LDora

Just a little update to say I received my new Green Card in the mail today. I received an e-mail on Christmas Eve saying they'd ordered production, so this was very fast!

The approval date was December 6th

Almost six weeks to the day after I sent in my RFE packet, I received an e-mail last night letting me know that card production had been ordered. This morning, I got my congratulations letter of approval in the mail.

This is a huge weight off of our shoulders, especially at Christmas, and I would like to personally thank everyone on this site who has ever answered a question for anyone, provided information or support, and ESPECIALLY the people who take the time to be helpful and maintain the guides. It's because of people like you that I was able to successfully get my 10 year Green Card, and get to stay here with my husband.

Once again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and whatever you're celebrating this season (if you're celebrating anything at all), I wish you a happy holidays, and hope you're spending it with the people you love.

Mailed my new documents for the RFE on Thursday via UPS and received confirmation of delivery this morning. AND NOW WE PLAY ZE WAITING GAME.

Thanks guys! I figure it's no extra work for me and if it can't hurt, I might as well do it. Same as when I went for my K-1 interview... I had (literally) about five pounds of two years worth of phone records (would have had more but couldn't get farther back without paying a fee) that should our multiple daily calls and the interviewer just kind of laughed and went "Wow, you guys must like each other!" and didn't even look at them. And I had them so nicely organised too!

So I'm getting together a big package to send out for my RFE and I just noticed Google has saved 689 seperate chat sessions between myself and my husband (we like to bother each other on Google Talk while he's at work). They're just typical stuff; "Do you want anything from the store", "I'll be late tonight", "Let's go to the movies tomorrow", "Love you more", etc etc etc. Obviously I'm not thinking of sending them ALL, but since they're all date and timestamped, with both of our names and e-mail addresses on them, maybe adding a few as evidence of being happily married wouldn't be a bad idea? Couldn't hurt, right? I'm not particularly concerned about the RFE, I just figured if I can send a bunch of stuff pertaining to our marriage we might as well do so. What do you guys think?

Just got an RFE today dated August 11th that says we have until November 6th to get it all together. BOOOOO! Not particularly worried... they don't ask for anything specific. It says "Please submit evidence to show that you and your spouse entered the marriage in good faith and continue to share a life together. The evidence should cover the entire period of your marriage." I thought I had done that, but OH WELL. November gives me time to get a lot of stuff together, especially since we were planning on taking a mini vacation for our anniversary in October.

They don't ask for anything specific. Of the listed evidence they say we can submit is; children stuff (we have none), evidence that we live together and share responsibility for a common residence (we rent from his mom who owns the house, so I guess we'll get her to sign something to that effect), evidence that you have combined financial resources (already sent them tax returns for the year before last, but I guess I can get 2010's for them and more credit card statements and such), evidence that we have made estate, health, and financial planning together (we don't have a will, trust, or "durable power of attourney", but I suppose I can get that made up), and original affadavits from third parties to show that the marriage was in good faith (we have a few we can get that from). Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

No insult to anyone was intended. I had been at this for some time and have met many, many people/couples from many nationalities. It's just been my experience that most ( but not all) who have a short term pre-martial relationship find out later on that cultural differences can be very hard, understanding American lifestyles/way of life can be challenging, and without truly knowing the other person well enough to help get them through these hardships can result in a negative outcome. Many people get caught up in the romance and excitement of the moment and having the person of their dreams finally with them it can be great. But you are talking marriage here. A lifetime. A successful marriage is a heck of a lot more work than anything the USCIS can throw at you.Sorry if you feel that truly getting to know someone is a bad thing.

Sorry if you feel that the only way to "truly" get to know someone is to be in the same room with them. Obviously meetings are important, but to be perfectly frank, you're sure making an enormous amount of assumptions on the very intimate and personal lives of complete strangers, and while I'm sure it would be a great comfort to everyone to be able to put people in a little box and say "as long as you stay in this, you'll be okay" that's not the world works. People meet, fall in love, grow close over great distances in a variety of ways, and for you to imply that someone might know their significant other any less (or love them any less) just because they didn't have the time, means, whatever to get together more frequently than they were able is pretty darned presumptuous.

