quistarrok

Hello All - need your perspective please:

I recently became as USC. I have parents  aged 72 and 70 yo. 
 

I want to sponsor them and bring to the US. 
 

Hesitation comes from the fact that USA has high healthcare costs and parents will have issues with medicare.  
 

Please let me know if you brought your elderly parents and which obstacles you have encountered. 

6 minutes ago, Redro said:

Where is your sister from, where does your sister live and where is her husband from? Has he also been entering the DV lottery? 

Sister and her husband are both Russians. US embassy in Russia is closed. That it why they will need to get immigrant visa in 3rd country and I need to pick US embassy in a 3rd country. Any potential issues here with US embassy in 3rd country?

They enter DV lottery every year.  

27 minutes ago, Boiler said:

EB5 gets you a Greencard

Thanks. In Form I-130 for consular processing, it says that the US embassy outside the beneficiary's country of residence may not accept/process an immigrant visa. My sister currently lives in a country different from the one where the US embassy is. Should this be a concern? 

9 minutes ago, Redro said:

Are the kids interested in moving to the US? If either kid is interested in studying in the US, that’s another avenue… have kids study in the US… Maybe if they like it they can stay pursue a GC through employment and once citizens they can sponsor mom and dad. 
Otherwise mom should keep on playing the lottery and maybe maximize her finances and apply for entrepreneur GC. 

Thank you. Yes, both kids will likely try to pursue education in the US via F1 visa. What are green card categories for entrepreneurs?

2 hours ago, appleblossom said:

 

I think your maths is off because you're using the current processing time and assume it will be the same going forward, but it's likely to be much longer. For example, F4 category is currently at June 2007. Two years ago (March 2022), it was at March 2007. So it's only moved 3 months in 2 years and therefore the wait times are likely to be MUCH longer than those who applied back in 2007. 

 

Yes, your sister cannot be sponsored by your mother now if she's married. The only way for your mother to sponsor her is for her to become a citizen first. Yes, your sister could qualify under F2B if she is divorced (genuinely divorced - she couldn't then remarry and try to sponsor her spouse!), whether her children would get a visa or not will depend on if they age out of the category. How old are they now?

 

So realistically, you're looking at 8 years or so for your mother to become a citizen if she's not even got her GC yet , then current wait time for F1 category is current 9 years - but again, assuming it isn't going to be linear (that category has only moved 2 months in 2 years), I'd guess at maybe 25 years in total.

 

For you to sponsor her, I'd guess much longer than 18 years unfortunately. But the best thing to do would be for you to petition for her asap, get her place in the line. And then for your mother to do the same whenever she's able to. Both of you can petition her no problem, and then it's just a case of who gets there first.

 

Does she have any other route to a visa? Specialist skills that would mean she would get an employer to sponsor her perhaps? DV Lottery?

 

 

Thank you very much for your advice. Sister's kids are 23 and 17 now. She has applied for the DV lottery every year for the past 10+ years. No luck yet. She is an entrepreneur. I know she can do an investor visa, but she does not have the funds available.

Separately - once I file I-130 - will I need to do fingerprints or biometrics at the USCIS location?

Hi Community - 

Hope all is well.

Here is a situation. I am a USC. I have a sister (>21 yo). I understand that I can sponsor her by filing I-130 under the F4 category, which is currently at ~18 years wait time. Another way - could be sponsoring my mom first and then my mom can sponsor sister (her daughter) under F2B category which is currently at 8 years wait time. But my sister is married. Does this disqualify her from the F2B category? What if she divorces - will she qualify for F2B then, and will F2B provide her < 21-year-old children with a green card as well? For my mom (once she gets a green card) to sponsor her daughter - does mom have to be in the US for the entire time of her daughter's green card process? 

Is my math fair below for each scenario for SISTER?:

F4: 18 years to wait for the visa to become available + ~1.5 years to get consular processing/come to the US. All in ~20 years.

F2B: 2 years to get a green card for mom + 8 years for immigrant visa to become available for sister + ~1.5 years to get consular processing/come to the US. All in ~12 years.

I hope for detailed advice. Thank you.

5 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

Depends on the consulate they'll be applying through as the wait time for an interview can vary between 2-3 months and 2 yrs or more. But figure approx 18 months in total for most consulates.

Thank you. What I am still confused is what are other forms I or beneficiaries need to fill out/sign aside from I-130? The same question about additional fees (besides $535 for I-130)?

