Important Update for the Naturalization Process in the US
Are you on the path to becoming a United States citizen through the naturalization process? If so, there’s some fantastic news you should know about!Over the past few weeks, we’ve observed a growing trend at USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) offices that could significantly impact your journey to citizenship. What’s the exciting development? USCIS…
3 Tips to Maintain a Long Distance Relationship
One of our viewers recently asked us for advice on maintaining a solid connection while facing the ups and downs of an immigration journey and being miles apart for so long. They wondered how to ensure that their relationship remains strong and vibrant during these stressful times. We’ve got three fundamental tips that we’ve not…
Top 4 Tips for Your Consular Interview
Are you gearing up for your Consular interview? Whether it’s for a spouse visa or a fiance visa, preparing for the interview is crucial for a successful outcome. Attorney Megan Pastrana has 4 tips for a successful interview! Tip 1: Follow the Pre-Interview Checklist Once your interview is scheduled, you’ll receive a pre-interview checklist via…
Can you use a tourist visa after you file a K1?
If your fiancé or spouse already has a valid visa, like a tourist visa or ESTA, they can still visit the United States to see you even after you file for your Spouse or Fiance Visa. But here’s the catch – every time they enter the US, immigration will decide if they have genuine intentions…
Will Drug Use Impact My Immigration Case?
When you embark on the immigration journey, honesty is your strongest ally. During the application process, you will encounter a question about past drug use or abuse. This includes any history of drug abuse, marijuana usage, alcohol addiction, or the use of controlled substances. Being truthful in your responses is crucial, as failing to do…
How do you register a foreign marriage in the USA?
If you’ve recently gone through the spouse visa process and were married in another country, you might be wondering how to register your foreign marriage in the United States. Once you complete the spouse visa process and obtain your green card, it’s natural to want to ensure that your marriage is recognized by the U.S.…
Family Immigration Petitions: Who Can You Sponsor?
Once you’re a U.S. citizen there are a few different categories of individuals you can petition for. These categories include your spouse, children, parents, and siblings. However, it’s important to note that there are two primary distinctions within these categories: immediate relatives and non-immediate relatives. Immediate Relatives: Spouses, Parents, and Children Immediate relatives are…
K1 Visa Wait Times in 2023
The immigration process involves multiple steps, each with its own set of wait times. Estimating the total wait time involves considering all the various steps across different immigration departments and offices. With that in mind, let’s dive into the details of K1 Visa wait times, focusing on the journey to bring your loved one to…
How long do you have to file for AOS once married?
After the fiancé visa process, couples are ready for immigration to be kind of in the rear-view mirror. Couples are excited about wedding planning and although it’s not fair to say they forget about the immigration case, it’s not top of mind when they’re getting acclimated to being together and starting their lives together. It…
How do you get married in the United States?
We’ve been flooded with questions about the process of getting married in the US which is exciting because that means that they are probably engaged or thinking of popping the question. As soon as they begin to entertain those thoughts, they start to wonder what the marriage process is like in the United States.…
Top Consular Interview Questions for Spouse & Fiancé Visas
With both the Spouse Visa and the Fiancé Visa Processes, the Immigrant Beneficiary is required to attend an interview at a US Embassy or Consulate abroad. The purpose of this interview is for the consular officer to ask questions about the beneficiary’s immigration history and background because their job is to do a final check…
My Spouse Visa Was Approved – What Next?
After your Consular Interview, they will let you know their final decision regarding your application. One outcome is that they say, “we can’t make a decision today.” If this happens, they’ll give you a piece of paper that explains why. It might state that they need more evidence, they might need a more complete background…
Are you trying to control the uncontrollable?
We’ve had quite a few appointments with clients recently and a lot of questions from our Facebook audience that tell us that many of you are stressing yourselves out and trying to control the uncontrollable. Why is the immigration process so long? Why is it so onerous? Why is it such a labyrinth? We…
Can I work on a Tourist Visa?
In the past several weeks we have been discussing immigration violations and waivers because we always receive a lot of questions from individuals who have gone to consular interviews thinking that everything was fine, that they were doing everything right during their application process, only to receive a denial – or from individuals whose…
Denied After a Consular Interview – What Now?
