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get the mammogram /the lump not go away just by ignoring it / please get the mammogram /there is peace in knowing and there are treatments and it may not be cancer

Sorry, but your situation is not an emergency. Most lumps are not cancer. Get the mammogram, bring a friend if you need to. Insist (to insurance/MD/whoever) that you want a 3D tomosynthesis mammogram, and ask for it to be read while you wait. Some breast centers do this. Do this now, do not wait. Even if you had been approved for the expedite, it wouldn't have meant that your husband would be here tomorrow. Do not wait "a few months."

Picky and picky, it makes absolute sense that they need to see some kind of proof that it IS actually a reason for an expedite. Otherwise everyone could use it as an excuse to get an expedite without actually having anything wrong with them, no proof needed. With that said, go get yourself tested. The sooner the better, even if it means doing it alone. Waiting will only make it worse if it is indeed something bad.

Please do not wait. Yes it's absolutely terrifying, however knowing is always better than not knowing. There's a good chance it's not cancer, and then you would be relieved. If it is cancer, the sooner you know the better. My mom has had 2 breast cancers 10 years apart, and she's still there living her best life! The reason why: when she found a lump she went straight to her doctor and started diagnostic exams right away. There is nothing positive that can come from waiting to have a mammogram, the longer you wait the longer you are scared. Tell your doctor about your fears, they could prescribe medication to take the night before and day of the mammogram for anxiety (you wouldn't be able to drive, plan on getting a taxi or Uber/Lyft). Can you go with a friend? If not, like @Lemonslice said, there are many breast cancer support groups that may offer to have a volunteer accompany you.

I was approved today, July 27th 2024! PD is June 13, 2023. Just wanted to update for those still waiting as a sign of hope!

Most lumps are not cancerous, you still should have the mammogram promptly. If your spouse is able to visit on the VWP, then please have him do and be there for support; your life is worth more than the price of the flight. You asked for an expedite because you know time is of the essence. Otherwise, please call the hospital/breast imaging center and explain your situation; many offer to have you meet with a volunteer who can be there for support. If they do not, reach out to the American Cancer Society for support/company during your exam. You are on the right path, you can do this. I will be sending positive thoughts your way.

Ok, so I realize you are 18 and feeling frustrated…but the process and application (I-485 ) is actually YOURS….to do correctly and follow through. This even though your stepdad is paying the filling fee. So here are helpful tips: 1. There will not be any fee for the FOIA…that’s a generic disclosure. You can do one for yourself and step dad does one for himself, separately. …but since you’re the internet savvy one, do it for him . Attorneys charge Big $$ even for FOIAS…so keep trying till you get it right. 2. There are sample adjustment packets on this forum that walk you through everything from what forms to what supporting evidence one needs to send. Read them, ask questions here. 3. Yes an I-864 was required for the I-485 …do I understand it just 2x485 just filed ( you and a brother ?) Get the copies of the I-485 forms prepared , look them over and compare to the samples on VJ . ‘If the packets are Rejected , you will have a chance to correct any errors, add the I-864 and even convince stepdad to file an I-130 when you refile. It’s either you do a grow-up crash course in DIY or ask your partner to lend you $ to hire an immigration lawyer to help. You can adjust through stepdad , as long as you do it before 21…no need for shotgun wedding ‘

Finally my VAWA has been approved without RFE after reaching out to my congressman💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 below is my Timeline April 30th 2021- Filed for I-360 July 24th 2024- Card was produced July 26th 2024- Case was approved Next stop I-485, hopefully this wouldn’t take long.

Oath Ceremony has been done and Now i m US citizen. 😊

Presumably he is eligible to use the VWP?

Can you go to Germany to get the mammogram?

Does she have notice to appear or release of recognization? Which country is she from? From what you described, she doesn't currently have a status to adjust from.

If you don't qualify for an expedite (pregnancy isn't a valid reason - as per the sticky thread), then there's nothing you can do other than wait it out I'm afraid. On the plus side, the NVC side of things is pretty quick at the moment, and I don't think Malaysia has a big backlog, so hopefully once the I-130 is approved the second stage won't take as long. How pregnant are you? Is travelling to your husband and staying with him in Malaysia an option?

