joykid7

My wife has already got her spouse visa and temporary green card that valid for 2 years before it can be converted to 10 years green card.

We recently just moved out to the new address. Do we need to inform or update USCIS? if so, how to do it (what form is needed and what address should we send it to)?  thank you in advance.

Just now, Loren Y said:

The I551 stamp she received in her passport when she entered the US acts as a green card for 1 year from entry. You can travel on that.

Thank you so much Loren! We didn't know that. It's a relief to hear! We always heard people told us that if she leaves US while she's still holding CR1 and before receiving grene card, the gov will denied green card process and she won't allowed to enter back in US and have to start from beginning again....glad this all not true.

1 minute ago, SusieQQQ said:

I wish people would take the trouble to find out the facts. Spouses and children of US citizens are not affected.

Thank you, so much various info out there so we are confused! Appreciate the clarification

Just heard that Trump issued an order to freeze all green cards until next year, is this true or just a rumor?

My wife will mostly come here in US on Aug under CR1 visa and then we have a plan in Nov to travel overseas. I've heard that for CR1 visa holder, she can't leave US until her green card issued. But if this news that all green cards will be freezed until next year, then is there any way we can travel overseas? Thanks in advance.

1 hour ago, wd250g said:

Looking at the official website of AIT, the INFO I see is that TAIPEI AIT is currently an interview without immigration.

However, last week, I saw applicants with CR1 who shared their CR1 interview with VJ, so I hope you can make an appointment for a successful interview.

Where did you see that? Looks like they're still stop doing interview 

https://www.ait.org.tw/important-information-for-visa-applicants/

22 minutes ago, wd250g said:

Looking at the official website of AIT, the INFO I see is that TAIPEI AIT is currently an interview without immigration.

However, last week, I saw applicants with CR1 who shared their CR1 interview with VJ, so I hope you can make an appointment for a successful interview.

Thanks, can you link me to that post of applicant with CR1 who shared their Cr1 interview experience? We want to get ready and prepare for the interview.

1 hour ago, wd250g said:

What I heard is that the interviews are all in Taipei,
and Kaohsiung only deals with documents.

Thank you, if that's true then no choice than to go to Taipei. Heard that they move to new location that is huge.

Thanks everyone! we just got approved! now waiting for the interview date!

But weird thing is, my wife lives in Kaohsiung but the NVC said the interview will be in Taipei? while Kaohsiung also has AIT.

We have submitted all NVC documents via online on Feb 7, 2020. We got an update of "approved" status for all documents on April 15 except only for one document that incomplete and we have resubmitted right away on the same day (online resubmission). But until now it's still in "submitted" status.

Does anyone know how long does it take for the NVC to approve resubmitted document now? it's been over a month already. I thought they will give a priority for the resubmission.

Thanks in advance.

58 minutes ago, Tofu said:

One more thing, you first have to have your submitted documents approved before the interviews are scheduled

Haha yes i meant how long do we have to wait until our docs approved....

1 minute ago, LilyJ said:

It’s not due to the Coronavirus. They got backlogged around December due to the holidays and they haven’t caught up yet. It takes about 9 weeks right now. As of Feb 24 they are working on documents submitted Dec 20. You can check NVC processing times here https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/nvc-timeframes.html

Thanks LilyJ, it's painful to know that the processing time is longer than usual now due to holiday backlog. We can just be patient and pray about it.

We are in NVC stage now and have paid the fees, submitted AOS docs and financial evidence, IV application and civil docs on Feb 7th. But until now we have not heard any news regarding the interview schedule. I researched and found that usually NVC processing time for this is about 2-3 weeks. Do they have long processing time now due to the corona situation? 

Hello, my wife is in Taiwan and we are on the NVC stage now and filling out the DS-260 application.

My wife is a nurse in Taiwan, has graduated from medical school in Taiwan and got her nursing license in Taiwan.

On DS-260, the part of "Present Work/Education/Training Information" it asks my wife occupation, which she answer as a nurse, then a question "In which occupation do you intend to work in the U.S.?" which she answers "medical/health" field.

