Seraya-Karl

No, we wouldn't get the certificate.  His only proof that he is a citizen is his passport and we don't want to send that in as he'll be needing that in December for a trip that he is making back to Colombia.  If and when he needs a certificate, he can pay the $550 or what ever the cost will be at that time.

As I feared, neither of the two local post offices had any idea of what the Child Citizen Act of 2000 was about. The responsibility was entirely up to me to provide the right things. I went to the post office appoint with my grandson and his father even though I am not sure his father was needed because my grandson is 17. 

The lady at the post office wanted to give us back the father’s passport but that was required to be sent in because they wanted proof of the father’s citizenship. She also asked for identification for my grandson even thought she had his Colombian passport.  He happened to have is student identification with him, and she was happy with that.

I paid for expedited processing and mailing, and we got my grandson’s passport in 10 days! 

Here’s what I send in with the passport application (Juan is my grandson and Joseph is my stepson):

1.       Passport application

2.       Passport photos

3.       US Passport of Joseph, Father

4.       Birth certificates of Juan, applicant

a.       Original certified birth certificate with misspelling of mother’s name

b.       Newest certified birth certificate with correction for misspelling of mother’s name

5.       Translations of birth certificates of Juan with affidavit of translator

6.       Passport of Juan, applicant, with IR2 immigration visa

7.       Affidavits (4: Juan, Joseph, his grandmother and myself) of residence of Juan living with his father, Joseph

8.       Affidavit of Juan that he does not have a social security number

9.       Photo copy of Joseph’s identification, (father’s passport)

10.   Photo copy of Juan’s identification, (his Colombian passport and immigration visa)

11.   Fees for expedited application

Your situation might be different. The father was a naturalized citizen and the passport application just asked for proof of his citizenship. We send in the passport instead of the certificate of citizenship which would cost $550 for a replacement. When my stepdaughter sent in her certificated of citizenship for her passport, they lost it!  We haven’t got back my stepson’s US passport nor my grandson’s Colombian passport yet, but there was a note to the effect that “you may receive your newly issued passport and your returned citizenship evidence in two separate mailings”.  

They did not ask for a marriage certificate at any point during the I-130 process.  The interview at the embassy did ask for a certified birth certificate of the father but that may have just been a mistake and the passport application didn’t ask for it. They send out form email requests for information which may not be appropriate for your case. The embassy email asked for an I-864 but when he got to the interview, they really wanted an I-864w. They allowed us to email it in. Since his father speaks English, he filled it out, and we didn’t have to have a certificate of translation.

Hope some of this helps.

As I feared the local post office passport person never heard of Child Citizens Act of 2000 and told me to call 1-877-487.2778 about applying for my grandson. Of course, they only had a recorded messages at that number which didn't come close to answering my questions.

 

Is their anyone who has gone through this process? 

 

The two questions that worry me most:

1) What will they accept as "proof of admission to the United States for permanent residence". the Colombia passport of my grandson with his IR2 immigrant visa or will a photo copy of the visa be sufficient?

2) What kind of proof can we provide that he is living with his father?  Would an affidavit of both of them be sufficient? They are living at my house would an affidavit by me be useful/sufficient?

 

Of course, I don't know what I don't know and I am probably missing other questions.

Thank you about 'local post' office. I was worried that they would never have heard about the Child Citizen Act.  I'll go there tomorrow.

Thanks for the reply. I looked it up. Yes, he choose "yes" for the social security question on the DS-260. Thanks again.

Thank you for your reply.

Another question: He will need to register for selective service soon and will need a social security number.  Will he be getting a social security number automatically or does he have apply?

My grandson just entered the US (Saturday) under an IR-2 immigration visa, his father being a US citizen.  My grandson is 17 years old and qualifies under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000.  

Questions:
1) Does he need to complete some other process to be a US citizen or his now a citizen?
2) Can he apply for a US passport now using only is visa?
3) He, his grandmother and I are going back to Colombia December 24 for a short vacation. Can he travel outside the US on his Colombian passport or will he have to have his US passport to re-enter the US? His immigration visa expires in February 2020.

46 minutes ago, USS_Voyager said:

The child

Thank you for your reply.

 

All the questions are for the child than?  Should he list his address where he is currently living or where he will live in the US?  He doesn't have a Social Security number, so he should leave it blank even though they say is required? He should sign it as the requestor even though he under 18 years of age?

