Geoff n Margaret

> I don't think she even got as far as the credit check!

Bizarre! You're giving me a headache just thinking about how often I'll be banging my head against the wall the next few months

This thread may be of interest; some good and bad credit union experiences; and bank of america apparently not requiring SSN at all..

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...c=25620&hl=

Hi Folks,

So my new wife and I go down to a credit union here in AZ and start filling out all the forms etc. The lady was initally quite happy with my immigration status and identification...

.. but then, when we're nearly done, she says "I need a letter from the Social Security Office confirming that this number actually belongs to you. I won't be able to open the account without it."

Did this happen to anyone else? Is she being unnecessarily akward?!

I talked to the SSO who said that 1. they don't provide such letters, and 2. they've never heard of a bank requiring that before.

We are opening a joint account, but I have to be the primary account holder as my wife was a bit naughty with credit before.

Any help is appreciated.

I assume your wife's SSN is in her married name, yes?

What did you use for identification? (what name is on that ID?)

Any idea if the bank lady tried running a credit check while you were waiting, and came up empty? I could see where something like that might be a red-flag to a bank (they might have an internal rule that they need to be able to cross-check the name & SSN via credit report). Not saying it's right, just saying maybe that's it. I'd ask what the issue is or just try another institution.

For the K1 visa holder entering the US the first (one and only) time, I know you get the form 6059B on the plane like everyone else, do you need to list the contents of your bags?

I've seen some comments here to put "personal items only - $0". How's that worked for people?

Has anyone had their bags searched by customs? Anyone had anything confiscated? I know what the rules are, no need for a lecture. I've only seen a few comments about this and am curious.

------------

"Moving Household Goods to the United States: A Guide to Customs Regulations"

http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbo....ctt/moving.doc

Excerpt....

General Procedures for Importing Household and Personal Effects

When completing the Customs Form (CF) 6059B, “Customs Declaration,” for accompanying goods, or the CF 3299 “Declaration For Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles,” the statement that the goods are “household effects” is not sufficient information. The complete inventory of imported goods will be treated as the packing list and must be provided to Customs upon request. The following is an example of an invoice description.

Furniture: Tables, chairs, sofas, bedroom, home/office and living room furniture, desks, lamps, mirrors, etc.

Kitchenware: Silverware, glassware, chinaware, pots, pans, utensils, electrical kitchen appliances, etc.

Household goods: Linens, towels, rugs, toiletries, cleaning products, decorative articles, art, framed pictures, toys, strollers, crafts, holiday decorations, fans, washers, dryers, VCRs, TVs, stereos, records, collectibles, etc.

Sport equipment: (NO FIREARMS). Bicycles, weights, stationary equipment, skis, skates, surfboards, etc.

Clothes: For women, men, boys, girls, and infants.

Books/Printed materials: Books, calendars, personal records, photo albums, etc.

Home/Office equipment/Tools of Trade: Computers (CPU, monitor, printer, software, etc.), filing cabinets, shredders, fax machines, telephone equipment, calculators, books, etc.

Other personal effects: Item(s) not covered by previous categories should be individually described.

The quantity on the invoice must, at minimum, provide the count in boxes, crates, or pieces. This information is required for the efficient completion of Customs document review and examination.

--------------

It seems like this guide is trying to talk about two things at the same time, and doing a poor job at explaining the difference between bringing stuff with you and shipping it separately. OR in practice CBP just doesn't expect someone to list the items in their suitcase(s).

Just today I took my wife to apply for her driver's licence. We gave all her documents to the person there and she told us that the I-94 was unacceptable proof of her immigration status because it was written over in black marker. At our POE the immigration officer couldn't read the writing and then wrote over it in black marker, then gave it back to us. Now the BMV says they can't accept it because of that!!! We told them it wasn't our fault and that the immigration officer was the one who did it. But she told us we needed a new one anyways.

So I check on the INS website to find out how to get a new I-94 and the fee is $160.00!!! But it is free if you only request that the information be changed due to incorrect information as a fault of the INS.

"You do not need to pay the fee to request USCIS to correct your Forms I-94, I-94W or Form I-95 if the error(s) on your document was made by USCIS, through no fault of you own."

Now my question is: Should we pay for a completely new I-94 or should we ask for the information to be changed because of it being the INS's fault. Even though the information on it is correct, but not acceptable anymore because it's been "altered."

Or perhaps we should just wait for her greencard to arrive and then apply for a driver's license. We are currently in the middle of applying for AOS.

This is all so frustrating, the I-94 was accepted when we applied for other things,, but now it's not...I hope we don't get an RFE for it during our AOS.

Thanks all for any help.

It looks to me like there are some spelling mistakes on your I94. I think that 'I' looks like an 'L', and that 'C' looks like a 'G'?

I need to know what all is included in the Vaccination Supplement.... So, I can make an appointment with the Doctor............... Please answer anyone.

Thanks everyone

PDF and FAQ links included...

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=423775

I received this today from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China:

"Evidence of support generally required of K1 visa: form I-134, a copy of the

petitioner's most recent tax return, and proof of current employment. Other

financial documents are optional."

To be safe I have this and MORE. I have 3 years past tax returns to include W2's AND a notarized bank statement with the opening date, total deposits within the last year, and current amount. Just to be safe, but still I was surprised at what they sent.

Thanks,

Keith & Xiang

Did you receive your Packet4 today? Is that where the info above came from?

We received the OF167 (2 pages) in packet 3. That talks all about the affidavit of support.

Also the OF169 that we sent back from packet 3 had the evidence of support as one of the checkboxes.

I did the I134 and had it notarized, also printed my 2005 1040 forms*, got a letter from work, and got a letter from one bank... and then at the interview my fiancee wasn't even asked for it But, better safe than sorry.

