midge and isi

Ghana is no country to mess with in the tax world- they are very picky- get the co-sponsor!

For everyone's enjoyment the tracking of the GC which finally came just a few moments ago! Oh USPS!!! To and Fro (not in 2 days!!!)

Calling tomorrow once i know whats going on. It has gone to MA and back to ME (where I am)... My co-workers wife works where it is so I am going to see if they can help me out

Card was suppose to be delivered Monday. The USPS has completely messed up- they have sent it back to who knows where! Even with tracking they can't figure out where it is or where it has gone to...

What a system we have!

Hi all,

Just got a RFE dated 7/29.. Guess they want more evidence showing co-mingled residence and all pages of bank statement.. We had just send the first page with both our names ..

I sent just front pages but I guess it might depend on the other things sent.... but you would think they would have consistent criteria! Well at least its things that are easy to get!

Good luck and be patient- your times are coming soon.....

California Service Center (26 applicants, 3 approved- 11% )

Just got the email last night to check the account again. Went on and we did have a tracking number. Boy are they moving fast from approval to card production. Expected delivery is Monday....

Hello all! I received an email that my fiance petition was approved. Unfortunatley, I'm not as on the ball as I should have been. I haven't started collecting the 134 information yet....AND I'm uninformed on what to fill out if I have a sponsor. PLEASE HELP! Also, what should my fiance be doing? He is in Ghana (police report/immunizations)?...about how long does it take between the approval and the interview date?

See the guide about forms and what you need to support them.

You will need to call NVC to get your case number so you can communicate with Accra if you do not hear from them. But you now wait for the pickup packet date at the Embassy (if you dont hear in a month i would try to email them to see if they will give you a pickup date). That is when you will start with police record and immunization.

It varies greatly and it seems to be consistently changing for accra!

Hello friends and all vj members.

Need help on how to file form i-765. I am confused on question # 16 which states as ...The filing fee for Form I-765 is $380. If you request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals, category ©(33), you must also pay an $85 biometric services fee for a total of $465. There is no biometric services fee for any other employment category. Some filing types are fee exempt. See the form instructions for more information. So my question is that,should i type ©(33),as answer to question # 16 on form I-765? I am ready with the fees.I also filled out form I-465 .All what i am now waiting for is what to type on question number 16 on form i-765.I got a daughter back home which name was on our forms and is that what the form is asking me? Please i need urgent help so that i can mail out my form and also,please tell me which address can i mailed out my form as i am living in Greensboro,NC.Thank very much and i will be waiting for the answer.

How did you come to the US? You have to look at the instruction page to see what category. If K-1 look at page 4 of the I-765 instructions. This also tells you were to mail your application. If you are Adjusting status with (I assume you mean I-485) then there is no additional fee if submitted at the same time. READ and Re-READ the I-485 instruction for how to do the complete package....

Hi all! I was wondering what people recommend for marriage licenses-- I live in Ohio but was considering doing a funky little wedding in Las Vegas-- we will then have to get the marriage license in Nevada correct? And then if this is true, will this make dealing with AOS/USCIS/SS office more difficult? Because we will be residing in Ohio and filing here but the marriage license is in Nevada... Sigh. I am so clueless, thanks for all of your help!!

No problem with AOS. your center is based where you reside....

Oh Thank you sooo much for your response! I am a little worried because I only filled out one tax return for the past three years, it was thankfully 2012 so I hope this will not be a major problem. I've taken classes year round, and in the summer, and travelled (how I met my fiance), so 2012 was the first year I actually had an opportunity to work for a few months... I do own a house and a nice car, should I include that in my letter/memo to the consulate, in addition to all of my mom's information?

My mom is part owner of our family business which, thank God, has done well even through these financial crises so I hope her information will suffice. Thanks again for your help and I will definitely figure out this private messaging system for future questions

The house I believe can be listed as an asset on your I-134. Check the I-134 instructions. So include it there as well. I wouldn't go overboard with that information since your still going to need a co-sponsor. Make sure you have all for your co-sponsor (and tax transcripts are a must!)

This was my letter: (of course formatted into a business letter)

This is to supplemental sheet for my (xxxx) I-134 petition for xxxxxx of Ghana. I have included tax transcripts and W-2s for 2006 and 2008.

I did not file taxes for 2007. I made xxxxxx for the year. This amount is below the income requirement for a single person under 65 years old of $8,750 for the filling of Federal Income taxes for 2007. (See sheet from IRS’s who needs to file) Copies of my W-2s are provided to show the income earned for this year.

I have been a college student from 2006 until present. My father’s information as co-sponsor is included as well to show a household sponsorship.

Thats all it was and we had no issue-

Hi All,

I want to know if the U.S. embassy in Ghana will require a 2012 Tax Return Transcript After Administrative Processing is over. My fiancee's interview was in 2011 and the one present at the time was a 2011 one. Now that we are in 2013, my question is will they require a new (2012) tax transcript after the AP is over or the 2011 one presented at the 2012 interview is enough? Also, after the AP is over and they call you to the embassy, will they do a second interview?

