@The Northerner I believe it depends on your company. Since Starbucks is a multinational, it might be easier to work something out. While your green card proves your status as able to work in the US, the SSN is what you employer needs in order to pay you. I would contact Starbucks, explain the situation and see what they say. 

Perhaps you could start work right away and just delay your first paycheck until after your SSN is issued? Starbucks may have another solution! I would ask them.

10 hours ago, Saheed said:

congrats,do you wanna share anything about how the interview went?may what they asked and the documents he went along with?

I finally talked to him and got the full report! Interview went really well - he was in and out in about 1 hour. He brought everything I had sent to USCIS/NVC. They only asked him to produce originals of his documents like his police report, birth certificate, passport, and our marriage certificate. It was a two-step process -- first a woman went over everything he needed to provide, she took his documents from him. Then he met with another person, who was a case officer. This person asked him a couple of questions like how we met and what my husband did for work / where he planned on living in the US. That was it. He was approved and given directions about the packet he would receive in the mail with his passport and what to do when he entered the US.

He thought it was interesting that they also gave him a paper with information on it about his rights if there was spousal abuse once he was in the US. Apparently both case officers asked him if he had received and understood this information. 

10 hours ago, James-Bond007 said:

we had our CR1 appointment in Paris and it was superb; we got approved. Today is a good day  

Congratulations!!!  

Just wanted to report -- my husband's interview was in Frankfurt today and he was approved!!! 

Hey guys! I'm happy to report we were approved!!! 

I still haven't talked to my husband because of the time difference & the fact that he's been traveling all day -- we've just texted. But it went well and they only asked him a few questions.

In total it took us 168 days from the NOA1 to get to this point (thanks to my VJ timeline for calculating!)

Thank you to everyone here who has been supportive and helpful when there have been questions, concerns, etc. 

PS: I'm not dropping out of the forums... I will still be around... stay strong guys!

5 hours ago, Raag said:

Congrats to all who got CC.

Happy to report my cc today (on completion of 10 weeks from scan date). Saw the famous 3rd N/A and visa application status changed to At NVC. Called NVC and got confirmation. Now the wait for interview scheduling begins!

Congrats @Raag !!! 

2 hours ago, LaurenAndBrent said:

My predicted approval date has been saying not enough recent approvals to determine a date for well over a week now! This sucks  Potomac must be wayyyy behind. I'm guessing no January filers have had any movement yet... Sigh! Looking forward to when the time comes that we all get to post something positive about this process for once lol! 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but they seem to still be wading through people from last fall.. a few September people have been getting through that were transferred. 

NVC is still stuck on people from early December. 

@Carlos/Yanet I would suggest you start by reading the Wiki on VJ about the NVC process. Its a great place to start.

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/NVC_Process

I would also suggest reading through the process from the State Department website, they have different tabs for each part of the process. 

https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process/approved/contact.html

While you gather your sponsor's financial forms, police report, and other supporting documents, you want to mark your calendar for 2-3 weeks from now and definitely call the NVC to see if they have received your case. If they haven't, you can just call back. Once they have received your case they will assign you a new NVC case number and will invoice you the AOS fee. 

I updated the list too... my husband's interview is at Frankfurt tomorrow!!  

Will let everyone know how it goes...

Username........SC...Deli..NOA1..Rcvd...RFE....Deli2.NOA2...Rcvd2..Day..NVC....NVC2..IIN...DS261.AOSb..IVb...DS260.Pack..Case..Inter
aidensbubba.....TSC..8/10..8/11..??/??..--/--..--/--.09/16..09/19...36..10/12..10/28.--/--.10/29.10/29.11/03.11/08.11/21.02/02.03/28
Duchaine........YSC..8/15..8/16..??/??..09/20..09/26.10/04..10/11...56..--/--..10/28.10/28.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
Samuelelbu1990..YSC..?/??..8/29..??/??..--/--..--/--.01/06..--/--..130..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
Elenie..........NSC..8/25..9/07..09/10..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
Wizzle..........YSC..8/31..9/01..09/06..--/--..--/--.01/03..01/09..125..01/11..01/16.01/19.01/20.01/24.01/30.02/06.--/--.--/--.--/--
Charlie_AnaLynn.NSC..9/02..9/08..09/13..--/--..--/--.10/25..11/01...53..11/03..11/09.11/18.11/21.11/30.11/30.12/07.12/08.--/--.--/--
Ssonjasch.......NSC..9/03..9/08..09/15..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
Efquake.........TSC..9/05..9/06..09/21..--/--..--/--.10/03..--/--...26..10/19..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
MKB.............NSC..9/06..9/09..09/13..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
kellyh..........NSC..9/08..9/12..09/17..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
*panthera.......CSC..9/08..9/12..09/16..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
MujtabaRahman...YSC..9/09..9/12..09/20..--/--..--/--.01/12..--/--..122..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
Keke32837.......NSC..9/06..9/08..09/10..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--

