SensibleInvestor

Are there any other June 2018 filters still in limbo, or is it just us? 

19 hours ago, Milasa said:

Most likely no interviews will be held for IR-5 visa until next year

All we need at this point is the medical to be redone, since it expired at the end of February, and the visa to be approved. 

Any other June 2018 filers still in limbo? We had to get a birth certificate fixed because it said "baby girl", and planned to bring the father in law home at the end of our trip in February. They put the same form in for my wife's sister and the local office only processed the sister's birth certificate. The father in law's medical clearance expired at the end of February. And now we're in total limbo. Now we're stuck waiting and it feels like he'll never come. 

The typed up birth certificate is just something you get from the local government. 

I'm not sure what happened at St Luke's. FIL showed up in October and was told he'd have to wait til December. 

Nick, it turned out they rejected the copy of the birth certificate because the government official missed a meaningless corner of it when creating the copy. They accepted a new copy of the (still completely illegible) birth certificate. We also submitted that typed up thing along with it, just to be safe. Interview date was in October but St Luke's is taking their time with their part, so the interview was postponed til December. 

Got held up with the NBI clearance. Someone filed a complaint years ago that FIL "threatened" him. Coincidentally, this was right after FIL retired. Jealous, or wanted money? He had three hearings, at the third and final hearing the accuser finally showed up and the judge dismissed the case. FIL is documentarily cleared as of yesterday. Looking at the other replies, it seems like we might be able to expect to get him over here before Halloween. 

Yeah, I think they should be able to get that. 

Well, I uploaded the original copy plus the typed up copy and they rejected both. Here's the message they left:

>Please replace this with an acceptable birth certificate. Please use our Document Finder at https://nvc.state.gov/find for acceptable documents guidelines.

This tells us how to get the documents we already have... 

3 minutes ago, juggy_11 said:

Request a certified PSA copy that says "Best possible image" on the bottom. 

We had those. NVC rejected both my wife's and my father-in-law's. My wife's was because it was missing a corner so we're going to just try and get the Philippines to make a copy that's not missing a tiny corner. My father in law's is the bigger concern. It really is not legible. 

Yeah, I'm going to have them grab that typed up copy. Hopefully they take it. 

The certified copy of my father in law's birth certificate from the 1950s was rejected for being too difficult to read. NVC and UCSIS has rejected those typed out "birth certificates" for us in the past. Would it help to send in both?  We can't just magically make a birth certificate with faded/fuzzy letters more legible. Any copy we get from the Phliippine government is going to be just as illegible as the one we have now.

Also, NVC rejected my wife's certified copy because there was apparently a corner missing from the copy. USCIS had accepted hers...

Any tips on what to do in this case? 

13 minutes ago, USS_Voyager said:

It should be understood as "In the event that the immigrant you are sponsoring is bringing a spouse and/or children..."

OK thanks for the clarification. Looks like the path forward is to have my wife apply for her mother when the father in law gets here. MIL is currently staying behind because she helps with child care of her grandchildren, but nannies are cheap. At the same time, it looks like it's better to get the 12 year clock started on FIL's unmarried children so that they can immigrate. If my wife applied for them, it's a 22 year clock. 

Just get them into the system before any immigration reform wrench is thrown in that does away with the family preference. You'd think if they do switch to a merit-based system, Congress would make sure that those currently in line wouldn't lose their spot. 

Yeah, it makes more sense to me that this wouldn't convey any right to immigrate but the "The immigrant you are sponsoring (the principal immigrant) may bring a spouse and/or children to the United States"  part kind of tells me otherwise. What does this mean? That the beneficiary can put in a petition? How could they expect anyone to get a visa within 6 months of the primary beneficiary if this is the case? 

Forgive me if this has been answered, but I had trouble getting something clearer than what's on the USCIS instructions. I'm in the middle of filling out form I-864 for the father of a US citizen and noticed that it says that he "may" bring his spouse and/or children to the United States. It looks like it can be done within 6 months. I'm taking this to mean that I could also put down his wife, his adult children over 21, and *their* children as secondary beneficiaries of the father without having to go through the whole process from square one. Am I reading this correct? If my understanding is correct I'm happy to sponsor as many people as I can on this form.  I wasn't even planning on the siblings coming because the priority date for siblings of US citizens from this particular country is over 20 years out!  If my understanding is not correct, what needs to be done to help them come within this window?

