jonandrachel

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to get some opinions on whether the processing estimates that VJ comes up with for approval of EAD are accurate. When i filed my EAD (along with AP and AOS) VJ gave me an estimation of approval at approx 2 months, with a date between Nov 25th and 27th, i.e. right now! but i know that the general rule for EAD's is 3 months, according to the USCIS website. But i assume VJ must be estimating based on some data that other members input, otherwise why would it tell us at all when we should expect responses.

So has anyone found the estimation to be spot on, or am i looking at another month still before approval?

Initially i was surprised but pleased that VJ thought i was due approval in just two months, it gave me hope that i could start looking for work before Christmas, but with everyday that goes by i'll start to think i'll be waiting the full 3 months, and before i know it the new year will be upon us.

So, anyway, just wanted to get some opinions...

Hope everyone had a good thanksgiving!!

Jon

Hi. I had mine last wednesday. Its no hassle really. just take your passport and appointment letter. i was just given a form to fill in, just simple stuff like receipt numbers and ur A number etc. After that just had my prints and photo took. she stamped my appointment letter and said thats your receipt for coming........and that was it. good luck.

Oh and dont think i was in there more than 30mins.

Hey! thanks so much, i thought it would be easy, guess i'd better comb my hair though!!

Hey Everybody

Just a quick one... I have my biometrics appointment this coming Friday and i'm just wondering what it involves and how long it normally takes. I'll be going to the Brooklyn NY office. I know that all i need to take along is my passport and the notification letter.

Thanks everybody, hope you're all having a great day today!

Jon

Besides the VJ guide here, this post is a great checklist: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/235331-aos-ead-ap-from-k1-the-aussie-way-doc-list-included/

Why not send the I-131 too? The I-765 and I-131 are both free when filed with a pending I-485. The fee is $1070 with or without the I-765 and/or I-131. You never know if you might have an emergency while waiting for the green card and need the AP. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/371023-help-please-death-in-the-family/

Your joint sponsor needs to provide proof of being a USC or LPR with their I-864. They also need to provide proof of current income, unless they are self-employed.

No need for proof of marriage other than a copy of your certified marriage certificate.

Thanks for the response, it raises 2 questions... I guess i will file the i-131 as well, but if i have no actual intended trips outside the US planned, i should leave the boxes on the form blank that ask for leaving dates and expected length of trip?

Also, having read the very helpful guide from Vanessa, should i send in 2 x passport photos for the i-485 as well as 2 for the EAD and 2 for the AP... therefore 6 photos all together or will the first 2 suffice for everything?

thanks again

Jon

Hello all VJ-ers

I'm about to post my completed AOS packet, which, as per my cover letter, consists of the following:

- Form G-1145

- Form G-325A (+ 2 sheets of additional address and employment information)

- 2 x passport photos of Jonathan Heath

- Form I-485

- Filing fee: CHQ for $1070

- Form I-765

- Form I-864 (from principal petitioner) + copy of most recent Tax Return

- Form I-864 (from joint sponsor) + copy of most recent Tax Return

- Copy of passport biographic page (Jonathan Heath)

- Copy of K1 Visa and entry stamps (Jonathan Heath)

- Copy of I-94 - front & back (Jonathan Heath)

- Copy of Marriage Certificate (Jonathan Heath to Rachel Cooper)

- Copy of Birth Certificate (Jonathan Heath)

- Copy of NAO2 for original K1 I-129F application

I believe this is everything...

Question: i definitely don't have to send another chq for $380 for the i-765 form if filing now with i-485?

I'm sending off to Chicago - USCIS, PO Box 805887, Chicago, IL, 60680-4120

I'm not sending any evidence of the marriage as i believe i can keep all this for the interview, hopefully i wont get a RFE. I'm also not sending any medical/vaccination stuff as i'm filing within a year of my examination in the UK.

I've read all the checklists and posts on here, so i think i'm all set. Everything is signed and dated and ready to go.

Unless... have i missed anything out?

Thanks guys (fingers crossed)

Jon (& Rachel)

Thanks, i won't forget that important piece of information.

I still have until the end of Sept on my i-94 so i should be good. I'll be going to my local SS office tomorrow morning sharp!!

Jon

Good morning

So I only came across this form for applying for a Social Security Number this morning, I guess I had thought (wrongly) that I didn't get a SSN until after the approval for AOS, but now that i'm filling it in I have a few quick questions:

Firstly... I have to select whether I'm a Legal Alien allowed to work or NOT allowed to work. I've read the instruction sheet with all the classifications on which states that if i'm K1 fiance then i'm allowed to work but if i'm K3 spouse then i'm NOT allowed to work.

