ozraiel

If you can, try applying at another Social Security Office. Much of what the people working there do is discretionary.

A quick Google search shows that you can probably apply for a replacement certificate using form N-565, which has a filing fee of $345

http://www.uscis.gov/n-565

What did they ask you? How long it took? I have mine on the 28th at the Hialeah Office.

I posted a separate thread about what they asked.

Other than the communist part, which is not a common situation, our questions were pretty mundane. Other than the identity questions he only asked when did we meet and when did we start dating, and if we rent or own our apartment (we own, so no lease).

Regarding my previous marriage, he asked where did I meet and marry my ex-wife, how long were we married for, and if she still has a green card.

Nothing more.

It is to be noted that I am in my early 30s and my wife is in her late 20s, we are an upper middle class mixed couple with no kids (my wife is Chinese, I am mixed middle-eastern/white), and without any criminal history. So, other than the previous marriage issue, I doubt that we raised any marriage fraud red flags.

We went through the AOS interview crucible on the morning of 10/02/2014 in the Kendall field office.

Our interview was scheduled for 8:00 AM. My wife and I arrived at about 7:15, went through security, and went to the waiting room.

We were called into the interview room at about 8:30, and the interview took about 2 hours.

The IO was a young man, who was very nice throughout the interview.

We sat downs, he asked for ALL government issued IDs we have on us. We handed him our Driver Licenses, Passports, as well as my wife's EAD and Social Security Card.

After checking our identification, he swore us in, and the interview was under way.

He first asked me a couple questions like my address, my birthday, where did I work, when did I meet my wife. Then he pretty much asked my wife the same questions.

As he was asking the questions, he was going through the I-485 application, and when he reached the part about me being previously divorced, he asked me about my previous marriage and if my ex-wife is a permanent resident (she is).

Everything seemed fine, until we reached the part of the application where my wife stated that she is a member of the communist party. He asked couple of question about when, how and why. My wife explained that she did it hoping that it would help her get a better job in the future. While she did answer to the best of her ability, her grasp of English is not perfect.

After that, he asked my wife to fill out a questionnaire about her membership. Which she did, and he put it in our file.

Then, he told me that he will approve the I-130, but the I-485 requires further review. I asked him if that was because of the membership in the communist party, he said no and that they do this for all cases. He also said that the case looks good and we should have a decision within 30 days.

I also asked him if, while we are waiting for a decision, we should be worried about getting back to the US using my wife's AP card, he said that there should not be any problems.

He finished the interview by explaining the us the removal of condition procedure and giving us a copy of the notice.

While we were walking back to the car, I received a text that the I-130 was approved and that the I-485 is in "Initial Review"

Now, we are waiting to hear from USCIS. Wish us luck

As an aside, he did not ask to see any evidence proving our marriage as bona fide, even though we brought a whole box worth of evidence.

We had out interview yesterday.

The I-130 part (which I guess deals with the Bona Fide-ness of the marraige) of the interview went smoothly.

However, we hit an expected hitch during the I-485 part, which was due to my wife's (the non-Citizen) membership in the communist party. The officer was pretty nice and patient, he asked my wife to fill out a questionnaire regarding her membership.

After that, told us that "as with all other interviewees, some one will review our file and make a final determination within a month"

As we walked back to the car, we received a text that the I-130 got approved, while the I-485 went into initial review again.

I will post a more detailed review of the interview for those interested.

Congratulations

Guys, can I apply for a florida driver's license without ssn? Or do I have to wait for ssn to come in the mail?

Thanks

it depends on the office, and the dmv employee. two years ago, I tried and failed to get a florida ID for my dad who had just applied for SSN at the DMV near 826 & 27th avenue or the DMV near FIU on 8th Street. However, I was able to get the ID at the DMV in the mall of Americas near flagler and 826. good luck

We received the I-512L (Authorization for Parole) yesterday by mail. It came in paper form, and said "Approved".

EAD should be here in the next couple of days.

Next big thing is the interview is a month. Can't wait to put this process behind us. Good luck everyone

Given your interview date, you may not even need to use the AP. All the best!

I hope so. But, unfortunately, my wife is Chinese, and her parents pretty much forced her to join the communist party in college, which we had to disclose on the I-485. So, I am pretty much ready for a long wait following the interview in what is known as "Administrative Processing", and may even have to file for a waiver.

Just an update.

My case status for the AP just changed to "Post Decision Activity" with the message "we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I131 APPLICATION FOR USCIS TRAVEL DOCUMENT".

