US Immigration from Ukraine

So I realize this topic has been tossed around numerous times but the variations in how it has been asked vary greatly.

So here is the scenario I am faced with.

I know and always book my wife's ticket under her maiden name since that is what her current passport indicates. However, I must have lapsed this time around and accidentally booked her ticket under our married name......and did not realize until now. I'm not looking for someone to tell me that you always need to book tickets using the name that matches the passport, what I am looking for are actual experiences.

I have called United (whom we booked our flights with) and because they booking involves another airline other than United, they cannot change the last name as they do not have the ability to modify portions of the booking that are operated by other airlines. Note, this was all done on a single booking with no separate tickets. The agent indicated that if the entire travel was operated under United flights then they could change the last name. What she said was that in situations like this, which she mentioned happens a lot, their standard protocol is to place a note/marker within their booking system which will alert all airlines stating that the person traveling on this ticket will be using a passport under a different last name but is indeed one in the same individual who booked the ticket under a different last name (In this case our married name). The agent assured me that we would not run into any issues. After I got off the call I started speculating all sorts of scenarios in which this could go wrong (the engineer in me)....especially during transit. What if security, whom are not associated with the airline give us issues during transit....if there is a required security check (this isn't always the case).

I ended up calling United again for a 2nd and 3rd time just to be sure and each time it was the same explanation without hesitation.

So I am beginning to think that this does indeed happen more often than not and that there are people who go ahead and go through with it but fail to report back their experiences. The majority of the advice I've seen on here seem to be the standard definitive, "no, you can't, period, have the airline change the ticket or buy another one or else you're screwed" without any actual real life accounts but rather only based on what they've all researched on google......similar to what I've done.

So is there anyone out there that has actually traveled faced with the same circumstances we are under that can share their experience? Oh, and before I forget, this is for International Travel not Domestic.

If no one steps up then I suppose we'll just go ahead and be the guinea pigs and will report back later once our trip is complete.

So,

My wife went to the Bedford, NH USCIS service center to get her Biometrics. They only allowed her inside and did not allow her to bring her handbag.

I went to a nearby Trader Joe's to get some doggie cookies (multi-tasking FTW) and while checking out she called me saying it was all done. Total time was about 15 minutes. I picked her up and she talked about the process.

She was animated over the photo. First, they took her photo, and then her fingerprints. Afterwards they had her review everything, and that's when she noticed her photo turned out horrible - she had her head down and it exaggerated the bags under her eyes and for some reason she was cross-eyed. When she asked to retake the photo the agent told her she would have to do the whole process again, including taking new fingerprints. She opted to keep it.

I joked with her that the photo will be used for her 10 yr green card. She was aghast. Then she burst out laughing.

I am curious though - do they use that photo for the 10 yr green card, or will they take another photo at the ROC interview? If they will use that photo, maybe I can convince my wife to go for her citizenship right away.))

We are currently working our way through filing an N400 online for my wife. We can't submit for another couple of weeks (October 17 appears to be the very first day per the USCIS website) but we are planning in advance for the big day.

We have the following already prepared for our online submission which will happen in a couple of weeks:

• Green Card photocopied and scanned (front in a jpg, back in a separate jpg, both sides in one pdf... we will submit all... the jpgs looks bigger and clearer)
• Will submit the N400 online and pay via credit card at the time of submission
• My birth certificate (scanned in pdf) showing I have been a U.S. citizen for forever
• Current marriage certificate (scanned in pdf)
• Divorce decrees for both me and her for our two prior marriages (scanned in pdf)
• IRS tax transcripts with both our names on them for 2021, 2020 and 2019 (scanned in pdf)

I went through the checklist and it seems (operative word) this is all we need. Questions if you don't mind:

1) Does anyone see anything missing? Anything to add? We want to make sure we don't miss anything crucial

2) Did people also scan and submit the extension letter, too? Or just the green card (front and back)? Our I751 is currently still pending

3) I saw one item on the checklist that seems to be for people residing outside of the United States (we live in Massachusetts). They ask for two identical photos with the A number on back. So, for those of us who live stateside and are filing online, this is not necessary at the time of online submission, correct? Perhaps we will be asked to bring two identical photos (with A number on the back) when we get the eventual citizenship interview?

4) We have an I751 pending (we will have been waiting for a year later this month). It is stuck up at the Vermont Service Center. Is this a question during the online submission so they know there is an I751 pending for us? Or will they just know this? I am not sure how this would need to be communicated to the USCIS as we hope to get a combo interview at some point

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. We appreciate the support.

Short story is I have been trying to bring my mom over to U.S (IR-5), started filling papers for U.S. Embassy in Kyiv but case has since been transferred to Frankfurt due to the ongoing events in Ukraine.

At this point of time documents had been processed through NVC, interview was scheduled, passport delivery registration was completed.

The only thing I am worried is that appointment date is still not showing in CGI Federal portal but from my understanding we do not need to schedule appointment for the consulate since processing has already been completed through the NVC (https://www.ustraveldocs.com/de/de-iv-appointmentschedule.asp)?

Fresh in from USCIS:

Supporters of Uniting for Ukraine,

This message explains how you can request an extension of a travel authorization that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued to a beneficiary you agreed to support. Travel authorizations are valid for 90 days. However, if a beneficiary of Uniting for Ukraine cannot travel to the United States within the 90-day time frame for reasons beyond their control, supporters may submit a one-time request for a travel authorization extension on behalf of a beneficiary they agreed to support. If the extension is approved, the beneficiary will have an additional 90 days to arrange travel to the United States.

To be eligible for an extension, you must submit an extension request no more than 30 days before the original approved travel authorization period expires and no more than 30 days after the original approved travel authorization period expires. Please note that only supporters who submitted a Form I-134 on behalf of a beneficiary of Uniting for Ukraine can request a travel authorization extension on behalf of the beneficiary. You must submit a separate extension request for each beneficiary.

To submit your request:

USCIS will review your request for travel authorization extension and submit it along with the beneficiary s information to CBP to conduct additional vetting. If CBP approves your request, the beneficiary will receive an email notification when the extended travel authorization notice has been posted to their account. Please note that for privacy reasons, only the beneficiary will be able to view their extended travel authorization notice in their online account. The beneficiary should notify you when they receive their extended travel authorization notice.

If the beneficiary's travel authorization expired more than 30 days before you requested the extension, or if the beneficiary cannot travel to the United States during the 90-day extension, you must submit a new Form I-134 on their behalf to obtain a new travel authorization.

The Uniting for Ukraine process provides a pathway for Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily in a two-year period of parole. Individuals participating in Uniting for Ukraine must have a supporter in the United States who agrees to provide them with financial support for the duration of their temporary stay in the United States.

For more information about Uniting for Ukraine, visit uscis.gov/ukraine and dhs.gov/ukraine.