JessDak

We submitted my K1 while I was in the States, but I did not stay for a long period. I came to visit her for the holidays when we got officially engaged and submitted the packet while I was still in the country (just because me gathering all the info and compiling the packet was easier than her trying to do it and work full time).

There is a question that asks when you last entered the US and when you left. For this I got a little worried but I answered it honestly and included an 'additional information' sheet with the packet explaining that I was only in the country for a visit and would return to my home country soon. There were no issues with my case, no RFE, no AP, nothing.

As far as I know theres nothing against it. I'm sure it's frowned upon. But so is adjusting status from a tourist visa/VWP and even that is legal if you had the right intent. 
If your intent is just to spend as much time with your fiancee as possible then I don't see a problem with you filing while in the country and waiting out a few weeks before returning home to receive your K1 as long as you don't overstay.

I'm not very familiar with this but I ran across this post and was googling the differences between IR-1 and CR-1. (you can tell how little I know) but I did run across this:

"If You Were an LPR and Are Now a U.S. Citizen: Upgrading a Petition

If you filed a petition for your spouse when you were a lawful permanent resident (LPR), and you are now a U.S. citizen, you must upgrade the petition from family second preference (F2) to immediate relative (IR). You can do this by sending proof of your U.S. citizenship to the National Visa Center (NVC). You should send:

A copy of the biodata page of your U.S. passport; or

A copy of your certificate of naturalization"

That can be found here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/family/immediate-relative.html

I hope this helps...if even just a little bit! Good luck!

Shellz, although I myself didn't get sponsored through work, I do have two other Bahamian friends here in Minnesota who did.

Both of them had the same strategy (and both are being sponsored through two different jobs, for their greencards): Apply to colleges.

With a degree in biology you can at very least get a job as a TA/lab assistant and hopefully move up to a more significant position during your time there. From what I hear, its not hard to get the STEM extension as long as you're employed so you've got 2 years to move up and impress them enough to want to sponsor your H1B/Greencard. The reason why I say colleges is that they are exempt from the H1B cap and so they tend to be a bit more lax when it comes to sponsorship.

Still continue to do your own research but this is my best advice! Good luck!

No that's not true. She can still travel on her passport and police record.
The only real reasons for her to get a visa are reasons of convenience. Without the visa, she can only enter the US through pre-clearance sites in the Bahamas (Nassau and Freeport), and if US Customs officers aren't at the airport that day for any reason (weather, emergency, etc) then she cannot travel to the US. Also they always 'reserve the right' to deny entry while traveling without a visa (although I've never seen this happen).

The officers at the airport have no reason to believe she was denied a visa and even if they do know, it does't mean that she will not be allowed to travel to the US. Just think of it as she was denied the 'convenience of having a visa' rather than being denied entry to the US.

Just to update everybody incase people look up this post for advice in the future.

After all this I called USCIS and a teir 2 submitted another service request for me on 1/6/17
She told me that I should receive a response by 1/21/17
on 1/19/17 I received an email from the NY office saying basically that they apologize that my case is outside of processing time and that I should receive something in the next 60 days (no mention of any RFE or medical)
Now today 1/21/17 my case status updated to 'card has been ordered for production'

Still unsure if this is a mistake since
1) its a Saturday and
2) it seems to be a strange series of events ("you have an RFE"    "no you dont"    "yes you do, respond asap"    "JK theres no RFE, we'll get back to you in 2 months"      "JK here's your card 2 days later!")

After a long, and rocky journey, my greencard case status updated this morning to:

On January 21, 2017, we ordered your new card for Receipt Number
MSC##########, and will mail it to the address you gave us.

My only question/concern is that it's Saturday. Do they really process applications on Saturdays or could it be an error in the system?
I just want to know if we're celebrating too early because we're so giddy at the thought of being done with this whole process (at least for the next 2 years).

Has anybody else had an application be approved/updated on the weekends?

