ddurkin

Hi everyone! I've just been reading through all of your latest updates. Mand, Sinead is absolutely adorable!

All is well here in Indy. We celebrated our 1st anniversary this last sunday, in a very american fashion- went to the zoo, miniature golf, bowling, out for ice cream- it was great fun. Had a great dinner at a local sushi place as well (i know that sounds strange, sushi in Indiana, but it was GOOD!).

Everything is pretty much as it was last time I posted- jobs are going along, the house is shaping up nicely and starting to feel more like our home. eventually we'll move to Ireland but it's nice to be settled here for a little while!

We'll be heading over to Ireland probably in July- we'll become an auntie and uncle in early june and will need to take a trip over to see our new nephew! We're looking forward to seeing all the family and friends back in Cork.

Right so, hope all is still well with everyone, take care of yourselves!

all is well here too. Jobs are going well, and we're going to be an aunt and uncle next June

Our only update on immigration stuff was forgetting to notify uscis of our address change til a few weeks ago...oops

ok--what forms does that require? I saw the AR-11 on the USCIS forms website for his address change, but what about mine? I'm hoping also it won't be a problem that it's been 6 weeks since we moved...where does it say it must be within 10 days?

Hi- my husband and I (he is the non-USC and has his greencard) moved about a month ago. Do we need to submit anything to USCIS telling them that we moved?

Thank you for your help!!!!

I hate to say it, because it's my home state, but michigan's economy is in the toilet right now. although if you were looking to buy a house you'd find a good deal!

I'm partial to the midwest- like having 4 seasons, friendly, down to earth people, etc. The Indianapolis area is surprisingly nice. Nice downtown with plenty to see and do, a good buzz about the city, excellent neighborhoods (once you get past the not so excellent neighborhoods that surround downtown, of course), and a decent economy, low taxes, LOW house prices and cost of living...

I miss the lakes of michigan, though! If you are a very outdoorsy person Indy probably wouldn't suit you.

Hi everyone!! Sounds like things are going well for all of you and I hope it keeps up. Mand, best of luck as the baby's big day draws closer!!

Things are good here in Indy- we bought our first house a couple of weeks ago!!!! it was exciting and nerve-wracking and I'm so glad we did it. It's a great little place, perfect for us and so nice for Denis to have somewhere here to truly call home.

We're heading to Cork on Nov. 23 and staying til Dec. 2..we'll have a great time in Cork and will also be traveling to Belgium to see his brother and bro's fiancee. He can't wait to see his family and I'm nearly as excited. My parents will be coming along as well- they've never been to Ireland so this should be quite a trip.

Not too much else happening but I did want to drop in and see how you all are keeping. Keep us posted and we'll drop in again soon!

Hi Josh- good to see another Corkman here! Where in Cork are you from exactly? my hubby is from Bishopstown but was born in Bantry by way of Durrus, so he considers himself a country boy! He'll be happy when I tell him there's a corkman on this forum.

good luck with everything over here!

Way to go Colleen!!! I hadn't seen that he got his visa, congratulations!! When is he coming over? I'll bet you're turning cartwheels over there :-)

Congrats on the I-130!!! So happy for both of you

Many congratulations Mand! I'm so glad to here you, hubby and bump are settling in well. Enjoy Cork for all of us, ok? There's a Bishopstown boy here who is hankering for home lately, and its nice to hear a bit about home for him.

Good luck with everything and keep in touch!

Thanks guys! good luck to those of you waiting for your interviews.

Hi guys- just wanted to let you know that we were approved for the green card today It was no problem- in and out in 15 minutes (maybe less!). I've posted our whole experience in the AOS forum if you're interested. Most of all we're just relieved and glad to be done with all of this nonsense for a couple years.

Well gang- we did it!!! Had our interview this morning at 10:30 and it was no problem. We went in, were sworn by a guy named Colby, and sat down. He started by asking Denis his name and address and a few questions off of the I485 application- was he a member of any political organization, had he ever been arrested or jailed, that sort of thing. Then he asked me my name and address and started leafing through our file. He enquired about how we met (in Nuremberg nearly 4 years ago at a hostel), how we had kept in touch, when and where we got married. He asked for and made copies of all the proof of our joint residency- phone bill, credit card bill, bank statements, and our lease. He looked through some of our pictures and asked about one of them. He kept copies of our civil marriage ceremony photos (I had printed them on regular paper). Then he asked about my job- I just got a new job and so gave him a letter from my employer. He was really interested in my job and asked me all about it. He then said that I could have my co-sponsors paperwork back from the file as I'm now earning over the poverty level. So we actually left with more paperwork than we went in with!

Anyhow, he really asked us very little and was very polite. He shuffled through a few more papers, stamped a few things, typed a bit on his computer, then said, "I'm going to go ahead and approve your application today. Do you know what the next step is?"

Denis just looked at him, I think he was in shock that it was so easy. So I said, "Removing his conditions in two years" and the guy said, "Yep." Then he gave us the printout from the USCIS website about removing the conditions.

And that was it! He did not ask to have Denis's EAD or AP back. He said the card should arrive by mail within a month.

And that is that!! We ran outside and laughed and hugged and kissed and laughed some more. We were both nervous this morning and it was just such a relief to have it over with.

Then we did what everyone in the midwest should do when they have reason to celebrate- We went to Ritters for frozen custard!!

