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Posts posted by fcat
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15 minutes ago, Luckycuds said:
I'm sorry you had such incompetent people but thats great you passed and stood up for yourself. It's your choice if you write the letter but I would wait until after your ceremony lol. At husbands biometric appt there was a survey box and he made sure he completed the survey because they were very rude there.
Thanks, yeah i was even reluctant to post it here before the ceremony but just needed to get it out!
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For this post my wife with be Miss Doe and i will be Mr Smith.
In 2013, i got married to my US wife in Arlington, VA. I then returned home to the UK and started the CR-1 Visa process.
We filed the I-130 and everything else needed to get the CR1 Visa, early on in the process we decided between the two of us that i would be taking my wife's surname, i would no longer be Mr Smith but become Mr Doe and we filed accordingly, putting my name down as Mr Doe on the DS230. I sent our marriage certificate to the UK passport office, the UK DMV and the UK tax office and received my new passport and drivers license back under the name Mr Doe.
In Feb 2014 i moved to the USA, My visa was under the name Mr Doe in my passport that was in the name of Mr Doe, I've been in the US 7 years, my name is Mr Doe, my state driving license, my passport, my mortgage, my bank accounts, insurance and everything else is as Mr Doe, i AM and have been for the past 7 years Mr Doe after legally changing my name through marriage.
My interview at the DC field office (Fairfax, VA) was yesterday at 12:15pm, at 12:45pm a lady (Who we will call Karen 1) came out to the waiting room and called my name. She was polite, asked how i was and led me to an interview rooms. We sat down, she explained she would be conducting the interview and doing my civics test, she said the process shouldn't be more than 30 minutes. She started with the civics test which i passed by answering the first 6 questions correctly. She then asked me to read a sentence on the iPad screen and then to write a short sentence on the screen, which i did correctly. She then opened what looked like my immigration file, a thick brown folder full of paper documents. She started to go through my N400 application, asking several questions like was my address correct, how long i had lived at that address, confirming my wife's name etc etc She then asked when i got married and i said Jan 2013. She looked at the papers and then looked at me and said " So you returned to England for 12 months after you got married ?" I said " yes, i did the CR-1 visa process, that's the correct process to go through after being married in the US, the petition was then filed from the UK" to which she replied, "mmmm that's unusual, most people come over and get married then apply for their Visa here" i told her i didn't do a K1 but a CR-1. It was at this time that i realized i maybe knew more than she did about the process! She said she had never heard of the CR1 process!!!
She kept looking through my file and reading out aloud, " ok, your I-130 is here, you marriage certificate, your divorce certificate (from previous marriage in the UK) and as she was doing this I'm thinking, what has this to do with things? all this has been checked out and was part of the Visa application process not my N400.
She then stopped at my birth certificate and flipped backwards and forwards between that and my marriage certificate. She then said to me " why is your name now different to your birth certificate?" I said because after we married i took my wife's surname. She immediately said back to me, "oh, you cant just do that, that's not allowed, where is the official paperwork that you changed your name?" She then said "you should have filled in a DS30" to which i replied, " i did fill in a DS230 and you should have a copy of that in your file" after looking through the file for several minutes she said there was no DS230 in my file. I said "well the process is the same for the Husband taking the wife's name as it is vice versa, the marriage certificate is proof enough of my name change". she then started rambling on how DC, Maryland and VA and all the other states have different rules about surnames!! She said " its fine though, she could fill a few forms in on her computer and all i would have to do was get an appointment at the Arlington courthouse, get the papers signed and stamped and then return them in the mail to USCIS and we'll give you another interview!! i KNEW this wasn't correct and i said " I'm sorry but this is not needed, my name has already been changed legally already" She then said she would go speak to her supervisor.
She returned 15 minutes later and said "yes, its as i thought you will have to do a name change through the courts" by this time my palms were sweating and i was becoming frustrated trying to explain that she had it wrong, i was polite but firm. I then asked to speak to her supervisor (whom we'll call Karen 2), she said "certainly, I'll go get her". Karen 1 disappeared for 5 minutes and came back saying Karen 2 would be in in 10 minutes. We both sat there in silence until Karen 2 arrived about 15 minutes later.
Karen 2 said she had spoke to one of her colleagues and that no one knew exactly what the situation was and should be, i said " there is one person that knows, me!!" between Karen 1 and 2 they agreed that i had to do a name change. I then started to show Karen 2 a copy of my DS230 from 7 years ago on my cell phone, she would not look at it and snapped back at me " I'm not interested in your DS230, that's a Department of State form, nothing to do with this and they have been known to make mistakes" I was like #######!!! i told her that Karen 1 had mentioned that there was no DS230 in my file and she had been looking for it but Karen 2 was not having anything to do with it! I then asked what if my wife had taken my name would she have had to go through the courts? She said "no that's normal when 2 people get married, what you have done is not normal and is not really allowed" At this point i was still very calm but inside i was fuming and i thought F**k it, I'm gonna fight my corner and if i piss them off then so be it. She then said, "you will have to change your name through the court", i said " so what name am i changing it from? Mr Smith does not exist anymore, he hasn't done for 7 years, my passport, green card, bank accounts, mortgage state ID are all in the name Mr Doe and it was changed to that legally in the UK and on the DS230, so how can i change my name and what do i change it to?" she just stood there looking confused and didn't know how or what to say. I then asked her how my Visa and all the correspondence from USCIS was issued and addressed to Mr Doe, where had they got that name from ? again, she couldn't answer and didn't know how to respond.
