ilikepotatoes

7 hours ago, OldUser said:

Just use married name in I-751.

List maiden name in Other Names Used field.

Okay! Thank you. 😊 

We just got a letter in the mail, reminding us that we will soon need to file I-751. I noticed on the envelope that it was addressed to both my husband and I - but with my maiden name, not my married name. Was I supposed to notify USCIS about the name change (changed to my married name in early 2023). It hadn’t even occurred to me to notify them. But now I’m starting to worry that when we file and I fill out the form, there’s going to be an issue. Please help! Lol

10 hours ago, Silvia Vdoviakova said:

Hi! My fiancé and I have known each other for about 5 months now. We met while I was in USA as an au pair, we spent 3 and a half months together in person before I went back to my home country. We filed for K1 visa because we really want to get married and our relationship is genuine. We received our NOA1 and now we’re waiting. I’m just really anxious about the fact that we haven’t been in a relationship for long. Do you guys think it’s okay? Especially when we spent 3 months together everyday while I was in USA? We sent our photos as evidence too! My anxiety is taking over me and I hope we won’t get rejected because of that. I’d love to hear some opinions. Thank you!!

Every relationship is different, and some people just know that they’re with the right person early on. That’s completely okay, and the visa officer is aware that these things happen. The fact that you’ve already spent 3 1/2 months together is certainly in your favor. Evidence of time spent together is really one of the most important elements in these cases, so if you can arrange another visit, that would also help. 
 

As a side note, my hubby and  I did the CR1 route, and I let anxiety absolutely consume me about various aspects of our own case (we married on our first meeting), and nothing that I fretted about actually happened. We did have lots of evidence of time spent together, as we lived together, after marriage, for more than a year before his interview. But even so, I was consumed by irrational worries. So basically, I said all this to say….dont fret too much! If your relationship is genuine, and it sounds like it is, you will produce more than enough quality evidence when the time comes. Best of luck to you both!

17 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Employers or their authorized representative must complete and sign Section 2 within three business days after the employee's first day of employment, and must physically examine, or examine consistent with an alternative procedure authorized by the Secretary of DHS, documentation from List A OR a combination of documentation from List B and List C. Enter any additional documentation in the Additional Information box; see Instructions.

 

Pretty sure last time I used my SSN and DL. Just easier.

 

So yes horribly wrong. Mind you it was from 3 years ago.

Well thank you for taking the time to respond and also look at that post on Reddit. I have an overactive imagination that had me thinking my husband would somehow be made to leave the country or something horrible like that lol. Feeling so much better now. I appreciate it!

29 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Odd, please post the link.

https://www.reddit.com/r/immigration/comments/m1q3ya/am_i_still_allowed_to_staywork_in_the_us_while/
 

The part that worried me was:

“Yes, she can work while an I-751 is pending. Just because a green card is expired doesn't mean you aren't a permanent resident. However, the tricky part of this is that you can't start new employment (this was told to me by my husband's immigration lawyer) but you can continue employment if you're already employed somewhere when it expires. I hope that makes sense. I believe you can't start employment once the green card has expired and while the I-751 is pending because you have no proof that you have work authorization. The I-797 receipt you get of course says it extends your status but I don't believe it satisfies I-9 requirements for an employer when you start.”

idk if I was just misunderstanding what the user meant, but there it is lol. 

5 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Was it horribly downvoted?

The Reddit post?? Everyone seemed to agree with the user which just scared me more 😂

1 minute ago, IWander said:

My wife switched and showed her expired card and extension notice.  Easy peasy.

Thank you so much! That’s great to hear!

I just saw something on Reddit that I found concerning. Someone stated that while the I-751 is being processed, you can still work at your current place of employment, but you can’t switch jobs because you don’t have any proof of authorization to work in the US? This doesn’t seem reasonable or accurate but I just had to ask, because my husband is a foreign medical graduate working on his licensing exams. If the above is true it would severely delay his ability to apply for residency when the time comes, and he’d just be stuck at his current job for lord knows how long. Anyone have an answer for this? Can he still stay with me here in the US while this is all being processed? I’m a huge worrier and just terrified at the thought of not being together. And googling doesn’t help my worries lol

17 hours ago, Purigorotta8 said:

My fiancé's interview is scheduled for the end of April in Ho Chi Minh and I will fly there to be present with her during the interview. Even though it's not mandatory for me to be there, it helps. My fiancé and I were video calling and rumors she heard regarding the interview is that the U.S. Consulate officer conducting the case interview has already made a decision at this point in time, way prior to us being present for the interview. It's said that, if the interview officer is carrying a green piece of paper during the meeting, he/she will automatically request a second interview at the end of the 1st interview.

