bebop + rocksteady

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!

Oh my gosh, I am SO excited! EEEEK! I never in a million years thought we'd be approved without an interview. EEK!

Haha, I might just hyperventilate. I don't think I can handle being at work today.

THANK YOU everyone! ACK!

bebop (the great)

After four months of no touches, we started getting "touched" every day last week and this on our AOS file. Yesterday we got this e-mail:

Application Type: I485 , APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: Notice mailed welcoming the new permanent resident.

On September 11, 2007, we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before you get your new card call customer service. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.

*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov under Case Status and Processing Dates.

*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.

I have NO idea what the normal I485 approval e-mail looks like, but is sounds (not trying to get my hopes up) that our green card has already been approved without interview. Is that possible? Or true?

I tried searching this and am having a hard time coming up with anything. I apologize if I'm missing it, I haven't been very active on the site recently because we haven't had much activity on our case...just waiting.

THANKS!

bebop (the great)

Ooh, pretty close timelines!

Good luck! If it makes you feel better, I sent ours off on Monday, they said they had no record until yesterday, and then today got the signature confirmation. USPS tracking can be pretty janky.

Cass (bebop the great)

We finally mailed off our application package yesterday, 1 May 2007, by USPS (delivery confirmation, certified mail, return receipt requested etc etc). And on one hand I am so glad to have the package and the papers out and my desk cleared up, on the other hand I feel sort of at a loss. What the hell do I do now?

Actually, what I did first thing this morning was check the USPS tracking system, just to receive a message saying they had no record of our package. I almost started panicking and then realised that I can't start the insanity so early on - I have to measure out the panic attacks because this could be a long process and I can't have myself falling apart every day, checking the mail box, USPS or the USCIS website continuously. Nor can I stalk my dear postperson, badgering her to see if maybe there is an envelope for me...

So, I think I'm going to go buy the coffee we need, go to the gym, catch up on email, prepare for my class tomorrow, and generally try to attempt not to think about the envelope winging its way to Chicago...oh and I refuse to look through the copy of our package to try and second-guess USCIS and see if we should be expecting an RFE anytime soon!! I refuse, I refuse---well until next week anyway...

Cheers, Cardamom

Yeah, I'm assuming number after we were transferred, because I didn't really keep up. But I know of at least 4 that were transferred before us, and then another 15 or so that were looking into it, I heard back from a decent number of those that they were going to try it. So maybe I assumed wrong, but I figured during December more trickled in? Could be wrong. It seemed to be trend that was catching on though!

Cass (bebop the great)

Haha, probably because a good 20 of us transferred in November/December from VJ alone.

We did end up giving them the reason that Craig would like to visit his family while out there, and they seemed content with that answer. But again, that was in November.

Cass (bebop the great)

When I transferred at the end of January/beginning of February, they did need a reason. They are getting wise to people transferring for faster interviews. How do I know this? Because they told me that over the phone when I talked to them...

Having said that, never hurts to try though!

I just looked at your timeline, and you are still early in the waiting process, I'd recommend looking into a transfer. Know anyone in the West Coast area that you trust to receive your USCIS documents and mail them to you? Also, are you able to make the trip to Vancouver if needed?

We originally were at Montreal, transferred to Vancouver using my husband's uncle's address and were in and out in by the time some people with similar timelines had gotten their Packet 3 from Montreal.

When we transferred in November, they didn't even really require a reason, just an address.

Cass (bebop the great)

Well it's good to hear they have a more accurate response for waiting time. Guess we're looking at late September to late November then! :S We were thinking September/October after reading many of the posts on here so we're kind of expecting it anyway... and I still think there is the slight possibility that Montreal just might catch up on the backlog and speed up a tiny bit. Not that we're counting on it or anything though!

I'd recommend reading through the K1 guides, they very clearly state what you need to submit with your I-129f packet. Good luck!

Cass (bebop the great)

Sounds like they are finally updating their typical "2-4 months" response with something more accurate.

So glad we transferred.

What where you trying to call about? Informaiton you could get through e-mail?

Cass (bebop the great)

My fiance called Montreal, pressed three for immigrant visa and heard a new menu from Montreal. They have a very long bunch of information regarding prolonged waiting times of 5-7 months from receipt of packet 3 to appointment and it said only to press 4 in cases of emergency. There was also a statement about some visas not being transferred to Montreal from NVC until an appointment is scheduled (though I don't think this is K1).

Any thoughts?

Ooh! Good call, I get to posting in the gallery!

Cass (bebop the great)

Finally! Good job though!

Where's your wedding pics, lady????

As soon as your file you AOS, you are no longer out of status. However, during the time between the expiration of your visa, and the time they received your paperwork, you were considered out of status.

And I believe the date is the date USCIS first gets their hands on it, the receipt date on your NOA1.

Cass (bebop the great)

If i got married within 90 day time limit, however I didn't file for AOS until after 90 days, due to time constraints collecting all necessary papers, am i going to be "out of status"?

Thanks

Very true, I should have been more careful...you aren't in status...but you aren't out of status. You are in status limbo, which is an okay (legal) place to be as far as the USCIS is concerned.

Cass (bebop the great)

you are only really *in status* for as long as the I94 is valid. after that you are pending adjustment. simply filing within the 1st 90 days does not keep your status in the way you describe. (others will tell you its fine to ALSO file outside of the 90 days, just as soon as you can)

It's not 90 days to stay, it's 90 days to get married. If you file your AOS prior to the 90 day time limit, you will stay in status even though your K1 has expired.

Cass (bebop the great)

Im just curious, bcoz k1 allowed to stay in 90days upon arrival. Does it mean once u get married ur date of stay will b adjusted? bcoz i can see here for greencard need more time to process!

