Pheebs1201

I am a bit behind with gathering stuff for my packet, my window is already open but work has been CRAZY this last month. Hoping I'll get myself together ASAP!

Yay for August filers. Still working on my packet.

11 hours ago, DaveNot said:

I just filled yesterday. I had 13lb 15oz of paperwork. I remember you from the k1 process how is America treating you?

Pretty well thanks! How about you?

Yay for other August filers! My window opens on the 8th! Anyone else considering Naturalizing? 

On 7/17/2017 at 1:06 PM, shell20 said:

I was in the same situation in March. I filed for ROC late Feb (you can't file even a day early as they will return your package) and I left to go to Ireland and England in the middle of March. I had not received my bio-metrics letter before I left.   My husband came with me to Ireland, but went home after that,  I flew on to  England to baby sit our cat there.  

 

Any way,  my husband went online for me when he  received the bio- metric letter and rescheduled  the date from late March to the middle of April.  When I went to the bio-metric appointment  I told the officer  what happened  and they said you don't really need to change the date as you're entitled to walk in  and have your bio-metrics done, as long as it is within 90 days. I wouldn't take that risk personally though because it does say on the letter to reschedule if you can't make the appointment.

 

As for returning I didn't have a problem with my extension letter which I had received before I left. I flew from Dublin where border control check your documents before you get on the plane. No secondary ,no nothing so all should be fine.  I did have a problem with the check in person who was new and had never seen the letter, but it got resolved. I hear if you have a problem with boarding you can ask to speak to an immigration officer as they have them based  at most international airports, well  that's what I was told when I had to visit the American Embassy in London recently..

Good info, thanks so much!

Can the ROC packet be received by them on the first day of the 90 day window or should it not be mailed until then?

9 minutes ago, AK_2014 said:

That they are!  Glad you're on top of things -- you'll be fine. 

thanks :-)

I know we aren't quite there yet but I thought maybe I'd get a head start on this post and see who else is applying for ROC the same time as me :-) Any other August 2017 filers out there?

26 minutes ago, AK_2014 said:

Given the time frames you mentioned, if I were in your shoes, I would probably not submit the very first day the window opens, but rather just a few days, maybe a week or so, before your trip. That way, there's no way biometrics would come before Sept 14, so you wouldn't have to worry about missing & the hassle of rescheduling; rather, the appointment would likely come for not too long after you get back. Just an idea.

 

Oh, if you do want to get things underway as soon as possible, heads up: the window isn't 3 months, it's 90 days. Use the USCIS date calculator: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/dateCalculator.html

If your card expires November 6, the earliest day your application can be received is August 8, not August 6—though you did calculate this correctly in the post about when you can apply for citizenship. :-)

 

Have a wonderful time back home!

Great suggestions and very helpful! Thanks! I realised the 90 day piece after my original post, as you noticed :-) USCIS is so tricky.

11 hours ago, theanswerisdance said:

From what I understand, it never used to be an issue that you'd file for N-400 while the ROC was still pending, because ROC took less than a year. Now, with the longer processing times, it seems to be the new norm that your eligibility for filing the N-400 will be reached before your ROC is approved. So yes, you can still file next August even if you haven't been approved for your new 10-year GC yet. 

9 hours ago, nightingalejules said:

Yes, you can file the N-400 as soon as you're eligible... with the long wait times for ROC, we're going to see if they actually follow their own policy and process them both together (since you can't actually naturalize until you have been approved for ROC, they have to decide on the first before they process the second). 

That's what I figured.... thank you both! If only they made the conditional greencard three years and then you could go straight to N-400... would make much more sense!

Additional question... what happens if I reach my N-400 eligibility date before I receive my ten year green card? I assume this is likely given the wait period?

Married: March 6th 2015

Greencard start date: November 6th 2015

Greencard expiry date: November 6th 2017

So.... N-400 would be eligible to be submitted August 8th 2018? Can you submit whilst you're waiting for ROC to be approved?

Good advice. Thank you! That example sounds incredibly stressful... praying that doesn't happen to us!

1 minute ago, theanswerisdance said:

I was in a similar position recently with my filing window opening on June 1. However, we were going to be away June 5-July 5. I learned that USCIS doesn't forward mail, so I couldn't have a biometrics notice forwarded to my in-laws who could then let me know the date and if I'd need to reschedule, and since we had nobody close by to come check our mailbox, I put a hold on our mail and decided it was safer to wait to file until we got back on July 5 (and I literally dropped my suitcase at the door, took the package out of our safe, and ran to the post office). I had been worried that I was leaving it a month into the 90 days, because I have to travel back to Canada for a wedding in September and my GC will be expired by then, but I got my NOA (extension letter to travel) 9 days after I applied for ROC. 

