Aarjun

3 hours ago, NikV said:

Why don't you call the office or better yet just show up at the office to see what they have to say about it. It kinna sucks to check website all the time. 

I have had no luck finding any openings at 5 different offices in 3 hour radius! So, that's what we are planning to do. It just sucks that the closest office is over an hour drive away from our house.

1 minute ago, drosha said:

Did they not send you a letter extending the card a year? If yes and that letter is expiring, Try the other nearby offices. There is one in fairfax VA or if you can take the time off and drive, try Norfolk VA. That one usually have openings. Sometimes these infopass officers don’t like people coming from out of state but you can explain your situation and hope for the best. Also unless you need to prove your status to an employer or DMV or traveling outside the country you don’t need to extend the letter. Your status doesn’t expire when that letter expires.

Correct, I received an extension letter last year and that is expiring. My wife has a new employer and they are asking to submit proof of unexpired legal status once the extension letter expires.

My wife's conditional green card is expiring in a month and when I talked to USCIS over the phone, they said the only way to have it extended (while my I-751 is pending) is to go to the field office for your state. They don't have let you make appointments over the phone and they won't see you without an official appointment through their website.

There is only one USCIS field office in my state (in Baltimore) and since I moved here 2 weeks ago, I have yet to see an appointment slot open. It always shows next 14 days booked out. I have been checking several times a day, including around midnight, for past 2 weeks and I have yet to see an opening.

We are in panic mode now due to a fast approaching deadline! Do I have any other option to make an appointment or contact someone other than USCIS phone support to get one? Thanks!

4 minutes ago, drosha said:

1. Should we visit a field office near us to get another extension? If so, how does that work? Do we receive another extension letter? A stamp in passport?

it depends on whether you need the extension or not. Your status doesn’t expire while your i751 is processing so technically you don’t need a stamp unless 1. you travel outside of the country or 2. You need to prove to an employer or DMV or some other government agency etc that you’re in the country legally. If you need it you should set up an info pass appointment and get a stamp on your passport.

2. The field office for my state is much farther away than for an adjacent state. Can we go to that or do we have to go to the one for our state?

Other people’s experience seem to be mixed about this. Some say that USCIS in a different state didn’t give them a stamp without a proof of resident in that state, others say no problems. But it looks like most of them are ok especially if it’s just the adjacent state.

3. It has been over 4 years, since our marriage and petition. Can we apply for citizenship or do we have to wait till the conditions on the green card is lifted?

it depends on when you became a permanent resident. It would be written on your expired green card “resident since”. If that date is 2 years and 9 months or more ago then you can apply for citizenship but you can’t take the oath until i751 is decided. You should also keep in mind that you need to live in the same state or USCIS district for at least 3 months before applying for citizenship.

Thank you!

We submitted I-751 2 years ago. Last year, we received a letter stating the case is still pending and another extending conditional green card for 1 year.

We recently moved to a different state and the extension will be up in a little over a month. I submitted the online address change form right after we moved. My questions are as following:

1. Should we visit a field office near us to get another extension? If so, how does that work? Do we receive another extension letter? A stamp in passport?

2. The field office for my state is much farther away than for an adjacent state. Can we go to that or do we have to go to the one for our state?

3. It has been over 4 years, since our marriage and petition. Can we apply for citizenship or do we have to wait till the conditions on the green card is lifted?

My wife arrived on CR-1 in September 2015. The green card shows expiration of September 2017. Should we apply to renew it? If so, does anyone know which forms we need to file and where? Thanks!

ahhh, ok, I will start the copy prices, thanks a lot for yor help, I've breaking my nerves on this one, I have everything set to get print and sign but this part is holding me back and still witting for the boss employment letter who said he can give today and waiting for the call to pick my I 693, I want to send the package on monday.

Thanks so much for your help !!!!!!

I can imagine what you are going through. Keep hanging in there. Good luck.

Ohhh eye opener, thanks a lot!!! I guess I will tell him to include the house, but the problem is that the house is on his name plus his parents name, they just bought it and he did go to tax apparel office and got homestead in fl. would that count as proof? a deed with 3 people name, the copy of the final sale and the homestead tax exemption appraiser, the deed just came out on the first of may, so its recent, do you think it might help?the value on the tax appraiser was 104000, no mortgage, they paid for the house in total so they don't owe money, but it has 3 owners so I don't see as an asset that belongs only to my husband.

If your husband is listed as one of the 3 people on the deed, they will count it. My savings account that I showed has my parents listed on the account as well since it's a joint account.

Thanks Aarjun, but I thought if he send IRS tax return transcripts we didn't need the w2, do we? And on 100,000 retirement acc. But I thought that you multiply the missing amount per example his current income is 16000 so he is missing arround 4x 5 is 20G if go by your method is 40? Is like that now? I'm confuse but appreciate the help

I had the same confusion. I called NVC about this a couple months ago. They said that total needs to be 3 times 125% of national poverty guideline. So, for 2 people (self + spouse) in 2015, it's 3 x $19,912 = $59,736. This amount can be used in combination with your income and savings (or liquid assets). Since I had not worked for past 3 years, I hadn't files taxes, so savings was all I had to show, since I didn't want to have a co-sponsor. They WILL ask your spouse during the interview if you don't have a job or if you used a co-sponsor about how you plan to support them. See this link for more info: http://www.***removed***/affidavit-of-support/i-864p-poverty-guidelines.html

I had substantially more money in my 401k, which I also submitted with my AoS package, but NVC told me that retirement funds are considered at the discretion of your case officer, since you can't readily use that money.

Edit: seems like VJ removed the link. Google "i-864p 2015" and you should find the uscis website with that info.

