Peter&Dana

This happened to my husband and I when we went together for our interview date. We actually didn't know until we showed up at the Embassy and it was closed (seriously, Ghana has a LOT of holidays). They just told us to come back the next day and our interview was conducted then. It was no big deal, thankfully. For peace of mind, feel free to call and confirm.

I know most of you have never heard of me or my husband, Peter. We were frequent posters several years ago when we were deeply mired in the process of the K-1 fiance visa and work visas and all that.

I just wanted to come in and make one last announcement. A month ago today, my husband was sworn in as a United States citizen. We began our journey with our engagement in November of 2004, we were married in April of 2005, and now our whole family is free from the rigors of the USCIS.

The fees are exorbitant, the waiting is excruciating and the paperwork is tiring, but it is all worth it in the end. Never give up guys! Much love from Peter&Dana.

We bought our house over a year ago and I just realized hubby was not on the title. I just called up a real estate attorney (many Remax offices have them on site) and asked them to place him on title. I showed up at the office that same day and they gave me a notarized copy and charged me $40. Easy as pie.

Tax statements, insurance statements (particularly life insurance) and joint bills are just as good for evidence, though.

I had to login out of sheer excitement to yell a huge CONGRATULATIONS to my girl Peggy!!!

I knew this day would come for you - Peter and I prayed together for you and we never lost hope. I was more afraid that YOU would be discouraged by the embassy's little antics, but you are one persistent lady.

Enjoy your reunion with dear Watson and Little Miss Sweetie. Take some time to completely ignore all the next steps, disregard the rules, and take some time for YOU. AOS and Round 2 will be waiting for you when you awaken from your bliss together over the next few weeks. We didn't apply for AOS for 5 months.

Enjoy your upcoming nuptials.

Much love to you Peggy.

Now, we'll direct all our prayers to All4Kweku. She's the remaining survivor in our little crew - our generation of Sub-Sahara. We're all in this together, at least on a spiritual level.

Hubby and I went on a cruise for our first anniversary just last month and it was a very easy process. We didn't even have our physical green card, just a stamp in the passport, and everything went smoothly (on Royal Caribbean).

First of all, go to this site to find out your visa requirements. It's so easy - http://research.zvs.com/catalog.html

When you depart, they will ask to see your green card and another photo ID before check-in. Your check-in may take a little longer than other people, but they are used to green card holders because most cruises have hundreds of international folks onboard.

Now, arrival was a much different experience. My husband did not have his physical green card so we were asked to step aside when we reached our border agent and he had to make several phone calls to verify his identity. Then Peter had to answer questions like what is his mother and father's name, where was he born, etc. It took about 20-30 minutes in all, and the people in line behind us weren't very happy (most people only took 2-3 minutes), but we both think had he had more than just the passport stamp it would have gone a bit smoother.

Overall it was a wonderful experience and as long as you have a green card you should be pretty free to travel where you want. If a country does require a visa (check the site I gave you above), it's usually inexpensive and easy to get. We went to the Bahamas so I did call the Bohemian consulate to verify that he would be OK before I left. It may be wise for you to do the same.

If you have just half the amount of fun that we did, you're in for a very pleasant surprise. Enjoy your cruise!

Yay Kanyiri! Welcome to the other side of the fence! Now we just have to help our sisters and brothers join us.

Life gets much easier now - we recently got our green card, but it took about 2 months to arrive. I think we're a unique case though. Most people get it in about 5-7 days.

Peter's welcome to america letter and green card finally arrived today. We were approved on February 7, and the card didn't arrive until April 3! That's a long time compared to most people on here who received automatic approval - almost 2 months.

We just got back from our first anniversary trip to the Bahamas, and it was AWESOME. However, Peter didn't have his green card when we left so we had to go with just the I-551 stamp that we got through an Infopass appt a few weeks ago. The immigration officer at the port (we went on a cruise) took sooooo long to approve his re-entry. We held up the entire line. It's as if he had never seen an I-551. We weren't nervous or anything because we had checked and re-checked a dozen times with USCIS, the Bohemian consulate, and VJ (of course!) that we had all the right documentation, but it was still annoying. Finally after walking around trying to look important and talking to some head honchos, the officer asked Peter his birth date, his father's name (who just died... so that was a sad question), his mother's name, and his A#. After that they stamped his Ghanaian passport and he went right through.

Now that he has his GC, everything feels much more secure and official though!

The green card is really ugly, by the way. They could use some of my design services.

