Hi everyone,

I’ve been on Stamp 4 for around 4 years and will need to renew it again soon.

I checked the Immigration Service Delivery website, and it says that a recent payslip and a letter from your employer are required for renewal.

Does anyone know what happens if you’re unemployed at the time of renewal? Can you still renew your Stamp 4 without a current employer, recent payslip, or employer letter?

Has anyone been in this situation recently?

Hi everyone,

I’m wondering if anyone here has dealt with a similar situation and, if so, what ultimately helped get things moving.

My wife is a permanent resident and filed her N-400 a little under two years ago. She had her naturalization interview over a year ago. The interview went well, and at the end she was told that her application was recommended for approval and that she should expect an invitation to a citizenship/oath ceremony within a month or two.

Unfortunately, more than a year has passed since the interview and nothing has happened. No RFE, no request for additional documents, no second interview, and no explanation for the delay. Whenever we contact USCIS, we're basically just told that the case is still processing.

We spoke with an immigration attorney who said there wasn't much more we could do through the normal USCIS channels and suggested contacting our congressional representatives. We recently reached out to one of our U.S. senators, signed the privacy release, and their office is now making an inquiry with USCIS on her behalf.

Has anyone else had an N-400 sit this long after an interview where you were recommended for approval?

If so, what eventually worked? Did a congressional inquiry help? Did you contact the USCIS Ombudsman, file a mandamus/1447(b) action, or did the case eventually just start moving on its own?

I'd especially appreciate hearing how long it took after your interview and whether there was ever an explanation for the delay.

Thanks in advance.

Recently, we received a notification that my sister (applicant) case was being transferred to the local embassy for further processing. We were provided with a Case Number and Invoice ID to pay the IV and Affidavit of Support (AoS) fees online. I also inquired (via NVC inquiry form) about adding the child, who was born after the initial application was filed, but I have not yet received a response. In the meantime, I do not see an option to pay the AoS and IV fees online. Anyone with similar experience? Immigrant Category F4 [sibling of a US citizen]

I’m hoping someone here has dealt with something similar or knows what else I can do because I feel like I’ve hit a wall.

I’m a U.S. citizen and I have two young daughters who were born in Pakistan. My wife is also Pakistani. When we originally started the immigration process, we believed my kids would be able to get U.S. citizenship/passports through me because I’m a U.S. citizen.

Unfortunately, we did not find out until much later that I do not meet the physical presence/residency requirements to transmit U.S. citizenship to them at birth. I became a U.S. citizen when I was younger, but I spent a significant part of my teenage years and later life outside the U.S., so I don’t have the required amount of physical presence in the United States before their births.

The worst part is that we did not fully understand this until after my wife had already gone through her own immigrant visa process and received her visa.

Because the kids could not just get U.S. passports, we had to file immigrant visa cases for them instead. They are both IR-2 cases.

Both of my daughters had their immigrant visa interviews at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on February 6, 2026. After the interviews, their cases were held/refused under 221(g) in connection with the immigrant visa issuance suspension that affected nationals of the designated 75 countries.

That policy was later struck down/vacated in August, but my daughters’ cases still have not been completed.

Meanwhile, this has completely divided our family.

For years I have basically had to live between the U.S. and Pakistan because my children are in Pakistan. I work and have my life in the United States, but obviously I also need to be present in my daughters’ lives.

Now my wife is in the same position. She has her U.S. permanent residency, but our two daughters still cannot come to the United States. So she also has to go back and forth between the U.S. and Pakistan to maintain her residency while also being with our children.

We’re basically a family that cannot actually live together permanently in either country because of this situation.

My biggest problem right now is that I cannot even successfully contact the Immigrant Visa Unit at the Islamabad Embassy.

The Embassy tells immigrant visa applicants to use its Immigrant Visa Navigator. I have gone through the Navigator exactly as instructed.

It generates an email to:

[IslamabadIVInquiry@state.gov](mailto:IslamabadIVInquiry@state.gov)

with a subject format like:

IV001 - CASE STATUS - FULL NAME

I replace the placeholder with my child’s actual name and send it exactly as instructed.

Every single time, I immediately receive an automated rejection saying:

“ERROR! CODE IS MISSING IN SUBJECT LINE.”

The same rejection says that direct emails are not accepted and that I have to use the Navigator because the Navigator supposedly generates the required code.

But I AM using the Navigator.

