mamaronga

March 4, 2017

I've looked at the guides and cannot seem to find the answers to the following questions--so any advice experienced folks have would be greatly appreciated!

My husband, who is now a US citizen, would like to bring his mom to the US to help with childcare for when we have a child. My understanding is that it will take around 1 year for the I-130 to be processed, is that about right?

Then, his mom would have a conditional green card for 2 years until given the opportunity to naturalize to be a US citizen-- is that right? So she would need to be in the US what... 3 years before becoming a US citizen?

We are just trying to figure out if doing the I-130 is the best route, versus getting her a tourist visa. Ideally, we'd like for her to come and go to her home country as she wishes, which is why a 3 year commitment to become a US citizen feels like a long time. However, obviously, the tourist visa is less secure. I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on the best way to get her here for ~1 year would be, especially in the current political climate?

Thanks so much!

July 2, 2013

Thanks everyone for your replies! I appreciate the list of things to gather, and the advice that we shouldn't try to send anything they don't ask for. We will see what happens!

Have others also had difficulty at this stage--?

June 28, 2013

Hi fellow Visa Journey-ers,

My husband and I had a different experience at his citizenship interview than expected. Throughout this whole process we have always been extremely through and have sent USCIS always much more evidence than was asked for. We have had, thank goodness, no issues to date. Since my husband studied a good amount for the civics/history test, and his English is excellent, we expected to be celebrating after the interview. By the way, my husband passed the civics/history/english test with flying colors. The tricky part was that, despite the abundant evidence of our bona fide marriage that the IO had in possession, and that fact that many other IO's before have confirmed our bona fide marriage, there still seemed to be questions about lack of evidence- in particular, it seemed, because our health insurance policies are separate (it's because it's more affordable since we don't have kids to have them be separate, which I explained to the IO- yes, I was interviewed too), because we have no mortgage (on our income we cannot afford to buy a house yet) or life insurance (again, not something we can afford).

There were a few small pieces we could have added (but didn't think to, unfortunately, since no additional evidence was requested when our N-400 was sent in so we figured we'd just bring what was requested to the interview) including a bank statement from the current month (they had one from 3 months ago) and our car registration (though they had that in our lifting of conditions file so it seemed redundant). Initially the IO was telling my husband to either bring those documents back the same day, or fax them, in order to close the case. But then they said they would interview me, the US citizen spouse, first and then let my husband know whether he should do so or not with the additional evidence. So the IO interviewed me, but then never told me or my husband to send in any specific documents. In fact, all he said to me when I asked as I was ushered out the door was "I'll be going through your file and if I don't find anything bad then you'll get a letter about the oath ceremony or you might get a letter asking for more evidence. It could be up to 90 days before you hear from us." I met up with my husband in the lobby and saw that the IO had already marked the "Could not be decided today" box on the form, even before he had brought me in to be interviewed.

90 days would be a very long time to wait...for example, just to get a letter requesting some more evidence. I would like to speed up that process if possible, but only if it would be a good idea to do so.

My question for the wise sages of this forum are:

-Since it was confusing what exactly the IO wanted regarding additional evidence (i.e. they asked my husband to bring it in the same day to close the case, but then interviewed me and then never followed up on that request), should we:

A) Pre-empt what seems likely to be a Request for Additional Evidence and send in the current bank statement, the car registration, and ---another idea I had---receipts of our 2 insurance policies sent to the same address? And if we do this, should we include some affidavits as well? (since the IO seemed so interested in life insurance and a mortgage which we don't have and cannot have at this point in time because we simply cannot afford it) (Note: we wouldn't know exactly where to send it...I suppose directly to that field office with the IO's name under "Attention"?)

or

B) Just hope that the IO sees the truth and approves my husbands case (as all past IO's who have viewed the case have done)...and if it's a request for information, just wait for it? (even though that could mean 3 months just to get the RFI, and who knows how long until an oath ceremony)

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks so so much!

