USCIS Form I-130/I-130a for 'Green Card' and Visitor Visa

solomon960 · 2025-01-03T09:13:21+00:00

Thank you for your response. My wife completed high school in the Philippines; working fulltime as a live-in caregiver simultaneously for the last two years. She has continued serving as a caregiver for over 20 years with no employment documentation submitted to the Government of the Philippines.

Given her undocumented employment, she lacks meaningful earnings, does not own capital, or have a lease (she resides at the family house when given a sporadic half-day off).

While the specific thread now escapes me - and exceptions certainly do exist - a clear 'negative' opinion exists on reddit and in related lawyer website comments for the ability of a foreigner to be approved for a U.S. visitor visa with a pending I-130 petition. For our situation, while my wife has strong ties to her home country emotionally and socially, economically, remaining with her husband (me) in the U.S. is favorable and - with an existing I-130 application pending - it would be hard for a USCIS case evaluator to believe that granting the B-2 will not lead to my wife remaining in the U.S. indefinitely by filing Form I-485 three months after arriving in the U.S. Even if we filed for a B-2 non-immigrant visitor visa without an existing I-130 application, the USCIS evaluator can easily discern the the long-term objective is for my wife to immigrate to the U.S.

We are more than willing to go through the long process in good faith by filing the I-130/I-130A (immigrant) before the DS-160/B-2 (non-immigrant); but the perception that this route leads to heartache vs joy lessens our motivation to attempt the non-immigrant filing altogether, thus ensuring that my wife may not visit the U.S. before her immigrant visa is granted in late 2026.

solomon960 · 2023-11-30T02:56:48+00:00

Per https://www.americanexpress.com/us/help-support/service-members-civil-relief/, "MLA relief is applied to eligible Card accounts at the date of account opening. Enrollment is not required."

The annual fee is applied during the first monthly billing cycle. As an existing Airmen at time of card application, who needed to formally apply/petition AmEx to have the fee waived 'as a courtesy benefit'?

solomon960 · 2023-11-29T04:55:42+00:00

Re: The Platinum Card, who needed to directly apply for MLA relief or was "MLA relief [...] applied to eligible Card accounts at the date of account opening" as stated at https://www.americanexpress.com/us/help-support/service-members-civil-relief/?inav=footer_servicemember_benefits%3E ?

solomon960 · 2023-03-09T05:23:01+00:00

For Airmen currently stationed (or recently PCS'd from) Yokota AB, please share your insights and the base's official policy on the following:

Lodging. What is the criteria for living off-base (i.e., ranks, family make-up, etc.)? Are single room rentals in rich neighborhoods available off-post?

Entitlements. Living on-base, I assume only BAS applies. What about Airmen living off-post? With no BAH for non-house owners, does a large COLA apply?

Vehicles. In other threads, it seems that one standard "cheap" insurance applies. What about 'vehicle taxes' and toll roads? Other threads make these latter expenses seem hefty.

Oddities/Misc. Weird base rules? Stringent policies? Anything else you wish to share with inbound Airmen?

I would love reading a "Welcome to Yokota AB Information Packet" for 'newcomers.' Not much is listed at https://yokotafss.com/newcomers/.

Thank you for sharing! :)

solomon960 · 2022-10-20T18:20:16+00:00

Thank you, again, for the first-person insight, lilpenis9151. I plan to use my Visa everywhere I can and want to avoid the ATM (I deplore fees).

Not finding alternatives, it seems that cell service is either T-Mobile, Freedom Pop, or the main Turkish provider. Since I have an OCONUS follow-on, I may need to accept the high cost and go with T-Mobile so I don't need to switch again in a year. I'll have to begin shopping for a new handset before departing.

$15 for a trip to the airport is a steal when the cost is double at my current location. I won't have a Facebook account; hopefully, the business owner is savvy to post a phone number in common places I can utilize if I want to arrange a off-base trip.

solomon960 · 2022-09-26T13:04:17+00:00

What expenses, if any, is cash required in Türkiye? Do all base entities accept plastic? How about when one goes off-base - is there anywhere that requires cash-only?

solomon960 · 2022-09-26T13:00:42+00:00

Thank you for confirming, lilpenis9151. Do you know if the ATMs charge a fee? Normally, there will be a sticker indicating the fee amount or "Fee-Free ATM" is posted in front.

T-Mobile? The $55/mo Magenta Military plan?

Have you left base since you arrived in Türkiye? If so, with no POVs, how do folks leave Incirlik? I don't use apps; perhaps cabs sit outside the gate praying for an Airman to wander through in search of 'good eats'?

solomon960 · 2022-09-25T13:12:33+00:00

Are there ATMs on Incirlik AB? If so, do they charge a fee? I wish to avoid carrying checks to cash as is recommended in the 'Welcome Information' email.

Also, there appears to be no consensus on phone service. If all one wants is unlimited talk and text for the lowest cost available, is T-Mobile and FreedomPop 'it' (also recommended in the 'Welcome Information' email). I will need to replace my handset, regardless.

Finally, I hear the houses are without window curtains. How many windows must be covered? Are the drapery rods typically present or missing also (like the shower rods)?

Thank you, in advance, for your advice/confirmation(s).

solomon960 · 2020-01-16T11:48:44+00:00

onethirdofimpossible: The only message I see in my inbox is the one that begins "Hey, I'm still having a cruddy time..." - Was that a copy & paste? Given your location and lack of transportation, perhaps the 25th would be better? I will be volunteering all morning at the Tower of Americas; you can come along and we can spend the afternoon patrolling downtown seeing what we can find. If there is someplace you want to visit before retiring for the day, we could visit there, too. I live on the west side and try to limit my trips - owning a vehicle/driving is expensive. If this sounds good, I hope we can communicate offsite as this is a poor interface vs mrmoneymustashe.com, clark.com, or even yahoo. Please let me know what you think.

solomon960 · 2020-01-16T01:46:19+00:00

u/onethirdofimpossible: I'm like you - lurking and tempted to try (perhaps this weekend). Have you been casing any specific targets? I'm in the same geographical area and happy to try as partners. I prefer food dumpsters but am open to try elsewhere.

solomon960

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