nikkimujj

I had my N400 interview at the Newark field office today. I passed the civics and English exams and at the end the officer told me that she still needs to review my file and therefore a decision cannot be made yet. She indicated as such on the N-652 and said it would probably take about a month to be approved. When I got home and checked my case status, however, it had two updates:

• Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled

• We recommended that your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, be approved. Your case was submitted for quality review.

Does this mean the officer recommended me for approval? Just seems strange since she marked a decision could not be made yet on my form.

My husband's citizenship interview was scheduled (yay!) one week before my due date. We're feeling a bit nervous about this timeline and worried about him missing the interview if baby decides to come on that day/time. Does anyone know what our options the day of are? For example, if we don't try to reschedule but then I go into labor that day before his interview. Any possibility to notify them or reschedule the same day? Will we have to just re-file and start the whole N400 process over again?

We really don't want to reschedule in advance because we've obviously waited a long time for the interview, but it might be a better alternative than having to refile. Field office is Newark. Thanks!

Hi all, wanted to share an update that our case was approved last week. Interview waived likely because we had one during AOS. Good luck to everyone who is waiting!!

EAC (Vermont Service Center) 

NOA date: June 10, 2019

Biometrics: July 9, 2019

Case approved: May 13, 2019

10 hours ago, rooji said:

 

Hi

 

Sorry for not updating. We traveled from DC (iad) to Lahore airport. From DC no issue whatsoever and same goes to the airport in Lahore. It is on individual person or officer who may have an issue but we didn't. Also me and my husband were traveling with our baby and my mother in law so no issue. It was all smooth and simple. The airline staff were familiar with it but it is the airport security staff in Pakistan who are somewhat familiar to the combo but it  was not much. Anyways everything was good. 

 

Urooj

Thank you, Urooj. This is so helpful. I didn't quite understand what you meant about the airport security staff. Did you mean the staff who put the exit stamps in passport weren't very familiar with the combo? Or is it the security at airport entrance?  

On 3/12/2019 at 2:34 PM, rooji said:

Hello,

 

I wanted to know if anyone recently traveled to Pakistan on Qatar airlines recently with expired GC and extension letter? Did they have any trouble especially if their name is common Muslim name? Me and husband are traveling in about 2 months with our new born baby and I need to know if I will run in any problem. We are traveling from DC airport.

 

Thanks

rooj

Hi rooj,

Can you please share your experience of travelling to Pakistan on Qatar airlines? We are planning to travel on the 18 month extension letter. Which airport did you fly into Pakistan? And did the airline staff and FIA seem familiar with the expired green card+extension letter combo? Thanks so much.

Hi all,

My husband has the 18 month extension letter, however, we are not sure if Pakistani immigration authorities in Islamabad airport are familiar with the document (for when we'll return). We believe an I-551 stamp in the passport might seem "more official" to them. Is there anyone here who has experience traveling in and out of Islamabad on the extension letter?? Alternatively we could try to get the passport stamped but don't like the idea of giving up expired green card and the NOA. Would really appreciate if others have relevant experiences to share. Thank you!

Hi,

Me and my wife (US Citizen) met abroad during our studies together. I moved to the US with her after that on the K1 visa in late August and got married in the beginning of October. We filed for our AOS by the end of OCT and have already gotten my biometrics appointment. She is currently looking for jobs and is covered by her parents insurance. I am hoping that when she'll get a job I can be covered under her insurance from the company but it will probably be a couple of more months since she is in the middle of early interviews for now.

I want to know how long can I go without getting health insurance and would it have any impact on my AOS application interview. I have heard that people have been asked to bring health insurance documents at the AOS interview. I am just wondering if that'll be a problem for me and for how long can I put it off (while my wife's job applications reach a conclusion)? I'd really appreciate any experiences or advice in this regard.

Thanks a lot!

Just seems suspicious that an American caucasian woman married a Muslim Pakistani man that she met on foreign travels to Europe. Be prepared to be scrutinized at the 485 interview because it's a common trend for men from Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco that hunt for White American girls to marry so they can escape their country. I take it you're not Muslim or have converted so be prepared to be asked a lot of questions at the interview.

