USSR

She likely will not get the SSN without going to an SSA office. I had to do this and many other people do as well.

And that is exactly what I had to do. Thanks.

Don

Did you get it yet?

Yeah, the Green Card came about 2 weeks ago. It only took a couple days to go from "Optimized" to "Closed", and then the Green Card came perhaps 7 - 10 days later.

Don

On one of the many Immigration forms I filled out (was it the Immigrant Fee form?), I marked the box indicating that they should automatically issue my wife a Social Security number. My wife has had her Green Card for 3 weeks now, and no sign of a SSN being issued. Anybody know how long this typically takes? Thanks.

Don

Thanks for the info.

Don

Okay, so my wife's Elis timeline has just changed from "Accepted - In Process, Under Review" to "Optimized - In Process". So, at what point do they send my wife her green card and SSN? It has been a month since I paid the Immigration Fee, and she has been here in the US for nearly a month. Thanks in advance for your replies.

Don

No, did not try paying with a foreign credit card. But, according to everyone on this site I have spoken to about this, it must be a U.S. issued credit card.

Don

I'm sure you can do it with a Ukrainian Bank card (as long as it has Visa or MasterCard). They would not require immigrants to pay a fee from a US bank before they come here to get a US bank account.

Don't be so sure about that. These are bureaucratic idiots of the first order that we are dealing with. As it turns out, the fee must be paid from a U.S. account.

Don

Then I just need to have her tell me the "A" numbers when the visas arrive. Thanks NikiR, appreciate the help.

Don

You can do it for her. It's fine. After all it has to be paid from a US bank account or a US based credit card. You will need their alien numbers (registration numbers on their visas) and their DOS number (NVC number) in which to create accounts and pay the fees.

Also to add it doesn't have to be paid before they POE but apparently if you do it before hand you receive your green card in a more timely manner. LOL

Regarding the "DOS number (NVC number)", is this the NVC number that they were given when their applications went to the NVC (KEV9999999999) or will it be a new number? Also, if I create the account in her name and pay from my credit card which does not have her name on it, will there be a problem? Thanks.

Don

Thought I had everything under control, but now I find out the following:

My wife and step-daughter had their Embassy interview in Kiev, and will be issued visas, BUT, she was told that she has to pay an Immigrant Fee of $165 each for her and her daughter before they can leave for the U.S. What it says online is that I cannot do it for her, she must create an account online and pay for it herself. Problem is, she doesn't understand English. Hopefully she can find someone who understands English enough to help her. Also, can she go to a bank in Ukraine and deposit $330 in an account and get a debit card that can be used to pay the 2 immigrant fees online, or does the money have to be coming from a U.S. bank account? Your help is greatly appreciated.

Don

Thought I had everything under control, but now I find out the following:

My wife and step-daughter had their Embassy interview, and will be issued visas, BUT, she was told that she has to pay an Immigrant Fee of $165 each for her and her daughter before they can leave for the U.S. What it says online is that I cannot do it for her, she must create an account online and pay for it herself. Problem is, she doesn't understand English. Hopefully she can find someone who understands English enough to help her. Also, can she go to a bank in her country (Ukraine) and deposit $330 in an account and get a debit card that can be used to pay the 2 immigrant fees online, or does the money have to be coming from a U.S. bank account? Your help is greatly appreciated.

Don

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone here has had an interview scheduled recently with the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, and how long was it from NVC visa approval to scheduled interview date? The woman at the NVC said "2 to 3 months, depending upon the embassy and how busy they are". Sure hope it's not THAT long. Thanks in advance for your reply.

Don

When you say "paid for the visa", you mean... ? There are several payments you have to make, and they all pay for different things. If you paid the 88$, that goes towards the AOS package. If you paid the 230$, that goes towards the IV bill. As soon as you've paid either one, you can print off the barcode sheet and send off the respective packages, but some people advise you to wait until the online portal has changed from "in process" to "paid". It's really up to you.

Yep, talking about the IV bill. Have read elsewhere that you should wait until the NVC recognizes it as "paid" before sending the DS-230 in, so hey, what's a couple more days. Thanks.

Don

Okay, so I went online and paid for the visa through my checking account. So, the payment is "pending" on the online site. Do I have to wait until the money comes out of my checking account and is marked as "paid" on the online site before sending in the DS-230 and supporting documents? Thanks in advance for your reply.

Don

Yeah, I suspected all along that it was the International, but will be sending both just to play it safe. Thanks for your replies.

Don

In Ukraine, they can have 2 passports: an internal passport and an international passport. For the DS-230 they want a photocopy of the biographic page of the passport, but which one? Anybody know? Thanks.

Don

Having spent quite a bit of time in Ukraine and Russia, I have no problem with most of the ethnic food. My one exception is, the Ukrainian national vegetable is the cucumber, and I HATE CUCUMBERS!!!

Don

The instructions are as clear as mud about counting my wife on my step-daughter's I-864, and counting my step-daughter on my wife's I-864. Statements such as "DO NOT COUNT ANYONE TWICE" and the definition of "dependent children" make it difficult to be sure just what they are thinking. So, it looks like my total household size will add up to 4 on both I-864's. Any disagreement on that?

Don

Okay, so I am filling out 2 I-864's; one for the wife and one for the step-daughter. In addition, I have been reading that I have to include my daughter from a previous marriage even though I only have joint custody, and she doesn't live with me. So, on each of the two I-864's, who to I list? Thanks in advance for your replies.

Don

I don't believe the translations need to be notarized, correct?

Yes, I misspoke, as NikiR said, the translations are "certified correct".

Don

Yeah, there was no "or" listed. Thanks pushbrk.

Don

In reading LingChe's NVC ShortCut, it says I needed to send in my last 3 years Tax transcripts from the IRS AND all forms of my last year's tax return. Since my last year's tax transcript from the IRS would cover last year, why do I have to send in all my forms from last year's tax return? Rather redundant, isn't it?

Don

While my wife's DS-3032 is on the way to the NVC, I thought I would have her gather up what is needed for the DS-230 and send it to me. According to the LingChe NVC ShortCut, below is what I need to have her send me:

1. Completed DS-230 form.

2. Photocopy of her passport with notarized translation of it.

3. Certified copy of her birth certificate with notarized translation of it.

4. Certified copy of our marriage certificate with notarized translation of it.

5. Certified copy of her police certificate with notarized translation of it.

6. Certified copy of her divorce decree with notarized translation of it.

A couple questions: I have read somewhere that you should send a set of photocopies of these original documents along with the original documents to the NVC? And, do I need to send passport style photographs of her along with these documents? Anything I'm missing here? Thanks in advance for your replies.

Don

Corresponded with Yana during May and June, went to Ukraine and met her on July 10, proposed on July 12, and we were married on August 23 in Kharkov. While I have quite a bit of experience with Slavic culture (I am an Orthodox Christian and was previously married to a Russian woman), I have never met anyone like Yana.

Don

I have tried several times calling the NVC this morning, and I keep getting the message "The NVC is not available at this time, please call back during the hours of 7 am EST to .... except on a Federal Holiday ....". Well, it's well past 8 am and it's not a Federal Holiday, so does anyone know what's going on? Thanks in advance for your reply.

Don