KDMG12

2 hours ago, varmai said:

Hi there

 

did you find out answer for this question? 

Yes! We made an INFOPASS appointment on July 5th (roughly a month after he was de-scheduled). Turns out someone at USCIS scheduled him for a refugee-only ceremony. Since he wasn’t a refugee, they canceled the ceremony. His new ceremony date was scheduled on July 5th- the same day as our INFOPASS. 🤔 I’m convinced they only scheduled his new ceremony because we asked about it! Crazy journey, but it’s finally over. He was naturalized in late July.

On 7/2/2018 at 4:25 PM, Going through said:

No.

 

To contact them, no.  However they won't be able to get very far with USCIS unless the case *is* outside of normal processing times...and even then, USCIS is not bound to adhere to any request of a State representative to expedite the oath ceremony.

 

On the bright side, at least you received notice of the descheduling---many times participants do not.  I would suggest, however, to contact USCIS  and request to speak to an L2 officer (don't just deal with the  customer service rep who answers the phone) just to ensure you are still in the oath scheduling queue.

Thanks for the suggestion! Our InfoPass appointment went flawlessly this morning! We found out that my husband's original oath ceremony was exclusively for former refugees (in honor of World Refugee Day). USCIS never should have scheduled him for that day. It's a shame that we missed so many other oath ceremonies, but we were told he's scheduled for July 31st! Online case status already changed to "oath ceremony notice was mailed", but nothing in his "MyAccount" yet.  

I have an upcoming InfoPass appointment regarding my husband’s naturalization application. His oath ceremony was originally scheduled for 16 June 2018. However, on 09 June 2018, USCIS issued a de-scheduling notice. We have not received any case updates since then.

If USCIS overbooked the ceremony, does that qualify as an “USCIS error” in order to expedite his case? There are three upcoming oath ceremonies in the San Antonio area (26, 27, and 31 July 2018), so I’m hoping he can be scheduled for one of those.

I know it’s only been two months since his interview. However, it just seems odd that he held his original oath ceremony date for 3.5 weeks before it was cancelled at the last minute. The posted case inquiry date for my local office is 06 March 2017. Do I need to wait for my case to be outside of normal processing time before contacting my local field office director and/or state representatives?

Thanks!

https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

This link states 17 to 20.5 months for Houston. For reference, SA is 9 to 16.5 months. If you're filing in Houston, just prepare yourself for a long wait.  

Your best resource will be the immigration timelines! You can search for your particular visa. You can even filter for your filing office. That will connect you to other people with similar filing times and locations. I've found it very helpful (and cathartic!).  

But does this person want to return to the U.S.? She can get a new passport at her local consulate. But I would be very wary of leaving the U.S. after an overstay.

I recommend completing your immigration timeline. Then search the N-400 timelines for Houston. You will be able to see when people filed, had interviews, and completed oath ceremonies. I do this religiously with the San Antonio timelines.  

I have heard that the Houston wait times are pretty egregious.  

Best of luck!

I personally think your letter would be more impactful if you waited a few more months. Then you’d be close to the one-year mark. You could even mention that if processing times exceed one year, you would be forced to redo the medical exam. 

I would also eliminate the line “This considerable fee has increased over past years, too.” Seems like a separate argument and not relevant to the main theme. But I like that you referenced other people in the same situation as you guys.

Best of luck. Hang in there!

1 minute ago, Paolo11 said:

 

Is it faster or reliable than mail? Also, can I pay the fee online like a credit card instead of mailing check?

What’s your local office?

I’m in San Antonio. I filed on paper. We received my husband’s interview notice prior to some VJ users filing online at a similar time. I suggest doing some research for your local office. Go to immigration timelines for N-400 and search for your particular office. Then you can see how quickly online cases are moving compared to others.

Could you provide more context for the waiver? I-601 or I-212? 

Hang in there. I'm on the tail end of this journey (my husband's oath ceremony was originally scheduled for last Saturday, but was cancelled). But I still feel beat down by USCIS!

Hey-

I only included our American finances. Our case is pretty different- our I-601 was requested after my husband's green card interview, so he was already in the U.S. when the waiver was submitted. However, since you are not living in the States, I would include finances from both locations. Obviously the quality of life for your husband and USC children would increase if you weren't paying for two separate households.

I'm sorry to hear about your history with your ex, but remember USCIS likely won't care unless it directly impacts a USC. But I guess that's where an immigration lawyer would come in handy. They're the experts.

It sounds like your strongest arguments may revolve around your USC children. If your child has an IEP through Special Education services, I would focus on that. And what about health care? Does your husband's insurance cover medical care in your home country? Do you have documentation that your children struggle when your husband is deployed? I can't quite decipher the current living situation- but maybe the kids show signs of distress when you are away as well?

