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Hi! I was selected for further processing in DV2023 and immediately submitted my DS-260 back in May 2022, for consular processing. However, my case number is very high EU34XXX and it is still not current even for the month of July and there is only August and September left. Anyways, I have been accepted to a Master's program at the University of Virginia and I require an F-1 student visa as the program starts in early August and I probably wont even get my DV interview. I have already applied for the F-1 visa. As I am a citizen of Belgium, which is part of the Visa Waiver Program, they made me send the documents (such as my passport, I-20, etc.) by courier because I was found eligible for the "Student Interview Waiver". However, they "reserve the right to request an interview" after reviewing my documents. I am really stressed out that I will be denied the F-1 visa because of my submission of a DS-260 over a year ago. The only family I have in the US is my brother who is also on an F-1 visa doing a Master's, otherwise my entire family is in Belgium and UK, so I have strong ties here. I have also shown more than enough financial support on my I-20 and I have a valid ESTA with which I have traveled to the US numerous times without any issues. I currently live in the UK as a resident (EU Settlement Scheme before Brexit), if that makes any difference, and I just finished a Law undergrad. I know that I have shown immigrant intent with the DS-260, but does anyone know of any instances where people have been granted the F-1 Visa despite having a DS-260 application from the DV on file? If I get called to an interview what can I say and what evidence can I show to convince them that I genuinely just want to do the Master's program and return to Europe right after? I submitted the DS-260 because I got selected for the DV, yes, but I genuinely don't feel any need to move to the US for economic/financial/etc reasons. So I would never even think about overstaying my F-1 visa or using it in any way that isn't intended to, such as illegally working, as I am not going to be financially stressed. And even if I got a DV interview (unlikely) in September, it is through consular processing so I would leave the US and come back to Belgium for the interview, meaning that at no point will I have entered the US with my F-1 with the possibility of converting it to a green card. This situation is stressing me out so much I am finding it difficult to sleep. I have no clue what I am going to do next year if I can't get this visa. I have already paid my deposit to the school as well as the off-campus student housing I am going to live in.

Background: I am a USC petitioning my husband who is F1. The 130/485/etc package was sent in January 2023 and priority date is current. No movement except for biometrics. We met after he arrived on F1. My husband will complete his edu program next month however our lawyer is giving confusing advice. She says "you should keep going to school during AOS. Don't stop going to school." But she doesn't explain or offer any more info. He is not dropping out, he is finishing his program. I thought as long as he completed his F1 program, there should not be an issue adjusting as he followed through with the original intent of the F1. Questions: Does he have to enroll in more school or no? If yes: What about when his EAD arrives? He would begin working, which invalidates his F1 correct? So this conflicts with the "keep going to school" advice. We assume he will not receive or active the EAD anytime soon anyway, possibly not for many more months. If he does have to enroll in more school until his GC is approved, does he have to finish that program too or can he stop going once the GC arrives? Wouldn't enrolling in another edu program be considered F1 fraud as he now has immigrant intent b/c he filed for AOS? We can't afford to pay for school for potentially another 2 years. Would this be taken in to consideration? I believe the lawyer is advising him to stay in school in case of GC denial, he would have F1 as a safety net. But we don't really foresee a denial, our case is strong. If he is in fact denied, he'd have leave the US anyway. There is no point in remaining on F1 forever. Please help me understand what he is supposed to do next. Thank you.

Hoping someone can help: My sister in law was denied a F1 Student Visa at the interview in Manila. I understand we don't need to pay the SEVIS fee again as long as its within 12 months. Does she need to create a new DS-160 on CEAC Again? or can we just schedule a new interview at the embassy and pay the $160 fee? Thanks in advance.

I was hoping to get advice and a second opinion. My wife and I are starting the process for her AOS process from F-1 visa to green card but... Her F-1 visa expires in a couple days but she is still maintaining her student status at her school and her i-20 is valid until December. We asked a lawyer online for advice and he says its fine to submit the i-485 after her F-1 expires. Is this true? I am a US citizen and I already submitted my i-130 to be her sponsor. We still want to try to submit her i-485 before her F1 visa expires but wont be able to get the marriage certificate on time. We have the customer copy from getting our marriage license and civil ceremony but no certificate yet. other than the marriage certificate we have all other documents. Should we submit the i-485 with basically the receipt of the marriage license before her F1 expires or is it really ok to apply after her visa expires? Thank you in advance for any help on this. AM

