DS-156 Question #37 illegal family member.

[Rob&Dri 0]

So my Fiancees father left her and her family when she was about 5, she has not seen him since then. She does not really know a lot about her father, she does not even know his address. She talks to him on the phone every blue moon, but that is all the contact she has with him. She thinks he left on a tourist visa, but he has been living in the US illegally for a long time. She has heard from her other family members that he has been trying to become legal, but she is not sure.

Anyway, I know that we have to mark that he is in the US, we would never chance lying to the consulate, but the way the question is worded makes me a little confused. Should we mark that he is in the US, and say in the blank that he is illegal, or should we say in the blank that he is working. Because he is working, he is actually a pastor in a Brazilian church... it says in the instructions, that you are to mark yes or no and indicate that person's status in the U.S. (i.e., U.S. legal permanent resident, U.S. citizen, visiting, studying, working, etc.)

let me know what you guys think.

[Oksana & Max 94]

So my Fiancees father left her and her family when she was about 5, she has not seen him since then. She does not really know a lot about her father, she does not even know his address. She talks to him on the phone every blue moon, but that is all the contact she has with him. She thinks he left on a tourist visa, but he has been living in the US illegally for a long time. She has heard from her other family members that he has been trying to become legal, but she is not sure.

Anyway, I know that we have to mark that he is in the US, we would never chance lying to the consulate, but the way the question is worded makes me a little confused. Should we mark that he is in the US, and say in the blank that he is illegal, or should we say in the blank that he is working. Because he is working, he is actually a pastor in a Brazilian church... it says in the instructions, that you are to mark yes or no and indicate that person's status in the U.S. (i.e., U.S. legal permanent resident, U.S. citizen, visiting, studying, working, etc.)

let me know what you guys think.

If she knows for sure that he is in US, then mark it. However if she is not sure about his whereabouts 100% I would just say "No". It is not lying if you are not sure about his whereabouts. I was going thru the security clearance and had the same situation as they were asking the location of my biological father, which I have no contact with, so I just put "unknown". I knew where he could be, but I wasn't sure. And I had no issues.

[Rob&Dri 0]

If she knows for sure that he is in US, then mark it. However if she is not sure about his whereabouts 100% I would just say "No". It is not lying if you are not sure about his whereabouts. I was going thru the security clearance and had the same situation as they were asking the location of my biological father, which I have no contact with, so I just put "unknown". I knew where he could be, but I wasn't sure. And I had no issues.

She is positive that he is in the US, its his status that we are not %100 about. She is pretty sure he is illegal, but do we need to say illegal, or working?

[Robert&Karen 264]

You can say he is working if you know he works. You are not sure about the status and it is not your job to determine it. If they find that he is here illegally that is entirely their matter with him and it should not affect your application. To provide complete information you can add a letter, referencing the question number, and tell them that you are unsure of his status and offer what you do know for sure. Don't guess or assume, that can make a bad thing worse and open a can of worms. Just say you don't know where you don't know.

[Bryan and Isabel 29]

I agree, if you are not 100% sure then just say you don't know, because you really don't.

[Rob&Dri 0]

Thanks guys, we are going to add a supplement page and explain our situation. I am not to worried about it. I would hope they would not penalize us for something she had no control over. I mean we are trying to do it the right, legal way. Anyway, God is in control! I'll update this topic once we finish the interview to let everyone know!

[Bryan and Isabel 29]

Thanks guys, we are going to add a supplement page and explain our situation. I am not to worried about it. I would hope they would not penalize us for something she had no control over. I mean we are trying to do it the right, legal way. Anyway, God is in control! I'll update this topic once we finish the interview to let everyone know!

Yes please do =)

Good Luck

[Ro Damon 7]

Thanks guys, we are going to add a supplement page and explain our situation. I am not to worried about it. I would hope they would not penalize us for something she had no control over. I mean we are trying to do it the right, legal way. Anyway, God is in control! I'll update this topic once we finish the interview to let everyone know!

That sounds like the best Idea!

Godspeed

Ro

[Rob&Dri 0]

As I promised, here is the update! We had the interview on Tuesday. We added a supplemental page for this question and just told the truth. When they checked our documents the second time. The guy that was checking them asked her about her father. She said that he is in the US, and then he asked if she has contact with him, and she said she talks to him on the phone but not very often. And that was all, she was approved, and the interviewer did not even ask about it! I hope this helps someone in the future!!