There are three components for the English test. These consist of reading, writing, and an individuals verbal ability to speak English. The civics test will test individuals regarding important United States historical events. Questions about the United States government are included as well. Here is a break down of how some of the tests are administered:

1) The Writing Test
To demonstrate your abilty to write in the English language, you will be required to compose at least one out of three sentences correctly.

2) The Reading Test
To demonstrate your ability to read in the English language, you are required to read at least one out of three total sentences correctly.

3) The Speaking Test
During your Application for Naturalization, form N-400 eligibility interview, a USCIS officer will determine your level and ability to speak the English language.

4) The Civics Test
The naturalization test will consist of 100 total questions. During the course of your naturalization interview, you will be asked at least 10 civics questions from the USCIS list of 100 questions. To pass the USCIS civics test, you will be expected to correctly answer at least 6 out of the 10 total questions. Study, study, and more study is the key to passing this test. For each application submitted, the USCIS will gives individuals two opportunites to take the civics and English tests. If an individual happens to fail any portion of the USCIS test during their first naturalization interview, they will be given the opportunity to be retested on the portion of the test that they failed. For example, if a person passed the English test, but failed the civics test, they will be allowed to return and retake the civics test within a 90 day period of time.

Also See:

uscis citizenship application
united states citizenship test answers
united state citizenship test
questions on the citizenship test
practice test for citizenship
uscis naturalization

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A vast majority of potential travelers to the United States are currently not aware of the fact that beginning back in January 2010, significant changes occurred that have drastically modified the eligibility requirements for travel by means of the Visa Waiver program. Prior to such changes, individuals who were residents of qualified countries could present their passports and then be granted entry into the United States. As a result of these changes, an application is now required to be submitted electronically via Electronic System for Travel Authorization Web Site no less than 72 hours in advance of any travel into the United States. The applicant has to first be approved before they can enter into the United States. Furthermore, even though an individual is approved through the ETSA, that particular individual can nonetheless be declined access and entry into the US based on the CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) Officer’s discretion. In addition to the ETSA website, individuals can also find the ESTA application online at the website of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their country of residence.

At this time, there are 36 Countries which are presently enrolled in the Visa Waiver Program:

Despite the fact that the majority of people do not have to make application for a visa, a number of exceptions do apply. A certain amount of travelers are still required to make an application for a visa, among them individuals who intend to work or go to school in the United States, choose to stay longer than 90 days, or some individuals who actually might possibly be ineligible to obtain a United States visa. Individuals who have in the past have been denied visas, who have criminal records, or who could possibly be ineligible travel into the United States the on the Visa Waiver Program, should certainly communicate with the closest United States Embassy or Consulate in advance of making an attempt to use the Visa Waiver Program to gain access into the United States.

For a non U.S. country to be accepted into the Visa Waiver Program, it has to satisfy an array of security measures along with other strict conditions. These comprise of advanced law enforcement, and the ability to share security-related information with the United States. Members of the Visa Waiver Program must always accommodate an advanced level of counterterrorism, strict border control, and document security and safety standards.

Additionally, becoming a member nation of the Visa Waiver Program is always at the discretion of the government of the United States. Reaching and achieving the qualifications and criteria of the Visa Waiver Program does not always ensure that a nation will be accepted for VWP membership.

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The K1 Visa will first need to be filed at the USCIS in the USA. To understand how to file a K1 visa, please click here. After the application is filed, expect approximately 5 months for the application to be approved in the USA. When the application is finally approved, it will be sent to the National Visa Center in New Hampshire for final processing. This usually takes about two weeks. When the NVC completes their part of the process, the entire K1 visa petition will be forwarded directly to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Moscow processes all K1 visa applications for the entire country. No matter what city your fiancee resides in within Russia, all applicants must travel to Moscow for the interview.

To obtain a Russian police certificate, the Russian citizen can contact the Main Information Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or from the Information Center of the subject to the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. The website is located at :

http://www.mvd.ru/404

Medical examinations can be scheduled at the two following medical clincs below:

FILATOV CLINIC
#15, Sadovo-Kudrinskaya, Moscow
Appointment should be scheduled by phone or e-mail:
tel. (499) 254-90-28, 8-903-196-37-21 (9 am – 5 pm)
e-mail: zdordet@mail.ru

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM)
#12, 2nd Zvenigorodskaya, 1st entrance; Moscow, metro: “Ulitsa 1905 goda”
Appointment should be scheduled by phone: (495) 797-8723

For those applicants who reside in Vladivostok consular disctrict (Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Magadan region, Khabarovsk region, Amur region, Vladivostok, Irkutsk region), may obtain medical reports at:

74-1, Okeansky Ave., Vladivostok 690090, Children Polyclinic #7
Dr. Luchaninova V.N.
tel. (4232) 45-81-64, answering machine: (4232) 45-24-26
Please leave your phone number. You will be called back.

