AlexNY

5 hours ago, SalishSea said:

Are you maybe mixing up petition approval with visa availability?

It seems I am. Now it makes sense. Thank you!

2 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Does it matter?

 

I 130s seem to take about 11 months but with a F3 there is no rush so may take longer.

 

20 years seems more reasonable.

What do those 2 months mean? It should say 10 years at least, right? It's just confusing so I want to make sure I understand what's going on.

Greetings,

A US citizen who I know filed I-130 for their married son 2 weeks ago. The beneficiary and his family are in the US legally. They came here with a parole under Uniting for Ukraine program. The receipt indicated their classification is 203 a3 which is correct. I just helped them create an account online and found that the system says the processing time is 2 months. The screenshot is attached.

The petitioner has already filed I-130 for their son in 2014 (F2B preference) when she was an LPR. She became a USC in 2018 and the preference changed to F1 automatically. I-130 was approved in 2020. However, the petitioner's son got married before she became a USC. VJ members told me at that time that there was nothing that could be done because the petition was invalid the moment he got married and they had to file a new I-130 and wait for 10+ years.

So, based on what I wrote, how is it possible that the system says the estimated time is 2 months? I know the estimated time is most often incorrect by several months, but it shouldn't be years.

36 minutes ago, Michael.E said:

Hello Alex, Do you have any update on that case if it worked and how long it took ?

It was relatively quick. I don't remember how long because it was more than a year ago but I think it was just 2-3 weeks from the moment the Ukrainian citizen got it.

13 hours ago, Mrs D. said:

I know of one who successfully arrived but their citizenship was not Russia (this could theoretically be a factor for delay)

Non-Ukrainian spouse I was taking about isn't Rissian. But anyway thanks for letting me know that someone with the same situation has successfully got through.

Greetings

Does anyone know cases when non-Ukrainian immediate relatives (e.g. spouses) of Ukrainian beneficiaries of U4U program got travel authorization from CBP? We've been waiting for a spouse to get the response while his entire family has already got approval 3 weeks ago.

On 4/27/2022 at 4:27 PM, AlexNY said:

The form I-134 has to be approved before they proceed and send instructions to the beneficiaries. I'm afraid they may not approve it for non-Ukrainians before they even proceed.

There's an option for additional information at the end of the form. I guess it's the only place where we can explain the situation. I think we're going to file the forms the way we understand it and see what will happen.

I'd like to provide an update for those who might be interested to know. When I filled out I-134 for a non-Ukrainian husband I provided explanation in the additional information section explaining that he's a spouse of a Ukrainian citizen. All forms for the family were approved in 2 days. Then we created one account on uscis.gov for Ukrainian wife where included her husband and their child. We confirmed information, testified for vaccination, and submitted it. In a couple of hours the wife and the child received travel authorization forms but the husband didn't. It has been almost 3 weeks and his case is still pending. Listening to an immigration lawyer I found that many families with non-Ukrainian immediate relatives are reporting the same problem. It looks like CBP approves travel authorization for Ukrainian citizens at this moment; all others have to wait. I called USCIS a couple of times. They don't have any updates and don't know what's going on in CBP.

You may also want to include screenshots of your text messages between you and your spouse. My interviewer readily took them when I brought them to the interview; however, I think it's the least important.

6 minutes ago, Boiler said:

As nobody has gone through the process yet I obviously do not know but assume that will be checked at the interview 

The form I-134 has to be approved before they proceed and send instructions to the beneficiaries. I'm afraid they may not approve it for non-Ukrainians before they even proceed.

There's an option for additional information at the end of the form. I guess it's the only place where we can explain the situation. I think we're going to file the forms the way we understand it and see what will happen.

15 hours ago, Boiler said:

The Ukrainian citizen (or their non-Ukrainian immediate family member) who is outside the United States and who may be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine.

Immediate family members in this process include:

• the spouse or common-law partner of a Ukrainian citizen; and
• their unmarried children under the age of 21. NOTE: If a child is under 18, they must be traveling with a parent or legal guardian in order to use this process.

It seems they've updated some information because when the program went online some of it I think was missing. Now it is more detailed in regard to this particular situation. However, there are still some problems with this program.

It says:

Who May be Considered for Parole under Uniting for Ukraine

Beneficiaries are eligible for the process if they:

• Are a Ukrainian citizen and possess a valid Ukrainian passport (or are a child included on a parent’s passport);
  • If not a Ukrainian citizen, they must be an immediate family member of a Ukrainian citizen beneficiary of Uniting for Ukraine with a valid passport;

I highlighted what's confusing me. There's no way to add anyone in the Ukrainian citizen beneficiary' application as an immediate family member. And if we fill out a separate form for a non-Ukrainian citizen there's no way to indicate that he/she is an immediate family member of a Ukrainian citizen beneficiary. There's only one section where someone can be mentioned which is under "Beneficiaries Financial Information". It asks:

Provide information about the income of the beneficiary, all of the beneficiary's dependents, and any other individuals the beneficiary financially supports.

But this section only asks for names, DOB, relationship, and their income contributed to the beneficiary annually. I don't think it is where we indicate non-Ukrainian immediate family members.

16 hours ago, millefleur said:

Uniting for Ukraine program info has been posted:

https://www.dhs.gov/ukraine

 

Uniting for Ukraine provides a pathway for displaced Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily for up to two years. Ukrainians participating in Uniting for Ukraine must have a supporter in the United States who agrees to provide them with financial support for the duration of their stay in the United States.

