status in the US for a green card.
  7. Like
    JasonGG reacted to Unlockable in filing i-130, questions (merged topics)   
    No. The requirement for US citizens is to file taxes. Not pay them. If you would have filed then you would have put $0 as your income because you could not find a job. But you still have to file your tax information every year.
  8. Like
    JasonGG got a reaction from Jho369 in Need help with airport to airport guide   
    I asked about the airport because I am assuming you are most concerned about their transiting between flights.  Depending on where their connecting fight is, the guide service might not be necessary.  Tokyo-Narita had dozens of airport staff greeting every passenger and directing us where we needed to go, even walking some passengers to transit security.  Not sure if they continued guiding them after transit security, but when  connecting from one ANA flight to another at Narita, the arrival and departure gates were always in the same wing of the airport. 
     
    Many larger airports also provide golf cart service for anyone willing to pay the fee to bring them from transit security to their gate.  Seoul was a lot of walking, but lots of staff before and after transit to assist.  Beijing was always a nightmare.  Very confusing.  Huge and always quite empty.  Security staff are unfriendly.  Queues were disorganized and lots of pushing and yelling.  I don't go through Beijing anymore regardless of the ticket price. 
     
    The people holding signs as you get off the airplane are usually waiting for someone who requested wheelchair service.  As mentioned already, it can be requested when purchasing tickets and also when checking in at the airport. I have also seen passengers arrange this service with flight attendants.  Korean Airlines and the Japanese airlines seemed to be the most helpful to older passengers.  I have seen the same passengers get wheelchair service beginning in Vietnam (arranged at check in), had it waiting for them at the transit airport, and again waiting for them at the U.S. destination.  At Dulles at least, it service brought them through customs, baggage claim, and out to the sidewalk to their hotel shuttle.  They don't have to be very old or have trouble walking to request the service, and in many instances, it will be a golf cart they ride in, not a wheelchair.
     
    No matter what airport they go to after leaving Vietnam, there will likely be many other Vietnamese transiting with them.  My wife and I are always happy to assist other passengers who seem lost or don't speak English.  There will be plenty of other passengers who will be happy to assist your parents, too. 🙂
     
    Jason
     
     
     
     
     
  9. Like
    JasonGG reacted to Stein in Need help with airport to airport guide   
    I also support going through Tokyo-Narita.  Just went through there myself less than 24 hours ago when I brought my family home today.  It is my favorite transfer point coming from HCMC to US. I have done several connecting SE Asian connections the last few years.   Also it's one of the more accessible stops right now.  Today in fact it was the ONLY scheduled international flight this morning from HCMC.  Tan Son Nhat was a ghost town this morning.  
     
    Also if they are going soon the flights were very empty.  There was only 15 people on the HCMC - Tokyo flight and less than 50 on the Tokyo-Chicago flight.  They did basically guide the few passengers to the connecting flights.
  10. Like
    JasonGG got a reaction from luckytxn in Family Tree for K1 interview in Vietnam?   
    For some family on both sides we just put name, relationship, and then “unknown” for contact info. - Jason 
  11. Like
    JasonGG reacted to craig5977 in Interview Done and Passed   
    We had our interview today. It went smoothly until the end at which time the IO mentioned that I did not have quite enough income to sponsor her and her son. My wife quickly responded as i informed her to do by asking if they looked at our assets? They looked and said, okay, congratulations, you passed and we will print and email your visas and passports.
    The questions asked where:
    1. How did you two meet?
    2. Did any of your husband's family or friends from USA attend the wedding? And why or why not?
    3. Do you have any relatives in USA? Where do they live? Do you talk to them?
    4. How many children does your husband have?
    5. How old is the oldest son? She tried to mess up my wife with the year but she gave the correct answer. What does he do for work?
    6. Asked about my ex and why we divorced?
    7. What does your husband do in his free time? And why?
    8. What will you do when you go to USA for work?  What will your husband do for work?
    9. What is your husband's job?  She answered about my job in Vietnam and what my former job was in USA
    10. What did you argue about? Why and when was the last time you argued?
    11. They asked why my income was so high in 2017 and what was my job to get that salary?
    12. How many visas had your husband applied for before?
    13. You don't have enough income to sponsor your wife and son, my wife asked if they looked at the assets? They looked and said,okay, congratulations, you passed and we will print and email your visas and passports.My wife saw the blue slip setting there on the chair and was so happy when they said she passed. We think this is the reason we didn't get a pink slip, so was fortunate with all the correct answers and quick thinking she turned the blue to pink. At the time I was the only American with his wife. When they called us to the window, they asked me and our son to take a seat while they interviewed her.
    The lady was so very kind and friendly and always smiled. Even the translator was very nice and kind. They both smiled when our 5 year old son held up his right arm and to swear in. He also wanted to get his fingerprints done, but he is to young. We told him to do whatever mom did. So he did.
    All in all it was a quick interview, maybe 10 minutes.
    We would like to thank everyone for their kind help along the way through this process.
    Craig and Linh
     
