Ryan_Chialien

We had to go in for an interview for AOS.

We got our approval letter yesterday (10/15/2019).   We filed on 12/26/2018 to Texas service center.  Now waiting to get the new Greencard in the mail.   We did not have an interview or other communications/updates since going in for Biometrics in July.

We finally got out extension letter on March 8th.  We mailed ours in on Dec 26th.    When we got the letter it is an 18 month extension and not 12 months as is stated in the information here.    For some reason the timeline on here won't let you put an NOA date in more then 4 weeks after your filing date.  

I met my wife on OKCupid also.   For that form we put "See attached sheet (I-129F: Supplement Part 2, Question 34.A)" in spot 34.a where it asks for the circumstances under which you met.  Then for the attachment we wrote "I, (my name) do hereby state that I met in person (her name), in person. We met on 3 occasions.  Our first meeting was December 23, 2014 through January 5, 2015 while I was visiting my parents in (somewhere USA).  The second occasion was in (somewhere USA) from February 12, 2015 through February 24, 2015.  The third occasion was in (somewhere USA) from June 4, 2015 through September 2, 2015. "    We never mentioned anything about first meeting on OKCupid in the i129 form or supporting documents.  We didn't get an RFE anywhere in the process.

I met my wife on OKCupid also.   For that form we put "See attached sheet (I-129F: Supplement Part 2, Question 34.A)" in spot 34.a where it asks for the circumstances under which you met.  Then for the attachment we wrote "I, (my name) do hereby state that I met in person (her name), in person. We met on 3 occasions.  Our first meeting was December 23, 2014 through January 5, 2015 while I was visiting my parents in (somewhere USA).  The second occasion was in (somewhere USA) from February 12, 2015 through February 24, 2015.  The third occasion was in (somewhere USA) from June 4, 2015 through September 2, 2015. "    We never mentioned anything about first meeting on OKCupid in the i129 form or supporting documents.  We didn't get an RFE anywhere in the process.

Bring everything on the list they sent you in the mail.  Bring copies of everything you have sent in so far in case they can't find something.  

I think you can submit AP any time.  The instructions for the I-131 form state the following:
 
"NOTE: If you filed Form I-485 on or after July 30, 2007, and you paid the Form I-485 application fee required,
then no fee is required to file a request for an Advance Parole Document or Refugee Travel Document on Form
I-131 if your Form I-485 is still pending, if:
 
1. You now hold U.S. refugee or asylee status, and are applying for a Refugee Travel Document (see Part 2. Application
Type, Item Number 1.b. of Form I-131); or
 
2. You are applying for an Advance Parole Document to allow you to return to the United States after temporary foreign
travel (see Part 2. Application Type, Item Number 1.b. of Form I-131).

Under these circumstances, you may file Form I-131 together with your Form I-485, or you may submit Form I-131
at a later date. If you file Form I-131 separately, you must also submit a copy of your Form I-797, Notice of Action,
receipt as evidence that you filed and paid the fee for Form I-485 required on or after July 30, 2007."

They will ask for and require a police certificate for anywhere you have lived longer then 6 months outside the country you are currently applying from.  If you don't have it at the interview they will tell you to go get it and mail it embassy and will put you in AP until they get it.  My wife from Taiwan was required to give one for the 2 semesters she spent in college in England 15 years ago.  She had a clean record with no crimes so the police certificate just shows "no record found".  She didn't have it and we had to rush get one from England and then send it to the embassy in Taiwan.  It was the reason we almost blew away all our wedding and travel plans that we thought we had plenty of buffer time factored into.

My wife and I met on a dating site.  You do not need to send any information about the dating site.   In your description of how you met on the I-129 form just state you met on a dating site and state which one.  That's all we did for our application and we did not get an RFE for it.  What seems to trip more people up here is the proof that you met in person.  For a K1 the required proof is that you met at least once in person in the last 2 years.  
 
You can look at the timeline information here to judge how long it will take to get your K1 based on the date you mail in your I129F.    http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/monthly_filers.php?cfl=   This page is good for knowing about when you'll get your NOA2.  From there expect another 3-4 weeks to be able to schedule your interview at the Embassy and another 3-4 weeks after that to actually have your interview and then you can travel to the US.

We travelled on a combo card about a week ago for the first time.  We crossed one of the US/Canada borders by car.   They sent us in to secondary where someone put a parole form into my wife's passport.  The whole process from getting to the customs gate shack to being on our way took maybe 20 minutes.  They didn't ask any more questions then is typical when travelling with all US citizens.  They just sent us inside and the guy inside just said give me a few minutes and you'll be set.

The NOA for AOS application takes much longer then the few days it seems to take for the K1 application.  Ours took 18 days and there was no holiday in the middle anywhere.  Be patient.  Everything takes forever in this whole process.

Make the fiance visa only for people who can't easily get a tourist visa to come here.  A tourist visa that lets you enter the country takes nothing to get.  My wife is from Taiwan and no tourist visa is needed to come here for 90 days.  A fiance visa takes 6 months and a lot of money to accomplish the same thing. It's an unnecessary process for anyone unless they are from a country where tourist visa's can't be obtained.   The rule should be changed so that marriages and AOS can occur from tourist visa's.  It would reduce a lot of load in the immigration system if a large portion of K1's weren't needed.
 
Be more clear about the police certificate requirement in the K1 process.  It's not that clear what it is an how to get it in the information provided by the embassies. In some cases it is nearly impossible to get.