tcgator

I realized I never finished updating our timeline and wanted to share since we had an RFE and that could be helpful to others...

-RFE around December 18th

- mailed out our response to RFE on December 26th

- Got our Approval Letter January 17th

- Got the Green card in the mail around January 31st

Now on to Citizenship!  Good luck to all those waiting still!

20 hours ago, Maite&Osmar said:

Tcgator,

Regarding your question, I believe you won’t receive a NOA letting you know that they received the material you submitted for your RFE.  I received an RFE for my I-129 F application like 3 years ago and I never received a NOA at that time so im assuming that the system hasn’t changed.  Can you please share with us what information did they requested on your RFE.  I received my NOA on January 12, 2017 and I haven’t heard anything about my case.  I’m really worried because they have approving people that applied on February 2017 and they haven’t finished with early January 2017 filers yet.  I don’t understand how they are working.  I’m planing to travel on the first week of February and this wait is killing us.  Thanks for sharing your experience!! 

Hi Maite & Osmar,

We actually got our approval letter yesterday after I wrote this!  In the RFE, they asked for our taxes, affidavits from people we know, official documents showing the spouse as the beneficiary and any joint bills.  In my original application I did not include any of our taxes, which was totally my fault.  I hadn't completed 2016 taxes yet and just thought I was submitting enough other evidence that I didn't need to include previous years either.  So in my RFE submittal I gave them 3 years of taxes, our current lease, documents from our jobs showing the other as the beneficiary and two affidavits (along with some other random documents/bills showing both of our names).  

I also checked our online case status yesterday and it still only showed the fee waiver message and didn't even say anything about the RFE.  I think if you are a VSC filer then hopefully you will hear something in the next few days/weeks.  Oh, one last thing, on the case status, it said if I hadn't received anything by February 9th to contact them.  So you can check your online status and if you don't hear anything in the next few weeks, then you can definitely inquire and hopefully get an answer quickly!  Hang in there and I hope you hear something soon!  

Hi all,

Does anyone know - If you get an RFE, do they mail you a notice/NOA that they received your RFE materials?  We received an RFE on 12/18/17 and I mailed out the additional evidence on 12/26/17 and they received it the next day via fed ex.  Since then I haven't heard anything.  Should I have received a notice that they received it?  Am i just being overly anxious and expecting a miracle?  I know there were some holidays in there so they are extra slow, but seems like we should hear something back any minute now right?  Ugh, so much waiting!!

We got an RFE on ours from the Vermont Service Center.  I thought I included enough evidence, but I did not include our tax return because we hadn't filed our taxes yet when we applied.  I'm gathering all of the documents and hoping to fed-ex it out tomorrow.  Does anyone have any experience with RFEs?  Will this put us back at the bottom of the pile or will they rule on it as soon as they receive the additional documents?  Also does anyone know if you have to send the original RFE letter or can you send a copy of the letter?  Any advice is appreciated.  Thanks!

14 hours ago, xxryu139xx said:

this information is in my signature and the roster of this thread.  vermont.

Hi, Congratulations on your approval!  Did they send an email or anything to notify you or just the letter to your address?  I'm so nervous because we used my parents address (permanent address) as our mailing address but a different physical address because we knew we were moving soon after applying.  I just hope they mail our letter to the correct address!

On 12/2/2017 at 6:02 PM, gabreigns said:

The letter and original greencard together should just fine as long as you are coming back before the expiration of the letter.

 

 

On a separate note.

Just applied N-400 on the 1st of December.

Thank you for the response!  We are applying for citizenship next week when our window opens.  Can't wait to not have to deal with USCIS again!!

Hi all,

To travel outside of the US, do we have to get the I-551 stamp, or is the letter and expired green card enough?  Thanks!

On 9/22/2017 at 9:31 AM, AmelieAino said:

Thanks for the info, this will be a pain since the nearest office is an hour away and never has appointments available... and you can't just walk in, either. Ughhh.

I just wanted to share that you can use the extension letter when starting a new job.  My husband started a new job and the extension letter with the green card was sufficient proof of eligibility.  You do not need to get a stamp.  

