redpixie

I've known people with Lyme disease. It really sucks. I hope his doctors get it under control.

Thanks Jim. Yes, it's been really, really bad for him the last couple of years. Considering the symptoms and diagnosis, it seems he has had Lyme for a good few years. These last two it's become neurological (ironic as he is a neuroscientist). If the random pains, heart fluctuations to the point of thinking he's having a heart attack, rashes, tinnitus and stomach problems aren't enough, the neurological problems have been terrible. fortunately, we found a dr who actually listened and had him put on the correct medication (in Texas it's had to find a lyme literate doctor). He's doing much better now, though recovery is slow and this could only be a temporary remission, as we have been told.

What amazes me is the amount of doctors who deny the existence of Lymes. It is such a real and horrendous disease.

I do hope your friends who have experienced the same illness are doing much better

Thanks for the advice Jim, it really is much appreciated.

I do think you are right. The most important thing really is to be able to get the EAD sorted out. That way, if we're told to resubmit with the additional form, or if we have to go through the process again, there will be a way to get it all done a lot more quickly and without all the worry. I am hoping that due to a lot of people having financial problems right now, they might be a little more understanding as to why we had to wait. Not everyone can be lucky enough to even be sure to keep a job from one week to the next right now. It's even tougher when you have a person who is eligible to work but can hardly get out of bed most days due to this debilitating and very real condition my husband has.

So, we will file and see what happens.

Will do Though we're more likely to be May filers as we need to wait on the support forms from the inlaws, and also the med's not for a couple of weeks yet.

Hi Harpa,

Thanks for letting me know that. Like I say, it's really just a financial thing right now. While we have saved for the AOS and medical, the addition of the I-130 right now would be really problematic. It would take us a good few months to save the extra, and there's no guarantees we wouldn't have to use that extra money for more medical expenses right now. like most folks, times are really tough for us.

I think it might be best to just go for the AOS forms and payment, in that case. Again, if we get the 2 year conditional, we will be in a better position to have the restrictions removed later as I will be able to find a job. $500 isn't back breaking if you have an income to cover it, where as $400 is when you don't.

Thanks again.

Thanks Messy

We certainly do have the marriage certificate. We were actually really worried at the time about getting that sorted. As I say, we married in Galveston the day before Ike hit and ruined the island. We thought the form might have got destroyed in the post, what with everything getting flooded and washed away. Fortunately, the priest must have sent it from a different location and it got to us a few days after power was restored to our area. Great way to spend your first few days as a married couple huh?! Evacuated from our honeymoon and without power, water and other essentials for 2 weeks . What an adventure!

As for the NOA2, yup. My MiL dug that out for me a few weeks ago. It was delivered to the family home in the US as both myself and my husband were living in Ireland when we filed for the K1. Also still have the I-94. Stamped and with my A# written on the back by the POE people.

Also, we have a tonne of family pics from all major holidays...b'days, xmas, july 4th..etc. We also have a lot of family pics when we were ding some house renovations. Not only of my and my husband, but also me and my SiL, miL and FiL. Lots of family group pics too.

Any advice?

We're about to apply for out AOS and I really need some advice before we compile everything and send our money off.

Basically, we married in september 2008 and are only now in a position to apply for the AOS. My husband has been extremely ill for the last couple of years (neurological lyme disease), and we've had to scrimp and save around the additional expenses which resulted from his illness. Also, during this time, he was not able to work (he is a little better now and working to build up some businesses as he isn't really in good physical condition to work outside the home) and living with his parents, who helped a great deal but who haven't been in a position themselves to loan us money to get this sorted earlier.

We have the fees saved for the basic AOS and medical for me (around $1250). It has taken a lot of time for us to get into this position due to the situation above.

I've read a LOT of conflicting information on here about having to file for the I-130 in conjunction with the AOS. I came here on a K-1 finance visa and we did marry within the 90 day time frame. Is it 100%, absolutely essential to apply for the I-130 right now? It will be a hell of a strain having to come up with the additional $400 before I am able to work here.

I don't mind having to have the conditional GC and paying for the ROC later, as we will be in a much better position then. I will be able to work with the EAD remember. Paying an extra $500-$600 when there's an income coming in is a lot easier than having to find an extra $400 with no real income.

