Hannah B

Hi Everyone,

Great news, I received my green card in the mail on Saturday. I am so happy and relieved this process is over. From start to finish my VAWA and I-485 applications that I filed jointly took 7 months and 25 days. I had prepared myself for 1-3 years so I feel so grateful that I have been fortunate. I will continue to log onto the forum and help others with my experience if I can. I have updated my timeline.

I hope everyone has a great week and we see more progress and approvals!

Hanna b how did the interview go?

Hi Everyone,

So my interview went really well and I was approved!

I arrived in Fort Smith with my attorney. My attorney had already had one other vawa adjustment that morning and said it had gone very quickly and she was hoping I would have the same officer. Sure enough the same lady called us back to her office. I was asked to swear the oath and take a seat. It was really informal and the officer and my attorney were chatting for a while before we got started.

The officer then asked me to confirm my name, date of birth and that my address and cell phone numbers were still the same.

Then she asked me if I had anything new to add to my file and I handed her the sealed updated medical I had done. She opened it and went straight to two sections and then ticked some things on her file and said everything looked great.

She asked me about 5 of the yes/no questions from the I-485 application.

Then she confirmed I had a good medical, an approved I-360, and everything was in order with my application except for my new biometrics hadn't been uploaded to their system yet. She had already filed a request for that to be done prior to my interview and said it shouldnt delay getting my card for long. My attorney told her I had travel plans in November and she said it won't impact them. And she confirmed I would get the card in the mail after that!

The whole interview was about 5 minutes.

So much relief!!!

I can't believe my AOS interview is today! I feel I have everything ready I just have to wait until this afternoon. I will keep you all posted on how it goes.

Hi All,

Here is my list of things to bring with me for my interview on Tuesday.

1. Original birth certificates

2. Original Marriage certificate

3. Certified copy divorce decree

4. Certified copy divorce decree from husband's previous marriage

5. My tax return for 2013

6. New medical exam results in sealed envelope and a copy

7. Copy of I-94 (Original was taken when I entered on previous travel permit in 2013)

8. Copy applications forms

9. Approval notice for I-360

10. EAD approval notice and card

11. Passport

12. Proof of bonafide marriage (originals of everything sent in application just in case they ask for it)

13. Extra passport size photos (just in case)

14. Interview appointment letter

15. Biometrics appointment letter date stamped confirming I attended

My attorney will be attending with my file of everything we sent with applications.

Please let me know if you think there is anything missing.

Thanks so much

I have my interview in less than two weeks. Im so excited that this nightmare could be over soon butso nervous that something could go wrong. I don't have any red flags in my case but you never know who you are going to get as an immigration officer. I feel like my life is in their hands right now!

I received amazing news on Friday, I got my interview date!! I saw that they posted new dates for the I-485 on August 7 and the date of my local office was working on was February 14, 2014. My date of my I-485 notice is February 10, so I thought I would file a service request and see if it sped up my file being transferred to my local office. Online it still says it is at NBC. I was expecting a standard response that Fort Smith would request my file and I would hear anything for another few months. When I check my mailbox on Friday I had a letter from USCIS which said as follows:

"On August 7 you contacted USCIS concerning your I-485, to notify us that you believe your case is outside of our normal processing times. Below is a summary of what we found and how the issue has been resolved.

On August 14, 2014, after you inquired about your I-485, we sent your interview notice to you using the most recent address we have on file. You are scheduled to appear September 23, 2014. The notice should arrive within 14 days"

I received the notice on Saturday. I am so happy that this may be the end of this journey and I may be able to go and see my family soon!!!!

what state are you in?

I hope so to darling. And we will. Very soon.

I live in Arkansas. My local office is Fort Smith. I have been checking their processing times and this week they updated it to February 14. My notice date is February 10 so I was able to file a service request with USCIS this week. I'm hoping that might speed up my file being moved to the local office and them setting an interview. I already had biometrics months ago and last week I did an updated medical in case they ask for that. I'm ready to go as soon as they are!

