NineDev

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry for coming to this site with my hyper-specific issues, but I'm at a loss right now.

Long story short, I had my interview at the end of November and it went really well. My visa was on AP/refused til the 8th of February, where it suddenly became "ISSUED". This was a HUGE relief... until two weeks passed to the current day, and I still haven't received anything. No messages, no notifications, nothing. The tracking website is still on the "appointment" phase of the visa process. I've called the Paris embassy more than thirty times but they've been absolutely no help, constantly throwing me to dead ends on their phone line, being unable to answer my questions and only repeating what the CEAC says: "It says issued on the website, I pray for your patience" type stuff.

I've also called the ais.usvisa-info phone line for France, to little avail. They don't have my visa, and they cannot help me. All my emails to both locations go unanswered, and I'm not sure what carrier to call since it just says "La Poste" which is our national postal service.

Maybe this is normal and to be expected, but looking over this forum and other places, most people seem to wait at most a few days.

With my expiration date on my visa quickly approaching (April 24th), is there *anything* I can do talk to a consular, or anyone that could tell me where my visa is?

I'm holding out hope for this week to be THE week, but I won't lie I'm pretty stressed out. The idea of my visa expiring because they printed it out and then just sat on it is making it hard to even sleep.

I don't want to flood the forum with my personal visa issues, so I'll reply to this thread again.

My visa was issued on the 8th, as said earlier, and well... the status hasn't moved since. The tracking website is stuck on the "appointment" phase, I've called the embassy, a dedicated visa line,  and the usvisa-info line, with no actual helpful information to show for it (just, this is unusually long, we pray for your patience).

I've sent emails to every email address I was given, to no reply, or worse, an automated reply saying "can't help, sorry" in short.

Is this supposed to take this long? Everywhere on the web, people seem to receive it within a week or 10 days of "Issued", but I haven't had a single word from anyone since my interview, and my visa expires in two months...

I'm holding out hope for this week to be THE week, but I won't lie I'm pretty stressed out. The idea of my visa expiring because they printed it out and then just sat on it is making it hard to even sleep.

Sorry, this is half-venting, half hoping someone has gone through this and can reassure me, haha.

Good news! I just checked this morning and the CEAC's status is now "READY", so I'm guessing everything is in motion now hehe

2 hours ago, MeghanK said:

 

FWIW, I've only ever recieved mail scam texts when I actually have a package on the way. Maybe your visa is already en route and they forgot to update your status. Expecting any other packages/traceable mail?

I'm not expecting anything else, hence the mild panic I might have missed it. There's so many scam texts in France, it's wild lol

4 minutes ago, TexasRafael said:

As stated by others the entry date tot he US determines the 2 year vs the 10 year visa.  I have to believe that if they decided to wait to approve your visa at a much later day than the interview, then they have to place it on administrative review which then generates the refused tag on your visa application.  If the person you interview with is true to their word, and I have no clue why they would not, all will be ok. 

 Thank you, it's very reassuring to read. The officers were all extremely helpful and nice, so I have faith they will hold true to their words, but reading others say this is normal helps manage my stress a lot haha

1 hour ago, JeanneAdil said:

Refused is what CEAC says till the visa is actually printed and issued

the  CO could have issued  u the CR1 and u traveled after the 2 year anniversary 

CBP could have made notation IR1  or USCIS would have changed it to IR1 and 10 year card

What an awful default status, good thing I'm not at risk of heart attacks x)
I agree with what you say, but I didn't really want to argue or felt in position to turn down the consular's offer at that moment in time haha

I think it'll be fine ultimately, just a bit odd.

1 hour ago, Crazy Cat said:

That was correct.  Normally, immigrant visas expire 6 months after the medical date. 

Okay, I should still be in good time then, I'm already prepared to go and everything... Just need the actual visa and my passport back.

Just now, Rocio0010 said:

Based on your replies, I think you are fine, you're just waiting!

Tré bien, tré bien, 

Au révoire

Thank you, it's very reassuring to hear! I appreciate it a lot!

7 minutes ago, Rocio0010 said:

1. So were you born in France?
2. Has  he ever petitioned for someone else before?
3. Is he a USC by birth?

1. Born near Paris, so yes.

2. No, I'm the first person he ever petitioned for.

3. He is a USC by birth.

5 minutes ago, PGA said:

Oh, my apologies....I read so many of the posts on here sometimes I forget which is which or who is who....

