Radu & Mari

That's the beauty of waiting until he is eligible based on 5 years presence, you are pretty much irrelavent to the process. No need for copies of marriage certificate, birth certificates, tax forms, etc.

My wife filed in January, passed her Interview this Monday, and is scheduled for the oath on April 12th. Her application packet included the N-400 form, front/back copies of her green card, passport style photos, and a check for fees. That was it!

Fantastic news and congratulation to you both!! Ok then, it's going out tomorrow just as it is, application, front/back copy of the green card, passport photos and the check. I hope we are as fortunate as you and your wife were Thank you for your input.

Mari

Hi - before we applied, I looked through the "monthly" threads. I just glanced at a few again and the quickest I saw was a November filer who finished in less than 3 months. The longest I saw was someone who applied in May and just finished, so nearly 10 months. Average appears to be ~4 months. A lot is based on where your local office is - how backed up they are in scheduling interviews and how often the oath ceremony is held. For example, where my husband has to go for his oath ceremony, there are only dates ever 3 weeks or so. Some places have the ceremony the same day as the interview.

I don't think there are any shortcuts - are you thinking of all the NVC tricks back in the day? I do remember using some "trick" about the AOS bill... anyway I don't think there is anything to shorten here... just fill out the application and send the right documents/fee, then wait for the letters to come.

Since you are within the 90-day window of your husband's 5-year anniversary of being an LPR (since May, 2007 right?) he can apply without having to prove anything about your marriage. I read somewhere else that that simplifies the process. He's been legal here for five years, he is eligible to apply for citizenship. So maybe there was an advantage to waiting...

Thank you so much for your responses, as they are always so helpful. I guess it great that we waited for his 5-year anniversary as it sounds like it will be quite a smooth transition. I do have one more question. Filling out the application I noticed on the instructions that "Only if required, send copies of the following documents (the USCIS will request orignals if needed)", should I since I am the US citizen send in my Birth Certificate, Termination of previous marriage, and tax return? I don't want to send more than what I need but at the same time, I don't want to delay the process anymore than it has to. Please advice and thank you once again.

Mari

Hi all!

It's been a while since I written anything here. First of all I want to say what a wonderful website Visajourney is. It has been a lifesaver and a true blessing !! I don't know what I would of done had it none been for this website. I probably would of spend thousands of dollars to hire an attorney to bring my husband here. This has been very educational for me. Not only did I learn how to fill out the neccessary papers to bring my husband, but I also helped my previous employer bring back employers through H2B visas. The Lord blessed me to give me the knowledge to fill out papers and file them. I was able to do this because of what I learned here at VJ .

Now, my husband's journey is coming to an end. We are getting ready to fill out his application for his Naturalization (N400). We didn't know that we could off done this 2 years ago based on what I've read here but God only knows why it took us until now to do so. We are excited to start our new and final journey. I was just curious as to how long its taking for the whol process? Can anyone here enlight me? Also, is there any quicker way in doing the process. I know that in the past, I used some that were posted here.

Thank you all for continuing to post your history and letting members like me know what is going on before we get started in our journey.

Respectfully,

Mari

Hi,

How are you all studying the 100 civics questions? After reading them from top to bottom a few times I got bored... As a result, I created this simple (pure html) quiz tool that I am now using:

<a href="http://mysite.verizon.net/amaruk/tests/NewCivicsTest.html" target="_blank">http://mysite.verizon.net/amaruk/tests/NewCivicsTest.html</a>

Perhaps you find it useful too. Feedback is very welcome.

(Yes, I know there are other online tools available for this purpose. But I haven't found one that I like)

I am not into que cards but I think that is a great way to study things like this. I might try it one day too.

Cheers and good luck to you all!

Hi,

Is this link still available? I can't open it.

Hi All,

I need to know if I can Sponsor my friend who doesn't meet the poverty level. I am not related to either one, just friends. If I am able to sponsor my friend, which form do I fill out? I also need to know if they combine both our income or will they only rely on my income?

