March 2017 AOS Filers

[Day1989 18]

On 2/9/2018 at 2:01 PM, Californiansunset said:

According to the USCIS website the National Benefit Center determines whether interviews will be waived or not https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Outreach/Notes from Previous Engagements/2012/April 2012/NBC-FloridaBar042412.pdf This is why Tier 2 often say "your case is still at NBC so it looks like the interview will be waived...blabla". It rarely happens that they are taking the extra step to send a case to the local field office to then have it waived... usually when sudden backlogs at the local field office happen it is the only time this might happen.

 

The tier 2 officer have so often given out false info to people on VJ it doesn't surprise me at all. 

So basically we can't find information regarding our cases anywhere. Costumer Service is a total waste of time, the website either have out-of-date information or no information at all, and Tier 2 Officers often give false info to people. It feels great to be on this boat 

[Day1989 18]

On 2/12/2018 at 7:26 PM, agnesita84 said:

Hi guys!

Please can you advice on how to talk to a Tier 2 officer? WHat are the steps involved to do that?

Also, can anyone give me an example of the letter/email you sent your senator/congress person?

Thanks!

On 2/9/2018 at 11:47 AM, Shanshanjamrock said:

Am not a k1 but  can i still spoke with someone from the tier 2 office nd whats the number for them

When you call to costumer service ask to be transferred to a Tier 2 Officer. Usually it takes a longer time of waiting, but you can leave a phone number and they will call you back.

 

 

[DorothyLa 107]

Service request is assigned to somebody. I hope i will hear something soon.

Edited February 18, 2018 by DorothyLa

[DorothyLa 107]

On 2/5/2018 at 9:26 PM, Kirkuvan Lehtonen said:

I am so sorry DorothyLa that you are going through all of that. Lately I feel like that too and it sucks so much...

If you want to keep living in the US, it will be a good idea to keep a record of "proofs" so you can be protected, find local help in churches usually some have free immigration attorneys or I have a contact of a good lawyer. 

You are not alone, I have been having a hard time myself and on top of all the problems I have to worry about my immigration status in case that I get divorced too. I got such a good life before I got married and now I don't know what to do. 

Don't feel alone, we started this journey and I know we aren't the only ones.

Anyone with good advice ? 

Thank you very much. I was going thru something. But my husband doesnt want me to go back or split or divorce also, even though he says those kind of stuff. He comes back and says sorry. And i just dont know. I love him. It is being like that because we are living with his family. 

On 2/5/2018 at 5:40 PM, KimberleyVDB said:

I second that! If my husband would treat me like that and I had no support here no chance in hell I would stay so far away from my family and friends that I already haven't seen in almost 2 years! 

I agree. 

On 2/5/2018 at 5:28 PM, Californiansunset said:

I remember your posts from the beginning...so if I remember correctly you're pretty young without university degree or similar working at McDonalds with no friends in the U.S. I don't want to sound heartless but just go back home to Turkey. You have a brighter future there. You can go to school there and get a degree without paying a fortune for it, you have friends and family there. I know it seems like you're giving up but that is not what it is. You're making a smart move by going back home if you have no support system in the U.S. What is holding you back? If my husband had been threatening me like that and his family would've not been supportive I would've left long time ago. Have a little more self-esteem and don't let people treat you like that. 

My husband doesnt want me to go back or divorce also. And i invested too much time and effort into this relationship.

I dont want to give up on this relationship just because his family doesnt want me. I feel like he loves me but the reason he is like that because his family is talking bad about me to him. We are gonna move out soon. 

Thank you for your honest answer though. I feel better, we are better. I hope everything will be better in the future also.

[Californiansunset 332]

23 hours ago, Day1989 said:

So basically we can't find information regarding our cases anywhere. Costumer Service is a total waste of time, the website either have out-of-date information or no information at all, and Tier 2 Officers often give false info to people. It feels great to be on this boat 

Yes I feel like this sums it up pretty well. I found that the only people who were able to really help me were the IOs at the local office. Most of the tier 2 officers have given me not only complete different answers every time I called but also wrong info so I would never count on their answers being correct. I always recommend going to the local office though it’s just the question how effective that can be if you’re case isn’t there. 

[Californiansunset 332]

On ‎2‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 5:04 PM, DorothyLa said:

Thank you very much. I was going thru something. But my husband doesnt want me to go back or split or divorce also, even though he says those kind of stuff. He comes back and says sorry. And i just dont know. I love him. It is being like that because we are living with his family. 

I agree. 

My husband doesnt want me to go back or divorce also. And i invested too much time and effort into this relationship.