  12. Like
    JasonGG reacted to Stein in vaccinated   
    Here is a translation of the last statement from Vietnam Ministry of Health.  Translation is from a trusted Vietnamese US citizen.  Given the information below, and purely my speculation, with a good chunk of Vietnamese immunized by end of 2021 and if you can prove you are vaccinated I think the soonest Vietnam will open to tourists will be the end of the year 2021.  It COULD be as soon as September or October, but I really doubt it.
     
    Think about their current level of paranoia.  Two cases of community spread gets all schools closed for two weeks.  All public TET festivals in HCMC were cancelled.  A lot of businesses closed.  There are currently 125,000 people in quarantine.  Does that sound like a government that will open their borders to even a slight risk merely for our convenience?  They honestly don't care about opening the border.
     
     
    At the Standing meeting of the government with the Standing National Steering Committee for COVID-19 epidemic control this morning (Feb 24), Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Long, Minister of Health, said that the MofH guarantees to provide 90M doses of the vaccine.

    The current supply sources are:

    1- COVAX:  The MoH is trying to negotiate for 30M doses.

    2- AstraZeneca:  Yesterday, the MoH had the final negotiation with AstraZeneca and VNVC (Vietnam Vaccine JSC).  A lot of 30M doses was purchased by the Health Ministry from AstraZeneca through VNVC.

    3- Pfizer: Negotiation is still in progress. It's likely that Pfizer will supply 30M doses.

    4- Sputnik V. This week, the MoH will meet the licensing committee for the Russian vaccine. The manufacturer announced that they could supply ~ 60M doses.

    [That's a total of 120M, not 90M.  Either the Sputnik V deal is not in the bag yet so the MoH didn't include it in his count, or he only counted AstraZeneca and Sputnik V since COVAX and Pfizer are still under negotiation.]

    In addition, the MoH and corporations that are not in the health sector are also promoting negotiations with other vaccine manufacturers. 

    For domestic vaccine, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long informed that all stages are still on schedule, "It's expected that by 2022, we'll be able to produce the vaccine ourselves."

    Priority groups for injection are medical staff; staff involved in epidemic prevention (steering committees at all levels; staff in the isolation ward; journalists, etc.); diplomats; customs officers; immigration officers; army; police force; teachers; elderlies over 65; groups providing essential services in the fields of aviation, transportation, tourism, electricity and water services, etc.; people with chronic diseases; people in epidemic areas; people who must travel for business; and people who must go abroad for work or education.

    In re: the vaccine supply roadmap: 

    In the 1st quarter, 1.3M doses are expected, of which 117,000 doses have arrived today (Feb 24), the rest will arrive in March.

    In the 2nd quarter, 9.5M doses are expected.

    In the 3rd, 25.9M doses are expected.

    In the 4th quarter, 51.1M doses are expected.