According to the legal sites, there is no need to apply for the I-130, but according to members in here, it's more or less essential. I'm confused. Do I trust you all or the legal sites? I'm thinking the folks in here as at least you guys might have real experience of what to do where as lawyers can want things to fail in order to rip money out of you for representation at appeal.

Another few points to consider; We have very little in the way of letters of joint finances. We DO have a joint BoA account, he was added as an extra card holder for my cc and we have this year's joint tax return (essential to file for the AOS, even if it reflected little in the way of earnings for him). Other than that, nothing. We still live with his folks, so no rental agreement. We also have no life or health insurance, and his car was a hand me down from his parents.Is this going to be problematic?

Also, wedding photos...we got married in Galveston the day before Ike hit and conditions on the beach were not great. We do have some wedding pics, but I didn't get married in a conventional wedding dress (I married in a purple dress). Our wedding pics look more like evening event pics that wedding pics. We do have a wedding video though (not that that is much help), and also the wedding service book, which the priest signed.

I don't know. I'm worried sick about applying and us getting denied. What we do have going for us is the fact we lived together in Ireland and the UK for 3 years before coming to the US. I still have our old rent book from Ireland to prove this.

anyway, help..please

I have a freind that has been in this situation for almost 10 years now. She and her husband married within 90 days of POE on a K1. Due to financial circumstances and low income ( plus lack of joint sponsorship ) her USC husband's I 864 has been denied. This freind has since given birth to two children and has made it even more difficult for the USC husband to meet the poverty benchmark.

Their relationship is legitimate, caveat, the absence of an approved I 864 the wife has no greencard. The wife has received EAD but has been unable to find work while also caring for their two new children.

It's possible that they may continue to be "out of status" for a long time unless someone steps in as a joint sponsor.

SO YES, in this case, OP should move ahead with adjustment of status.

Thanks for all of the replys guys That's all been really helpful. I'm going to check out the links in a moment, so I'll be in a better position to understand all we need to file.

It is actually good to hear about your friend's situation SPSguy. Not that the situation is good, but that there's no real problem with the amount of time. For us, because of the situation, we are living with my inlaws right now and they are going to act as the joint sponsors for us. They did the same for us with the K-1 application. That's not a problem, other than my mum (in law..more like a real mom) saying "ohh noo" when I told her that all those form had to filled in again:).

Again, we're fine in terms of not overstaying on the K-1. We did marry within the 90 day time frame, so that's all good. Yes, we're still very much together and going strong. Hoping for the situation on the finances to change very soon so we can get into a place of our own and hopefully start a family within the next year.

I'll have a read over the links and post more if I need clarification on points. Thanks again for all the help. It is much appreciated!

Yup - there is NO REGULATION for 'when to file for AOS'.

Only a reg for 'marry within 90 days'.

This is not a 'K-3/AOS', btw. This is a 'K-1/AOS' - unless yer hiding a K-3 in yer pocket somewhere, and haven't told us about it.

FWIW - The I-485 fee is 1010, currently, and if EAD and AP is filled at same time, those FEES for I-131 and the EAD are waived. There will be some other medical fees for a civil surgeon, though.

Good to hear back from you !

Phewwwie! Glad for the confirmation that there's no specific timeline for the AOS in our situation. Despite all the hurricane hardships, we did get married within the 90 days, so we're good there. (TS Edvard hit the day we got our wedding permit, cancelled initial wedding date and TS Gustav hit that day and finally married on Galeston the day before Ike hit! Yes, it was a weird time there!)

Yeah, I guess this would be a K1-AOS. We got the K1 and married, so it's the AOS as a completion to that. I thought we had to convert it to a K-3 or whatever, but I guess not as we married here legally and have been living here legally. Just confused now about the forms to file. If we fill in the I-485 and also the AP and EAD all together, the AP and EAD fees are waived, is that right? Also, do we still need to file the I-130? I can't find much info that really makes crystal clear sense about fees/forms, etc. There's a lot of convoluted and conflicting info online, so it's pretty confusing. Also, we don't want to use a lawyer as that will raise the price up to a point where we couldn't afford to pay for the AOS!