The final step in the immigration process for a spouse or fiancé visa involves an interview at a United States embassy or consulate. During this process, an immigration officer will review your information and your details to determine whether or not they can issue the requested visa. At the end of that interview, they will…
USCIS Updates
USCIS has dropped their COVID-19 emergency policies and this will impact us the most with regard to telephonic interviews. They are now or have been in the past always requiring people to be present for interviews, attorneys included. If you wanted to serve as an attorney representing that client or that particular family, we have…
Important – Affidavit of Support Updates
Part of the immigration process to receive a green card requires that the petitioner, the United States citizen or lawful permanent resident, prove that he or she is financially able to provide support for their immigrant spouse or fiancé or the beneficiary. That is proved through a process called the Affidavit of Support. It’s a…
Top 3 Things NOT to Do in Your Immigration Journey!!
There are three top things that we recommend that all of our clients avoid doing in their immigration journey and I want to share those top three tips with all of you. 1. Avoid checking your USCIS case status on a daily basis I know that that is the go-to place, especially with extremely long…
Fiance Visa Questions: Minor Traffic Violations, Processing Locations, and Joint Sponsors
Processing Locations The fiancé visa process is initiated with an application or a petition to USCIS which are mainly processed in California. USCIS always looks at their processing centers and reviews them. If there are too many cases being processed at one site or it’s really struggling and it appears like that might be long…
Online Status – Ready for Interview! When is My Interview?
Does your online case status say ready for an interview and are you wondering when are you finally going to be scheduled for your interview? The online USCIS tool to check your case status can be great. For couples going through the immigration process, you’re probably checking it a lot because it’s really the only…
K3 Visa Faster Than a Souse Visa?
The K3 Visa was something that was created to be a complement to the K1 fiancé visa. It was created with the intent on the part of immigration to make the wait time for the spouse visa shorter so that a couple could apply for both a spouse visa and then they could also get…
USCIS Receipt Notices Explained
To get a receipt notice, you have prepared your initial filing and this could be a lot of different things with different processing centers and different applications. There are some nuances that you’ll definitely want to discuss with your attorney if you have further questions. But in order to get a receipt notice, you’ve prepared…
COVID Vaccine Required for K1 Visa? (2023)
The COVID vaccine is required if you are going through a process to receive your green card, be it a adjustment of status or a spouse visa. What that means is that you have to receive that very first vaccination which is either two doses or one dose, depending on which vaccine. That is considered…
The Immigration Process – Good for Your Relationship
Did you know that the immigration process can actually be good for your relationship? I want to acknowledge the fact that hearing that the immigration process can be good for your relationship might be a bit triggering. The process itself is overwhelming and stressful and oftentimes long. I completely respect that might be triggering to…
Fiancé Visa Evidence
We look at all of the evidence that we might have for a couple and that really is tailored to that specific couple. There is nothing that is definitive. There can be receipts, engagement photos, engagement ceremony, or engagement rings. Many couples may not have those things and so, we really tailor the evidence that…
Who Completes the Public Charge Section
The new public charge rule came out and will be in effect on December 2023. They have switched to all new forms and the forms for the I-485, which is the adjustment of status and have an additional section on the form that addresses the public charge ground of inadmissibility. See: DHS’s Public Charge Final…
Consular/Embassy Interview – What to Expect
Are you nervous and wondering what to expect at your consular interview appointment? Part of the fiancé visa and spouse visa process involves an interview at a US embassy or consulate abroad in a country abroad, depending on where the immigrant lives. That interview is in front of an immigration officer and going to an…
Are Joint Bank Statements Required by USCIS
Are bank statements required to prove your relationship for your immigration case? The answer is it depends. That’s a famous attorney go-to but it really does depend. Part of the immigration process if you’re married to a United States citizen is showing immigration that you have a real relationship based on love and not just…
Traveling While Fiancé Visa is Pending
Traveling while a fiancé visa is pending is a question we get a lot because with the processing time delays for a fiancé visa or any visa for that matter, those delays are so lengthy and people just want to be together in the US. By this time, they’ve made that commitment to be with…
Top AOS Immigration Interview Questions 2023
What are the questions that happen at the interview as it relates to your relationship? There are five common questions that we see in USCIS interviews across the country for the adjustment of status process, the process that happens here in the United States where a United States citizen is petitioning his or her spouse.…