Leaderboard

Try to walk in and do biometrics late. Just apologize and explain everything. Before the trip

This is my journey: 2017 June Married abuser 2018 filed I130 & I1485 2019 May filed I360 asked for I1485 to be held (did the filing by myself) Prima Facie sent (many of them over the years, I can't recollect anymore) 2020 I sent additional documentation without them asking i.e. therapy report, letters from friends, utility bills etc. 2021 Oct Found out that my daughter's I485 was not put on hold in 2019 through general inquiry at the army for enlistment 2021 Dec Filed a new I485 for my daughter 2022 Feb They issued a Green Card for my daughter based on Category IB8 (note: my case has not been approved yet at this stage) 2022 Mar Wrote USCIS a letter regarding the issuance of the Green Card and the none approval of VAWA (NO RESPONSE) 2022 April We received your correspondence for Form I360 (UPDATE) 2023 Mar We sent a request for additional evidence for your Form I360 (SEE BELOW EXPLANATION) 2023 Apr We received your response for Form I360 2023 Sep We denied your Form i360 2023 Oct Filed I290B 2023 Dec We updated your name for your Form I360 2023 Dec We reopened your Form I360 2023 Dec We are reviewing your Form I360 2023 Dec Notice of Intent to Deny 2024 Jan We received your response for Form I360 2024 Daughter became a US citizen 2024 Oct Your inquiry about why your case is taking longer than our processing time was completed 2024 Nov Filed Writ of Mandamus 2025 Jan We ordered your new card RFE: The first RFE was based on Qualifying Relationship Requirement & Eligibility for Immigrant Classification. They said that my first visit to the US 17 years ago, I stated that I was married, but in my application I did not declare that marriage. I responded to the RFE myself explaining that the marriage was a traditional marriage and in my country that type of marriage is considered dissolved once the bride price is returned(I'm Nigerian). My mother also wrote her statement. But they denied the I360. I engaged the services of a lawyer for the first time on my case. We filed the I290B and responded to the RFE again in a better way, quoting the Reciprocity and Civil Documents of my Country written by USCIS themselves, among other things which state clearly that the marriage has been dissolved based on the return of the bride price, and the devastating circumstances of my visit to the US back then that I almost lost my life due to the marriage (with evidence from the hospital that I was kept in during the visit) that explains the circumstances surrounding that dissolved marriage. The I290B was filed in Oct, and in Dec they responded by accepting that the marriage they were referring to was indeed dissolved according to laws of my country and that I do have a Qualifying Relationship with my abuser BUT however issued a Notice of Intent to Deny on the same correspondence. Notice of Intent To Deny: This notice came the same time they said I have successfully answered their RFE, but that it has ''COME TO THEIR ATTENTION THAT THE EVIDENCE IN THE RECORD DOES NOT ESTABLISH THAT YOU RESIDED WITH YOUR SPOUSE AND THAT YOU MARRIED YOUR SPOUSE IN GOOD FAITH''. I personally found the above statement as witch-hunting because to me how come it is just coming to their attention AFTER I was able to counteract the first RFE? What was more ironic was what they stated that back in 2022, the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security department contacted my utility provider to verify the authenticity of the utility bills I submitted. They alleged that they (USCIS) has determined that I provided altered utility bills in order to establish that my abuser and I resided and married in good faith. If this were the case, and USCIS truly believed their allegation, how come they did not present this first instead of the so called marriage back in my home country years and years ago? This was the question that was in my mind that propelled me to really fight on this case because I know I did not falsify any document. I went to great extreme to contact the utility company to dig out their archive records with all our utility bills that they issued my abuser and I, and likewise all the telephone calls made to the utility company whilst my abuser and I lived together. They transcribed all the calls in their official letter and likewise wrote an official letter that our utility bills are not falsified. The notice of intent to deny also went into some tantrum about our tax return (which again I had to go back to IRS to get all our records), the text messages that I submitted (which they chose to read out of context), etc. They even went as far as saying that our car insurance only had my abuser on my car and not his. One of the things that I learned on this platform is to always have some evidence kept back just in case things like this happens. Thankfully I did, and was able to provide car insurance documents that had both of use registered on each others cars. Even though they responded speedily with all my responses to their RFE, with this NOID they decided to keep mute since receiving our response in Jan 2024. Hence I filed the writ of mandamus in Nov 2024, and here we are with an approval to the Glory of God! I would like to say to everyone reading this, please DO NOT give up! Empower yourself with knowledge on this platform by reading as much as you can. Go as far back to Part 1 of this thread if you need to! And also, do not listen to the naysayers, especially if you know your truth and believe in your truth. On this same platform, right at the start of my journey, someone had looked at my case and said it is impossible! I chose to hold on to possible and filed everything by just reading and learning on this platform. It was not an easy journey for sure. But on this platform I also learned that do not hold your life back whilst waiting for your case to be approved. Over the years, I bought a house, I decided to go back to school, today case is approved and I am also now a nurse. Keep yourself busy whilst waiting. I used all those prima facies and they paid for my nursing school from the beginning to the end. Please do not give up! P.S. Sorry for the long post!

