RRR2016

7 minutes ago, NYCGUY226 said:

FINALLY!!!!!!  MY PARENTS PETITIONS HAVE BEEN APPROVED!!!!   Wow it took 6 months and 2 weeks but they FINALLY approved them.  They approved them this Monday April 24th.  our priority date was Oct 13, 2016.  Now the NVC wait begins for us but finally I'm seeing progress. 

 

RRR2016 you should be getting the same good news really soon if you haven't already! I wish everyone in this board the fast approvals so you can all have your family members close to you here.

We received the notification last week and the website updated on Monday. We were approved on 04/14/17.

Congratulations to you too!

Now to wait for the next step

22 hours ago, black widow said:

Hi good day everyone!

 

I am planning to travel to the philippines and giving birth there. I am traveling with my US citizen child and my husband is going to get us after  8 months to travel back to US. Can I go back without any reentry permit?

If you are planning to give birth in the Phillippines, you may also have to plan how the baby will return to the U.S. Is your husband a U.S. citizen? If so, the baby does not gain U.S. citizenship automatically, if born outside the U.S. He will have to apply for a CRBA at the U.S. embassy and apply for the baby's U.S. passport. You should make sure your husband meets the physical presence/residence in the U.S. requirements for this process.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/abroad/events-and-records/birth.html

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/19452/pdfs/Citizenship - CRBA Checklist for MANILA applicants - Revised July 12-2013.pdf

11 minutes ago, RRR2016 said:

Hi,

 

I went through this process a few years ago (2012-2014). After graduation I was able to obtain a job and work under the OPT and OPT 17 month STEM extension. My job entailed travelling out of the country every 3-6 months. So I always traveled with my valid passport and visa stamp, I-94, I-20 with travel signature (from the University) and letter from my employer explaining my required travels. In the middle of this process my visa stamp expired and returned home to renew it.

 

I have to say, I did not encounter any issues when returning to the U.S., other than the being sent to secondary inspection, because some of the officers did not understand the OPT or want to double check with their supervisor. This mainly occurred when crossing the border by land. Airport officers seemed to be more familiar with the OPT status.

 

As long as you travel with all your documents, you should be fine. Before leaving the U.S. to renew your visa, I would suggest you bring a letter from your employer to show your ties to the OPT. Most officers see you as a student, due to the F-1 visa. However, I would always mention I had graduated and was currently on a practical training.  Back then I was told by the University it was risky to leave the U.S. under the OPT if you did not have a job.

 

From the previous comment from Coco8 on the days out of the country counting as 'non-working days', that never happened to me. Travels also occur due to the vacation days given by your employer. I believe the non-working days allowed are the periods of time under the OPT when you do not have a job. So since fyong, currently holds a job, I don't believe this would apply.

 

I hope this helps and I am happy to answer any questions you have.

 

 

I forgot to add the EAD card to the list of documents, while traveling.

9 hours ago, fyong said:

Hello,

 

I have already bought tickets and what not till I realize I should have thought this over. I've seen people saying it is risky to leave USA and renew your F1 visa even tho you have i20, EAD card and job letter. I am working for a company right now, and have been with the company for almost 2 years now (closing to half of the OPT extension). 

 

Would like to know are there people in the community that has succeeded/failed with their F1 visa renewal during OPT/OPT extension.

 

Hi,

I went through this process a few years ago (2012-2014). After graduation I was able to obtain a job and work under the OPT and OPT 17 month STEM extension. My job entailed travelling out of the country every 3-6 months. So I always traveled with my valid passport and visa stamp, I-94, I-20 with travel signature (from the University) and letter from my employer explaining my required travels. In the middle of this process my visa stamp expired and returned home to renew it.

I have to say, I did not encounter any issues when returning to the U.S., other than the being sent to secondary inspection, because some of the officers did not understand the OPT or want to double check with their supervisor. This mainly occurred when crossing the border by land. Airport officers seemed to be more familiar with the OPT status.

As long as you travel with all your documents, you should be fine. Before leaving the U.S. to renew your visa, I would suggest you bring a letter from your employer to show your ties to the OPT. Most officers see you as a student, due to the F-1 visa. However, I would always mention I had graduated and was currently on a practical training.  Back then I was told by the University it was risky to leave the U.S. under the OPT if you did not have a job.

From the previous comment from Coco8 on the days out of the country counting as 'non-working days', that never happened to me. Travels also occur due to the vacation days given by your employer. I believe the non-working days allowed are the periods of time under the OPT when you do not have a job. So since fyong, currently holds a job, I don't believe this would apply.

