jvette
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Posts posted by jvette
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16 minutes ago, Boiler said:
All the expedites I have seen for some time have not involved a field office, maybe they do things different in SF.
This is for an emergency AP which is different from an expedite. You go into a FO and plead your case with an officer in-person.
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Hi all,
My wife is a German national with a pending I-485, I-765 and I-131. We filed in October and she has already completed both her biometrics and medical appointment.
Her grandmother is in the final stages of life back in Germany and we are seeking an Emergency AP so that she can travel back home to say goodbye. We've already got the urgent request in with USCIS and are waiting on the call back from a Tier 2 officer to schedule the appointment at our San Francisco field office.
We have a medical letter from the doctor but I'm concerned they may deny her as her Grandmother is on hospice care and is not currently in the hospital. We made sure that the letter includes words like emergency/urgent and the doctor also said "Her condition is untreatable. We advise all family members to visit as soon as is humanly possible."
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What are people's experiences with getting Emergency AP approved lately? I've read terrible things like USCIS not considering our situation a true emergency which is troubling. Her grandmother could go any day and this is literally my wife's last chance to say goodbye.
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Are people getting multiple entries or single entry? Our lawyer said it would be OK to ask for multiple entries as that's what we requested with the original I-131 we submitted. To be completely honest, we also have a wedding ceremony that we're planning for July (in Germany), and it would be a HUGE cherry on top if we could get multiple entries.
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My wife and I have discussed politely asking the officer at the appointment for multiple entries - I.e. returning for a funeral, acknowledging current wait times are 9-12 months for regular AP, etc. Thoughts on doing this?
Any advice or thoughts here would be much appreciated!
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On 8/5/2020 at 4:56 PM, Asterix78 said:
She will absolutely have a return ticket for, say, 87 days from then. Things like this are understood, I thought
So my main thing is the dialogue and what to say or not say unless prompted. She will have all the papers you can think of.
It sounds like you’re in great shape but I’d highly recommend you check out our Facebook group “Love Is Not Tourism” and post your question there. We’re almost 8,000 members strong and you’ll get a ton of good information - many people are traveling and doing the third country route.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/314772869924351
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21 minutes ago, jsmith2020 said:
I made this spreadsheet! It's helping me loads and hopefully it can help you too
So far, Mexico and Serbia are the main two countries which have direct flights to the US.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UGaH5KVMQlfrgAnCc_6SDwCQq9CCRCHRy99Nhx7dXaM/edit#gid=0
Thank you so much! This is very helpful
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Does anyone have a current list of all the non-Schengen countries our members have gone through to travel to the US? My GF and I are trying to make a plan and I told her I'd put together a list of options...hoping someone on here knows and can save me from going through the previous 73 pages of the thread! It'd also be great to add the list to the original post to help others that are looking for the same information.
With regards to my specific situation, my girlfriend is German and was supposed to be here on a J1 visa in early April but got stuck due to the travel ban. We're meeting up in London in two weeks (I last saw her 169 days ago. Yikes!) which will be amazing to finally see one another. She has to have surgery in Germany the following week and needs about a month to recover. Once she's in good shape, our plan is to meet up in Mexico City sometime around the end of August or early September and then make our way to the US after doing the 14 days.
Are we taking any unnecessary risks by waiting to do this in September? I figure the situation could likely only improve by then as I know the US State Dept (Sec. Pompeo) is apparently working with the EU to try and get the ban lifted.Cheers to everyone who's made it so far and reunited with your partner. I cannot WAIT to see my other half in just two weeks :)
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On 6/15/2020 at 5:21 PM, Ja3germeister said:
The current EO ends June 23 or 24. If I were you I would just wait that out and see if anything changes.
Thanks but FYI that’s not accurate information and I’ve seen it going around other forums too. The current EO (with the travel ban) is in effect indefinitely and does not have an end date. It sucks, but unfortunately that’s how it’s written. -
7 hours ago, VioletM said:
Hello everyone, I have been reading this message board for a few weeks now - what an anxious time for all of us!