I sponsored my husband back in 2006. Will this be a factor and how is the income determined (by my household # and petitoner's spouse)? My children are now adults, but my daughter is in college who depends on my income for federal aid.

Please advice and thank you in advance.

Mari

The first question is, after the visa extenstion was denied, was the friend put into any removal proceedings or given a date that they must leave by? Is your friend still in the US?

Good luck.

Good Morning,

Yes, my friend was given a date that he was to leave by, and yes, he is still here in the US.

I need some advice for my friend who is planning on getting marry to her fiance who was here on a H2B visa and it expired back in December of 2008. He tried to get an extension or obtained a tourist visa and was denied on March 2009. Her fiance is from Romania and she is a U.S citizen. They're planning on getting married next Friday April 2, 2010.

What are the steps that she (my friend) will have to take to get his application started? Will they have to pay any penalties?

Thank you all for your help and God Bless.

Mari

Hello April Filers:

Sorry if I am duplicating any thread, but I have not seen April list. It is time for us April filers to start getting approval notices.. anyone approved yet?

Lets share some information.

Hi,

We received our approval notice on July 27, 2009 and yesterday August 1, 2009, Radu received his green card!

God is good! You should be receiving yours very soon.

Good Luck.

Mari & Radu

many ASC's are open Tue-Sat so yes it is normal

appointee need bring the letter and ID... USC not required and will only be allowed into the waiting area

appointment is photo and fingerprints

Thank you so much for the information. I don't know what I would of done without Visa journey helping me out through out all of our journey and process.

Radu doesn't need to bring copies of the documents we sent to VSC, just the letter he received and a photo id?

Mari & Radu

many ASC's are open Tue-Sat so yes it is normal

appointee need bring the letter and ID... USC not required and will only be allowed into the waiting area

appointment is photo and fingerprints

Thank you so much for the information. I don't know what I would of done without Visa journey helping me out through out all of our journey and process.

Mari & Radu

Hi All,

We just received our letter scheduling our Biometrics in Orlando, Fl for 04/11/09.

Is this normal to have an appointment for Saturday?

Also, what does my husband need to bring with him at this appointment and can I accompany him to this appointment?

Last question, what do they ask or do at this appointment?

Thank you all for always being there!

Mari & Radu

Hi all,

Can someone tell me if they will accept a personal check for the fee at the VSC and/or which payment method do yall recommend?

This is for the I-751 form (removing conditions)

As always, thank you for all your help!

Mari & Radu

Congratulations!!!!

I'm getting ready to send Radu's. Hopefully, God willing ours won't take too long either .

Radu & Mari

I need your help (again) what are the documents I need to bring with me during my POE???? thanks for replying... God bless you all

Did you received a package from the consulate when you passed the interview? This is the package you'll need to bring with you when come into the USA. They will ask you for them and if they don't you should hand them to them when you arrive at the poe in front of the officers. Good Luck and God Bless.

Mari & Radu

Hi All,

It's been a while since I had to write to you. I do check on what is going on periodically and I must say I hate the fact that I'm here again having to go through yet another process. I can't wait when all of this will be over and there will be no more cost or stress and tension. The only positive thing about this whole process is that my love is here with me and not in his country waiting for me.

We are getting ready to file and have Radu's conditions remove. A friend of mine who became a U.S. Citizens about 2 years ago told me that Radu can apply for his Citizenship 6 months before our 3rd year anniversary even if his conditions are not yet remove.

Can anyone elaborate a little on this and tell me if this is true because if it is so, we can start that process in July.

Please advice and God Bless you all and this country!

Mari & Radu

Hi all,

It's been a while since I last posted anything here but I always come and check the questions to see if I can give some advise or my opinion . I have a situation and I hope I can get some good advice here. My husband just recently found out that he has a child in Romania who is going to be 4 years old. To make a long story short, the child's mother no longer feels she can raise this child and wants to give my husband full custody (legally) of this child. I am willing to legally adopt this child and raise him with my husband. What or how do we proceed with this procedure ?My understanding from the child's grandmother is that the mother has not even registered a birth certificate for this child.