Hi folks,

We were approved (no interview) for permanent residency on February 7. We never received the Green Card, so we scheduled an Infopass appointment a few weeks ago and got Peter's passport stamped. Woohoo! We're free! I consider the hardest parts of the VJ over now that he's permanent.

However, we did have to follow up on that mystery green card, and they told us at the InfoPass that it was "in production." Hubby and I are going to the Bahamas on Friday so we were hoping to have it before then just so things would be nice and neat. He called the customer support line and they told him to wait up to FIVE MONTHS before receiving his card. We both know that is unrealistic and silly, but that's OK. We can go back for temporary stamps every 6 months if we need to - we're not complaining. I believe he gets a new one for lifting conditions in a couple of years anyway. I don't tend to sweat the small stuff.

However, today I got this email notice from USCIS. I don't think many people get this notice, but I think it means progress for our case.

*************************************************************************

Case Status

Receipt Number: MSC052-------

Application Type: I485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status

Current Status:

On March 29, 2006, the card order was completed and we mailed the applicant's new card directly to him or her. If 30 days have passed and you have not received this card, you may wish to verify or update your address. To update your address, please call the National Customer Service Center at (800) 375-5283.

You can choose to receive automatic case status updates, which will be sent via email. Please click here to create an account online.

**************************************************************************

I thought I'd post it in case anyone else has a recently missing GC. I guess just because other people get theirs in a couple of weeks, that doesn't mean all of us do. Some of us may take a couple of months.

I'll let you guys know when we have it in hand.

I think what's confusing in this case is just semantics. The words "license" and "certificate" are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing.

Regardless of what it's called (I get confused myself!), what USCIS is looking for is the one with the seal on it. It looks very official too, like a diploma almost. The document that the preachers and witnesses sign is not what USCIS is looking for. That's just what you mail in to receive your license. Or certificate. Or whatever. hehe

Thanks Mand.

i also need to ask a question about the marriage licence.Is it the same as the marriage certificate?

If we do get the marriage licence and have a minister witness the marriage, we detach the bottom part of the licence and get the top part notorized. Can we include that with the I-485

Thanks again

The marriage license is not the same as the marriage certificate. The official marriage license is all the USCIS will take (we just sent regular black and white copies of ours with the I-485, and we were approved, no interview).

The official marriage license is issued by the state and usually has a raised seal (or in Tennessee, a gold seal). Also, it does not take that long to receive. We got ours about a week or so after our wedding, and we don't even live in Tennessee (we live in Georgia, married in TN).

It is worth the wait because if you just send in the certificate, you will get an RFE.

The I-551 stamp is needed to return to the U.S. I use my Canadian passport to travel and my Green Card to return to the U.S.

The I-551 stamp is a very common thing, and I'm sure that it is well known that it is just like the Green Card.

Have a good vacation!!!

Does it also prove to countries you're visiting that you're a US permanent resident? I think that's what they need to see. Unless you have proof you're a permanent resident, Ghanaians have to have a visa to travel to the Bahamas.

Guys, I desperately need your help. I was not worried about this a few days ago, but as usual, panic has set in at the very last minute.

My husband was approved for permanent residency on Feb. 7. His green card never arrived, so we made an Infopass appointment and got th stamp in his passport (they said his card was still in production and would be on its way soon).

In the meantime, I've scheduled a trip for us to go to the Bahamas on a cruise line for our first anniversary. Now the idea has hit me that the cruise line may not accept the I-551 stamp, since all documentation says he must present a green card. I did see something on the Bohemian consulate site that says the stamp is fine, but you know how easy it is to run into an ignorant person who may not let us on the boat.

The other alternative would be to go ahead and get him a visa as "insurance" but the cruise departs this Friday.

My questions is, has anyone else been in a similar situation? Do other countries accept the I-551 stamp as valid? I just don't trust that darn stamp!

A good alternative would be to send it Express Mail. This service is through your regular post office but is comparable to any Fedex or DHL service. I used it a couple of times and Peter's package arrived in less than 7 days to his P.O. box. Plus, you can get insurance, guarantees and you can track it online. It's also more reasonably priced than the other services. Be sure you use Global Express Mail and not Priority Mail though.

Of course it's not against the law for you to not have a SSN yet. It's all part of the process.

Be informed that many US citizens do not have a full understanding of immigration law, so don't expect them to give you accurate information about it.

It's highly unusual for any landlord to allow a tenant to sign a lease if they do not yet have their SSN. In fact, I did not add my husband to my lease until it was time to renew (about 4 months after we got married, 5 months after his SSN was issued).

