Stand alone I-130 for stepchild(ren)

[katraska78 6]

SUCCESS! My stepson got his visa. Kinda anti-climactic in the end I must say. I have terrible internet access in Bulgaria so here is the update finally.

I tried to go in to the interview. Actually we had checked the day before with the security guard about who could go in, and he said only whose name is on the letter - well oddly enough, it was only my name (as the Agent on the case, the letter was addressed to me) and the beneficiary. Nowhere did the petitioner's name appear. So when we got to the security window on the day of the interview, there were phone calls made, discussion in Bulgarian unfortunately and I got the boot but my husband was allowed to go in. I went back to where my husband's ex-wife/my stepson's mother and his brother were waiting. It didn't seem like they were in there that long, definitely less than an hour.

Apparently the only question they asked my stepson was if he was the name on the petition. The rest of the questions were for my husband: Why didn't you immigrate your son with you when you came in 2008? (Um, the kid has a mother and she would NEVER have agreed to that - it took us 4 years for her to even agree for him to be allowed to visit). How did you obtain your citizenship? (though marriage or otherwise? Odd question as we did his CR-1 through the same embassy, so of course they know). Where is your wife? (HA! your security guards wouldn't let her in.... He told them that I was outside the embassy with his son's mother and brother and they were impressed apparently).

That's all I remember for now. I sent in photos in plastic pages, I think 28 in all from birth until the day before the interview and I am not sure if they looked at them or not.

I will post again if they tell me anything else relevant but overall yeah, not so many questions asked of a child - of course these are the same folks who asked only two questions at my husband's CR-1 interview and they were both to me! But lest you think this is an easy embassy, my husband had the pleasure of witnessing lots of rejections for J-1 and B-2 visas. Lots of unhappy people in there.

Congrats to Lucy as well! Any news from Evoria?

Now for the real issues of bringing a child to the US. First step is actually leaving. My stepson's mother and grandmother are FREAKING OUT that he is leaving. I feel like this evil abductor.... I keep telling them that it is totally up to him if he stays full-time or not, as he will have an American passport... The mother has made me cry twice already, as seeing someone else cry always makes me cry! We aren't leaving for another 10 days, so it will be very interesting times around here...

I'm so happy for you!!! Finally the family together! many blessings and joy!

[Kazulie 132]

Good news here. Everything went well. Pretty straight forward. Just have to send the passport back for the visa.

Good luck tomorrow evoria.

CONGRATS!!!!

I assume you are home now, or almost home?!?!?!

yayayayayyayayayay!

[Kazulie 132]

CONGRATS to all those who have recently gotten visas for their babies!!!! Time to bring them on home!

[lucy4 11]

CONGRATS!!!!

I assume you are home now, or almost home?!?!?!

yayayayayyayayayay!

Thanks Julie! I am home, but my sd has to wait for the visa, which hopefully she should have by next week. I am hoping to have her here by the end of the month.

Congrats on your tremendous journey! How are the boys getting adjusted? What are their ages again? Are they sleeping well in this foreign place?

[Kazulie 132]

Thanks Julie! I am home, but my sd has to wait for the visa, which hopefully she should have by next week. I am hoping to have her here by the end of the month.

Congrats on your tremendous journey! How are the boys getting adjusted? What are their ages again? Are they sleeping well in this foreign place?

Aw, boo. Well, she will be home soon!!!

The boys are 15.5 and almost 12.

They are sleeping VERY well in this foreign place. lol 12-14 hours a day!!! That will change when they have more things to do (camp, soccer, school). The 12 year old actually slept with us for the first week. He's slept in his own bed for 2 nights now (thank you jesus!!!).

Food is another issue...the older one wants to eat American all the time, yet, doesn't really like it. lol he says he likes it but he hardly eats anything and then would never want it again. The younger one just wants African food all the time. Snacks, pop, ####### are a big hit for them both. Thank god they both need to gain a lot of weight, because they way they have been eating is sure to help them do that!

[evoria 19]

When my husband went for the interview we got the blue paper and said we could pick up the visa on Friday the 14th. When I checked our cases on CEAC yesterday, it said the visas were ready for pick-up. Today I see this:

Your visa case is currently undergoing necessary administrative processing. This processing can take several weeks. Please follow any instructions provided by the Consular Officer at the time of your interview. If further information is needed, you will be contacted. If your visa application is approved, it will be processed and mailed/available within two business days. Under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, Immigrant Visas for "Diversity Visas" cannot be issued after September 30th of the year in which you were selected to apply for a Diversity Visa. For example, entrants into the Diversity Visa Program in Fall of 2011 were selected for Diversity Visa 2012 Program, and selectees MUST apply and receive their visa prior to September 30, 2012 otherwise they lose eligibility to receive a Diversity Immigrant Visa, regardless of additional administrative processing. In addition, please note that some immigrant visas may not be able to be issued if the annual numerical limit for that category has been reached.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Can they switch up and now put us through processing?