You must answer yes. Sure, it'll be an issue you'll have to address. But it's better than the ban you may face if it is found out you've lied on your paperwork.

Cass (bebop the great)

I am working on Packet 3 and filling out the DS-156 form and on one of the questions I have a violation when I lived in the US. It was working on a student visa and I was asked to leave. We hired an attorney and it was settled in court and I submitted some paperwork to the embassy in Melbourne when I arrived. Does this really hurt my chances of getting approval on the K1 when I answer yes

Same with me. We had two accordion folders FULL of relationship evidence. He didn't ask to look at a single one. Just photos (which was luckily in the smaller binder which DID fit in the slot!).

Cass (bebop the great)

i organized it all very nicely into a binder adn the consular officer did not look at it...i dont think it would have fit thru that little slot below the window anyhow. good luck!

Yup! We went to the crazy holistic health lady. She SWORE she couldn't do this for us. And then we read the part of the form where she said it could, and she said it'd be $75. So we just sucked it up and went. They were all so strange. Seems kinda two-faced to me, preaching about centering yourself and being one with the earth....and then charging an immigrant who isn't allowed to work $75 to transfer some checkmarks. We called and asked if we needed an appointment, she said no, just come in anytime and that it'll take 5 minutes. So I take time off of work to go in (because their hours are like 10-12, 1:30-4, Tues-Thur). We get there, and the rude receptionist says, "Oh, we can't get that in today. And the whole office is going on vacation next week, so it won't happen until next week." But I turned on the fake waterworks and told her that his visa was expiring and if we didn't get this in he'd be deported and I'd be without my husband. Blah, blah blah. They did it.

End rant.

Good move on heading to Indy. I wish I would have thought of that. $20 plus $20 in gas would have been cheaper!

We tried the Health Center too, but since neither of us are students it was a no go. Apparently the health center doesn't serve staff (which I had no idea).

Cass (bebop the great)

Same thing happened to us.

After some convincing that it was okay to JUST give us the vaccination supplement, they charged us a pretty $75. Not to mention they were rude to us in the office.

Cass (bebop the great)

Where did you guys go for that? We called IU Health Center and they wouldn't do it for us until after our marriage. Then we called some kinda holistic practitioner lady whose receptionist had no idea what the vaccination supplement was and argued with me about it in a very silly and rude manner until she was finally convinced I knew what I was talking about. After putting me on hold to consult with the doctor, she said it would cost $75.

We ended up getting Pigu's supplement filled in by a physician in Indianapolis for $20. The guy up there knew exactly what we needed.

You do! Or at least you choose what flight you want, and that'll tell you where your POE is.

Just a small word of warning though, my husband did his K1 entry at Toronto Pearson, and had a WRETCHED experience. I'm sure that wasn't the case for everyone (or even most) but we will never travel through CBP at Toronto Pearson again.

Cass (bebop the great)

We never had an RFE. Smooth sailing all the way through the K1. We followed the guides (and the advice of the regulars in the forums) to the letter and got through unscathed!

Cass (bebop the great)

Do you have Illustrator or Photoshop? We just opened them up in Illustrator (would also work in Photoshop, just make sure to rasterize the PDF at 300 dpi), and then used the type tool to write our own stuff in, in whatever font and size we wanted.

Cass (bebop the great)

We only sent ones that related directly to the plans to see one another. Things that backed up our plane tickets and passport stamps, but also could be construed as proof of ongoing relationship. IMs where we talked about what we were going to do. E-mails with hotel confirmations, etc.

Remember, you don't want to overload the officer with lots of superfluous information and paperwork. 1. I can appear like you are attempting to "over-prove" your situation, causing a red flag. 2. It can just annoy them. No one wants an angry officer reviewing their case. 3. What if you happen to leave in some joke about bombing some place? You are officially screwed. An outside viewer can read so many things into what is said between two people that know one another well. The less you give them to read into...the less they will.

Cass (bebop the great)

Hahah! Mo, that picture kills me. It's like a whitening toothpaste commerical on acid...or something.

Cass (bebop the great)

Yay for Cass!

Mo

Same thing happened to us.

After some convincing that it was okay to JUST give us the vaccination supplement, they charged us a pretty $75. Not to mention they were rude to us in the office.

Cass (bebop the great)

I sent off our AOS packet this morning. Somehow, I'm not nearly as nervous as I was this time last summer when I was mailing off the I-129f packet. I feel like we are old immigration pros. Hopefully that lax attitude didn't allow us to make any mistakes.

Anyways, yay! Waiting time...again. But this time, we get to wait together. SO much better.

Cass (bebop the great)

Welcome to the States! We're glad to have you here.

Cass (bebop the great)

Oh, I'm glorious. I've been trapped in the glory of wedded bliss. When my cute husband is on the couch telling me to come snuggle, he wins over VJ.

We're filing AOS this week though, so I'll be around much more.

Cass (bebop the great)

Haven't heard much from you Cass ......how are things going?

We ended up taking the check to Chase (where our wedding account is) and having them cash it. We told them it was in Canadian funds, so he did the exchange and deposited the USD amount into my account. Then, two days later, I see on my online statement that they are crediting my account for the difference between the USD amount in the CAD amount. I guess they assumed the CHECK FROM THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT was in US dollars (smart). I knew they'd figure it out eventually, and two days ago they rewithdrew the difference taking it back down to the amount we originally deposited it before.

Phew, I'm never dealing with that again. We're definitely sending all CAD checks to Craig's parents from now on. Thanks for the advice guys!

Cass (bebop the great)

We're going to be end of April filers. I had this grand plan to get everything done by the beginning of April, but the distraction of wedded bliss has made the chore of filling out paperwork the last thing on my mind.

But by this weekend, it will be out of our hands and into the hands of the Gov.

Cass (bebop the great)