Hello everyone, I am eligible to apply for the naturalization process under the 5-year rule.

My inquiry is about outstanding taxes. I have sent my request to the IRS for a compromise, but they have not sent me any response.

Please suggest whether I should still apply and fill out my form without getting an IRS response, or wait until my taxes are adjusted. My I-130 is pending for my husband, and I really need to upgrade my case from F2A to the IR1 category.

Your kind suggestions will be highly appreciated. Thank you.

I’m confused as to if you can still marry for papers I’ve heard mixed things about if the law has been changed or not. I’m concerned bc I’m willing to marry my bf but he wants to wait until I finish school in 3 years(2029). However I personally don’t want to wait since things are getting worse.

He came on a visitors visa and overstayed, so what are the options for him if marriage is no longer available?

Hi everyone,

I'm an F-1 international student from Nepal currently studying in the United States.

A few weeks ago, I realized my passport was missing. I'm still trying to recover it, but at the same time I'm preparing for the possibility that it's gone and that I'll need to get a new passport.

If I do get a new passport, I'll also need a new F-1 visa stamp since I won't have the old passport anymore.

I'm trying to decide whether I should travel to Nepal during December (winter break) to get my F-1 visa stamped before returning to the U.S.

I'm hoping to hear from anyone who has recently gone through F-1 visa stamping in Nepal.

Some questions I have:

• How difficult was it to get an interview appointment?
• How long did it take from the interview to getting your passport back?
• What documents did you take?
• What questions were you asked during the interview?
• Were you asked about funding, transcripts, research, or ties to Nepal?
• Has anyone here gotten a new passport first because the old one was lost before applying for a new F-1 visa?
• Would you recommend going in December, or is that a risky time because of appointment availability and processing delays?

For context:

• I'm currently in the U.S.
• I'm maintaining valid F-1 status.
• I'm a computer science undergraduate at Texas State University.
• I would only travel if I have my new passport and all required documents ready.

I'm honestly a bit anxious because this situation has become much more complicated than I expected, and I want to make sure I can return to the U.S. for the spring semester without any issues.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice you have.

Thank you!

My STEM OPT expires Aug 27. My H-1B is already approved with an Oct 1 start date. Chances of layoffs in my team.

Can I switch to a new employer before Oct 1? Would the new employer need to file anything, and does it affect my Oct 1 start date or status?

Anyone been through this exact situation?

Has anyone here had a UK spouse visa appeal at the First-tier Tribunal that took this long?
My appeal was lodged 17 months ago and my lawyer submitted the skeleton argument 3 months ago. Since then, I haven’t received a hearing date or any further updates.
I’m represented by a solicitor but I’m just trying to understand whether this timeline is normal and how long other people in a similar situation waited before receiving a hearing date.
If you’ve been through a spouse visa appeal, I’d really appreciate hearing about your timeline and experience. Thanks

How should a stateless individual (since birth) born to expat parents correct their situation in the uae? The person grew up without legal documents and education. Is it possible to correct this issue without risk of deportation or imprisonment, especially when going to the court? Would there also be fines?

Hello everyone!

My fiancée and I will get married in September and we started dating in February of this year so 7 months of being in a serious and bonafide relationship. I’m a U.S. citizen and we will file for his AOS a week after our wedding.

My question is: based on your experience, do you think 7 months is way too short to get married and potentially raise any suspicion despite us having a lot of evidence and timeline of our relationship together?

Hi everyone, I have an 8:00 AM biometrics appointment at the Memphis, TN ASC coming up and had two quick questions for anyone who has been there:

1. Do they take people strictly by appointment time, or is it first-come, first-served based on the line outside? How early should I arrive?

2. How strict are they about phones in the waiting room? Could I quietly answer emails on my phone while waiting, or is it strictly prohibited?

Appreciate any insight from anyone who has been there recently!

Hi everyone,
My fall semester starts on September 8, but I have an internship in South Korea that ends on September 12, so I’m planning to fly back to New York on September 14.
My school has strongly recommended that international students return before classes begin, especially because a new DHS rule affecting F-1 admissions is expected to take effect on September 15. However, they haven’t said that arriving after September 8 would automatically cause a visa or status issue.
Has anyone here entered the U.S. on an F-1 visa after the semester had already started? Did CBP ask a lot of questions, or require any extra documentation?
My F-1 visa, I-20, and SEVIS record are all valid, and I can bring my internship contract showing that it ends on September 12. I’m just really nervous that arriving six days after classes begin could cause problems at immigration.
I’d really appreciate hearing about anyone’s experience or advice. 😭

Hello everyone, I had my H1B visa interview today on 22nd July, 2026. I had my first H1b visa stamping at Chennai embassy and this is my H1b renewal. VO asked for my latest W2 (2025) and my LCA, provided the same.

