Scandi

Your package looks so thin, lucky! Mine was so fat it was hard fitting it in my carry-on. 🤣
 
My envelope was open about as much as your is, damaged by the post office, I bet. So it wasn't nicely cut as yours, it was just a big tear. I had no issues at POE.
But good that you asked anyway, better to be safe than sorry.

I have never had any Hepatitus *insert random letter* shots in my life and never had any issues with either medical, visa or AOS. So just like Unidentified says, it's really not needed. Not in Sweden anyway.
 
Just like many others I had to boost up the Tetanus vaccine though. I did it at my local clinic a couple of months in advance to get it out of the way.

Like Dutchster said, he will receive the 2 year greencard as you hadn't been married for two years the day the greencard was approved. If you happen to receive a 10 year greencard that means USCIS has made a big error and you will have to send the card back and wait for a new one, so DON'T hope for a 10 year greencard.
 
He can travel just fine with his greencard, the travel document (AP) is only something temporary you can use while waiting for your greencard to be approved. If you had one it would become invalid the day the greencard was approved.
 

You will only receive a 10yr green card if the green card gets approved on the date of your two year wedding or after. 

I know right? "Uhm, I'm married, but can I pretend I'm not when filing my taxes?", what the heck...?

They won't even pick up your case to look at it until about ~6 months from now, so you have plenty of time to just sit down and relax. ~6 months or so from your receipt date you will receive either an RFE, a NOID or an approval.

Basically, yes. It's an entry level position with very little access to anything or permission to do anything. It's also called the misinformation line for a reason. What's the issue?

If they ask for both front and back, you send both front and back. My husband did that as well despite the back being completely blank. Maybe they want to see what isn't there, that's why they require both. We just wrote on the blank page that it was the back of the BC, to clarify why there was a blank page in the middle of everything.

I get the feeling it's the i-130 that is approved, not the CR-1. I don't know much about the process but you can probably provide some info as to what happens after the i-130 approval.

That article is from June, things have changed since. Last I heard not even spouses will get any visas from some of those 7 banned countries.

My husband (the USC) added me to his bank account and gave me a card to that account instead on his own accord, made me really feel like it was "us" and not just "you" and "me". Pocket money like what you described wouldn't have worked at all for me. That would've made me feel excluded and like "oh so I only get some pocket money and you don't trust me to share your account with me?". Glad we all think and feel differently. 
 
My hubby works from home and can choose when to work as he's his own boss, so there were many things we could do because of that. Some of the things he did for me (and still does):
 
-First off, he went to Sweden just to "pick me up and bring me home" once I was ready to move, I LOVED not having to travel alone that time. I could also fill his checkin bags with my stuff so it was perfect. ♡
-Many roadtrips so I got to see and got to know the area
-Went to museums
-Went to all kinds of restaurants so I could find my own personal favorites where he now takes me at least twice a month
-Bought me a huge TV (he never watches tv so he never had one before)
-Let me buy a whole bunch of things for the house to make me feel more at home
-Let me re-arrange furniture in the house the way I wanted them
-Took me to the Scandinavian shops in the area so I could get food and candy I was missing from home
-Went to baseball games (So much fun!)
-Sea World and the zoo of course (we were living in San Diego at the time so it was close by)
-Bought me all kinds of different brands of deodorant, schampoo, conditioner etc so I could try them and find my favorites, so cute!
-Helped me making phone calls when I didn't feel brave enough
-Drove me everywhere I wanted/needed to go
-Helped me find info about all kinds of things (how to get a SSN, state ID, new passport, and everything that comes along with this process)
-Took me to parks around SD and LA (I wasn't used to living in a big city, the parks and nature in general helped a lot)
-Took me to a dog rescue where we adopted the cutest dog together
-Helped me lose a sh*itload of weight, so grateful since I didn't have the discipline to do it on my own. ♡
-Got me little gifts he knew I missed from home (doing jigsaw puzzles for instance, major stress-reliever for me)
-Talked to my parents on Skype together with me at least once a week, he knows how important the relationship I have with my parents is and he wants to be part of that for my sake, he knows it makes me happy
-Just over-all support regarding everything really, it's so amazing to have someone who helps and backs you up no matter what. I never felt alone for a second despite missing my family back home.
 
There are just so many things, he has been amazing. It's not just a difficult transition for the foreigner but also for the USC sometimes, he has done really well and I'm very, very proud of him. Thanks to him I haven't regretted my decision to leave my home country and my family for one second.
 
 

That in itself doesn't count as hardship, you will need a much better reason than "we are separated" to claim hardship.

There's some info here, it says "archived" but it seems like the general process is still the same:
 
https://www.uscis.gov/archive/blog/2012/06/national-benefits-center-what-it-is-and
 
"The NBC’s primary mission is to prepare applications for adjudication that require an interview at a USCIS Field Office.  A lot goes into preparing an application including conducting background and security checks and reviewing the evidence an applicant submits to support their eligibility for the benefit.
 