Just about 3 weeks ago we had an issue with our refrigerator. It's a French door fridge and the wife apparently didn't close one door all the way. Got up in the morning and heard a lot of noise from the fridge. Sounded like the compressor was working really hard, and it was loud. Talked with a friend that has an ac and appliance repair business and he thought it was freezing up and told me to unplug it for about 12 hours. Did that but nothing changed. Figured it would need a new compressor, but decided not to put that kind of money into an 8 year old Whirlpool (more about that in a bit) so very quickly ordered a new one from Costco that could be delivered in 3 days. Next morning I got up and noticed the fridge was quiet again and cooling fine. I hoped that by the time we returned from work it would be loud again to make me feel better about already ordering a new one. Nope, it was perfect when we returned home. Oh well, at least we will have a new, $1600 fridge. had to go to Lowes that night so I looked at fridges to see what I had ordered, another Whirlpool essentially the same as we had except they changed the ice maker and I hated the useless narrow shelves now on the door. Liked the similar LG better, but we had a bad experience with an LG washer. What to do? Discovered the ice maker in our fridge was no longer working and checked the error codes. Seems that was the source of our original problem. Ordered a new ice maker for $80 and installed it last weekend. Everything is great now. When we built this house 24 years ago it came with builder grade GE appliances, and maybe they were one step up from builder grade. The dish washer was garbage and I replaced that after one year. Never liked the side by side fridge. Freezer side was too narrow, and the ice maker was horrible. When we decided to replace it I checked Consumer Reports and they said the French door Samsung was the best, and that's what I bought. BIG mistake. Just after the warranty expired it died. Internal refrigerant leak and was advised to just by a new fridge. Went with the Whirlpool even though it wasn't top rated by Consumer Reports but it is made in the US and parts are easy to get. No real complaints. Seems like most manufacturers have trouble with ice makers. Thankfully it was easy to fix even with the "in the door" ice and water.

I tried...

Sorry to hear this happened to you. Did you ever see any red flags throughout the time you met him and the cousin was doing the paperwork?. Is this a female cousin? How much time did you spend with him before you decided to marry him? Whatever you do, don't let them get away. Call ice etc.

Yeah, I think after talking about it more in depth, we've decided he'll just go alone to tick this box and cross the finish line. Still pretty bummed I won't be there for the final step, but it will be a HUGE relief to be done with this process after such a long journey from K1 to now. Thanks so much for the input. Nice to read it won't be too odd for him to go alone.

NO. We do not need another new excuse for yet even more additional taxes. Presumably the money being remitted has already been taxed when if it was earned in the US. If there is speculation that there is widespread untaxed earnings by illegal aliens being remitted overseas then perhaps they should focus on cracking down on untaxed earnings by illegal aliens rather than taxing overseas remittances.

***Several derailing comments and misinformation (along with replies) removed****

Hi everyone! Quick update! ! We received our passport with visa stamp today Documents Sent: July 8 CEAC says Issued: July 17 Thanks and hoping other VJ members in this long journey hear the good news soon!

Although some states might allow Medicaid, probably private pay plan until she has a Green Card. Then she will qualify for Obama Care. Mom will not be eligible for Medicare until she is 65 and either has been a Green Card holder for 5 years or is a US citizen. At that point, since she will not have been working for 10 years, she will have to buy into Medicare Parts A&B. If she marries a US citizen, things will be different regarding Social Security benefits (age 62) and Medicare (age 65).

Unless it's a bigger or special date type of ceremony it is also pretty fast and simple, lots of people expect more of a bam! but it just kinda ends if that's any consolation. Throw a party afterwards!

They can (and should) refuse to sign an I-407. CBP would then have the option to refer them to an immigration judge. They could also be admitted without any issues. What is the status of the I-751s?

They will be allowed into the US. However, expect some questions, and they could be asked to sign I-407s. Let us know how it goes. Good luck.

I got mine done at the Doctors Surgery, I prefer free.

In my case I decided to not to get any vaccinations before the medical as it says on Visa Medicals website and on the booking confirmation email to bring your vaccination records so they can review and then advise if you need any vaccinations on the day and I preferred them to tell me which ones are needed as they will know what is required for the USA. What I did do though was ring up my GP Surgery a week or 2 before I went to the medical and gave them the list of vaccinations that are listed online. They went and checked with a nurse/doctor and gave me a call back with the ones that they could do. When I was at my medical appointment I was told I needed a 10 year Tetanus booster and Hepatitis B vaccine by the nurse and I was happy to have the vaccines there. The one vaccination on the confirmation booking email that they said needs to obtained privately is the Covid vaccine as they don't do it there. Don't quote me on this but I think they said I needed one because it had been more than 12 months since my last Covid booster vaccine (the last one I had was in 2022). I booked this with Boots and it cost about £95-£100. I think vaccination requirements can vary for each person due to factors like age, etc from looking on the CDC site so I didn't want to make any assumptions on what I needed and decided to let a medical professional advise me on what was required.

If you want her here long term, I’d think you’d want her to qualify for Medicare and Social Security. That means you will have to pay her for her work so that she can accumulate work credits. She may qualify for more generous ACA subsidies as a working person vs. your dependent.

