Stand alone I-130 for stepchild(ren)

[Sascafig 12]

I counted them in the household tally only as it says NOT to list the other child in Section 3..i dont remember how the error read exactly , something about the number not matching, and when i returned the paperwork with just my 2 children, my hubby, myself and then ONE of the step children.. the paperwork was approved for each

sorry i took so long to check back in.. pray you are blessed on ur journey..this all can get so confusing.. and THANKS!

Oh, good grief. Ok, now that I've bought the largest bottle of Tums I could find and the stress-indigestion is under control, let me ask for more advice!

I'm not sure if your situation was similar to mine as far as not being able to meet the poverty guidelines when all stepkiddoes are accounted for. They want you to make over a certain amount, for a certain number of people, and not include other beneficiaries from seperate petitions which makes everything gravy on the individual affidavits...until you show up for the interview and suddenly (and obviously I would imagine) have a much larger household than those forms show?!? Call me crazy, but I can't see the immigration officer looking out that little window at four boys and then looking at my take home income shown on the affidavit, and just letting them breeze on out with an approval. But what choice do they give you?

I'll give the officers enough credit to say that on interview day they will realize that 8>5 and that my income falls a few thou short. That being the case, I know that I want to send an I-864a so that they can consider my husband's income as well.

It says not to include assets or household member income or joint sponsors if the amount of income for the sponsor alone meets or exceeds the poverty guidelines for the household size claimed on the form. So which is the lesser of two evils:

1. Sending an I-864a to the NVC with maybe a brief letter of explanation as to why it is being submitted when it appears to be unecessary? Or,

2. Sending off the basic I-864 and let the NVC remain in La-La-Land about the obvious discrepancy in the written and the realistic household size, and have the I-864a paperwork ready to go at the interview stage? (Will the consulate even accept documents that haven't passed through the hands of the NVC?)

Thanks again for your help, you are probably saving me from an RFE here. Live, Learn, and Pass it On!

[Sascafig 12]

Really? I am surprised. Who needs DNA? The biological parent and the child or the step parent and the child? I hope we won't asked for that.

If they ask for it, it would be you and your daughter being tested. You prove your relationship to her (usually just by birth certificate), and then her relationship to your husband is proven by your marriage certificate.

I found the following thread posted by someone who got an RFE from the Phillipines because there was doubt about the relationship between the bio mom and the child, and the process and timing of DNA testing. Maybe it will help answer some questions.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/322215-has-anyone-had-to-do-a-beneficiary-child-and-mother-dna-test/

[dancehallquana 5]

Oh, good grief. Ok, now that I've bought the largest bottle of Tums I could find and the stress-indigestion is under control, let me ask for more advice!

I'm not sure if your situation was similar to mine as far as not being able to meet the poverty guidelines when all stepkiddoes are accounted for. They want you to make over a certain amount, for a certain number of people, and not include other beneficiaries from seperate petitions which makes everything gravy on the individual affidavits...until you show up for the interview and suddenly (and obviously I would imagine) have a much larger household than those forms show?!? Call me crazy, but I can't see the immigration officer looking out that little window at four boys and then looking at my take home income shown on the affidavit, and just letting them breeze on out with an approval. But what choice do they give you?

I'll give the officers enough credit to say that on interview day they will realize that 8>5 and that my income falls a few thou short. That being the case, I know that I want to send an I-864a so that they can consider my husband's income as well.

It says not to include assets or household member income or joint sponsors if the amount of income for the sponsor alone meets or exceeds the poverty guidelines for the household size claimed on the form. So which is the lesser of two evils:

1. Sending an I-864a to the NVC with maybe a brief letter of explanation as to why it is being submitted when it appears to be unecessary? Or,

2. Sending off the basic I-864 and let the NVC remain in La-La-Land about the obvious discrepancy in the written and the realistic household size, and have the I-864a paperwork ready to go at the interview stage? (Will the consulate even accept documents that haven't passed through the hands of the NVC?)

Thanks again for your help, you are probably saving me from an RFE here. Live, Learn, and Pass it On!

wowwwww.. sticky subject.. even though i know for sure the way it was approved for me.. i agree w/ you that the household size is not correct realisitcally and i dont trust one nvc worker over another..ive gotten the runaround so much w/ these ppl , i think i would go with your first option and use the I864a just to be safe...my paperwork did pass the NVC with the discrepancy (that they told me to do?? LOL) but my income would have passed even if they had counted both stepchildren.. its miserable waiting all that time just for them to send you a checklist believe me..