The NBC’s largest workload is Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.  These two applications will reach well over a million cases in Fiscal Year 2012. 
 
In the Form I-485 process, an applicant must provide all initial evidence, before the applicant can be scheduled for interview.  If evidence is missing, the NBC will issue a Request for Evidence (RFE).  An RFE places a hold on the I-485 application, as well as the associated applications filed with the I-485 application (for example, Form I-130, Form I-765, Form I-131), until the NBC receives the missing initial evidence."

This is the email the embassy sent out last year, should still be more or less the same:
 
 
Dear Visa Applicant, This office has received a petition entitling you to a “K-1” nonimmigrant visa classification as an alien proceeding to the United States to marry an American citizen. Please note that the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm is processing applicants legally residing in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.   To prepare for your interview appointment with a consular officer, please read and carefully follow the instructions below. We encourage you to schedule your appointment as soon as possible as we need to process your application within the validity of the I-129F petition.  We also request that the applicant reviews a copy the submitted I-129F petition (attached in this e-mail)   IMPORTANT: The U.S. Embassy in Stockholm has implemented several changes in the visa procedures that affect fiancé(e) K1 visa applicants. The scheduling and collection of application fee will be done throughhttp://www.ustraveldocs.com/se as of January 18, 2014 .     CHECKLIST     (  )           FEE: There is a $265 fee for each visa application. The fee will be paid through http://www.ustraveldocs.com/se   (  )           COMPLETED DS-160 ONLINE APPLICATION FORM.  All fiancé(e) visa applicants and their children must complete one DS-160 each in order to apply for a K1/K2 visa and seek an appointment. The form can be accessed at:https://ceac.state.gov/ceac/   You must: 1) complete the online visa application and 2) print the application form confirmation page to bring to your interview. All questions on the forms must be answered.   Kindly also note that all applicants (including residents of Denmark and Norway) must selectStockholm, Sweden as the location where the visa will be sought.   (  )          PASSPORT: A passport must be valid for travel to the United States and must have at least six months validity beyond the issuance date of the visa.    (  )          BIRTH CERTIFICATE:   Please provide the original birth certificate from country of birth (Sweden). Please request an extract of the population register from the Swedish Tax Agency (Personbevis). The certificate must state the date and place of birth and the names of both parents.  Please request the English version.   (  )           POLICE CERTIFICATES: Each applicant aged 16 years or over, is required to submit a police certificate from the appropriate judicial or police authorities from the country of the applicant’s nationality or current residence where the applicant has resided for at least six months since attaining the age of sixteen, as well as from all other countries where the applicant has resided for at least one year, or more since attaining the age of sixteen. For countries not maintaining national police records, a certificate must be obtained from each locality. A police certificate must also be obtained from the police authorities of any place where the applicant has been arrested for any reason, regardless of the length of residence. For information on how to obtain a police certificate from a specific country, please visit:https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/fees/reciprocity-by-country.html Please note that there is a fee of 192SEK to obtain a police certificate from Sweden: www.polisen.se   (  )           COURT AND PRISON RECORDS: Persons convicted of a crime must obtain a certified copy of each court record and any prison record, regardless that they may have benefited from an amnesty pardon.   (  )           PHOTOGRAPHS:  Two (2) identical color photographs are required. The photographs must be full face photo, taken within the past six months. The photographs should measure 2 inches square (roughly 50 mm square) with the head centered in the frame.   (  )          MARRIAGE TERMINATION/DIVORCE DECREE(S):  If you or your fiancé(e) were married previously, obtain one certified copy of the divorce decree(s) or death certificate(s) to prove the dissolution of each of such prior marriage. Please note that your I-129F petition only included a copy of petitioner’s divorce decree so we must request that you bring the original court certified divorce decree for your interview at the U.S. Embassy.   (   )          EVIDENCE OF SUPPORT: Evidence, which will show that you and your children, if any, are not to become public charges in the United States. If you have no assets, you may find a financial sponsor in the U.S. who completes form I-134, Affidavit of Support on your behalf. The sponsor should also provide a copy of the most recent U.S. Federal income tax return (1040) and proof of current U.S. income or assets. Form I-134 can be obtained from Citizenship and Immigration Services’ webpage www.uscis.gov    (   )         MEDICAL EXAMINATION: Arrange for a medical examination with one of the Embassy approved panel physicians listed on:http://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Medical/STK%20-%20Stockholm.pdf You are responsible for the cost of the examination.  A medical examination is also required for each child who will accompany you.  This medical examination will also be accepted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service for adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence.   (  )          EVIDENCE OF RELATIONSHIP: You will be required to submit evidence that you have previously met your fiancé(e), and proof of a valid fiancé(e) relationship with your petitioner.  It is, therefore, useful to bring with you letters, written correspondence, phone records, photographs, or other evidence of your engagement and proof of on-going contact. Please note that you will not be allowed to bring your phone, tablet or computer to your interview. If you communicate through Skype/Viber/WhatsApp etc –  you may want to present screenshots of some of the communication. 
  We also kindly ask all our applicants to read following pamphlet: http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Humanitarian/Battered%20Spouse,%20Children%20%26%20Parents/IMBRA%20Pamphlet%20Final%2001-07-2011%20for%20Web%20Posting.pdf   (   )          TRANSLATIONS:   All documents not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation.     IMPORTANT: HOW TO GET YOUR VISA/DOCUMENTS MAILED:   (  )           REGISTRATION OF ADDRESS. For residents of Sweden: Fiancé (e) visa applicantsresiding in Sweden will have to register their Swedish address and choose their visa pick-up location when they book the appointment online.Please bring proof of your registration (your UID confirmation number) at the time of interview.   Please note that you must bring one certified interpreter if you do not speak English well enough to participate unassisted in the visa interview.   IMPORTANT: Once you have completed the DS-160 application form and have all documents in order, please register and create an account athttp://www.ustraveldocs.com/se in order toschedule your appointment and pay your visa application fee Note: All the collected documents are to be presented at the final interview. Do not send any collected documents to this office unless specifically requested to do so.  

