morning75

Does your interview notice ask for those things and then say (unless previously submitted) ?

Here's the thing: the first letter we got (for our original appt.) was on green Dept. of Homeland Security paper and did say "unless previously submitted", but this new letter (for the rescheduled appt.) is on white paper and does not say that. At the bottom of the list of things "you must bring with you" it says:

"If applying based on marriage to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident..."

- so, I'm wondering if the list is a general notice to cover all AOS applicants? To submit all the evidence for a third time seems a little bit crazy, especially as we only just sent it all when I applied for AOS at the beginning of June. Hmm.

Jim

Hi everyone,

Any advice would be very, very much appreciated. I just received a notice for a re-scheduled AOS interview on October 17th, and it says I need to bring with me:

- Medical examination form I-693 in a sealed envelope

- Affidavit of support form I-864

I took my original K-1 medical last November, so it's been less than a year; does this notice mean I need to schedule a medical in the next four weeks?

Also, we submitted an affidavit of support first for the K-1 application, then again in June after my wife and I got married and I applied for AOS and my employment authorization card. Do we really need to present them with ANOTHER one, or is the one I supplied for the AOS application in June sufficient?

Take care all, and thanks!

Jim (and Amy)

Hi all,

I received two emails today regarding my Application to Adjust Status, the interview appt. for which was supposed to be on Sept. 7th:

*** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL ***

The following is the latest information on your case status

Receipt Number: MSCXXXXXXXXX

Application Type: I485 , Application to Register Permanent Residence or

to Adjust Status

Current Status:

The interview scheduled in this case has been canceled. You will be

notified if the interview is rescheduled.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case

status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision or

advice from USCIS within the projected processing time frame*, please

contact the National Customer Service Center.

What does this mean??? Is this a common ocurrance? And does it represent something I should worry about? There is nothing unusual about my case, nor has anything changed about my situation. If others have experienced this, how long does it take for them to reschedule? Grr.

All the best,

Jim

You are good to go on all counts. You do not need to provide any additional documents as you have already submitted all of the necessary ones.

There is no fee at the AOS interview.

Good luck.

P.S. Best wishes with your new job!!!!

Thanks for the help, and the best wishes - I truly never thought I would say this in my life, but I CANNOT WAIT to be working again...

Jim

I know this kind of question must get old to people, but our AOS interview is on Sept 7th and I haven't been notified of any need to get another medical done. I sent my vaccination supplement with the AOS package, and my K-1 medical was last November - still less than a year ago. Am I safe to assume I am all clear and don't need another medical?

Also, the AOS appointment letter states that we need to produce an affadavit of support 'if we have not already done so'. We sent one with the application for the K-1 and again with the AOS application - that's the 'already' they are talking about, right?

Lastly, is there a fee payable at the time of the interview? After six months without work (I start my first job on Wednesday!) finances are going to be tight for a while...

Thanks everyone.

Jim and Amy Rennie

Just go to your local police station and ask them for the form you need to request a copy of your 'Prosecution/Conviction' record. They'll give you what you need. On the form tick the box that says you need information for 'Prosecutions/Convictions' then sit back and wait! It usually takes around 30-40 days, so you're doing the right thing by getting it done early. Mine arrived four days before my interview. Many fingernails were bitten.

Jim

The envelope is not supposed to be opened at all.. They are probably telling you that you need to go get another sealed envelope from the CS.

I'd say the opening is the problem, too. The CS I visited gave me the I-693A in an ENORMOUS envelope covered in what must have been about three miles of red warning tape. We couldn't have opened it if we'd wanted to.

Don't worry - just get another copy, plus an explanatory cover letter sent back ASAP. Seriously, there are so many ways to trip up, I swear the USCIS submissions process is booby-trapped.

And you're right - you DO only need to send the vaccination supplement as a K-1 holder, providing the medical you had as part of the K-1 visa application was less than a year ago.

Good luck,

Jim

Hey all,

Hope you're all well. My wife and I moved into a new house last week, and I have submitted the AR-11s as well as contacting the USCIS by phone to notify them. Does my wife (as my primary sponsor) also need to report a change of address, or will the USCIS understand that we have moved together?

Thanks!

Jim

*GUITAR PLAYERS BEWARE!!*

Holy cow! That was kinda fast! After 2.5 hrs driving in the 90+degree heat (poor, pitiful us...) and a stay in a smelly hotel room for the night, the whole fingerprinting and photo-ing took only about 1/2 hour! I took my passport, my appointment letter (and Amy!) and that was all I needed.