 

Is there is credibility or truth to this theory? If so, it's a bit lousy in my opinion, knowing the consulate officer has already made a decision to serve a green paper to reschedule for a second interview. I'm flying to HCM to stay for a few days to be with my fiancé and to be present for the interview with her, if it's only to be there to served a second interview, I will have return and fly back at a later time for a second interview. It's a hassle. Anybody have any thought about this idea?

 

And how long is the U.S. Consulate interview? I've mostly heard 15-20 minutes.  But my Fiancé mentioned that the interview only takes about 2 (minutes), which I find a bit hard to believe. 2 minutes being that, the officer will ask a few questions and take the prepared photocopies of the Affidavit of support, relationship photos, generated timeline, etc. In and out. Is this accurate?

This doesn’t have to do with the main question, but I wanted to comment and say that your fiancé should bring your passport with her to the interview to prove you are indeed there with her. The day before my husband’s interview, he said to me “I think I should bring your passport with me. They might not take me on my word that you’re here with me.” Turns out his intuition was correct, because they asked to see it. And since the best evidence is of time spent together, it’s a really good idea to bring it along to support your case. Best of luck to you both

8 hours ago, MMRF said:

We are using a lawyer to prepare our forms/package and it's been a bit of a (removed) the whole way.

Now that the package is finally ready to go and we've reviewed it, we are at our wits end with asking them to correct their mistakes. 

 

 

We provided about 15 photos of us together and w/ others and included the date taken and a description of the event/names of others. We assumed they'd do the work to prepare it for presentation.

They put one photo per page w/out a date or description, just the picture by itself.

 

Since there is already been several back and forth's to fix errors, I'm just done with all of this and want to get this damn thing out the door.

If the photos don't have any corresponding information, is that going to be a problem? 

I've read various opposing things such as "you should date and caption all the photos" to "I didn't send any, just provided at interview, no problems."

 

So can we send this as is or what?

I only captioned the pictures my husband brought to the interview. With the I-130, our lawyer sent in about five pictures, and then I wrote a letter to go along with the packet, giving a brief history of our relationship and explaining some of the evidence that was sent in (for example, “pictures with his relatives, pictures during our honeymoon, pictures of holidays spent together” etc). This gives them an overview without having to caption every single picture.

1 minute ago, OldUser said:

No income requirements. Just need to prove bonafide marriage, including comingling of finances.

Thank you!

We still have quite some time to go, but my husband and I are wondering what the specific requirements are for removal of conditions on his green card. Do we need to present proof of income like we did when he went to the visa interview, or is that no longer a big issue?

7 hours ago, lovinglive said:

Hello forum, 

 

My wife needs to be able to drive in order to enjoy life here more, and she also needs to improve her driving skills before she takes the test.  So we want to get a learner's permit. 

 

It's a bit complicated to explain, but we are having difficulty proving her street address to get the temporary permit.  We could open a bank account and that would enable her to get a monthly statement showing our address. 

 

Also, our state lists one document- I-797 case type on N-565 (application to replace a naturalization/citizenship document).  

 

We do have an I-797 for Advanced Parole, and wondering if that may work?  I'm not sure if the BMV office would recognize the difference between an I-797 for N-565 and I-797 for advanced parole?

 

Does anyone have any experience with this issue and how to resolve it?  

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

Hubby and I had that same issue when he went to take his permit test. We had already opened up a joint bank account together, but it was too early in the month to have received a statement that had both our names on it. They were super helpful at the DMV, and accepted a letter from the bank stating that we have an account together and we reside at the same address. It ended up not being an issue at all, and he passed the test and got his permit! Definitely start by getting a joint bank account, and then see if your DMV will also accept a letter, confirming her residence. Good luck

19 hours ago, roughlyworried said:

Hello all, just had a little rant and wanted to know how some others have dealt with issues similar to mine. I’m currently with my wife in a third country waiting (10 months into the I-130). Her and I are both leaving back to our home countries out of necessity in 2 weeks after living together for almost a year. In this time, I have gotten even more incredibly close to her, and I’m already mourning the fact that I will have to split with her at the airport. And if I knew for sure that I would see her again, perhaps I could deal with it. But the uncertainty and odd things/red flags of our case makes me feel like there’s a chance I won’t see her again. Also the state of the world, if something happens and we are separated…it’s safe to say it’s really getting to me. Im trying to enjoy these final weeks with her, but it’s overshadowed with the reminder that it won’t be much longer and I won’t have her next to me. How has everyone else dealt with this? Any advice?

