mam521

Do you guys have a generator? Guessing you have a fireplace that will just live on for the next couple of days. Apparently Centerpoint was testing lines in our area yesterday for robustness in the event of ice on them. We'll see...Centerpoint pretty much sucks, period. Glad the new faucet didn't seem like as much of a drama to get in as the old one was to identify the leak!

Create an online IRS account and just download your tax transcripts. Then you can upload to your N400 application. File online - it's easier and $50 cheaper. Anything else you need to upload can be scanned with a regular scanner or use the built in scanners in your phone. If you wanna be fancy, you can get a fancier app, but not necessary. This. Every part of this. If you want to naturalize this year, then make sure you give them no reason to question your eligibility, your spousal relationship and your commitment to the US.

Not that Amazon typically sends stuff in bubble mailers anymore, but they work wonders for insulating and covering faucets. I have to grab some pliers and get the one hose off. Hubs will deal with the backflow preventer for the sprinklers, too. It blew up one year when I was out of town and our neighbors were nice enough to shut the water off for us! I wrapped the resin tank for the water softener in a hot water heater blanket last week already. I did the same last year and it seemed to work well. I suppose we need to go get groceries before the masses buy all the bread, eggs and milk. Might be a good excuse to just make some fresh sourdough bread since we haven't in a minute.

I don't care for -40, either. That said, without any wind, it's doable. If there's even a breath of air, it's COLD. I grew up in Saskatchewan - cold, dry and normally windy. @TBoneTX you ready for Saturday's dip into the 20's? We should have our greenhouse arriving today. We'll move the sensitive plants into it with C9 incandescent lights for some heat. We just can't move everything into the garage - it takes up too much room and, well, we have ended up with some critters like the little green anoles that Monster would eat. Best if they just go hang out in the greenhouse in their potted fern home.

Hubs has a larger collection of shoes than I...just sayin'

Not automatic. You have to make an appointment and go in person to get the SSN.

Exactly. If anything, you'd think there would be I-864 reform and a review of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. As much as certain someone wants to believe he's lowered grocery prices (the basis for the HHS poverty guideline is food prices for those that aren't aware), he hasn't and I can't believe for one minute that barely meeting these minimum income guidelines doesn't put a family welcoming a new immigrant in a whole world of potential hurt.

Don't forget to get his SSN after you get his passport. You'll need it for income taxes as he's a dependent and you'll be entitled to certain write offs.

So how does that work? The visa has been printed and affixed to a passport, but in the system, it's refused? Does DOS stamp it as "refused" so it can't be endorsed when a person wants their passport back? Seems messy.

When you make your appointment, make sure you request the correct type of CRC. It will NOT have fingerprints on the paper when you get it. It's not the typical type for visas - it's type Other and contains the entirety of your records profile.

As per the form instructions, unless you're applying for a child under 18, not required.

The cancellation of the DV lotto really was a different kettle of fish under the guise of national security. You are not entering as a randomly chosen individual; you are entering as an educated individual who's been vetted. If the DoS felt there were concerns, you would have been handed a DS-5535 and be put in extended AP. This, by the way, is the other reason people are told not to book tickets or make any plans until they have cleared "regular" AP and have received their passport from the Consulate.

He's male and insists on learning the hard way. We've been friends for over 20 years...his listening skills are subpar sometimes 🤣.

We fixed our washer. It was a $12 water inlet valve. I was so relieved it was a $12 fix and easily done by us! I'm with @Ontarkie - new appliances seem to suck! We had our microwave go out 2 weekends ago (the "old" one was only about 18mo old!) and the dishwasher (only about 4 years old) go out last weekend. The dishwasher was repairable - we replaced the pump unit. Savings vs buying the same unit new: $1100. The microwave - not fixable - seems to be the magnetron. At least we got the replacement on sale. Still though - appliances just aren't what they used to be. I have a friend contemplating replacing his refrigerator over the ice maker. I told him dude, just don't even bother with the refrigerator ice maker. They all seem to be junk. Just buy a countertop unit and if it goes sideways, it's less of a drama to replace. He won't listen. He's male .

It's a shame you don't have an Airrosti location nearby. Hurts like a SOB, but it gets it done. My shoulder was so jacked at one point and no amount of regular chiropractic and massage worked. Went to Airrosti and I think I had full range of motion back in 2 sessions. Subscapularis was the issue. We had a neighbor that got approval to paint their brick. They painted and then the HOA rescinded on the approval, saying painting the brick wasn't part of the approval. They tried to tell the neighbor that they had to remove the paint from the brick...HAHAHAHA yeah, didn't happen. Needless to say, there are constant reminders posted, reminding people that painting brick is strictly prohibited. The HOA's latest thing is sending nasty-o-grams about grass and telling people in JAUNARY that they need to lay sod. I can see it backfiring as this is the second year of this garbage and people are just going to start xeriscaping. Texas law prohibits HOA's from outright banning of xeriscaping, and the longer the HOA drags out approving a xeriscaped landscape design, the longer the yard looks not how they want it.

