Casprd

Most of asia can be seen on your own, Korea is hard, Hong Kong is easy but you have to join a fake tour group (u won't ever see the group except to cross the border) and is pretty cheap.... Japan does not give Chinese personal visas (unless u have a GC) and u would have to go on a very restrictive Chinese group tour.

A Chinese passport is pretty much worthless, everyone will want tons of money and/or you in a group in order to go. Even student visas require at least 350k yuan to be approved, a million for the u.s. We were in South America last year and were restricted on where we could go simply because we didn't have time to apply for 10 visas....

This was after she got her green card and is an LPR in the US? Damn, I was hoping that getting visas would be more of a pro forma thing once my wife gets here.

Hang in there. It is a long stressful process but you're getting close. Set the email and text message alerts on the USCIS page and try to restrain yourself from checking more than once a day. It will come soon. And don't let it give you grey hairs. That's your future wife's job

Yeah I'll chime in here and say, the chances are that you won't get through the whole process in time. Less than 6 months from petition to wedding was really being blindly optomistic as just the first step can take that long. Unfortunately you have 2 choices. You can reschedule the wedding (I wouldn't even set a date until you have visa in hand) or you can get married and then restart the process as a CR-1. The second option is only possible if CBP lets your SO enter for the wedding, there is the very real possibility they may look at everything and say they are intending to immigrate so they can't enter.

Wish one of us had some good news for you, but there really isn't any in this case.

It's kind of a twofold problem. People call so much because the process is a black box and what little visibility there is, is poorly used and not updated often/on time (NVS AVRS?!?!?!?) If they had a better means of making information available there would still be calls, but things like calling to get the case number from the NVC when the case gets transferred and then calling to get the NEW case number when you opt for EP. I understand they are probably getting a lot of "what's happening with my case" calls and it gets on their nerves. Especially if they've just dealt with someone who has a problem with their case and is blaming them. Sounds like the woman was having a bad day, but to be honest, calling daily or even weekly isn't going to speed things up and all it does is tie up the lines and a person to tell you there is no new information.

I feel your pain, especially with the extra black box that is the AP. Hang in there and don't let their bad mood get to you.

From Senegal the chances are pretty slim that he would get a tourist visa with a pending K-1 visa and especially with a newborn child. A visa interview isn't proof of ties since he already has an intention to immigrate. You can try for a tourist visa but unless you can show a job or property or something else that will compel him to return home to wrap up loose ends, the chances are just not that good.

You can send it directly but then the attorney will say that they don't know what you sent and end up charging you more if there is any problem.

Thanks. just 14 more days till she arrives. Yeah we're planning on going back every other year at this point with her family either coming here or meeting somewhere in the odd years.

You can check this link as well. Bottom line is they are personal effects and are not declared on the form. She can always ask the CBP officer is she is unsure.

http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm/entering_us/3customsinfo-nonres.htm

for k-1 visa holders, it doesn't matter which line to get in, at the poe.

the declaration form seems a bit crazy for intending immigrants (instead of tourists) but bear in mind

that MOST of what she's carrying in , is her personal belongings, most is not duti-able. (which is a good thing)

Rules are different from tourist to intending immigrant to immigrant.... Still must declare cash, regardless

If she gets hassled at customs inspection, tell her to remind the customs officer that she's an intending immigrant, not a tourist, is different rules for her than for the tourist.

as a K-1 she is still technically a visitor so the vistor entry on the form is correct as she hasn't received any resident status yet. For the peanuts don't do it. It is just silly to bring any kind of food product in to the US. The things she is bringing with her are not dutiable items. Think of it this way, when you travel to China you don't "declare" your personal belongings

This document is from the cbp website and is a guide for returning residents and non resident/first time immigrants. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CE8QFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbp.gov%2Flinkhandler%2Fcgov%2Fnewsroom%2Fpublications%2Ftravel%2Fmoving_goods.ctt%2Fmoving.doc&ei=4gBcTrz4JOmFsAKy1bSpDA&usg=AFQjCNG5bAMPFnooJZcael0doUlJ0ANZcA&sig2=ofkqIHleMK0BmzIT0ZK0Hg

If letter says bring it you need to bring it. If you dont they will give you a blueslip and make you bring it later. Just do it right from the start and save yourself the trouble.

Absolutely. if the interview letter says bring it you better bring it. If the interview letter doesn't say bring it, you still better bring it. Why in the world anyone would not include a document just because they heard it wasn't needed is beyond me. this is way too important (or should be) to leave stuff like this to chance. I would take copies of every document ever submitted and if a copy was submitted then I would take the originals.

FYI about 10 years ago...after our wedding he told me he already filed a petition for me....and so i waited, and waited and waited...then guess what only last year he finally told me he doesnt know how to file an immigrant petition...(now we got 2 kids) and so i started the whole process last June 2010...and now i when have an interview appointment hes messing up again....

