lesthatsri

Hey guys 

I also got my permanent green card today in the mail. It was approved on 12/18. My processing center was California and they didn't send me any letters previously, just surprised me with the card. 

Yay! Good luck everyone!

I went to the USCIS processing time website, and it seems that the California Service Center went back one month. I don't understand how their processing can "go back in time". I was so excited last month, that they were already in August 3rd, but now it shows as July 27th. This is crazy and sad. T_T

I just came out of the Indianapolis office, the official told me that the supervisor won't come to talk to me, even if I waited for her and that I need to send a letter to speak with one. That same lady basically told me that there were doing me a favor for giving me an i94 card that expires is 30 days from today and that I won't be given another one. She was horrible, bullying every single customer. I asked her why I couldn't just get a card for two months, since they are processing June in California, and she was like no we can't do that because you don't have a valid passport. And when I told her that the service center told me I could get this card she even said that: " they are contractors, they can't see any of your file or information. they don't know what they are doing" 

Ugh.. the lady talked to the supervisor, and they only granted me one month card >.> I was planning on going to Chicago to extend my passport anyway tomorrow. it just takes a long time. If USCIS wouldn't take that long to process by case I wouldn't be asking for these stamps. 

I went back to the Indianapolis field office and I just realized I'm going to see the same lady that denied me the stamp last time. Hopefully this time I don't have any issues. I will insist to get the i-94 card or talk to a supervisor. 

Update: I contacted i-9 central - call center - they told me that my expired green card + i-751 receipt notice were only a document from List C and that I need a List B document (id with photo) to complete the i-9 verification, which is why the employer did it like this. They told me that I need to get the stamp to continue my employment after my green card expired  @.@

They told me that because I was a conditional resident... i was hoping to get some information to show my employer from them, but i got nowhere. 

I scheduled a new appointment to the USCIS field office for next week and i will be going there to get that stamp one way or another, I feel so bad that I was already there and missed my opportunity. 

I decided to contact the DHS about the I-9 verification through email to send a copy of my employer and see if I can keep my job. Thank you so much! 

1 hour ago, shell20 said:

 

Where do you send a complaint? Should I just call USCIS customer service? I am definitely not looking forward to go back to Indianapolis but I will do it if they would give me proof of my status. It sucks, that their delayed processing time affects my life!!!!!! I wish their letters would last until you get the actual card. 

37 minutes ago, Suss&Camm said:

First of all, your employer needs to read the employer handbook on verifying work authorizations.

https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/51-reverifying-employment-authorization-current-employees

It states both that an unrestricted ssn card is enough to reverify but also that:

"Reverification is never required for U.S. citizens and noncitizen nationals. Do not reverify the following documents after they expire: U.S. passports, U.S. passport cards, Alien Registration Receipt Cards/Permanent Resident Cards (Form I-551), and List B documents."

This is because your authorization to work doesn't expire with your document. It is not an EAD.

Thank you so much for your input. I thought so too... like why my company is making me re-verify my documents when my green card and extension letter should have been an item from column A. I didn't know about this rule, as I never had this issue before, but it is very helpful. I will come back and talk to HR again about it. 

I can't renew my passport that easy. Unfortunately, my embassy sucks big time. Just to get my original country ID card it takes 45 days processing time and I have to go in person to request it and then to pick it up... without this ID I can't get a new passport. Then the passport takes another two weeks. >.< So by the time I get it, i will probably have my new green card already.  

31 minutes ago, mindthegap said:

 

For your stamp, or proof of status, if you can't renew your passport quickly then you may realise that you have lost your passport.....

I suggest you then make another infopass and ask for a supervisor this time. If you have no passport, or an expired one, you can be issued an I-94 document as proof of status (I believe that you need to take two passport photos with you for this.). Having lost your passport may, in these circumstances, be beneficial to you, as USCIS basically doesn't give a ####### about you or your status or employment issues, so play them at their own game.

 

 

You have also realised that many USCIS employees make it up as they go along, and really do not have a clue what they are doing, along with the scores of inconsistencies that are commonplace. 

