ktb

So, we did the biometrics at the beginning on Sept, and received a letter yesterday for a biometrics appointment in January. There was no mention of any issues with the previous biometrics appointment. It seems like a mistake on their part. We've been waiting for an interview letter for almost 4 months and now it feels like we are starting all over again. We called the number on the form and spoke with several people but no one seems to have any idea what's going on. I guess we'll just show up anyway, but this is SO frustrating.

Has this happened to anyone else?!

Adding my interview date. Don't have letter in hand yet.

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USCIS Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox

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UserName............|GC-Date.|Sent.|Cashd.|NOA.|Fprints.|In Line..|Int ltr..|Intrview.|Oath.....|Field Office | NBC/IOE

German-American ....|08/16/83|06/16|07/08|07/04|07/14/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Tampa, FL |IOE

BrazilGuy82 ........|09/20/13|06/24|07/05|07/03|07/22/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Washington, DC |

AlienCupcake........|09/24/13|06/28|07/08|07/07|08/03/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Buffalo, NY |NBC

ecordo .............|09/23/13|06/29|07/08|07/06|08/05/16|08/29/16.|09/07/16.|10/12/16.|10/18/16.|Boston, MA |NBC

Leo&Farah ..........|05/14/10|07/02|07/08|07/06|07/28/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Tampa, FL |

Carebear ...........|03/23/11|07/11|07/14|07/18|08/04/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Dallas, TX |IOE

kiagia..............|11/08/12|07/11|07/14|07/18|08/03/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Newark, NJ |

Zippydoodah.........|11/15/04|07/12|07/19|07/15|08/02/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|12/07/16.|--/--/--.|St. Albans, VT |IOE|

triz................|10/07/13|07/13|07/20|08/08|08/24/16|09/07/16.|09/17/16.|10/20/16.|--/--/--.|Pittsburgh, PA |NBC

SBB.................|10/26/12|07/18|07/26|07/25|08/17/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Dallas, TX |

yourdaddy ..........|10/17/11|07/18|07/22|07/29|08/08/16|09/19/16.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Houston TX |NBC

whaddy..............|12/02/10|07/18|07/19|07/19|08/10/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Austin, TX |IOE

Mazusky.............|10/08/11|07/21|07/25|07/26|08/18/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York, NY |IOE

atenea26............|10/20/13|07/22|08/02|08/02|08/23/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Memphis, TN |

hcm2nyc ............|05/29/12|07/26|07/29|08/02|08/18/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York, NY |

mrsalfayad..........|07/24/13|07/25|07/25|07/29|08/22/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Buffalo, NY |

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USCIS Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox

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UserName............|GC-Date.|Sent.|Cashd.|NOA.|Fprints.|In Line..|Int ltr..|Intrview.|Oath.....|Field Office | NBC/IOE

hkl .............|09/19/13|07/01|CA/CH|07/06|07/27/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Reno, NV |IOE

bantam88............|07/25/10|07/02|07/08|07/16|08/01/16|08/24/16.|09/19/16.|10/24/16.|--/--/--.|Phoenix, AZ |NBC

ZooKeeper232........|08/19/11|07/05|07/09|07/11|08/04/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Denver, CO |NBC

merkin®ine..........|08/13/12|07/08|07/14|07/13|08/02/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Honolulu, HI |IOE

arslan12............|09/25/16|07/09|--/--|--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Detroit, MI |

Yulichka............|01/29/13|07/11|07/18|07/14|08/02/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Seattle, WA |IOE

Beatka1.............|10/11/11|07/13|07/18|07/20|08/02/16|10/11/16.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Chicago, IL |IOE

jordan85............|10/15/13|07/15|07/21|07/21|08/10/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Los Angeles, CA|IOE

SeattleNeko.........|XX/XX/96|07/xx|07/xx|07/25|08/10/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Seattle, WA |IOE

Lola.S..............|07/29/12|07/18|07|16|20/16|07/21/16|08/17/16.|08/29/16.|10/28/16.|--/--/--.|San Francisco |NBC

ninyo64.............|10/04/11|07/19|CA/CH|07/22|08/09/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Phoenix, AZ |IOE

thejaguar...........|03/XX/11|07/28|07/31|08/06|08/15/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|San Jose, CA |IOE

Cincy400 ...........|09/27/11|06/29|07/06|07/08|07/25/16|--/--/--.|11/01/16.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Cincinnati, OH |IOE

ktb.................|10/03/13|07/21|07/28|--/--|09/12/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Seattle, WA |

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USCIS Lincoln, Nebraska Lockbox (Filing Under 319b, 328, or 329 of the INA)

