BOS_LHR

Almost fell off the chair reading this

If that is true then wouldn't everyone plan to enter as "a tourist" and then get married here after few months & apply for adjustment of status?

That's fraudulent use of a tourist visa, although it happens. It's easy enough to lie and say you'll be going home and then just never do it, but that's directly against what that AOS option was designed for. Some people are denied entry to the US on tourist visas because they have so many possessions with them that it looks like they're moving. If you were to turn up on a tourist visa and tell customs you had no intention of going home, they'd put you on a return flight straight away. Lying about your intent is a misrep that can get you deported and banned from the US.

It's also worth noting that the legal AOS option is available to comparatively few people, because you need to be part of the VWP or have a valid tourist visa to get to the US in the first place. Applying for a tourist visa during IV processing is difficult in part because it opens up this loophole and the government doesn't want it abused.

Wait so are you saying that coming to US on tourist visa after marriage & then applying for adjustment of status is legal?

This has been debated on VJ many times, very thoroughly. What it comes down to is intent. If you enter the US saying you're a tourist and will return home, but actually intend to settle in the US and adjust status, that's visa fraud. If you entered the US legitimately as a tourist and at some point afterward decide you don't want to go home, you can file for adjustment of status.

Wow. So I guess I'm not the only one. What did your husband say? I'm curious. If it's normal I won't worry. Thanks again!

He basically said we wanted to do things the proper way without cutting any corners, because we knew coming to the US on a visitor visa with the intent to stay and adjust status isn't legal. That question was a bit of a slap in the face after going through so much. I get the impression the guy thought we were silly/strange/stupid for not taking the easier route, but it is what it is.

Thanks! When she told me that the CO asked 20 minutes of questions my heart sank. That doesn't seem normal. Is it? It's just so strange to me because there's nothing weird about our case. No overstays, deportations, criminal activity or anything of the sort. And we even have a daughter. I was kind of taken aback by some of the questions. The one that stuck out was "why the state of Wisconsin?". Huh? How do you answer that question especially if you've never been to the US before? But she answered it really well and kept her cool. I'm so proud of her.

So it's normal for Ready to be there for the next day or two and I shouldn't be concerned? Thanks for the help.

Sometimes they throw curveballs, there doesn't have to be a reason beyond it being their job. When my husband had his interview in London they asked him why he didn't just come to the US on his ESTA and adjust status. He had no idea if they were trying to trip him up or what, but the guy interviewing him had this attitude of "well, a lot of people do it" and was sort of bemused we went through so much trouble to get the spousal visa Try not to stress Strange questions pop up a lot, even among cases like yours and mine where there's nothing out of the ordinary.

My wife's interview was today and she was approved! The interview took 20 minutes and they asked 14 questions. Why? I don't know. But the worst is now over. Thanks everyone for all the help. We couldn't have done it without VJ.

CEAC still says Ready. Is that normal or should it be showing Administrative Processing?

Congratulations!! :joy:

Staying on ready initially is normal. It should switch over to AP in the next day or two though as long as all those visa printing issues are resolved, not really sure if anyone is still experiencing difficulties.

I'm almost afraid to ask, what happened at POE?

His name and visa type were entered into the system incorrectly. Instead of (first) (middle middle) it was (first first first) with no middle name. He was also in the computer as a K1 visa instead of CR1. Between those two things it was impossible to get a Social Security number and green card. We bounced back and forth between CBP, USCIS and the Social Security office for over a month before the name issue was resolved Now we're watching and waiting for the green card... betting that'll take a heap of work on our part too. Ah well!

how many days after POE did the ELIS change to "optimized" for you guys?

Best bet is to follow this thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/439537-green-card-production-after-elis/

Aww why is that? Problems with job or adjustment? I hope u guys sort it out soon but it's easier to cope up with the hardest problems if our better half is with us and thanks for passing on the remaining of ur luck to me! I need it

A bit of both, but the adjustment stuff would be a lot easier if we stopped having issues with the government. We finally made some progress though, things are getting better Took 2 months to push through an application for a social security number and we still don't have the green card because his information was entered incorrectly at POE. Our saga is ongoing. I know you haven't had luck in the process so far but I'm going to pass all my good vibes to you in the hope that life is perfect and everything goes smoothly when you're reunited!

