EatBulaga

I read a while back that the Social Security Office could verify the I-94 electronically now. So you don't need to wait 2 weeks. You can maybe wait 1-2 days after printing out your I-94 to take it to the SSO, along with the passport, birth certificate, and filled out SS-5 form.

I think one bottleneck that many K1-to-AOS don't realize is the time to receive the marriage certificate (not marriage license). Depending on which state or municipality, the marriage certificate can take 30 days or more to receive. We avoided the wait by going to Las Vegas for the wedding where we got the marriage certificate the same day as the wedding. Also, you can start collecting the documents for the I-864 like the last 3 years of tax transcripts, payslips, etc., A couple of other fairly important steps to plan for the K1 beneficiary is opening a US bank account and getting the state Real ID or driver's license, which rely on the SSN and marriage certificate (for name change). But as a rule of thumb for the super-prepared, if you can file the I-485 within a month after US entry, then you are balling. You can see the step-by-step of what we did at our Timeline or Profile. https://www.visajourney.com/profile/386517-eatbulag

Greetings Everyone, My wife is a K1-to-AOS conditional green card holder. For the situation where the green card expires 02/01/2025 and resident since 02/01/2023, she plans to travel outside the country for say 4 months (less than the 6 months needed to reapply for entry). Will the 4 months outside the country affect the ROC approval? Or the resident since date? Or the date calculation for filing N400 (either 3-year or 5-year)? Thanks in advance for any response.

Ideally, the airlines gate/boarding agents should know that K1 visa is a one-way ticket. But that does not mean they are all well-versed on all the different US entry documents. My K1 visa beneficiary had more interrogating questions from the gate agent than the Port of Entry US CBP. I did anticipate some of the hassles and called the airline a couple of days before to leave a note on the flight reservation for the gate agent that the US entry document is K1 visa and a one-way ticket. This might help if your K1 beneficiary is from a weak passport country.

Yes, we have a Philippines Report Of Marriage. Yes. Maiden name passport and Green card marriage name with US marriage certificate to show name change is probably the way to go. Theoretically, buying 2 one-way tickets may work with Eva Air, which will cost a little more. Departure ticket in maiden name from US to the Philippines using Philippines passport with maiden name. While in the Philippines, update to new Philippines passport with marriage name. Return ticket in marriage name from the Philippines to the US using the new Philippines passport with marriage name. Eva Air also has an option to input the green card (marriage name) in lieu of passport in their online ticketing.

I checked with Eva Air. They do not change name on the original ticket. The option is to buy a new ticket with updated marriage name that matches the updated passport. Or don't change the passport name until you can buy a new ticket.

Yes. Wife has Philippines passport in maiden name, and will buy round-trip ticket with an airline in maiden name to the Philippines. While in the Philippines, wife wants to update to a new passport with marriage name. If she gets the new passport expedite, she needs to return with the new passport with the marriage name. Remember flight ticket is in maiden name. Will the airlines or US immigration have a problem with the new passport in marriage name? She will have US marriage certificate and Philippines Report of Marriage along with Green Card (marriage name), cut-up old Philippines passport (maiden name), new Philippines passport (marriage name). Is there anything else we need to avoid misunderstanding with the airlines or US immigration? Thanks

Yes. But do all the airlines understand the difference?

Yes. This is why I am asking. The ticket will be issued in the maiden name and the old passport. Updating to the new passport with the marriage name, would carrying the old passport along with the new passport be enough for the airline since the return ticket will be in the maiden name and old passport? Has anyone ever experienced this? Thanks

The regional Philippines embassy for Atlanta is Washington D.C. so it's no more convenient than just update while back in the Philippines. The other option is just not update the passport till expiration or repatriation after US naturalization.

Hello everyone, my Filipina national wife's marriage name on her green card (unexpired) is different from her Philippines passport name (maiden name). And she will travel to the Philippines with both the US marriage certificate (marriage name change) and the Philippines Report Of Marriage while traveling to the Philippines. If she updates to a new Philippines passport with her marriage name in the Philippines, will she have problems (with the airline or US immigration) traveling back to the US? Keep in mind that her original K1 visa and the I-485 AOS were filed with the maiden name Philippines passport. Should she at least travel with both the old passport (maiden name) and the new passport (marriage name)? Thanks in advance for any response.

Hello Everyone, Has anyone ever had negative experience traveling to the Philippines and back to the US with Eva Air in terms of all the various US entry documents like boarding foil, expired green card with Removal Of Condition letter, etc. Are Eva Air gate agents well-versed with the US travel documents? Thanks in advance.

Ok. I didn't know US embassy will take biometrics for USCIS? If the green card does get lost, the only items my wife will have that are relevant for US reentry are: Philippines passport and US marriage certificate, and her US drivers license (Real ID). Hopefully, those are enough to apply for the I-131A?

