Tithen

Are they redoing it because the family wants it... or because they think they have to have family there?

We didn't have family there, we had one common friend. Mine couldn't travel to be there, and if mine couldn't he didn't want his there. No one batted an eye about it at USCIS.

They didn't ask for ours, just our passports since they had copies in our packet. I'd get a new one ordered right away regardless!

I didn't come on a visa, we're adjusting status based on marriage from a VWP trip to the states.

They asked me what name I wanted it in, if I was taking DH's name. When I said yes, she crossed my maiden off the form in Red pen and wrote my married above it with a note to issue it in my married name. I had told her what was said on here, and she said that they can issue it in either married or maiden, but some officers don't ask, and if you don't tell them, you get what you get.

I use both names. Maiden for anything that requires an ID (since all my ID is Canadian and is still under my maiden name), Married for anything that doesn't.

All my immigration papers were filled out in my maiden name (because I didn't know it could be done with my married), my ssn is in my maiden.. but my GC is coming in my married. Then I'll switch my SSN, and my DL to my married name. Still unsure what I want to do about my passport though since it's still valid for 4 years. Part of me says "renew it now, so that way you aren't renewing BOTH your passports in the same year" LOL.

It took them 4-5 days to get me mine. I got the notice of production on a Monday, got it again on Tuesday, and it arrived Saturday.

We are very very excited. He was half asleep but bounded out of bed to come read the email. lol.

Now I just wait for the actual mail and see what goodies will be arriving.

What does this mean?

"The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: MSC

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

Your Case Status: Decision

On April 26, 2012, we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before receiving your card, please call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision."

I figure, "we are sending you your permanent residency card and it should arrive within 60 days" is pretty easy to understand.

The bold parts were what threw me. I know the emails are templated, and I wanted to know for sure before I jumped on my sleeping husband to tell him the good news.

We filed them all together. my 130 and 485's were approved on the same day.

YAY!

Thanks so much folks! They couldn't have made it easy for my freaking out brain to understand could they?

What does this mean?

"The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: MSC

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

Your Case Status: Decision

On April 26, 2012, we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before receiving your card, please call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision."

is this an approval or an RFE?(I-130 is approved)

lol try signing up for email or text updates, will save you from logging in constantly!

LOL they gave us a paper with my alien number, her name (which is illegible), my MSC for my 485 and the "suggestion" she chose.

Now the obsessive checking of the email commences!

Arrival in USA: 04/17/2011 - Approved stay until September 1st no visa required.

Married: 09/22/2011 in New Orleans

File date: 12/28/2011

Received: 12/30/2011

Biometrics: 02/27/2012

EAD received: 03/03/2012

SSN application: 03/23/2012

SSN received: 03/30/2012

Interview: 04/24/2012

Well we left with lots of time to spare.. and arrived a few minutes late thanks to security. Most sensitive scanners ever! DH suffers from heavy metal toxicity, so it's in his body. He made the scanners AND the little hand wand go off. I nearly died laughing. We took our seats in the waiting room and the wait began. Our 1:30 appointment didn't get called until 3pm. Not what I was expecting, but we survived. DH got to read and enjoy his book for a bit.

We got called back. They totally butchered my last name, but it's nothing I'm not used to (and it's not uncommon, Americans seem to assume the L is silent). We got settled in her office, did the usual and went over the packet.

They asked DH about how we met. Where we met etc. Asked about his divorce, about being separated etc. Thankfully he had that information down pat. Then they asked him about his ex wife, and his son.. They asked about him coming to see me in Canada, whether he got to meet my family, what they though of him (which made us both laugh because for the longest time my mother hated him just because he was going to take me away.. and he has a pony tail and she think's that's silly), asked about other trips, which we didn't have.

She looked over the packet, flipped through some pictures we brought, kept a copy of our 2nd lease. And that was it.

She was just one of the lower workers, so no one the spot approval, but she did check the top box on the form that says "Your application/petition has been recommended for approval". So now we wait. She didn't say anything about my birth certificate not being enough, but we shall see shortly what they have to say about it.

OH! And changing my name on the forms was a breeze! When it comes, it will be coming in my married name!

Alas, our original plane tickets have been lost, so we weren't able to get them back today. She's going to have someone look at the NBC and see if they are there. She didn't even have the original copy of our marriage certificate that we'd submitted with the packet (we have 3 more, so it's not a huge deal). But her packet didn't match ours, so I know the lawyer doesn't have them.

And, our lawyer didn't even register as representation for us. I filled out and mailed her the forms, but she never sent them to USCIS! Yet another strike against her.

No, we consulted the lawyer BEFORE we got married, and she gave us all the options that were out there that her clients have used. They included the K visa's. Getting married in Canada and adjusting from there. And getting married within the USA as soon as his divorce finalized and adjusting from there. She even said that was the most common and by far the easiest (and cheapest). We had actually gone in to see if there were any ways for me to come back to the US with out us getting married, and were told we'd have to take our chances with the border and it would be hit or miss (I'd have been in the US about 4.5 months).

