amoeba&md

1 minute ago, mushroomspore said:

Because I'm pretty sure the interview notice is a mostly-boilerplate standardized letter where they only change the names, addresses,  interview dates, interview times and field office locations. I don't think desk workers are typing each single letter up and customizing the required documents list to each specific case.

Thanks for the reply.

That's what we thought...

4 minutes ago, AshMarty said:

I am just going to play devils adovcate here as the arguement of the potiential CO. Whether this is right or wrong not up to us because we aren’t making the decision on your medical. 

 

 

Upon application of AoS you K1 status expired because you didn’t applied for Adjustment of status within 90 days (yes you married but didn’t adjust) so you had about a month when your status was not protected in the US. (Doesn’t typically matter because once you apply for AOS you will then have protected status again). But since you didn’t apply for AOS within the 90 window the application is no longer being adjudicated from the K1 visa (the K1 expired before you applied) but now just an overstay. Which means your medical no longer falls under the K1 exception. 

 

Who knows if it is accurate but I can easily see the CO having this argument. Which I can see the policy manual potientally being interpreted this way. 

 

Again the CO is the final decision not us on VJ. But their decisions and interpretations are all over the place. 

 

Thanks for the reply.

This is really interesting! I get what you mean, and it makes sense.

Oh, I forgot something else.

When we got the interview appointment letter it detailed everything we need to take, and "bring your form I-693 (unless already submitted)".

If it was long expired, why didn't they ask for it in that letter?

2 minutes ago, TNJ17 said:

Why would you wanna piss someone off at USCIS? I never said you didn’t anything wrong, all I said was you had long gaps, you waited months before Poe, then you married months later, etc. all that adds up time which is why your medical expired. You came here for advice and you got it. We’re not saying anything you don’t already know. But you know how immigration officers are and having a nice chat with them is something simply unheard of. They already gave you their response and no matter how much you try you’re not gonna change their minds. Your medical is long expired and they were right to ask you for another. You should be happy that this is not a denial and all you need is to submit another. Why stir up a storm but “having a nice chat with them”? 

Thanks for the reply.

I do understand your point. Maybe I'm just naive for thinking I can have a nice chat with them.

The medical is expired now (it expired on May 2nd), but it wasn't when we filed the AoS package.

As the I-693 instructions state: “3.4.What if I am a K nonimmigrant visa holder and already had a medical examination overseas?

If you were admitted as a:

A. K-1 fiancé(e) or a K-2 child of a K-1 fiancé(e); or

B. K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen or a K-4 child of a K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen; and

C. You received a medical examination prior to admission, then:

1. (1) You are not required to have another medical examination as long as you file your Form I-485 within one year of an overseas medical examination; and ...

We did file within a year, despite the delays you mentioned (medical was done in May 2017, AoS filed in December 2017).

I sincerely don't think they would have grounds for a denial; just basing it on an infopass to check whether they have considered or not this information written in the instructions of the same form they are requesting to be done again.

We did everything as it was supposed to be done, in timely manner, and the officers here seemed to be really nice so far. When I said a nice chat, I really intended to say that.

Would asking them politely to consider that information really transform this into an immigration tragedy (denial)? It's a possibility, yeah...

But it could turn out well, and not only for our case, but also for other people in the same situation, by letting the officer get to know that information too.

In any case, we are really considering, carefully, all the advices given here.

Thanks again.

Thank you for all for your replies.

However, I think they're not quite relevant.

57 minutes ago, TNJ17 said:

Honestly you’d be wasting your time. Too much time has passed. You have long gaps between Visa and us entry and filing which is why the medical is no longer good. They already asked for a new medical and that’s the only th8ng pending. Don’t waste your time and get a new medical and submit.

First of all: medical exam date 05/02/2017.

I-485 was filed on december 2017. It was within a year of the medical exam. There is no long gap there, as the I-693 instructions state:

“3.4.What if I am a K nonimmigrant visa holder and already had a medical examination overseas?

If you were admitted as a:

A. K-1 fiancé(e) or a K-2 child of a K-1 fiancé(e); or

B. K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen or a K-4 child of a K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen; and

C. You received a medical examination prior to admission, then:

1. (1) You are not required to have another medical examination as long as you file your Form I-485 within one year of an overseas medical examination; and ...

Everything correct here.

50 minutes ago, AshMarty said:

My guess... (which is really only a guess).....

 

Is that your K1 window for application expired because you didn't adjust within the 90 day window of you K1 visa, hence making it non K1 application during the AOS process which would make the K1 medical invalid for the AOS because it is over a year old by the time the case went to interview....maybe??

 

But either way I would just get the medical redone and submit it to be done with the process....

We got married within the 90 days, and filed the I-485, one month after that. Everything correct here too.

51 minutes ago, mushroomspore said:

I agree with this. RFE's are official documents from USCIS that must be responded to with the appropriate paperwork within the time limit. They're not meant to be interpretative or argued about. If you fail to respond correctly, it results in a denial. End of story.

As we stated before "We are thinking about scheduling an infopass appointment, to try to have a nice chat with them (we got plenty of time, since they gave us more than two months to get the I-693 submitted to them)."

Fortunately, we can get an infopass appointment here really fast, so we can give it a try. If we fail, we will do the medical within the time frame given by them.

So we'll try the infopass, while we are checking the authorized doctors/clinics in our area.

Hello lovely community of VJ!

Here's what happened to us.

We had our AoS interview last monday. Everything was OK, but the officer wasn't sure about the I-693.

The officer said it had more than one year by the time of the interview (last monday, 08/06/2018). So, she told us to go home, and wait for a letter from them. She said it could be a 'nothing happened here' letter, or an 'RFE' letter.