January 28th Send in package via express mail

January 30 received i360

February 7th recite I797

Sigh up for case update

February 18th received Prima Facie

April 4 2014 RFE mailed out

April 7 rfe received

April 9 answer on RFE mailed out

April 11 received response RFE

April 18th online status change to RFE review

June 16th approved! !!!!

I485

June 23rd send in USCIS express mail

June 24th delivered by mail

July 1st check cashed

July 2nd NOA received

July 14th biometrics received for 08/01/14

July 15th biometrics done. Walk in.

July 23rd i485 transferred to the local office

August 11th work authorization approved

....now waiting

quote name="melanieuk" post="7180692" timestamp="1407795524"]

What was your timeline?

We have very similar timelines, except I filed my I-485 and I-765 concurrently with my I-360. Just waiting on my interview now, hoping I have it before the end of the year.

Hi everyone. Desperately need advice. I have my prima facie, and as u know, i have a disabled child. Yesterday i was on my way to the hospital and was puled over by the police. According to them its a criminal offence to drive with a UK license. They said i need a florida one. My car is in my name and fully insured with all the tags etc etc. Im insured with geico. Is it true i cant drive with my UK license? ??

Milania86, my understanding is that the rules vary from state to state. I currently live in Arkansas. When I first moved here in 2013 I researched this issue and found that I was permitted to drive on my UK license for 6 months. During that 6 months I was also pulled over by the police. At that time I had applied for my provisional license in Arkansas but had to wait 30 days to take the practical test. The police officer accused me of driving on a suspended USA license which wasn't true. I told him I was driving on a UK license and was within the 6 month period where I was permitted by Arkansas law to do so. He told me he didn't know anything about those rules and he gave me a court date and told me to explain it to the Judge. I was very upset. I went to the local revenue office who issues licenses and they confirmed the police officer was wrong and that I should contact the chief of police of the town where I was stopped. I did that and after he looked into it he said there had been a computer error and everything got dropped.

My advice would be to call the dmv of your town and ask them how long you can drive on your UK license. The officer may be correct if you have been residing in Florida for some time and you did not get a Florida license. Driving on your UK license is only a short term option.

Lizzyfjt, I feel so bad for your situation. You have been treated very poorly. The medical bills here are so outrageous. I will share a couple of my experiences with you and what I did when I didn't have health insurance for the benefit of others in similar situations.

I have lived here about 16 months. It took a while to get on my feet as I had serious marriage issues and then separated from my now ex-husband. This led to me not being able to afford health insurance immediately. Last summer, I had agonizing toothache. It was a Saturday night and I tried to hold off until Monday to see a dentist but couldn't so in the early hours of the Sunday morning I went to the ER to request a pain killer to see me over until Monday. I was in and out of the hospital in about 5 minutes. The dr. didn't examine me since he wasn't a dentist. He simply signed the prescription. I purchased the prescription for about $25. I then received multiple bills for my ER visit totaling around $1,000 split between the hospital bill and physicians bill. I thought this was crazy and totally disproportionate to the treatment I required, a signature for a prescription. The physicians bill was the largest and I disputed the bill with them, wrote them several letters but they didn't respond. They then turned me over to the collection agency. I paid the bill in the end because I was worried about the effect it would have on building credit.