1 hour ago, appleblossom said:

 

No, she can always try and visit - just remember that she's not guaranteed entry at any point. She can maximise her chances by bringing plenty of proof of ties to South Korea with her, and making short occasional visits only. 

 

 

Thank you. What is the current time it takes for parents of US citizen to get green card if I apply for them  today?

10 hours ago, appleblossom said:

If you were in the US and applied for your green card via AOS, then forget everything you did! It’s a completely different process for consular processing. There is no adjustment of status for them as they’re applying from outside the US. 
 

This step by step guide I found really useful - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-1-submit-a-petition.html

 

The only difference for your parents versus your sister will be the wait. As you say, your parents are immediate relatives, so no wait for them, versus many years for your sister. 
 

Good luck. 

Thank you. Silly question, but my sister is a citizen of S. Korea. She does not need a visa to come to the US for up to 3 months. If I apply for an I-130 for her, are there any restrictions for her to come to the US while her case is pending?

1 hour ago, OldUser said:

For consular processing you do not need I-485, nor I-131 / I-765

 

You certainly need I-130 and I-864. There may be few other forms for which you can follow Spousal Visa (CR-1) guide on VJ. The forms are going to be pretty much the same.

Thank you. I am sponsoring not a spouse but sister and parents. So wondering what form do I need to file for them to “adjust the status” if they do consular processing. 

57 minutes ago, OldUser said:

Yes, it's possible for them. But immigrant visa might be easier for them. AOS means they cannot leave the US for 6-18 months (depending how long GC takes and whether Advance Parole is approved and when). Also it only works if they're in the US already. They cannot come with intent of adjusting as this is fraud.

Thank you. To ensure I get it: what form do I need to fill out aside from I-130 - is it still I-485 for consular processing i.e. immigration visa? Asking as I did I-485 for myself while being in the US all time. I am not aware of how it is done through consular processing. Thank you again. 

9 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

The ONLY option is consular processing.  

Thank you. 
 

What about I-130 for parents (father and mother)? Understood their 1st priority and visas are available. 

30 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

It's more complex than that - child must be under 21 by the time the visa is available, but there is the CPSA which can sometimes help. But it won't in this case, as it will just take too long. So both of the children will definitely have aged out by the time a visa is available.

 

Just I-130. I-485 isn't relevant for your sister. 

 

Good luck.

Thank you. Which option: consular or “in the US” processing is preferred and/faster? Sister and her family are outside of the US. Understood, one can change between the two in the future but will it cause additional delay? 

4 hours ago, appleblossom said:

You file one I-130. Both the children will have aged out.
 

You’re looking at far longer than 14 years - if you look at the Visa Bulletin you’ll see that it’s currently at May 2007 (meaning those who applied nearly 17 years ago only now have visas available to them), but go back a couple of years and look at the bulletin from February 2022. You’ll see that it was at March 2007 for that category, so has only moved forward 2 months in 2 years. At that rate it’ll be at least 25 years before they can get a visa. 
 

But all you can do is file and see what happens. If your sister or her husband have any other route to a visa (i.e. employment), they be wise to explore that. 

Thank you. 
 

For children: to ensure I understand correctly, does a child have to be <21 yo at time the visa becomes available or a child needs to be <21 at time of filing I-130? To clarify: nephew is 17 and niece is 24. Understand that niece is not eligible. But what about nephew who is 17 now?

Also please remind me: do I file I-130 first only or I file both I-130 and I-485 simultaneously? I frankly forgot how I did it for myself long time ago. 

Hello - I am a US citizen. I aim to apply for green card for my sister. She has a husband, a son (age below 21) and a daughter (age above 21). 
 

Question: can I apply for green card for all of them? If not (specifically - daughter who is above 21 yo) - do I need to file only one I-130 or each family member has its own I-130? A bit confused. 
 

Also waiting time for F4 category is more than 14 years now. By that time the son will be way older than 21 yo. Will he still get the green card?

Thank you. 

Any other valuable advice, deal community? Need help.

2 hours ago, Boiler said:

I would send it with her parents as the delivery address and with a new I 20

 

Sounds positive 

Thank you for the advice. Obstacle is that the school will issue new I-20 only in April. Is it safe to wait until she gets updated I-20 or should she give them passport now as they requested? Confusion is that embassy might issue visa based on old I-20 which is incorrect? 

