VWP - Approved!!!!!!!!!

[BenjaminUKtoUSA 7]

I know the controversy of VWP approvals has been a hot topic on this website, so I'm hoping my following experience will help with concerns.

STATE FILED FOR APPLICATION: NEW YORK / SUFFOLK COUNTY / LONG ISLAND

LOCAL FILING OFFICE: HOLTSVILLE USCIS OFFICE

I wrote this whole article basically explaining our entire story, so any others whom read it can compare their situation to ours.

This will be messy as I haven't had any sleep for 24 hours when writing this.

First, our back story;

We originally met each other online on a game called "Habbo Hotel" we instantly became friends. However a few years passed and we lost contact with eachother. It wasn't until January of 2010 that we came into contact again. It was fate. Nicole (MY WIFE) said she had a dream that I came to the United States randomly, which is very strange because we lost contact around 2007. So Nicole decided to go online one day, on msn, and we instantly hit it off again and started talking. Then we arranged to meet up with one another, she couldn't come to England, because of college, so I decided to go visit her as a friend in New York.

The flight was booked for October 16th ( a day before my birthday ), before this date, my Mother had a stroke in April of 2010, Nicole was there for me through my Mothers entire recovery. Phone calls and text messages, helped me through it. She also kindly sent a huge boquet of flowers for my Mother, whilst she was in hospital recovering.

When October came, the nerves were high, we were both going to meet eachother literally around the corner. When the day came, I couldn't sleep, I was on the phone to Nicole from 4am british standard time, till my flight departure of 10am.

When I landed at JFK, she was holding a sign which was a love-heart in the shape of the British flag. As soon as I saw her, my heart raced, I knew instantly, just seeing her that she was the girl for me. The weeks passed and I extended my stay by taking more time off from work. We then decided to get engaged, because it felt so right and we are so happy with each other. We then married in December of 2010.

The Application:

We sent out our application a MONTH after my VWP expired. My VWP expired January 14th 2011, we sent out our package roughly around the start of February 2011.

We then received all of our NOA for I-130 I-485 and I-864. We never sent our Medical in at the time of applying, due to the lack of funds, it wasn't until March that we received an Request For Evidence, for my Medical Examination. We had one done, and sent it back April 18th. We then sent out my application for EAD around April time, due to being incorrectly informed by USCIS of the cost of the EAD CARD.

We then got my EAD card in June, my appointment letter also came in June, for July 13th (Today).

With my EAD card I was able to get my Social Security Number, it also helped us get a joint bank account and I was able to add my name to my wifes Verizon bill.

The Social Security Card was branded with, "AUTHORIZED FOR WORK VIA DHS APPROVAL"

The Interview

We arrived at 7:40am, checked ourselves in to the lady at the front desk, of the Holtsville USCIS office, she was very friendly and helped relax my nerves. My wife was calm, I was nervous due to our situation. We were interviewed around 8:30am, my appointment was for 8:00am.

I wore black pants and a white polo shirt, so nothing too formal. My wife "dressy" jeans, with a black top and jeweled sandals.

The I.O swore us both in, she then asked us both to take a seat. She seemed very lovely. She asked one question to my Wife, about our marriage;

How did a girl from Port Jefferson, meet a guy from England?

My wifes answer was lovely, made me feel so happy just listening to her talk about me like that.

- She then asked if we had any photos. We brought an album of literally any photos we had taken together or with family, there were A LOT from different days and celebrations. The I.O flipped through them, whilst talking to us, like any person would.

She then asked us to pick two photos to go on file, one picture of us during our wedding celebration. The other of us just normal and together. Baring in mind we had a town hall wedding.

She asked for proof of employment from my Wife, she asked if I had ever worked whilst in the united states. (I hadn't.)

She then asked for any proof of joint accounts we had together. We showed her a letter from Verizon, with both our names in the letterhead, we also showed her a Citizens bank letter addressed to both of us, this showed a joint bank account.

She then went down the list of questions which I had previously answered when sending off the I-485, I answered "NO" to all of them.

Then she went through the talk of citizenship, and how I had to apply on the military drafting website. (For all men 25 and under I believe)

Then she stamped my passport with a temporary "Green-card" stamp and said your actual card should arrive within 10 - 14 days.

"Welcome to the United States"

In short, if you're truly in love and married, you came here with good intentions and not intentions to marry... You should be fine. I was personally told by the USCIS officer that VWP applicants have just as much of a chance to adjust their status, as any other visa application does.

Thank you VJ for your helpful forum users. I hope this helps all of you.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Congratulations! I knew it would be good news!

A lot of the VWP stuff has calmed down now that there was a clarification memo sent out that stated that local offices had jurisdiction to approve VWP overstay AOS cases. No reason to worry! Relax now and celebrate!

[lady26 0]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!

thanks for sharing your experience with VJ

I adjusted through B2 tough and like you said:"if you're truly in love and married, you came here with good intentions and not intentions to marry... You should be fine"

[prep.mac 7]

Congratulations!!!!!! Happy for you!

