GueraKristina

Hello,

We are newbies. We are considering a ALL of the options for having my fiancee get to USA ASAP. It is important that she be here a coupld of time this summer to take some exams as to not lose an entire year when exams are again available in 2010.

We were hoping we could have her visa and her moving here by July as we thought up until a few days ago, that it was a 3 month max process. We now see it is a VERY LONG time and Summer time seem out of the question.

So instead of getting into ALL of the questions that we have I will start with one simple one.....

After I submit the I-129F and wait the 150 days or so for approval, can my fiance come to visit me (possibly a few times) for an extended period (under 3 months) and take her exams on a the visa waiver program?

Thanks.

P

Um, i believe that once you have a k-1 or ANY visa for that matter being processed, you cannot apply for another one, so if you want to do the K-1, (it is faster than the K-3), i dont think she will be able to come to the U.S on a visitors visa. I am not a 100% sure though someone feel free to clean things up. P.S my k-1 application was processed over the summer last year, i dont think it took all that long,i sent it in late march, early april, and i got an approval letter August 11th so like 4 months.

I guess you are one of the lucky ones...

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

I never had any problem traveling by airplane though..

I hope you don't have any problems with the luggage Kristina, have you thought about sending the stuff by DHL or FedEx, if customs confiscate them

why do you hate mexico?

I don't hate Mexico. I'm Mexican!!!

As Mexican I know how corrupt the Military/Police can be with Mexicans, especially in Border cities/states. They may treat different US citizens, but they can be a really a**holes with Mexicans.

I know thats true. Alfredo had problems with the chicanos when he went to juarez for his k-1 visa, they were taunting him and making fun or him because he is 'pathetic' and marrying out of mexico. said he was using the american, and called him a bunch of derogitory names. These were the people dressed in uniforms working for the boarder and customs, where alfredo had to go to get his I-94. When he got to the U.S and told me what happened, i told him that i was proud that he didnt lose his cool, and told him not to get mad about it, that they were just jelous because they couldnt get an american to marry them.

huh?

I'm next door and while I've heard similar things, even coming from friends, it is just for fun.

But a friend saying that is on a lighter note, more friendly perhaps. When alfredo was in juarez getting his I-94, he was sitting down in a chair, waiting for his turn, and he thought that he was called, so he got up and asked if he was called, and the 'officer' gave him a 'no you wernt called, shut up and sit down' kinda responce, and then the office and his 'friend' were talking in that 'loud enough so the guy we are talking about can hear us' kinda voice, saying how alfredo was pathetic and calling him names and saying how he was just using the american to get out of mexico.... they were trying to get him pissed off, and they did, but he didnt show it. If he woulda said something they could have made him leave, they could have denied him the I-94, made him come back tmrw, who knows, arrested him who knows. I know that he is not the only person that has had problems with the chicanos crossing the mexican boarder.

either your husband or you have a big sign that says 'i give bribes', or you go to the wrong places...

I've never ever, had a bad ocurrence in Mexico.. and I lived there for 23 years before moving to the USA

I live in Mexico for 18 years before moving to USA, and I saw corruption in everyplace I went to, yes even in small towns... The question may be.... "How long ago did you move to USA".... Maybe in your times things were not as bad...

I can relate to what Kristina says about asking money to deliver the letter.... I know about this place where you are not allow to go the post office to pick up your mail in the city, because the people in the post office can only deliver all the mail to the person who is suppose to distribute it, instead the wife, or family member of the "Municipal President", (pardon my bad translation,.. I do not what the appropriated translation will be for the person who is in charge in smalls towns...) deliver the mail and ask for 50 cents for each letter so if they have 5 or 6 letter for you, you have to pay them US$ 2.5 or US $3... if you do not pay, they simply keep your mail...

Thnks, i was beginning to think that i was the only one seeing these things. We always have to leave my mother -in-law with like 20 pesos just in case the mail man comes with a letter so that she can give him the money and get the mail or the bill or whatever it is. Where Alfredo is from, Gualupita, better known by its neighboring town called Santiago Tiangastenco, its a little town, but the police well, as i have included in previous posts, kind of know that they can do what they want. As long as you dont draw too much attention to yourself and are safe, for the most part you should be fine.

But i think immigration kind of works like a car warranty, whichever comes first. 10 yrs or the equivalent of 40 terms of work, terms isnt the right word, so i would think that if youve done your 10 yrs, then your off the hook, and it sounds like your wife kinda put it in a 'well you cant now, cause im a public charge, hahahahha, in your face' kinda way. Am i just misundersanding? Did you take it that way?

It was a strange conversation. A lot of anger, even though she wanted the divorce. A lot of, " I don't want to end up eating cat food when I'm 80, while your new wife has the house." I had my tubes tied....kinda of stuff.