As for the medical, I guess I'm going to have to go for another as mine was in Dec 07 (I think). I do have the vac info up to date here and have had no serious illness since (other than that nasty bout of flu last April). Shouldn't be so bad though as I think that's around $100, and that's pretty affordable.

Well, I'll keep you posted and thanks for getting back to me and putting my mind at rest!

Take care

Thanks for the replies. It has been helpful:)

I actually read on a different visa legal website that, although it is recommended that you file for the AOS as soon as possible, there really is no definiate time line on when you should apply. Basically, they said on the other site that fulfilling the requirement to marry within the 90 day period was the only obligation with regards to applying for the AOS on any time frame. I hope that's right, considering it was a visa lawyer info site (I'll try and find the link and post it here).

Basically, I think we're going to try and go for the AOS as I'm in the US. We married before the 90 days were up and we really don't want to be seperated, even for a day. On top of that, as I said before, our life is here. There's no-one at home we could stay with, as we would go together, if we went down an alternate route, so the K-3/AOS is the way to go for us.

We're going to start on the forms the next few weeks here and take it from there.

It's just a shame that life gets in the way and I know that a heck of a lot of people can't afford to spend the $1500+ right after getting married and both relocating. I mean, it's a sign of the times. We're almost all suffering with the economy and it's pretty understandable that most people can't get such a substantial amount together when there's other things you need to pay to just live day to day.

Anyway, thanks again for the advice and I'll keep you posted.

Hi guys,

It's been quite a while since I last posted a question on here.

So, here's the situation. My husband (yay!) and I got married in Sept 08, after we went down the K-1 route with the I129F. We married in Galveston, Texas (the day before Ike hit the island and we were vacated from our honeymoon ) and we have been living just outside Houston since then. Due to the main problem a lot of folks are facing right now (finances), we have had to save hard to get the fund built up to get the AoS/K-3 sorted out. We're there now and ready to make the move to getting the visa sorted out.

I'm having trouble now trying to found out the best course of action to take. I've read through the forums here and have noticed a lot of posts about the K-3 becoming obsolete. I believe, from trying to piece things together, that we should now try for either the CR1 (if we apply now) or IR1 (if we wait a few more month until our second anniversary). I'm wondering what the best thing is to do.

I have also read that applying for the CR1/IR1 comes with a lot less paperwork and significantly less cash to pay out. While the money issue isn't a problem, as we saved for the I-485 (I believe), I'm not sure exactly what we need to file for now.

My concern is that the CR1 is based on couples where one person lives outside the US. Well, I've been here with my hubby since July 08. We married in time, so the legality is not a concern. My worry is that if we go for the CR1/IR1, I'll have to go back home and file/interview from there. That's problematic as I have no family or friends I could stay with while that goes through. Besides, I don't want to be seperated from my beloved for even a day.

Also, what paperwork EXACTLY, in all totallity, is required for the CR1? Again a little confused there. Some places are saying i-130, bio and affadavit, others are saying 1-130, 1-129f, bio and affs. Is there anything other? Also, is the total cost for going down this route really just $355 or is there more to pay for filing. I know that we might have to do the medicals, etc again, but I'm asking with regards to filing fees.

What would be the deal with the AoS once we're into the i-130 process? Do we still need to go for the i-485, or is everything covered with the cr1/ir1?

Any help would be much appreciated as we're really looking to get this sorted out as soon as possible.

Thanks in advance!

Thank you both for the replies.

We're actually just North of Houston, so we're watching the news and waiting for the storm to hit right now. Figers crossed, all in the storm area will be safe and well.

Thanks for the advice and information. It's good to know that it's not such an urgent thing to get done, seens as we do have so many other expenses to cover at the moment from the wedding. We will be sure to get everything done and sent off within 180 days though. Additionally, I was worried because my birth certificate was taken when I entered the US, so I have to send back to the UK for another copy, and that can take upto a month to arrive.

Also, I notice the info on site said we needed to supply the NOA2 from the I-129F petition, which we didn't actually get sent to us in Ireland. I believe it was sent here, to my in-law's place. We need to dig it out. If we can't find it, is it okay to send the notification letter we had with pack 3 from the US Embassy, Dublin?

