oncefuturealien

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@oncefuturealien @-Marie- @Jessica Donahue
Los Angeles Field Office UserName.........|GC-Date.|Sent....|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line.|Int ltr.|Intrview|Oath....|Field Office |(Waiting time for interview) bengad2010.......|--/--/--|09/28/17|--/--|10/03|10/23/17|11/13/17|12/27/18|02/01/19|02/20/19|Los Angeles, CA|(492 days) Kichuka..........|03/05/14|02/06/18|02/06|02/06|02/28/18|--/--/--|12/21/18|01/28/19|02/20/19|Los Angeles, CA|(356 days) WONDERLA87.......|11/24/14|02/20/18|02/20|02/20|02/27/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|02/22/19|--/--/--|Los Angeles, CA|(367 days) josue818.........|05/11/15|02/21/18|02/27|02/23|03/28/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Los Angeles, CA| MiaK.............|--/--/--|03/06/18|03/09|03/09|03/28/18|--/--/--|02/07/19|03/16/19|--/--/--|Los Angeles, CA| (375 days) Cam54............|07/09/15|04/12/18|04/13|03/14|05/04/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Los Angeles, CA| HusbandandWife...|07/15/15|04/17/18|04/17|04/17|05/04/18|--/--/--|12/04/18|01/09/19|--/--/--|Los Angeles, CA|(267 days) Enock............|09/30/03|05/04/18|05/04|05/05|05/23/18|--/--/--|11/20/18|01/09/18|02/20/19|Los Angeles, CA|(250 days) felixe...........|08/10/15|05/13/18|05/13|05/13|05/31/18|--/--/--|11/23/18|01/11/19|02/20/19|Los Angeles, CA|(243 days) Cocoza...........|08/12/15|05/14/18|05/14|05/14|05/23/18|--/--/--|01/04/19|02/12/19|--/--/--|Los Angeles, CA|(226 days) Alen11...........|09/01/15|07/06/18|07/06|07/07|07/24/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Los Angeles, CA| San Bernardino Field Office UserName.........|GC-Date.|Sent....|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line.|Int ltr.|Intrview|Oath....|Field Office |(Waiting time for interview) Dodgertown.......|11/18/15|08/20/18|08/20|08/20|09/04/18|09/04/18|11/13/18|12/18/18|02/20/19|San Bernardino, CA|(120 days) B D..............|--/--/--|10/25/18|10/25|10/25|10/30/18|--/--/--|02/05/19|03/12/19|--/--/--|San Bernardino, CA|(138 days) oncefuturealien..|02/04/16|11/08/18|11/08|11/08|11/27/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|San Bernardino, CA|  San Fernando Valley Field Office UserName.........|GC-Date.|Sent....|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line.|Int ltr.|Intrview|Oath....|Field Office |(Waiting time for interview) Ontheroadagain...|01/25/15|02/04/18|02/04|02/04|02/27/18|--/--/--|12/18/18|01/23/19|02/20/19|San Fernando Valley, CA|(353 days) aaakortee........|--/--/--|04/14/18|04/14|04/14|04/25/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|San Fernando Valley, CA| PauPau...........|09/08/15|06/10/18|06/10|06/10|07/02/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|San Fernando Valley, CA| Tina and Johan...|07/28/15|06/19/18|06/19|06/20|07/12/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|San Fernando Valley, CA| carinalnd........|07/11/15|07/16/18|07/16|07/16|08/07/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|San Fernando Valley, CA| fluffy21.........|08/28/15|08/20/18|08/20|08/20|09/14/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|San Fernando Valley, CA| CamillaAuch93....|--/--/--|11/03/18|--/--|--/--|11/13/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|San Fernando Valley, CA| Santa Ana Field Office UserName.........