I don't want to bore you guys, with a ton of divorce talk, but I'm getting a "I'm not going to sign these papers", unless we make changes, vibe.

Ah, well...

Well depending on where you live, sometimes they HAVE to sign the papers, i know sometimes you can have a judge MAKE her sign the papers. she cant blackmail you into signing/ changing anything. She is from britain right? If she was from a 3rd world country i might understand a bit more, but shes not, what would be so bad about her going back if she really thinks she is going to be eating catfood? Your off the hook buddy, she has nothing to blackmail you with. Say adios kitty kitty kitty.

either your husband or you have a big sign that says 'i give bribes', or you go to the wrong places...

I've never ever, had a bad ocurrence in Mexico.. and I lived there for 23 years before moving to the USA

Ive never given bribes, as for my husband, i dont think he has either. We dont look for problems, we mind our own businesses and stick to ourselves and our family. But like i said, where my husband lives the police themselves take the license plates off of cars......... and i have seen with my very own 2 eyes the discrimination of women. There was a sign for a little grocery that needed help. Said Women ONLY, between the ages of 17-24, NOT MARRIED AND NO CHILDREN!!!! To work in a grocery, wow.

I guess you are one of the lucky ones...

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

I never had any problem traveling by airplane though..

I hope you don't have any problems with the luggage Kristina, have you thought about sending the stuff by DHL or FedEx, if customs confiscate them

why do you hate mexico?

I don't hate Mexico. I'm Mexican!!!

As Mexican I know how corrupt the Military/Police can be with Mexicans, especially in Border cities/states. They may treat different US citizens, but they can be a really a**holes with Mexicans.

I know thats true. Alfredo had problems with the chicanos when he went to juarez for his k-1 visa, they were taunting him and making fun or him because he is 'pathetic' and marrying out of mexico. said he was using the american, and called him a bunch of derogitory names. These were the people dressed in uniforms working for the boarder and customs, where alfredo had to go to get his I-94. When he got to the U.S and told me what happened, i told him that i was proud that he didnt lose his cool, and told him not to get mad about it, that they were just jelous because they couldnt get an american to marry them.

yea, i think we're in different mexicos..

Just out of curiousiy... where are you from in mexico???Because you keep telling me that what i am saying is from movies and everything, but i think what is odd isnt what i have seen, but rather where you live that you havn't.

well... i dont know.. i wouldn't take 20 kilos of nesquik for sure, but 3-4 containers shouldn't be a problem

as for the red-green light thing.. I guess you're talking about the evil corrupt Mexico from the movies, in all my trips to Guadalajara, I've never had such things happening

I guess you are one of the lucky ones...

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

I never had any problem traveling by airplane though..

I hope you don't have any problems with the luggage Kristina, have you thought about sending the stuff by DHL or FedEx, if customs confiscate them

I didnt really want to send that stuff through the mail either. The mail sustem is about as corrupt as the police, and if it looks like it is carrying something important or worth anything, they open it and it never gets there. Plus, the mail carriers in my husbands little town dont deliver for free, and if he has a letter for you, he gives you a price, you dont pay it, you dont get the letter. It isusually like 50 cents but if its something bigger, and more 'valueable' in his eyes, who knows what he will charge.

yea, despite the ugly borders, Mexico is a lovely place thanks..

I agree, even though i dont think the corruption starts or stops at the boarders, it goes everywhere, whereever there are people that are poor and suffering, which these days seems to be everywhere, even in the U.S, people do what they have to either to be greedy or just to feed their families. Every1 should be cautious but it gives mexico a bad rep.

well which town is that? that sounds as corrupt as the one in the movie 'la ley de herodes'

Which town is what? We were talking about mexico city, and then boarder cities, but everywhere i have been in mexico there is some form of corrupton, Mexico City, Cancun, Toluca, Santiago Tiangastenco, Gualupita, Cuernavaca, .......anybody want to add to the list............

I guess you are one of the lucky ones...

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

I never had any problem traveling by airplane though..

I hope you don't have any problems with the luggage Kristina, have you thought about sending the stuff by DHL or FedEx, if customs confiscate them

why do you hate mexico?

I don't hate Mexico. I'm Mexican!!!

As Mexican I know how corrupt the Military/Police can be with Mexicans, especially in Border cities/states. They may treat different US citizens, but they can be a really a**holes with Mexicans.

I know thats true. Alfredo had problems with the chicanos when he went to juarez for his k-1 visa, they were taunting him and making fun or him because he is 'pathetic' and marrying out of mexico. said he was using the american, and called him a bunch of derogitory names. These were the people dressed in uniforms working for the boarder and customs, where alfredo had to go to get his I-94. When he got to the U.S and told me what happened, i told him that i was proud that he didnt lose his cool, and told him not to get mad about it, that they were just jelous because they couldnt get an american to marry them.