USCIS doesn't refund any money ever. Not under any circumstances

My VJ Family 👪 words cannot express how I feel right now!!! Finally, after 5 years and 7 months my case has finally being approved! This could not have been possible firstly without God and all of you here! I don't even know where to start outlining my journey! But one thing I can say for sure right now NEVER GIVE UP even when USCIS throws you some rubbish (appropriate words fail me right now to qualify what they have thrown at me!). I finally filed a Mandamus and here I am with New Card Being Produced on my I360! Thank you to everyone on this platform, all your contributions have been phenomenal! @TBoneTX your joke worked 🥰🥰🥰

You need to refile I-751 with divorce waiver TODAY. ..definitely before administration changes. ‘Do cover letter requesting Good Cause Late Filing Exception. An N-400 is not going to be approved unless/until ROC is approved. Since your I-751 denial was Feb 2023, I-751 is too stale to revive ‘Your current N-400 was filed in 2021 under the 3 year rule and based on failed marriage . No matter you attempting to amend it post 2022 interview, this too is a dead horse. Coming soon is a return to USCIS practice of automatic NTA for all denied applications as well as a likely purge of so called purgatory stuck cases. So best thing you can do is 1. File I-751 ASAP . Request it be accepted late 2. As soon as you have a new case number for I-751 , prepare a New N-400 under 5 year rule . Include a signed letter requesting the 1st N-400 ( case #xyz ) be withdrawn Did you not consult any immigration attorneys during this time ? Or at least research on DIY forums as you are doing now?

Not sure your source for this. AI generated answer??? Because it is not the full understanding

Nope. USC spouse must either already be in the US, or travel with the immigrant. Green card is for living in the US- if you are living and working elsewhere, you risk losing it.

Marrying for the purpose of receiving an immigration benefit is considered fraud and has severe consequences. (Case denial,being removed from the country, forever having a "Fraud" marker on your immigration record, etc.) Not to mention that entering into a marriage for anything other than love is a recipe for stress, heartache, abuse.... (In my opinion) I strongly urge you to practice patience in your immigration journey and do not try to take shortcuts. USCIS is really good at sniffing out these kinds of things.

Folks I strongly recommend that everyone with a pending VAWA application carry a copy of their USCIS receipt notice and a copy of their I-94. Having these documents on hand ensures that if stopped by ICE, you can present official documentation from Immigration to verify your status. I have always advised my clients that they could travel abroad with advance parole. However, last week, I emailed all of them, advising against traveling abroad with advance parole for the time being. While VAWA petitioners do not trigger the 3/10-year ban, there is currently uncertainty about how CBP will handle cases involving VAWA petitioners who were previously without status and left the country, then attempt to reenter. Legally speaking, it should not pose an issue, but due to these uncertainties, I recommended they refrain from traveling abroad for now.

Following up: Montreal consulate issued my immigrant visa on the business day after the interview. It was shipped and delivered via Purolator the next day. Super speedy. I crossed the POE at Rainbow Bridge today. Aside from waiting to see a secondary officer (about an hour as they only had 3 on duty), the processing took 10 minutes max. No questions. He opened my packet, updated his records, stamped my passport, and said "Welcome home." Thanks to everyone for being such a wealth of information on this forum. I wish everyone the best of luck on their visa journey.

