EternalForeigner

3 hours ago, MaxP22 said:

No personal experience but from searching online, if he brings the old passport as well as the new one, they should be able to make a note on his application at the interview and process it using the new passport.

I kept hoping/wondering if this was anything they’d accommodate but wanted to see if there was anything against that that I might be missing. 

A friend is planning to apply for a U.S. tourist visa though they plan renew their passport at the same time an interview might be made available. He lives in Canada and just got permanent residence there but his passport isn’t visa-free for the U.S. and in Canada right now appointment wait times for tourist visas are egregiously long, 700/800+ days. 
 

He might visit his home country briefly as appointments at U.S. diplomatic missions there have much shorter wait times, but his passport is close to expiring. His time will be limited and so he’s planning to fill out the application and try to make an appointment before he travels to his home country, but the application will have his current passport info, and wants to renew his passport as soon he gets there before the appointment. 
 

If he goes back there and renews his passport after filling the application and scheduling an interview appointment, but before the actual appointment takes place, would that be all right for the purpose of the application and interview or would it have conflicting info? I wanted to see if anyone filled an application and scheduled an appointment only to bring a renewed passport to the actual interview and if that went well or not. 

The applicant ended up getting issued a tourist visa without an interview and it took one day after the embassy received the visa. There were some concerns about an interviewing possibly being required or any other possible complication given that the applicant has an I-130 petition in their name but apparently that didn’t factor in this case. 

1 minute ago, JD2 said:

My wife's CR-1 said the same thing but she did not get a stamp on it.

Did you ever end up getting that fixed? From what I've seen online was that some were able to make an appointment to get a stamp.

My parents just got their immigrant visas (IR-5) and the annotation says: "UPON ENDORSEMENT SERVES AS TEMPORARY I-551 EVIDENCING PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR 1 YEAR" so they're clearly still doing endorsment stamps.

19 hours ago, appleblossom said:

Within 48 months of the previous visa expiring is my understanding too, not that it has to still be current. 

 

But in all honestly I wouldn't overthink it. Even if the applicant meets the criteria they can still be required to go for an interview if it's deemed necessary (it could well be for Bahrain). Just submit the DS-160 and see what happens - be prepared for an interview and be pleasantly surprised if the waiver is given. 

 

Good luck. 

Thanks.

After submitting the DS-160 and going through the USTRAVELDOCS site for the fee payment and interview scheduling, there was a general questionnaire (some of which are specific for those who reside in Bahrain) that determined the application was eligible for a renewal without an interview, though of course they maintained we might be contact for an interview at any time and that we wouldn't be allowed to schedule an appointment as it stands. And the questions included:

1 hour ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

 

Do you mean the last visa is already expired?  The link states for renewal it has to be within 48 months of the visa expiring (that is, the last visa should not have expired).

My understanding is that this means the application has to be lodged before 48 months have passed since the last visa expired, not that the application would be made within 48 months of the visa expiring. I don't imagine a lot of people would apply for a new visa if it's the same category and there are at least 48 months of validity in it. I'd be happy for some clarification, especially from those who've said they went through the interview waiver process.

1 hour ago, PGA said:

Who knows how they do their jobs...it varies greatly between countries.... I, personally, would assume an interview, especially if the country is Saudi Arabia. 

This would be in Bahrain not Saudi.

4 hours ago, prottosenpi said:

The consular officers will determine if you meet the criteria for an interview waiver based on your information.

Does that determination happen before an actual interview takes place? I’m asking because I’m not sure how an interview waiver manifests itself. Especially since the wait times also say “interview waiver applicants” so I reckon that means even they still need to make appointments?

17 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

The categories mentioned in the link above are just expanding on those already allowed. Mine was for an O visa. I've no idea if the OP would qualify for a waiver of the interview or not, but B visa applicants can be eligible (example from one consulate - https://ec.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/faq-about-iwp/).

The person we’re applying for (a tourist visa renewal) has a history of both B2 and F visas and their last visa is expired less than 48 months and has no prior refusal or anything else listed up there. So I thought they’d be eligible in this case. 

7 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I assume you are talking about a D3, first you need to be otherwise approval, a D3 can waive a lot but not quite everything and it is of course discretionary and down the the Officer to recommend.

 

It is free.

What’s a D3?

40 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

There's no part of it that asks, it will be determined based on the answers you give and if you're deemed eligible you'll be told instantly via email. My interview for a non-immigrant visa was waived last year as I met all the criteria and was applying from the UK (having never lived anywhere else). 

I appreciate the response!

I read that there are certain eligibility criteria for tourist visa interview waivers as per the State Dept guidance here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/important-update-on-waivers-of-the-interview-requirement-for-certaing-nonimmigrant-visa-applicants.html
 

Is there any part of the DS-160 that asks about the interview waiver’s criteria or is it something that will be determined automatically after the application is submitted?

I posted before that my parents’ case is waiting to get scheduled for an appointment at the US embassy. But I was wondering if anyone knew what should be done about this year’s taxes. I still haven’t filed them since the deadline is in April, but since it’s tax season, do I need to file them and upload a new tax return for this year and upload a new I-864, or should I just leave everything as is?

I didn't know if this belongs here or on the embassy/consulate subforum so feel free to move it if it's in the wrong place.

