fem_femme

I wanted to update the thread for anyone else who will wonder how long it takes for SS # to arrive upon immigrant's entry it took my spouse a week to get his, so we are waiting for his actual g.c. to arrive now. The last time I checked through USCIS status it just shows that it's paid for but no other update. SS arrives fairly quickly! This is if you pick SS option on your immigrant visa application DS-260.

Thanks gus for all your advices here! So now we know why I was getting the error message. It is because once the visa was generated and handed to my husband, it didn't take me long to try to pay the fee. As I said before, perhaps less than 30 minutes or so, but now, after around 12 hours later I guess or whenever I posted the qustion, while my husband is in the air, I just made another attempt to pay for it and my A# with the ID # were found and I was able to successfully pay and got a confirmation email. So the issue here was that you need to wait a little before trying to pay for it as it seems that once the visa was handed to my husband, the system ahd not yet updatd his info, hence the error message. So all is good now and thanks again for all your help! The email confirmation contained all his tracking status info for us to later track the arrival of his green card. Do you guys know how long it takes to get the G.c. and also his social security now that I posted this last comment as a follow up to my situation earlier today? 2-3 weeks or longer for both? WOuld love to find out just recently how long it took people to get both docs?

12 minutes ago, Lucky Cat said:

What error did you get?  It is common to enter the incorrect number of digits and/or letters.  The payment must be made online.

the digits were all correct as i double checked on the form they gave him but i did attempt to pay around 30 minutes after the US Embassy generated and stuck the visa in his passport so coud it be that i tried to pay for it fairly quickly and the system had not updated after 30 minutes of his visa pick up? ill try again but maybe this could be a possible reason?

1 minute ago, Lemonslice said:

They suggest to pay as early as possible, to make sure the card is received in a timely manner.  However, for one year after entry, the stamped visa is the same as a physical card.  You'll have time to fix it, should you still have problems in a few days.

oh wow thanks so much...i panicked and freaked out..actually both of us...I just posed one more question here so id appreciate if you could advise me the last time so we will know at which stage then he can pay for his green card at the border or later on from our home when he finally arrives to my place? Just curious because i need to explain this to him. 

One more question for you guys...im feeling relieve that he doesn't have to pay before his travel...ill try to pay for it before his flight but in case if i still get the error, can u please tell me then when he needs to pay for it AFTER he enters the US? At teh border pattrol or we can do it after he leaves the airport a few days later from the comfort of our home? I need to explain this to him so he is aware...please advise. 

Ok thanks guys...im panicking still since i dotn understand then why the instructiosn say that he needs to pay before he etners the US and he was told the same whn he picked up his US visa...if someone can share their experience i'd appreciate it. 

Hi guys. So my husband just left the US Embassy with a CR-1 visa approved and stamped in his passport! He was already told a week ago to visit the Embassy again today to pick up his passport so he did and a week ago we booked his flight for the day after of his visa pick up to fly to the US (flying tomorrow early morning) and he also did his covid test for the flight and all he needs to do now after leaving the Embassy today is to go back and pack his bags for an early flight tomorrow. He was given instructions where to pay for his green card and it says to pay for it BEFORE he enters the US.

Because he just got his visa an hour ago or less, I tried to follow instructions to pay for it myself but it keeps showing 'error' each time and in one instance it says that if you received your US visa, to wait 5 days to try again and if it doesn't work to contact USCIS. Well, now we don't have 5 days to wait as he is flying to the US tomorrow and I can't seem to go beyond the 'error' notice on USCIS fee website. The instructions, as mentioned, says we need to pay before he enters the US and I'm panicking because we thought all we smooth and now I'm not sure what to do. We we cancel his trvael arrangement, it's going to cost us around $500 now to wait several days to try paying for it again. Please advise as I'm really upset now and not sure what to do as we are running out of time rpetty much considering that where my husband is it's mid day and he's supposd to go to the airport early morning tomorrow. There's no way for him to pay for his US visa later on at all? 

