sammygh's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: n Beneficiary's Name: a VJ Member: sammygh Country: Israel Last Updated: 2009-07-03 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for n & a:

Dept of State Other Visa:     USCIS I-485 Petition:   USCIS I-765 Petition:       USCIS I-131 Petition:       USCIS I-751 Petition:   USCIS N-400 Petition:

Other Visa Event Date NVC Received : NVC Left : Consulate Received : Packet 3 Received : Packet 3 Sent : Packet 4 Received : Interview Date : Interview Result : Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : US Entry : Comments :

Adjustment of Status Event Date CIS Office : Detroit MI Date Filed : 2009-02-23 NOA Date : 2009-03-03 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2009-03-27 AOS Transfer** : Interview Date : 2009-06-17 Submit Review Approval / Denial Date : 2009-06-17 Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : Yes Greencard Received: 2009-07-03 Comments : See review.

Employment Authorization Document Event Date CIS Office : Chicago National Office Filing Method : Mail Filing Instance : First Date Filed : 2009-02-23 NOA Date : 2009-03-03 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2009-03-27 Approved Date : 2009-04-16 Date Card Received : 2009-04-25 Comments : Processing Estimates/Stats : Your EAD was approved in 52 days.

Advance Parole Event Date CIS Office : Chicago National Office Filing Method :   Filing Instance : First Date Filed : 2009-02-23 NOA Date : 2009-03-03 RFE(s) : Date Received : 2009-04-20 Comments : Processing Estimates/Stats : Your AP was approved in 50 days.

Member Reviews:

Local US CIS Office Review: Detroit MI Review Topic: cis_topic Event Description Review Date : June 18, 2009 Embassy Review : We were thrilled to have a quick and easy experience at the Detroit office this morning. The new building is very nice - convenient parking, friendly security guards, very bright, comfy chairs. We were especially impressed with the quotes and pictures on the wall, showing famous foreign-born Americans and quotes from past presidents about citizenship – they clearly put some thought into making the space comfortable and inviting. Security was very quick with no wait when we arrived; the guard only asked to see my husband’s (USC) ID and asked us what we were there for. She directed us to place our interview appointment letter at one of the windows. There was no one at that window, so we just left the letter and sat down to wait. After a few minutes we got a bit worried that maybe we should have gotten a number from somewhere (they kept calling out the next numbers for service) but just as I was getting up to ask someone, they called my name, about 20 minutes before our appointment time. The officer interviewing us had an extremely deep voice and was very matter-of-fact and efficient. He walked us back to his office and swore us in. Then he asked us to sit at two chairs that were by the back wall of his office and he sat behind his desk and looked quickly through our file. He then asked us how we met (in graduate school) and what program we attended. I wasn’t entirely sure which one of us should answer since he did not direct the question to one of us in particular, but it was fine (of course!). My husband also mentioned that we currently live separately because he has a post-doc in another state and I had to finish my program – this was a fact we were nervous about and worried would be seen as a red flag, but the interviewer did not comment on it besides asking us which football team we would root for... (our alma mater and husband’s school are big rivals). Then the officer stated that for him, the most important evidence is financial; that some people are big on pictures, but personally he believes all that shows is that you have a camera. He asked us to pull our chairs up to his desk and provide him any financial information we brought. I asked whether he wanted information about husband’s (USC) employment/income for the affidavit of support, but he clarified wanted our joint information. I had brought a HUGE binder with all of our evidence and began to pull out our bank statements, credit card statements, AAA joint insurance, family cell phone plans, etc. He asked if these were copies he could keep and began to file them away. When I got to the proof of life insurance, my husband pointed out that I was the beneficiary of his plan and then the officer basically said, ok, I don’t need anything else, this is pretty serious proof you are married if you trust someone with your life insurance money or else you are crazy ;-) He gave us back everything else! At that point he pulled out a stamp and stamped approved on our file. He then asked me all of the “have you ever committed a crime/been a terrorist/practiced polygamy” questions and checked all my personal information. We let him know I’d be moving to my husband’s address in a few weeks and asked whether we needed to change that information with the USCIS someplace else. He changed it on the form and said we wouldn’t (I will probably do so anyways, just to be sure). I don’t believe he asked us any other questions about our relationship, just made chit chat about my home country and his visit there several years ago as he organized my file and added some stuff into the computer. He then took my EAD and AP documents and let me know there were some delays in card production – he did not give an estimate for when it would be ready but complained that “fixing” the system made it less efficient… He also explained the removal of conditions deadline and recommended items he would want to see in our packet in order to avoid a second interview. He repeated that pictures were not important to him but other officers looked at them, and stated that financial documents such as insurance, wills, cancelled checks from joint accounts (showing that you actually use them, not just have them), any mortgages or joint property ownership – his focus was on items that demonstrate you USE the finances given that you can just add anyone you want to your bank account… I thought that was helpful, practical advice and will be sure to include that evidence when removing conditions. The whole thing did not take more than 10-15 minutes and we were back in our car 5 minutes after our original appointment time! It was quick and easy, although I was almost disappointed he didn’t look through our binder – I’d worked so hard on it ;-) Harassment Level : Very Good

Timeline Comments: None yet, be the first!



*Notice about estimates: The estimates are based off averages of other members recent experiences
(documented in their timelines) for the same benefit/petition/application at the same filing location.
Individual results may vary as every case is not always 'average'. Past performance does not necessarily
predict future results. The 'as early as date' may change over time based on current reported processing
times from members. There have historically been cases where a benefit/petition/application processing
briefly slows down or stops and this can not be predicted. Use these dates as reference only and do not
rely on them for planning. As always you should check the USCIS processing times to see if your application
is past due.

** Not all cases are transfered

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