Anyone who paid immigration bond

[JMRJ]

anyone who had experience in paying and receiving back the money for immigration bond from a voluntary departure, did you receive interest with the amount that you paid? if so, how much was the accrued interest? we paid voluntary departure bond and I'm waiting anytime for our money, I am not the obligor and me and my husband were not informed with this accrued interest thing.anyone, please?

[Caribbeanman]

It takes about 3 months to get your money back....not sure how long in a Voluntary Departure case but i know we were told that it WILL accure interest.

[aprilstorm]

Yes it will come!! It just feels like forever!!!! I can't remember how much interst you get but there is a little bit!!!

[KellyKS]

When did you have to pay the money for the voluntary departure and how much was it?

My husband has court for removal proceedings, the lawyer sounded like he can probably do the voluntary departure and maybe even get it extended where he will have another court date later to do the voluntary departure. That way he can stay here longer and we won't be separated when waiting for the interview in CDJ. We will see what happens. Court is this Friday!

Kelly:)

[aprilstorm]

We paid $5000 and that was when they picked him up...once I paid they let him leave with me and then we got our court dates.

JMRJ...have you gotten your proff that he went back? My hubby had to get a paper signed by the embasy closest to him. After I sent that in it took awhile and I even had to call the immigration office and ask what heck was going on because I thought it was taking so long..they said they never got my papers and I told tham yes they did because I had my return signed receipt ...I told them I was no dummy I knew to send it certified..they then had me fax everything to them and I got the check a few weeks later.

[KellyKS]

Wow, that is a lot of money. But is that just a regular court bond or a bond for immigration? Does this question make sense........

Kelly:)

[JMRJ]

We paid $5000 and that was when they picked him up...once I paid they let him leave with me and then we got our court dates.

JMRJ...have you gotten your proff that he went back? My hubby had to get a paper signed by the embasy closest to him. After I sent that in it took awhile and I even had to call the immigration office and ask what heck was going on because I thought it was taking so long..they said they never got my papers and I told tham yes they did because I had my return signed receipt ...I told them I was no dummy I knew to send it certified..they then had me fax everything to them and I got the check a few weeks later.

I'm digging files...okay, here it is. I have lots of proof of his departure, including form G-146= the form he took to US consulate Mexico DF, signed by Oscar Lujan. It's their job to return the form to USCIS office where you posted the bond. In your case Aprilstorm, the embassy your husband went to, did not send it back to the US.

I knew that it takes 3 months for them to give back the bond because it happened to my husband's 3 other friends! They all got Voluntary Departure but left earlier than my husband and they already received their bond money BUT not the interest paid! There is a third person involved in this frustrating situation. Very long story, I can't even write into details right now , I'm very shaky, and this third person did not mention or return the interest of the bond. That's why I wanted to know how much...

[JMRJ]

Wow, that is a lot of money. But is that just a regular court bond or a bond for immigration? Does this question make sense........

Kelly:)

Kelly, I know this bond thing is so confusing. The $5000.00 that Aprilstorm paid for, was just to get her husband out in jail and to ensure that her husband will show up to his court hearing. It's called Delivery Bond. Your husband is with you right now, right? so you only need to pay for a Voluntary Departure Bond after the court hearing which is I'm almost positive below $3000. I paid both of this bonds for my husband, Delivery Bond for $8,500, because he was detained , and I did not want him to wait for his court date inside the jail, and another one for $ 2,500, after the hearing to "buy time" so he could stay with me a little longer.

This might interest you, Kelly:

How Do I Post Bond for an Alien in Detention (http://www.ilw.com/weekly/editorial/2003,1124-bond.shtm)

[KellyKS]

Thanks for the info JMRJ. That was quite helpful.

Yes, my husband is with me now and had court on November 2nd and they gave an extension till June! So we won't have to worry about that for awhile. Just wanted to get an idea of the amount a person might pay for bond.

Hopefully it will be the mininum for voluntary depature of $500. He will be going to his interview in CDJ when he goes to Mexico so hopefully they see this as him being a low risk of not leaving the country and give him the mininum bond amount to pay.

Kelly:)

[JMRJ]

Goodluck Kelly! I wish you all the best! Really.

[aprilstorm]

Yes it was a delivery bond. Good luck Kelly!!!!! I wish you the best!!!

[KellyKS]

Thanks you two....I hope everything goes well also.

Kelly:)

[Dorothea]

My hubby was given VD, but we never had to pay anything...
He was never arrested, just picked up and given a court date. Is that why?

