Our Picks

My Fiance is coming to the US from Brazil on May 10, 2020 on a K1-visa. I called the airlines and they said her flight to still going to fly out. I wanted to know if anyone know if the K1-visa is an exception from the executive order on immigration?
 
Thank you so much!

President Trump Signed an Official Executive Order on April 22nd Suspending Certain Immigration to the United States

The trump Administration is planning to pass an Executive Order in the next 24 hours to suspend immigration to America.  We believe the President may consider a narrow exception for immediate family members of US Citizens, including fiancés.  We've started a petition a the White House. Please join us by signing!

President Donald Trump said Monday that he is temporarily suspending immigration to the United States in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the "need to protect jobs." The president attributed the suspension to an "attack from the Invisible Enemy" and the "need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens."

My I-130 Petition was Approved by USCIS in ONE MONTH! Wow!

USCIS is again extending their suspension of in person services for another month. This time from April 7th to May 3rd. This includes all scheduled interviews.

My K1 Visa is about to expire and all the courthouses are closed -- What should I do? Help!

I'm a green card holder and my return trip back to the states was on March 26 of this year but it was cancelled due to Covid19. I will be reaching my 6 month stay here on the 22nd of April. What should I do?

Facing the reality here in WA that I might have to claim unemployment if I’m laid off due to COVID-19. I’ve had a greencard since November 2019, I’m wondering if it will look bad to USCIS if I claim unemployment? Don’t want to appear as a financial burden to the USA when the time comes to remove the conditions on my greencard.

If the media reports are true, and Prince Harry and his wife Megan have indeed moved to L.A - I wonder the conversation he had with CBP during his entry into the country?!
 
https://patch.com/california/hollywood/prince-harry-meghan-markle-move-home-los-angeles

I’m sure we’ve all heard about the stimulus deal. It’s my understanding that each adult is to receive $1200 and $500 per child. I’m the spouse of a USC with a pending AOS application. So not a green card holder yet until my interview (which is likely even further away now). Would I still be eligible to receive this payment? I filed my taxes for 2018 as married filing jointly with my USC spouse. 

If you experienced a Covid19 impact to your immigration case please update your timeline.  There is a new field (at the top) to document where the impact hit you.  We would like to track this across the site and when things clear up, work to push USCIS and Consulates to clear the log jam.  Information is power!
 

 
 

I just arrived in the US with a K1 visa and was planning to get our marriage license this week. None of the Southern California/Vegas counties are issuing them until further notice. I'm worried about the 90 day K-1 requirement.

My Colombian fiancé is currently visiting the US and has her K-1 Visa interview coming up. Due to Coronavirus the embassy has stopped taking interviews. Can we just get married in the US and file for AOS or does she need to go home and wait? We want to stay above board. I'm worried about travel restrictions due to the virus as well. Thanks for any help!

All flights from Europe are banned for the next 30 days except UK.  Evolving news.

I don't see many people discussing the topic here but I think before long it will become a reality we all have to deal with: the negative effects of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak on the citizenship process. 
 
One thing is for sure - this past week was just the beginning of what is going to be a prolonged period of societal disruption relating to the spread of this infection/illness throughout communities across the country. As more testing is done, more positive test results will occur and more restrictions relating to travel and daily life will be put in place. 
 
Already we have seen one field office temporarily closed: SEATTLE. And USCIS last week issued an alert advising people of the necessity to reschedule appointments if they are sick, have traveled to an area severely impacted by coronavirus, or have had recent exposure to someone with the infection. I also heard of an instance where questions were being routinely asked, at the time of checking in for an interview, about recent travel to areas where there have been severe COVID-19 outbreaks (e.g. China, SK, Italy, Iran etc.). 
 
I see the *potential* for a negative impact on the citizenship process in the following ways:
 
- temporary field office closures (in certain areas): e.g. the SEATTLE office was ordered to close for 14 days this past week after an IO tested positive for COVID-19 (read that story here) 
- temporary closures of support centers where biometrics appointments are conducted
- applicants having to self-quarantine (for up to 14 days) depending on recent travels
- USCIS staff being away from work (due to illness or recent travel or recent exposure to COVID-19)
- rescheduling of interviews
- rescheduling of oath ceremonies
- worsening of existing backlogs resulting in further delays...delays...delays...
 
