August 2015 Filers

[Annara 0]

Adding Amuthan's timeline to the list!

AOS: August 2015 Applicants

UserName......|I-485...|I-130...|EAD.....|AP......|I-485 NOA.|I-130 NOA.|Fprints...|Interview.|GC Approval|Field Office

Amuthan.......|08/03/15|08/03/15|08/03/15|--/--/--|08/14/2015|08/14/2015|08/21/2015|MM/DD/YYYY|MM/DD/YYYY.|New York, NY

Judefabulous..|08/18/15|08/18/15|08/18/15|--/--/--|08/29/2015|08/29/2015|MM/DD/YYYY|MM/DD/YYYY|MM/DD/YYYY.|Omaha,NE

Name..........|MM/DD/YY|MM/DD/YY|MM/DD/YY|MM/DD/YY|MM/DD/YYYY|MM/DD/YYYY|MM/DD/YYYY|MM/DD/YYYY|MM/DD/YYYY.|City,State

Legend:

I-485: Date I-485 was mailed to USCIS

I-130: Date I-130 was mailed to USCIS

EAD: Date I-756 was mailed to USCIS

AP: Date I-131 was mailed to USCIS

I-485 NOA: Date you received the official I-797 notification in the mail about I-485 acceptance

I-130 NOA: Date you received the official I-797 notification in the mail about I-130 acceptance

Fprints: Date assigned for fingerprinting

Interview: Date of your interview

GC Approval: Date your case was approved and your green card was issued

Field Office: Your local USCIS field office that conducted your interview

I don't think there's any reason to do do this for people who have their timelines on their signature...

I really hope we don't get RFE's.. Although, I am a little nervous..

Was wondering what's going on with you my friend

Don't be worried, it's the wait getting to you... Anything updated for you on their website?

[Unidentified 2,930]

That's an awesome idea however I want to remind people to keep their timelines updated as well! Because if people keep them updated you can follow their timeline and get emails when they update their timelines

I'll add that to the bottom of my signature later today as well

[Amuthan 5]

Was wondering what's going on with you my friend

Don't be worried, it's the wait getting to you... Anything updated for you on their website?

Well hello there! Nothing much, have been stalking the USCIS site for a while now.. playing with case numbers 10,000 before and after me. Hoping everyday that they process my case soon!

It feels like eternity although, it hasn't really been a month even! *sighhhhh....*

What about you? How are you coping with the wait time?

I did some digging and came up on the SOP for processing I-485 and from that I can understand why USCIS loses some documents and/or requests for additional evidence. It was a good read..

And you asked me how I deal with USCIS wait times? lol..

Edited September 1, 2015 by Amuthan

[CQer 0]

apparently we have to re-file the whole i-864

ambrolla, it will be a easy fix and don't be frustrated, we all here with you. Read the Instruction carefully and use the Checklist to give yourself a check after you done all paper works.

1. Form I-864 Instructions 07/02/15, link:http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-864instr.pdf

2. CHECKLIST FOR PREPARING THE I-864, link:http://www.4uth.gov.ua/usa/english/travel/visa/checklis.htm

Good luck!

Would you like to 'break the ice' and enter your dates? If you'd like help, let me know! Good luck!

Thanks for offering the help, guess as long as I have all info on my signature would be cover. Good luck to you too! Btw, very nice table that you just made for the others!

[Annara 0]

Well hello there! Nothing much, have been stalking the USCIS site for a while now.. playing with case numbers 10,000 before and after me. Hoping everyday that they process my case soon!

It feels like eternity although, it hasn't really been a month even! *sighhhhh....*

What about you? How are you coping with the wait time?

I did some digging and came up on the SOP for processing I-485 and from that I can understand why USCIS loses some documents and/or requests for additional evidence. It was a good read..

And you asked me how I deal with USCIS wait times? lol..

This wait is just terrible...turns us all into stalkers of the USCIS website...nothing changed there, still last update on August 11, when they cashed the checks...so in my head is "are they looking at my files, are they not?"...endurance test lol

It definitely seems that has been more than a month...

What's that good reading you done, can you post a link? Kill some time doing that

Keep calm, as the British say

[ambrolla 4]

ambrolla, it will be a easy fix and don't be frustrated, we all here with you. Read the Instruction carefully and use the Checklist to give yourself a check after you done all paper works.

1. Form I-864 Instructions 07/02/15, link:http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-864instr.pdf

2. CHECKLIST FOR PREPARING THE I-864, link:http://www.4uth.gov.ua/usa/english/travel/visa/checklis.htm

Good luck!

Thanks for offering the help, guess as long as I have all info on my signature would be cover. Good luck to you too! Btw, very nice table that you just made for the others!

OMG! Thank you for that check list! It would've been better if we had it BEFORE filing for I-485. But oh well.

We are just waiting for our tax transcripts. again. So... once they'll come, we'll send everything to USCIS then.

[Amuthan 5]

This wait is just terrible...turns us all into stalkers of the USCIS website...nothing changed there, still last update on August 11, when they cashed the checks...so in my head is "are they looking at my files, are they not?"...endurance test lol

It definitely seems that has been more than a month...