I don't have a RECENT experience since I went through POE in Edmonton almost four years ago, but I will say that allocating for even more time than usual is a good idea. (This is what trashy airport paperback novels are for, right?) I got pulled out of line at customs when I handed over my passport with the Visa stamp; I waited for about fifteen minutes in the little room off to the side, then got called up to show my paperwork. The officer I dealt with was actually very professional and friendly, just said congratulations and reminded me to get married within the 90 day period after he checked everything out. All told it was about a half an hour delay, but you can never tell if the people they're dealing with in front of you are going to complicate matters or something by trying to take a beaver across the border. Give yourself a few extra hours; seriously, you may wind up bored as heck on the other side of security yawning and trying to resist temptation from the vending machines, but it's better than giving yourself a stress attack on the off chance something happens to seriously delay you.

Same advice I give everyone else; be friendly, relaxed as you can, and polite and professional. I do believe that going earlier in the day when the customs officers are "fresh" and not stressed out at the end of the long shift can make a difference in the experience if you're super worried about it though.

My husband and I visited twice; he came to see me for a week, I went to stay with him for a few weeks. Believe me, we would have LOVED to have visited more, but he was in the process of selling his house and moved to Florida and finding a new job there, and the owner of the bakery I worked at was severely injured (seriously, it was gross) in an accident at work that required multiple surgeries and over a year of leave, so I was suddenly working 40+ hours a week managing the place in her stead. By this point, we'd already been in a long distance relationship for, mmmm, five years? So it helped that I had a massive amount of correspondence in all forms to take to the interview. They did ask if we were "concerned" we'd only met twice, but I guess the fellow interviewing me liked my response about how we had everything else in the relationship except being close enough to put my cold feet on his back at night, because he just smiled and moved on.

When my husband and I filed for my K-1 visa, we were in the same boat. We made sure to include a note about it that said something along the lines of, "Neither of us really enjoy having our picture taken, and it hadn't occurred to us we might actually need some photos down the line or we would have taken more. We hope the ones we have provided will suffice, and of course we will provide any additional information you may require!" It was never brought up. I think as far as RoC goes, as people have pointed out, they really want to see personal and financial lives intertwined, so I might include a note about the photos as I mentioned, but otherwise I wouldnt say you're necessarily in trouble. I'm still waiting on my own approval, but I think I sent maybe four pictures?

Everyone else here is absolutely correct, and I would give the same advice. But she has not asked me for money, and what you say is just what I've been thinking, and it's what has kept me hanging on, hoping that she will tell me the truth and that she genuinely wants to change her life. Then again, leopards do not change their spots. For her to open up her past to me would be extremely painful for her, and perhaps too much for me to bear. Her whole family must know the truth about her life. So, has she changed and really loves me, or not? Boy, was I ever naive!

I don't know her, or you, but if it were me personally in your situation, I would want to know for sure instead of just dropping her and moving on. As painful as the realisation that she might be lying to you still (or is involved in something or with someone else) may be, it's the sort of closure you really need to be able to move on. Clearly the love you/miss you phone calls with the other man is pretty damning, and I think you tripped yourself up by not demanding an explanation then and there... if she's giving you this much reason to doubt her, you are entirely justified in wanting and asking for the answers you need to have to protect yourself emotionally and financially. I just suggest the heart-to-heart because it sounds like you care about her deeply; I would suggest telling her that if she can't open up and be honest with you about her past and what's going on now, then you're going to cut her loose. If she really loves you, she'll see how important this is to you and want to set your mind at ease, and if she starts crying or getting angry at your probing in order to deflect you need to recognise that as the emotional abuse it is. You deserve better, but you also deserve to know what you've been involved with.

Also, don't let this sour you towards other relationships, no matter what part of the world it comes from. Being a Vietnamese woman does not mean you're going to be a vindictive, emotionally manipulative shrew in the same way that being an American does not mean you're going to be a judgemental, condescending fop. There are good and bad people all over the world, and the only way to find the former over the latter is to keep your heart and mind open and not let your bad experiences define who you are and how you look at things. If it hasn't already, love will find you, and it's important that you're ready to receive it emotionally and mentally when it does. Best of luck.