Also, just this past week, we saw individualized case completion times disappear from my.uscis profiles. Not sure if that's related to the above or merely a coincidence. 
 
What do others think?

US State Department Issues Level 4 Alert: Do Not Travel to China

"Do not travel to China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China. On January 30, the World Health Organization has determined the rapidly spreading outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice.  Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended routes to and from China.
 
Those currently in China should consider departing using commercial means. The Department of State has requested that all non-essential U.S. government personnel defer travel to China in light of the novel coronavirus. 
 
In an effort to contain the novel coronavirus, the Chinese authorities have suspended air, road, and rail travel in the area around Wuhan and placed restrictions on travel and other activities throughout the country. On January 23, 2020, the Department of State ordered the departure of all non-emergency U.S. personnel and their family members from Wuhan. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Hubei province.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Warning for all of China."

I'm in the process of submitting the I129 for my fiance in Ghana. We were planning to do our traditional engagement in December. Are we allowed to do this before he travels to the states? We will have a white wedding and court wedding once he comes. 

Good day! Do you guys think that it’s inadmissible for not having a vaccination record? My vaccination card got misplaced, I don’t have any history of my vaccination in childhood with me right now. does anyone have an idea what should I do?

N-400 fees to go from $640 to $1,170 with the "weighted-average" fees across all applications going up 21%. Effective date is unclear, but notionally ~ Oct 1, 2020.

I am getting married next week and just learned that it may take weeks to get the recorded marriage certificate mailed to me.  This will put us beyond the 90 days. The officiant says he can take a photo of what he files at the courthouse (is that a file stamped non-recorded marriage certificate or something else)? But I am worried that it won't be sufficient to adjust status.

What should I do?
 
1. File for AoS before the 90 days expires with the photo of documentation he sends me and possibly/probably get an RFE?
2.  Wait beyond the ninety days and file for AoS?
3. File for AoS within and then supplement that filing in a few weeks with a nice copy of the recorded marriage certificate?

Also, after we file for AoS, what paperwork should my fiancee carry with her to prove she is in the country legally?  
 
Thanks 

Well after waiting for an answer from our RFE response, I got an electronic notification today that our petition has been denied.  I'm sure most people who have been denied quickly leave this forum all together but I could really use some advice.  I have not yet received the letter, so I have no explanation for exactly why we were denied but I would think it would be safe to say it is related to our RFE.  It said the letter would explain the reasons and what our options are but I have read on here that there are NO options after being denied a K1.  I guess I'm reaching out to anyone on here that has been through the same thing that could shed some light on where to go from here.

Welcome to another monthly thread for those going through NVC! This is the one place you should visit if you are filing through the NVC in November 2019!
 
Please read everything below and refer to it throughout your NVC journey, whether this is your first month at NVC or your third. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before posting questions, please read the wiki Saylin wrote on the NVC process. Once you're done, read it one or two more times to really understand it ;). Don't forget to also read the official form instructions as well as USCIS and NVC's websites!
 

Immigrant visa applicants will have to demonstrate that they will be covered by health insurance within thirty days of entering the country or have the financial resources to pay for medical costs.  Details below:
 
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-protecting-healthcare-benefits-american-citizens/
 

Have you ever wondered how frequently petitions are denied by USCIS?  We've collected a list of statistics on common petition forms.  Interesting results!
 
I-129F (Fiancee Visa Petition):  19.6% of petitions denied
I-130 (Spouse Visa Petition): 17.8% of petitions denied
I-485 (Permanent Residence Petition): 14.4% of petitions denied
I-751 (Remove Conditions on Residence): 3.7% of petitions denied
N-400 (Citizenship): 10.5% of petitions denied
I-131 (Advance Parole): 31.4% of petitions denied
I-765 (Employment Authorization Documents): 17.5% of petitions denied
I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers): 7.6% of petitions denied
 
Note, that all numbers above are from the last 3 months at USCIS (3Q19).