Pavli

Hi all,

Question for Dutch citizens who applied for naturalization and kept their Dutch citizenship under the marriage rule: I realize I can just go ahead and submit my naturalization form here in the US, but is there anything I need to be aware of to avoid problems in the future with regards to my Dutch citizenship (e.g. passport renewal)? Feeling a little nervous about this, as I remember the bureaucratic nightmare when renewing passports from abroad in the past... I imagine having dual citizenship only complicates that.

I tried to reach out to the Dutch consulate, but did not receive a response...

Thanks!

One more question! I stayed in NJ for the first month  but then moved to NY. I updated my address on the uscis portal in August, but only got a NY ID in October (never had a NJ ID, but I did get my social security number there).

Do you happen to know if I became a resident of NY in October or August for tax purposes?

Thanks!

9 minutes ago, Ayrton said:

1. You guys file one 1040 and select married filing jointly.

 

In order to file jointly, you must be considered a resident alien for tax purposes for the whole year, since you were a Permanent Resident by the end of the year, you meet this requirement. Since you're filing jointly, all worldwide income must be reported. Including your income from back home if you had any.

 

2. Tax forms doesn't ask for immigration status. You must be a resident alien for tax purposes in order to file jointly, and being a Permanent resident in 2020 qualifies you for that (permanent resident and resident alien for tax purposes are two different things).

 

3. There's a line on the return where you add your tax credit based on the stimulus already received. Previous stimulus were based in 2019/2018 returns. So it all depends on how your spouse filed taxes for 2019/2018. I'm assuming you guys were already married back then, but since you didn't have a SSN at the time you wouldn't receive it, but your spouse would've received if he made less than 75k in 2019/2018. Right now, since you both have SSN, and according to you, the income was less than 150k, you both qualify for all 3 stimulus. You will discount what was already received, and get the rest a tax credit.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the quick response!!

On 3/16/2021 at 8:17 AM, Alex Prijn said:

The page that lists the documents required for the consular process, is listing both the passport and Identity card. So does it mean we need both to be able to apply for a VISA?

I never submitted my ID.

Hi, I am hoping you can help answer some of these questions! First time filing taxes in the US and this is confusing!!

I entered the US as a resident alien in July 2020 (received SSN in August). My partner (citizen) and I (GC holder) want to file jointly. The first half of 2020, my partner and I both lived in the Netherlands. Based on this situation, I have a few questions:

1) I assume I need to fill out the regular forms? (i.e. not the non-resident alien form)

2) Do I need to establish my status as a permanent resident/immigrant status or my date of immigration on any of the forms?

3) What does this mean for claiming stimulus checks? Based on our 2020 income, we should have been eligible for the second payment, but never received it. We should also qualify for the third installment.

Thanks!!!

Similar experience here. I arrived nearly 4 weeks ago and have not received my ssn.

I called the central ssa office last week and they were able to confirm they had not received my file from uscis yet (they checked using my name and date of entry). I then called uscis to check,  and they told me it'd be forwarded to the ssa this week.

If yours is delayed,  try checking uscis what the status is on their end. I obviously don't have mine yet, so can't confirm if the information I received was accurate, but it may help.

My American partner and I just moved from the Netherlands to NYC (July 4). Finding a job as a teacher may be a bit tricky mid-year (I found one for August but applied back in February) but if your wife is willing to start as a cover teacher or private tutor she should be fine. My partner is in the consulting industry and his company still seems to be hiring.

As for health insurance, I personally purchased a temporary expat plan through OOM as my employer's plan only kicks in end of August and I didn't want to be uninsured in the midst of a pandemic. That may also be an option for you.

It's  obviously a strange time to move. However, except getting a visa interview scheduled during the pandemic and being bored out of our minds during mandatory quarantine,  we did not experience  any major obstacles that would not have been there at a different time. 

It took about a month for me, but that was at the height of the Corona crisis in the Netherlands  (march-april). At the time, and I imagine this still holds, the doctor's  office would send the results to the embassy in Wassenaar, which would forward them to Amsterdam. Mine got lost somewhere along the way and it took them about a week to find them. If you feel like it's taking too long, you may want to send an email to the Amsterdam IV unit to check.

6 hours ago, aceegreene said:

Yea we tried that too. And were semi-persistent to the point where we were starting to sound dumb by asking them the same question 😛 

 

But they were also clueless or were acting so at least. They were like we only can provide details of people who have an SSN or get benefits.

I think the general help desk is your best chance at success if no ssn has been issued. They're the ones that can check if uscis has forwarded your case to them  (for me just this process  seems to be taking almost 4 weeks). You can also call uscis to check if they forwarded your case.

1 hour ago, aceegreene said:

Hi Pavli - so since I had changed my address at POE, I did call up SSA to check if they had the updated address or not. I tried explaining to them how I am a new immigrant and opted for SSN delivery on my IV app. But they seemed clueless and said we can’t do anything unless you receive benefits (or something like that).

 

Anyway, my question is how what do I say to SSA to verify my details and whether they’ve received anything or not.

 Did you call 1-800-772-1213? Make sure you pick the right menu option (smt like 'sonething else', I believe), then say  'did not receive ssn'. This way I got connected to sb who could check. If they can't,  just try to call again to get hold of another agent.

There seems to be delays on USCIS' end. I arrived over three weeks ago, and after some phone calls found out that USCIS was still creating the 'card' (whatever that may be) that SSA needs to create a social security number. It's in production now and should be sent to SSA this week, but that means a solid four weeks will have passed before SSA even starts working on my case.

