mike & elena

After my wife arrived she received her Social Security Number within two weeks. Her son has now been here a month and has received his 2 year green card. However he has not received a Social Security number.. Any expert adivse on how to follow up and determine what the delay might be?

My beautiful wife has arrived in the US and we are together at last. Her entry visa was without questions. Only a request for signature and fingerprints. The most painful part was the FIVE HOUR wait in line. Los Angeles was poorly understaffed on a Saturday night. Only two immigrant interview workers at the time 11 planes arrived at the international terminal. It all seems like only a few seconds now.

hi,

I will be booking my ticket in 2 days. It has cost me a bomb. I will work night shifts to pay off my ticket expenses as soon as i will get my job in US.

Jigi

I found almost all one ways extremely expensive when shopping the airlines. But when I shopped Expedia.com the price of the ticket dropped from $2100 to $722 for a one way fare. I purchased my wife's e-ticket in the US and she picked it up in the Ukraine.

Hello, friends! I just want to thank everyone for the wonderful support that we have received here! I just talked to Oleksandra...her K3 visa has been approved! She's going to let me know all the details once she returns home.

Best of luck to everyone else who is still waiting!

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congratulations...I know you are a happy couple. My wife arrives Saturday. Another happy day for all of us!!!

Hello,

Tania received a red work authorization stamp on her I-94 entry card at JFK POE on July 17.

The local Social Security office said she had temporary work authorization pending I-765 and I-485, and issued her a SSN number within two weeks of entry.

A prospective employer that wanted to hire her said she can't work without the EAD card or a "green-card."

What docs do I need to present my wife as legally able to work?

I thought the JFK work authorization stamp on the I-94 was sufficient.

Thank you

Rob and Tania

SkyMas,

Technically she can work - but the stamp she received is a temporary authorization (good for 90 days only) - most employers will not go for this (presumably) and many may not recognize it as a valid work permit (wrongfully or not). Best bet is to file for AOS (which now includes the fees for EAD and AP) and wait it out.. That's not always the answer everyone wants to hear..

The employer is misinformed. Do you homework on the I-9 for employment id and return to the last employer or be prepared for he next. The temporary work permission is unusual

or an employer but it does not deny your wife the right to work it grants her that privilege. A little more education is required on the part of employers.

They will give you the same answer until they have scheduled you an interview. Once the interview is scheduled they will happily share the information with you. That was our experience.

When you receive you interview depends on how many appointments the embassy gives NVC to schedule. If the NVC say they are not done scheduling then they are telling you that they have not scheduled you an appointment but scheduling is still open for the month. Sometimes scheduling last longer than the second week.

Keep calling.

MY WIFE PASSED HER INTERVIEW IN KIEV A FEW MINUTES AGO. WE WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THE INTERVIEW WITH YOU ALL.

Thank you! you papers are perfect! Your visa is approved and it will arrive in about ten days. THERE WERE NO QUESTIONS!!! Thanks to all who supported us and for all we learned.

THANK YOU!!!!

WE ARE SO HAPPY!!!!

POE Los Angeles 3 Nov 2007

After the typical lengthy wait for our case to be approved we now find that somewhere between USCIS & NVC the documents are lost.

I was asked to write letters to both agencys asking them to find the documents. I have done that but have recieved no responce.

Has anyone else had this experiance? Please let me know the outcome of your situation. How long did it take to find the docs? Then what happend?

I would appreciate any responce.

Thank you.

Sounds familiar. We had a similar incident. Originally we sent in certified copies for our 230. Then we received a letter requesting only original documents to be sent in. So we did. When our case was completed we were notified to bring one of the documents with us to the embassy because NVC claimed we told them the document was unavailable. So we rushed out and obtained a third set of documents at great expense, only to be told the documents were never lost..... the letter was wrong. The documents were there all the time. So moral of the story..... Triplicates not duplicates to be safe when preparing for a Visa Journey.

To answer your question, yes I have a step child from Ukraine. Our situation was a little difficult because my stepson was left off my application but listed on my fiancee's forms. He stayed in Ukraine to finish his degree. We were able to apply for his K-2 visa since it was within one year of my wife's K-1 visa issuance, but it was close. My stepson received his visa two weeks before the expiration of one year and of course he was still under 21. The age has a lot to do with children following their parent. If the child is over 21 you can just about forget them being able to come on a K-2, it just doesn't happen.

Regarding other children under the age of 21, you have to find out what the laws are of the country they are in. Our government (USA) tries to keep families together as much as possible, but they must abide by the laws of the country. So, you might need to investigate how fathers or mothers rights are handled in your individual situation. Most countries require court documents or actual release forms from the parent in country to allow their child to leave.

It really depends on the country you are involved with. I think the regional forums might be able to help more.

And, no, I'm not connected with VJ administration.

1HappyGuy...... Great advise. And that is why I think there should be a common thread just for children. Your experience should be permanently available in a forum for children.

