Airline only gives the option to use passport information when booking the ticket so I’m wondering if Nexus is allowed to use when you presented at the port of entry? INDIAN origin OCI holder. Canadian permanent residency holder.
Hi, for context:
- i am a Romanian national, residing in Germany
- i am married to US national who now also is residing in Germany with me
- i have applied for a tourist visa twice in the past, before we got married. Once for medical purposes, once purely for tourism. The medical purpose visa was denied as I could not agree on a treatment plan soon enough with the American hospital of my choice. The tourist visa I filed afterwards also got denied but that time because I was unemployed at the time, and the officer considered me an overstay risk, despite providing abundant proof that I intended to return to Germany. Both of these attempts happened in 2023, I was not married at the time.
- both of these past interviews happened at the Frankfurt US Consulate.
Goal right now:
- i want to go to the US with my american spouse to a wedding we‘ve been invited to
- i want to know how to apply considering the history of two consecutive rejections
Thanks in advance for everyone‘s input!!
Asking this since i don’t see anyone else asking it. How soon you can enter Usa after paying immigrant fee. Like can they travel right next day or two after paying it?
Hello everyone,
I am reaching out to the community of PhD holders and high-impact researchers (EB-1A, EB-1B, and EB-2 NIW) who are currently caught in the indefinite 75-country immigrant visa pause that took effect on January 21, 2026.
As of mid-May 2026, many of us have passed our interviews (like myself in Islamabad) only to be handed a 221(g) "yellow slip" citing both technical TAL reviews and the broader policy pause. While we wait in administrative limbo, our research various in fields like analytical chemistry, AI, materials science, and environmental remediation—work vital to U.S. national interests—remains stalled.
The Blueprint for a Thaw:
We have just seen a major breakthrough. In early May 2026, the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS officially lifted the freeze for foreign-trained physicians.This wasn't accidental; it was the result of intense lobbying by nearly 20 medical associations warning of a national healthcare crisis.
Our Goal:
It is time for the scientific community to demand a similar "PhD/STEM Research Exception." If the U.S. can exempt doctors to protect healthcare, it must exempt elite researchers to protect its technological edge. We need to collectively reach out to organizations like the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and other major tech coalitions to make our case.
Call to Action:
Hey, I was wondering if it was possible to travel to a different country with a green card, with all the stuff happening with ICE it has me worried what documents should I have in order to ensure nothing happens, for context I’m going on vacation for a week in 2 week to Colombia
USCIS has completely rolled out its Service Center Operations (SCOPS) system. Instead of your Form I-130 sitting in a massive backlog at one specific overloaded service center (like California or Texas), USCIS now automatically shifts cases around nationally to wherever staff has the lightened workload.
The Benefit: For clean applications with clear evidence, the first phase (I-130 approval) is increasingly hitting the 12 to 14.5-month mark for consular processing, down from the brutal 18+ month waits seen during the height of the pandemic backlog.
The National Visa Center (NVC) stage is operating much more efficiently. They have streamlined their online document review system. Once your I-130 is approved, if you submit your financial documents (the I-864 Affidavit of Support) and civil documents perfectly, the NVC has been marking cases "Documentarily Qualified" (DQ) within 2 to 4 weeks.
First off you've probably already guessed that Islamabad is not like other embassies and I don't want you walking in blind.
Nearly 70% of male beneficiaries from Pakistan are getting hit with the DS-5535 (Supplemental Questions form) in 2026. Women too, increasingly. It gets triggered by travel history, government or tech employment, or even just a common name.
Once you submit it, your case goes into Administrative Processing. At ISL, that's currently running 4 to 10 months *after* your interview. Not a typo.
I recommend you build out a detailed 15-year history of every address, phone number, and social media handle you've ever used. Have it ready before the interview so you can submit the DS-5535 the same day it's requested; don't give them any reason to wait on you.
This one is serious so read carefully. If you and your fiancé perform a Nikah before entering the US, the US government treats that as a legal marriage. Legal marriage = ineligible for K-1. Full stop.
If an officer figures it out, the visa gets denied for "not being legally free to marry" and you're starting over with a CR-1 instead.
Keep it to an engagement celebration only. And be mindful of photos — red lehengas, heavy bridal jewelry, or anything that looks like a signing ceremony can raise flags at the interview even if you insist it wasn't a Nikah.
