Can we postpone our AOS interview date???

[pavoverde 3]

Hi! I'm hoping someone out there can help...

My wife is here on a K-3 Visa and we've submitted the AOS and EAD simultaneously back in April, have done the Biometrics, and she rec'd the EA Card a few weeks ago...

The GOOD NEWS is that today we rec'd notification that her interview for her AOS (I-485) application is scheduled for August 11 (on our 2nd anniversary - coincidence???). The BAD NEWS is that we will be in Costa Rica from July 15 to Aug 23...

The bottom of the NOA says she should call the USCIS if "an emergency" prevents her from appearing at the interview.

My question: Is being out of the country is a "good excuse" for requesting an interview postponement? We are very worried about this because if we have to fly back for the interview, it will be very expensive, but we don't want to jeopardize her AOS application (they warn us that if we fail to appear at the interview her application will be denied...). I'm hoping to get some guidance before I call because I want to make my request in a manner that won't mess up her application. I'm probably being overly worrisome, but we've come too far at this point...

Thank you for any light you can shed on this!

[TayRivers 4]

Hi! I'm hoping someone out there can help...

My wife is here on a K-3 Visa and we've submitted the AOS and EAD simultaneously back in April, have done the Biometrics, and she rec'd the EA Card a few weeks ago...

The GOOD NEWS is that today we rec'd notification that her interview for her AOS (I-485) application is scheduled for August 11 (on our 2nd anniversary - coincidence???). The BAD NEWS is that we will be in Costa Rica from July 15 to Aug 23...

The bottom of the NOA says she should call the USCIS if "an emergency" prevents her from appearing at the interview.

My question: Is being out of the country is a "good excuse" for requesting an interview postponement? We are very worried about this because if we have to fly back for the interview, it will be very expensive, but we don't want to jeopardize her AOS application (they warn us that if we fail to appear at the interview her application will be denied...). I'm hoping to get some guidance before I call because I want to make my request in a manner that won't mess up her application. I'm probably being overly worrisome, but we've come too far at this point...

Thank you for any light you can shed on this!

You being on vacation is not an emergancy reason to reschedule your AOS interview. If you try to reschedule you are going to end up in one BIG mess.

Most people who have tried to change the date of the AOS interview have ended up with a denial a few weeks after the original date of the interview for failing to attend.

You should make arrangements to travel back to the US in time for the interview.

Do a search here on VJ and on Google for AOS denials after trying to change the interview date. There are some horific stories out there of peole who thought it would be ok to request a diffrent date.

If it is not a life or death situation that takes you out of the country when you should be having your interview then I would change your vacation plans.

Your wifes immigration status is the most important thing.

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Hi! I'm hoping someone out there can help...

My wife is here on a K-3 Visa and we've submitted the AOS and EAD simultaneously back in April, have done the Biometrics, and she rec'd the EA Card a few weeks ago...

The GOOD NEWS is that today we rec'd notification that her interview for her AOS (I-485) application is scheduled for August 11 (on our 2nd anniversary - coincidence???). The BAD NEWS is that we will be in Costa Rica from July 15 to Aug 23...

The bottom of the NOA says she should call the USCIS if "an emergency" prevents her from appearing at the interview.

My question: Is being out of the country is a "good excuse" for requesting an interview postponement? We are very worried about this because if we have to fly back for the interview, it will be very expensive, but we don't want to jeopardize her AOS application (they warn us that if we fail to appear at the interview her application will be denied...). I'm hoping to get some guidance before I call because I want to make my request in a manner that won't mess up her application. I'm probably being overly worrisome, but we've come too far at this point...

Thank you for any light you can shed on this!

You being on vacation is not an emergancy reason to reschedule your AOS interview. If you try to reschedule you are going to end up in one BIG mess.

Most people who have tried to change the date of the AOS interview have ended up with a denial a few weeks after the original date of the interview for failing to attend.

You should make arrangements to travel back to the US in time for the interview.

Do a search here on VJ and on Google for AOS denials after trying to change the interview date. There are some horific stories out there of peole who thought it would be ok to request a diffrent date.

If it is not a life or death situation that takes you out of the country when you should be having your interview then I would change your vacation plans.

Your wifes immigration status is the most important thing.

Concur. This should take precedence in any activities.

[pavoverde 3]

Oh boy...

So, VERY early this AM I realized I could go right down to the Boston USCIS office and talk about this via an InfoPass appt., which I did - before getting your posts, of course... :-(

I explained my situation to the woman at the desk, and she gave me a standard looking "Request for Rescheduling" form, which I filled out and attached a letter we'd written (signed by my wife, the applicant), a copy of the NOA, and evidence showing that we had non-refundable airline tickets. She said that was perfect and took the form. I felt great... until I got home and saw your two replies...