If your aim is for her to continue to work, CR1 is the best and cheapest route. Yes, it will take time, but you can both still travel to visit one another and you can both work from your respective countries. Personally, I find that people coming from western countries that try to adjust status and cannot work have a more difficult time adjusting. Going from being an independent person with a job, driver's license, money, friends to a new country where they become fully dependent on their partner for money, meeting people, rides (many states won't give a driver's license) and without a job is EXTREMELY challenging on the mental health of the beneficiary as well as it puts strain on the relationship. Part of what brought people together can be erased while they wait out the process. Please factor this consideration into your decision with your partner. Being apart and waiting sucks, but if you're preparing for a relationship that should span the rest of your life, this is but a finite blip in time.

I think that, until the denied I-751 is resolved, your immigration path will be difficult. Even an approved I-130 gives no immigration rights.

Adding my experience for a data point. The interview was on Jan. 17, 2025, in Montreal. The first agent took my civil documents and verified everything. Remember to bring photocopies with you in addition to the originals - I didn't realize until a couple of days ago and rushed to get copies done. The second agent took my fingerprints shortly after. Easy. The third stop was the interview with a very kind officer who spoke with me for about 10 minutes. They took my oath, then asked me questions about my previous research, verified if I'd travelled to the U.S. before, why I was looking to move now, and promptly said I was approved. I was done in just over 2.5 hours. Most of it was spent waiting. Best of luck, everyone, and thanks for the wealth of information on this forum. I will update once I cross the POE.

Oath ceremony today. This journey is officially over 🎆 Good luck to everyone still waiting their turn!

1. Yes. 2. Yes. You got your Green Card via marriage, yet you stayed with her only a month. They can (and will likely) scrutinize your immigration path. 3. The application will tell you which ones to upload. For the application you only need a few things. But you need to take a lot of evidence showing a good faith marriage to the interview just in case. 4. Google "N-400 checklist" 5. Yes. 6. See #3 above.

This sounds scammy. The joint sponsor is supposed to ensure that the immigrant will not become a public burden. If they ask 'how do you know this sponsor', and you reply 'Well, my lawyer found a sponsor who I don't know, and I paid them $500 to be a joint sponsor', that won't look good, IMO, and won't create the sense of comfort needed to assure them that WE (taxpayers) won't end up having to pay for her. I think it's worth you making sure that you have the financial capability to support her. Take your time figuring out your income, expenses, future earnings etc. And then sponsor her with confidence.

New update: Nov 7th applied Nov 7th case is under review Nov 7th Biometrics reused Dec 4th interview scheduled January 8th: Interview day January 8th: We recommended that your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, be approved. Your case was submitted for quality review. January 8th: Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled will keep you posted for the oath date! New update: Nov 7th applied Nov 7th case is under review Nov 7th Biometrics reused Dec 4th interview scheduled January 8th: Interview day January 8th: We recommended that your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, be approved. Your case was submitted for quality review. January 8th: Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled will keep you posted for the oath date!

The drug denial is what it is. Marrying and doing a CR-1 (while preferable for many reasons) will not change the inadmissibility. In general, the consulate will tell you what the requirement is to proceed (i.e. a year of testing/rehab etc).

I don't see any point either. It's not like the criminal record would be cleared if OP continues to fight this in court. There's no path to visiting / living in the US for OP. I'd just live life and be happy I'm not serving a sentence in a prison...

Lying will definitely make things better

Please fill out your timeline: https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=483124 Food for thought: would you marry your partner tomorrow? If not, you best meet up some more and get through the "we think we like each other but not sure" stages. K1's used to be fast and it was suitable for people who knew with certainty that they wanted to be together. You need to be sure this is your person. Additionally, you need to discuss whether your UK partner is comfortable giving everything up and becoming 100% dependent on you for however long it takes for their work authorization and travel documents to become available. This is typically quite difficult for people who come from western countries who are often very independent. It can create some serious strife in a relationship, especially when the beneficiary has moved country and has no friends, no driver's license and can't work. Not sure what your employment history is but if you had a gap in employment, this may factor into the perception of the Consulate regarding your financial ability to support your partner. Do you have a joint sponsor lined up if this is the case?

You entered the country legally, and are now legally adjusting status. Not a single iota of evidence anywhere that that will change in the short term. They are deporting violent criminals including child rapists. For your own mental health, stay off social media (X, Insta, Tik Tok et all) which is rife with illusory truths. Stay close to official government sites and sources that are official sources of truth.