I hope this helps and I am happy to answer any questions you have.

7 hours ago, onek said:

It's more than "Just an update".  You have gotten approved.  It's a great news. Congratulations.

Thank you so much. 

My prayers go out to everyone who is still waiting. I was in the same position yesterday. But the approvals will arrive.

5 hours ago, felizcasado said:

Congratulations!

So, when you check your case in the webpage, still not showing any updates about approval?

Thank you! It is difficult to say because we were out of town from April 15-23 and had our mail on hold. So it the notification arrived some time last week. Interestingly, this afternoon the website updated and I received notification via email and text message. So the letter may arrive in the mail a few days earlier than the website is updated.

Just now, lamafiosa69 said:

For those of you still not approved yet, don't give up hope. I spoke with an attorney last Monday and was told that the process is taking between 6 to 8 months. Anyone who has already been approved (like myself) is great news. She was actually surprised that I was already approved, but she credits my file being transferred to Texas as the reason why I was approved right away. I'm sure for those who are still waiting that this process is frustrating but being patient is the best thing you can do.  She recommends that if you don't hear anything by 8 months then you should hire an attorney. I don't recommend that though. 

I agree. I also expressed my concerns with my lawyer about the delay and he mentioned the 6-8 month timeline. So he suggested to wait another 4 weeks before proceeding with an inquiry and our case was approved a week later. It took 6.5 months for the I-130 approval.

Just an update. Our I-130 has been approved; received the notice through the mail and not through the app or email.

Our timeline is:

PD: 09/30/16

Transferred from Nebraska to Texas Service Center: 02/22/17

NOA2: 04/14/17

Best of luck to everyone waiting on their approval. It is coming soon.

Just an update. Our I-130 has been approved, received the notice through the mail and not through the app or email. Our timeline is:

PD: 09/30/16

Transferred from Nebraska to Texas Service Center: 02/22/17

NOA2: 04/14/17

Best of luck to all September filers waiting on their approval. It is coming soon.

Just an update. Our I-130 has been approved, received the notice through the mail and not through the app or email. Our timeline is:

PD: 09/30/16

Transferred from Nebraska to Texas Service Center: 02/22/17

NOA2: 04/14/17

Best of luck to all October filers waiting on their approval. It is coming soon.

14 hours ago, AlviNY said:

Seems like lot of applications that went to Texas from end of October cases are getting approved and Nebraska still working on Oct 5th-7th. People that are in middle of month are somewhat screwed by this system.

Unfortunately it is the ones who were transferred to Texas at the beginning of February who have been approved. Nebraska received our case on 9/30 and we were transferred to Texas on 2/22 to 'speed up processing' and no news yet. So if Nebraska is now working on Oct 5th-7th and our case would have stayed there we might have been approved by now. Believe me, the transfer to Texas did not make our process go any faster and we are beyond the six months. Our lawyer said the timeline for a I-130 approval is 6-8 months and he prefers to wait another 4 weeks before proceeding with an inquiry.

So, all we can do is wait.

21 hours ago, ayuness said:

Hi,

 

I'm Ayu. I've been living in USA since January 19th, 2017. I got my social and green card a month after I moved here and have been spending time looking for job since then. I've applied for so many jobs and finally I got a temp part-time job through a staffing agency as receptionist/customer service for a brick company. I started my job last week, and as a week went by, I didn't get a training, so basically the only thing I could do was to answer the phone and transfer it to another person at work because I didn't know how to help the customers. I couldn't even check the stock so whenever a customer came by and asked if we carried any brick/rock/anything we sell, I could never answer them because I didn't have an access to the computer. I always arrived at work 40 minutes before my schedule started and left work 20 minutes after that. My husband didn't like that because I was not supposed to be working outside my working hours and it was wrong that they let me did that. The manager said that they would train me and gave me a sign code to use the computer after a week.This week was supposed to be my second week, and since my husband was off for two days, he kept dropping me off and picking me up from work, so I arrived at work and left work 5 minutes before/after my working hours. On Wednesday, I still didn't get a sign code or a training that I needed to do the job. I talked to my husband about how I felt useless at work and that I am actually capable of so many things if they let me. Funny that after a couple of days I said it, I got a voicemail message from my staffing agency regarding my position. I called her immediately and she said I didn't have to go to work on the next day and I should meet her instead on Friday, which basically means I just got fired. I'm still confused on what reasons because on last Monday, the office manager said I was doing good. I still haven't gotten my paycheck and I don't know if they would pay for the 3 days I worked this week because I didn't get the chance for the manager to sign my time sheet.