Question: in the "Security and Background" - "Miscelaneous", there is a yes and no questions as below:

1. Are you a graduate of a foreign medical school seeking to perform medical services in the United States but have not yet passed the National Board of Medical Examiners examination or its equivalent?

2. Do you seek to enter the United States for the purpose of performing skilled or unskilled labor but have not yet been certified by the Secretary of Labor? 

3. Are you a health care worker seeking to perform such work in the United States but have not yet received certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools or from an equivalent approved independent credentialing organization? 

My wife wants to take a certification for nursing in US later on after we already settled down and work as a nurse or in medical field after she got the certification in US. So should we answer "yes" to all of the three questions above? or is it ok if she answers "no", because maybe those questions above are tricky question to find out if she really move to US to follow her husband (me) or just to find a job.

Greatly appreciate any advice. 

So we are in the NVC stage now for CR1 application. They give us CEAC online account to login, pay fees, upload and submit docs, etc.

I have some questions:

1.)    When you about to login to CEAC, you have a drop down options that you can login as: applicant, attorney, petitioner, or third party agent. We don’t have attorney or third party agent and I helped my wife (in Taiwan now, I am in US) to complete i-130 and i-130 a now. Can I help her to finish her part for IV documents? Like fill out and submit DS-260. If so, should I login as applicant or petitioner? I am concerned if I login as petitioner and fill out the DS-260, the NVC can see I login as a petitioner and won’t accept it. Maybe better to login as “applicant” and complete the DS-260 for my wife?

2.)    Do I have to finish the DS-260 in one setting or can I save and continue next time?

Appreciate your help!

Maybe it's best not to file tax return for 2019 since now is still Jan 2020.

Just use the 2018 tax return copies as the most recent tax return.

Can save from a lot of headaches.

What do you think?

We got married last year, my wife stays in Taiwan awaiting for visa approval. We just got the i-130 approved and case already sent to NVC and received by NVC.

Some concerns:

1.)   I already paid AOS and IV fees yesterday and it’s “in process” now but cannot click the button “start now” even though it’s not greyed out anymore, is this normal?

2.)   Since we are already married last year, but my wife is not yet US citizen and stays in Taiwan now, when I do my tax return for 2019, should I file jointly with spouse or separately (I think cannot be separately because she is not US citizen yet and not working in US)?

3.)   Or is it ok if I just use 2018 tax return and don’t file the tax return for 2019 now?

We are applying i-130 for spouse (CR1) visa and about to submit the documents.

One of the requirements is to provide 2 passport photos of petitioner (me – US citizen) and beneficiary (my wife), question on this, since I cannot find it on the USCIS website.

Do we have to write anything on the back of the photo? Like complete name and date of birth? Or is it not necessary to write anything?

Greatly appreciate your help and advice, will upvote any helpful advice. Thank you.

2 hours ago, missileman said:

1.  I would list them individually as in your example.  To me, it looks much more thorough. 

2.  My attorney advised me to write a SHORT explanation of how we met....like a half page.

3.  USPS Priority Mail to a PO Box is what I recommend.   Flat rate for a reasonable price. You can add a signature requirement if you wish.......but it isn't really needed, imo.

Just my humble opinion........Good luck.....

Thank you so much! Me and my wife met online and then I went to Taiwan to see her...so I just told the story in short and no need to be detailed, right? Do I need to provide screenshot of the chat when we first met?

I am in the process of assembling and organizing proofs of bonafide relationship for our i-130 submission for CR1 spouse visa.

1.)    Do I have to write in details of each proof of relationship item on the cover letter, like below, for example:

Evidence of bona fide marriage:

·         Beneficiary Designation Form (UNUM Life Insurance)

·         Beneficiary Designation Form (John Hancock Retirement Plan Services)

·         Employee’s Emergency Contact Info

·         Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by petitioner and beneficiary’s friend, having a personal knowledge of the bona fides of the marital relationship.

·         Petitioner’s flight ticket to Taiwan for engagement

·         Petitioner’s flight ticket to Taiwan for wedding

·         Petitioner and beneficiary’s flight tickets for honeymoon

·         Purchase receipt for engagement ring

·         Purchase receipt for wedding ring

·         Photos (total 30 photos)

Or, can I just write a simple one sentence: “Evidence of bona fide marriage (photos, receipts, affidavits, tickets, etc.)”