Every couple has their own priorities, and each couple must decide which visa is better for their situation. K-1 More expensive than CR-1 Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork) Spouse can not leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (approx 3-6 months) Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 3-6 months) Some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period Spouse will not receive Green Card for many months after Adjustment of Status is filed. A K-1 might be a better choice when 18-21 year old children are immigrating also In some situations, marriage can affect certain Home country benefits, making a K-1 a better choice A denied K-1 is sent back to USCIS to expire K-1 entrant cannot file for citizenship until after having Green Card for 3 years. Once an I-129F has been approved, delaying the case is difficult to impossible if the need arises. CR-1/IR-1 Less expensive than K-1 No Adjustment of Status(I-485, I-131, I-765) required. Spouse can immediately travel outside the US Spouse is authorized to work immediately upon arrival. Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US Opening a bank account, getting a driver's license, etc. are very easily accomplished with GC, SS card, and passport. Spouse has legal permanent Resident status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to US. The clock for citizenship filing starts immediately upon entry to the US. A CR-1/IR-1 case can be delayed indefinitely at NVC if the need arises.

Why all caps? This can be viewed as shouting at a VJ member. You can try getting stamps, but it gets difficult as USCIS is reluctant to give any stamps when you have no pending case with them. Looping @mindthegap here as a member with most experience navigating several I-751 denials. No matter what you do at this point, prior marriage that gave you GC will haunt you until you prove it was real.

I can't edit my post but I went to the Documents tab and it shows the PDF letter. Interview is Feb 26th so I'm good.

There is no fee for a D3 First you apply for a B and then hope? that the CO recommends you for a waiver. That to say the least seems unlikely Lets say for discussion sake you get a B, presumably you arrive in the US and with an outstanding warrant are arrested and held and then transferred to whatever State and then eventually deported. what is the point?

OP, if people are not giving you the type of feedback you seek, it is because you are not explaining your situation fully or clearly. I don't see you getting a waiver for a B visa. But, why not just apply and attend the interview and see if they say that a waiver is available? That is all you can do.

A B1/B2 is a tourist/business non-immigrant visa Why else would you ask about gaining a visa other than to get back to the US? Your case has so many legal pitfalls that any further discussion in this forum is pointless - You really need to discuss this with an attorney. The people in this forum are just trying to let you know that with your circumstances, you basically have zero chance of legally entering the US. Embassies / CBP will not care about your claims of abuse, coercion, malicious prosecution, etc. because they are precisely that - Claims that have not been proven in a court of law. Please, if you want to pursue this, talk to an attorney. I wish you the best of luck

A Canadian working in Canada for a US operation does not need US work authorisation

This is the worst thing you could do because then you add misrepresentation to your record. Do not ever lie or omit information in order to obtain a visa/immigration benefit.

My visa is Issued today. The passport was delivered on Nov 27 and medical was delivered on Dec 3, I had case updates on both these dates and also unsolicited updates on Dec 9 & 10. Finally, it is issued today. Can anyone tell that when we receive the email including the passport tracking #, I mean after how many days after the visa is issued.

You don't wait you move on. If and that is a big IF she ever messages you back then and only then do you reply back. At that time if you have found some better, you let her know if not and you want to further try with this one. Go in knowing about the previous red flags. No you cannot control who other ppl invite. You need to find someone who is at the same maturity level as you. Someone who can handle the ex in your life. She will always be in your life and that you two get along. You need a strong confident women, not a young girl playing games still. You can still find some beautiful mature women out there. The kinds who do not play games. That is what you're looking for. Someone to spend the rest of your life with.

Is your husband authorized to stay in the US by some other means (not through marriage to you)? If he came to the US on a visitor's visa in Jan 2022, his legal status has expired. He cannot adjust status through you because overstays are not forgiven for F2A. If this is your situation, you should consult with an immigration attorney.

*sigh* What really matters is what checkbox is checked on DS-3025. Just double check the copy she should have received when she completed medicals overseas. This is the main thing that determines whether she needs I-693 in the US or not.

Just sitting here putting together a mental list of the perfect woman for @TBoneTX. Must be a rubia Must love cats and popcorn Must be able to consume a God awful diet of tuna glop and Costco quick foods Must stay up late and like to sleep in Must search for and gather all relevant food coupons Must love kids Must be able to tolerate the presence of the ex Should enjoy searching for GS and ES items. Where is she hiding?

New update,had the Oath ceremony today in Los Angeles, and I am done with the process, less than 3 months total! Good luck everyone!!

