kates43

Nope, don't need fingerprints, so long as like above have mentioned - full disclosure - and it shows all aliases.

Good luck

I was literally just in that position. 'Updated' my address like three or four times, they send me a letter a month later saying it's updated,

So that made it fine. But get this: for the EAD case, they sent my approval letter to the mailing address but couldn't get it right for the actual card. Go figure :/

Thankfully I've received that but received my Green Card a week prior. So I don't need that anymore.

I know it sucks but save yourself the frustration and don't call uscis. They don't do anything, I don't even know why there's a customer service place to call because all they tell you is to wait in any situation.

Tier two don't do much either :/

We wanted to go to the Caribbean for our honeymoon and thankfully we figured out we could only legally go to Puerto Rico or US Virgin Islands to be able to get back in. This was seven months ago.

You don't go through any immigration, only security so US Citizens don't need a passport, and you won't need your AP. No one questioned us. We did take our marriage license just in case but no one flinched.

Either that or Hawaii is the closest you'll get to leaving the mainland without AP

My k1 was pretty smooth too haha I don't get it honestly. Everything got messed up since I moved here with uscis and paperwork.

Tier two never helped me much but try it anyway, can't hurt!

Every time I have called uscis they tell me to wait or they don't know. So they've never helped me with any issue that was actually caused by them.

I don't usually complain haha but this stuff has driven me to the point of insanity!

Definitely ring and clear it up, hopefully they will send you something as evidence

You would not believe the amount of issues I've had with uscis to get them to send things correctly.

I don't know how many times I've gone in and updated my address just to make sure they have it correct, I've verified it with them constantly on the phone (about 500 times) and they've also sent me letters saying it's updated.

Yet they send half of my letters and stuff to my physical address - which get sent back due to no mail box. Then they send the other half to my correct mailing address.

Don't ask my why they don't send everything to my mailing. I could have had my card two weeks ago but they sent it to the wrong place and it went back to uscis and now I need to wait more - since I apparently need to request they re send it, and that can take forever for them to see the service request and respond to it.

I know it happens a lot ! For various reasons, but mostly because uscis people or computer systems have no idea what the freak they are actually doing

Nope, they just look at a marriage cert and ask you to I'll out forms and check you've brought the documents needed, then take a photo and a billion fingerprints.

I brought my husband but he wasn't needed at all

I had a local senator look into mine, a week or so later got an email that it was approved.

Maybe try that and get it pushed forward ! They're stuffing up a lot and taking their time with this honestly. Unfortunately you gotta fight for it sometimes.

Ps: there is some seriously awesome advice people have been giving you!

I am sorry to hear it has been a hard first week.

I came from Australia and living in Maine, and heck that was enough culture shock for me let alone Thailand to the US.

I also went through the motions of severe home sickness and shutting down, trying to sleep the day away so I didn't get sad and wait hours for my husband to get home, I had no one to talk to all day, it's not nice. I didn't want to go out but at the same time I hated being in the house all the time. Where we are living is rural compared to what I'm used to and I hate it.

I've now been here for about seven months and it has only been comfortable around 2 or so months ago.

As hard as it is for you too, to see your partner so distressed, be there for her. I guarantee she is struggling hard and I'm sure she misses her 'home', familiarity and her son especially. Sometimes you don't like where you Were born, but you move elsewhere and then realize you actually love those things you've grown up with.

She needs you to be strong, to be there for her and I see you have tried to take her to Thai places etc. that's good, but the Thai is different in the states, not quite the same. I imagine it is frustrating also maybe not understanding the language and humor etc.

Coming to the USA can be so difficult, no matter where you have come form. The process is hard and you get down knowing you have to wait for employment and making friends and getting used to your surroundings. I can't even describe, I was shocked how homesick I was. Still am, but it isn't as bad.

I encourage you to be patient, strong for her and to also look after yourself. Make sure you have a close and trustworthy person/married couple to speak to, even if they don't understand your situation, it is good to have support and get good advice.

I truly hope it gets better, but from experience I struggled hard for months, and it may take her not that long, or longer, but it does get better.

Once she has advanced parole or green card, maybe see if she's interested in a visit home. Try to keep that as a plan if it helps her get through this.

Good luck!

I accidentally got my dads middle name wrong on the application, and didn't realise until after the interview and it had been approved.

If you notice it, maybe mention it in case but if it's interview time, they obviously haven't caught the mistake when the paperwork has supposedly been looked at all this time.

I received one of those at the beginning of February after I submitted for a review.

A week later, still hadn't heard anything so I rang USCIS. They told me I need to wait up to 30 days from that email saying it was under review to get a response.

It's such ####### because it's already over processing time, yet they still won't look at it and we have to wait longer.

I contacted my lawyer who contacted a senator to get it looked at.

I haven't heard anything yet and it's been a week of that.

Soon enough it'll be 30 days from filing for a review and I'll have to call them back up anyway cos of not hearing anything.

So ridiculous.

I hope yours comes soon.

I'm going through the exact same thing, mine was received and filed November 6, 2015.

As many people in this situation I'm sure, it's been hard living on one income while I've been sitting home or volunteering, because I want to work and be paid but I literally cannot.

Two Weeks ago I put in a request for information, and they sent an email saying it's being reviewed, I rang the office last Friday since I still haven't heard anything and they told me to wait another 30 days as well.