[Worriedmominoc 0]

After 58 long days of waiting, finally the case arrive in NVC today..now waiting for case number.

[lucy4 11]

When my husband went for the interview we got the blue paper and said we could pick up the visa on Friday the 14th. When I checked our cases on CEAC yesterday, it said the visas were ready for pick-up. Today I see this:

Your visa case is currently undergoing necessary administrative processing. This processing can take several weeks. Please follow any instructions provided by the Consular Officer at the time of your interview. If further information is needed, you will be contacted. If your visa application is approved, it will be processed and mailed/available within two business days. Under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, Immigrant Visas for "Diversity Visas" cannot be issued after September 30th of the year in which you were selected to apply for a Diversity Visa. For example, entrants into the Diversity Visa Program in Fall of 2011 were selected for Diversity Visa 2012 Program, and selectees MUST apply and receive their visa prior to September 30, 2012 otherwise they lose eligibility to receive a Diversity Immigrant Visa, regardless of additional administrative processing. In addition, please note that some immigrant visas may not be able to be issued if the annual numerical limit for that category has been reached.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Can they switch up and now put us through processing?

After reading this the other day, I checked ceac, and my case still said ready. As in ready for interview. I checked again yesterday and it said Administrative processing, with the same message above. Later yesterday, I checked again and it then said Issued.

I'm sure your status has changed as well by now, since the message says two days for approved visas. Best wishes.

[evoria 19]

After reading this the other day, I checked ceac, and my case still said ready. As in ready for interview. I checked again yesterday and it said Administrative processing, with the same message above. Later yesterday, I checked again and it then said Issued.

I'm sure your status has changed as well by now, since the message says two days for approved visas. Best wishes.

Your correct it changed, yesterday. My husband has an appointment to pick up the visa this morning at 7:30am.

[thegordons2009 1]

Finally received my children's passports in the mail today!! WHOOHOOO...

Submitted the online DS260.

Now on to scanning the doc's and sending the email.

Question for all of you......DO I need to Scan the 2 passport photos (front and back) ?

Also, Do I need to include the marriage certifcate for my marriage to the petitioner? And do i need to include the divorce doc from me and their father?

thanks....getting so close

[thegordons2009 1]

Well i just emailed the supporting Docs for the DS-260 for both kids. I just scanned the front of the passport photos. Hopefully that will be acceptable.

Will call on Friday to see if I have a check list, or if its complete. Hoping to get a complete! I am hoping to get the medicals scheduled ASAP in Toronto.

[SerenityNOW 11]

Just an update: We are all back in the U.S.! My stepson's passport arrived at his apartment on June 10 (the Monday after his Wednesday interview). At the airport passport check in Bulgaria, we presented the notarized letter from his mother permitting him to immigrate to the U.S. and no problems there. We had a long layover in London, and when it is just my husband and me, we often go out of the airport, go into town to have lunch, walk around etc. But I started thinking *what if the UK has different requirements for transporting a minor internationally and our Bulgarian letter (translated, yes) wasn't enough ...* anyway, it just wasn't worth the risk for a few hours, so we hung out in the Heathrow "mall" waiting area the whole time. At SFO, the line was short for passport control, we were sent to the "back room" where we heard someone screaming about something (unfortunately couldn't make out exactly what - I think a journalist from the UK being told he had the wrong type of visa), then about 5-10 minutes later, stamped passport given back to us and we were on our way.

We realized once we were outside the airport that it was Father's Day and my husband had the best Father's Day gift EVER!!

We are going to try to apply for his passport today. I have read elsewhere that most officials don't understand this Child Citizenship Act process (even at the airport, the immigration guy was going on and on about his green card - which he is never going to receive since he is already a citizen now), so I will print the information, but I am still pretty sure we will have to go to the main passport office in San Francisco rather than be able to apply at our little post office.