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To apply for a tourist visa to the USA, you will need to apply directly at the U.S. embassy in the country where you currently reside. When you apply, it is important that you take evidence with you to support the fact that you have strong ties to your country, and that you do not pose a risk for remaining in the USA without ever returning back to your country. Some of the documents that you can take with you as proof that you will certainly return to your country after travel to the USA are proof of home ownership, real estate, ownership in a business, proof of a solid, and permanent job that requires you to return to your country after travel, and strong family ties such as a spouse, minor children, etc. Also helpful is proof of a bank account with a large sum of money deposited.

Older people over the age of 60 who have strong ties to their homeland, and are traveling without their spouses, have a much better chance of obtaining a visa to the USA than someone else who, for example, is 22 years old, not married, and has no real property or proof of strong ties to encourage them to return to their country.

If you are visiting a friend or relative in the USA, and if possible, it would be best to obtain a statement from your friend, or family member assuming responsibility for you, and giving assurances to the U.S. Embassy that you will indeed return to your country and follow all guidelines of the visa, if, and when issued.

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The USCIS Dallas Lockbox
For U.S. Postal Service:

USCIS
P.O. Box 660151
Dallas, TX 75266

Depending on the current processing times, the K1 visa application will take anywhere between 6-9 months. After the application is approved, the petition will be sent to the National Visa Center for additional processing. It usually takes about two weeks to be finalized at the NVC, then the petition is then forwarded to the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

Your fiancé/fiancée will need to have the following documents for the interview:

- An original copy of their NSO birth certificate.

- An original copy of their NBI police certificate. If any applicant has lived in any other country for more than six months since reaching the age of 16 years, police certificate are required for these countries as well. All documents not in English will need to be translated.

- CERTIFICATE OF NO MARRIAGE RECORD (CENOMAR).
An original copy of their NSO certificate of non marriage, if they have never previously been married.

- If any beneficiary has been previously married, they are required to bring with them an original NSO certificate of annulment.

-A valid international passport, which must be valid for at least six months beyond the interview date.

- VISA PHOTOGRAPHS. Beneficiary must bring three (3) color photographs; two are for the visa and one is for the medical report.

- PROOF OF PAYMENT. After you make your payment at the bank, or online you will be issued a confirmation receipt.

- Forms DS-156, DS-156k, DS-157. Form DS-156 is an online form and needs to be completed online, and printed. The form can be found here: https://evisaforms.state.gov/ds156.asp
The embassy requires two copies of this form.

- Form DS-156k must be completed and it can be found here: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/82063.pdf
The embassy requires one copy of this form.

- Form DS-157 must be completed and can be found here: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/126741.pdf
The embassy requires two copies of this form.

Prior to the interview, the beneficiary must have a medical exam. The medical exam must be conducted at St. Luke’s Medical Center. It is located at 1177 J. Bocobo St., Ermita, Manila. The telephone numbers are 521-0020 and 521-8647. Their business hours are Monday through Friday (except on Philippine holidays), from 6:00 p.m.to 4:00 p.m. It is usually a two day exam, and it should be scheduled no less that seven days prior to the interview in Manila.

The medical examination fee is US $213.35 for adults (15 years of age or older) and US $185.35 for children (14 years of age or younger). These fees must be paid in pesos, based on the current exchange rate for the dollar.

The embasy fee is $350 per person. Children are also $350. The payment must be made in Philippine pesos based on the current exchange rate. There are a couple of ways to pay the K1 visa Philippines application fee:

1) In cash, at any Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) branch.
2) It can be paid online through Bancnet. For additional information, please visit http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph

After the beneficiary pays for the application fee, then they can schedule their interview appointment. This can be done online by going to this web address: http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph

The interview can also be scheduled by phone at these numbers: (632) 982-5555 or (632) 902-8930. Phone hours are Monday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., except on Philippine and U.S. holidays. Callers may speak with an English-, Tagalog-, Ilocano-, or Cebuano-speaking operator. Applicants, agents or petitioners calling from the United States may also use this service by calling (214) 571-1600.

After the interview, and if the visa is approved, the embassy will send the beneficiary’s passport and visa to the beneficiary by courier, within 7-10 days.

Before the beneficiary can leave the Philippines on their K1 visa, they must attend a seminar at the CFO (Commission on Filipinos Overseas). After the seminar is completed, a sticker and stamp will be placed in the beneficiary’s passport, and this will allow them to leave the Philippines. Even though the beneficiary has a U.S. visa, they are not allowed to leave the country until the attend the seminar, and receive the stamp/sticker in their passports. More information about the CFO can be found on their website: http://www.cfo.gov.ph

Find out more general information about the K1 Visa Interview.

