yonglin

I plan to travel also, when my Green Card is Expired, but I have the 1-797 extension letter. The problem is that when you enter you use a Autoamted Passport Control Kiosk. The last time I entered the only doc it asked me to scan was my Green Card. Now it will read the card as expired and deny entry.

So I've been lurking here for a while but figured I'd let folks know that I'm a VSC November filer who was approved yesterday (electronic notification of card production and decision letter; the letter stated the decision date was actually 6/19). My dates are in my VJ timeline if you're interested.

By the way, our filing documents were pretty light, meaning that I was basically expecting an RFE given what folks write on here. We only submitted:

- copy of my permanent resident card (obviously)

- two years' worth of joint tax transcripts

- statements for two joint checking accounts (every three monthly statements for two years; we added each other to our main bank accounts 2 years ago but only transact on the other person's account in emergencies -- like twice in 2 years)

- copy of joint credit cards, no statement

- copy of joint health insurance cards, no statement

- couple of vacation pictures of us together

FYI, my AOS took really long and we were finally interviewed in our local office after almost a year (the typical processing time at that point was like 6 months...) Maybe they saw on my file that I submitted a senator request last time around and wanted to process my case before I did that again for ROC.

I think that's quite strange. I was once given that form to fill out by TD Bank (I have a 0% interest checking account there -- no form filling required to open the account). I asked: "Are you giving me this form because I don't have a social security number?". She said: "Yes". I then gave them my social security number instead, they entered it into their system, and that was the end of the discussion. Are you sure that they have your social security number on file?

For anyone who is still reading this thread, I just wanted to let you know that I received my greencard (wow, it's actually green!) last Friday, almost exactly one year after filing.

I opened a bank account with TD last year. If you open an account as a "foreigner" (i.e., with only your foreign passport), you are supposed to fill out some special tax forms, but they only asked me to do this much later (at which point I gave them my SSN, which removed the tax form requirement).

That said, this was in Chinatown, so maybe try a bank that caters to a local immigrant community and deals with these things on a day-to-day basis...?

I really hear you on the joint bank account thing -- I've never heard of anyone doing that back home (but then again, we also don't do paper checks or joint taxes...). However, the key point is: if that's what USCIS wants, then that's what USCIS gets. They're bureaucrats and they like ticking boxes. It's not personal.

So as suggested by the above posters, take your husband to the bank. Adding your husband to your account or adding yourself to his (or both) doesn't really mean you need to use each other's bank cards. Just use the money to pay for bills/expenses/etc. as usual. Also, make each other authorized users on the other's credit card (this one is easy -- maybe just a phone call). Most importantly, do all of this now so that statements are issued by the time of your interview.

Given that your interview is in March, preparing and filing a joint tax return before then would definitely be a good thing.

Calling USCIS, I've had quite good luck pretending I really cannot find the receipt number on my notice: that is, listen to them explaining how to find it, press the button to say you still can't find it, etc. until you get through to a human. Then tell the human your receipt number and say that you want to make a service request. When I called, the tier-1 person said he couldn't make one (since there are no official processing times for CSC), but the tier-2 person was really nice and helpful. I think the waiting time to get to a tier-2 person was about an hour, though.

That said, I think you should contact all of your senator/congressman offices and ask for assistance. Where I live, they even have these USCIS-specific information release forms on their websites which make filing a request very straightforward (they probably deal with like... loads of these on a daily basis). I'm about 90% sure it was one of my senator requests that finally made them pull my file from the CSC (after about 9.5 months) and transfer it somewhere else.

Interviewed in the NYC USCIS office this week (after 11 months, 3 transfers, service & senator requests).

The interview was very smooth -- in and out in 30 minutes (the actual interview was about 10 minutes). The questions were very standard (bordering on trivial, e.g., "What's your husband's birthday?") and the immigration officer was very courteous and professional.

The officer noted that my file was very thin and asked if I had had an embassy interview (kind of strange question, I thought, since that's a requirement for the K-1 visa). However, seeing the pile of papers in front of her, I could tell she had only the stuff I sent for AOS, and none of the K-1 stuff I submitted at the embassy (and subsequently carried with me on the plane to the US). She mumbled something about the medical, which I understood as "I hope they didn't lose your medical, or you'd have to do it again".

