nmic7

Hi,

We were also processed at the NBC and had two RFEs. You can take a look at my signature to see more details.

Good luck!

So according the VJ guide , certified copies are required. I've been reading everywhere that all we need to send is regular photo copies of required documentation. What is the right information?

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide2

Also the instructions to assemble I-130 includes a G-325A one filled up from me and another one from my husband. Ok, checked.

The instructions to assemble I-485 also includes another G-325A of the non US citizen with 2 pictures in a plastic bag ( a zip lock bag is ok?)

This means we send out three (3) filled up G-325A, 2 of the non US citizen and 1 of the Petitioner ( my US citizen husband) ?

Thank you

I can only speak from our experience, but regular photo copies are fine.

A zip lock should be ok, we used small plastic bags and clipped them onto the documents.

Yes, 3 G-325A.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reassurance! This morning the GC was already at the USPS post office in our zip code and the delivery date changed to today. So we should be good. Very confusing though...

Hi,

You should be fine. We actually didn't include that much information in the file, only joint bank account, a phone bill on both our names, and joint dental insurance. And we prepared the extensive file for the interview.

Good luck!

Hi everyone,

My wife's GC was picked up from USPS on Friday, May 9, and it was on transit with expect delivery date today. We didn't get it and an hour ago the USPS tracking information changed to

Your shipment was accepted/picked up at 7:52 pm on May 12, 2014 in CHICAGO, IL 60623.

And the status changed from "In transit" to "Accepted". Is this normal? The shipment was coming from Knoxville, TN and we live in VA so it doesn't make sense to go through Chicago. Really hoping it's not bad.

Thanks!

We just used regular USPS, including for RFE responses, and had no issues.

Hi,

We had 2 RFEs (first was yellow, second was pink) and both times we sent the copy, not the original RFE letter and had no issues. Sorry to hear about your bad luck! Hopefully things will go smoother from now on! Good luck!

Thank you everyone!

Congrats on your successful interview! We just had our interview on April 30th at the office in New Orleans, LA. Unfortunately, I didn't find the office to be as nice as the one you visited. In particular the security guards were quite unprofessional in that they were constantly talking loudly to each other complaining about their jobs. They were friendly enough though, and the officer who interviewed us was great (friendly, professional, patient)

Now, to answer your questions based on our experience. We each received a notice 3 days after our interview. One notice for the 485 and one for the 130 in separate envelopes, the 485 addressed to the beneficiary and the 130 addressed to the petitioner. If you check on your status at the uscis website they will give you a tracking number once your green card has shipped (via USPS). In our case it is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, exactly 1 week after our interview.

Congratulations again on making it through this process!

Congrats to you too! I didn't get anything in the mail yet, but I just got a status update that the card was mailed!

Congrats to you guys.Filing this month,hope to have a good experience too

Good luck!!! VJ has helped us so much, I hope it will help you guys as well!

Congrats! I've read read a few threads where people had not-so-pleasant experiences at that office, glad it went well!

We read them too and were also a bit scared but it went very well. Good luck to you too, hope your interview will be scheduled soon!

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share some thoughts here. VJ has helped us very much during this process and I hope that maybe our experience will help others in the future.

We had our interview yesterday, May 5 2014, at the USCIS office in Fairfax, VA. I am the USC and my wife is the beneficiary. We were scheduled for 8:40 a.m. and got there around 8:00 a.m. with a bunch of documents, namely: all the originals for the documents that we sent with our application, a photo album, and some more evidence (copies of debit cards in both our names, a voided check that shows both our names, and latest bank statements for our joint checking account; joint health insurance; joint dental insurance; 2013 tax return - which I filed as single at first because my wife didn't have an SSN but as soon as she got one, we ammended it to Married Filing Jointly; receipts for wedding bands; plane tickets, hotel tickets and different other tickets from our latest trip and for our upcoming trip; forms from work showing that I have listed my wife as beneficiary in case something happens to me; also, I recently started a new job so I brought my latest and only paystub and a letter from my employer; my wife's SS card and paystubs - everything listed was original plus copy).

First of all, I really liked everything about the office - very clean, spacious, everyone was very friendly and nice. We left our interview notice at the front desk and at about 9:00 a.m. an immigration officer (African American man, in his 50s) called my wife's name. We both got up, took the files and the photo album and followed him. We felt relieved that he was very easy going and polite. He smiled all the time, opened the doors for us, etc.

After entering his office, he asked us to remain standing so we can take the oath. Then we sat down and said he will begin talking to the petitioner. He started verifying all the information in the forms which was related to me - full name, SSN, address, names of parents, phone number, etc. After this, he turned his attention towards my wife and started asking the same questions related to her information. Everything was fine so he procedeed to the yes/no questions on the form. I must add that he kept smiling all the time and maintaing a very relaxed atmosphere. After the questions, he asked me how we met. I told him our story for a few minutes. He seemed to really enoy it. My wife would occasionally say something, or he would make a joke or ask a question. Very nice. I kept wondering when something would go wrong - maybe he would change his attitude or maybe he would interpret something the wrong way. But that didn't happen. After stating the facts, he asked if we had pictures. My wife handed him the photo album and we was very impressed. She actually made a beautiful scrap book with our pictures and different stickers and small stories. He complimented her and joked about how you can tell that a woman put it together. Also, when I was telling him how we met, he took some notes on a post-it which he placed in our file. He looked through the album, sometimes asking where a certain picture was taken. He returned the album to my wife and then asked if we want to add anything to the file. That's when we showed him the additional documents and he kept all the copies except the pay stubs and employment letter - he said that he doesn't need those. We forgot to make a copy of the wedding bands receipts so he said he will make one and return it to us. After this, he asked me what I do for a living and what are our plans for the future. He then said that we will get a decision in the mail in 2-3 weeks and that things move fast nowadays. He escorted us to the waiting room while he made a copy of the receipts, then came back to give them to us, and said goodbye. Overall it was a wonderful experience, he was such a nice guy, the kind of person one would like to have as a friend.