End of month reminder: please read the first post. In its entirety.

10+ times

Seriously guys, it's worth it now more than ever. With 60 day review times, an extra read through the requirements to give yourself a sanity check is a very worthwhile use of time

Lol please pass me some of ur good luck

Hehe! I think we used up all of our luck to be honest, we've had an awful time dealing with ridiculous problems ever since POE. But if there's any left, it's yours for sure!

Not reviewed yet *sigh* why does our file always gets skipped

I've been keeping an eye out for you, June buddy I hope your time comes soon. Hang in there

Just got off the phone with Supervisor Octavio. He has pulled my file and reviewed my information and everything is in order and

CASE COMPLETE!!!!!!

Last document scanned 20th June (yes June!) and it was reviewed and filed without the reviewer sending either a checklist or completing the case.

But, now thankfully Octavio has completed our case and we are now waiting for our interview.

Thank you everyone for your support, and for listening to me complain for the past few months. Love you all!!!

About time! Congratulations!!

The US Embassy in London has moved our interview date up to September 9 (from September 29). While this comes as a surprise, it's a relief that this will be all done sooner, rather than later.

The full timeline is:

- 19 August: Made request to Embassy in London for sooner interview date

- 26 August: Received email indicating request granted and new interview date of 9 September at 8am

We hope everyone else continues to have good interview and POE experiences. Will keep everyone updated on how everything goes.

Congratulations! Lots to do by then but it's certainly worth the scramble Best of luck!

hi guys is it ok if i send the documnets only via mail not in emai?

Assuming you're talking about documents for AOS and IV packets, you don't have the option to send them by email -- that's only for a very few specific countries. Postal mail is the way to go

GUYS!!!!! We finally got the application for a social security number through!! :joy:

Quick recap: POE was July 2 but no SSN arrived in the mail. We went to an office to apply and discovered my husband's name was entered incorrectly, which prevented him from applying. 1 horrific visit to USCIS, 4 chats with CBP, and 3 trips to SSA later, IT'S DONE! We're relieved beyond words. So much time, energy, and anguish went into fixing this issue... now on to figuring out why the green card hasn't arrived. But still, in the meantime,

We made it home last night!!!

Minneapolis POE was super easy. The first CBP was a bit grumpy and when my husband showed the flimsy white 'do not open' package (it traveled through 4 countries with no tears!) the agent said 'oh yay, another one'. He said my husband needs to go to the Passport Control room and wait for an officer there. I asked if I could go back with him and he said 'yea if you want, just warning you, you're going to be there for a while'. I made a joke that I'll just go home and get the car then. Went down like a led balloon!

We go to the room where I made another crack that we were sent to the principal's office. The second CBP heard me and said 'this is NOT the principal's office, this is the GOOD room!' He asked one question, when did we file. We said Sept 2013 and he said 'that's it?!' I gave him a Madea look and he said 'some people wait years for this!' I told him I was fully aware. Since I kept chiming in throughout the conversation, the CBP dude asked if my photo should be on the green card (while laughing). He said he tries to have a sense of humor and I told him it was appreciated as we've read horror stories. Naturally, he said don't believe everything we read.

Visa stamped, signed, and my husband finger printed. We asked about the social security card and he said they have no control over that, since it was completed on the DS-260 which is a DoS document (makes sense).

Congrats and welcome home!!

Does anyone know the phone menu options to select to talk to USCIS about green card status? Sitting through those interminable menus is so painful. Also, is the beneficiary required to be present for those phone calls?

Picked up my visa today and flight is booked for the 29th. Trying to pay the USCIS ELIS fee and jumping through the hoops to open an account but I am repeatedly getting the message that the password I have submitted does not meet the requirements, despite following the instructions. I've even tried different web browsers but keep running into the same problem...

I've got a feeling that whatever I'm doing wrong is really simple but I can't put my finger on it. Any pointers greatly appreciated!

Signing up for ELIS was ridiculously complicated. Be sure to take down all your details, because dealing with the technical help desk is equally full of hoop-jumping. I think your password needs to be something like 12 characters long with mixed cases, at least one number and special character.

