angie & abed

How long does it generally take for the AOS form and evidence take to show up on ceac?? It was delivered over 2 weeks ago. And AOS fee was paid over a month ago and still no IV fee available to be paid. Any ideas why?? I intend to call tomorrow, just curious if this is 'normal', because we have had a hell of a time with things going in a timely fashion! Thanks in advance.

Thank you soooo much Kerran!! You have eased my mind a little! (It won't be eased completely until his mom is here!)

OK, I am sure this is a stupid question, I have read everything 50 times, but I want to make sure I am doing the I-864 correctly. My husband is petitioning his mother. He and I filed taxes together, he makes just under the income for our household size, so we need to include my income. Do I fill out the I-864 as the only joint sponsor, and my husband a separate form as the petitioner? Or do I fill out the I-864A for the contract between sponsor and household member? Please help!

Thanks...I already knew...just you never know...

I am so sorry for your family's situation..I pray they remain safe.

I don't know if this is the right place to ask this...however, my MIL's I-130 has a receipt date of May 14, 2013. It was transferred in December 2013. We made an inquiry and were told basically it was still being processed and they had no time frame to when it would be done. Called senator's office, they got a reply she is in background checks with multiple agencies and said we can check back in 60 days if we haven't heard anything.

I have two questions and I am sure I already know the answer, but never know unless you ask...

1. Is it unusal for a parent to be placed in background checks? She has been here 4 times previously with a visitor's visa and had no problems...no background checks, no overstays...nothing. We are as vanilla as you come.

2. Is there any way in heck to get this expedited? Our son will be 2 in May and she has never seen him (it is impossible for us to afford to take everyone there, it would be $5000 in airfare alone). She is crying all the time and her health is being affected tremendously (like I am sure it is for most everyone separated from their families).

If this could be better answered in another place, please let me know. Thanks for reading my novel!

Hi guys...I am confused. I was thinking that when my MIL's papers are approved and go to NVC, then they go to the embassy, she takes all her documents (birth certificate, passport, police certificate) with her to the interview. However, I have been reading some on here and it is seeming like maybe these documents need to be sent to NVC? My husband came on a K-3, so that is how his papers were done....but I am thinking maybe the way the IR works is different...I hope this makes sense.

Thanks! Sorry it was in the wrong place!

And thanks Mariana! They are actually much bigger now...and meaner! :-)

If I could get some opinions on this, it would be great.

My husband is getting ready to take his oath ceremony and we will be applying for his mother's permanent residency. We understand she will not have to wait for a visa to become available since she is in the immediate family category. (Right?) Now, he also has a brother that is almost 19 and unmarried. Would it be quicker/easier for my husband to apply for his brother as a US Citizen or his mom to apply as a permanent resident for her unmarried child under age 21?

Again, I would be ever so grateful for some opinions as I am confused as heck. Thanks!

I really wish I could help. But I can only offer my condolences, my MIL got a B2 visa back in 2009, she came to visit 3 times and of course returned all 3 times. She went last week to renew the visa to be here for her first grandson's birth and was denied because of insufficient ties. Even though she had a visa previously and never broke any laws. We are beyond frustrated with trying to figure out a way for us to get her here in time. But, it is likely she will miss this birth and not see our older two children for a long time as we can't afford for 5 people to go visit their home country.

God willing they will be able to obtain a visa to come visit. Sorry.

Just wanted to update this in case anyone ever has the same issue...

Dept of State said that once you apply for a renewed visa, your current visa, even if still valid, is automatically cancelled out.

Not what I wanted to hear obviously, but it is what it is. Hindsight is always 20/20.

OK, thanks guys for all your help! All we can do is pray.

Yeah, it would be. My MIL said it wasn't stamped and they did not mention canceling it, though they did ask her what the expiration date on it was (which, surely, they already had, or could easily look up since they issued it).

I am afraid to contact the embassy, I worry they will cancel it if I bring it to their attention. I don't want to do anything that is illegal or anything, we just want her to be able to hold her newborn grandson. She deserves that much.

Yes, she applied for a renewal and it was denied (it was our plan for her to come late April and stay 6 months, so we wanted her to be in compliance her entire visit. Hindsight is 20/20). Does anyone know how to find out if the embassy cancelled the one that was still valid?

I appreciate everyone's assistance and please excuse my ignorance, I am trying to find answers on my own and I think maybe I am not looking in the right places.

I guess we need to think it through and decide whether it is worth a $1500 gamble that she may or may not be allowed in...

What type of proof would she need? She is a widowed housewife...she has other children in her country, but they are mostly grown, though none are married and all still live at home. She has never held a job outside the home and is not allowed to own property there. Only thing she would have is a return ticket...and I know that isn't enough proof...

My MIL has a B2 visa that expires in July of this year (her passport is currently valid until 2014). We applied to renew her visa so she could be here for the birth of her third grandchild and see her only other grandchildren. She was denied twice, they told her she didn't have a good enough reason to come here and some other things. She has been here 3 times and has left to go back to her country 3 times, all well within the 6 month limits.