And I also recommend filling out your timeline- I really think it would help connect you with other people that are from the same home country, same local office as your USC husband, etc.  

Change the address. I think the key to success with USCIS is complete transparency. It's a hassle when you have an address change with a pending application, but I think it's better to be honest.

My husband’s oath ceremony was originally scheduled for this past Saturday. Unfortunately, USCIS withdrew his invitation to attend with three days notice. Thanks to social media, I know the ceremony wasn’t cancelled in its entirety. And to make matters worse, I spent $700 to come home early from a vacation so I could attend the ceremony. We knew that I would be out of the country for the ceremony. We chose NOT to re-schedule because we knew it was more important to complete this step as soon as possible. And then this happens…

My husband called and spoke to a USCIS Tier 2 officer. He said his application was still in good standing, but couldn’t explain why he had been de-scheduled.

I feel so numb.

How do you guys handle all of this immigration stress? I’m having a hard time sleeping and finding the motivation to do daily tasks.

Not sure, but it seems like you could just to your local Mexican consulate in Los Angeles. My husband got a new Salvadoreño passport from the consulate in Houston. Proof of entry is so important! Our lawyer told us that my husband's I-94 was by far the most important document that we had. Just seems silly to risk it when you can renew the passport from inside the United States.

My husband had his waiver approved in May 2015 during his AOS to LPR. We used a lawyer, but I provided our paralegal with a summary of all my arguments and supporting evidence. I created it to help them understand our case- turns out they submitted it to USCIS! Lol.

I don't know what your odds are that this will work, but it's certainly possible. One lawyer advised my husband NOT to adjust his status because we didn't have a strong enough waiver case. My husband and I don't have kids or own property, so the lawyer was skeptical. Ours would eventually be approved in one month. Just remember that USCIS only cares about the USCs in your family- so all of your evidence needs to be from their perspective. I obtained notarized affidavits from my aging parents, friends who have known my struggles with mental health, and employers who can attest to the stress of my job.

My outline was based on this:

• Arguments for Why I (USC) Can’t Move to El Salvador
• Arguments for Why I Can’t Live in the U.S. without Husband
• Evidence- Health-related
  • Medical records for chronic thyroid condition
  • Counseling records
• Evidence- Finance
  • Reoccurring expenses
  • Tally of medical expenses
  • Insurance premiums (I am under my husband's health insurance, so I wanted to show the financial impact if I were forced to carry insurance through my employer)
• Evidence- Education
  • List of valid teaching certificates
• Evidence- Personal Considerations
  • I’m a sixth-generation American
  • I'm close to my family (all natural-born U.S. citizens)
  • All my family lives out of state (so I'm isolated in my current location)
  • Stressful jobs
• Evidence- Special Factors
  • My house was burglarized while I was home.
  • Travel advisories for El Salvador.
  • I don’t speak Spanish.

Best of luck!

My husband had his I-601 approved back in 2015. Our cases are very different, but I did compile a document for our lawyer that outlined my arguments and evidence. I found out later that the lawyer submitted my exact summary as part of the waiver application! Lol.

Waivers are tricky. One lawyer told us not to file because our arguments weren’t strong enough, but we took a chance- and it was approved in one month (an unheard timeline honestly).

Remember that USCIS doesn’t care about you as the immigrant- only the U.S. citizens. You must make your case as to why your husband (and I assume your USC kids?!) can’t move to your native country AND why he can’t live in the U.S. without you. Then be prepared to provide evidence for health-related (doctor/counseling records), finance (recurring expenses, medical expenses, insurance premiums), education, personal considerations, and special factors. I would include everything you can! I even included a police report from when my home was burglarized while I was home alone.

Best of luck!

Does anyone know how often the San Antonio local office conducts judicial oath ceremonies? When my husband attended his N-400 interview, I overheard a USCIS official say that the new oath ceremony room at the SA office allows them to conduct two oath ceremonies a month (primarily judicial). If you have had your oath ceremony in San Antonio (or Austin)- I'd love to know if it was judicial or administrative.  

My husband was de-scheduled for his ceremony (which should have been today). I'm just having a hard time accepting it. I wish I had read more about the name change process. I didn't realize it could cause such a delay. Now I'm worried that's why he was de-scheduled. Maybe it was an USCIS oversight and a judge wasn't presiding over this ceremony? Guess I'm back to being paranoid until the actual oath ceremony happens.  

On 3/29/2018 at 10:58 PM, shomer said:

That makes more sense than putting your oath ceremony at risk.