I called the USCIS Help(less) line, and after a 25 minute navigation of their menu, finally got a live person. He insists that what I did was correct, and that it should be rescheduled. But, he said, even if it was denied for some reason, I would be given the opportunity to explain why we missed the Aug. 11 interview date, and that being out of country was a valid reason. He said I would NOT have to repay the $900+ fee that goes with the I-485, but it would delay our AOS process...

To be honest, I don't mind delaying at this point as my wife still has 18 months left on her K3, and rec'd her Employment Authorization Card.

Please let me know if I'm missing something... Urghhh...

[MoroccanInTexas 24]

This is one the Oh boy moments. Generally it is not a good idea to reschedule your interview date, unless as others already stated you have a major issue.

With that said what happened happened. all you have to do now is wait and see. However, you may still receive a denial letter if you don't show up for your initial interview.

Is there a way you can change your plans, and not travel at all ?

I hope I did not confuse you.

Good luck

[visacheck 3]

The lady at the USCIS office and the guy over the phone said everything is perfect and correct.... What they meant was, yes u did the "rescheduling procedure" correctly. Im just sayin.

I dont think goin out of country for leisure is a valid reason. Yes you might be given a chance to explain why you missed your original appointment but dont you think it would be a lot better if you can avoid the part where you have to explain.

If delay is not an issue to you... Paying a lawyer could be if this turns out to be a big mess (hopefully not).

You dont have to cancel the trip, just cut it short. If u decide to go back for the interview i hope you could still get your original appointment date.

Having said all that, ofcourse its still all up to you.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,235]

I am applying common sense here. I admit that this might not be a good thing to do when dealing with a government agency that has a paramount decision in one's personal case to make, but I do it anyway.

They are celebrating their second wedding anniversary. They booked their trip and paid for everything already. At this point in time they can't cancel or they lose a fortune. I think that's a valid reason to reschedule. They filled out the appropriate form, played it by the book. I don't think they have to be scared shitless because of it.

Yes, it's unfortunate that these two dates interfere, but it won't be the end of the world and I doubt that that fact alone is reason for a negative decision in their case.

My two cents.

[trillium13 84]

I guess it comes down to what people feel is more important to them. In our case, our AOS was our top priority. NOTHING else was more important. Had there been a true emergent situation, of course that would have to come first. But that would have been truly life or death. I honestly don't understand why someone would put a vacation as a higher priority, but that's just me. To me that may look to the USCIS that you aren't taking the process as seriously as you probably should.

You can vacation at any time in your life. If you know there will be an upcoming interview, don't make plans. The AOS process is short in comparison to the span of your relationship together. That's my opinion. Flame away if you like.

[David Allen 3]

I would tend to agree that there probably isn't anything to worry about if the USCIS lady said everything was done correctly. Yes, Google and this website are filled with Immigration horror stories, but those are always the ones you'll hear about. Who's going to post articles about successfully delaying a USCIS apointment?? This wasn't a last second request to change out of negligence. Besides.. their anniversary trip also provides better evidence that their marriage is real.

Quite honnestly I am often skeptical of some of these horror stories because I doubt they tell the whole story. So far both in our case, and the cases of my friends, I have not seen the USCIS or the Embassy staff act out in any arbitrary ways - even when things didn't exactly go the way I had expected. They could have been more helpful and provided more direction or have been quicker to respond, but in the end it was my fault for not having our paperwork together the way it should have been, and I should have done better than a minimal effort in providing more evidence of our relationship. I must say they've been pretty even handed - even after I responded rather poorly at being sent back for more evidence of relationship for our K1 interview. (yes - after rescheduling)

-David

I am applying common sense here. I admit that this might not be a good thing to do when dealing with a government agency that has a paramount decision in one's personal case to make, but I do it anyway.

They are celebrating their second wedding anniversary. They booked their trip and paid for everything already. At this point in time they can't cancel or they lose a fortune. I think that's a valid reason to reschedule. They filled out the appropriate form, played it by the book. I don't think they have to be scared shitless because of it.

Yes, it's unfortunate that these two dates interfere, but it won't be the end of the world and I doubt that that fact alone is reason for a negative decision in their case.

My two cents.

[visacheck 3]

I am applying common sense here. I admit that this might not be a good thing to do when dealing with a government agency that has a paramount decision in one's personal case to make, but I do it anyway.