|GC-Date.|Sent....|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line.|Int ltr.|Intrview|Oath....|Field Office |(Waiting time for interview) qan714...........|01/20/15|12/31/17|12/31|01/01|01/22/18|02/09/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| florist..........|07/15/15|04/17/18|04/23|04/23|05/14/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| Katherine_D......|07/28/15|04/29/18|04/29|04/29|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| CHELB............|--/--/--|05/22/18|--/--|--/--|06/11/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| B3LL5............|--/--/--|05/25/18|05/25|05/25|06/14/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| Jimbo09..........|08/05/15|05/29/18|05/29|05/31|06/18/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| tafar............|06/06/13|05/29/18|06/04|05/31|06/18/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| tink04...........|09/30/15|07/06/18|07/06|07/06|07/24/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| CJKylie..........|11/01/15|08/03/18|08/03|08/03|09/07/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| TNL2018..........|--/--/--|08/03/18|08/03|08/03|08/23/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| NewKid...........|--/--/--|11/07/18|--/--|--/--|11/30/18|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| irvine...........|--/--/--|02/03/19|02/03|02/03|02/12/19|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Santa Ana, CA| San Diego Field Office UserName.........|GC-Date.|Sent....|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line.|Int ltr.|Intrview|Oath....|Field Office |(Waiting time for interview) qfbariza.........|10/19/15|07/21/18|07/21|07/21|08/13/18|--/--/--|10/25/18|12/05/18|--/--/--|San Diego, CA|(137 days) herdeneeyee......|11/18/15|08/20/18|08/20|08/20|08/24/18|--/--/--|11/30/18|01/07/19|--/--/--|San Diego, CA|(140 days) NeedMoreCoffee...|01/14/16|10/16/18|10/16|10/16|10/30/18|--/--/--|01/17/19|02/28/19|--/--/--|San Diego, CA|(135 days) -Marie-..........|08/05/13|11/07/18|11/08|11/08|11/27/18|--/--/--|01/31/19|03/12/19|--/--/--|San Diego, CA|(125 days) Jessica Donahue..|--/--/--|12/08/18|12/08|12/08|01/04/19|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|San Diego, CA|  Instructions for adding/updating yourself (or assisting others) to this list: 1. DO NOT DELETE THESE INSTRUCTIONS. 2. Please use your VJ name to avoid confusion. 3. Please make sure you are using Rich Text Editor as your message setting. 4. Click "Quote" on the most recent/updated posting version of this list. 5. Remove the "Quote Coding" at the top and bottom of the list. 6. Always use [Courier New] Font and font size.[12] 7. Make changes and Add Reply. 8. Red Font = "I'm A United States Citizen"! Legend: GC-Date: The 'Resident Since' Date located on your first green card Sent: Date N-400 was mailed to USCIS Cashd: Date your check was cashed / credit card was charged by USCIS NOA: Receipt Notice Date Printed on your official I-797 notification Fprints: Date assigned for fingerprinting (Bio-metrics) In Line: Date you received e-notification about the start of your interview scheduling Int Ltr: Date you received the official letter in the mail regarding the interview Interview: Date of your interview Oath: Date Oath taken