What's that good reading you done, can you post a link? Kill some time doing that

Keep calm, as the British say

Based on what I read, here is a list of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Adjudicating Form I-485:

• Mailroom- The process by which the service center receives I-485 applications, reviews them for acceptability and assembles them for data entry.

• U.S. CIS Review- The process by which U.S. CIS verifies all reasons for rejection cited by the contractor.

• Central Index System/G-325A Processing- The process by which CIS is searched, multiple A-numbers or A-number with violations are resolved, and G-325As are processed.

• Data Entry- The process by where fees are receipted and case information is keyed into CLAIMS.

• File Room- The process by which files are sorted and staged.

• Workload Distribution- The process of staging, routing and distributing files.

• Adjudications- The process by which an application is examined for determination of whether the application is approvable or deniable.

• Post-Adjudications-The procedure to be followed after an officer makes a determination on an I-485 case.

From what I think, our file should be in the Adjudication stage now, if not it should be staggered in the file room. From what I read, all steps until adjudication could be done by contractors/CIS officers (hence, you see your file moving fast initially till you receive your NOA1) and when they have to process a minimum of 1,000 applications a day, things are bound to get lost in transition.. I Wish they sped up this process!

I really don't have the link, but I have the PDF.. I can't attach it due to size restrictions.. womp!

Edited September 1, 2015 by Amuthan

[Annara 0]

Based on what I read, here is a list of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Adjudicating Form I-485:

• Mailroom- The process by which the service center receives I-485 applications, reviews them for acceptability and assembles them for data entry.

• U.S. CIS Review- The process by which U.S. CIS verifies all reasons for rejection cited by the contractor.

• Central Index System/G-325A Processing- The process by which CIS is searched, multiple A-numbers or A-number with violations are resolved, and G-325As are processed.

• Data Entry- The process by where fees are receipted and case information is keyed into CLAIMS.

• File Room- The process by which files are sorted and staged.

• Workload Distribution- The process of staging, routing and distributing files.

• Adjudications- The process by which an application is examined for determination of whether the application is approvable or deniable.

• Post-Adjudications-The procedure to be followed after an officer makes a determination on an I-485 case.

From what I think, our file should be in the Adjudication stage now, if not it should be staggered in the file room. From what I read, all steps until adjudication could be done by contractors/CIS officers (hence, you see your file moving fast initially till you receive your NOA1) and when they have to process a minimum of 1,000 applications a day, things are bound to get lost in transition.. I Wish they sped up this process!

I really don't have the link, but I have the PDF.. I can't attach it due to size restrictions.. womp!

You sure did your research

I think since we got the text with the fees being accepted we passed the Data entry stage...and I hope you are right and we are in the "Adjudications" and not the "File room"... I've been reading how the process is much slower in the New York field office, but imagine we still haven't have our cases forwarded here.. patience is a virtue for sure!

There's no need to post the pdf, I , as well as others I guess, appreciate you taking the time to share the info.

[Unidentified 2,930]

You sure did your research

I think since we got the text with the fees being accepted we passed the Data entry stage...and I hope you are right and we are in the "Adjudications" and not the "File room"... I've been reading how the process is much slower in the New York field office, but imagine we still haven't have our cases forwarded here.. patience is a virtue for sure!

There's no need to post the pdf, I , as well as others I guess, appreciate you taking the time to share the info.

Probably by now we are but for those who just got the text: just because you get your case number does not mean they put you in their system. I had issues when I went to get my Emergency AP because I went there the day after getting the texts and even though I had the case number I was not in the system. This resulted in me having to yet again pay for AP and the guy had to email someone pretty much saying "we've given her AP and she's leaving the country".

[Annara 0]

Probably by now we are but for those who just got the text: just because you get your case number does not mean they put you in their system. I had issues when I went to get my Emergency AP because I went there the day after getting the texts and even though I had the case number I was not in the system. This resulted in me having to yet again pay for AP and the guy had to email someone pretty much saying "we've given her AP and she's leaving the country".

Would you mind putting your dates in the signature area? I assume we are pretty much on the same timeline?

[Amuthan 5]

You sure did your research

I think since we got the text with the fees being accepted we passed the Data entry stage...and I hope you are right and we are in the "Adjudications" and not the "File room"... I've been reading how the process is much slower in the New York field office, but imagine we still haven't have our cases forwarded here.. patience is a virtue for sure!

There's no need to post the pdf, I , as well as others I guess, appreciate you taking the time to share the info.

This is what I did on my lunch break!

Now this could be a blessing in disguise, maybe the MSC is going to forward our case to a Service Center because the Field Offices are lagging way behind. NYC office has about 12,170 cases of pending I-130 approvals as of June 30,2015. They receive about 4,000 petitions in 3 months. There is a change.org petition filed by US Citizens for people like us who have/ are waiting to bring their immediate relatives into the US as the red tape currently is just not allowing them to.

