skooter85

Green card interview was yesterday - approved!

We went to the one in San Bernardino. Our appointment was at 7:15am so we got there at 6:45. There was a small line outside the building as it hadn't officially opened yet. It opened at 7 and they let us inside. We went through a small security checkpoint and then upstairs to wait to be called. Our interviewer was a nice older gentleman who was very calm and friendly. He asked us to take an oath and then if we were married, if we had kids, lived together, and then proceeded to ask my wife if she was a part of any social groups and went down a checklist of questions like "have you ever been arrested" or "have you been part of a communist party". Then he asked if we had any photos we'd like to share so we gave him 7 or so. He looked at her passport and laughed because he thought it was "really neat".

We gave him copies of all the documents we brought and he went through them and gave us back the ones he didn't think he needed. After that, he left the office for a few minutes, came back, and gave her the passport back. He took her EAD and punched a hole in it and said "You don't need this anymore. I'll give you something better!" and then stamped a piece of paper with an approved stamp and gave it to us. He said "Congratulations!" and just gave us some instructions on how to renew it in 2 years. Then he walked us out.

That was it! Feels real nice and we can breathe again lol.

Update! Wife called today and they told her they just approved it. They said we should get it in a couple weeks.

Wife got her EAD approved on March 4th but due to some mishap with USCIS, she didn't get the combo card until the end of April. Once she had the card we went and applied for a SSN. It's been over 2 weeks and nothing in the mail yet. She called today and they said they were still verifying her EAD with the Dept of Homeland Security.

Does it really take 2 months for them to verify the EAD? Has this happened to anyone?

I'm the petitioner. We have our AOS interview in June and they sent us a checklist of stuff to bring. I have a few concerns and questions:

1) Medical Exam and Affidavit of Support - it says "unless already submitted" - that means they have this right since I sent all that in with the original package for AOS?

2) Evidence of relationship - What do you recommend? I do have her on utility bills but we just got her social security number so she's not officially on my bank account or lease yet - though her maiden name is on the lease. More pictures? Sorry, a little lost here.

3) I tend to freeze up when I'm nervous - it's a natural reaction. I don't want to accidentally answer a question in a way that they would deny our case and like, deport her or something. Any advice on how to handle questions about our relationship?

4) I got 2 raises at my job since I submitted the affidavit of support - I'm still way over the minimum amount but not sure if I need to bring more paystubs or something.

5) Any other advice you can offer would be great.

I believe I'm one step behind you. My status says,

"As of April 16, 2015, we are ready to schedule your Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status, Receipt Number XXXXXXXXX, for an interview. We will schedule your interview and send you a notice. Please follow any instructions in the notice."

Was this your status previous to your updated one? If so, how long did you wait for them to schedule the interview?

I know I know... Just wait right?

Actually no. It's weird - the status talked about how they got our fingerprint fee for months and then we got this one this morning.

Got the following notice today:

On May 7, 2015, we scheduled you for your interview and mailed you an interview notice for Receipt Number MSCxxxxxxxxxx. Your interview is on June 9, 2015.

Yeah we moved from OC to the Inland Empire earlier this year.

May/June isn't so bad. The thing we were waiting for more immediately was the EAD but if we can get our interview scheduled soon that would be nice.

Hello all,

I've had excellent help so far from this forum. I really am impressed.

I have a question, i'm looking to see when I can expect to receive my interview notice and date. We will be using the San Bernardino field office and so far it has been 73 days from filing on February 17th 2015.

I have looked at the processing times which seem to state an average of 202 days but a few people doing an AOS on these forums seem to be receiving interview letters after only a few months in San Bernardino.

Can anybody share their recent experiences with getting their interview notice and how long it took?

Thanks so much!

Hey there! Another San Bernardino filer here.

We actually filed back in January and JUST got our EAD/AP combo - it took a bit because the communication between approval and card production just failed on their part.

As for the interview, no news yet but we did do the biometrics already and haven't gotten any RFEs. You could call USCIS and see if there is progress but it's not abnormal for it to be taking this longer from what I've learned.

EAD/AP combo card arrived today.

Phew! Finally they've mailed it. Here's hoping the post service doesn't lose it.

Card is currently still being ordered. No work on a tracking number yet. It was ordered 4/21. I assume I still have a bit to wait?

Nice. Thank you.

So card is in production now as of 4/21- how long does it typically take for it to go from production to shipment?

Another update:

We called a Level 2 rep again who sent a request to the field office for them to expedite our case. Today we got the update that the card was finally being produced. Also, it was discovered that the address on our green card application had been entered into the system incorrectly and that's fixed now.

Hopefully the worst is over!

So, no update on case status for the EAD however the case history did update. Still just says the same approved status though. We're going to call today to see if the card is in production.

• 04/20/2015
  

  On April 20, 2015, your request to have your Employment Authorization Document resent to you, referral number xxxxxxxxxxx, was completed.

• 04/20/2015
  

  On April 20, 2015, we sent a response to your request to have your Employment Authorization Document resent to you, referral number xxxxxxxxx.

• 04/15/2015
  

  On April 15, 2015, your request to have your Employment Authorization Document resent to you, referral number xxxxxxxxxxxxx, was assigned to an officer for response.

Checking in again.

