Gisselle Villegas
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Posts posted by Gisselle Villegas
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Hello, my husband was granted his immigrant visa on September 22nd. We live in his home country and since being granted the Immig. Visa he has been applying for jobs online while we also sell all of our stuff. He has been offered a Job and he is to start mid December and we plan on entering the US on Dec. 1st. He had requested a Social Security number on his D-260 and know that this request will "activate" as soon as he enters the US. Exactly how long does it take for the SS card to arrive in the mail? 2 weeks seems like a long time. We don't mind the actual Green Card since we know that he can work for a year as long as his immigrant visa is stamped on his passport upon entry but we all know the SS card is essencial to actually get a paycheck since we need a actual number and correct me if I'm wrong but the actual number won't be given to my husband when he enters the US. Would it be faster if he just visited the local Social Security offices to request a number and have a card sent to him even though we have the option of waiting for the initially requested SS card? Does anyone have information about this? Thanks in advance!!
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45 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:
You are confusing Stateside I-130 filing with DCF. In a Direct Consular Filing (DCF) the I-130 is filed with the CONSULATE and the NVC is never involved. If the NVC was involved then it was not a DCF submitted I-130.. Also in a DCF the beneficiary is required to set the appointment.
I don't know what DCF is but my case is very similar to the OP's, with US citizens living abroad with our spouses of many years together and filing a petition for their Green Card from abroad. Also, certain requirements change a little for those of us who have been with our spouses for so long so, I would believe she would have to proceed the same way I did and I recommend they do it on their own without paying a third party to gather and file the paperwork for them. It's a pretty easy process and it's all about being patient with timeframes especially for the final interview since some Consulates are more swamped than others.
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1 hour ago, Paul & Mary said:
DCF is never online. It is a completely manual process for the I-130 with the consulate.
Actually we filled out our I-130 online, printed it out and sent it and all other documents via courier (FEDEX) to the address the USCIS had listed online. They sent us an email when all the documents were approved and the second stage was then with CEAC or the National Visa Center where every document had to be downloaded and sent to them online. A month later after that we recieved a notice from the NVC that all documents were approved and accepted and that the US Embassy would be contacting us for an Interiew date which they did just 2 weeks later. The Embassy sent an email with the date of the interview for that same month and with a link where we go find all the medical information, as well as a list of all the documents my husband had to bring with him to the interview. Except for the first stage of submission of documents, everything else has been online and the instructions are step by step so if you are diligent and read carefully it's easy to follow, just a little time consuming to collect everything they ask for.
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14 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:
Depends on what your intents are. Less than six months isn't an issue. More than a year is abandonment. But in the case on never really living in the US I'd try to keep it less than the 6 months. If he intends to go for citizenship then less then 6 months is best.
The intention is definitely aim for his citizenship after 5 years of living in the US. However, in the present moment there are a few assets that need to be either sold or duly managed before leaving Costa Rica for good, sell furniture, vehicles, close some bank acounts and credit cards and especially have a job lined up in the US before resigning from his current job in Costa Rica. The thought of being unemployed for an X period of time and depleting our lifelong savings causes him a lot of stress and me too to say the least. We've been married and living in Costa Rica for 25 yrs so there are plenty of things that need to be in order before moving for good.
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On 9/7/2021 at 7:03 AM, wabi-sabi said:
Hello,
I have been checking this site for info regarding IR-1 visa processing and decided might as well sign up to gain more knowledge. My husband (US citizen) and I have been married for over 10 years now and living in the Phils. My US tourist visa is about to expire and we are now seriously thinking of moving to the US for good. We would like to know if it is highly recommended that we go through the IR-1 visa application with an immigration lawyer or companies that we've come across online like Rapid Visa or Boundless. ? Had an initial consultation with a lawyer and his fee was $3k+, Rapid Visa and Boundless seem to be more reasonable but are they reliable? There's really not any special circumstances that we are concerned about although we will be using a co-sponsor (relative of my husband). We'd love to know if anyone in this group has successfully completed the process from start to finish on their own (without paying a third party for assistance) with the end result being an approved visa for spouse. Thanks in advance for your inputs!
I am a US citizen married for 16 yrs to my husband who is from Costa Rica and we have been living in his country all those years. We decided to move to the US a couple of years ago and I started filing with USCIS on my own, without the need of a third party. It's fairly easy and the online system will take you step by step with what they need during each stage of the process. Just make sure you provide them with the exact information they need, pay the amounts requested during each stage and just be patient. Our case took 2 years because we took a break in between stages for 10 months instead of continuing with the process but had we continued I'd say the whole thing from start to finish would take about 16 months to complete. In our cases, having been married for so many years removes their doubts about fraudulent marriage and things like that which is really their major concern. I would just save your $$ and proceed to do everything on your own. Good luck!