So your relationship is built on a 10 year record of falsehood. That isn't a good sign. 10 years and he still needs to get a co-sponsor, and you have two kids now Something is a little crazy with this whole situation. Hate to say it, but I think you may be in for a rocky road after your arrival here. I hope I'm wrong for your and the kids sake. good luck

I'll be curious to see if I can get another 2 year visa after she has moved here and is no longer a resident of China. Anyone have experience with that yet?

My wife tells me I am fat all the time, but then she says it's ok cause she is old and fat too

FWIW, the pattern of everything being rosey until getting married sounds like one of those cases where the wife comes to the US, and everything turns cold. She may start complaining that you don't make enough money and she is loosing face. Then it will go on to how you should bring her parents/sister/cousin/whoever here also. Seen this scenario many times and it never turns out good.

Does she already have any family here? That is one sign that she may be looking for a visa so she can be with her family. Did you have to pay a bride price before you got married? Or did her family request one and you didn't pay it? Could be a lot of reasons for her change in attitude, including family presure, but bottom line is being overly critical like this and not finding time to chat or email you is a big red flag that something is not right.

UGHHH!!! I wish I never saw this estimated VISA timeline. We are over a month past VJ's estimation and I see a lot of folks getting approved that filed weeks after us. I tried calling the USCIS, but I was told it hasn't been 5 months so there is nothing they will do to look into it. I am not sure if it is because of a problem with our application, if it was because they had Aley's country mistyped on the NOA1, or if it is simply sitting under a pile of paperwork and is being overlooked. Our anxiety is growing with each day. To be honest, it was probably the wrong time to quit smoking, LOL!!!

Any suggestions out there? (Besides having a cigarette)

Maybe have a drink too. You are just barely past 3 months. I know it is tough to be patient, but keep in mind that the VJ estimates are based on only those people who are part of the forum and have posted their timeline information. It really isn't a good indicator of how long it will take. Some people get lucky and move quickly while others get held up. Mark a date on the calendar for 5 months and 1 day. Put an alert on your computer to go off that day and as best you can try to forget about it until that time. Easier said than done, but We could have driven ourselves crazy by watching the timelines every day hoping for something new.

It is a long slow process Hang in there.

She said she married before the K-1 expired. Thus, she is ok

Gaaa. The K-1 "expired" the minute she entered the country As soon as she passed the POE that visa was dead, kaput, no more. She had an authorized stay of 90 days by which time she had to either be married or leave the country. They married so no she is a resident with no status, hence the Adjustment of Status step. The OP is not and will not be under any threat of deportation for not having adjusted status unless they were to do something silly like get arrested and then it wouldn't matter if they had adjusted or not anyway.

As a previous poster said. Take a deep breath and look at your options. Get a loan to pay for AOS. Try to get the AOS fee waived, Apply for EAD and AP without applying for AOS. All three are options and you can/should go ahead and apply for EAD/AP now and talk to the bank now while trying to get the fee waiver for AOS. The bigger concern with AOS is going to be the Affidavit of Support which it sounds like your husband doesn't meet the requirements for this now. So first things first, put yourself in a position where you can legally work and take that burden off the table.

I'm going CR-1 route, and I've just mailed my original/certified copies of marriage, birth and police certificate as requested by the NVC (they don't accept copies, they wanted the real thing!). I didn't get multiple copies because, well, I just didn't think that far ahead, and now I'm stressing because it looks like I also need to take originals to the interview.

I've ordered an extra copy of my police cert because I need it for the medical anyway, but getting more copies of the other two will be an absolute mission. Can I just take photocopies and assume they will be mailed the originals when the NVC finish with my DS-230? I feel a bit foolish now because I've realised I've not left myself a back-up plan if the NVC lose anything.

Actually the NVC would have accepted notarized copies as that is what we and many others have sent. Generally you need the originals for the Consulate but if you can't get them in time, see if you can get notarized copies to take with you. The paper process is a little different from the electronic process. They should send the originals over to the consulate in your packet, so taking additional copies is more of an "in case you need them" thing.

Just my opinion, but it sounds like he is collecting government assistance and working "under the table" so that his pay isn't impacting his ability to get government assistance. If that is the case then don't walk but run away from him. Anyone who does such things is already defrauding the government and because of the reported income levels they will either be denied for the immigration petition or they will get caught defrauding the government or both. In any event he either doesn't have the income to support you when you are here or he is running a game on the system which may be part of the thinking that he can get more benefits when you are here.

take a long hard look at this situation before you jump in. I don't care how much you love someone, walking in to such a potential mess is a bad idea, especially when you have to leave your country to do so.

The key differences are cost. Start to finish is more expensive for K-1. Dependant children. K-1 gives some flexibility on bringing older children to the US. And family obligations/expectations i.e. does the family want you to get married in their home country. Other than that the benefits/risks depend on the country. Some are more difficult for a K-1 and others it doesn't matter.

