vavaBB

Lucky dog, you. Even though I'm green with envy, I guess I'll say Congrats!!!

Nope. I did, however, recieve a Potential Interview waiver notice. I think this means Des Moines is way behind on processing I485s.

Hello! i just like to know if you got your interview date yet? i have also filed in Des Monies.

Thanks. I got an update that the card was mailed today. I immediately called USCIS, and talked to a Tier 2 officer who gave me the Tracking number, and also informed me that the card won't be mailed until later today. I hope things are going well for you as well.

Good job on the expedite. Our EAD was on the same day so am waiting for the combo card. I have heard about 10 days or so.

Thanks, Pitaya.

~10-14 days

FamousNJ, have you tried calling them again? Ask to speak to a Tier 2 officer - usually Tier 1 just read what's already available on the Case Tracker online tool of USCIS.

I am also in the same boat

My EAD was approved on Aug 19 2015.

On Aug 24 status changed to "Card was mailed to me".

I called in for tracking # but apparently they don't have it yet.

I received the approval notice in mail on Aug 24, still waiting on EAD Card.

Keeping my fingers crossed...

"

Thanks!

I heard 10 days but you could get it sooner.

Hello there,

I was wondering if you guys could help me figure out when I'll be receiving my EAD card in the mail?

The USCIS Case Tracker says : "On August 24, 2015, we approved your Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization , Receipt Number MSCxxxxxxxxxx. We will mail your approval notice. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address."

The company I'm supposed to start working for wants me to start on Monday (8/31). They have also said that they won't be able to work with just the approval - they will need to see the actual card.

Any help will be appreciated.

My AOS EAD timeline

Date Filed : 2015-07-01

NOA Date : 2015-07-06

Bio. Appt. : 2015-07-31

Approved Date : 2015-08-24

Estimates/Stats : Your EAD was approved in 54 days.

My EAD Expedite "Experience"

Also, for those who are interested, I successfully got my EAD expedited. Here are the steps I followed :-

a) Got the offer letter from company stating Start Date, and asking to provide Proof of Employability on the start day

b) Called USCIS - placed Expedite Request stating Severe Financial Loss and Extreme Urgency. Told them about the Offer, and how the job would help us financially since we're a new family. Also stated that the number of opportunities in my city are limited, and offers like these are hard to come by. Officer gave me Service Request Number. (8/17)

c) Got letter in mail 3 days later from USCIS asking for proof of offer. Faxed that over, with a cover letter stating financial difficulties .. Worded it in such a manner that we needed the job to help the "family grow". (8/20)

d) Called the Senator's office - requested help in the case. Faxed over offer letter, explanation, and service request number. Got a reply from their office saying USCIS is working on the expedite and they have pushed for a quick approval.

e) A week from when I called USCIS, I got the Approval update on Case Tracker. (8/24)

I hope this helps you guys!

FAIL at Des Moines, IA.

They said they do not allow early walk-ins. :/

I am in the same situation here, NVC received the I129f case on May 08 and still we have not received the instruction letter in mail to book the interview.

My fiance and I have sent an Email to ustraveldocs on June 10 and still waiting for the reply.

Can anyone please help me ? Shall I just contact the embassy right away because the call center guys asked my fiancé to wait till the time he receives a letter in the mail and it has been more than 45 days.

Please advise.

What does the CEAC status say?

Hi, I just recently got into the US on the K1. My fiancé and I are getting married early next week. We setup an appointment to have the vaccinations transcribed onto the USICS i-693 form, but they said they doctor is out of town, and we won't have the form filled out for another 2 weeks. We have everything else ready to go.

Questions :-

If we were to submit the AOS packet without the vaccination report, would I get an RFE? Do RFEs usually come before or after the EAD/AP combo card? I'll need to travel back to India for a wedding, and I don't want an RFE to delay the process any further.

Good to know there are other LGBT folk who are going through the same process.

As for the actual process, there is absolutely no difference in how things are done. I was approved about 2 weeks back, and am traveling to be with my fiancé this weekend.

