r/AskUSImmigrationPros

i’m a 17 year old immigrant moving here when i was 5, my mother had recently lost my greencard,social security card, and nigerian birth certificate. But ive had my greencard since 2018, my dad became naturalized in 2015 and my mom in 2017 so im pretty sure i became a citizen through that. the thing is i’m bringing a photocopy of my greencard and social security, along with the expired nigerian passport i came to america with (it has the I-551 stamp in it) along with my dads u.s passport and a copy of his certificate of naturalization. i have other stuff like my highschool diploma, immunization records from when i lived in north carolina, and school id’s (im in my first year of cc) along with a photocopy of my nigerian birth certificate, yet i think me and my dad are trying to figure out a way to get another official nigerian birth certificate. would this be able to get me my u.s passport?

So like the title says I plan to move back to the US with my family. I am a US citizen but I haven't lived in the US since I was 16. I have a million questions and fears about the whole process.

My children don't qualify as citizen and neither does my husband. I am trying to get them their green card. The process seems so overwhelming and my son has heart problems. I was told that this won't disqualify him and he should be fine. But I am still nervous. The affidavit of Support is so confusing and scares me the most.

I could really use some advice from others who have returned to the US with their family's after being away for a long time.

So far I have:

- filed my US taxes. I back dated them because I didn't realise I need to submitted every year even if I own $0. I did them when I was first an adult and aware I needed to lodge them but I owed nothing so so I thought it was pointless. I didn't know it was a legal requirement wether I owed money or not. I was a stay at home mum for a while and I earned nothing so I thought why bother. Only when I return to work and became a home owner did I think maybe I do owe something now that I have an income and assets. That is when I realised I had messed up... I filed and backed dated them all and did the disclosure thing so I should be ok.

- Went to the embassy to get a adult US passport.

- Discovered my US birth certificate is wrong while I was there, so, I asked the county I am from to send a new one.

What I still need to do:

- file the i-130 for everyone.

- figure out where we are moving to.

I think San Antonio is the right place.

-prepare medical records for medical check

-prepare for affidavit

-prepare for interview

Questions I have:

- If I am in the US already will my family stand a better chance of getting approved?

How do I provided an address in the US if I don't live in the US?

- San Antonio is massive, I have no idea where will be a good place to raise my family. We'd like a to live on the outskirts of town in a rural setting.

- What about work? My husband works in asset finance and would like me to be a stay at home mum. He should make a good deal of money and this should be possible. But, I'm more realistic and realise that I will likely have to work. I work in transport and logistics, however I am also qualified as a ELF teacher. However I haven't practiced in a couple of years. I know there is work in the heavy vehicle industry in San Antonio, but I live in Australia we drive on the other side of the road. This is a recipe for disaster. Driver's I have taught who come from a different city struggle, let alone another country.

-The finances. Like the multiple rule confuses me. Do we need to sell our house before the affidavit? I am reading conflicting reports. Some sound like we basically need to have sold the house, have our bags packed, a US bank account open, school enrolments sorted and a house bought in the US. Other reports say that we have 12 months to sort everything and get over there.

Any information from a lived experience would be appreciated! Please let me know, its possible, not as hard as I think and tip would be lovely!

I am writing for what is hopefully some quick direction on an immigration matter. 

Background:
I am a US Citizen living currently in Italy with my wife, (Italian and Iranian citizen and passport hold of both) and son (Italian and American citizen and passport holder)

We are currently waiting still since January 2025 for the Immigration process for my wife (I-130) and would like to speed up our process to get to the US, or at least travel to the US together. 

Our thought process is applying for either B1 or K3 visas for my wife to enter the US. I think K3 is best since we are married and it would hopefully allow her to live in the US while we wait for I-130 approval. If we do the form for K3, are there any additional forms needed? 

Input?

I am travelling to the US for 2months for a family visit and will have university coursework deadlines during this period. I saw online that “study for credit” is not permitted while on ESTA but i was wondering if that applied to completing coursework for a UK university while I am visiting? It seems to be a grey area and i cant find any similar scenarios. Does anyone have any more information on this?