---
**3. Don't Book the Medical Early**
Panel physicians in Islamabad and Karachi are backed up. More importantly, medicals are only valid for 6 months in 2026. If you get hit with a long AP delay (see point 1), there's a real chance your medical expires before the visa is issued — meaning you pay $300+ for a second one.
Simple rule: don't book the medical until you have your actual interview letter in hand.
If your US petitioner needs a co-sponsor, make it a close family member. The Islamabad embassy is openly skeptical of friend co-sponsors. Don't give them an easy reason to question the financial support.
Realistic 2026 Timeline for Pakistan
- I-129F at USCIS: 8–11 months
- NVC to Islamabad: 4–8 weeks
- Interview wait: 2–4 months
- AP if triggered: 4–10 months
- **Total: budget 18 to 22 months, start to finish**
Stop comparing your timeline to someone filing from London or Manila. Pakistan is flagged as a high-scrutiny post by the State Department. It is what it is. Plan for the long version. Pray for the short one.
hello, my friend recently had her passport stolen, which was her only form of ID. she tried to get a state ID showing proof of her police case, but they said she couldn't since she doesn't have her passport. she has an internship starting soon and has to travel domestically.
is there any way she can travel without ID? will confirmID work for her? she is waiting on a report from the police with details on her case, but once she gets that, will she be eligible? her other documents (I-20, SEVIS) are all valid and available
thank you so much!
The current administration has issued a directive not to issue green cards to anyone caught using "anti-Isreal" or antisemitic speech. This is in addition to anything deemed to be "anti-American".
Does USCIS asked for proof of income during filing for I-129F? if my US fiance is currently self-employed? He plans to switch job at company later on though this June or July so only that time and onwards he can provide for proof of income. but we planned to file for i-129f this May while he’s still self-employed.
I’m a dual citizen, born and raised in the U.S., but Mexico has been my home since 2004. I rarely go back except for weddings or funerals. My kids were born in Mexico and have never been to the U.S., although my oldest speaks English from being raised by me. My wife is Mexican and we’ve been married 12 years.
All four of my kids’ grandparents are alive and living in Mexico as well, my parents (both U.S. born and raised, now retired here) live near us, and so do my in-laws. Our entire immediate family life is based here, and we have no intent to move to the U.S.
We recently went through the tourist visa process for my wife so we could occasionally visit the U.S. as a family. We spent a significant amount of money on the trip to the consulate and time preparing, though in hindsight we didn’t fully understand how short and mostly verbal the interview would be, and we gathered a large set of documents to support our situation.
Unfortunately, she was denied at the interview. What’s frustrating is that she never really got a chance to explain the full context of our family situation, our long-term residence in Mexico, our ties here, and the fact that we are not trying to immigrate.
I also feel somewhat conflicted because I’m partly frustrated that she didn’t volunteer more of this information, but she genuinely believed the interview would be more of a conversation where these details would naturally come up. Instead, it was very short and structured, and she was under the impression that she should only answer what was directly asked, and not volunteer additional details unless prompted. edit: My wife also says that the person interviewing her was not paying her much attention either and mostly looking at their computer screen. In fact my wife is more upset about the lack of respect with which she felt she was treated by this individual than that her visa was denied.
We had all the supporting documents ready, but there just wasn’t an opportunity to present the full picture.
I’m just trying to understand what the realistic path is for families like ours in situations like this.
Edit: I feel like the message I am getting from the Gov't is that until me and my family actually want to live permanently in the USA my wife is not allowed to go there, only me and my kids may cross the border, but my wife may not.
I'm not sure if anyone here can help me, but I am a US citizen living abroad with my spouse. I am about to receive a job offer in the US and hoping to get approved for Direct Consular Filing. If I do get approved, and submit the offer letter as a basis for DCF....
If I get a job offer for a different job in a different state than the original offer (but it still has a similar start date) will this impact the petition for my spouse if I tell them during the process?
If I get another job after AFTER the petition is already approved but my spouse hasn't moved to the states yet, will it cause problems?
Right now I live in a country with a weak currency and although it is more than sufficient to live on, with my spouse being a stay at home spouse, but it falls just below the poverty guidelines on the affidavit of support, can I use my projected income from the job offer letter to get approved?
I hope these questions make sense. Thank you all!