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I got a RFE for a better picture and I didn't hear anything other than the case status being updated. Took about two weeks for me, but I sent a passport as a piece of ID.
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Nov 12, 2015 02:34
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EL BROMANCE posted:I'm not amazingly comfortable in that this being the suggested route, but annoyingly it's being presented as the only possible way right now. We could always change our ceremony to be non-official (which we'd rather not do), but that would still mean having to enter the US while going through K-1 on my ESTA and possibly getting rejected at the border anyway. I've been back and forth on my ESTA a handful of times and never been given a grilling, and there's no reason for me to think I'd have an issue getting in and being very careful about what I pack and say, but I'm not loving the element of risk, even though it's a low percentage. Like I said, a significant number of people do this and the majority of them don't have problems getting away with it. The thing is, as someone doing this professionally, we would not recommend it to anyone as a plan of action. Because let's say that 95% of the time it's fine. If I gave someone those odds, well, most people will jump on a 95% chance without a hitch, because they're filing their one case and it'll pretty much be ok. But for our side, we're helping dozens of people, and suggesting a course that is only 95% good means that we're going to be stuck with the 5% shitshow as well, and you can bet your rear end whoever pulls the joker is not going to be amused. So we will always recommend the safest/surest course, and then do the other thing when people have our recommendation and insist on doing it another way anyway. That's why having it recommended seems weird to me - it doesn't seem to be a habit of careful practice, unless the attorney really has reason to believe that the K-1 isn't a choice (wait time sucks, but it isn't really a bar to action). I think that you/your partner should make sure you specifically ask the attorney what happens if USCIS asks about when you made marriage plans, what happens if they consider you as having preconceived intent. That's information you need to have to make these choices properly.
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Nov 13, 2015 15:23
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Why the hell does the US make travellers go through immigration and customs when they're not going to the US but are just transiting to another country? I don't know any other country that does that. Waste of everyone's time.
Hyperlynx fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Nov 15, 2015 |
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Nov 15, 2015 05:24
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Hyperlynx posted:Why the hell does the US make travellers go through immigration and customs when they're not going to the US but are just transiting to another country? I don't know any other cuntry that does that. Waste of everyone's time. Well, as a security precaution. You're right that it's extremely rare and the US probably loses tons of money every year thanks to people avoiding trips by way of the US because of it.
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Nov 15, 2015 18:04
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RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS posted:Well, as a security precaution. You're right that it's extremely rare and the US probably loses tons of money every year thanks to people avoiding trips by way of the US because of it. That doesn't make any sense. I'm not talking about security screenings, I'm talking about having to collect your baggage, go through "have you got anything to declare" customs, and go through "why are you travelling to the US? How long are you staying? Where are you staying?" immigration.
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Nov 15, 2015 22:23
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When you go through border security it takes you to ALL the gates. Otherwise you would have one set of gates for people only traveling through, and a different set for (screened) people coming through from the outside. Then you can't have the through-travelers and the screened travelers on the same flight since they would share the same gate, and then someone could just fly in to the US, go straight to the gates for their "connecting" flight, and then leave the airport.
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Nov 15, 2015 23:01
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RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS posted:Well, as a security precaution. You're right that it's extremely rare and the US probably loses tons of money every year thanks to people avoiding trips by way of the US because of it. Isn't this a post 9/11 thing or was it always like that?
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Nov 15, 2015 23:47
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I made a "spot the problem" flowchart if it wasn't required that people "flying through" go through customs:
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Nov 15, 2015 23:58
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PRADA SLUT posted:When you go through border security it takes you to ALL the gates. Otherwise you would have one set of gates for people only traveling through, and a different set for (screened) people coming through from the outside. The rest of the world seems to work without sending in transit travelers through customs. Of course compared to the rest of the world, US customs is the absolute worst to get through so it's not a surprise that they can't figure this out.
