Beantownbabe

I got mine under my insurance plan also. I called up and told them exactly what was going on and they just gave me the shots that I needed.

I can hardly believe it.

I am officially an October filer! Phew, literally a weight off of my mind!!!

Thank you! Good luck all!

So I'm planning on mailing this package tomorrow but need to make sure I have everything! Do you think I got it all? Thank you!!!

Immediate Relative (Spouse) Family Based Adjustment of Status Application

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

PO Box 805887

Chicago, IL 60680-4120

Nature of the submission: I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status - ORIGINAL SUBMISSION being filed concurrently with form I-765.

To Whom It May Concern:

Enclosed please find application form I-485, a petition to Adjust Status for xxxxxx and its supporting documents.

Contents include:

I-485 - Application to Adjust Status and supporting documentation:

Form I-485, signed and dated by xxxxxx

Filing fee of $1,010.00 with Biometrics included. (Check #)

Copy of passport biographical page

Copy of I-94 card, front and back

Certified Copy of Birth certificate

Certified Copy of Deed of Name Change

Copy of Marriage Certificate

Copy of Divorce Decree for Petitioner, xxxxxxx

Two (2) passport style photographs with name on the back

Form G-325A, four pages

Sealed Medical form I-693, completed by Civil Surgeon

I-130 - Petition for Alien Relative, prepared by USC spouse:

Form I-130, signed and dated by xxxxxx.

Filing fee of $355, check #

Copy of Birth Certificate

Copy of previous Divorce Decree

Copy of Marriage Certificate

Form G325A, four pages

Two (2) passport style photos - one of Petitioner and one of Beneficiary

Additional supporting evidence that bone fides marriage.

I-864EZ - Affidavit of Support and supporting documentation:

Form I-864EZ signed and dated by xxxxxx

Sponsor’s Federal Tax Returns for the years 2007, 2006 and 2005

Sponsor’s 2007, 2006 and 2005 W-2 forms

Sponsor’s 2007 1099 forms

Sponsor’s last three (3) months of pay stubs

I-765 - Application for Employment Authorization and supporting documentation:

Form I-765 signed and dated by xxxxxxx

Copy of biographical passport page

Copy of I-94, front and back

Two (2) passport style photographs

I believe I may be joining you by the end of the week...GULP!

If I were you, I wouldn't even bother going into too much detail since to be honest I don't think the clerk really cares! If in doubt ask and they will tell you what to write there - or they will just fill it in. That's what I saw them do. When we went, the clerk had a query about something I had written which to her, didn't add up (name stuff, boring...) and she just told me "help me understand! I need to be able to explain it!" All that to say that they really just need to be able to have AN explanation, if they ask. "Immigrant on K-1 visa" can't hurt at all! Good luck!

I got my information initially from that same website but had to find out the "real deal" so to speak, in person. The paperwork DOES mention the SSN when your fill out the license form, but it gives a place where you can write an explanation as to WHY you don't have one. Failing that, just explain to the clerk and he/she'll deal with it. It's funny because when we went there to actually be married, they charged us a different price (lower) than quoted on the phone so it seems to me that one hand doesn't necessarily know what the other is doing and I guess that's why it's sometimes confusing. Why don't you go in asap to get the license once you see it can be done, make arrangements right away and you can then have a solid date for everyone?! Good luck!

Wow, you are close to me if you are in Brookline! Yes, there is a three day wait, infact you go and file for the license and they don't actually issue it for the three days - you go back and pick it up. Also, if you want to get married at City Hall then remember to make an appointment in advance (especially for Fridays...) It's not that much of a wait and you could probably get one for the day after you pick up the license if you're lucky. Like I said, at City Hall in Boston they certainly allowed the couple I saw there to apply for the license without the SSN and as I witnessed, he was not asked for a passport or anything. My suggestion would be - if they don't let you do it in Brookline then hop on the T and go to Government Center to do it there at City Hall! Good luck!

Oh yes and the medical part -specifically blood tests for Syphillis was done away with about three(?) years ago I believe...

I was there two weeks ago to pick up our license - we were asked for the SSN on the form you fill out but if you don't have one there is a section where you explain why not. A couple came in and the guy didn't have one so when they questioned it, he simply said he was not a citizen and they went on with the application processing.

I should add that this was at the Boston office at City Hall.