marayam78.......YSC..9/12..9/14..??/??..--/--..--/--.01/30..--/--..138..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
heyusa..........NSC..9/14..9/16..11/22..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
nyokie..........NSC..9/16..9/16..09/26..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
onek............TSC..9/16..9/20..09/27..--/--..--/--.12/28..01/04...99..01/05..01/09.01/13.01/19.01/25.02/07.02/08.02/14.--/--.--/--
thegreatphonix..NSC..9/16..9/20..09/27..--/--..--/--.10/27..11/08...30..11/07..11/14.11/21.11/23.11/26.11/30.12/04.12/19.03/06.--/--
branjo..........NSC..9/16..9/20..--/--..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
BethyWink.......TSC..9/16..9/21..09/26..--/--..--/--.10/11..10/17...26..--/--..11/01.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--

MichelleDavid...???..9/16..?/??..??/??..--/--..--/--.10/27..--/--..---..--/--..11/23.11/23.11/23.--/--.--/--.12/08.--/--.--/--.--/--
misshepburn.....TSC..9/17..9/19..09/26..--/--..--/--.10/13..10/18...24..10/27..11/14.11/15.11/18.11/17.11/20.12/26.01/18.02/03.03/08
Foxof24.........YSC..9/18..9/21..09/29..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
dk2usa..........NSC..9/19..9/22..09/29..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
applerose.......NSC..9/19..9/20..09/26..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
Phillygirl......NSC..9/20..9/23..--/--..--/--..--/--.12/01..--/--...69..--/--..--/--.12/29.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
j0hnj3ly........YSC..9/21..9/23..09/29..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
Trinbago........VSC..9/21..9/26..09/30..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--

mdshaheen.......NSC..9/21..9/26..09/26..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
Gabi Johnson....NSC..9/21..9/21..09/28..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
CMCorbett.......YSC..9/26..9/28..09/30..--/--..--/--.01/18..--/--..114..01/24..--/--.02/08.--/02.08/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
Akua and Papa...YSC..9/26..9/26..10/09..--/--..--/--.01/17..--/--..113..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
zaiddiaz........NSC..9/26.10/08..10/24..11/04..11/21.11/29..12/03...52..12/09..12/15.12/20.12/21.12/22.12/24.12/28.01/03.--/--.--/--
Ulrica&Jesse....NSC..9/27..9/29..--/--..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
JessieABC.......NSC..9/26..9/28..10/03..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
rahill..........NSC..9/26..9/28..--/--..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
Iturbides06.....TSC..9/26..9/28..10/03..--/--..--/--.10/17..--/--...19..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
The waddoups....NSC..9/28.10/03..10/07..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
agripa..........NSC.10/03.10/04..10/14..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--
*maitte28.......CSC.10/11.10/12..10/18..--/--..--/--.--/--..--/--..---..--/--..--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--.--/--

************************************************************************************************************************************

SC: Transferred to Service Center        Sent: Date Packet Was Mailed
Deli: Date Packet Delivered to USCIS     NOA1: Date Listed on Notice
Rcvd: Date NOA received in the mail      RFE: Date RFE Issued
Deli2: Date RFE Delivered to USCIS       NOA2: Date of Case Approval
Rcvd2: Date NOA2 Received in Mail        Day: Number of days from NOA1 to NOA2
NVC: Date case sent to NVC               NVC2: NVC receives case from USCIS
IIN: Date IIN received & Provided email addresses
DS261: Date DS-261 Completed             AOSb: Date AOS bill paid
IVb: Date IV bill paid                   DS-260: Date DS-260 IV Application Completed
Pack: IV & AOS Packets Delivered to NVC  Case: Case COMPLETED
Inter: Interview Date                    * : Indicates a non-USC filed for the case
************************************************************************************************************************************
Instructions for updating this list:

1. Copy the entire list (The most recent one)
2. Click on "Reply to this topic" on top right of the page
3. Paste the list there
4. Make any updates as needed
5. Click on Preview Post to make sure everything looks good
6. Click on Add Reply once the list is updated.