The only advice I can give you is to get your SSN as soon as possible, and then get added to your lease.

Maybe I read this wrong but I thought the fiance will be going to live at the new address when he arrives. If this is the case the "new" address will be the address on his I-94 and then on his AOS. Then, I thought the only person moving was the USC which for AOS I did not think her address change would matter unless she moved after she files the AOS.

If the new address is used for the fiance when he arrives and for all of his forms then he wouldn't have to send in an address change. I think the issue came because there will be a different address on the I-129F (the OP's "old" address) and I thought the OP was wondering about the apparent conflict between the two, but maybe I just read it wrong. I thought she was the only person moving and that he will go to the new place when he arrives and will be filiing from there. Maybe I am just confused.

K.

You're not confused. This is how I read it as well, and I know I wasn't mistaken in my post, but I gave up on wrestling with VJ posters long ago. So, my suggestion is, if you know your new address now and your new fiance has not arrived in the country, both of you should start using your new address on every form you fill out from now on and you'll have zero problems.

Yup. Zero.

I'm done with this thread.

Can you sense how hard I'm rolling my eyes at you right now? Know it all. (j/k)

I think you only have to do the AR-11 and I-865 if you move after you have sent in your AOS application, so moving before you apply should have no effect.

k_quandary is correct.

Who Must Comply?

All aliens in the United States who are required to be registered under the law (INA § 262 and 261) must keep the USCIS informed of their changes of address. The only aliens exempt from this requirement are diplomats (visa status A), official government representatives to an international organization (visa status G), and certain nonimmigrants who do not possess a visa and who are in the U.S. for fewer than 30 days (INA § 263).

Source

The change of address notification requirement via the AR-11 form applies to anyone who is not a US citizen and who is in the US for more than 30 days (with the above quoted exceptions).

The I-865 obviously only needs to be filed once an I-864 has been submitted which only occurs when the I-485 is actually launched. So, no I-865 but definitely an AR-11.

Hey ET, you are NOT correct on this one dude. This one I know for sure. This quote of yours refers to ALIENS, and the poster is the USC. As long as the significant other puts the proper permanent address that she's moving to on all documentation upon entrance into the U.S., they should be fine.

Yes, the I-551 stamp is sufficient. Until when did they give it to you? And the ordered your card without you having to file the I-90?

They gave us the stamp during our visit this morning after seeing our email approval that the application was approved on Feb. 7. The lady looked in the system and then told us our GC is still in production since it's "only" been since Feb. 7. I did not have to file the I-90, and also was not instructed to. The stamp is valid for 6 months.

Peter and I got married on April 2 but could not afford to file AOS until June, and it worked out fine. I think the consensus on being out of status after marriage is about 180 days. But the faster you go, the better. You never know when that green card will become important. For example, Peter would always brag about how he was less concerned about the GC than the EAD. Then last week he applied to go to school, and he HAS to have a GC to enroll. Now, he's been eating crow about having his GC earlier. If he doesn't have it by May 18, he can't enroll in school.

k_quandary is correct.

I also moved between filing I-129F and I-485 and I never indicated any of that to USCIS. I just put my new address on the I-485 and never worried about the old address. Everything worked out fine.

Hello all,

As some of you know, Peter was approved for his green card on 02/07 but we never received it, nor did we receive the Welcome to America letter.

We scheduled an Infopass for 7 a.m. (yawn!) and we arrived 30 minutes late. The building (77 Forsyth St, in case any of you will be going) is under severe construction so we thought it was an unfinished building. We kept driving up and down the street looking for it, and it was right there in front of our eyes the whole time!

We went through security, they took our appointment letter (they didn't care that we were late - didn't even ask), and gave us a number. We sat in the waiting room for about 30 minutes and then our number was called. I was bracing myself the whole time for the typical immigration fare - attitudes, long waits, no answers.

Turns out, the immigration officer we spoke to asked us our problem, we told her we had been waiting for the green card and it never arrived. She asked for the approval email and Peter's passport, then stamped Peter's passport with a temporary permanent residency stamp, then told us we should receive the GC in a couple of weeks because it's currently "in production." Yippee!!

Now we can (try to) go to Jamaica for our first anniversary next month!!!!

QUESTION: Are you allowed to leave the country with just that tiny little stamp and make it back OK? We never got AP and we don't have the actual green card, and that tiny little stamp makes me nervous! Any advice? Anyone ever traveled with just that?