Good luck to everybody in quarantine in a foreign land right now, you're braver than me!
I am stuck in the UK and have been waiting to try and get into US on J1 visa. I am aware of the new EO that might impact me, but if it doesn't, and the travel ban isn't lifted, I will likely travel out somewhere, too. It's been too long.
Does anybody know what the latest situation about travel to/from Turkey is? I heard that they were cancelling flights/not operating properly despite meaning to reopen mid-June. Turkey would be ideal as there are direct flights there from my current city and to the city I'm (hopefully) relocating to.
Other options I'm considering are Serbia (but I think I would have to have a layover from Belgrade in Istanbul anyway), or South Korea (but SK is far/the other way).
Hey there — I'm in a similar situation with my girlfriend. She's a German national and has her J-1 visa but has been stuck there due to the travel ban. We considered the Mexico route but didn't pull the trigger as she'd have to quit her job a second time (they luckily allowed her to stay on when the travel ban was put into place and she couldn't leave Germany) and decided it's just too risky in the event she wasn't allowed to enter.
I think we're out of luck at this point as we waited too long to go through Mexico and this ridiculous executive order is due out any day now. We considered trying to get her there ASAP, but again, it's too risky as even if she got on a plane tomorrow we could soon find out that she'd be banned from entering before the 14 day quarantine is up.
Are you planning on waiting until the EO comes out before you book any travel plans?
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Agreed, it is oddly specific - i'll try and find the source but it was in one of the news articles I read. It was essentially saying that the EO will likely be out tomorrow or early this week and that it was rumored (key word...rumor) to take effect by the 24th. Obviously more speculation on my apart, but everything points to the administration trying to get it done this month.
16 hours ago, Leah88 said:How do you even know about those dates? Seems oddly specific
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This is great and thank you for sharing. I really hope this does not go through the way the media is speculating it will. I met my girlfriend in Thailand 19 months ago and we've been long distance ever since going back and forth between Germany and SF. We landed on the J1 as a way to close the gap and I cannot even begin to explain how much work it was to find her a trainee position and then do the interview and get the actual visa. She was supposed to be here two months ago and it feels like the cards just continue to get stacked against us as time goes on. I haven't seen her since January and this has been beyond painful....
3 minutes ago, Ja3germeister said:This is some positivity for you and me
- Ja3germeister and dpnce
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15 minutes ago, Ja3germeister said:
I've read this and I'm devastated too if the orange man is actually going to do this. I literally only have 5 more days left I really cannot use this now
Are you in Mexico right now meaning you've got 5 days left until you depart for the US? If so, I've read that while the EO will likely be announced on Monday it supposedly will not go into effect until the 24th. Obviously just speculation but hope that brings you some relief if you are currently in Mexico
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On 6/11/2020 at 12:38 AM, talia0506 said:
So as mentioned earlier, our flight to Cancun Mexico is on the 20th from Frankfurt. I was following the whole thread and saw that lots of you had issues to explain the situation at check-in.
I just want to be prepared and hope all works out. What documents do you usually need to show them to make sure you are allowed to board the flight to Mexico?
Obviously the flight to the US after 14 days right and probably the reservation Mexico. Do you also need to show emails with CBP and Mexican government? Just want to make sure we are prepared.
I saw that most of you have a K-1 visa that have entered so far. My husband and I have L-1 visas and I guess the difference is that we actually already live in the US since a couple years. We are nervous but hope all will be fine!
Congrats on booking your flights and trying to make this work Talia! When I saw your post and realized you're coming in on an L-1 with your husband I wanted to share this article to make sure you were aware of what's going on. I'm surprised that nobody's posted about it in here but that's probably because it's not going to apply to K-1s. Apologies as I'm not trying to cause any more stress than everyone's already dealing with, but if this actually goes through (everything is just rumors so far but the sources are supposedly pretty credible) it's going to be an absolute shitshow.