On 6/26/2017 at 3:29 PM, Steve1986 said:

I am not sure about this, need to check, but I would assume yes, it would delay the citizenship application process.

 

regards

Steve

Hi Steve,

I don't think that is the case.  Someone please correct me if i'm wrong, but I think you can apply for citizenship 3 months (90 days) before your AOS, or date on the first green card received.  That's my understanding.  We plan on applying for citizenship in January, regardless of whether we've received the 10 year gc.  

22 minutes ago, Gorjaeous said:

Hi, tcgator. Yes, your husband is considered a US person.

Hi Gorgaeous,

Thank you for your response.  I thought so too, just wanted some confirmation.  Nothing in this process is ever easy!

Hi all,

My husband started a new job today, (he's an engineer) and his company is trying to determine if he's a US person?  I guess they have never seen the extension letter before and are consulting their attorney, but I wanted to ask here, does anyone know if he's considered  a US person?  He's still a lawful permanent resident, right?  Any help is greatly appreciated!  

Hello,

Can we please be added to the list -

I-751 - 1/5/17

1-797 NOA - 1/10/17

Biometrics Ltr received 1/22/17 for an appointment of 2/10/17

Biometrics Appt - early walk in on 2/3/17

https://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-naturalization/naturalization-spouses-us-citizens

Thank you, this makes it perfectly clear that it IS 3 years after green card date.

hi

both have to happen,

residence since, the resident will remove conditions first if needed, then apply for citizenship when being a LPRfor 3 years and also married with the USC at least 3 years

so he has a 2 year GC, right? he will need to remove conditions first, 90 days from the expiration date of his 2 year GC to get the 10 year GC

now for counting time for citizenship, the date on the 2 year GC, resident since counts

Thank you. Yes, we will apply to remove the conditions around January 2017 to get the 10 year green card.

I guess I was too hopeful in my interpretation of the rule, as we had to wait a whole year before we received the green card.

My husband is an aerospace engineer so there are a lot more job opportunities once he has obtained citizenship, so we were really hopeful that we could apply as soon as possible. Looks like we will have to wait until 2018 though.

Hi all,

Can someone please provide some clarification for me re: the 3 year rule? Are we eligible to file for citizenship as of our marriage date or should it be the date our Adjustment of Status was approved?

Background info:

- husband arrived on K1 visa January 2014

- Married February 2014

- Applied for Adjustment of Status March 2014

- Adjustment of Status approved March 2015

- Green card received April 2015

As of February 2017, we will have been married for 3 years and resided in the US the whole time. So can we apply for citizenship then? Or do we need to wait until March 2018, which will be the 3 year mark that our Adjustment of Status was approved?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

I would make sure you have a job lined up or at least a serious amount of money saved up. We moved to Greensboro because my husband got a job here but I have not been able to find a job after looking for six months. I have a lot of work experience and a Masters degree, but there are not jobs in my area here. I guess if you are moving to Charlotte or Raleigh you will have better luck, but it's tough not having any connections here. Also, I would definitely rent and make sure this is where you want to settle. It's nice here, but we have not been happy and are hoping to move back to Florida or somewhere soon.

My husband is from Turkey and has an accent, although he's not Muslim, but maybe people might assume he is. We have not had any negative reactions or confrontations. When he first arrived here we were in South Florida and most people thought he was Latino/South American so would start speaking Spanish if they didn't understand him, which was always funny. Now we live in North Carolina, a decent size city that is actually quite diverse (more so than I ever would have thought). People are friendly and I think his only complaint would be that people don't always understand him so they look to me for interpretation. It's something that we've gotten used to. Otherwise, I really wouldn't stress about something that you don't know what will happen. And yes, I think if you tend to stick to the more diverse areas, you won't have any issues. Best of luck!

Hate to tell you but most people are waiting a year. If you get a Notice of Potential Interview Waiver, time to start channeling patience. We just got ours one week less than a year after filing for AOS.

Pretty sure to keep your green card valid you have to remain in the US for 6 months out of the year or you can't be out of the US for more than one year. Make sure you double check too that she will be able to get a new GC when/if you DO decide to immigrate further down the line. Would hate for you to pick this as a temporary solution and then get screwed later on.

