Benny1337

@xleaass Congratulations! You should probably hear something early next week from the courier and embassy. Have fun packing your stuff, and enjoy neighboring Minnesota! Hit me up for some Belgian beer

I used a two way ticket to immigrate too, as that indeed was significantly cheaper. I canceled the return flight a few days after I landed. Not a single person from either CBP or the airline asked anything about it. No need to worry

Congratulations! I'm happy for you both! Check at the bottom of the visa, it should have the annotation"IV docs in CCD" indicating the sealed package is sent electronically and you don't need a physical version, so you're good to go with just the visa, the rest will be handled upon arrival in whichever US airport, by CBP! If you don't have that annotation, I'd contact the embassy. Congrats again!

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling at the final hurdle.. Perhaps the embassy will accept your correspondence with said government stating they will not issue it, and waive the required document.. won't hurt to ask, I guess? I do hope things work out for you two soon.

I was allowed to take my phone with me, I only had to leave my car key behind at the security check. I assume laptops and tablets won't be allowed in though. Let us know how it goes!

@xleaass Since you live close to the French border, have you attempted to get a vaccine in France? I've seen some reports they're having a "vaccination wave" ahead of the olympic games.

I've attached the vaccines I received over the course of my life, including the ones I had to get after my medical exam to be up to date with everything. You can easily check the vaccines received through the Belgian healthcare website. (https://www.myhealth.belgium.be/) I hope this helps!

I'm not too sure about the flu vaccine, as it's currently "out of season", maybe you can try to send an email to the doctor to ask, or perhaps they'll have one in stock to administer to you at the exam. For the covid booster, I got mine at a pharmacy, so try calling every pharmacy within a wide radius to check if they still administer those boosters. Your GP might know of locations that still do as well. If you don't mind driving to Limburg, I can tell you which pharmacy I went to. Good luck 🙂

As far as I recall, only the person with the actual interview will be allowed into the embassy. As a little hint for your husband's own peace of mind: Make sure he double checks all the civil documents and his passport and passport pictures are present, and put them in a folder. Backpacks aren't allowed to be taken inside, so tell him to pack lightly. Do let us know of the outcome, but it should be a walk in the park!

@ThomasT33 Congratulations on getting your visa! That definitely was a long wait but now it's time to move onto the next chapter of your life!

My I-130/CR-1 visa story has ended, as of today I’m officially a lawful resident of the USA, I hope everyone that filed in March has had their approval by now, and if not - I really hope you’ll get it soon! The wait is tedious and long, but it’s so worth it once you see that stamp in your passport.

Google is your friend. https://www.cbp.gov/site-policy-notices/foia/records

At my medical the doctor took a picture with her phone, as it was purely a digital report that gets uploaded, she told me the passport pictures are only for the paper version. I do think they have to be cut for the embassy appointment, as they scan just a single passport picture to use on the visa.

Little update: Got an email from the embassy and courier today that my passport has been sent. Probably next month 😄

I got approved 😁 Everything was pretty straightforward, had to give my civil documents and passport pictures at one of the booths, then was instructed to wait until my number was called to proceed to the interview. It was a fairly relaxed setting, was asked what my wife’s job is, what my job is, how we met, when we first met in person and when the last time we met in person was. After this the officer kept my passport and told me to expect an email with shipping information next week. Feel free to reach out, maybe we’ll have a Belgian get-together with some true Belgian fries, and complain about the weather! 😅