Thanks again and we'll be saving that energy, that's for sure!

We finally got married two days ago. We're still supposed to be on honeymoon but, due to Mr. Hurricane Ike, we were under manditory evaccuation (seens as we married and were honeymooning in Gavleston), so we had to come home yesterday. Nothing like having to do all the hurricane preps when you're supposed to be lazing on a beach and all .

Just wondering what the next steps are now we're married. I know we have to apply for the AoS and all that goes with it, so we can settle down here permenantly. Is there a specific time line to do this within, or can we wait for a few month in order to build up some more money? Do I need to do anything as my K-1 visa is up in a few days to prove we're married, or is that all irrelevant now?

Any advice would be great as I'm not sure if there's anything we need to legally do right off the bat.

Also, when should I send in my SSN details for the AoS with them? I got my SSN about a week after we got back here and they said I need to send my details back once we were married.

Thanks guys!

Fingers crossed, we can go back and finish our honeymoon properly in a couple of weeks time!

Aww, Thank you all

To be on the safe side, we actually held the date back until next Wednesday. The JP was fine about it all. Only problem is that we had no room in the fridge to store our wedding cake, so we've been eating it and now have to get a new one

Congrats to you and be safe!!!

Aww, thank you .

It's strange but getting married is making me feel so selfish with regards to this storm. We're glued to the hurrican tracker on our local news website, hoping it will take a turn and hit Florida instead of spoiling our beach wedding! If the worst comes to the worst, we can put it off for a few days as our JP is willing to do that for us, or to do it in another location that same day.

Weather permitting (beach wedding in Texas and hurricane possibly heading this way!!!!), we're getting married on Tuesday next. Getting very nervous now as we still have so much to do before it goes ahead, and the possibility of the storm hitting is pretty scary.

I just wanted to say Good Luck to all the filers here. The wait might be long to get approved, but it is so worth it when it is

Now I'm off to pick up my dress!!!

i am posting for my friend.

She arrived at USA on August 07 by K1 visa. Due to she is allergic to dogs & cat's hair. and her Fiance has 5 dogs and 1 cat. Two days after she arrived, she found there are many red spot on her body, very itch. Maybe one week later, her Finace finally took her to see the doc, the doc said she was bited by some bugs or flees. Her fiance love dogs and cats. Even though he bought some meds for flees, but too many flees on dogs, cat, and inside of grass. (her Finace is living in the Farm). Now one her body, from face to feet, many many red spot, and she scratched them, you can imagine how uncomfortable she is. But her finace don't want to keep the dogs a little far away from the house. And my friend can not live under this environment.

Another things, her fiance even don't allow her to speak to other people, even with his sons, grandchildren. don't take her out,

So finally my friend mention go back to China. And he said ok, he will buy the tickets for her.

But the problem is how can she get back the SEAL PACKAGE when she enter POE in Detroit, and return it to US Consulate in GZ????

( i am not sure she is right about this points. When we get our SEAL PACKAGE 3 days after passing visa interview. There is a letter, generally meaning is like, if you can not get marry in 90 days, you have to return that package to US Consulate in GZ. You will have a better Chance to get US visa in the future if you want to gp to USA again; something like that)

Any VJ members have any idea pls advise. Thank you very much!

Eileen

I'm really sorry to hear about all the problems your friend is having now that she is in the States. I think it is a real test for filers who have not lived with their fiance prior to such a life changing experience of moving to another country and being so far from family. Her fiance should have helped make this transition a lot easier for her, but it does sound as though he really doesn't care that she can't live around animals that make her sick and refuses to allow her to go anywhere. Being totally honest, it does not sound as though his reason for marrying her was anything to do with love, but more down to the fact that he seems old (you mentioned gandchildren) and just wanted a beautiful, exotic wife. That is not fair on your friend as she, as we all do, deserves someone who loves her as much as she loves him.

With regards to the allergy lumps and bumps, I totally sympathise. I know what's she is going through there! With me, it's an allergy to mosqueto bites (big lumps, bruises, etc) and there's nothing at all anyone can do about that .