My husband and I did not meet on foreign travels, but were both living as residents in Germany at the time. We are, however, very well aware of how our relationship will be scrutinized because of his country of origin.Thankfully, our process has gone very smoothly so far, and no one has asked about our religion.

OP,

To answer your original question "What did everyone else send along with the AOS?" here's what my husband sent:

• G-1145
• Payment in the amount of $1070.00.
• I-485 with accompanying documentation:
  • Photocopy of the biographical page of his Brazilian passport
  • Photocopy of the K-1 visa page of his passport
  • Photocopy of I-797, Notice of action from U.S. spouse’s I-129F Petition
  • I-94
  • Photocopy of his birth certificate and translation
  • Original marriage certificate (The instructions say a photocopy is acceptable, but we had seen other cases on VJ where an RFE was issued because an original was not sent, so we decided not to risk an RFE and sent an original)
  • Two passport-style photos
• G-325A and Supplement: Applicant’s employment last 5 years
• I-693 with a photocopy of DS-3025 (He needed a flu shot to complete his immunizations)
• I-864 with accompanying documentation:
• Photocopy of U.S. spouse’s birth certificate
• Photocopies of U.S. spouse’s IRS tax transcripts for the previous 3 years
• A letter of employment from U.S. spouse’s employer
• Photocopies of U.S. spouse’s Statement of Earnings for the last 6 months
• I-765 with accompanying documentation:
  • Photocopy of the biographical page of his Brazilian passport
  • Two passport-style photos
• I-131 and Supplement: Part 7. Complete Only If Applying for Advance Parole
  • Photocopy of the biographical page of his Brazilian passport
  • I-94
  • Two passport-style photos

We did not receive an RFE, and our case was forwarded to California for processing--we never had an I-485 interview.

Hope this helps.

Good luck in your journey!!

Thank you so much for the comprehensive list!! This is a great help to us

Yes.

Hi everyone!

My husband and I (USC) are filling out our AOS forms and are having trouble with the affidavit of support. For the K-1 application, my father was our co-sponsor as we were both living abroad and didn't meet the income threshold. We sent both his and my financial information in our package 3.

For the AOS, we filled out his information like we did last time and I don't have a job yet, so he is our co-sponsor again. We noticed, though, that when I tried filling out the form for myself it double counted my husband as both the immigrant I'm sponsoring and my husband (for a household total of 3, rather than 2). Now we're wondering if I even need to fill out the affidavit at all, since I'm not sponsoring his application in the same way I was for the I-129F. Because he is applying himself for adjustment of status, is my father's I-864 sufficient, making my father his only sponsor?

Thank you!!

Hi everyone!

My husband and I are getting ready to send off our AOS package and we were confused about which evidence to include. It seems that we don't need to send any evidence of our wedding or marriage at this point, but we really feel that we should include something. We've read a lot of posts about people receiving RFEs after filing for AOS, and we're wondering if that's connected to evidence of marriage, or just errors on the form. We were thinking of including some evidence about the actual wedding (photos, maybe some rental contracts) and leaving the financial comingling for the interview. What did everyone else send along with the AOS? If you received an RFE, what for?

Thank you so much!

I don't think this will be an issue, especially since she's coming from the UK. I would list her name as an alias and attach a document explaining why she sometimes goes by Michaels. The only medical records you'll need for the visa are her vaccinations. If her name on that is Michaels, just get the name on it changed, or, if necessary, it's also possible to just get all new vaccinations. My fiance had no official records of his, so we just got them all completely redone in Germany. I'm not sure how it is in the UK, but they were all paid for by our insurance. That's only if you're really, really worried about it though. If the name on her vaccination booklet is Kinsey, don't even bother listing Michaels as an alias.

After they issue the NOA2, your application will be sent to the NVC. The next thing for you to do is not file the DS-160, but contact the NVC to get your new case number. You can use that to track the case being sent to the embassy. You won't have anything else to do until the embassy notifies you that they have received your case and requests documents in package 3.

