AstralEdge

Good news VSC applicants!!!

I just got approved! The date of decision on the letter is 03/02/2015

I got my bio appointment for 10/21 if somebody could update the list please!!! Thanks.

I really don't think it matters... i used a USPS priority mail enveloppe with tracking number and signature required.

One check or money order in the amount of $590 for the filling fee + biometrics combined

My noa1 is dated sep.22 could somebody update the list i'm mobile. Thanks

California Service Center (9 applicants, 0 approved - 0%)

VJName..............Date of I-751...NOA1 Date....Biometrics.....Approved

XAGIT.................09/02/14......09/04/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

LUNABORIKEN...........09/04/14......09/09/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

NATALIEBLAKE..........09/04/14......09/08/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

ANOTHERLOSTSOUL.......09/06/14......09/08/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

CHARLIE3..............09/08/14......09/09/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

ATHENA13..............09/09/14......09/11/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

MK&M..................09/22/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

THISAMERICANLIFE......09/26/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

DARE448...............09/29/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

Vermont Service Center (8 applicants, 0 approved - 0%)

VJName..............Date of I-751...NOA1 Date....Biometrics.....Approved

GC2012................09/11/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

TRU_LOVES_JOURNEY.....09/12/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

GOODAVA...............09/12/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

DARLINGNIKKI..........09/13/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

MEZAMO................09/15/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

BREGAN................09/15/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

VILYA.................09/16/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

ASTRALEDGE............09/16/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

PLASTMASSA............09/18/14......--/--/14......--/--/--......--/--/--

IMPORTANT!

* Make sure that your VJ Text Editor setting is set to Rich Text Editor.
* Go to the MOST RECENTLY POSTED VERSION of this list (go to the last post and scroll UP) and "Reply" to it, deleting the "quote" tags in your reply.
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Date of I-751 = The Date you sent your application
NOA Date = The Receipt Date on your original NOA letter
Biometrics = The Date of your biometrics appointment
Approved = The Date your case was approved

* Please Capitalize your VJ Name when adding it to the list.
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Uh, anyone?

I'm starting to gather the documents for sending my I-751 next month and as usual, their instructions are vague and I found conflicting information on VJ (probably because the form changed and some info is too old).... first question I have is... I have my maiden name as my last name on my conditional greencard. I want to file I-751 with my married name as I should have done in the first place with the inital greencard. My State ID and SSN are already in my married name with my maiden name as a middle name. How do i fill part 1 of the I-751?

1a family name (last name) - married name

1c middle name - maiden name

Other names used:

2a family name (last name) - maiden name again?

Second question is regarding part 4 information about your children. Neither of us had children previous to the marriage but we had a son last december. He is obviously a US citizen. Do I need to list him in part 4 ?

29- child living with you? Yes

30- child applying with you? No

Do I need to precise somewhere (additional sheet or perhaps on the cover letter) that this child is born from our marriage and is a US citizen or is that implied?

Also as for the evidence of a bonafide relationship I think I can come up with quite a bit of documents however concerning the tax returns, we have all of them since we got married except the one for 2013. We filed for an extension because we inherited a house and the lawyer had not yet provided us with all the required documentation for us to file our taxes in time. Can I send the previous years but this one without a problem? Do I need to explain the situation somewhere?

Thanks to whoever might be able to help me out with this!!

My husband got a new job with the government and we will be moving accross the country sometime in March i believe (the date is still to be determined). I understand that I have to file form AR-11 to change my address since i'm only a PR. However, I will have to file for ROC this coming July. Are they quick with the change of address? I'm afraid somehow I will mess things up by changing my address shortly before ROC. Any advice is appreciated.

I have already mentionned the subject in the military forum, but I might get a better answer in this one so here it goes...

My husband (US citizen) just got offered a promotion. He works as a civilian for the Air Force and we would be moving to Germany.

I am currently on a 2 years greencard and can't apply to remove the conditions before July 2014.