I'm beyond annoyed, they admitted it was over processing time but to just wait.

I contacted my lawyer and he will get on to a senator to see if they will help. I hope they do, it's so ridiculous to have been out of work for six months not by choice.

And without a EAD, it makes getting the other things difficult, mentioned above such as SSN and licence etc.

I thought the same thing, my marriage cert doesn't have my new name either. Confused me but our lawyer filed under my new name,

Agree with above, go and change your SSN to new name, and my adjustment application is under my new married name.

The only fast way of getting to the NVC is by calling them, a soon as they are open and not a minute later. The line is very busy, I usually had a 20 minute wait and I rang on the dot.

If there's nothing to report on your case they will say to call back in 30 days but that's just to get you off their back. Ring everyday if you want to.

My case was in and out of NVC literally overnight, so if I had called back a month later, well I'd actually finished the interview part when it was around that time.

We received an email saying it was on its way to Australia once I had already received my passport back with the visa in it and I was leaving in a few days.

Quite ridiculous, but don't stress, things seem to work pretty quickly at the NVC, just keep ringing whenever you feel like it.

Good luck !

I would gather as much medical history as you can.

Definitely vaccinations to give to your doctor at the medical appointment. That way you don't get extra shots you don't actually need.

I just went to the few doctors I'd been to since I was a kid and got my history.

If yer had operations/hospital visits I'd still torry to obtain that too.

The more you can show them the better.

When I came home engaged last year, we started thinking on what time of year we would like the wedding. We chose a date and sent out save the dates, and told people not to book anything until we heard about the visa.

I decided to send out invitations when I had received my interview date.

Looking back it could have been very risky, and was for awhile when we got our NOA2 in just enough time for the rest of the process to be completed for us to have the wedding when we wanted to.

It all worked out the way we had hoped, we feel very lucky because it could have gone pear shaped. I don't think I'd recommend how we did it but that's what we did.

I really just wanted to get married all in one day, that was just my preference but a ceremony to legalise and a party later works for a lot of people in this situation.

Otherwise, organise your dress, your bridesmaids (if you have any), wedding vendors - just suss them out and have backups!! - and decorations/colours, choose/design invites but don't print too far ahead and all that stuff.

Also be sure to look ahead at what visa documents you will need once you receive your NOA2 - once that was approved all I had left to do was my DS160 and medical and interview because I had previously gotten my birth certificate, police certificate, medical records and my now husband had sent me the affidavit of support etc.

The more ahead you are, the more time you save and have more of an idea once it gets approved etc how much time you may have.

Good luck!

Hi! I met my now husband online last February 2014, prior to meeting him online I already had plans to travel to the USA. After a few weeks talking/skyping we decided to meet up while I was travelling.

In September we officially met and the same thing, we knew we wanted to be together and marry one day.

I was visiting with him for three weeks and two days before I left to come home we got engaged.

We filed for the K1 a few months after I got home and everything went smoothly. Just give lots of evidence, like the first few messages you sent to each other, plane tickets, Skype records, phone call records etc, lots of photos of various things you do during the visit and anything else you think might help.

It is definitely okay to have met once. At my interview for the visa the guy asked me when we met online and then met officially and when we got engaged, when he heard the timeline he said, "that's a bit fast, isn't it?" - but everyone's relationship is different. So don't be put off if that happens at the interview

Good luck!

Hi! It could be the holiday weekend.

I sent mine in late October, was received early November and I got my NOA maybe a week ish after it was received.

I got the letter for biometrics just before thanksgiving, and my appointment for it was today.

The girl there said it can take about a month from today for me to receive my AP and workers permit.

It can be different depending on state and case and time you submit etc but I hope you hear soon! Good luck!

I went from Sydney to LA, then LA, to Detroit then Detroit to Maine. Mine was LA.

You are right, it's the first American stop you make. Chicago

Hey,

It honestly will be different for everybody. It's a very unique reason behind most decisions about this.

For myself and my now husband, we looked at him coming to Australia or me to the U.S.

We couldn't afford a wedding and the visa cost and housing cost for Australia, whereas he already had an apartment, a full time job, the visa is cheaper and is still working on his career, whereas I don't have a career. Just a job.

So for us it made sense for me to move right now, and we hope someday we can return to Australia to live and raise a family.

Good luck in your decision making, it isn't an easy one to make sometimes.

I got travel insurance that lasted until a few weeks after our wedding so that gave us time to get me onto his insurance.

I felt better having it than having nothing since it costs a bomb over here !!

I just got travel insurance which lasted a week or so after our wedding which gave us time then to get me onto his healthcare once we were married.

I know travel insurance is pricey. I never get sick or get hurt or go to hospital but i got sick twice so I'm glad I had the travel insurance to cover me.

Hope that helps

I doubt any decent human being would not be asking a stranger from overseas to pay for flights and visas etc. you do that s*** yourself if you wanna go meet someone.

I know everyone's saying its a scam, but did it ever come up in conversation about you going to visit 'her'?

It doesn't look/sound good, and you should be mindful of your safety and finances.

Oh ok awesome !

I just realised you're doing a spouse visa, but I reckon it can't be too different :/

If the interview is done, they will probably just receive the results and then get the passport ready.