I live in India, and homosexuality is a criminal offense here. We were worried if I would face some sort of discrimination at the embassy due to this, but nothing of the sort happened. Embassy employees are trained in US immigration laws - there is nothing to be worried about. I was obviously very stressed during the interview, but the consular officer asked me to "Relax and smile".

Times are changing, and there is no way but forward.

Good Luck to all filers.

Let me know if you need help with the K1 process. I'll start a thread with my experience when I get to the US (including POE etc)…

Hi,

I will traveling to the US on the 13th to be with my fiancé. I was wondering if someone would advise on the best ways to exchange money? There just seems to be way too many options. (Forex at airport, travelers check, US check, US $ demand draft…)

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank You

Hi,

We got out K1 approved, and I have started making travel plans to be with my fiancé. I was looking at flights from India to the U.S, and one of the best options I have is to use Etihad Airways - to travel through Abu Dhabi. I, however, have a 7 hour layover in Abu Dhabi. While looking at things to do at Abu Dhabi, I found that Abu Dhabi airport has a US Immigration pre-clearance option.

http://www.etihad.com/en-us/before-you-fly/us-preclearance/

As a K1 holder, am I eligible to use this option? If so, it would be ideal.. for obvious reasons.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank You.

I had my interview last Friday, May 15. I was freaking out because it was still saying ready. Monday was an Holiday for canada, so consulate was closed. I had a change in my status wednesday, Thursday it went to AP then Issued.

It takes a day or two before any change, if the officer told you you were approved, relax and give it until wednesday I'd say. Tomorrow is mémorial day so consulate will be closed.

By the way, congratulations on your approval!!

Phew!

Thanks, Chalandrae.

Congrats to you too, by the way

Thank You.

As far as i remember, its not with NVC anymore. Check CEAC.

Thanks for the quick response, Mebenita.

The status I posted was from the CEAC website, actually. ( https://ceac.state.gov/ceacstattracker/status.aspx )

Any thoughts on why it wouldn't show the approval status?

Hi,

I might be overthinking this, I was very recently approved for my K1 VISA. The officer who interviewed me told me that I was approved, and that I should received updates on my passport in less than a week. My interview was on Friday May 22nd.

I just checked my NVC status with my case number, and it still shows "Ready" -

Your case is ready for your interview when scheduled at the U.S. Consular section. If you have already scheduled an appointment for an interview, please prepare your documents as directed in your appointment letter and appear at the consulate on the appointed date and time. Otherwise, please wait until you have been notified of your interview appointment. Additional information about how Immigrant Visa interview appointments are scheduled can be found at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3731.html

Do I need to be worried? Is this usual? Do they update the approval on the NVC website?

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Thank You.

Oi! As expected, great answers; but conflicting and confusing.

I guess I'll take letters from my mom, sister and brother in law... just to be safe.. I'll obviously also take photos that I have showing family support.

I'll also make sure to not over-explain and make it seem like there's more to the story..

Thank you all.

At the risk of facing homophobia on a seemingly friendly forum, I would appreciate if you guys could help with the following concern.

I'm from India where homosexuality is frowned upon and criminalized. Our i129 petition is already approved and at the Mumbai consulate. I am planning to schedule the K1 interview for someday next month. I have read on some forums that K1s could get rejected due to cultural differences/ familial disagreement to the wedding etc. How true is this?

My family loves my fiance, and they're excited for me- despite societal backwardness in India. Should I be taking a letter from my mom/ sister/ brother in law stating that they have met my fiance and that they're happy with my decision? Should this be notarized?

I have photos to prove he has met my sister and brother in law; but nothing with my mom - except a few cards that he has sent to my mom. She, being Indian, hasn't even reciprocated with a courteous thank you card. LOL. Guilty.

What else can I carry with me to prove that my family is happy with our decision and is supportive?

Yes

Danke, KatieKay.

Thanks!

OP, please check: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/546719-i-got-denied-for-my-green-card-and-my-wife-now-wants-to-get-divorce/

Yeap. Pretty scary.