[JMRJ]

An immigration judge may waive the requirement to post a voluntary departure bond in individual cases upon a finding that the alien has presented compelling evidence that the posting of a bond will pose a serious financial hardship and the alien has presented credible evidence that such a bond is unnecessary to guarantee timely departure.
Sometimes an alien can be given VD in his own recognizance without having to post a bond but this is very hard to obtain. You must had a very good Attorney.

[jesuslovesyou]

intrest rate is fixed 3%

[JMRJ]

Thank you.

[nineten]

I was told today by an attorney that a vd bond can be up to $5,000. Also told me that if I provide paychecks and proof of income that I might can waive the vd bond if I back it up that he'll actually leave. That's all I was told.

[JMRJ]

I was told today by an attorney that a vd bond can be up to $5,000. Also told me that if I provide paychecks and proof of income that I might can waive the vd bond if I back it up that he'll actually leave. That's all I was told.
$5,000.00? Wow. I know that if an alien does not follow the Judge's order such as not leaving the country in a timely manner, it could incur penalties up to 5K. My suggestion: Call the Immigration Court having the jurisdiction of your husband's hearing close to the court date and ask them how much is the maximum amount your husband suppose to bring for the VD bond so you can be ready in advance.. That's what I did. I believe if you inquire directly from the source, you get the most reliable estimate. You only have a maximum of 5 days to post the bond.

In your situation you have good chance of waiving the bond because you already have an approved I-130. Congratulations , BTW. He can argue that he will depart the country in a time specified manner to pursue his immigrant visa application.

But providing paychecks or proof of income? I don't see any relevance of that when it comes to posting the bond. I had lots of evidence of my financial hardships at the time of my husband's hearing but he was still required to post the bond.

[nineten]

JRMJ, Our deportation atty only gave me this info in an email and that's all she said. I take that it that if I'm working at the time and show that I make sufficient amt of money that if he doesn't leave there is a way they can come after me. She didn't say whether I'd have to sign a paper of any sort of anything. When I receive another email back from her I'll ask her to better explain how her suggestion would work. It wouldn't be to show financial hardship on my part, only to show that I'm capable of paying a huge fine if he doesn't leave is what I think. I'm sure there'd be some sort of papers to sign. Also, I think if the law firm believes you are planning to hire them for the I-601 then they'd try to keep the vd bond at a minimum because they want the petitioner to have as much money kept to themselves as possible so they might argue a little harder to keep from paying a huge amt to the vd bond. Then the petitioner would have more money to pay towards the I-601. I don't know why some get up to $5,000. I guess it depends on their past history and record, etc. (Just my thouhgts.)

[nineten]

JRMJ, thanks for telling me that they only have five days to post the bond. I figured it was something like that. These crazy attorneys always leave out info!! You're right, probably having the approved I-130 is a plus.

[JMRJ]

No, the IO does not check how much money you have in the bank so they can come after you if your husband does not depart. If an alien disobey the conditions of VD, the IO will issue an Order of Removal, INS won't take any money from you.

After finding out that your husband qualifies for VD, (which he is) he will be required to present for inspection and photocopying, his passport or other travel documentation sufficient to assure lawful entry to Mexico when he departs. The Service may hold the passport or documentation for sufficient time to investigate its authenticity. (My husband's passport was not held).

The voluntary departure bond will be posted with the INS within 5 business days of the immigration judge's order granting voluntary departure. If the bond is not posted within 5 business days, the voluntary departure order will vacate automatically and the alternate order of removal will take effect on the following day.

Also, your husband will need to provide proof of departure before he leaves the country and he will need to show up and bring a piece of paperwork for the the US consulate in Mexico to fill out once he gets there. ( He will be given instructions).

[JMRJ]

No, the IO does not check how much money you have in the bank so they can come after you if your husband does not depart. If an alien disobey the conditions of VD, the IO will issue an Order of Removal, INS won't take any money from you.


I meant IJ..

[nineten]

I don't know what her point was of telling me that I might show proof of income. If she didn't have a reason then I wouldn't have expected her to tell me that. Oh yes, you can bet I'm going to question this again with her. Also, how do you show 'proof of departure' before you leave?

[JMRJ]

Your husband will be given an instruction saying to call this number and fax or drop off the copies of flight itinerary and/or copy of passport's biographic page before he will depart.

I posted earlier that he will need to present his passport at the hearing to ensure he will enter to Mexico lawfully. I also made my husband bring a proof of the last statement of my account to show to the Judge that he also had the means to buy his ticket to Mexico. I forgot to ask my husband if my last bank statement had been given weight.

I just freaked out so much and I just wanted to be sure that they cannot deny my husband's VD request due to the lack of financial means to pay for his own departure. I did not show any proof of income.

