top_secret

They say bring old chest x-rays but even if you had them, they would still take new ones and only go by their own x-rays (for better or worse). Old chest x-rays are irrelevant at SLEC. One should bring proof of COVID vax. "Fully vaccinated", no booster required. All other vaccinations, bring any records if you have them as it could possibly save a few shots. But if you don't have records it's no problem. They will give whatever missing vaccinations are required included in the cost of the physical.

You don't have to if you are doing everything on paper, but that's where the "Document's" tab is located. It wouldn't change a thing about when your case was actually approved and sent to NVC, only your ability to receive the notices online as well as in the mail so 'maybe' you could track it a little better. You would also need your online access code to add your case if it was filed on paper.

That looks like just status tracking. Not a USCIS online account at https://myaccount.uscis.gov/

The documents tab should be there unless maybe you filed on paper and didn't get the online account number linked up with your USCIS account or something like that??? Often the approval notice shows up under the documents tab a day or two before the status changes.

When it is late in the game, sometimes having the actively reviewing date update is a positive sign, but other times it ends up meaning nothing. You may want to log into your USCIS account and look for an approval notice under the documents tab from time to time.

She can just ask the document checker or consul at the Embassy to correct it immediately before the interview. No problems.

Someone I know just took 7 days while most others were taking 3 or 4 so it varies a little. In his case, his USCIS status changed from "Case Approved" to "Case Was Sent To The Department of State" the day before he got his NVC e-mail so checking you USCIS status may be (or may not be) a type of early notice the NVC e-mail is eminent.

I actually couldn't think how it would affect anything if the stated validity is 5 years. I have a feeling it would be a hassle to get DMV to change it. I did just double check my wife's CA DL. It is RealID and it definitely does not have limited term. She obtained it with just a month old endorsed CR-1 visa in a Philippine passport, newly minted Social Security Card and some mail.

That is probably a mistake and is not due the one year stamp in your passport. "Limited Term" is for someone who has an I-94 with a "depart by" date. Permanent Residents are..... "permanent". My wife got her CA license with her endorsed CR-1 Visa and it is full term. If I were betting, I'd guess some not so bright DMV worker does not know the difference between an endorsed IR-1 visa which IS a green card, and a B2 or any other type of visa. As for the legal implications? If it's valid it's valid I guess. I can't think of where specifically it would be an issue. You probably should get DMV to fix it but I bet if you do it goes to the "legal presence unit" in Sacramento for like 3 or 4 months to fix the first agents mistake. Getting a Real ID drivers license would definitely fix the limited term issue but you would end up paying the $30 fee again unless you win a dispute with DMV. Welcome to California and our fantastic DMV experience.

Be aware that on the land borders between Laos and Thailand there is a very high level of interest, awareness and actively putting two and two together regarding ones immigration status in both Laos and Thailand. Expats in Thailand for years had been making visa runs to Laos as well as looking for ways out of Thailand when they have issues in Thailand. Pretty much all loopholes are closed and both sides of the Thai Lao land border VERY much know exactly what is going on with the other side. There is also all kinds of illegal Lao migration in Thailand which often requires that the right guys were paid properly. The USA passport only idea seems somewhat more plausible. US Citizens are also less subject to (but not immune to) corruption that is still endemic there than Lao citizens are.

Hmmm, I'd propose that many things are cyclical and America or the world is not coming to an end. Is societal decay any worse today than it was in say, 1975?? Just this weekend I was driving through a neighborhood near where I lived in the early 1990's and I was thinking wow this is really nice here now. Back the early 1990's when I lived near there I wouldn't dare walk that street at night.

It may very well be a California thing (???) as we are in California too. But "Named Non Owner" Insurance is definitely a thing here. Going back to the original post and the whole grey area thing. Yea, if you are a temporary guest and someone loaned you their car you should be covered even if you aren't on the policy. AAA is notorious for excluding drivers for silly reasons that other insurance companies would not. Obviously to some extent you have to abide by your host's preferences. But, as many others here have expressed, if AAA doesn't want to cover you, there are many other insurance companies that would. Like, practically ALL other insurance companies except apparently AAA. Shopping around would be my first choice too.

For a while my wife and I had what is called "Named Non-Owner" insurance since we were just renting cars for a few months. It essentially names both of us on the policy and provided full coverage for us driving any car that we do not own ourselves. We got it through Geico but I'm pretty sure you can get it from any insurance company. It was not particularly expensive either.

Email NVCexpedite@state.gov

Reacquiring Filipino Citizenship has no impact on US Citizenship. US law allows duel citizenship. It's just a standard disclaimer from the Philippine government that they bear no responsibility in any way for anyone's US Citizenship or any other foreign citizenship matters. Philippine government has absolute legal authority over Filipino citizenship and no authority whatever over US Citizenship.

