mathlady

I am just simply saying what I know. If immigration does not ask, then you don't tell, and don't volunteer any information, so that way you don't lie and you don't put your visa in jeopardy.

1.Type of the visa is f-4.and i m derivative beneficiary

F4: brother or sister of a US citizen. You sponsor should have already contacted the NVC and tell them of the correct name. Your sibbling had a lot of time to do this. The embassy may be suspicious about this and may ask why wasn't it corrected in the so many years you were waiting. You still have to go to the appoitment, even if you do not have all the papers. They will reschedule a new one and this will give you several months to get the papers.

2.it was the fault of petioner.who did not know the name and wrote the wrong one.

what i culd interpret is that in columbia where the government has given u the right to change your name is not a problem at all.but in pakistan it doesnt happen.but in pakistan if someone changes his name.he is allowed to change after necessary advertisement in newspaper.but i dont know the NVC will accept it or not.

Immigration will accept name changes if you have proof. The petitioner (your sibling) should have already done so.

3. in a case of our relatives the embassy made them wait for 9 months????our priority date was current back in feb,08 i think.if the embassy takes 9 monhs in our case.what will happen??

I don't know how far you are in your case, but my sister (whose priority date is not current), was already contacted by NVC. We already sent all the forms (Visa Fee; Affidatit of Support, DS 230, etc. ) We are now waiting for the appointment. I don't know how the NVC functions, but her priority date becomes current next year, and I was surprised that they already requested all the paperwork.

Just follow the NVC instructions. Go to the appointment and if they request a document that you don't have, then explained that it is difficult to obtain; otherwise, they will give you another chance to get the papers

Good luck

Oh, I would definetly would be taking that risk. Mexicans do it all the time. I know some who live in Mexico and are green card holders who also receive social security and medical benefits and all they need is to have an address here in the USA which many of them do by using their relatives or friends who collect the mail. When I called the Social Security Administration and Police to turn in some of them for collecting Social Security, never worked in the USA and living in Mexico, to my surprise they told me they don't have time to investigate that becasue is not a big crime and because they are using an address here in USA and that is enough for them. They said that as long as the address is current (the mail does not get returned), then that is the proof of residency!!!

We have a similar situation and the approval date was a few months after we submitted the application; but the case was sent to NVC to wait many years until the priority date becomes current. Also, approval by the USCIS doesn't mean a guarantee visa. The embassy or NVC can find things that will not grant the visa.

SORRY, but she can't not bring her aunt to the USA. I suggest that your wife send the aunt a monthly allowance to help the aunt pay someone to take care of the aunt. I do that with many family members; I don't make much, but send a lot of money overseas to many family members. Helping your aunt in Siberia is much better.

I may even go and stay with her for 3 weeks in December if she gives me a place to sleep. It would be a great experience to stay a Winter in Siberia!!!

our case was actually filed on 29 may 1997.

so our priority date was current almost 4 months back i guess.

WHAT TYPE OF VISA? F1, F2, F3, F4???

we had sent the choice of agent papers back to them and paid the fee immigration visa application processing fee.

but we have a few problems please answer

1.we are collecting the papers like birth cirtificates,marriage certificates, and other papers the problem is that it is taking some time mainly due to red tapism.i.e, due to official work.how long our immigration visa application processing free will remain valid.

IT WILL REMAIN VALID FOR 1 YEAR. THIS IS ENOUGH TIME FOR YOU TO GET ALL THE PAPERS.

i saw the papers it says that u have to submit papers within one year from paying ur fee bill.but it we will take a bit more time.how can we tell them that please dont let our fee go waist and we are collecting the papers.

SORRY, BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW AFTER 1 YEAR YOU WILL LOOSE THE MONEY AND THE PETITIONER WILL HAVE TO FILE AGAIN.

2.second problem is that our cousin whose name was not written correctly while pettioning.his name is hissan rabi but on the petition it was written as hissan munir.is there any way to tell them that we had written the wrong name????will they make him wait for years for this???or it is an easy job??can u please tell me a case like that????and what happened in that case???

IF IT WAS THE IMMIGRATION FAULT, THEN BRING THE COPY OF THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION THAT SHOWS YOU PUT YOUR NAME CORRECT, AND IT WAS THEIR MISTAKE; BUT IF IT WAS YOUR FAULT OR THE NAME CHANGED, THEN YOU HAD A LONG TIME TO HAVE CORRECTED IT AND BRING PROOF OF CORRECTION.

THIS HAPPENS IN COLOMBIA WHERE THE LAW NOW ALLOWS PEOPLE TO CHANGE NAMES, LASTNAMES, ETC. THE EMBASSY KNOWS THIS AND REQUEST PROOF FROM THE JUDGE OF THE CHANGE.