 

 

 

Confused about filling out the I-864W

My grandson had his immigration interview today at the US Embassy in Colombia. His father filed a I-864 form and I, as cosponsor, filled one too. He was told the he must file a I-864W instead because he is under 18 years of age and his father is a naturalized US citizen and he will become a citizen upon entering the US.

 

The first question on form I-864W is name of request. I assumed it was his father, but when we get to Part 2, Reason for Exemption, the only one that applies is 1.b. That says, “I am under 18 years of age…”. Therefore, who is answering the earlier questions about name, mailing address, social security (the child doesn't have SSN)? 

 

Who is the requestor, the father or the child? 

Thank you all!!!  I didn't realize that my grandson was eligible to become a citizen now.  That is a great advantage and we'll be sending him back to Colombia to complete the process.

 

You guys are the best!!!

Thank you so much.  I need to confirm it with my son and grandson, but sending him back to compete the process at the embassy seems like the thing to do.

 

If I understand it right now, he will be getting  his US citizenship now and that will allow him to study abroad. If we start the AOS from here it will take more than year and then he would have to wait another 5 years to become a citizen and during that time there would be restriction on the time he could be out  of the country.  

4 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

Wait, is he trying to get citizenship immediately on entering on an immigrant visa as child of a USC? If that’s the case then yes 18 is important. I wouldn’t mess around if I were you, I’d set up the appointment and send him back home to do it, then he can come back for good once it’s done. I had been basing my response on assuming he was the child of a permanent resident, as this is the forum it’s posted in. If he father is indeed an LPR - then that paragraph is irrelevant. 

Quote

Edit: Ah, he's under 18 now. This doesn't impact him as the child of an LPR directly...but would as the child of a USC.

Who is the petitioner? What's their status (citizen? green card holder?).

I may have gotten into the wrong forum. I was looking for a forum on I-130s. 

 

His father is a naturalized citizen of the US which was well after my grandson's birth. My grandson is a Colombian citizen, and his father is now a US citizen. Therefore, his father filed an I-130 for his son which was granted in June.  Now, my grandson needs to have an interview (at the embassy in Colombia?) to complete the process.

 

My grandson is on tourist visa here. My guess is that he can't do an adjustment of status from a tourist visa.  They sent him a list of things that he needs to take to the embassy interview such as, a doctor's report, proof of support, payment of fees, etc.  I was hoping that he could do that here or at least that he could wait until he gets back to Colombia in December to do that, but I was worried about a time limit to apply and whether turning 18 would make a difference.

 

If sending him back to Colombia is best, we'll do that.  Reading between the lines, if he gets his green card before he's 18, he can maintain his residency status without continuous residency as he may want to attend college in Colombia. Did I get that right?

29 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

A minor for US immigration purposes is under 21, unmarried.

Thank you for the reply.

 

1) What has me worried is that NVC sent a follow-up email saying:

Quote

The National Visa Center's (NVC) records indicate you will turn 18 years old in 120 days or less. When you turn 18, you cannot receive benefits under the U.S. Child Citizenship Act. To ensure you can immigrate before this happens, NVC sent your petition to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate General in BOGOTA, COL for expedited processing. The Embassy/Consulate General will contact you to schedule a visa interview.

2) Do you know if my grandson can complete the process in the US? He's not scheduled to go back until Dec. 24.

 

 

My minor grandson’s I-130 was approved in June and after a very long delay he received several emails from the National Visa Center (@state.gov) with instructions and how to schedule an appointment with the Colombian Embassy in Bogota.

The problem is that he is now vacationing here in the US and his return ticket is for Dec. 24. A further complication is that he turns 18 at the end of October. 

Does anyone know if he can complete the process here in the US or is it necessary to return to Colombia to complete the processes?  Does he have to complete it before he is 18 or will his father have to restart the processing asking for an adult child?

Two questions:

My stepson is a US citizen and has applied for residency for his son (I-130). After 8 months, USCIS asked for my grandson’s birth certificate (RFE). We sent that in. If everything goes well, how long until my grandson receives his residency?

My grandson is visiting now on a tourist visa. Can he stay until his case is decided or must he return on the return date he specified when he entered the US?

> Thank you for this...my husband is in the same boat! This gives us hope!! Did you already file the i-130 and i-485?

My friend hasn't filed yet.  He is still short on the money he needs, but thinks he can file soon.  I'll post when he files. 

Thank you for the advice. 

 

I should have said that I was posting it for a friend that doesn't have a computer, but after translating it into English, I forgot.

Can anyone tell me where to look for the answer of how I get my wife legal status in the US?