My questions to Karen 2 went on for over 15 minutes but what seemed like an hour! she was very arrogant and ignorant and didn't want to talk to me, just to Karen 1.
Then Karen 1 turned to Karen 2 and said ( and this is verbatim i kid you not) "I've just googled it and it says its OK" Karen 2 said, "what website does it say that on ? is it the courthouse website?" Karen 1 said " no it just says it on google that a man can take the wife's name" Karen 2 then said to Karen 1, ' OK put it through" and walked off!!!!
I was in there just over 2 hours, LOTS of questions and conversations between me and both Karens that I've forgotten and I cant even remember the amount of times i asked things and they didn't know what to say. I left the office happy but totally frustrated and shaking!
if i had just left it and taken their word for it or not stood up for myself i would have not been approved!!
So my Oath is next Tuesday and I'm looking forward to it but the whole things left a real bad taste in my mouth:( My wife says i should write a letter of complaint, im just gonna move on but i wanted to vent through this forum that has been a great wealth of information over the past 7 or 8 years,
Thanks
K & S DOE!!!
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Said they would send letter with new date as soon as they had one.
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15 minutes ago, Valor said:
Congrats!! When did you file? I filed in early November and hopefully I'll hear something soon.
1st October
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Just got my interview through for 2nd week in March:)
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I filed in October last year and just wondered if any Washington DC filers of a similar date had had their interview dates ?
thanks
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Have my green-card, UK passport and letter of appointment,
Anything else needed ?
Thanks
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5 hours ago, ram_im said:
In n400 there is a question about legal issues and court .
some experiences said that you should declare that.
The question asks if you've ever been arrested, its referring to criminal arrests records etc A speeding ticket is not a criminal conviction, its a motoring offense that's all, therefore you dont have to enter it.
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On 9/13/2019 at 2:36 PM, ram_im said:
Hello Guys ,
I had my interview last week based on 3 years marriage and the interview went well , passed the tests but decision can't be made by the officer. While reading the reviews i discovered that i had to mention that i got a speed ticket before 2 years that i totally forgot about and didn't mention.
What should i do ? Is that the reason for delay or refusal of the application??
Please advise me .
Thanks
I'm just curious where it says you have to declare a speeding ticket ?
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yeah sorry it is, that was needed to GET my USCIS online account number:)
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Got it, it was the LND number:) thanks again
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How would i know i have one ? and when would it have been issued ? i have an LND case number also. could that be it ?
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15 minutes ago, Loren Y said:
Less paperwork and hastle with the 5 year application.
Excellent, thanks all
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I'm in the process of filing for citizenship and it asks me online for my USCIS online account number, its been 5 years since i got my permanent resident status andi have all my paperwork etc , is the online account number the MSC number that is on my NOA1 and NOA2 ?
thanks
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I am eligible to apply both under the basis of being here in the US as a permanent resident for over 5 years or as a permanent resident and married for the past 3 years,
Is one way better/quicker/easier than the other?
thanks
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21 hours ago, Undecided said:
And before anyone else is confused - yes I made an error in my post that I didn’t realize until after the time to make edits had expired. The above should read
“The online form keeps telling me my former husbands dob must be before the date of our marriage, which is fair enough if it wasn’t but it is.”
I got this too yesterday, its a glitch, click the back button and then go back into it, or let it save , click out and log back in, worked fine for me.
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Just returned home from a 3 day work trip and guess what was in my mail box!
Yup, my new 10 year green card:)
My filing date was 3rd November 2015 with Vermont and i hadn't heard a thing since last Decembers Biometrics appointment ! no texts, no e mails, no tracking number, nothing at all , just the card in today's mail
Will chat again with you all in 10 years:)
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Congrats everyone, what was the date on your online status that they received your form ?
I filed on the 5th Nov and they received on 17th so am hoping mine comes through soon
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Just called about my case, i filed 5th November 2015, i wasn't aware that the receipt number was the one on the Biometrics
(which i had in December) appointment letter, which i don't have any more, i thought it was the one in the I 797!
They were unable to tell me the biometrics receipt number as they had been told not to put anyone through to an officer ? However she did tell me that the Vermont Service Center was working on the 3rd week in July at the moment.
Is this just ####### to put me off and make me cal back or does it sound about right ? I haven't heard anything since biometrics in December.
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did you file VSC or CSC?
Thanks for the reply, it was VSC
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Oops,should have read the I797 more, i checked up on the USCIS website but it says "My Case Status does not recognize the receipt number entered"
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Looking for a little help.
Filed 12th Nov 2015
NOA 21st Nov 2015
Bio's 16th Dec 2015
Haven't herd anything since, can someone let me know where i can check online for status ?
Am due to travel to Europe in September and down to Mexico in October
Help appreciated
thanks
Si
Washington DC field office interview yesterday , i passed.......... but not without a FIGHT!!!
in US Citizenship General Discussion
Posted
Well i did the oath ceremony yesterday and all went well, applied at the post office this morning for my passport:)