Then 2 days before we were set to leave for Canada I called the Bride from the wedding we were attending and spoke with her, and she told me not to come home, to stay and start my new life, I could come home in 2012. So.. I did it. lol. Thanks to technology I still got to attend, from the comfort of my bedroom with a laptop. suddenly I wish I had a paper invitation for her wedding, and it's too early in the morning to get someone to scan one.... ####### (was my cousin, I was just told when to be there lol).

I guess it could be argued a few ways. When I crossed the border I did intend on immigrating just not on that specific trip. I told the border guy outright what my plans were. I was going to spend the spring and summer with my boyfriend, who would probably become my fiance while I was there, and would immigrate in 2012. Now that I think of it, the border guy asked me why I didn't just stay and get married and immigrate while I was there. I was under the impression that was the biggest taboo there was, and would guarantee my being deported and us being separated.

4.5hrs until we leave for the City... *so nervous*

Thanks!

I'm seriously ready to kill the lawyer. I'm tired of delays because of her!

He filed for divorce in January. I came in April. Divorce finalized in August (before my stay was technically over)... however, we're stupid people and were waiting for a "certificate" to show up in the mail... we didn't realize that a divorce certificate is just a stamped copy of the papers we had... they'd been sitting on our table for two weeks. We got married exactly 30 days after his divorce finalized.

and yes, I am sweating bullets!

Simple questions... or I think they are. lol

We submitted a copy of his divorce decree when we filed. We are taking the original with us. I don't have to copy it again do I? The amount of stuff we are taking with us tomorrow is getting a little out of hand. LOL. Trying to cover our butts since we have very little in our combined names (basically just our leases's and our apartment insurance) Every single utility we have has denied our request to put it in both names and since we're 500 miles away from his bank we can't even add me on that.

Second, we are unsure of how to explain my overstay. Anyone who we talk to assumes I came to get married. Which isn't true, since we were under the understanding that we coudln't get married until March, and I was going home in Sept. Then we found out that we COULD get married as soon as his divorce was final, just not in our home state. Our original plan had been for us to file for the K visa in in March of this year or for me to go back for another long visit once I could go back to the US and get Married in Canada this summer and file that way. But to admit that the lawyer showed us a loophole kinda seems... wrong? I could care less if she gets in trouble, but I don't want to!

If we do get RFE's for them wanting more evidence of our relationship being real.. what's the best way to do that? I've already printed every single photo that we have together. I've seen people say they've had people send notarized letters... who exactly are the best people to do that? We don't have a lot of friends except for the lady who stood for us at our wedding.

I'm already suspecting we'll get an RFE for no long form birth certificate. I can't wait to go home and ask the lawyer for a refund of 75% of what we paid her...she insisted that she's never had a Canadian client be rejected for a short form.. now I know why, she doesn't really deal with them after the initial meeting! argh.

I'm anticipating having my green card in a few weeks if all goes well. But my Green card should, if luck is on my side (immigration lawyer gave bad advice, filed everything in my maiden name, going to beg for that to change on Tuesday), be issued in my married name, where as my passport is in my maiden name. So for easier travel I'd like to change my name on my passport. Of course, to do this, you file for a new one.

Passport Canada says that Canadians living in the US MUST mail in their application... but I'm going to be IN Canada in August. Do I really have to go through the absolute nightmare of filing from the USA (they say it's easy, but it's not, since my Guarantor is in Canada, and I am in the US) or can I just go into the office when I get there this summer and file for it there?

Do I keep my Canadian passport until I have complete citizenship?

You're AOS'ing from a tourist visa so you'll have an interview. You can ask them there to change the last name and hopefully it'll be no problem.

I've read a few stories about those lawyers. They seem to fudge up the situation from time to time.

I'm aware I'm having an interview.. it's in two weeks and what this topic was about.......

Bring the copies to the interview, explain the situation and ask if they'll take the copies you have so you can get your originals back.

Sometimes, you can add your name to the address on file but not to the account itself when it comes to accounts/paying bills. Adding your name to the title of the vehicle instead of insurance when they won't add your name to that. Baby steps you know. But 2 weeks away from the interview, I'm not sure how that'll look however.

Good luck! I hope everything will turn out fine and it's just the stress talking. FOR ROC, you're probably better off sending your lawyer a postcard, and doing your own paperwork.

Van is titled in Wisconsin, we're currently living in Ohio while he works.

Yeah we wont be using a lawyer again for immigration stuff. I'm sure with the help of VJ we can figure out the ROC ourselves. We will be filing a complaint with both her firm and the state bar about the situation as well, since she's giving me incorrect information to start with.

