devonydan

6 hours ago, payxibka said:

much ado about nothing 

Thank you, Shakespeare. 

So I take it you think the translation certification we have should be fine?

Hello,

For my wife's Latvian birth certificate that we are submitting with our I-485, she has an English word-for-word translation that was done by a licensed translator in Latvia.  The translator signed the document in front of a notary, her signature is notarized, and she certified that the translation is correct and stated her translator ID number and her knowledge of some law (Latvian? EU?) about incorrect translations.  I have attached an image of the translator's certification statement below (I redacted names of the translator and notary).  Will this translation certification work for the purposes of the I-485? 

I am a little concerned that the language used to certify correctness doesn't exactly match the USCIS language for certifying a translation.  E.g., it doesn't say "I certify that I am competent to translate from this language to English..." and doesn't follow the language found at this link: 

Thanks in advance! 

I am not a lawyer, but according to immigration law, "Immediate Relatives" (including spouses) are an exception to the rule that aliens will be denied Adjustment of Status for "unauthorized employment."  Said another way, "unauthorized employment," by itself, is not grounds for denying Adjustment of Status in the case of a spouse who came to the U.S. on a K-1.  Lying about working IS grounds for denying AOS (intentionally misrepresenting anything in the application process is grounds for denial).

You can read this law here: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title8-section1255&num=0&edition=prelim#0-0-0-274.  Definition of "Immediate Relatives" can be found here: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1151&num=0&edition=prelim. 

You can also read about this here: https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-7-part-b-chapter-8.

I haven't found the definition of "unauthorized employment" yet, so I don't know if remote work for foreign employer is even unauthorized.  I also do not know if plans to work in the U.S. before being authorized could affect you receiving the K-1 in the first place (e.g., could it be a problem in the K-1 interview if you admit you're planning to work?).  Finally, I do not know what happens if ICE shows up at your door while you're working without a Green Card or EAD (seems highly unlikely to happen).

Personally, I'm in the position where we've already been doing this.  My K-1 wife has continued her foreign employment working remotely.  We're about to submit our I-485 application for AOS.  The application asks for the applicant's work history and it also asks "have you EVER worked in the U.S. without authorization?"  We're disclosing that she's been working, but I'm trying to figure out how we should answer the latter question.  We'll answer truthfully in the interview if asked about it.

On 7/9/2020 at 2:10 AM, jsmith2020 said:

Has anyone from US rented a car in Serbia? If so, did they require an international driver's license?

I rented from Sixt (met agent to pick up car at Belgrade Courtyard Marriott).  I had an International Driving Permit ("IDP") because I read in a couple places they were required for U.S. citizens.  The Sixt agent asked for my U.S. driver's license, passport, and credit card.  I offered the IDP but he said he didn't need it.  Not sure if this would be the case in an actual Sixt office or with a different rental agency.  Might want to call in advance and/or get IDP just to be safe.  

Have fun driving in Belgrade.  I broke a rear reflector within 15 minutes of picking up the car. Haha. A taxi driver told me that was normal and compared driving in Belgrade to driving in Egypt (whatever that means).  It's a hectic city, though.  Outside of Belgrade, major highways were really nice.  Smaller highways/roads were mostly okay, although depending on your driving experience you may find them stressful compared to driving in the U.S.  They can be small and winding with no/little shoulder and no separation from oncoming traffic.  Some drivers can be aggressive with passing and such.

Outside of Belgrade, we traveled to the National Park Djerdap area and to Novi Sad. 

Djerdap had some nice scenery with mountains and views of the Danube and Djerdap Gorge.  We did a really nice, but fairly long hike up a mountain trail to Veliki Strbac.  There's also a really cool fortress on the Danube in this area at Golubac.

Novi Sad is a smaller city about 1.5 hours northwest of Belgrade.  We liked Novi Sad a lot and ended up staying there longer than we originally planned.  It's a lot less hectic than Belgrade and has a nice central pedestrian area with lots of pretty buildings where you can hang out.  Also has a fortress on the Danube that affords some nice views and a nice river path that we walked and ran along.

We also stopped by the fortress in Smederevo because it was on our driving route.  Kind of interesting, but not sure it was worth a stop unless you're really into fortresses.  We were interested in checking out National Park Tara (mountains bordering Croatia), but we didn't make it because of weather and time constraints.

All of this was before the recent resumption of lockdown and protests in Belgrade.  Not sure how any of that would affect travel; my fiancee just read that protests had blocked the road from Belgrade to Novi Sad.

Would recommend learning some Serbian pronunciation before you go.  A lot of people speak English, and they're generally friendly and very hospitable, but they might not understand your references to Serbian places/things if you can't pronounce them.  For instance, a 'c' is pronounced like 'ts'.  E.g., "Golubac" sounds something like Goh-loo-bahts.

Other recommendation is to try lots of the wine and food.  Serbian wine is fantastic and the food is delicious (albeit salty and meat heavy).  Also, we drank the tap water everywhere we stayed (hotels and AirBnBs).

1 minute ago, jsmith2020 said:

Thank you for your input! It seems that travel is very restricted for people from America at the moment. The only border that is open at the moment is Croatia but now I'm thinking that in 2 weeks, we should enjoy everything that Serbia has to offer. 

 

All the best on your travels tomorrow and Congratulations!!!

Thanks!

Can US citizens enter Croatia now? I thought it was only open to EU. Also, I was remembering and I don't think I ever checked the restrictions for North Macedonia so maybe that could be an option. 

7 hours ago, jsmith2020 said:

Have any US citizens had any success on entering any neighboring countries of Serbia? The ones I'm considering traveling to are Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. I read that Bosnia and Herzegovina isn't allowing Americans to enter.

