newspud

]Im looking for clarification... Does this mean that the immigrant receiving the Visa can't owe child support ( from the US, previously) Or the Petitioner who is asking for the immigrant can't owe child support??? Also, if the immigrant had previously lived in US and did not pay child support does anyone know how these cases are handled??

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! [/size][/font]

I'm bumping this because I'd like to know the answer to these questions as well.

Btw, the attorney also asked me for my husband's height and weight and my height and weight. Is this a standard question? Why would an attorney ask this?

Hi All,

Just thought I would send an update and perhaps garner a bit of empathy. I'm feeling very discouraged today.

We've been searching for organizations and lawyers who could handle the nuances of our situation in Boise but to know avail. On a friend's suggestion I started researching attorneys in Seattle.

The first attorney that I called was horrible. His website claimed that he gave a free consultation by phone, so I called and actually got him on the phone. He started asking me questions and then he got to how long we had know each other. I've known my husband for almost a year. We got married 5 months after we met.

The attorney then asked if my husband was paying me to file an AOS. I said "No, this marriage is not a fraudulent marriage." He laughed and said, "Yeah, and I have two heads." I couldn't believe it.

He then went on to say that he would need an extra 1,000 on top of the 1,500 dollar fee, two roundrip tickets (to where, he never said), and hotel accomodations. I'm assuming this was so that he could visit us in Boise - but again, he never explained what the tickets and hotel were for.

I asked a question about my husband's child support and after a short answer he curtly got off the phone by saying "I have to eat lunch now."

When you don't know who to turn to, and you have questions that are worrying you and that you'd like a modicum of peace of mind about, it's horrible to have to talk to a$$holes like this.

I also called Catholic Social Services today but they have no appointments until next year.

This is so frustrating. I wish we lived in a bigger city where we had access to qualified attorneys. I really don't like doing things by phone because I feel like you lose a sense of control over your paperwork - and I also don't like the idea of NEVER meeting my lawyer face-to-face.

Say a prayer for us, please. We're gonna need it.

Hi, I wanted to know what number you call where you can actually talk to a person

to find out about a pending AOS case that is at NBC?

It is still the USCIS customer service 1-800-375-5283. Press 1 then 2 then 3 to talk to a live person assistance. I believe there's no number to call NBC (i assumed its @ MIssouri) right away. You have to go thru that number. Good luck

Just wondering if this is also the case if you are calling for information about how to fill out forms. We've called in the past but it seems that they changed the options. Now I can't get a live person to help me. This doesn't have to do with a case that is pending... unless you count 'just starting to fill out the forms' as pending...?

Hi All,

In discussing our paperwork tonight, my husband just dropped a bomb on me.

For a little background, he came here about 12 years ago on a visitor's visa. When the visa expired he stayed here. He attended high school. He took odd jobs here and there under the table. I knew all that. But what I didn't know was that he was hired by a company about 8 years ago that used a fake social security number for him. This went on for 6 years.

About 2 years ago the company got audited. At that time, they decided to accept his tax payer number (his mother got this number for him years ago because she filed him as a dependent on her taxes). Prior to the audit, the company would not accept his tax payer number (thus the reason why they used a fake social).

I'm at a loss. Does this mean that he'll be deported? Does this mean that he'll have to pay a fine? Go to jail? I don't know. I know everyone says not to lie on an application, but should you really just come out and say "I used a fake social security number?"

Is it time to call a lawyer? (We haven't been using one up to this point.)

Anyone with a similar experience, or who knows of someone with a similar experience (and what the outcome was), please let me know. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

THANKS!

Any penalty would be against his employer. Now, what are you doing to make sure he is legally in the U.S.?? Once he gets an EAD, he can qualify for his own SSN. Filing for the EAD and AOS as soon as possible will help protect him from any thought of deportation.

Thanks for the replies. We are filing EAD/AOS paperwork. My concern is that if he doesn't say anything about it, and only reports the 2 years that he paid taxes, I'm sure (with the fact that his company has been audited) that his length of employment could easily be found with some sort of employer/background check... ? I do think it's time for a lawyer. Sigh!