We have only been home for one day, but so far so good. He has tried a burrito and tortilla chips and guacamole (all got thumbs up) and was appropriately horrified by my "soy green tea matcha latte" (green - and smells like grass). We took him for a Costco experience. We have lots of Bulgarian friends around so he has already been given the staples of survival (feta cheese, lutenitza/pepper spread, sausages, and of course tomatoes & cucumbers). I am still not clear what it is he eats regularly - a lot of white bread, that is for sure - so meals are mostly up to Dad for now.

Lots of sight-seeing in the future: San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Muir Woods, the coast, etc. I'm not really sure how we are going to get any work done...

I am very lucky that my husband's son is VERY easy-going and really I feel like it has been way too easy so far. The only hard part is about his mother, brother, and grandmother, who are all heartbroken that he is gone. I just feel so sad for them, and so far we haven't been able to get any tourist visas approved. His brother, in medical school, is now very driven to find a way to work in the U.S. for next summer, since he aged out of the family visa category (well we COULD apply for him, pay the $420, wait ~7 years and if he decides to get married in that time, start over again for an even longer wait...) He will also try again for a tourist visa, which would be PERFECT if we can ever get it. He doesn't want to IMMIGRATE here, just visit his father and brother... different topic for a different sub-forum.

Anyway, THANK YOU all so much for the information, advice and support! I learned soooooooooooo much here.

[lucy4 11]

Thanks for the update. My stepdaughter actually received her passport today. There was a package with it, and a letter about the $165 fee which MUST be paid before traveling to the US. Did anyone actually pay this prior to traveling?

[katraska78 6]

Just an update: We are all back in the U.S.! My stepson's passport arrived at his apartment on June 10 (the Monday after his Wednesday interview). At the airport passport check in Bulgaria, we presented the notarized letter from his mother permitting him to immigrate to the U.S. and no problems there. We had a long layover in London, and when it is just my husband and me, we often go out of the airport, go into town to have lunch, walk around etc. But I started thinking *what if the UK has different requirements for transporting a minor internationally and our Bulgarian letter (translated, yes) wasn't enough ...* anyway, it just wasn't worth the risk for a few hours, so we hung out in the Heathrow "mall" waiting area the whole time. At SFO, the line was short for passport control, we were sent to the "back room" where we heard someone screaming about something (unfortunately couldn't make out exactly what - I think a journalist from the UK being told he had the wrong type of visa), then about 5-10 minutes later, stamped passport given back to us and we were on our way.

We realized once we were outside the airport that it was Father's Day and my husband had the best Father's Day gift EVER!!

We are going to try to apply for his passport today. I have read elsewhere that most officials don't understand this Child Citizenship Act process (even at the airport, the immigration guy was going on and on about his green card - which he is never going to receive since he is already a citizen now), so I will print the information, but I am still pretty sure we will have to go to the main passport office in San Francisco rather than be able to apply at our little post office.

We have only been home for one day, but so far so good. He has tried a burrito and tortilla chips and guacamole (all got thumbs up) and was appropriately horrified by my "soy green tea matcha latte" (green - and smells like grass). We took him for a Costco experience. We have lots of Bulgarian friends around so he has already been given the staples of survival (feta cheese, lutenitza/pepper spread, sausages, and of course tomatoes & cucumbers). I am still not clear what it is he eats regularly - a lot of white bread, that is for sure - so meals are mostly up to Dad for now.

Lots of sight-seeing in the future: San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Muir Woods, the coast, etc. I'm not really sure how we are going to get any work done...

I am very lucky that my husband's son is VERY easy-going and really I feel like it has been way too easy so far. The only hard part is about his mother, brother, and grandmother, who are all heartbroken that he is gone. I just feel so sad for them, and so far we haven't been able to get any tourist visas approved. His brother, in medical school, is now very driven to find a way to work in the U.S. for next summer, since he aged out of the family visa category (well we COULD apply for him, pay the $420, wait ~7 years and if he decides to get married in that time, start over again for an even longer wait...) He will also try again for a tourist visa, which would be PERFECT if we can ever get it. He doesn't want to IMMIGRATE here, just visit his father and brother... different topic for a different sub-forum.

Anyway, THANK YOU all so much for the information, advice and support! I learned soooooooooooo much here.

Wow! Great news! So happy for you guys! <3

[evoria 19]

Thanks for the update. My stepdaughter actually received her passport today. There was a package with it, and a letter about the $165 fee which MUST be paid before traveling to the US. Did anyone actually pay this prior to traveling?

I paid this fee as soon as my husband picked up the passports. Not sure if the processing is finished once the kids enter the country. I am stuck in the "accepted" stage of the processing.