In March this year I broke my ankle. Another trip to the ER. I sat and waited for about 6 hours to be seen then I was put in the hallway. A doctor asked me what the problem was and I said I think I broke my ankle. He said he would order an xray. The xray was done. Then the doctor returned and said my ankle was broken and the nurse would wrap it in a splint and I should make an appointment in a week to see an orthopaedic dr to have a cast put on. The nurse put my leg in a splint. The medical bills for this totaled around $3000. For the hospital bill when I received it I called the hospital and asked if they had any discounts they could use on the bill if I paid promptly and because I didn't have health insurance. They worked with me and reduced the bill by about 55%. When I received the dr's bill it had a $300 charge for putting on the splint. This made me really mad because the dr. didn't even put the splint on. I contacted the dr.'s billing center and told them the hospital had worked with me and they agreed to apply the same discounts if I sent them a copy of the hospital bill showing the discounts that were applied. In my letter I also disputed the charge relating to the application of the splint. They also gave me a 55% discount but didn't remove the splint charge. I paid it so get the whole ordeal over with. Another thing to point out that surprised me was the multiple bills I received, one from the hospital, one from a company who performed the xray, one from a company who provided the medical supplied, crutches etc. and one from the physician. It was very stressful as I didn't know when the bills would end.

I then got a pay rise in my job and applied for health insurance through Obamacare. I was able to get a $100 credit by going through the marketplace on any plan I chose. Luckily I haven't had to use it but having had two trips to the ER in the last 12 months it is added security. One thing to be aware of though with health insurance is the difference between "in network" and "out of network". My colleague at work (a USC) had comprehensive health insurance, her family pay over $1,000 per month for their plan. She had an operation which she thought would be covered by her health insurance (minus the deductible) and several weeks after the surgery she received a bill of $8000 for a monitoring service who monitored her during the surgery and were considered out of network so her health insurance won't cover it. She is also disputing it.

It is a minefield out there and if a medical problem happens to you it is very stressful.

Lizzyfjt I hope you are able to find a resolution. The medical bills if they don't get paid can have a negative effect on your credit but it has nothing to do with immigration and they cannot threaten deportation on you.

Hello everybody! I been reading your post and comments, thank you for being so helpful. I have a question tho, my vawa got approved, and I-485 is pending, biometrics and all are done. I have interview on July 28th and I just realized that I don't have my I-94 anymore. I had to renew my passport about year ago and had to send my expired one in, when they sent me my new passport there was no I-94 or my previous visa. I have color copy of my I-94. What should I do? Just explain my situation at the interview or what?

Thank you

I'm in the same position. I left the US using my AP last year (from my previous I-485 filing before VAWA) and when I re-entered they took it. I said I think I need that for my AOS interview and they said I didn't need it because the entry stamp was in my passport and they wouldn't return it.

I have heard mixed things that some officers ask for the I-94 original during the interview and some don't. I also have kept a copy which I submitted with my AOS application.

Hopefully someone will have some advice for us.

I'm surprised the officer took this view with your girlfriend. Did she have evidence of strong ties to the UK with her? My understanding is that you are fine on the vwp as long as you don't spend more than 6 months in any 12 month period in the US. I'm also from England. I visited my fiancé in the US 7 times in the 14 months during the K1 process. Each visit was kept short 10 - 20 days. Each time I made sure I had a letter from my job stating how long a had planned vacation from work, bank statements, ownership of property, car insurance documents etc. I was never asked for these or given much scrutiny. Everytime I entered I was honest about the fact I was visiting my boyfriend, and then fiancé once we got engaged. I've been in the US for 15 months. My family visit a lot. My mum has probably made 6-7 trips here, the longest was 7 weeks. Again, no problems on the VWP about a minimum requirement between each visit. She comes about once every 3 months. All of my entries into the US, and that of my mum, have been via Chicago. I had no problems with the immigration officials there, I was only asked 3-4 questions each time. Its scary though because in the event that your girlfriend does get denied entry, then this may cause problems for your K1. I can't remember where but i'm sure it was a question I was asked either in one of the application forms or at my interview about being denied entry to the US.

Sandra,

I got an email this week that my I-485 was transferred to my local office which is Fort Smith. Its a really small office. My medical was done in November 2012 and was submitted with my previous AOS prior to filing for VAWA. I am expecting to receive an rfe for the medical since it was done about 14 months prior to filing the new AOS. Since my case is now at the local office do you think it is a good idea to have the medical done and send to the local office instead of waiting for an rfe? My file hasn't gone to NBC according to the website update. I'm hoping it will just stay at my local office until adjudication as NBC seems to add 6-8 months to the wait time before going back to the local office.

