W199

Hybrid cars defeat a lot of the advantages of the all EV, so IMHO doubt it. The rhetorical articles that promote that idea are self-serving and a marketing ploy. But given the lack of charging for those who don't have homes, you might be right. But I think ultimately, the winner will be costs, just like ethernet vs ATM networds. I've been waiting for the hydrogen car, the used vegetable oil car, fusion/nuclear, and now the flying cars. Never say never, but they going to be pretty close to it.

I definately would not buy an EV without an home charger. I just come home, park in my garage with automatically just plug it in. I could not imagine relying on an external charger for daily use, unless its the one at work. It wouldn't be worth the issues, esp in winter, and such.

I'm not sure as I don't use it often and don't pay attention. I am using rushing to the restroom by the time I stop at a supercharger lol But checking my visa bills, they range from $10 to $24. But on average I seem to pay about $18 when I do a somewhat large charge on a long trip. The Tesla app says I used 8,230 KWH in the past year, total spent $1,604 with a gas savings of $1,800. But they are using a 0.17 c/kw for hime charging, but its actually less with my municipal electric co. Neighboring towns are much higher. They also are using 0.40 for their supercharger rate in this calculation. Not sure how accurate it i.

For your 1200 mile trip, assuming its not in the winter time, with my 300+ mile range, Tesla, I estimate I would stop an average of about every 180 miles for charging. For about 25 minutes, probably 7 total stops. If there was a slow charger, it might be 40 minutes, but I'd just charge a little and drive to the next one. Plus maybe about 5-10 minutes to drive to/from the charger. I'd use the charging time to stretch my legs and use the restroom and eat. Hence, I estimate I would lost 4 hours. Maybe add an extra hour buffer to be safe. I'd definately need a hotel, but the cost of the hotel would be offset by the significant cost in gas savings, not to mention car maintance like oil changes, etc..), I'd make it a stop-over too (adding even longer to the trip). But the total cost of ownership is very hard to compare, so its probably not fair to compare. But I feel I have saved a significant amount money owning the Tesla compared to buying a simalarly priced premium/luxury ICE car, not even including the subsidies. I do feel there is some risk, and one needs to have a back-up plan should something unexpected happen .. But I have had zero problems nor any my dozen coworkers who have it. My priority is the huge gas savings I am saving and the safety it adds to my commute (due to my bad driving habits). Yes, there is no doubt the charging will add a lot of extra time, and for many people that won't be acceptable. My boss at work said if he wanted to stay married, he could not get an EV because that would require a stop on the way to his winter vacation home (since the range is so much less in the winter) which his Wife would not allow.. lol F

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

If your spouse has no income, why would you want to file as married filing seperately, instead of jointly? You'll end up paying a lot more taxes in most cases if you do that

Why don't you file as married jointly, it is usually less total taxes that way unless your spouse that is abroad has a high income and a low tax rate in her country

You could: - Ask court for a certified letter simply saying "there are no court documents available for this case". Then hope for the best and wait for an RFE before sending any other info. - Or ask your lawyer to file a motion to dismiss the case due to lack of prosecution and pray they don't decide to prosecute. - Or file for a CR1 instead of a K-1.

You can also ship it to the local LBC office for forwarding to the Philippines.

Please clarify exactly what your Wife does. For example, does she buy the plane ticket in her maiden name and use a passport in her maiden name? Or for example, does she buy the plane ticket in her married name, and use the marriage certificate in along with her maiden name passport when flying? etc..??

True, you can get the passport very quickly if you pay the fee for expedited service. Yeah, you can just buy the plane tickets in her maiden name and fly with the current passport. Actually, I wonder if you would have a problem flying back since the new passport name would not match the name in the round-trip ticket, or vice versa. For myself, I wouldn't risk it, I will just book the ticket in her maiden name and fly with her old passport.

Why don't you update the passport before she goes back to the Philippines? I would imagine that would be a lot safer and avoid delays.

Be careful, London's rules are probably very different from Vietnam.

Good point about the forever disclosure. Note, even when applying for a visa to other Countries, not just USA, for example Canada, you will need to disclose the USA visa denial and explain why (we had to do that with the F-1 denial we got

Your best bet, or really your only bet, will be either for him to meet you in the Philippines or meet in a 3rd Country such as Canada (that;s what we did), or Costa Rica, Mexico, etc..

Just to give you a brief idea on how difficult this will be, my Filipina gf had just received her BSED and then got into a Masters Degree program in the USA. The immigration officer was very happy and smiling and just about to approve her student visa when he asked her who will be paying for the school. She was totally honest because we knew in the future we may do a K-1 and didn;t want to misrepresent. She explained her bf from usa but then added all the extra info about how she bought a house and land in the Philippines and will be returning to the Philippines. The officer mood changed to very sad, ... her full answer was perfect as it perfected by a former consular officer. That perfect answer led to several more good questions with perfect answers, such as how many times I have visited her, and our future plans ..as well as "why don't we file for a K-1" .... In the end she got denied. Manila is just too strict when it comes ot haveing a usa bf. Nothing else will matters, my high salary an ability to visit her often, her house and land she now owns, her status, her large family and connections .... only if I was retired in the Philippines would she have had a chance. She could have got the visa if we lied, but that would have been very stupid. Shortly after that, we did the K-1 and had no issues.