23 minutes ago, neca said:

I can't help you with your semantics question, but since you were given exact instructions I wouldn't worry about the details of it and just follow what they say to do. As you may know by now, this whole process is anything but clear. Trying to affix rhyme or reason to everything might drive you mad.

 

You got through the big hurdles! Why sweat the small stuff? Congrats on your success 🥳

thank you...i only worried because everyone seems to be picking up their passports based on the status and my spouse's status doesn't indicate pick up even though he is supposed to do it tomorrow. Can I also ask, once he enters the US, since he doesn't have an actual green card in his posession yet, is he supposed to go directly to the tourist visa border control or the us citizen/gren card/canadian citizen border control? My spouse asked me this and I have no idea. Which lane did immigrants with CR-1 status approach?

Hi guys. My spouse was approved last week and although I had registered at a pick up location the passport was supposed to have been picked up according to the Embassy's instructions, at the end of the interview, the CO told my spouse to pick up the passport at the Embassy and not teh location the Embassy tells you to register on their website. Spouse was told to pick up passport tomorrow at 1pm at the Embassy and I just checked the status of his visa/passport, and it says "ready" and the last update was on the day of his interview. In the instructions, I read that "ready" means that spouse is scheduled for interview, so I'm confused now. Has anyone encountered "ready" status and what does that mean because I read that it's supposed to say "pick up" for you to pick up the passport although eh was given an exact day and time to go back to the Embassy for the passport. Can anyone explain this to me as we are both confused. I thought ready meant as if the passport is ready but I guess not. If spouse is supposed to pick up passport tomorrow at 1pm, shouldn't the status already say "pick up" as thre's just a day left? Thanks.

19 minutes ago, Lucky Cat said:

1.  I would not pay the immigrant fee until he has the visa in hand.  The fee can be paid either before arriving in the US or after arrival.....but the actual green card will not be produced until the $220 fee has been paid AND the new immigrant has entered the US.  Both the numbers you will need are printed on the visa.

2.  If he marked the SSN box on the DS-260, then his Social Security card should be sent automatically. 

ok great thanks for clearing my confusion. Now that the whole immigration stage is almost over I'd like to use this opportunity to just ask about the removal of his conditional green card 90 days prior to the end of the 2 year period. Would you mind briefly telling me from the moment he arrives, for the removal of his conditional status, what documents we need to submit all over again besides the forms and besides collecting evidence of us living together like bank statements, utilities, etc. Those I know, but i'm just wondering from our marriage certificate, previous divorces, birth certificates, his military record, and all his supporting docs that we already submited durign the whole process, what we have to re-submit all over again that we already did. I'd really appreciate if someone can let me know please as that's the only thing that i was going to ask on this website. I'm trying to delete some docs from my computer from the ones we had like previous travel boarding passes, hotels etc...im assuming those pre immigration that we already sent to show that we saw each other, no longer needs to be re-submit but rather new vacations as a couple living together? Thanks.

I'm in the same situation but I'm the citizen wife...my husband was approved yesterday and his passport was kept by the embassy and he is supposed to pick it up next week and I was wondering should I pay the fee before he picks up his passport or after his pick up because he is supposed to fly the veyr next morning to the US after picking up his passport in the afternoon the day before so Im not sure at which point to pay for his green card? We already paid for AOS and IV at NVC stage so from what I read we need to pay for his green card before he arrives to the US. Don't we already have the A# on his notice of action forms that were sent initially? I see that he has an A numebr so can I use that to pay even before he gets his passport with the visa or it's best to have his passport in his possession before proceeding with the payment? You mentioned DOS number but im not sure what that is? Is it his case # or there's another ID number with which you log in ot Ceac portal? Also, when we did his IV application, one of the last question pertained to his SS# and we marked it as 'yes' so does this mean that we no longer need to contact SS in the US upon his arrival for his number and it will be automatically sent to us based on that visa?