I have read that naturalization in a case like this could be expedited (as otherwise I will spend ''too much'' time abroad per USCIS, which is why I am thinking about US citizenship right away if at all possible) as long as you qualify:

• You must be a lawful permanent resident who is married to a U.S. citizen;
• Your spouse must work for one of the following: the U.S. government; a specifically recognized American institution or public international organization; or an American corporation which is engaged in foreign commerce;
• Your spouse must be “regularly stationed abroad,” meaning that he or she will be stationed abroad for at least a year from the time that you file for citizenship;
• You must attend your citizenship interview and take your oath while in the U.S.; and
• You must intend to come to the U.S. to live after your spouse’s employment overseas ends.

All of those apply to me, but could any of you who maybe had a similar experience confirm that I can do that? Even though I am only on a 2 years conditionnal greencard still... Knowing it's possible would be a huge relief. It is the only thing that prevents us from accepting the job offer right away. Thank you guys.

For the short while during which I was an Army wife and that was shortly after we got married, way before I received my greencard. My husband had tried to enroll me in DEERS, but with no avail. We were told they either needed a SSN or an Alien number A- ### (which is stamped in your passport and is on your greencard). However I was able to get a temporary military dependent ID without those 2 documents. Life is funny.

First off, I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong section but it seemed like the most appropriate. My husband (US citizen) is a DOD employee(civilian, he is not in the military anymore) and we currently reside in the states. He might have a possibility of being relocated on a base in the UK or in Germany and it would be a great career advancement opportunity for him.

I would love to travel, but I am worried that there might be a problem since I am not a US citizen yet? I am still a conditionnal greencard holder and won't be removing conditions before July 2014. Does any of you know or have a similar experience? I do not want to be an issue in his career and I would like to know if I would be allowed to go with him and if relocation expenses would be paid for me also. I have heard that contrary to military, as a DOD employee certain locations (namely the UK) require a special VISA (being a Canadian citizen I don't think this will be a problem at all) and a military special passport?! How can I get such a thing if I am not a US citizen. Well, I am confused. Help would be appreciated to clarify all this. Thanks!

Hahah Thanks it helps a lot .... although I am still pissed off and wondering why they're making such a fuss about it and how they manage to make something that's supposed to be safe, totally unsafe... big thumbs down to the SSA!

Yes I do have the number on a paper because I insisted to get it. But I still don't have the card... and the paper isn't an official thing with a seal or anything on it. So whenever I want to apply somewhere, like a job for example... I guess it's going to be a problem.

First off, i'm sorry if this is in the wrong category. Please feel free to move this if need be.

I am not too sure why i'm writing this, it is partly a rant, partly a warning for others and if someone has ever been in a similar situation and could help me it would be great...

I got my greencard following a CR1 visa on October 6th. Since it is a conditionnal greencard, I will have to renew it in 2 years.

During the immigration process I was never informed that I could "assume" my husband's last name. So I filled all the paperwork with

my maiden's name as I did not want to make a mistake and the process to take longer. Obviously, I got my greencard in my maiden's name

which was no big deal I thought because I'd change my name when I'd renew my greencard (replacing it now is VERY costly and is a rather

long process therefore not worth it in my opinion).

On the DS-230, I checked that I wanted to have a SSN assigned to me. Well two months later, in December, still no SSN card. Everytime I'd call the

Social Security Administration they'd tell me that they had no record of me and to call back later. Obviously, someone at USCIS doesn't

do his job and does not inform the SSA that you want a SSN. My BIG ADVICE HERE: ... go to your local office and request a card there instead.

So on December 21st, I go to my local office to apply for a new card. The lady asks me if I want to have my husband's lastname on it. I ask if I can do that,

and she says yes no problem. She asks for my marriage licence and there we go! Problem is, somehow even if both my husband and me double checked the address she entered she managed to write the appartment number to send the card to as 249 and our appartment is 246. Obviously, 2 weeks later: STILL NO CARD.

Husband take a day off work so we can go to the local SSA office. A total ###### (excuse my japanese haha) ... tells us that it is OUR FAULT if the address is wrong, that they cannot cancel it and that she cannot order a new one and have it send to the right address because I don't have any documentation in my married name.

We went to our neighbour and asked if he got a letter for me, which he didn't. I don't know him so maybe he's a liar but the point is that my SSN card is out there, somewhere, can be used by someone, and I CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. They gave me a phone number that i have to call to check if someone has stolen my identity or not. What is that???!