Thanks

Its free and easy to get- I would suggest having it to be on the safe side. Accra never surprises me!

Hello all! I am so grateful for this site and all of the encouraging stories and advice shared on a daily basis. And the explanation of this process along with statistics and other information is so incredibly helpful, even in this very beginning of my journey!

So to my question-- I have read through the I-134 instruction form and see that there are four categories (bank statements, tax returns, letter from employer, and stocks/bonds value), listed for the supporting documents to prove financial support for the foreign fiance. Should we (my mom is our cosponsor) include all of these documents? Or just one? Or as many as we see fit? And I guess this brings me to another question-- Should I include a letter/memo as to why I am not the sponsor for my fiance? I have been in school for the past four years and recently graduated, this is why my mom will be the sponsor.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me, it is so very much appreciated

Renee

Hi there- I was in the same boat going through Accra. You both need the i-134. Ghana has been notorious for putting someone in AP without Tax Transcripts (800-908-9946). So I would 1. Get tax transcripts for the last three years for both of you (even if you had no incomes to show on it). 2. Include additional information that you feel shows support.

I included the tax transcript. Letter from employers (especially for my dad as he had been there for 22 years). I did include a letter not sure if they looked at it or not. The serious of interview questions that Isi had led right into why I wasn't the sponsor as we met while attending the University of Ghana.

Please feel free to contact me in PM if you have more specific questions about Ghana and our process through there.

I contacted the ceac site and have seen "READY"

And my case was last update yesterday.

Can I go ahead to contact the embassy here in Ghana? If Yes how do I go about it.

Tnx

Hi there- If you have your ACC number from NVC you can email Accra with your ACC number, name of petitioner/ben dates of birth asking for a pickup date. That is where you will get both Packet 3 and 4. I would not wait for them to contact you by snail mail in Ghana.

Once you have that date you will go and also get your interview date and that will also help to determine when you go for the medical and police certificate,

Hope that helps! Good luck!

Twinkla,

What is ceac site? My kids interiew is set for June 6th. My husband went by with the letter from NVC and was told he did not need anything else just use the letter for the medicals. Which he has done. I submitted the 230 to the NVC already. I am reading online where people are filling out form DS156 or 156K and bringing that to the interview. Since he was not given a packet, not sure what is required now However, I like you wish someone could confirm this information. Are there additional forms needed for the interview in Ghana? Thanks for your help.

The OP was for K-1, If you are doing CR-1 the process is different.

My fiancé hasn't had one job at a time will that be a problem when I go for the interview?

If this is the person in Ghana- (unclear from OP).

My fiance had just completed his University of Ghana degree and did not have a single job. We had no issues.

If this is the person in the USA then they will need a co sponsor with all supporting documents for each person even the petitioner (even with no work history). They will want strong evidence if the person has never worked on how the immigrant (and petitioner) are going to be supported,

I used copies of tax transcipts for interview in ghana- there is no official seal. Just make sure they print a GOOD clear copy.

I agree with everyone who says every question you have is in the guides but I am still going to post this question and hope for the best. I have tried to deduce the answers from reading all country specific posts and find the answers somewhat confusing. Is there a country specific guide that tells you what steps to take once you receive the NOA2 for K1 visa. For example, I previously had to get a "non-impediment to marry" with my previous K1 but it does not seem to be needed with the embassy in Ghana. How long from NOA2 to interview (for Ghana), do I go ahead and call NVC and get a number and then schedule my interview (for Ghana), do I go ahead and have my fiance get the police report a month before the interview or three months before (for Ghana). Maybe it is just me being dumb but I still have questions after reading the guides and posts and going through this for the 2nd time.

Hi there-

You will need any divorce papers you have for the interview.

NOA2 to interview is a hard one as it is always changing. Once you get your NOA2 wait a week call NVC for your embassy number. Starts with ACC. Once you have that wait a week or so and email the Ghana embassy for your pickup date. Include Pet and Ben birthdays, names, ACC number. They will eventually email you back with a date to pick up packet 3 (which is also packet 4- with interview date). They schedule the interview not you,.

Yes- i would wait on the police certificate so it closer to the interview date/as well as medical.

Also for I-134 use tax transcipts-

Hope that helps

I really appreciate the feedback and I'm hoping this post might be able to establish a consensus on front loading. I read that the CO's make up their mind before the interview, so it is important to send more chat records than less. I also read that the petition isn't as important as the interview and keeping it simple is best for the I-129f. So I'm still undecided on which approach to take.

The red flags I can think of are; 1 visit for 15 days, 13 years age difference, interracial, met online, 6 months of online correspondence, divorce 4 years ago to a natural born US citizen, my fiance is currently unemployed, fiance doesn't have an identifiable physical address in Ghana?