The fact that you two have been living together for close to a year greatly strengthens your case. The best evidence you can present is evidence of time spent together and you’ve certainly had that. Definitely a positive thing! 

55 minutes ago, Boiler said:

For some reason I thought your Husband was Ukranian.

He isn’t. 

22 hours ago, Inveigh said:

Before someone jumps in and goes on the Prawl, let me just say I GET IT.

 

I get that everyone has to wait their turn when it comes to immigration,

I get that IT SUCKS for everybody and that USCIS denies expedites regularly for reasons that aren't seen as not serious enough. 

and I get that no one likes somebody being impatient

 

So let me just say thats NOT why im asking this question and I GET IT.

-

It sucks for all of us, and thats not why I'm here and I know we can only hope for the backlog cases to go down in the near future. But here is where my lack of understanding is

-

 

My main concern in posting this is I (as long as many others) have little to NO understanding for what qualifies as a Humanitarian Crisis.

And it seems as if the people on the other end of the USCIS help line dont seem too either.  

 

And although one perfect example right now would be the Ukraine situation (rest in peace to everyone that has passed while awaiting their immigration cases), does anyone know if the Iranian Protests right now with regards to Mahsa Amini, and the government essentially:

 

-Shutting the whole country down,

-Closing internet access indefinitely 

-Killing, Detaining, and Arresting whoever they dont see fit in jail

 

Be a serious enough undertaking?

 

And before someone thinks I am exaggerating or trying to cheat the system: No

 

I get it, we all have our issues and we all hate waiting

 

And this is something my fiancé and I are trying to figure out without sympathy so if this doesn't apply, fine we will move on without question, and do our casual meetups overseas.

 

But

 

---------->IF NOT<---------

 

1) What other examples of a Humanitarian Crisis besides a WAR, be so that I may know of and not waste USCIS' time and resources (and so that others may see this post and be informed)

2) Would an Atheist living in a country that KILLS Atheists be considered.

3) (If applicable) What have you heard/what is your experience. 

 

Please only comment if you are open to having a discourse.

This website has a TON of naysayers and users with negative attitudes. The majority of advice I received on here was incorrect; one being that “expedites are denied all the time. You can try, but they probably will deny it.” Well, we were approved two days after submitting the request. 

We contacted our congressman’s office, and they are the ones who requested the expedite on our behalf. I’d highly recommend you do so. Best of luck to you both, and God bless the poor innocent people facing such violence in Iran. I can’t imagine it. 

15 hours ago, Steve & Erma said:

Reading through --> USCIS Immigration Vaccination Requirements it lists 8 different vaccines, but when you look at the I-693 it has more on there. If I go to https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ link from the same instructions and answer the questions I just get MMR, TDap and the flu vaccines are needed.

 

I know she has to have documentation to show she got certain vaccines but what are all the vaccines that my wife will need before she is allowed to come here on her visa once we get it? I would like to get this taken care of now and make sure she is all set so we don't have to worry about it later.

 

So who do I follow? The requirements page here, the I-693, or the CDC?

 

 

Not to worry. Any required vaccines that my husband hadn’t already gotten were administered to him by the doctor at his appointment. I worried like crazy over this and it turned out to be super simple and a non issue.

7 hours ago, Speedy troy said:

I tried adding my spouse to my bank account but I was told that my bank can't add her since my spouse doesn't have an A number. I don't have any assets to have a will. Also will pictures suffice to show that indeed we've spent time together?

One last thing, is the online filling a good option?

Pictures are great supporting evidence, but the best evidence of time spent together is solid proof like boarding passes and passport stamps. Our lawyer said that WhatsApp chat logs aren’t necessary. If you want to add them, you can, but 400 pages would be excessive and just not worth it since it’s not the kind of evidence they’re looking for anyway. Good luck!

12 hours ago, Annie280 said:

Hi everyone! My husbands interview is coming up in  a few weeks. Any tips? We have all original docs in one folder, and a binder of copies. I also printed photos and have airline tickets from previous flights I've taken to Morocco. I just want to make sure I cover all bases. Can I attend the interview with him? I am so nervous! We go through so much just for this one day, it is hard not to panic lol. We have gone over a handful of questions and we know eachother very well so I am not worried about the questions - but I did hear that they make it tricky and can be intimidating 

 

If we get approved, I might have additional questions on what to expect at the airport in Casa and arrival at JFK because I have absolutely no idea what that looks like  appreciate all of you!