Which one that usually USCIS prefer?

2.)    Do I have to write down the brief summary/story on how I know and meet my wife for the first time until we got married? From what I know this usually required for fiancee visa but we are already married in Taiwan and applying for spouse visa, so wonder if this is still needed.

3.)    I plan to mail our application to the lockbox facility in Phoenix, AZ since I resides in CA. Is it better to use USPS or Fedex/DHL?? Because I see if send by USPS it will be to PO Box address but if use Fedex/DHL it will be to real address where a person there can receive and sign it.

Thank you in advance for your help.

18 hours ago, givionte said:

Both are ok, but they prefer everything be on standard paper since it's easier to scan everything in, however I recommend printing the pages with photos in color, since they look a lot clearer this way.  Add captions with dates, location and any other note if it was a photo from a special event or holiday.

 

You can always stick the glossy photos onto 8.5 x 11 paper to make their job easier, if you got that route.

18 hours ago, USS_Voyager said:

Do that

Thank you, I think I will paste the 6x4 glossy photo into the 8x11 regular paper.

On 6/18/2019 at 11:37 AM, missileman said:

Get the English-version  marriage certificate which is available at your wife's household registration office.  I would get several certified copies.

On 6/18/2019 at 5:07 PM, carmel34 said:

Here's what we sent with the I-130 petition:

 

a few photos of each visit together, date stamped, from multiple visits over time (4 before filing petition)

four or five photos from the wedding, date stamped, some with family and friends

passport stamps, boarding passes, hotel receipts, restaurant receipts as evidence of these 4 visits

joint credit card account statements showing that we are already co-mingling finances

documents showing my Brazilian husband as my beneficiary on life insurance, retirement accounts, investment accounts

evidence of my husband's health insurance, dental insurance based on my US employer's plan

evidence of my husband as my emergency contact at work, statement that he is my husband on employer's HR website

wills and living wills

Christmas cards addressed to both of us at my US address

copies of cards and letters we have exchanged since the beginning of our relationship

wedding ring receipts

email logs, phone call logs, video call logs to show continuous daily communication

representative chat records (only a few pages of sample chats) from WhatsApp, Messenger

printout of our Facebook relationship with a few photos, comments from friends and family, words of congratulations on wedding day

affidavits from family members attesting to the nature of our relationship

brief statement of relationship history, how we met, how the relationship developed over time

 

required civil documents, marriage certificate, proof of US citizenship for petitioner, passport photos, payment of fee, I-130 completed, everything stated on I-130 instructions, plus I-130A application

 

All of the above well-organized on plain paper, binder clips, with a cover letter/table of contents listing everything by page number, all pages clearly numbered for easy reference for the officers.

 

We uploaded additional evidence of three more visits since filing the petition, at the NVC stage.

 

We just finished the CR-1 process--my husband's visa is on its way to him this week by courier.  Time from filing the I-130 petition to visa approval was 11 months.

 

Good luck!

On 6/18/2019 at 4:59 PM, givionte said:

There's no question that if you physically lived together that it should be filled out in this section, regardless if it was 2 weeks or longer.  Not filling that part out accurately would be falsifying the document.

 

Even better if you can match up some passport stamps and/or anything to prove your timeline had moments in Taiwan, to help prove a bona fide relationship.

On 6/18/2019 at 11:59 AM, USS_Voyager said:

There is no standard. But 30 is probably the most you want to send. I would go with 20. Spread them out over the period that you started dating until today. Do the same with the printouts from chat logs. Do not send in 20,000 pages of love notes. No one wants to read or care about that, except you too. Just a few representations. 

For photos as evidence of our bonafide marriage: do I have to print them into 6x4 glossy/matte photo papers , or can I just manually combine 4-6 of photo files (jpg) into one page 8.5 x 11 printout on normal copy paper?

16 minutes ago, missileman said:

Where did you see that?  The I-485 is ONLY used when the immediate relative is already in the US.  It does not apply in your situation.  

Ah I missed the "already in US" part when I was googling it. Thanks. Will just submit the i-130 for now as a first step then.