I AM NOT THAT GUY · February 17, 2013

I tried it on Internet Explorer and it worked!

Thanks so much for the tips.

Or disable the built in pdf viewer.

February 17, 2013

Hi Gboree,

I'm usually all for being on the safe side but the Selective Service site says it takes 3 months to get the status info letter...I'd prefer to not wait that long for something we don't actually need...

Why do you think they'll ask for it at the interview...if we can prove that my husband was on a K-1 visa in his 25th year, and adjusted status in his 26th year, so was already too old to register?

thanks

Claire

Hi there, just to be on the safe side just go to the Selective Service website http://www.sss.gov and request the Status Information Letter. that way, you are playing it safe cos you will not want to go for your interview and they will ask you to go bring that letter from Selective Service.

February 17, 2013

Hi VJ Family!

Has anyone else had trouble down-loading the N 400 application off of the USCIS web-site? I've tried it from multiple computers over the course of a month, and it never works. I always get a message that my PDF viewer may not be able to properly view the document...but like I said I tried it with various computers all of which have the most up-dated PDF viewer. http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/n-400.pdf

So, is the USCIS web-site the problem?

I do have a N-400 form I downloaded last year, that says "Rev. 3/22/12". Is this the latest edition? It also says it expires "3/31/13".

Can we use this form, as long as we POSTMARK it by 3/31/13? When will they put the new version up?

Thanks for any advice you can give!

-Claire

January 25, 2013

I just re-checked, and K-1 is indeed a "nonimmigrant visa". http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_2994.html

Therefore, he can check the "No" box for Q 34 and forget about the "Status information Letter", am I correct?

Thanks a lot!!!

January 25, 2013

since he got his PR when he was 26 it's not a problem. the age is from 18 to under 26 but . go to http://www.sss.gov/Status.html you need to submit a from and based on the document you submit, they gonna issue for you a letter to keep it for your record. if you need more information let me know. but it's not necessary , the IO can figure it out him/herself

Thanks for your quick responses!

So yes, according to the link you sent:

"No status information letters are required from the Selective Service System for :

Non-U.S. male on a valid non-immigrant visa

For example, if the man entered the United States as an F-1 student visa and remained in that status until his 26^th birthday, he would need to provide documentation indicating that he was admitted on an F-1 visa and attended school full-time as required. Acceptable documentation for this situation include a copy of his I-20 form or a letter from the school he attended indicating his full-time attendance as a non-immigrant alien. The same thing applies for all non-immigrant statuses."

so this makes me think he did NOT need to register. Because he was on his K-1 visa until his 26th birthday.

Therefore, for Q 34 of N 400,

"Are you a male who live in the US at any time between your 18th and 26th birthdays in any status except as a lawful non immigrant?"

So should he answer "NO" for this question....? (isn't being on a K-1 visa a lawful non immigrant?) According tome, link you sent me, "No status information letters are required from the Selective Service System for : Non-U.S. male on a valid non-immigrant visa"

Or does he have to answer "YES" and request and file the Status Information Letter from Selective Service? (I hope not, because they state on their website that it's a 3 month turn around time!!!)

Thanks so much for your help!!

January 25, 2013

Hi VisaJourney community---I have a quick question about registering for the Selective Service and applying for US Citizenship:

In the VisaJourney Guide for US Citizenship it states the following:"If you did not register with the Selective Service and you (1) are male, (2) are 26 years old or older, and (3) lived in the United States in a status other than as a lawful nonimmigrant between the ages of 18 and 26, send: A 'Status Information Letter' from the Selective Service (Call 1-847-688-8888 for more information). "

My husband came to the US on a K-1 Visa in August 2009. He was born in Oct. 1983. He adjusted status in January 2010.

I remember checking it out to see if he needed to register for the selective service at the time of our paperwork for Adjustment of Status, and I remember us deciding we didn't need to do so. But now I'm having second thoughts... he was 26 when he adjusted status, but turned 27 that same year. We've heard that as long as you turn 27 that same year, you're considered 27 for that entire year and don't need to register for the selective service. But he entered the US for the first time when he was 25 (and turned 26 soon after)--however, he was only on a K-1 visa at that time, and didn't adjust status until the next year (January, the year he turned 27 in Oct.)