We submitted the rest of the paperwork for parents of US citizen sponsorship back in October and we got this email today:

Quote

The U.S. Embassy/Consulate General in MANAMA, BAHR approved your request for expedited processing of your immigrant visa application. The National Visa Center sent your immigrant visa application to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate General in MANAMA, BAHR for their action. The Embassy/Consulate General will contact you soon to schedule a visa interview.

It's great news that the application is going to the embassy, but as far as I know, we have not requested expedited processing of the visa application. Is this something routine that might get sent? I'm asking because I don't want for there to be an issue during the interview indicating that we need to show proof of the reason to request expedited processing (since as far as I know we didn't request such a thing). Also, might this be indicative that the paperwork we submitted might be sufficient for the process? I know there are no guarantees for that, but we never received an RFE from the time everything was submitted until we got these emails. So I'm wondering if this means the paperwork is possibly enough for the interview to go smoothly without asking for more things barring any sudden changes.

I appreciate any insight anyone might have on this.

2 hours ago, JD2 said:

yea it was a real problem returning from abroad but eventually worked out.  glad her green card came quick

Is there any way to get a proof of permanent residence in this case without needing for the physical green card to come through?

The guidance on here hasn’t been updated in three years either:

https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/temporary-i-551-stamps-and-mrivs

3 minutes ago, powerpuff said:

I did answer - yes. They do endorse and admit new LPR’s just like at US POE.

 

My point was that they have to since the flight comes as a domestic flight. There are no checks after landing. It’s a fully operational CBP just like in the US.

I appreciate the clarification and thank you kindly.

6 hours ago, powerpuff said:

*** Topic moved to General Immigration forum as the question is more general in nature ***
 

Yes.

 

When arriving after pre-clearance abroad, you would come as a domestic flight. You just grab your bags and walk out. 

I’ve done preclearance travel myself, but specifically do US immigrations officers at preclearance airports give green card stamps to admit new immigrants? That’s what I’m trying to confirm. 

This isn’t specific to this subforum but it relates to a family member though the question is for any similar situation: if a new immigrant gets their MRIV immigrant visa, can they be processed for official admission into the U.S. and get an I-551 stamp at U.S. reclearance airports such as Abu Dhabi, Dublin or the many Canadian airports? Or does it have to happen at an airport in the U.S. itself?

We haven’t hired a lawyer but we consult with one every now and then. He told us just to add my family’s house in the US as an asset (it’s fully owned by the two immigrants) and that should be enough as it’s a highly valued house. He said even if you have zero income as a sponsor that the house being an asset should be enough. But we got the case FE message, which looks standardized:

”The income reported as stated on form I-864, I-864A is insufficient to overcome the public charge grounds of inadmissibility for visa issuance. To avoid delays, an additional Affidavit of Support Form I-864 from a joint sponsor may be submitted. For more information visit https://nvc.state.gov/aos and https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p. A consular officer will decide if you meet these requirements at the time of the interview. Note: You, as the sponsor, and any other sponsors household members and joint sponsors, must provide updated or additional evidence for the applicant to present at the time of their interview such as: * Other income * Assets * Proof of current employment Note: You submitted documentation to the National Visa Center through the Consular Electronic Application Center CEAC. You can continue to upload documents to CEAC up until the date of your visa interview.”

Is this indicative that they could still require a joint sponsor or would the house as an asset be enough as per the lawyer’s advice?

Would the submission be a problem though? The Saudi document only has a validity of a month even though the U.S. says they accept police certificates for up to a year. But would submitting the Saudi document to the NVC a few days after the expiration date written on it be a problem?

There's a bit of a discrepancy in the certificates from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. We've already uploaded the Saudi certificate, which expires on July 8th, but of course we won't submit it along with the other civil documents until we receive the Bahraini one, which has been massively delayed. Would the Saudi certificate be considered expired if we wait until after the 8th to submit it? I ask because my understanding is that the immigration process considers these certificates valid for a year, but I don't know if that still remains true when needing to actually submit it to the NVC. I appreciate any quick insight on this matter.

On the main interview prep page on State.gov, says to bring all the civil documents uploaded to CEAC and that you do not need to bring the affidavit or support or financial evidence:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-10-prepare-for-the-interview.html
 

However on embassy websites, it says you must bring the birth certificates of all your children even ones who won’t accompany you (even though it’s not required on CEAC) and says for family-sponsored visa you must bring the affidavit of support and IRS transcript etc. 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/MNA-Manama.html#pre_interview_checklist
 

So which of these is correct?

Doesn’t anyone know if the medical exam can be done at a medical facility in a different country? Some I know are applying for immigrant visas in eastern Saudi Arabia but the medical office there that does US immigration medical exams is closing and the closest ones would be in Riyadh (4-5 hours driving) or in Bahrain, which is a lot closer. Bahrain has a medical office that does the US medical exam, but would the US consulate in Dhahran accept the exam from the office in Bahrain? And I’m wondering if this applies to any other third country as well if anyone has any experience. And could someone do the exam in the US if they were in the US before returning to the country where the embassy will be conducting the interview?

Hello,

I’m sponsoring my parents and I’m going to be uploading their photos to the CAEC portal and of course they have to bring their photos to the interview whenever it’s scheduled. 
 

Does anyone know which set of photos will be used for the immigrant visa and if they’ll also be the same photos used in the green card eventually?

Thanks