 

I had no problem going to or coming back from Canada less than 2 months before my GC expired. It doesn't seem to be treated like a passport (where you often have to have 6 months validity left to be able to travel). Based

on the timelines of other users in recent months, it is almost definite that if I had filed before our trip, my biometrics would have been scheduled during our trip. If you have someone who can check your mail while you're away and let you know if you get that letter then you can reschedule, there's a box to check on the appointment notice to do so, but if you aren't going out of country again any time soon after your UK trip, and therefore won't need to travel with that extension letter, then I would suggest waiting to file until you get back. Just my two cents!

Thank you so much for the detailed reply! My husband will be home in my absence and will be checking the mail daily. So would it be safe to file, leave and have him reschedule if necessary? Or does it really make that much difference to just file when I get back? Thank you so much.

Returning to VJ after a two year break now that it's time for ROC!

Question time....

My greencard expires on November 6th, so am I correct in thinking the earliest date my ROC application can be received is August 6th?

I have a trip to the UK planned from August 30th - September 14th. I haven't been back in two years and I am really excited to visit home again.

My questions/concerns....

• Am I risking my biometrics being scheduled during the time I am away based on my filing date if I file as early as possible?
• Can biometrics be rescheduled if this did happen?
• If I don't file until I return, will I be allowed back into the country with less than two months remaining on my greencard?

What is my best course of action? Thank you.

Hoping someone can help me shed some light on what happened in my interview yesterday...

So upon entering the interview I was asked if I had brought "paperwork" for my most recent of three J1 visas (summer 2014). I was never asked to bring paperwork about this visa, so it was a bit of a shock, and of course I had none with me other than the visa still being in my passport (the previous two from summers 2012 and 2013 were in my old passport).

The interviewer said that my J1 visa may have been subject to a two year restriction meaning that once it expired I couldn't return to the US for two years. Now, this cannot be correct as I have been issued three different J1 visas in three years, plus I have had multiple VWP visits with no issues, not to mention I was issued the K1 without hassle. Furthermore, Brits travelling to the US to work at summer camps on a J1 often return multiple years in a row, each time with a new J1 and not having to wait two years in between visits.

She said we cannot move forward until she can "prove" that I was not subject to this restriction and I am really worried.

Can anyone help/offer advice? I was not given a way to send information to her if I myself find a way to prove it, so I am just waiting for her to decide whether I had this restriction or not, which I am SURE I did not.

Interview tomorrow! Feeling nervous!

Got my interview on the 22nd and feeling nervous. Is there a check list on here somewhere of what to take? Any pointers? Thanks!

And to answer your second question: you're marriage certificate as proof of the name change is fine

Thank you

Thanks so much for the help!

I am adjusting from the K1 visa and am currently visiting family in the UK as I received my EAD/AP card.

I will be flying home via Dublin airport so I assume I will do the pre-clearance for immigration there (I have never taken this route before).

My question is, which line do I go through? When I entered on my K1 in Las Vegas airport I went to the american line.

Also, my passport is still in my maiden name but I have my EAD/AP card, my Oregon drivers license plus a copy of my marriage certificate to demonstrate the name change and legal presence. Do I need anything else?

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone I haven't posted in awhile also but a few months ago I received a notice of potential interview waiver and it started it was 6 month wait time.. Glad we heard something but the waiting stinks . Wish we applied for AP.

Any chance we may hear earlier than 6 months? Anyone here get the NPIW then got notice earlier

You can add AP to your application I believe, just send the form in now.

Hi guys, haven't been on here in a couple of months, but I've just got my interview letter for September 22nd.

Now I have to get my vaccinations signed off, has anyone else had to do this?

Hi folks! Haven't been on in a couple of months. Got my interview date for the adjustment of status, September 22nd, now to sort out the botched vaccination history in time

I've been reading around the forum that you need to have a green card to have a permanent driver's liscence...

You can have one for the duration of your EAD. So it would expire in one year as opposed to the usual length.

Went to trade in my temporary drivers license for the real deal today and they told me my legal presence cannot be verified yet. Such a waste of time

Got my EAD/AP card in the mail yesterday!

My EAD/AP card has arrived!

I also got a letter about the incomplete vaccinations but they said not to do anything until further notice