I don't think that you can get the paperwork back once it has been handed in. It is the property of the US, so they do have to keep it. Again, I'm in a slightly similar position as they took my birth certificate (by accident) when I entered, and now I have to get another copy of that sent to me from the UK. Once any of the paper work they take at immigration is in their hands, there's nothing you can do to get it back as it does not belong to you.

I would suggest that, when your friend goes back home, she contacts the US embassy out there and explains why she was unable to marry this man. My concern would be that if she were to be under the situation again in the future of applying for a US visa to marry, she might not get it approved. It is possible that the powers that be would consider this first issue and just think of her as someone marrying for less that good intent (just to get to the states and the person she would be marrying is really not a factor in her life, but a tool to help her get into the country). Unfortunately, some people do that.

From what you have said, it does sound as though she really should not be with this man. I wish her all the best in the future and hope she finds someone who will treat her much better than this man is.

Ahh thanks, I'll take a look at that thread.

Apparently Texas is pretty harsh when it comes to ID a lot of the time. I think that my little run in might have been a one off with a lady who really shouldn't be working in the store. As it was said, the Passport is the king of all ID's, so to be refused cigarettes for not having a valid state ID, when I have a valid uk passport, US visa and entry stamps is really stupid.

Actually, I did run into a similar situation when I was last living here. We were in CA at the time and I was refused a glass of wine in a restaurant with my passport, again including visa and stamp (student visa that time), because there was no reference to my eye colour on the ID page.

Just seems really stupid to me that a person's national form of identification for travel world wide is not accepted, but a laminated piece of card is. Oh well....welcome to Texas I guess.

We finally got back to the US just over two weeks ago and are now looking to get married either in the last week of August or the first week in Sept. Needless to say, I'm a busy bee trying to get everything organised for the big day. (Looking for my dress this week!!! Yippy!!!)

Basically, I have a few questions right now. When we first got here, the immigration lady gave me my "A#" and said I should contact my local agency to make a start on getting my work permit. Firstly, I thought that I was unable to even make a start on getting my work permit until we're married and on the road to AoS. Did they make a change while I wasn't looking, or was the lady wrong in giving me the advice to apply for the work permit and SS card? Secondly, that agency was she talking about? We're living just outside Houston for the time being with my fiance's parents, as we were both living in Ireland and moved back together. I'm at a total loss as to what to do at the moment.

Also, I recently went into a store out here to buy some cigarettes (I know, bad habbit), and was asked for ID. I'm pretty used to that seens as I lived in both California and Florida before, and know how tight restrictions are out here. I presented my GB passport, obviously with visa inside, and was refused service because I didn't have a Texas State ID card. Would it be possible for me to go and get a state ID card with my K1 alone in my passport, or do I need to get the AoS thing sorted first before I head into the DMV to get one. I also need to get a new drivers license for out here, again can I do that with just my UK lisence, passport and visa?

Sorry to be a pain and ask but there seems to be little information as to what to do during the transitional phase of waiting to marry and apply for the AoS. Any help would be much appreciated.

Well, we're finally off back to the States to start our new life together tomorrow morning. We are so looking forward to this and I can't wait to be the blushing bride and finally drag my man down that aisle.

We have only one problem, that's our cats. We made the ticket arrangements with the airline out here a few weeks back and quized the representative we spoke to in great detail about what was required for us to bring our three babies with us. We were told that, as we were flying on the same plane with them, there would be no need for any documentation for them to travel. Being that we live in a Rabies free country and our cats have not stepped foot outside (we live on a busy street), we would need no vaccination certs, no vet certs or pet passports. I was told to call back two days before our trip to book them on the flight.

I called our airline yesterday morning and explained that I wanted to book our cats onto the flight, only to be told that they would not accept our pets without the vacc certs, vets cert or pet passport. I explained to the lady I spoke to that I was told that none of these documents were required when I phoned the weeks previously and asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor stated that the lady was correct, that we did need all these documents to allow the pets on, and then demanded to know the name of the initial person I spoke to for giving me "wrong information". Just to confirm here, we researched the airline before hand and there is not one mention of them requiring the documents when taking a pet with you, either in cabin or as cargo.