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Nov 16, 2015 00:02
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PRADA SLUT posted:I made a "spot the problem" flowchart if it wasn't required that people "flying through" go through customs: Simple. Don't let people exit gates. e: no, that doesn't work, then arrivals can't leave. Well, I dunno. I know that other countries have it figured out. Perhaps outbound flights were at their own gates and inbound at their own gates... ee: what's particularly frustrating is that one has to apply for a US visa (waiver?) ahead of time, to transit through. Pain in the loving backside. Hyperlynx fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Nov 16, 2015 |
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Nov 16, 2015 00:09
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Short of segregating passengers, aircraft, and making terminals for screened and unscreened flights, there's no way to do it while maintaining the same level of screening, since once you're in the main terminal you can freely exit the airport. I've travelled plenty and had to go through screenings entering other countries when flying through, so it's not unique to the US. You can make completely segregated airports and that "solves" it, the downside being that you need completely separate terminals for screened/unscreened, and if a "pass-through" flight wanted to pick up extra domestic passengers, the domestics would have to go through screening and pass a one-way to the "unscreened" side of the airport which would mean they would need to get screened to exit the airport after that point if they wanted to leave (otherwise you could switch bags or something and the American could leave with an international travelers unchecked bag). The idea in the US is to make the gates a zone of free travel, so that you can go between any terminal/gate and exit the airport without needing to be re-screened for anything. PRADA SLUT fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Nov 16, 2015 |
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Nov 16, 2015 00:13
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Hyperlynx posted:Why the hell does the US make travellers go through immigration and customs when they're not going to the US but are just transiting to another country? I don't know any other country that does that. Waste of everyone's time. Why do I have US passport stamp from Vancouver? We may never know...
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Nov 16, 2015 00:13
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Groda posted:Why do I have US passport stamp from Vancouver? Half the time when I was in the EU, nobody even checked anything. I flew into an airport once (France or Italy, I forget) and border security was just two booths that were empty, like it was lunch break or something. I just walked through, no checks, no questions, nothing.
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Nov 16, 2015 00:22
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lol internet. posted:Isn't this a post 9/11 thing or was it always like that? I went to Mexico via US in 1999 and they didn't check our papers from memory, but they did lock us in a room with armed guards at the doors.
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Nov 16, 2015 01:13
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Transit visas are not just a US thing, lots of countries used to have them because historically once someone was in the airport it was pretty easy to just leave and so they wanted to make sure people didn't immigrate through transit. It was definitely a thing for the UK for a long time that has only changed fairly recently. The answer is that yes, most other countries have airports that are better constructed to deal with people transiting through the airport, primarily because lots of countries are smaller and were dealing with transit passengers from day one. The US had tons of flights that were either domestic or end of the routes compared to transit passengers, so lots of the airports were not built with the idea that you might need to segregate half the plane and prevent them getting to baggage collection or whatever.
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Nov 16, 2015 02:16
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Groda posted:Why do I have US passport stamp from Vancouver? US Customs and Border Protection has preclearance in several Canadian airports such as Vancouver, along with a few others like Nassau and Abu Dhabi and Shannon. They admit you into the US at these airports.
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Nov 16, 2015 04:06
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Im in the US on a student visa, but i finish my degree in December, however the VISA doesn't expire until 2017 for some reason. Anyway, me and my fiance are planning to get married in december. Is there a reliable guide somewhere to applying for the upgrade from student visa to green card once we're married? Any helpful tips? Edit: She's a US citizen
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Nov 16, 2015 08:20
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When you say 'the VISA doesn't expire until 2017', are you referring to the actual visa stamp placed in your passport? The page in your passport does not control your status in the US, it only defines when and how you can be admitted to the US. Your status is controlled by your I-94, which is issued either by CBP on entry or by USCIS. Unless you have filed something with USCIS to change/amend your status, you should access your I-94 here to determine your status and its end date: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/ That is general information for everyone's benefit; as an F-1 your status end date is almost certainly going to be listed as 'D/s', which means that it is actually controlled by the dates on your I-20. Look at that document and determine when your status actually ends - if you are confused, talk to your school's office of international student/scholars, whose job it is to help you. This will give you the end date of your current status, and you want to take action to file your applications before that date. As a student finishing your degree you probably have the option to extend this date for a year with the student work permit (OPT), talk to your school about that too. The F-1 is not a immigrant visa, so you if you are planning to get married and file for a green card you should not travel outside the US in the meantime - see above for the discussion about preconceived intent and how you can jeopardize your process this way. People usually don't have trouble adjusting from F-1 because you have probably been in the US long enough that changing your intent is not considered out of the ordinary. You would want to file the I-130 petition (filed by your spouse on your behalf) and the I-485 (filed by you) concurrently to make this happen.