So, in conclusion, it remains to see whether my records can be dug up from the depths of the USCIS archives, or whether I'll have to pay for another medical! To be continued!

I mean, with the EAD/AP you can work and travel...so what are you waiting for?

1. Some jobs/educational programs require you to be a citizen/permanent resident

2. It's a hassle having to renew your EAD/AP (more forms!)

3. Your employer must file extra tax paperwork for resident alien employees (at least in my state). I believe this deters some companies from hiring you.

4. Travelling abroad and coming back is not hassle-free. In my experience, foreign airline staff were not very familiar with the advance parole concept and were almost not letting me back onto the plane to the US. Once back, we had to wait in secondary immigration inspection (and those people work so sloo..ooo...owly)

5. My state ID has an expiration date (in BRIGHT RED) about which I was hassled by my bank (but no one else).

6. Waiting for AOS delays other stuff, like removal of conditions/citizenship applicationS.

My file was transferred back to my local office a couple of weeks ago and I received an interview date a week from now. Probably because of my senator request. This is 11 months after filing and after having been transferred twice before. I assume that the long time means that we are now expected to provide more "evidence" to substantiate our marriage compared to those who are called in a few months after filing.

Altogether, the fact that they take so long to process these things is a lot of hassle.

To be honest, it's not like things are that bad: I mean, I'm together with my spouse and I have my EAD.

I just think that if the resources (money, time) that has gone into transferring and shipping my file across the country twice had instead gone toward adjudicating it, they'd definitely be done by now. It also makes me wonder exactly how much lower the USCIS filing fees would be if they could just streamline the organization. For example, looking at the USCIS processing volumes, the case load had been piling up at the CSC for like a year before they decided to shift the applications to the NBC on August 1.

And to be honest, it's not like I know in which pile my case will end up at the NBC. Maybe it'll go into the urgent pile, who knows...?

Failing to process my address change paperwork, on the other hand, I find both indefensible and unprofessional (especially given how complicated and poorly laid-out the multi-step address change process is to the customer...).

After reading about Ami&Chigs's success at the CSC, I decided to write to our two senators and to file a service request about a month ago. It was in fact very fortunate that I got to talk with a tier 2 person as she happened to discover that none of the address change forms I had filed about 3 months earlier had actually made it into the USCIS computer system. So I guess it was sort of good (in a way) that they never got around to process my I-485.

Anyway, earlier this week, my case was finally touched and then transferred from the CSC to the NBC. The reason? "The record indicates that office has jurisdiction over the case". I guess it makes sense in some sort of twisted USCIS logic given that's where they're supposed to process the interview-waivable I-485 after August 1. Or something.

Time to gear up for another few months months of waiting at the NBC and prepare for refiling the EAD!

(And yes, the malfunctioning of the USCIS bureaucracy leaves me speechless. And the mere thought that I'll have to deal with them on multiple occasions over the next few years makes me want to cry. Really.)

i moved once shortly after aos started, now i moved again, this time settled down probably for 2 years, but i solved it with USCIS and changed the adress by phone and filled the AR 11 ( i think that what it was). that wasnt a problem with them

Please call to double check that USCIS has actually managed to update your address in their system. I figured that after performing no less than three steps to change our address (AR11, phone call, I-865), they would have managed to enter it into their system. But no, the ineptitude of USCIS never fails to surprise, as I accidentally discovered while talking to a tier 2 service rep last week. If you search the forums, it seems that this is not uncommon either (example).

By the way, I don't think your timeline is at all out of the ordinary given that you were transferred to the CSC. Bad yes, but not out of the ordinary (unfortunately).

Just saw that USCIS added June data to their "National Processing Volumes and Trends" web page, and yeah, they really must have a huge storage room there: 1,048 completions and 28,853 pending.

Do you check Craigslist every single day? I see this type of job advertised fairly frequently (example). Things there move very fast, so you should probably reply within a day or two from when the job was posted.

That said, the NYC job market might just be sort of tough right now, especially when you don't have any U.S. work experience. The standard answer is to downgrade your seniority/salary expectations, e.g., I have an advanced university degree (from a developed country) but have recently started applying for entry-level clerical/secretarial work. FYI, I have received two interviews based on about sixty job applications in the past three months.

