ZorValachan

Umka36: Thank you. I wasn't thinking of means test based. That makes sense now.

NigeriaorBust: In my experience as a supervisor, the vast majority of unemployment claims (successful) are due to termination-being fired. They normally require a phone interview and in the 10 times I and other co-supervisors had to go through the phone interview on behalf of the company they ended up in the fired employee's favor-Once even when the person was sleeping on the job.

A quick explanation of my situation:

My wife came to the USA on a K-1 Visa in 2010. We were married and did the AOS successfully as well as the ROC. We are now in the process of getting her citizenship.

This year my wife was fired from her job. She was sexually harassed and when she formally brought this to her supervisor they quickly came up with false disciplinary actions and fired her. Currently we are going through the EEOC for the sexual harassment and retaliation illegal acts of her company. but I was wondering about if she can get unemployment benefits.

I remember with the I-134 affidavit of support document it mentions:

I could be sued if my wife becomes a public charge and specifically states food stamps, Supplemental Security Income, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.

Are unemployment benefits part of these things that I could be sued for or are they a separate category that is not included in the affidavit of support?

Thank you

That is interesting about the patryonimic name thing. If she didn't take that name did she have to use her former last name? Or was she allowed to just pick a name to use?

She chose not to have a middle name

Also wanted to state that although the process seemed to take a little longer on each step (from the first petition filing) than others around our dates, we never received any RFEs, and would have had the GC 2 months earlier if the blizzard did not shut down the office. This site has made the WHOLE process extremely easy. Anyone can do it if they just take the needed time to actually read the information and guides. No Lawyer required

We were originally scheduled to have our interview on Feb 2, 2011, but the midwest 'blizzard' that happened shut down the office for about 4 days. After a couple weeks waiting, we got an automatic reschedule for 3/30/11.

We brought a lot of evidence across a variety of things, but not 'exhaustive' as I read some people take. The main thing I was worried about was the civil surgeon thing, because we both had read of lots of scam CS trying to get full physical instead of just vaccinations written. Also, that the physical before the embassy interview was in Jan of 2010. We submitted the AOS in Sept 2010, so it was within the year, but outside the year once the interview was scheduled/rescheduled. All the CS I called were either wanting to charge the same as a full physical or not answering their phones. Our AOS process did not require CS physical nor CS vaccination transcription. The physical and vaccination form from the embassy interview was enough.

Time of the interview was for 8:30. We got there about 8:10. Guards were nice and greeted wife in Russian when they saw her passport. We were called into the office at about 8:35. Total Interview time was about 30 minutes. The Officer was cordial, professional, and spoke a slow enough English that my wife in her nervousness was able to understand. When she did not understand a certain word, I was able to use another word she did know (maybe him seeing this helped?). We were sworn in and then sat down. I had our small box and of evidence and copies of all prior paperwork, a small photo album (with pics from wedding as well as honeymoon, wedding party, and thanksgiving with my family), and a large envelope with letters to s from friends family on wedding and Christmas. Officer asked questions off the I-485 sheet (are you criminal, prostitute, etc.) He verified name/address/birthdate/parents names/current work.

He did not ask for 1 piece of marital evidence. Other than that he only asked my wife where she learned English; if at school or on her own, and said he was interested in how we met. We explained we met through an Online chatroom. He asked to clarify that it was not online dating site. We explained we met randomly on ICQ and talked about it maybe 30 seconds to 1 minute (half my wife talked, half I talked). He stamped her passport to cancel the K-1 as we were adjusting (not that I551 stamp, but one over the K-1 visa that said 'canceled for adjustment'. He gave us the info paper and said the only reason he did not check congratulations was he had to do another background check and make sure of name spellings (wife did not want her patronymic to become a 'middle name'. He also explained also what to do in case he needed to something (RFE), gave examples then told us they were just examples and not to worry too much.

The only reason we worried was because it was too easy, in that he did not ask for ANY evidence at all.

But today (April 20, 2011) we go the email that the GC is being produced and the USCIS site has it updated as this.

Missouri only requires a passport and I-94 for a license, non-driver ID, or permit for any K1-4 holder

Congratulations!

