Mike and Arlyn

I encourage new immigrants to get the education they need for employment. But, more importantly, one should know what the local environment is like regarding employment prospects. For a lot of new immigrants with just a high school education who are married to a U.S. national, the community college arena is a good start. Don't let anybody kid you. Community college is a chance to develop new skills and to get the training that you need, particularly in the medical field. There are a lot of technical jobs, and in certain areas of the U.S., nursing careers still abound. Cost? Yes, it is still an issue. Still, fill out the FAFSA. You don't have to go into debt just to get a technical diploma or an Associate's degree. For some of you like my wife, who was the first in her family to have a degree (her parents only had a high school education), she was able at the the time to get a Pell Grant for such a situation. Pell Grants may be on the road to be eliminated, but it is still worth trying for it. There are thousand and thousand of scholarships in other areas, too. It just requires time going through each almost every on of them. If you have further training back home, completion of a bacheloriate program or getting into the right graduate program can help you immeasurably. Of course, networking and getting in on all the job sites is important, including the career placement center at a college or university. But, in the end good and appropriate training is very essential. I know that you may have read all this before, but it really is true. This is a starte to getting employee. Good Luck!

I had just received a notice about visajourney a few weeks ago and had completely forgotten about it, but after thinking about it, I decided that I would just make a few comments to all of you out there who are anxiously waiting to bring your spouse over and to finally get a life going for yourselves. First of all, let me say that I did get Arlyn over relatively quickly. All toll, it took 15 months from the time that the I-130 was processed to the time that NVC took over the application and finally processed it. What I would tell all couples who are in this situation is to simply "Be patient!" To make it go quicker, I would build into your wait time (if you are a professional working stiff) an intermediate trip back to the (in this case) Philippines (or whatever nation). This got us through and gave us some breathing time and (how shall I say) "love time" to get through the ordeal. In retrospect, 15 months is not a lot of time, but at the time, it seemed like forever. Almost every week, Arlyn complained about the time that it was taking. Filipinas have a very hard time looking to the future and seeing anything that is more that 36 hours away, forget about even 36 months.

Second, on every application that you complete, whether it be the I-130, the I-864, the visa application, etc., make certain that you carefully fill out all the applications. YOU DO NOT NEED AN ATTORNEY! And I know that I am committing a sacrilege, since I am an attorney myself (not an immigration attorney), but it is true. So, many couples waste money by seeking out someone who probably can do no better than they themselves and it results in their paying out a tremendous amount of money. Unless you really have a compelling case where you simply feel overwhelmed with the task or something in your personal situation could become an issue, you don't need to contact an attorney.

Third, please understand the severity of the situation and that this is your life and your spouse's. I made the decision to go to Manila to be with my wife 15 months later, because I felt that my wife would be abused by the U.S. Consulate. Once I showed up, they were normal and behaved very professionally towards me and my spouse. They will do a thorough background and police check on you and your spouse. Also, realize that your every word at the interview is being recorded, and thus, hopefully will never come back to haunt you in the future. I think that if I had not shown up that my wife would have been denied the IV visa and would have either had to come back with more information later, or might have even been told to start over. The U.S. Consulate may act nicely to you, but they can be a very vicious lot and don't let anyone else tell you, otherwise. "Dirty Rotten Outrageous (not Glorious) Bastards" they are.

The other thing is starting planning for your future, even while you are waiting to get her (or him) over. Plan for school and education and training. This is a fabulous journey for our spouses and it is something that they should behold and relish. My wife is already planning her career in the health profession as a nurse at our local community college where she is enrolled in an RN program. However, there may be a one-semester break as she is pregnant and we are expecting our first child together in September.

It is an exciting time! Take all this in perspective. You won't even think about this later on after it is all over. Good luck to all of you. I don't plan to be involved in VisaJourney anymore after this blog. You realize that this is a monumentous time in terms of global migration and that you are a part of it. We wish all of you the best and hope that all of your dreams are realized in the years to come.

Mike and Arlyn

I just received an "Immigrant Visa Application Processing Fee Bill" for a total of $400., made up of a $45. Security Surcharge and a $355.00 Application Processing Fee.

Back in November 2007 I enclosed a check for $355. with my initial I-130 documents

I have:

1. a copy of the front of that check

2. a copy of my bank statement showing that check was negotiated

3. a copy of the I-797C (First) Notice of Action (Receipt Notice) dated 1/18/2008 showing "Amount Received: $355."

Is the $355 charge from the NVC a duplicate of that which I have previously paid or a new one?

Thanks in Advance for your response(s)

The fee you paid in November was the I-130 fee. I-130 is a petition. The $400 is a visa application fee. They are not the same thing and are not paid to the same government agency. However, this post is in the K3 forum and the fee you mention would be for a CR1 visa, not a K3. K3's don't send any money to NVC.

Which visa do you want?