This is a great thread, thanks for mentioning the British Emporium in Dallas, TX. I just happen to be going there for work at the end of this week and shall definitely be making a stop there, and Ikea (i'm half Swedish).

I have been living in Arkansas 16 months now. I have to say that overall I prefer living here than in England. The weather is so good and I can spend so much time outdoors hiking, swimming, biking, I feel much healthier because of it. I also got really lucky and found a great job the day my employment authorization arrived in the mail and they are like family to me which has helped a lot.

I really miss Sky news here. The quality of the news is pretty bad so I keep up to date with whats going on in the world on the sky news website. I will try that live streaming thing for sure.

I'm lucky that my family come and visit about every 3 months. They usually bring orange squash, M & S tea, M & S chocolate biscuits, neurofen plus (its the only thing that works on headaches for me) so I make out a list for each visit.

There are some specialty stores that carry British products around here. I also go to Aldi regularly and get decent chocolate and cheese from there for much cheaper than the specialty stores. Its a shame they don't have marks and spencers here though. It was such a great place to get prepared food that you just pop in the oven after a long day at work. I find myself cooking from scratch a lot now because I gained about 15 pounds the first year eating out so much!

hannah just last week 3women from this thread went to the Interview,and Uscis asked them a new medical exam done,but they didn't get any RFE requesting medical exam before the Interview.

Ok thanks. I know the process is different for everyone and I just have to just be patient and see what comes my way. If I don't get an rfe for the medical then I will make sure to have it done to take to the interview.

I think everything else should be in order so I will keep my fingers crossed I will have an interview this year and get to see my Brazilian side of the family in January!

Hanna the local office will set up interview just if you have everything in the file to attend an interview ,such as medical exam,l864W,copy of birth certificate otherwise they will ship the case to the NBC ,NBC will mail the RFE requesting you what they need to set up interview .The case wil be with NBC for 4/9months .I know people that paid $400/850 for medical exam.The price you found is great.

Great thanks Sandranj. I thought $175 sounded like a good price too.

I've read that sometimes instead of getting an rfe the new medical exam form isn't requested until the day of the interview itself. Is this common?

I am expecting to receive a request for a new medical since mine was done in November 2012. When the time comes I want to be able to get it done asap so I have research civil surgeons in my area. The cost for the medical for my local civil surgeon is $175. Does this sound reasonable?

I have been having difficulties getting an update on my case because my I-485 receipt number isn't recognized on the USCIS website. Yesterday I talked with my lawyer to see if she could send an email to Vermont to check on where my file is. I only got my I-360 in April 2014 so I know I have a long way to go but it was driving me crazy that if something happened in my case I wouldn't know about it. She told me I needed to wait about year before she would start chasing USCIS. She gave me the email address for Vermont and said I could send them an email if I wanted but not to hold my breath for a response. So I emailed Vermont yesterday. This morning I did my daily check to see if my receipt number showed anything and today it did! It now shows my I-485 case and states that yesterday my file was transferred to the local office. I am relieved that I will hopefully get updates from now on.

I had a couple of questions - I have read here that it is common for a case to show online as being transferred to the local office and then within a day or within hours it changes to being transferred to NBC. Here is the status right now?

"Initial Review - On June 23, 2014, we transferred your I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS, to your local USCIS Office for further processing. The new office has jurisdiction over your case and will send you a decision as soon as processing is complete or you will be notified if further information or action is needed. If you move, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address"

1. What would the status change to when it is transferred to NBC?

2. Is it even possible that my local office would process it from now on or is inevitable that it goes to NBC to sit there for months?

How long were the cases waiting in Vermont after I-360 approval before being transferred to the NBC?

