goadii

After a two-year FBI name check hell, my wife's green card was approved. We received the notice by email Christmas day, ironic as that may be.

Anyhow, what is the recent experience of posters here regarding WHEN she will get her card in the mail?

The notice says within 60 days, but I know that it oftentimes faster. I, though, am hedging our bets since all that we have encountered thus far is abject incompetence.

TIA, G

Goadii ... Have you got your congressman/senator involved yet? start doing that process unttill you have exhausted all avenues then take it to court... over two years is just plain stupid!

House of Rep people are toothless, but Senatorial minions are not that much more effective when it comes to namecheck. I have been in close contact with 3 Senate offices --- NC by virtue of physical res, WA by permanent residence, and NY since that is where my wife is living right now.

The net result has been no result. "It's out of our hands" --- and when your Senator's office recommends suing, that is one pathetic commentary on the Federal Government.

The fact that this purgatory is exponentially ruining our marriage = not important at all. But, if they were in my position, somehow I get the feeling it would not be "out of our hands" to do anything...

It felt good to have hope for just a split second there...

Back to reality...USCIS is Satan incarnate....

I feel better...

Hi, my wife's status online changed from "working on fingerprints; don't call us we'll call you" that has been up there for two years to this:

Application Type: I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: Fingerprints review completed.

Review of the fingerprints taken relating to this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS has been completed. Processing of this case continues. We will notify you by mail when we make a decision or if we need something from you. If you move while this case is pending, call customer service. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use our processing dates to estimate when yours will be done. This case is at our MISSOURI SERVICE CENTER location. Follow the link below to check processing dates. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.

Now, we had our interview last December, about a year ago, and were approved pending the FBI. Been waiting on the FBI name check ad nauseum, to the point that I have a Writ of Mandamus lawsuit ready to go.

That said --- has anybody else received this right before actually getting the green card? Please tell me that we can expect some sort of good news in the midst of every Congressional person saying, "oopsy poopsy, nothing WE can do about it..."

Are you serious? Let's see...examining this logically...

1. My wife has now been here for two years.

2. An FBI check was conducted as part of the K-1 that got her INTO the US.

Think about that for a sec. This is the AOS FBI name check, not the initial screening, so if a person's intent was to arrive on a K-1 for purposes of terrorism, then the FBI fails horribly here.

People like my wife and I are put through hell ex post facto with this FBI check --- the potential "bad person" is already here.

And "friendly" country --- yeah, that holds water nowadays. Not to blame our friendliest ally, GBR, but it is because of some POS British terrorist plotting that I now cannot take water or any other liquids onto an airplane and have to damn near strip down just to get through security.

Bottom line is the FBI name checks are a joke, and I think that as part of GWOT somebody turned the screws at a bad time for us and many other people here going through the AOS. Occam's Razor --- simplest solution is likely the correct solution --- so I vote for pure Federal incompetance as the reason behind it.

hey how about my case where my husband WAS screened through security clearance for being arab for the K1 resulting in an 8 month delay, now BACK doing the FBI namecheck! its redundancy in our case at its best!

I agree 100%.

Either the FBI does a shoddy job when they let K-1s into the country, which is the point at which there should be the most concern, or the first name check is completely worthless.

Regardless, the net result is redundancy and a convenient way for USCIS to say, "It's not us friend", but still seek more and more money each budgetary year.

Disgusting that we people who pay the fees and file legally get screwed when the political winds blow towards "immigration reform" to address illegal immigration.

How about immigration reform that starts with fixing the system in place that is used by thousands of legal permanent residents and prospective immigrants every year?

just out of curiosity, what is the fbi name check and why on earth would it take as long as it seems to for some people? surely they know who we are after we have given them every tiny bit of information possible?

That's assuming you're going to give them everything. If you're a terrorist you would probably omit certain snippets of information for example! The FBI name check is needed to do a full background check into a person to make sure they are who they say they are and don't pose a threat to this country.

As for how long it takes, well I guess that depends on who's desk it falls on, but I don't think it would be crazy talk to say that if the applicant comes from a middle eastern country, or a country with known terrorist organizations, that it might take longer than someone from a "friendly" nation.

Are you serious? Let's see...examining this logically...

1. My wife has now been here for two years.

2. An FBI check was conducted as part of the K-1 that got her INTO the US.

Think about that for a sec. This is the AOS FBI name check, not the initial screening, so if a person's intent was to arrive on a K-1 for purposes of terrorism, then the FBI fails horribly here.

People like my wife and I are put through hell ex post facto with this FBI check --- the potential "bad person" is already here.

And "friendly" country --- yeah, that holds water nowadays. Not to blame our friendliest ally, GBR, but it is because of some POS British terrorist plotting that I now cannot take water or any other liquids onto an airplane and have to damn near strip down just to get through security.

Bottom line is the FBI name checks are a joke, and I think that as part of GWOT somebody turned the screws at a bad time for us and many other people here going through the AOS. Occam's Razor --- simplest solution is likely the correct solution --- so I vote for pure Federal incompetance as the reason behind it.