. after that count hurdle.. i had the problem of the TOTAL income line..

the first batch of AOS paperwork required only the petitioners income, but i came in in the midst of a form revision.. so although my first form with the count corrected was now OKAY.. i still got a checklist cuz they need me to use the NEW form!!!!! ughhhh..

so the new form has a spot for my income and then the total income of the household.. Unfortunately, my income tax form had 3 different figures due to whatever deductions.. well after getting another checklist for putting the wrong number (the lesser one which was STILL within the threshold).. i decided to just send them 2 different AOS forms with the other two figures and a letter suggesting they choose which one is correct becuase i was at a loss as to what they wanted .. smh.. it was VERY upsetting because: ONE we met the guidelines no matter what number they used and TWO they had the freaking income tax return right there so they KNEW why i was using the numbers that were given.. why not say use income from line blah blah blah when you send me a checklist??? smh i did later ask a vjer and was told what line to put, but i still sent them the two separate forms just outta spite LMBO.. it was approved hahahaha..

UGHHH..anyway, hope that doesnt have you take any more tums..but just letting you know.. just when you think its all gravy, they come out you with something else so cover all your bases.. i would send the I864A and pray for the best..

[Sascafig 12]

... i decided to just send them 2 different AOS forms with the other two figures and a letter suggesting they choose which one is correct becuase i was at a loss as to what they wanted .. smh.. it was VERY upsetting because: ONE we met the guidelines no matter what number they used and TWO they had the freaking income tax return right there so they KNEW why i was using the numbers that were given.. why not say use income from line blah blah blah when you send me a checklist??? smh i did later ask a vjer and was told what line to put, but i still sent them the two separate forms just outta spite LMBO.. it was approved hahahaha..

UGHHH..anyway, hope that doesnt have you take any more tums..but just letting you know.. just when you think its all gravy, they come out you with something else so cover all your bases.. i would send the I864A and pray for the best..

Lol! Well, I will do the same: send in the forms and a letter and let them scratch their heads and sort it out.

Hopefully that does the trick and they will accept it on the first try. In the meantime, now that I have a gameplan I can gather up the gazillion papers I need for this thing and check them and recheck them and then recheck-check them while I wait for that NOA2.

Bless your heart for bearing with me! I'll stay tuned for the good news on your interview!

[dancehallquana 5]

Lol! Well, I will do the same: send in the forms and a letter and let them scratch their heads and sort it out.

Hopefully that does the trick and they will accept it on the first try. In the meantime, now that I have a gameplan I can gather up the gazillion papers I need for this thing and check them and recheck them and then recheck-check them while I wait for that NOA2.

Bless your heart for bearing with me! I'll stay tuned for the good news on your interview!

you welcome, its no problem at all..glad to share my journey and hopefully it helps just a lil LOL and thanks.. im Next tuesday is D day!!!

[lplkemc 0]

Hi

I have filed an I-130 for my stepdaughter. She is in the UK, we are in the US. We have not received notification of anything other than receipt and of course they cashed the check. So, waiting and waiting.

My question is: Can she travel to the US for Christmas if we are still at the same place (awaiting NOA)? If we have received approval, and the next steps have been started, can she travel to the US in that case?

We want to do everything correctly of course, but she also wants to be here for Christmas. We were hoping that everything would be complete by then and she could just move then, but it may not be. Any ideas? Who do we ask?

Thanks so much!

[Sascafig 12]

Hi

I have filed an I-130 for my stepdaughter. She is in the UK, we are in the US. We have not received notification of anything other than receipt and of course they cashed the check. So, waiting and waiting.

My question is: Can she travel to the US for Christmas if we are still at the same place (awaiting NOA)? If we have received approval, and the next steps have been started, can she travel to the US in that case?

We want to do everything correctly of course, but she also wants to be here for Christmas. We were hoping that everything would be complete by then and she could just move then, but it may not be. Any ideas? Who do we ask?

Thanks so much!

Hello!

I'll answer this question based on my experience when my husband was in the midst of his CR-1 process. We married while he was here visiting on his tourist visa. He returned to Mexico and I filed the I-130 petition. However, not wanting to be apart for so many months, he made two trips to see me while the process was underway while the USCIS application was pending.

