usmsbow

I think it depends on the POE. I used the free app last time I returned to the US (last June) and the mobile app line was pretty long. Took us 45+ minutes to get through immigration. Definitely better than the "normal" line but also much slower than Global Entry. But yes, when you have checked baggage, it often doesn't matter. Even though it took us 45 minutes to get through immigration, the bags just started coming out in baggage claim when we got there, so even if we had Global Entry, we would have had to wait quite awhile for our luggage.

Regardless of safety, it is also very hard for Americans to get visas to visit Iran. eVisa is not an option, and there is no Iranian embassy in the United States. Beside the aforementioned Turkey and Georgia, other "nearby" options are UAE, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Oman, and Iraq.

If you've been reading horror stories about K1 visa holders trying to enter the USA, you must be seeking them out and putting in a lot of effort to find them. Visa denial stories are common, but denied entry?? I won't say it never happens, but it's very close to that. If you've been reading horror stories about entering the USA (and not specifically K1), then stop reading them :). People that tend to have horror stories entering the USA are foolish and/or are in situations that are not like yours whatsoever.

Your bullet point has no connection to green cards. GCC=Gulf Cooperation Council, which consists of Saudi, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, and Oman. Assuming this is what you are referring to (and not what you posted above): If this is your first time entering Saudi Arabia using a visa based on your Schengen, UK, or US visa/residency permit, please ensure your Schengen, UK, or US visa/residency permit is still valid. Well your extension letter is proof your residency is still valid, so you should be fine.

My wife suggests going on Facebook and looking for an Indonesian group where people offer to carry stuff for you to the USA. She's also willing to do it as long as it is legal and won't be an issue at Customs (she'll be visiting family from late June to mid-July). You can PM me if interested. Of course if you plan to bring A LOT of stuff, then that probably isn't a good option for you :). And if you're planning on bringing foods/ingredients, then you probably can find it here and don't need to ship it from there (this is also per my wife).

I'll just say my in-laws got a tourist visa two years ago, and they're a similar age as your mother. I'm sure they said they were paying for their trip (which they indeed were), and that they were visiting their daughter and me. I don't know what documents they provided, but my father-in-law had recently retired (was a government worker) and my mother-in-law has been a housewife for most of her adult life. They also have 3 other kids, two of which obtained tourist visas as well. I was honestly surprised my brother-in-law and sister-in-law were approved too since they were both in their early 20s and students with no significant ties to Indonesia. I assume they got approved since they applied and interviewed with their parents. They live in East Java and went to the consulate in Surabaya for the interview. Good luck to your mom. I think she has a decent shot at being approved. Older applicants seem to have better luck than younger ones. Edited to add: my wife's parents don't speak English either. Her siblings speak some English.

Our application/petition arrived at the Jakarta embassy months after NOA2 (USCIS lost it for about 4 months before finally getting it to NVC). The original validity date had passed, but it was never a problem or issue. Since they went ahead and scheduled your interview date, I can't imagine you'll have any problems. Can't hurt to get confirmation from the embassy though; they're pretty responsive (or used to be at least).

Tourist agencies in Indonesia are useless for that kind of thing, yet so many Indonesians use them. Boggles my mind. Basically those agencies either give general advice that is helpful for other visas like Schengen and Japan (such as letter of recommendation), or shady advice like the OP's partner received. Anyway, she should just be honest. Putting you down may or may not hurt you, none of us know. Her age, occupation, etc are more relevant anyway. She should just be truthful, that way she will avoid any problems down the road. And tourist visa applications have no bearing on K-1 applications. Good luck to you both!

It's one of the requested/required documents for your interview in Jakarta. Or it was when my wife got her K-1 visa a few years ago. I can't imagine they no longer have that requirement. You can do the translation yourself, there is no requirement to have a formal translation.

Your GC start date, not your expiration date.

Yeah, don't worry about that. USCIS approved our petition and then lost it for a few months before finally finding it again (and then finally sending it to NVC). An extension was automatically given to us.

I always wonder why some are so reluctant to share that information. Just makes me think the CO was onto something...

Yes, and why a fraud investigation would be occurring instead of just rejecting the OP's visa application. The wife seems like more of a concern to the US gov't than the OP.

How easy is it to get married in Japan? That's what I'd recommend doing first, if it isn't too difficult. Then apply for a marriage visa. And does she have an appointment yet for her tourist visa interview?

I think the only time we used photos in the process was during my wife's K-1 interview. Didn't include any for AoS, ROC, or citizenship applications. Edit to add: the only other interview was for citizenship. Had there been an AOS interview or one for the ROC, we might have brought photos.

Yeah, I remember for a little while here in CA, years ago (pre-Real ID, and before CA issued DL to undocumented residents), new applicants HAD to bring their SS card with them to get a DL, even if they had other forms of ID. Lots of people misplace their SS cards, so that requirement frustrated a lot of people. Don't know when that requirement changed.

Weird. The passport is the first one listed on the California DMV website and even says it is the preferred document! The SS card isn't even on the list. I used my passport, utility bill, and bank statement as my docs. https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-licenses-identification-cards/real-id/real-id-checklist/ edit: grammar

If you have a US passport, that can be used instead of a SS card when getting a Real ID.

Has she ever been abroad? Is she employed? Own property? Somehow my 20something year old in-laws got tourist visas even though they were unemployed students at the time. I think one reason is they had a history of traveling outside Indonesia. And I think Surabaya is a little less "strict" than Jakarta, but if your sister lives closer to Jakarta, I wouldn't recommend trying the consulate in Surabaya (it would be obvious she was "consulate shopping").

'This was true for many years, including when I went through this back in 2014-15. Alas, K-1 visa applications became the black sheep at USCIS (I blame the show 90 day fiancee ) and the processing time is now similar to a spousal visa. Since the spousal visa includes a green card and the K-1 does not, the spousal visa is the better option now.

Yes, I understand why doing it before citizenship. As I said, I see the upside to doing to while having a gc. That being said,I was not aware of SSA needing to be informed. Crazy me assumed US gov't agencies exchanged info, but I should know by now that isn't the case. Way too logical and practical! Good to know, thanks. Good point, thanks.

Just curious, why would you do it after becoming a citizen? It seems the upside to it would be when you have a (conditional) gc that is expiring. It seems like a waste of time once you're a citizen.

Yep. Today my wife found out a VP in her company got fired Tuesday. Why? Because he had a similar job at a competitor, who saw on his LinkedIn profile that he was also working for my wife's company, and said they'd sue wife's company if they didn't fire him within 2 weeks. I have no idea what he was thinking, complete fool.

Gotta admit, this is how i feel about the interview date next month.

Have you had anyone look over your resume and get their feedback? That's what my wife did. Edit: apparently you have done this too. Have you reached out to temp agencies? My wife's first two years of work experience was through those agencies. Not ideal, but easy way to get some American work experience on your resume. Also another way to get feedback on your resume. Engineering is always in high demand, and the US has a reputation for having too few of them. If you're not getting many responses, then maybe something is "amiss" on your resume. HR looks for keywords, and if they aren't there, your resume is tossed aside. This is similar to my wife's experience. Her first jobs here were data entry and the like, and now she's a manager making 4x her first temp jobs several years ago.