And I will def take my packet with me. I'd really like some of the stuff back (like the airline tickets). I'm a really sentimental person and keep all that. The rest they can have, I'm not worried about the pictures we sent or even the marriage certificate (we ordered extras for that purpose), those things can be replaced. It's hard to replace the tickets .

But they can keep those tickets if they'll change my GC to my married name rather than my maiden (stupid lawyer!!!!!) If not, my lawyer better be coughing up the fee to do that.

the only thing on the list that we dont have is the original documents of the copies we submitted.. cause THEY have the originals and I've got copies.

And probably for no reason... but here's a few reasons why.

Idiot lawyer submitted all originals to USCIS.

So his 2010 tax return (the one our I-130 is based on) is sitting with them somewhere. We don't have the copies of the 2 prior years, we were told we didn't need them... but now I worry. They're sitting on my dresser 500 miles away and we aren't going back to our apartment until July.

We have not filed 2011 tax returns, and won't be filing for a while as we've got extensions. My Canadian papers are lost in the mail (they were forwarded to me on February 29th, and I don't have them, and they weren't returned to the sender).. and I'm still trying to get new copies in time to file my taxes. I have all his W2's and the like, but we wont' be filing until sometime this summer.

We don't take a lot of photos. Well no, I take a lot of photos, but I'm not in them. We have not had a single photo of the two of us taken since our wedding in September. We don't have social lives, so there really isn't anyone who's going to catch us in photos. I have more of us, but they were all taken at the same time as the ones already submitted to them. Wish I'd have taught the kiddo how to use the camera this winter....

We had planned a second, larger wedding this summer (we eloped so the person we credit with us being together could be there), but thanks to Idiot lawyer and her insistence that an AP wouldn't happen, we had to call it off because we weren't sure I could travel in time to get arrangements made. We also realized we were happy with the one we'd already had, and would feel better doing a vow renewal in 5-10 years.

No long form birth certificate for me, and unable to obtain one in time (I don't seem to be getting my mail from Canada, so even if we paid for it, I probably wouldn't get it). Lawyer insisted that we didn't need one so we didn't bother. So far no RFE about it though.

We don't have many co-mingled things. Our leases are in both names. Our tenant's insurance is in both names. But that's pretty much it. We have pay as you go phones, so it's separate bills. Our bank refused to let us do a joint account because I didn't have an SSN when we opened it, and it's 500 miles away and they require you to come into the office to do paperwork (it's a Credit Union). He's had some issues with National banks (or his ex did, in his name...) and the Credit Union's locally have some very strange requirements so we can't even go out and get an account together here. Power and Net companies have told us that they only do one person's name, and our car insurance company can't even insure me until I have a Wisconsin license (that's where our policy is, we're in Ohio until June).

Because we have pay as you go phones, we cannot obtain copies of his phone records. He was the one who always called me. So while I can make guesses from my phone records as to which ones are his, I can't prove it. His company won't cough up the details unless we get a court order or a subpoena.

Attempted to get a letter from his job saying his hours, what he makes etc.. and they told us they won't do that for their contract workers.... so all we've got are his pay stubs.

AND to top it all off.. got a letter from our lawyer tonight that she's going on Maternity leave next week until the end of May. You'd figure since it's only been 3.5 months since we signed our contract with her that she'd have informed us she was pregnant knowing that our Interview should be occurring while she would be away? I mean, yay she's having a baby, but we'd have gone with someone else had we known.

What has been submitted previously (was submitted in December):

Husband's birth certificate (long form)

marriage certificate

photos

Tenants insurance in both our names

Lease in both our names

Our airline tickets

husband's divorce certificate

my birth certificate (short form)

copies of our passport biographic pages

my medical exam

2010 tax return (and totals for 2009 and 2008)

Bank statement

paystubs for 2011

What we will take with:

any photos that might help

W2's for 2011 for him

Pay stubs for 2012 for him

copies of a photo book we had made

his divorce judgement (just in case)

the copy of the packet the lawyer sent is (just in case)

both birth certificates

both passports

my ead and ssn

all papers received from uscis

Do you think we've got it all covered? Is there anything that I'm not thinking of that we should have? Am I over thinking this and should go to bed and stop thinking about it?

What do you mean? So you didn't get an RFE without a "long" birth certificate?

I mean a lawyer may not have given you the correct information anyway. So you'd be in the same situation right now.

Mine certainly hasn't given me any decent information.

Thanks. I feel like such an idiot for not double checking this. The instructions on the I-485 says birth certificate is required, but didn't say the long version it made me feel silly because I thought I didn't miss anything...Almost regretted not using a lawyer.

Wouldn't have made a difference. My lawyer told me that I didn't have to have it. And I don't and my interview is in exactly 3 weeks... totally not pleased.

If he owes it might be worth it to take it to an H&R block type service to have them do it if as it seems him taxes are a little complicated, especially if you file jointly this year.

oh yeah, we'll be having someone do them. I just wanted to see just how much we were going to owe this year.