She verified the docs, asked why the salaries did not match on my W2 and LCA (My salary incremented in Sep 2025 which was reflected in the current LCA but 2025 tax year was filed with my previous salary so there was a discrepancy between the salaries). Unfortunately, didn't have my previous LCA just the current one. The VO reviewed the docs, and asked me general questions about role, salary, whether my social media accounts were mentioned (which I did, all of them, and they are public) and any threats in India.

After that, she issued me 221g white slip with administrative processing ticked, and sent me to another window. Another VO asked me a lot of questions and docs and requested old LCA. I did not carry it with me, so she asked me to send it to a mail and kept my passport.

I emailed them the same day with everything, my previous LCA, past one year pay slips, explaining why there was a difference. Any suggestions or feedback on how long it takes to approve or any similar experience? I have to travel back to US by Aug first week. I really appreciate any feedback.

Hi,

F, been in the US since teenager now mid/late 20s..

I just got my green card and I'm seriously considering joining the military.

I have a degree, but kinda useless since it's a fine arts degree related to film, very hard to get a job nowadays since ai is taking over, and I don't have money to pursue another degree right now (whether it's second degree or a masters) I tried looking into trades, but it's so saturated I'll have to wait a long time to get my foot in the door.

I do come from a country with a decent healthcare so I do already have a decent healthcare back where I'm from, though I do not have it in the US - so I'd have to go back to my country if something serious happens

I'm trying to get either training from the military, or some grants I'll be able to use so I can succeed as a civilian. So my end goal for me would be discharging after serving 8 yrs but is subjected to change depending on my experience.

I feel like if I want to go to the military, this is my last chance before I start feeling I'm too old physically.

Since I'm not a citizen yet (I'll get naturalized in the military though), I won't be able to commission and will have limited MOS (job) selection within the military.

I understand only I can decide if it'll be worth it, but still wanted to hear some opinions.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Hey all
I just want to vent.. I was lucky enough to get my work permit and work sponsered green card sponsered at the same time, in 2023 I moved to America on a L1B visa I spoke with my attorneys and asked them when will my green card come and they said sometime that year (2023) well fast forward now and my L1B expires next Jan and my green card is still not here which means I can stay in America and work once my L1B expires but I can't leave till I get my green card. To add to my problems I work in the automotive industry as a contractor and I get paid hourly, my industry has dried up complelty as customers can't afford to have contractors right now and it sucks for me because I cannot apply for unemployment and I can't get another job due to my visa. The american immigration system is so hard and complex...its mentally exhausting fighting a system that feels like it is designed for you to fail. I'm probably going to go back home...the thought of going home after I built a life out here sucks to be im trying to be positive it's just hard...you have those days where you're just like damn I can't believe this is happening to me. I worked hard to get here and now it just feels like it's gone to waste

We will get married soon and then we plan to go to Colombia.

I am dual Mexican-Canadian citizen and we wanted to go to mexico to live but she is too scared and instead thinks we should go to Colombia. Any advice?

Im a Somali immigrant living in Saudi Arabia and i need advice on how to leave so i can meet my partner of 4 years. My partner is a us citizen and we were trying to meet eachother for so long and recently we found out the us doesn't accept Somali passport holders regardless of their visa we scrapped the idea of meeting in the us and we decided to meet in Dominica take pictures, and try to send me a spousal visa, again i live in Saudi Arabia with no sponsor or id (Iqama) so I've been told if i leave I can't come back even with a valid visa. They take finger prints from you and send you off and you can't never come back unless its in ten year times me and my partner felt crushed and hopeless what should we do?