1 meeting for 14 days. That made it for the petition and visa approval.

I can't recall of the top of my head how Jonathan&Katya's interview went, but my SO was put through the grinder, and Baron555's was in AP for a time after the interview, until he sent in more evidence. So maybe they drill the once met more than others (my idle specualtion based off nothing). But in any case I suggest preparing for 'middle' questions when the interview comes. We prepared for the super hard and super easy (in English), but forgot the in-between. And as they did not let my SO take the interview in Russian, she got flustered trying to translate our common interests. He ignored her saying them in Russian.

As others said, it is the totality of the evidence. My SO and I have some age gap, but no children, no ex-s. We both have similar educational backgrounds. A couple pounds of email and snail mail evidence and phone records (all ignored). So if there is a possible 'red flag' in once place, make sure the other places of bona fides are solid.

So is it possible, yes. 3 here made it through very recently (last 2 months), but just be prepared for a little more intense interview.

I have known couples who have known each other for years, get together and break up. marriages of 10 years go sour and others who I would have sworn wouldn't make it 2 weeks last 25 years. Once, before the internet, romance could be carried out from letters sent by ship. So I do not buy the 'have to live with each other X amount of time for the relationship to work'. It is just relationship ARE work and many do not want to put forth an effort. Love does not conquer all. Everything else; work, dedication, commitment, compromise that's the ####### you have to do for it to work. Love's just the gooey good jelly filled center.

How many times I can count the guys who dumped their gfs because they lived on the other side of town (too far to go to for the evening). While I know things are and will be difficult for cross-cultural relationships, at least we both know we got a hell-ton of difficulties past us without abandoning ship.

And do make sure your SO sticks up for you, or corrects them if they say something not true. That is one thing I am glad we went over. They tried to tell her I was divorced. She set them straight, and I think that was the seal.

just my $1.25

At russia-visa.com $190 includes everything.

Thank you

I second Russia-visa.com. I've used them several times and they are reliable. They are located in Washington, DC. Together with FedEX charges, a one-month tourist visa will run you about $200 if you are willing to wait 10 business days. You can do it faster if you have to.

Does the $200 include the $131 visa fee?

Total is $200 for everything or $331?

Hmm, sounds like he was either having a really bad day, or was just tripping on the tiny little bit of power that he's been entrusted with. The fact that he approved her shows that he *did* believe her, or at least figured it was too much work to deny her. Again, there's no oversight on the consulates so it's impossible to know what the real situation is. Did your fiancee do her own translations? If she did her own translations then they would have required her to do the interview in English. If she's not comfortable with her spoken English, he might have been trying to suss if she really had been the translator of those documents. (not that it excuses rude behavior in the least.)

My wife was also treated rudely. Her English is pretty good, and the workers were constantly cracking jokes about mail-order brides and green card scammers, and making comments on their personal appearances. One of the women had a crying child, and a worker told her that he was going to make her leave if she didn't shut her kid up.

Fortunately it's something she never has to deal with again, and you'll soon be together--congratulations!

No, she didn't do her own translations (except her own emails in english-which she wrote originally in English)

She said she apologized to him that she did not understand his English very good, which he replied that he had no accent.

I did warn her about the whole 'your fiancee is criminal', thing (from another 2 threads) and to tell them they were wrong when they told lies. Well, i just found out he did pull something similar. At the end, he told her, 'You do know he is divorced?' which she replied, 'no, he is single, he was never married.' Said he just glanced at the paperwork and mutter, 'oh yeah, guess i was wrong'.

Said it was 10-15 minutes of grilling from start to finish. it was later than other people's interviews, but this guy came in at the end. I think maybe they needed extra help and he was just POed that he had do interviews.

Thanks all for the congrats, it's just a shame that the best of days has to have so much ####### splashed around on it.

How is POE? if something similar happens then, I cringe to imagine.

Well congrats none the less. We all hope that these reports of easy and not so easy interviews help those down the road to prepare for anything.

That's the main reason I'm writing, so others can learn/get help from our experience as we got help from those before us.

