dido121

I am a conditional permanent resident since June 2011. I traveled to the philippines last yr for 6 weeks and my nusband for 3 weeks. I am planning to travel again this april 2012 to attend my sisters med sch graduation and to make arrangements for our 2013 church wedding. does anyone know if there are travel limitations? like frequency? or how many days allowed outside of the US? thanks!

I am currently a conditional green card holder. Then 2 weeks after receiving my green card my husband and I traveled to the Philippines to meet my parents. I want to extend my stay because I was away for 5 yrs and a month vacation feels short. How long can a conditional resident stay outside of the US? Thanks!

I got my greencard yesterday.

Congrats to those who got approved.

INTERVIEW APPROVED!! Thanks to all the people here in VJ who guided me with the whole process.

Our appointment was at 8:25AM but we got called in at 9:00AM. The officer introduced herself and swore us in. Then she asked for passport, EAD, drivers license. Then she asked how my husband got his citizenship. Then she verified the i485, asked when and where was my POE, and verified the g325. She was very thorough and double checked all my answers with the one written on the forms. She was also taking a lot of notes at the same time. Then she asked my husband when and where we met? When, where and who were present at the wedding? did we go on trips together? she asked if we have more proof then she made some copies. she also quickly went over the scrapbook of our pictures. finally she handed me a paper and checked the box. FOR FURTHER REVIEW.. omg! i felt so relieved the interview was over but at the same time very nervous. it means i still have to wait! I was worried! then at around 4:00PM i got an email and txt notification about an update in my status. CARD/DOCUMENT PRODUCTION!!!!

Thinking back at the interview, my husband and I were both able to answer all the questions. it was the officers' demeanor that made us nervous. she was very intimidating and did not smile at all.

I'm glad its over.. for now..

Wow, I am so happy to see all the AOS approvals! What's even better is that all the experiences that have been posted have all be positive. Our interview is this Friday. I read where someone had difficulty getting their driver's license with the EAD...I am hoping we don't encounter that. I need to add hubby to my auto insurance policy since he uses the car for job interviews while I am at work. He has an international DL because his previous state DL expired and he couldn't renew it without EAD. My insurance guy said that adding someone with an international DL is much more expensive, whereas adding him with a state DL will be no additional cost. We'll be heading to the BMV tomorrow after I get off work.

We've gathered all the documents indicated on the back of the interview letter. We are ready and excited!

my interview is also this friday at 8:25am.. soo early.. goodluck to us!

congrats to all who got approved!

Hello! My relatives are inviting me to visit them in New Jersey and a side trip to New York. I am in the middle of AOS and I already have my EAD/AP combo card. I drive in California so I also have a drivers license. Is it really ok to travel to a different state? Do I need to bring my paperwork with me? Thanks!

Hello! I just like to know the cheapest way to buy a plane ticket to the Philippines? Is it better to buy online or travel agency?

Just received my EAD/AP combo card today.

@ DOMS- congrats! I can see that your EAD is already on its way, that's the notification I am waiting for right now. While my interview is set on May 24. Which SF office are you designated? My interview will be at Sansome St, SF.

Yea same office in sansome st, sf.. I am worried because the appointment is at 8:25AM. Hella early!! I think its the first interview appointment of the day. I hope we dont get a grumpy IO who didnt have any breakfast yet lol

My friend who had her interview last April 26 was also in SF. They had an Asian IO and said it was like talking to an uncle. Her husband made a mistake with the first question but it still went well. She said the other IO were very intimidating. Goodluck to us!

I received my interview letter set for June 3, 2011.

Hi Doms! They have an office here in San Jose so I think that's where we'll have our interview. I saw that you got your e-notifications today too. Congrats!

Thanks! Goodluck to us. I am hoping the EAD comes with the interview letter because my friend from Hayward filed last Feb got her EAD card and interview letter at the same time.

Thanks! San Jose, CA. hope you get yours soon.

Hello pathway2gc! So ur also from sf bay area. so there are 3 of us from sf bay area. me, u, and fjb1122. Are you also gonna be scheduled for interview in SF office? or they also do interviews in san jose?

Just got email and text notification..EAD card In production... online status for AP and EAD date changed to 4/27/2011.. I hope I also have an Interview date.

Your SSN does not change, and my understanding is that the only reason for it to really ever change would be if you applied for a new one, for example because of an identity theft. It's not easy even then, because SSNs are issued for life, and normally are not changed.

You should notify SSA about your status change. Your current card most likely says "Valid for work only with DHS authorization" on it. My understanding is that you will get a new card that reflects your new status, but the number will not change.

This is what it says on the SSA website:

If your immigration status changed or you became a U.S. citizen, you should tell Social Security so your records can be updated. To get your immigration status or citizenship corrected, you need to show documents that prove your new status or citizenship. Only certain documents can be accepted as proof of citizenship for new and replacement cards. These include your U.S. passport, a Certificate of Naturalization or a Certificate of Citizenship. If you are not a U.S. citizen, Social Security will ask to see your current immigration documents.

yes my card says, "Valid for work only with DHS authorization.. I just have to let them know about the status change. Thanks!

Your SSN is good for life. No need to apply for a new one.

@Mrs.Finland-USA..really? even if I am changing status? Do I have to let them know that my status changed?