When I next decide to visit I will be bringing lots of documents ...

It is not clear whether or not you're aware that you are not eligible to travel under the VWP if you have once been refused admission to the United States (link). Next time you want to visit, you will have to apply for a visa in advance. Of course, presenting these types of documents would probably be advisable. Wish you best of luck!!

*****REVIVING OLD TOPIC*******

With packet 3, the embassy sent me (hard copy of) a document called "Evidence which may be presented to meet the public charge provision of the law". The bottom of the form says DS-2000, 8-1999. It seems this form is not sent out by all embassies, but it was sent out by mine (STK). I think the most important part of this form is (my bold)

To substantiate the information regarding income and resources the sponsor should attach two or more of the following items to the affidavit:

1. Notarized copies of his or her latest income tax return;

2. A statement from his or her employer showing salary and the length and permanency of employment;

3. A statement from an officer of a bank regarding his or her account, the date the account was opened, and the present balance;

4. Any other evidence adequate to establish financial ability to carry out his or her undertaking toward the applicant for what might be an indefinite period of time.

Lacking great sums in bank accounts, we figured 1 and 2 would be the most feasible. However, the instructions for I-134 (also in my packet 3) states that tax returns are required only if the sponsor is self-employed. It also says nothing about the tax returns being notarized.

Anyway, suppose we want to follow the instructions on the instruction sheet we were sent (better safe than sorry!). For simplicity, suppose the tax returns in question were prepared by an accountant and that the petitioner has an electronic copy which he printed, signed, and submitted to the IRS. If he printed out the tax return again, what would the notary do? Notarize his signature? Surely the notary cannot notarize that it's a "true copy" given that the there is no original to compare it to?

None of the instructions I was sent say that "tax transcripts" can substitute for tax returns (although it seems to be common knowledge here that this is possible most of the time?!). Is there something for the petitioner to sign on those that can be notarized?

Grateful for any ideas!

They did not send it to the wrong place. WRW does immigrant visa processing for residents of Poland and Belarus, so if you are a resident in Belarus, that's where they send it. It's not based on citizenship.

You can get in touch with MOS and ask them to request the file from WRW. They will let you know whether you should also contact WRW. You might need a compelling reason for them to accept your case, e.g., that you are planning on abandoning residency in Belarus and returning to Russia in the very near future. If you plan on staying in Belarus until you get the visa, there's absolutely nothing wrong with interviewing in Warsaw. If you do ask them to transfer the case, keep in mind that they'll send it by "diplomatic pouch", which will add a few weeks of processing time to your case (transferring the case took about 6 weeks for us).

Best of Luck!

The US may not wish to issue her a visitor visa if they believe she intends to stay in the US permanently. Rwanda may or may not be concerned with that possibility. If you know that you are going to Rwanda, you should really not be thinking about the US immigration process at this point (you should start thinking about that ~1yr before you intend to relocate to the US).

From a very cursory reading (I'm certainly not an expert on this topic!), it seems that she could be eligible for "M2" status in Rwanda if the two of you are married and you hold a temporary resident permit. Some information for you: http://www.migration.gov.rw/Visa.html

Best of luck!

Visited the US last week on the VWP through Toronto. Being risk averse, I decided to pay a slight premium to enter at Pearson Airport to ensure that I wouldn't have to board the flight if they decided to deny entry. With the advice from VJ, I had stocked up on a bunch of "evidence" to show "ties" to Canada, all of which turned out to be completely unnecessary (just never asked, not even about return itinerary). Come to think about it, I think this was the easiest entry I've ever had into the US: none of the usual demeaning questions about my relationship, etc. I doubt the border officer could see any information about the pending K-1 application on his computer terminal. If he did, he for sure didn't mention anything about it.

If the fiance is an Italian citizen, I think attempting entry on the VWP is preferable to applying for a tourist visa. In particular, there was a post a while back about someone in your situation who had applied for and been denied a tourist visa rather than going on the VWP (which they were eligible for). Consequently, they now have to check the "ever been denied a US visa" box on the ESTA ever after.

At the end of the day, it all depends on the who he runs into at the border. It doesn't matter if he's on the VWP or on a tourist visa: if the border officer has a bad day, they can still deny entry. Trying to be polite and composed when talking to them will certainly not hurt. On the whole, prepare for the worst and hope for the best!