They are celebrating their second wedding anniversary. They booked their trip and paid for everything already. At this point in time they can't cancel or they lose a fortune. I think that's a valid reason to reschedule. They filled out the appropriate form, played it by the book. I don't think they have to be scared shitless because of it.

Yes, it's unfortunate that these two dates interfere, but it won't be the end of the world and I doubt that that fact alone is reason for a negative decision in their case.

My two cents.

The fact that you missed your AOS interview coz you were on vacation is enough reason for a denial. The last thing you wanna do is a send a wrong signal to immigration that you are not interested with the AOS application. A lot of applicants go to AOS interviews and gets denied just because they didnt have enough documents, what more if you dont go to the interview? USCIS has a lot of applicants waiting in line, if you miss your chance... you might not be able to to get it again. How do we know for sure they're gonna get a chance to explain?! Lets not forget that Greencard/Citizenship is not a right, its a privilege.

Like what trillium said, most applicants prioritize AOS application. A lot of people would kill to be in their position.

People have different common sense, apparently most VJ'ers have the same.

[droy1981 0]

Hi pavoverde

I am actually in the exact same condition. Did you have any issues with the rescheduling ? Will really appreciate a quick reply.

[pavoverde 3]

Hi pavoverde

I am actually in the exact same condition. Did you have any issues with the rescheduling ? Will really appreciate a quick reply.

Hi droy1981 (and others),

Sorry I neglected to update this forum on what actually happened. Well, I'm happy to report that we had NO problems with our rescheduled interview. We went to Costa Rica as planned, came back, had our interview, and were approved! In fact, the interviewer never even mentioned that we had rescheduled!

The only minor scare during the interview was that the interviewer did not seem to be fully versed in how a K-3 Visa works, and she had to confirm that our leaving the country didn't constitute "abandoning" our case (this would have been true for a K-1, but not for a K-3). After a few minutes in the waiting room - which felt like hours! - she came back out and said we were correct in what we'd told her. I want to emphasize that this hiccup had NOTHING to do with us postponing our interview date, just thought I'd pass the info along as an FYI...

That all being said, I cannot guarantee that a different interviewer would have the same result. But, based on our experience, if you have to postpone for a VERY good reason, I would call or visit the USCIS office first, explain your situation, and write down the name of whomever tells you it is okay to request a rescheduling. Again, I make no claim to knowing how this USCIS system works, and just offer our experience as another point to consider...

Good luck!

Rob

[Sean and Kristina 24]

Hi droy1981 (and others),

Sorry I neglected to update this forum on what actually happened. Well, I'm happy to report that we had NO problems with our rescheduled interview. We went to Costa Rica as planned, came back, had our interview, and were approved! In fact, the interviewer never even mentioned that we had rescheduled!

The only minor scare during the interview was that the interviewer did not seem to be fully versed in how a K-3 Visa works, and she had to confirm that our leaving the country didn't constitute "abandoning" our case (this would have been true for a K-1, but not for a K-3). After a few minutes in the waiting room - which felt like hours! - she came back out and said we were correct in what we'd told her. I want to emphasize that this hiccup had NOTHING to do with us postponing our interview date, just thought I'd pass the info along as an FYI...

That all being said, I cannot guarantee that a different interviewer would have the same result. But, based on our experience, if you have to postpone for a VERY good reason, I would call or visit the USCIS office first, explain your situation, and write down the name of whomever tells you it is okay to request a rescheduling. Again, I make no claim to knowing how this USCIS system works, and just offer our experience as another point to consider...

Good luck!

Rob

Thank you so much for this post...as I was holding my breath. We're in a similar situation (and live in Boston). My husband has a mandatory two week domestic plant trek that his MIT graduate program requires him to complete in January right after the holidays. He'll be traveling from coast to coast and ending in Puerto Rico where I will meet him. We'll be gone 75% of January and will more than likely need to reschedule our interview as well. Fingers crossed that we don't have to, but your situation makes me feel a bit better. Again--thanks for posting this information!

[pavoverde 3]

Thank you so much for this post...as I was holding my breath. We're in a similar situation (and live in Boston). My husband has a mandatory two week domestic plant trek that his MIT graduate program requires him to complete in January right after the holidays. He'll be traveling from coast to coast and ending in Puerto Rico where I will meet him. We'll be gone 75% of January and will more than likely need to reschedule our interview as well. Fingers crossed that we don't have to, but your situation makes me feel a bit better. Again--thanks for posting this information!

Hi! Glad my post helped. Wow, that all happened six years ago, but it seems like a lifetime ago! Good luck navigating this oh-so-stressful process! Even when all is done by the book, it just feels so tension-filled, doesn't it? Enjoy your travels! :-)

[Penguin_ie 5,986]

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