beloved_dingo

We were Nov. 2021 filers and got the 48 month extension March 7th. So sorry you're dealing with the USCIS' unsurprising incompetence. I hope you get good news with the N-400 in the next 4-5 months and avoid the hassle of an expiring extension letter altogether.

You're welcome. I believe that can largely depend on the consulate involved.

We were the opposite and have always provided a lot of evidence, including "front loading" the I-129f petition. We've had smooth sailing the whole way through, and my husband is a citizen now. However, what we have in common is your final point - New Zealand and Australia are low-fraud countries. Though I agree that some people, in their effort to provide a lot of evidence, end up in TMI territory and provide USCIS with information that is confusing, conflicting, or raises red flags. A good example - people who send tax transcripts + tax returns and schedules. USCIS does not seem to like the redundant information. They want one or the other.

It's not uncommon to receive these letters on different days. When did you receive the biometrics notice and access code? If it was in the last few days, your extension letter should soon follow.

Agreed with the others, it is not required, just a recommendation. For instance, if your original packet had gotten lost/damaged in the mail, it would be a lot easier to resend if you had a copy. It can also be helpful to keep track of what has already been provided to USCIS, and it doesn't hurt for the beneficiary to have that information as well. But it wasn't a huge mistake and you will be fine. Out of curiosity, did you include a cover sheet with a list/table of contents of what was included in the packet? Because if you at least have that, then you know what was sent and could provide that information to the beneficiary just for their own information/peace of mind. The IO will have a copy of everything that was sent, btw. It all gets scanned in.

I haven't noticed a trend whatsoever related to the number of pages in the ROC packet and length of wait. Can you point to what is causing you to draw that conclusion? ROC is painfully slow right now for the majority of filers, regardless of how thick or thin their packet was. People should definitely focus on quality over quantity. What to include and total number of pages is a judgment call. 1000 pages would be an outlier.

We sent all statements, but quarterly seems to be fine, especially if combined with other strong evidence. The big thing, as others have pointed out, is that you do need to send ALL pages of any statements you send.

The 3 years is counted from the date on the green card, not from the date she arrived/got married. If her green card expires June 2024, that means the "clock" for N-400 began around June 2022.

You don't have to have the divorce decree immediately when switching to a divorce waiver. After notifying USCIS of the change, USCIS sends out an RFE with 90 days to provide it. So the timing is important but you do not have to be divorced the second you switch to a waiver. When you are living separately and your wife has filed for divorce it is not just a "break". As I asked before, what will you do if you are scheduled for an interview? What will you do if a few months down the road USCIS sends an RFE for updated proof of a bona fide marriage? Your wife could notify USCIS of your separation herself, btw. And if your joint I-751 is approved after the divorce is finalized, it means that you obtained your immigration benefit by misrepresenting your marriage to USCIS.

Boiler wasn't asking the reason for the expedite, they are asking what part of the process/type of visa you are trying to expedite.

This is fraud. No one here will advise you to lie (including by omission) or misrepresent your situation to USCIS. What will you do if you get called for an interview? With a joint petition, USCIS expects BOTH spouses to attend. However, you can inform USCIS at the interview that you have separated and will need to switch to a divorce waiver. The tricky part is timing, because USCIS needs the divorce decree to approve an I-751 with a divorce waiver. I believe once they request the decree, the deadline to provide it is 90 days. Has your wife actually filed for divorce yet, and you just haven't been served? Because if she hasn't filed, just do it yourself and try to get the divorce finalized as quickly as possible.

I bet my husband would love that. As an Aussie, he loves non-alcoholic ginger beer (Bundaberg) so I can only imagine ginger cider would be a hit.

Understood. Then @Boiler's response to file the I-130 is correct. Re: your questions about the sponsor situation - you would be the primary sponsor even if you do not have income. Your mother could be the joint sponsor. There is also a possibility of using assets to qualify. You going back first to get a job with high enough income to qualify is also an option.

$25k is an absurd amount for an attorney to charge to assist with a K1 petition regardless. Where is your fiancé from? Also - it is not necessarily true that if you make one mistake, you lose money and have to start over again. Some mistakes will cause the petition to be rejected outright (incorrect payment amount, incomplete/unsigned form, etc.), so you fix the mistake and send it back but they do not take your money/charge you if it is rejected in this manner. Some mistakes could result in an RFE (request for evidence), where USCIS will ask you to send them additional information before they make a decision. If an RFE is responded to properly (and timely), it also does not cause any huge issues - just potentially a delay.

Have you considered the spousal visa process instead?

So sorry to hear about the awful situation with the FIL. Does your husband still have his old green card? Did he ever formally relinquish it? And when did it expire? Has he been back in the U.S. at all since 2007?

Framboise is so good! My husband and I both enjoy it. Semi-related note, one of our local craft breweries has an imperial Berliner weisse that is a particular favorite, brewed with plums, apricots and vanilla. It's delicious but not too sweet. Sour ales are my favorite, especially when they hit that balance of sour/sweet just right. Have you had/do you like gose?

@laylalex Certainly welcome in my book, I love a good beer but also love a good cider. Ciderboys is on tap at many locations around where I live and when I'm not in a beer or wine mood, that's my go-to. Do you also happen to enjoy sour ale/fruited sours?

We did this as well. My husband's N-400 interview was May 10th, and we knew there was a good chance he would get same day oath. So on May 7th, I scheduled a passport appointment for him on May 25th. Everything went as planned and his passport is in process. If the timing hadn't worked out (no same-day oath), we would have just cancelled the appointment. Setting up a passport appointment online with USPS does not ask anything about citizenship. All you provide is the name and contact information for the person making the appointment. I do not know if the process varies at all for an urgent appointment at an agency, but considering you are scheduling a future appointment for someone who would be a citizen at the appointment time, it seems like a stretch to worry about false claims of citizenship.

My bank was able to add my spouse before he had his SSN, but the person assisting me had to get a supervisor involved because there were some obstacles to get around. The bank employees were extremely helpful and understanding of our unique situation. This was PNC btw. Side note - at that time, he couldn't be added on an interest-bearing account. So they got him on my checking account, but not savings.

Did your wife send you a photo or scan of the letter? If not, I would definitely ask her to do so. It may help us make sense of it if you are able to post the letter here, will all identifying information removed. As others have said, biometrics is NOT normal for someone who has arrived in the U.S. on an spousal visa.

Yes, you do need to count your son, so you have a household of 3. The I-864 instructions state: Your household size includes yourself and the following individuals, no matter where they live: any spouse, any dependent children under 21 years of age, any other dependents listed on your most recent Federal income tax return, all persons being sponsored in this affidavit of support...etc. Your son is still a dependent regardless of how taxes are done and where your son lives. Unfortunately, your income will not qualify with a household size of 3. See below: 2 $24,650 3 $31,075 https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p Even with a household of 2, it's cutting it too close. You'll need a joint sponsor, unless you can get a W-2 job that has qualifying income.

What was the small error that caused USCIS to reject and return it?

Just chiming in to add that my local office was once new (opened 5 years ago), and they did not offer same day oath ceremonies for the first 2-3 years.

The I-485 instructions specifically address this: "In general, you do not need to submit documentation relating to traffic fines and incidents that did not involve an actual physical arrest if the penalty was only a fine of less than $500 or points on your driver’s license. However, you must submit such documentation if the traffic incident resulted in criminal charges or involved alcohol, drugs, or injury to a person or property." You weren't even ticketed. It does not apply.