Has anyone filed more than one AOS for a K-1 (after a refusal)? I don't think an appeal will

work, due to the circumstances. I don't know of any rule that prohibits us from filing another one.

I'll be asking lawyers as well, but this doesn't seem to be a common situation.

This is my second marriage to a RW, so I may be able to add something.

First marriage was K-1, married, filed the AOS, and then she "had to" go home to see her family before the AOS was processed. This was all in October of 2001, so you can imagine how sympathetic the INS was to anybody at that time.

Anyhow, she went home and wanted to come back after a few weeks. She went to the Moscow Consulate, and, voila, uncompassionate husband was right --- she was denied a tourist visa because of the clear intent to immigrate that being married to a USC showed.

So then we moved to the I-130 and K-2 route. That took about 18 months to get everything in order, right down to the interview date in Moscow. To condense a long sob story into one sentence: she didn't go to the interview, and we went our separate ways.

Divorce finalized in February of 2004. Filed a K-1 in March of 2004 for the woman who is now my wife. We had met actually en route to Moscow in November of 2004. Me, to get the final word from my first wife, yea or nea. She was just going home after being in the US on a J-1 visa.

K-1 approved without problems, but many alibis on my part. I documented everything --- divorce, request that her I-130 and K-3 be pulled, request to Consulate that her interview date be cancelled, along with acknowledgements from each agency...everything, and a cover letter laying the timeline out in plain English.

Second wife arrived in August of 2004, after all was said and done. Married shortly thereafter and filed AOS, EAD, and AP right away. EAD without hitches; first AP as well.

AOS processed relatively quickly, and we had our interview on 12/06/05. Case approved, and green card would be issued upon receipt of the FBI name check.

Fast forward to now: Nothing but silence and incompetence from the USCIS for nearly a year. I'm living and working in Russia, and my wife is in NYC. With every day that passes without her status resolved, we are one day closer, and exponentially closer, to calling it quits and getting divorced.

For those in the general population of the US that have never been in this position of wait wait wait, it is nearly impossible to empathize with the corrosive effects that this bureaucratic BS can have on a young marriage.

Instead, our leaders focus on getting the votes and sympathy of illegal aliens, not on first servicing those people who already came here illegal and have paid both their monetary and temporal dues. Viva la Bush!!!

For the hell of it, I'd be interested to know how long people have been waiting post interview on the FBI.

My wife and I: Interviewed on December 6, 2005, so it's been about one year for a process that they Officer said would take 30 days.

Up until the 7th month of this fiasco, I had been a die-hard Republican all my life. Now, I'm glad that the Republicans got their asses handed to them. Will the Democrats do a better job governing? Maybe, maybe not, but the track record of GW and Gang has only been incompetence and hubris, all in the name of this Global War on Terrorism.

Enough venting. Hope this FBI log jam breaks for everybody soon! G

We are in the same boat. Interviewed at Charlotte in early December 2005. Told to expect the Green Card in about 30 days.

Still, nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I have contacted Senators and appealed to the Charlotte director to request through the FBI to have it expedited. All to no avail. My wife has been fingerprinted twice, so the "not initiated" doesn't hold water.

I know, this all a part of GW's larger War on Terrorism. Well, George, I spent time in both Iraq/Afghanistan as part of your GWOT and bled for the good Ol' USA...I, however, didn't see you there, oh Commander in Chief, at any time, except for the staged Thanksgiving in 2003.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I've done my time for this country, and all that I am asking is that our bureaucrats do, well, their jobs in a timely manner. That's the bottom line.

My other bottom line is that this waiting has damn near ruined my marriage because of the stress it has caused. From elation in December of 2005 to now with me living in Moscow, but my wife not being able to leave the US without starting everything 100% over. Super duper.

I interviewed in Albany New York and on a follow up they said that i was waiting on the FBI name check, that there is nothing i can do. Basically 'sit down and shut up young lady'

I keep thinking it can't possibly take much longer, but still i wait and still nothing, diddly squat, not a sausage not even a little dicky bird of hope for signs of GC.

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, this sucks, but we'll make it through!

Wish I had the problem of too many emails! I haven't gotten any updates from them for 2 years...

FWIW, my wife and I decided early on that she wouldn't consider changing her name until we had completed the trek through the USCIS minefield. We didn't want to give them one more chance to be puzzled since it is seemingly so easy to do! Luck to all...G

A civil surgeon that's not a rip off? How surprising...sad to see that Dr. O'Keefe won't be doing them any longer by mail. I worked with Dr. O'Keefe's office on an issue back in 2001-02 when I was living in Seattle --- very good people for sure.

As the previous poster, my wife was in the exact same position. Handed the sealed envelope off at the POE.

I even drove to the USCIS office here in Charlotte to clarify it as we got closer to our interview.

As counter-intuitive as it may be, if you don't hear from them, then the vaccinations that you submitted with AOS (if any) and the "brown envelope" have covered everything.