Can someone give us some guidance on this situation please? My husband has been in the USA now since May 2007 as a Legal Resident and his conditions will be removed in 2009. Please advice and thank you in advance for all your support and help .

Mari & Radu

Hey everyone,

Ok I'm still too excited to talk but my hubby just called me and he got approved. They told him to go back on Wednesday to pick up the visa.

I can't believe this, it's like a dream.

Thank you all for being such a great support.

I haven't gotten the details yet but as soon as I do I'll post them to let everyone know of the questions.

lots of love and God bless

albden

Congratulation!!! Hoping you lots of sucess and happiness always.

Mari & Radu

Hi All,

It's been a while since I posted a question but I'm always here viewing the stories and events of the VJ members to see if I can assist in any way.

My husband Radu has been here with me in Florida since May 3rd, 2007. He has a conditional residence card. We were wondering if its possible to bring his sister here from Romania on a visitor's visa and how difficult the process is. We were wondering if anyone has gone through the process of bringing a family member other than a parent or a child in to the USA. We have heard that the US Consulate in Bucharest very seldom gives out visas of those kind and we were wondering if anyone out there has experienced this problem or have been able to obtain a visa for a family member.

Please advice

Thank you all again for all the support Radu and I have gotten in the past, and for those of you still waiting keep the faith and put it all in the Lord's hand. He will make it happen. God Bless!

Mari

Dear Mari & Radu,

When I filed my H-2b I wasn't married that's why I didn't file I-130 together with the H-2b at the same time. We wanted to hold our marriage so I could invite my parents to this country and they could be at the wedding. Yes, I know that would be hard for both of them to come but I wanted to try. My h-2b was expiring and in order to legally stay I had to extend it. That did not work out cause h-2b even now still pending. Me and my wife got married so I could be in status 5 months after filing the h-2b(which even now still pending) I filed AOS with my wife. We have so many things together and my attorney said that everything is gonna work out. But anyway I am afraid of delays especially for my EAD card. And at the interview here in US they can give us hard time about that. That's why I wanted to hear other interview experiences.

Dear Boyinflorida,

We were planning to get married once Radu came back to USA on a H2B. The cap was maxed out for the fiscal year and we knew that was no longer an option. We decided to get married afterward, but what I want you to understand is that the USCIS made it very clear to us that he could no longer qualify for an H2B visa since he was now married to a US Citizens. This is what I'm trying to let you know. If your spouse is an US Citizen you cannot continue with that visa. If you do, (according to the rep I spoke with at the time) then this visa will over see your other one. At this time, your AOS is far more important. I even spoke with an immigrant attorney who helped us get our employees back on the H2B and they told me the same thing.

Mari

Hey Guys,

I came to this country 2005 on H-2b visa and I have been extending my legal stay till Aug, 2007 when expired. I met my wife in Dec, last year. In order to stay (extend) for more time legally in May, 07 I started new H-2b case with one of those agencies you should not always trust. They opened the case but I do not think the did everything properly. This was the last time for me to extend it just because me and my wife were planing to get married at time when I could have my parents here and after I wouldn't need to do that visa again.

Usually when you start h-2b case gets approved in a month if it's a premium processing or a little bit more if not. I do not know what happened with that petition but those who did it were not professionals definitely. The case's been pending since May. Once USCIS asked for RFE and it was submitted 3 months after (usually paychecks) I was asked for anything personally. My attorney said that if submitted 3 months after requested the case is not gonna be approved. After all this issues with my H-2b case my wife and I decided to get married earlier than planed so I can file my AOS earlier while still legal because of the pendancy of my current case.

We got married 2 months ago and already filed AOS(pending), my h-2b still pending. Do you think that it may lead to delays in my current AOS case?

And the point that I got married while h-2b pending may probably make USCIS think that our relation is not real. My attorney says that we have so much stuff together and we are fine but.. has anyone been in that situation before

???