It appears that, at least in my case, the fact that I-131 was filed after biometrics and while I-765 is still pending sped up the approval process. Either that or I got the status update in error

I got an email notification yesterday that "your address was changed relating to the I765, APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION that you filed".

I did not change my address. When I check online, the consensus is that this means that my petition has been approved and it should move into production in the next couple of days. I will wait until Wednesday before calling them and asking.

Also, today I checked my I-131 status, which I sent on August 8, and it says that "we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I131 APPLICATION FOR USCIS TRAVEL DOCUMENT".

So, I guess they probably approved both at the same time, and I am hoping to receive a combo card in the next two weeks.

Congrats! Did you call them at all since was past 30 days?

I did not call them, it just happened.

Actually, based on the trend data from the office where my interview will probably be, I was actually expecting a November interview date. So, this was a pleasant surprise.

Now I hope my wife's AP gets approved soon, so we can stop stressing about that part of the process.

Based on your timeline, I should be receiving my interview date in the next 15 days. Still waiting for EAD to be approved.

Good luck, and I hope both of our interviews go well.

My wife did her biometrics in the Hialeah office, so that is where I am assuming the interview will be

Thank god, My interview got scheduled for October 2.

Now waiting for interview letter.

Thanks for the reply.

Hello guys and gals,

I hope someone can help me with this question. Would the processing time of three months for I-131 be reduced if it was filed after biometrics.

My situation is as follows:

I am an American citizen, and my wife is adjusting from F1. Submitted the paperwork for I-485, I-756, and I-130 on June 13, 2014.

At the time, because I was under the mistaken impression that we needed to fill in the trip date at time of filing, and since we did not anticipate the need to leave the country for at lease a year, we did not file form I-131 for Advance Parole.

When we got married, we just did a civil marriage, followed by a small ceremony with a couple of friends in a restaurant. Our plan was that next spring, we will go to China and have an "official" wedding ceremony. However, the plans changed, and due to factors outside our control, my wife has finish her PhD defense and graduate this year. Which means that she will hopefully be employed early next year, and she will not be able to ask for a vacation for at least another year.

For this reason, we decided to go ahead and have the official ceremony this coming November. As soon as we realized that, I filed the I-131 with USCIS, and on 08/12/2014, I received an update that my application is in the "Initial Review" step.

Now, with the "normal" processing time of 3 months, my Advanced Parole should be approved and sent before my travel date of 11/25/2014. However, waiting until then would not give me enough time to get an "Info Pass" appointment.

Do you think it is worth it and that the situation warrants trying to get an expedited I-131?

Sorry, for the long post, and thank you for your help.

I just received my notification that my case is ready for interview scheduling. Now waiting on the date of my interview.

It looks like we are both waiting for an interview date from the Miami Office.

Hopefully they would schedule us soon.

Apparently there's a different between Testing & Interview stage vs. Testing & Interview scheduling stage? Has anyone experienced the change between the two? We're currently in the scheduling stage and are wondering if we still might get an RFE before our interview is scheduled. Or do they keep you in the Initial Review stage until all the RFEs have been settled?

Looking at the May filers time line, it looks like the normal lag time between the T&I stage, and interview scheduling is anywhere from one to three weeks. I received a text that my case was moved to T&I two weeks ago, and I am still waiting for an interview date. Supposedly the lag is based on how busy your field office is. Good luck, and I hope we both get interview dates soon.

I have previously asked a question about whether or not to expect an RFE after moving to the T&I stage, and the answer was to expect an RFE at any time.

Hi Orzaiel

When did you guys get the Biometrics done?

We did an early walk in on 6/30, since we'll be in Chicago at the actual appointment date.

Just got a text message that my case was moved to testing and interview. Now we wait for the appointment

Just an update.

My wife received her biometrics appointment on Friday (6/27) dated for 7/17 in the Hialeah Office.

We will probably be in Chi-Town that day, so we went in for an early walk-in. The office was literally empty, so we got it done in less than 15 minutes.

Now, we wait for the next step

lol, I've got email notification almost at same time with yours! .

Haha, nice. I think we both filed on the same weekend. So, hopefully our cases will run parallel and you and my wife get your greencards at the same time.

What's curious, is when I went to update my timeline, it disappeared !!!

This morning, at 1:49 AM, I received three text messages saying that they received my cases

I sent my packet june 13 and received email last night from uscis. Will wait to see how long it takes for biometrics appointment..

Congratulations. That is quick, hopefully I will hear something back today

I sent the package on 6/14. It got delivered this morning. Checking my bank for the checks to show up