Basbosa

Just a quick update guys: We got our approval letter for ROC yesterday! (yay!!) it was dated on the 10th... We were still preparing our N400 package (we were waiting on 2016 taxes)

The letter said we'd have to wait 60 days to get our green card. Does it really take that long?

6 hours ago, RemoteControl said:

My wife and I are in the exact same situation. We're going to see if we can get an InfoPass appointment regarding the whole thing and get some answers. My wife has the extension while we wait for the removal of conditions, but she wants to head home as we just found out she's pregnant. We filed at the VCS and it seems we still have a few more months to wait. Maybe the N-400 will help expedite things? I can update here after we've had our appointment.

Yes! Please keep us posted. I am worried that this is what we will have to do as well, because we would like to visit Egypt this summer.

Congrats on the pregnancy

6 minutes ago, nmic7 said:

You're welcome!  Actually I also have no idea when we will be approved, it was just a "best case scenario" hypothetical.  Good luck!

Oh totally! Good luck to you too!!

17 hours ago, Sukie said:

I think this is what happens:

 

When your ROC has not been adjudicated yet, and your file your N-400, then the ROC has to be finalized before the N-400 can be adjudicated.  I'm pretty sure the N-400s are sent to your local ASC for processing because that is where you will take the test, and be interviewed for citizenship.

 

What I DON'T know, is whether USCIS bundles your I-751 AND your N-400 paperwork together and sends BOTH of them off to your local ASC for a decision, or whether it means your I-751 is pulled out of the pile at USCIS and dealt with sooner.  As you know, some people get 10-year Green Cards without having to go through an interview.  But if you ARE scheduled for an I-751 interview, then it is at your local ASC.

 

Some people say wait.  Some people say send in the N-400 as soon as possible.  If you had to file at VSC, then you are already waiting about 14 months for your 10-year Green Card.  If it were me, I'd get that N-400 in ASAP and force them to deal.

 

Sukie in NY

Sukie, thanks for the advice... My husband and I are seriously considering this option, since we didn't realize any word (besides our extension letter) from VSC yet... while I hate to "force" any one to look at our application, but given the political climate and the probable increase in applications (I assume), I'd rather get started on the N400 process as soon as we can. 

16 hours ago, nmic7 said:

I have a similar question: what if your case is about to be approved - it's just a matter of a few days, maybe some supervisor to look over it, etc. - when you file the N-400?  Does that "freeze" the approval of your ROC and you never get the 10-year card but instead they wait to approve at the same time as your naturalization interview (e.g. 7-8 months after they would have normally approved it)?  

 

We're trying to decide if maybe we should wait for the 10-year card instead of filing this week (when my wife is eligible) just to play it safe in terms of being able to renew driver's license, travel, etc.

 

Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated!  Thank you!

Thanks for asking this! Our timeline is so similar (with the minor exception that my husband and I do not know when we will be approved).  

21 hours ago, mindthegap said:

You can file the N-400 in the 90 day window of your three year anniversary of becoming a PR.

N-400 will force the adjudication of your ROC if still no action at that time.

Thanks!

Dear all, 

wanted to get some feedback about possibly applying for citizenship while we wait to get the approval for our 10 yr green card. So, my husband entered the US in May 2014, and we have applied to remove the conditions on his residency in Feb 2016 (in the 90 days window before his 2yr GC expired). As of now, we haven't gotten a decision, and I checked on the USCIS website, and the delay is typical. 

We are now considering filing for citizenship based on our marriage. My question is: do we have to wait until May 2017 (when he would have been in the US for three years), or can we submit our application in Feb 2017 (within 90 days window like we did when we filed for ROC)? Also, would the N400 adversely affect our ROC petition, since we haven't officially received a decision about it yet? 

Thanks for for all of your help! 

Thanks @Mikeadam! Good to know about this.

Cool! Thanks!

Thanks @Mikeadam! I had a feeling that was going to be the case, because even with the proper travel document entering/leaving Egypt is a challenge.

What is the re-entry permit though? Is that the I-551 stamp?

Thanks again!