We took a chance, because it really depended on the CBP agent as to wether or not he would be allowed entry. For us, it was worth it. He definitely noticed heightened scrutiny during those two entry interviews when he got off the plane, but I made sure he was prepared. He answered all questions directly and honestly (Who are you visiting? Your wife? Are you fixing your immigration situation? Do you understand you will cause problems for yourself if you try to stay here past your allowed time? Etc...), and he had with him proof of his ties to Mexico. His rental contract for his apartment, his car papers showing he owned a vehicle registered there, papers from his business...he was only asked to see these by one of the two officers, so it really is the luck of the draw as to whose line you happen to pass through on any given day.

If the cost of a possible plane ticket to nowhere should your daughter be refused entry is outweighed by the benefit of her possibly being here for the holidays, then I would say go for it. Just make sure she has proof of ties to where she now lives, record of enrollment in a UK school, or, if she's old enough, proof of employment or property ownership.

Maybe someone else can chime in with more advice, but I hope that helped a little!

Edited September 25, 2013 by Sascafig

[thegordons2009 1]

Based on my experience --- with my petition, I crossed the border by car a few times using my Passport and had no issues, other than i was stamped a specific date to be back by., then I got smart and used just my Birth Certificate and Drivers license, and they didnt restrict me....but the last time I tried to cross I was denied COMPLETELY and was told to wait in canada until I had the visa....

Now that I have my Green Card, going through process for my 2 kids and I have brought them across back and forth a bunch of times and no troubles at all...interview is next month...I just came back from canada 2 weeks ago doing the MEdicals...>kids have been with me since as I wanted them to start school here.

So its all on who you get at the border....

[VICTORIOUS876 0]

Hey guys! I hope all is well with your immigration journey. I can't find my immunization card and I want to know if it's mandatory to bring your immunization card to the medical exam ? Will they test you if you don't ? were you in this situation before ? if yes.. what did you do ? Thanks guys and have a great day

[keljopy 1]

Hey guys! I hope all is well with your immigration journey. I can't find my immunization card and I want to know if it's mandatory to bring your immunization card to the medical exam ? Will they test you if you don't ? were you in this situation before ? if yes.. what did you do ? Thanks guys and have a great day

I'm not sure of the exact situation for I-130 or Jamaica, but with my husband (who did his here since he came on K-1), since he didn't have any record of his immunizations they just made him get them again. I would think it would maybe be the same situation. If you can't find the card, they might just make you get them again. It won't hurt you medically, just might cost you a bit more.

[Sascafig 12]

Hey guys! I hope all is well with your immigration journey. I can't find my immunization card and I want to know if it's mandatory to bring your immunization card to the medical exam ? Will they test you if you don't ? were you in this situation before ? if yes.. what did you do ? Thanks guys and have a great day

My husband took in his complete, original immunization records. They barely glanced at it and gave him the full panel of vaccines anyway.

[Sascafig 12]

Does anyone know about the requirements for originals documents in the case of children with seperate petitions going to one interview? I'm all Googled out here, I couldn't find much help. Since Mexico does all electronic processing, I'm not worried about the NVC; I just send in PDF scans of the originals and it's done. But once we get to the interview I don't want to find ourselves flapping in the wind if they expect to see four original certified copies of my birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decrees, etc...

I'm also curious as to wether we will need to have their biological mother get four copies of the permission letter notarized, or if the one letter naming all four boys is enough. The notaries there bleed you dry, I hope one original is sufficient!

If anyone has gone through this and know they only require to see one set of originals at the time of the interview for multiple kids, please let me know! It will save me a lot of time and money and the headache of getting a family member in Mexico to go down to the local government offices to gather multiples of everything up for us.

[pushbrk 12,898]

You do not need multiple originals or certified copies of the same document. Whether one permission to immigrate letter can suffice for all children is a question for the Consulate. I haven't dealt with that question before.

[katraska78 6]

Guys I have a question: we want to bring my son for a visit, until NVC sets up a date for his interview (they're currently revising our response for the RFE they sent for the AOS form that was updated)

Can he travel with his tourist visa, which is still valid, and return to Ecuador for his interview, as soon as we have a date?

We would like to bring him next week if possible.

Please respond to us as soon as you can. Thank you!

[pushbrk 12,898]

Each entry is a separate decision. There is no prohibition against using the visa during this time, but no guarantee he'll be allowed to enter the USA either.