"There is speculation that the expanded proclamation could bar entry to the U.S. for H-1B, H-2B, L-1 and J-1 applicants pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act sections 212(f) and 215(a). More exactly, the proclamation is expected to expand to ban the entry of nonimmigrants in these categories,"
I'm trying to be optimistic but to be completely honest I'm devastated right now. My girlfriend was supposed to be here on her J-1 two months ago as she as a 15-month traineeship set up with a German/American school here in San Francisco. Call me nuts, but at this point I'm convinced Trump has intentionally kept the Schengen travel ban in place to prevent H1/L1/J1 visa holders from entering before this order comes out. In addition, the justification for this executive order (saying we need to ban all these visas temporarily to protect American jobs) completely contradicts Trump's effusive comments about the economy rebounding and unemployment dropping.
Anyway, just wanted to make sure you were aware of what's going on and also needed to vent a bit. Sending you my best and really hope this won't affect your ability to re-enter the US. It sounds like the order is going to come out on Monday so hopefully we'll know more in a day or so.
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32 minutes ago, sl1pstream said:
I'm hoping June or July, thinking September and fearing at the end of his presidency. Idk, it's hard to tell. It's been pretty obvious that they're going to use the pandemic to push their immigration policy through, I just don't know how much that would effect the Schengen zone, it's a pretty white, relatively rich area, so he'd probably still allow immigration from here.
Agreed, they're definitely leveraging the pandemic to push the anti-immigration agenda (hello, Stephen Miller) they've had since day one - it makes me both angry and sad to watch them do this when public health (and not his reelection tactics) should be the priority here.
With that said, the Schengen ban and the EO that may affect immigration are not mutually exclusive. As is evident here and on Twitter, many many loved ones and families are separated as a result of the ban. I can't imagine there's many people wanting to come to the US right now given we're now the center of the outbreak, but you'd think tourism would be something Trump's thinking about with regards to lifting the ban. I saw a clip of him meeting with DeSantis in Florida and he was asked about when he'd lift the ban. He responded with something to the tune of "I want to lift it but only when it's safe and the "invisible enemy" has disappeared."
I'm optimistic that we'll get some kind of an update this week as the EO is supposedly due to come out any day now. I'm hoping it's taken so long because they're trying to figure out which countries will be allowed to fly here vs others that will not.
I just know I haven't seen my girlfriend since January and really hope she could be here sometime in July. Also crossing my fingers that the new EO doesn't include the J-1 visa as that's what she'll be entering on this time instead of an ESTA.
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What are people's general thoughts on when the Schengen ban might be lifted? My (german) GF and I have chosen to pause on circumventing the ban via Mexico and are just hoping that it's lifted sooner than later. It's been almost two months now and the situation in Europe is much better than when the ban was first put into place.
It's my understanding that the new executive order they've been working on is due out any day now. I read something about how this new EO may include provisions for travel (into the US) on a country-by-country basis as the blanketed ban he initially put into place doesn't make much sense anymore.
Anyone care to speculate?
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On 5/12/2020 at 10:17 AM, dpnce said:
Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area but was later added (on March 17) to the restricted countries
Croatia sounds like a good idea, I would just need to check beforehand if France would allow me to go there, and if Croatia would allow me to enter. Thanks a lot for the suggestion Prizm123!
Just an FYI I read about someone else trying to go through Croatia on another thread and they were only able to find one flight which unfortunately had a layover in Frankfurt 😕
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7 minutes ago, zrdn2019 said:
Hi jvette--why would you quarantine in London? The UK is part of the same ban as the Schengen area...
Sorry for the confusion, I'm with you and aware that the UK is part of the same travel ban. I just meant as a last resort we'd consider meeting up in London to see one another since we've been apart for so long. It's not ideal by any means, but we'd have to spend the entire trip under quarantine as the UK mandates it for anyone entering the country.