5

Actually I did lose my passport (or I thought I did, and then I found it yesterday) I thought it would have been easier for them to just add it to the passport than to give me a new card... it kills me because I was there waiting for hours (and is a 2hr drive from home with baby and husband) and I didn't get what I needed. :/ I even pointed out to the official that USCIS customer service told me that I could get the I-94 card with the stamp and she told me that "they didnt know what they were saying because they cant see my real status when i call them over the phone".. and i was like... what?!

Thank you!

Hi guys

I've been trying to find information on this matter everywhere in the forums, and I can't find any cases similar to mine. I would like to have some advice in this matter.

I am currently pending on my removal of conditions, my original green card expired on September 2016 and I filed for removal of condition at the beginning of August 2016. My case is on the CSC. I know that many people is being delayed here. Right now, I received a notification from my employer that they will have to terminate me by September 5th if I can't show proof of my eligibility to work after this. When I did my original i-9 they didn't take in consideration my green card and extension letter, but instead, they did the verification with my state id and social security card (I don't know why)

Anyway, I scheduled my infopass appointment today and I went to the field office in Indianapolis, IN. Before coming in, I called customer service who told me that I could get an I-551 stamp to extend my extension letter until the ROC is processed. He also said that if my passport was expired or lost I could get an i-94 card with the same stamp. When I talked to the lady at the office, she said that she couldn't stamp my passport because it was going to expire on September 9th 2017, and that she couldn't give me an i-94 card with the I-551 stamp, because I am a permanent resident. I was shocked. I kept asking her and told her that I would be terminated if I couldn't provide my employer with a new green card. She told me to renew my passport first and get the stamp later, and that my ROC would take at least 45 to 90 days still. Now, is this correct? Or should I had insisted more? 

Right now, its almost impossible for me to get my passport within the time frame, as I don't have my ID from my original country anymore.

I feel as if the only choice i would have would be to be fired from my job and wait for my green card to arrive. Any ideas?

Thank you for any input,

I Just wanted to let you guys know that I called the Customer Service Line and they told me that the processing for August is still within the correct time frame and that I should get an update before the second week of June. He said that if i haven't gotten any communications at that time I should call back and do another inquiry. :/ 

The wait kills....

Thanks so much! That's exactly what I wanted to know. I guess I didn't see your thread.

Though I'm now leaning towards not trying for the fee waiver, after totaling our year-to-date income, which is already close to the limit. Feeling like maybe I can't honestly claim that our "current income" is below 150% of poverty. :-/

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/609723-fee-waiver-for-roc-granted/

This is my case explained. I didn't claim 150% of poverty but financial hardship. Like you I am also a little above the limit for yearly income. I could have gotten a loan of paid my mortgage with my credit card and use my cash, but that would have just put my family in greater debt. And right now, that is the worse we could do. We live paycheck to paycheck and we add emergency expenses on credit cards. If you can afford it I would definitely say pay for it, but if your situation is not the greatest at the moment, it doesn't hurt trying anyway.

Good luck!

Wingnut I got my fee waiver approved today. I made a thread with more details about it. It took 21 days for my NOA to arrive and I was concerned with the result because my green card expired one week ago. I called the national uscis line, and they confirmed me that if you get the petition denied, you can submit the denial letter as proof of your original filing. So when you file with the fee, you won't be penalized from filing after the time frame.

Ouch what happened in this thread? I hope I didn't upset anyone.

Hello!

I recently submitted my I-751 pack for Removal of conditions, and currently, the money in our home is pretty tight. When I was looking into the fee waiver experiences in the forum I couldn't find a lot of information. Most people would either get denied or didn't try to request one. I want to share my experience with my fee waiver. As a reminder, a fee waiver is granted on a case-by-case basis, anything written on this post is for informational purposes only.

I submitted my original package on August 18th, my I-751 application and I-912 Request for Fee waiver together. My Conditional Green Card was expiring on September 5th. I sent supporting documentation for both forms. Just today I received my NOA (09/12) and it was postmarked on 09/07. Along with my I-751, I sent a check for $85 biometrics fee. I wasn't sure about this, but I assumed it was necessary.