 

Unfortunately, "REFUSED" seems to be the only option they have in their antiquated system aside from "READY." In our process we had a minor 221g and though they kept the passport, it said REFUSED for the next couple of months until finally changing to READY...hopefully they'll respond to your email and give you an update. 

No problem, I appreciate it either way. It seems to be their system, yeah. It's basically just "in progress", but they don't have "in progress" for some reason.

I hope I'll receive an update soon. According to the consular at the time of the interview, I should be receiving it soon now, I just hope they didn't forget about me x)

They also haven't asked for any documents or anything. Both people I talked to said everything was in order and present, so it should be good on that front.

2 minutes ago, PGA said:

Was he born in France?

Yeah I'm the one going through the visa process and I'm a French citizen. Everything went really well up til now. My guess is its delayed administrative processing but it's pretty stressful.

I'm sure the consulars meant well but it's hard to reach anyone at the embassy.

7 minutes ago, Rocio0010 said:

What  Embassy is this?

The embassy in Paris.

6 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

I guess he thought he was helping.....but the issue date is irrelevant.  

4 minutes ago, Rocio0010 said:

It's strange that they mentioned you'd have any trouble due to the visa being issued before the two years, and entering the US after. The visa is just a "ticket" to the US. What matters is the date you enter the US because that's the day you become a PR by means of a stamp placed on your passport. 

 

Also, the validity of CR1 visas is usually six months. IE it is a standard procedure whereby CR1 visa holders can delay their entrance to the US for up to six months.

 

I have to side with @Crazy Cat and think it was an inexperienced officer.

Funny enough, that was actually two different consular who gave me that offer. The first one I met that took my documents and checked if everything was in order, and then the second that gave me the interview.

I was a bit too star-struck to be approved to really think through all the details, but it definitely went through several people, so it wasn't just one inexperienced consular making random statements.

They told me that as long as it's within the six months of my medical exams, I would be clear to go. They expire in April, so I'm hoping to receive the visa soon, hence why the "refused" almost killed me right now lol

Though,  now I hope this won't backfire on me, reading through you guys' messages...

5 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

That doesn't make any sense.  The 2 year Green Card vs a 10 year Green card determination depends on time between marriage and the day you enter the US......date of visa issuance is irrelevant.  

The way the consular explained it, it's because they didn't want me to have any trouble in having a difference between the visa being issued before the two years, and entering the US after. They said it was unlikely to cause any issues, but they've had exceptions in the past. Since it coincided with my dates of (planned) departure, they offered me to wait til the 28th. Sorry for the shorthand, it's how I've been explaining it to my family to facilitate it and I guess it's almost automatic now lol

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the help I've received over the course of my "visa journey". I went through the interview process at the end of November, and it went very well.

Given my two year marriage anniversary was on January 28th, 2024, the consular offered to have the visa sent after, so I would be able to receive a 10 years green card. Seeing as I was planning to leave around February/March in the first place, this coincided perfectly and I accepted. The consular kept my documents and passport and confirmed several times I had been accepted, and even gave me an email that I could contact just in case I was waiting too long.

Fast-forward to today, a few days after my marriage anniversary, and (as I expected), I still haven't received any updates from the embassy. I called them up today for another reason (I received what I assume to be a text scam about a courier service unable to deliver a document to me today, and wanted to make sure it was not related to my visa). During the call, I was advised to check the status of my visa on the CEAC website. When I did, I had a mini-heart attack, as it said REFUSED.

I've sent an email to the address I was given, but I'm not sure when (or if) I'll receive a reply. I've read (and it does say on the "REFUSED" notice) that this could be due to administrative processing, but it has three months by now. My rational side wants to believe they were waiting til the 28th to do any work on my visa to be clearly after my second anniversary, but I can't deny an anxious part of myself that is thinking the worst.

Has anyone else gone through (or witnessed) such a case? I still haven't received my passport back either, and haven't gotten any letters or email of refusal, which I take as a good sign. Still, being denied so close to the goal, while doing preparations for the final trip, would be pretty devastating. I guess I'm looking for reassurance too, haha.
 

38 minutes ago, flicks1998 said:

 

Can you provide more clarity on the line in bold?  When you saying "covers all costs", do you mean they are covering his housing, food, and incidental expenses and the $15K-$20K is mainly savings?  If thats the case, it may help providing Immigration further details.  The one thing I found out when I returned to the US was that generally speaking salaries are high, but the people are broke and $15-$20K after expenses is better than what 80-85% of Americans have, if not a higher %.  If I did not interrupt that correctly, then having a 2nd job may be needed.  

