jeeleebee

heya guys,

this is a bit off topic...and i'm not sure if you already know, but there is a mini forum for people whose cases are going thru manila

just type "manila embassy interview" in the search box and scroll thru the posts to find that topic title...somebody there should be able to help out with any questions you may have

i used to find it comforting to read about other people going thru the same process as me, kinda like a support group when everything seemed to be crawling along excruciatingly slow

and eventho im now on the aos stage i still go there from time to time to check on how the others are doing...just thought you might find it helpful too

goodluck!

Thanks for the reply javy and Peter Miami...lotsa luck to you too!

Wow, thanks so much for the good news...!

Approval without an interview sounds real goooood

Here's hoping it all works out for us all...goodluck and thanks again!

Hi all,

Today i got an email from USCIS stating my AOS case has been transferred to the California Service Center...is this a good thing?

Im pretty sure I'm not the only one to whom this has happened...can anybody going through or have gone through the same thing please share their experiences?

How does this affect processing time and does anyone know why cases get transferred?

Thanks so much as always!

He (USC) paid for the petition filing fee and my plane ticket

I paid for the visa application fee, medical, all other costs in connection with getting all documentary proof together (i did all the paperwork, he signed where needed )

the AOS/EAD fees were paid out of the wedding money we got

Hi all,

Just got the NOA for EAD this morning (application filed together with AOS docs)

supposing somebody hires me, can i start working before i get my actual EAD?

im rather confused because i think i read somewhere that as long as you have the NOA showing you applied for EAD, you have 90 days to submit the actual work permit

is that true for some but not for K-1 people?

thanks much for clarifying...

yeah i think we'll give it another try, and hopefully somebody else will be working the front desk this time hehe

thanks for the suggestion!

no more showing my ss card ever again

the reason given was that because they are a credit union and not a bank they cannot make joint accounts because my social security card has the notation "valid for work only with dhs authorization"

What a bunch of #######. My credit union had no problem doing this!

To be honest though, I don't even remember showing the credit union either my or my wife's SS cards. They simply asked for the number.

BTW - I don't think its any of the credit unions business whether your going through AOS or not if you have a SSN. Personally I think the person who told you you couldn't do it was clueless.

My advice is to memorise your SSN (very useful) and go back there again and ask the same question, without showing them the card.

cuz i havent memorized it yet, im really bad at that

dont worry i wont show it to anyone again hehe

well i have a social security number and a marriage certificate but i still did not get adde to my husband's accounts

the reason given was that because they are a credit union and not a bank they cannot make joint accounts because my social security card has the notation "valid for work only with dhs authorization"

we were told that maybe a bank can do it but a credit union cant (does anyone know details as to why this is so?)

anyhow, we didnt ask any further questions, we are just gonna look for a new bank

after all the hassle of getting that ssn it's been useless so far...oh well

great, thanks so much!!!

that means i'm ready to file yay!!!

hi all

does my husband (USC) and i both have to fill out the G325A or just me? im assmebling our AOS docs right now...thanks much for the help!

yup 2 days for the medical exam, Mon-Fri only

as for the other things, im sure somebody else more knowledgeable will come along to clear those up for you

goodluck!

Hi peeps,

I'm preparing the documents that I will need for the interview and notice that I dont have yet my fiance income tax return. Although I have with me his employment certificate (stating his salary and position), I-134 (signed by an administering officer) and bank statement. Do you think its enough? or my fiance still need to send his income tax return? If yes, can he just scan it and send it via email?

What's the diff between DS-156 and DS-156K? Bec based from the packet4 instructions there should be DS-156K enclosed in the packet but seems like its not included.

One last thing, How many days should I allot for my medical examination? 2 days?

Response will be very much appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

k, gotcha! thanks again!

Did you make the initial deposit and fill out the form on your fiancee's account to get hers going?

Sorry, I wasn't clear.

Some banks will let you add your spouse onto an account even if not in the country (not permanent resident). Chase bank for one, but their ATM fees are outrageous. Netbank unfortunately does not so when I say "her" account, it's really still in my name only. She can use the ATM card since the machine doesn't know if it's me or her as long as she has the PIN code.

As for fiancee, they cannot open a bank account at all as far as I know. Every bank I asked said they need SSN.

The website is simply Netbank.com.