Yes it is time for a lawyer. Your biggest problem is not even the fake SSN he has been using but actually he being in US while being out of status. I mean, this is a big problem but worse is even the ten year bar that he might face since he was out of status for so long.

Except that paperwork along the way asks if you have ever had a SSN before. How do you answer that?

Well, the truth of the matter is, he never had one, so he wouldn't be lying on the paperwork if he said that. When he applied, the company manager/owner told him, in short, to make a number up. He still remembers the number. They never asked him to fill out an I-9 or anything like that. When the company got audited, they changed their minds about his tax id number (he had it in the beginning but they didn't want to use it) so he has paid taxes for the last two years.

Was this fake social security number actually in his name?

No - it wasn't. He made it up per the request of the manager at the company.

Hi All,

In discussing our paperwork tonight, my husband just dropped a bomb on me.

For a little background, he came here about 12 years ago on a visitor's visa. When the visa expired he stayed here. He attended high school. He took odd jobs here and there under the table. I knew all that. But what I didn't know was that he was hired by a company about 8 years ago that used a fake social security number for him. This went on for 6 years.

About 2 years ago the company got audited. At that time, they decided to accept his tax payer number (his mother got this number for him years ago because she filed him as a dependent on her taxes). Prior to the audit, the company would not accept his tax payer number (thus the reason why they used a fake social).

I'm at a loss. Does this mean that he'll be deported? Does this mean that he'll have to pay a fine? Go to jail? I don't know. I know everyone says not to lie on an application, but should you really just come out and say "I used a fake social security number?"

Is it time to call a lawyer? (We haven't been using one up to this point.)

Anyone with a similar experience, or who knows of someone with a similar experience (and what the outcome was), please let me know. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

THANKS!

Any penalty would be against his employer. Now, what are you doing to make sure he is legally in the U.S.?? Once he gets an EAD, he can qualify for his own SSN. Filing for the EAD and AOS as soon as possible will help protect him from any thought of deportation.

Thanks for the replies. We are filing EAD/AOS paperwork. My concern is that if he doesn't say anything about it, and only reports the 2 years that he paid taxes, I'm sure (with the fact that his company has been audited) that his length of employment could easily be found with some sort of employer/background check... ? I do think it's time for a lawyer. Sigh!

Yes it is time for a lawyer. Your biggest problem is not even the fake SSN he has been using but actually he being in US while being out of status. I mean, this is a big problem but worse is even the ten year bar that he might face since he was out of status for so long.

Except that paperwork along the way asks if you have ever had a SSN before. How do you answer that?

Well, the truth of the matter is, he never had one, so he wouldn't be lying on the paperwork if he said that. When he applied, the company manager/owner told him, in short, to make a number up. He still remembers the number. They never asked him to fill out an I-9 or anything like that. When the company got audited, they changed their minds about his tax id number (he had it in the beginning but they didn't want to use it) so he has paid taxes for the last two years.

Thanks to everyone for their info.

Spookyturtle: No, he never filed an I-9. It's downright amazing that an employer can get away with that and still be in business fter all these years.

It's heartening to know that others have (or know of people who have) been through similar situations and some have come out ok. We knew that there might be a penalty to pay (not sure if 1,000 dollars is the max), especially since he has overstayed his visa by so many years.

Thanks for all the insight!

<<Thanks for the replies. We are filing EAD/AOS paperwork. My concern is that if he doesn't say anything about it, and only reports the 2 years that he paid taxes, I'm sure (with the fact that his company has been audited) that his length of employment could easily be found with some sort of employer/background check... ? I do think it's time for a lawyer. Sigh!

---

Yes it is time for a lawyer. Your biggest problem is not even the fake SSN he has been using but actually he being in US while being out of status. I mean, this is a big problem but worse is even the ten year bar that he might face since he was out of status for so long.

---

An overstay is forgiven. So is working while in the US. Using a SSN (which might be identity theft in itself - how'd they get the number?) is a different story. It's best to get a lawyer's perspective.>>

When he told a manager at the company that he didn't have one (SSN), the manager pushed the paperwork at him and said "just write down some numbers". So, he didn't steal one - he made one up. I don't how the company got away with it (they did this for many, many of their employees) - especially since they got audited (without, it seems, getting into any trouble).