Good choice, get it done and over with don't blow it now!

More than likely your options reside in either - buying a policy for her outright, or enrolling her in the ACA (Obamacare). You can expect the cost to be steep. If she does start to work of course at any time she can go on an employer's plan if they offer it. At some point I'd also encourage you to look through this thread (and there is a second useful thread linked aswell) about obtaining insurance for elder parents, as it can start to get tricky as they age. There may be some advice that could be useful there.

Hi everyone! Submitted my N400 online just a little over 2 weeks ago (7/10), and went to the Field Office (Cleveland) today to have my Biometrics retaken (last one were from 2011). Lets hope everything moves smoothly from here on, and get done in no time. Fingers crossed.

Yeah exactly how you said! Everyone else thinks the same, it won't make a difference in the long run. It's just a small temp disruption. naturally still not nice for them to lose their jobs though, but it isn't USCIS' fault.

Divorce the sponsor. Proceeding with I-485 is not an option as marriage is not bonafide. USCIS may even use your wife's cheating against you. Your daughter can sponsor your for GC once she's 21. Until then you're out of status and need other avenues to remain in the US legally.

Wholeheartedly agree with this. It's hard to feel sympathy for someone who made their own bed and now complains about having to lay in it. I mean, nobody forced this on them, this was their own decision all along. And complaining about 3 months??? Wow, that's like a drop in the ocean compared to how long most of us were separated from our fiances and spouses.

That doesn't change anything, they still made the wrong decision for their situation if working and being able to do other things right away were important. People jump into things too quickly without doing research, without planning and without any regards as to how things will work out practically. If money was important, then OP would've stayed in his/her country and worked and saved enough to last a year or so in the US before moving here. If working right away was important then OP would've stayed in his/her country and waited for the CR-1 visa to be processed. So either they did a very bad decision, or money and work simply weren't that important after all.

3 months long distance is hard??? No, it's not hard. So you made the (bad) decision to AOS whilst visiting on the VWP, and are now moaning about the consequences? I mean you decided to just stay there, living with your husband, as well as his parents? Like why would you ever decide to do that? Is he 18 or something, that he still lives with his parents? Stop complaining, and accept the consequences of your own bad decisions and deal with it.

I feel for you. When my husband did his naturalization ceremony was in the middle of covid in 2020 and they didn't allow visitors. I was super bummed but there were no options. The only picture I got that day when he came home afterwards with an American flag souvenir. I personally would just let him get it done. All the waiting and processing you've had to go through has all led up to this so why delay it even more? The arrival of his US passport in the mail was a much more exciting time for us after everything.

Thanks for the reference. It sounds like this is not a permanent reduction in cases. I am sure there will be a temporary disruption but once things settle down; everything will be good. It is just a pain because those of us that are affected feel cheated. However, in the big picture, what is a few months delay? Nothing really.

The original article is here: https://www.ueunion.org/ue-news/2024/service-contract-act-locals-fight-for-jobs-effective-immigration-process?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2Q3vx_D0ESEzAJMgbanb-AQLMKWJ2UVCZVi25QwaXqz-htrOhozxOtvW4_aem_GC8BOOlfRY5Oqo6bNRPG9w But this article is EXTREMELY incorrect and spreading misinformation. UE Local 1008 means contract workers for USCIS not permanent jobs.. Those were not federal case workers. There's a USCIS employee who responded to that original article and said "This article is misleading at best. The workers who were "laid off" are NOT federal employees. They do not adjudicate cases. They are federal contractors. USCIS just opted to not renew the contract and instead hire more officers. Also, officers are not non-union workers. We have our own union." "They were contractors. Not Federal employees. USCIS did not lay off any employees the contracting company did." USCIS didn't fire those employees, they decided not to renew a contract for federal contractors. And that "CSC is moving but it isn't moving to Texas, it is moving to a different office in California" Also for some context USCIS is not a government funded organisation / agency. It is ran entirely off of the fees that people pay to submit their applications. & also those employees that were "laid off" that happened even before USCIS slowed down.

