michael82

Thank you Charmander and Ben&Zian, time to fill out some forms then

so it's been almost 5 years that I've had my green card (CR1, conditions removed 3 years ago), and I'm considering filing for naturalization.

however, i've had a 9 months stay in europe about 1,5 years ago, and now i find out that, according to N400 instructions, being out of the country for longer than 6 months resets the 5 year clock.

can anybody confirm if that 9 months absence from the country would negatively affect an N400 application?

Thanks in advance!

Just got off the phone with the very friendly and knowledgeable tier2 USCIS person, as it turns out everything's ok and I need to practice typing. Gave the wrong apartment number when I filed my AR-11, which is why I didn't receive anything yet. They have my I751, it's in process, all good.

Thanks again for all the quick help

Thank you so much for the fast responses! Just called again, they'll have a tier2 person call me back, hopefully between this and the infopass I'll be able to get it sorted.

Keep on calling and file a service request? Try to talk to a tier 2? Did you make copies of the package sent? Keep your mailing receipt with it (for proof of date). Do not travel or leave the country or get in trouble with the law. I hope the infopass helps shed some light but if not I would consult an immi lawyer.

I was in limbo (stuck without valid visa -entered on visa waiver- while paperwork being process, filed before new years so we also had to wait awhile for the NOA but it was maybe 2-3 weeks) when we first applied for AOS and that was what I was told by the mil lawyer and civi lawyer. Because you entered legally/had a legal right to be in US and have evidence of having filed the papers - they cannot remove you.

I do have a copy of the package just in case, I plan to bring it to the infopass appointment with me. Thank you for the lawyer info, it's good to know they're not already in the process of removing me

Keep on calling and file a service request? Try to talk to a tier 2? Did you make copies of the package sent? Keep your mailing receipt with it (for proof of date). Do not travel or leave the country or get in trouble with the law. I hope the infopass helps shed some light but if not I would consult an immi lawyer.

I was in limbo (stuck without valid visa -entered on visa waiver- while paperwork being process, filed before new years so we also had to wait awhile for the NOA but it was maybe 2-3 weeks) when we first applied for AOS and that was what I was told by the mil lawyer and civi lawyer. Because you entered legally/had a legal right to be in US and have evidence of having filed the papers - they cannot remove you.

I do have a copy of the package just in case, I plan to bring it to the infopass appointment with me. Thank you for the lawyer info, it's good to know they're not already in the process of removing me

You're right, it was USPS; i have no idea if/when check was cashed, the instructions specified a money order, so that's what I used... no way to know if they were cashed.

I filed my i751 in May (confirmed delivered, I have the signed UPS receipt), and never got NOA1. I called USCIS multiple times, they always tell "be patient, the CA service center has up to 60 days to generate a response". Those 60 days have passed now, still no response from them, and now my green card is expired.

I've now scheduled an infopass appointment since they don't do anything by phone other than read me the text from the uscis website... pretty frustrated and kinda stressed, anybody have experience with this kind of situation?

well technically the fastest/easiest way would be CR1. marry in india and file from there, that should take about 4-5 months. not sure if your own immigration history will raise any flags though.

the I864 only requires the last 3 years, so if you can show 2010, 11 and 12 you should be fine.

Hey Jimmy,

The embassy in vienna will NOT issue a visitor's visa if you already have an I130 application running. This is simply because on a visitor visa you can bypass the immigrant visa application and file for adjustment of status.

Why were you denied ESTA? If you can get ESTA approval, you can visit the US just fine, I just did this (visiting for 3 months while my immigrant application was running) without problem. The problem I see here is if you're already denied for ESTA, the chances of your immigrant visa application going through are probably not looking very good.

You could try to contact the embassy in Vienna to obtain ESTA, but I'd suggest you go in person, they're extremely unhelpful over the phone. Your wife giving birth might buy you some leniency though.

Best of luck!