Otherwise, thank you guys so much for all the help and support through this time. Hopefully now that this stress has been lifted from our shoulders we can try to go back to normal.

 

I'm going to try calling tomorrow (for some reason I feel like I read somewhere that they are open on the weekends) Otherwise, I got my EAD and I am working now so it is very difficult to get away from my desk long enough to call. 

Does anybody know if there is an email address to submit inquiries to? And if there is, is it even helpful?

I recently got a letter from a NY office telling me that:

“You submitted an I-693 Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record in support of your I-485 Application for Adjustment of Status. As of June 1, 2014, USCIS has limited the validity period or all Forms I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, to one year from the date of Submission to USCIS. Basic on these new regulations, your I-693 Medical Examination has expired.”

Issue is, I entered as K1 and so I never submitted I-693, I did the DS3025

I called USCIS and they told me that it is in NY and I must write them a letter to the NY address, which I did. Then I got an email saying:

Thank you for contacting USCIS concerning your I485 application. Below is a summary of what we have found and how the issue has been resolved or additional actions required.

What We Have Done

USCIS has reviewed your Service Request. According to USCIS records, you have not responded to the Request for Evidence (RFE) that was mailed to the address currently on file.

What You Can Do

Please follow the instructions in the notice carefully, as failure to comply may result in adjudication of your application based on the available information.

USCIS is committed to adjudicating immigration applications in a timely manner, efficiently and in the order received. We hope this information is helpful. If we may be of further assistance, please let us know.

Now the big issue. I called USCIS AGAIN after getting the email and they told me there were no RFE's on file! This is the second time USCIS has had conflicting stories for my case (read the bottom of my signature). 

I asked to speak to teir two but she said she would have to set me up for a call back, that was Tuesday and I have not yet gotten the call

What can I even do???

Quick question, just out of curiosity.

Recently i called USCIS about my case and was told that it had been transferred to New York.
Normally I wouldn't bother myself with wondering why. But the agent seemed to believe I lived in New York and was genuinely surprised when he found out that I live in Minnesota (and never lived in NY for that matter)

He said its normal to transfer cases when there's a backlog but that he was very surprised that it was transferred to NY because 'NY is always backlogged'

Am I reading too much into this? Or is there a reason they may have transferred my case there even though it seems to also be a very busy office?

I received a letter today from USCIS about my green-card application. It states that "As of June 1, 2014 USCIS had limited the validity period for all Forms I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, to one year from the date of submission to USCIS. Based on these new regulations, your I-693 Medical Examination has expired"

If I remember correctly an I-693 was not required for me because I entered on K1 and had my medical done prior to entering the country. This was form DS-3025 I believe. And this was completed way less than 1 year ago.

Please tell me if this is an error on USCISs part of i I was supposed to still complete a form I-693 (this form does not look familiar so if it was something I would have had to fill, I doubt I filled it at all)



Also, less urgent but still an issue. I updated my address weeks ago and received confirmation of this (for all 3 cases including this one) but this letter was sent to my old address and had to be forwarded to me. Is there anything I can do about that?

Guys I might cry!
I just checked my case status today (For EAD) and it says 'On Nov 30th we ordered your new card for Receipt Number MSCXXXXXXXXX and will mail it to the address you gave us'

Please God don't let this be another error. Does this mean I should have my EAD within a few days?

I called about it and was told by teir two that it was likely my biometrics, or NOA1 (both of which I had received long before Oct 13). Then a few weeks later I received a notice saying basically that I called to see which notice was returned, currently there are no outstanding RFE's or withholding on my case. So the notice that was 'returned' on Oct 13th, either never existed, or its lost somewhere and USCIS doesn't even know what it was.

This is not so much of a question, rather just me venting on my situation.

Its been almost exactly 4 months since I sent in my AOS packet (6 months since POE), and close to two months since doing biometrics and nothing is processed yet. I swear I'm losing my mind without a job or something meaningful to occupy my time.