B1/B2 visitor denied entry after very long secondary inspection — looking for similar experiences
My partner has a valid B1/B2 visa and traveled to the U.S. with me. I was admitted normally, but he was sent to secondary inspection and remained there for more than 15 hours, including overnight.
Eventually he was told he would not be admitted and would be returned on the next available flight.
Some background:
He has never overstayed.
He had one long but authorized U.S. stay in the past.
On a later visit, CBP admitted him for only a short period, and he fully complied with that departure date.
Since then, he has spent many months living and working outside the U.S.
This visit was only supposed to be for a few weeks.
He already had a return ticket.
He was going to stay with me during the visit.
I have not seen his paperwork yet, so I don’t know whether this was a withdrawal of application for admission (I-275) or expedited removal (I-860), and I don’t know yet whether his B1/B2 visa was canceled.
Has anyone experienced something similar?
If you were allowed to withdraw your application for admission:
Was your visa canceled?
Were you later able to get another visitor visa?
Did anyone later successfully get a K-1 fiancé visa or CR-1 spouse visa?
We were already considering marriage, so I’m also trying to understand whether a prior refused entry/withdrawal creates major problems for a future K-1 or spouse visa, assuming there was no fraud or misrepresentation finding.
I understand nobody can know exactly what happened until we see the paperwork. I’m mainly hoping to hear from people who have personally gone through something similar.

Hi everyone, looking for some insight on a really stressful cross-border legal situation.
I am a Canadian citizen. Recently, I was with someone in New Jersey who shoplifted a $4.95 item. I did not steal the item, conceal it, or intend to help them, but the police/security charged me anyway (presumably under accomplice liability/conspiracy).
Because the value is under $200, it’s a Disorderly Persons (DP) offense in NJ, which I know is handled in local municipal court.
Here is my issue and timeline:
October 20th: I have my first municipal court appearance via Zoom (so I will be attending virtually from Canada).
November 11th: I have a critical, pre-planned trip back to the US for both work (I do not have a work visa), I am volunteering and have passes for a comedy festival that I exchanged art work for and leisure.
I am currently waiting to hear back from private defense attorneys I've reached out to for consultations. My goal is a total dismissal or a downgrade to a non-criminal Municipal Ordinance fine since I didn't actually do it and the amount is so tiny.
My big questions for anyone with cross-border or NJ legal experience:
The Border Timeline: Realistically, if my court date is Oct 20 and the case gets postponed (which I hear is common for a first appearance), will US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) see an active, pending charge and deny me entry on Nov 11?
The "Petty Offense Exception": If the case somehow resolves on Oct 20, does a $4.95 DP offense trigger a Crime Involving Moral Turpitude (CIMT) ban, or does it safely fall under the petty offense exception for Canadians?
Defense Strategies: For a $4.95 item where I wasn't the principal thief, how likely is a New Jersey prosecutor to grant a De Minimis dismissal or a non-criminal civil compromise?
Any advice on how to handle the Zoom court, what to tell the judge if I don't have a lawyer fully retained by the 20th, or border experiences would be incredibly appreciated. Thank you.

I am a Green card holder ( permanent resident). My mother applied for B1/B2 visa ,interviewed at mumbai consulate

• Her profile: Widow, one son staying with her in india , daughter (USA)
• Trip sponsor: Self

Questions asked at consulate:

1. Do you have someone in USA.

A. Yes my daughter

2.Why do you want to visit USA:

A. Daughter bought new home so visiting for house warming ceremony and after completing that will travel and see some attractions.

3. How long is your stay:

A. 1 month

4. Who's sponsoring your trip?

A. SELF

5. What do you do for earning?

A. House wife

6. How will you sponsor your trip, do you have a regular source of income?

A. I have my savings good enough to cover my one month trip. I live with my son so he takes care of my expenses and I also survive out of the interest from my FD and other investments. I also does some small embroidery work but it's seasonal and not often available ( We didn't mention this embroidery work in DS160 as it wasn't a regular source of income for her)

6. Do you have any fear returning to India?

A. No I don't have any fear I will return back

after 5 minutes he handed over the refusal paper and asked my mother to apply again.

They didn't ask for any documents. my mother has property and all the investments on her name. I don't know what went wrong here. Anybody with same scenario please guide. 🙏🏻

should i reapply at different consulate next time?

Should i apply again? and this time should say I'm funding my mothers whole trip?

I came into the US from Canada on 22/9/26 for a one week trip to leave 29/9/26 and my officer gave me an extra date for my “admit until date” on i94 till 30/9/26. Got turned back at the airport yesterday 29/9/26 because my pr card isn’t with me and my spouse sent it yesterday. But i would likely not receive it until tomorrow 1st October 2026. Does this make me an overstayer if I leave after 30/9/26. What can I do. Requesting an extension online is showing $420.

I need to know how to apply for a green card so I can stay in the us .

Hi community, I'm from Sudan and I came across the EB2 NIW path to USA PR. I want to know whether this ban on my country Sudan will deny me access to USA even if I got approved?