Hello Everyone, I'm trying to anticipate some of the worst-case scenarios for my Filipina national wife if she travels back to the Philippines. My wife's marriage name on her green card (unexpired) is different from her passport name (maiden name), and she will have with her both the US marriage certificate (marriage name change) and the Philippines Report Of Marriage while traveling to the Philippines. For the case of a lost/stolen green card (unexpired), has anyone ever applied for the I-131A with the US embassy in the Philippines? https://ph.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizenship-and-immigration-services-uscis-manila/ Would anyone who has gone thru this process please share your experience of applying for a boarding foil to return to the US? How long was the process? Is there anything to look out for or prepare for in this scenario? My nightmare is that the US embassy won't believe she is married to US citizen or has a green card, and we have to start over with IR1/CR1? Thanks in advance for any response.

Greetings all, I have 2 scenario to see if the FBAR needs to be filed? https://www.fincen.gov/report-foreign-bank-and-financial-accounts 1. LPR working in the US but transfers funds to foreign accounts, but keeps the aggregate balance below 10,000 the whole time. 2. LPR working in the US for foreign company with funds deposited to foreign accounts, but keeps the aggregate balance below 10,000 the whole time. In both cases, the total earnings over the year can surpass 10K, but the aggregate balance stays below 10K. I understand in both cases, the earnings will be reported to the IRS, but does the FBAR need to be filed for either or both cases? Thanks in advance.

I know this must be frustrating and there is not much anyone can tell you. Your best case scenario is actually getting approved after your 2-year AOS filing date, in which case, USCIS has to issue the 10-year green card since you have been married for at least two years. Your worst case scenario is getting approved right before your 2-year AOS filing date, in which case, you still have to file for the ROC two years later. I personally think USCIS will avoid handing out the 10-year GCs to I-485 filers just because they lose the I-751 fee. It may be moot to hope for delayed processing at this point. But keep your spirit up because approval will happen sooner or later.

I think you are one of the rare ones to have both interviews waived? Yes, the question is to do the 3- or 5-year combo interview? If both are equivalent, then might as well do the 3-year interview? Even for bona fide marriages, preparing for the interviews still takes time. Then, there is still the risk of saying something questionable during the interview or having the second-guessing interviewer? This is why we are preparing for the interview process now by listing the evidences that both of us have to remember so we can be consistent. Even in marriages between 2 US citizens, one can easily forget special dates, etc.

Greetings to all I-751 experts, Our I-485 application interview was waived. What is the current situation with the I-751 ROC interviews? For those who had the I-485 interview waived and not doing the N-400, is the I-751 interview more likely to be scheduled or waived? For those who had the I-485 interview and not doing the N-400, is the I-751 interview more likely to be scheduled or waived? Are more I-751 applicants waiting for the 3- or the 5-year N-400 combo interview? Is there a difference between the 3- or the 5-year N-400 combo interview? Thanks in advance for any responses.

Put the name that you filed with the AOS on the I-693, which you say is your married name. It would help having a state ID with the married name for the Civil Surgeon doctor's office to verify the identity and for them to fill out the I-693. Find a Civil Surgeon near you and schedule an appointment. https://www.uscis.gov/tools/find-a-civil-surgeon Make a copy of the RFE and bring it to the Civil Surgeon along with a copy of the DS-3025 and any vaccine records like Covid, etc. They will want copies. The Civil Surgeon will take it from there, and recommend what you need to be USCIS compliant. Extra vaccine doses, tests or additional appointments will have extra fees. So expect to pay. Get the I-693 to respond to the RFE, sooner the better.

Did you file the AOS with the married name? Is the 13 things what the Civil Surgeon is telling you? The path of least resistance is to complete the I-693 as recommended by the Civil Surgeon since they should know what USCIS wants and USCIS is looking for the I-693 signed by the Civil Surgeon.

It sounds like you may need to include more than a short explanation to support your evidences. I wouldn't create joint accounts just for the RFE. That would seem fishy. Even if you have an abnormal financial arrangement, USCIS still needs to understand how that is a good faith bona fide relationship. Explaining why not having a pre-nup may actually help your case if it fits in with your overall financial explanation, etc. Whatever are your explanation or available evidences, I would submit them as soon as possible.

We did not have an I-485 RFE like your's, but we did have a couple of opportunities to respond to USCIS during our green card process (see our Profile). In both responses, we submitted quickly at the earliest. My thoughts were if our paperwork is on some desk, best to respond sooner while it is near the top of the stack than to delay any more before it goes to the bottom of the pile. So if those evidences are all you have, I would submit them as soon as possible, and maybe include a short explanation to support the evidences in the cover letter along with a copy of the RFE letter. Good luck.

Anything you have. More evidence is better.

I would respond with a letter of employment listing the annual salary, and include the latest 3-6 months of payslips. And it wouldn't hurt to include the last 3-6 months of bank statements, and/or a bank reference letter. If the petitioner has not already done so, the last 3 years of tax return transcripts should be included. In my I-864, I put a little extra effort in by including my credit score statement that I got regularly from my bank.

@grant2 You are posting the I-130 data graphs. Shouldn't you be following the I-485?