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RamonGomez

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  1.    est11 reacted to a post in a topic: Scary experience Australian airport CR1 I-551 stamp, worth a good read !
  2.    RamonGomez reacted to a post in a topic: Scary experience Australian airport CR1 I-551 stamp, worth a good read !
  3.    OldUser reacted to a post in a topic: Scary experience Australian airport CR1 I-551 stamp, worth a good read !
  4. RamonGomez
    An entry refusal, even for something as black-and-white as an improper visa, can take 2-4 hours of processing/paperwork by customs and immigration. Then the passenger needs to be held, fed, and cared for medically in a secure facility (not all airports have one onsite), and finally a return flight needs to be arranged. It could be days before one is available. This is very costly and can be avoided by a gate agent doing a two minute cursory check. And there is a central database called Timatic which all airlines use for determining entry eligibility (e.g. what visa do Indians need to enter Panama). But as we found out, there are edge cases and nuances which are not 100% obvious, as happened in our case. CBP also has a hotline which airlines can use 24/7 to resolve any potential issues before a passenger boards.
  5. RamonGomez
    I have some sympathy for the airline employees. There are close to 200 countries in the world. So you take a random traveler that goes up to your desk. They have one of (roughly) 200 passports. And they can be flying to one of 200 countries. That's 40,000 nationality/destination rule sets. Now throw in different statuses and visas (naturalized citizen, permanent residents, student/work visas, extension letters/stickers) and it gets even more complicated. After my Chinese mother-in-law visited us, she wanted to go to South America for a few weeks to visit my wife's sister. Her US visa was in her old expired passport. At the time Peru had a very specific brand-new rule that allowed her to visit visa free. We were at the Delta check in desk for almost 30 minutes with 4 employees googling/calling/checking their databases to verify that she was eligible to enter. Finally the manager overrode the warning and told us that he was going to trust us and that we "better not let him down", because if we were wrong, Delta would be fined $10k and he would get a warning for the refused entry as his name was on the override. 🥵 She entered without even a single question from customs in Peru.
  6.    RamonGomez reacted to a post in a topic: I-751 December 2021 Filers
  7.    nastra30 reacted to a post in a topic: Is filing N-600 really necessary?
  8.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: Is filing N-600 really necessary?
  9.    Lemonslice reacted to a post in a topic: Is filing N-600 really necessary?
  10.    OldUser reacted to a post in a topic: Is filing N-600 really necessary?
  11. RamonGomez
    I am currently running into this issue. My stepdaughter got her US passport automatically when my wife became a US citizen. We are applying for another country visa and that country's embassy is asking for my stepdaughters certificate of citizenship as the date she acquired US citizenship is not on her passport. They are not accepting her mom's naturalization certificate as proof. Now I know why the N600 fee is so high - it's probably because the only people that file the N600 absolutely need it in a handful of edge cases. Even if it cost $3000 we'd probably have to bite the bullet and pay. Really bummed about this. But the point of me posting here was to provide another case where a US passport might not be sufficient (applying for visas as a naturalized US citizen).
  12.    RamonGomez reacted to a post in a topic: 3 yr versus 5 yr rule. Does it matter?
  13. RamonGomez
    Right now N400s are being processed lightning fast, especially if you file online and already have an approved I751. By fast I mean 6-8 weeks from submission to oath. There's no guarantee that'll happen going forward the process could go back to the 1-2 year grind it was a few years back. So I'd apply now. It's not that much more paperwork.
  14.    RamonGomez reacted to a post in a topic: Overstaying with an Esta-deportation
  15. RamonGomez
    This seems crazy to me. There are illegal immigrants that live decades in the US and have had interactions with police and haven't ever dealt with ICE. Others who do get caught wait months or years for their removal hearing, and these are people who entered illegally, not on a visa or VWP. I'm also not sure your attorney is correct - afaik you will have issues adjusting status once removal proceedings start (which is ICE basically just telling you to leave if you're here on the VWP). Assuming all this is real, buy the ticket, and talk to 2-3 of the best attorneys you can find before your 30 days are up, at the very least, to confirm that you absolutely must leave and that there isn't some technicality/loophole that can buy you time or an appeal.