I have to make special mention of the staff at the Naperville, IL ASC who displayed the UTMOST friendliness and efficiency. I think other VJ-ers will back me up when I say that at least one of them (here's a clue: sounds like 'cleanliness') is not always something you get during the immigration process.

They said nothing to me about when I should expect my EAD either but, like many on here, I never asked. Fourteen days would be AWESOME.

Oh, and the guitar thing? As a right-handed guitar player, the tips of my fingers on my left hand are in an almost perpetual state of beat-up-ness. It took SEVEN attempts to get a satisfactory image of my left index finger alone... still, they were nice about it, although incredibly they didn't ask me for a tune.

Take care!

Jim

Thank you!!!!

We're leaving soon for Naperville, IL to get my biometrics done, and I just had a last minute panic that I might neglect to bring something vital. You just need the appointment letter, and my ID, right?

Sorry to ask such a silly question... worry, worry, worry...

Jim

Awesome - thanks for your help.

Jim

It turns out my bank (US Bank) has an actual verification of deposits department.

I had to fax a signed request to them (with all the info stated on the I-134 instructions).

They told me it would take 2-3 days to process and cost $10.

Ten bucks?? That makes me mad. Our local bank did it for free, luckily.

Man, it's nice that when places open a 'department' that gives them license to charge. Oh well. I'm going to open my own 'Overdraft Avoidance Department' and charge the bank $10 a month for all the effort it takes to budget sensibly and not eat out every night. Hey! How about a 'Hangover Recovery Department'? Ha! Anheuser-Busch are screwed!

Hi all,

Great to see some faces I recognize from the K-1 interview stage here... Anyway:

We are sending our AOS/EAD package off tomorrow, with a copy of our marriage certificate. However, the marriage cert. is on special paper that, when copied, causes a background reading 'VOID' to appear. Will this still be acceptable for the USCIS?

Also, I know this question has been asked and answered a thousand times, but I'll ask again JUST to be sure - a 'certified marriage certificate' is NOT the same as a 'notarized marriage certificate', right? So I don't need to have it notarized?

Thanks,

Jim and Amy

Hi all,

Sorry to ask a silly question, or one that's been asked before, but I notice that as of 1st April the I-765 (application for employment authorization) can now be e-filed.

I am filing concurrently with my I-485 (application to adjust status based on marriage to USC). Should I go ahead and e-file my EAD application, or does this still need to be sent with the I-485? Would it cause any confusion/problems? Any idea whether it's faster or not?

Thanks,

Jim

Thanks for the help guys - hate to reply to my own post, but just thought I'd put it out there just incase anyone else should happen to have the same problem.

I called USCIS and was relieved to be informed that as my spouse is the applicant for Illinois KidCare, and she and our future child (both U.S. citizens) are the beneficiaries, AND because it is a state benefit, then her claiming of this benefit does not violate MY Affidavit of Support guidelines, even though we are married.

Phew. Now we can go back to being just excited again.

Jim

Are those benefits mean tested?

That would be key in my mind.

Well, here's the thing: KidCare is applied for by the pregnant woman for the benefit of herself and her child. It appears that in the eyes of the State of Illinois she, and our child, both U.S. citizens, are the ones receiving the benefit. As the spouse, I was not required to apply or sign anything. However, on the application form it does ask for the applicant's household size, and whether any of those within the household are in work, and for evidence of their income. So, in this sense I guess, the benefit IS means tested.

However, in the eligibility info on the application form below it talks about non-citizens applying for the benefit, and what to do in those circumstances, but does not mention anything regarding the SPOUSE of someone applying.

http://www.kidcareillinois.com/assets/050304kce.pdf

The whole thing seems to hinge upon whether or not I, as the spouse of an applicant, would be considered to be receiving this benefit, or just my wife.

Again, thanks for your help, and any advice you guys can give would be appreciated.

Jim

-----------------------------

Just to add...

KiCare is also, as far as I know, a benefit run by and unique to the State of Illinois. Does this still make it a Federal benefit, or just a State benefit? Sorry if that's a dumb question, but I think the Affidavit of Support guidelines mention only Federal benefits and I wondered if there was a difference.

Thanks,

Jim

Hi all,

I moved to Illinois on Feb 16th on a K-1 visa, and got married last Friday We also found out mid-March, to our delight, that Amy is pregnant. We are applying for the recently instituted Illinois KidCare program, which covers pre-natal costs, and guarantees free medical coverage for children up to five years old. However, I am concerned that now we are married this may be in violation of the Affidavit of Support agreement which prohibits the sponsored alien (me) from claiming government benefits.

Does this kind of program - or indeed this particular program - fall into that category? After all, technically Amy is the one claiming the benefit, though my income is quoted in qualifying for the program. I don't want to lumber my sponsor with the repayment of nine months of medical bills, and jeopardize my AOS.