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Nov 16, 2015 15:27
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Hyperlynx posted:Why the hell does the US make travellers go through immigration and customs when they're not going to the US but are just transiting to another country? I don't know any other country that does that. Waste of everyone's time. China does that and they'll give you a 24 hour visa so you can go spend money in Beijing while you wait for your flight.
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Nov 19, 2015 14:03
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Help! I've been approved for citizenship, as of today (whoo!). However, I'm a loving retard, and I lost my green card sometime between getting it three weeks ago and today, when I used my old card to verify my info et al. Part of the process is to turn in your old card. How screwed am I? It doesn't make sense to apply for a new one, since the cost is 600 bux and take 9 month.s Suggestions??
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Dec 11, 2015 00:55
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At our office, you come to the ceremony (and bring your old cards) and tell them you lost your new one since your interview. They make you sign a sworn statement that you lost it, and pinky swear that you will bring it in if you find it. I can't speak for any other offices. It might be worth making an Infopass appointment to talk to one of the officers at your local office and find out if their policy is different.
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Dec 11, 2015 02:21
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I actually brought in my old expired card today to my interview, but they took that with them. : ( I FOUND IT. AHHHHH. It was not in my safe place, but my fiance's safe stuff which has nothing to do with me.
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Dec 11, 2015 04:44
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I am in the process of upgrading my temporary resident card (2 year) to a permanent resident card (10 year). They took my biometrics in september and I have still been waiting for an appointment or for them to just send my card. I have received a letter telling me they extended my Green card for a year while they process, but how long can I expect them to take? I really expected to have my new green card back after a month or two. How long will this take?
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Dec 11, 2015 14:24
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Where did you file? The standard target processing for a I-751 is 6 months, but some of the service centers are taking longer than that - Vermont is only processing applications filed in March, for example, so you could be looking for a long wait. You can check the current processing times here
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Dec 11, 2015 15:14
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Ashcans posted:Where did you file? The standard target processing for a I-751 is 6 months, but some of the service centers are taking longer than that - Vermont is only processing applications filed in March, for example, so you could be looking for a long wait. You can check the current processing times here So what's the deal in the meantime? Like, my wife's green card is presumably going to expire before she gets the new one, right?
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Dec 18, 2015 14:40
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The I-751 receipt provides a one-year extension of your residence, so you are basically supposed to carry that and your expired card to show that you actually still have valid residence. It usually isn't a problem, although it is possible you will run into people who don't have much familiarity with immigration documents and have to be hand-held through the situation to understand that you are not actually expired. In the event that the I-751 is taking a really long time to process and you are actually approaching the end of the one-year extension provided by the receipt, I would recommend 1) making an Infopass appointment with the local office to try and shake stuff loose and 2) contacting your representatives office for assistance with the case.
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Dec 18, 2015 15:25
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Ashcans posted:The I-751 receipt provides a one-year extension of your residence, so you are basically supposed to carry that and your expired card to show that you actually still have valid residence. It usually isn't a problem, although it is possible you will run into people who don't have much familiarity with immigration documents and have to be hand-held through the situation to understand that you are not actually expired. In the event that the I-751 is taking a really long time to process and you are actually approaching the end of the one-year extension provided by the receipt, I would recommend 1) making an Infopass appointment with the local office to try and shake stuff loose and 2) contacting your representatives office for assistance with the case. What's the typical turnaround time on the receipts? According to my tracking they just got the forms.
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Dec 18, 2015 19:33
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It depends a little on where you file. We usually get receipts from Vermont in about a week, California is usually slightly longer (like 10 days). The dropboxes are the worst (Texas and Nebraska) it's regularly a 2-3 week wait to get receipts from them. If you have delivery confirmation then you can be pretty sure everything is fine while you're waiting for the receipt, but if you are nervous you can see if you can pull a copy of the filing fee check from your bank - when its deposited they actually stamp the receipt number on the back, so you can use that to check the status and follow up if you need to.
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Dec 18, 2015 19:38
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Ashcans posted:It depends a little on where you file. We usually get receipts from Vermont in about a week, California is usually slightly longer (like 10 days). The dropboxes are the worst (Texas and Nebraska) it's regularly a 2-3 week wait to get receipts from them. Oh, good idea. They have those on my bank's Web site. Thanks; this thread has been a great resource through the several years I've been involved in this process.