I dont want to give up on this relationship just because his family doesnt want me. I feel like he loves me but the reason he is like that because his family is talking bad about me to him. We are gonna move out soon. 

Thank you for your honest answer though. I feel better, we are better. I hope everything will be better in the future also.

It's your decision and no one else can tell you what is the right thing to do. I was thinking for a while whether I should even reply to this.... you are in the typical denial situation in which women find excuses to why her husband is treating them shitty instead of accepting the truth.  All of a sudden the entire reason he has treated you bad and threatened you is because of the influence of his family?! You said "If i dont give him money for weed, he calls me i am a fraud, he is gonna sign an annulment, he argues with me"... this is not his family doing this...this is HIM. This is just the beginning of the marriage and he already treats you like this... once you guys move out and you can't make up the excuse that it's his family influence it'll be something else. It already says a lot about what kind of person he is if he gets mad at you not giving him money when he can't get his own butt up to work. Anyways this was my last two cents to this as I know that nothing anyone will say to you will help. My sister was in the exact same situation as you and never wanted to listen either, there was always a perfect explanation for why he was treating her bad instead of seeing the truth that he was a shitty person... she said the exact same thing that she had already invested so much into the relationship (also moved from Europe to be with him)... he ended becoming abusive two years after. Shouldn't be news to you but you will invest even more time and effort and then sink even deeper with this thinking. If he verbally abuses you as you say so early in the relationship, trust me it is highly unlikely it will get better. I really hope you can build up a support system around you. Join social sports club or international FB meetups around you and make friends, that'll help you a lot. 

[Tommi F 2]

Had my interview today in the NYC field office. Brought an abundance of documentation (including weird stuff like a pet adoption contract from 2015 with both our names on it) and our 4mo daughter, so the interview was a breeze. The interviewer was very personable and courteous, which was a relief as I had spent days stressing and obsessing over every little detail, and trying to get my wife to remember dates and names of relatives, both of which she's pretty terrible at.

 

The only caveat was that since we had been married only 1.5 years at the time of filing (we married 06/2015, I filed for AOS 03/2017), my green card will end up being conditional permanent residence, valid only for 2 years. In 2 years, I need to petition to get those conditions removed. Not that it's a big deal, but after 3 H-1Bs and now this process in 6 years, I was hoping to finally have dealing with immigration over and done with.

 

I guess I still have one more time around the block to do.

[umabanana 9]

15 minutes ago, Tommi F said:

Had my interview today in the NYC field office. Brought an abundance of documentation (including weird stuff like a pet adoption contract from 2015 with both our names on it) and our 4mo daughter, so the interview was a breeze. The interviewer was very personable and courteous, which was a relief as I had spent days stressing and obsessing over every little detail, and trying to get my wife to remember dates and names of relatives, both of which she's pretty terrible at.

 

The only caveat was that since we had been married only 1.5 years at the time of filing (we married 06/2015, I filed for AOS 03/2017), my green card will end up being conditional permanent residence, valid only for 2 years. In 2 years, I need to petition to get those conditions removed. Not that it's a big deal, but after 3 H-1Bs and now this process in 6 years, I was hoping to finally have dealing with immigration over and done with.

 

I guess I still have one more time around the block to do.

I feel you with the H1B part. 
We have ours scheduled for 3/21 but I'm 8/5 months pregnant (due on 3/15) and have not yet received the letter to be able to reschedule and I'm freaking out. It's cute that you guys brought your daughter Congrats on everything!

[Keepchill 19]

We had our interview at the Atlanta field office this morning, and it went great!

 

We had barely sat down before we were called in and our officer was very friendly and personable. She went through my I-485 and I confirmed the information, she asked if we had any other documentation to include. I gave her a copy of the deed to our house, our health insurance information, a letter from a donation we made in both of our names, and a few more pictures from our wedding. She asked wear we got our wedding rings, where my husband worked and for his date of birth. I’m sure there were a few other questions but that’s what I can remember, she then told us she was approving us and gave us a letter stating so!! 

 

I’m so excited for this part to be over, and she said it could take about 30 days to get the card in the mail! I had put in a request to change our address and received a letter from USCIS saying it was changed, but our interview letter was addressed to the old place. She updated our address, so hopefully we don’t have to chase down my green card like we did the EAD!

 

Good luck everyone still waiting! And don’t rely on the tracking app, because my status still hasn’t updated and we got the interview letter 3 weeks ago!!

[raulgon2493 14]

4 minutes ago, Keepchill said:

We had our interview at the Atlanta field office this morning, and it went great!