Ours will be on July 25, 10 am, Indianapolis..my nerves are raging cuz I we only have the joint bank account, internet/water bills in both our names,his IRS transcripts (2008-2009), pay subs, employment letter fr HR (have to redo tonight due to lack of "average weekly number of hours" included), pictures, cards, marriage certificate, birth certificates. Insurance?nada in hand cuz:

1. auto insurance - I still dont have my SSN so no DL..went back again to SSA today for my SSN but they said just wait for the actual card to arrive in the mail in 2 weeks.grrrr! That on or after July 25th.

2. Life insurance - the agent said we will get the policy by mail in 2-4 weeks..they can give us a letter stating we got a life insurance, indeed..policy on its way for the interview.I don't know if that will be acceptable to prove co-mingling of resources.

3. Health - Due to financial reasons, we opt not to get it til I get a job. Hubby was unemployed Nov 2010 til first week of May 2011 so even when he is earnig well again we got bills to catch up with.

Hope they will understand and accept our insurance concerns.

We filed May 4, 2011, interview scheduled July 25..given the time frame, I honestly think they would not expect us to have everything given the unemployment situation my hubby was in in the recent months. They will have to DISPROVE that this marriage is NOT legit. I am adjusting from aB visa too..I try not to worry about it as there were many in the same boat who got their approvals.

Sorry, this should not have been about me..lol! I have learned from yours..not to worry too much..we just be honest and have the docs we have in hand during the interview.

Have a good life ahead...God bless!

[BenjaminUKtoUSA 7]

I think you have more than enough joint assets together . Don't worry about it, you will honestly work yourself up for no reason. I was such a nervous wreck today, but the Interviewing officer and the lady at the front desk were both laughing at me.

[karah0215 0]

I think you have more than enough joint assets together . Don't worry about it, you will honestly work yourself up for no reason. I was such a nervous wreck today, but the Interviewing officer and the lady at the front desk were both laughing at me.

Hi VJ's,

so am I. i'm adjusting through B1B2 visa.

anyway, we have been married for almost 5 months and our interview will be on July 27.this are what we have so far to proof of our bonafide marriage.. we have life and health insurance,marriage certificate,joint bank statement with small amount of money since we just opened it on April and was able to deposit on July.we also have a Apt. lease contract in both our names,we also have cards from friends showing both our names and address and greeting cards from friends from our wedding reception.

what we dont have:

-he can't include me in his car insurance since the DMV here in Alabama didn't let me take the learners permit because i'm out of status and they wanted to see the approval notice.my husband even commented that the Federal Gov. approved me to have EAD and SSN but how can I drive and go to work if the State wouldn't let me take a DL. (Isn't that funny?)

utility bills is under his name.

Thanks!

05/28/08 met in Alabama (public library)by accident.Became friends.

09/2008 went back to the Philippines

12/2008 visited me 1st time in the Philippines

05/2009 visited me 2nd time in the Philippines

12/2009 visited me 3rd time in the Philippines

09/22/10 came to US on B1B2 visa. POE: NYC

02/15/11 got married

TIMELINE (B1B2)

03/25/11 sent AOS package I-130, I-485- I-765)

03/27/11 USCIS received the AOS package ( Chicago Lockbox)

04/30/11 received hardcopy of NOA1

05/07/11 received biometrics appointment (05/20/11 biometrics appointment )

05/09/11 medical appointment done

05/20/11 Biometrics done

05/26/11 Mailed RFE response (06/02/11 USCIS received RFE. Case is being processed at NBC)

06/16/11 Card/ Document production

06/22/11 USCIS mailed a notice that they approved I765 Application for Employment Authorization

06/23/11 received interview date notice

06/23/11 received EAD card in the mail

06/27/11 applied for SSN (waiting for the card but number is in hand)

07/27/11 Interview date

0

[BenjaminUKtoUSA 7]

That's more than enough joint assets. Good luck.

[NinjaAssasin 0]

Congratulations first of off, your situation is simlilar to mine since i came to the US under VWP as well and married my wife.

I applied for I-130, I-485, and I-864 and finished my biometrics a couple of days ago.

I have 2 questions and hope that you could provide me with some answers to both.

1. At the interview do they ask you about coming to the US with intentions of marriage?

2. I read that you mentioned about being able to receive a letter from the Verizon store with verification that your wife and you were on the same plan. Could you let me know how this is possible and what steps it took in getting the letter? Since my wife and I are also in the same bill plan and havent been able to find out how to receive such letter.

Thanks and again congrats!

[BenjaminUKtoUSA 7]

Your interview will be different, what state are you residing in right now?

They didn't ask me anything about intentions of marriage, they simply asked my wife how we met.

It shouldn't be an issue for you, if you know you came as a visitor with no intentions of marriage, you should be fine.

My wife simply added me to her Verizon account, you ring up customer services and ask to be added to the bill. All that they will do is add your name to the billing statement.

You need to send off for your I-765 EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION CARD - This will honestly help you both out so much more. You'll receive a card, which enables you to get your SSN and you can then apply for other joint assets. The card is FREE with your pending I-485 application. So send it off! Chances are you may receive your EAD card, a month before your actual interview date.

Good luck.

[j18 0]

I know the controversy of VWP approvals has been a hot topic on this website, so I'm hoping my following experience will help with concerns.