Called USCIS around the 3 month mark and they told me that processing will take an additional 30 days because I did biotmetics late (even though I've seen people get accepted as quickly as the day after biometrics). I gave it the additional 30 days and called back today (as none of my cases show up as valid in the case status online this is my only way to check on it). I was told that my biometrics was received but somehow still processing and that she would submit a request and I should hear back in 2 weeks. Yay right? Nope. She said that I will receive notice of an estimate in 2 weeks. So it's still fully possible that I get a notice that says 'give it an additional 30 days'.

I know other people have had worse horror stories, but I feel like they're dropping the ball with my case. I'm an independent person, not a kept woman. To have to keep asking my wife for grocery money, or some cash to buy new shoes because my winter boots are worn out is driving me crazy. I tried spacing out my savings so that I could contribute for as long as possible but its been months of leaving my wife with the burden of rent, groceries, utilities (I helped before because it was a small bill but my personal funds are now basically zero so they're on her from now on). I wont even be able to buy her a Christmas gift with my own money this year and It's making me feel so useless.

It's also hurting with evidence. We intended to add me to her insurance but the deadline just passed and we in the end made the decision it's not worth the additional bill (her insurance is insanely expensive). So that's one big chunk of evidence we'll be missing if we get the AOS interview soon. UGH!

Sorry to rant...I don't have many people to talk to about this. I try not to stress my wife out because shes miserable as it is with her crappy job (which I promised her that she could take a break from once I get my EAD...oops ) that she can't leave because she's supporting two people now, as well as family issues.

Maybe it's just because I'm stir-crazy but it feels like USCIS is just trying to destroy new relationships with all this, honestly, it's so hard to enjoy the newlywed phase when everything starts with the question 'can we afford it'. Every time we argue about money the light at the end of the tunnel is that i'll get my EAD and our finances should double....but that light seems to just keep getting further away....*sigh*

Not sure if it's different in Pakistan, but in the Bahamas I have seen people bring people with them into the embassy waiting room (in the Bahamas its just one big waiting room with booths, you generally go no further unless you need to be questioned privately). Not sure if this helps since it's a completely different embassy but it wouldn't hurt to try. If you are not allowed in then security will just ask you to wait outside.

If you miss the appointment then it is possible that your case may be closed as 'abandoned'.

My letter showed up in our mailbox after the interview date and it has warnings all over it about missing the appointment. However I just went in to the office the next morning to try a late walk-in. Unfortunately they didn't allow that but the lady didn't seem to care to listen to my explanation as to why I was late (I wanted to explain so as to make it clear that I didn't abandon the case). She just told me the next available appointment, handed me the new letter and sent me on my way. So in my case it wasn't such a big deal to miss the appointment (other than delaying the processing times) but I'm not sure if I was just a lucky case that didn't get stamped as 'abandoned'

Sent in AOS with i765 August 6

Received August 8

EAD sent for production November 8 ( 1 hour after biometrics done)

How long should I wait until they mail it?

Was this your original date for biometrics? Did you request an expidite? I'm just shocked your EAD for approved so quickly after biometrics. I did my biometrics over a month ago (and applied for EAD over 3 months ago) and was told that the EAD was taking so long because I did biometrics so late. :/

Not sure if this is the right place for this but I'm having an issue with understanding where my case is at. On Oct 13th my AOS status updated to say that a notice has been returned. I updated my address and filled the form to have the notice re-sent. I got an email saying I would get a response by Nov 4th. As you can see by my timeline, I had already received NOA1 and finished biometrics before this date.

I posted on here asking for thoughts on what this notice could be and most people agreed that it could only either be a RFE/RFIE or interview notice.

On Nov 8th I called USCIS because status was not updated to show that it was re-mailed. I spoke to a tier 2 rep who told me that all my cases were still pending and that the only notices that were mailed out were the NOA1 and the Biometrics letter. Now I'm confused. Because as I stated, I received both these notices long before the Oct 13th date on the status check.