  16. RamonGomez
    We went through this and it was super simple. My wife naturalized around November 2023. Wife got her passport a few weeks later. Then applied for stepdaughter's passport with mom's naturalization certificate and custody document as part of her divorce decree (two parents need to sign if the kid is under 16). Stepdaughter's passport arrived in a few weeks. Under 18 - adoption is one option. When we looked into that, it was NOT cheap. but that's because the biological dad has been MIA for 12+ years, and we'd have to show that we tried to find him in China and get his permission by hiring a PI, posting in newspapers, etc. I think we were quoted around $6-10k and 6-12 months by a few attorneys. Otherwise, when he is 18, he can file the N400 on his own. That's pretty much it.
  17.    Laure&Colin reacted to a post in a topic: Did USCIS naturalize me too early?
  18.    thelimey reacted to a post in a topic: Did USCIS naturalize me too early?
  19. RamonGomez
    You're doing the right thing by researching this. But I think you are going to drive yourself crazy. If 4 lawyers all told you the same thing, including very experienced ones, I would make peace with it, DOCUMENT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN NOW about what happened at the interview, who you spoke to etc. and move on with life.
  20. RamonGomez
    My information is super out-of-date, but it took 3-4 days for the passport/visa to be delivered post CR2/IR2 interview via courier, and that was to a city 300 miles away from the consulate. But this was in 2019... basically an eternity ago. And there was no administrative processing.
  21.    From_CAN_2_US reacted to a post in a topic: Did USCIS naturalize me too early?
  22.    From_CAN_2_US reacted to a post in a topic: Did USCIS naturalize me too early?
  23. RamonGomez
    How much have you dealt with USCIS lol? People have had massive difficulties with simple name typos, reprinting notices, changing addresses, etc. Even getting in touch with a USCIS can be frustrating. This is likely going to be a massive undertaking.
  24.    RamonGomez reacted to a post in a topic: Did USCIS naturalize me too early?
  25. RamonGomez
    Based on how many mistakes USCIS makes that are not in the applicant's favor, there are probably a non-trivial number of mistakes they make in the applicant's favor. Things like someone getting a 10-year green card instead of a 2-year card are reported here somewhat frequently. Oddly enough I'm surprised that something like this isn't fully automated and the "Schedule Oath Ceremony" button isn't greyed out until the applicant is eligible or some sort of warning message is thrown up when USCIS tries to print the naturalization certificate. Going forward, this is a tough one. Dealing with USCIS is going to be costly, frustrating, and may even create more issues if they bungle things further. If it were me I would, in writing, try to contact USCIS about it - maybe write the field office a letter, fill out a service request online, etc. Chances are they are not going to do anything about it, but at least you'll have proof of trying to fix this in case you are ever accused of wrongdoing down the road (which is insanely unlikely). I would not spend thousands to fight USCIS tooth and nail on this. Good luck.
  26.    RamonGomez reacted to a post in a topic: Did USCIS naturalize me too early?
  27. RamonGomez
    BTW the best luck we had with this type of situation is sending a letter (an actual snail-mail old school letter) directly to the service center explaining the situation. Make sure to include copies of all relevant documents.
  28. RamonGomez
    My wife submitted her N400 September 10 2023, her interview was Nov 7 2023, and oath was Nov 15 2023. So basically 2 months + 5 days from submission to naturalization certificate in hand. It legitimately might be faster to go through the N400 process than deal with an I-751 NOA issue (don't ask me how I know...) Just be aware of the dual citizenship issues with mainland China if you do go forward with the N400. Good luck to you!
  29. RamonGomez
    Getting a passport is easier. N600 is optional but usually recommended as a backup. I think there are a few edge cases where COC or US birth certificate is required (usually involving federal employment).
  30. RamonGomez
    I entered China several times on a tourist visa with my wife when she was still a Chinese citizen/US green card holder. Never got asked anything at the airport and we always went through together in PEK.
  31. RamonGomez
    I know this is kind of late but moving that much #######, especially irregularly-shaped heavy stuff like bikes and couches and tables, is going to cost a fortune. If it's just boxes, there are "agents" in most metro US areas that basically rent space on a cargo ship, once there is enough demand on the Chinese side (e.g. China -> Chicago), they ship from China to the US to a central point in your metro area, where you need to pick it up. Often it's someone's house or a random warehouse. The speed can be highly variable, and it's somewhat unreliable and prone to theft. But it's very very cheap. Sell or toss whatever you can. Take as many suitcases with you as possible. Do the math so see if paying for extra checked bags and/or overweight bags is worth it. Save the less important stuff and bring it back home with you on a future visit if you can store some stuff in China.
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