My Phone was about to blow up a couple of minutes back with flooding of so many Text Messages and Emails about status updates for both ROC approvals and N400 approvals/In-line for OATH Ceremony. My Interview was 2 days ago (02/12).
 
One last hurdle to cross.

Separate documents with descriptive names.

I called them, they created a ticket 
I tried next day in Firefox, it worked!

Yes you can do walk-ins at the Riverside Biometrics office. I have done so a few weeks ago as soon as I could print out the Biometrics letter. No problems and I was in within 20 minutes.

I received a message this morning as well saying that my biometric appointment was scheduled. Give a day or two and the appointment letter should be there.  

Well, I pulled the trigger. I included the 3-year travel info and the 5-year residence and jobs info.
 
Documentation: green card front & back; marriage certificate; USC spouse passport; some bank info and joint auto and home insurance proof. A lot of our bills are in his name since he had the credit rating when we moved back here, so there wasn't much to use. I would have added the IRS transcripts for the past two years (married filing jointly) but I got locked out of the site for 24 hours when they didn't like my account numbers so they'll have to wait for those.
 
 

Speedy journeys to all!

Just got my EAD! I'll be sending in my docs to Service Canada tomorrow so I'll let you guys know how that goes down.

This page has the info you want.
A friend was able to get a passport in 24 hours in LA a few years ago. It will cost you though!
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/passport/times.asp
https://travel.gc.ca/assistance/embassies-consulates?_ga=1.159175986.905589449.1479313614
That's the list of consulates.
(Edited to put correct link)

I'll probably go to the customs before the movers cross the border to activate my visa. It seems to be better and easier this way.
Thanks guys for your help and guidance.

Hi, I'm here to list the options even though the options won't be cheap or pretty.
Let's confirm some things first: your fiance doesn't have health insurance but he is willing to pay the penalty. That's absolutely fine and legal. You say that the costs were extremely expensive for him in finding a plan and I sympathize. My next question will be did he explore his options through the state or federal exchange? You say he is in a lower income bracket, so in that regard he may qualify for a subsidy (lower premium cost). However I certainly do know many persons still in lower brackets that don't fit into the one-size-fits-all approach of O'care and still don't qualify for the subsidies. It may be time to relook into this matter again now that he's going to marry you.
Cost factors: If he could not afford a premium by himself, this will be unlikely to change until you are able to obtain your working documents and obtain a job that may offer insurance or afford to pay out of pocket. So while I won't delve into what factors can help you obtain a plan that works now, just know that no matter what route you choose below it's usually going to be hefty either way.
In the meantime the options are as follows:
Upcoming is the November open enrollment period. Take advantage of this if you are arriving before that and get married (go get your SSN first) as soon as possible. Then AOS as soon as possible. That way you'll be set with less hassle in dealing with unknowledgeable agents unsure of how to handle an immigrant of the K1 variety.
Keep the following in mind: regardless of the open enrollment period - being recently married/recently immigrated/losing coverage is a qualifier for special enrollment should you not get to enrolling during the open enrollment period.
1) Apply for a plan on the exchange. If you have a state exchange you'll have to use that first. Immigrants are qualified BUT you're going to at least need an NOA1 for proof of starting Adjustment of Status in the US. Barring that, you'd have to wait until you had an EAD or Greencard, whichever came first into your hands. See the link in my signature regarding O'care and immigrants. The same rules for the state apply to the federal.
2) Don't directly apply on the exchange, and purchase a plan through any insurer offering insurance in your state. For instance I did this for my husband and we used BCBS. Advantages? Nothing in terms of cost or plan offers. All of the plans offered by insurances privately will pretty much all be the same ones on the exchange actually. There will be some price differences either slightly cheaper or more expensive. You'd have to comparative shop. One advantage I noticed though is that the insurer did not require or ask for any immigration documents or proofs. An SSN was not even required (it may be asked for later but you can continue to decline and I won't get into the specifics of why). Just keep the following in mind, by law not having an SSN is not a barrier to prevent someone from obtaining health insurance. Not every HR or employee has a clue. Even for O'care the training manual details how to handle special scenarios like this. But regardless if you have obtained an SSN already, you can provide it without hassle and you'll be covered just fine.
3) Do nothing. Health insurance is not mandatory, so long as the penalty is paid. It won't apply to you most likely in the first few months. It will all be when you are considered a definition of resident. Waiting of course until you're more stable and not doing anything is a gamble when it comes to the risk of health, so it's understandable you'd want to be covered. There are minute clinics available in any area that you can go to if you're sick so long as you pay.
Keep the following in mind: Travel insurances, foreign insurances, temporary insurances, and insurances directly marketed toward immigrants are considered substandard by the government. The penalty will still apply. Once you touch down in America, travel insurance will be void. Likewise you are intending to move and no longer a resident of your country. You can certainly obtain a temporary type of insurance for ''immigrants and visitors'' (you can find many of these on google) but it will not cover anything pre-existing, and from a personal standpoint I find the coverage offered by these insurances dubious. But it won't mean you can escape the penalty.

Mine was worded due to relocation abroad. And I actually packed up everything I own into 4 bags and will be flying down Friday.

