AOS March 2016 filers/Part 2

[Linyahui 103]

16 hours ago, sparkles_ said:

My husband thought the same. I told him that my fee money, and everyone else's comes with unlimited costumer service til completion.....and that I would rather over call than under call and let a mistake or error grow in the downtime. There were some days when I expected them to magically know my name/voice combo from calling so much LOL. IMO, at this point you should go make an infopass and ask for the floor supervisor (I cant remember if you did this already) and ask that person what the hell is happening. The window people only know about 1/2 of what we really need. We also had issue with jobs and the EAD, a lot of employers seemed to have the notion in their heads already that it needs employer renewing, and there you go, right into the circular file.

 

Have you considered moving to a more Taiwanese populated area? I've made the move across the country 3 times in my life, from NC to Alaska, back to NC, to WA state and east coast again. Every time I could not find a job in advance so I went with money and a pre-rented one bedroom. It seems that getting a job offer out of state is a dying thing, sadly. I took a loan for one of the moves and it repaid itself quickly in quality of life. In fact.....we are probably going to be making ANOTHER big move by year's end I hope. I can say if you relocate that way, you have to accept that you will live small for 6mo-1yr but it isn't horrible, you will upgrade quickly after that dwell time. The reason we are moving by the way, is almost the same. My husband has a ####### job, no benefits, it is ruining his mental health and his mental health is linked to mine. Don't knock paid plasma donation either. We can get an easy and basically free 550$ a month to bank into moving money. I'm aware it sounds kind of low class but money doesn't grow on trees, gotta get it somewhere.

 

We are forming a written, step by step plan for the rest of the year, with small things and major things we can do as well towards moving. @Linyahui I need to seek you out on FB to keep in touch! Anyone from our March group really, God knows we have seen each other through a lot at this point.

Thanks for this advice. Moving across country without a job for either one of us (or health insurance?!) is a risk we may not be willing to take at this point in time, but I'm definitely not closing that door for the future. I admire your courage in doing something like that...THREE TIMES. Seriously, that takes some bad*ss bravery, Sparkles.

 

I'm going to suggest calling USCIS again this week. If we get nowhere on that call, we'll do another InfoPass (we had one in February, during which we were told we were on the interview waiver list--HA!). I'm also going to give my senator a call this week and ask her office to follow up again. This is totally bonkers. 

 

Agreed, we should stay connected on Facebook. I'll PM you my name so you can find me.

[Linyahui 103]

5 minutes ago, elikhom said:

Hi,

Sorry to hear you case is still stuck somewhere.We haven't heard about ours either but at least my wife got her AP and EAD extensions fast.

 

Has your husband thought about going back to school to do a Masters or something similar? If his degrees are only from Taiwan I can imagine why he's having a hard time finding a good job here.

I came to the US 16 years ago (I'm a citizen now) and my college degree was pretty much useless here even though it was the top school in my country. The university I attended for my masters degree gave me tuition waiver plus a small salary working as a teaching assistant so I didnt have to take any loans, and masters are only 1.5 to 2 years long. I didnt have any problems finding a good job afterwards.

 

Might be an option worth looking into. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks, elikhom. Luckily, my hubby got his AP/EAD extension, too, although it took about four months. He's going back to Taiwan for five weeks this summer, so that was really a godsend. 

 

My husband has two master's degrees (one from Taiwan, one from a top-ranked public university in the U.S. where we met in 2005), and also is ABD (all but dissertation) in his PhD program. He's taught at highly-ranked universities across the U.S. over the past 10 years, so it's really a mystery why he can't find full-time employment now. 

[sparkles_ 456]

1 hour ago, Linyahui said:

Thanks, elikhom. Luckily, my hubby got his AP/EAD extension, too, although it took about four months. He's going back to Taiwan for five weeks this summer, so that was really a godsend. 

 

My husband has two master's degrees (one from Taiwan, one from a top-ranked public university in the U.S. where we met in 2005), and also is ABD (all but dissertation) in his PhD program. He's taught at highly-ranked universities across the U.S. over the past 10 years, so it's really a mystery why he can't find full-time employment now. 

Consider having the foreign degrees evaluated at a place like WES education or SpanTran. We are starting that process as well pretty soon, it seems to be straight forward. I know it doesn't make much sense but it is apparently a game changer when you're actually a resident (or about to be one) with any foreign education seeking work versus working temporarily. Mine also had no problem getting a decent job on a temp. visa, but now.....ugh.