I don’t have any babies with my husband and he’s not in the military. Would that mean our marriage is not genuine or not “real enough”? Not at all. There is more to a genuine marriage than good fertility and the husband’s career choice. 

In the AOS process you can receive an RFE at any point, even after the interview. Some also get several RFEs in a row. And yes you can still receive an RFE from NBC even after a letter like that, it has happened before. But all you can do is wait and see, of course. Hopefully nothing more until the interview.
 
Yeah, hopefully that status means no RFE for now at least. Though your field office can ask for more info as well, just bring what you can to the interview when that day comes and cross your fingers it's enough.  I brought everything and then some.. and was never asked for any of it. Not even proof of bonafide relationship, tax returns or anything..
 
 

Could take weeks, months or even over a year.
 
Some field offices are faster than others, when I filed Los Angeles had a 7 month wait for an interview, while Minnesota had a 18 month wait, as an example.
 
In our 2016 filers thread we also had two other couples who had the same field office as me, but got their interviews in March/April while I and most others had to wait until July/August. So processing times with one and the same field office can differ a bit even, it's impossible to guess exactly how long it will take for you to get an appointment.
 
Your case goes through a "review" at NBC where they check so your case has the basic required documents/info. If not, you get an RFE or the type of letter you got. This review/process doesn't say anything about how long your case will take.

Yeah just make it easy for yourself, you don't notarize the letter of intent to marry. That's not a requirement and won't have any effect on your case whatsoever.

No, to avoid potential extra trouble you apply for a SSN first.

Yes, Einar is the best, very easy-going and down to earth. He also gives you a copy of the whole medical if you ask for it, so you can see the whole thing for yourself, all the results including the x-ray etc. 
 
It took exactly two weeks on the day for the embassy to get my medical results from Gbg, so just like you say he will most likely not be approved at the interview but as soon as they get his medical. I had my medical on a Thursday and then the interview the following Monday, so I had to wait for a while myself. I think they issued my visa the day after they received the medical, so no crazy delay or anything.

It just struck me how useful it is that we type in English in here, it would be hard for the US spouses/partners to learn anything from our posts if we did like the Germans - only posted in our native tongue. 

Yep, I got 2 AP documents (which I thought that I had to use them for both of my trips that I stated when I filed for the AP). Actually, the CBP does take 1 copy and the other one is supposed to be stamped as well and give it to you back "so you have a copy". That's actually what they did to me last month when I left for 6 days and came back with the paper. When I arrived to Seattle Airport and went through the CBP, they sent me to secondary to "process me" into the country. Once they started doing it and I explained why I didn't have both, they told me that USCIS sends always 2 copies because 1 is supposed to be kept by the CBP and the other is supposed to be given back to me as "proof" of being processed into the country (even if they stamped my passport as well). 
Since I told them that my copy was left at home because I assumed I had to use it for my next trip, they took their copy and made a photocopy for me so I would not leave without a "proof". 

Yeah try not to leave anything completely blank or they might send you an RFE thinking you missed that particular question. N/A works but if they ask for a number like "How many children do you have?" rather answer with a number, "0" if you don't have any. Or if they ask what organizations you're a member of, rather answer "none" than N/A, as an example.

It just struck me how useful it is that we type in English in here, it would be hard for the US spouses/partners to learn anything from our posts if we did like the Germans - only posted in our native tongue. 

Having seen soooo many successful expeditions in the past, I felt this was almost like an automatic procedure. A apparently it is not.