If you're experiencing a similar issue, my advice would be to first call SSA and ask them to verify if they have received your case from USCIS (they say you can only do this after four weeks, but that is not true). If they haven't, call USCIS regarding the status of your case before making an appointment with a local SSA office. I imagine doing the latter too quickly may result in you being issued two ssns.

Now I just hope I will receive my ssn before I am thrown off my husband's insurnace plan for not having one. 🙄

I had this issue. Write it all down en in a word document and copy paste it. I had over ten addresses and managed to complete it this way. 

5 minutes ago, ayestaci said:

Hey! Also going to be flying through Amsterdam next week with a CR-1 visa, did everything go okay and was your visa sufficient proof? 🙂 

They asked for my marriage certificate. Visa should technically be enough, but I don't think all check-in staff are familiar with all visa types. If you can, bring (a copy of) your marriage certificate. It'll speed things up. 

Good luck! 

Asking for some advice!

I'll be flying to NYC from Amsterdam (direct flight) this Saturday together with my American partner. I know that according to the EO I am allowed to enter the country and should not expect to experience any trouble on the way there, but... things aren't what they used to be, and I want to be as prepared as possible.

So my plan is to bring our marriage certificate to the airport in case the airline wants proof of my status. I feel like that should be enough, but perhaps some of you have done this recently and can advise on anything else I may want to carry to avoid difficulties at the airport/border?

Thanks!

I don't have an answer to your main question, but I wonder why you are waiting for your SSC to start working? To be able to work you only need to show proof of one of the items under list A here. A copy of your IV with the I551 stamp should be enough to be employable.

Obviously, the SSC is required to pay taxes and get paid, but perhaps you could take a gamble and start work before that? Your SSC might arrive just in time.

Not an expert here, so I might be wrong - though I hope I am not. I'm moving July 4 and starting work on August 17, so 6 weeks is about as long as I can wait if I do need my SSC to start work.

8 hours ago, 8bithearts said:

Yes I am British and my spouse is American.  My problem is other than the ETSA that is valid for a few more months I have no other visa, my spouse visa is awaiting the interview so I'm not sure how I can travel.  I have also entered a few times on my ETSA with absolutely no issues at all.

 

You did get the details on my situation correct.  I haven't booked a thing and would definitely try and contact the embassy, consulate or whatever even before buying a ticket.  I originally thought the same as you, the EO states spouses are exempt its just I'm not sure what visa I would be travelling on?

Travel on your esta. You could even try to apply for a new one if you're afraid it'll run out, though a few months sounds like it should be OK? 

So.. You're British, your spouse is American? You should be allowed in, as the EO clearly states spouses of US citizens are exempt. You can check this here. Nowhere in the EO does it say that spouses can only enter on an immigrant visa, neither does it state that you'd only be allowed in after quarantining elsewhere for 14 days. 

However, I am not sure you can enter on ESTA. I do think so, but you might want to double check with your consulate. 

Entering on ESTA while you're in the IV application process always carries a certain risk, but I've done it several times without being asked about it by the immigration officer. Just make sure you have some evidence showing you intend to go back home. 

Either way, you'd definitely need your marriage certificate to prove your status. 

I might be wrong on this, but reading through the proclamation and assuming I got the details on your situation right, I really don't see why you'd be barred from entering. 

8 hours ago, Sumavia said:

What emergency did u say you have ?

My partner wanted to be closer to his parents who are older and more at risk. We told them it's unfair to expect him to choose between them and myself.

8 hours ago, Jöla said:

Am I correct to assume that this possibility does not extend to Schengen consulates, or other countries that have been banned by the presidential proclamation for that matter?

It was a schengen consulate (Amsterdam). IR1s are not affected by the travel ban. 

Just got my passport and visa. Yay!

Somewhat different question: do any of you have experience shipping possessions (furniture and some boxes) from the Netherlands to the US? We're planning our move for early July (fingers crossed there will still be flights available at that point) and are thinking of taking some of our furniture and possessions with us. We'll have to put it in storage for a while once it gets to the US, so we're not necessarily looking for door-to-door service.

Thanks!

5 hours ago, Mr & Mrs T said:

Hi guys , 
 

so , I married to a USC , we are both currently living in France .

i received my IR1 visa back in March so question : 

are we ok ?
with the ban on Schengen area , are we gonna be allow ?

we would like to leave as soon as the French lockdown is finish ( may 11th) 

 

if I remember ( please correct me if I am wrong ) the travel ban exempts usc and their spouse too ? 
 

thanks for any answer 🙏😊

Since you're the spouse of a US citizen (right?) the Schengen travel ban doesn't apply to you. That means you're free to enter the country.

I just had my ir1 interview at a 'closed' consulate.

If you have received a cancelation notice but for whatever reason need to travel to the US soon, email your consulate asking for emergency services. We briefly explained our predicament and I ended up having my interview the same day it was originally scheduled. Best thing : no lines, I was the only one there!

Obviously their response will depend on visa type and the consular officer's discretion. 

We got a response since (should anyone encounter this issue as well). They have acknowledged they made a mistake asking for current police certificates from countries of previous residence. 

Update! The consulate informed me that my reading of the police certificate rules is correct and I do not need to get them updated. 

Question regarding police certificates for IR-1 visas. The consulate has just agreed to reschedule our interview despite current suspension of regular consular activity, HOWEVER, they're insisting that we provide police certificates that are less than a year old. I have lived in five countries, so obviously this is a bit of an issue.

I have a recent police certificate from the NL, but some of the other ones are more than a year old (note: I did already submit certificates from each of these countries to the NVC and they were approved). Based on this information on the SD website, however, I should not have to renew police certificates that are more than a year old when I no longer live in those countries, as is the case for me.

Have any of you had similar issues with the consulate requesting recent police certificates from countries you haven't lived in since you obtained the certificate?