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…
Understanding Your Next Steps After a Visa Denial After Your Consular Interview
The final step in securing a spouse or fiancé visa is the consular interview, a critical stage in the immigration process. During this interview, an immigration officer reviews the applicant’s details to determine eligibility for the visa. The outcome of this interview is pivotal, leading either to the granting of the visa or, in some…
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 Can Be Great for Your Relationship
Navigating the U.S. immigration process is often perceived as a daunting and overwhelming journey. However, contrary to what many may initially feel, this journey can indeed be beneficial for relationships. While acknowledging that the idea of finding positives in such a stressful process might be surprising or even triggering for some, it’s essential to recognize…
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 Proof of Relationship in USCIS Applications?
In the journey to establish the legitimacy of a relationship for an immigration case, couples often wonder: are joint bank statements a requirement? The answer, as any seasoned attorney might say, is that it depends. When you’re married to a U.S. citizen, a crucial part of your immigration process is proving to the United States…
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.…
Important Update – I751 Conditional Green Card Extensions
On January 23rd, USCIS announced that they have extended the validity period of conditional green cards to 48 months for those who have filed removable conditions. See: 1-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence For some individuals who go through the green card process based on marriage, you’ll receive a two-year conditional green card and…
Common Questions: Affidavit of Support – Joint Sponsorship and Living Abroad & Redesigned Green Card
Affidavit of Support This is one of the areas that we see the most issues that people have during their petitioning process and the Affidavit of Support would come sometimes at different stages but it’s along with some type of a petition for an immigrant to come and stay in the United States and the…
Religious versus Civil Wedding Ceremonies
Let’s discuss the difference between civil ceremonies and religious ceremonies, mostly describing the wedding ceremony process and how that impacts how immigration views that. Those two things are very different. A civil ceremony would be basically making that wedding legal in the eyes of the law. You usually have some type of a designated civil…
USCIS Backlogs – How Your Congressional Representative May Help
Recently, USCIS issued its progress report for 2022 and they’ve discussed the issue of backlogs. Obviously, there are many factors that went into why we have such a backlog. The time frames that we see with USCIS currently that have to do with COVID, global conditions such as the war in Ukraine and even Afghanistan.…
3 Reasons Why You Should Use An Immigration Attorney, Such as Immigration for Couples
1. Attorneys understand the immigration process Here at Immigration for Couples, we help couples navigate the immigration process. From step one, an attorney can help you obviously understand the nuances of the immigration process. We see tons of clients who during initial consults have questions even over the forms, much less the 200 to 300-page…
I-601A Processing Times (2023)
Are you wondering why provisional waivers are currently taking three to four years for immigration to make a decision? Wait times have increased by 600% since the provisional waiver program or application was released which was in 2013. It used to take only six to eight months to get a decision and now, we’re looking…
Proposed Fee Increases and Consulate in Cuba
You may have heard about the proposed rule changes, mostly with regard to filing fees for USCIS. That came out January 4th of this year and any proposed fee increases or rule changes first come out as a proposal for a notice-and-comment period so the public knows that these things are coming or being thought…
What Evidence You MUST Include – K1 Visa
What are the top three pieces or types of evidence that you should include with your fiancé visa application to give you the best chance of winning your case? When they’re starting out on their immigration journey, a lot of couples want to know what are the documents that they need to provide. While the…
Taxes and Immigration 2023 – What are Your Questions?
At the start of every year, it’s tax filing season time and how does that impact individuals who are going through an immigration process? It is a really important thing to be aware of to make sure you’re filing on time and there are a lot of intersections between tax filing and immigration that you…
Are Engagement Rings Necessary in the K1 Visa Process?
Navigating the U.S. immigration process can be a maze of questions and uncertainties, especially for couples where one partner resides in the U.S. and they wish to live together permanently in the States. A common question we at Immigration for Couples encounter is: are engagement or wedding rings required as part of the immigration process?…
When Should I Start My Immigration Case?
Starting an immigration case is a significant step for couples planning to spend their lives together. For those in a relationship and considering marriage, it’s crucial to understand when to initiate this process. Our aim is to guide you through this journey and provide resources to make informed decisions. The Early Bird Advantage…