    The Minister also informed that the 117,000 doses that arrived today were from AstraZeneca and will be administered to medical staff at COVID-19 patient treatment facilities, followed by border guards on duty at posts, police forces in isolated and blocked areas, sampling and tracing forces, and reporters operating in the epidemic areas. 

    (Link: MoH. Translation and italics are mine.)
  13. Like
    JasonGG got a reaction from Adventine in K1 petition online services any good?   
    For Vietnam, there are documents that could/should be front loaded.  These include a listing of family members and addresses (sometimes called a genealogy) and  a narrative timeline of the relationship.  There were some other documents that I can't remember off the top of my head, but a Vietnam forum search will turn them up.  In 2017, I also included documents related to our Dam Hoi - the engagement ceremony that is  common in Vietnam but no longer EXPECTED by the COs - and statements detailing our residency for the previous 10 years (a longer time than requested on the USCIS forms).  Despite providing my divorce decree, I also brought a notarized statement from my ex-wife to the interview attesting to the completion of our divorce and her current address.  I wasn't asked for the statement from my ex, but a VJ member's fiance recently got a 221g for not having it.  The genealogy is also a common reason for a blue slip.  Even when members brought these documents to the interview instead of front loading, they received 221g's that the CO prepared earlier.
     
    Some of these Vietnam-specific requirements are related to fraud schemes popular within the Vietnamese community, while other requirements just seem to be applied to applicants on the whims of the officers.  Again, members going through Vietnam should read the recent forum posts.  I don't know of any members who were approved at the first interview after supplying the bare minimum documentation required in the 129f instructions.  I am sure there are some,  but from what VJ members are posting from Vietnam, most who receive a blue slip get them for something they could or should have front loaded. 
     
    The majority of couples can usually complete the immigration process from K1 to citizenship without professional assistance. If the price of hiring someone provides the piece of mind the original poster needs,  then they certainly should do that; however, they should verify that the person or company they hire has a track record of approvals in Vietnam.
     
    Jason
     
     
     
  14. Like
    JasonGG got a reaction from Takami in K1 petition online services any good?   
    Vietnam has some special requirements that Rapidvisa probably won’t help with and may end up hurting you.  Everything you need to succeed is on this site and the Vietnam forum.
     
    Realize that the K1 is only the beginning.  Preparing this for yourself will be excellent practice and help you organize records for the coming applications.  
     
     I know it seems daunting now, but with a little time and research you’ll find this really is not a difficult process.  If you have questions along the way, ask them here.  Many people have gone from K1 in Vietnam to preparing for citizenship (my wife included) without needing an attorney or professional help.
     
    Good luck to both of you- Jason 
  15. Like
    JasonGG got a reaction from hedgemaze in K1 petition online services any good?   
    Vietnam has some special requirements that Rapidvisa probably won’t help with and may end up hurting you.  Everything you need to succeed is on this site and the Vietnam forum.
     
    Realize that the K1 is only the beginning.  Preparing this for yourself will be excellent practice and help you organize records for the coming applications.  
     
     I know it seems daunting now, but with a little time and research you’ll find this really is not a difficult process.  If you have questions along the way, ask them here.  Many people have gone from K1 in Vietnam to preparing for citizenship (my wife included) without needing an attorney or professional help.
     
    Good luck to both of you- Jason 
  16. Like
    JasonGG got a reaction from Adventine in K1 petition online services any good?   
    Vietnam has some special requirements that Rapidvisa probably won’t help with and may end up hurting you.  Everything you need to succeed is on this site and the Vietnam forum.
     
    Realize that the K1 is only the beginning.  Preparing this for yourself will be excellent practice and help you organize records for the coming applications.  
     
     I know it seems daunting now, but with a little time and research you’ll find this really is not a difficult process.  If you have questions along the way, ask them here.  Many people have gone from K1 in Vietnam to preparing for citizenship (my wife included) without needing an attorney or professional help.
     