From the I-864 instructions:

>Item Number 2. Family Members Immigrating Within Six Months. The immigrant you are sponsoring (the principal immigrant) may bring a spouse and/or children to the United States. If the spouse and/or children will travel with the principal immigrant, or within six months of the principal immigrant’s entry into the United States and you are sponsoring them, you should list the names and other requested information in the spaces provided in Item Number 2. If any dependents are not immigrating, will immigrate more than six months after the principal immigrant arrives in the United States, or you are not sponsoring them, then do not list their names here. A separate Form I-864 is required for them when they apply for their immigrant visas.

3 hours ago, mimolicious said:

Reread what I said.

The people you described are illegals. The people to blame for this situation that makes it so difficult for my SIL to come here  for a visit are illegals. Well, politicians and bleeding hearts moreso. Remember when Romney was excoriated for his "self deport" comment? 

20 minutes ago, mimolicious said:

Illegals have nothing to do with your sister in law not getting a visitor visa. People who abused their visitor visas by either overstaying or just never leaving are the people responsible for your sister in law not being able to obtain a visitor visa.

Those people are illegals. 

13 minutes ago, caliliving said:

its only frustrating bc being from a third world country you can make alot of money in america and send it home.. that is why! making 15/hour here is alot of money back home! so most would come here and work and ship that back home.. if every country was the same economy wise and safety wise, you wouldnt have people wanting to come here and work for that!  

Yeah, I understand that.

My SIL used to work for a major pharmaceutical company before she started out on her own. Ex-coworkers were sent here by GSK for work and then just stayed illegally. Not cool. We wouldn't have to be this strict on tourist visas if the government did a good job handling those who are here.

Instead, we have illegals getting driver's licenses, having anchor children who are given citizenship, getting scholarships for college, etc. There was a certain illegal named Jean Jacques who was released from prison after serving 20 years for attempted murder, ICE asked Haiti to take him back, Haiti said "no", and then this guy was just released. A few months later he murdered a girl right in this town. I'm in favor of deporting all of them, even the people who quietly wash dishes or pick vegetables and try to mind their business. But come on, we couldn't even deport THIS guy after he was in jail for 20 years for attempted murder?  Now we'll be paying to keep him in prison until he's dead. 

19 minutes ago, JFH said:

So why were you considering sending copies of your W-2s? 

"Good money" by their standards isn't a lot. 

32 minutes ago, Jojo92122 said:

If there was a way to improve your SIL's chances, we would tell you.  There is no reason to hide the ball for two pages of this thread.  

 

Many of us are in the same boat as you.  We are telling you from experience based on the multiple times that our families have tried unsuccessfully to get visitor visas.  We're just giving you the blunt truth without giving you false hope.

Yeah, I appreciate that. You guys have been helpful for us in the past. It's just frustrating that the system is so screwed up that it's so difficult for people to come here the right way but they refuse to make life difficult for people who are here illegally. Thanks.

34 minutes ago, WeddingWonderLina said:

Wow, these responses are hard to read as I am in a similar situation and want my cousin to visit me for my wedding. It is sad that this is how the system has been affected now leaving families without a chance of seeing each other.

These responses are infuriating, but I already knew the system was f'ed up. Deport the illegals, all of them. And we really need to stop giving citizenship away to children born to parents who are not either citizens or legal permanent residents (no amendment required here). The politicians, bought and paid for in a corrupt system that's more similar to that of the Philippines than people want to realize or admit, have been screwing the American people on this for decades. This and to a greater extent trade are why someone with Trump's character (or lackthereof) was able to win the presidency.  

Politics aside, there has to be a way to improve my sister in law's chances here. 

19 minutes ago, Boiler said:

She is needed to help look after your children?

No. We want her to visit us here. Wife and I are home with the kids pretty much 24/7 (I work from home). 

She makes good money by Philippines standards giving speeches and training people, it's just she does this all on her own and isn't tied down to any employer. She has contracts that are set out into the future. Her son will stay behind in the Philippines and will be watched by her sister and mom. Wouldn't having a school-aged son show strong ties? 

I'm a US citizen and my wife, who is not yet a citizen but a permanent resident, would like her sister back in the Philippines to come and visit us here in the US. She thinks it would be better for me to send the invitation letter since I am the citizen. Is this a good idea? 

Also, when I send the letter would it be a good idea for me to show a W2 or some other document to prove income? 

We're planning to send copies of the passport for my wife and our son, and the birth certificate for our 2 month old daughter. 

My sister in law has a 13 year old child, a car, has traveled outside the country before but never to the USA, but her income comes from freelance work and not from a regular employer. How are the odds for us getting her over here for a visit?