HOWEVER, WHEN I SPONSORED MY MOTHER FOR GC; I MADE A MISTAKE AND PUT HER "MARRIED LASTNAME", BUT SHE HAD CHANGED IT BACK TO HER SINGLE LASTNAME, AND ALL HER PAPERS SHOWED HER "SINGLE LASTNAME", BUT THE COUNSEL SAID NO PROBLEM AND FIXED IT RIGHT THERE.

3.moreover i will turn 21 on 24 january of the next year.if we dont get a call from the embassy or consulate within 7 months(or nine months adding two months took them to approve the petition).will i be left here???if we get a call and are interviewed will my age be freezed for immigration purpose.i read somewhere that the age will be frozen once interviewed.is that true?????

I THINK YOU SHOULD BE FINE WITH YOUR AGE; AS SOON AS YOU SUBMIT YOUR PAPERS, EVERYTHING MOVES FASTER, AND YOU SHOULD GET AN APPOINTMENT SOON; ONCE NVC SENDS YOUR CASE TO THE EMBASSY, THEN IT USUALLY TAKES A FEW MONTHS TO SCHEDULE THE APPPOINTMENT. NVC WILL SEND THE CASE TO THE EMBASSY AS SOON AS YOU SEND NVC THE PAPERS.

please tell me how long it will take from submitting the ds-230 to get a date for an interview.

IF THIS IS THE SAME AS THE BIO INFO, THEN IT IS THE LAST FORM THE NVC WILL ASK FROM YOU, AND AFTER THIS, THE NVC WILL SEND THE CASE TO THE EMBASSY.

please help!!!

i m from pakistan.

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT IT WILL TAKE MANY MONTHS TO OBTAIN PAPERS FROM THE PAKISTANY GOVERNMENT!!! HERE I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT MY COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT THAT THEY TAKE LONG, BUT THEY USUALLY TAKE ONE WHOLE DAY TO GIVE YOU POLICE RECORDS AND BIRTH CERTIFICATES, ETC. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT YOU HAVE TO WAIT MANY HOURS IN LINE!!

is their any eexample in my case or a case similar to that of mine???

YES, A FAMILY MEMBER OF MINE IS IN THE SAME SITUATION, EXCEPT THAT SHE WILL BE UNDER 21 BEFORE THE INTERVIEW. MANY PEOPLE IN THIS FORUM ARE ALSO IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS.

I guess every country is different regarding entering and exiting, but here in the USA, the US immigration only has a record of your entry, not departure (unless they check with all airlines!). I bet many people who have overstayed outside the USA have said they stayed shorter time. Assuming you never become a US citizen, then you will be fine.

I known of many Mexicans who live in Mexico and still keep an address here (usually relatives); then they say that they live here (they collect social security, food stamps, sponsor relatives, even lend their social security cards to other people to use it, etc); and the government never knows unless of course, you tell them. One time I called the Social Securtiy Administration and police to report a criminal who did not live here and never worked in the USA, but was collecting social securty, medical, food stamps, got a low income housing that rented to other people. To my surprised, they told me that they don't have time to investigate that because it is not a big crime!! An nothing was done!!! So as you can see, it pays to lie! How sad, but it is reality.

So, I think you can continue with your process and if the embassy asks where the petitioner lives, then you can say that in the US. They just don't have time to investigate all the petitioners' actual place of residency. Imagine that the backlog would be even worse!

No, many countries do not stamp the passport upon entry. Mexico is a good example of this. The Mexican gov. is smart and don't want their citizens exposed to losing their residency by overstaying in Mexico. When I have gone to Mexico, I have to request that they stamp my passport for my own records. Also, you can exit the country without having the passport stamped. So, if there are no records in the passport, how can the US immigration really know if you stay for more than 1 year outside the USA? I guess they just don't know.

The airline scans the passport for their records. This information COULD be shared with immigration if they request it; which means they would have to do do an additional check that takes longer; assuming that immigration has suspicion that you have stayed many years outside the USA.

No, I did not file the travel document because I knew I was going to be outside of the country for more than several years because I have one minor child, and now that the minor child is going to get a green card, I am now ready to come to the USA. I don't want to apply for a re-entry document at the embassy because the statistics says that most of them get denied. Thank you for your replies.

The immigration does not stamp the passport when you go outside the coutry (unless it is something new); so how can they know when you left? They only know when you arrive because they input that in their system. Immigration asks you how long were you outside the USA. It is up to you if you volunteer that information. I just want to know if anyone of you have experienced a situation where you have been outside the USA for more than 1 year and you told the immigration officer than you were outside less than that??? Is there any way he can prove that you were outside the country for a long period?

Thank you for your replies.

How does immigration know if a permanent resident has been outside of the USA for more than 1 year?

Is there a way they can know?