So now I'm wondering...how reliable are tier 2 reps? Should I call back to speak to another rep to make sure I get the right info? Or is it more likely that the rep is correct, and the status check is incorrect?


The reason I'm so concerned is because EAD is still pending (so says the tier 2 rep) and things are getting very difficult at home with money being so tight and me getting fairly depressed with nothing to do all day. If it is a RFE/RFIE I've heard this can further postpone the EAD.

You can call the number that it gives you and generally a tier 2 rep can tell you where it is in processing but they say to give it 45 days before calling about it.

Assumptions are never good advice.

What assumption have I made? I know for a fact that delta does this, so that is not an assumption. I don't know which airline OP purchased the ticket through. If it was through delta then as far as I'm concerned that is perfect advice. However I do not know if OP purchased the ticket through delta so i'm advising OP if their ticket is not through Delta that they should check to see if they have a similar policy.

What is an assumption is assuming that her fiancee will not get the visa in time. Nobody can look into the future. Stating that you don't think it will be ready is not an assumption, but stating 'No, its impossible' (as many people on here have done) is an assumption

Edit: Also it is becoming very clear that we are getting off topic. Your comment has nothing to do with OP. It is a desperate attack at my comment that does not effect the issue at hand

My visa took about 8 days from my interview until I received it. This is because I did my physical exam the day after the interview. On the day of my interview I was approved on the spot, but the officer told me they could not grant the visa until the medical results were back. They told me to take my passport with me after the interview because I would need it for the physical, and that I should bring it back on Tuesday (because that was apparently the only day they allow drop off's) I did my interview, and came back on Tuesday. At that point they told me the visa will be ready to pick up by Thursday (2 days later). So yes. it is possible to have it printed in 2 days (at least with the embassy in the Bahamas). We did not rush, I hadn't bought a ticket and the wedding wasn't planned for a few more weeks. They just had it printed in 2 days because that's all the time they needed from the time they had my passport in hand (if your SO gets approved on the spot typically they keep the passport and have the person return a few days later to pick it up with the visa).

All that said. If his visa is not ready in time you still might have options. I know delta allows you to change tickets free of charge if there is a delay in travel documents. I have had a family member in the past have to do this because his tourist visa was not ready in time for the flight. So the delta agents suspended his ticket and once he had the visa in hand they put him on the next flight free of charge. I am only familiar with delta but it is possible that other airlines have this option too so you should look into that just in case.

One of the beauties of this forum is that as a group were get to share various experiences, opinions, and thoughts. The more people respond, the more advice is informed and reinforced. Now anyone reading this thread will know that a ticket should not be bought without the visa in hand, and that getting the visa in 2 days around the holidays is unrealistic. One or 2 people getting the visa in 2 days among a sea of others not getting it in that short span of time goes to show the likelihood of it happening. In the vast majority of cases it is not possible and in a very small minority, it is. So having 500 other people say no is in fact helpful to everyone (as is the 3 people saying yes!). If you read your own post carefully you will notice you have not offered the OP advice either - you offered a "I got mine in 2 days, good luck OP" preceded by a "shame of all of you who said no after the 1st person".

Actually if you read my first post (I've quoted it here to make it easier) I did offer advice to OP. I told her that as far as I know, having a pending travel document is grounds for a change of ticket (free of charge according to Deltas regulations and I can only assume other airlines might offer this as well).

I think many told her to change the ticket.

and she continued hoping so she was told the truth. I have had my shares of flying canons thrown my way I def can relate.

but hoping is not going to fix anything.

OP can always wait till last possible minute and cancel if its not approved/issued (its what I did).

And the majority of them spoke down on her for buying the ticket. She is not a child to be scolded. If people just responded with something along the lines of 'I advise you to change your ticket' then that would be different. However people took the time to scold OP as if she is a child and that is not called for.