Were you required to take a driving test or just the written?

you have to do both, but as said, they're extremely easy. one thing you have to look out for is that you need to bring your own car and you need to have car insurance before you can take the test though.

I'm in the same situation and have good and bad news:

1.) No, you can't get a license based on your international license in California.

2.) You have to go to the DMV and get a license like a regular USC, which costs 31$ and is easier than you could possibly imagine.

I'd recommend to make an appointment at your local DMV to avoid waiting times, but you'll probably have to wait anyway. Your international license is valid for 30 days after PoE, after that you'll need a california license.

Hope that helps!

Getting married in Korea would be the much faster option, have a look at this thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/357465-usc-petitioner-living-abroad/

Apparently filing CR1 from outside the US is much faster than filing from within, in our case it took less than 4 months to complete the entire process start to finish.

Best of luck!

So I had my interview yesterday, which turned out to be 5 minutes with an extremely friendly woman at the embassy, and my visa was approved. Total time from sending the I130 to interview approval was exactly 111 days.

I'd like to say thanks to all the VJ members that helped us over the last few months, as well as thanks to LingChe for posting the more than helpful NVC guide. We couldn't have done it that fast without the information available on this site and the help of the members. All that's left is waiting for a phone call from the embassy to pick up my passport, we're aiming for Saturday to travel to the US.

Again, thank you and all, we're both so happy we can finally move over to California and enjoy our new life in the sun

We have just run into this, my wife (the USC) worked and lived abroad in 2011, so her tax return for 2011 showed no US income.

As a result of this, the consulate where I'll have my interview shortly requires me to bring evidence of 60,000$ worth of assets with me to the interview, or an affidavit of joint sponsorship. Best of luck!

i submitted my originals to the nvc, plus a set of copies. do i still need another set of copies to get my originals back?

you're out of luck there, unless you're related to USC or get a work visa, you won't be able to emigrate to the US.

I just got my interview date, and the letter included a list of documents they want to see, basically all originals for copies sent to NVC, passport, 2 pictures, medical results and a copy of the DS230 part I and II.

I have the same question. NVC currently has most of my originals, so it would be quite a pain to get newly issued ones, especially if I have to bring them all.

Anybody know what exactly is required at the interview?

I just went through this with NVC, they allowed me to provide one federal police certificate despite the fact that I had lived in different states in my home country. Not sure if India has a federal agency that provides these, but if so, he should be fine. If not, definitely provide records from both states.

If you've sent it by email and got the confirmation, there is no point to sending the hard copy, the email will be processed faster. It took them 9 days to confirm my DS3032, so you should be good to go next week

I have emailed DS-3032 to NVC but not got any confirmation.

Is that the reason why IV bill is not generated?

yes it is. once you have your ds3032 confirmed, you'll see the IV bill become available in a day or two.

not sure if this is available in Israel, but I obtained an international version of our marriage certificate (at city hall of the town where we married) and had an apostille stamp affixed to it. Both NVC and USCIS accepted that just fine.

you don't need the beneficiary's passport for the I130, that's only needed for the DS230 at NVC. As far as the marriage certificate goes, I'd definitely provide a certified copy to USCIS, as they determine if your marriage appears valid. It might not be absolutely necessary, but I wouldn't be surprised if you got an RFE if you just sent a plain copy. Best of luck!

1. Country USC resides in: Austria

2. USCIS field office or DCF?: Yes, but DCF not possible since USC hadn't resided in Austria for 6 months

3. When did you file I130: February 2012

4. How long has the USC been living abroad: 2 years

5. Do you reside in the country legally: Yes

6. What is the reason for your residence: employment

7.did you list your overseas address on I130? Yes

8. did you send the package from abroad? Yes

9. did you include evidence of your residence abroad in your I130 package? Yes

10. did you mention that you reside abroad in your cover letter? no, did not send cover letter, but i-130 shows joint residence abroad

11. Has your case been auto expedited? How long between NOA1 and NOA2? Yes, 12 days from NOA1 to NOA2