Can someone help clarify if my husband needs to (or needed to) register for the Selective Service?

If yes, and we messed up, what can we do to remedy the situation so that he can get citizenship? What is the 'Status Information Letter' and how do you get it? (Has anyone had this experience?)

Many many thanks for your thoughts and advice!!

Claire

Kathryn41 · September 22, 2012

Thanks for your comments everyone. We will probably just wait then, to not have the headache of rescheduling things and the worry of getting an appointment letter while we're gone.

Cheers!

September 18, 2012

Hi all,

I used the USCIS calculator and we are able to start filing for my husband's citizenship as early as Oct. 17, 2012 (his 3 year Green card anniversary is mid January 2013).

The trouble is, we were hoping to go to visit his family (out of the country) for a month mid December to mid January.

How soon after filing the form do the biometrics and interviews typically take? Is it pretty standard or can it vary? For those of you who have gone through this, would you just recommend filing after we get back from Ecuador, or do you think there would be a way to time it so we don't get in trouble having an interview scheduled while we're overseas?

Thanks so much for your advice and guidance,

Claire y Cris

March 4, 2012

Glad to see more GC's are coming in!

I've up-date the list with the date we received GC.

Best of luck to all of you!

California Service Center (14 applicants, 6 approved 43%)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....

BOBBY+UMIT...........09/26/11........10/01/11.......10/31/11........--/--/--....

CHINESE_MUTT.........10/01/11........--/--/11.......--/--/11........??/??/11....(GC received 12/7/11)

EOS38................10/03/11........10/06/11.......11/02/11........--/--/--....

GIRARM...............10/03/11........10/04/11.......11/08/11........--/--/--....

PASAWAY NA ANGEL.....10/07/11........10/11/11.......10/28/11........02/15/12....(GC received 02/21/12)

ANNA 4 BOB...........10/08/11........10/13/11.......11/17/11........02/22/12....(GC Received 02/27/12, Early Bio 11/07/11)

QUININA..............10/08/11........10/14/11.......11/04/11........--/--/--....

GREG001..............10/10/11........10/11/11.......11/03/11........02/23/12....(GC Received 03/01/12, Early Bio 10/21/11)

WASABI...............10/10/11........10/20/11.......11/28/11........--/--/--....

KARRI................10/12/11........10/14/11.......11/07/11........02/27/12....(GC Received 03/02/12)

CORINTHIANS..........10/15/11........10/18/11.......11/09/11........--/--/--....

STINKERPOTSAM........10/17/11........10/19/11.......11/21/11........--/--/--....

ELAFITO..............10/17/11........10/19/11.......11/18/11........--/--/--....

MAMARONGA............10/28/11........10/31/11.......01/05/12 ........02/14/12....(GC Received 2/17/12) (Requested to change Bio but then went on 1/6 due to a family emergency)

Vermont Service Center (17 applicants)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....

CACEREZ..............09/28/11........10/03/11.......11/25/11........--/--/--....

JIMANDCHRISTY........09/29/11........10/04/11.......11/09/11........--/--/--....

SIMBAFUZZ............09/--/11........10/11/11.......10/21/11........--/--/--....

IML3G3ND.............10/08/11........10/11/11.......12/09/11........--/--/--....

PAYS-BAS.............10/11/11........10/14/11.......11/18/11........--/--/--....

RANCHRIS.............10/11/11........10/1?/11.......11/07/11........--/--/--....

DJNK.................10/11/11........10/14/11.......12/05/11........--/--/--....(Early Bio: 11/14/11 at CIS Raleigh/Durham, NC)

STARCOOKIE...........10/12/11........10/13/11.......01/04/12........--/--/--....(Original bio dated 11/10/11 lost in mail)

SUNSHINEFL...........10/13/11........10/17/11.......01/11/12........--/--/--....

