mam521

You're well aware once you turn 18, the parental derived citizenship is no more. Retaining and keeping a passport valid - most people try, lots of people fail. The number of people that are in a panic last minute because they didn't bother to check before booking travel astounds me. The number of people that don't keep digital copies of their documents also kinda makes me shake my head. The cost of the N-600 is ridiculous, full stop. It makes zero sense, considering the cost of the N-400. I 100% cannot argue with that. As for waiting until a kid turns 18 - an example of why we didn't wait was eligibility for certain university scholarships, tuition breaks and now, since Kid1 has chosen to go "home", not having to file for a reentry permit and it's associated cost, or worry about coming back during studies for a naturalization interview, for a swearing in ceremony and then rushing to get a passport so she could return to her studies. The difference in cost between the I-131 and the N-400 versus the N-600 would have been consumed and then some with all that stress and rigamarole.

The greencards are now said to be taking approximately 120 days. You can send an inquiry after that time. Mine took 180 or so days when I entered the US, so sometimes they do take forever. Your endorsed I-551 in your passport does serve as a temporary greencard for up to a year. Also, sign up for USPS Informed Delivery if you haven't already. I knew about our greencards being sent through the app before the tracking showed up in my online profile.

You should probably have received an interview letter already. If you just received this, maybe it came in the wrong order. Do you have an online account where you can check your notifications?

Please make sure that when you do get your N-400 interview, you request it to be a combo interview with your pending I-751. Your citizenship cannot be awarded until your conditions are removed. When you get your combo interview, make sure to take your spouse with you and prepare for both.

Please help everyone out by sharing your timeline. It will also help when you have questions for the community to answer them effectively. https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=491116

I'd argue the same is true for a naturalization certificate. Why not just give new citizens a US passport instead of said certificate that essentially sits in a safe? Alas, that's not how it works. This is where people run into issues. They are over 18, don't realize their passport has expired and are out of luck because they have no proof of citizenship. Simple oversight wreaks havoc. Or, they decide to go on a beach vacation somewhere in their early 20's and lose their passport abroad. Now what? Did they actually order a passport card and keep it in a safe place? If not...kinda screwed. Are there ways to potentially prove one had the passport? Sure, but if you're stuck abroad, do you have that time? Think of it this way, if your kid lives till they are 80 - $1385/62 = $22.34 per year for reassurance that their status is never in question. $1.86 a month, less than a cup of coffee and won't ever be subject to fee increases because it's in your child's possession after 18. The document has no expiration, unlike a passport. It's cheap insurance, relatively speaking.

Did you try the Habitat for Humanity? Sometimes the Restores pick up. Not positive about the stairs. Potential second option for what's left. Insurance won't pay for me to get my shingles shot for a couple of more years, despite the fact I've had shingles, the chance of recurrence is high and it was in my eye so the potential for blindness is real!

*shrugs* Not dumb...that's why you come ask on the forum. Someone inevitably knows something!

What? The carousel isn't your favourite ride at the fair?

That is a visitor visa. Your spousal visa was never activated, despite what you say. If it had been, you wouldn't have been admitted as a visitor AND you wouldn't have an I-94 record; permanent residents do not have I-94 records. You will not be receiving your greencard in the mail as you'd hoped. There is another tab that says I-94 history. You might be able to download that history and present it, demonstrating you've been continually admitted as a visitor when the visa was in your passport and should have been activated. Not sure if you'll be successful or not, but I'm not sure there's any harm in it.

@Pat J yes, your passport number.

If you could fill out your timeline, it would be helpful. https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=291684

Ugh...I can't imagine how much time that would add to a case, too, considering how backed up the immi judges are!

Agree with the others and ask if you were admitted as an LPR. In the meantime, go here and see if you have an I-94 record. If you do, what status were you given entry on? That will tell us what we need to know. https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/search/recent-search

It's imperative that you check documentation for accuracy when you receive it. You should have filed an I-90 to correct your son's greencard to an IR-2 when you received it. We had the same thing happen to Kid2. We filed the I-90 right away and received a properly statused IR-2 greencard with a 10 year expiration. Did you ignore the NOA that USCIS would have sent regarding his greencard before the 2yr expiration? We received a notice for ROC but had already applied and received an updated GC for Kid2, so we were in the clear. You were not. This is definitely not a DIY anymore. You will need a lawyer to fix this.

