a few questions on AOS and military deployments

[EmmaLouise 0]

Hi Everyone,

I'm getting ready to enter the US on a K1 visa. After my fiance and i marry we will only have about a month before he leaves for a six month deployment to Afghanistan. I will be applying for AOS as soon as we marry. I have been reading the guides and i think i have a good idea about the forms etc. what i am concerned about is the biometrics and the interview. I have looked up on the USCIS website to find out where my closest office is for biometrics and this is Metairie LA (about 5 hour from where we will live) and the closest local office for the interview is Jacksonville FL (about 6 hours from where we live). I am from Australia and only just getting used to driving in the US and not at all comfortable driving this far on my own. So i really want my fiance to be able to take me.

So i am wondering can we expedite because of the deployment (we already expedited the K1 so i am a bit experienced with expedite requests already) and if so would be able to have everything done in this tight timeframe??

also am i likely to need an interview? and if this is waived would I still need to go to Jacksonville to get the stamp (i have read something about still needing a stamp).

thanks so much for any help!!

[Scott and Mhay 57]

why wouldnt you just wait until a couple of months into his deployment, then he would be back and be there for all the AOS stuff? You just have to file as soon as practical...there is nothing stating that you have to file immediately after marriage. (your I-94 is going to be good for 90 days) I'm sure you can request an expedite, but he would most likely be deployed when everything gets approved anyway. I highly doubt it will get approved in less than a month for your AOS. Good luck and hope your soon to be husband stays safe in afghanistan.

[Messybrownhair 251]

You can definitely call to request an expedite and they will most likely transfer you to csc, at least that's what they did to me. Other than that, they processed my case normally. I sent a letter from my hubby's CO in my packet that says his unit was up for mobilization and I called after my noa1 to explain it and i got a receipt no and everything. Can't say it helped that much but at least getting a csc transfer means your case can be processed without your hubby around hope he has a safe deployment!

[VanessaTony 3,567]

You could ask a friend or family member to drive you.

Might not need an interview.

Don't need a stamp.

And I doubt you'll have AOS approved before he leaves (a month is practically unheard of) but MAYBE have biometrics before he leaves. There is no need for it to be approved before he leaves. If you ARE called for interview you would take his military orders to waive his attendance at the interview requirement.

Good luck!

[Barbara J 115]

Hi Everyone,

I'm getting ready to enter the US on a K1 visa. After my fiance and i marry we will only have about a month before he leaves for a six month deployment to Afghanistan. I will be applying for AOS as soon as we marry. I have been reading the guides and i think i have a good idea about the forms etc. what i am concerned about is the biometrics and the interview. I have looked up on the USCIS website to find out where my closest office is for biometrics and this is Metairie LA (about 5 hour from where we will live) and the closest local office for the interview is Jacksonville FL (about 6 hours from where we live). I am from Australia and only just getting used to driving in the US and not at all comfortable driving this far on my own. So i really want my fiance to be able to take me.

So i am wondering can we expedite because of the deployment (we already expedited the K1 so i am a bit experienced with expedite requests already) and if so would be able to have everything done in this tight timeframe??

also am i likely to need an interview? and if this is waived would I still need to go to Jacksonville to get the stamp (i have read something about still needing a stamp).

thanks so much for any help!!

Emma where will you be living in the US? Your AOS will be sent to Chicago and processed from there and yes you can ask to have it expedited. If your case is sent to California CSC then more than likely you wont have an interview and your biometrics is done at your local service center. I am not sure your area as you mention Jacksonville Florida and then you mention LA???? You can do the bio on your own no worries as in some centers they don't allow spouses to go in with you as they didn't with me in Atlanta. As mentioned before you could wait for him to come back from Afghanistan but the only probelm with that is your I-94 would have expired and you would be out of status and would not be able to get a job either with out an EAD card if thats what you are planning and also not be able to get a drivers license. Even if you expedite I doubt you would get GC in a month it takes an average of 4-6 normally so he would still be gone before you were approved a GC. If you have no interview no you will just get our GC in the mail, no stamp required. You say you expedited your K1 but it still took 3 months for approval as I see on your time line. And mine took the same without expediting. So it is up to you to wait till he returns or do AOS right after your wedding but it wont be approved before he goes sorry.

[EmmaLouise 0]

Thanks so much everyone for the advice In answer to your questions....

1. We asked for the K1 expedite after we had already been waiting about three months. The NOA2 came about a week after the expedite request. I knew we were due soon but didn't want to risk waiting in case we were one of those unlucky folk who don't get approved in the normal time.

2. We don't want to wait any longer than we have too for AOS, for peace of mind i'd like to have it sorted.. i also will need the work authorization and the advance parole asap and its easier to apply for everything at once.

3. My fiance's family live far away and we have both only just moved to where we will live (he was previously stationed overseas for the last 3 years)so i wont really have anyone else i could ask to drive me.

4. We will live in northwest florida... the closest office for biometrics is in Louisiana though... that's just the closest big city... about 5 hours driving.

It sounds like the interview might not even happen so i'll stop worrying about that until i have too. And it looks like we should be able to have the biometrics taken by mid September so i'll just have to be organized and get my AOS documents ready to post as soon as we are married.