Discussion Topics, Thursday, June 10, 2021:
I am planning to file green card (I130/I1485) for my mother. She was born in 1949 in India and does not have her birth certificate. Only identity with date of birth she has is her passport and Aadhar card. She has visited US couple of times.
Go ahead and get a certificate of non-availability if possible, get a birth certificate from New York, get two affidavits from people who were alive when she was born and submit all of that together.
Note: Where transcribed from audio/video, this is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
Discussion Topics, Thursday, July 22, 2021:
I arrived in the U.S. with a non-immigrant visa that expires 2016, my dad is a permanent resident who is now applying for his citizenship. My dad wants to sponsor me while i remain in the us. What forms do we have to fill out and would i be able to live and work in the us while my status adjustment is processing.
Review Form I-130. You cannot stay in USA while or just because the case is pending, unless you have some visa/status that allows you to stay.
My friend filed a petition for an adult child (over 21 years old) six years ago and just received notification this year that there's a visa number available for the child. Meanwhile, the child has traveled to study and obtained a permanent residence in Canada. However, the child still wants to join his mother to the United States. Will the US give the child a GC if all the requirements are met?
Sure. The fact that he is in Canada is not an impediment.
My mother just got recently approved to migrate to the US as LPR. I am a USC. Now I was wondering how soon my mom can submit a petition for my brother who is unmarried and over 21. I am assuming it would be faster for my LPR mother to petition my brother than me.
It will be faster for her to petition and she can do so as soon as she wants. I would suggest she should apply when she moves to USA. If you wish, you can also start a petition for your brother. He can wait in more than one category.
My parents got GC and I could not get it since I was 21. I am now in the US on H-1B. My mom applied for me when she was a permanent resident under the unmarried son/daughter category. In 2009 I got a letter from USCIS that my visa is available since my priority date was Sept 2001 but in 2009 I was already married and my mom became a citizen after we got married. My question is - can I file for new I-130 and request them to allow me to use the old priority date (Sept 2001)? What are the chances of them allowing me to do that?
As far as I know your PD cannot be reused because you lost it through becoming ineligible for the visa category.
I am on H-1 Visa and my son is on H-4 visa. He is 17 years(studying 11th grade). I wanted to know whether i need to change the visa status at the age of 21. If so, the green card processed by my employer for him will still be valid or not. Also, if he goes to India for studying his degree for like 4 or 5 years, will the green card processing for him will be valid.
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
I recently became US citizen and now planning to file for green card for my own parents from India. However, in past my parents overstayed on their visitor visa(6 months) in UK from 2002 to 2013. They applied for asylum in 2006 and case was going on but then they withdrew their file and then they were sent on their emergency passports(as their old passports were lost and expired, they were given white passport) to India. They had no other criminal activity there and also have No Objection Certificate from Police department of the city they were staying in UK. Now they have their new passports printed from India.
I wanted to know that Does any of this situations in past makes it difficult for them to obtain permanent residency in USA?
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
My sister is a naturalized US citizen and she is planning on applying for my GC. I have 2 questions:
1. If my company decides to sponsor my L1-A visa (after my GC application is submitted) will my L1-A be denied because of my GC application?. I have a multiple entry 10 year tourist visa that will expire in 2017. If I apply for a new tourist visa in 2017, will that be denied?
2. Furthermore, my father's GC (consular processing) is being processed currently. Once he becomes a GC holder, can he apply for my GC (I am single over 21 years of age) in such cases Processing time is also much less. If my father can sponsor my GC, what happens to my application in the unfortunate event of my father's demise during this period?
See clip from Attorney Rajiv S. Khanna's conference call video that addresses this question.
https://youtu.be/R4-_pic6TzY?t=103
FAQ Transcript
I applied I-130 for my father to get his GC through Consular processing. I'm a US citizen myself. However I got RFE asking for his birth certificate. I have these queries: The supplemental documents for I-130 for parents as per USCIS application only need US citizen's birth certificate and not the parent's birth certificate. So I don't understand why RFE was issued at this stage? My father was born in the time when the birth certificates were not available. As per the dept of state reciprocity website, it clearly states: "Exceptions: Birth certificates are not available to persons born prior to 1968. " Since it is acknowledged by reciprocity that birth certificates are not available, do I still need to provide NABC (Non-Availability of Birth Certificate)?
Video Transcript
I would prefer you to get a non-availability certificate along with two affidavits from people who were alive when your parents were born. That is what I would recommend. If it is too cumbersome you could try to set up the reciprocity table as evidence if such documents are not available. FAQ in detail...
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
I received an RFE for the delayed Birth Certificate Registration, since I would not be able to provide the original birth certificate from the birth year, what are the other options I can look into to receive the letter from the municipal authorities, is there any format I would need to get the letter from the municipal office.
There is no specific format for a non-availability certificate from the local administration. It can be a letter with the official stamp, a letter on their letterhead, or a specific form that the local administrations have created for their own use. You should get one.
One of my friends has just completed a master's (F1 Visa) in Dec 2022 and has traveled to India (outside the USA). However, he hadn't noticed that the EAD card had incorrect DOB (date of birth). Would he have any issues while entering back to the USA? Will he have issues returning to the USA, how can he ensure that his DOB issue in EAD is sorted out?
You could send in a request to the USCIS for correction of the typographical error by taking a screenshot. Attach it with the rest of the documents and now you have enough proof to show who you are. Also, typographical error depends upon who made the error and in which context it's being raised. Sometimes it is just an easy fix and complicated at times. Let your lawyers help you with that decision in this case. I think if you have a screenshot of a requested correction you should be fine.
A general question on birth certificates for any case. If there are issues (like errors in names, spellings, etc.) and we know this upfront during/after the documents were submitted to USCIS, is it better to wait until the application is processed and an RFE is sent to us, or it is better to prepare affidavits from relatives (as secondary evidence) mentioning correct details of birth and keep it ready. The reason I am asking this is, sometimes getting affidavits in a short duration when the RFE is sent might not be feasible as relatives may not be available, maybe in different places, or may have even passed away.
Will USCIS accept affidavits by relatives prepared in the past, before the RFE was sent? Or is it only possible to prepare affidavits based on the specific questions raised in the RFE?
Also, how about a DNA test to prove relationships, can this be done and kept ready even if there is a likelihood of RFE in the future? Is this acceptable or should it be done only after an RFE is received for USCIS to accept the validity of this? This is again to save time, as there may not be sufficient time to get it ready during the RFE period, especially when applicants or beneficiaries live in different countries etc.
It is better to address these issues proactively rather than waiting for a Request for Evidence (RFE). While it's advisable to be prepared in advance, if an RFE introduces new concerns, you'll need to address them. However, this doesn't imply that the affidavits you prepared several months earlier will suddenly become problematic. If the affidavits are relatively recent, say one or two years old, it wouldn't be a problem.
Consider this scenario: If you had a spelling name issue and obtained one or two affidavits explaining it, and then the RFE raises this issue along with another one, you can simply provide supplementary documentation. The documentation you've already provided doesn't lose its validity just because the government posed additional questions.
In our practice, we only resort to preparing for a DNA test if it becomes the last resort because it can be quite expensive. I'm not certain about the exact cost, but we typically wait until the government explicitly asks for it.
I want to thank Homa Naderi for her efficiency,promptness and patience. She answered telephone calls and emails within the hour and did not tire of answering questions that appeared confusing to a lay person. Most importantly she always conveyed to us her belief that the applications will be accepted. I will be happy to refer people to her.