More info about Field office processing: http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Family-Based/I130_performancedata_fy2015_qtr3.pdf

This is really frustrating as USCIS serves customers on a "first in, first out" basis, which means our case would only be adjudicated when the remainder of the people ahead of us get adjudicated. The only relief is that we don't need to wait for a visa number, unlike F2A applicants.

Probably by now we are but for those who just got the text: just because you get your case number does not mean they put you in their system. I had issues when I went to get my Emergency AP because I went there the day after getting the texts and even though I had the case number I was not in the system. This resulted in me having to yet again pay for AP and the guy had to email someone pretty much saying "we've given her AP and she's leaving the country".

That's correct Maria&Seve, The case number doesn't get updated unless an officer/contractor manually puts in the request to update the case number. They usually annotate your file and forward it to the next stage, the case number will pop up during the adjudication stage where the actual case officer reviews our case and then decides to do whatever he/she wants to. So, in your case your file hadn't reached the adjudication stage as yet and since a decision had to be made, the officer had to manually pull up your information. Also, you can file with USCIS for a refund for the AP document. The same case officer can approve the refund, it is just a matter of few clicks for them.

Also an interesting fact is USCIS stores your file (including your personal details, medical records etc.) for three months until after post-decision, then they should purge all adjudicated cases to make room for new ones.

[Unidentified 2,930]

This is what I did on my lunch break!

Now this could be a blessing in disguise, maybe the MSC is going to forward our case to a Service Center because the Field Offices are lagging way behind. NYC office has about 12,170 cases of pending I-130 approvals as of June 30,2015. They receive about 4,000 petitions in 3 months. There is a change.org petition filed by US Citizens for people like us who have/ are waiting to bring their immediate relatives into the US as the red tape currently is just not allowing them to.

More info about Field office processing: http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Family-Based/I130_performancedata_fy2015_qtr3.pdf

This is really frustrating as USCIS serves customers on a "first in, first out" basis, which means our case would only be adjudicated when the remainder of the people ahead of us get adjudicated. The only relief is that we don't need to wait for a visa number, unlike F2A applicants.

That's correct Maria&Seve, The case number doesn't get updated unless an officer/contractor manually puts in the request to update the case number. They usually annotate your file and forward it to the next stage, the case number will pop up during the adjudication stage where the actual case officer reviews our case and then decides to do whatever he/she wants to. So, in your case your file hadn't reached the adjudication stage as yet and since a decision had to be made, the officer had to manually pull up your information. Also, you can file with USCIS for a refund for the AP document. The same case officer can approve the refund, it is just a matter of few clicks for them.

Also an interesting fact is USCIS stores your file (including your personal details, medical records etc.) for three months until after post-decision, then they should purge all adjudicated cases to make room for new ones.

He wasn't even able to pull up any information. I pretty much had to tell him "hey, I got my case number I can check my status on USCIS" but he couldn't see anything.

Thank you for that info, he didn't even mention refund! So then I guess you also answered my other question I've been having. I've been wondering if I can continue to use my AP as my normal AP or if it's just a one time AP and I need to wait for my "regular" AP to arrive. I'm planning on going back to Sweden in November when we're going to clean out my dads things.... Do you know at what point I can get the refund? After I return to the states in a few weeks or when I get my "regular" AP?

[Amuthan 5]

I've been wondering if I can continue to use my AP as my normal AP or if it's just a one time AP and I need to wait for my "regular" AP to arrive. I'm planning on going back to Sweden in November when we're going to clean out my dads things.... Do you know at what point I can get the refund? After I return to the states in a few weeks or when I get my "regular" AP?

Maria&Seve, I think I made a wrong assumption. Your AP was issued on humanitarian basis, which means it could be a one-time AP and fees for that are separate from regular filing. Now, when your actual EAD/AP gets processed along with your I-485, I think you should be able to use that as a regular AP. Usually the card will say if it is valid for multiple entries or single entry.

Sorry if what I said was misleading..

[Unidentified 2,930]

Maria&Seve, I think I made a wrong assumption. Your AP was issued on humanitarian basis, which means it could be a one-time AP and fees for that are separate from regular filing. Now, when your actual EAD/AP gets processed along with your I-485, I think you should be able to use that as a regular AP. Usually the card will say if it is valid for multiple entries or single entry.

Sorry if what I said was misleading..

No worries, I'll make another InfoPass when I get home to double check because I think he explained it to me but I just kind of wanted to grab the papers and run to the airport. I'll also double check the papers maybe it says something on them. Because I don't have a card, I just have papers. I should have gotten the regular AP by the time I want to return anyway.

[de3wcfan 3]

A very late August filer here, but an August filer all the same. Mailed my husband's AOS packet on 8/28/15 and it was delivered to the Chicago lockbox on 8/31/15. Let the waiting begin....

Mailed I-129F in July, 2014 and nearly a year later he was able to schedule his interview and receive his K-1 visa. Hoping this part of the process moves faster, but from the sounds of other posts it does not. Nice to find other August filers and track our progress together!