My fiance and I also only had temporary residence status in Germany (albeit as students, not refugees) and were able to have everything done in Germany. I think it will be just the same for your fiance, all that matters is he has some legal residence in France that's more than a tourist, but does NOT have to be permanent residence. Just make sure you indicate clearly his country of origin and his current mailing address in France. They will also ask on the I-129F form which consulate you request to have your interview at.

Tell this to your money sucker and inform them if you do get an RFE (which delays the process to answer it) then you will want a full refund of your money.

I'm guessing the lawyer left it out intentionally to get an RFE, drag the process out unnecessarily and get more money out of them

Clearly everyone should educate themselves on the process, even if you have a lawyer...

We followed the example forms from visajourney exactly and we didn't have any problems or RFE

The proof is sent with the I-129F package, so I'm not really sure what your lawyer is doing. The I-129F form is just one part of a very large packet of information and proof that gets sent to the Lockbox.

You should look at the K-1 checklist here and make sure you included everything:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

Thank you all so much for your replies.

Just one more question, in that case:

Assuming I entered the USA on an ESTA, with the intent to get married: what do I tell the immigration officers at the airport?! I have read multiple stories about people being interrogated and informed that they are not to get married while they're visiting, and it's stuff like this that scared us into going the K-1 route. I don't want to lie to anyone. Presumably, so long as I can show them my return ticket, there need not be too many questions asked?

I want to be certain that we are doing everything above board, and that no moves we make now might jeopardise our position in the future.

Thank you again.

I think the best route is always not to lie, but not to offer any more information than they ask for.

You will have a return ticket already, I would suggest bringing proof of your ongoing enrollment in your university in the UK, and anything else you can think of that will convince them you're not here to stay. Even though it is immigration fraud, the fact is that people do get their AOS approved even after applying on a tourist visa. Your case is quite low risk anyway, considering you're a woman from a western European country. I think you'll be fine

If you're just intending to get married in the US, applying for a visit visa is a much better route and will save you a lot of hassle. Especially for a UK citizen, you don't even need a visa, just apply through ESTA. I'm quite confused as to why you went the K-1 route. You cannot actually leave the country and move back to the UK to live and then return to the US. If you leave and wish to return to live, you'll have to apply for a K-3 spouse visa in any case. I don't think you'll be penalized, but the K-1 is much more hassle and time than was necessary. It's no problem to go to the US, get married, and leave on a tourist visa. The only time it would considered immigration fraud was if you then tried to adjust your status to stay permanently. If I were you, I would withdraw the K-1. It will definitely raise red flags and doesn't say you any time or money.

I'm pretty sure it only asks for one address for you on the actual form, that will be your US address. You also have to write a cover letter for the application (examples are available on this website), so you can specify in there your mailing address in Turkey. That's what I did and they sent everything to the US address anyway But don't worry, you don't need those hard copies immediately or anything.

Yes you can! I'm assuming you're the US citizen and your fiance is Turkish. You do not need a residence permit in Turkey to submit the I-129F, but if your fiance was not Turkish, he would need Turkish residency to have his interview there. I also filed my I-129F while living abroad from Germany. Just put your US address as your permanent address and it's no problem! The hard copies of your NOA1 and NOA2 will be sent to your address there.

Hi everyone!

Today we got our new case number and invoice from NVC and when we checked the status on the CEAC website and it told us it was "in transit" and that we have been provided an interview date by NVC. We were under the impression that we would get the date after we sent our Package 3 to the Frankfurt consulate. Can we disregard that message? Second, will the status on CEAC be updated to "ready" or "consulate received" or something of that nature once it's received in Germany? We weren't sure about the stages of NVC statuses.

Thank you!!

I would say the co-sponsor part is about as straightforwards as anything else with the visa. You'll need them to provide tax records, W2s, and pay stubs from the last three years, as well as a letter confirming employment from their company. They'll also need to fill out a separate form for dependents in the household (especially if they file their taxes jointly with a spouse), in addition to the standard I-864 form.

I am also living outside the US and I would suggest listing your permanent address as within the US, at your parents' house, a relative's, etc. I'm not sure if they mail the NOA1 and 2 confirmations abroad, but both were mailed to my US address, even though I listed my German one as my mailing address.