 

We had barely sat down before we were called in and our officer was very friendly and personable. She went through my I-485 and I confirmed the information, she asked if we had any other documentation to include. I gave her a copy of the deed to our house, our health insurance information, a letter from a donation we made in both of our names, and a few more pictures from our wedding. She asked wear we got our wedding rings, where my husband worked and for his date of birth. I’m sure there were a few other questions but that’s what I can remember, she then told us she was approving us and gave us a letter stating so!! 

 

I’m so excited for this part to be over, and she said it could take about 30 days to get the card in the mail! I had put in a request to change our address and received a letter from USCIS saying it was changed, but our interview letter was addressed to the old place. She updated our address, so hopefully we don’t have to chase down my green card like we did the EAD!

 

Good luck everyone still waiting! And don’t rely on the tracking app, because my status still hasn’t updated and we got the interview letter 3 weeks ago!!

Congratulations and thank you for sharing your experience. Still waiting patiently. enjoy the next chapter of your life.

[Kooky 3]

We had our interview yesterday in NYC (I am an AOS from a TN visa, no K1 or H1-B).  Didn't wait very long, interviewer was nice.  He swore us in, asked for my husband's birth certificate, passport, my passport, my EAD/AP card.  I had already submitted the I-895 Affidavit of Support (but brought more current documents just in case), and had already submitted affidavits from friends and family, proof of travel we had done together, and our lease application.  I brought and submitted photos since our March filing date, and more travel confirmations from trips we've taken since our filing date.  We did not have any financials as we keep things separated for unrelated reasons nor do we have both our names on utilities (he does one, I do the other).  Didn't seem to be a problem.

 

He asked my husband where I lived before we met,  asked us both whether we'd met each others' parents, what their names were, where they live.  Asked my husband how we met.  Not much else.  He then ran through all of the same questions in the I-485 application (crimes, affiliations etc.). 

 

He told us that they couldn't approve it right away because there was a hiccup (very specific to me) and he needed to pull an old file prior to making a decision but that if he did approve it, it would have the conditions as we have been married for less than 2 years.  **Because of this, he noted that my medical (that was done last year), would have expired by the time all of that was sorted--luckily I had gotten an new medical done two weeks ago so I submitted that and avoided a potential RFE**

 

We got the email last night that my card was in production so I assume it was resolved! 

 

[Californiansunset 332]

On 2/21/2018 at 12:11 PM, umabanana said:

I feel you with the H1B part. 
We have ours scheduled for 3/21 but I'm 8/5 months pregnant (due on 3/15) and have not yet received the letter to be able to reschedule and I'm freaking out. It's cute that you guys brought your daughter Congrats on everything!

You can reschedule without letter. Just call the USCIS hotline and they will take care of it. It’s what I did. 

[umabanana 9]

12 hours ago, Californiansunset said:

You can reschedule without letter. Just call the USCIS hotline and they will take care of it. It’s what I did. 

Do they immediately give you a new date or do you have to wait for the letter all over again? 

On 2/22/2018 at 12:52 PM, Kooky said:

 **Because of this, he noted that my medical (that was done last year), would have expired by the time all of that was sorted--luckily I had gotten an new medical done two weeks ago so I submitted that and avoided a potential RFE**

 

 

 

 Ugh, my medical will be expired by interview date. Should I just go and get a new one? 

[Bast' 22]

37 minutes ago, umabanana said:

Do they immediately give you a new date or do you have to wait for the letter all over again? 

 Ugh, my medical will be expired by interview date. Should I just go and get a new one? 

So annoying.... 

Mine will be expired 5 days after the interview. 

Should I just wait the interview in case I don't need a new one or is it more likely that they will ask for it?

[Kooky 3]

3 minutes ago, Bast' said:

So annoying.... 

Mine will be expired 5 days after the interview. 

Should I just wait the interview in case I don't need a new one or is it more likely that they will ask for it?

 

 

42 minutes ago, umabanana said:

Do they immediately give you a new date or do you have to wait for the letter all over again? 

 Ugh, my medical will be expired by interview date. Should I just go and get a new one? 

 

Unclear as to whether the one year limit is from application date or date of medical so it's your call.  My application filing date was March 20, 2017 and my Medical Exam date was March 16, 2017.  The interviewer said since he couldn't approve me on the spot because of a separate issue (and that the issue would take some time to sort out) and that my medical would expire by March 20th (is what he said) so I might need a new one.  I then whipped out the one I had two weeks ago and he was like great! 

 

It's up to you honestly, we almost didn't do a new medical exam since it wouldn't have expired until next month but I didn't want to risk getting an RFE as others did (if you look in this chain some people have had issues with their medical exam being out longer than a year and having to get a new one).  For me it was worth paying for another exam not to have to worry that my file is going back into the abyss.