After calling numerous airlines, cargo companies and just about anyone else we could think of to get our pets over, we've now discovered that there's nothing we can do to take our pets with us at this point in time. We are devistated, totally devistated. These are like our babies, as I said above. The only thing we can do now is ask friends and neighbours here to look after our cats until we can get out there and then sort everything out from that end (arranged for a vet to see them, get the pet passports sent to our neighbour and arrange pick up and flights). That is going to be very difficult and we do run the risk of not being able to get our cats with us at all. At the end of the day, there just seems to be no other option right now. We can't rebook our flights until this is sorted due to the fact that we need to be there right now to get our wedding sorted out and because we're already told our landlord that we're leaving. We can't become homeless out here while waiting to sort our pets out.

What I would say to anyone looking to take pets with them is to sort things out well in advance. That means speak to the airline you book with about 6 times regarding the pet policy and ask them to send out ALL requirements to you via email at least 3 weeks before you go. Even if they say they do not require documentation for pets, get it anyway. Trust me, it's better to be safe than sorry.

We just wanted to let all of our friends on here know that we're finally off to the States tomorrow morning! Gosh, this has been such a long personal journey for us.

We would like to wish all filers and new visa holders well. We hope all goes well for you guys and we will stay in touch via the forum here to let you know our news.

Thanks everyone for all your support. If any of you need a friendly ear while you go through this, please feel free to drop me a line!

We were finally able to get back up to Dublin to pick up the visa (had to wait two weeks after the interview seens as I couldn't get time off to travel back there the following week...message to anyone filing in Dublin and who has an interview on Thursday...they don't do any other visa pick ups on Fridays other than students, so be prepaired to go back a week or so later). Anyway, visa is in hand. Now all we have to do is save for a few weeks for the tickets to get out there!

i'm not sure about questions that might be specific to your embassy, however there is a great list of questions here and another shorter list here.

Thank you so much for the kind regards! Like I say, I'm really nervous so every bit of support is appreciated greatly .

Thanks also for the question lists. We just had a look over them and started smiling. Obviously, living together for so long, we know one another inside out by now...and yup, I speak to his family (brother and mother via Ventrillo, and sister via the phone and myspace) a lot, so that's brilliant.

Hi everyone!

I have my interview on Thursday afternoon in the US Embassy Dublin and I'm very nervous. Can anyone tell me what I can expect to happen during the interview and/or if anyone has experience of the Dublin embassy.

My finace is here in Ireland with me and we have been living together since 2005. Would it be advisable that he attends the actual interview with me, if he's allowed to? Obviously, seens as we live together and have numerous things that point to that fact, proving our relationship is no problem. My concern is that he has not been able to work while out here and prior to this, he was a student so never had to file taxes, as he has not had any taxable income. His parents are acting as my sponsors and we have all the docummentation from them here and ready to go. I know he has to fill in the Affidavit of Support, and the lady we spoke to in the embassy a few months ago say that a letter to state his position with regards to finance will be fine, so long as we have the information from his family. Is this really the case?

Also, what sort of questions can we expect to have?

Thanks in advance!

Hi guys,

I'm scheduled to have my medical tomorrow at 3:30, however, my doctors surgery has not yet provided me a record of my vaccinations. I spoke to them on Friday and they said they should be able to get them to me today if I gave them a letter stating exactly what I needed. I took a letter up on Friday and could not call today as I was in meetings all day, however, I went up after work and there was only one receptionist up there and she didn't have a clue what i was talking about. I'm not going to be able to get up to the surgery in the morning as I leave for work at 7 AM.

Should I cancel my medical and get it re-scheduled for next week? I am in no great rush to take it as I have not yet received my affidavit and have not mailed back my checklist yet. If I do take the medical tomorrow and don't have my vaccination records what kinds of problems will it cause?

Cheers people

To be honest, having the vaccination records is handy but not essential. The cost of having the vaccinations done at the time of the medical is covered in the fees. Basically, explain your situation and the doctor will perform the vacc's right there and then as procaution.

I was in the same position, with my medical and vaccination records still being with my doctor in the UK. They actually refused to send my records over to Ireland. I called the medical centre where I had the medical and they told me the vaccs were covered in the fees and I would be getting the jabs on the day of the medical, as I could not provide the information.

Don't worry, call in the morning and explain the situation. It should not be an issue. I say get it out of the way sooner rather than later.