Hang in there - it can be bewildering when there is so much going on.
Although you're not married yet.....start reading the Adjustment of Status (from Family based Visas) forum here (you'll be doing it soon)- everyone there is now going through the same thing because you're all here and you'll find useful advice .
Your Fiancee can ask her Benefits/ HR person at work - I happen to work in HR and I don't think I've come across a policy which would't add you at date of marriage as a 'life event'. For myself I was married 2 weeks after we arrived so it wasn't long. They usually want your SSN at that time, but they can add you without...but it is an ongoing requirement to have an SSN for Health insurance purposes listed but the SSN site does indicate you don't require a social to be added to insurance so your Fiancee should not back down and provide the SSN site information to her HR person. They aren't SSN experts, they work in benefits.
SSN - https://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/ss5doc.htm Read carefully through the documents you need to apply (Adult/ new/ noncitizen category), fill out the form and head on down. You may run into some resistance based on other posts but I'm sure someone can help. the SSN site does indicate you cannot obtain an SSN just for the purpose of obtaining a drivers.
Welcome!

This date is the only date that works as I have two international trips, one in November and one in December as well as school (final exams, etc.,) so I need to have my passport back for the dates I'm traveling overseas.
It's okay, he will just have to come and visit me!

No problem. It's frustrating when you hear that someone else got theirs right away, I know! but it doesn't mean that there's something wrong with yours. Just keep breathing and you'll be ISSUED before you know it.
They should send links to meditation seminars out with the NOA2, it's so hard to be patient through this, even when it goes quickly. There was a couple here that applied the same day as we did, who got theirs issued some two months before we did, it's just how it goes. I hope yours is issued soon!

Congrats! We were in line with you as well (our interview was at 7:45). My fiancé and I were discussing who you were in the line while reading your review.
We were also approved!

Hey all!
So my visa was approved today! I'm really happy! I will be writing a review about it in the next few hours, it turned out to be actually very easy!
I stayed at Motel Pierre for $68/night which was about 20 minutes from the consulate but it worked.
Thank you for all the good luck, it really helped!

Tire pressure monitoring system?

I called about mine a few weeks ago. She said the international office takes longer but that mine was odd since there were no updates at all. So she submitted a request for update for me.
I looked online a few days ago and it has been proceeded and I believe is depositing tomorrow.
So just seems they are slightly slow. Or they lost a bunch for a while too.

I work for an accounting firm that processes both Cdn and US tax returns.
CRA's International department (for those with addresses outside of Canada) is much slower processing returns than the regular department.
I've seen some returns for non-residents take up to a year to be assessed.

I'm really sorry that you're homesick. It won't take that long for your greencard to come in the mail. One important thing you could be working on is your resume and maybe even start applying for jobs. Most jobs here take a few weeks from application to job offer. Even if they offered you a job, you could inform them that you still need to wait to get your documentation but should have it fairly soon. Most companies expect that a new hire will need to put in a two week notice so they should work with you on a start date.
As for the social security card, I'm not sure how CR-1 recipients receive theirs. But after my fiancé applied for his, it took 2 weeks to get the actual card in the mail. If POE triggers the creation of the social security number in CR-1 cases, then I'd assume that will show up in the near future as well.
Some other things you can do:
Study for your driving test
Find a library, get a library card, read
Look online for things to do in your city and plan afternoon outings for yourself. This should be somewhat fun and will be a great way to familiarize yourself with your new home. Talk to your husband to find out if there's places you need to avoid.
Join a gym
Search for volunteer opportunities
Shop for a few pictures, rugs, knick knacks, or something to make your new home feel more like your home - they don't have to be expensive.
And last but not least, have grace for yourself. You've made a big life change and it takes time to adjust. There's nothing wrong with feeling sad about what you left behind. Just don't allow yourself to solely focus on that.

I submitted mine early, too, and the NOA was available online last week and they deposited a refund in my bank! that was unexpected. Seems like I overpaid. Hope yours goes through soon!

