Scandi

Sounds like you chose the wrong visa, should've applied for the CR-1 instead. The K-1 was perfect for me in that regard, I LOVED having months off doing nothing. Playing games, reading, taking the dogs for walks etc. And we were married of course, so it was OUR money, not his or mine. So I always had money even if I didn't work, I could order things online and take a taxi/Uber/whatever to places I wanted to see etc. The best times, miss it a lot. 😄

I would hate to be in your poor fiancé's shoes. Leaving everything behind for a guy that only MIGHT marry her and then MIGHT file for AOS. Sounds to me you just want to "import" someone and not actually taking it seriously. Like you just went to the shelter and decided to foster a puppy to see if it works out.

I forgot to add that the extension letters are currently valid for 4 years, so that would be how long your DL would be valid, most likely.

I don't know about AZ, but in CA I sent in my DL renewal form via mail after receiving the renewal reminder letter from DMV. I "forgot" (yeah I did it on purpose) to send a copy of the i-751 extension letter with the renewal form, and when I hadn't heard anything from DMV in a few weeks I called and was told my case had been transferred to the "legal presence unit" in order to figure out my status. They gave me the phone number and I called that unit, a super nice guy answered and knew exactly what ROC/i-751 was - he approved my renewal right there and then over the phone, without seeing my extension letter or anything. When my DL showed up it was valid for the full 5 years, not only the 12 or 24 months that the extension letter would've granted me. So in my case it was a good thing to "forget" sending a copy of the extension letter. But otherwise, yes you can absolutely renew your DL with the extension letter, but maybe in AZ you need to do it in person, I wouldn't know. So you definitely don't need to wait for the ROC approval, that can take years.

Sounds like you started the K-1 journey without having any plans on moving to the US anytime soon. I'd say cancel the K-1 and let her stay in her country until she is done with what she needs to finish up (work, was it?), however long that takes, and reapply after.

The UK also has a government, meaning a UK passport is a government issued ID.

The I-693 is only needed for those who adjust from within the US, OR those who didn't fully complete their medical abroad. For instance, as a K-1 applicant, you don't need to finish all the vaccines abroad in order to get the visa - but they are required for the AOS once in the US. So if the vaccine requirement was not met abroad, then you will have to do the vaccinations inside the US and that's why the i-693 is needed. In some cases, USCIS have even asked the AOS applicant for an i-693 even if the medical was fully completed abroad if the IO feels that there has been too much time in between that medical and the AOS review/interview (or if they have somehow misplaced the abroad medical report). So instead of arguing with USCIS and their sometimes wrongful decisions, it has been easier for the applicant to simply have another medical within the US for the AOS, hence the i-693. Definitely send a copy of the DS-3025 with the AOS package, just in case. I don't know the procedure in South Africa, but in my home country there have been several people forgetting to ask for the DS-3025 at the medical, so they just asked for a copy from the embassy instead and that was sent to them with the visa packet and passport. I personally asked the doctor for the ENTIRE medical report (i'd say it's my right to get my own medical journals), so I got the entire report, not just the vaccination work sheet.

Either the IO DID conduct the N-400 interview and just skipped the civics questions (I have seen others witnessing that they were only asked 2-3 questions, but never completely skipped, but maybe this is the first time), OR the message you received is a generic one that goes out to everyone who had a pending i-751 and N-400 when they went for the interview (whether the N-400 part ended up canceled or not).

I changed mine when I got my EAD, but if you didn't apply for the EAD then yes, you can change your name with the greencard. I moved here in October 2016 and started filing taxes "right away", long before having any status in the US. For tax year 2016 I did NOT bring up any foreign income or the selling of my condo in my home country. I probably should've, but seemed easier to just skip it. We were only filing my husband's numbers/income etc, and the tax guy had me down as a "non-resident" of course, so we didn't get any penalties for not having health insurance for me at the time.

I filled out a few fields by hand on every single form I ever sent to USCIS, no issues. I did what I could on a computer, printed that and filled out the rest by hand.

You use your current legal name, you can't use an old name. Only your current legal name - which is your new name if you decided to change it when you got married. The marriage certificate is proof of your name change, doesn't matter if your married name is on it or not (that's the case in many states).

Right, and this discussion is about taking the spouse's surname, something you don't need to go to court for (not in any state that I'm aware of). USCIS may still want you to change your name through the N-400 form even if it's only a matter of taking your spouses last name, we have seen that before. So that should definitely be added on the form when applying either way, for OPs information. Need there be any corrections to the form, it happens at the interview.