Thanks again VJer's for all the help, I'm interested in seeing your consensus regarding frontloading for a high fraud consulate and hope we can keep the conversation going.

I don't think there will every be a consensus on front loading or not- many folks here did not front load and get approved and those who front load may not be approved on first interview.... even at the same embassy....

interracial and met online is common now-a-days

If you can get a 2nd trip before the interview that would help...

The who is older m or f can be the area that they ask about- especially if w is out side of child-bearing age. but there have been many couples (in ghana) with over 13 year age difference approved where the w is older.

What do you mean by divorce 4 years ago (who was that petitioner or benefactor?) through immigration? If USC married to USC they may ask some questions about that but not too much. If immigration involved they may ask more questions...

Physical address in Ghana wont be a huge thing since most are very vague. Just get as much information as you can- usually block and unit. Being unemployed as the benefactor is not an issue, for petitioner they will just need to have a co-sponsor.

In Ghana make sure you get tax transcripts.

Hope that helps-

My Ghanian fiance and I have been debating whether to send 5-25 pages of chat transcripts or 50-75 pages. Some have advised that the more chat transcripts you send, the more likely you will slow down the processing time, make yourself vulnerable to unexpected questions, accidental red flags, or cause important documents to get lost in the mix of unnecessary chat logs. On the opposing side, I have heard that high fraud consulates are going to want more than just proof of meeting in person and it is best to "Front Load" and hit them with as much proof as possible.

I have over 1000 chat logs. I'm currently in the process of reviewing all the chats and selecting a sample page from each week, illustrating a timeline of our ongoing relationship, highlighting content that best represents our feelings and interactions with one another. This should come to roughly 50-75 pages. My Fiance thinks I should keep it simple to avoid confusion and potential loss of documentation, and submit the bare minimum.

For all those applying to high fraud consulates, what is your recommendations regarding emails and chat logs? 5-25? 50-75? 100+?

Went through Ghana- what we did...

I would suggest providing more variety of evidence if you can. My initial petition documents included photos (10 or so), a few months of skype snap shots of calls to him, 3 actually chats but included screen shots of message titles. But I would show evidence over time. I would say a few actually chats and somehow showing the range of dates from what ever message service you use.

For the interview- you can bring them all! But i would make sure you bring lots of other things. If you have only had one visit i would try for a second while waiting. We had two visits including my parents going as well, photo, skype, facebook, cell phone showing texts and calls, and snail mail- not a ton of each but variety showing time frame and had no issues with the interview.

Are there other potential red flags? Age difference? Criminal Background? etc.?

Okay so here is the dilemma. I just got back from Tunisia over a week ago from visiting my fiance. He is set to graduate college the end of next month. Due to financial reasons, I can only afford one more trip. It's $1,500 per flight. We'd also like for me to be present at his interview(God willing we get approved!) What would you do? Would you spend the money and go to graduation, something that will never happen again or not worry about going to the interview? or would you go to the interview? I can't go IN to the interview with him but I feel like it would look better for us if i WERE there anyway..if nothing else, as support for my fiance. ahhhhhhhhh! Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated! We are stuck between a rock and a hard place for sure

With all the trips you have had (more then many other couples who get approved) I would go with the graduation....

You may not even be able to go in for the interview- other country specific people can let you know-

So I was sorta similar, For k-1 petition you just need the proof you have met. So your passport stamps and pictures will be enough for the initial petition of meeting withing the last two years. So don't worry over that. I sent pictures, and passport stamps, and a little from when i was home (skype records) but you don't need that for this point.

You have a while (at least a year) before you need to have on-going evidence for embassy interview. So start collecting now! More pictures with date stamps while you are there for the next few months, outings with others. To be honest I don't think letters from people do that much good but you could get a few from people there. If you both take a bus trip somewhere see if you can get receipts, etc.

I had my parents go with me to Ghana- so we had pictures of that which i think is a very helpful thing. If that is even in the realm it would be fun for them as well.

When you get back make sure you document things- calls, skype, email, snail mail, etc.

Also think about your I-134 since you are volunteering you most likely will need a co-sponsor.

Hope that helps!

-where in ghana are you?

Email takes a while but they do eventually contact you. Be patient. In your email make sure you include case number, dob, names of all involved and they will reply for a day to pick up your packet 3 &4

If I understand this correctly there shouldn't be an issue with him not doing his national service or his financial status as a non-working student?

His financials has nothing to do with the K-1. The petitioner has to have the financial ability to sponsor or get a co-sponsor.

We made the choice on national service, Its a personal choice. I would research it to make your choice in the mater.

My husband is studying here now as well - but a lot of scholarships/fin aid is not available for non-citizens. Something to keep in mind.

Thank you so much that is really helpful information!

The beneficiary is currently a student in Ghana (west Africa). Thanks.

My now husband was a recent graduate of University of Ghana when he went for his interview. Nothing was asked about schooling in his interview. I dont know why this would be an issue. Transferring credits can be difficult...