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Only U.S. Citizens are eligible to apply for a K1 fiancee visa. Permanent residents are not eligible.
For those individuals who wish to file for a fiancée visa, you and your foreign fiancée must meet the following requirements:

· The petitioner must be a U.S. citizen
· You and your fiancee must have met at least once in person within the previous two years of filing the K1 visa application.
· The petitioner and beneficiary must both be legally free and clear to to marry. This means all prior marriages, if any, must have ended by legal divorce, or by death of the former spouse.
· The petitioner and beneficiary must both have a serious intention to marry one another within the first 90 days of the foreign fiancee’s arrival in the USA.
· The petitioner must meet or exceed the minimum income requirements.

There are exceptions and exemptions allowed under certain circumstances if the petitioner is not able to physically meet the beneficiary in person, due to a hardship. The most common hardships that applicants use are medical related issues, or if meeting the foreign fiancée in person would violate their cultural customs, or religious practices. In some cultures, parents forbid their children from meeting in person prior to the wedding day. The USCIS rarely grants such waivers.

Most people who do receive waivers are usually those who are severely disabled, and are not able to fly. A great deal of evidence must be submitted such as letters from doctors indicating that the petitioner is not physically able to travel.

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DS-230 (usually part one only)
DS-156
DS-156K
DS-157

Again, it depends on which embassy you are interviewing out of. Some embassies do not use the DS-230. It is advisable to visit the embassy website in the country in which your fiancee/fiance resides to research the specific forms that they use.

The U.S. Petitioner should make sure that the foreign fiancee/fiance has the following documents:

1) Form I-134 Affidavit of Support
2) The last three years of tax returns, with W2 and/or 1099 forms. Usually the embassies will only ask for the most recent tax return, but they can ask for all three. If you have all three, you will certainly avoid any delays.
3) A recent employment verification letter, or a few of your most recent earnings statements.
4) If you have been previously married, make sure your fiancee/fiancee has copies of your divorce documents, or in case of an ex-spouse’s death, a death certificate. Even though these documents were submitted in the K1 Visa application, sometimes the embassies will ask for these documents from the foreign fiancee.

Your fiancee/fiance should be prepared to take with him/her the following documents:

1- A valid International Passport. The passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the date of the interview.
2- An original birth certificate.
3- Police certificates are required from each country in which the foreign fiancée/fiance has lived for more than a six month period, since reaching the age of 16 years, regardless of where he/she is officially registered.
4- If applicable, divorce and/or death certificates from all prior marriages.
5- Four photos, passport size, for visa. (Frontal view, color)
6- Four photos, for medical exam. (Same as above)
7- There is an application fee (currently $350 US) per person.
8- Documents confirming relationship. It is very important that your fiancée/fiancé takes evidence of your relationship to the interview such as photos of petitioner and beneficiary together, emails, phone bills, chats, etc. Many people make the mistake of not taking in this evidence, and many people get denied based on the assumption by the embassy official that there is no bona-fide, genuine relationship. The more, the better….

Most embassies require documents not in English must be translated. Check with your specific embassy to make sure that documents not in English require translation.

If any children are accompanying the foreign fiancée/fiancé to the USA, they must have a valid international passport, and a birth certificate. Passport photos are also required for the medical exam and interview. Children ages 16 and older are required to submit police certificates. In most cases, permission from the other parent allowing the child to immigrate to the USA is required, or a court order showing that the K1 foreign fiancée/fiancé has full custody.

K1 Visa Interview Questions:
Some embassies ask quite a few questions at the interview. Some only ask a couple of questions. It is best that everyone is fully prepared for any types of questions that can be asked at the interview. Here are some of the most common questions that are asked:

How and when did you and your American fiancée/fiancé l first become acquainted with each other?

When did you meet in person? Where? How many times?

Where does he/she live? Do you know his/her address and phone number?

What type of work does he/she do?

Has he/she ever been married? How many times? Do you know when he/she was divorced?

How many children?

Does he/she have any brothers or sisters?

What about his/her parents?

What are his/her hobbies?

How old is he/she? When is his/her birthday?

They will ask simple questions that they expect any person to know about another person whom they are about to marry. It best to know the answers to each of the questions above, and more if possible. They may only ask one or two questions at the interview, but it is best to be prepared for as many questions as possible.

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In order to file for the CR1 spousal visa, you must file form I-130. I –130 is completed and signed by the U.S. Citizen. You must also fill out two G325A forms. One G325A form must be completed and signed by the U.S. Citizen, and the other must be completed and signed by the foreign spouse. A passport style photo of each person must be attached to each G325A form. If your foreign spouse has any children that will immigrate at the same time, and if the marriage occurred before the children’s 18th birthday, then a separate form I-130 must be filed for each child.

After you have completed all of your documents, you must send the entire application to the USCIS Service center in Chicago. After the application is approved by USCIS, the U.S. Citizen will be contacted by the National Visa Center. The National Visa Center will at first request the U.S. Citizen to send them a completed I-864 affidavit of support, with supporting financial documents.

The NVC will send your foreign spouse a Form DS-3032, Choice of Address and Agent form. This must be completed by the foreign spouse, then sent back directly to the National Visa Center in the USA.

After the NVC receives and processes all of the financial documents, the U.S. Citizen will be contacted once more by the NVC. This time, they will require you to send them the following civil documents:

- Form DS-230 completed and signed by the foreign spouse.

- An original copy of your marriage certificate.

- An original copy of the foreign spouse’s birth certificate.

- If the foreign spouse’s has been previously married, he, or she will need to include divorce documents, or in the case of death of a former spouse, a certificate of death.

- Police certificates. Your foreign spouse must obtain and submit police certificates from all countries where he, or she has lived for at least 6 months, since age 16.

- A copy of your foreign spouse’s passport title (photo) page.

- Two passport photos.

All documents listed above not in English will need to be translated. If the foreign spouse has any minor, non married children who are immigrating at the same time, the same documents for each child will need to be submitted as well. Police certificates are not required for children under age 16.

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There are two primary characteristics associated with Advance Parole:

1) It permits an alien to return to the United States following travel outside the USA without needing to acquire a visa to return back into the United States.

2) It preserves the pending Adjustment of Status or specific safeguarded status in which the alien has submitted. Certainly, in the event that an alien applies for Adjustment of Status and afterwards enters the United States on a visa rather thanan Advanced Parole, the pending I-485 or a protected status could be regarded as abandoned. For example, a particular applicant for Adjustment of Status whom departs from the United States and then returns utilizing a non-immigrant visa, for example, an F-1 visa, will most likely be regarded as having all but abandoned his or her’s adjustment application. The only exception to this regulation pertains to H-1 and L-1 holders.

Typically, a USCIS interview is not needed relating to the Advance Parole application. USCIS Service Centers and/or localized agencies will likely send the Advance Parole by regular mail to the applicants, or perhaps directly to the attorney who prepared the application following review of the documents, and granting approval of the application. Although, due to the recent elevated security practices, a number of local USCIS offices have in effect made changes to the traditional Advance Parole application process.

Aliens currently in the USA are able to make an application for Advance Parole should they have:

Submitted an application for adjustment of status and it is pending;
If they were admitted into the USA as a refugee or they have been awarded with asylum;
If they were given benefits within the Family Unity Program;
If they were awarded Temporary Protected Status;
If they have an asylum application pending; or
An emergent personal or genuine purpose to travel on a temporary basis outside the USA.

Aliens currently in the USA will not be qualified to receive Advance Parole when they are:

Currently in the USA and not having valid immigration status;
If they happen to be an exchange alien and they are subject to the foreign residence requirement;
The beneficiary of a private bill; or
If they are under removal proceedings.

Also see:

advance parole
application form
travel document
reentry permit
i-131 travel document
emergency travel documents

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The law we know as IMBRA, or the IMBRA LAW was passed by congress in the year 2005, and then it was made law by signature of the President on January 5, 2006.

IMBRA specifically goes after US citizens with different types of situations as spousal abuse, drug or alcohol related convictions, and several other types of criminal convictions. In addition, it can target foreign spouses and or fiancees who have criminal convictions as well.

Before you file any type of marriage, or fiancée visa, you should inquire with your potential marriage partner if they have any criminal convictions that could result in denial of a visa. Many people do not do this in advance, and then they are hit with hard facts and disappointment when the visa application is reviewed.

The law, under IMBRA, can prohibit the issuance of a fiancée visa, or I-129F K1 visa without obtaining an approved waiver in two sets of circumstances:

1. A U.S. citizen petitioner with a criminal conviction for a specified crime, and

2. A U.S. petitioner who has previously filed K1 visa petitions or had a K1 visa petition approved within the previous two years.

Violence and other various convictions involving drug or alchohol related offenses can also fall under the umbrella of IMBRA.

If you feel that you may have issues that can impede your ability to obtain a visa based on the IMBRA law, it is advisable to do extensive research to gather more information on whether or not you will be successful in your attempt to bring your love interest to the USA. If you still are not completely sure that you can be approved, you should seek the advice of a qualified immigration attorney who can let you know beyond a doubt that you can be successful.

If you have in the past filed for two or more fiancée visa petitions, of if you had an approved fiancée visa petition within two years of filing your most recent fiancée visa petition, you must obtain a waiver from USCIS in order for your application to be approved.

If you have filed two or more K1 visa petitions at any time in the past, or previously had a K1 visa petition approved within two years prior to the filing of the current petition, a waiver must be obtained before your K1 petition can be approved.

It will be wise for anyone to do some extensive IMBRA research if they feel that there is any chance that any prior criminal convictions they may have can result in a denied visa application.

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