Our tip is to just make sure that your husband advocates for himself! In our case, the consular officer didn’t have everything we submitted on file, which might have worked against us if my husband hadn’t politely asked to explain more about our situation and present additional evidence. For example, some of the financial documents didn’t transfer over, and the consular officer started to say that we didn’t qualify. My husband politely said “May I please explain?” And then he presented our documents that proved that we did, in fact, qualify. My husband says to be active and engaging, and be prepared to answer any questions. Above all, just be truthful. 
 

I wasn’t allowed to attend the interview due to covid restrictions. If you are currently staying with your husband, I’d have him bring your passport in with him. My husband brought mine because he had a feeling that he’d be asked about it, and don’t ya know, the consular officer did indeed ask if he had it with him.

Best of luck to both of you! I’m sure it will be just fine! 

20 hours ago, CuteAniagudo said:

I just got married September 3, 2022. We had been dating for almost 5 years. How many screenshots (ie. per month of the relationship) of text conversations should I compile to submit for evidence with my i130 application? We had only seen each other twice during this time period. I do have photos, travel itinerary and receipts saved from my visits to his country. My husband is not in the US currently and he doesn't have a visa.

Congratulations! 
 

Our lawyer actually said that screenshots of chats aren’t necessary. You can definitely include them if you wish to, but they aren’t as important as other kinds of evidence. All we submitted was proof of time spent together, which included my boarding pass and a photocopy of the passport stamp. Our lawyer also only submitted about five pictures. I then wrote a short letter, explaining our relationship history and also giving an overview of what they could expect to see in the packet. We got approved, no issues! Best of luck to you

19 minutes ago, roughlyworried said:

Hi. Thank you for your response! Super helpful to have someone else with a similiar experience. Can I ask did you guys get married while living in different countries? You in United States and him in another country at the time of the ceremony?

You’re very welcome! We actually got married while I was visiting him. Couples can still do the ceremony while they are in different countries. However, they do have to make sure to see each other again in person before filing as evidence that the marriage has been consummated. This is an important rule not to forget!

20 hours ago, roughlyworried said:

I just noticed a pretty big mistake I think on our marriage certificate. We already filed the I-130 9 months ago. We had done a Utah virtual marriage, and she was living in China and I was in America. I did it with Webwed, and they told me it was normal for both to be listed at the same location. However, I sadly didn’t confirm with the Utah courthouse and I come to find out they can in fact list other countries. The only problem? They don’t edit marriage certificates older than 2 months! So now this marriage certificate I can’t change and it shows her as being in the United States at the time of marriage. What do I do since they can’t change it? Should I get married here in Thailand with her again with a Chinese marriage certificate? Any help would be appreciated. My stomach just sank to the bottom of the ocean.

I wouldn’t worry about it. Hubby and I did the Utah County ceremony via zoom last year and they listed our addresses as the same too! They told us it was a non issue….and they were right! Our case was approved, he passed the interview, and we are now ecstatic to finally be living together in the US. Best of luck to you!

1 hour ago, xzsca10 said:

July 6! We were there at 6 am and left by 4 pm. She was the last one interviewed. 

That was a very long waiting . My husband had his on July 7 . Hopefully we will hear  something today

20 hours ago, xzsca10 said:

Hi everyone!

 

My wife had a CR-1 Interview at the consulate last week. It went beyond amazing. They were very kind to her, had some good laughs, and approved the visa and said it would take 1-2 weeks to receive it and they kept her German passport.

 

However, she got an email today saying her US Visa shipping label has been printed today and will be delivered tomorrow. But, the CEAC portal still says "Administrative Processing".

 

Is this normal?

 

Congratulations . What date did she have an interview . My husband had his last week and haven’t received any updates yet

21 hours ago, Maam1819 said:

Do I just need 1 of these or is it best to try to get more?

My husband just had his interview today and passed it. The whole process took less than a year. Heaven bestowed upon us the greatest lawyer imaginable. And he got our I-130 approved with minimum evidence. We sent a few pictures, our marriage license, boarding passes/passport stamps, and then the basic biographic info. I also wrote a letter explaining our relationship history, as well as some of the evidence we submitted. This process isn’t as dramatic as some people like to make it seem. There’s A LOT of hope. Don’t despair…just submit the best evidence you have of time spent together. Best of luck to you.