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Dec 18, 2015 20:27
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CR1/IR1 applicant. So.. my police clearance was sent to the NVC during the IV process.. and on their instructions it says it was forwarded to the consulate. On the consulates instructions, it says to bring the police clearance and a copy.. Any idea if I should be getting a new one? or do I not need to do that since the NVC forwarded the clearance letter to them? This is also the case for the "Financial evidence..." on the NVC file, it says it was forwarded to the consulate.
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Dec 24, 2015 02:00
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I feel like this exact thing happened to me too and I have no idea what I did and it was like 8 months ago  I mean, you have a copy of the one you sent, right? Is it still in-date (less than 12 months from when it was issued)? Sharks Below fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Dec 24, 2015 |
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Dec 24, 2015 02:12
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I don't have a copy of what I sent. It was the original and it is still within 12 months correct.
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Dec 24, 2015 16:52
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lol internet. posted:I don't have a copy of what I sent. It was the original and it is still within 12 months correct. Argh. Always keep meticulous copies of what you send to them from now on. I think that's what they mean though - bring a new one with you if it's out of date. Ashcans might have a more accurate answer. I ended up having another one anyway because I only got a state police certificate and needed, or felt like I needed (the instructions for my state were ambiguous) a federal police certificate, so I had that one with me.
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Dec 24, 2015 21:45
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Yea, you should always, always keep a copy of anything you send out to an agency. That way you can always at least show someone a copy and say 'I totally sent this to you already'. Also, should you be in a position to review your immigration in 15 years, you are never going to remember everything you said/sent, so copies are critical for ensuring you have an accurate history. At this point I would say you have two options - one is that you can try and engage the consult in a 'we already sent that' back and forth, which is going to be more difficult without copies. The other is to go ahead and get a another certificate to bring with you. You can call the NVC and confirm that the originals were forwarded, which might help, and you can also see about reaching out to the consulate directly with this question. In terms of your processing, it is always going to be easier to just give them what they want, even if you already did that before. The question is really how difficult it is for you to get another certificate and financial documents - we would recommend someone do this unless they are in a situation where it is impossible/prohibitive for them to get another certificate. Basically, you might win the consulate over but it could take time and hassle to get them to agree. Also they can always tell you to go away and come back with another certificate if they really want, anyway.
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Jan 5, 2016 17:39
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I have this vague recollection of the lady at the NVC when we called about this saying it was just a weird way the thing was written, and her saying something like "even though it says that, we definitely sent it to them so don't worry about taking it". Even so, I got a new one (a federal one, because I was worried my state one wasn't enough). You can literally never be too careful in this process 
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Jan 7, 2016 23:35
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Meh, my interview is on Thursday, worse comes to worse is I need to give them the stuff after the fact I guess. A couple more months of waiting isn't a big deal as it's still winter time for parts of the US and I plan on driving to the pacific northwest when I immigrate. My only worry is that I don't have a birth certificate, but I read on Visa Journey that a UNHCR letter of birth has worked for them.
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Jan 11, 2016 18:19
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So I was approved Thursday pending a updated original employment letter from my wife. Any idea how long it takes for them to process the letter once they receive it? Also, for my medical, I didn't mention but I didn't actually get a physical. The doctor just asked me my weight, height and general questions, then he told me to to get an xray and a VLRD blood test. The whole thing with him was less then 5mins, I'm not sure how they justify the $300 fee. I had to pay an extra $1 as well for paying debit.
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Jan 16, 2016 20:56
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lol internet. posted:The whole thing with him was less then 5mins, I'm not sure how they justify the $300 fee. I had to pay an extra $1 as well for paying debit. america.txt poo poo like that is seriously making me consider not using my O-1 and just staying in Britain.
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Jan 16, 2016 21:09
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What's the process for getting a social security number? MY FOREIGN FIANCEE has her K1, entered the US, and we got a bank account and marriage license application all set up. I can't figure out at which point she applies for a social security number, and how to do it. Do we wait until we're married? Do we wait until she's got her work authorization?
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Jan 19, 2016 07:53
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You are going to need to wait until she has her work authorization - SSA won't issue someone a number unless they are able to work, basically.
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Jan 19, 2016 15:38
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