Thanks

I'm a US citizen in Serbia now. Have been here for the past two weeks and am flying to JFK with my fiancee tomorrow morning. I did some research on the countries bordering Serbia early in my trip because I thought it might be cool to travel somewhere else during the two weeks, but everything I read indicated that US citizens couldn't enter.  The only one I wasn't sure about was Kosovo. Don't think I ever found conclusive evidence that I wouldn't be allowed in. Apparently, Serbia still doesn't consider Kosovo to be a separate country and the border situation is kinda weird. However, I read that car rental companies wouldn't let you take a Serbian rental car into Kosovo (I think because cars with Serbian plates aren't treated very nice in Kosovo), so I just gave up on the Kosovo idea. I believe there are buses that will take you across the border, but I wasn't interested in crowded public transport right now. 

3 hours ago, pretzelbite said:

What kind of police registration? The website of the German external office says that traveling to and through Serbia is possible without any restrictions...

It's not related to the coronavirus.  Just a normal regulation in Serbia.  If you're visiting, you have to register with the police to let them know you're there and where you're staying.  I believe if you stay in a hotel that the hotel takes care of it for you.

Google "Serbia Police Registration" and you'll find lots of mentions.  For example, this document mentions it: https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/serbia_-_police_registration_and_residency_permit_2013.pdf

15 minutes ago, talia0506 said:

Yeah I saw that too but not sure if Serbia is a very safe option. At least I lived in Mexico a while ago and have friends there. In Thailand we have family, but not sure about Serbia. Thank you for letting me know though. Cambodia is also open already and flights to the US are going too. They require a negative COVID test and a travel insurance when entering.

Are you saying that because you've heard Serbia is unsafe or just because you aren't familiar with Serbia?  I'm familiar with Mexico (have lots of family there and have traveled there) but not so much with Serbia, Thailand, or Cambodia (other than internet research and secondhand accounts).  My impression was that Serbia is pretty safe now, but I honestly don't know much.   

10 hours ago, talia0506 said:

Hey guys, so my husband and I are about to book tickets to Mexico this week and plan to fly end of this week/beginning of next week. How do you feel in Mexico since COVID cases are pretty high. We were waiting for any other country to open, but it feels like even if they open, they are not opening to all countries and second there need to be flights going to the US as well. Mexico really seems like the only logical option. Croatia wont work since Turkish again suspended their flights to the US until June... Aruba is not saying when they open, so really not sure if it is worth waiting. 

How did you manage to book hotels? Did you had trouble to find some in Cancun? We wanted to travel to Cancun but then take a cab to Tulum since it is more quite... please share your experiences so far. We are really worried about the COVID  cases in Mexico.

It sounds like Serbia is also an option now. 

Serbia is not a Schengen country so travel from Serbia to the USA is not restricted.  Air Serbia just started direct flights from Belgrade to New York JFK, and Serbia doesn't currently have restrictions on foreigners visiting and staying in the country (think they were requiring foreign visitors to present a health certificate showing they were negative for COVID but that restriction has been lifted).

There is an earlier post in this thread by someone who is planning to transit via Serbia. 

2 hours ago, Ela S. said:

I MADE IT!!! POE was a breeze!!! Absolutely no problems traveling from Mexico into the US with a K1 visa!! Wow I’m so relieved right now it’s insane. What an adventure! I really hope all of you can make it into the US too!! I would definitely recommend traveling to Mexico! My POE was Charlotte btw, nearly empty. It was super fast  

Congrats, Ela! Glad you and your fiance made it here safely. Thanks for the update!

21 hours ago, Ela S. said:

Hi! Well he hasn’t come here yet. He’s only coming for 2 nights on May 18th. He contacted the DOS, DHS and the US embassy in Ciudad Juarez and they all said he shouldn’t have a problem entering Mexico by air. Of course, it will all depend on immigration here in Mexico. I had to go through a secondary check and a 2 hour wait before I was even let into the country. I suppose he will go through something similar since all foreigners pretty much have to go through a secondary check if the purpose of the trip is “tourism”.

Okay, that's good to know.  Sounds like he shouldn't have any issues meeting you.

Thanks for responding, Ela!  All the information you've shared on the forum is very helpful.  Good luck with the rest of your Mexican "vacation" and entry into the U.S.!  I hope you can provide us all with an update once your fiance has joined you and you've crossed into the U.S.  Safe travels!

On 5/5/2020 at 5:02 PM, Ela S. said:

It doesn’t change but it would help. Maybe not specifically in my case but I know it has helped in others. It helps when it comes to not getting asked as many questions. I’ve seen this happen to others from China that had to travel to a third country when the travel ban was imposed back in February.

Hi Ela.  Did your fiance have any trouble traveling from the U.S. to Mexico to meet you down there?  I've seen people mention that entry by flight between USA and MEX isn't restricted, but there's lots of conflicting information.  Am considering having my fiancee come from Europe to USA via two-week stay in MEX, but I'm not sure she or I would want her to spend the two weeks in MEX by herself.  Would be good if I could join her.

Thanks for all the information you've been providing!

On 8/23/2016 at 11:20 AM, Californiansunset said:

Oh and I stayed almost 9 months (successful B1 visa extension) and absolutely loved my time at the nonprofit. Since they always need a lot of iterns or volunteers I helped 3 other people to volunteer there for couple months. Two Germans and one Dutch. The Dutch girl wasn't even studying but she still got the B1/B2 visa to come to the U.S.

It's definitely not impossible to get a B1 visa to volunteer if you are well prepared.

What kind of nonprofit did you volunteer with?  Am looking for some sort of volunteer opportunities for my girlfriend who is going to visit me in Chicago for a couple months.  Thanks!