I forgot to add, She had trouble with understanding his English (I'm the only one she talks to in English on any basis, and we understand each other perfectly). Right away he said he didn't believe we talked to each other in English. Everything after that was 'Don't believe you'

Didn't believe she wrote the emails (your English is horrible)

Didn't believe we met in ICQ (that is an old program, no one uses it. you could not have met on it)

Didn't believe we had common interests (by this time she was shaken and answered in Russian, but he kept telling her to say it in English, which shook her up even more)

Didn't like that we didn't have a vast array of photos (Unfortunately my camera stopped working on the trip and her phone pics were somewhat not in focus.)

After reading 1 or 2 emails and saying he didn't believe them, refused to look at any more or the phone logs.

I am not sure on the snail mail letters, cards, and ring.

Another dig up, because might as well keep adding to this thread with each step.

The medical wasn't fun. -20 C outside and they made her do the whole running from the one office to the other twice (they didn't like the first x-ray). Also they refused to make a copy of the DS-3025 (vaccination form). They told her that the embassy told them not to anymore (since Oct.) She said other fiancees and wives were saying the same thing.

Interview was worse: CO was rude. Was a man. Kept telling her that her English was horrible and that he did not believe we could communicate with each other. Demanded she show him proof of letters she sent to me, then after reading the emails brought, told her he did not believe she actually wrote it and would not look at the phone log we printed with my and her number, showing that we talk 30-60 minutes each day. She is really self-critical on her English (it is good, she was just nervous at the man's rudeness) and it rattled her in a majorly bad way.

Good news: After Hell, the visa was Approved

Even if you do send a copy of the birth certificate instead of copies of all pages of the passport, still send in a copy of the 'main' passport page (info and pic) as well as copies of the pages with the entry/exit stamps of the country you met in.

My brother got my dad some ammo for his new .40 Glock.

I got him a new holster for it.

He's a very happy man now.

My Fiancee has her interview on Jan 12th. When we are married, we will send in the AOS and along with it the AP and EAD paperwork.

I know she can travel on the AP before getting a GC, but am looking for how certain things might apply to a specific situation.

Basically this week, a university offered her a free Management course specifically in English (with diploma), which could benefit her for a future job here in the USA.

-There was NO prior knowledge or forewarning of this, so never took it into account when deciding on K1.

The problem is that the course is from Oct 2010 to June 2011. So basically if we decide on her doing this, she would be here in the USA 7 months, then in Russia for 8 months, then back to USA permanently.

If she only has AP before Oct (not GC), will that seriously affect her ability to stay for 8 months before returning? She will be in the USA more than 6 months each of the years. How are GC interviews scheduled? Can we get a day, she fly back here for the interview and go immediately back to Russia?

This would have been a great thing if it would have happened 2 years ago, or even last year, we could have scheduled things and planned them, but now it just got dropped in our laps.

Thanks

2 things to remember about the NOA1.

1) It is a less than useless piece of paper. In fact it has negative use. It is not needed for anything, and because it uses the same paper/document form as the NOA2, later after you get your NOA2, you might bring the NOA1 to the interview instead of the correct NO2. Thus it might hurt rather than help.

2) People put the NOA1 date on timelines based not on the day they receive it in the mail, but by the day they either;

a- they notice their check was cashed

b- the date listed on the NOA1

so all those 2-5 days are not when people got the NOA1 in the mail, but when the date the check was cashed or the date the NOA1 has on it (not date received)

Sorry, I didn't understand your reply. So what you mean is that I need to have her apply for a passport?

Before she can be issued a visa, she must have an international passport. Because, the visa goes inside the passport. So yes, she needs to apply immediately for a passport and have it before her interview and bring it to her interview.

So my husband was deported in early November 2009. We've been together for nearly 4 years and have an 18month old and I'm pregnant again.

He had to return to his home country of Tanzania and I have been devastated. Not sure what to do...all I know is we miss him and I just need him back.

I was told to file a k-3 visa and that would get him back faster...then someone said he may be able to apply for a tourist visa from the embassy over there. I really don't know what I need to do. I've tried speaking with lawyers and they all want loads of money. My husband wants to come back to us but I don't even know where to begin.