I was skeptical because I have 0% confidence in the USCIS people, BUT we did not have any problems with shots at our interview.

On the flip side, a lot of this anxiety would be alleviated if they just gave you a copy of the physical in Moscow at whichever clinic...Good luck!

I had originals and copies ad nauseum. Arrange and divide them all in document protectors, roughly in the order that they are listed.

Our guy went through the file, I gave him what he needed, he asked the required questions, and we were done.

Basically, show up squared away, and you will be a breath of fresh air for your officer. He/she will probably return the favor with a painless interview. Good luck!

Congrats on your NOA. It used to be easy (or at least easier...) to call the NVC to check on the status, but I'm not so sure now. When I did call on mine for my wife's K-1, they said it was not in their system...so I called back a few days later, got another person, and was told that because it had went through them so quickly, it had never been put into their tracking system.

I chose to believe the 2nd person, and, ultimately, there were no delays. Good luck!

Did you have your biometrics? (fill out your timeline.) Many people are waiting after having biometrics; we waited 8 weeks to get approval but others have waited 6 months. Good Luck

Biometrics twice. It's frustrating because everything is completed on the USCIS side of the fence. Just waiting for the FBI to get their asses in gear.

Senator's office got nowhere --- the rep there told me that USCIS relayed this to her, if you can believe it...essentially, when the FBI finds a name that is duplicate during its name check, they have to verify each and every one of them before completing the check. So, if your wife is, say, English, and her name is Ann Jones, you may be screwed, at least along the FBI's line of reasoning.

And, what the heck was the initial K-1 security check for then???

Attached is a doc that may or may not help. There is other guidance that can be found in the Federal Register.

The K-1 and work authorization being "seamless" was a casualty of September 11th, but USCIS cannot really tell you why. It used to be simple --- arrive, and if you're passport wasn't stamped work authorized at the POE, go to the local INS office and they would do it right there.

At least that was the case with my first K-1 --- stamped her I-94 and we went to the SS office to apply for a card. End of story for the K-1 90-day period. Luck to all...

K_1_EMPLOYMENT_INFO.pdf

happens to me...i think it comes and goes...i caught it today

Does it really matter? They are so slow to update that it's almost useless. I have been patiently checking since February for any news on my NOA2, it arrived by mail yesterday having been sent on the 14th. The website is still reporting no action. No e-mail sent either.

In the help section they say status is updated within minutes .... Should this be weeks?

I second this. Their digital system is a joke. 100%. I still have items from 2004 that are complete (advance parole and empl. authorization) that are not updated.

I guess it just shows that any system is only as good as it's weakest link...and USCIS has a ton of weak links!

Hey Ken --- To begin, I have the lowest of expectations for the USCIS people. That said, I had my wife send me about 8 passport photos because I fully expected something to go wrong. They asked for (I think) 2 with the application; I gave them 3. Alternatively, after you get these from Inna, I suggest going to a camera store that can make copies of photos, just to be safe.

And, take a deep breath --- in the realm of USCIS incompetence, this is a mere fart, sadly enough. It can get worse, but I hope that it does not for anybody here! Good luck! G

So sorry to hear about this. This stuff always worries me.

This is very dangerous because that is precisely what it says in the application not to do. USCIS expects photos to look and feel a certain way, and if they have any doubt, good or bad, they can RFE you and slow it down. That said, if it were me, I'd avoid the .jpg route.

When in doubt, provide the info. I provided the tax records for my wife at that time, but she said they didn't "really look at them". I, however, would submit them because then at least you have them on file for the AOS later, and it also closes a potential disqualifier for the Bureaucracy...Good luck!

FWIW, my wife was a J-1 for three summers prior to coming here in late 2004.

She was not subject to the 2-year rule, and we disclosed everything at the time of the K-1 application.

Our AOS was approved through USCIS in December 2005, but we are still waiting for the final security checks. I am now thinking that perhaps the J-1s could be holding this up. It's a possiblity, but I don't know for sure either way...luck to all!

Hey everybody --- I have posted here in ages...

My wife had her AOS interview in December of 2005. We were told that she was good from the USCIS side, but that the security checks were still pending. Was told then that she should have her green card in hand within 60 days max.

Well, it's mid April, and I wouldn't be writing if that were only true! Still nothing from them...Senator's office has called twice and was told it is out of their hands.

Anybody else had this issue and would like to sound off? The USCIS side from begin to interview went very quickly...thought that was a blessing, but now it's proving to be kind of a curse...TIA G....

This is an awesome site. I have rec'd it to so many people...I think USCIS should send a link to it with all of its mailings...LOL

If you call the IRS and wait on hold for an hour or so, you should be able to get transcripts of past years tax returns and W-2s sent to you in 1-2 weeks. It's much quicker than requesting over the internet or via mail, which I've heard can take up to 6 weeks.

Go to the IRS website and do a search for "transcripts". There's a form that you can send them, and they are actually pretty good about getting back in a timely manner. $.39 stamp is less valuable to me than sitting on hold with them! Best of luck.