DaveAndAnastasia

Also, marriage is a qualifying event for changing employer-based benefits like health insurance, so if you're planning to add your fiancé(e) to your insurance and don't want them to go without insurance for very long that's another reason to marry ASAP. /it's true that a lot of companies allow unmarried domestic partners to get benefits, but that usually takes some paperwork

Though even at the much-increased rates, my argument that you shouldn't base your decision on what path to follow based on government fees still stands. The biggest cost of an international relationship before your partner gets to the US for an American (presuming your partner is not in Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean and/or living in the same area as you overseas) very likely isn't USCIS fees, it's travel costs. And the biggest reason why a CR-1 is "cheaper" isn't avoiding AOS/EAD/AP fees, it's that your spouse can work right away on a CR-1 and you're forgoing that income until EAD (especially if your spouse can expect to make significantly more than minimum wage).

Not too bad, though much better warm than out of the fridge (I'd made it on Sunday, my birthday was Tuesday, and there's only the three of us so I didn't want to just leave it on the counter). Coconut pecan frosting, despite using four different sweeteners (ran out of what I used for 80% and tried to finish off with remains of other almost-empty bags), tasted very much like the original especially when warm. Almond flour-based cake, less so.

PRG and I split one dinner; if we'd both had a full salad and a full thing of potatoes (or whatever other side PRG got), there would have been some leftovers (at the very least, we wouldn't have eaten all of that and what was left from mini-Dave's dinner, too). Yeah. Even if (as per usual) mini-Dave really didn't want to take a bath afterwards. Also update on the cake: much better after being microwaved for half a minute than fresh out of the fridge (still not in the same ballpark as the considerably higher in carbs standard German* Chocolate Cake mama-Dave used to make on my birthday -- and even did last year when Covid meant they stayed around a few days beyond what was already a pretty long visit and so held an early birthday party for me). * non-Americans may not realize this is a reference to a brand of chocolate, not a country of origin; German Chocolate Cake is American.

PRG & I split a steak & lobster combo, plus got salad and au gratin potatoes from Black Angus (picture is PRG's half of everything but the salad). Mini-Dave got chicken tenders and rice (even a kid's meal portion is more than a toddler will eat, so PRG & I also had some chicken). Oversized cookie and scoop of ice cream was free due to birthday (did not pay extra for balloons and cards). Low-carb knock-off German Chocolate Cake was good, but nowhere near as good as mom's, so will try something else next time. No leftovers from the restaurant. Still plenty of cake left (didn't realize we'd get cake and ice cream for free from restaurant, so ended up cutting very small slices and not giving out much mint chip ice cream).

Depends how strictly you're defining Europe; Ireland's in the EU. There was some news pre-pandemic about Brussels trying to get preclearance but it seems like that didn't happen.

Congrats. I don't think it's unusual; the ways of USCIS online updates are mysterious. Thanks.

Have lost many (2*2*2*2*2) pounds between diet, exercise, and medication since summer, though backslid a bit over the holidays, actually. Some numbers said I was borderline diabetic when I had an often-delayed physical last summer, hence finally got serious about it. Really, I like cooking (admittedly, I make the main course or pizza on weekends and dessert; PRG does all other cooking). But I guess if someone's figuring out how to bake without using regular flour and sugar (I think I have Many different sugar substitutes in the pantry right now), it's me 🤣 Also, exactly one woman wanted to see me again after spending more than a few days with me, so I'm keeping her around. 🤣

FWIW, also in San Diego; my wife filed about two months before you, had interview scheduled two weeks ago (it took another week and a day for the letter to get here, but there was a PDF in her online account). Filed on 2022-07-09 (online); don't remember when we got the notice of biometrics reused. Interview scheduled on 2023-01-06 for 2023-02-13. She applied under the three-year rule; arrived on a K-1 in March 2019, got her conditional green card at the end of September 2019, and got her 10-year green card last April.

Also mine, have to work, man. But going out for dinner, and have made cake and ice cream for after. /Between weekends, MLK day, teachers' association meetings, and snow (Ohio, Wisconsin, and upstate New York 0, San Diego Many) rarely had school on my birthday growing up. The first few years PRG was here she insisted on making her own birthday cake, rather than taking her chances with my baking or having me buy one despite my best efforts to convince her otherwise. This year I made my own birthday cake because I'm on a diet so not using a normal cake and she doesn't know how to bake for that.

Was still $8.99 for 18 this weekend. Made the cake that needs 8 whole eggs for the cake and six yolks for the frosting anyway; it better be good. 🙂

I think they were about $6/doz last week at the regular grocery store and they were limited purchases to 2 doz. Which was better than the week before, where I ended up getting 4 six-packs of organic free-range whatever eggs at $3.50 each (so $7/doz) at the organic-ish grocery store in the same plaza as the regular grocery store, and that was the cheapest variety they had in stock. Cashier mentioned lots of people coming in to buy eggs; I said "yes, the regular grocery store doesn't have any". Last I saw they were trending down. We'll see if it's cheap enough for me to think it's okay to get enough eggs for a birthday cake (there's a recipe I'd like to make but needs 8 whole eggs and 6 yolks, and I already got some of the stuff for it, but that's a lot for eggs). I think, mostly due to CA's cage-free mandate, they're normally like $3/doz here.