At around 3:30 p.m. yesterday, the status of the i-485 changed to the following:

Your Case Status: Card/ Document Production
On May 5, 2014, we ordered production of your new card. Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you. If we need something from you we will contact you. If you move before you receive the card, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

Afterwards, at around 9 p.m. it changed to:

Your Case Status: Decision

On May 5, 2014, we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before receiving your card, please call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

And the i-130 changed at the same time to:

Your Case Status: Post Decision Activity

On May 5, 2014, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

How long does it usually take to get the GC in the mail after this point? Do the notice and GC come as separate mailings? It's a little confusing that the status of the i-485 changed two times, but I've read that this is common. Also, do they send the tracking number and everything the same way they did for the EAD?

Thanks again for everyone who posts on this forum and gives helpful information!

I would be happy to answer any questions regarding our process.

Cheers!

He has to get a divorce in Vietnam. I was also married and divorced abroad, and for the AOS of my wife I sent the divorce certificate that I got from that country, with all the necessary stamps on it, including one from the US Embassy, plus a translation. I think that's what they are looking for. Also, if I remember correctly, on the application for the marriage certificate they asked for the date and location of my divorce so I don't understand how he got married in the US. This may differ from state to state though.

Hi,

We also had two RFEs. In our case, the second one was unrelated to the first one, and we responded to it the very same they we got it in the mail. Overall I don't think it delayed our processing time too much. You can check out my signature for details. Good luck!

5 days after we were placed in Testing and Interview we got the update that they mailed the interview notice and that it's scheduled on May 5. My wife got her EAD before this, but we also had 2 RFEs. Nevertheless, I am surprised that things moved so fast.

Seems like things are going great for you! Congratulations and hope you get the EAD and interview notice soon!

A week: from 03/13 to 03/20.

I actually got 2 RFEs, you can check out the dates in my signature for details.

Me and my wife successfully opened a joint account at BOA. They did not ask for any visa, just said to update our account as soon as she gets the SSN. She used her passport as ID. I am already a BOA customer, so maybe that made a difference, I don't know. But the process went very quickly and smoothly, they also issued a debit card for her. Maybe you should try another BOA branch if you're set on this bank. Good luck!

You're an attorney.

Don't you have lawyer friends who work in immigration law that can help you out?

Strange that an attorney would come here looking for advice from amateurs.

I have done everything by myself until now, without any prior knowledge of immigration law (I specialize in a completely different field). I value the advice given on this forum, I didn't think that it was prohibited to discuss an issue here if you hold a JD.

EAD is on hold, and if you fail to satisfy them, they can and will deny

Thanks for your answer! Hopefully it won't be the case, I will do my best to gather as much evidence as possible. What do you think about re-submitting form I-864? Is it necessary?

Thank you everyone for your time and help. I will be sending everything next week. Do I need to include the I-864 form as well? Also, I was wondering if my wife's EAD is also on hold until they verify the RFE response. If they still don't like it, do they keep on sending RFEs or is a denial possible?

Thank you all for your help.

I have started my own practice at the end of November, 2013. I just made an appoinment to file my 2013 taxes but if I wait to request transcripts from the IRS it's going to take too long (last time it took 10 business days). Would it be too risky to just submit what my accountant gives me after filing the taxes? Also, given that I only had one month in 2013, I'm thinking of sending some other things you suggested - invoices, bank statements. I also receive a monthly payment from my ex-wife and that alone would exceed the poverty line. Would it be a good idea to include our divorce agreement and past bank statements proving that I indeed receive those monthly payments?

Hi everyone,

I have just received the dreaded RFE for form I-864. When submitting the original package, I included IRS transcripts for 2012, 2011 and 2010 and a statement from myself regarding the estimate current income (almost double than the poverty line). I'm an attorney and in 2013 I have opened my own solo practice so I have no pay stubs or letters from employer. When I filed for health insurance with the state government, I was told that in my situation the common practice is to submit a statement in which I declare my income. So I thought that it would be sufficient for the USCIS also but it seems like it isn't. At this point, I am very confused as to what I could possibly submit in order to prove that I will exceed the poverty line. I have several clients and a consistent workload so I am certain that I will double the poverty line. If anyone has a similar experience or can give me some advice, I will be very grateful.

Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone,

I found online from different sources that you have to put this statement on the copies of the supporting documents you submit to UCSIS. Is that true, did anyone do this?

Copies of documents submitted are exact photocopies of unaltered original documents and I understand that I may be required to submit original documents to an immigration or consular official at a later date.

She came here as a temporary visitor - B2. Her stay expires at the end of February.

Thank you very much for your answer! I also have a question related to this issue - maybe you or someone else can help me. Does he have an alien number? My wife has to fill out form i-485 and she will list him as her stepson and I do not know if he has an A-number. My ex-wife has all his documents and it would be somewhat difficult to get her to help me with this. Thanks again!

Hi everyone,

I am filling form i-130 for my spouse and I have an issue with question D2 Have you ever before filed a petition for this or any other alien?

I am a liitle uncertain as to how I should answer this because I was married before and my son was born in a foreign country several years ago, so I went to that US Embassy and declared him at that time, filled out some paperwork (but I am pretty sure it was not a i-130) and they gave me a passport for him. Does that qualify as me filing a petition? Was he an alien also?

I would appreciate any help, thank you!