Hello all,

Was just wondering if anyone had the chance to travel to Egypt with the extension letter that you get when you apply for removal of conditions and your green card is expired? Thanks! 

Curious, how long is I-551 stamp valid for?

Thanks for sharing, Olivia! Congrats!!

I noticed the (relatively) turn around time was for the Cali Center. Just wondering out loud, can we hope the same for Vermont?

Hello. We have our biometric appointment tomorrow. Unfortunately, we can't find the letter. Will we need it to go to the appointment?? If we can't find it at all, should we reschedule? Can we even reschedule??

Thanks for your help!

Thank you for the clarification! Really appreciate it!

Hello everyone,

We are currently in the process of completing our I-751 application to remove the conditions. Just wanted to ask a quick question about the new form, and the ELIS number. We have an ELIs account, but I am not sure where to locate this ELIS number...

Once we log-in to the profile page, is the ELIS number the "CRIS Customer ID" or is it the "USCIS Account ID"???

Thanks for all of your help!

Congrats on your upcoming wedding!

As for the medical exam (which I thought was a joke when I got married in Egypt), I believe any government hospital in Egypt can do the exam. I know there are plenty in Alexandria, so I would ask probably ask his family members to help you locate the closest one.

Also, I was under the impression (and of course this could be 100% wrong, so please forgive me) that if you do the Islamic marriage, you can ask the official to get the required stamps/permissions to have it legalized as well. This is what I did when I was in Egypt, and had no issue--except we waited longer than usual and paid the official more than the typical fee... full disclosure though: I do carry an Egyptian ID (I was born in Egypt), so that might have made the process easier? Not really sure.

Thanks for the heads-up everybody! We certainly don't want any RFEs! The process takes too long as is!

Omg I didn't realize one has to send us the bank statement for every month! I mean two years worth of statements?! That is a lot of papers! What do you guys think of sending the 1st page of the statement (showing the owners of the account/address/account info) instead? Sorry, didn't mean to answer the OP's question with another question!

We are applying for Feb too. I am just wondering, do we HAVE to include documents showing that we traveled together?? We didn't get a chance to do a whole lot of traveling (we got pregnant and of course the baby made it super difficult to do any major traveling). We had one family vacation, but he booked the hotel using his name only. Is this going to be an issue for us??

Thank you!!

Basbosa, thanks for the speedy reply! I haven't called them early but called late at night off peak hours. Maybe I should try to call them very early and see what happens. But I think it's a good thing you received their notice only one month after they completed the case. That gives me hope that I may receive a word from them by may since they completed mine in March. Maybe the state makes a difference. NY is more crowded and full of immigrants while Virginia is quite different. If they go by the state I would understand the delay.

Good luck

God Willing, you will hear some good news soon! Good luck!!

Congrats on finishing the journey!! I just got the word that NVC has completed my case last month but they never want to answer any questions regarding the date of the embassy interview. They act very cold as if it's not their job to help and answer our concerns.

Do you mind telling me how long after your case was complete that your husband got the interview.

Hope you are rejoined with your husband very soon.. :-)

Thank you!

It was such a long time ago, I had to look on my timeline! LOL

Our case was completed at the NVC last year, in late March, and they wrote us in April to confirm the Embassy appointment, which was in June. From my experience throughout the whole process, the best agency to work with was the NVC. At least they were able to answer me when I had any questions. It is unfortunate that you are having such a rough time with them. Did you try to call them earlier in the day? They are not as busy.

Thank you everyone! DHL contacted my husband yesterday for pickup

I never thought i'd ever say this, after a looooooooong AP with the Embassy in Cairo, the CEAC website shows that our visa was issued on 4/10!!! whoooooooo!!!

I am not sure when my husband will get his passport, so I emailed the Embassy but still haven't heard from them yet. For those of you who dealt with the Embassy in Cairo, how long does it usually take to get the passport/package?? My husband is currently in Alexandria, and it takes one business day for DHL to deliver (from Cairo to Alexandria).

Also, I understand there is a USCIS fee that we need to pay to get the green card. Can we pay this fee now? Or do we have to wait until my husband enters the US to pay?