@thegreatphoenix congratulations on your CC!!!! 

In our case it took about 1 week to go from the 3 NA's on the website, to actually getting the CC email from NVC. Then it took another 1 week for them to set up our interview. The timing between the CC and the interview scheduling will vary quite a bit based on your spouse's home country and where they are in the scheduling process for the month at NVC. I think its a good thing your case completed towards the beginning of the month. You might get an April interview still! 

4 hours ago, depressedgirl said:

Aw that's so annoying, I think it'll be hard to convince an employer to let me work without a social security number even if it is perfectly legal, like you say it depends on them understanding hiring immigrants. 

After your successful interview you can still apply for jobs while you remain working in your home country, if you'd prefer. Then explain to potential employers that you'll get a SSN approximately 2 weeks after your POE date. 

7 hours ago, BethyWink said:

3 N/As as of today!!!  How soon should the CC email arrive?  Does anyone know?

Woohoo @BethyWink!!!! 

I had to double check my email because I forgot... We got 3 NA's on Feb 3. Did not receive a CC email until Feb 10 (so 1 week later). I remember I had plenty of time to call NVC and confirm my suspicions before I got the official emails and interview date (surprise surprise). It took another week to get the P4 interview letter on Feb 17 (although its dated Feb 16). Obviously the amount of time you will have to wait for an interview letter varies quite a bit based on the country though. 

You're almost there! 

2 hours ago, IA0217 said:

OMG! Our interview just got scheduled today (3/06) for April 5 

Scan date: 12/20

CC: 03/02

It was a great journey with all of you guys definitely gona miss this little family out here

Good luck & wish you all the best!!

Congrats! Check back in with us after your interview.... journey isn't quite over yet!

4 hours ago, kackandnico said:

I just want to thank everyone for being active here. It's helping us so much to see that other people are having the same experience as us! Our PD is Sep 07 and the anticipation is so stressful! Hopefully we'll all start getting news soon. Good luck everyone!

@kackandnico - agreed! VJ in general is awesome, and September group is the best!! This would not work without people checking in, sharing their experiences and asking questions.

Thank you to everyone who is still keeping us all posted on your journey.  

For the people still waiting at USCIS -- keep the faith -- it seems like they're starting to move now! 

2 hours ago, Elenie said:

hello guys just wanted to send you guys some good news my case was approved !

Congrats Elenie!!! 

On 2/27/2017 at 2:27 AM, Doug and Silke said:

When you plug in your case number on the USCIS site, if and when approved, what is the exact message on an I-130 approval that is sent to NVC?
I am seeing many "My Card Has Been Sent To Me" but I think that is for employment visas?

Case Was Sent To The Department of State

On October 27, 2016, we sent your case, Receipt Number SRCXXXXXXX, to the Department of State for visa processing. Please visit our website for general information on Consular Processing. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

this is exactly what comes up when you log into USCIS website. If you are referring to the tracker -- it will say "case was sent to Department of State" 

5 hours ago, PAK123 said:

Thanks! I just looked up 500 cases. None approved from December. But are theses cases from a specific processing center? My case is at the Potomac processing center. So by punching in my case # the tracker would show cases being process at just Potomac?

 Its center specific --- since your case number starts with the letters of your service center. The tracker just pulls whatever number of cases that you ask for consecutively after your start point (your case). 

RogJac is right. You need to prove that she has current income that exceeds the 125% poverty level. 

In addition to the 2016 tax records....Gather all 6 months of her pay stubs. Get a letter from her employer stating her salary, that her job is permanent (not temp), and that she is in good standing. You should be ok.

As a precaution: they might still come back and ask you for the past 3 years of tax info. I would presumptively file her missing 2015 return, just in case you need to produce it in the future. Even if she did not earn any money in 2015 (like if she was in school, for example) she still has to file with the IRS stating no earned income.

4 hours ago, brisraeli said:

My first packet containing the i130 form was received by the UCIS on December 19th, but so far I haven't received anything else from them. A few days ago we decided to call and we were told that they are 6 months behind and would only start working on my case in June. 

