shepherdsbush

Hi people,

I entered the US in March 2012 and received my green card a month later. I left in June 2012 to go to Germany for the European football and haven't returned since. Didn't really like 'living' in LA, it's definitely seen better days. I now plan to stay in Europe but would like to travel as a tourist to USA. How do I "return" my green card so that i can apply for a tourist visa?

Welcome to the US bureaucratic runaround!

If you didn't have to pay estimated taxes the previous year, or didn't owe any income taxes from the previous years, you generally don't have to pay estimated taxes in the current year. So, they can't penalize you for not getting it right the first year. Expect an audit in the first couple of years, just so you and the IRS can come to an agreement on what is taxable, and what is deductible. Home office expenses, and vehicle expenses are big on their hit list.

My advice is to set plenty aside for taxes, and if you make the payments, you won't be so inclined to spend it and end up short next April. Don't forget the 15.3% for Social Security and Medicare taxes, on top of the income tax. That self-employment tax will probably end up being about two-thirds of your Federal taxes.

Thanks again for the reply!

I guess I'll go down the IRS office and simply ask for information. I reckon it is probably better to start out paying quarterly payments as at least I'll have some idea of what I have to pay early on and not get mashed by an unaffodable tax bill at the end of the year. As for home office expenses, these are really low for me (I work at home on the Internet with a laptop).

Now I just have to figure out whether to file as a dual status alien or married filing jointly...

The first quarterly payment is due April 17th. Taxes have to be prepaid, usually in equal payments. Non-resident aliens would use Form 1040-ES(NR). Others would use Form 1040-ES(OCR)

Thanks for the reply!

I see the relevent form requires

a) Information from last years US tax return, and

b) A Social Security Number

I don't have either of these items (SSN has still not arrived, takes about a month from what I gather).

I rang the IRS but I was referred to 4 different people who just seemed to be entering my information into their computer after reading from their list ("are you a farmer or fisherman?", etc.) before saying that I needed to talk to someone else as the computer couldn't deal with my request. In the end I came back to the first person again!

Hi people,

I arrived in the US one week ago on an IR-1 visa and am a freelance translator. I am in a fortunate postion as I could continue my translation work immediately on arrival here in the US. My question is; do I have to pay quarterly estimated tax payments as a self-employed person right away? Or do I wait until next year.

thanks in advance

shepherds bush

Hi people,

I just had my interview for my visa application at the US Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, last Thursday, 9 Feb 2012. I rang up a week before to ask if my case file had been received and if I needed to bring any other documents. A friendly guy told me everthing seemed to be ok. So off I go to Frankfurt on the train from Berlin and I leave my mobile phone in a lockup at the station (no electronic equipment allowed in the consulate) before going off to my 8am interview at the consulate (there is a night train from Berlin to Frankfurt). The interview goes fine and at 10.10 a.m. a nice lady tells me my visa has been approved and my British passport will be returned with a temporary Green Card stamp with the envelope that should be presented when I arrive in the USA in around 7 - 10 days. She ended with "enjoy your new life in California".

So you can imagine my surprise when i returned to Frankfurt main railway station to pick up my mobile phone and saw that i had received an email from the same US consulate in Frankfurt. The email was sent at 10.16 a.m., 6 minutes after I had been told of my visa approval, and asked for details of everywhere i had been outisde of the USA in the past 10 years (including addresses).

So it seems the US consulate has taken my British passport away under the pretext of supplying a US Immigrant Visa but actually still has no immediate intention of granting a visa until more information is provided.

Oh, did I mention I have an Islamic name?

I have my police certificates, birth certificate and marriage certificate. The NVC says that I should send the original copies to them with my Immigrant Visa Application form but I also noticed that in the VisaJourney guide that I need these original documetns for my interview at the US embassy. Should I send photocopies of these documents to the NVC and keep the originals for the interview?

Does anyone know which doctor(s) I could contact about getting my medical in Berlin, Germany?

Frankfurt

thanks people!

i paid 150 in berlin this february

which doctor did you go to in berlin, sir?

I had no vaccination record too and i got 3 shots of vaccine last week (TdapPolio, MMR and influenza vaccines)

It does hurt but you have to take it

good luck

Ouch! How did you know which vaccines to take? Did the offical US visa-certified doctor tell you which ones or your local GP?

If she has sufficient income she needs only most recent tax return, letter from the employer, and last pay-stab with YTD income. No need for all 3 years.

thanks but as i mentioned she has no tax returns and is a student so no employer.

Hi people,

I got married in London, UK, to my American wife some years ago and I thought I had read that my interview would therefore be at the US embassy in London although i live in Germany. I noticed that my NVC number starts with FRN (Frankfurt?). So will my interview be at the embassy in Frankfurt or London?

Hello everybody,

i have just read that 14 different vaccinations are required before my medical. I have had a few when i was a kid but as my doctor during my childhood has passed aaway, the hospital where i was born in West London no longer exists and I have been living in Germany for 20 years, it seems almost impossible to get these medical records (the NHS site suggests asking my (dead) GP). Do I really have to have all these vaccinations in such a short amount of time? It sounds quite a horrific experience and also rather expensive.

Also, has the medical been done yet? As soon as you have your NVC number (I'm guessing yours starts with LND given your name ) it can be scheduled and done.

Yes,I do have my NVC number. How do I go about getting the medical examination?

So sorry to bother you again but I really need your valued opinion!

My American wife has only been living back in the states for 2 years as a student and has no income tax returns yet. Of course, form I-864 asks for her Federal tax returns for the past 2/3 years. Should she leave question 25 "Federal Tax information" blank and maybe attach a note of explanation?

thanks in advance

Your wife is the petitioner she is not a joint sponsor of you.

you guys are great!

Hello again,

my american spouse/petitioner is a student and earns less than the minimum income requirments for the I-864. Luckily her brother has very kindly agreed to act as a joint sponsor. I gather that they must both complete form I-864.

In the first question on the I-864 (Basis for filing affadavit support), should my wife tick "(a) I am the petitioner" box or "(e) I am the first of two joint sponsors" (with her brother choosing "second joint sponsor" on his form)?

thanks

Ok here is what you do:

1. Go to the bottom of the page (where it says paid) and print COVER SHEET.

2. On both the AOS and the IV there is an option to print the COVER SHEET

(there is also an option to print a receipt but thats only for your own records)

3. Once you have printed both cover sheets (yes they are different , the one says AOS on it) attach it on the front of each pile of papers one for AOS one for IV.

4. Then go ahead and send it in, the address to where you send it is on the cover sheet that you will print.

Good Luck

thanks!

Hi there,

Does it say "PAID" yet online?

yes, the payment status has been "PAID" for 4 weeks now.

Hi visajourney travellers,

I paid my IV and AOS fees for my last month (I-130 petition for alien relative). Should I now wait for the NVC to give me instructions or should i send the DS230 and I864 forms straight away?

thanks for any help