Holly&Frank

I also just received my text and email that my AOS had been approved and my card had been mailed out. Everyone else that applied in May, seriously, hang in there, your day will come probably very soon!

I think it's quite funny that you wait and wait to hear from USCIS, and when you do, it's a onslaught of texts - they texted me at 1:45 in the afternoon, and then repeated the same thing at 11:15 pm, 11:30 pm, AND 2:15 am! Oh well, just happy they're thinking of me

So what is their explanation as to why you got only X amount of weeks? I'm curious because I'll be applying for EI also. Do I apply before I leave Canada, or is it best to wait til I enter the USA. Will I get less weeks if I choose a certain option?

The rule is that you have to apply within 4 weeks from your last day worked. It's up to you when/from where you want to apply, but better safe than sorry because it's not the easiest system to deal with. I left my job in Canada and then two weeks later was in the U.S. so I applied as soon as I got to Boston. I'm pretty sure you can apply from wherever, just make sure to update your mailing address when you move... and I think they ask you the address that you're going to be living at in the States. As long as you know that, you're ok.

***They start counting your weeks as soon as you apply. This doesn't mean you get paid for these weeks. If you're not legal to work (aka, don't have your EAD), you won't get paid until you show them proof of your EAD when you get it.***

I was in this same situation of thinking that I was going to get the full 36 weeks of pay. It is indeed true that they start counting your weeks when you apply for EI, but they don't pay you until your EAD is approved. I ended up only getting a couple months worth of payments because it took so long for my EAD to be approved.

My advice to everyone that has been approved for EI is to log in to their Service Canada account and check the info provided there. As soon as I faxed them my EAD and was approved, they updated the info including how much I was to be paid, and the date that my EI ran out was clearly stated there.

Note: When I called them to ask how many weeks I had left, they quoted me the amount BEGINNING when my EAD was approved. This was NOT TRUE. I asked again and mentioned that online it said it runs out much sooner. They double checked and told me I was actually correct! (unfortunately!)

Wish I knew this when I applied so that I could estimate the real amount of weeks I would get paid. But at least I planned ahead and had a job lined up for when my EI really ran out!

So I'm confused, my EI apparently ran out today but it's 8 weeks short of the 36 weeks they told me it would last for. I'm short 8 weeks. I read somewhere in this thread some people were losing benefits weeks because they started counting your benefits weeks when your case gets approved and if you don't have your EAD yet while your EI case is approved then you just don't get paid for those weeks. My EAD took a while for approval (4 months total, approx 3 months after I applied for EI), is this why I'm losing some weeks of benefits? This kind of throws me for a loop because I was initially told 36 weeks when I started getting paid. When I asked how much longer I had, I was told beginning of January (4 weeks short). Now I'm pretty much out all of a sudden. What's going on?

Just got word that my EAD is in production after filing May 14. I thought it would never happen...but it finally did!! I feel like I can breathe for the first time in a long time.

Great to hear. I'm here in Boston as well and just sent in my AOS package the other day.

Congrats!

Hi everyone,

My wife and I (USC) had a successful green card interview in Boston, MA today. It was very relaxed, and the interviewer asked some fair, straightforward questions about our personal histories, how we met, and evidence of a bona fide marriage. We were interviewed sequentially and separately, with the USC going first. I was actually disappointed that I hardly got to bring out any evidence. If there are no special circumstances and you have some time to be careful about paperwork, I think a lawyer is not needed for this process, as I handled all of the paperwork myself, and I'm glad to have the extra $1500. As an aside, my wife tried twice to do walk-in biometrics, but she was turned away twice, so we just stuck with the original appointment.

I want to thank all of you who offered advice a few months ago when we were thinking about what the best application route would be. This definitely was the safest and fastest route, with approval in less than 3 months after I mailed out the packet. I've updated our timeline, and we expect the green card to come in the mail sometime in the next few weeks.

To help assist others along this path, I'd like to share my own personal checklist/cover letters that I used, as I felt that this was the most difficult part of the process. My wife applied for employment authorization, but not for advance parole. I used removable stick tabs to label each set of forms, which I thought made things more organized. I didn't do anything else, such as ACCO fasteners.

Primary cover letter said that forms for the following would be enclosed:

Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative

Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status

Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance

I-130 packet:

- Check payable to U.S. Department of Homeland of Security for $420 filing fee

- Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative

- Copy of all the pages in the passport for U.S. citizen and petitioner

- Copy of all the pages in the passport for beneficiary

- Copy of certified marriage certificate

- Form G-325A, biographic information, for U.S. citizen and petitioner

- Passport-style color photo of U.S. citizen and petitioner

- Form G-325A, biographic information, for beneficiary

- Passport-style color photo of beneficiary

- Evidence in support of a bona fide marriage:

- Letter from bank & bank account query confirming co-mingling of finances in the form of a joint account

- Wife and beneficiary listed as beneficiary of the 401K of U.S. citizen and petitioner

- Photos (6 photos) from relationship of beneficiary and U.S. citizen/petitioner, with dates of photos taken and descriptions of event and locations written on the back of photos

I-485 packet:

- Check payable to U.S. Department of Homeland of Security for $1070 ($985 I-485 filing fee + $85 biometric fee)

- Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status

- Copy of all the pages in the passport for beneficiary

- Copies of the front and back of the valid I-94 within the passport

- Copy of certified translated and notarized birth certificate of beneficiary, with original copy included behind translated copy

- Copy of certified marriage certificate

- Form G-325A, biographic information, for beneficiary

- Four passport-style color photos of beneficiary to be used for forms I-485 and I-765

- Sealed envelope containing form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record

- Form I-864, Affidavit of Support

- Copy of 2010 Federal Tax Return for U.S. citizen and petitioner

- Two letters from employer of U.S. citizen and petitioner documenting employment, this year’s salary, and next year’s salary

- Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization -- no additional filing fee is being submitted since it is being filed concurrently with form I-485

I hope this helps!