[nineten]

JMRJ, I'm glad you're giving me an idea about what to expect. His passport is what he got through the Mexican Consulate. Maybe that's what the attorney meant that I could bring proof of income, checkstubs, that I have the income to pay for his departure. He's going to be driving back so he won't be flying. I'd heard that he has to go to the consulate or somewhere after he gets himself over to Mexico. If he has to have a bond I guess I'll head to the nearest bank and pull a cash advance off a credit card the same way I did with is detention bond to get him out. I know I can get any money needed but it sure is a pain to see so much having to add up and then have to wait to get it all back later.

I'll probably go with him because we're going to take two vehicles to leave there permanently with him so I will drive one. I've heard that you can only bring from the U.S. to Mexico a vehicle that is a 1998 or older to register there. Are you aware of this?

[Dorothea]

Okay, JMRJ, first let me say what a smarty you are, and thank you for always finding answers for people!

Second, I know I asked my question a month and a half ago, but I just found this post again and now I'm concerned.
The lawyer that helped us was nice but in general very hard to communicate with. She works for a non-profit and we barely spoke to her except to meet her at court. She helped us file the I-130 but that was the end of our work with her.
She never said anything to us about a bond fee... What if we were supposed to pay something but she never told us?
I have tried to contact her a few times over the past year, I tried to tell her about the pilot program, etc, but with no response. I think getting in touch with her would be hopeless...
Do you think I should contact the immigration court and see about a fee? Or should I leave it alone?
Ugh...
Today I am feeling so helpless...:cry:

[Dorothea]

910, yes, a 10 yr old car can be turned into a "Mexican" car without paying the huge fee...

[nineten]

Dorothea, a couple of years ago the Lutheran Services did (and still do, I guess) the application forms. But they told me that if anybody has any type of police history that has to be dealt with, that they'd have to obtain an attorney, so that would deal with deportations as well. I do know that they had a paralegal in their office about a year and a half ago for whatever reason. Do you think that is why you're not getting a response from her - that they don't deal with the deportations, etc.? Maybe they only help out with filling out the forms? We're so lucky to get so much valuable insight through this forum!!!

Oh sorry, I realize you said she met you guys at court so she did go further than filling out the forms?

[JMRJ]

Okay, JMRJ, first let me say what a smarty you are, and thank you for always finding answers for people!

Second, I know I asked my question a month and a half ago, but I just found this post again and now I'm concerned.
The lawyer that helped us was nice but in general very hard to communicate with. She works for a non-profit and we barely spoke to her except to meet her at court. She helped us file the I-130 but that was the end of our work with her.
She never said anything to us about a bond fee... What if we were supposed to pay something but she never told us?
I have tried to contact her a few times over the past year, I tried to tell her about the pilot program, etc, but with no response. I think getting in touch with her would be hopeless...
Do you think I should contact the immigration court and see about a fee? Or should I leave it alone?
Ugh...
Today I am feeling so helpless...:cry:

Dorothea~ wipe your blue tears. Did your husband went back to Mexico at his own expense? If so, no need to worry about, just leave it alone. When you stated before that you did not post a bond I felt kinda jealous:cry:

[JMRJ]

Dorothea, a couple of years ago the Lutheran Services did (and still do, I guess) the application forms. But they told me that if anybody has any type of police history that has to be dealt with, that they'd have to obtain an attorney, so that would deal with deportations as well. I do know that they had a paralegal in their office about a year and a half ago for whatever reason. Do you think that is why you're not getting a response from her - that they don't deal with the deportations, etc.? Maybe they only help out with filling out the forms? We're so lucky to get so much valuable insight through this forum!!!

Oh sorry, I realize you said she met you guys at court so she did go further than filling out the forms?
I tried to obtain a free legal aid and a lawyer before also. I had the same problem- lack of communication because they were always 'busy'.

Not any type of police history nineten. Only if you cannot demonstrate good moral character (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_moral_character)for 5 years prior to requesting VD.

[Dorothea]

Ok, phew! I was totally freaking out! JMRJ, thank you!
A big part of my feeling crappy is that I spoke to my hubby last night and asked him about the medical exam and it just brings up confusing feelings...

Nineten, I think that's part of it. She did court and then filed the I-130 and told us she wouldn't do more. I think because they are a non-profit she is always totally swamped. We started out needing her for court and didn't know anything about forms, etc, so i think she just did that to help us out and get us started.
It was amiracle when I found this place!:innocent:

[JMRJ]

Oh, you're feeling crappy? I did not notice. You still seem sweet.

[Dorothea]

:rolleyes:
JMRJ, you always make me smile!