soheil

We had our Interview today.

The immigration Officer was very nice, we were there for 20 minutes. She asked us to show her documents that were under both of our names and that supported our relationship: banks accounts, house lease, etc. We only have health and car insurance under both of our names so that's all we showed her. She also asked for the marriage certificate and my husband's original birth certificate.

She asked very simple questions like how we met, she asked me about my husband's family and she asked my husband about my family. She said everything looked good, but had to review the file again.

She asked for my husband's phone number in case she needed to contact us. She said that was all and walked us out of her office. 3 hours later we got an update saying our card production had been ordered. yay! Thank God!

Wonderful

ConGraTuLaTions

hahaha, you support me everywhere man

Both EAD/AP applications approved

Wife's EAD/AP approved today :D

I know what the website says. Trust me azizam, those certified translations are enough As I said before, the certified translations that you get in Iran, already have the government certified copies of the Shenasnameh. As I said, daroltarjomeh will give you both of them attached together, by a silver ringy kinda thing and you just need to send those attached papers. That is what they want

Just got my wife's EAD approval email strange that I didn't get the text message! Now fingers crossed for the AP approval email (AP status is still initial review )

I can't understand why you need the original Shenasnameh or Cart-e-Melli? Note that they are both in Persian, so no one in NVC can read them! You need to get certified translations (tarjomeye rasmi) of each of them and send those original translations to the NVC. All certified translators in Iran (daaroltarjome) attach a certified copy of the original Persian document along with their English translations. All you need to do is to go to one of the certified translators (daaroltarjome) in Iran and tell them that you need certified English translations of your Shenasnameh and Cart-e-Melli. Also ask them to have it certified (stamped) by the government. They will take care of both steps (translation and government verification).

Good luck

P.S: also to be on the safe side, ask them to give you at least one certified copy of the translations per document. That way you will have other certified copies, should NVC needs more or you need them for the embassy

Yes! The plan from the start was to go back this summer. Out of my two best friends one is getting married and the other is having her first baby, I want to be there! And I'm missing both friends an family.... Plus escaping the HOT and HUMID Virgina summer to the COOL Norvegian summer is a plus.... But seriously, this will probably be the last time I can go back for longer than two-three weeks for a very, very long time.....

Speaking of having a baby! Our original plan was a one month trip to my wife's country in August, but a few days ago she heard that her favorite-uncle and his wife are expecting their baby in October. Now, she can't decide whether to go in August to see her family or instead, a shorter trip in winter break to see her family and the baby though decision

Just got the texts and emails, both ead and ap approved. We filed everything at the very end of December. That was fast!

Congrats we also sent our package on December 26th ! Could it be us next?

Got an Interview date today!

great

we are also done with the biometrics (exactly a week ago) and now waiting for an upgrade on our USCIS website status (still acceptance for I-485 and initial review for both I-131 and I-765)

Hi everyone: long time, no see! Need to get a moment one of these days to catch up on all of the new posts!

We made it through our wedding, although things still have not settled back to something resembling normality: really excited for that day to come. Getting documents together for AOS and trying my best to enjoy the last few days of my new mother-in-law staying with us (3 weeks!) in our 450 square feet that's barely enough space for 2. <breathe>

The wedding was so, so, so great, though. Worth every penny, hour of missed sleep, new gray hair, etc. etc. We don't have too many photos yet (grrr pro photographer promising to give us teasers in 3-5 days and it's now been 10!), but here's one I like [of ME. Bonus shot of the back of Aaron's head...].

That picture IS lovely so happy that everything worked out well for you guys

Hi all,

Just received email and text this morning of my interview date, February 21st. We are nervous and happy at the same time. Hopefully all goes well, and we can get the GC by the end of Feb or early March.

Good Luck Everyone

Can you please update your timeline? I'm little confused on what stage you are in

I was told by an agent that it does speed up the process simply because your biometrics get sent to the FBI for your background check and once they send back a clear/positive response to USCIS your case is moved forward for continued processing.. But he did say it'll depend on the location if they're busy at the very moment you go they might turn you away, so what i did was go almost at the end of the working day and i was in and out in less than 10 mins.

tempted to do a walk-in ...

Can anyone do an early walk in once you have the app letter in hand? And does it really speed up the process of getting ead/ap, or is it just what you suppose? Thanks!

I'm not sure about whether it would speed up the process if you do an early walk-in, but I have read that some offices do not allow this. So, if like us you have to quit your work, drive for 1 and half hour to get to the office and then drive back again, be sure to check (call?) whether that particular office accepts walk-ins.

The Embassy emailed to request his passport!!!! YAY!!!!

Finally! Congrats

I think you will need to send them a complete tax return or IRS tax transcript to prove that you filed. It doesn't matter if you made any money in the US or not. Documents such as pay stubs and letter from employer would establish you ability to support your spouse based on your current income. You have that covered! However, tax return is to establish that you filed taxes as is expected of all citizens of the US, both at home and abroad.

Read these links

http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/U.S.-Citizens-and-Resident-Aliens-Abroad

http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Foreign-Earned-Income-Exclusion

Hope they help!

You are exactly right about "I-864 income eligibility requirement" and "all citizens must file tax returns" being separate and the fact that each need proper documents to prove. Also, note that if the US citizen's income (at home or abroad) is zero (unemployed) or below the specified limits, they are not required to file a tax return:

"As a United States citizen, you must file a federal income tax return for any tax year in which your gross income is equal to or greater than the applicable exemption amount and standard deduction."

- source: Information for U.S. Citizens or Dual Citizens Residing Outside the U.S.