 

Also, are they saying he is over qualified by chance? He could try only listing the Masters that is relevant to the position versus the 2nd Masters and PhD. Spoken as someone who has had to not mention a degree to get a position before. I don't get the concept of over qualification personally, but apparently it is a real thing here.

Edited June 7, 2017 by sparkles_

[Linyahui 103]

6 minutes ago, sparkles_ said:

Consider having the foreign degrees evaluated at a place like WES education or SpanTran. We are starting that process as well pretty soon, it seems to be straight forward. I know it doesn't make much sense but it is apparently a game changer when you're actually a resident (or about to be one) with any foreign education seeking work versus working temporarily. Mine also had no problem getting a decent job on a temp. visa, but now.....ugh.

 

Also, are they saying he is over qualified by chance? He could try only listing the Masters that is relevant to the position versus the 2nd Masters and PhD. Spoken as someone who has had to not mention a degree to get a position before. I don't get the concept of over qualification personally, but apparently it is a real thing here.

 

I've never heard of WES or SpanTran--will check that out. Thanks for the recommendation, Sparkles.

 

You may be right about the over-qualification thing....he has been told that several times. It's definitely worth a shot to see if removing a degree or two would help get his foot in the door somewhere. So odd! 

[sparkles_ 456]

5 minutes ago, Linyahui said:

 

I've never heard of WES or SpanTran--will check that out. Thanks for the recommendation, Sparkles.

 

You may be right about the over-qualification thing....he has been told that several times. It's definitely worth a shot to see if removing a degree or two would help get his foot in the door somewhere. So odd! 

It is a crazy concept. In my mind, one can NEVER be too qualified, lol. I actually keep two resumes, one for each degree. Also if you're looking to move, a good way for your husband to secure a job out of state, actually the only company I've found to do so (albeit entry level and has to attend an interview in the chosen city) is Delta airlines. I'm considering having my husband apply for the French speaking positions again, they are also seeking Chinese speakers right now and hire about 3x a year. Pay is about 14$ but it also comes with full benefits and free travel. Husband declined one offer right before his GC approval because we just didn't know what was going to happen, but Delta HR had basically told him if he passed the background and language test it was in the bag.

Edited June 7, 2017 by sparkles_

[Linyahui 103]

1 minute ago, sparkles_ said:

It is a crazy concept. In my mind, one can NEVER be too qualified, lol. I actually keep two resumes, one for each degree. Also if you're looking to move, a good way for your husband to secure a job out of state, actually the only company I've found to do so (albeit entry level and has to attend an interview in the chosen city) is Delta airlines. I'm considering having my husband apply for the French speaking positions again, they are also seeking Chinese speakers right now and hire about 3x a year. Pay is about 14$ but it also comes with full benefits and free travel. Husband declined one offer right before his GC approval because we just didn't know what was going to happen, but Delta HR had basically told him if he passed the background and language test it was in the bag.

 

I'm going to suggest all of the above to my hubby tonight!! Thank you so much!!!!! 

[msmontader 10]

On 5/31/2017 at 10:49 AM, PaddyGirl13 said:

 

I'd certainly talk to the lawyer, I'm sure a clerical error on your passport can be rectified and a letter will help, but be prepared to answer why you also put the incorrect date on your application and didn't alert them to the issue then.

The instructions from the i-485 form state: "If you willfully or knowingly falsify or conceal a material fact or submit a false document with this request , we will deny the benefit you are filing for, and may deny any other immigration benefit."

Were your previous visas applied for and issued on the wrong date of birth?

I hope I'm not coming across as negative but there is a real possibility this is going to turn out to be a bigger issue than you'd want it to be.

 

Thank you for your response ! 
When I got my passport it had the wrong month on it and when I tried to fix it back then when I was in my home country, they gave me too much trouble just to fix it. Down there no one really cared for birthdate so i just left it as it was. My U.S Visa was issued on the passport and following that, everything else followed as the passport. I retained a lawyer finally and she advised me to write a declaration stating all what I just said here. I got a letter from the Iraqi embassy stating my correct birthdate and they even agreed on issuing a new passport that correspond to the birthdate on my birth certificate. The lawyer said that there is no material inconsistency in my case and it should be fine but I would ask her about the statement of Falsify material fact. The thing is my passport is issued by the government so I don't think it is a false document.
Thank you very much for your response and please give me any other issue that can come up so I can ask my lawyer about it.  

