Coco8

Are you still married? Even if you are still married, I would wait until you meet 5 years rather than 3. You'll probably have to disclose this during the application, but then you can say you weren't convicted. If you are still married, depending on how long ago this was, I would ask your partner to go to therapy and do some couple therapy sessions. If anything ends up happening, having the opportunity to have a letter from the therapists supporting that this was something else and not really violence, child abuse, etc., might help your case. In any case, it would help, but I'm just talking in the context of supporting information.

Someone was asking yesterday about their family tree as well (see below). Can you contact your representative to find out if this is a new policy and whether they can get the wording of the policy for you? Also, I would assume you do need grandparents and aunts/uncles. You are basically trying to prove you are not related and the information you provided only shows you are not siblings. But you could be first cousins. Plus, I think you have to provide the name of parents on the forms, so you are giving them information they already have. Is it hard to get the DOB of some of the cousins? At least the year would help if you cannot pin point a date. The year can help because then it can be clear, because of their age, that they cannot be parents to either of you. I wonder if this is just a grab for more data they can keep on file in case anyone on the family tree goes to get a visa.

If you have to provide a family tree, you can make those with birth certificates. A birth certificate will have the names of both parents. A problem is if someone only has the mother but does not have the father, there is where you could add DNA if necessary. Did they tell you how far back you have to go? I'm assuming grandparents would be enough. I don't think DNA is going to be enough. You really need to put together a family tree with birth certificates. If you don't have the information, you can contact someone that works with genealogy. Or try some of the websites for genealogy. Family Search is free and has a lot of information, though it's difficult to find anything from people who are alive due to privacy.

I found this online: https://dna.labcorp.com/dna-testing/legal-immigration-testing The main issue is that you cannot just mail your DNA somewhere because someone has to take DNA from you and your son, to sort of prove that's your DNA. Also, some countries don't allow sending any 'biological material' through the mail. So you need a laboratory to send it on your behalf.

Immigration lawyers typically only charge you if the application is successful. You only have to pay for the fees to file the paperwork in advance. It costs a bit over 10,000 if it's successful. It's very difficult to know if you have any chances because nobody has seen a large amount of successful profiles. The only people I know who did it had PhDs and were in much more narrow fields.

It only applies for IMMIGRANT visas. A tourist visa is NOT an immigrant visa. Just FYI: They should only say they are planning to visit to meet their grandkid once is born. If they mention they are coming to help, they will get into trouble because it can be considered 'work' and many people get denied or turned back at the border for saying that.

Does the health insurance have to be in effect at the time of the interview or do you have to show proof you are going to have health insurance? These are different things. It'd be weird if she has to have health insurance now since she is not in the US; not sure if that's even possible. I would follow what's been said earlier, about contacting your representative and have them research the new rule. If you only need proof that she will have health insurance, maybe a letter from HR saying they provide insurance for dependents could be enough. Marketplace has open enrollment now, but I don't think she can enroll since he is not living in the US and doesn't have a green card yet.

It's not for "all visa processing". According to state department, it doesn't not apply for non-immigrant visas like tourist or student visa.

You are not going to be able to show strong ties in Italy without having lived there. February is basically next month and for the past 10 years you have been living in Jordan, and even after that you got denied. I would wait a year. You always have to wait for your situation to change to apply for a visa. The consulate in Italy is going to see you got denied recently and they are going to think you are consulate shopping. It makes you look desperate. Also, with an EU passport, you could basically work all over the EU so I'm not quite sure why you'd want to do this in the US. Chef de Rang is basically like a senior waiter and the way they wait tables in the US is extremely different than in Europe (it's actually extremely annoying, like they take away the plates when you finish eating even if the other person is still eating).

The occupation question is because they use information to disqualify jurors. For instance, I have friends who are lawyers who end up being dismissed by either the defense or the other party. They are not really sharing information with other organizations and they wouldn't really have a procedure to even do that. I wouldn't worry. Just answer all of the questions truthfully to avoid getting into trouble with the judge.

Some jobs don't require that you be married to get added to the insurance. Your partner should contact HR to see how it works ASAP. They do typically require that you live together, but some places are more lax than others. They should also look at the paperwork needed and how long it takes to kick in, and also how much it costs per month to add you (I've heard a lot of dependent coverage increased a lot per month). Until you are on your husband's policy, you might be able to qualify for short-term health insurance. You'll have to call to see if you qualify. I used this insurance when I took time off between 2 jobs and it was like 80 dollars a month. Even though travel insurance might not work, I would still do some research about it, because a quick google search left me a bit confused and it might be an option at least until you get married. My dad had travel insurance and they never asked him about his visa or anything, and he did have to go to the doctor once. If you take medication, I would recommend you talk to your current doctor to be able to buy and bring your medication. Between the insurance kicking in, getting an appointment, and getting the medication, it can be a couple of months. Doctor's appointments can be difficult depending on the area, so even if you don't take medication, I recommend you make an appointment as soon as you get insurance.

You are fine because she had a K1 and you AOS before the deadline. The people taken into custody were doing AOS from ESTA, visa waiver (and possibly visitor visa)

Today I read this on the NYT "Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens" Agents are arresting foreign-born spouses when they report for the final step to obtain permanent residency, and charging them with visa violations that could result in deportation. Gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/us/trump-green-card-interview-arrests.html?unlocked_article_code=1.4E8.cL1o.VCG59vj3EBcL&smid=url-share It seems to me these are spouses who got married in the US on ESTA or visitor visa, and then did AOS in the US; rather than use the K1 or marriage visa. Typically, ICE or USCIS didn't go after people who used the 'loophole' (which is usually very much recommended against in this forum) to get married in the US, but it seems that's ending? I did find odd that one couple got married in October but waited until July to file their petition.