Also check with your local credit unions and ask about their international ATM fees. Some do not charge as well but Netbank has fantastic interest rates compared to other banks, even credit unions. Money market at 3.5% or so, regular savings low of course but still higher than other banks.

By the way, I have nothing to do with Netbank other than I am a very satisfied customer.

Joel

on Part 1 of Form I-485, there is a section "Expires on (mm/dd/yyyy)"

is this the date when the I-94 expires or when the K-1 visa expires?

It's when the I-94 expires.

oh and do you have to pay the $70 biometrics fee twice (for AOS and EAD) or just once? thanks again!!!

The $70 biometrics fee is for the AOS only. There is no fee for the EAD biometrics.

Thanks!!! I did find the answers to my questions after a bit of searching through the posts, but thanks for the reply

i have one more question tho and i havent come across anything on it...do we need to submit a birth certificate for the US citizen too or just the non-US citizen spouse? thanks!!!

Great, thanks again for the tip!

Another question tho, im not sure i understand correctly how you guys set this up

you both have an account with netbank, you do fund transfers from your account to hers, she gets the money thru atm

is that right?

meaning i'd have to send my mom some netbank forms to fill out hrmm...

From what bank's atm does she get the money in the Phils?

This could be a good thing to know in case i need to send money to my family back home

The card has the following symbols: Cirrus, NYCE, Star

I see from her past withdrawls she used BancNet

So just look for those symbols on the ATM machine. I never had a problem finding an ATM to use with my Netbank card.

Joel

From what bank's atm does she get the money in the Phils?

This could be a good thing to know in case i need to send money to my family back home

thanks!

By the way if anyone needs a cheap way to send money to the Phils, I have a Wells Fargo International Remittance account. Cost $5 for each deposit you make, then she can withdrawl money at an atm there.

I have a Netbank account and my wife has the ATM. No fees. I just deposit the money in her account and she gets it almost immediately. I have my own account and can transfer the money online.

Joel

Nice I'll have to check that out.

I even have it setup to transfer a certain amount of money to her account automatically each paycheck :-) She likes that one... hehe

Joel

Hi all,

on Part 1 of Form I-485, there is a section "Expires on (mm/dd/yyyy)"

is this the date when the I-94 expires or when the K-1 visa expires?

pls see attached file, i have encircled that section

thanks!

also, does anyone have a sample AOS cover letter? thanks again!

oh and do you have to pay the $70 biometrics fee twice (for AOS and EAD) or just once? thanks again!!!

congrats on your AOS approval!!!

i was wondering if i can just follow the western way regarding the middle name?

see i have 2 first names and the way i filled out my application for the ssn, i listed my 2nd name as my middle name then took my husband's last name, dropping my father's last name altogether

will this cause a problem?

thanks for any input!!!

I posted the following in the AOS forum, but I thought it would be of interest here too.

We learned something at our AOS interview this week.

Some countries have rules regarding name changes following marriages and the USCIS complies with these rules regarding the name on the GC.

In the Philippines, your mother's maiden name is used for your middle name and the father's family name is your last name.

When a woman marries, the father's family name becomes her middle name and her husband's family name becomes her family name...dropping the mother's maiden name entirely.

When we applied for AOS we filed using Marlene <mother's maiden name> <my last name>

We had done the same for the SSN

The appication had to be modified at the AOS to reflect the Philippine naming requirement. So it's now Marlene <father's family name> <my last name>. There was no choice. When we get her passport updated they will follow those rules and the green card will match it now.

got my form I-693A aka vaccination supplement

it cost me $25 for the form and $5 for the Td shot at a clinic

not too bad really

goodluck to all!

P.S. i hope it's ok to talk about some aos stuff here eventho it's not the right thread/forum, i really think it would eventually be helpful to everyone when they get here and have to go thru the same thing

and also please DO file for your ssn BEFORE getting married...it will save you a lot of grief

hi windchaser

yah in Manila case, you need to visit USCIS civil surgeon for the supplement for bcos Td shot will taken only in US. not unlike from other country they got their vaccine complete in their country b4 going in US, so they dont need soemtimes to visit civil surgeon they could auto submit the vaccine record from their home country.

usually it takes $20 only for transfer of vaccine records to the supplement form u need. but Td shot is free that you could get it in local clinic, other vaccines if u need to have is more lower fee outside than a designated civil surgeon.

regards

thanks all for the help, especially you mdyoung

i just want to share what happened when i went back to the ssa office...

they did take my app under my married name but i was still told to go to immigration to maybe speed things along

so we went there the next day and my name didnt get updated in their database

i was told i have to file for AOS and EAD and use the work permit to get my SSN

so that means 2 months waiting, maybe 3

i wish i had known what a hassle it will be applying for the social security # after marriage

but oh well...gotta move forward now

thanks again!!!

great! thanks much!