Hi guys. I was looking at the poverty guidelines for 2020 and 2021 and since Im composing a cover letter for I-864s, im a little confused if I should take into account the USCIS website's 2020 guideline or the new guideline for 2021 which isn't included on USCIS website yet? My husband's interview is next week so since uscis hasn't updated their website for the 2021 poverty guideline, do you think the consular officer will judge my sponsorship by 2020 or 2021 even though USCIS isn't updating for some reason? Aren't they supposed to update immediately when the guidelines get published by the federal government otherwise it gets confusing which option people should consider if there's a new 2021 one yet immigration shows 2020 still. I'd like to get your opinion please and maybe someone here knows why USCIS isn't updating.

2 hours ago, Lil bear said:

Multiply the poverty line amount by 1.25

great thank you so much!

3 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

https://aspe.hhs.gov/2021-poverty-guidelines

thank you but it dosn't show the 125% minimum so im trying to find 2021 125% for california...i just heard that they changed from 2020 to 2021 now does anyone have info on this?

16 hours ago, pushbrk said:

Yes, your equity in a mortgage free home is it's current value.  A complete tax return is everything you would have mailed if filing by mail.  The instructions do not say to include "one of...".  The instructions say you should have completed.  It's not the same thing.  Send the complete tax return.

thank you!!!

Do you guys know if there's a new 2021 USCIS poverty guidelines...the reason why Im asking is because uscis has 2020 guideline but there's a new 2021 that has a fee waiver title to it, then there's another that shows a 0% guidelines and im trying to figure out if USCIS just changed the guideline to 2021?

Hi, so I was wondering what was the experience at the interview? What questions were asked just out of curiosity?

15 hours ago, pushbrk said:

You are self employed.  State your current income as it appears on the total income line of your 2020 1040 form.  Add your parents' Social Security and skip the joint sponsor.  Your JS is unemployed.  Sounds like your household income qualifies anyway.

 

No point in listing anything assets that are not "liquid".  Equity in rental property is a hassle to document.

Thanks so much, sir! I did everything as you mentioned. Regarding my assets, the home is paid-off in 2013 and i have full ownership of it and the zillow's estimated value as of now I just checked it's $680,300, so isn't that the whole equity, in itself? Im just commenting on your "equity in rental property is a hassle to document" so if im not paying mortage, i thought that i should submit my grant deed, paid-off mortgage letter from the lender and the estimated zillow screenshot to show that that's the estimated value of my house to show the $680,300 as asset, plus make the CO realize that I am providing mortage free housing for my spouse....unless Im confusing myself as to what equity is? i thought that if there's no mortgage on a house then the whole equity is the full current price of the home?

I finished my forms again and I do have 1 question which is directly from I-864 instructions: Part 6., Item Number 2. that you are self-employed, you should have completed one of the following forms with your Federal income tax return: Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business), Schedule D (Capital Gains), Schedule E (Supplemental Income or Loss), or Schedule F (Profit or Loss from Farming). You must include each and every Form 1040 Schedule, if any, that you filed with your Federal income tax return." My 2020 tax packet include form 1040 (Individual Income Tax Return); Schedule 1 (Additional Income & Adjustments to Income); Schedule E (Supplemental Income & Loss)...I-864 instructions say to include one of the Schedules C, D, E, F...mine is Schedule E as mentioned, so does it mean I only include Schedule E withoout Schedule 1 as there's no mention of Schedule 1 (unless it's automatically part of Schedule E? Should I skip on Schedule 1 and submit income tax return 1040+Schedule E only? Just tryign to see which copies I should scan to send to my spouse as the interview is coming up shortly so your valuable input will be greatly appreciate it as we finally get through our interview. This is making me anxious and I feel like my anxiety is eating me alive the past day or two. I'm trying to calm myself down but it's hard as it's been a stressful year. 

Anyone that coould help as I have a day or two max to submit this? Thanks 

11 minutes ago, Nitas_man said:

Then list your income, list your assets, provide proof of income/assets, and file it

It never hurts and sometimes helps to list assets, so provide it all.

You need two things - past income (tax returns) and current income.  Current is paystubs/matched bank statements for the current year.