Best of luck!

The people on the NVC phone line usually tell you to allow 10-20 business days for processing from the receive date. It's usually a lot faster, but I guess it's possible to get stuck in name checks at this point. You can contact them every day if that makes you feel better.

For time to your interview, this is impossible to tell without knowing what consulate you are going through.

Thank you, inky. Yes, I realize -- the guides to the Canadian process here on VJ are very clear and extensive.

I'm mainly worried about the interview scheduling issues (described here, for example). It seems that recently, a significant number of people have been waiting for weeks and even months without even being able to schedule an interview.

I'm a Swedish citizen studying in a very long graduate program in Canada on a study permit. The only time I can (ethically and economically) withdraw from my program is at the end of this fall semester. Although I would be technically out of status (in Canada) when I withdraw from my program, my study permit does not expire until 2013 and I would probably not be subject to deportation. However, I may get into trouble if I tried to re-enter Canada, and cannot work here.

Partly for this reason, and partly because waiting times in Montreal seem *a lot* longer than in Stockholm, we requested to interview for the K-1 in Stockholm. However, after sitting for a month at the NVC, the case was sent to Montreal early last week and I'm expecting packet 3 from there any day now. Given the interview scheduling issues at Montreal, it seems unlikely that I would be done by the end of the year, though. For this reason, we are considering asking the Stockholm embassy to request transferring the case from Montreal to Stockholm.

Yesterday, I sent an e-mail to the Stockholm immigrant visa section. They offered to transfer the case, but added "... you should note that there will be a waiting period of three months or more before we can schedule you for an interview (once you notify us that you are documentary qualified)." Now, I have a heard time deciding whether

1. The situation in STK really changed after they decided to interview immigrant visa candidates from all Scandinavian countries there, and the interview waiting time suddenly tripled

2. This "waiting period" applies to transferred cases only

3. They are just being overly cautious about instilling any kind of hope in the interviewees

If I'm only able to schedule a Montreal interview in spring, I'm worried the consular officer will question my current status in Canada ("waiting for an interview at the Montreal consulate?"). I think I might also go crazy being here on my own without being able to do anything: I probably wouldn't be able to go abroad (visiting the SO in the US, my family in Sweden) because of fear not being let into Canada again for the interview. That is, things are starting to get a bit kafkaesque. Come to think about it, a three-month waiting period actually doesn't seem too bad...

What do you think would be the best course of action? I'm particularly curious about whether anyone has ever heard about a waiting period applying to transferred cases only.

Thank you so much.

After 15 business days (day of approval, holidays, etc. not included), the NVC customer service representative will tell you to scan a copy of your USCIS approval notice (paper version of NOA2) and e-mail it to nvcresearch@state.gov. Then, they will search for your file and enter it into their system.

Our case was "received" by the NVC (= entered into their computer) two days after I had sent the above-mentioned e-mail (which was then almost a calendar month after the NOA2). If you look at the timelines, you'll see that most people have their cases received a lot faster. There seems to be a lot of randomness there.

Moral of the story: no need to panic, but make sure to be proactive and send them that e-mail immediately when the 15 business days have passed, i.e., no need to wait 4 weeks.

After it has been received, they will tell you to allow for another 10-20 business days for processing...

For anyone who is interested:

The 15 business days (24 "actual" days) now passed (FYI, the day of approval "does not count"), and our case is not yet in the NVC computer system. I was told that I can now scan the NOA2 and e-mail it to nvcresearch@state.gov to have them look for our file.

By now, several different people on the NVC phone line have told me that "if the approval notice says it was forwarded to the consulate rather than the NVC, it probably was". When I ask them how I can contact the consulate without a case number, they get confused.

I'm happy for you.

Unfortunately, I don't think your experience can be generalized. Some petitions just fly through (judging by the timelines), and some just take *forever* (or people just don't update).

We received NOA2 on August 29 from VSC and the NVC still hasn't entered it into their system. (That is, it's not even the processing that's taking time!) I figured today would be the 15th business day, but apparently that's tomorrow because of labor day...

Given that they always say "please allow 15 business days for the petition to be entered into our system", is it possible to put some kind of request once 15 business days have passed? Or will they just tell me to wait for another 15 business days?