Advance Parole

[leigh 2]

Hello,

I'm new on this site and have spent hours researching for answers to all my questions, successfully mostly. I am in Bristol, UK and my USC fiance is in North Carolina. We filed in June 2010 and received NOA2 a couple of weeks ago. I am expecting my interview to take place in January, judging by the info on this site. Everything is going smoothly, and I am gathering together paperwork in advance of my interview.

I have a question, if anyone is able to answer. My son is a Royal Marine and is due to begin his second 6-month tour in Afghanistan in April. I anticipate being in the US by then, in the midst of AOS process. If (God forbid) something terrible should happen to my son, I would need to get back to the UK sharpish. Can you apply for Advance Parole in anticipation of needing to leave temporarily, or can you apply only when the need arises, and if so, can this be expedited on this sort of compassionate ground? In those circumstances, I'm not sure how clearly I would be thinking in order to negotiate the rules.

I'd appreciate any input.

Many thanks!

Leigh

Edited November 4, 2010 by leigh

[amykathleen2005 441]

You can apply for a general Advanced Parole with your AOS application. It is free so no harm doing it. You'll probably be approved around 60 days after you submit it. You can also apply for emergency AP where you would get an Infopass appointment at your local service center and they can issue it on the spot if you can show the nature of your emergency.

[leigh 2]

You can apply for a general Advanced Parole with your AOS application. It is free so no harm doing it. You'll probably be approved around 60 days after you submit it. You can also apply for emergency AP where you would get an Infopass appointment at your local service center and they can issue it on the spot if you can show the nature of your emergency.

Thanks for the very prompt response! I'm sure everything will be fine, but I think it's sensible to know these things beforehand.

All the best.

[Justine+David 218]

Yes you can get it on the same day you make an infopass appointment. However, you should apply for AOS ASAP so that you can have your NOA1 for the officer. Good luck and hope nothing comes of it

[Fandango 1,439]

Leigh, saying a prayer for the safety and safe return of your son so that this question becomes a non-issue for you...

[leigh 2]

Leigh, saying a prayer for the safety and safe return of your son so that this question becomes a non-issue for you...

Thanks so much for the kind responses. This has really helped.

Leigh

[Fandango 1,439]

Thanks so much for the kind responses. This has really helped.

Leigh

You'd better keep us posted when he comes home! We'll have a virtual party

[Pooky 3,784]

Leigh, saying a prayer for the safety and safe return of your son so that this question becomes a non-issue for you...

Same here. I hope you never need to use it.

[leigh 2]

You'd better keep us posted when he comes home! We'll have a virtual party

Too right! This will be his second tour in 'that place'. Came home without a scratch last time. I'm positive. I'm also intensely proud.

Jim & I received NOA 2 on 21 October so I'm waiting for Pkt. 3. Thanks to the guides on here, I'm able to start gathering the required information/docs to send as soon as I'm notified. I'm a little confused about the terminology I'm seeing - People are saying their petitions are approved by USCIS and then sent to the NVC (National Visa Centre?) who then send it on to the Consulate. On our I-179 NOA it says petition has been approved and sent to the Consulate - no mention of NVC. Am I missing something? I take it I'm waiting to hear from the Consulate in London that they have received our approval and sending me Pkt 3. Is this correct? I have heard that sometimes people don't hear from the Consulate even though their approved petition has been received by them, and they are sending all the documentation to the Consulate anyway. I'm seeing my GP on Tuesday to arrange for up to date innoculations - I'm also sending for my ACPO record as soon as I've had some photos done to accompany the application. Jim is sending me all the financial stuff re his income etc. I'm not expecting to get an interview until January, but I want to be ready. I don't want to waste a single day that I could be spending with him!

Love this site, by the way - it's been so helpful and friendly!

All the best to everyone else, by the way!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Leigh-- the NVC is the "handoff" place from USCIS to the Dept of State who is over consulates. They will assign you a new case number starting with LND (for London) then send it out. You' re done with USCIS at that point and are dealing with DOS until the visa is issued.