Yes, maybe this is why they are asking for more information. I saw on reddit a couple of people saying that they have a US passport but naturalized as children when their parents naturalized, so they don't have a naturalization certificate. Well, they got RFE asking for a naturalization certificate and had to request one. I do remember in my naturalization ceremony, the judge said that he recommended people asking for one for their children because it can makes things easier to have it.

I think it would be bizarre to request you to submit the actual passports. If you look over all of their website, it always says "copy of...". The passports could get lost in the mail. They also don't have any way to return them to you. Whenever they ask for the real thing, they also request an envelope with postage so they can return things to you. During the interview, you have to take originals for everything you submitted as a 'copy'. I would submit copies of both passports. Like someone else said, send copy of all pages (except the blank pages without stamps). Maybe your husband has a very common name. I also saw that they are getting more stringent with someone background checks, so that could be another issue. For instance, I saw someone who is a naturalized citizen and only submitted copies of passport get an RFE to also submit citizenship certificate.

I did naturalization at a court house and then only had USPS available to do my passport in my area. I would have had to drive hours for a different location. Also, my USPS had 3 weeks of waiting time to make an appointment for the passport XD I paid extra to get my passport faster and it still took it's sweet time. There was a public office that also did passport and it had like a 2 month waiting time. I would start looking for locations near you and the wait time. If you have one of these places that can do your passport in 4 days, make an appointment ASAP for the day after your naturalization. My home country has same day passport so I though the US being a 'developed' country should do better with passports and IDs. Everything is terribly slow.

The 100k fee doesn't make a lot of sense. It's only for people entering with an H1B from abroad, even if they go on vacation, it seems. Most H1B are AOS from OPT, because it's very rare that companies take a chance on someone who is not already in the US. If they did, it'd be someone with a lot of experience and they could do an O1, L1, etc. So to me, it seems this fee is more noise than someone that actually is going to achieve anything in terms of decreasing H1Bs. It seems it won't last long either, because it can be taken down by the judicial system. What it would achieve is making it difficult for people to visit their family abroad or travel abroad.

Background: - I think the fact that you don't have any experience in a university in the US is a negative here. That's from a credentials point of view. You don't even have a postdoc in the US - You don't explain why your expertise is in the need in the US. You could do ESOL outside of the US. There is no need of English as a second language in the US. - You don't mention publications, citations, international grants (sorry, but a grant from Estonia when you work in Estonia is not enough) From context, today: Wanting to do ESOL in K-12 in the current political climate is just bad. That said, there are already schools doing that. In multiple states, there are Spanish classes for Spanish speakers, so that kids that grew up speaking Spanish can learn to read and write, for instance.

Have you finished your degree? I seriously doubt you qualify for E2 unless your "aunty" is a millionaire. Having an investor visa is not as simple as having money and starting a business. Also, it's going to look shady if you haven't finished the degree.

I don't see how it could be approved if (a) you did not get the questions and did not sign, etc. (b) you were told you would get a "third chance" which implies you did not get approved. Disclosing your incident in February 2024 does not mean they can ignore it because you were truthful. Also, you said you had a court deposition but not what happened. Is the case pending? Was the case dismissed? Have you tried calling on the phone or making an infopass appointment?

Are they just scamming people, though? Because there is no evidence that they are actually getting any of those visas. Publishing in fake journals is pretty easy to spot because there are journal rankings, etc. On reddit, I found out that there are also agencies scamming Indian students who apply for masters in the US and get them into these private universities that somehow have 2-3 masters degrees. Then they get the visa denied because, clearly the university is very scammy and accepts everyone, and they loose all of their money LMAO

Most of the companies you mention have offices and hire people in Europe as well. You could try for jobs there and then move on L1 to the US. Getting an O1 for freelance work is very difficult. O1 is typically to work somewhere; though it's possible for freelance, it would be harder to achieve. I guess it's because most visas are to work for a company rather than to work freelance. You also have visas for creating a company, but those require hiring people, investment, etc., and not for a single-person 'company'.

I would do an AirBnB or something temporary, like others suggest. Renting remote is a hit or miss as well. Some places have nice photos but end up being a dump when you see it in person. Once you are in the city, I'd suggest avoiding apartment complex that are all rentals, because they tend to have more rules and requirements than when an owner is renting a property they own (or at least I've been able to negotiate and they are more flexible if they like you).

My take is that there is no need to rush here. Your 'husband' (since you did a ceremony in India) is on an F1 and graduates January 2026. They should have an OPT for 1-3 years. Why not apply for a marriage visa? It doesn't matter that he is in the US. Given that his F1 ends January, he can still get a job on OPT and then, when the visa is done, go to India for visa stamping. In the meantime, you can get a job again to do the financial support yourself, and maybe get help from your parents. They wouldn't be able to leave the US, though, because it would be iffy to get back in when there is a marriage visa being processed, since that shows intent to stay the US. Anyway, this is just an idea, I don't know what others think.

Mine was rescheduled. I a few weeks later I got a new date. It happens. There could be a number of reasons, from someone got sick and they had to move people around, to something broke in their system and they scheduled too many people for a day. I wouldn't worry.