About us: My husband (US Citizen) and I got married on 2014. Last December our first baby was born. Right now I stay at home with her while my husband has a full-time job. Our baby was a preemie and has some developmental delays which make me concerned of sending her to daycare as she needs undivided attention and we couldn't afford a specialized one. Our annual gross income is 35k a couple thousands over the 150% poverty line. We live paycheck to paycheck with very little to no savings so far. In July this year we had a bad leak in our roof, which we had to get replaced and pay with credit cards. Ever since I stopped working (due to pregnancy complications), we have been using our credit cards to supplement our income. At the time of the application, I calculated our credit card debt to be a little over 10k and we are repaying a bank loan of 7k, which we took two years ago to consolidate my husband's credit card debt back then. We are also paying a mortgage on our home.

I used Financial Hardship as the reason for my request and to support my request I submitted the following:

- Copies of my checking and savings account statement for the last three months.

- Paystubs of my husband's job for the last four months.

- A statement of Zero income from me (due to my lack of employment).

- Credit card statements

- Mortgage statement

- Personal loan statement

- Auto insurance bill

- All our utility bills including our cell phone bills

Originally, I was going to get a loan to pay the fee, but that would only set us even deeper in debt. I took a chance at requesting a fee waiver and it worked. I was told by the reps at the National USCIS number, that even if my fee waiver was denied, I would still be able to submit the check and send the application back. I hope this helps anyone thinking of requesting a fee waiver.

Thank you for responding so fast lyzdude I was about to erase my post, because I went ahead and found the ROC facts in the forum. But thank you, I almost freaked out. I was planning on going back to my home country for the xmas holidays for this year with my baby and my husband. But i dont know if I could have a problem to get in and out of the country. :/ I just came back from Peru in June, and I had to go through the long line, as my green card was close to expiration.

Im sorry if this has been asked before, but 6 months... does that mean that it will take 6 month from the time they receive the file to get a response? I am about to send my I-751 but my green card expires on September 5th. Does that mean that I will be without one until the end of the year?

No. I would come for four months to the US to work during my school break. It is a Work and Travel program. It is the closest option of what is available to citizens of Greece under the conditions you mentioned. A work sponsored visa is not viable in your case. So I was just trying to give you an option.

EAD card received yesterday. Now to apply for SSN

My husband received his EAD in the mail yesterday as well and even though he's been approved for the GC, we figured that we'd run down to the SS office to apply for one since he's waiting to accept a job and any extra time having it will help! The people at the office were pleasant but they were unable to verify him in the system. They said that it was right on the cusp of the ten days that it normally takes DHS to update their system. They said that they would hold on to the application and try to process it every day until he shows up in the system. You're on the same timeline as us for the EAD..same approval date, same day receiving it. I hope yours is already in the system by the time you get there!

Hi,

Just to let you both know that if you apply to SS without your green card, you will have an annotation on the card: Valid for work only with DHS authorization. This is the reason why I am waiting for my GC to do it.

Hi Azagarath,

I believe you might be on a shady spot right here. Did she have the B2 visa from before your marriage? or did she apply after? It would be very strange that a B2 visa would be granted to a US citizen foreign wife, because that is a potential immigrant. If you file for AOS, it will lead to a lot of questions from USCIS, mainly about your wife's intentions to migrate when she entered the country. Moreover, if you are having problems with money at the moment, you shouldn't think that she will be able to work while she is filing for AOS, because the work permit usually takes 90 days to be issued from the time they start processing the application. The application itself is around $1500 and if you hire a lawyer you could easily end up spending at least $1000 more. (I didnt hire a lawyer for mine).

Hi guys

I also got approved after my interview on Sept 5th. I posted my experience on a separate thread on the forum.

Best wishes to all that are still waiting.

Hi Jim,

Have you thought about doing a Work and Travel program? I came to the US on a J-1 visa for four years to work for up to four months in the US to get the experience. For a J-1 visa you will need a U.S. sponsor designated by the Department of State that have offices in Greece and that could allow you to get your own Job Offer. Usually sponsors have a set of countries where they work and a set of employers that they work with. However, some allow independent employers. Usually you will have to pay the fees of the representative in your country and you have to be in a superior educational institution (like a college or technical/vocational schools) currently studying or recent graduate. It depends on each country and each representative.

During my J-1 programs I worked with CIEE, who is a J-1 visa sponsor, therefore, I know all the rules from the Department of State for these programs. Unfortunately, CIEE no longer works on Greece. But I am sure you could find other sponsors that have representatives in your country. This might be an expensive option, but I think it is worth researching. Usually students come during the summer months to work for four months at a time. There are also internship programs, that could last up to 1 year, and have other requirements.