Dear Boyinflorida,

My husband and I were in a similar situation. He was waiting for his H2B and we found out that USCIS had reached their cap on the H2B and it wasn't going to happen. I went to Romania and got married and tried to bring my husband home. They did not believe it was a bonafide marriage. I had to come home to the USA and file my petition. The rest is history. The point I'm trying to get across is that when I called USCIS, they told me he could not file for an H2B and a I130. If he had the H2B in process he would not be able to come in since he was already married. We had to cancelled his H2B petition and just filed the I130. We had to wait 7 months for the whole process but everything worked out just fine. I hope this information helps. You cannot have a H2B in process if you are already married. It may jeopardize your AOS. Good Luck to you.

Mari and Radu

hello everybody,iam a new member in here and i have a very serious and strange case and i need help,,iam also a member in the ilw.com,but its always better when u get more openions and advise from more people and here is my story,,my name is mike and iam from jordan,i got married to u.s citizen in my home country in amman-jordan in the year of 2002,in 2003 we went my wife and file at the u.s embassy there,,3 weeks later i got my immigrant visa(cr1),and i entered the u.s in july-2003,i got the calif id and my ss card and a month later i recieved my 2 years green card,so in 2005 we went my wife and i 3 months before the card gets expired and we file together to remove the condetion on my green card,i recieved an extention for 1 year valid until april 2006,so in april 2006 i went to my local immigration office to fallow up on my case and they stamp my passport with the (i-751)valid for 1 years ,,until april2007, so in july 2006 3 months after i got my i-751 i got divorced ,bcoz we were having alot of problims together ,i got engaged again and in september 2006 i went to mexico with my new fiance to see her family and informed them about the marriage plan,so,we went there and stayed for few hours and then we went back to the u.s boarder to re-enter and here is what happen,,all the troubles started from there,ok,we got stopped and they run my name and they asked me about my status and i said,(p resident) ,so he took my passport and he entered the building and he didnt come back ,so after 45 minuite of been waiting i asked if i can get off the car and used the restroom,,so the officer told me to go inn,,i went inn and then i saw the same officer who took my passport and 10 other officers were looking at my passport like they found something,,so they said when ur done step outside and i said ok,so ,i come outside and i saw my fiance coming inn with her niec and her son and i asked them what's going on and they said it not my business and they start screaming at me and my fiance and even the kids,,they put my in a cell away from her and they start asking her questions about me and them they finger print me and her and even the kids????????and ther all under age,so anyway,they released her after 12 hours bcoz she's a u.s citizen and she have no criminal record ,and i was kept in there until the next morning,so then they called me out to take my statment and i asked what's going on and they said that i entered illegaly?and i was suprised and i said no i didnt,,iam a legal imigrant?so then they said,will u been charged of false claim to be a u.s citizen? and i said no way,,i never said that,i said i was a pr and i have 3 ppl in the car with her who heared what i said,and my i-751 is still valid for 8 more months?and they didnt care,,so i was sent to the detention and ther i hired a lawyer,and at my first court the judge didnt give me a bill bcoz i was an arriving alien,so the judge asked the goverment if they have anything againts me and the DA said no,he have a clean record but he claimed to be a u.s citizen and a federal agent and an army personal???????????????????????????? and iam like whatttttttttttttttttt,and even the judge made a face and he said wait a minuite ,first why would he say iam a u.s citizen if hes giving him a jordanian passport with a valid i-751 ??and why would he say iam a federal agent and army personal at the same time?doesn't make since,so i went back to my cell and i was going crazy and then i knew it was set up from someone who knew me,bcoz i was a part of the (AVR)organization,AVR=american valunteer reserve,and we honor the soldiers who got killed in action and help the ppl in case of an emergency and things like that and we wear uniform but we'r not army,,so anyway,,while i was detained i got married to her,and that attorney i hired didnt do nothing but screwing me and lieing to me,he didnt even show up to the court,but anyway,we filed a motion to re-open my i-751 and it got denied bcoz i was divorced,,but i didnt file a new one and that was a mistake,but anyway,,the immigration judge told my wife this at the second court,,he told her ok ,,ur husband was a legal immigrant in the country,have no criminal record,not even a traffic tickit,and never stayed over the visa time,,he filed taxes for the 3 years he lived in the country,so what iam going to do is ,,iam ganna send the DA or whatever hes name is to the immigration boarder to talk to thoes officers and c if they will agree to drop all these charges ,,and if they do then i will dismes the case and put him back in mexico like he never entered the u.s,so at the 3rd court the judge said that they aggree to dropp all the charges and he said to my wife,,dont worry,,hes not ganna be deported or removal or even valunteery deportred,we will allowed him to withdraw hes application for addmition and we will put him back in mexico and u will bring him back from there,so they did and i was sent back to the mexican boarder but i wasn't deported like i said,the judge give me a paper says that i was allowed to withdraw my application for addmition and waived by both,so now i been in mexico for 10 months allready,since last october 2006,and my wife have filed an i-130 and i-129f for me back in jan-2007,so here is the bad news,,i dont have a legal status in mexico and i dont know if i can process from here?my wife is a mexican american,and the second thing is we filed my i-130 at the csc and 2 weeks ago we were suprised bcoz we recieved an email from the immigration stated that they have transferm my i-130 from the csc to the local office in LA for a standard interview??????????so why is that if iam not wvwn there? and r they going to denied it bcoz i got married in detention or what?and the second big problim is i filed in jan-2007 and the csc are now processing feb 2007?but i looked up at the processing in LA office and ther not even processing the i-130 at all????????so what's that mean?my wife had a serious heart condetion and serious back problims and she needs like 5 surgery's as soon as possible?what can i do please?and why is this interview?will,,,she's 17 years older than me and we got married in the detention,,so i dont know if its bcoz of that,,but we were in love and we have prove of that,,we'r not worry about any questions or documents,,but is this is norrmal or what?i did contact the congress office and they didnt do anything,,the only thing they were able to find out is that someone sent a tip to the immigration back in 2006 againts me ,,and thats why they stoped me and not bcoz of my status,but they couln't prove anything and thats why the judge dismessed my case...and on the i-130 we put my address in mexico ?we never said that i was in the u.s?so why i s the interview then?i need an advice please,i spoaje to a very good immigration lawyer months back and he said that my attorney screwed me bcoz the court paper says that i was illegible to adjustment of status,,and he said they should have allowed me to file another i-751 back then and the whole thing was wrong,,and he said ther is a way to bring me back even before i get the visa but i need to get the i-130 proved first,,but i dont know how,,bcoz he asked for $10.000 to take my case and i dont have any money now ,,so is ther a really way to re-enter ?bcoz in order to go the embassy in juarez,mexico,,i have to be at least legal?and iam not?what should i do,,i dont wanna go back to my country,,bcoz i c my wife here twice a month and bcoz of her medical condetion,,it will kill her if ileave?what should i do please?and how long is it ganna take then to sset the interview?i been waiting for 10 months allready and now i have to wait for this too?r they going to denied it or what?please help