This is all new to me. I feel so lost. I just know that right now we need to spend time together which is the reason that he is coming over as a tourist. EAD, AOS, K1, B1, K3......it is another language and another world. Basically, he has a letter from his Mother stating that he works in the family business and via the many corresponding emails with the embassy that I have sent to them this should prove soci-economic status for them.....I had suggested to him that he does an immigrant visa....I read about that on the embassy website and it cost about $365.......how does this work? Is this better? Also per the qualifications for a K1 fiance visa we do not qualify....we haven't known one another for 2 years.....that is the way we understand. Is there someone that I can talk to in Oklahoma who is able and willing to explain this process to me? Like an attorney or someone? I am in love wth someone that I feel is finally right for me and but he is a whole world apart from me!

Right now he has an appointment set at the end of this month.....I scheduled it off like that so that I can obtain more information. I am getting desperate and I feel like I don't have the knowledge that I need to win this race. ...I am trying to catch up and get the knowledge that is necessary so we can be together.

ewao,

We've all been there. That feeling of confusion is familiar to all of us. You learn a little bit as you go. Marrying a foreigner is nothing at all like marrying an American. And marrying a Nigerian is even more difficult because there's a perception of high fraud from that country. Trust me, we've all been where you are at some point or another and of all the people you could ask, we understand the most.

There's an extremely small chance of your fiance getting a tourist visa. If you want to go for it, great, but don't be disappointed if he's denied again. My husband (then boyfriend) tried literally for years to get a tourist visa, only to be denied repeatedly before I finally learned about this process. If you want to spend time with your loved one, YOU will have to visit HIM. Practically everyone on the Sub-Saharan forum who plans to get married has been to our loved one's country at some point in time.

You cannot enter into an international relationship using the ideals you've grown up with (such as spending tons of time together, going on dates for months, etc.). I think my husband and I spent altogether only 2.5 weeks together before he came over on a K-1 (fiance visa). It was a lot like an arranged marriage, but we also knew each other for 13 years beforehand, so we had no doubt all would work out. But it was NOT EASY. International couples must endure a lot more trials and difficulties than average couples... and we spent thousands throughout the process in calling cards, travel fees, visa fees, work authorization and green card fees, etc.

Listen, ignore all the acronyms for now, and just pay attention to the requirements for K-1 and K-3. Look around on this site, read what you can, and learn more about how this works. Ask specific questions about what you need to know. I'm a black american woman too, and chose to go into this process with my eyes open (after many failures made out of my own ignorance about immigration). For love, it was more than worth it for me. Love is a many splendored thing.

I hope that helps!

Dana

The biggest advantage of the K-3 is that your husband receives his green card and work authorization within weeks as opposed to 4-6 months.

The CR1 would offer that benefit (takes a lot longer to obtain, though). The K3 most certainly does not give anyone a work authorization and green card within weeks. The EAD and Adjustment process for a K3 is not all that different from a K1.

Are you sure, ET? A friend of ours named Caesar arrived in the U.S. on the exact same day as Peter, and he had his green card within weeks - even before Peter and I got married.

I thought the benefit to the marriage beforehand is that the person enters the U.S. as a permanent resident, and doesn't have to endure AOS. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Boy are you in the right place. Start reading, girl. Begin by comparing the implications of the K-1 fiance visa (once he arrives, you have 90 days in the U.S. before you have to marry or he has to go back home), and the K-3 visa, which is marriage there, and then come home and wait for him to arrive (from Nigeria, this can take up to 18 months).

My husband is from Ghana, and we chose the K-1. It worked out perfectly for us. The biggest advantage of the K-3 is that your husband receives his green card and work authorization within weeks as opposed to 4-6 months.

Lots of people on here can answer your questions. You're in good company.

Welcome!

Dana

Honestly? I'm not sure if I could handle all that you've gone through. I have no idea what I would do in your shoes, Peggy. I would probably go marry Peter, and then move to the UK to try and live happily ever after. But then again, I'm pretty young and have no roots/children/family that need me here in the U.S.

Your posts recently lack any emotional attachment to the situation as compared to your earlier posts. I know this is affecting you in ways no one else could probably imagine. Just want you to know we love you, and we support you in your process and whatever decisions you make.

Dana (and Peter, too)

Did you mean that you got your AOS status approved online or did you receive an NOA 2 saying that your cas has been approved ? I myself received NOA 2 (approval notice) on the mail about 1 week after our interview. The welcome letter came almost at the same time then GC came about 2 days later.

My AOS status was approved online. I'll call them in a couple of days, I guess.