You don't need to contact each consulate. Your SO can go to a travel agent in her city and they can apply for a visa to each country for her. The Chinese travel agent will know what is needed. I know with Thailand she can actually get the visa on arrival, but IMO it is still better to have it before she leaves. I think Vietnam is the same way but not 100% sure.

I was only allowed a passport for 6 months from the USA.

It seems you are confusing visas and passports. You weren't given a 6 month passport. As a USC, your first passport will be for 5 years generally and the renewed passport will be good for 10 years. The tourist visa to China is good for 6 months and allows a single 30 day stay. After you have gotten a couple of these you can apply for a 1 year visa with multiple entries for up to 30 days. Once married you can get a 2 year visa with multiple 180 day entries.

For you fiancee. The passport expiration has to be more than 6 months after her interview or they won't issue a visa. No point giving her a visa when her passport may expire before she could complete the trip. If she doesn't have a passport then she needs to get one now. I don't know with the K-1, but for the CR-1 we had to submit a copy of her passport bio page. She can talk to a travel agent near her home to help her get a passport if she doesn't already have it.

Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam it is fairly routine for her to get a visa to these countries. Hong Kong requires special permission and is much harder. Korea and Japan even harder still. Best bet is to talk to the cruise line and see what they require as far as transit or tourist visas

Yes they will need a passport and a visa.

As a side note, I would think twice about a cruise through the Java Sea. although the horn of Africa gets all the news lately, the pirate activity around Indonesia has been a problem for much longer.

i have a friend whose husband admitted during his interview that he had used drugs in the past when he was a teenager (he was in his late 30s at the time of interview). they gave him a 3 year ban and after his 3 year ban they have been requesting more and more information...point is, it's been about 5 years and he has not been given his GC. In my opinion, unless you've been arrested or you have a criminal record of using drugs, DON'T SAY YOU'VE EVER DONE THEM!

Wow. Absolutely never ever ever lie. Admitting to drug use may get you a three year ban but lying just once gets you a lifetime band and that lie will follow you for the rest of your life. Even a lie by omission. It could be years or decades down the road and your LPR status and even your Naturalized citizenship can be revoked. If you don' believe me find the news article about the couple who had been naturalized citizens for 25 years when it was discovered that they omitted the fact that they had gotten married while waiting for the petitions filed by each of their parents were processed.

Who said anything about "using drugs"?

I am concerned with mis-communications.

They ask my fiancee if she has ever used drugs and she thinks they are talking about pharmacutical drugs like Asprin, so she says, 'yes' and gets a lifetime ban.

Not too funny to me. Funny to you?

notmuch88tosay

First off people are confusing "inadmissible" with "lifetime ban". Admitting drug use doesn't cause a lifetime ban. It makes you inadmissible and requires a waiver be requested and granted. I know several people who have admitted to drug use and after going through the bureaucratic hoops they were finally admitted. To be entirely blunt, I don't care that it seems unfair. Should we allow someone who knowingly willingly uses illegal drugs to immigrate to the US? My opinion is Absolutely not. Immigration is a privilege not a right.

Secondly if you (or whoever) haven't prepared your wife/fiancee adequately for the interview and medical to the point that she doesn't know that they are asking about illegal drugs, not prescribed or over the counter drugs then that is a failure on your part, not the part of the system. I don't know why on earth someone would go through such a crucial process as filing for a fiancee/spousal visa and get all the way to the last step and then not make darn sure that their significant other wasn't as prepared as humanly possible.

Neither am I. In fact, I think nobody is.

I agree with many things you wrote about labor. However, I do not support the statement that

I think that this is a grey area. I don't think that children should pay for their parents mistakes, even if those mistakes affect me directly. Do you think murderers' children should go to prison because their parent killed another human being? I think they should not. But that's where differences in morality come into play. We simply disagree on this simple moral point, and that's fine to me.

Thank you all for bringing the discussion back to a constructive level.

Once the person turns 18 they are responsible for themselves and can no longer say their parents are responsible. We don't hold them responsible for their parents decisions, but once they are adults, they are now in the country illegally and should they choose to stay that is their decision not their parents. We don't hold murderers children responsible for the acts of their parents, but when they turn 18 if they go out and murder someone we don't just give them a pass because "that's what their parents did".

And before anyone starts on the "they only know the US as home" rant. Again, I DON'T CARE. You say they shouldn't be held responsible for the acts of their parents, but in many cases we are all held responsible for the acts of our parents. Further, my in-laws will be held accountable for the acts of all of those who have stayed here illegally any time they apply for a tourist visa. My in-laws neither came her illegally or stayed here illegally nor did anyone in their family. Is it fair that they be punished for someone else's parents acts?

Basically it means that the first round of vaccinations are completed but the follow up shots are not. They don't require that you have the whole series before entry so that stamp means they have given you a blanket waiver to enter and you can complete the vaccinations in the US.

You will need to send back passport. Did they have her fill out an EMS sticker? That is a little unusual for blue, normally they pay for the notification.

I would plan on 60+ days and hope it is shorter.