We've deicded to drop the plan of living separately.

I see how living separately can be seen as a red-flag to case officers.

Hi,

Does NVC/CEAC status "Ready" mean that the consulate has the file?

Now that you have the case number, you can track it on the Department of State's website (NVC). When the status shows ready, that's when you contact the USEM.

These steps might help :-

1. Go to https://ceac.state.gov/ceacstattracker/status.aspx . Since you're a K1 petitioner/beneficiary, choose Immigrant Visa (IV) and key in your Case Number.
2. There are 3 statuses on the CEAC website - At NVC, In Transit, and Ready. When the status changes to In Transit (meaning the file is on it's way to the USEM in the beneficiary's country - if you're too curious like me, go to http://www.dhl-usa.com/en/express/tracking/shippers_reference.html , give the shipping reference as EXP 24 APR 2015A -- change date to when it changed to In Transit, change country to beneficiary's country - you will get the tracking details of the packet sent to the USEM)
3. When the status changes to READY, that's when you contact the US Embassy.

Hello experienced VJ-ers,

I have a few doubts about the "job-search-process" upon entering the US on a K1 VISA.

a) I know that it takes about 3 months to receive the EAD after applying. Can one start looking for jobs before receiving the card? If so, what's a good time to start?

b) My fiance (the petitioner) lives in Des Moines, IA. He just started a fancy job with a huge corporation. I'm a software engineer and the chances of me getting a satisfactory job in Des Moines are very slim. Would it be problematic if we were to live in different states until we can move to a state where we can both have good jobs that align with the career path we want for ourselves? Trust me, living in different states is the last thing we want to do; but we're trying to be realistic about the fact that we can't sacrifice our careers. We've known each other for over 3 years - and we've grown to trust each other.

I've been reading that having two separate address might complicate the AOS process. Is this true? Don't "traditional" same-nationality couples live apart because of their careers?

Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Thank You.

Hi Charlie,

I think you'll need to contact the embassy via email to check on the status, as mentioned in the link below.

http://riyadh.usembassy.gov/k1packet.html

Lots of conflicting information on the embassy's website.

For cases filed in the United States: The National Visa Center (NVC) sends the appointment letter.

Once the beneficiary has received the appointment letter--and no sooner--he/she may proceed with the medical exam. Any other immigration services requiring appointments can be made by writing to RiyadhIV@state.gov.

EMAIL them!

Not married before + No kids = very straight forward, right?

Plus, you've been together for 2 years.

There really shouldn't be any complications as long as you follow the guides here.

Agree with ^.

Just spend some time reading through the guides here on VJ. If you have a doubt, look it up - you will most likely find an answer on VJ itself. If that's not the case, start a new topic - ask your doubts - someone will definitely point you in the right path.

I know what you mean when you say you're busy and that you want things to move smoothly. Having said that, when John and I started out the process, we consulted with an immigration attorney - He quoted us $6k - which we thought was ridiculous - whether or not we had that kind of money is a totally different case.

John and I did everything by ourselves (granted we've only reached the NOA2 stage). If you think you have a strong case to file for K1, all you need to do is be organized and start collecting proof of relationship. Just work on getting things ready over the weekend / your days off. In effect, you will probably end up saving a lot of time if you consider lawyer contracts, fee payments, sending documents etc etc..

This is my personal opinion.

Correct me if I'm wrong - but this is the order/ manner in which an interview is to be scheduled at MUM/NWD, right?

1. Apply for PCC
2. Get Case number from NVC
3. Track application - DHL.
4. After it arrives at MUM/ NWD - petitioner emails the embassy for appointment letter (?).
5. With appointment letter, schedule medicals
6. Complete DS160 - pay fees - schedule VISA interview

I'm still confused on what the appointment letter would contain... Is this done before or after we pay the fees?

HELP!

Coincidentally enough, the fiancee received the package in the mail just today. Their website said it was shipped on April 9th, today is the 20th, so about 8 days from Mumbai to Hyd.

But as has been the case for me, you dont need to wait on it to do the steps mentioned earlier.