Still no combo card. After numerous calls we finally got through to a Level 2 rep. The Level 1 people were frankly useless as they just read to us what we could see on the website. The Level 2 rep confirmed that the card had never been produced or sent and so they contacted the field office to see what the holdup was. Today we got a notification that an officer had been assigned to our inquiry to resend the card. The reps did confirm many times that the work permit/AP was approved. No movement on the green card part but I assume that just takes longer?

Anyway, just wanted to update you guys in case any of you were in this boat as well.

i also received that message on my AP (I-131) case number. so your I-765 case number has the same status?

for I-131 - i received a notice in the mail saying it was approved about 5 days after i received the status you listed above.

for I-765 - i received the "card in production will be mail" and "card mailed" status changes. i received the card approx 10 days after the initial status change (to "card in production..."). if i were you, i'd call the USCIS to make sure everything is okay. it's been almost 20 days since your approval - the trend right now seems to be that you receive the card within 10-15 days after approval. you're at 20 days.

I called today. They said to wait for thirty days to go by and if it hasn't been updated to call again.

Seems a bit of a cop out but I don't know what else to do.

it normally takes about 10 days to receive the combo card after it is approved. there are two USCIS status updates you should receive related to the EAD/AP combo card. The first is says something along the lines of "new card in production and will be mailed to the address on file" and the second is "card was mailed to you". They mail the cards via 2 day priority mail - so you should receive it within a couple days after getting the "card mailed to you" update.

have you received both status updates?

This is the latest status update (assume the same for 765):

"On March 4, 2015, we approved your Form I-131, Application For USCIS Travel Document, Receipt Number xxxxxxxxxxxxx. We will mail your approval notice. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you move, go towww.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address."

Check out my timeline

Looks like we sent in around the same time, however the timelines from there are a bit different. Should I worry yet or is this pretty standard?

Hey everyone. Got approved for the combo card on 3/4 and went to check the mail today but no card yet. Our online status hasn't changed from "approved" either. What is the typical turnaround for receiving the card?

Congrats! How soon did you get those after biometrics? I did mine 3 weeks ago, and nothing yet...

A little over a month. We did biometrics on 1/27 and got approved 3/4. Still waiting for the actual card but I haven't checked the mail today.

We received the approval notices in the mail for the EAD/AP but no update in status regarding production of the card. Does it not always update?

Received the official notices that the EAD and AP had been approved. No updates on uscis.gov yet but I assumed the 766 will be in the mail at some point.

So I'm going to advise something a little different to most others here based on my own experience.

I am an only child who had an amazingly close relationship with my parents. I was very worried before I moved about how they would cope with the distance. So I talked a lot about it with my husband before I moved and we agreed that we would make sure we could all see as much of each other as possible.

For the first four years I was in America, my parents came over for two to three trips each year (each trip was 2-3 weeks) and I went back to the UK for 2-3 trips each year (each trip was 3-4 weeks). In years 3 and 4 I was travelling back with my little baby girl so we even stayed for a month or more at time in the UK and my parents did at least one trip of 4-5 weeks each year and 2 smaller 2-week trips.

So we got to see each other every couple of months for extended periods at a time.

The caveat is that when you are doing regular trips like that they are NOT vacations.

So after the first few trips when my parents came over they did not expect to be treated like a visitor - they were just there to be with us. They cooked, did their own laundry etc. My husband and I didn't take vacation time - we went to work. My parents brought a stack of books and read and hung out in our home. Or went for walks or did their own day trips etc.

When I went to the UK for a month I was the same - I worked (remotely) and just lived a basic life with them.

Four years after I moved to the US my Mum was diagnosed with a late stage, fast progressing cancer - she died three months later.

I mention this simply because you never know what is going to happen. I am so thankful that we did spend as much time as money and personal situation allowed.

If your mother-in-law can fund her own visit - why not? Let your wife make it clear that it cannot be a traditional vacation and just enjoy being with her and getting to know her. If she can be with you and see how hard you work and can begin to understand how different employment rule and benefits are to Europe, she will be more sympathetic and understanding when you tell her you can't keep flying over to see her.

Wow, this seriously helps.

We had a nice long talk today (my wife and I) and decided exactly that - my MIL is of course, more than welcome to visit anytime. The fact that I cannot take time off will be stated and yeah, I think this is a disconnect between the fact that she gets 5 weeks off of work in her country and I do not. Hopefully she will understand this.

I think someone mentioned I was selfish or something in a previous post - not sure who or why - but perhaps this helps explain the situation better - we just wrapped up the K-1 stuff last year and have been working at getting my wife her green card, work permit, etc - so it's been a process. In the meantime, she's been enrolled in the local college so that she has something to do and of course I've introduced her to friends and stuff. Of COURSE I am very thankful I have a loving wife who moved all the way here for me, but I would hope you understand that there are two sides to any relationship, and that sacrifices were made on both sides to make this happen! No regrets ever, but the notion that I am some self serving, selfish American taking the poor helpless European away from their home unwillingly and ungratefully is a little disrespectful in my opinion.

As for the driver's license, of course that will happen, but as she doesn't have a Social yet and she's never driven in her life, this wasn't something that could happen immediately. I'm sure there are others here who were in similar situations.

Thankfully, with the EAD approved we can get her a SSC and everything will be smooth sailing from there!

And as always, thank you so much everyone for your input. It's really eased the stress over here.

OP I hope you find a way to keep everyone happy it's friggin hard balancing life in America and keeping your loved ones family happy too!

Always remember there's your vj family too to talk to.

Thanks so much - you guys are great. I'm sure we'll figure out a way to make everyone happy, it might just take some work.