US Immigration from Belarus

In the last six months, anyone from Belarus managed to obtain a Schengen visa at the Polish visa center for the purpose of visiting the US consulate?

Background: We are submitting the I-864 and possibly I-864A with our AOS packet to USCIS. My wife, who is a US citizen, is sponsoring her mom who is legally here in the USA and will be doing the AOS process in the USA.

Question 1) Transcripts vs Tax Returns? Per https://youtu.be/b48zJLTP4ko?si=HDBdA9jZlm1tFIOn&t=1242 USCIS does not follow their own rules and issues RFEs for just transcripts. Just curious if anyone did AOS with transcripts and turned out fine. My tax return packet would be very thick if I had to go that route (up to 137 pages). I would prefer the transcript route as it is the cleanest.

Question 2) If I did have to send in my Tax Returns, which option would I select in Turbotax?



Question 3) Does USCIS accept Turbotax's 1099 and W2 forms, or would I need to make copies of the originals (if I had to submit returns)?

Question 4) My wife (primary sponsor) made less than the 125% poverty limit in 2022; however, makes significantly more than the poverty limit for 2023. We have an employment verification letter from her employer showing her current pay and can submit paystubs showing her pay increase. Should I (spouse/household member) still submit an I-864A since it seems like USCIS only cares about tax records? I made more than enough to satisfy the I-864P so if needed can file an I-864A with no issue.

Question 5) If tax transcripts are acceptable, do we still need to provide 1099s and W2s if we have to file an I-864A to show who made what income (we filed Married Filing Jointly)?

Good morning! My wife and I are finalizing a trip to visit her family in Poland. I searched this question before, but want to understand completely the answer & what to prepare for - my wife's passport (Belarus) has her maidan name, whereas her EAD/AP combo card has her married name. It is impossible to update the Belarusian passport. Given this, I understand the following:

1. We need to book the tickets under the name on her passport (i.e., maidan name);
2. If the tickets ask for any reentry permit number, this should be the card number on her AP;
3. She is fine reentering the US with only the unexpired combo card and passport, and presenting these at check-in should not produce any issues; and
4. She should additionally carry both her Form I-485 receipt notice and our marriage certificate.

Additionally, is there anything I can print out to provide for the airline staff to ensure they know she can travel with the different surnames? I have had extremely bad experiences myself with staff (particularly in FRA - story for another time), and my worst fear is the airline not letting my wife leave Poland because they can't understand what's going on. TIA!

*I also wanted to confirm: it is not necessary to maintain an unexpired passport throughout the immigration process, correct? We are on over 14 months waiting for the Green Card, and the passport will expire before eligibility for naturalization. The passport is fine for this trip (will not expire w/in 6 months).

@joaovily What did you put for your household? I am in the same boat...

As I read:



So if my wife is filing for her mother (my mother-in-law)... My mother-in-law is the applicant for I-485.

Do I put a household of 1 (applicant only)?

The way I read it You = Mother-in-law (applicant) = +1
Your Spouse = N/A. Mother-in-law is divorced, she is the only applicant
Your Parents = N/A. Mother-in-law is the only applicant
Your unmarried siblings under 21 = N/A
Your children as defined in INA 101(b)(1) = Cannot figure out what this is, but from what I read here (removed link), my wife is not a stepchild and is over 21
Any other individuals... (for both bullets) = N/A. Applicant has never filed a federal income tax return.

Or do I put a household of 5 (my family plus my mother-in-law/applicant)?

i-485.pdf i-485instr.pdf

Background: The petitioner is filing I130 and I485 for a divorced parent (mother) who is on a valid visa and is currently in the US. The petitioner is not filling an I130 for any other family members. The parent is living with the petitioner and will complete the process while in the US. The below questions will reference the I130 PDF with an edition date of 07/20/21 and expires on 07/31/2024.

Form Filling Question

1. Does USCIS prefer ALL CAPS when filling out forms? If ALL CAPS are used, will that affect how legal names appear on future official documents?

Unanswered Questions:

These are questions I have not found the answer to.

1. Part 2, Questions 40a to 41, page 4/12 - "If you are a lawful permanent resident..."
   • The petitioner was an LPR but is now a US Citizen. Q: Should the petitioner answer "N/A"?
2. Part 4, Question 25a to 44, pages 6-7/12 - "Information About Beneficiary's Family"
   • The petitioner is the daughter of the beneficiary. Q: Does the petitioner list her "maiden name" or her "current" Family Name (Last Name)?
3. Part 4, Question 46d, page 7/12 - "Date authorized stay..."
   • The Visa is scheduled to expire before the date on the I-94 online form. Q: Is it better to list when the Visa is scheduled to expire, or the date of expiration of the I-94 online form?
4. Part 4, Question 58a to 58f, page 8/12 - Foreign Address in Foreign Alphebet
   • The foreign alphabet is Cyrillic. Since the beneficiary is living with the petitioner during the AOS, does the petitioner list this as N/A?

Unconfirmed Questions:

I found answers to the below questions, but need one more matching source for validation. Or found conflicting information and need confirmation.

1. Part 2, Question 28 to 29, Page 3/12 - "Information About Your Parents - City/Town/Village and Country of Residence"
   1. Parent 1 is the Beneficiary. Q: Since the beneficiary is living with the petitioner in the USA while on a valid visa and is establishing residency in the USA, does the petitioner put the beneficiary's foreign City and Country, or the current US city and USA as the country?
      1. Source 1 and Source 2 says to list the US City and Country. Source 3 says to list the foreign City and Country
2. Part 4, Question 19, Page 6/12 - "Date of current marriage (if currently married)"
   1. Q: Does the petitioner leave this "N/A" since the beneficiary is divorced?
      1. Source 1 covered widow(erd) but not divorce. Need verification.
3. Part 4, Question 20a to 20d, page 6/12 - "Place of Beneficiary's Current Marriage"
   1. Q: Does the petitioner leave this "N/A" since the beneficiary is divorced?
      1. Source 1 covered widow(erd) but not divorce. Need verification.

Questions I had answered:

Originally I was unsure how to answer. I found multiple sources to validate these questions. Please correct me if the answer is wrong.

1. Part 1, Question 2, Page 1/12 - "If you are filing this petition for your... parent..."
   1. Child in this case refers to the petitioner being the beneficiary's "Child". "Child was born to parents who were married..." is the best fitting answer. "Child" does not refer to any children the petitioner has.
      1. Source 1 and Source 2.
2. Part 2, Question 1, Page 1/12 - "A Number"
   1. Since the petitioner was an LPR in the past, enter the Alien Number, even though the petitioner is a US citizen now.
      1. Source 1, Source 2, and Source 3
3. Part 4, Questions 11a-13f, page 5/12 - "Beneficiary's Physical Address"
   1. Since the Beneficiary is living in the US during the I130 and AOS process put the US Address.
      1. Source 1, Source 2, and Source 3
4. Part 4, Questions 25a-44, pages 6-7/12 - "Information About Beneficiary's Family"
   1. No need to list ex-spouse in this area since they are no longer family.
      1. Source 1 and Source 2

As a side note, ChatGPT, Bard, and Bing Bot were not helpful at all... don't use them for reliable form-specific research.

i-130.pdf