• Status: Mexican citizen living in London on a UK Skilled Worker Visa, employed full-time at a major US Big Tech company for almost 8 years.
• 2013 Arrest/Conviction: Arrested at age 19 in California for misdemeanor petty theft (PC 484). Received 2 years of summary probation and paid an ~$800 fine in full. No jail time served.
• Visa History:
  • Prior B1/B2 applications denied in 2015 and 2018.
  • Re-applied at the U.S. Embassy in London in summer 2024 and was approved.
• Travel History: Since the 2024 approval, I have traveled to the US 4 times (3 times for work with my tech employer, 1 time for vacation) with zero issues at Border Control.
• My husband recently went for his visa renewal in London. During his interview, the consular officer asked him if his spouse had ever had a visa denied, to which he truthfully answered yes.
• A few days later, I received an official email from the Embassy revoking my visa under 22 CFR 41.122, instructing me to surrender my passport for physical cancellation and re-apply.
• My understanding is that my 2013 charge strictly meets the criteria for the Petty Offense Exception (INA 212(a)(2)(A)(ii)(II)) because the max penalty was under 1 year and the sentence imposed was zero jail time.

Thanks in advance for any advise

I am currently reaching out to specialized US immigration attorneys in London, but wanted to hear from anyone who has gone through something similar.

Sharing our green card timeline and hope to help anyone else navigating this journey. There were so many stressful moments but everything worked out eventually.

background:

• me - california, work in tech, US citizen, 30, Taiwanese
• my wife - PHD student at california school, born in China
• city - LA
• how we met - on dating app

timeline:

• 10-27-25 USCIS received case
• 11-3-25 Got online access codes
• 11-7-25 Got biometrics done at an application support center
• 11-25-25 Got interview notice but we were on a scheduled vacation so we called to reschedule as we will be out of state. We actually rescheduled twice because the initial reschedule was still within our vacation out of state time
• 1-9-26 Did green card interview in person
• 1-10-26 USCIS portal said green card approved
• 1-25-26 Green card received in mail

Iterview process:

We were asking Claude (AI) to rehearse interview questions but worried claude would leak personal information. Our friend then built a mock interview tool for us. We used it to mock 3 times (who is this person, where did you guys meet, which side of the bed do you sleep on, etc). On the day of the interview, the officer asked 5 questions and everything went as prepared.

Its been a journey but we're super happy it all worked out. Good luck everyone, happy to answer anything!

Hello all,

I am travelling from Toronto to Charlotte
(7:10 PMto 9:34 PM) December 24

Charlotte to London
(10:30 PM December 24 to 11:40 am December 25) Terminal 3

London to Mumbai
(December 25 Terminal 5 3:05 PM to 5:40 am December 26)

My airline is fully same. I don’t need collect any bags. I am Canadian pr with USA tourist visa and Indian citizenship. Do i require any visa for UK and what do you think about short layover in USA?

I have same PNR.

We send our package on 10/07 and so far we do not receive SMS or discount of the value.

Has anyone sent to AZ who can tell us a time line?

I am getting married this year to a US Citizen but I am a UK citizen. Currently on my OPT Visa looking to transition into adjustment of status for my green card at the end of this year. We are due to get our marriage license in the coming weeks and I am seeing conflicting things/opinions on what I need to bring to the clerk to obtain the marriage license. If anyone from the UK has went through this process some help would be appreciated!

I'll be relocating to the US with a green card, and heard stories about entries being rejected because of political engagement in social medias (Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, etc). Are these simply very rare events that made it to the news, or is this "Social check" not really a big deals? For example, will they open my phone / open individual apps / review likes, history, saves, posts, and potentially deny entry based on political subjects? Any advice would be appreciated!

Hi everyone,
My STEM OPT extension has been approved, and I'll be traveling outside the U.S. soon. I currently live and work in Seattle, but I was wondering if it's okay to re-enter the U.S. through a different port of entry.
For example, instead of flying back into Seattle, can I enter through San Francisco and then take a domestic flight to Seattle afterward?
Has anyone done this while on STEM OPT? Were there any issues with CBP or immigration?

Reddit forums have been such a huge help for us throughout this whole process so I thought I'd share our timeline here...I hope it helps you too!!

My husband is from Tanzania, I am a US citizen. We met when I was traveling in TZ back in May 2023.

January 2024 - we are doing long distance, I'm flying out there to visit whenever I can - he applied for a tourist visa twice, denied twice (dar es salaam embassy).

After this, we decide how we want to move forward and decide to get engaged and do the k-1 visa process.

April-July 2024 - research, meet with immigration lawyer in Austin, TX. She seems great and I decide to do the whole process with this lawyer after our meeting.

She turns out to be flakey. I have to email her multiple times for answers to questions and she clearly has too many cases, not sure? The last email I received was that she was going to send the paperwork for me to sign/pay fees. And then I NEVER heard back from her. Glad I hadn't paid the fees and dodged a bullet there.