I didn't have W2s from last 3 years, so I showed one of my savings accounts with $65,000. Top of page 6 of i-864 says that you only need 3 times (not 5 times) the national poverty guideline, which for 2 people (you and your spouse) should be slightly less than $60,000.

During the interview, it took them 3 hrs to verify my financial information, but they granted my wife the CR1 visa afterwards on the basis of enough assets.

Hope this helps!

I sent my AoS and IV packages on May 23, 2015.

Congratulations! What is you scan date and priority date??

I don't know what scan date is. The priority date is June 9, 2014.

So, I called NVC and they said that they already set an interview date in late August and I will be receiving an email and my spouse will receive a package in mail on how to proceed with the next steps. They might ask for a co-sponsor at the time of the interview and I can disregard the checklist. I don't have to send anything to NVC. I don't understand why they would send a checklist and the customer service rep didn't either. I hope this doesn't come back to bite me during the interview.

It's must be 5 times not 3 times!

Are you sure about that? This image is from the i-864 form itself. It clearly says 3 times for spouses and children of USC. That's also the info I got from other people here on VJ.

Dear, in order to use assets like bank balance as supplementary income for AOS, you need to count your total household in order to figure out which income threshold poverty line applicable in your case, thereafter you need to calculate 125% of such amount and than multiple by 5 times, for example 15,000 poverty line for two household than calculate 125% like it become 18,750 now apply multiple 5 times its 93,750.

I hope its clear!

I understand that. Like I mentioned in my first post, I am sponsoring my wife and it requires 3 times the poverty guidelines. It says so on the i-864 form itself.

125% of HHS poverty guideline for a household of 2 (my wife and me) for Kansas (where I live) is $19,912 from http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-864P.pdf(the link they provided in the checklist). This makes the minimum required assets $19,912 x 3 = $59,736. I am showing $20,000 more than that. Or am I not understanding this right?

I just got a checklist email with this:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

______F - FINANCIAL EVIDENCE:______________________________________

We reviewed the Affidavit of Support documentation you sent to the National Visa Center

(NVC). According to the current poverty guidelines, it does not appear you or any of your

sponsors meet the minimum income requirement to sponsor the intending immigrant(s)

for this petition. To avoid delays, you may have an additional sponsor complete an

Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) and provide it to the intending immigrant to submit at

their interview. At that time, a consular officer will make a decision regarding this

requirement.

To view the current poverty guidelines, go to http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-864P.pdf.

I did not work last 3 years and did not file taxes, so didn't have any W2s to show. In i-864, I showed my assets in part 7. I showed $81,000 in a checking account and provided current bank statement as well.

What should I do? Do I really need to use a co-sponsor or should I talk to someone at NVC to sort this out? I thought assets of 3x poverty guidelines was enough, as I am sponsoring my wife and I currently live alone and support myself.

I'm a US citizen and sponsoring my wife without a joint sponsor. I haven't worked for past 4 years and I'm currently unemployed, but I have around 100k USD in savings and other property that I can use. Should I use this (http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-864.pdf) form?

Also, is the current bank statement enough or do I need to submit any other supporting documents?

Thanks!

Ok, thanks for the feedback.

I used this link (https://ceac.state.gov/CTRAC/Invoice/signon.aspx) to pay both fees online over 24 hours ago, but the status never changed to In Process. Does that mean I should try paying them again? I just don't want to get double charged.

Also, it's been showing me this (http://i.imgur.com/QQrRYOi.jpg) for the past hour if I try to go to that link or try to click the Fees tab at (https://ceac.state.gov/IV/Login.aspx). Anyone else having this issue?

Yeah, I used her maiden name in I-130. We talked to a lawyer too and he suggested we go with the 2nd option as well. Thanks!

Cross-posting from NVC forum. My wife went to her passport office to get the police clearance certificate. Her current passport states her name as (first name) (father's first name) (last name). The passport office told her that she has two options since she showed her marital status married:

1. Keep the passport no. and all other info same, except change her name to state (first name) (husband's first name) (last name). We have the same last names btw.

2. Get a new passport all together with new number. Keep the same name (first name) (father's first name) (last name). Add a new section on the bio-data page of the passport called "Spouse" and state my name there.

I am on the 2nd step of NVC and have just submitted DS-261 last week, waiting for it to be accepted. Did anyone else encounter this issue? Which is our best option here and will either of them affect our visa process?

Thanks!

My wife went to her passport office to get the police clearance certificate. Her current passport states her name as (first name) (father's first name) (last name). The passport office told her that she has two options since she showed her marital status married:

1. Keep the passport no. and all other info same, except change her name to state (first name) (husband's first name) (last name).

2. Get a new passport all together with new number. Keep the same name (first name) (father's first name) (last name). Add a new section on the bio-data page of the passport called "Spouse" and state my name there.

I am on the 2nd step of NVC and have just submitted DS-261 last week, waiting for it to be accepted. Which is our best option here and will either of them affect our visa process?

Thanks!

Edit: The passport office told her that they won't issue PCC until she fulfills one of the two choices they gave her. So, we have to pick one.

1. My wife studied and worked in US for 4 years from 2008 to 2012. She lived in India prior to that and has been living at the same place since she has been back to India. Do we need police certificate from US as well or just the current city?

2. DS-260 requires all addresses she lived at since the age of 16. Is this for background check? I ask because she is concerned that the old addresses she lived at have changed a lot and it may not be verifiable that she lived there.

Thanks for the info. I just read the NVC process wiki as well. I guess we will start collecting our forms/PCC while we wait for them to start working on our case.

I received my NOA2 approval on Nov 15, 2014. The letter said that I will be contacted by NVC, but over a month later, I have yet to receive anything from them. Are they typically this slow or do I need to contact them?

They provided an email address for NVC, but do they have a phone number I can call instead?

Thanks!