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On 5/11/2020 at 11:59 AM, cadr said:
I keep reading speculation/fake news about the potential for non-immigrants to be blocked entirely from entering the US at some point soon, which is making me nervous about my future in the US. I'm based in England and I'm looking at alternative routes into the US. Similarly to a lot of you, I'm considering Mexico to quarantine for 14 days but have no idea if this is actually going to be possible. Trying to work out how long to leave it before booking a flight, just in case it looks like things will open up instead! 😨
I've posted a few times in this thread but my girlfriend and I are in a similar situation and share your concerns. We've been long distance for the last 18 months after first meeting in Thailand and have been going back and forth between Germany and San Francisco every 2-3 months.
We're not quite ready to pull the trigger on a K-1 and settled on a J-1 (trainee) as our best route to close the distance about 6 months ago. Long story short - we lucked out with regards to timing and she has her visa which is good through July of 2021. She was two weeks away from flying to SFO when the travel ban was put into place and along with many others in this thread have been considering going through the Mexico route.
Based on how things have developed over the last few weeks, these are our main concerns/thoughts with how to proceed from here:
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Fly to US via Mexico: I believe most are aware at this point but it seems like the secondary Executive Order from Trump is due to come out any day now. It's rumored to affect employment visas like the H1/H2 and potentially F visas and the OPT program - but we're concerned that the J class may get sucked into it as well. If she were to fly to Mexico in the next few days, it's likely that the EO will come out during her 14-day waiting period. It seems way too risky to do this while not knowing if the EO will affect us or not - so this plan is unfortunately out for us right now We're 100% rooting from the sidelines for @Ela S. though as you've got a few weeks on us and are also in a very different situation with the K-1 vs a J-1 though. It's irrelevant now, but that was also a concern as to whether CBP would consider J-1 essential since it's an exchange program which is very different than entering the country to marry your partner.
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Sit tight and hope the Schengen ban is lifted in the next 4-6 weeks: the situation in Germany is improving significantly as each day goes on. They're starting to loosen most of their border controls and have said they're hoping for open travel throughout the entire EU by June 15th. I know it's anyone's guess at this point, and I'm choosing to see the glass half-full despite our current administration, but we're both hoping that Trump will lift the Schengen ban given how things are improving over there. It's frustrating though watching people fly into the US unrestricted from countries like India, Brazil and Russia (who are dealing with much more infections than Germany) while we're stuck here waiting for a ban to be lifted on a country that really seems to be getting a handle on the outbreak.
- Meet up in Germany/London: If nothing changes with regards to the Schengen ban by the end of the month, our plan is for me to fly to Germany in June assuming they open up to non-EU citizens on June 15th. Alternatively, we'll both meet up in London and spend two weeks together quarantining at an Airbnb. I know this isn't the safest plan and we both risk contracting the virus by traveling and then hunkering down together, but we haven't seen each other since the beginning of January. It's the longest we've been apart and we're both desperate to see one another.
Apologies for rambling here but thank you for letting me think through my thoughts here and just vent a little
Also open to any feedback or thoughts from you all. Sending my best to everyone and hoping we'll all be reunited with our partners sooner than later.
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Fly to US via Mexico: I believe most are aware at this point but it seems like the secondary Executive Order from Trump is due to come out any day now. It's rumored to affect employment visas like the H1/H2 and potentially F visas and the OPT program - but we're concerned that the J class may get sucked into it as well. If she were to fly to Mexico in the next few days, it's likely that the EO will come out during her 14-day waiting period. It seems way too risky to do this while not knowing if the EO will affect us or not - so this plan is unfortunately out for us right now
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Just now, sl1pstream said:
I hope so, but considering that there's also a ban on foreign nationals entering the Schengen zone, I don't know. I feel like it won't end before the other one ends.
True, but the Schengen ban was put into place unilaterally without even consulting the EU, so I could see Trump choosing to lift it independent of whether they want to open to us. That would just mean EU citizens can come here, but we’d still not be able to travel to the EU. I sure hope that’s a possibility vs both parties waiting to lift the respective bans at the same time. -
19 minutes ago, sl1pstream said:
If it truly is a ban on location and not nationality, you're not circumventing the ban. You're just following the rules of the ban.