STATE FILED FOR APPLICATION: NEW YORK / SUFFOLK COUNTY / LONG ISLAND

LOCAL FILING OFFICE: HOLTSVILLE USCIS OFFICE

I wrote this whole article basically explaining our entire story, so any others whom read it can compare their situation to ours.

This will be messy as I haven't had any sleep for 24 hours when writing this.

First, our back story;

We originally met each other online on a game called "Habbo Hotel" we instantly became friends. However a few years passed and we lost contact with eachother. It wasn't until January of 2010 that we came into contact again. It was fate. Nicole (MY WIFE) said she had a dream that I came to the United States randomly, which is very strange because we lost contact around 2007. So Nicole decided to go online one day, on msn, and we instantly hit it off again and started talking. Then we arranged to meet up with one another, she couldn't come to England, because of college, so I decided to go visit her as a friend in New York.

The flight was booked for October 16th ( a day before my birthday ), before this date, my Mother had a stroke in April of 2010, Nicole was there for me through my Mothers entire recovery. Phone calls and text messages, helped me through it. She also kindly sent a huge boquet of flowers for my Mother, whilst she was in hospital recovering.

When October came, the nerves were high, we were both going to meet eachother literally around the corner. When the day came, I couldn't sleep, I was on the phone to Nicole from 4am british standard time, till my flight departure of 10am.

When I landed at JFK, she was holding a sign which was a love-heart in the shape of the British flag. As soon as I saw her, my heart raced, I knew instantly, just seeing her that she was the girl for me. The weeks passed and I extended my stay by taking more time off from work. We then decided to get engaged, because it felt so right and we are so happy with each other. We then married in December of 2010.

The Application:

We sent out our application a MONTH after my VWP expired. My VWP expired January 14th 2011, we sent out our package roughly around the start of February 2011.

We then received all of our NOA for I-130 I-485 and I-864. We never sent our Medical in at the time of applying, due to the lack of funds, it wasn't until March that we received an Request For Evidence, for my Medical Examination. We had one done, and sent it back April 18th. We then sent out my application for EAD around April time, due to being incorrectly informed by USCIS of the cost of the EAD CARD.

We then got my EAD card in June, my appointment letter also came in June, for July 13th (Today).

With my EAD card I was able to get my Social Security Number, it also helped us get a joint bank account and I was able to add my name to my wifes Verizon bill.

The Social Security Card was branded with, "AUTHORIZED FOR WORK VIA DHS APPROVAL"

The Interview

We arrived at 7:40am, checked ourselves in to the lady at the front desk, of the Holtsville USCIS office, she was very friendly and helped relax my nerves. My wife was calm, I was nervous due to our situation. We were interviewed around 8:30am, my appointment was for 8:00am.

I wore black pants and a white polo shirt, so nothing too formal. My wife "dressy" jeans, with a black top and jeweled sandals.

The I.O swore us both in, she then asked us both to take a seat. She seemed very lovely. She asked one question to my Wife, about our marriage;

How did a girl from Port Jefferson, meet a guy from England?

My wifes answer was lovely, made me feel so happy just listening to her talk about me like that.

- She then asked if we had any photos. We brought an album of literally any photos we had taken together or with family, there were A LOT from different days and celebrations. The I.O flipped through them, whilst talking to us, like any person would.

She then asked us to pick two photos to go on file, one picture of us during our wedding celebration. The other of us just normal and together. Baring in mind we had a town hall wedding.

She asked for proof of employment from my Wife, she asked if I had ever worked whilst in the united states. (I hadn't.)

She then asked for any proof of joint accounts we had together. We showed her a letter from Verizon, with both our names in the letterhead, we also showed her a Citizens bank letter addressed to both of us, this showed a joint bank account.

She then went down the list of questions which I had previously answered when sending off the I-485, I answered "NO" to all of them.

Then she went through the talk of citizenship, and how I had to apply on the military drafting website. (For all men 25 and under I believe)

Then she stamped my passport with a temporary "Green-card" stamp and said your actual card should arrive within 10 - 14 days.

"Welcome to the United States"

In short, if you're truly in love and married, you came here with good intentions and not intentions to marry... You should be fine. I was personally told by the USCIS officer that VWP applicants have just as much of a chance to adjust their status, as any other visa application does.

Thank you VJ for your helpful forum users. I hope this helps all of you.

Congrats!!! our interview is on aug 19th hope it goes smoothly! How did you have your passport stamped? I thought they dont do that anymore. did you ask for one or she stamped it her self?

[David W. Desguez 0]

Congratulations!

As a married man to an american woman that came to the US under a VWP (they didn't want to deliver me a visa...), I just been approved for a green card myself. The story here : http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/302090-alien-married-to-usc-in-the-usa-under-vwp/page__view__findpost__p__4781356

And yes, if you are under a VWP and married to a USC, you have a pretty good chance to reach the PRS.

Again, congratulations!

[BenjaminUKtoUSA 7]

She stamped it on her own

[trillium13 84]

Congrats OP! That's good to hear. If you haven't already, you should add your review to the review section, it's well written.