Can I just offer that you might try a heart to heart instead of dropping her like everyone has suggested? Unless she's asked for money from YOU (and it sounds like she doesn't need to) , it might simply be that she WAS a "paid girlfriend" in the past and is embarrassed by it, and is afraid to tell you about it because she thinks you'll want nothing more to do with her. (Probably a legitimate concern based on how quickly everyone seems to be saying she's a prostitute and a gold digger.) Everyone does things they wished they hadn't or are ashamed by years down the road, and if you like this girl as much as you say, it's worth asking for honesty and making it clear you want to be with the woman she IS, rather than the woman she WAS. I'm not saying I'm right, and I'm definitely not saying the lies aren't a big deal, but if you like her and connect with her as much as you say, isn't it worth one last push for honesty and openness rather than writing her off because of what might be regret over an older lifestyle? After all, you haven't said she's asked YOU for money.

Just got my Biometrics appointment notice today. The notice was sent 3/28/11 and the appointment is set for April 25th at 1:00 PM. Gettin' there slowly but surely.

I'm Canadian, and my husband and I filed for K-1. From start to finish it took about nine months. Was it expensive and a little lengthy? Sure. But isn't peace of mind in KNOWING the USCIS has NO LEGAL REASON to deny and potentially ban you from ever coming back worth the time and money versus the "Well, I haven't heard anyone say they've done it and been banned, so it might be worth trying" mentality? Do you really want to be the one person everyone points to as an example down the road of what happens when you don't follow procedure if you DO get denied and/or banned, however remote you consider that possibility to be?

I know the time and money sucks, but it should be worth it to you if you're planning on building a life with someone. What's a year in the grand scheme of things? Please don't screw this up for yourself based on a "maybe, maybe not".

Wow! That means that there is at least one person still working at VSC then I was beginning to think they'd all packed up and gone home for the month

(Can you tell I still haven't got mine yet They haven't cashed the check yet either & I'm starting to worry I made an elementary mistake and they're sending it back! )

D'aww. Buck up! I'm sure you'll get yours soon. I don't know if it makes a difference, but we sent a money order instead of a check. Maybe that's quicker for them to process? Anyway, good luck!

Filed on February 16th, got my NOA today. (VSC) Awwwww yisssss. Let the relief commence. As soon as I mailed it I was 100% I had done something wrong and they would reject it and we'd have to scramble to refile. Obviously this ain't approval yet, but now I can breathe a sigh of relief I at least handled the filing correctly and it's in their hands now.

Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate it! I'll look into the house documentation and see what magic I can work, as well as whatever else might crop up!

My husband owns his house, we've just never gotten around to putting me on the lease. Would it be a big hit against us if we didn't include this?

So! I'm not actually able to file until January 11, 2011, (my Greencard expires in April of next year) but I'm just getting everything together now so that when that day comes, we can just sign a check and toss it all in the mail because we're awesome like that. (In theory; I keep obsessively checking the guide and the requirements because I'm convinced it's all going to change within the next year when I'm not looking.) I wanted to get some feedback on whether people thought what we were planning to include was sufficient to provide evidence

EVIDENCE!

The Hard Stuff:

Joint bank statements

Tax transcripts for the last two years, which were filed jointly

Utility Bills

Photocopies of both of our driver's licenses (both have the same address)

Photocopies of our medical insurance cards, which have both names on them

Additional Stuff:

Ride photos (my husband and I go on a lot of roller coasters and have a lot of pictures taken of us in mid-scream from coaster cams)

Hotel receipts with both our names on them from our upcoming anniversary trip this October

Photos taken of us with his family at his sister's wedding last year

Souvenir photos (We have several from theme parks and other events that actually have the date stamped on them, which I thought was nice)

Holiday cards addressed to both of us from family

Also, we didn't have an interview for my AoS; we were automatically approved, which was nice. Is this any indication that we'll probably get the greenlight without an interview for RoC, or is it impossible to tell? It wouldn't be a big deal if we were called in for one, since I think our office is just downtown Tampa, but I'm curious.

I also didn't see it mentioned in the guide, but I seem to recall people talking about providing evidence that they work? If so, it wouldn't be a problem, since I'm self-employed and I have an additional part-time job, so I'd have plenty of evidence for that, but should I start getting all that together, or is everything else I have enough?