 

Anyone else get fired without warning or for unknown reasons on their first job in USA?

Hi. So sorry to hear about your bad experience during your first job. This might sound horrible, but in a way you should be happy they let you go. And it has nothing to do with your capabilities. Quite contrary, in the long term it would have been a job where you would not have been happy, just for the fact that they did not provide any training or any kind of support, and most importantly they were not giving you the opportunity to grow or use your other talents or capabilities. It was clearly not a good environment.

I know when you are job searching, ANY job is better than NO job. My advice is don't give up and keep searching for other job opportunities that may be a better fit for you. Based on your bad experience here, this should give you guidance for questions to ask when you interview for your next job. Inquire more about your responsibilities, the team you would work with, the type of support, the benefits, what is expected from you, will you be under review for 90 days, etc. Just like the employer searches for an employee who will be a good fit, the employee also searches for a job that will be a good fit. I would also search into options where your bilingual capabilities or other talents could be put to use. 

Regarding you pay, you should seek this with the temp agency. You clearly put in your efforts to do a good job. So the least you can do is make sure you are compensated for your time.

Best of luck to you and I'm sure better opportunities will come in the near future.

2 minutes ago, NYCGUY226 said:

I guess we have no choice but to wait it out then  but we will soon get good news.  Did you use an attorney to file your beneficiary's I-130 petition?  I did not use an attorney.  

Yes, I did use an attorney. I contacted him last week, asking if there was anything we could do. He mentioned the timeline for a I-130 approval is 6 to 8 months. So he advised we wait 4 more weeks before proceeding with any inquiry. At this point, all we can do is wait. Again, our case was transferred to Texas Service Center to 'speed up processing'. But unfortunately I do not see that happening.

2 hours ago, NYCGUY226 said:

6 months today since I submitted my parents I-130 forms and no news....  

 

i see petitions for Filipino nationals get approved in under 2 months...it's so unfair.

 6 months and two weeks for us and no news yet, either.

On 4/4/2017 at 8:33 PM, KULtoATL said:

In his underwear?  Wow that's really extreme!

 

What interview was it during 4 years ago? B1 or K-1?

Yeah. They basically make you undress during the medical exam and you are given a hospital type robe. Eventually the Dr. examines you and asks lots of questions about your health. There is no way of skipping this step.

1 hour ago, Vanessa + Mario said:

Hello everyone!

Disclaimer!: I'm not here to troll, I am genuinely curious and concerned... and I would like some opinions. 

 

My husband (GC holder) and I (USC) want to travel to Mexico b/c his little sister is getting married in June. However, he'll only be staying the weekend, and I would like to stay longer b/c a relative of mine is getting married in July. 

With all of the president's crazy actions, my husband fears that upon his return w/o me, they might deny him entry. Here's why: 

1) some people have been saying that people have been getting there GC taken away upon entry. (Reasons as to why have never been specified.)

2) my husband is concerned that if he returns alone, they might think that we are no longer together. (He's paranoid.) When we traveled to Mexico last year, we left together, but I came home first, and he followed suit a few days after I returned. 

Should we travel to Mexico as planned? Or not go? Should we go, and return together?

 

Thanks. 

I am a GC holder and my husband is a USC and I have traveled to Mexico twice in the past three months. Once with him and the second trip on my own. To be honest I did not encounter any problems  with immigration in either trips. This was even back when the Muslim travel ban started and there were protesters at the airport. Your husband should be fine. I was only asked the usual customs questions, if I was bringing any food, etc.

1 hour ago, A3180 said:

PD 9/26 . Transferred to Texas on 2/22 and received approval notice in the mail today. no text or online update.

Congratulations!!!

7 hours ago, mike1at said:

We're one day ahead of you (PD 9/29, xfer to Texas 2/22), and we're still waiting, too... seemingly electronic notifications aren't working for transferred cases, so just keep an eye on your mailbox for NOA2... best of luck!

We are also right behind you. Our case was received by Nebraska on 9/30/16. NOA1 10/04/16 and our case was transferred to Texas Service Center on 2/22/16. Checking my mail box everyday. Hope we all get approved soon!

2 minutes ago, SONG41 said:

Thank you so much for that help, I can get his medical in London but just thought as he is here I would get it done now.

I assume I will have to file more paperwork when London send an appointment?  All I knew was I had to file the I-130 which is approved but could not find any information on the next steps or when to send the paperwork etc? 