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37 minutes ago, nastra30 said:
How long is "too long". Our intention is to enter the US as soon as he gets his passport back from the Embassy here in Costa Rica, stay for a few days visiting my family and then fly back to Costa Rica for a few months while we sell our stuff, he finds a job while applying online all the while continue working in Costa Rica until he finds a job in the US. We estimate it can take from 3 to 4 months. I thought that since the stamped Visa is valid for 1 year we would have that length of time to enter permanently in the US.
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Hello, can someone travel out of the US a few days after entering and getting his Immigrant Visa stamped? We have a physical address in the US where the SS card and Green Card will be sent to. We know the wait for the Green Card can take months and my husband who is the beneficiary does not want to be unemployed for so long which brings us to another question: Can he search for work (Indeed, Monster jobs, etc) prior to entering the US and when he has a good chance of being hired, can he work with just the stamped Immigrant Visa or does he have to wait until he gets the actual Green Card? Thanks in advance for your answers!
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5 minutes ago, HurtRN said:
When he asked about the birth certificate they directed him to go online - but, we are going to Liberia when I land on Wednesday to see if we can get the online version certified. Maybe they can help us with the apostilles too.
It's all so nerve wracking. Haha
Good luck and enjoy your stay here! I've been married to a tico and living in CR for 25 yrs. Lovely country but we are ready to move to the US. Thank goodness we are past the USCIS and NVC and now just waiting for my husbands interview. Should be a slam dunk considering we've been married for so long. Hope all goes smoothly for you both
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5 minutes ago, HurtRN said:
Oh, I forgot to ask - where so I go to have the documents apostilles? I assume I must do that for his birth certificate, police record, and anything else?
Thanks for any help!
PS he lives in Nicoya.
The apostilles are done at the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. The main office is in San jose, popularly called "la Casa Amarilla". I am not sure however if they have a branch in Nicoya. They should since there are branches of most all governmental institutions in all of the main cities
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10 minutes ago, HurtRN said:
Thank you!! So, he went to get his criminal record and there also asked about the birth certificate and they said no they do not do them anymore you have to go online. I am going to fly into Liberia on Wednesday and we are going there to ask again. Are you sure about the apostil? I've read it's not necessary there just the certification from the tribunal and of course translation.
The lawyer that married us is taking care of the marriage certificate. Filing with the CR government and the US consulate and also translating it to English too. So that one is covered.
But, now I am confused about the apostil.
Perhaps requirements have changed or being that our cases are different they requisits are as well. Having docs apostilled doesn't hurt and the cost is minimal. I recommend you provide them with more than what they ask for than have them ask for it later, delaying the process. I live in San Jose so everything is pretty much close by to get done. At least have his birth certificate duly watermarked and signed at his local registry instead of online. Nicoya has all of the governmental entities you will need.
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On 8/9/2021 at 7:42 AM, HurtRN said:
Hey all!! So we DID it! We Were married August 1st, 2021 so now comes the FUN part filling out all the paperwork. A lot of the documents I have already searched out so hopefully I have a head start. Can anyone help me with with Costa Rican addresses? His home address is literally describing the color of his house and so many meters this way and that. And, do I need to write the address in English or leave it how it is there.
Also, I have asked before about birth certificates and the CR Online Portal from the Tribunal - but, when Luis went to get his police record and asked for the birth certificate they told him it was online and that they do not place a seal on it any longer that people must use the certificate number assigned to it when purchased. Any further advice on that? I am super worried to not have that seal on there. Maybe I can take it to the CR Embassy here in Houston and have that seal placed??
He can go to his local Post Office to get the official home address. As to his birth certificate, it's best if he went to his local registry to get it and not online. The birth certificate needs to be translated for USCIS and then apostilled and they won't accept the dowloaded version of it. Same for the marriage certificate. You don't mention in what part of the country he lives but government institutions are well spread out throughout the country so he should have no trouble getting the paperwork. Good luck!
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Hello all, we have finally recieved a notice from NVC that all documents have been accepted and that they will coordinate with the Consular office here at the Costa Rica Embassy to set a date for my husbands interview. I have searched through the Embassy website and there is no information as to how back logged they are, if they are at all, considering there aren't many folks requesting an immigrant visa here. We don't fear about the interview since we've been married and living together in Costa Rica for 25 yrs so It's basically a slam dunk but would love to know just how many more months will we have to wait for the interview so we can start selling and packing. Thanks in advance for any info someone might have!
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On 7/29/2021 at 4:26 PM, Kvickers4 said:
No, I just got a generic response that thanked me for my patience but said they won't expedite me and just keep waiting lol. I feel like they will review your request before August 30th. The expedite is totally up to your local embassy apparently. The NVC is just the messenger in this situation. So you do have a chance.
If not, at least it looks like the NVC is picking back up. Before this glitch they were reviewing re-submitted documents in 3 weeks so HOPEFULLY it goes back to that again. Depending on your local embassy, I think it's possible for you to get home before the end of October. If all your documents get approved this time you'll be DQed in August which will give you a couple months to get an interview. I know in Ireland people where getting their interviews scheduled 3-4 weeks after getting DQed this last month!