YUM! the perfect end to a perfect morning. BUT REMEMBER- if you are interviewing in Indy, bring $5 to pay to park in the lot or spare change for the meters. We had neither and had to race back home to get change (fortunately we live like 5 minutes from the building they are in). But just keep that in mind

On with life now, looking for a house, getting a dog, getting a second car...it feels GREAT to know that we dont have to do anymore paperwork for a long time to come!!

THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP THE LAST NINE MONTHS! We couldn't have done it without VJ.

Way to go!!! Hope to join you tomorrow in the land of approved AOS. What all did they ask to see? We're wondering right now about the "original and copies of all evidence submitted" requirement. Does taht mean all tax transcripts (including my parents, they are co-sponsors), etc?

Thanks.

Just bumping this topic up guys...please respond.

oh, i hope its just the chips, cheese and garlic and not the dreaded Hoggy burger!! denis and his siblings loooove a hoggy burger after a night out but the thought of a hoggy burger makes me go yeech!

remember that Wes doesn't owe the call center-employer ANYTHING! he should feel no obligation to keep that job if he has better opportunities elsewhere. Reach out and grab it and BEST OF LUCK! everything will work out in the end

J- enjoy your trip to Cork! I'm so jealous- I am hoping we'll get there in November or so. If you get a chance go to Deanos fish and chips and get some chips with cheese and garlic mayo...i've been dying for them since December.

We have out greencard interview in a week in Indianapolis and we'll be sure to post our experience on here. We went through the list of questions this weekend and had a good laugh about being sure we know which drawers I keep my underwear in and where he keeps his I'm pretty excited about the interview myself- interested to see how it all runs, what they ask, etc. since we've nothing to hide there's nothing to be nervous about.

Hope to get updates from other folks soon!

Hello all, another quick update- Denis got a job and started working yesterday! So far so good, he seems to enjoy it and it should be an excellent starting point for his career in the U.S. We have our greencard interview on June 19 and I'm starting to get a little nervous. We haven't put anything together for it yet, and he's just started working and I'm starting my first "real" job (not an internship or summer job) on Monday. So we'll have our work cut out for us the next couple of weeks!

Hope the rest of you are well!

Hi again Sowens, hope all is well. I've been over to Ireland too many times to count now and I love it. admittedly, the first time i was there i was a bit mystified by the place...i found it very different than where i grew up in michigan but loved it all the same. I'm hoping we'll get back there this fall with my parents. They haven't been yet and are really looking forward to it. Someday we will likely end up in Ireland, but not for a good few years. I'm just starting my career, and as we've gone though so much just to get Denis here we'll be sticking around a while.

Anyhow gang we're off to Mexico tomorrow for my brother's wedding. We'll let you all know how the AP goes...we're not nervous but it's a bit difficult because we're on two totally different flights thanks to AP arriving at the last minute! But hopefully we'll both make it to Cancun and back without any hassle.

Hi Sowens, welcome to the Ireland page!! Just wondering where in Cork Niall is from? My hubby is from Cork as well and is always excited to know when a new Corkman is on his way to the States. Denis is from Bishopstown, born in Bantry but claims Durrus as home typical Irishman! Hope your visa journey goes smoothly, keep us up to date.

Have you made an infopass appointment to enquire about this?

This is something I'm struggling with too as the USC. His family all came over for the wedding and when they left to return to Ireland it was really rough...crying mom and sisters and sister-in-law (and my husband)...and of course nothing I could say or do to make any of it any better.

And i know its hard on my hubby too, his misses them all so much but we're getting by. The fact that we can drive up to see my family on the occassional weekend doesn't make things easier, although he is getting to be much closer to them which is really nice.

I hope that over time it'll get easier, that each visit to his family or by his family won't end in tears when it is time to leave. I feel so guilty sometimes...I know his family loves me, but its very difficult when his mom is so upset that she can't look me in the eye, even when I'm trying to be comforting.

I don't really no what to suggest as we're just in the middle of this ourselves. I think the most important thing is communicating a lot. I'm making an effort to take it upon myself to call his family even when he's not around, just to say hi and forge a connection. I"m hoping that will help.

Other than that its mostly about supporting him when he has his homesick days...lots of hugs and reassurances. Good luck to everyone who is going through this...it sucks but I do believe it'll get better.

Hi everyone!! Good to catch up on how everyone is doing. Denis and I had our "real" wedding on April 1 and it was fantastic, simply the best day of my life. All of his immediate family were there and stayed for a few days which really made things special.

his AOS interview is coming up on June 19, we're hoping his EAD comes before that. but the one we were really happy about was his AP- my brother is getting married in mexico in 12 days and we didn't think Denis would be able to make it... but lo and behold the gov't came through for us! now if we had an EAD waiting in the mail upon our return from mexico we'd be really excited.

Anyhow, i hopw all the other irish newbies are doing well here in the states and settling in. there's certainly been some difficult moments for us but each day things get a little easier. it'll be much better when he has permission to work.

Take care and hope to see you all posting updates soon

(off to bed with the hubby who unfortunately got his second really bad American haircut today. i dunno if the stylists can't quite understand him or if he's just having bad hair luck!!)

Are you the USC? If so, I would definately re-do the I-864 with your new wonderful circumstances and try to get your co-sponsor 'off the hook'. They may give your co-sponsor's affidavit back to you.

Thanks Rebeccajo, I think I'll take your suggestion...i know my parents don't mind co-sponsoring but it sure would be nice for them not to have to worry about contacting the gov't if they move or anything!