The 15k is from a personal side business he has, when it comes to lodging, food etc, his family provides for everything in exchange for working with them (effectively his full time job) so the 15k are savings (minus a few monthly bills he pays for), but the main job pays zero as everything goes to the family business, in exchange for them providing everything.

24 minutes ago, Mike E said:

I have yet to find a case where the government has sued. The real risk is when the green card holder sues the joint sponsor. That has happened, successfully.

 

To convince a joint sponsor you need to convince that person of your character and your own financial prospects, independent of your husband and what appears to be a marginal family business.

I'd say they know my character, but it's hard to convince them the government won't go after them when the first thing they read online are websites saying that the government will do that very thing. I agree I've never heard of such a case, but I don't want them to get into any kind of trouble because of us either.

31 minutes ago, Mike E said:

 

Let’s say your husband took zero dollars from the family business. Assuming  his father   is married and has no other dependents, would your father in law have current income of at least $30,000 (I-864p for 4 people: his father, his father’s spouse, himself, and you)?

 

 

That's what we assumed and why we weren't worried to find a sponsor at first, but the sum ended up being less than that for this year (they're a family of four, which would make it five including me).
 

16 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

It is the year your husband is sponsoring his spouse to immigrate to the USA.  Sometimes plans need to change, to qualify.  Luckily, you only need three times the income shortfall in liquid assets to qualify.  The  Consular Officer will consider the totality of circumstances when making the decision.  When asked, be far less vague in your answers than you have been in this discussion.

 

Be prepared to tell the truth, and the whole truth including details. Reading between the lines, it sounds like all your husband's daily living expenses are paid by his family.  If that is true, make sure it's clear to the Consular Officer.

 

 

 

I'll make sure to tell them everything clearly and concisely. I'm not too comfortable revealing all the details on a public forum, just the "major ones", but I fully intend on being truthful with them. I apologize if I come across as disorganized, I'm not used to share private information like that, even if I appreciate greatly all the help this forum has been!
 

1 minute ago, JeanneAdil said:

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-864instr.pdf

page 10  of I 864 instrctions

Part 7. If your total household income does not meet the requirement, you may submit evidence of the value of your assets, the sponsored immigrant’s assets.

However, if you are a U.S. citizen and you are sponsoring your spouse or child age 18 years of age or older, the total value of your assets must only be equal to at least three times the difference

 

Sincerely,  i would still have the joint sponsor

Very sorry for your father's illness/ may he be on the road to recovery

Thank you for the well wishes!
Our shared assets are above five times the difference (since mine is outside of the US, i think it's 5x), so that should technically work. We're working on finding a sponsor, but no luck so far.

2 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Certainly would not surprise me if they want a joint sponsor on the scenario you described 

Yeah, I can assume so. Without family or friends able to help, and the business tying us down, this is the probably the worst case scenario for us, which is a shame with how smooth everything went up til then.
 

28 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Pretty easy to find a job in the U.S. that pays $15/hour or $30,000 a year. I suggest he get a new job or you find a joint sponsor with an adequate current income, and 3 years of  stable or steadily increasing income, all from W-2s.

Of course, that's eventually our plan. Unfortunately his family business relies in great part on him ever since his father had a heart attack and isn't able to work as much anymore, so leaving isn't something easy for him to do. We assumed they'd be able to help us, so it was worth it, but looks like it's not the case which is a shame.

It's hard to find a sponsor since a lot of the people I've asked get scared when looking on google the government can sue them for money too. Definitely a tough spot to be in.

5 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

If you already have an interview already scheduled, then the Consulate Officer will make the decision about financial sponsorship during or after the interview.  If you have accurately reported more-than-enough sufficient liquid assets on the I-864, then I don't see a big issue.  However, you could get an income-based qualified US citizen or Green Card holder to become a joint sponsor.  It doesn't have to be family. I would not try shifting assets around at this stage.  Good luck.

So is the message we got just a warning that it could be refused, and not an actual certainty? That's a bit of a relief, even if it's still pretty stressful. We'll see if we can find someone just to be sure, but knowing it's not all over reassures us a bit.