I filed the I-360 and I-485 together in January 2014 as well as employment authorization. When I received my receipt notices none of them could be found on the USCIS case status. My I-360 was approved in April and my EAD in May and following the approvals I was able to see the case status for these applications online. My I-485 still states the receipt number cannot be found. I understand that the I-485 will now likely be sent to the National Benefits Center or in some cases it is sent directly to the local office which for me is Fort Smith. Its driving me crazy not knowing where my file is. If it was sent to the NBC then surely they would send me a letter in the mail saying my file had been moved as other have received this by email? I know that months of waiting are to follow but I don't want my file to stay sat in Vermont for 6 months before it goes to the next stage.

My sister in law who is from Brazil is having a Christening for my nephew in January 2015 and has asked me to be godmother. It is a really big deal to her and it breaks my heart I have to tell her I probably wont' be able to go. If there is anyway I can get approved for the I-485 by January I want to do everything I can to try and do that. I have heard it is too risky to use AP on a VAWA case although I did travel abroad on my initial I-485 using AP before I filed VAWA and re-entered with no problems.

I have thought about making an infopass appointment to see if they can tell me anything but I have heard they don't give any information out on VAWA based I-485 cases. It is a 1 1/2 hour trip and I would have to miss work so would like to avoid a wasted trip if possible. I have written to Vermont but haven't received a reply. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

My case was filed in February 2014. My I-360 was approved in about 60 days. I have read all of the posts here and I know I have been very lucky with this first step because most people have been waiting a lot longer than that.

I have seen a lot of discussion about including a psychological evaluation. The abuse I suffered was mental and verbal. I could not afford to see a psychiatrist at the time I filed due to the financial mess my ex-husband left me in and the attorneys fees I had to pay. My attorney cautioned me that I could get an rfe for this. However, I was approved without one. I'm not saying that they are not needed but I just wanted to put my case facts out there.

This is a summary of what we filed:

Relationship with Abuser

1. Marriage License (photocopy of original)
2. Marriage License (certified copy)
3. Divorce decree of my ex-husbands’ divorce from his first wife

Status of Abuser

1. Birth certificate of my ex

Proof of residence together

1. My drivers license
2. Driver’s license of my ex
3. Employment application of my ex
4. Form W-4 of my ex
5. Invoice from Pet Boarding in joint names
6. Department of Finance and Administration Issuance of drivers license receipt for me
7. Department of Finance and Administration Issuance of drivers license receipt for my ex
8. Department of Finance and Administration Duplicate License letter for me
9. Social Security card letter to me
10. Water bills in my name (x 3)
11. Electric bill in my name
12. Apartment Lease in my name
13. Medical bill to me
14. Department of Corrections letter to my ex
15. Medical bills to my ex (x 2)
16. Arkansas Office of Child Support letter to my ex
17. Notice of Income Withholding for Medical Support for children letter to my ex
18. Untied Stated Postal Service confirmation of change of address for all mail to our family name
19. Lease Agreement citing me as resident and my ex as occupant
20. Car insurance policy listing both names as insured
21. Furniture receipt in both names
22. Department of Workforce services notice of monetary determination to my ex(x 2)
23. Traffic violation report for my ex
24. Attorney letters to my ex for criminal matters (x 3)
25. Application for employment of my ex
26. Medical bill for my ex
27. Medical bill for me
28. Christmas cards to both of us (x3)

Evidence of good faith marriage

1. Extracts of I-129F explaining how we met
2. Wedding invoices (event planning, reception venue, mens suits, photographer
3. Wedding ring inspection record in my ex's name
4. Wedding cards (x6)
5. Christmas cards between us
6. Birthday cards between us
7. Engagement cards between us
8. Photograph of handmade Christmas stockings I had made for us
9. Extracts from family photograph album I had made for us
10. E-ticket for joint flights to New York
11. Hotel reservation for trip to New York
12. Boarding passes for New York trip
13. 2 x tickets for NBC studio tour in New York City (didn't have our names on)
14. Restaurant receipt for dinner in New York City
15. Airport bus tickets
16. Receipt for tickets of baseball game
17. Photographs of us and some with our families (x18)
18. Pay slips of my ex showing tax status as “married” (x2)
19. Form W-4 for me showing tax status as married
20. Facebook messages
21. Phone records