I am usually very good for finding loop holes or solutions, but there really just don't seem to be any in this situation unfortunately. I'm a couple weeks away from sending cookies to our local embassy with my husbands case number attached to it. A small bribe is harmless, right?😂😂
There really should be an official support group for all of us😏😂
Hi there, unfortunately they are not picking up. If anything they have literally come to a halt in the last couple of weeks. In this link is the timeframe https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/nvc-timeframes.html Two weeks ago they were reviewing petitions recieved before June 6. Today they are reviewing petitions recieved before June 9th. Just last month they were reviewing a full week of petitions every 7 days. I thought they had fixed the glitch but now they are as slow as molasses. In my case we had to re submit some paperwork from our co sponsor so we had to go to the back of the line and that's exactly when they slowed down.
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Hi all,
After a 3 month wait CEAC requested a couple more documents and were sent July 7th. I've noticed on the NVC timeframe that their Current Case Review Time has slowed down considerably over the last few weeks but it doesn't specify if this is for first time review or second time or more after they request more documents. Does anyone know if we are all sent to the back of the line to start from scratch if they request more documents or if we are place in some other category? In my case they needed 2 more documents from the long list of what was sent and already accepted. Thanks in advance for any information you can give me!
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On 3/11/2021 at 3:16 PM, isis375 said:
CR-1 Visa Approved! Zoom Ceremony.
My husband and I married through Utah Online marriage ceremony in September 2020. I visited him in Costa Rica in October 2020 and filed for the CR-1. Our I-130 was approved January 29, 2021. We were DQ in the NVC on February 16, 2021 and received our interview date on February 24th.
My husband passed his interview this morning and now we await his passport and POE in the coming weeks.
That was quick! Congratulations! I've been living with my Costa Rican husband in his country for over 25 yrs and we decided a couple of years ago that we would like to explore possibilities back home in the US. The NVC requested more documents on behalf of the Co sponser (I'm a housewife and my husband is the sole provider), so now we are back to waiting until they finish accepting the new documents. It's great news to know that the interviews are almost immediate because I have been wondering about that considering the high Covid numbers here and the fact that the Embassy in general has been taking their time renewing passports, tourist visas and what not.
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On 6/14/2021 at 11:49 AM, Gisselle Villegas said:
On May 11th I submitted all documents requested by the NVC. I am a petitioner living abroad and my husband is the beneficiary. As per the NVC timeline, they are reviewing all petitions submitted after May 17th. To this day that status of all the documents sent still reads "submitted". Nothing has been reviewed nor accepted. Furthermore, I never recieved a confirmation of receipt from the NVC nor do I know if they even send something like that. I feel like were were left in limbo considering most people get an updated status, even if its a document that was not accepted. We have absolutely nothing and we have check dozens of times and everything they requested from us has been sent and submitted. Can anyone give me guidance as to what to do next? Thanks in advance!
Hello, NVC answered back a couple of days ago and they requested more documents so I guess it will be another waiting game. I wonder how they arrange the pending petitions that were reviewed but still need a couple of more documents....just exactly how much longer is the wait? Is it like starting all over again (same timeline as the first time submission)?
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14 hours ago, Chancy said:
You can follow up with NVC via phone. Highlight that your document submission date is past the date listed on their review timeframe.
Our submission date is exactly the date posted this week on the NVC timeframes page, so we're giving them another week until we start calling. No change to our document status as well. Still says "Submitted" for all of them.
I sent them an online inquiry. Seems all people get are an automated answering system when they call. I'll just continue to be patient since there is nothing else to do. I know we will have to wait for a very long time for the interview at the Embassy since here in Costa Rica the consulate has been barely working since the pandemic began and now the country is going through its hardest hit pandemic wave.
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40 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:
What is the status in CEAC?
CEAC status is the same. I just want to be sure that we are not stuck in limbo because we never recieved a confirmation from the NVC that all documents were submitted by them. I had read somewhere that they usually send a notification on the CEAC message box.
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On May 11th I submitted all documents requested by the NVC. I am a petitioner living abroad and my husband is the beneficiary. As per the NVC timeline, they are reviewing all petitions submitted after May 17th. To this day that status of all the documents sent still reads "submitted". Nothing has been reviewed nor accepted. Furthermore, I never recieved a confirmation of receipt from the NVC nor do I know if they even send something like that. I feel like were were left in limbo considering most people get an updated status, even if its a document that was not accepted. We have absolutely nothing and we have check dozens of times and everything they requested from us has been sent and submitted. Can anyone give me guidance as to what to do next? Thanks in advance!
Social Security Card
in Social Security Numbers
Posted
Thank you for the info! Now how do we go about getting a letter from the SS office? Does my husband have to go personally and would they give him the letter immediately?