Biometrics done today..

Its good to see interview letters and eads for March ppl. Have a nice wkend everyone!

I was issued a SSN from my F1-OPT and now I am in the middle of AOS process.. Do I have to go to social security office again and apply? Do I keep my SSN or get a new one? Thanks!

hello..i think the name in the ticket and passport has to be the same. passport renewal in the consulate usually takes 8 weeks because they are processed in the main office in the philippines. since she plans to go in august she still has time to report the marriage and apply for new passport with married name.

if she decides to renew passport in the philippines when she gets there the name in her plane ticket will not be the same when she flies back.

here is the link for passport renewal..

http://www.pcgny.net/2009/passport.html

here is the link for report of marriage

http://www.pcgny.net/2009/legalReportOfMarriage.html

wow her case moved sooo fast O_O i filed in late january..just got my EAD card this week... then i don't have anything on my

I485 was she from K-1 or something? cause I'm not..xD

no she's a visitor who overstayed. she mailed it late january but i think they received it feb 1. yea her case moved fast and she didnt rush the biometrics so i was thinking of just waiting for my appoinment also. she was even worried that her case number were not showing up online.

@Doms- Lol, nope, not too many people, I came in around 10AM. The guard gave me a number, and it's been flashing as soon as I arrived, think they were waiting for me, LOL.

@Liz- LOL. Thanks! Good luck to us all!

remember about my friend she filed february and did the biometric last march 16. she went on her scheduled biometric appointment. she got her EAD card and interview letter the following friday. her interview is april 28 in san francisco..i am guessing we gona be scheduled for interview end of May.. wishful thinking. hehe

Whoa! Successful biometrics this morning for both the i-765 and i-485. :thumbs:My biometrics was supposedly on April 29, 2011 only for the i-765 since I don't have the letter of appointment yet for the i-485, but, I tried early walk-in today at the Oakland ASC. Most people say Oakland ASC doesn't take early walk-in, but well, I gave it a try, and the African American guard didn't even bother looking at my appointment letter. I just gave him a big smile and he handed me the form to fill-out and a sharpened pencil. And I told the lady who took my form about my i-485 biometrics, and after she looked into her system, she came back to me saying I can already take biometrics for i-485 even without the letter.

@ DOMS!!! You better give it a try!!!

haha ur funny! you had to make the font size really big lol.. i can give it a try next week but then i notice ppl who did early walk-in didnt get their ead yet. it doesnt seem like it makes a difference if i do it early or not. was there a lot of ppl inside doing biometrics?

its summer now in the philippines, a lot of people travel in and out of the country. around march to may is peak season.

Hiya,

You don't have to be scared - at first you will face a security guard who will ask you what you are here for, may or may not want to see your invitation but ultimately will tell you to sit down and then wait for your turn. They have lots of chairs and across from you at the other end of the room are 2 immigration officers that more or less fast will call you to one of their desks, the worst they can do is point out that you would have to come back closer to your scheduled appointment and you leave. But it won't be doing anything negative or arrest you or nothing...

Koreana Plaza ey!? I once in a while shop there, too when I am downtown. Maybe you can park there and walk the few blocks to the office to get your fingerprints done. I was fortunate to find the last free spot around the corner from the office in the little side street.

I see from your timeline that your last status was F-1, feel free to message me if you have any questions regarding AOS and I will share my experience with you, been a former F-1 myself.

My interview in San Francisco was confusing - even though I knew that the office there doesn't tell you on the spot if you have passed and got approved, but rather tells you in between lines that you have to file for removal of conditions sometime, I still felt insecure if I really did pass because the officer gave me back my I-94 (replacement) and my EAD card, the I-94 is, not sure if you know, normally taken away if you pass and/or if you don't apply for a greencard normally taken away at the exit of the country like the airport.

You can read my experience in the review section here on VJ, it was on February 2nd, and not too miss, it's the looooooooooooong one

Are you in Oakland, too?

Maxximus

thanks for your input. yea i was on F1, i went to Laney. i used to live in Oakland but now i live in Alameda. i will try to walk in maybe a little bit closer to my appointment.

I read somewhere here before that it depends on the employee you get who's doing the initial intake of you. As when you enter the office first you need to wait for someone to check your invitation and passport/ID before they put a stamp on it and send you upstairs where the fingerprints and photos are actually taken. So from what I remember some people did a walk-in a few days before their appointment was scheduled and were successfull, others were turned away and asked to come back later.

Because of that I didn't even think about going in earlier then the invitation read, maybe also in part because I do live like 15 minutes from that office and with parking being a bit tricky in the area just waited for my time to come....

Either way, you can of course try it and see, I agree though that there was way more empty chairs in the reception/in-take area then there was people waiting for their appointment.

Good luck on your adjustment of Status journey, feel free to post more questions and we'll share our thoughts, experiences and knowledges with you

Maxximus

i have a friend who filed February. She waited for her appointment on March 16 at 3pm. She said she was the only one there for fingerprint. We drove by today because we sometimes shop at the koreana plaza and I wanted to see the ASC office but I was just scared to TRY to walk in lol

i really want to try... do u think early walk in makes a difference? how was your interview at san francisco?

Hello, did anyone do a successful biometric appointment in Oakland, CA?