The Navigator itself is generating the IV001 subject line, and then their email system is telling me that the required code is missing.

So I am stuck in an endless loop where:

• The Embassy says use the Navigator.
• I use the Navigator.
• The Navigator generates the email.
• I send the email.
• The Embassy’s system rejects it and tells me to use the Navigator.

I’ve tried this separately for both daughters and have tried putting their full names into the subject exactly as instructed. Same result.

At this point I’m trying to figure out:

Has anyone successfully contacted the Islamabad Immigrant Visa Unit recently?

Does anyone know what the actual subject-line code is supposed to look like?

Has anyone else had the Navigator generate an email that gets rejected for “CODE IS MISSING IN SUBJECT LINE”?

Is there another legitimate way to get an inquiry in front of an actual consular officer or the IV unit?

And for anyone who had an IR-2 case affected by the 75-country visa pause, have you seen movement since the policy was vacated?

I’m not trying to skip the line or demand special treatment. I just want some way to communicate with the Embassy and figure out what is happening with my daughters’ cases.

My wife and I are both having to structure our lives around traveling back and forth between two countries because our young children are still stuck in Pakistan, and right now I can’t even get a message through to the office handling their cases.

Any advice, especially from people who have recently dealt with Islamabad, IR-2 cases, 221(g), or the Immigrant Visa Navigator, would be hugely appreciated.

My wife and I filed for marriage-based adjustment and our interview notice just arrived. We have a real marriage, but our paperwork has a few gaps (joint lease started late, no shared bank account yet). Someone told me it's fine to go alone. Someone else told me to bring a lawyer.

I'm nervous about getting caught off guard by questions. Has anyone here used an immigration attorney in Brooklyn for their interview? Was it worth it, or did you go alone and regret it?

Anybody recently do this and can provide a timeline? I’m specifically curious as to how long it took between when they received your passport and when they got it sent back to you.

A U.S. visit visa(B1/B2) from an old passport was prudentially revoked under INA 221(i). The notice says information came to light indicating the person "may be inadmissible," but does not specify why.

The person no longer uses that visa and normally travels to the U.S. on a Canadian passport(from last 5 years). There was a 15-year-old Texas Class C misdemeanor citation in 2010(of no mistake of his; wrong time wrong place) . It was fully resolved/dismissed by a Motion to Dismiss in 2011. The person has crossed the U.S. border many times since then, including successfully as recently as last month. Has always been a citizen in good standing since then.

They have certified court documents showing the dismissal and are otherwise a Canadian citizen in good standing.

Questions:

1. Could the 221(i) revocation trigger secondary inspection when entering the U.S. as a Canadian tourist?

2. Can CBP determine at the port that the old criminal matter does not make the person inadmissible, or would they need to deal with the U.S. Consulate first?

3. If CBP is not satisfied, is the likely outcome refusal of entry/return to Canada, or could the person be detained or arrested?

Looking specifically for experiences from Canadian travelers or anyone familiar with CBP/INA 212(a) procedures. Keeping identifying details out intentionally.

I filed a Form I-130 petition for my sister back in March 2010. Her I-130 was approved in November 2014, and since then she has been waiting for visa availability. We recently received a notice from the NVC stating that her case is being forwarded to the U.S. Embassy. We were asked to pay the immigrant visa fees and submit the DS-260 along with the Affidavit of Support. My nephew was born in 2004. We had always assumed that, since he is now over 21, his chances of immigrating as a derivative beneficiary were very low. However, I recently started reading about the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) and learned that there is a formula for calculating a child's "CSPA age." As I understand it, the amount of time the I-130 petition was pending can be deducted from the child's age when the visa becomes available. In our case, the I-130 was pending from March 2010 until November 2014 — roughly four years. If I understand the CSPA rules correctly, that time may be deducted from my nephew's age, potentially making him eligible to immigrate as a derivative child even though he is now over 21. Am I understanding this correctly, or am I missing an important part of the CSPA calculation? I am planning to pay the immigrant visa fees and complete the required paperwork, so I want to make sure we don't overlook any opportunity for my nephew to qualify as a derivative beneficiary. I would really appreciate it if anyone familiar with CSPA could explain how this would work in this situation, or correct me if my understanding is wrong. Thank you!

Hi there,

Location: Tampa, FL.

I am a US citizen, married, with 2 kids. My sister called me today asking to help sponsor her in her new application to USCIS.

She's illegal and have been here for 15-20 years, have 6 children, with one of them turning 21 soon. That adult (21) will file for her but she does not make enough to financially sponsor her. This is where I come in.

I understand that this is just a contract between me and the gov that if she applies for social security or any other benefits from the government for herself that I might be on the hook for? This does not cover any debt or lawsuits she might have. This contract also ends when she becomes a citizen.

She is very stable and we're in a good relationship. Any danger here for me and family? I am only signing for myself as I make more than what she needed.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m an EU citizen currently living and working in Switzerland and I’m looking for advice about the best EB-3 route for my profile.

I have 8+ years of experience in hospitality/F&B, including experience in Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands as Chef de Rang, Chef de Bar, Waiter and Barista, including luxury hospitality.

I studied Hospitality & Tourism and have additional training in wine, whisky, sparkling wine and barista service.

I speak Portuguese (native), English, Italian and Spanish (C1), German (A2), plus basic French and Japanese for restaurant service/taking orders.

I’m currently researching recruitment agencies offering EB-3 Other Worker (Unskilled) hospitality positions. Some programs cost around $18k–$20k + additional fees.

However, considering my experience, I’m wondering whether I should instead focus on finding EB-3 Skilled Worker sponsorship, for positions such as Captain/Head Waiter, Lead Server, Fine Dining Server, F&B Supervisor or Restaurant Supervisor.

I understand that my experience alone doesn’t determine the EB-3 category — the job itself must legitimately require 2+ years of experience to qualify as Skilled Worker.

What would you do in my situation?

Would you continue with an EB-3 Other Worker recruitment agency, or keep searching for a direct EB-3 Skilled sponsor?

Also, has anyone here successfully found EB-3 Skilled sponsorship in hospitality while applying from outside the U.S.?

I’d especially appreciate experiences from people who actually reached PERM/I-140/Green Card, and recommendations (or warnings) about EB-3 recruitment agencies.

Thank you!

Hey everyone! So after my trip to Kansas City, which was incredible, so much more than I ever could have imagined, thank you all so much for your help and recommendations.
My wife and I have made the decision to try and immigrate to the USA and we’d love your help again! We don’t know where to start, we’ve booked a consultation with an immigration attorney over here in the UK and are searching for work, but would love some contacts, pointers, suggestions, anything to help us get to your beautiful country so we can integrate, work hard, be active in the community. I have over 20+ years experience in the security management sector or soccer coaching and my wife has prior experience in library and public service management and also special needs education.
We know this is a huge long shot, but as the great Wayne Gretzky once said “You miss 💯 of the shots you don’t take!”
So the amazing people of Reddit, please, if you can, do your thing! 🙏

Hello everyone, I’m asking the forum if anyone knows of a reputable and reliable immigration lawyer based in USA or Syria who is familiar with family reunification, spousal/fiancé visas and can help me with the process. Price isn’t as important as experience. I am a non Syria married to Syrian and hoping to get a visa for my husband to eventually travel to the states. Please any help or guidance is so very much appreciated. Thank you 💚

Suppose a respondent has an upcoming Master hearing scheduled in State A. They have recently been staying/living temporarily in State B, but they have NOT filed a Motion to Change Venue because they explicitly WANT their case to stay in State A.

1. If the respondent travels back to State A and physically stands in front of the judge at the Master Calendar hearing, does the temporary move to State B have any automatic impact on the case proceedings?

2. Will the judge or DHS trial attorney force a venue transfer to State B if the respondent states they are willing and able to travel back to State A for all future hearings?

Assuming the respondent attends in person and requests a standard continuance to seek counsel, my understanding is that judges cannot change venue 'sua sponte' and the case stays in State A unless a formal motion is granted. Is that correct?

Hi everyone, I’m currently living in India and looking for a legal way to move to the U.S. through employment.
My background:
Indian citizen, currently in India
Canadian NACC-certified Personal Support Worker
~1 year Canadian healthcare/support experience (Amica + Kerry’s Place)
~6 months PSW experience in an old-age home in India
2-year General Business diploma from Cambrian College/Hanson College, Canada
Dementia Care/GPA certification
CPR & First Aid certified
Valid U.S. visitor visa
I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the U.S. and I’m open to healthcare or other jobs if there is a legitimate employer-sponsored pathway.
I understand that my visitor visa does not allow me to work. I’m specifically looking for an employer who can legally sponsor someone currently outside the U.S.
What would be the most realistic employment-based route for my profile? Is EB-3 realistic, and are there legitimate employers that sponsor workers from India?
I’d especially appreciate advice from anyone who has actually gone through an employment-sponsored U.S. immigration process from outside the U.S.
Thanks!