Yeah, what you said makes much more sense. Thanks!

It sounds as though you have been in contact with an EI officer that is not up to date on the US immigration laws. If they back date that claim to when you POE'd and someone audits your case, I would be worried about having to pay that back. You can not collect benefits until you are legally able to work (when you get your EAD or GC). ANd you can only be back paid to a point where you were actually looking for work. So if you have not applied for any jobs, registered on a website like Monster or with a temp agency and again, your case is audited you could lose your benefits.

I would inform them that you were told you couldn't qualify for EI until you had your EAD or GC and have that person verify that with someone else in the office (that is if you happen to speak with this person again).

Hey,

I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else...

I POEd on a K-1 Jan 1 and applied for EI Jan 8. They are still "reviewing" my case, but I am sending my cards in. I don't have an EAD (haven't yet applied for AOS).

BUT

The last guy at the EI interstate office told me that even though I can't technically be working in the U.S. on my K-1, Canada recognizes it as being able to work for the 90 days that it is issued for. I'm not legal here to be hired, but it seems they're overlooking that. He said as soon as I get my EAD and send it in, I will be back-paid to when I applied (Jan 8).

Thoughts?

Hey Ash&Dave,

I'm in the same situation as you guys. Just wanted to follow up and make sure it was ok to submit just your vaccination documentation from Toronto, or if they ended up needing anything else...

Thanks in advance.

Thank you all for the information, we feel a lot better now

When filing for EI, do they at any point need the physical SIN card? Mine is lost but I know my number. Just wondering if it should be replaced before I leave Canada.

Thanks!

Hi there,

I have my interview on Friday, 16 Dec, 8am.

Is there anyone else here that has had a Dec interview that has arrived much earlier than their scheduled interview and had them not take people first come, first served? I have been reading every post about all the November interviews and it seemed that people were arriving any time after 6:30 am for 8 am interviews, and that they were taking people in the order they arrived.

After reading all of that, I was planning on arriving at 6:45 to wait till 7:30 when they open the doors. Am I being crazy?

Whew, luckily the credit check went ok and the landlord approved us for the place! Very exciting to have found my first home in the U.S.

Thanks for all the responses, hopefully I can work on building good credit asap when I get down to Boston!

Huh, interesting. The landlord just got back to me and said that he would just do my U.S fiance's credit check. I worked so hard for awesome credit here in Canada, now it's worthless!

Hopefully his is good enough for the both of us!

Thanks for the input.

Hi there,

I'm filing for a K-1 and I have my interview mid-December but we are looking for apartments for January 1 now. The landlord at the house that we love has asked for a credit check. Has anyone else had this experience before actually moving and getting an SSN? Can he do a Canadian credit check on me? I'm just trying to make it as easy as possible for the guy so I look like a great tenant

Thanks!

I used my Nexus on POE perfectly fine. Just told them I was activating a K1 and importing my vehicle and they brought me inside. Inside, there was a Nexus lineup as well...which included just me!

Hey,

So I applied early August for a Nexus pass and it took FOREVER for them to process my request. As it turns out, my Nexus interview is scheduled after my K1 visa interview, but before my POE. This means that the first time I will be using my Nexus pass is for my actual POE at Buffalo.

What I'm wondering is - is it worth it to go to the interview? Can I still use it after I'm living in the U.S. and have AP for traveling back to visit my friends/family? I feel like my question is similar to the OP - is it worth it for use after POE and living in the U.S.?

Thanks!

-Holly

Did you see any dates in December that come close to Christmas holidays like December 23rd? and anything After Christmas? Has anyone seen that? Reason why I ask is I know some government offices be taking the longest two week Christmas holiday break, I wonder if they do that there?

Last interview spot was Dec 24 after they opened up all the spots today. Couldn't book any January spots.

GOT MINE TOO! Thank god. Looks like they have up to the 24th of Dec available.

Hi there,

I am in a similar situation, just found out from the DOS that Montreal has received our case from the NVC, and I am preparing my documents for the Pkt 3 without having received anything in the mail from Montreal.

I have everything listed to send back to the consulate, but the only thing I am missing is the first item on the interview checklist - the date of interview. Should I just check this off and send it back to Montreal?

Thanks for your help.

Thank you so much, this is so helpful.

I am waiting for my Pkt 3 to come in the mail but I thought I'd send everything out anyway since the DOS says that Montreal has received our case...

My question is - how am I supposed to have the first item on the checklist, the appointment letter showing date and time of interview? I have everything else on the checklist ready to go.

Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance.