russell

It seems that having good credit here in the states is much more important than it was in england. Im not sure if this is the right section to post in o appologies if it isnt.

Now im here and im a resident and have a year or so to relax from paperwork, how do i go about applying for a credit card ? ive seen some offers for people with bad credit.. these cards typically take your first born child limb by limb with each payment

I dont have bad credit i have no credit here, but do i still end up in the same bracket as someone who does have bad credit ?

I dont want to pay a bank 120annual fee/99 account setup fee/89 application fee.. totalling nigh on $250.. just to have a card in my wallet, id rather not have one at all..

Anyone had any experience in this department ? im getting placed onto our bank account tomorrow, and our bank manager is a realy nice guy, am i better off seeing what he can do for me ?

Thanks in advance,

Russ

I got my letter of approval today, my AOS took 6 months and 5 days and an interview was not requested. Is that normal ? is that unusually fast ?

I only got my EAD last week. Does that mean i dont need to reapply for an EAD after 1 year anymore ? can i get a passport or do i need to be a citizen.. oh and one more question, can i enter the airport at the residents queue or do i still have to queue in the loooong immigration queue ?

sorry for all the questions im just excited !

: )

Well that sounds re-assuring, but what happens with regards to the taxes i claim ? any monies i earn would have to be paid to me tax free ? and i would have to record that and claim them in my tax return ?

Thanks for your quick reply

Russ

I received my EAD card last week, and for some reason i assumed it would include my SSN number, but it doesnt. I went to the social security office and applied, they told me it would take 6 to 10 weeks. Does this mean i cannot start work ? even with an EAD ? Do i have to wait for my SSN number before i can apply/accept job offers ?

Why cant the government institutions combine ? and give a SSN with the EAD ? i guess that would be far to easy

Russ.. waiting another 6 - 10 weeks and venting my splien !

Well i emailed the 2 senators who had gotten in touch with USCIS 2 weeks ago, within 24 hours they had both emailed me back to say i had been approved and my card was in production.

Over 150 days, but its going to be here and i can start work, im so excited.

If anyone reads this and worries.. dont wait as long as i did before getting in touch with your local senator(s)

Regards

Russell

I emailed 2 senators, and they promptly got in touch with uscis. Uscis told both senators that i would have my case decided within 2 weeks (i havent heard that one before)...

2 weeks has passed yesterday, and still nothing, i emailed both senators back yesterday t let them know. Am i under some investigation that they just dont want to tell me about ? do they not like my name ? my background check should be over with swiftly as i have no convictions, i am not affiliated with any militant organisations.. i just dont understand why its taking over 150 days to process me, and they keep dangling this fabled '2 weeks' infront of my face

I am going to advise that you go again to the infopass appt AND contact a senator. My husband and I have been waiting for over a year now for his EAD and our other petitions and we received no response whatsoever. However, the moment that Senator Webb contacted the NBC, the USCIS told us they will not do anything for us until his background check comes back. I just think that they will take things seriously once you get the senator involved. you're well over 90 day

s and have a job waiting for you--go for the senator's intervention.

more worrisome is that interim EADs are no longer issued.

Well i called a second time this afternoon, and the lady told me 'you placed a service request on your file today' to which i replied that it is the 2nd service request. She said 'ok, after the 2nd service request, 30 days, if you still havent heard anything then call us back'. My reply to this was that i wont hear anything within 30 days, so then it wil be the 3rd service request and it will continue in that manner indefinately, she then told me 'no, they hardly ever need 3 service requests'.

If this were not a matter so severe, it would be humerous

I contacted all the senators listed in louisiana, by email this afternoon, there were 5 i think ? and i had a reply from one of them so far to say thankyou for my email, which is nice knowing they aknowledge receipt of it.

Ill keep updated, should anything happen, in the meantime plan another trip to New Orleans, which will be as fruitless as the first 2

Info pass and request an interim EAD, it has been more than 90 days.

Hi,

You cannot get an Interim EAD anymore, whether or not that is accross the board i dont know, but New Orleans told me they have not issued them for 6 months now.

: /

The local offices do not issue interim EADs BUT the local office will call NBC and tell them you've been waiting. Good luck and pls do go ASAP. Make sure you are after them...and bring in the senator if you need to. I did and that was the only way USCIS confirmed what we believed was wrong in our case.

Both times i went to new orleans, they called the NBC to ask them where my permit was, the first time as i said they told me it would be here within 10 days, the second time the NBC said 'its on the adjudicators desk and we have asked that it be placed on the top of the pile'... they told me that interim EAD's are no longer issued at all and that they did not know why it was still on the website,

it has been suggested that i should go to new orleans and request to see a supervisor, i think this would be my next step, followed by a letter to my senator,

i just have a sneaky suspicion that when i go back to new orleans the supervisor is going to tell me the same thing 'its on the supervisors desk and you should just be patient'...

Russ

Info pass and request an interim EAD, it has been more than 90 days.

Hi,

You cannot get an Interim EAD anymore, whether or not that is accross the board i dont know, but New Orleans told me they have not issued them for 6 months now.

: /

Hi all,

I sent off my application for my work permit in december, the date of my receipt is December 29th. I still have not received the card and the website states processing dates at the NBC is now in January. Ive been to my district office at New Orleans 2 times, the first time i was told i would have it within 10 days, the second time the lady told me i should go ahead and start work and just wait for my card, until i pointed out the legality of such a proposal. Every time i call USCIS i get told 'you will just need to be patient'.

Now im running out of ideas and steam. Should i contact a lawyer ? should i drive to the NBC ? should i just keep waiting ? i have been offered a job recently and the employer is only going to keep the offer open for so long.

: /

Hi,

Ive been pondering about the 90 day work authorisation stamp that can be issued at some airports upon arrival, does anyone know of a list of airports who do this ? is it something to ask about at the interview ? how does it work ? ive searched but cant find what im looking for so im hoping someone will know : )

Thankyou

Russell

Lucky duck, that was fast! Have fun and congratulations!

Thankyou v much,

Bear in mind though that i sent the first batch of packet 3 forms in maybe 8 weeks previous, then the checklist was sent once i had my 2nd batch of forms ready for interview...

Im so damn excited, im due to fly out in 2 weeks : )

It hasnt even struck home yet, if my interview goes well, im not even going to book a flight.. ill just float over the atlantic

Hi all,

Just to let people know i got my interview date for the 22nd August.. My previous post some people may have read about and remember as i wasnt sure if i was going to get interviewed before my wedding date.. well i will be, phew.. disaster averted.

If anyone has any hints or things that may be of help from their interview experience ? the kinds of questions asked ? ill be doing some searching on here too..

I sent the packet 3 checklist back on the 18th July, interview on the 22nd August, not a bad turnaround time..

Cheers

Russell

Just a quick update.. The Justice of the Peace has informed us that it is very safe to have a ceremony, we can do everything apart from sign a marriage license, even exchange rings and vows. Apparently it is done as two seperate occasions quite often. Then when we are both good and ready we can sign the marriage license with witnesses infront of the same Justice of the Peace, i have emailed the embassy to let them know my plans just to be doubly safe, so i await there reply with bated breath, disaster averted!

Russell + Chloe

carefull is the watch word.. neither of us are religeous people, our wedding is planned at a country club.. with a justice of the peace, no religeous denominations are involved, so it will strictly be a party, a pre-marital celebration

Thanks all

Russ

Hi

Thanks david and marina, that confirms what i was beginning to think was the best option, to go ahead and have the ceremony but not legally marry until a later date.

The marriage license can be signed infront of a judge, so legally i wont be married on september the 9th.

And the best part is that i dont have to be coy with USCIS about any of the detail either as its perfectly legally acceptable.

As for emailing the embassy, i have done that and now am just awaiting a reply so fingers crossed.

My worse case scenario is doing what was suggested by david and marina, and flying back here for the interview and (hopefully) subsequent approval !!

Disaster averted thanks to helpfull peeps at VJ.. were so very grateful for your input

Russell + Chloe..

P.S check out our myspace.. http://www.myspace.com/chloeandrussell

"Im not sure where to post this so i expect it will be moved..

Just an idea we had, when you are asked to produce evidence of an ongoing relationship, surely myspace.com can come in handy !

This really is a gratuitous plug isnt it... : )

Have a look at it and let us know what you think.."

When i read that back, to me it reads as a jovial message, clearly it must read the wrong way, like this is my evidence and i will present it..

As for the page, you may not be able to read it, on my monitor it read just fine last night, the background is now changed to a darker one so thanks for the input... maybe LS was rude ? theres no maybe about it, if they couldnt read it theres a ton of nicer ways to put it

Im abandoning this post as people clearly take things way to seriously.. im off to think up of another light hearted forum topic, post it.. then open myself up for poking, prodding and general disappreciation

Cheers

haha,

ah hell, it was only a bit of a fun post, im not really going to present it, as it isnt proof, your right. It was just a fun idea, also it might give a couple of others to make a 'joint myspace' with their partner, its a fun excercise and anything that can involve 2 people so far apart has to be a good thing.

I have plenty of proper evidence.. as for the timeline, i dont have a record of dates so i never wrote one to save misguiding people, i guess i should do one and just give a month instead of an exact date.

As for you LastSurvior.. looks like you got out of the bed on the wrong side this morning,

"If they can actually look at that garbled up hard to read mess then I'm sure they will buy it as evidence of a relationship. If that's all you have then I'm sure the U.S.C.I.S. will love your myspace mess."

Im not sure what makes you so bitter but im sure it will pass.. this was meant to be a fun post.. ill be sure not to invade your depression with any more of them..

as for my myspace mess.. yeah i love it : )

Russ

Im not sure where to post this so i expect it will be moved..

Just an idea we had, when you are asked to produce evidence of an ongoing relationship, surely myspace.com can come in handy !

This really is a gratuitous plug isnt it... : )

Have a look at it and let us know what you think..

http://www.myspace.com/chloeandrussell

All the best,

Russell

DO NOT PLAN YOUR WEDDING BEFORE YOU GET YOUR VISA IN HAND!

(And don't whine if you do and end up with a scrwewed up wedding, screwed up visa or worse.)

Thats great.. real productive.. i wish we all could have the powerful hindsight you obviously posess and never make a slightly off coloured decision in our lives, especially a decision based on love, excitement, <now badly made> assumptions that everything will go how you woudl like it to and apparently leaving plenty of time to spare,

My post was to try and rectify a mistake i have made and recognised, didnt you see that at the start of the post ?

Anyway, thankyou all those who posted helpul advice in response to my obvious 'whining'.. as a result of the constructive replies, i just realised that the justice of the peace who is conducting our ceremony is a friend of my fiances sister, so now i have someone who might be able to help me with any legal questions about the ceremony

Thanks again

No TracyTN, im not going to lie.. my post was to see what my options were.. i have no intention of lying about anything its far too risky.. i wasnt sure where i would stand thats why i p[roposed the 3 options. The wedding postponment seems the most sensible option..

Im in the uk, my fiance is in lousiana.. my packet 3 checklist was sent back 2 weeks ago, i have not received packet 4 yet.. thats why im concerned about my interview..

Thankyou all for replies..

Russell

Hi all,

Im in a bit of an anxious dilema.

Everything from packet 3 has been done and sent off. Im simply awaiting my packet 4 and interview. Now my dilema is this, my wedding date is booked for September the 9th, it has been booked for a good 6 months. Rather naively i had assumed that the visa would have been done and dusted by then with plenty of time to spare.

Anyway, instead of kicking myself about tight timing i have to think of solutions. At the moment i dont envisage my interview being before September the 9th, so what should i do ?

Should i move the wedding back a month and inconvenience all of the people due to attend ?

Or should i fly over and go ahead with my wedding as planned, come back here for my interview and hope nobody spots what we have done ?

Or should i equally fly over and go ahead with my wedding and apply then for a visa more suited to our new situation ?

The flaw in the 2nd option is that someone somewhere will figure out we got married before the interview, and that could mean trouble right ?

The flaw in the 3rd option means that it will set us back a whole 10 months as we will then be starting a new journey on a new and equally long/stressing visa package.. not being able to work etc etc..

The 1st option looks the best option, but i cant even begin to envisage the amount of stress my fiance would take onboard with having to move wedding plans..

Any suggestions ??

Thankyou in advance

Russell

My medical was fine, was split into 2 doctors, one did my chest x-ray and handed me my robe, i stripped behind the curtain.. boxers and all.. to which the doctor giggled and replied "no.. only waist up.. you can keep those on"

Had my chest x-ray, went through to the other doctor who did the other part of the exam, stripped but left my boxers on and robe, laid down, did her stuff on the upper half and then just said "need to take a little peek".. and that was it : )

Russ (Uk.. other medicals maybe different)

I just received an emai from the consulat stating thus..

"The Immigrant Visa Unit can confirm that they have received all of the completed forms except the Document Checklist, IV-15. In order to continue with the processing of your application you are required to return the IV-15 as soon as possible. On receipt of this we will be in contact. If you have already returned this form please note that there is a delay of 6 - 8 weeks between the date the forms are received by the Embassy and the date in which they are processed and entered on to our system"

I sent the checklist back on the 18th July recorded mail.. and now there telling me theres a 6 to 8 week delay before they even acknowledge receipt of my sending it ?? Where was this delay in their literature ?? i couldve ticked all the boxes, sent it back straight away and gotten the forms needed by the tickboxes during that 6 - 8 week delay.. im so

Please someone tell me this isnt going to take 6 - 8 weeks just for them to check in their pigeon holes and say 'yeah we got your checklist, heres packet 4'.. thats just plain ridiculous, i hate these hoops, i feel like a performing monkey

Hi all,

Another day another post.

I sent the information for packet 3 back to the embassy in london on tuesday the 18th, by recorded mail. So now i am awaiting packet 4, which i assume contains my interview date ?

Does anybody know how long it takes for my packet 4 to arrive ? Ive had a look at some other UK members and the couple of timelines i have seen all have different lengths of time or they are difficult to decipher.

Any info is a great help. I sent the consulate an email just now asking for pretty much the same, albeit im not holding my breath for a swift reply, when they do reply however, i will leave a note on here to help anyone else who ever searches the forums for the same thing.

Regards and thanks

Russell

Hi all,

Another day another post.

I sent the information for packet 3 back to the embassy in london on tuesday the 18th, by recorded mail. So now i am awaiting packet 4, which i assume contains my interview date ?

Does anybody know how long it takes for my packet 4 to arrive ? Ive had a look at some other UK members and the couple of timelines i have seen all have different lengths of time or they are difficult to decipher.

Any info is a great help. I sent the consulate an email just now asking for pretty much the same, albeit im not holding my breath for a swift reply, when they do reply however, i will leave a note on here to help anyone else who ever searches the forums for the same thing.

Regards and thanks

Russell

Update, i have had the medical and everything else, i have all of my forms with me.. im anxious and excited all at the same time