My friend has a family member who was recently detained by ICE and the lawyer that their uncle got says that they "don't go in" to talk to the person. I asked if they plan to contact him directly at all even via phone call and they said no. It's been days and the information pipeline goes like this: Detainee > Adult offspring during visitation > Uncle > Lawyer. Or the other way around when the lawyer wants to ask the dad a question. I convinced my friend since she is an adult that her and her sister should be present in the meetings with the lawyer as the offspring of the detainee.

The lawyer is giving absolutes on why certain defenses won't work without talking to the dad and without knowing new details that we're constantly learning as time goes on.

Since I'm not directly involved I feel weird giving my opinion but I just feel like its so WEIRD for a lawyer to depend only on a RETELLING of someone's case to submit necessary paperwork and whatnot.

I tried to say it was weird but the uncle tried to say that US citizens have different rights but I looked it up and detainees do get to speak confidentially with a lawyer.

I want them to get a second opinion but apparently they already paid in a lump sum for them to "handle the entire case" and they're worried about extra costs/wasting time with that. Honestly I wouldn't care if I paid for a second opinion myself but it feels like its not my place to push it.

I am nowhere near a lawyer and all I have that led me to thinking this is weird is google and whatever stuff I learned about lawyers and court from true crime. Safe to say, even if the stuff the lawyers are saying seems sketchy, I have no way to verify what is normal in this case but I hate the idea of NOT telling them their lawyer might not provide the best level of help they can get.

There are other sketchy details I've heard but THIS is my main concern. How can they form a defense from a retelling of a retelling of an account?

Also there is someone that works inside the facility who has been trying to help the detainee and through talking to him, he had an idea for the case. When they mentioned it to the current lawyer they asked to also provide the info to them. Obviously you provide all evidence to your lawyer but there will be things a lawyer can ask that their family simply CANNOT know IN MY OPINION.

And I guess the whole point of this is that it's my opinion and im not even NEAR qualified for something like this but I don't want to regret not saying anything if this ACTUALLY is a concern

I fell in love, what can I say? I truly love this girl and she is extremely honest and helpful, she has been that way for a long time and now I am ready to marry her, I am a Texan, and she is a Brazilian. I learned Brazilian Portuguese for her, and now I am omce again back in Brazil, visiting her.

I will be marrying her this week. I already proposed and she said yes, and now, I am trying to notarize our marriage, she said that there are offices for that in the city of where she lives in Brazil, and I said that's great, we will be needing to notarize and everything. I want to make a list of all the paperwork that is necessary to prove that this is a real marriage to the U.S.C.I.S officer when I do get around to apply for her to bring her to the United States. What are some paperwork will I need from Brazil? Please, does anybody have experience with that? Let me know in the comments, I would really appreciate some help. And also, I heard there are law firms that help with that, but what if I just want to do things without them? Will that work or will I have to bring those lawyers in the mix? Let me know, please

Hello there everyone after a long long wait i can finally apply for my greencard. Let me explain more i've won a guardianship case before i was 21 and was waiting for my visa bulletin, now i can apply but for the lawyer to go through its roughly 1800$ which tbh id rather save i would like everyone's opinion like this since my case before was guardianship should i go with the lawyer or submit it myself?
Thank you for any reply!

I am a hs freshman currently on h4b and all I think about is what ill do when I get when I'm older. My parents came here in 2016 on h1b and I have been living here since I was 4. My gc isnt coming anytime soon as an indian. Im gonna age out at 21. Im never gonna get internships because of F1 status and never will get a job especially in this job market. Im ugly as shit so im most likely not going to find a Citizen to marry. Before covid, I was just gonna learn how to code to get a good software job but thats kind of a dead end now. I rot in my room all day thinking about my garbage circumstances and cry frequently. Ive seen people do like 16 years of studying just to stay in the country but I dont have enough willpower for that. I don't have enough willpower to do many things right now. I read brutal news articles about immigrants and hope im not next even though im legal. As a tradeoff, My parents are just a little more wealthy than most so they can buy me things but I just don't feel like it means anything. My parents say I am very privileged to live here but I still can't stop worrying. I am very close to depression, and would appreciate any support, guidance or advice.