Holidays are over and I sent in the AOS package the 20th of Dec. Pleasant surprise on the 2nd of Jan I got the text and email confirmation that all three apps were received. AP and EAD is under intial review; Also my filing feee has been cashed so I pray all goes smooth from this point on. The waiting game is on....

Same here! We also got the texts and emails on Jan 2! Check cashed, AP and EAD under initial review but AOS only says Acceptance (first light) and that they have accepted our fingerprint fee! We were worried about its meaning since we are used to seeing the old "Initial Review". However, seeing your post assured us that we are on the right track hope we both receive the appointment letter soon

Sent the AOS package on December 26 and now waiting for the NOA1

by the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone :dance: I'm sure this year is really special for all of us

Another December filer here

We sent our package on 26th and got the delivery confirmation on 27th. Now, waiting for holidays to be over so that we can get our NOA1 back to the waiting game

That's a hard one to answer, because it seems like there is no consistency in answers across the boards. The last few threads I saw before I sent off our package is that you'll need 2 for AOS, 2 for employment authorization, and 2 for AP. We submitted 6 in total, but I truly cannot say if that was the right thing to do. The one argument for sending that many is that each application is processed separately, so they need individual pictures. I have no idea if this is true. I say more is better!

Exactly! This is the argument in my mind for sending 6 photos. But, with the technology these days, you would think that they will scan the photos and use them whenever they want. Anyhow, 4 extra photos compared to the tons of extra evidence we sent with our I-129F package seems nothing, so I will send 6 photos just to be on the safe side

Just checked the USCIS website and my receipt numbers have been loaded into the system. It's ages now since I checked the website every day (remember that???)... don't think I'm going to look again for a while

Oh, those old days

A silly question for those who have sent their AOS package: did you guys send only 2 passport-style photos with your whole package or 2 photos for each application (2 for AOS, 2 for EAD and 2 for AP = 6)?

Coming back from the wedding and honeymoon to here, where it all started

Today, we got a certified copy of our marriage license and are now preparing the AOS package. Just to make sure that I have understood it correctly:

Am I correct that "As long as the medical is done within the last year, K1 visa holders filing for AOS do not need to have another medical check for their AOS. But they still need to have their vaccination record to be written on I-693 by a civil surgeon". This is all my understanding from the VJ guides and I-693 form instructions, but I have seen people filing their AOS without sending the I-693. Is this related to "vaccination records may get lost from K1 visa holders applications when sent from CBP officer to USCIS"? In other words, did you guys sent just a copy of your vaccination (DS-3025) done for the embassy with your AOS package or you also went to a civil surgeon in US to fill out the I-693 form?

Hi from Kenya, everyone! Just a quick post to let you all know that Aaron's medical exam went just fine, and we're now gearing up for his interview on Monday. Will post again to let you know how it went. Good to read about all the approvals and weddings, and best wishes to all the others going for interviews soon.

Nice We are all waiting for the good news

That's correct, 1-2 weeks. We decided to go after a week to see if they had me on the system and they did. So I landed Friday 12th, applied at the SSN office the following Friday 19th, received my SSN card Friday 26th

Wow, congrats so let's hope my fiancee's record be in the system in a week good news is, they don't require SSN for marriage license in our county

I'm sorry if I'm asking a question that has been answered already (maybe multiple times), but I was wondering if my fiancee could apply for her SSN as soon as she arrives to the States? I was looking at some threads that said that she would be able to, and some that would say that she wouldn't be able to. What has been your experience for those whose loved ones has entered already?

No she can not! Anyone who is entering on a Visa to the US (no matter what type of Visa) should wait about 10 business days in order to have their arrival records in the SS system. If you go earlier to the SSA office they either won't be able to give her SSN or as I have read in the VJ guide, they will try to manually verify your fiancee's arrival record which will delay the process. I'm sure you have read this guide, but just in case: SS guide

Therefore, safe bet is to wait about 2 weeks after her POE and then go to the SSA office hope I am right, as we have not yet done this part others please correct me

Excatly! If they are swamped and can't process them on time why are they showing 5 months! They should update their website! So you don't think my delay has anything to do with the country of my (and my wife's) origin?

Salam Reza

1) That "5 months processing time" is just a number to keep their bosses happy, it has no absolute meaning for us !

2) This has nothing to do with your wife's country...this is the same processing time for everyone I know how frustrating and devastating this long journey can be, but don't worry As other members indicated, this is just because of the backlog VSC has this year:( Hopefully, your case will be approved before Christmas and next thing you know, your wonderful wife will join you

Our case is K1, but you can send me a message if you need any help in this process

P.S: don't forget to create your timeline so that other members can assist you better

Hey All,

Been swamped with creative projects to take my mind off the wait, but very happy to see all the updates and approvals. I have to admit I'm nervous about the interview process, but hopefully all will be well! Keep the happiness flowing!

Of course all will be well I can totally know your feelings right now, as we were in your shoes a week ago! You won't understand this until you see it yourself, but the whole interview is JUST a formality! My fiancee's interview took 10 minutes max! The officer only asked her "How did you two meet?", "What's your occupation?" (student) and "Do you intend to continue your education in the US?" (Yes)!!! She didn't even asked for more evidence or pictures or other stuff! My fiancee had tons of new evidence, but the officer didn't even bother to look at them...I can totally understand how you feel because my fiancee had exactly your feelings before the interview but think of it this way: In 9 days, there will be NOTHING between you and your fiance the wait is soon gonna be over and next thing you know, you will be crying since you can't decide what should you pack and what to leave behind, like my fiancee