Hello All - I hope you are doing well.

Here is a situation. My relative was put in administrative processing (AP) for an F1 visa last summer. The embassy just emailed her that AP is almost done and requires her passport and a copy of their email. It has been 8 months since AP started, and the relative is currently in a different country (Russia) (not the country of the embassy she interviewed at, which is South Korea).

Questions:

1) First of all: is it a good sign, i.e., likely F1 approval than not?

2) Should she return to South Korea, where she was interviewed? The email from the embassy says that she needs to ship the passport/copy of the email via courier. It does not say that she needs to come to the embassy herself. Eventually, if the F1 visa is approved - she will get the passport back via mail domestically (right?). Then, does she need to go back to South Korea? Her parents live in South Korea and can pick up or receive the passport (with an F1 visa).

3) Even though the email from the embassy did not ask for an I-20, does she need to get an UPDATED I-20 and provide it to the embassy, as the validity dates for the visa need to be shifted? The university welcomes her to come to study for this fall semester (2024).

4) How urgent does she need to be to get the passport the embassy requested? The university told her they could reissue the I-20 in April (i.e., in a month or two).

Hope for your advice.

Hello All - I hope you are doing well.

Here is a situation. My relative was put in administrative processing (AP) for an F1 visa last summer. The embassy just emailed her that AP is almost done and requires her passport and a copy of their email. It has been 8 months since AP started, and the relative is currently in a different country (Russia) (not the country of the embassy she interviewed at, which is South Korea).

Questions:

1) First of all: is it a good sign, i.e., likely F1 approval than not?

2) Should she return to South Korea, where she was interviewed? The email from the embassy says that she needs to ship the passport/copy of the email via courier. It does not say that she needs to come to the embassy herself. Eventually, if the F1 visa is approved - she will get the passport back via mail domestically (right?). Then, does she need to go back to South Korea? Her parents live in South Korea and can pick up or receive the passport (with an F1 visa).

3) Even though the email from the embassy did not ask for an I-20, does she need to get an UPDATED I-20 and provide it to the embassy, as the validity dates for the visa need to be shifted? The university welcomes her to come to study for this fall semester (2024).

4) How urgent does she need to be to get the passport the embassy requested? The university told her they could reissue the I-20 in April (i.e., in a month or two).

Hope for your advice.

13 hours ago, Boiler said:

No F1 is guaranteed.

 

Usually other factors are more important.

Thank you. Could you please clarify what would you mean here?

Hi community - my relative is a citizen of Russia. She aim to apply for computer science degree (BS) in the US. 
 

Is there a risk of F1 denial or administrative processing?

I am not completely clear about Technology Alert List - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_Alert_List. Russia is on a list. Majors like “Robotics” and “Information Security” are listed as sensitive majors. 

is Technology Alert List and risk of F1 denial / AP is for “master and higher degree” only or it applies to undergraduate degree like bachelors as well?

20 hours ago, gstrength said:

when you walk in, somebody will ask you a few questions (has anything changed since the interview? taken any trips?) they will take your green card and point you to a seat. A welcome and congratulatory video  from the president and maybe you get special speakers to give a speech, oath ceremony where you are going to recite the oath of allegiance then national anthem. After the ceremony there usually are volunteers that are going to give you a voter's registration and passport form. It is a very moving and emotional experience, the culmination of a long road for many.

 

As for the passport check out this link.https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/passports/passport-processing-updates.html#:~:text=As of December 18%2C 2023,which costs an additional %2460.

 

Congratulations.

Thank you. Much appreciated for the insight. 
 

Would you mean that I can fill out voter registration form and passport application form right there? Would there be any benefit for voter registration (hope it is free)?

thank you again

20 hours ago, gstrength said:

Also,  I recommend to digitalize your certificate of naturalization immediately, before you apply for a passport, this because you have to send the certificate of naturalization (the original) along with the application, it will be returned (altough separate from the passport) 

thank you. Would you mean you recommend to scan and save it?

thanks again

Hello - hope all have had a great start of 2024. God bless all. 
 

I have a naturalization ceremony next week. I do not know what to expect. Could one kindly share what it will be about, how long, any issues or things you did not expect?

Separately - what is the current wait time for US passport once one applies? I know during covid it was a long wait but not sure about now. 
 

Thank you so much!

9 hours ago, OldUser said:

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship-resource-center/new-us-citizens

Thank you