If you haven't found the UK Wiki articles, they are here http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/K-1_and_IR-1/CR-1_-_UK_Specific_Information

Several links and lots of good tips.

Proud of your son too. God bless him.

[Nik+Heather 121]

I know it's been said already, but I wanted to emphasize it a little more so you can prioritize and plan accordingly.

Although advanced parole is available, you will have a gap when you'll be "stuck" in the US for a few days or few weeks. Of course you can leave, but you may have to start all over again to re-enter the US.

That gap starts when you first enter on the K-1. As it is a single entry visa, if you leave again, you won't be able to come in to stay without a new, valid visa. The good part about this gap is that more than one member on here has had success actually getting the visa re-validated when they had to leave in an emergency before marriage The other important thing here is time. They will re-validate the visa, but you don't get any extension on your original stay, so if you use up most of your 90 day entry on the K-1, or you stay out of the US for too long this window closes.

The second part of the gap is after you get married but before you have applied for adjustment of status. If you leave during this time you will no longer be eligible for a fiancee visa (you'll be a wife, not a fiancee) so you can't re-validate your visa. If you have to leave and can't wait, you're likely stuck while you ride out a new visa process. This gap goes all the way up until they accept your AOS application. If you sign up for email/text message updates, you can get your case number before the receipt notice comes in the mail - and that's all you'd need to get the AP expedited the same day you schedule an INFOpass.

The best way to minimize these gaps is to get legally married ASAP and file for AOS soon after. You can get all of your AOS submission ready before you leave the UK, so it's only waiting for your marriage certificate. If you were really on the ball, I think you could minimize the gap to be a little over a week between entry and having your case number. A big AOS submission time-waster is the medical/vaccine transcription. If at all possible, try to make sure you have all your vaccines up to date (even if you have to pay for them or get your GP to give you "baby shots") before you go to the visa medical. Then you don't have to get the transcription completed in the US, which is one less thing you'll have to coordinate before sending that all off.

All the best, and we too hope that you'll never need any of these precautions.

[leigh 2]

If you haven't found the UK Wiki articles, they are here http://www.visajourn...fic_Information

Several links and lots of good tips.

Thanks very much for this link. Jim phoned the number given and we don't have an LDN number yet - he'll try again soon. Meanwhile, I am thinking ahead and got my Tetanus booster and MMR yesterday. My arm hurts!

[leigh 2]

The best way to minimize these gaps is to get legally married ASAP and file for AOS soon after.

Oh, I can assure you we will be beating down the Courthouse door on the first available day, clutching our rings!!!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Meanwhile, I am thinking ahead and got my Tetanus booster and MMR yesterday. My arm hurts!

It's not just a tetanus booster that's needed. Diptheria and Pertussis are part of the requirement. My fiance/husband's NHS doc said he was fine on tetanus but at the medical exam, they told him he didn't meet the full AOS immigrant requirements which was his intent to do before he came. He went back to NHS and got DTP with all the babies waiting that day. Then they faxed that to Knightsbridge who were holding his forms to put it on his record. You may want to clarify that at your medical exam. You aren't required to get anything for a visa, but for AOS you do.

Here's the AOS list the adjudicators look for

19 through 26 years · Td or Tdap (if DT, DTP or DTaP shown: okay to accept) · MMR · Varicella (or chickenpox disease)

27 through 49 years · Td or Tdap (if DT, DTP or DTaP shown: okay to accept) · MMR · Varicella (or chickenpox disease)

50 through 59 years · Td or Tdap (if DT, DTP or DTaP shown: okay to accept) · MMR (if born in 1957 or later) · Varicella (or chickenpox disease) - Influenza (during flu season only; October 1 through March 31)

(The Td, Tdap, DT, DTP or DTaP have to be within the last 10 years meaning a booster if you had it as a young child)

All of that variation of Diptheria/Tetanus/Pertussis - A capital letter means a stronger dosage and a lower case letter means a weaker dosage in the mixture. Tdap (tetanus, diptheria, acellular pertussis) is the shot developed for adults but it isn't even available in the UK, which is why my husband got the UK shot for babies. Varicella shot also isn't available in the UK but hopefully you had chickenpox.