They are a bunch of morons and I feel so discouraged right now because I want to get all my documentation in the same name, but I don't want to pay $500 to replace my greencard.... my other options are a state ID which requires a SSN card which i don't have!!! and getting a new canadian passport in my married name which requires all my documentation to be in the same name ....

I am in a loophole and I don't know how to get out of it. I feel very discouraged and sad. Almost wondering why I moved here instead of him moving to Canada.

I'd like to say that paying with a money order is somewhat important, as you can track if they cashed your payment or not. Also, you should include a cover letter explaining what you are petitionning for (don't assume they will guess because ... they don't lol. I could send you a copy of the cover letter my husband (US citizen) sent with our application if you're interested.)

Your bases seem to be covered however I would include some evidence of a bonafide marriage. Here's what we sent:

- Pictures of us together or with friends or family

- Phone and Text logs

- Chat logs from Skype

- Receipts of packages we sent to each other

- Hotel receipt in both our names

- Plane tickets, itineraries of visiting each others

- Life insurance with me (Canadian beneficiary) as the beneficiary

- Bank account in both our names

- Military base card in my name with US citizen's name as sponsor

- Screenshot of Facebook when we told everyone we had gotten married (with me using his last name)

My husband was stationned in Colorado at the time and that is where we got married. Like your wife, I'm from Montreal so if I can help you with anything just let me know You can also take a look at my timeline for reference purposes.

Shortly after you send the I-130 packet you should get a notification from the USCIS called NOA1. We got ours 4 days after we had sent the packet. This is only to tell you that they received your packet and it is safely into their hands now. What you are really looking forward to is the NOA2. This is to tell you that they approved your I-130. We got ours 6 weeks after we had sent the packet.

Once this has been received, the fun begins! Your case will be transferred to the NVC and you will need to file a I-864. This is basically to prove that you can financially support your wife. Your income needs to be 125% the poverty level. Around the same time your wife will need to file the DS-230. This is an application for an immigrant visa. There is also a fee to pay which was $400 something back when i filed. Then, NVC will approve your case (ours was approved 9 weeks after we were done with USCIS) and they will schedule an appointment for your wife at the US consulate in Montreal. They say on average the interview is 3-4 months after that but ours was only scheduled for a month and a half after that.

Your wife will then go to the interview and get approved. They will keep her passport and stamp a visa in it which she will be able to pick-up aboiut 5 business days after the interview. Once she has her passport+visa in hand, she can go to the airport in Montreal and go through the immigration. They have to do some paperwork to the fact that she is activating her immigrant visa and then she's good to go in the plane and fly back into your arms!!!

That is where we are now: I have to pick-up my passport and POE!

In case this might help someone else aswell...

I called the airport of Montreal and spoke with the US immigration department.

So for anyone that is interested, they open at 4:30am. However he warned me that they are super

busy early in the morning and that with my flight departing at 6am, it would be risky. The airport

won't let you cross the customs before 4am either.

It is not a direct flight. My layover is in Atlanta... so I have to POE in Montreal.

It does not make sense to me either that they would schedule me on a flight if i cannot go through preclearance.

I wonder If I could go through them the night before?? Or is it too early...

I will call later this week, right now I need to sleep because it's my interview tomorrow morning!!

Good day to y'all!

I flew from Little Rock, Arkansas (where hubby lives) to Montreal last week for my upcoming interview which is on September 19!

I got a roundtrip ticket as it was cheaper and I figured that October 6th to go back would give them enough time to issue my

visa and get my passport back! However my flight is at 6am...

and I read on VJ that customs & immigrations at P-E Trudeau Airport in MTL didn't open till 6am!

I am confused! Is there anyone who POE'd there very early in the morning? I would like to be there around 3am or so.

Thanks!

Thank you all!

That same day I decided to buy my own peace of mind for $51 ... I got a new long-form birth certificate expedited to me within 3 days!

I think I made the right decision... Even if I don't need it at the interview I plan to use it when renewing my passport in a few months from now.

