newlyweds

Hi I have a question for my sister, she just arrived in the country and was approved for the immigrant visa back in the philippines. She literally just step foot in america and my question is does she have to go to the Social security office to apply for her SSN? she thought it might have already been applied on her behalf as soon as she got through the POE, she said there was a form, a DS 230 that may have allowed her to do this. Now, either way would be fine with us, we just need to know people's thoughts about it. We are gonna call the SSA by morning to clarify but since I've never heard of such thing but my experience was different as I came here on a K-1 and she came here thru an immigrant visa.

Thank you!

Here is the approximate time lines for various petitions;

USC petitions mom - 1 year

USC petitions siblings - 12 years

LPR parent petitions unmarried child under 21 - 2 years

There is no way for them to immigrate together. Each will have her or his own separate case.

The quickest way to get them to the US and have them live together is this;

1) Petition for mom as an Immediate Relative. Only she will get a visa. Her minor children are not part of the petition. This takes 1 year.

2) Mom immigrates to the US and gets her green card. She comes to live with you. She petitions for her unmarried children under age 21. She files for a re-entry permit and goes home with the re-entry permit in hand to raise her kids. Her re-entry permit will be valid for up to 2 years, and she must return to the US before it expires. She must also maintain a US domicile while she is outside the US (your address would be good if she came to live with you to activate her green card). It takes about 2 years to petition for her unmarried children. If you time it right, her kids could immigrate when she returns to the US.

okay thank you. what do i need to file for her petition now?

she is in the process of acquiring a passport then,

what other files does she need and what documents do i send in as well?

also

also, with number 2, how long does she have to live with me at time wise for her to maintain her LPR status? does she have to be in the country at least 6 months or so then file for a re-entry? and how do we go about filing for the re-entry document?

I'm a USC since '10 and want to bring my mom here in the states, i was reading up on filing for an I-130? but other than that forgive my innocence but I am seriously at a loss for guidance; will anyone help shed some light as to what process must I take 1st or so? like steps to follow or something? I never filed for an I-130 coz I started with a fiancee visa, so this is relatively all new to me.

What is the approximate time range will I be looking at until my mom gets an interview date from the time we send her paperwork? is it like a 12 month wait or 6 months or so? I just need a rough estimate so I kind of know what to expect then lol

also, i have 2 younger siblings, 16 and 14. We plan on bringing them here. We plan on having my mom petition for them when she is gets her GC. Anyone know if there's anyway when she gets her GC she can bring them with her right away or is it really a fully different time range of processing for their GC? Like does she have to wait whilst being here in the country then file for it when she gets her GC? and how long are we looking at for GC approval for 2 children, under 21, unmarried?

Is it also possible for me as a USC to petition for my younger siblings and mom? or can i only really petition for my parent? any ideas, suggestions would be awesome as I am so clueless about this whole thing Thank you!

I am going to disagree with everyone and say if you have the funds, file for her.

Yes, it looks like it will take much longer, but things can change, plus what if the employer changes his mind and stops the process? At least you'd have another option then.

yeah i was still thinking of that. if im not mistaken, Obama dropped the HIV testing for visa requirements right? who knows they might make it a little bit faster. yes, it may take time but at least something is already being done.. If there's still nothing on her GC based employment in about 2 years, maybe it's bound for nothing.

anyone know how much it would be to file for her? her children are still about a year old or 2 so if it comes sooner than 23 years then they can come lol

but man, 23 years is soooo long!

hi, i recently had my citizenship done about november 2010. I have a sister in the Philippines whom I want to petition,

does anyone know how long that usually takes and what needs to be done for that? Thank you.

She is already married with 2 kids. She actually has a GC in the process because of her employment as an RN, that was started since aug 2006. I know there is a retrogression which is why her paperwork has been delayed for so long. I actually don't know what is going on with that one, neither does she. She said, it seems like a lost cause. So im wondering if maybe if i just petition her it will be faster or much better. I know if we carry on with a petition by me it will void the other application she had since 2006 but if i can get her to the US faster, i'll rather do that. It would only be her i'm petitioning not her entire family. Thanks!

hi! i had a similar experience with yours, i had a citation given to me and i could not drive for 6 months, i did reflect in on my n400 and also attached a letter of explanation for the incident, and i also signed it. During my interview, the IO asked me about the outcome of the citation and she also asked to see the original ticket and citation document.