My question is this, with only the visa validity for a few more months, would she be allowed entry to the US to be here for the baby's birth, as long as she leaves before the expiration of the visa? She (as well as my entire family) are very upset she won't get to be here for the birth (this would have been the only one she has been present for..) and I was under the impression she had to have 6 months on the visa, but after research, I only found 6 months on the passport...so...does anyone know? Pretty please.

Thanks for the information! I appreciate you guys taking the time to help me out!

I have a question about a person adjusting status after marriage. The person is here on a tourist visa and found a long lost love (who is a US citizen), they are both free to marry now and really want to, and probably will at this point. I know the person can adjust status from a visitor visa to a conditional resident green card, however, the person has a 17 year old son overseas, how does this person include the child on the AOS application? Will he be able to come to the US immediately since his parent is here? I hope this isn't too confusing...Any information or a turn in the right direction on how to find the answer will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Angie

In my opinion, she should wait until she is back in the US to tell him. He COULD stop her, if he really wanted to. Foreign citizens, American or not, have to abide by the laws of whatever country they are in...I believe that in Egypt, a man has a right to say whether or not his wife may travel without him or not. I know in Lebanon I had to carry a document with me when I flew into and out of the country that was in English and Arabic giving me permission to travel with our child. It's better to be safe than sorry in my book. Unless she really really wants to live there, because that IS a realistic possibility, at least until she gives birth...

I guess everyone is busy with theor little ones, I had to really look good for this thread...page 7!! Anyways, I am curious about potty training, I hope some of you have experience with this....

Malak is completely trained (except I don't trust her at night and put her in a pull up), anyway, my husband wants me to train her to clean herself with the bidet...however, I need to learn to use it first (well, first we need to install one). Is there any pointers anyone can give me to help her learn to do this, you can PM me if you would rather (it may be a few days before I respond though). But I want her to know how to do this to make hubby happy.

Hope all your little ones are doing well...they are all growing like weeds and soooooo adorable, every single one of them!!! I can't believe my littlest one will be a year old in less than 2 months! Time flies for real!

Thanks ladies!

Angie

Thanks for the responses ladies. Sorry it took so long for me to respond, had some issues here and just now looked for my post. I do appreciate you taking the time to respond!

Angie

I don't want to really go into a lot of specifics on the board....but if you have a good deal of knowledge about asylum (probably polictical I am guessing) or if you know of an attorney that may specialize in this...please send me a message.

Thanks in advance!

Angie

The embassies don't care whether or not an American citizen sends a foreign citizen an invitation to visit. The person would need to demonstrate to the CO (Consular officer) that performs the interview that there is no intent to immigrate to the US. Such proof would be owning a home, a letter from an employer, family ties, money in the bank, etc. If the CO even briefly thinks he is coming here to marry, I would almost guarantee a visitor visa would be denied. In my opinion, you would be better off to go there and then apply for a K-1, marriage in a MENA country can take a lot of time and extra money on top of the fees (bribes, or should I say "encouragment money"). Good luck whatever you decide, and have patience, it takes time...sometimes more, sometimes less.

Hi Aya,

Sorry to hear about your stepfather and your brother. We had a similar experience with my hubby's mom when we applied for her B2 visa and she was denied...the first time. She really had no ties...they are not able to own property (Pali in Lebanon), she has never had a job (outside the home), she is a widow of 15 years and all but one of her children are grown and we for sure don't have a lot of money. So, she was denied, however, we fought it...she applied again and I contacted my congressman's office and when it was time for her 2nd interview, the congressman's office sent a letter to the embassy. I am not sure if that letter helped or if it was the female CO she had that sympathized with her situation, or it could have been a number of reasons I suppose, but she was approved the second time.

We are getting ready to try to get a visa for his 15 year old brother and still haven't decided yet if we are going to attempt his 21 year old brother or not yet, we don't want him to have a denial on his record, but we want him to be able to visit...anyway, I'm sorry honey. Maybe they should try again? I hope your family won't hold these things against you...

Hi,

First of all, congrats on your visa and your hubby getting here soon!

Second, to answer your question about public assistance, no, you will not lose benefits. However, you won't be able to include him in the application or renewal for those benefits either. So, once he starts working, you'll let your case worker know and they will include his income with your own, but they will not count him as a family member. For instance, in our family there is me, my hubby and our two daughters...they would include both adult's income, but only consider us a 3 member family. So...basically after he starts working, you may not get benefits anymore. Just something to think about and maybe plan ahead for. Hope that helps with your question.

Congrats on the new son too!

~Angie

I don't have any advice for transportation in Casa...however, when my oldest daughter & I went to Lebanon, my hubby hired someone to pick us that had space for us and all our luggage and other baby related stuff...I really suggest your fiance do that, that may be a little more expensive, but in the long run, the best option.

I hope you have a great time and I am sure the whole family is super excited to meet your little angel! (Especially daddy! Oh! And make sure to have your camera ready for those first moments, they are priceless!)