 

The first step in the Uniting for Ukraine process is for the U.S.-based supporter to file a Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, with USCIS. The supporter will then be vetted by the U.S. government to protect against exploitation and abuse, and ensure that they are able to financially support the individual(s) whom they agree to support.

 

Ukrainians who present at U.S. land ports of entry without a valid visa or without pre-authorization to travel to the United States through Uniting for Ukraine may be denied entry and referred to apply through this program.

 

For more information on how to apply, eligibility requirements, and what to expect after the Form I-134 is filed, visit USCIS and the State Department.

I hope someone can clarify or make an advise on a particular situation. How will bi-national families that fled Ukraine be treated. I mean it's a bit common for Ukrainians to get married with people from other countries who never acquired Ukrainian citizenship. I have a family in which a wife is Ukrainian but a husband is Belarusian with permanent residence permit in Ukraine. Their child is Ukrainian also. The husband has parents living in the US who wants to have them temporarily move to the US while there's a war in Ukraine because they don't have any other place to live anywhere. I checked my account at myaccount.uscis.com to see what that form I-134 is and my understanding is that it has to be filed for each family member and there's no way to indicate that we're filing for a family that shouldn't be separated. I mean if we get an approval, we need it to be approved for the entire family instead of just for the wife and the child who are Ukrainians. How should we proceed in this case? I'd appreciate any response.

56 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

"Apparently they live in another country" is a very strange comment to make about people you "know" personally.

Maybe I should've paraphrased it to describe what I meant exactly but in that context the meaning should be clear enough.

4 hours ago, jan22 said:

The "family application" is a time saver that, if selected, will automatically fill some information in the next application (for example: surname, destination).  You still need a separate DS-160 for each person.  You can fill them out individually or create the 2nd and 3rd ones as "family applications" and not have to type as much -- much easier if some of your information is long and hard to type.  You can still change/correct the information on the forms created as family applications if you need to -- if one family member has a different surname or a different destination.  See the "Family/Group Application" section on the DS-160 FAQ page: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/forms/ds-160-online-nonimmigrant-visa-application/ds-160-faqs.html.

Thank you so much. Your answer is the best.

The topic can be closed.

10 minutes ago, Boiler said:

You said apparently they live in another country 

Oh I got it. I used it in the meaning of "obviously" which is grammatically correct too, isn't it?

19 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Remember all anybody here knows is what you have posted

 

I'm not sure what you mean. I don't remember saying I didn't know this family.

37 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

Huh?

 

You are filling out tourist visa applications for people you don't even know?  Sounds sketch.

Holy cow how did you come up with such conclusion? I know this family for years because they have relatives in the US who are some kind of my relatives too. Don't jump into conclusions please.

35 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

the form is also used for other visas like K1 and K2 for fiancee and child(ren) so then the family button would be marked 

u are doing 3 different ds 160 for tourist visas 

I see. I guess in my case with 3 different ds-160 for tourist visas for a family that button doesn't make any difference, does it?

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

A B is as simple as it gets why are they not doing it themselves?

I agree but it's complicated to explain.

5 minutes ago, Chancy said:

 

Not required.  Each application will be considered on its own merits anyway.

 

So what's the purpose of that "create a family application" button?

Hello everyone

I'm helping a family of 3 to fill out applications. I'm doing it myself on my computer. Apparently they live in another country. I couldn't get all information from them needed for the applications because I didn't know what questions I'll be asked. Therefore, I decided to create 3 applications at the same time for all of them and would add information every time I receive it. After several days and numerous logins I finished everything and finally we were ready to submit all of them. Well we submitted the first one that belonged to the father. However, the next page after confirmation offered 4 different buttons. One of them was "create a family application" and another button was "create a new application". It stunned me. Do I really have to "create a family application" when I do it for a family? Can it be just 3 different applications? What's the difference? I clicked "family application" and I was given an option to start just a new one but when I tried to fill out the first page for the second I was logged out. Now I don't understand how to proceed correctly.

Thank you

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

Why can they not renew the passport?

Because they're from Ukraine and passport service is unavailable in the country and its embassies.

Since it's confirmed above in the topic that waiver doesn't exist for visa applicants, topic can be closed. I got information that they may try to receive passport extension in one of their embassies.

Thank you everyone.

Hello

I'm helping a family of 3 to fill out DS-160. 8 year old child has a passport that will expire in October 2022. Apparently they won't be able to come to the US 6 months prior to its expiration. There's absolutely no way they'll be able to get a new passport for their child. What should be done in this case? I guess they'll need to get a passport waiver. However, I can't find out what procedure for passport waiver is and what form it is.

Thank you.

5 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

Was the child who is now applying for a tourist visa previously petitioned for an immigrant visa?

Yes by his grandmother. He was included in the petition.

6 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

There are no petitions for tourist visas.   If a parent petitioned  a child for an immigrant visa previously, you would explain that.

What I mean is that in the DS-160 form there are questions that require explanations. One of them in regard to previous petitions. If I answer yes I need to explain what it was. Obviously this DS-160 form isn't filled by the kid but a third person. Therefore, I wonder if we need to write explanations from a third point of view.

Greetings

When DS-160 for a kid, who's too young to understand what it is, is filled out do we need to use a third person writing when providing explanation, for example, for previous petitions? I mean should we write something like "his mother petitioned for him..." or "my mother petitioned for me..."?

Thank you.