Also Anita, I hope that you do not think I am attacking you because your responses were not lumped in to the ones I felt were uncalled for. Your responses were not offensive, just stating facts (as far as i recall, I did not go back and re-read them).

The ones I take issue to are the ones saying 'No, its impossible' When clearly it's not impossible if its happened. Unlikely, sure, but impossible, no.

And the posts offering no help whatsoever. The ones who seemed to just jump in and say something along the lines of 'that was a silly decision and now you've wasted money'....that is not advice at all and as it has been said multiple times on this post it only serves to make OP feel bad about something she cannot go back and change

The OP specifically asked for advice in her first post. Yes some may seem curt but that usually happens when open advice is solicited.

As for the experience, the count is in favor of the visa not being ready based on the replies. Yes the few that it did take a few days make it possible. But the response has been mainly that it is not probable.

Exactly. OP asked for advice. Advice is something like 'this is what you can do in this situation' (such as my telling her that delta will let you change tickets for free if travel documents are pending)

advice is NOT: 'NO you wasted your money, you should have known better!!!!' That is not advice. That is not even constructive criticism as OP specifically stated in the first post that she knows she should have waited but took a chance due to the price difference between buying the ticket now and waiting for the prices to increase.

I'll state again (since this community seems to like attacking people) that I agree that OP should have waited, however that time has passed. Making her feel bad about her decision does not change it. Giving her advice on what to do if the visa is not ready however, does help her make her next decision.

What is up with this community??? How many people does it take to make OP feel bad? Once somebody has said no, having 500 other people say no doesn't quite help. If the answer is no, and tons of other people have already said no, then how about you give advice instead of just saying things like 'no, you should have known better, you wasted money, etc, etc,etc'.

It's also frustrating given that there are at least 3 people who posted on here (including me) who got ours within 2 days so no it is not impossible. No the document is not THAT SENSITIVE that it takes DAYS to produce. Yes I agree it is unlikely, however what I say does not impact the case, it only impacts the mental health of OP. So I share my story of getting it in 2 days and wish OP good luck. SMH some people on here are just excited to make somebody miserable

My visa took about 8 days from my interview until I received it. This is because I did my physical exam the day after the interview. On the day of my interview I was approved on the spot, but the officer told me they could not grant the visa until the medical results were back. They told me to take my passport with me after the interview because I would need it for the physical, and that I should bring it back on Tuesday (because that was apparently the only day they allow drop off's) I did my interview, and came back on Tuesday. At that point they told me the visa will be ready to pick up by Thursday (2 days later). So yes. it is possible to have it printed in 2 days (at least with the embassy in the Bahamas). We did not rush, I hadn't bought a ticket and the wedding wasn't planned for a few more weeks. They just had it printed in 2 days because that's all the time they needed from the time they had my passport in hand (if your SO gets approved on the spot typically they keep the passport and have the person return a few days later to pick it up with the visa).

All that said. If his visa is not ready in time you still might have options. I know delta allows you to change tickets free of charge if there is a delay in travel documents. I have had a family member in the past have to do this because his tourist visa was not ready in time for the flight. So the delta agents suspended his ticket and once he had the visa in hand they put him on the next flight free of charge. I am only familiar with delta but it is possible that other airlines have this option too so you should look into that just in case.

So still no update on GC, EAD or AP, but I had a thought recently.

I have a SSN that I got when I was a student (looooonngg before we got married) and so it is in my maiden name. I applied for all 3 forms with my married name. When I do receive my EAD, will there be trouble working since the EAD will show my married name, and my SSN will show my maiden name? If so, how do I fix that? I assume I can just take the EAD in with me to the SSN office and have them update it but how long does that take (hours, days, weeks?)

Also I'm not sure if it makes a difference but I hyphenated. So for example my SSN shows my name as 'First Maiden' and the EAD (presumably) will show it as 'First Maiden-Married'