I entered the US on a K1 but now I am married, so which do i tick?

The question is complicated because if you are a Legal Alien NOT allowed to work then the form announces you need to provide a document from a governemnt agency that explains why i need a SSN and that i meet all the requirements, when actually i don't have such a document!!

What to do what to do...

If anyone can explain and straighten this out for me, much appreciated

Thanks

Jon

Neither, it is (c )(9 ) as you are filing with a pending I-485. See example form: http://www.visajourney.com/examples/INS-Form-I-765.pdf

Jeez! How'd i miss that, i guess i hadn't got that far. Thanks so much.

Jon

Hey there

I'm sure this is a simple confusion, i'm filling in i-765 and on part 16 where i fill in my eligibility i just want to know if i would be (a)(6) or (a)(9) because i came in as a K1 fiance visa holder but now i'm married i'm technically the spouse of a US citizen.

Thanks for helping

Jon

This is a new process so what you did before doesn't really matter now. There are instructions to download separate from the I-864 form. Read several times and don't depend on short answers from the forum.

My short answer-- each do their own complete I -864. She checks 1a. He checks 1d

Thanks, i will be downloading the instructions.

Are you able to give me a quick heads up on form i-864a, i only found out about it today and just looking at it is confusing. It looks like i, the immigrant, needs to complete it, yet some of the questions appear aimed at the sponsor. Help?

So, pretty much as the description details... Can my new US father-in-law act as my sponsor, just as he was for my original petition? Or, does he need to be a joint sponsor, which therefore would mean both he and my wife would have to complete form i-864?

My wife was never the original sponsor as she is a student and therefore financially not suitable.

If my father-in-law can be the only sponsor, does he select option a) in question 1) on the form - i.e. he is the petitioner, filing for the immigration of a relative?

All help, much appreciated

Thanks

Jon

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/7-adjustment-of-status-green-card-from-family-based-visas/

Marrying within the 90 days is the only requirement. There is no deadline to file for AOS. When your I-94 expires, you will be out of status. However, you will enter a period of authorized stay once you file the I-485. Any overstay days won't matter after your green card is approved.

Thanks very much. Now just to get on with these forms. Already i'm reminded of all the stress and frustration from compiling the original petition.

Jon

1. K-1

2. K-1 (they just list some of the myriad of examples there)

3. red number

4. The USC should have gotten a notice of approval for the I-129F petition. You need that (the NOA2).

Come on down to the AOS forum

Sweet! Thank you so much, you made all those questions look so easy. What is the link to the AOS forum?

Another quick question, to put my fiancee at ease... what is my status, after my K1 runs out, and while i'm waiting for my AOS to be confirmed? Obviously i will have married before the 90 days expires.

Thanks again

Jon

So, the big day is almost upon us, next Tuesday in fact, and now i'm compiling my forms to submit afterwards for adjustment of status, work permit etc...

I've found the link that has the forms i need to complete:

1. G-325a

2. I-864

3. I-485

4. I-765 (optional)

5. I-131 (optional)

6. G-1145 (optional)

But to begin with, i have some questions relating to form I-485:

1. What is my current USCIS status? I'm already in NY having come in on my K1 and i'll be married by the time i send the form in, so what is my 'status'?

2. In what status did i last enter the US? The examples list visitor, student, worker etc, but as i came in on a K1 i am none of these...

3. Non-immigrant visa number? The K1 in my passport has what's called a 'control number' but also a number in red which starts with an E and has 7 numbers after it. Which, if either, is the number i need?

4. What is the fiancee petition approval notice? Which i need to send in along with my marriage certificate...

If anyone has the answers to these questions, all help is very very helpful.

I've yet to even look at the other forms but no doubt they'll be just as confusing.

Thanks everyone

Jon & Rachel

No; ESTA is only for VWP passengers.

thanks, it did seem a bit silly

This may be a very silly question, but do i still need to apply for the ESTA when i fly into the US even though i've already been granted my K1 and have the visa in my passport? I've only got a one way flight as well.

Thanks

Jon

Great news... my K1 was approved in London! After a very early start to the day travelling from Bristol by bus to get to the embassy by 9am, i found it very easy to check my electronics in at Goulds Pharmacy for just 3 pounds, there was only a short queue at the embassy gates for the initial scan and bag search, but then once inside i had to sit in a crowded room listening to that monotonous computer voice calling out ticket numbers and window numbers every 5 seconds, which very nearly sent me to sleep. It seemed to me that most people were there on other business besides the K1 because my ticket number was quite unique to most, but although i worked out i was possibly in a queue of no more than 5 other K1 filers, it still took more than 3 hours of waiting and listening to all the other types of ticket number get read out. After 2 hours my number was called and i had to submit all my documents and answer a few questions about them, then i took a seat again and waited another hour for the actual interview, with my number called just as i nodded off. The interview lasted just 2 minutes, i was asked how i met my fiancee, how i planned to support myself, and how did i know that Rachel was the one i wanted to get married to, which actually threw me off a little. I was not asked to present any new evidence. So, he told me on the spot i was approved and approx 2 weeks later i received my passport in the post with the visa inside and i intend to fly over on July 3rd and get married in August.

