Reds89z

@Gawain I'm really happy to hear of your outcome.  Now your daughter has another world of options in her life that she didn't have before.  You've also helped out the few of us in similar boats.  I can't thank you enough for continuing to document your journey.

Relating your experience at the interview to what I might go through in the future, I think everything will be very similar except for the fact that my ex wife listed her current husband as the father on the birth certificate.  That could totally wreck my chances of doing the CRBA, unless they accept the DNA test we did as a trump over what her mother listed on the birth certificate.  

Good luck with the CRBA process.  Praying it goes smoothly and effortlessly for you.

27 minutes ago, Gawain said:

Thanks.  Me neither.  It really threw me for a loop.  Here was the exact quote:

 

"In addition, it would be great that your daughter also bring proof of her extended stay in Russia, like school records etc. to show that she has spent all her life outside the United States."

 

 

They may just be looking for documentation to corroborate your story.  I would try to bring it but I wouldn't worry about the intent behind it.  

I wish you and your daughter good luck on getting her a passport at the Estonia Embassy.  I am still trying to work on things with my ex but due to the limited travel options for Russians right now we will likely be doing ours in Turkey. 

@Gawain, glad to see your progress and can't wait to hear when you guys have passport in hand.

I still haven't done the CRBA but I have some years buffer.  My ex and daughter were going to go to the Kazakhstan embassy and even had an appointment, but my ex wouldn't just take our daughter, she had to take both kids and tickets at the time were about $900 each, plus she wanted me to pay for the hotel.  She then decided against it due to the cost.  Now she's taken vacation for most of the summer and it's not near a US embassy...

I wanted to leave some information here in case anyone else would need it.  I was researching the DS-5507 form on part 3 where it says it must be signed before a Consular Officer or a Passport Specialist.  I was directed by the county clerk to the "main" post office in Nashville and spoke to a helpful guy in the passport office there.  I showed him this form and asked if he would sign it.  He wanted to first contact someone he knows at the State Dept. to clarify.  He called me the next day and said that he would be able to sign it.  I believe that's the true "Passport Specialist" signature the form requests.  I went ahead and notarized it at my bank.  Depending on the embassy you go to, just having that form notarized may be enough.  Since I had gotten that far with the passport specialist route, I went ahead with it.  

On 6/26/2021 at 2:44 PM, Gawain said:

Update - She was expedited and we managed to get an interview date (for the IR2 Visa) in July.  But I'm going to have to request to push it off as I will not be able to get into Russia by that time.

I also made a date online in August for the CRBA, which I probably attempt to extend as well.

So it appears that one is able to run both methods concurrently.

 

 

 

Were you able to get a CRBA appointment in Moscow?  Or did you get an appointment in another country close by?

4 minutes ago, Gawain said:

MoscowACS@state.gov

I'm giving this a shot. Thank you and good luck.

43 minutes ago, Gawain said:

I have a question for the group.  I was just told by Moscow Embassy that I can apply for the CRBA at any US Embassy.  Does anyone know of any US Embassy in any country that does not require that the child be present in order for me to make an appointment and submit the CRBA?

 

Hi Gawain,

Is there a way you could share the communication from the Moscow Embassy?  I'm looking at the embassy in Nur-Saltan to do the CRBA but they haven't answered me back if they'll accept our application since my daughter wasn't born there.  I really hesitate to send the family there just to get turned away.  

You might check the embassy website for Turkey, I don't recall their site specifically stating the child needed to be present.  

Does anyone know if a CRBA (equivalent) can be applied for while the child is in the USA?  

39 minutes ago, Gawain said:

Just got an autoresponse from Moscow embassy.  Basically it looks like Biden screwed me:

 

American Citizen Services at the U. S. Embassy Moscow, Russia

   

Reduction in Routine Services    

Effective May 12, U.S. Embassy Moscow will reduce consular services due to the Russian government’s April 23 notification prohibiting the U.S. Embassy Russia from employing foreign nationals in any capacity. Embassy Moscow will not offer routine notarial services, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, or renewal passport services for the foreseeable future. Consular services at U.S. Consulates General Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok remain suspended. We regret that the actions of the Russian government has forced us to reduce the consular work force by 75%, and endeavor to offer to U.S. citizens as many services as possible. 

 

In light of the staffing constraints and the continuing COVID pandemic, U.S. Embassy in Moscow can process passport renewals only in the following circumstances: 

 

· U.S. citizens resident in Russia who require a new U.S. passport to remain in compliance with Russian immigration law 

 

· A demonstrable, life-or-death emergency requiring immediate travel to the U.S. (booking travel with an expired U.S. passport does not qualify). 

 

For more information on how to request an emergency appointment, please see our website: https://ru.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/ 

 

 

 

You have got to be S******* me!  I was about ready to send all of my original docs to Russia today. I actually saw an appointment open up in Moscow for May 5 on the 4th, but with mailing times couldn’t have sent the docs that fast. 
 

With no CRBA services could my ex make an appointment at a US embassy in another country for the CRBA?  I also have a concurrent I 130 going but haven’t sent in the I 864 after finding out about CRBA. 

Luckily, my ex-wife is cooperating and we both want our daughter to get US citizenship.  

On 4/17/2021 at 10:43 AM, Gawain said:

 

Thank you milimelo.  I'm definitely going to try this method (make appointment first then try to push forward).