Hello, it's complicated here but any suggestion appreciated.. I came to States under J1 (2 years rule waived) 09/15/2012 - Changed the status to F1.. while on F1, my wife's employer sponsored us for Green Card. She was on E1. Her status approved to PR but I got denied because didn't maintaine the F1 status for a week or so.. because I forgot to pay school fees and the school removed me from Sevis. after couple of motion applications and re-applications I kept denied. so we decided to apply for 601A along with the I130. I130 approved no interview but 601A got denied. Now my wife became a US citizen and I applied for AOS again on 04/04/2022 with my consular approved I130. On 01/13/23 I have my AP approved. didn't used it for travel still waiting.. no rfe or interview request since then.. what are my chance to be approved for AOS. no criminal record or anything.. no deportation letter.. it's been a year since I applied again, people keep getting rfe's for medical but I didn't receive anything yet.

Hello there, I am a US Citizen, my husband was a student in the US with an F1 visa, he overstayed his visa about 4 years and went back to his country willingly without any deportation process. We got married in his country and living together since last year. We are planning on applying for IR1/CR1 visa and move back to the US. My question is; will he be subject to 10 year ban due to his overstay even though his I-94 had D/S without a specific time on it? We have been researching and seen many different scenarios from people that have been through exactly the same situations, some of them got their visa without a problem, but some others got denied due to overstay. We would appreciate if you could enlighten us.

I checked my visa status online and it's shows refused even, i got 2 F1 visa in my past as well. I don't know what to do at this point. please help

Hello all, I got a dui last year and I plead guilty to reckless driving, I want to know how is it going to impact my legal status in the states, this was in Georgia. I am graduating soon and hoping to find work after I graduate. This is my first offense and I've had nothing on my record prior to that.

Hello everyone, I sent my AOS package last Thursday and my payment just got approved! Is USCIS gonna send a email or number to track my case? Thank you!

Hello everyone, my husband and I are filing for AOS, I am in the USA under a F1 visa (currently OPT) Page 10 item 15 asks if I ever got denied a visa which I did, my F1 visa got denied at the Milan US Embassy and then got accepted about a month later in Rome, what do I need to write in the additional information page? When my visa got denied the office person didn’t really give me an explanation so I don’t know if I have to go into details. Also would this cause a problem in my application? Thank you

Hello! I have a couple of questions concerning my wife’s status. My wife and I currently live in CA since 2020. She is from Norway but here in the states since 2019 finishing her Masters program on an F1 Visa. We got married in December of 2022. My wife will be finishing her masters in the summer of 2023. I would like to be cost effective and fill out any and all paperwork needed to obtain my wife’s US citizenship/green card. any help would be appreciated!

Hello, I have enter USA on tourist visa (B1\B2) in 2014 (Valid till 2024) and did status change to student visa (F1) got approved (No stamp on passport) inland I was in USA till 2018 on Student visa (F1). Then I moved to Canada (in 2018) got married to Canadian citizen. Currently having Indian citizenship and Canadian PR. The question is these November 2022 my wife's cousin getting married in USA and they have invited us for wedding can I still re enter USA on tourist visa (B1\B2 as its valid till 2024) or I need to re apply for new tourist visa because of change of status inland to student (F1) and not having stamp on passport before leaving USA? If yes tourist visa (B1\B2) stamped on passport still valid, Speaking practically will the immigration officer will let me enter the USA or not as I previously enter USA on same status (B2) and change of mind to student (F1) he/she can deport me and bard me from re entering? (I will have my wife (Canadian citizen) traveling with me and will have return ticket for both of us) Thank you.

Hi! My partner currently has a I-130 Visa Application that was approved & DQ by NVC on November 30th, 2021. He received a letter & email stating that NVC will work with the U.S Embassy/Consulate in SANTO DOMINGO to schedule an interview appointment. However he has not received any further communication & it has been almost one year. I am new to this process as we have been only dating for a year & his entire visa process has been ongoing for seven years, but want to help as much as I can. His category is F1 - Children of U.S. citizens that are unmarried & over the age of 21. I see online that other visa categories have received an interview within 3-5 months of becoming DQ. I am wondering if his category is low priority which is why he has not received an interview. Is anyone currently experiencing long visa interview scheduling in the same category & have you reached out & received any feedback from NVC or U.S Embassy/Consulate in SANTO DOMINGO? Thank you so much.