Oh, I did also attached a copy of the ticket and citation letter in my packet when i applied for it.

hi! i know you're anxious about being able to find an answer, but i read a suggestion from a previous poster of an older thread, you can read it here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/261371-expeditious-naturalization-319b-american-company-definition/

anyway, as one member had suggested, have you tried doing an infopass so you can get a better answer if USCIS considers your company a US-based one? if you don't know what an infopass is, it is being able to go to your local office to talk to a representative there in person; you can google it and be able to find the website as you will have to set an appointment online and bring the copy of that appointment letter on the day of your appointment

i hope that helps!

i was once given a citation by the military police for a driving incident, i reflected it on my n400 form, also given a copy of the ticket and the citation that was given to me.

during my naturalization interview, i was asked about it and what was the outcome of it, i just explained that it was already dealt with, the citation lifted, and then the IO asked to see if i had the original documents. I showed it to her.

I know my case seems so much different from yours, but maybe that can also help

The main thing i gathered from it is that they do wanna know what the outcome is. I also did include an extra sheet to explain what the citation was about. The most important thing is just being honest about it and letting them know about these things.

Does it make any sense in using a lawyer for 319b or is the process pretty straight forward?

you dont really need to hire a lawyer, if it is based on having a spouse in the military, believe me it is pretty quick, especially if you do not have a complicated case; i think you'd need a lawyer if you have issues like some people had, legal issues like illegally being in the country or the like, but for us, since our case was not at all complicated we did not need to.

We sent the application august 2010, and i got emailed to set my interview date at the end of september so it was pretty quick

hi! i did 319b too, try going to the passport agencies who do the expedited ones, u can get them in hours depending when you leave but i applied mine on a friday, late morning, was told to pick it up monday but i had it mailed and got it on a tuesday. so excluding the weekends, it would;ve been earlier

and oh, they do expedited if you show your itinerary for your travel arrangement which should be in 2 weeks, i did mine in washington DC and they asked to see my travel itinerary or tickets

thank you!

as long as you leave within 14 days, they do it pretty fast!

and you do have to call in within 14 days of the appointment date/time you want to apply for it in person

congratulations! i bet you are so relieved to have your whole visajourney to be finally over

got my passport in the mail finally! it's got my naturalization certificate in it too

good luck to all the others who will have their interviews!

so i got naturalized last nov, 9, 2010 at fairfax, VA

applied for name change at social security office Arlington, VA on nov. 12, 2010 in the morning (fairly fast process that lasted 16 mins since i walked in)

and then filed for passport on 1 Pm nov. 12, 2010.

I applied for a passport at a passport agency in washington, DC and they said i could pick it up monday but no one was gonna drive me, so i opted to have it mailed. just got it today along with my naturalization certificate, and some pamphlet for passport services -information card

I just wanted to update my stuff lol

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N-400: August 2010 Applicants

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USCIS Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox

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UserName........Sent...ChkCashd....NOA.....Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview.....Oath....FieldOffice

bodyguard....08/02/10..08/06/10..08/18/10..09/09/10..11/08/10..12/09/10..--/--/--..Newark, NJ

derekkj......08/03/10..08/11/10..08/12/10..08/12/10..08/30/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..Washington, DC

Allie & Leo..08/12/10..08/24/10..--/--/--..09/22/10..09/28/10..11/04/10..--/--/--..Memphis,TN

TracyTN......08/20/10..08/25/10..09/07/10..09/24/10..10/18/10..11/17/10..--/--/--..Memphis, TN

sk28.........08/23/10….08/27/19….08/30/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Houston, TX

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USCIS Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox

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UserName........Sent...ChkCashd....NOA.....Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview.....Oath....FieldOffice

B&P .........08/02/10..08/06/10..08/06/10..09/03/10..09/22/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..Milwaukee, WI