 

 

Gawain, I'm in a similar situation as you, but with a younger daughter, cooperative ex wife.  Some of the members here on my question referred me to the CRBA.  When I pulled up the instructions, it mentions form DS-5507, which is an Affidavit of Physical Presence.  Per the CBRA: If the US citizen parent transmitting citizenship to the child is not present, he or she may complete State Department Form DS 5507 Affidavit of Parentage Physical Presence and Support and submit separately.  The parent completing this application should provide as much information on the parent completing the form DS 5507 as he or she has.  

So, it sounds like this could be submitted and used in lieu of your physical presence at the Moscow embassy?  Can anyone say for sure?

Just now, Boiler said:

How old is she?

11

9 minutes ago, Chancy said:

 

I can so relate to the regret of not finding this forum sooner.  And even after I joined VJ, I regret not acting fast enough on what I learned here.  I've made mistakes with our visa process that cost my family many months of separation that continues even now.  I hope that by sharing lessons learned here, I can spare other readers from the same pain even a little.

 

Good luck on this new chapter of your family's US story.

 

Thank you and I appreciate yours and everyone's help today.   

3 minutes ago, Chancy said:

 

Since you do not have custody of your minor child, it was a mistake to file the N-600.  A requirement of the N-600 for children below 18 years old is that they must be residing in the US in the legal and physical custody of their US citizen parent.  Based on the information you've shared so far, I'm not surprised that the N-600 for your daughter was denied.

 

Follow aaron2020's advice and apply for CRBA for your daughter.  The US embassy in Moscow has monthly slots for CRBA appointments.

 

All points you listed were made very clear to me after the interview.  Yes, it was a mistake and waste of time and money.  I'm sure a lot of contributors here have gone through many trials and tribulations regarding immigration, and maybe a mistake or two that set them back temporarily.  I should have found this forum before filing it and got schooled then, but I'm here now, smarter than I was before and ready to get this done.  

21 minutes ago, aaron2020 said:

To clarify.

You made a mistake filing an I-130 for your daughter.   With a claim to US citizenship, she does not qualify to be petitioned with an I-130.  USCIS should properly deny the I-130 petition if they determine that she has a claim to US citizenship.  If they miss it and she goes for an interview at the US Embassy, they will deny her a visa because she has a claim to US citizenship.

 

The proper path for her is for you to file a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a US citizen and obtain a US passport for her.  

Thanks for the information.  I looked at the CRBA but it seems like it would be used if I (the father) was living abroad at the time of birth, which I was not.  But definitely an avenue to explore to get this done.   

The reason I filed the I-130 is because I was told to by the local USCIS office.  Thinking she was a US citizen by birth, I filed an N-600 for her and they denied us at the interview.  They told me that since she is living abroad, we need to file the I-130 and can concurrently file the I-485.  Information about filing the I-485 concurrently is mentioned in the instructions on page 20.
 

3 minutes ago, aaron2020 said:

Were you a US citizen when your daughter was born?  If yes, then did you live in the US for at least 5 years before she was born?

Yes on both.  

10 minutes ago, igoyougoduke said:

• you cannot sponsor ex wife or step children that are not yours 
•   What is your status ? Citizen or Green card holder .  you can only  sponsor your child at this point.

I am a citizen.

4 minutes ago, aaron2020 said:

Where is your daughter?  In the US or outside the US?

 

There is no way for you to file for an ex-wife or her child that is not yours.

My daughter is living with her mom in Russia.  That's what I was seeing per the instructions on each form.  I guess the only way they could enter the US is by a DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application?

Lucky Cat,

The I-485 is filed concurrently for my daughter's I-130 as a visa is always available for immediate relatives of a US citizen.

Hi,

So this might be a unique one, hopefully someone can offer some advice.  I recently filed an I-130 for my daughter that was not born in the US.  My daughter has a half sister 2 years younger than her (different fathers, same mother).  My ex wife wants to enroll both girls in school here in the US for a year, as well as join them.  She is not willing to let my daughter come to the US alone since she is a minor, and insists on accompanying both girls.  I'm capable per the I-864 guidelines of sponsoring all 3.  Per the I-130 and I-485 instructions, I don't see any field to fill out to file a petition for the other two since they are not direct relatives of mine.  Ex wife would no longer count, correct?  Assuming that my daughter's I-130 and later I-485 are approved, is there any way to get my daughter's half sister and my ex wife in the US so both girls can attend school here together?  

I'll also note that my ex and I have been legally divorced since 2013, and that she never adjusted her status in the US after entering via marriage before she left.  Everyone has entered the US several times on valid B2 tourist visas.  

Is there any way to do the CRBA here in the US?  Or does it have to be done at the facing consulate where the child was born?  I ask because the post interview requirements (if any) may require an extended stay abroad.  

Hi, I'm trying to find out the best way to go about this.  My daughter was born to my then wife who left to go back to Russia.  My daughter was born in Russia, and my ex-wife let her LPR status lapse so she can only enter the US with a tourist visa.  Daughter never came to the US until a visit with her mom in 2016, and has been visiting me on a tourist visa since then every summer.  We want to get my daughter dual citizenship so she can more easily come to see me.  I thought form N-600 would be the required form to file but per the "who should file" instructions, you must be a LPR and must be living in the US and in the legal and physical custody of your US citizen parent.  Since my daughter is not a LPR or has an A number, maybe this is not the form we need to submit to get citizenship through me.  It seems other family forms require you to be physically present in the US first.  I'm not sure where to start on this journey.  Thank you.