Has anyone seen anything like this recently?

They are still working on some petitions as far back as July and August.... about 50% of the 40+ people in my group (September 2016 I-130 filers) are still waiting for approvals and have been sent to other centers for processing. They seem to have a huge backlog at both the USCIS service center and NVC stages, I'm sorry to report. I hope it goes faster for you, but prep for a long wait!

3 hours ago, Mary Lou said:

Yes, this seems to be the new norm. What Service Center is your petition at? That also makes a difference. We have been waiting 4 months so far, all within processing times. 

This process is long and drawn out, it's stressful and seems unfair, but it is what it is. 

Good luck

Exactly. 

1 hour ago, nyokie said:

This is what they said in the email 

 

"Thank you for your patience while we reviewed the information provided in your inquiry.  Your I-130 petition is now being adjudicated with the Potomac Service Center."

 

 

Stay strong Nyokie!!! You're doing everything right. They are just behind. You got this!  

11 hours ago, ezmiller said:

@misshepburn is there a place on VisaJourney where there are ongoing discussions regarding the experiences of GC holders? I've been trying to watch the news about people's unofficial experiences with CBP officers. Most of what's out there is anecdotal at this point, but there are a number of stores of CBP officers using the great latitude that they do evidently enjoy to make people's lives hard. What I don't have a sense of is who they are targeting. Perhaps it is random. Still, it would be nice if there were a thread on VisaJourney looking at this, even collecting stats. In fact, that could be an important resource in general.

@ezmiller -- As far as I know there is no dedicated VJ board for these types of stories. Regardless, anything self-reported would be anecdotal and impossible to corroborate on a forum such as VJ. In some ways it might just increase the anxiety people are feeling, I don't know. If you haven't already, I recommend checking sites like ACLU and perhaps refugee assistance NGOs who might have data on this.

Since it doesn't seem like the administration has set clear guidance on this issue, I suspect that who gets checked (and how much extra scrutinty) is random at this point. There were situations where refugees from say, Iraq, with multiple family members arriving on the same flight had 2 or 3 people go through fine and one get detained at the same airport (I think it was JFK) -- granted, this was all during the messy rollout of the now suspended EO. I have also read reports in the Washington Post of a naturalized US citizen (from India originally) who was strip searched at Dulles airport (in Northern VA outside of DC) on an incoming flight. Just these two examples show the apparent irregularity to which any kind of "policy" is being implemented and the wide range of people affected... 

10 hours ago, NimZz said:

Hey! My case just got approved 3/1! ? PD 8/18! I did submit a request for my case to be expedited on Feb 27th but it is still showing that it has not been assigned for processing. 

For those of you who are worried about your case taking longer because your Muslim/from a Muslim country, don't lose hope! I'm a USC from Pakistan and my husband is from Pakistan currently living in UAE! 

Congratulations!!!!! 

9 hours ago, BlessingDawn said:

 

 

WE GOT APPROVED!!! FEBRUARY 28!!!

PD: August 9!!! Nebraska!!! ✅✅✅

 

I just received a text, email, and USCIS app notification saying our case was approved!!! God heard our prayers!!! Thank you sooo much!!! I hope everyone gets approved soon!!! I am in tears right now, tears of joy, 6 months and 20 days of waiting... ???

 

For those who are still waiting, do not lose hope!!! Hang in there!!! And pray and have faith!!! God Bless You All!!! ❤️?❤️

Congratulations!!!

3 hours ago, ezmiller said:

@Spencerburgess: thank you for your helpful response. As it turned out, I didn't need a supervisor when I called again, as they told me that finally the application had completed. So that's good news. Yay!

 

Two other question:

1) How quickly after an interview is a visa granted -- if the visa is granted?

2) What rights to does a permanent resident have to travel in/out of the country?

hey @ezmiller! Congrats that you finally got some movement on your case!! To answer your questions....

1) This is usually very consulate specific --- but I think for most its within 1-2 weeks. You could check the regional VJ boards and/or check the VJ info sheet about your specific consulate. Perhaps there will be an estimate there.