    Good luck to both of you- Jason 
  17. Like
    JasonGG got a reaction from Chancy in K1 petition online services any good?   
    Vietnam has some special requirements that Rapidvisa probably won’t help with and may end up hurting you.  Everything you need to succeed is on this site and the Vietnam forum.
     
    Realize that the K1 is only the beginning.  Preparing this for yourself will be excellent practice and help you organize records for the coming applications.  
     
     I know it seems daunting now, but with a little time and research you’ll find this really is not a difficult process.  If you have questions along the way, ask them here.  Many people have gone from K1 in Vietnam to preparing for citizenship (my wife included) without needing an attorney or professional help.
     
    Good luck to both of you- Jason 
  18. Like
    JasonGG reacted to Boiler in K1 petition online services any good?   
    We have quite a few horror stories about members who used Rapid Visa.
  19. Like
    JasonGG reacted to Maki&Kiki in K1 petition online services any good?   
    No point of getting lawyer or any service. I mean you will have to do majority of job anyways, since you are the one that will gather all evidence and you have all information needed to fill i-129 F form. Just read carefully, answer each and every question correctly, don't leave blank spots (put N/A where needed). You have a guide posted above, go through it and you will be fine. 
     
  20. Like
    JasonGG reacted to Crazy Cat in Is this the average time?   
    If you are married, your K-1 will be denied.  Time to re-group, re-think, and apply for the proper visa.
  21. Like
    JasonGG reacted to otmy0023 in POTOMAC (YSC) I-751 Non Transferred Filers ONLY...   
    Potomac is moving now. I've been checking some case numbers ahead of mine and now seeing decisions being made on a number of them within 30 case numbers of mine. I hadn't seen any movement even 100+ ahead of me until I checked today.
     
    August 2019 filer. That's where they're at. 
  22. Thanks
    JasonGG reacted to Crazy Cat in I751 Parts 4/5 - Child Filding Separately   
    Part 5 is about the immigrant.
  23. Thanks
    JasonGG got a reaction from klam133 in K1 Visa Interview completed   
    I am not sure if you can change more than the last name through marriage.  You may need to ask someone with more legal experience.  For Vietnamese citizens, it is important to keep a Vietnamese last name because my understanding is that the Vietnamese government will only issue documents (like passport renewals) with the Vietnamese surname.  Also, even though she has changed her name in the U.S., it may be more difficult updating her Vietnamese passport.  You should contact the Vietnamese embassy/consulate near you to ask what is needed to update your passport with the new name.  You can get some information from the embassy website - http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/.  Phone calls go to voice mall, but they have always answered my emails within 24 hours.
     
    Whatever you do, get several copies of the notarized marriage certificate.  I think we have used at least 5 as we go through the AOS and ROC process, dealt with the IRS regarding her son as my dependent, updated social security, applied for a driver's license, added her to my medical insurance, school enrollment (mom and kids), etc.  
  24. Like
    JasonGG got a reaction from klam133 in Incorrect name order on i94   
    So, in Vietnam, my wife would write "Nguyen Thi Thu Trang" (Last, Middle, Middle, First).  We only use that Vietnamese order when getting airplane tickets.  For everything else, including her AOS and ROC paperwork, we used the "Americanized order" - "Trang Thi Thu Nguyen" (First, Middle, Middle, Last).  We don't try to match the incorrect order on her I-94.  Social Security and the motor vehicle administration (driver's license) had to match the I-94, but we updated these once the corrected name was on her green card.  The USCIS person who did the AOS interview and customs officers have all been aware and understood the difference in name order.  So, even though your immigration documents may show the incorrect name order, you can get that corrected at the AOS interview. I hope that wasn't too confusing.
     
     
  25. Like
    JasonGG got a reaction from klam133 in Incorrect name order on i94   
    Should have read, "It happens regularly on Vietnamese documents in the United States."
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