I don't think there is an exact number of containers that you could take that would be okay or an exact number that would put you over the edge! The point is that you don't want them to think that you are taking them to sell and make money. You want to make sure they know that they are gifts and not something for you to make money off of. I had the same concern when I first flew here to São Paulo. I wanted to bring presents for my fiance's family and I decided that I would bring them all baseball/football hats. A real American baseball hat here is really really crazy expensive, but I found an outlet store that was selling them for only $5 (around Christmas!). So I bought 20 hats and packed them up in my luggage and was really worried that they would think I was going to try to sell them here!

They didn't say anything about them, but that might mean I just got lucky, because 20 is quite a lot! I would agree with the above poster that 3-4 containers would be fine, but I wouldn't bring more than 5, just to be on the safe side.

And yes, you can bring as many knives in your checked luggage as you want!

Thanks, however, the second to last time i went to mexico, i went with my manager from my job, she said that she had had problems in the past with stuff being packaged, so literally, everything that she was taking to mexico (mostly gifts from family members here, sending them back home to their wives and kids) all had to be unpacked and unboxed and unplasticed. She said that they may think you are going to sell it, and if they dont think that, and see all the stuff you have,and you say they are 'presents' they just might make you pay to take them into mexico, because they know that they are presents and that you want to give them to people, therefore they have value, and they want to cash in. But we will see what happens....... probably nothing my husband and i havnt heard of or already seen.

well... i dont know.. i wouldn't take 20 kilos of nesquik for sure, but 3-4 containers shouldn't be a problem

as for the red-green light thing.. I guess you're talking about the evil corrupt Mexico from the movies, in all my trips to Guadalajara, I've never had such things happening

I guess you are one of the lucky ones...

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

I never had any problem traveling by airplane though..

I hope you don't have any problems with the luggage Kristina, have you thought about sending the stuff by DHL or FedEx, if customs confiscate them

I didnt really want to send that stuff through the mail either. The mail sustem is about as corrupt as the police, and if it looks like it is carrying something important or worth anything, they open it and it never gets there. Plus, the mail carriers in my husbands little town dont deliver for free, and if he has a letter for you, he gives you a price, you dont pay it, you dont get the letter. It isusually like 50 cents but if its something bigger, and more 'valueable' in his eyes, who knows what he will charge.

yea, despite the ugly borders, Mexico is a lovely place thanks..

I agree, even though i dont think the corruption starts or stops at the boarders, it goes everywhere, whereever there are people that are poor and suffering, which these days seems to be everywhere, even in the U.S, people do what they have to either to be greedy or just to feed their families. Every1 should be cautious but it gives mexico a bad rep.

I included a letter from my employer, so you might want to include that, it would never hurt.

But i think immigration kind of works like a car warranty, whichever comes first. 10 yrs or the equivalent of 40 terms of work, terms isnt the right word, so i would think that if youve done your 10 yrs, then your off the hook, and it sounds like your wife kinda put it in a 'well you cant now, cause im a public charge, hahahahha, in your face' kinda way. Am i just misundersanding? Did you take it that way?

I think thats how it goes, or 40 something or anothers of work accumulated, Im not quite sure, someone clear me up,

I keep noticing people writing that their petitions have been "touched". What exactly does that mean? How can I know? I received my first NOA for my I-129F on Jan 30 2009. Should it have been "touched" by now???

Touch means when the papers have been 'touched' online if you check your paperwork updated (although i dont recommend it now because the system is not opportating correctly and many numbers are not in there) the date will change, for example, if you sent the paperwork January 1st and you ge the NOA1 on January 20th, and you check online and the date will say 'NOA1 sent January 20th or w/e' but if you check it periodically the date maychange, the date changes everytime your papers are handled or processed a bit more, so it may change to Febuary 13th, or w/e, do you understand????

No, im not talking about the evil currupt stuff in mexico from movies, i have been there and seen it, in mexico city it is different, and in my husbands little town it only gets worse. For example, alfredo has told me on numerous occassions that he refuses to leave his motorcycle in the zocalo in santiago, because the police watch it, and watch you, when you walk away, they take the plate off, they do the same thing with the cars too, if you try to drive it, they pull you over because you are driving without a plate, if you give them money, they give your plate back.

Ive got a bunch of stories and they arnt from the movies. I guess your lucky enough to not have that in your home town.