2) Tricky question, given the current political climate. You have all the same rights (theoretically) as a US citizen to travel and come back. You have after all, been vetted to become a permanent resident and work in the United States. You can basically do everything a citizen does except vote as a GC holder. For travel, the only difference is that a US citizen can never be denied entry (I believe we can be detained) ... but a green card holder can be denied, under very specific, and what used to be rare circumstances. Obviously the recent Trump executive order that targeted specific countries and was interpreted by some border officials to apply to green card holders as well -- has a lot of GC holders very concerned -- regardless of where you are from. As I'm sure you are aware, the Trump ban was ultimately struck down in court... yet out of caution, I know a lot of people who are not planning to travel on their green cards depending on where they were originally from. 

18 hours ago, Dilorena said:

Don't worry! the important portion of it is your receipt number, since you took a picture, you have it right? as you know, you track your case with it. 

Just be careful and don't lose  your I-797 Petition Acceptance Notice (NOA2) once it arrives. A copy of the NOA2 is actually needed later on in the process. I've heard USCIS charges a pretty penny to get a copy if you lose it!

 

When is the hard copy of the NOA2 needed late on in the process? Is this specific to your country? We have never needed it... we already got CC from the NVC. Moreover, we have our interview next week and our embassy did not request the NOA2 to be brought with the other docs.  

The only time we used ours was when my husband was traveling to the US to visit me and we wanted to have proof that we were going through the USCIS and following all the rules. All this being said, I wouldn't purposely trash anything you get from USCIS or the NVC!

2 hours ago, rahill said:

I thought I'd ask a question here since I have a feeling may of you will be dealing with the same situation. I'm looking to file my taxes and I'm wondering about what the heck to do. I was married in Ethiopia, my spouse's home country, we have not been married here in US, he has never been here and has no income here, he doesn't have a SSN or an ITIN. Do I have to file married filing separately??? Is that really my only option? It's like the worst option for me in terms of tax credits...anybody else dealing with this? 

I had this same question... I think married filing separately is an option without the SSN or ITIN. I believe I saw a thread here on VJ about someone getting an ITIN number for their spouse even though they were overseas and had never worked in the US? I was going to consult an accountant for advice. Under NO circumstance should you file single though!!! You are married and must file as married.

1 hour ago, April Mora said:

I just ended up filing single. You'll have to file either as single or married separate and you will have to mail your taxes physically. Since he doesn't have a SSN, you'll have to put NRA in the spot for SSN. NRA = non-resident alien

April Mora - I'm sorry but this is not correct advice. Once someone is married they are married... you cannot file single. If you file single while going through the CR1/IR1 visa process you can delay your whole case. This happened to a friend of mine who was brining his wife from Bangladesh and he got married the previous tax year, and accidentally filed single. NVC caught the error and it set their case back 4 months. 

22 minutes ago, Antonio D said:

Hey guys,I just got married in October of 2016 and have all my paperwork together. I am American living in the USA and she is Canadian living in Canada.  She will be coming to the USA after our process is complete. In the mean time, she is working in Canada to pay off bills and save up.

All my paperwork has already been prepared but I was wondering if anyone could give me any idea if my evidence of bonafide marriage is enough? We don't have any bank accounts or leases together as of right now because she lives in a different country.  We also do not have children together either but what I do have for evidence is:

1. Pictures of my passport with 5 years worth of traveling to her.
2. Pictures of itinerary's showing my flights to her.
3. The past 5 years worth of pictures of us together with my family, her friends and family (even at one of her friend's weddings), and a few of our own wedding pictures.
4. My 2016 taxes showing that I'm filing as married. Not a joint tax return but a separate one.

I'm just wondering if that will be sufficient enough or should I add to it? I know I can do a sworn affidavit but some say it's not worth it, while others say it is.

Thank you for looking and I appreciate all of your opinions.

That's pretty good -- you could also add documents to show you are on each other's life insurance policies (if you have them) or other insurance/ retirement benefits accounts where you are each other's recipient.

You could also do call or chat logs from whatever you use to regularly communicate. One screenshot/page of typical communications per month is sufficient. You could also include documents showing you have a joint bank account, if that applies to you.

59 minutes ago, cordoba2015 said:

No problem, you have been very helpful in clearing this whole thing up for me. Gives me peace of mind. Thanks!

I agree with tanish!  

8 minutes ago, cordoba2015 said:

Oh, ok. We are going to do email processing, so I don't know if that would change anything.

email processing will shave 8 + weeks off your wait time....its literally like night and day. 

We got through NVC in 2 weeks (including a checklist) from the time we sent in our AOS/IV packets via email.