For your son's process, are you doing Consular process? ... The Consular process is for people who do not live in the U.S. and looking to obtain an immigrant visa to enter the U.S. and then receive their GC. So most of the steps, such as medical exam, fingerprint scan and interview are completed in the country of residence. So if you will have your interview in London, I would double check if the medical exam has to be done in a clinic in London.

You mentioned your son is here and his I-130 has been approved. Do you not have the option of conducting an Adjustment of Status?  

5 hours ago, Erasmo101 said:

Fiancé got physical exam in Mexico.

 

only thing pending was vaccines. 

 

Now in the USA.

 

Doctor doesn't want to sign form because he didn't do the exam, but the clinic did do the vaccines. 

 

What at do I do?

Which step are you at?

9 minutes ago, SONG41 said:

Thank You for the reply about the medical for a 14 year old son.

I assume we just need to get it done & they will ask for it at the London Embassy is that correct?

I can get it done now in Virginia as he is currently with me for the Easter Break then send it back with him?

Thank you RRR2016 for the reply & good luck with your son as well.

Thank you Song41.

I went through Consular process in Mexico and my lawyer advised me not to visit the U.S. until the immigration process was complete. But then again, this is for Mexico, where the scrutiny is always higher. And I had to take the medical exam in one of the 3 (now reduced to 2) authorized clinic in Cd. Juarez. So we will go through this again with my son.

My understanding is as long as it is an authorized clinic it should be fine and the results are valid for 6 months. Considering your boy is a minor, you would want to go with him and not have him go through the process by himself. They give you the results in a black sealed envelope, which you will provide during your interview at the Embassy in London. So yes, you can send it with him.

I would do a search for authorized clinics in Virginia. Something like this:

https://my.uscis.gov/findadoctor

or

http://www.msclaw.com/index.php?page=USCIS_Authorized_Doctors_virginia

And call and ask that if their medical exam would be acceptable for your son's immigration process in London.

Good luck and let me know if you have anymore questions.

12 hours ago, deidre said:

Hi Song41... I assume that your 14 yo will need to have their medical done. I have no experience with kids... anyone else on this thread can assist with letting us know about their experience??

 

We are currently going through our 13 year old child's process and we are certain he will have to go through the medical exam. I have a friend who went through the process in Cd. Juarez (Mexico) last summer and ALL of her family members, including her 4 and 6 year old kids, had to take the medical exam. I went through the process last year and during my medical exam there was a teenager at the clinic.

The medical exam for minors has some variations in terms of the vaccinations required and the TB-test, and I believe the cost is slightly lower. At least in Mexico, the two clinics who conduct these tests have a website and list all the vaccinations required according to age. The poor teenager I saw at the clinic had 4 shots that day and she complained it was a bit painful. So if required, make sure to take your child's vaccination card. The TB-test for adults is done through X-rays, but for minors they do a skin-test. So the results for the medical exam are not ready the same day, as occurs in adults. The websites also indicate to allow 3-4 days for the results to be ready in the case of minors. My friend's stay in Cd. Juarez was longer than mine, because the medical exam results for her kids were not ready the same day.

I would check if in your country the medical exam is required and if so, inquire with the authorized clinics (in your country) about the process, vaccinations required, costs and wait times. 

Hope this helps and best of luck to everybody.

2 minutes ago, Min & Mark said:

I see! So even some of filers from early October 2016 were sent to Texas too... 

I feel Nebraska was so backed up that they sent several cases to other Centers such as Texas or Potomac, to speed up the process. For some reason last month was really really slow everywhere, but for some reason all Centers are catching up and cases are being processed. This is good news and gives us hope.

I'm also thinking we will hear back in April (also fingers crossed). 

9 minutes ago, uufarouk said:

According to September filers,all transfer cases are getting approved,so those of u October filers whose cases have been transferred,I guess same will apply to u as soon as they start approving October filers 

Looks like Early September files from Nebraska Center are also getting approved. So for those of you who were not transferred, you may also receive an approval soon.

Hope it goes well for all of us October filers.

Just now, Min & Mark said:

Hello, 

Did you learn that your case was sent to Texas service center when you received the hard copy mail from USCIS? All I can see on USCIS website is that my case was transferred. and also it says, "Follow the instructions in the notice." What instructions are written in the letter? The letter has the information which service center your file has been sent to and what instruction you should follow? Thank you!

Hi,

Yes, I received a letter in the mail and it indicated our case was transferred to Texas Service Center. There was no indication on any instructions to follow.