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UserName............|GC-Date.|Sent.|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office | NBC/IOE

kireinamida.........|07/02/13|07/06|MnOrd|07/20|07/05/16|--/--/--.|08/17/16.|08/18/16.|08/18/16.|Frankfurt

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Legend:

GC-Date: The 'Resident Since' Date located on your first green card

Sent: Date N-400 was mailed to USCIS

Cashd: Date your check was cashed by USCIS

NOA: Receipt Notice Date Printed on your official I-797 notification

Fprints: Date assigned for fingerprinting (Bio-metrics)

In Line: Date you received e-notification about the start of your interview scheduling

Int Ltr: Date you received the official letter in the mail regarding interview

Interview: Date of your interview

Oath: Date Oath taken

Field Office: Your local USCIS office where you will have the N-400 interview

I'm in a similar situation.... I am the USC and did not work in 2013 so I did not file taxes. My husband did not work in the US in 2013 so no need to file his taxes either. I sent in our application without it (but included copies of the 2014 and 2015 tax returns). I hope that it isn't going to be an issue....

Thank you for your response! Yikes, I didn't think it would be that much. I kept a copy for myself after I filed our taxes, but it is not a 'certified copy'. I hope this is sufficient.

So the instructions say that I need tax returns... or an IRS certified copy of income tax returns that we filed for the last 3 years or an IRS tax return transcript for the last 3 years.

We entered the US in October 2013 and did not work until 2014 so we did not file taxes for 2013. I only have tax returns for 2014 and 2015. Will our application be denied? Should I just write up an addendum stating the situation? Also, is it necessary to obtain a certified copy or tax transcript? How would I go about doing that and how long does that take?

Thanks in advance!

Hi! Just wondering exactly how the whole dual citizenship thing works. I am the USC and my husband will be eligible to apply for US citizenship in July. He can keep his UK citizenship without having to do anything additional correct? We now have a son and I understand that our son is automatically eligible for dual citizenship. All we have to do is apply for his passports. Ideally, I would like to have UK citizenship at some point so we are all dual citizens, just in case. Is anyone else in a similar situation and what was your experience? Thank you!

I am a US citizen and was living in Cyprus with my English husband when we filed. We were able to manage it just fine. The only thing that was a slight pain was that we had to send our documents to my mother in the US because the fees had to be paid from a US bank account. So she would write the checks for us and forward the paperwork on. Good luck!

Hello VJers!

I have created an account with ELIS but I am getting an error because the alien number is incorrect. It is asking for A xxx-xxx-xxx but the A number we were given is only 8 numbers, not 9. I have emailed our embassy several times and they insist that the number is correct but ELIS won't accept the number we have been given. Don't really know what to do now. Anyone else experienced a similar problem?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Thanks! He is fit and healthy and has a very active job. When we had the medical exam results returned to us in a sealed envelope the doctor told us everything was fine, no problem. I hope there are no more surprises at this stage. Has anyone else had any issues like this with their embassy?

Hello VJers!!

My husband had his medical exam on April 10, 2013 and the interview at the embassy on April 12, 2013. He was approved but not issued the visa because one of the pages in his passport was ripped. He is British but we are living in Cyprus so we went through an agency to get the new passport. After paying the agency a hefty fee, the passport was lost somewhere along the line and it took 11 weeks to finally get it back! Anyway, I emailed the embassy to say that we would like to make an appointment to collect the visa. They replied saying that the police certificates and medical exam have expired and we need to get them done again before we schedule another interview. From everything I've read the medical is valid for one year and we must enter the US within 6 months of the medical exam. Thus we are starting to run out of time!! Please help!

Outside of VJ, I have only been able to find this site

http://www.**.com/immigrant-visa/medical-examination.html

which states the medical is valid for a year. I don't know what the embassy is playing at.

Yes, depends on which countries you need to obtain a PCC from. Tell us what countries you need the PCC from and we can give you better advise.

Thanks Nola for your help!!!

It is really expensive for us to ship from Cyprus as well, so that's why we are looking for the best option. Hopefully we can find a ticket with a good baggage allowance. I will look into Iceland Air, we've flown to the US with them before. Thanks for that!

We have our interview date (finally!!!). But I have a few questions about what happens next.

1. We applied for a CR-1 but the process took longer then we thought and our interview is april, our 2 year anniversary is in june and we plan to make the move in august. Since our entrance to the US will be after our 2 year anniversary I believe my husband will automatically receive the IR-1, which is valid for 10 years (i.e. no more paperwork!!!). Is this correct? If so, what happens after the 10 years is up?

2. I have heard about this $165 fee that must be paid after we are approved but before we enter the US. So does this mean that we can pay at the interview or does it depend on if they approve us that day or not? I only ask because as we are both living abroad and don't have a US bank account, do we need to have someone in the US pay it? Do we pay online like the IV and AOS fees?