So true. My husband was supposed to get naturalized today, but was de-scheduled with just a few days notice.  He called USCIS and a Tier 2 officer told him his application is fine, but he will have to be re-scheduled. The ceremony is still taking place. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out why he was de-scheduled- he had that date set since May 15th! Only thing I can think of is that he is choosing to change his name. Maybe USCIS realized this wasn't a judicial ceremony? Wish we had waited to change his name.  

Good evening, guys.

My husband's oath ceremony was scheduled for this Saturday, June 16th, at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Our lawyer received a letter stating that "due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to cancel the previously scheduled Oath Ceremony." I logged into our online system and found the same letter, but we never received it physically or were alerted to a status update online.

Did anyone else receive this letter for this particular ceremony?

I scheduled an InfoPass appointment for next week and my husband will call USCIS tomorrow, but I'm hoping to receive some clarity as soon as possible.

Just when you think the nightmare is finally over...

Thanks in advance. 

hi

he doesn't qualify for citizenship yet, he has to be a GC holder for 3 years, 90 days before his 3 years he can apply for citizenship

he got a GC because the ban was overcome, a lot of people have filed waivers in the past for a GC, they have no relevance in citizenship sin the ban or misrepresentation was overcome

Thanks! That's what I was hoping to hear. Our dream has always been naturalization, but we considered the GC a huge victory in itself. Waiting two years with a GC will be much easier than waiting without one!

My husband received his ten-year green card last May after our I-601 waiver of inadmissibility (for misrepresentation) was approved. I noticed that Question #30-I on the N-400 application specifically addresses misrepresentation. Is it likely that USCIS will automatically deny his application? Since applicants are given an opportunity to explain any offenses on the N-400 form, I’m hoping it’s not an automatic dismissal.

Does anyone have personal experience with answering “YES” to any of the offenses listed on the N-400 application and still gaining approval?

Thanks in advance! I know we still have years before we can file for naturalization, but a girl can dream, right? J

I received the following e-mail from USCIS this morning. Bizarre thing is that he received his green card on May 4th. Has anyone else had this same experience? Maybe there's a glitch in their system?

There has been a recent processing action taken on your case.

Receipt Number: MSCxxx

Application Type: I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Your Case Status: Card/ Document Production

On April 29, 2015, we mailed your new card for Receipt Number MSCxxx, to the address you gave us. If you do not receive your card by May 29, 2015, please go to www.uscis.gov/e-request to request that we send your new card to you. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

Hello, I have a similiar case to yours, we had to submit an I-601 waiver for misrepresentation for my fiance since he was previously married. Can you please tell me what was the misrepresentation?? I just want to keep my hopes up that our waiver is approved as fast as yours

Long story short: Following advice from his mom, my then 18-year-old husband filed for TPS benefits that he never qualified for. Our IO at the interview said she hoped to approve us either that day or the following business day. However, her supervisor requested the waiver for misrepresentation.

I know each case is different. And I'm not familiar with the K-1 process at all. I would love to know our waiver was approved so quickly. I didn't think our waiver was overwhelmingly strong. I think it's pretty common to have some type of medical issue and anxiety. However, I was also able to document a failed assimilation when I moved to Thailand back in 2002. I also have a well-established career as a teacher. I think it's safe to say that I'll never understand how USCIS operates. I'm just glad that it happened in our favor this time.

Good luck!

I am in absolute shock.

We waited 8.5 months for our AOS interview, so we assumed we were in for another long wait for the waiver. However, less than one month after USCIS received our I-601, the waiver was approved.

We received three e-mails on Tuesday saying the I-601, I-485, and I-130 were approved. We are still waiting on the welcome letter. I don't think we'll really believe it until we have the card in hand...

Best of luck to all those still waiting...

Hello,

Would you feel comfortable disclosing the specifics of the misrepresentation he was found inadmissible for?

Thank you, and the best of luck with everything!

It's a complicated story line, but I'll try. He entered the U.S. on B1/B2 visa in December of 2001. Following advice from his mom, he filed for benefits under Temporary Protected Status. He was 19 and spoke very little English. And most damning of all, he trusted his mom. He was granted TPS and the affiliated EAD. However, when we started to the AOS process, we realized that he never qualified for TPS. His TPS/EAD application actually stated that he was an EWI from November of 2000. My husband was completely clueless. He was always under the impression that he qualified for TPS, so he never paid close attention to the details of the initial application or renewals. We were left with two options: continuing the lie of TPS or taking our chances with the AOS/waiver. We clearly opted for the latter.

At the interview, we were very transparent with our IO. She told us that she didn't think it would be a problem. She said she hoped to approve us either that day or the next business day. We even talked about bringing his passport back to the office for the stamp! But we got an e-mail later in the day from our lawyer. The IO's supervisor had requested a waiver for misrepresentation.