Interesting side note about color blindness. I was on training for work for 3 months. One of my classmates, a chemical engineer by training, was color blind. We looked at a lot of well logs which are essentially a lot of squiggly lines of various colors plotted on grids, which tell us about the subsurface. Anyway, I'd lean over and tell him which was red and which was magenta - 2 commonly used colors but impossible for him to distinguish without assistance. One of our other classmates asked "why do you always tell him which curve is which?". My friend said "because I'm colorblind.". Our classmate was befuddled and replied "well...what color is grass to you, then?" 🤦‍♀️ My friend was like "uhhh...I don't know what green looks like but to me, grass is orange I guess." This person was worried about what color grass was to a red-green colorblind person, meanwhile my concern was how in the heck did a chemical engineer complete titrations where you have to note the most subtle of color changes, especially with things like potassium permanganate in fluid, which, is pink and one he couldn't detect. Anyway... I know this whole process has been a bit painful for you, but, take solace in knowing Mama T-B was at least given some control over the process. My grandfather passed away a couple of years ago and his wish was to ensure my grandmother was moved from the apartment they had been in because it was unhealthy. OK, fine, my mom and 2 out of the 3 of her brothers would honor that. However, my one uncle and his wife basically packed everything up and moved it without Ma because she was at the hospital with my granddad. Ma was pretty distraught after Pops passed because she didn't get to move her way and didn't get to choose what got moved when and where and in her mind, a piece of my granddad was at the old place. She was never given the opportunity to come to terms with any of it and felt bullied. At least you are affording Mama T-B some choice and dignity. It's physically tough and mentally challenging, but you will sleep better (with the help of HSM) after it's all over, knowing you were able to give her that much.

So a couple of things here for consideration. The timeline you're expecting isn't probably that quick. Especially with the current administration. You did mention that relatively speaking, you guys are not exactly rolling in the dough. Are you making enough to fulfill the requirements for the I-864? If not, you're going to need a joint sponsor. You may be well aware of this, but sometimes people aren't and it's a bit shocking to them. Same with income taxes - need to be up to date on US filings. If you do K1, it's going to cost substantially more money because not only do you have to do the K1, pay to adjust status and pay again to remove conditions. You would potentially still have to remove conditions with a CR1, but it's one less expense over the K1 with potentially a large number of freedoms that don't initially come with the K1. Yes, the CR1 takes longer, but your partner enters the US, able to work, travel internationally and really begin a new life. It's a lot harder to be the immigrant where you move to a new country, where you are completely dependent on your partner both for company and financially, especially if they had been independent previously, where the politics are different, where people behave differently, were customs are different and then to try and fit in and make friends with no driver's license and no job. If something happens back home, they can't just jump on a plane and go back to family. So while you both might think they aren't that important right now, really stand back and consider the imminent life change that's about to happen for her. The time apart is really a blip in time compared to the long term scale of building a life long marriage.

If you could kindly fill out your timeline, it would certainly assist the community and helps narrow questions down. https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=330598

If asked, you must be honest. This is pretty much key with this whole process. How long have you been together and how many times have you seen one another in person? Any reason you're thinking K1 instead of CR1?

You should probably find some high skool kids to come help you out for cheaper than the Ecu handyman. Take advantage while they're still outta skool! My mom has worked in a nursing home for many, many years. Sometimes all you can do is give her a big hug. It won't take away all the problems, but sometimes, that's all it takes to make them seem less overwhelming and show stopping. Maybe you need that hug, too.

Its up to the discretion of the CBP officer as to whether or not they admit you on a B visa or they activate your PR. It's less and less common for them to admit as a visitor. Keep in mind your visa has an expiration for when you have to activate your PR.

Please fill out your timeline: https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=488531 Depending on the country, it may actually be cheaper to bring extra bags on the flights because you won't get stuck paying customs fees and whatever else gets tossed into the mix. Depending on the circumstances, sometimes a business class upgrade is cheap enough that three 70lb bags included with the ticket (airline dependent) is worth the offset cost. In short, your mileage may vary.

You have to get married then file the I-130 first and those are taking 16 or so months to be approved. After that approval, your partner would fill out their DS-260 and you the I-864. You can have a joint sponsor for the I-864. Adjusting status will cost way more money in the long term. Additionally, it puts strain on the relationship because your partner has to wait for work authorization before they can get a job and help with the finances. It's extremely difficult for people to go from independent to fully dependent, and in a new country with new culture, customs and often few friends. By completing consular processing, your partner enters the US on the same level as you - able to work, get a driver's license and really work on integrating into life in the US. No one wants to be apart from their loved ones, but the reality of immigration is that sometimes you have to be separated for a little bit of time. In the greater picture of your entire lifetime together, it's really a small amount of time.

Definitely becoming a thing of the past. In 2023 when we travelled to the UK, e-gates only, in and out. No interaction at the airport (entry and exit) with a human. The Chunnel wasn't e-gated yet and what a cluster that was. Italy was e-gate when we flew back to London. IAH has had facial recognition instead of scanning boarding passes for a long time now. Apparently there's facial recognition trials going on for Global Entry too - no need to stop at the kiosk. Just walk. We fly to Canada next month to take Kid1 to uni so I guess I'll have a chance to check out some of the changes. Hopefully the NEXUS kiosks have been replaced because they were a headache and rarely worked properly!

I'm not going to argue that. I got stuck...in Texas...without a license for 2 weeks because the system hadn't updated quickly enough. There's no public transit in the burbs of Houston. Luckily, I had friends who live in the same neighborhood that could take me to work daily and I had a nanny who used to come to us to look after the kids. The company I work for don't even have HR do the verifications now. They use an E-verify partner. HR (human remains, as hubs call them) never seem to be impacted by headcount reductions and don't seem to have to do anything locally so I was pretty irritated when I was told I had to go offsite to complete this task.