A final thought on this request before anyone tells me to open my eyes the forum already exists under the topic "bringing family members to america" I know and understand the inclusion of children is in that topic. But again I believe the is a need for a forum for the problems associated with children. VJ is dominated be mostly singles or couples not yet with children. The topic in the forum generally do not include children and therefore the forum is often overlooked or not seen by many members in need. The is not a subject with more passion than our children. Even our spouses and loved ones fall to second place when it comes to the children.

Applying with children I've found is stressful. I've done a lot of reading and feel confident in my application, I am still nervous about the decision we've made for my son (we applied for CR-1 for myself, my son we are planning to leave in NZ and apply for him in around a year). I'd have to say that I don't feel confident about the information I've read.

It's scattered between forums and often seems to not get any replies, or to receive different answers that are contradictory.

If your child is 14 or under the process is very straight forward, but it still requires time. If you apply now to obtain a CR-1 visa you are still required to file the I130 and then process through the NVC same as yourself. The time required is lengthy as you know. You then have a year to complete the paperwork for the CR1 before it reverts to inactive and you have to start. It is easy to control because you can slow down or speed up your response time to each step of the process. Finally you have 6 months to immigrate after the interview process.

I would apply now and manage the process instead of waiting. You may change your mind about when you want your son with you.

In our case we have processed her son at the same time. But he will wait four months to join us. Then he wants to return for the summer and the options are his because he will have received his green card.

Mike

Rick and I (his ukrainian wife Olechka ) decided to unite our profiles, to not confuse ppl, because we had the same exact timelines.... So it is mostly me who is freakin out about the paperwork...

I totally agree with you that its would be very helpfull to have this topic somewhere on easy-to-find place or pinned.So future and present vj'ers, who have kids and alot of questions about the process can find some answers ,hopefully!

Thank you for your response, but i have more questions.I sent to the NVC duplicates of my original documents (which is the same in Ukraine and i got it from the issuing entity(RAGS) as they ask). It is not apostilled( NVC operators said we dont have to have it apostilled). So the question is...did u sent the duplicates , as long as they have lost ur originals? -OMG! they lost it!!-

What is the second original copy from the court u got? Is it parental custody papers?

If i have a consent letter from the biological father of my child, i dont need no court custody papers,right?

Wish you the best at the interview!!!

The second original we got from the court was the custody documents. Unfortunately my wife's "X" abandoned his child and was not cooperative when we found him. So we went to court. The letter of consent you received is all that is required. If there is anyway to have it notarized it would be better because it reduces the possibility of forgery.

Documents Apostille seals are not required from the Ukraine based on our journey this far.

In our case the NVC did not accept documents that were certified or notarized. Only original documents were accepted. Which was contrary to our instructions. And this caused a delay in our case completion. (I do not know if it was the option of the case worker or an actual rule). And now we have been notified that our lost documents are actually in our case. Too many papers.

We now believe everything is in order and we have notarized duplicates going to the embassy, Oct 17th, with my wife of everything we have submitted. I believe we are over-prepared.

Mike

Hello!

I have a question about stepchild and i never get any responce!

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...BF%BDentry91852

I did a huge research myself and we made a alot of calls to the NVC looking for the answers,but still,i think theres not enough information provided on this forum about kids/stepkids, or its really hard to find.

As u can see by my signature- we already sent the Ds-230 forms and docs, but its not yet entered into the system, so im worried and being paranoid about RFE's

Thank you!

Rick your response is a perfect example. So many members have questions that go unanswered because filers with children are more of an exception that the rule. It is your situation and a few similar to mine that I found a need to ask the question. I respect the comments of 1HappyGuy. Is he a person who can answer for the web site? Or just giving his respected opinion. I wonder if he has children to process through immigration. It is very difficult to find old threads and valid direction regarding children. I think a web site forum for step children immigration issues would be extremely helpful. And I would be remiss if I did not express my appreciation form the experts at this site who keep the information correct or corrected and the unselfish efforts of the site administrators and owners who keep this site alive. I would be more than happy to donate if the opportunity or need arose for this continuation of this web site. A little from everyone would be a great and wonderful blessing for us all.

The response to you unanswered thread is this: NVC requires the original custody document when you are a Ukraine filer of if NVC schedules your appointment. Certified and notarized copies do not work. I found this through personal error. If you have not sent the original get it ready because they will send you a letter requiring the original or they will require you to take it to the embassy. I my case the required the original be submitted prior to completing the case. And to make matters worse, they then lost it and we had to secure a second original copy from the court for our interview.

Over the past months as I have searched for assistance with this topic I have found may questions of all varieties throughout the different forums. I have found most of the questions interesting, informative or helpful with my own journey. The challenge is that the experience of step children is extremely important to VJ filers with children but of little interest to anyone else. Is there enough support for this topic to have a single forum thread devoted to the immigration of step children?

Good luck to everyone and God Bless. Our interview is Oct 17.

Mike

I sent out AOS, AP and EAD for myself and AOS and AP for my son back 07/28/07 old fees received by USCIS 08/01/07. After an infopass on 09/20/07 my package was found and I received a call from the local office telling me that they were going to put my package through but that my sons would be sent back due to lack of signature. I had signed under Part 5. Signature of person preparing form and not under Applicants Certification as my son is only 9.