I know this is long but I tried to be as informative as possible. Our interview was this Friday (August 26th, 2016).
Interview was at 10:30, we got in the consulate at 10am and got out at 12pm. Very easy process. I knew the embassy pretty well because I came here twice in the past for a J-1 and an H-3 visa. We entered the consulate at 10am instead of 10:30am and were given a laminate piece of paper that had a number and a list of documents to organize in order and provide. Security was actually nice and they let us in with our big massive folder and a McGill paper bag. They took our cellphones, lighter and cigarettes and gave us a number to come get them at the end. We sat in the immigrant visa section (the consulate was really packed), got called to a first window to drop off our documents after one hour of wait. Very nice lady, took all our docs (even some that were NOT on the list, so if you want a piece of advice, bring ANYTHING that you can think of and not just what is stated on Packet IV). She ended up taking: - the laminated piece of paper - Medical exam (not the X ray cd since i didn't test positive for TB) - Birth certificate (only the original + original of translation) - Original of my French police record + original of my Canadian police record - Original of our mariage certificate - I-864 from my husband + proof of status (US passport + birth certificate original) + proof of domicile (NY driver's licence, rent bill, pay stub) + all financial evidence - I-864 from my joint sponsor (which we ended up not needing because my USC husband is making enough money this year - we wanted to play it safe as he just graduated college and did not have to file taxes in the previous years) + proof of US status + Proof of domicile + 3 past tax returns + 6 month worth of pay stubs - 2 photos - Original of my student visa for Canada So as you can see, not all this was stated in Packet IV but she gladly took it (although they had all this because i had sent it through EP but I guess they wanted to see it again). She indicated that I would get back the originals of my and my husband's birth certificates back, along with my student visa and mariage certificate. They did keep both my police records. She verified my Canadian and my US address, my phone number and my PETITIONER's phone number (thank god I know it by heart). An hour later I got called to window #8 and got interview by a very nice young man. I told him that my husband was here and asked him if he wanted him to come, to which he answered with a serious-not-so-serious tone "no you must face me alone". He explained to me how the interview was going to work, so: 1- oath that I will only say the truth 2- a few questions 3- verify that my documents are all good He then looked at my DS-260 and asked me if I met my husband in college (I go to a pretty American university in Canada) or when I was in the US under my previous status and when I was graduating college. And that was it about the questions about my relationship (probably because i gave him a pretty thorough answer about our lives). He then asked me if I lived anywhere else than my country of citizenship and Canada and if I ever had any problem at the US border. He then proceeded to look at my documents and check a few things off on his computer. That was long-ish, longer than the interview at least. He even said "Sorry checking off documents is longer than talking to you". He was just inputing on his computer that he verified the originals of the documents i had submitted through EDP. He then told me I was approved and that my visa was going to come in the mail. I asked him if there was any way I could come to get my passport earlier to go back to the US with my husband and told me he was going to try and told me to come back on Monday (my interview was Friday) to see if they got clearance from the US to print my visa on the spot (he gave me an orange piece of paper to show the security guards downstairs when I come back on Monday 3pm). He actually told me that the US sends clearance to the embassy to print the visa usually within 72 hours of the interview (but closer to the 72hrs) which I actually had no idea about (at least I learned something new). We are Sunday as I am writing this and my status on CEAC still shows Ready so I hope I can go pick up my visa tomorrow but I dont think it will be possible - Fingers crossed! Overall great experience, but I was happy to have my husband here because I think that without him I wouldn't have been so calm. So a piece of advice: bring your USC spouse with you (especially that the wait is long so at least you're kept entertained)!!! If you guys have any questions about the medical, the interview or anything, please do not hesitate to contact me. This forum has been of great help for us to get through hard times and to get advice, so if I can give back a little, I will happily.

Have you gone atop any VJ page, clicked "Reviews: Embassy" and "Embassy Info," and read?
Have you gone into the Canada regional forum to look for relevant threads?
Just asking.
*** Country-specific thread is moved from the K-1 Process forum to the Canada regional subforum. ***