1 minute ago, Mike E said:

How much will he earn in between now (September 4, 2023) and September 4, 2024?

 

We can't say for sure, but probably around the same, maybe up to 15 or 20k? He works with his family and has a private income (the money we declare), and his family basically covers all cost and everything for his work at their business.

Thank you both for your quick replies

Hey everyone,

Our case has been steadily progressing without any issues until right now. We managed to get an interview secured with NVC, but we recently got an email saying "The income reported as stated on form I-864, I-864A is insufficient to overcome the public charge grounds of inadmissibility for visa issuance." We were pretty sure we did all the right calculations: my husband made approximately only 11k last year (personal reasons), and we needed a 24k yearly income. We read that we needed to match the difference times five, so around 64k. Together, our assets are around 67k, with the majority being on my side (around 60k on my bank account in euros, if that makes any difference). It's over the threshold required, but we were asked to find a sponsor to help us.
Unfortunately, while his parents make plenty enough when pooled together with my husband (they work a family business), they don't hit the 32k threshold by themselves. We're not sure we can ask anyone else in his family either, as they can be on the close-minded side of religious, and might not want to sponsor a gay couple.
We could probably scrounge together another 5 to 7k, but we're not sure if that would make any difference, and we don't know if sending my 60k to his parents so they can use it in their affidavit would do anything either.
Is there anything we can possibly do?

Thanks for all the replies!
We were going to send as much as we could, to maximise our chances. We have other, more concrete proofs, like pictures taken together & with family, pictures of our marriage, passports, boarding passes, hotel receipts. We hope that will be enough, as financial co-mingling is pretty much impossible for us until I can move over to the states (past money we've sent each other during out time together, but I heard this can be more harmful than helpful if presented as evidence?)

Hey everyone,

After following advice I received last year on these forums, my partner and I got married earlier in January, and have started filling the marriage visa forms. However, two questions have sprung to mind as we’ve looked through everything we need to gather to send with the forms.

The first is related to the affidavits testifying of our bona fide relationship: we were considering asking both families and friends if they were willing to help us by writing affidavits of us meeting with them together and what they know of our relationship, but weren’t sure whether these need to be certified by an official working with the government. Do they simply need to be sworn statements, or actually checked or notarized by someone?

In the same line of questions, my side (and all my documents) are written in French. I’ve read these need to be translated to English, however I am confused by the term “officially translated”.

I used to work as a translator myself (and have a translation degree), so I was thinking of translating everything myself, but I’m not sure if that would be considered official or not. I am assuming the translations need to be done/checked by someone first for them to be considered official?

20 hours ago, Chancy said:

 

Please clarify -- was your most recent in-person meeting in June 2019 or in March 2020?  If it was June 2019, you are no longer eligible to file for K1 unless you meet in person again.

 

Oh, it was actually June 2020, that was a typo, sorry!

Thanks guys, those are some really great ideas you've offered us! We'll be sure to take them all into account!

3 minutes ago, Marieke H said:

An option might be to meet in Denmark and get married there. Fully vaccinated people can travel to Denmark from the US and EU countries, and getting married there seems pretty easy for international (same-sex) couples. Denmark is set to lift all domestic COVID-19 restrictions in 10 days, so it would probably be a pretty enjoyable visit with places opening up again. Just an idea you might want to look into.

 

I do agree with everyone else that the CR-1 is the better option if you can make it work. On top of the advantages of the CR-1 already listed, I think you might also be getting pretty close to not being eligible for the K-1, because you have to have met in person within 2 years before filing the K-1.

Denmark definitely seems like an interesting option I've been thinking about too!

We technically have until June of next year for our eligibility to run out for K-1 (last time we saw each other was June 2019, he came over in March right before everything closed down), but we both agree CR-1 seems like the best course of action after talking to people here.

8 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

I am not sure what you are not understanding about people here repeatedly saying the spouse of a USC is exempt from the ban… exempt is exempt …

 

you miss the point of the second part, it is for him to visit you as you suggested earlier (you were worried he could not because of the “ban” that isn’t actually a ban) not for you to be somewhere else for two weeks

Oh, I just wanted to make sure, I'm sorry if it came across that way! (I also just got what USC means, so that's my bad for that haha)

All the information in this thread has been very helpful, so I'm very grateful!

10 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:

You can visit while the CR1 in in progress.  You would be exempt from the travel ban.

That is amazing to know, thank you!