Today I checked and all of the checks have been cashed (mine and my sons)... I'm assuming that they have decided to accept the applications for him ... am I assuming correctly?

First you should sign for your son, on the signature line, because he is not of age. My wife had her son sign and then she signed next to his signature as his parent. USCIS accepted his application that way.

I am uncertain about your assumption. Because you did sign as the preparer that should preserve your son's date and fee. In our case, when USCIS returned my wife's son's form for correction the filing date did remain the same and therefore the fees should be the same.

Is there anything else you can do to make you process so unique??? B we have 14 days to the interview and with Gods grace 31 to immigration.

Mike

BY the way it took our NOA's 6 to 8 weeks to arrive. Go figure.

It appears all to be good advice. However each country has their own set of rules. The Ukraine is unique in it's own way. So many requirements are put on you to leave that I would search for someone from the Ukraine with a similar experience and Visa. My wife has a very good friend who will come to the US in November this year. I will ask her if their are any special requirements the Ukrainian government places on K1 visa travelers. I will post her response her tomorrow. As they say in the Ukraine..... all of these US forms are worthless here.

Mike

No, he is not listed on the birth certificate.

This is a simple process to solve. I have done it myself. Have you fiancee go to an attorney. At the attorney asked that the fathers parental rights be taken away on the grounds of disinterest and abandonment. The Ukraine expects both parents to raise a child and if one parents disappears the other parent can have the parental rights removed. If you have move detailed question about the actual process you can contact me directly by message.

Good Luck

Mike

Hello everyone. Good news ! My fiancee Yulia got the visa approved in kiev today She told me it went so fast. We had folders on top of folders of so much paperwork. They looked at only half of it. She tried to give them more but the lady there said , no no no! LOL I think she saw that we have 100% real relationship and did not need any more proof of that. I would tell everyone to make sure you have all your paperwork in order and half lots of it. That might help you like it did Yulia and I. Also, VJ help us so much. This forum answered so many questions for us. Most of all I want to thank everyone for all your help and support. Thank you so much my VJ friends. Talk to you all soon! Jeff

congradulations

Hey Everyone, just wanted to let you know that Maryna had her interview today and passed with flying colors. The only thing Kiev wanted to look at was our personal correspondence, otherwise no questions of substance.

Visa issued and she leaves in a week or so.

Thanks for all your help and support.

congradulations

We received to letter just as you. I called NVC and everything was not fine. We received two letters the first stating the case was incomplete and we needed the OF-230I(Same form as DS-230I). But the letter was misleading and the actual request letter had not been generated. This occurred because the AOS I864 was processed before the fee for the DS-230 was paid. The NVC denied I had received the letter and further instructed me not to answer until the actual request for the DS-230 had been generated. The clue to the wrong letter was the official comment that "the case was incomplete and missing documents (DF-230I)". Make sure the request for completion of the DS-230 has been generated. CALL NVC if you have questions. If you respond to this misleading letter before NVC has officially generated the real DS-230 letter for your case, NVC will return it to you and you will loose time.

Hi everyone,

could anyone please tell me if I can do medical before I know the interview date?Is there any chance I can do my medical before I go without causing any problems to my case?Even if my case is not in the embassy yet? Because in one week I have to go abroad and I will be able to comback just for the interview.The worst thing that I can't cancel this trip.My case was completed (NVC) on 17/09/07.But still didnt' say it was sent to London.I have a flight on the 1st of October.

I hope somebody can tell me.Thanks a lot

Our experience in Kiev was the following. We called the embassy and they said no problem. We call the clinic and set our appointment. When we arrived all we need was our case number and the necessary fees. The medical is good for one year. You should not have a problem.

Mike

Sometime after I get married in Russia (hopefully early November) my wife and I will need to go to the US consulate in Moscow to file a I-130 petition. I am wondering what it's like at the consulate? Long lines? Chaos? Long waits? Or is it orderly, quick service and well run?

Of course, we will book an appointment but I wonder what to expect...so I'd like to hear from folks about their experiences.

Thanks!

I haven't been to Moscow but I have been to Kiev. Moscow is the regional Embassy. But If it is as busy as Kiev. Know the following. It is your right as a citizens to go inside the Embassy. It is US Soil. There are usually long lines. Don't be embarrassed go right to the front. No waiting outside. Also don't take ANYTHING you don't need. The consulates will make you leave anything extra outside, so leave it at home or the hotel. Once you get inside there is waiting but they are very efficient. And as I remember you have a residency waiver and you have written consent to file DFC. Saves a lot of time! Good Luck and congratulations.

Stabu,

Sorry I see what has been done. You're right I was reading the first page.

Mike

LL

Talked with my wife about the physical she said the physical was very easy and there was nothing to fear. Her physical was $100 and the extra shot was about $15 each. As for the airline I have had nearly the same experience except I was able to find the inexpensive one way fare on Expedia. It was about the same cost as the round trip.

Mike