You seem confused. Petitions are processed at service centers, which are located in California, Texas, Nebraska and Vermont. Since your timeline shows you're doing a K-1, your petition (I-129F) is at the California Service Center. Your local USCIS field office is not involved in that part of the process.

Local field offices do not handle consular processing for IR/CR spouse visas. They handle Adjustment of Status for spouses already in the US. Spousal visas are first processed (the I130) at a Service center assigned by the USCIS system. They are then sent to the National Visa Center and finally the home country US consulate.

Has her auth expired? Being stuck outside the US....and possible abandoning her adjustment of status. I wouldn't do it. Get an emergency travel auth.

Every couple has their own priorities, and each couple must decide which visa is better for their situation. K-1 More expensive than CR-1 Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork) Spouse can not leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (approx 3-6 months) Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 3-6 months) Some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period Spouse will not receive Green Card for many months after Adjustment of Status is filed. A K-1 might be a better choice when 18-21 year old children are immigrating also In some situations, marriage can affect certain Home country benefits, making a K-1 a better choice A denied K-1 is sent back to USCIS to expire K-1 entrant cannot file for citizenship until after having Green Card for 3 years. Once an I-129F has been approved, delaying the case is difficult to impossible if the need arises. CR-1/IR-1 Less expensive than K-1 No Adjustment of Status(I-485, I-131, I-765) required. Spouse can immediately travel outside the US Spouse is authorized to work immediately upon arrival. Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US Opening a bank account, getting a driver's license, etc. are very easily accomplished with GC, SS card, and passport. Spouse has legal permanent Resident status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to US. The clock for citizenship filing starts immediately upon entry to the US. A CR-1/IR-1 case can be delayed indefinitely at NVC if the need arises.

How did the baby get a IR2 if the baby is a USC?

You can't get anything with just the I-130. You would need to also file the I-485 which is the application to adjust status. The receipt from the I-485 give you status in the US as pending. You would need to file for employment authorization to work and advance parole if you want to leave the country without abandoning the adjustment of status. I'm not saying you could do this with your I-751 in limbo, I am just saying the I-130 by itself does nothing for your status.

First let me say your post and relevant links are excellent. Still can’t figure out how all the others forget the legendary @mindthegap resource rich posts on the subject 😂. OP has good advice from his attorney, and can file the I-130 now without issue, even without waiting for the denial. Personally I think, doing so will accelerate a decision on the I-751. Once he gets denial of I-751 , he can file the new spouse I-485… Will he be able to get a stamp after denial, whether he goes to EOIR or attempts to readjust , FOR SURE. BUT….usually behind an innocuous “ not enough bonafides” , hides an implied adversarial position : they suspect fraud and will skewer with the new adjustment I say, take the bull by the horn , if denied pray for an NTA and see if you have better luck ( OR A great attorney) convincing te IJ marriage was real and/or USCiS can’t meet it’s burden.

Hi Everyone, I am creating this forum for all the applicants who are going to submit their petitions in January 2025 for the I-751 Removal of Conditions on Permanent Residence. I have finalised my package, which will be sent to USCIS today. Looking forward to hearing other experiences.

Hello Friends. I received my approval today after 16 months of waiting. NOA1: September 22, 2023 NOA2: January 14, 2025

Last Friday saw the end to my immigration journey as I took my oath and officially became a US citizen. I just wanted to say thank you all for this forum and for the guidance that is available here. Your messages are seen by many more people than just those who post/comment and sharing your experiences provides valuable insight into a stressful process. To those in the midst of the process, just starting - or thinking about starting, hang in there. It's not a short journey by any means but the outcome is worth every minute of it. I'm off to begin the next chapter of my life as an American. Until we meet again.

More importantly, is lawyer searchable on https://www.ailalawyer.com/? If not, maybe they're not an immigration lawyer? This offer would break my trust in this person. I wouldn't file a case with them.

I agree with @EmilyW, this sounds very much like a scam. You have time, establish and stabilize your financial situation, work with your friends and close acquaintances and see where things end up. Good Luck!

She wasn't denied, her case was put on hold for a year until she completes another medical. Just be advised that she cannot smoke at weed ALL during this next year, not just the days leading up to the new medical.

Have a long talk with your fiancé too, being that she failed the drug test means she used days before the medical. She needs to stay clean even once in the US as Federally it is still illegal.