The author does a poor job of keeping illegal alien remittance separate from legal alien remittance. Although he seems to be leaning on illegal alien remittance for taxation, he ends up with "tax remittances" which could mean all remittance. So what about citizen remittance? If you are quoting total remittance figures like India 100 billion, and then breaking them down by U.S. legal status, you might have: Citizen: 75% Legal Alien: 15 % Illegal Alien: 10% Total 100% I'm just throwing those % numbers out there. However, I live in the Philippines where remittance is an important part of the economy. Pre-pandemic, remittance was averaging 9% of Philippine GDP. For 2023, the total was 33.5 billion and 13.7 billion came from the U.S. So how much of that came from Filipino Americans who became U.S. citizens? How much from legal aliens? How much from illegals? While I agree illegals should not be able to just walk in and then earn money and then send it home, (and certainly not to our enemies) the author does not lay out how taxing ONLY illegal remittances would work. How do you track them? Do they have SSN? How do we even know of their tax status? Need a new branch of the IRS? Remittance may be a small part of the incentive for illegal entry to the U.S., but taxation and bigger government is not the answer. Just keep them out the old fashioned way: SECURE THE BORDERS AND SEND THEM BACK. For most groups, sending them back will end most of the incentive to come and they will never earn any money in the U.S. As far as double taxing U.S. citizens and legal aliens on U.S. earned and taxed income used for remittances, hogwash. The government is going to tell us what we can do with our after-tax income? Also, if that ever came about, other countries would retaliate against all the U.S. citizens who work and live overseas. Remittance to your Filipino family is a time honored tradition for Filipinos and is a primary factor for many to go abroad, legally. Filipino culture respects and takes care of their elders, and much of this is done through remittance. The argument that the money is not put back in the U.S. economy is not strong. Only a smaller % of income earned would be sent home. For normal people, you have to take care of your expenses first, spending it in the U.S., and send some leftover home. Of course, if you are illegal, and the government is paying for a nice hotel, food, healthcare and other things, maybe you could send almost all of it home, just saving a little bit for cigs and beer.

Hi all! I’ve been lurking on this post since I was issued the DS 5535 form on June 29th 2023. Yesterday I got my first unsolicited update and this morning received the email to submit an updated medical, photos, passport and to update the ds260 form. Hoping everyone hears good news soon!

that's been a long term issue. the latest i can find is More than $63 billion in remittances were sent to Mexico in 2023, with most of the money arriving from the United States, according to Banxico, Mexico's central bank

2 things to note. The myprogress tab is completely inaccurate. so ignore it for your wellbeing's sake. And secondly. Looking at current trends it's taking 13 months for an i-130 to be approved. So that's a more realistic time frame. The estimate here on visa journey seems pretty okay too. You wont have to worry about asking USCIS a question hopefully.

Yea, tmvn put out a YT video on this. They are just as confused as the rest of us. They claim this is the first time the USCIS has "skipped over" a full week of cases. Actually it happened twice, a week's worth of FEB cases and a week's worth of MAR cases. I see they are now working on those "skipped" cases so you will hear back soon. As I mentioned, tmvn says they will start working on June filers next week, so they are knocking out FEB-MAY cases at a rapid clip. I suggest you watch that video. The real question is how did this happen? Did someone pitch the files and went fishing, or to the bar? Now that things are electronic, I doubt they tossed the I-129f forms in the trash, never to be seen again. I believe (not certain) that the NOA1 is generated after the forms are scanned into the system. So it seems logical to me that once an NOA1 has been sent, it will get adjudicated at some point. It is not like they have a system Hack. Well on second thought, we are talking about he Biden Administration here. They cannot do anything right.

That is absolutely false. Please stop spreading dangerous misinformation.... Being an "immediate relative", in itself, confers no immigration rights or right to remain in the US.

My guess is the State Department will refuse AOS. This is not their first rodeo. Can you imagine how many female spies have tried this tactic? My guess is thousands, especially during the Cold War. The marriage will still be legal but she will not be allowed to live here. You both could move to China or perhaps Canada but the recent US Supreme Court ruling states that marriage by itself is not a guarantee for any non-citizen to live in the US. Fire the idiot Lawyer and find a good one. My guess is no lawyer will be able to help you in this situation but one never knows for sure.

As to the lawyer's advice, I agree with @SalishSea, I would be leaving this person as soon as possible. I would recommend the CR1 over the K1 as it is a far superior visa, and less costly. K1 may or may not (YMMV) be faster, and I am not sure how the CCP membership would impact the K1, but I believe it can be overcome with a spousal visa application especially if it can be showed to be work related only. You may want to ask the CCP question specifically in the China regional forum from members that may be more familiar. As to coming her as a visitor, getting married on the visit, and leaving for a subsequent spousal visa application, that is perfectly legal. Good Luck! P.S. Tagging @pushbrk as he may have more information.

Munich?

My observation is that if the counselor somehow decides to make things difficult for a particular applicant then they can totally do that. They CAN make up rules as they go along. Your guess is as good as anyone's about what ticked them off. The best course of action to put on a big smile and just play along with whatever the ask for and get it over with. It's no use trying to second guess them.

This is 100% FRAUD. Don't do it, especially since she is on shaky ground geopolitically. Fire that lawyer, he's a moron.

Your Husband would have to petition you, his family could be the Joint Sponsor. As far as the conviction impacting the situation, it would depend what it is,