Thanks for the reassurance - that's exactly what I did but just wanted to be sure! Good luck to you!

Okay, so now that I am finally filling in paperwork, I am getting paranoid that I'm not doing things correctly! I just need reassurance for a moment, here goes...

My USC husband will be sponsoring me as the Immigrant, however we have a young child together who was born here so is obviously a USC. So even though we are a household of three and I as the Immigrant have a dependent child - it's still only me who's being sponsored, right?

Did I make any sense to anyone?! My head is swirling from this stuff at this point!!!

A friend of mine was called for a second interview a few years ago. Interestingly enough, USCIS never got back to them with an interview date and at least a couple of years passed with nothing. My friend's case was finally approved, GC in hand and no mention of the second interview!

I also know of someone who had a visit from USCIS early, early in the morning to see if her husband actually did live there! They wanted to look in the closets, etc. I guess they questioned that marriage too, but it was bonefide.

Hi, I don't have anything to offer except to say that after my own daughter , that is just about the cutest little girl ever!!!

What happens if you have a child with your spouse before the AOS interview arrives - would you take them along too or just their birth certificate and/or photo?

Bakofoil - I agree...Rebeccajo was WAY more elequent than I could hope to be! It seems my 16month old has my brain a little fuzzy!!! Good luck all!

Oh and I also forgot - part of the reason they ask for so much current evidence is to combat marriage fraud in the form of just marrying any old someone for a GC. I guess that's why I was stressing that evidence of a joint married life together was so important, vs. proving you were 'going to go home.'

There's no way that your K1 wait was meaningless - you finally ended up with your sweetheart! That in itself is worth it!

Hmmm, no I wasn't trying to say it doesn't matter. Rather that from the (more complex) cases I've known personally once in interview the USCIS interviewer cared less about why the person stayed longer - or if they got married, they (USCIS) cared MORE about joint lives together here as opposed to what was happening "back home." A close friend of mine was grilled on all and anything financial - the interviewer wanted to see proof of stuff like their joint car insurance and had them whip out their credit cards on the spot to see whose names were on them - stuff like that...It's not that people should not bother to go any other route, but USCIS also knows that "life happens" and, for instance people decide to get married quicker than they maybe would ordinarily have done. It's much harder to prove a real joint life HERE than it is to prove that you intended to go back home.

And for the record, no I wasn't saying that people who can travel on VWP should not bother filing any other way - where did you read that? If you DID do that then you are entering with the intent to marry, which is illegal. Like I said, sometimes "Life happens" along the way like it has in the original posters situation.

The only thing is that you are not supposed to enter the country with the "intent" to marry which is what you'd be doing if you went the VWP route. It's one thing if you came in on VWP, fell madly in love and ran off to Vegas on the spur of the moment (so to speak!) but it's very frowned upon if you cut in line and 'pretend' that that wasn't the intention.

To be honest, I don't think that's the issue - I mean proving intention and all. In my experience of people I've known, USCIS are way more interested in your ties HERE - especially where anything to do with finances are concerned. They want to know about you real married life NOW, they want to see your merged bank accounts, spouses named as beneficiaries to Life Insurance, joint car insurance, bills in both names - there are countless possibilities. All things that would cement the fact that you are two married people who share everything. By the time you get around to interview you will have been married for almost a year probably, so you should naturally should have many of these things anyway. USCIS are going to be way less interested in your home bank account - they want your good ol' American dollars!

Tony,

If you are in the US it's important to file both together, just like a previous poster mentioned. So put them all in the same envelope and they all go the the same Chicago address. Good luck!

Richard,

Dealing with Immigration stuff is in itself stressful - don't let people on here get you even more worried! You will have your interview, you'll tell the truth and that's all there is to it! I'm sure there are very many cases like yours and adjusting from VWP definitely is not a big deal. You'll be fine - don't stress out at this point!

I bet the timeframe would be the same - I don't know for sure obviously but I would think so. Also, I've only ever heard of the work permit taking about three months or so. If I were you, I'd stay put and file concurrently - of course, that's just me though!

I'm really curious because a friend of mine (who went through the GC process a number of years ago) told me that the interviewer will often leave the room with a 'fake' excuse (photocopying, asking a question, etc.) I was told that this was so that they could observe you while you are unaware.

So, how many people who recently interviewed had this happen - or is it an urban legend?!!!

That was my understanding too.