We are both from Colombia and childhood sweethearts. I married her in Oct. 2016 when she was here on a tourist visa. I had a green when I married her, but I was not yet a citizen.  I am now a citizen. The problem is that her visa expired in Nov. 2016 and she over stayed her visa and is still here.

Does anyone know what I need to do now or what we need to do to get here legal status or where to ask this question on Visa Journey?

===================================

¿Hay alguien que puede decirme dónde puedo encontrar respuesta para arreglar el estatus legal de mi esposa?

 

Somos novios colombianos de infancia. Me casé con ella en octubre 2016 cuando ella tenía una visa de turista.  Yo tenía un Green Card cuando nos casamos pero ahora soy ciudadano americano.

 

El problema es que su visa expiró en noviembre 2016 y sobrepasó su visa y todavía está aquí.

 

¿Hay alguien que sabe que necesitamos hacer para arreglar su estatus legal o dónde puedo hacer la pregunta?

 

Do you know if it is normal to have the case transferred before you get the biometrics appointment?

Thanks!

I also don't know if it is normal. It happen that way with us. I believe that having your case transferred to California is a good thing - that they believe that all is well with your case.

You should be getting a biometric appointment soon. It may only be that the San Antonio bio office is very busy.

Best of luck.

I received a letter from USCIS today stating that my AOS file had been transferred from the Missouri office to the California Service Center. I live in Texas, why would the file be moved so far away? I was expecting the letter to advise me of my Biometrics appointment, just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience and how long it took for the AOS to process through the California Center.

Thanks!

You probably won't have an interview and have your AOS approved in about 4 months. We live in Texas too and had our AOS transferred to California where is sat for 6 months and then was transferred to Houston and two months later had our interview, but that is unusual. We got approved and the green card arrived about two weeks later.

We got are biometrics appointment set about a month after we filed, but after we got the notice we went in early and they weren't busy and they let us do it then. Someone else on Visajourney had said that they did that, so we gave it a try.

Good luck.

How much did you end up paying for everything?

No doubt it's worth it, but I'm just curious.

Cost of the K1 process

Paid to the USCIS:

I-129F Petition - $455

Non-Immigrant Visa Processing Fee - $131 (as of 12/09 in Colombia. I noticed another with a different number.)

AOS, EAD, AP, biometrics - $1,010

Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence, biometrics - $545

Application for Naturalization, biometrics - $675

Required by USCIS - country specific:

Medical exam

Country of origin passport

Police certificate

Birth records/military records/Divorce records

Passport type photos for USCIS

Copies of evidence of relationship: 3 times: embassy, AOS, Removal of Conditions

Miscellaneous:

Immigration lawyer, if need/desired.

Travel/food/housing

Postage

Anyone care to add more? I'm sure that I'm missing something.

We are also in Texas, and what we did was get a "Non-resident Commercial" license. It's only good for 2 months, but maybe you will have your EAD by then. If not, you might be able to renew. It only costs $26. The down side is that you have to take the commercial written test (but only the part about cars, not trucks)after passing the regular written and road tests.

After her green card came, she was able to renew it in September without any more testing, although the license expired in March. Now she has a regular 5 year commercial license. So I guess she drive a taxi.

Best of luck.

Hey all.

We have our interview on monday in Pheonix. Does anyone know what the place is like. How long does the interview take, and what sort of questions do they ask??

See the reviews of the Phoenix office at:

http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/index.php?cnty=&cty=Phoenix+AZ&dfilter=5

And for more information about questions see:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/exampleq#aos

Best of Luck.

Congratulations on getting your green card!

Like you, our AOS was sent to California and then back to our local office. We have no indication why. We have our interview Monday, 8/16/10.

Do you know why they transferred your case back for an interview?

What questions did they have for you?

Best of luck,

Karl

Hi. After my biometrics my case was transferred to CSC and today i recieved email from USCIS "On June 15, 2010, we transferred this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS to our NATIONAL BENEFITS CENTER location for processing because they now have jurisdiction over the case. "Whats this mean? from CSC-NBC?no update for I-765 AND I-131.

Yesterday, (6-29-10) our AOS was transferred to the NATIONAL BENEFITS CENTER (NBC, Lee's Summit, MO)- second transfer. Our AOS NOC1 notice date was 12/30/09. We have already done the biometrics and received AP/EAD. We live near the Houston, TX center, but they transferred our case 1/20/10 to the California Service Center (CSC). Now, six months later they transferred our AOS to NBC.

I'm hoping someone having a similar experience with an AOS being transferred twice will answer your post.

Best of luck.