Evidence of Abuse

1. My Affidavit (12 pages)
2. Affidavit of my mom (she did not witness any abuse)
3. Affidavit of co-worker (she did not witness any abuse)
4. Order for Protection Documents against my ex
5. Police incident report I filed against my ex
6. Inmate mugshot of my ex following arrest for public disorder
7. Car inpound documents when my husband crashed my car (part of financial abuse)
8. Photographs of damage to car x 5
9. Photograph of damage to cell phone when my ex smashed it
10. Inmate letter from my ex apologizing for his behavior
11. Note from his mom returning all of my house keys that he stole after we separated
12. Receipts of child support payments I made for his children (also part of the financial abuse element)
13. Electric shut off notice
14. Medical records of my ex-husband detailing his mental disorder and drug and alcohol abuse

Evidence of good moral character

1. Affidavit of my employer
2. police background check letter
3. Police certificate from UK I submitted with my K1 visa

Hope this helps someone else.

I also filed EAD at the same time and when we didn't hear anything in 90 days my attorney sent an email to the VAWA unit. It was approved the next day and I received an email yesterday that it has been sent in the mail.

I am hoping the I-485 goes through quickly and smoothly but am preparing myself for a long wait as I can't imagine I would be so lucky twice. The receipt number for my I-485 isn't registering on the USCIS website so I have to wait for information in the mail.

Thanks. I wasn't sure if all cases were still being sent to NBC or just the unlucky ones. I am bracing myself for a year to get the greencard but if I got it by the end of 2014 that would be wonderful. Not being able to visit my family in England is really hard.

Congratulations lorphelpme! How long did it take from approval of your I-360 to approval of I-485? Was your I-485 sent to the National Benefits center or straight to your local office for adjudication?

Yes I was shocked when I got the approval email. I didn't think it could even be possible. I called my attorney straight away and she said it was not a mistake. I will feel better when I have the approval notice in my hand though.

I have updated my timeline with the vawa key dates.

Thanks for your responses. I found the support on this forum so valuable when I was going through the K1 process. Last year my head was all over the place so I haven't posted on here for a long time. Feels good to have people to talk to again who understand the stress of this process.

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum. I came to the US in March 2013 on a K1 and after I got married we filed for AOS. My husband mistreated me and after about 10 months I left him. Luckily I had found a great job and had a lot of support and my boss found me an immigration attorney. I didn't think I had any option but to go home to England but the attorney told me I had a strong vawa case. I had heard of vawa from being on this forum but I had assumed it only applied to physical violence cases and in my case the abuse was mainly emotional and verbal abuse. We filed the vawa case jointly with the AOS and a new work permit in February 2014. I was granted fee exemption which was great news. Last week, I received a notification that my vawa case has been approved. I didn't think it was real. I had been told by my attorney to be prepared to wait 6-18 months and that rfes were quite common.

I had a couple of questions about the next step that I wanted to get your thoughts on:

Now that the I-360 has been approved where is my case likely to be sent for adjudication of my I-485? Last year when I originally filed my I-485 I received the dreaded notice that it had been sent to NBC for faster processing where it sat for a long time. Eventually it got sent to my local office and I was close to it being processed when I had to separate from my husband due to his behavior but I had been waiting about 9 months. Since its been a year since I filed I am not up to date on where cases are typically be sent now, whether it would be straight to the local office (I hope!) or to NBC where I know it can sit collecting dust for a year or more. Also, are I-485's processed any different when they originate from I-360 cases or so they all get processed in the same way?

Thanks for your time responding.

Hannah