Now then... my question is... for anyone that has already moved to the US, what is the situation with health insurance? My fiancee is a student, a nursing student in NYC, and i believe it will be very expensive to join her plan. So what options are open to me? Any info on this subject is hugely welcome.

thanks everyone

Jon

Are you including two I-134s? One for you, and one for fiancee's father?

No i'm not, i have the completed I-134 from my future father in law, and just some bank statements for me showing savings to indicate that i have enough money to survive without a job for a while

Please read Nich-Nick's awesome thread in the UK forum: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/350185-london-2012-k1s-from-noa2-to-interview-thread/

You won't need proof of an ongoing relationship for example.

Thanks, i must have read that thread from Nich-Nick a hundred times, but i'm still a worrier.

And idea if there is a general consensus whether London tells you on the day that you have been accepted or rejected?

So... nervous time are afoot. I have my interview in London on Friday and i'm going through my folder to make sure i have everything. This is what i'm taking, if anyone thinks i've missed or overlooked something or should include more of something, please let me know...

- signed visa fee receipt

- visa appointment letter

- my birth certificate and copy

- police record and duplicate

- form I-134 affidavit of support and related documents from my fiancee's father

- proof of my own financial situation to prove i wont be a burden to the state, bank accounts etc

- evidence of relationship: recent signed letters of intent, copies of email history covering 2 years, photocopies of my passport with travels stamps to the US, a copy of a signed contract for an engagement shoot photographer, 5 or so photos from the US and the UK, flight itineraries, postcards.

- my vaccination records

- a copy of my completed packet 2 - DS230, DS156, DS156k, DS157

- all letters i've received: NAO1 and NAO2 etc

- copy of original I-129, which also included photos, flight bookings and the receipt for the engagement ring.

- AND OF COURSE... MY PASSPORT!!

So, with my bus booked, i think i'm pretty much ready.

Any advice, please let me know.

thanks everyone

Jon (& Rachel)

thanks everyone

Hey there, can anyone tell me where the Goulds pharmacy is in London, for leaving phones and ipods etc before going into the embassy, and how much it costs?

Thanks

Yes, that's what I meant. A savings of $110 when I said it goes down $110.

Should have said goes down BY $110??

I thought you could pay the fee at the embassy on the day before the actual interview began? Or is it essential to call up and pay in advance?

So, great news... Today i received the official letter with my interview date for May 11th, in London, just six months after filing the original petition. So now i'm reading through all the info related to the interview, in particular form IV-019 which says it is my responsibility to document all discrepancies in my paperwork, such as my name. Now, my problem is that as a youngster i never used my middle name Elliot, and as a result never knew if it originally had two T's at the end, so when applying for my passport i put 2 T's (purely because i thought it was cooler) and it has never come up again, but now i have my birth certificate in front of me i see my folks only wanted 1 T, hence the discrepancy. On all my forms i've used the name as it appears in my passport, with 2 T's, as this is my major form of identification. So i'm wondering if anyone will even notice this? And also, how would i go about documenting this silly difference, officially, and before the interview, so as not to delay things.

If anyone has any experience with this or just any information or thoughts, please let me know.

thanks a lot everyone

Jon

Hey there

So i'm just waiting for my packet 3 details to come in the post from the London embassy now that my fiancee in New York has received the NAO2 and a letter from the NVC, but i heard that if i have all the forms ready early i can send them off straight away. I believe these forms to be:

- DS230 Part 1 only - (why not Part 2?)

- DS156 x 2 copies completed online with a barcode, and an American style photo attached to each copy.

- DS156K unsigned

- DS157 x 2 copies

DS156K states i should send along with my birth certificate, police certificate, evidence of relationship and evidence of financial support, but i've read on here this isn't necessary yet, so should i keep all this to take with me to the interview instead?

Also, does financial support mean the affidavit of support from my sponsor in the US or records of my own finances here in the UK?

I've also already booked my medical in London and filled out the medical questionnaire and i'm off for that next Tuesday, now that i have my official LON ref number.

So i feel pretty ready at the moment, unless anyone reminds me i've missed and forgotten something.

Thanks for all your help, you guys have been great through all this.

Jon