Thank you...i'm just confused how to incorporate 2021 unemployment benefits with my landlord self employed income im getting from the rental....thats where my confusion is...how to use UI as in how to determine it for this year....  and im stuck on just that 1 question otherwise im finished with the whole form. 

1 hour ago, Nitas_man said:

You are using your parents social security income as your household income?

Im using my own income...I just wrote a whole paragraph about it. 

Hi guys. I'm going through an anxiety here and would appreicate your help. Since Covid cancelled spouse's interview at the last minute last year, now it is coming up again, so I realized that covid also forced me to re-do my I-864 all over again and my situation has changed. I had already uploaded all I-864 affidavits and supporting docs to CEAC last year too. I'd like to give you a brief background before my below highlighted few questions please. For last March 2020, I had presented my 2019 taxes, which was only $11,285, so luckily I found a joint sponsor last minute before his interview back then and that JS was making enough, so I felt really relieved eventually. Although due to my low tax return last year, in my own I-864, I had added both of my retired parents' social security incomes as as a household members to meet the minimum requirement of a household of 4. Since I also had that JS as a backup, I felt fine. I figured that even though I meet the minimum requirement with my parents, in case if they turn down my I-864, the JS makes good money so that could be used. Now that we faced covid and a cancelled interview last year at this time, that JS who was an assistant professor, was faced with temporary lay-off for a year so she started getting unemployment benefits at the time my spouse's interview as cancelled, so UI has been her main income for the whole year and still is. She said that she's supposed to start going back to her work in August/September of this year, but right now it's irrelevant since she's getting UI income. So now, I am not even sure if I can use her as JS anymore as a back up still? I mean is UI benefit as an income by itself, would count as annual anticipated income? 

Now about me...my financial situation on my taxes is better now than what I had on 2019 taxes. Taxes reported on my new I-864 right now for the upcoming interview are: in 2018 ($11,285); 2019 ($23,120); 2020 ($47,650) <---------of this last tax return income of 2020, the $25,550 was derived from my self-employment and the rest are my unemployment benefits that I applied for in 2020. My 2021 annual anticipated income now would be my landlord income that remains the same as last year which again is $25,550, plus the UI I'm continuing to get still. Regarding assets, I have $23,500 in my bank account and fully own $680,000 mortgage-free real estate which is a fairly large 3 bedroom townhouse. My question is how to figure out my current annual income? Do I just stick to my landlord income of $25,550 when writing my annual income for 2021 in I-864 or should I add how much I got UI in 2021 although I don't know whether I should just add what I have been getting since January 1, 2021 until now that is official and known, and then calculate what I'll be getting from now until September since Cali extended UI but then Im thinking what if I get a new job and cancel UI. Someone told me that including UI as annual anticipated income is irrelevant and I shouldn't count it. I'm really confused how to treat this current annual income with my set landlord income that's same as last year along with this UI money. I suppose that I can skip on UI income on the form considering that what I made on my last year's taxes ($25,550) from rental income is above the 2 household minimum povery guideline of $21,550. I'd like to also include my bank account as asset and my real estate on my I-864 cover letter but not on my I-864 form, since my landlord income alone meets the povery guideline, it's rather to show the CO that that's what I have as assets on the side to make my I-864 stronger. Is this a good idea? PLEASE help me with these 3 highlighted questions as that's what I need to fill out and be done with I-864. I suppose there's no longer any need to include one or two parent on my I-864 like back then since then I used them because of my low income belowthe guideline. I think that my assets would no longer make use of my parents since I could have applied my assets in case I was below the treshold.

It would have been best to pick it up in person if that option was possible to later upload it to CEAC. 

Wait...is that ds-5535 form a new requirement for everyone or it's for only Iraq citizens? Im confused...everything keeps changing so fast. 

11 minutes ago, HRQX said:

"Applicants are not required to complete nor should they present the DS-5540, Public Charge Questionnaire." https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/update-on-public-charge.html

 

It doesn't currently exist: https://eforms.state.gov/

great...glad to hear that :))) thanks!