Hi guys. I need your help with insights to my case. Long story coming up 😁 I did a F1 student visa interview in March 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya. During the interview, the interviewer asked me maybe 2-3 questions then told me the visa was approved. However, since the program was to start in August 2022, they could not issue the visa more than 120 days before the start of the program. I was asked to leave my passport and check back with them towards the end of April. 1 day later, I got an email with a supplemental questionnaire that in summary asked, in the last 15 years: Where I have travelled to and why? My email addresses, phone numbers & social media handles My Spouse’s & child’s bio data My residential and work history I filled in the questionnaire and replied 2 days later. It’s been over 180 days now and I’m still in AP. They returned my passport after having it for about 2 months. Internet searches pretty much say I have to wait for the AP to be concluded. A brief background…I did my bachelor’s in the states and left after graduation. I’ve been home for about 10 years and I’m now trying to go do a master’s in Computer Science. I have a tourist visa that expires in 2023. I have been to the states twice as a tourist in 2021 and 2019. Both times I was selected for additional screening by CBP but eventually granted entry. I stayed for about 3 months during each visit but never beyond my I-94 duration. A couple of questions: Any ideas on what could have gotten me here? I’ve travelled a lot cause of work within Africa, Middle East & Asia. Could something in my travel be causing the flagging? Any other Kenyans who have gone through AP, how long did it take? Should I have hope for this AP ever being concluded or should I move on with my life and forget about my master’s in the US? Thank you for reading through this and for the responses.

I have applied for my SSN in May 16th, and I didn't get a number yet. The agent from the SSA told me that my application is pending verification from DHS because it's showing that I am a US citizen instead of a F-1 student. I contacted USCIS myself and got a tier 2 call back. They refused to arrange an appointment for me. The SS officer just told me to wait. However, my summer internship only lasts 10 weeks. I have missed 3 weeks already. Is there any way that I can expedite the process? Or anyone knows how and what to do with the situation? Thanks so much....

Does anyone have experience with traveling while on OPT and with approved (but not activated) H1B COS? I want to visit my family during the summer and would try to return on OPT status before Oct. 1st. My lawyers have stated that while this should be possible since all my documents are valid, I could have trouble at the port of entry showing non-immigrant intent even if my H1B is not active. Has anyone successfully done this?

Hello community, I am a Canadian citizen, currently completing my Ph.D. in Engineering in a university in the US on an F1 visa. I am actively applying for jobs in the US related to the field of study. No formal job offer yet. I can apply for an F1 OPT now but I have not done so yet. I have about 4 more months to reach the last day to apply for my post-completion OPT. My main question is: (1) should I apply for the F1 OPT anyway or should I get a TN when I get a job? I am fairly positive that if I manage to land a job, it is going to be on the approved TN occupation list. I have had interviews (big companies) and the employers seem to be very familiar with the TN process. I have had a quick chat with an immigration lawyer (hallway conversation) which she said TN would be an easy route. I am within a driving distance to the US-Canada border. So, I am under the impression that TN should be my first choice. (I just prefer less hassle.) Here are some of my concerns: (Sorry I am a newbie here so I over-worry about everything.) (2) If I apply for OPT anyway and wait, then I get a job , can I go get a TN while my OPT application is pending? Is this going to be a surprise at the border? (3) If I don't get a job offer at all, and my F1/OPT/or whatever grace period have all expired, can I still stay on as a "Canadian visitor" or do I need to leave the US first and get back in again as a visitor? I know Canadian visitors are granted a stay in the US for up to 6 months. I just don't know if I can tack on that visitor time to the 'student-on-a-visa' time. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi, I am an F1 student and I am working as RA/Ta in the school for 20 hours a week. My wife has applied for AOS (not a US citizen) and I have received an EAd for about 1.5 years ago. I maintain my F1 by registering courses etch. I have left the country last June and came back using EAD card. So, I am a parolee on my I94. My EAD will expire on February 15th, 2022. Since I am maintaining my F1 status, can I still work on campus even though my EAD will expire? or do I have to stop working? Thank you.

Hello. I’m an f1 student who is recently graduating this month from my university in California. I got married in 2019 and my wife petitioned for me to change my status, we filed for I-765, and I-485 which is still in process. I have not gotten the work permit or green card yet. My wife lives in Dallas, but we explain to USCIS that I was going to school in California because I had a scholarship here and I’ll permanently be moving to texas once I graduate. But I still haven’t received any work permit from the petition that my wife filed for me. So I just wanted to know if I can still file for OPT as an F1 because I’m still in status and I’m graduating this December. Will that be possible?