[sparkles_ 456]

7 hours ago, msmontader said:

Thank you for your response ! 
When I got my passport it had the wrong month on it and when I tried to fix it back then when I was in my home country, they gave me too much trouble just to fix it. Down there no one really cared for birthdate so i just left it as it was. My U.S Visa was issued on the passport and following that, everything else followed as the passport. I retained a lawyer finally and she advised me to write a declaration stating all what I just said here. I got a letter from the Iraqi embassy stating my correct birthdate and they even agreed on issuing a new passport that correspond to the birthdate on my birth certificate. The lawyer said that there is no material inconsistency in my case and it should be fine but I would ask her about the statement of Falsify material fact. The thing is my passport is issued by the government so I don't think it is a false document.
Thank you very much for your response and please give me any other issue that can come up so I can ask my lawyer about it.  

I agree, I don't think the falsification stuff will be an issue because it is a gov't mistake, not something you falsified yourself. Are your birthdates correct on other things, like your actual school registration documents and such? 

[msmontader 10]

8 hours ago, sparkles_ said:

I agree, I don't think the falsification stuff will be an issue because it is a gov't mistake, not something you falsified yourself. Are your birthdates correct on other things, like your actual school registration documents and such? 

Yes. My national ID card is in July along with my birth certificate and my new Passport.

[Linyahui 103]

March family, we need your help and advice!

 

Hubby and I came home tonight to find an RFE from USCIS. WHY we have to get this after we've already been waiting for 15 months is beyond my comprehension, but there you go.

 

Here are the items being requested:

 

- Copy of the government-registered marriage certificate of the petitioner 

- I-693 Medical Certification by a Civil Surgeon

- Supplemental Form I-693 Proof of Immunization for the beneficiary

-Current pay statement for the beneficiary

-Evidence of a share life together with "IRS income tax transcripts for 2016" circled

 

The pay statement is simple enough. I am assuming the medical certification and proof of immunization are being requested because more than a year has passed since my husband had it done in Taiwan (even though we submitted the I-485 well within that one-year timeline, arghhh).

 

Questions:

1. Why is the marriage certificate specific to me? We already submitted an original copy of our marriage certificate with the original I-485 application. Do they want us to submit another original?

2. Can hubby have the medical stuff done when he's back in Taiwan in a couple of weeks (using the same civil surgeon he did for the F-1 visa that is approved by the US Embassy)? If not, can someone point me in the direction of a list of approved civil surgeons for this purpose?

3. Would the summary printout from TurboTax that I got from filing our 2016 taxes be sufficient for the IRS tax transcript, or do they want the bona fide tax transcript? 

 

Expedient answers much appreciated!! We will also be calling USCIS in the morning for clarity. Sigh...

[Linyahui 103]

25 minutes ago, Linyahui said:

March family, we need your help and advice!

 

Hubby and I came home tonight to find an RFE from USCIS. WHY we have to get this after we've already been waiting for 15 months is beyond my comprehension, but there you go.

 

Here are the items being requested:

 

- Copy of the government-registered marriage certificate of the petitioner 

- I-693 Medical Certification by a Civil Surgeon

- Supplemental Form I-693 Proof of Immunization for the beneficiary

-Current pay statement for the beneficiary

-Evidence of a share life together with "IRS income tax transcripts for 2016" circled

 

The pay statement is simple enough. I am assuming the medical certification and proof of immunization are being requested because more than a year has passed since my husband had it done in Taiwan (even though we submitted the I-485 well within that one-year timeline, arghhh).

 

Questions:

1. Why is the marriage certificate specific to me? We already submitted an original copy of our marriage certificate with the original I-485 application. Do they want us to submit another original?

2. Can hubby have the medical stuff done when he's back in Taiwan in a couple of weeks (using the same civil surgeon he did for the F-1 visa that is approved by the US Embassy)? If not, can someone point me in the direction of a list of approved civil surgeons for this purpose?

3. Would the summary printout from TurboTax that I got from filing our 2016 taxes be sufficient for the IRS tax transcript, or do they want the bona fide tax transcript? 

 

Expedient answers much appreciated!! We will also be calling USCIS in the morning for clarity. Sigh...

 

After I posted this, I figured out the answers to questions #2 & 3, but I can't figure out how to edit my post above.

 

We're going to use a civil surgeon here in the U.S. to be on the safe side and I found the list of USCIS-approved doctors. I can print out an IRS tax transcript for free at home. However, question #1 is still a mystery. Did they lose our original marriage certificate? Are they asking, specifically, about me as the petitioner? I have never been married before and want to make sure there isn't an error in our record. 

 

The item "evidence of a shared life together" had a number of examples following it. The IRS tax transcript for 2016 was the only one circled. I am assuming that is the only thing I should send from the list of examples. I've heard it's best not to overthink RFEs, but read carefully and send only exactly what they are requesting. Thoughts? 