If you would like to see a list of sponsors go to this website: http://j1visa.state.gov/participants/how-to-apply/sponsor-search/

Good luck!

Hi tamilian,

Your I-94 was recorded with a fixed date of departure because of your type of visa. However, you were never in a plane to go back to your country, so they never scanned your passport when you "left". Making that departure date invalid. If you wanted to be double sure, I would recommend you contacting CBP at one of the deferred inspection sites closest to you ( http://www.cbp.gov/contact/deferred-inspection/overview-deferred-inspection ). They check your I-94 and can correct it if it needs to be corrected.

Hello everybody:

I opened this thread to share my AOS interview experience with all of you:

My husband and I got married on April 24th, 2014 and filed for AOS on June 13th, 2014. (I entered the country on a J-1 visa that expired on March 17th, 2014). He is an over the road truck driver and we only see each other 4 or 5 days each month. At the time we filed our paperwork we didn't have a place of our own (We were living with friends) and we got an apartment one month before the interview.

Our interview was scheduled for 9:30am on September 5th, at the Indianapolis office.

We arrived early (around 9:10am) and the office was somewhat crowded. We handed in our appointment letter and waited for some minutes. The IO called my name and made me go in by myself first. I followed her to her office, and she made me take the oath and notified me that my interview was being recorded. She asked for my passport, driver license/SS card and any documents issued by USCIS, and then confirmed my identity. She asked me for my name and I explained to her that my maiden name was one and that I wanted to change my name to my husband's, which was the reason why I filed all my documents in that name. Then she asked me about my address, which I recently changed. When my husband and I got an apartment we filed a change of address online (August 18th) and two days later I received a letter from USCIS confirming the change of address. However, the IO couldn't find it, and I explained to her where I was living before and showed her the change of address letter from USCIS. She took note of the new address and replaced it on my original form. She also asked me all the NO questions (criminal history, terrorism, etc) that were in the I-485 form. Every time I said something she would made a check on my original application.

She asked me about my last travel information and the amount of J-1 visas I had. She checked my passport for four J-1 visas and I explained to her that I was doing Work and Travel programs during my college years. She asked me what kind of jobs I did under the J-1 visa and where. After this she started asking me about my relationship with my husband:

- When and where did you meet?

- When did you meet for the first time in person?

- When did you get married? Where was the ceremony?

- Where was the ceremony?

- Who performed the ceremony?

- What did you do after the wedding?

- How many people attended the wedding?

- Were your families at the wedding?

- Where did you live after the wedding?

- What does your husband do for a living?

- Are you currently working?

There were some other questions I don't remember anymore, and most likely came along after one of my comments.

I tried to answer each question accurately and giving as many details as I could without sounding confusing. I was a little nervous, but the IO seemed to enjoy my story and that made me comfortable to give her more information. At the end she asked me if I had additional documentation and if I wanted to show her something.

I took 40 pictures with me, our wedding photo book (I designed the book with pictures from our marriage and send it to print as a book, with a customized cover), an engraved box with our names (where we keep our memorabilia), new bills, lease agreement and a letter from his employer. The IO took some of the pictures, the ones where friends and family were shown mostly, and told me that it was all and that now she was going to call my husband in. He came in the office alone and I waited outside.

With my husband she basically reviewed all my answers. After they were done she gave him a paper where it says: You have been recommended for approval. We were so excited.

Around 5pm in the afternoon my I-485 status in my case status changed to Card production and his I-130 changed to "Post Decision activity" where they described that they mailed the notice that his petition was approved.

We got approved and now we can rest from USCIS for one year and 9 months, until ROC.

Thanks for all the help and support that VJ users have given us. We couldn't have done it without you.!!!

Best of luck for all of you that are waiting for your interviews.

For the ones that know me, I had my interview today and I got recommended for approval. Yay!!! I will make a post later about my experience, 2 hrs to get home. ?

For the doctor prices, it all depends on your location. I called all my doctors close to my city. Prices ranged from $290 to $500. This exam is not covered by insurance, so you have to pay out of pocket anyway. The cheapest one was the Allen County health department but it took me three weeks to get an appointment because they are so busy. So you should do that right away.