3. What restrictions are placed on the green card in regards to international travel? For example, are we not allowed to leave for the first month, six months, etc. Must we stay in the US for a certain amount of time every year? Not that we are planning to leave, but our work may take us to other countries for maybe 6 months at a time.

4. Any tips on making the big move? How have you shipped your belongings to US from your home country? Has anyone used unaccompanied luggage to ship their stuff over?

Thanks in advance for your help!!

I did the same and didn't have any problems. I would type as much as you can though, just so there isn't any confusion on spelling, especially with names and such. good luck!

I am in a similar situation and I provided my current NV driving license, a current 401k statement showing my mother's address (we used her address on all of our forms as address we intend to live at), and a current credit union statement (showing the same address). I also sent one moving quote (I know a lot of people suggest getting several, but there aren't a lot of options in Cyprus so I only had one). We didn't have my mom write up a lease for us. Our case was approved by NVC yesterday!

Wingnutfish, please update your timeline!

AOS - Sorry, can't help on that on.

DS230

#30 - Yes

#33 - There has been much debate about this and I have heard people using only high school and above and others giving all educational information. In our case we put everything because it was easy enough to provide the extra information just in case.

#44 - more for lawyers and third parties. I would answer no.

Why does she have to go there to obtain it? Can you not apply online or phone the proper office in Kuwait? I know that police checks from some countries can be very tricky to obtain, but I would try all possible avenues first. Don't rely on NVC to give you a pass on that one. good luck x

According to this webpage, you need a police check from any country that you have lived in for more than 12 months since you were 16. I think this may have changed recently because I thought it was 6 months also.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3195.html

I disagree that you should wait on the police checks. Apply for them NOW! We had to wait months for ours and it really slowed us down. Most are valid for 1 year. It might be wise to double check before applying, but definitely start on that now. You will be thankful later!

I have heard that you MUST be in the states within 6 months of the medical exam if being processed through the embassy in London. Many other countries give you 6 months from when they actually issue the visa (after the interview).

This could cause you problems if you get stuck in the NVC stage for any reason. I think it's better to wait.

I would definitely apply for the police clearance certificate early, if you haven't already. It took us a month to get ours.

As for AOS - husband should check the box that states he is the petitioner on his I-864 form and your joint sponsor should check the box "I am the only joint sponsor", as long as there is only one, on their I-864 form. You must submit two I-864 forms, one for your husband and one for the sponsor.

I doubt you have an alien reg # or social security number. You wouldn't have these if you have never lived in the US before. Just write 'none' for those questions.

I had the same issue with household size. My mother was our joint sponsor and my adult sister still lives at home with her. My mom did not include her in the household size because she does not claim her as a dependant on her tax returns, which means my mom is not financially supporting her. If my mom did claim her as a dependant (and was thus financially supporting her) then she would need to earn more income. Guidelines on household size and financial requirements can be found on uscis website in a form called I-864p. Hope this answers your question. And don't worry, there are no silly questions. The process stresses all of us out sometimes! good luck x

I was also married abroad. Our marriage certificate only shows my maiden name. I applied for a new passport right away with my married name (before we started the process), but changed no other documents (SS card, bank accounts, etc). However, I have used my married name on all my forms and haven't had any problems. If you are unsure you can use both names on your forms. i.e. writing <your name> (formerly known as <your maiden name>). I have done that a few times on my forms.

You should definitely get it translated. We live in Cyprus and for the police check here we asked if we could have it in English rather than Greek to avoid getting it translated as it was for a US visa. That might be an option for some to avoid the expense of an official translator.

We haven't had our interview yet, but I have ALL paperwork that we have sent ready and organized for us to take with us to the interview. You never know who you are going to get on the day, what mood they will be in and what they will ask for. Better to be safe than sorry I think. You've come this far already! good luck.

I am also living abroad with my spouse, unemployed and had to write a letter. I stated that I was unemployed and that we were living off my husband's income which is not included in the AOS as it will not be our income once we get to the states. We also had my mother as our joint sponsor. I haven't heard back from them yet but I hope that's all they need. We had to write a couple of (seemingly pointless) explanation letters during our process, just seems to be the way it goes.

I am a USC living abroad and I would highly recommend that you file the I-130 before you leave. If you have someone in the states that your correspondence can be sent to it will be much easier. I don't know what the post is like in Colombia but where I live it takes months to get letters from the states. You only really need an address to recieve the NOA2 anyway. Even if you don't get the NOA2 you will most likely get an email from the NVC when they have assigned you a case number and you can't submit any more paperwork until that time anyway. I have communicated with the NVC via email, they haven't sent me anything in the post. Don't expect the process to be over in a few months time. It is a lengthy process so better be safe than sorry and apply early!