I will update when we've consulted with a lawyer so everyone knows what advice we were given.

Thanks for the replies!

Hi All,

In discussing our paperwork tonight, my husband just dropped a bomb on me.

For a little background, he came here about 12 years ago on a visitor's visa. When the visa expired he stayed here. He attended high school. He took odd jobs here and there under the table. I knew all that. But what I didn't know was that he was hired by a company about 8 years ago that used a fake social security number for him. This went on for 6 years.

About 2 years ago the company got audited. At that time, they decided to accept his tax payer number (his mother got this number for him years ago because she filed him as a dependent on her taxes). Prior to the audit, the company would not accept his tax payer number (thus the reason why they used a fake social).

I'm at a loss. Does this mean that he'll be deported? Does this mean that he'll have to pay a fine? Go to jail? I don't know. I know everyone says not to lie on an application, but should you really just come out and say "I used a fake social security number?"

Is it time to call a lawyer? (We haven't been using one up to this point.)

Anyone with a similar experience, or who knows of someone with a similar experience (and what the outcome was), please let me know. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

THANKS!

Any penalty would be against his employer. Now, what are you doing to make sure he is legally in the U.S.?? Once he gets an EAD, he can qualify for his own SSN. Filing for the EAD and AOS as soon as possible will help protect him from any thought of deportation.

Thanks for the replies. We are filing EAD/AOS paperwork. My concern is that if he doesn't say anything about it, and only reports the 2 years that he paid taxes, I'm sure (with the fact that his company has been audited) that his length of employment could easily be found with some sort of employer/background check... ? I do think it's time for a lawyer. Sigh!

Hi All,

In discussing our paperwork tonight, my husband just dropped a bomb on me.

For a little background, he came here about 12 years ago on a visitor's visa. When the visa expired he stayed here. He attended high school. He took odd jobs here and there under the table. I knew all that. But what I didn't know was that he was hired by a company about 8 years ago that used a fake social security number for him. This went on for 6 years.

About 2 years ago the company got audited. At that time, they decided to accept his tax payer number (his mother got this number for him years ago because she filed him as a dependent on her taxes). Prior to the audit, the company would not accept his tax payer number (thus the reason why they used a fake social).

I'm at a loss. Does this mean that he'll be deported? Does this mean that he'll have to pay a fine? Go to jail? I don't know. I know everyone says not to lie on an application, but should you really just come out and say "I used a fake social security number?"

Is it time to call a lawyer? (We haven't been using one up to this point.)

Anyone with a similar experience, or who knows of someone with a similar experience (and what the outcome was), please let me know. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

THANKS!

tanyaru and link09, thanks for the insight! I am definitely leaning towards not using a lawyer - especially since our case is not unusual.

Thanks!

I am in the same situation. Read my timeline.

I did send I-130 alone (for different reason) and couple weeks later the I-485 & I-765.

So far so good.

In his situation do not send I-131. It is asking for troubles. He cannot leave the States till you get GC.

And I did all by myself. No lawyers. Just the wonderful people here on the forum and their experience.

Thanks so much! I appreciate the info!

Hi All,

I'm new to VJ and have been hunting around quite a bit. I was recently married and now we're looking at getting our paperwork done. Lots of folks here have not used a lawyer and I've come across some who have. I'm just wondering, in your opinions, what constitutes a circumstance when you have to use a lawyer?

My husband's VISA (r/b1/b2) expired in 2000. He's been working and paying taxes since that time.

Other than that, I don't think that there's anything that may stand in the way of us filling out the forms ourselves except the fact that he owes child support.

I've downloaded the forms and read over all instructions, etc. Of course, there are some questions that I have, but nothing that seems insurmountable, although I do worry about having the most current info and all the loopholes that seem to exist in the law.

Also, just wondering if anyone has, rather than sending everything in at once, sent forms piecemeal. I know it's not ideal but we are slowly putting the money together and I wonder if it's not worth it to send in what we can for now - or wait until we can send it all in at once?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm so glad I found this forum - I've learned a lot and printed out many posts already!