I completely agree. Just trying to play devil’s advocate and understand if a CBP officer might choose to see it differently.
In the meantime, I’m optimistic that the Schengen ban will be lifted sooner than later given that things are slowly starting to get better over there. Only time will tell though...
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3 hours ago, RD7712 said:
Don't loose hope. Things are changing everyday. You need to look at the Zagreb airport website everyday and get a sense of which flights are leaving for where. Countries and airlines are eager to get things going again. Turkey can be option for you, but they will need to open up. Turkish Air will have direct flights to the USA, they do not transit the EU Schengen area. They normally fly to Miami, Atlanta, New York and I think Washington DC. Look to see any news about them as destinations may change.
General question for the group here - what are your thoughts on CBP granting entry to people who've clearly found this "workaround" (I.e. go to non-schengen country for 14 days and then fly on to the US) and are essentially circumventing the ban?
From a technical/procedural standpoint, one could make the argument that it should be a simple YES - as the individual would not have been in the Schengen area within the 14 days preceding their flight, and therefore should not be subject to the Schengen ban.
On the other hand, I could see CBP calling out the fact that they've clearly tried to circumvent the ban (which after all, was put into place to prevent residents of Schengen countries from entering the US) and denying them entry for gaming the system.
Would love to hear people's thoughts and opinions on this...and I guess we'll know more once Ela S. attempts entry in two weeks time.
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5 hours ago, Ela S. said:
Traveling to Mexico tomorrow morning! All checked in. Flight’s not been canceled fortunately. Hopefully they don’t cancel it last minute. Both nervous and excited. Praying that everything works out fine. Will keep you all posted - hopefully from Mexico next time ✌🏼
I'm rooting for you, Ela!! Safe travels and looking forward to your updates
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My girlfriend is in a similar situation — she has her J1 (trainee) visa and DS-2019 and was supposed to be start her program a month ago but was unable to do so due to the travel restrictions. Our understanding is that the visa is still valid but she will need an updated DS-2019 reflecting the new start date of her program.
You're definitely in a tough spot if your sponsor (USIT) has gone into bankruptcy. One would hope they'd still be required to take care of their current program participants...but have you considered the fact that you might need to find a new sponsor organization? Hope it all works out for you!
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Hi All,
I've been following the thread as my German girlfriend currently has a J-1 visa and we're looking into alternative ways of getting her here just as many of you with K-1s are.
I regularly following the Department of State's COVID page for J-1s and just stumbled upon the below eluding to the secondary proclamation that I know many of us are concerned will come out:
"To that end, the Department recommends that sponsors ask hosts to promptly inform them of any changes in their plans. Also, there could be forthcoming Executive Orders that affect exchange visitors' ability to enter the United States. We will keep you apprised of any such changes."
I know we're in a different boat than most of you with K-1s (an exchange visitor program is definitely not the same thing as someone entering the country to marry their fiance) but wanted to share nonetheless. It's definitely not good news for me and my girlfriend
I'm really hoping that J-1 Trainees are not barred from entering the country, that would be pretty devastating. I'm frustrated in that this is an exchange program and one of the qualifications for finding a role (my girlfriend will be training in Marketing) is that host companies cannot place someone in a role that would otherwise have been posted as a job. With that said, it's ludicrous that the orange monster is doing all of this in an attempt to "protect the american labor force" when exchange visitors have no impact on employment.
Apologies for the rant but just needed to get that out. Sending you all my best and hope we'll be back with our partners sooner than later ❤️
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Seeking Emergency AP in San Francisco and could use some advice!
in Working & Traveling During US Immigration
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My understanding is they're completely different processes. The emergency requests are done at your local FO and the AP is generated the same-day to take with you - due to the "emergency" nature of the request. A request to expedite has different criteria and is done online.