Mike,

I'm sorry to hear you're going through all of that. I know how stressful it is when you have to go through all the red tape of filing for a spouse that is not a US Citizen and now you have all of this to deal with too. I would take MargotDarko advice and get yourself a good immigration attorney. This is why I'm responding to your email. I know of a very good immigration attorney who is in Austin, TX and has an office in Monterey, MX and has very good creditials. We use his service to bring international employees on an H2B visas. Had I known about him before I filed for my husband's visa I would of used his services to help me with his case. This lawyer used to work for the US Representative and so has his partners. If you are interested email directly and I will give you all the information.

Good Luck and don't give up hope. The Lord sends us challenges to test our faith.

Mari

hello again,

i think i am getting more nervous every day with our k1 application. i have read somewhere on this site that one of the red flags for the consulate might be long period of time apart. well,we have been together 2 years now, we met in Romania, then went on vacation to Italy and last year i was in usa and lived with my fiance for 3 months . when i left we agreed that he won't come over to romania because i was going to apply for a tourist visa. i did not get my tourist visa and right after we filed for k1. he is coming over in september, but since last october we have not seen eachother, although we kept in touch daily throgh yahoo messenger, texts, mobile phone conversations, packages and all that. can anyone give me an opinion? our attorney has not said anything about this, but for the whole she said we wil be ok. what do you think? thank you!