Yes there is something you can print out and take. I don't have the link at the moment. You could contact VJ user mdyoung... he seems to have them readily available and is a very accurate source for rules regarding SSA.

thanks so much for the insight...is there anything i can print out and bring to the ssa that will state this rule? thanks!

The computer system has your name in there as it was entered into the immigration system. That is the only way they can identify you. That means that your maiden name is the only name that is eligible for a SSN. They aren't giving you the run-around. The system will only accept the name that matches with the immigration docs.

You can then change that entry with a marriage cert. that's why they tell you to get the SSN first. So go get it in your maiden name and after you receive the card, bring it in w/ your marriage license.

This is not correct.

They may have been giving you the runaround.

As long as your marriage certificate has sufficient information on it (name/date of birth) they can issue you the SSN with your married name as long as you are within 76 days of entry to the U.S. The people that work at the SSA offices don't seem to always know their own rules regarding K1 visas. Look at my signature timeline. We got Marlene's SSN with her married name after we were married. Yes, they tried to tell us we couldn't. Yes, we had to inform them of their own rules.

hi all, another question...i hope someone can help me on this...

im here on a k-1 visa, and i tried applying for my ssn after getting married (in my married name) and i was told i need to get my name changed with "immigration" first

i already have a certified marriage certificate (but i wasnt asked for it)

from the info im getting from the local ssa office, i should have applied for my ssn before getting married, then all i would have needed to do was to present a certified marriage certificate to get my name changed...but since i didnt do that, i have to go to immigration and have my name changed

i was wondering if im getting the runaround or if i should go back to the ssa office and try again, this time showing them my marriage certificate

or maybe i can just apply under my maiden name, then ask for a name change (i dont know if that's valid tho since im already 3 days married)

thanks so much!

hi all, i need your thoughts on this

i didnt complete my vaccines back home, i still need to have one more shot

can i have a private doctor give me the shot or do i need to go to a registered civil surgeon for both the shot and to transfer my vaccination record to a form I-693A?

if i can go to a private doctor for that shot, what proof do i need to bring to the civil surgeon when s/he transfers my vaccination records to make sure all my shots are complete? all i have is my vaccination record from the medical exam i had as a requirement for K1, and it will show im missing the Td shot...

thanks!

heya rebelheart, heya everyone!

well, we just got back from our honeymoon

anyhow, regarding the civil surgeon/vaccination form, this link may be useful:

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/i-693faq.htm#vac

HI jeeleebee!! how you've been???

regarding about vaccines, yes its covered in the fee you'd paid st. lukes ... i remember ive got 1 shot of MMR and Td should be taken here in US. as for pricing of Td shot in US, its FREE you could get it in local center, i did got it on our family doctor.

On the contrary, when st' lukes DS form of vaccines check the completed series of my vaccines like MMR, the civil surgeon of USCIS here in the US says, they require 2 shots of MMR eventhough i explained and point the form, st. lukes checked i am immune and completed the series of MMR even it 1 shots.

I cannot complain about it because they were the "registered" civil surgeon of USCIS, that will complete your form for AOS. But things ive done is .. i go back to our family doctor and take a blood test (titer) to see if im immune or not to take a 2nd shot of MMR because its really expensive doing the vaccines here in US specially with the registered civil surgeon of USCIS.

about k2, as for my son ... he took skintest here in US for TB testing and need to complete vaccines before his school starts.

regards to everyone!

**************************

More smoother doing stuff in Manila to start K1 or K3 .... most painful to process for us is the AOS thing now. It's like starting the K1 again and asking for more documents ...... and soooo expensive

also check out this link under the Forms & Fees section for the I-693A Vaccination Supplement which is what we need

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-693.htm