Philippine exit immigration is well known for scrutinizing departing Filipinos' destination visa status in very fine detail. Last trip to Peru my wife got a harsh two hour secondary interrogation from BI at NAIA. They also have to show foreign passport or green card for travel tax waiver. If she has a US Passport rather than a US Green Card? Might have some explaining to do if dates don't match up. BI at NAIA also has a direct line to call USCIS if they want to verify anyone's US documents, immigration or US citizenship status. They do so regularly.

I have no first hand knowledge but it seems like it would be exactly this https://www.acro.police.uk/ICPC

Sidewinder seems to work just fine🤣 Would suggest next one be brought down if it just gets a little too close to Alaska's coastline. Much less populated there.

Using TurboTax specifically, you can input 999-88-9999 as the "social security number" of the non-resident alien spouse. TurboTax will give an error message stating that it is an "expired ITIN". However, you may then proceed normally and TurboTax will do all of it's TurboTax magic calculations and assumptions correctly based on the laws pertaining to a spouse with an ITIN so it will produce an accurate return for exactly that situation. When the return is complete you still must print a paper return. There is no possible option to E-file with a W-7. Erase or edit out the 999-88-9999 (it's purpose was only to force TurboTax to make correct calculations and assumptions), separately complete the W-7 which is not a particularly complicated form, write a simple letter listing all the points here https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-spouse . Letter and return must signed by both spouses., W7 signed by alien spouse. And all filed by mail with an acceptable ID as listed in the W7 instructions or through an acceptance agent. TurboTax will produce an accurate return. The W-7 and letter are not at all difficult or time consuming to complete. However the logistics of getting paper forms signed by both spouses when they may be half way around the world from each other and what the options may be for acceptable ID or access to a suitable acceptance agent may be very difficult for some couples or quite easy for other couples with different circumstances.

Sometimes actively reviewing means nothing as you found in June of 22. However, late in the game it 'might' (or might not) mean something. It's worth logging into your USCIS account and checking your documents tab for an approval notice.

If being a Filipino Citizen is a critical component to any endeavor you are undertaking, it would probably be wise to really be a Filipino citizen lest not being a Filipino Citizen come back to haunt you at an inopportune moment. Example? Lost Filipino Citizenship by naturalization , enter Philippines using an old Filipino Passport, gets discovered upon exiting and now you already accrued Philippine immigration violations. The consequences of the immigration violations could be serious in certain circumstances. Example? You buy property in the Philippines as a Filipino Citizen, its discovered you aren't a Filipino citizen and cannot own that property. Very serious consequences. It's not a matter of how likely you are to get caught, it's what happens if you get caught and how easily it could be avoided by paying the $50 to do it according to Filipino law. On the other hand, many former Filipinos don't do anything that even requires Filipino Citizenship. Want to visit the family for 6 months? You could enter as a US Citizen with Balikbayan privilege. Want to buy a retirement home, former Filipino Balikbayans can do that too. Situations like that there is only risk and no reward by falsely claiming Filipino citizenship when you wouldn't even need to. If you look at your future and see yourself in situations where Filipino Citizenship is critical to you, then you might as well pay the $50. If it doesn't seem critical to anything you plan on doing, then just enjoy being a US Citizen and Balikbayan. If circumstances change later and it does again become critical you could reacquire your citizenship then.

I'd speculate that the kids being left behind is probably the issue preventing mom from schedulling her interview even though the embassy told her that she could. Getting the kids caught up with mom up is undobtably the correct solution. Hopefully you bringing it to the attention of the embassy will get it straitened out soon.

My concern would be,,, if mom is expedited and "Ready" at the Embassy but the kids are documentarily qualified but still stuck "At NVC"..... are the kids expedited as well??? Of course one would hope they are, but the Embassy is not perfect and absent notification or evidence that the kids ARE expedited too, I would be questioning that or at least pre-emptively requesting they specifically be expedited on a case by case basis.

Are the children documentarily qualified? If your wife's case was expedited you may need to request the children be expedited too. NVC may know that the children's case is not at the embassy but it is the embassy that approves expedites and the embassy may not have looked into it in so much detail yet. That fact that their mothers case is already at the embassy would be a good reason to request an expedite.

Once I crossed to Tijuana and accidentally left my wallet with my passport card and ALL of my ID in my car parked on the US side. Coming back at the San Ysidro border crossing I explained the situation and they sent me to secondary where I got a 5 minute trivia quiz with questions like the name of the school I went to 4th grade in? Where exactly is that school? etc. He may have googled if my answers made sense. It was easy and the secondary guy was friendly. It was really no big deal. Less than 10 minutes I was in with NO ID whatsoever. I do however look and sound American and can pass a trivia quiz about my life. Your milage may very.