Hi Laura_Z

Just make sure you have proof that you have been in contact ie., phone bills, calling cards, emails, etc. If you have these items, I don't think you will have any problems. Good Luck!!

Mari

hi everyone,

i just had something strange happen to me. first, i should state that i am a permanent resident, i got my green card last year. i haven't had any problems before using my social security number for anything. the social security card i have is still the one i was given when i first came into the US, before my green card, and it has a note on it that says "valid for work only with DHS authorizations".

yesterday i went to open a new bank account, and the woman got a weird message when she tried entering my SSN in her system - she had to call another office and it was really complicated. she said my number came up as invalid. eventually she was able to work something out and i was able to open my bank account.

but my questions is this - is my SSN still a "temporary" one? was i supposed to do something to change it to a "full" or normal SS card after i got my green card? i hadn't given any thought to this until yesterday.

any thoughts/advice would be very appreciated!

Hi,

Yes, you have to go to the Social Security office and have the "valid of work only" remove. They will leave you with the same number, destroy the one you have and inform you that you will receive a new one in 8-10 days. Your card will be listed in the Social Security office as a "Permanent Resident" SS card. Once you become a US Citizen you will have to go back to the Social Security Office and change your status from a Permanent Resident to US Citizen. I just did this with my husband last week and that is what we were told. I hope this helps.

I tried searching these forums and came up with nothing, so I apologize if this has been answered before.

I'm about to mail the I-129f for my British spouse and have been nervous about the whole affidavit of support that comes next. I'm on permanent disability and receive income under a private Long-Term Disability policy as well as permanent Social Security Disability benefits and Medicare. My husband is currently working in the UK, and we have enough savings to bridge the gap until he finds work in the US under a K3 visa, but I'm getting nervous. Since he's the able-bodied one, he's really going to be the one providing the majority of the support once we relocate to the US.

Will the SSA income be a problem, since it's technically public funds? Part of me thinks it won't, otherwise that would mean a seriously discriminatory immigration policy toward disabled Americans, but since we're talking about the government, nothing would surprise me.

Can anyone ease my mind? If it's gonna be a problem, it's better to know now. If so, I might not even bother filing the I-129f- I'll just immigrate to England instead, even though that's not our preference.

Hi Latteberry,

I too had some concerns about my AOS at the time because I was on SSI for over 2 years and I went back to the work force on June 06 and therefore never filed a IRS return for the prior 2 years nor was I able to meet the poverty level had I filed prior to the time that I did (I currently make enough and show proof). I'm assuming that you do not meet the poverty level with both of your income? Are you filing an IRS return? When I contacted NVC they told me to request a transcript from the IRS proving that I never filed for a return and write a letter explaining why I did not file during those years. I submitted my 1099R for those prior years since the AOS requires you to show 3 years of tax filing and I wrote the letter with my explanation. I got a letter from my employer stating when I began my services there and what my salary is.

I guess in your situation it depends if you meet the poverty level on your income or not. If you do not meet the poverty level, then you will have to get a co-sponsor. I asked NVC if they would allow me to use my spouse's income since I knew he had a job where I worked when he came in and had filed his W2 for 2006 but they had told me that I could not use his income since he was the beneficiary. I don't know if it is different for an I129F. I filed for CR1. I hope this helps you. Good Luck.

Mari

Hello to all our friends here in VJ ,

I just wanted to share the great news that Radu received his Green Card yesterday evening. We were amazed that it only took a little over 3 weeks. We feel so blessed and we thank God every day for the speedy process on our visa journey and also everyone who helped us here and of course using "James shortcut".

I hope and pray that everyone's process goes as fast and smooth as our did. God Bless you all!

Best Regards,

Mari & Radu