SHANNON ♥ NICK.......10/15/11........10/18/11.......--/--/11........--/--/--....

REBECCAANDPHIL.......10/17/11........10/20/11.......11/23/11........--/--/--....

CUTIE_PATOOTIE.......10/17/11........10/24/11.......01/24/12........--/--/--....

MELBERGS.............10/17/11........10/20/11.......12/07/11........--/--/--....

MASET09..............10/17/11........10/21/11.......12/19/11........--/--/--....

CDNEH................10/24/11........10/27/11.......12/05/11........--/--/--....

MRS. PALMER..........10/27/11........--/--/11.......--/--/12........--/--/--....

ANGELINABLACK........10/31/11........11/12/11.......11/28/11........--/--/--....

IMPORTANT!

* Make sure that your VJ Text Editor setting is set to Rich Text Editor.

* Go to the MOST RECENTLY POSTED VERSION of this list (go to the last post and scroll UP) and "Reply" to it, deleting the "quote" tags in your reply.

* Please DO NOT change the font, font size, add colors, stuff like that.

* Please PREVIEW before posting to make sure it is properly formatted.

* Please check that you have not deleted anyones NAME & DATA.

Date of I-751 = The Date you sent your application

NOA Date = The Receipt Date on your original NOA letter

Biometrics = The Date of your biometrics appointment

Approved = The Date your case was approved

* Please Capitalize your VJ Name when adding it to the list.

* When you're on this list, please come back to update your information accordingly

* If you cannot add your information yourself, please ask another VJ member to help you do so.

February 18, 2012

Hi All!

Wow, what a lovely surprise to come home from work and get an APPROVAL LETTER!

A total surprise.

This letter is not like other letters I've gotten from USCIS... it's just a normal piece of paper, no seals or anything like the NOAs. It's also signed by the Director of our Local USCIS Office. Not to be paranoid, but is this kind of approval notice normal? I just wanna make sure it's not a practical joke! But here's what it says:

"Congratulations! Your request for the removal of the condition basis of your permanent resident status has been approved" etc....

We'll be moving in 1 week so I'll have to call USCIS and make sure they send the GC to the right place, if it's not already in the mail! (Looks like folks have been getting GCs within a few weeks of approvals...?)

Wow, I'm just so happy, and I'm really hoping the rest of you will get this good news very soon! I'm sure it'll come sooner than you think....

Cheers,

Claire

up-dated list below,....

California Service Center (14 applicants, 3 approved 14%)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....

BOBBY+UMIT...........09/26/11........10/01/11.......10/31/11........--/--/--....

CHINESE_MUTT.........10/01/11........--/--/11.......--/--/11........??/??/11....(GC received 12/7/11)

EOS38................10/03/11........10/06/11.......11/02/11........--/--/--....

GIRARM...............10/03/11........10/04/11.......11/08/11........--/--/--....

PASAWAY NA ANGEL.....10/07/11........10/11/11.......10/28/11........02/15/12....

ANNA 4 BOB...........10/08/11........10/13/11.......11/17/11........--/--/--....(Early Bio 11/07/11)

QUININA..............10/08/11........10/14/11.......11/04/11........--/--/--....

GREG001..............10/10/11........10/11/11.......11/03/11........--/--/--....(Early Bio 10/21/11)

WASABI...............10/10/11........10/20/11.......11/28/11........--/--/--....

KARRI................10/12/11........10/14/11.......11/07/11........--/--/--....

CORINTHIANS..........10/15/11........10/18/11.......11/09/11........--/--/--....

STINKERPOTSAM........10/17/11........10/19/11.......11/21/11........--/--/--....

ELAFITO..............10/17/11........10/19/11.......11/18/11........--/--/--....

MAMARONGA............10/28/11........10/31/11.......01/05/12 ........02/14/12.... (Requested to change Bio but then went on 1/6 due to a family emergency)

Vermont Service Center (16 applicants)