If the Trump administration is going to cancel permanent residency, they will cancel it. Endorsed or not, they'll cancel it. By social benefits, I mean exactly that - health care is a big one. As for your Canadian visa, I am not an immigration lawyer so I cannot comment to that. I would definitely check on eligibility requirements for Canada as a US PR, though.

You can, but remember that you officially become a permanent resident of the US at time of endorsement. This will impact income taxes and potentially have impacts on Canadian social benefits. It's best to consult with a well versed cross border accountant. If you think you'll clear up your affairs before the expiration of your visa, then plan to tie up loose ends and make the move before that expiration. No need to endorse just because.

This constantly causes issues. The following link has an embedded image of the correct type. When he goes into the Commissionares or wherever he decides to go, he'll have to specify that this is for the entire records holding. It won't have fingerprints when he receives it and looks like the most unassuming piece of paper, yet it's vital to your immigration journey. https://www.fickeymartinezlaw.com/immigration/consular-processing/canada-police-certificate-us-visa-document-requirement If you search back on the forum, there have been MANY questions asked about this and lots of examples, as shown in the link, of the same thing. I initially ended up with the wrong check myself, but The Fingerprint Room in Calgary rectified the situation. That said, it slowed us down 3 months, so yes, definitely take an example in to ensure its the correct version he'll get! Good luck!

Exactly this. When my Venezuelan colleagues put it this way - that Maduro and Flores were arrested as heads of the cartel - it makes sense. The fact that he wasn't the elected president and there was proof presented on paper, shows he's not. Even if you did want to argue that he is, Flores is not. Flores is a deputy in the national assembly.

Many of these are pretty much exactly what my Venezuelan colleagues are chatting about in office today and are essentially in agreement with what they are saying. One colleague pointed out that when the government is the cartel and vice versa, there's essentially limitless resources available. This is helped by the fact that the government cartel has been in operation for the better part of 3 decades and that usually cartels only get about 10 years or so in before something interruptive happens. They say a lot of focus is on Maduro when it should be on Flores. She's the actual commander, chief decision maker and power holder. The king and queen have been removed from the chess board, so it will be interesting to see what plays out. Oh, and I've never heard a single one of them refer to Maduro as "president". They say he is no such thing. He wasn't elected.

Many will do them in office, but it will be an out of pocket cost and that cost is often higher than if you get the vaccines in advance. Hopefully your GP, a travel clinic or supplemental insurance would help minimize that cost.

Gift, by definition, is something voluntarily transferred, without compensation. Bribe, on the other hand, is to provide something of value to persuade or influence a judgement or the conduct of a person in the position of trust. How is a required gift, voluntary? How, also, is it without compensation, if one receives a golden ticket? Under the FCPA, one is permitted to "expedite or secure the performance of a routine governmental action which is routinely and commonly performed by a foreign official" which includes processing of paperwork to obtain visas and/or paperwork to allow a person to do business in a foreign country - that's covered by the $15k application fee, but the million dollar "gift" cannot influence the decision to issue or guarantee a visa. It states on the Trump Gold Card website that a successful applicant will be vetted by DHS and will be subject to available EB-1 and EB-2 visas. USCIS falls under DHS, but DoS is a separate agency that works with DHS. Can you imagine? Pay $15k, get an I-140 approval, pay your $1mil and the DoS says "nah bruh, sorry, we're not issuing your visa". 👀 As others have said, at least an EB-5 requires some sort of capital investment as well as a business plan to prove economic benefit to the US, which seems less sketchy and probably a lot easier. I'd wager dollars to donuts the "platinum card" is a no go thus far because of the "gifting" as well as the benefit of 270 tax free days per year on foreign income while living in the US. Any non-resident alien for tax purposes, PR or citizen's foreign income has always been subject to US taxes, period. Getting past those sketchy benefits is instrumentally more challenging as it's multiple laws to challenge with those bad boy promises.

Our district's policy was pretty clear and sensible too, but we also have 72,000 kids plus teachers and not enough classroom tech available. So, they flexed and caved until the law was made. My kids are also in high school and I'd guess a 135lb, 5'4", female teacher trying to tell a 17 year old, 300lb football player to put your phone away comes with some challenges. I've talked to a couple of teachers and they say they love hearing the chatter among kids again. It was lost when everyone was devicing. Real conversations, real interactions, real relationships and interestingly, less fights it would seem.

The worry is the wording. Unrestricted and gift do not equate to taxes. Sounds like free invitation "appropriate funds for personal gain". Unrestricted or not, I wanna see where these funds are going.

Most companies would classify this as bribery, no? There's laws against that...