4 hours ago, missileman said:

Sounds like a visit to Taiwan for marriage to me....you can say that you never lived together because you did not set up a household.  It will have no effect on the I-130.

Thanks! did you file i-130 and i-485 concurrently/at the same time? because I saw suggestion online that it's possible to do so to save time.

16 hours ago, carmel34 said:

Here's what we sent with the I-130 petition:

 

a few photos of each visit together, date stamped, from multiple visits over time (4 before filing petition)

four or five photos from the wedding, date stamped, some with family and friends

passport stamps, boarding passes, hotel receipts, restaurant receipts as evidence of these 4 visits

joint credit card account statements showing that we are already co-mingling finances

documents showing my Brazilian husband as my beneficiary on life insurance, retirement accounts, investment accounts

evidence of my husband's health insurance, dental insurance based on my US employer's plan

evidence of my husband as my emergency contact at work, statement that he is my husband on employer's HR website

wills and living wills

Christmas cards addressed to both of us at my US address

copies of cards and letters we have exchanged since the beginning of our relationship

wedding ring receipts

email logs, phone call logs, video call logs to show continuous daily communication

representative chat records (only a few pages of sample chats) from WhatsApp, Messenger

printout of our Facebook relationship with a few photos, comments from friends and family, words of congratulations on wedding day

affidavits from family members attesting to the nature of our relationship

brief statement of relationship history, how we met, how the relationship developed over time

 

required civil documents, marriage certificate, proof of US citizenship for petitioner, passport photos, payment of fee, I-130 completed, everything stated on I-130 instructions, plus I-130A application

 

All of the above well-organized on plain paper, binder clips, with a cover letter/table of contents listing everything by page number, all pages clearly numbered for easy reference for the officers.

 

We uploaded additional evidence of three more visits since filing the petition, at the NVC stage.

 

We just finished the CR-1 process--my husband's visa is on its way to him this week by courier.  Time from filing the I-130 petition to visa approval was 11 months.

 

Good luck!

thanks so much!

I have a question regarding "affidavits from family members attesting to the nature of our relationship"  and "brief statement of relationship history, how we met, how the relationship developed over time"

Is it mandatory requirement that has to be included when submitting the i-130? because I didn't see it listed in the list of requirement on USCIS site.

10 minutes ago, Ryan H said:

~~~Similar topics merged~~~

??? What is this? Merged to?

22 hours ago, givionte said:

Your checklist is either slightly out of date, or from the wrong type of filing, perhaps that checklist you obtained was for direct filing in an embassy.  payxibka above is right, you definitely don't need to send 10, 11, 12, that is for the NVC/interview stage.

 

Best way to prove your citizenship is a birth certificate copy, and then just include a photocopy of your biographical page in your passport. If you can't get access to a copy of your birth certificate, a photocopy of all passport pages front to back will also suffice.

21 hours ago, payxibka said:

ID page of passport is all that is needed.   All other pages front and back don't do anything for proof of citizenship 

8 hours ago, missileman said:

We were married in Taiwan in mid 2015, and we lived in Taipei until early 2016.  It took 13 months from filing to my wife's having her visa in hand. My wife entered the US via her CR-1 in June 2017.  The process was fairly smooth (other than receiving some poor information from our attorney).  Once we cleared the NVC stage, we received a very fast interview date......just be ready to get a lot of pictures......I think my wife needed 12 or 15 for the medical alone...LOL....but we were able to very easily obtain them in one of those picture booths.

8 hours ago, portorusa said:

If I were you, I’d include 2 passport photos of your wife, as well even if they are NOT required. There are several couples here that got RFE for that reason.

Thank you all, really appreciate and it helps to ease my anxiousness now.

I have a question, after we got married in Taiwan, I stayed for like 2 weeks at my wife’s place, does it count and has to be included in this section of 59.a. -60.b.?? I only stayed 2 weeks with her after married because after that I had to go back to US to work.

I wonder if I write “never lived together” it will lessen our chance to get approved since maybe USCIS or NVC will think it’s weird why we never lived together before (I hope not and maybe I'm being too cautious/paranoid about this due to anxiety/stress).