Sooo anyway....he had DTP, 2 MMRs, and a confirmation of having chickenpox on his Knightsbridge immunization form (DS-3025). He did not see a civil surgeon in the US, or pay to have his records copied onto an I-693. You will read much confusing discussion of that on the AOS forums. I am just stating that he and many other UK people got their green cards without RFE because they had all the shots I listed above on their Knightsbridge record (DS-3025). If you leave anything to after that Knightsbridge record, then you will have to pay a civil surgeon in the US for sure. Finding one that won't over charge you or insist you have to do the entire medical exam again can be a big hassle. There are good ones out there and Heather started a thread "Civil Surgeons who don't rip you off" where people from various parts of the country post names/phone numbers and how much they charge.

[leigh 2]

It's not just a tetanus booster that's needed. Diptheria and Pertussis are part of the requirement. My fiance/husband's NHS doc said he was fine on tetanus but at the medical exam, they told him he didn't meet the full AOS immigrant requirements which was his intent to do before he came. He went back to NHS and got DTP with all the babies waiting that day. Then they faxed that to Knightsbridge who were holding his forms to put it on his record. You may want to clarify that at your medical exam. You aren't required to get anything for a visa, but for AOS you do.

Here's the AOS list the adjudicators look for

19 through 26 years · Td or Tdap (if DT, DTP or DTaP shown: okay to accept) · MMR · Varicella (or chickenpox disease)

27 through 49 years · Td or Tdap (if DT, DTP or DTaP shown: okay to accept) · MMR · Varicella (or chickenpox disease)

50 through 59 years · Td or Tdap (if DT, DTP or DTaP shown: okay to accept) · MMR (if born in 1957 or later) · Varicella (or chickenpox disease) - Influenza (during flu season only; October 1 through March 31)

(The Td, Tdap, DT, DTP or DTaP have to be within the last 10 years meaning a booster if you had it as a young child)

All of that variation of Diptheria/Tetanus/Pertussis - A capital letter means a stronger dosage and a lower case letter means a weaker dosage in the mixture. Tdap (tetanus, diptheria, acellular pertussis) is the shot developed for adults but it isn't even available in the UK, which is why my husband got the UK shot for babies. Varicella shot also isn't available in the UK but hopefully you had chickenpox.

Sooo anyway....he had DTP, 2 MMRs, and a confirmation of having chickenpox on his Knightsbridge immunization form (DS-3025). He did not see a civil surgeon in the US, or pay to have his records copied onto an I-693. You will read much confusing discussion of that on the AOS forums. I am just stating that he and many other UK people got their green cards without RFE because they had all the shots I listed above on their Knightsbridge record (DS-3025). If you leave anything to after that Knightsbridge record, then you will have to pay a civil surgeon in the US for sure. Finding one that won't over charge you or insist you have to do the entire medical exam again can be a big hassle. There are good ones out there and Heather started a thread "Civil Surgeons who don't rip you off" where people from various parts of the country post names/phone numbers and how much they charge.

Wow! Thanks for all that. I've copied your whole message and will take it to my GP to make sure I have everything necessary. I think the nurse who gave me the jabs said the Tetanus covered diptheria and polio. Also, I happen to have my childhood vaccination record from 1968 when I had the diptheria/polio/smallpox vaccination. As I'm just shy of my big FIVE-O at the end of January, I won't have to worry about a flu jab. I've never heard of persussis. I know I've had chicken pox - I recall it vividly when I was 5. The calomine lotion was freezing! I just hope after being stuck like a pin cusion I don't get hit by a bus on the way to my interview! If it means I can be with my honey all the sooner, they can damn well take a limb or two if they like!

You guys have been so helpful - thanks so much!