I decided to file with boundless immigration. Lawyer route would've been sooo much more expensive. (Also, FYI, This was a lawyer that came highly recommended by a lawyer friend)

Boundless was easy to use and straightforward…like turbo tax for immigration. You still need to check their work and be diligent—that was a little annoying. The person assigned to my case was helpful and it was nice to be able to email a real person for my 1 million questions. The 24 hour customer service people were not as helpful…like emailing with ChatGPT…so, just email with your case worker during office hours and waste less time.

Also, I would not pay for the premier plan, just the basic plan is enough without lawyer phone call/interview prep. The lawyer call wasn’t particularly groundbreaking and basically told me all the things that I knew through online research...so I’d say skip that and save some cash there. We couldn’t get on the calendar for the interview prep call before the interview either so that didn't end up being helpful at all.

I probably could've filed myself but it gave me peace of mind to have a "team" helping me through the process.

Sep 3, 2024 - application package mailed to USCIS

Sep 16, 2024 - USCIS receives k1 application

(waiting waiting waiting)

Feb 13, 2025 - USCIS approval

March 18, 2025 - USCIS sends application to NVC

April 7-8 2025 - sent public inquiry to NVC and no update on application (they just said that it wasn’t in the system yet)

April 16, 2025 - sent second public inquiry

April 17, 2025 - NVC responds with case number info and other important ID numbers and says we will receive a welcome letter in the mail (we never received this welcome letter)

May 13, 2025 - Dr appt in Dar Es Salaam (received all required vaccines and X-rays - cost $600, plus travel and lodging - the paper from the embassy says it will be $200. This is the only embassy-approved Dr on Tanzania - felt like a scam)

May 26, 2025 - travel back to Dar to receive sealed Dr appt envelope

May 28, 2025 - interview appointment at embassy - they looked through all of paperwork and then gave him a laminated card to come back the next day for the actual interview (we didn’t know that this was the process so this was a surprise/stressful to wait another day)

May 29, 2025 - Actual interview day! Received verbal approval at interview.

Questions they asked at interview:

Where do you live?

What do you do for work?

When & where did you met?

Has she visited you? How many times?

Have you met her family? Has she met yours?

Future plans?

What will you do when you arrive in USA?

Asked about engagement.

All the information/paperwork etc is honest and true?

June 5, 2025 - visa paperwork & passport is ready for pickup (paid for DHL shipping through the embassy - don’t waste your money - was never delivered and courier asked for more money to deliver even though they’re supposed to deliver to Arusha and it is a service offered through the embassy - had to travel BACK to dar on 10 hour bus ride to pick up everything instead)

August 30, 2025 - arrive in USA!!! (Chicago was USA entry point - was super quick. Border agent was efficient and didn't ask a lot of questions. Then took domestic flight to LA)

October 9, 2025 - married at LA courthouse (LA registrar messed up our marriage certificate so we had to wait a while to receive official copy after corrections)

Dec 31, 2025 - FINALLY receive marriage certificate and submit AOS and work permit with boundless

Jan 9, 2026 - application submitted

Jan 12, 2026 - USCIS informs us that they received

Jan 26, 2026 - receive biometrics appt via snail mail

Feb 6, 2026 - biometrics appt (Los angeles)

Feb 9, 2026 - account updated to "still being processed" - (from my googling, this was them linking the biometrics data to the account)

May 17, 2026 - received an email about an update to our account - I-485 was updated to "still being processed" - so I'm just logging in over and over trying to see if there's an update or documents added..nothing.

May 19, 2026 - I messaged "ask Emma" on USCIS website to chat with a real person - messaged with an agent and she informed me that we are in the queue to receive and interview date, but no date has been set yet. (I am hoping that the interview gets waived!) Still no update with EAD - hoping green card comes through fast!

July 11, 2026 - received an email saying “there’s been an update to your account” when I logged into USCIS, nothing had updated except for the date changed to “July 11 - still processing” - so I’ve been keeping an eye on the account since then.

July 20, 2026 - received official notice that the green card interview has been scheduled! August 25, 2026. Excited to have a concrete date and some sort of light out of this tunnel. Since the green card is moving along so quickly…that means that they've totally bypassed the work visa that has been sitting with zero change since February. Such a stressful process!!

I will update as things happen! Hope this is helpful to yall!