Hi, everybody.

I received a Case Complete e-mail from NVC today so I wanted to come here and give some info to all of those who are still waiting. I know I was always interested in other people's timelines.

My case landed in NVC on April 7th. We had a RFE in June. I called yesterday (Aug 21st) and found out our case was completed on Aug 15h. I called because my AOS Fee on the website became N/A. Today I received an email notifying me of my case being complete. I am filing from Croatia, so there is no EP.

My case was at NVC for 130 days. Before that, we waited for NOA2 for 267 days. Now we are waiting for an Oct interview date, which I will have to reschedule due to my trip.

Anyways, good luck to everyone who is still waiting. As unlikely as it seems to you today, there is an end to this part of the journey. Keep your sanity!

I've been keeping an eye out for you, congratulations!! Hope you're all doing wonderfully!

Just for the statistics sake:

Fee was paid before entering the US,

PoE - 08 June'14

GC received in mail - 09 Aug'14.

Thanks for sharing! Do you know when your status flipped to optimized?

Quick question: since it seems like it's been taking a whilte to get the Green Card in the mail, if my wife would want to get her driver's license how would she show permanent residence status? Will the I-551 stamp suffice? I can't seem to find information on this. Thanks

Yup, sure will. It's valid as a temporary green card for up to one year, which is plenty of time for the 2 year GC to arrive (we hope ).

You need to be down at the SS office tomorrow and apply. Usually after the first week most just go into office because by then all your POE info is in the system.

Green card I have heard people told by USCIS it will be October or November (is the machine broke also?)

Sorry for your delay.

Mhm, we've been to the office twice and have been unable to get an SSN, just not for lack of trying. Perhaps third time will be a charm.

Frequently names are entered incorrectly. I wonder if it's a entry error or a computer error.

I believe it's a computer error. A very helpful woman at CBP told me that they don't have a separate field in their system for middle names. Whatever software they use simply interprets the first word in a given name field as the first name, and anything subsequent to be middle name(s). Software used by the Social Security Administration at the very least doesn't seem to work in the same way -- my guess is that it's expecting separate data fields for first and middle names, metadata tags or similar to differentiate the names that CBP just doesn't use. The fix for us was to have CBP remove his middle names from the system, so all SSA should see is one given name and one surname. Hopefully it worked... we should know tomorrow.

I think if you filed a 1040 EZ and meet the 3 conditions to fill I-864 EZ, then you can do it, Saylin or anyone confirm this.

You don't have to have filed the 1040EZ to use the I-864EZ. Just meeting the three conditions listed on the I-864EZ will do.

Thanks for the response.

Dublin was great, fast and non event really in hindsight glad we entered there.

Question? How do you know that Dublin made errors entering info into the system? I have sent a digital enquiry request to the ELIS site asking for info on why I'm approved but no movement as yet. Got a holding response saying they had passed my enquiry to the Texas service centre.

Just interested to know how you know your husband's data was incorrectly entered?

Stay in touch looks like a frustrating time all round...:0)

His social security card didn't arrive in the mail as requested, so we went in person to an office to apply. When we got to the office they told us his name was entered incorrectly into the DHS system -- instead of his first name and two middle names, all three were entered as a first name. The social security card can't be issued like that, so we went to CBP Deferred Inspection to fix the name, and they told him there that the computer also had him down as having a K1 visa, although he has the correct CR1 visa in his passport. It's a mess. We've been trying to get everything fixed and hopefully we'll have better luck when we try at the social security office again tomorrow.

BOS_LHR My timeline is very close to yours. My POE into JFK from Dublin (pre clearance) was on 1st July. I paid the ELIS fee on the 13 May. Nothing yet on delivery from the greencard.

Keep in touh et me know how you go - if mine arrives anytime soon i will let you know.

My husband did pre-clearance at Dublin as well. How was your experience there? We thought it would be a great time saver and generally less stressful than going through POE in Boston, but the mistakes they made entering his info into the system in Dublin have set us back weeks. I'll definitely be in touch if we get any movement. I'm checking daily at this point and hoping we move to optimized soon