Of course, you can start using your married name anytime you want, the marriage certificate is proof if your name change. But for you to have the name on your naturalization certificate USCIS still needs to change the name in their system if the greencard is still in the old name, and that can require an actual name change during the N-400 process. Otherwise you'll still end up with a NC in your maiden name, even if you have your married name on everything else.

Correct, because the marriage certificate IS a legal name change document. Whether the IO will argue about though, is a different matter. We have seen other posts on here where the IO insists that you have to file in the same name that is on your greencard as that's what is in their system. So while the marriage certificate is all you need in order to change your name with SSA, DMV, the bank etc - often USCIS sees it differently.

Very easy. I had a name change with my N-400 as well and didn't even have a judicial ceremony, just a regular one at USCIS. Could potentially have been because of covid and maybe the courts were still closed at the time (March 2021). You get your certificate in your new name and you also get a name change document called N-662. When you go to your passport appointment and to SSA after becoming a citizen, bring the name change document too.

They love to small-talk - the entire time from when the IO comes to get you in the waiting room is a test. They want to small-talk with you to see how good your English is, so don't be afraid of talking. They could ask anything, and you will answer honestly, so there's nothing to prepare in the small-talk department. They will ask you up to 10 out of the 100 civics questions that you need to know before going to the interview. Before or after the civics test they can also ask questions about your entire immigration journey, they look into everything to make sure you didn't get your greencard/LPR status in error. The N-400 interview is super easy if you know English. The entire citizenship process is by far the easiest process of the entire immigration journey.

Your passport information where it asks for "passenger information" on the airlines website/app. You show your passport with the visa at the airport when you check in and get your boarding pass.

Good post, credit score is so important in this country, something I wasn't quite aware of before moving here. I have to say though, it has been A LOT easier building a credit score than I could've ever imagined. It seemed like a daunting task when I first moved here, I was under the impression that you pretty much had to have loans/mortgages and what not in order to get a good score. Luckily it was a lot easier than that. I have never had a loan or debt in my life, and especially didn't want to have any once I moved here. Between my (1) first credit card (a secured cc that I got a couple of years after moving here), my (2) only current "real" credit card and (3) on-time payments, I have an credit score of 815/850 after having a credit history for about 6 years. But even with a good score I still haven't had a credit history very long, so it would probably still impact me in certain ways if I were to apply for a larger loan or such. Nothing I can do about that. Bank of America has been super helpful with both credit cards. After having my secured card for about a year I just walked into my local BoA and applied for a cash back card and was approved while till seated in front of the bank lady. It was the easiest thing, took a couple of minutes - never asked to see SS card, tax returns, nothing. Have only ever dealt with Chase through my MIL and her accounts there, and they have been absolutely horrible on all accounts. Never ever will I have any kind of business with Chase myself after what we have had to deal with with them. Advice to newcomers - don't close a credit card if you're trying to build credit. If you started out with a secured credit card and are now moving on to a "real" credit card, just call the secured cc company and have the yearly fee taken off (if the card has one) and keep the card active by spending a small amount with it every now and then. It is part of your credit history and if you close it, it will impact your score.

That seems to have been a very rare case, most people can travel just fine as long as they don't move.

Personally, I would go to the interview to have that done, and tell the IO which dates you will be gone, that way you won't get an oath letter while gone.

Yes you can, I always filled out a couple of fields by hand after printing the forms (I did this on all paper forms). No issues.

The second the tracking status says delivered and you didn't receive it - you go to your local USPS and talk to the post master. They can check the GPS coordinates to see exactly where the card was delivered and they can go an retrieve it.

That sounds annoying, but as long as she doesn't register to vote until she is a citizen, she's fine. I have my Blue Shield insurance through Cover California as well, but have never received any letters or cards about voter registration.

The "one meeting in the last two years" rule is to get your petition approved. For the K-1 visa, it can take A LOT more than that to get approved, depending on the embassy. OP is going through an easy embassy and might be fine with just one visit, while at other embassies you still get denied even after having met multiple times. OP: I would visit again. You'll know each other better the more time you spend together in person. Not only does it strengthen your relationship, but it also gives you an even better chance at a visa approval.

You can travel just fine, it's perfectly allowed. When you receive your oath ceremony letter, there is also a form that you fill out in regards to any changes between the interview and the oath ceremony. So you need to mention that you traveled, married/divorced, any traffic tickets etc that happened between those two dates.