Visa is in!!!! WTF!!!

[riceburner22 0]

Hi everybody, i've been viewing this forum every now and then when i had questions about my wife and 2 step-daughters' immigrant visa process. Quick background: I'm in the U.S. Air Force. Wife and 2 girls are from the Philippines. We had a son a year and half ago. Been Married almost 4 years now. We processed the I-130's while we were living in Japan and got all the way to the medical exam and then we moved to England where we have completed the interview and now just received the visas. Just like most people we had a lot of issues when we started our visa process. I won't bore you with all the details but the bigger issues were: "married for U.S. citizenship benefits", DNA tests, late birth registrations, and PITA interviewers. Now 3 years later we have finally received the visas. The courier for the London embassy dropped it off last week to our passport office on the base. Now yet another problem in our journey.

I opened up the package as soon as i got home. First thing i noticed was a giant yellow package stapled to my wife's visa, no big deal, except the rip it has caused on the visa going right through the picture of my wife. Next thing i noticed was the expiration date on the visa. Issued: 7 Oct 10 Expires: 26 Nov 10. Both my daughters have expiration dates of 6 Apr 11.

I emailed the embassy and was told that "her visa has been limited in accordance with the validity of her medical examination". And in regards to the rip in the visa: "as long as everything on the visa can still be read it is still valid for travel to the United States".

Has anyone ran into this issue? We are planning on traveling on 20 Nov. The visa operator said as long as we enter the U.S. before 26 Nov we are good and that we don't have to leave before the visa expires. Is this correct? I know everybody is different but how picky can i expect the immigration office to be when i get to the states?

Thanks in advance.

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

Once "activated" the IR-1 & IR-2 Visas are no longer valid (i.e. the expiration date is irrelevant) as they are single entry immigrant visas.

Upon entry all 3 passports will receive an I-551 Stamp which will act as their temporary Greencards until the actual greencards arrive. Once they've clear CBP they're Legal residents of the US! No need to leave but they are require to maintain US Residence (of course living with you at overseas postings counts also).

[Zen Den 18]

Hi everybody, i've been viewing this forum every now and then when i had questions about my wife and 2 step-daughters' immigrant visa process. Quick background: I'm in the U.S. Air Force. Wife and 2 girls are from the Philippines. We had a son a year and half ago. Been Married almost 4 years now. We processed the I-130's while we were living in Japan and got all the way to the medical exam and then we moved to England where we have completed the interview and now just received the visas. Just like most people we had a lot of issues when we started our visa process. I won't bore you with all the details but the bigger issues were: "married for U.S. citizenship benefits", DNA tests, late birth registrations, and PITA interviewers. Now 3 years later we have finally received the visas. The courier for the London embassy dropped it off last week to our passport office on the base. Now yet another problem in our journey.

I opened up the package as soon as i got home. First thing i noticed was a giant yellow package stapled to my wife's visa, no big deal, except the rip it has caused on the visa going right through the picture of my wife. Next thing i noticed was the expiration date on the visa. Issued: 7 Oct 10 Expires: 26 Nov 10. Both my daughters have expiration dates of 6 Apr 11.

I emailed the embassy and was told that "her visa has been limited in accordance with the validity of her medical examination". And in regards to the rip in the visa: "as long as everything on the visa can still be read it is still valid for travel to the United States".

Has anyone ran into this issue? We are planning on traveling on 20 Nov. The visa operator said as long as we enter the U.S. before 26 Nov we are good and that we don't have to leave before the visa expires. Is this correct? I know everybody is different but how picky can i expect the immigration office to be when i get to the states?

Thanks in advance.

w/the response that you got from the embassy, you're good to go. just make sure you print it out to show at immigration upon your arrival, -just in case you get a picky immigration officer. good luck and congratulations =)

[riceburner22 0]

Hoping everything goes well at immigration what would be our next step? Apply for a SSN? How long until the actual green card arrives? We will only be in the states for 2 weeks since I am stationed overseas and had to make the trip earlier than expected because of how long the visa is valid for. Thanks

[Sweetcheeksss 91]

Congratulations!

[JoannaV 174]

Hoping everything goes well at immigration what would be our next step? Apply for a SSN? How long until the actual green card arrives? We will only be in the states for 2 weeks since I am stationed overseas and had to make the trip earlier than expected because of how long the visa is valid for. Thanks

You can try to have your wife apply for her SSN but it might be too early to do so whilst in the US. I haven't heard of the green card arriving within 2 weeks, it usually takes a month or maybe more. (They tell you something silly like 6-8 months, but most people get it in 6-8 weeks lol.) So you might need to make sure someone is able to access your mail at whatever address you gave to have the green cards sent to.