I'm about 12 weeks pregnant and just emotional and hoping I can get some clarity on the situation and immediately apply somehow for his return...this is the longest we've even ever been apart since we started dating in 2006.

We will need more information on reason for deportation, overstay length, etc. before anyone can give you good advice.

My parents interview (Moscow) is just around the corner and i am starting to freak out. I just have little moments of freaking out here and there but afraid its going to turn into one major continuous freakout once the time gets right there. And of course I wont be able to sleep the night before.

deeeeeeeeep breathhhh

Welcome to the club. I went from pre-interview jitters to pre-arrival jitters. Jitters for everyone!

Your pre-interview jitters might have left, but they decided to come to me. I hope they didn't give my address to your pre-arrival jitters as they passed each other...

After Zhanna called from the interview I felt like I took a ####### that was 7 months in the making. Sweet relief. Hang in there.

Great...I get to look forward to jitters and a dump in my pants...

My parents interview (Moscow) is just around the corner and i am starting to freak out. I just have little moments of freaking out here and there but afraid its going to turn into one major continuous freakout once the time gets right there. And of course I wont be able to sleep the night before.

deeeeeeeeep breathhhh

Welcome to the club. I went from pre-interview jitters to pre-arrival jitters. Jitters for everyone!

Your pre-interview jitters might have left, but they decided to come to me. I hope they didn't give my address to your pre-arrival jitters as they passed each other...

]Just for Fun:

Slim, in case you ever get some little Slims running around, I thought you might want to know about these additions to legos.

1) Or no forensics division at all!

2) I guess maybe they're hoping they find a stash of this stuff at the guy's house and can match them up. Or there are multiple crime scenes with the same casings. Either way, not much to stand on.

3) Well, hopefully this will help. I'm all for helping law enforcement catch the bad guys.... provided it's legal and not costing me anything. (Hi Sprint customers!)

1) Yes, it's fun to pick on 'authority', hell I do it all the time. Sometimes people interested in things happen at certain times to know something that an expert (or 'expert') might not know. I know I sure pissed off a lot of history professors in college, while I was an undergraduate. When you're doing so many different cases, working with toolmarks, footwear, tire impressions, etc. It can be simple to overlook something, have a brain fart, or whatever and someone with interest in only one of those will know more that someone who has to know all of them.

2) Agree:What was described in the first sentence is totally useless and has been proven without a doubt to offer 0% proof of anything. Even if the headstamp/bunter marks are from the same tool, the mixing of ammo before it gets boxed makes it so finding casings at a scene and same ammo at the suspect's is not evidence. Its the same principle that stopped the FBI a few years back from using bullet compositions from 'batches' to try to link a crime bullet to one in a box. It just doesn't work.

The second sentence though depending on how many casings, and if the gun is found, and if casings can also be found at the suspect's residence, can all be matched and add up to good circumstantial evidence. Add some DNA, Trace Elements, Fingerprints, and a solid case can be made. I do not know the specifics on this case. Every case HAS to be worked. That's the downside. Even if the evidence is laughable, they have to process it and write a report.

3) If I sound a little defensive about the statement the division sucks, it's because I know a lot of other stress these examiners are currently under. I sincerely do thank you all for the help. I figured asking here would get results faster (and being accurate) than one of them asking a colleague and then waiting around for an answer.

they must have a really crappy forensics division.

no way you gonna find a bad guy by knowing that the empties are barnaul produced.

1) They have a huge backlog of cases now (do to some recent political/law changes) and are trying to get through them. kinda of like the VJ adjudicators; might put a case to the side for later if they can burn through a couple of easy ones. They have 3 people-budget cuts=no help. I volunteered to look into it and knew somebody here would know the answer with all the pies and guns talk.

2) Correct, but when doing comparisons to spent casings and bullets, it is better to do comparison firing using the same ammo manufacturer than different ones.

Thanks! I was not even thinking that that 'G' might be a б That was what was confusing me, the 'mix' of Latin and Greek/Cyrillic letters.

The Highway Patrol's firearm section was trying to figure the manufacturer so they could move forward on a case.