I went to my medical at Medisys this morning so I will try to find the right place on this website to write a review!

Hi guys!

My interview at the Montreal consulate is next week (september 19) and I just want to make sure i got all my ducks in a row!

At the NVC stage we have already submitted my original birth certificate and original police certificate as requested.

Now this information got me really confused:

Montreal appointment list

It states:

Birth Certificate, English translation and a photocopy.

Well... I've got a photocopy of the birth certificate aswell as a photocopy of the translation but the original of my birth certificate

was already submitted at the NVC stage! I don't have another one!

Right now this is stressing me like crazy as I only have one week to go!

Could someone please clarify this? I need to calm down

Also if anybody else has their interview on the same day as me, it would be nice to hear from you

At the time of interview they will ask you for an orginal current police check. My advice would be to go get an updated one. Just walk into any police station etc, with the old one and ask for an updated one and specifiy for immigration like you did for the first one. usually they would only take a couple weeks sometimes less. Better safe then sorry and have to postpone the visa for a one week out of date police check.

Why would they ask for another original of my police certificate? The original has already been sent to NVC as requested!

Hi,

I am a little bit panicking right now. I will explain my situation.

We started our immigration process for a CR1 visa back in August 2011. By mid-December 2011 we got approved by NVC and my interview was scheduled for January 18th 2012.

Unfortunately, I have been obligated to reschedule due to personal circumstances. I rescheduled for September 19th 2012. Right now I am preparing myself for my

interview and I just realized something...

When I submitted my DS-230 I did send an original Police certificate (Canadian), which is dated from September 29th 2011. I have no clue when those certificates expires,

but it will soon be a year. And now I am worried that they will ask for a police certificate at the interview (I have a copy of it, but obviously the original was sent to

NVC).

So can someone please me... Are they going to ask for an updated police certificate at the time of interview? I am sooo worried right now

Also if you guys have any tips for my interview in Montreal... I will gladly take some!!

Marie

Hey there!

So NVC did set my interview date for January 18th 2012. However, my husband (US citizen) just lost his job and we don't have a co-sponsor (and don't really want to ask our families either) so we wanted to reschedule later, to give him time to get a new job. We thought May 2012 sounded good. So I called CSC who told me to write an email to the US consulate in Montreal. Here it is:

Case Number: **************

Principal Applicant Name: *************

Preference Category: CR1 - CONDITIONAL SPOUSE OF U.S. CITIZEN

Foreign State of Chargeability: CANADA

Good day,

I would like to cancel my appointment set for January 18th 2012. I want a new appointment for around May 2012

which I will schedule by myself on the CSC website once the dates become available. I would appreciate an email

confirmation as to what my current appointment is cancelled, and a new one will be scheduled later (by me).

Thank you very much,

My name

and i got this reply from the consulate:

Good day,

We have noted your file.

Happy holidays,

OP8

Consular Correspondent | Immigrant Visa Unit

See full size image Montreal-IV-DV@state.gov

To me, it does sound like "we noted what you mentionned and will be waiting for you to schedule your new appt on the CSC website". However, my husband is unsure. To him it is a grey area. I would feel stupid to write them another email asking what they mean, so I thought I'd ask my VJ friends what they think first.

We got our interview date assigned today!

However we want to reschedule it to sometime around May 2012.

On the website they give you, our appointment date doesn't show (which is weird.. does it takes a while to appear there?)

And of course, the dates available in May won't be shown before a few months...

So I thought I'd send the consulate an email, to notify them that I won't be at my appointment and want to reschedule a new one

whenever the dates become available, but in their automated reply, you can read this:

Please note: IV Unit will NOT reply to inquiries about DHL courier services, scheduling / rescheduling an appointment, status of documents sent to/from the Consulate. These inquires should be addressed to CSC Visa Information Services

So yeah, fine ... I sent an email to CSC Visa Info and got this automated reply:

Inquiries concerning visa questions or assistance in confirming, canceling, or rescheduling (aside from No Shows) your visa appointment will not be answered through this service.

We cannot provide you any status updates regarding your application (NIV or IV) as we are not consular officers.

So now once again in this immigration process I am confused, lol.