Sparks.......08/03/10..08/03/10..08/09/10..09/03/10..09/28/10..11/09/10..--/--/--..San Fran, CA

kobeya.......08/06/10..--/--/--..09/07/10..09/29/10..10/05/10..11/10/10..--/--/--..San Fran, CA

saywhat(Alan)08/09/10..08/13/10..08/18/10..09/02/10..09/15/10..10/25/10..--/--/--..Yakima, WA

Bigbear......08/12/10..08/21/10..08/25/10..09/17/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Detroit, MI

SirLancelot..08/16/10..08/24/10..09/07/10..10/01/10..10/06/10..11/09/10..11/18/10..San Jose, CA

ZQT3344......08/17/10..08/25/10..08/30/10..09/21/10..10/01/10..11/23/10..--/--/--..St. Louis, MO

xxhwx........08/25/10..08/31/10..09/09/10..09/21/10..10/02/10..11/02/10..--/--/--..Indianapolis, IN

MauiBec......08/06/10..08/16/10..08/25/10..09/07/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Honolulu, HI

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USCIS Lincoln, Nebraska Lockbox (Filing Under 319b, 328, or 329 of the INA)

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UserName........Sent...ChkCashd....NOA.....Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview.....Oath....FieldOffice

missy0090....08/14/10..--/--/--..09/08/10..Fcards....--/--/--..11/09/10...11/09/10..Fairfax, VA

Me and the cats will be sat in the window looking for the mailman tomorrow..

I have a tiny UK government service pension which is not taxable until I become a USC (probably the ONLY exception to reporting world wide income) - so I save about $1 a day tax for every day it is delayed. So hah to the US government and bring on the kit-kats!

lol your cats will chase the mailman if he doesn't bring anything lol

wow that is true..welcome to the increaing number of taxable people and income lol

Excellent - phew ! No more USCIS. No more waiting by the mailbox ! Congratulations - now have some chocolate !

hahaha i actually had 4 of those really BIG hershey's lol and i had one huge chocolate in my bag in the USCIS lol yup no more USCIS for me lol

Congratulations!!! I am glad you asked about the oath and she was able to get it scheduled for you.

By the way, when I was reading the 6th question - I was surprised about that but then, I thought probably you would've failed if that truly was your answer.... but that is hilarious!

lol yes I am glad i did too.. coz no one could drive me! hahaha

yup that would be hilarious if i answered that LOL the IO would probably burst out laughing hahaha

Congratulations!!!

thank you

oooppss.. question 5 i answered communism and number 6, i answered vice-pres lol

typo.. i still have jetlag so i'm so tired typing but too excited not to share it write away with my VJ family! lol

oh she did put checks after i answered them. then she counted them, came up with 6 then went on to something else, to verify my information

she was writing these answers from the civics test, and i could really read them up easily, she tried covering but then decided not to afterwards lol

so that kind of made me feel so much less nervous because she did made me feel mor relaxed

Thank you all VJers for all the help! I am saying godbye to USCIS forever as I am now a citizen finally! lol

I applied for my citizenship last august, i was told to have my interview scheduled anytime after i got an email sometime in last week of september

OH I applied for 319b (hubby's military, we're stationed overseas, I am living with him overseas)

I got approved just today and even when I set foot in the office I kind of already know that i got aproved because she told me right away that the oath will be tomorrow because they are doing something special for veterans day.

My appointment was at 10 AM, we arrived at USCIS at 9:30 or 9:40 AM, and my sharpener for my eyebrow pencil even got confiscated lol (I did not notice i put it in there this morning hahaha)

I waited for so long to get called, I probably got called around 11:30 or 11:40

I was interviewed by a military POC officer and she was so lovely! She was so friendly and so approachable!

She had me sign the sides of my pictures right away, (the ones you send in the packet during application)

She interviewed me first, then she let me read something out loud, then she told me to write down the answer.

Then,she asked me the civics test

1)There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

A: Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote)

2)Who is in charge of the executive branch?

▪ the President

3) Name one right only for United States citizens.

my answer: vote in a federal election (she had to open the book to check if my answer was right lol coz i 1st said vote for federal election hahaha)

4)What is one reason colonists came to America?

my answer:freedom

5)During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

6) If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

▪ the Vice President

my answer: Communism

While she asked me these questions, she wrote down my answers on the piece of paper that had the 10 list of questions

after that she printed something out.. i think it was for a letter for my oath, to sign it and check everything on it..

Also when she did my interview in the very beginning, she never asked for documentation or anything, she just pulled out my copy of BC, she then asked my name and all, then she said, how my maiden name becomes my middle name because that's how it is in my country. SO i was so happy about that, she asked if i wanted a name change, I said no. SHe verified my DOB, the country I was born in, my age, my SS#, my husband's full name, she asked when i left the country, she also asked when i 1st came here, and then she asked when i came back from being stationed overseas. She then asked me the oath part of the application, she laughed when she asked me about being affiliated w/ terrorists .. She then asked me about my traffic citation, she asked i fi had the original, i showed it, then she gave it back, she also did ask to see my GC then said,"ok im giving this back to you, keep it" I really thought i was supposed to give her my GC already lol (I forgot we do that during the oath)

She then asked me to sign the applicarion in front of her then she signed, she was typing on the computer most of the time , enterng my info and scanning the bar code in the N400application

After that she handed me something about the oath that I had to sign. I gave it back along with the paper I signed about the intent to live in the US after the naturalization and after hubby's assignment overseas.

I then asjed her if there was any way I could have the interview today since no one can drive me back to fairfax, VA and my friend &her husband did a day's leave to just drive me and be there..( hubby has training so I had to fly back here alone)

She told me that she would talk to the supervisor. she said wait 30 mins, she said congratulations and had me wait in the waiting area. After about 30 minutes, the supervisor came out and handed me my oath letter appointment, explained what i need to check, sign, print all other stuff & told me to be back by 1 pm coz the oath starts @ 2

We waited from 1 for me to be checked-in, I finally got my packet, and we did the oath! it was so nice, and they handed out our certificates.. we were also advised to go to the SSA office to change the social security to US citizens, then file for passport ..

There's my whole N400 experience.. thank you so much Visajourney! I am so thankful because of this site, I was able to understand and even do this whole process smoothly.. ^_ ^

I am finally a US citizen! now off to file for my passport! lol

Hello guys! i just wanted to let you guys know that I just got approved with my citizenship this morning and then i got my oath later in the afternoon at 2 pm.. it was lovely!

they were supposed to do a special veterans day special naturalization for tomorrow but i asked if i could do it today instead and they talked to the supervisor and she came out, talk to me and handed my my oath appointment for 2 pm Goodbye uscis! lol

congratulations!

Leo had his test yesterday in Memphis and he passed!

Very proud of my hubby!!

Waiting for Oath letter to be mailed!

Allie & Leo

congratulations! mine's on tuesday! hopefully all goes well and i pass too lol

and when i do, i'll probably have to stay in the uscis office the whole day or come back in the afternoon since i'll be at fairfax,VA to have same day oath

fingers crossed! badly wishing i pass it right away

Hi Susan,

I am sorry you have issues. Did you use the new link when you got the problem?

The NEW link is: http://amaruk.atspac...CivicsTest.html

The OLD link starts with: http://mysite.verizon.....

The new link works fine on Safari on my iPhone so I would expect it to work on Safari on a Mac too.

If the new link fails, please report back with what version you browser (Safari,IE,FireFox etc) is and I will look into it. I think many comments (if not all...) about the site being closed/locked are related to the old link that has been shut down for quite a while now. The new link has been up since the old one closed and the new one has worked just fine since then.

Krakatoa, thanks for clarifying!

Mods, if you want to put this quiz on your server, feel free to do so. I would be more than happy to adopt it to suit your needs. Just drop me a PM here.

Tong Yan, as far as I know the quiz is still current (fall 2010).

Thanks,

Seakayaker

it doesn't open with my safari browser, even if i click on the new link..

congratulations!