*I had a bit of trouble getting the notary to do my tax forms; she said it didn't make sense what they were asking for, but in the end she stamped them.

I did not have the employment or bank letter notarized. Page 2 "Affidavit of Support" doesn't state that they need to be. Though, that OF167 is not the most clear document I've ever read.

Technically you only need enough income or savings to meet the federal poverty guidelines. When you file for AOS, you'll do a form similar to the I134 which is the I864. Honestly, it's much simpler than the I134. If you're curious about the federal poverty guideliness, see I864P.

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/

I came here as a K1 fiancee visa holder.

My medical examination was March 2nd of this year, and I got here(USA) March 28th.

I have submitted all forms- I-485, I-765, and G-325A already with necessary documentations, excluding the I-693 July 31st.

I went to a civil surgeon last week and had the TD and blood test... and I asked if DOSE #2 for MMR and VARICELLA are necessary... and he didn't say anything at all.

I just don't want any problem on my interview, and I'm really curious about this. I did not follow what the nurse has told me while I was still in the Philippines... to get the DOSE 2 of MMR and VARICELLA after 4 to 8 weeks.

Next week, I will be visiting my doctor again to get the I-693 form so I can bring it with me on my interview(AOS) date next month. Please help, so if i will be needing the DOSE #1, since I did not follow instructions, then I can have it done again. :-D

Thanks!

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/pdf/ti-03/appdx-a_693vacc.pdf

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/i-693faq.htm

Since you are a K1 visa holder and filed your I485 within one year of your medical exam, you did not need to get another medical examination and I693. See the FAQ EXCEPTIONS #2

It does say that you did need to submit the "I693 vaccination supplement" with your AOS submission. I'm surprised you did not receive an RFE (though I'm no expert on this).

It is possible that your doctor tested your blood to see if you have measles and chickenpox immunity (MMR & Varicella). If you have immunity, that appears to be sufficient evidence for the vaccination supplement. TD is the other shot I would have expected (same as my fiancee).

Hypothetically, I believe if someone goes to a doc and gets dose #1 for MMR, varicella and TD, the doc can fill in the 693 vaccination supplement and you can file it with your AOS application without completing the vaccination series. But I can't answer your question on whether getting dose #2 is technically necessary or if you'd get asked about it.

Since you received the TD immunization, I would expect that your doctor will fill in the 693 vaccination supplement, including something for MMR & Varicella. Hopefully he will do it correctly and you shouldn't worry.

What process did you use to come to the US? (K1/K3/DCF)

When was your medical interview in the Philippines?

The civil surgeon filled out your 693A vaccination supplement and you submitted it with your AOS, right? Are you asking if the Dose #2 is necessary for AOS?

Hi all,

It's been a while since I was here. Since my AOS was approved I've got a job with a bank and now working pretty hard and trying to keep up with the house too.

This is just a quick question and wondered if anyone had any experience with this. A couple of weeks ago I applied online for a JC Penny's card and was rejected. I got the rejection letter and it said the reason was that the SSN I gave them did not match the SSN that the credit agencies had on file. Well, I know I filled in the form correctly. Today I've tried to get a free copy of my report from the credit agencies and I can't get it because they say that the SSN I am giving them is not matching the # they have on file. I cant file a dispute with them as you need a credit report to do that. How can I correct this? I know they had the correct SSN a few months ago because I got the Free Annual Report with no problems, so how can that information be wrong now?

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you

Kate

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

"The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that consumers be told when an adverse credit report has affected the service they receive and they must be told how they can obtain a free copy of the credit report so that they can dispute any errors in it."

If the credit reporting agency was not listed in the notice you received, I would contact TransUnion, Equifax and Experian each by phone and explain the problem. Have your SSN, drivers license and other identifying info available as they may ask for it to prove you are who you are.

I haven't had your problem, but I did have a bad listing at one of the providers and could not get my free credit report online for that one because the security question was about a car payment that wasn't mine. I wrote them instead, got my report, disputed the item, and had it cleared. Good luck

Why would she change her first name because of marriage?

She wants to change the first Name to an English name rather than her native Chinese name. It's not because of marriage, but because of immigrating to the US. She would rather use an English Name. In China, she would prefer to use her Chinese name.

Just like me, when I go to China, they call me by my Chinese name; however, for people in the US, they call me by my English name. It's assimilation; acceptance, less headaches, more efficient, easier.

As I understand it, under common law, you can change your name however you like, whenever you like, as long as you are not trying to defraud. The problem is in getting the SSA and DMV to accept the change. The SSA [now] has strict rules on what they require as proof of your name change.

If you read what mdyoung posted and follow the links to the SSA policies, the SSA requirements are all there. The paragraph about the marriage certificate is interesting. It must vary from state-to-state as to what names are listed on the marriage certificate. My guess is that when the marriage certificate does not explicitly list your new married name, that you are really changing your name by "usage" under common law. It's just that the SSA is willing to accept the typical name change for the 99% (that is the wife taking the husband's surname, and the surname hypenation instances I assume as well).

As for the DMV, in Wisconsin they want your social security card in your new name. And more than likely want to see some INS documentation along with whatever proves your name change.

I think my wife & I will end up doing the legal name change through the court right after we get married so she can legally change her given name. What's another month delay in getting the AOS filed? It does save the headache of changing all the accounts later and avoids forking over another ~$250 to change the name on her green card (which is what I was initially pondering).

I do think we will get her social security card soon after she arrives though; you need it for bank accounts, to change utility bills [so you have something 30 days old to show the DMV as proof of WI residency], etc.

> However complications will arise with which name to use for future forms and filings.

This should be simple... you use her legal name, ALWAYS! If you change it in the middle of some process; be prepared to show proof. Good luck!

Good luck