I thought he was in Texas, man. Surely the friendly people at USCIS can see that would only make America better to have PRG as one of us, right? 🤣 And that otherwise we have to deal with whatever the rest of the world thinks of Vlad's adventures when going anywhere but Russia. 🤕 /honestly, we've had a relatively smooth journey the whole way; the closest thing to a hiccup was a couple weeks of post-interview administrative processing in Moscow after her K-1 interview that had me wondering if I'd need to reschedule her flight here (which wouldn't have been too big of a deal, as I'd bought a ticket that had no change fees, somewhat unusual in 2019, man). Not the fastest we've seen here at around when we were doing things, but faster than average at every step. And we even caught a rare window where things were moving through Moscow in almost reasonable amounts of time (once we got past the week's worth of Russian holidays around New Year's that just happened to coincided with when NVC was done with my petition). Well, PRG also has to finish learning to drive (somewhat difficult to do while caring for mini-Dave full time or working full time, but I think she'll be ready to take a road test this spring). 🙂

Saw on Friday that PRG's citizenship interview scheduled (online status changed). Last civics test review saw 58/60 questions (she'd only studied up to there) answered correctly in semi-random order, zero claims Calvin Klien held any major office in the US or California. Commentary when we originally printed this out and filled in the names of the current holders of various office holders - "the speaker of the House will probably change after the elections, and one of our Senators is very old, so those might change before you interview"; status today - someone from California still the Speaker of the House, one of our Senators still very old. No letter appeared in mail on Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, or today. PRG suggests checking her online account to see if there's something there. Poke around, hey, there's a document there. Looks like the day before Valentine's. Clearly should reserve a table somewhere Monday night, combo celebration, right? 🤣

Update: Still nothing in the mail, but Anastasia checked her online account and it's Feb 13.

When we got this place, one thing that didn't seem completely impossible that might get us to move would be adding a mini-PRG to mini-Dave (two boys could presumably stay in the same room indefinitely). But since a 4BR house (as opposed the 3BR condo we've got) anywhere in San Diego we'd like to live and send the kids to school in would be over a million dollars I think ... I suspect what would actually happen is I'd go back to working in the office (right now the third bedroom is my office; PRG, who is less weirded out by working in her bedroom, has her desk in a corner of our bedroom) and we'd get a room at the hotel across the street for my parents when they visit because that would be way cheaper than a bigger home.

Yes, those circles being "anywhere except Russia". 🤕 Between K-1 restrictions, a new kid, Covid, buying a new home, and Putin's adventure in Ukraine, we haven't traveled internationally since our last trip together before Anastasia came to the US in 2019 ... but most places we'd like to go to, it's a lot easier to go as an American than as a Russian. Also even looking for an entry-level software QA job, Anastasia ran into some positions that required a security clearance and therefore US citizenship (not many, and she got one that didn't, but some), though that might be less common in areas with less of a military presence than the San Diego area. Anyway, presuming Anastasia's interview is next month (online status is "interview was scheduled" as of Friday, but we don't have the notice with the interview date), it'll be about seven months from filing and at 3 years + 4 months from initial green card (ROC was approved last April, so before we filed the N-400). Since USCIS's processing times thingee says 19 months for an N-400 in San Diego, I don't think three-year-rule N-400s are being deprioritized here (OTOH, my wife knows someone in Orange County who's been waiting for almost a year and also still doesn't have her ten-year green card).

It's California; it could be $1,Many,0000 🤣

Nope; we weren't approved today, we just got our interview scheduled today. Presumably the actual interview (and approval, because our case is super boring) will be in February. My wife thinks it will be on Valentine's Day because that's when her interview in Moscow was back in 2019.

No, San Diego (presumably, we haven't got the letter yet, but it's our local office and that's where her AOS was; we've moved since then -- though not since before we filed for her ROC, which was approved early last year so it's not a combo -- but not very far). We had been a bit worried it would end up in April when we'll be in Florida visiting my family, as that would have fit with the official timeline forecast. Good luck.

Saw online that Anastasia's interview was scheduled; will have to wait for the letter to find out when. Hope you have a happy my-birthday 🤣

I have a radical idea: Congress could fund USCIS for free and reduced-fee services out of general federal revenues (since USCIS's entire budget is a rounding error in the federal budget), and fees for things they are allowed to charge fees for should be proportional to costs. /of course, Anastasia's N-400 is already paid for, so we're actually done with USCIS fees

I'm pretty sure that won't work this time. IIRC, the 2020 rule was struck down because the person in charge of DHS at the time was improperly holding the office. At any rate, it was due to not following proper procedures, not because of the specifics of the plan.

Even pre-pandemic, K-1s were significantly less popular than both CR-1/IR-1s and AOS from non-K visas (yes, you're not supposed to enter the US on a tourist visa with intent to AOS and stay, but we all know how that works out in practice). It made sense to do a K-1 for us at the time (no Utah Zoom marriages then, marrying a foreigner in Russia is a pain, and young single Russians couldn't easily get tourist visas), but I'd certainly advise against doing one now.

Also looks like the elimination of free I-765 and I-131 with a pending I-485 application seems to have stuck from the 2020 proposal.