Comments? Thoughts? Thrown tomatoes? Thanks in advance for any help!

So apparently I'm a big idiot and when I moved in 2007, I forgot to do my taxes that year. I've never owed any money before, and I earned even less that year because I left about halfway through the year. Likewise, any returns I got were always very small. (Bakers don't make much.) The woman I spoke to from the CRA who called was very friendly and said I had to have it filed by November 12. She didn't make it sound like I was in any trouble at all.

My question is this. If I take my forms to somewhere like H+R Block here in the states, would they be able to prepare them for me? Barring that, could I have them done by a tax professional back in Canada (outfit similar to H+R Block) even though I don't live there anymore? Like, could I express them the documents and have them file it?

I'm just really lost here as I've never done my taxes myself before and I don't want a mistake to end up costing me. Help?

On a billboard downtown:

"Considering weight loss surgery? Visit the experts."

Well, obviously.

Oh, but the guy who operates out of the back of his parent's van behind the McDonalds gives such great financing rates!

Please assume if I'm going to pay someone to put knives into my tender, succulent flesh I expect them to be a surgery "expert" rather than, say, an "enthusiast" who watches the Discovery channel a lot.

It's funny that you wanted to take it a second time for the hundred percent

Actually, I needed to take it a second time; when I say I was off by one, I mean off by one to be able to pass. Still, I am both a perfectionist and a sadist. Some part of my brain apparently hates me and won't let me get away with anything less than perfect. If I didn't review video games for a living I would probably be one of those housewives who straightens the fringe on her throw rugs at 11:00 at night. As it is, I content myself with beating all my husband's high scores, and being insufferable to toady little DMV workers.

That's about what I thought. Who knows? Maybe she heard of a case where it happened and she's just being cautious. As long as everything works out and she treats them fairly, I guess it doesn't matter.

The town I come from in Canada could accurately be described as a "one horse town". Everything is within walking distance of everything else, so there wasn't much reason to drive if you had two working legs and an MP3 player. Anyway, this means I'm just now getting my license. My husband is a bit of a tense driver, so we agreed it was probably best I learned from a professional.

Before I could, of course, I needed to get my learner's. So, I studied the book, took the new required four hour course on drugs and drunk driving (in summary: "Don't do it."), and went in today to take the test. The guy I dealt with was pretty unpleasant. No smile, no "good morning", just "ID and proof of address". Now, I believe there is no such thing as being OVER prepared, so I had documents for everything, and tons of ID. I forked over my Green Card as proof of residency and he sort of frowned at it and asked for my secondary ID. I handed him my Florida ID and he scowled and said, "Well, you could have just shown this to me right away."

OH MY GOSH I'M SO SORRY NOW BOTH OUR DAYS ARE RUINED FOREVER AND EVER. I AM SO THOUGHTLESS. CURSE MY EYES AND MY DESCENDANTS!

Okay, admittedly I shouldn't have joked that I was going to ace it because I "always got the highest level of wanted stars in Grand Theft Auto", but come on. Don't rain on my day just because you're mad you have a face like a foot.

So I took the test, got a perfect score on road signs, but missed by one on road rules. (Stupid question about the number and colour of flags/lights a truck is required to display at night on an expressway. Seriously? Seriously.) So I asked if I could retake it, since you can take it twice in one day. He said, "Well, okay, but REMEMBER, it's going to be another FIVE DOLLARS."

Gee, let me check with the bank to see if I can get a loan, chief.

So I took the test and passed 100% with a new set of questions. Which made him suspicious. He spent a lot of time going over my results and asking me if I was sure I hadn't been on my cellphone, in the same tone of voice you would use when you're giving a six year old a chance to come clean about the cookie he nicked. (There are signs everywhere indicating no notes or open books, and no talking on your cell.) Pal, I don't OWN a cellphone. He finally had to fork over my learner's. After telling me he would need the cash UP FRONT before he could issue it.

So I made him break a hundred dollar bill with all the change in his drawer. Yes, I'm petty.

So, anyway, it was like pulling teeth, but I'm one step closer to be able to drive. Just thought I'd let you all know for anyone who might be doing something similar.