Any help would be MASSIVELY appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim

Don't panic yet! My fiancee and I had an RFE during our initial application. It was simply to ask that two forms with photocopied signatures be signed by us in person. More often than not RFEs seem to be for small - but important - oversights like this. The USCIS should tell you exactly what they are missing. Just do your very best to give them what they need, and there shouldn't be a problem. The quicker you respond, the less time it will add to your wait. Our RFE added perhaps two-to-four weeks to the overall processing time of our K1 application, which - I promise - doesn't seem like much when you're finally together.

All the best, Jim.

Hey there,

Letting you know that morning75 (a.k.a. Jim, from Somerset U.K.) and Amy from Illinois are currently livin' (and lovin') it up here in Hopedale, nr Peoria, Illinois!

Take care!

Jim

Thanks so much guys - take care yourselves.

Mark - Hopedale is a little town of 950 (951??) people about 25 miles equidistant between Peoria and Bloomington. The nearest towns are Tremont, Minier, and Pekin, so not a LONG way from St. Louis, but by U.K. standards, about halfway up the country. It was funny - during my interview I told the Embassy guy I planned to live in Hopedale, Illinois and he said "Uh-oh. Right in the middle of nowhere, huh?" Turns out he knew the area well, though the 'Uh-oh' makes me wonder what else he knews that I am yet to find out...

Jim

Hi there all,

Amy is at work and while I came to print my SSN application form I just wanted to share - I arrived at last Thursday, and could not be more happy to be back in little Hopedale, IL. Why? No, not because of the Red Fox grocery store and their cheap marshmallows, or the two delicious beef sticks I ate for breakfast yesterday, or even because it was SEVEN DEGREES on Saturday. It's because Amy is here, and she is even more lovely than ever. Things feel so incredibly NORMAL! We both keep waiting for the awkward parts, but they don't seem to be coming. I think we both went through so much to be together, and managed to stay so close, it feels almost as if we've been married all this time instead of so far apart.

POE at Chicago was such an absolute breeze I had to restrain myself from asking "Is that it?" To anybody coming over I promise, after eveything you've been through to get here, it is DEFINITELY NOT the most stressful thing you will ever go through. I don't know if the guy had an I-94 in his throat or what, but he addressed FOUR WORDS to me in total - two of them were "Okay"!

I just hope the SSN comes through fairly speedily. I can't wait to get my drivers license - I never bothered to get qualified in the U.K., so learning to drive will help fill the arrival-employment gap quite nicely. Oh, and after a slightly embarrassing call to the local cable company (during which the guy on the phone made me feel like a total crook for not knowing this) I now realise you need one before you can get cable/broadband, too.

We are both so, so happy to be here together - we're praying for all the VJ-ers here to feel the same, whether sooner, or later.

Take care everyone,

Jim

Conversation snippet from my first car ride with Jim in Illinois:

JIM: This junction really needs a roundabout.

AMY: Uh... what's a roundabout?

Another good one - the concept of stopping at a stop sign. EVEN IF there is nothing coming. ESPECIALLY if there is a cop behind you.

Oh! And especially for all Brit smokers: cigarettes don't come in tens!

Amy x

Hey Tom,

Not to be a copycat or anything, but I also am flying to O'Hare, also on Thursday 16th (9:20am flight) and I was gonna ask exactly the question you have... so, can't give any advice I'm afraid, but I look forward to any suggestions from the othe VJ-ers.

For what it's worth I also thought of bringing the whole folder of copies/evidence I took to the Embassy, just in case they ask for any evidence relating to my fiancee or our case.

Anyone know which line to go to when you arrive, too? Am I right in thinking it's the 'Immigrant' line?

Tom - I'll keep my eye out for a fellow X-Ray bearer.

Cheers,

Jim

Hey,

Im just looking for some quick explainations of what happens and what to do once my husband gets here.

Im assuming apply for adjustment of status once he gets here.. but then what?? Is it true he cant get a job for almost 3 months?? And cant get a drivers license until he gets the approval to work? Does he have to wait to get a ssn to get a drivers license?? Im so confused. I thought it was much easier!!!!!!!!!

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks

Amy

Hey Amy,

Driving license-wise, all you need to get one is a social security number, but as the above person said, in your case he will need to have his EAD, which takes 45-90 days (if I remember correctly.) As far as I am aware, and depending on the law of your home state, if your husband already drives he may initially be able to drive using the license of his home country, but only for a certain period of time. Check with your home state's Dept. of Motor Vehicles on that - and if anyone knows differently please correct me on that.

Hope this helps.

Jim