It's really ridiculous that they make it so difficult for some people to get a tourist visa when that's what you need. Now you will have to jump thru a ton of hoops and probably spend a lot more money and time to make your plan work. And I think you said she doesn't even really want to go to the US, so definitely make sure all of this is going to be worth it for both of you.

Another thing for you to think about is the processing times for K-1, if that's the route you wish to take. Some people are waiting 6 months or more for the I-129 to be approved, and then there is the additional process of the Interview etc.

I really don't know about the B-2 or tourist visas, but I feel like if you get married and are living together and have proof of your life and strong ties to Vietnam, why wouldn't they give her the tourist visa? As long as you can prove both of your jobs and finances in Vietnam and that you have no intention of immigrating, I think this is your best bet.

I really don't think K-1 is your way to go because your intentions don't really apply to what a K-1 is. And as a side note, I was living in Korea when my husband and I first applied for K-1 and I used my parents permanent address as my domicile, but we obviously had every intention of immigrating to the US.

It's soooooo great seeing all of these approvals this week!

Congrats to everyone.

Those of us who already got the GC in the last few weeks... once your status changed to the "welcome notice was sent" did it ever update to anything else like a tracking number? How long does it usually take to get the notice in the mail? Mine says I should get it by june but that seems like a long time for mail. LOL.

For our k1 I remember we could track the visa, so just curious if we can track this GC!

Hi! I think about a week after the "welcome notice sent" message we got an email saying the card was sent and it did come with a tracking number.

Too bad they sent it to our old address in Florida! Luckily our old address is a family friend so she mailed it off yesterday. Can't wait to have that green card in hand!

Well, I'm not surprised, but USCIS managed to screw things up again! They sent my husband's green card to our old address! We changed our address back in October 2014, and even got a confirmation letter sent to our new address but both the welcome notice and green card were sent to our old address. Luckily our old address is the home of a family friend, but I'm just so aggravated once again! I just don't understand how they manage to screw everything up so effortlessly! UGH!

We were approved today! Just one week shy of a year!!!

My husband is so excited to finally be a legal person again!!

Best of luck to all those still in line!

The last action before this was I got a response to our second SR around 3/12/15 saying we would have a decision within 90 days, so about two weeks later.

Our NPIW was 7/9/14. What a relief!! Finally!!!

Holy moly it's a miracle! I got a response to my service request! Here's what USCIS had to say about my case:

What We Have Done

USCIS has reviewed your Service Request. According to USCIS records, your application is still pending. At this time, we anticipate you should receive a decision or other notice from USCIS within 90 days of this notice. Please be advised that posted processing times are goals based on Field Office averages. These goals are subject to change and can vary from office to office. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by delays in processing.

I don't know why my timeline doesn't show up on here but we filed AOS 3/27/14, NOA 4/4/14 and NPIW 7/10/14. We just sent out the EAD renewal last week, so maybe we'll get the GC before the new combo card. I imagine we should get the GC this month, as it will be a year by the end of the month. I'm just amazed we got a response, as I never heard anything back from my last service request!

Holy moly it's a miracle! I got a response to my service request! Here's what USCIS had to say about my case:

What We Have Done

USCIS has reviewed your Service Request. According to USCIS records, your application is still pending. At this time, we anticipate you should receive a decision or other notice from USCIS within 90 days of this notice. Please be advised that posted processing times are goals based on Field Office averages. These goals are subject to change and can vary from office to office. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by delays in processing.

I don't know why my timeline doesn't show up on here but we filed AOS 3/27/14, NOA 4/4/14 and NPIW 7/10/14. We just sent out the EAD renewal last week, so maybe we'll get the GC before the new combo card. I imagine we should get the GC this month, as it will be a year by the end of the month. I'm just amazed we got a response, as I never heard anything back from my last service request!

He won't do anything, He insists that it was the correct place and he has done this before with no problems and that it was done in our best interest. I'm going to have to cut him loose and figure this out some how. Hopefully the GC will show up before Jun 6th!

You should file a complaint with the Bar in your state. THat's his job to know where to send this stuff! It's not difficult to find the correct address! And then to do nothing to rectify his mistake, that's unethical to me.