[sparkles_ 456]

58 minutes ago, Linyahui said:

March family, we need your help and advice!

 

Hubby and I came home tonight to find an RFE from USCIS. WHY we have to get this after we've already been waiting for 15 months is beyond my comprehension, but there you go.

 

Here are the items being requested:

 

- Copy of the government-registered marriage certificate of the petitioner 

- I-693 Medical Certification by a Civil Surgeon

- Supplemental Form I-693 Proof of Immunization for the beneficiary

-Current pay statement for the beneficiary

-Evidence of a share life together with "IRS income tax transcripts for 2016" circled

 

The pay statement is simple enough. I am assuming the medical certification and proof of immunization are being requested because more than a year has passed since my husband had it done in Taiwan (even though we submitted the I-485 well within that one-year timeline, arghhh).

 

Questions:

1. Why is the marriage certificate specific to me? We already submitted an original copy of our marriage certificate with the original I-485 application. Do they want us to submit another original?

2. Can hubby have the medical stuff done when he's back in Taiwan in a couple of weeks (using the same civil surgeon he did for the F-1 visa that is approved by the US Embassy)? If not, can someone point me in the direction of a list of approved civil surgeons for this purpose?

3. Would the summary printout from TurboTax that I got from filing our 2016 taxes be sufficient for the IRS tax transcript, or do they want the bona fide tax transcript? 

 

Expedient answers much appreciated!! We will also be calling USCIS in the morning for clarity. Sigh...

They probably lost your marriage certificate.....sucks, but I would place money on it. They won't ever admit it, though. Send another copy. Get the transcript from the IRS, you can get get it in 7-10 days. A print out is not sufficient on its own, sadly. Link for civil surgeons below:

 

https://my.uscis.gov/findadoctor

 

Don't have it done in Taiwan, just avoid that confusion completely. You could probably have it done there but I wouldn't just for simplicity sake AND in case he needs to follow up for some reason, an error correction needed, etc.

Edited June 23, 2017 by sparkles_

[Linyahui 103]

11 hours ago, sparkles_ said:

They probably lost your marriage certificate.....sucks, but I would place money on it. They won't ever admit it, though. Send another copy. Get the transcript from the IRS, you can get get it in 7-10 days. A print out is not sufficient on its own, sadly. Link for civil surgeons below:

 

https://my.uscis.gov/findadoctor

 

Don't have it done in Taiwan, just avoid that confusion completely. You could probably have it done there but I wouldn't just for simplicity sake AND in case he needs to follow up for some reason, an error correction needed, etc.

 

I've been calling civil surgeons in the Twin Cities to get quotes. They seem pretty similar, around $250 for the exam (all out-of-pocket, insurance not accepted..). However, labs/immunizations needed are extra and could push the cost up to $700! So, the question is whether we could have labs/immunizations done at our normal clinic and use our insurance so we just have to pay a copay versus doing it at the USCIS-approved clinic and paying out of pocket. Do you have experience with this?? I'm assuming if the exam is done by the USCIS-approved doctor and any required immunizations or labs done elsewhere, that would be fine. Right? 

[PaddyGirl13 75]

17 minutes ago, Linyahui said:

 

I've been calling civil surgeons in the Twin Cities to get quotes. They seem pretty similar, around $250 for the exam (all out-of-pocket, insurance not accepted..). However, labs/immunizations needed are extra and could push the cost up to $700! So, the question is whether we could have labs/immunizations done at our normal clinic and use our insurance so we just have to pay a copay versus doing it at the USCIS-approved clinic and paying out of pocket. Do you have experience with this?? I'm assuming if the exam is done by the USCIS-approved doctor and any required immunizations or labs done elsewhere, that would be fine. Right? 

Yes, You can do that. We got the required jabs in our own clinic before the medical exam and brought the proof, all good. I did the same as you used my insurance for the jabs and paid the $250 (each) out of pocket. The blood tests carried out at the medical exam we covered by my insurance too (The civil surgeon worked in a hospital that is in my network).

Edited June 23, 2017 by PaddyGirl13

[Linyahui 103]

16 minutes ago, PaddyGirl13 said:

Yes, You can do that. We got the required jabs in our own clinic before the medical exam and brought the proof, all good. I did the same as you used my insurance for the jabs and paid the $250 (each) out of pocket. The blood tests carried out at the medical exam we covered by my insurance too (The civil surgeon worked in a hospital that is in my network).

Thanks, PaddyGirl13! I feel especially relieve to have your response as you are now a bona fide green card holder and interviewed at our local office.

There is light at the end of the tunnel...