Ok, sounds good, my mother in law will be happy. How much is 'suspicious'? Because if i can fit it, i planned on taking alot of powder mixes because the kids like it, and its expensive and they dont sell it in the big containers like they do here, only in the sobrecitos. I know that if you get the red light in la aduana crossing into mexico and they find wrapped or packaged stuff they give you problems, they think it is gifts and stuff and it depends on who you get, it isnt uncommon for them to take the stuff and not let you have it back until you slip them some money.

Anybody have any suggestions on what is a 'non-suspicious amount'?

Just out of curiousity, i have a question. Alfredo and i have plans to go to mexico (with his green card or advanced parole of course!) in december to visit his family to celebrate christmas, new years, and our first wedding anniversary there, every time i go, i take something for his family, just about every1 gets something, i wanted to take a bunch of drink mixes (like nesquik, b/c alfredo's sister and his neices and nephews love that stuff, but instead of using 1 packet of nesquik, which is how they sell it there, in packets, they use like a sprinkle, so it lasts longer) so i wanted to take some containers of nesquik and some tang b/c they buy that too, but my question is, can i take cutlery with me in my luggage that goes below the plain? not in my carry on, obviously? i dont want them to think its a weapon, but my mother in law has really crappy knives, and i wanted to get her some nice ones, maybe with a wood stand, you know, and maybe a nice cutting board, b/c she just uses slices of stump or wood as most of the people do in alfredo's little town. On one end, im thinking it wouldnt be a problem, but then again on the other, how would i react if i see a luggage bag go through the xray machine and see knives in it, id probably quesiton the person, or take the knives. What do you guys think????????

I have a question.

I have a ap and a ead.and my aos is pending.

I need to travel to the netherlands.

But now i see on my I 94 it expired on 29 november 2008.

And i need to travel 24 april 2009.return 13 may 2009

Do they consider this as an overstay on my i 94.

What can i do and is it safe to travel on my advance parole.

I hope somebody knows the right answer, so many different ansers when i search the internet.

Some say its no problem to travel others say not to travel.

I dont know what to do anymore.

Your I-94 was given to you when you entered the U.S, it was given to you so that you had enough time to apply for the AOS stuff, i am assuming you came in on a K-1 fiance visa, but even if you didnt, once you apply for the AOS stuff, and it is being processed, you are fine, even after the I-94 has expired. You can leave the country because you already have our AP, just take a copy of your paperwork saying that your greencard is being processed just in case, obviously your passport, and a copy of your marriage certificate if you came over on a k-1,

someone else feel free to chime in, but that is myunderstanding of everything.

Thats what i did, thats what it says on the instructions, just pay to the order of the U.S department of homeland security' thats what it said,thats whati have always put, i put it that way for my husbands i-129f, and had no problems, did the same thing for his AOS paperwork, so, i think that is your best bet haha.

Well i dont know much about the k-3 since i did the k1 for my husband, but if i were you, with alll the ####### immigration is putting you guys through, i would be sooo anxious, i would be calling nonstop, it doesnt hurt ur case, so keep calling, send in all the information they need, or do what ever you can, i know how hard it is to be away from the one person that you truly love, the one person that understands you. keep trying, and dont give up, your beautiful wife im sure is worth it, i know my hubby was.

You send the check with your papers and you send the paperwork to the chicago, IL office, check the directions for the exact address.

ummmmm no, def not. they do not punish you haha, atleast ive never heard of anything like that.... but they will probably be like 'oh well your case is still within the 90 days processing time, or w/e please call back when it has passed the 90 day deadline or w/e' and they probably wont be able to help you much.

Yea, I know sometimes i overkill my statements haha. Ok.. so i'll give 'em a buzz and see whats the hold up.. my case got approved on feb 27 , 2009 so i think they sent it to the nvc and i'm not sure where this information is. I haven't got a notice from the NVC or any other information. I also signed up for uscis instant email alerts and even though i received approval letter in the mail, the status on the internet says pending..hmmmm Does anyone else have this similar type of situation?

thanks so much gueraKristina. I really appreciate it.

ALOT OF PEOPLE have been having problems with the online system, almost all of the current people going through AOS right now cannot even find their special codes inthe system, so your lucky you can, as for updating regularly and being accurate 100% of the time, that falls into the fact that the system is under severe construction because it sucks so bad. So if i were you, i would just go by what you get in mail, or call, and dont rely too havily on the stuff online, but if it really mkes your day, you can always take a peak to make yourself happy haha.

i agree with mister bill, take NOAs, your passport, and a copy of your marriage certificate, good luck

Congrats, that is great, i hope alfredo gets approved super fast too!!!

ummmmm no, def not. they do not punish you haha, atleast ive never heard of anything like that.... but they will probably be like 'oh well your case is still within the 90 days processing time, or w/e please call back when it has passed the 90 day deadline or w/e' and they probably wont be able to help you much.