W199

I'll share my experience: - In 2018, I got a Tesla model 3, long range AWD. It was a last minute decision because it was the last day to get the $10K in rebates. - Myself, and at dozen other people at work have a Tesla, and we all absolutely love it and can't imagine going back to an ICE. - I have 125K miles on it, and its like new, and have done zero maintenance except for new wiper blades, and tires. - I have saved countless thousands in gas, ooil changes, etc since my local electricity is municipal and its so cheap, about $0.14, - The first set of original tires went shockingly fast .. but I replaced them with michelin cross climinate which are all-climate (not all season), and they are very long lasting. - The can is an absolute joy to ride, and once I think saved my life when it blasted a siren warning me a car was about to rear end me ( i changed lanes, and a car in the right lane zipped at a crazy speed) - It makes the daily commute to work, about 55 miles, so much easier. I can't live without it now. - It makes long trips, NY, Montreal, etc.. etc. so much easier and well, It is actually faster for me because I don't need long rests - Long trips don't take me much longer because I stop for food, and the charge is done charging even beforuse I finish eating .. making me rush back to the car before I get charged for IDLE time. I actually enjoy the opportunity to stop and charge it for 25-35 minutes and stretch my legs, restroom, and snack - But true, if you can drive 4-6 hours without these breaks, an ICE car could save you about an 1+ hours or so. - I wouldn't buy an EV without the Tesla supercharger for this reason, But as you know, the superchargers will allow access to many non-tesla's cars soon, if not now. - I've heard of many delays for people getting into accidents and needing repairs, but that hasn't happened to me. - The "auto pilot" and "summon" are more of a useless novelty. But the adaptive cruise control and self-driving in the lane, and auto lane changes work fantastic and very help when distracted. In severe weather, when you need the self-driving the most, it doesn't work because the lines in the road are not visible and the cameras get blocked. - Winter time, the range goes down significantly. If making short hops in the winter, letting the batteries cool, down, it really consumes the battery incredibly fast. I wouldn't buy it in a winter climate. But in Montreal I saw countless of them, perhaps because the electricity there is also so cheap. - After my Wife gets her license, I'll give her the model 3, and buy myself a model Y, but I'm not going to get the "full self-driving package" for $8K. The extra insurance for a new driver for it is very painful. And even for an experienced driver, many insurance companies seem to be jacking up the rate. Need to shop around.

Yes, because of the K-1, I missed being able to file married jointly for the year. I lost over $25K in taxes because of that, so yes, it was way more expensive for me. But my priority was to have the wedding in USA so that my kids can attend in person as its a sensitive subject having their father remarry. My Wife received her green card in about 5-6 months, and the EAP/AP much sooner. It worked out perfectly for us. On the other hand, my friend at work just changed from a K-1 to a CR-1 because his fiancee didn't feel comfortable giving up her job, house, leaving her adult kids behind, etc.. without being married first ..

You are right, this is not the case anymore. The tables have turned. K-1 are way faster now. USCIS is currently processing April and May 2024 cases now. Many people are reporing in forums that got approved in 3 months, and there are other sites that scan all the data from USCIS, every single case, and track this in intimate detail. Its not just a rumor

The doctors are supposed to assess your total risk, which includes a lot more factors than just your lipid numbers. The total risk needs to add up to a particular level to justify the Statin. But Statins have proved beyond a doubt to reduce heart events. But don't get me wrong, no one really knows exactly what causes atherosclerosis. Anyone who says they know, doesn't know what they are talking about. It is being studied in intimate details by biologists, and they have a long ways to go. As far as "total risk" goes, my lipids where very bad ... But my doctor gave me carotid artery ultrascound scan to check if there is any plaque build-up. Studies have shown it correlates to heart artery build-up). They also gave me a more experimental CT calcium heart test. Both showed zero issues, zero plaque build-up, etc.. So they decided not to put me on a Statin. Years later, I am on Repatha now due to the totality of my risk factors. Its working great, my lipid numbers are ideal now, with zero side effects. In summary, its far more than just the cholesterol level that needs to be assesed to determine if a Statin is right for you. And of course, exercise, weight control, and nutrition should be done first before any meds like this.

You mentioned you were concerned about K-1 being more costly. The total cost of the K-1 vs the CR-1 journey includes much more than the application fees. It is extremely complex. The total cost could end up being 10's of thousands less expensive or it could be the opposite, more expensive. It all depends. For myself the K-1 was 10's of thousands more expensive due missing out on being able to file married-jointly earlier. But the K-1 saved me thousands in other ways to slighly offset the loss, but I still had a huge loss. It all depends on the couple/s personal situation and circumstances on whether the total cost will be less or more. But I don't care, because more importantly, I got what I wanted, which was being engaged and getting married in the USA with my family, You also said your primary concern was having the baby born in the USA, and presumably to be living, staying, physically and mentally supported, with your husband during that time. Maybe he is concerned about bonding with you and the baby during that time, helpting you out, etc... It's very unlikely you will even come close to that goal with a K-1 or a CR-1. Hence, since you have been planning this wedding for a long time, and that is what you want, it seems reasonable not to delay that plan, especially since you are pregnant. But that is a personal choice. But first, I would suggest discussing your situation with a lawyer to see if there is any other way to achieve your goal without hurting your future immigration journey.

But the pdf instructions for form I-864 in section 11a which instructs you to provide proof of your USA citizenship says that if you have already provided proof of your status when filing form I-129F then there is no need to prove your status. Therefore, unless I am misinterpreting those instructions, I don’t think you or I overlooked it. It seems to me the mail room contractor just issues the RFE automatically without even checking if the above exclusion applies in order to save time.

As far as I could see from the instructions, if you are adjusting status from a K-1 and hence are the sponsor of the I-864 then you do NOT need to prove you are a USA citizen, as you’d expect. My guess is that the contractors receiving and doing the initial basic checks need some additional training. I just uploaded a copy of my passport to the online account they created for me back in JanuaryZ We actually just got the approval too, so it took about 4.5 months.

As the I-864 sponsor, did you include proof of being a USA citizen? That is what caused us to get an immediate RFE.

True, good point. My marriage certificate showed my first name change already. Hence, SSA accepted that as a first name change. But I never technically never made a legal name change. The passport agency allowed me to swap my first and last name as shown on my BC as a well as the RMV. Only the SSA didn’t allow that until I showed them the marriage certificate which had less strict name change standards. Seems like a loop hole.

Nope, I waa able to do it. First, the SSA allowed my Wife to change her middle and last name per the Philippines custom. Though, they didn’t seem to care what we chose for a name. I then asked them to swap my first and middle last name to match my passport, DL, etc… Previously they told me I needed a court ordered name change for this. But now they agreed to do it based on the marriage certificate which had my first name swapped just like my passport. I then received a new SSN card with my first name changed