Medical exam (completed): 05/02/2017
US entry (and medical package taken): 08/16/2017
Date I-485 received by USCIS (first NOA): 12/27/2017

Today (08/09/18) we got a wonderful RFE letter.

Part of the text on the RFE letter we received:  

"Starting June 1, 2014, USCIS changed the policy on Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. The new policy states that all Forms I-693 are valid for only one year from the date submitted to us. The policy also states that the Form I-693 must be submitted within one year of the medical exam. The Form I-693 that you submitted does not meet both of these requirements. Please return to a Civil Surgeon to have a new medical exam."

Let's review their reasons.

Reason one: "The new policy states that all Forms I-693 are valid for only one year from the date submitted to us."   Then my form meets this requirement. :)

Reason two: "The policy also states that the Form I-693 must be submitted within one year of the medical exam."  My form meets this requirement too ! :D

And they concluded that: "The Form I-693 that you submitted does not meet both of these requirements." ... : /

We are thinking about scheduling an infopass appointment, to try to have a nice chat with them (we got plenty of time, since they gave us more than two months to get the I-693 submitted to them).

Any ideas? Similar experiences? Please enlighten us!

On 5/2/2018 at 2:52 PM, amoeba&md said:

We got the new card being produced notification today on the tracker app! Nothing changed on the Uscis account page (the one with login). Our last update was case received 131 days ago. Also noticed the update just changed for EAD and not AP. Hopefully the combo card arrives. Either way we're so exciting after such a long wait! 

Hi all! Just following up on yesterday's post. Today we got the 'case was approved' update on the tracker. It reads: On May 3, 2018, we approved your Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. 

The secured Uscis page updated with yesterday's status: we are producing your card and will mail it to you

🎉

We got the new card being produced notification today on the tracker app! Nothing changed on the Uscis account page (the one with login). Our last update was case received 131 days ago. Also noticed the update just changed for EAD and not AP. Hopefully the combo card arrives. Either way we're so exciting after such a long wait! 

3 hours ago, Marzena & Stephen said:

I got the weirdest case tracker update today...

Hope it's just a glitch?

Anyone else have this ?

 

"At this time uscis can not provide you with information about your case. Please call 1800 .........for additional information"

 

Makes me worry ! 

 

 

Hi! I got the same update. Also just for AOS.AP and EAD still say 'case was received'. Was hoping it was glitch that would fix itself within minutes. I guess we'll have to wait and see?

Hi sorry for the late reply. It did work out for us. USCIS did pick it up. Oddly when our check was cashed the USPS notice still said "available for pickup". Hopefully your situation is resolved by now. Good luck on your journey!

Hi all! We mailed our AOS on Dec 18 and received the text/email confirmations on Dec 28.

Thank you guys for all your replies.

We just received the notification from USCIS: they got the case! (yeah at 12:15am!)

Thanks again, and best of luck to all of you in the same process.

22 minutes ago, MrHanky said:

Hmm, I sent USPS priority and didn't have any issue.

How is it packaged?

 

Maybe the box is full

 

 

Hi, thanks for the reply.

We used a flat rate envelope.

15 minutes ago, TNJ17 said:

Again I ask, why trust usps on something so important. Use FedEx or ups. Don’t trust usps for important stuff. 

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I'm asking the same to my wife. LOL

(We already had issues with USPS, but with an international package, haha)

Hi community,

We sent our AoS package on December 18, and today we got this notice from USPS:

"Delivery Attempt: Action Needed Reminder to Schedule Redelivery of your item before January 5, 2018."

As our AoS case is based on a K1, we sent it to:

USCIS Chicago Lockbox

For U.S. Postal Service (USPS):

USCIS
PO Box 805887
Chicago, IL 60680-4120

We haven't found anything like this on the forum, just old threads about delayed deliveries and such.

Should we worry and take action or just wait patiently till someone from USCIS picks up our package?

Hi. The NOA2 date is irrelevant to port of entry. I believe the NOA2 expiration date refers to the final date by when the medical/interview should be completed. Port of entry travel shall not exceed the expiration date on k1 visa itself (once it is approved). 

16 minutes ago, MapleLeaf29 said:

I am having a ridiculously hard time getting my tax transcripts for my affidavit of support.  In theory, US tax payers can access their tax transcripts online and print them for free.  A few weeks ago, I went to the IRS website and put in all of the information they required: my full name, my address, my SSN, an e-mail confirmation code, and my phone number.

 

IRS: We cannot verify your phone number with your phone company.

Me: ???  (I have a regular cell phone through a major carrier in the United States.  I have had my current cell number for three years, and I used it for the last few years to file my taxes, so the IRS should have it on record.)

IRS: We cannot text you an authorization code because we cannot verify your cell phone number.  We will mail you an authorization code in 5-10 days.

 

2 weeks later, I received my authorization code in the mail.  I went back to the IRS website to log on and enter the authorization code.

 

IRS: Your password is incorrect.

Me: No it isn't!  I saved it in Safari!

IRS: Your password is incorrect.  You have failed the secret questions.

Me: What secret questions?  You never ASKED me any secret questions!

IRS: Your account is locked permanently.  Hahahahaha.  Also, your mail authorization code will no longer work because it is associated with your locked account.  Hahahahaha.  Also, you cannot request a new mail authorization code for 15 days.  Hahahahaha.  

Me: ARGH!!!!

 

While I was waiting for the mail authorization code to arrive, I also requested paper copies of my tax transcripts, so hopefully those will be coming soon.  I am also going to call the IRS on Monday.  If you are the petitioner and you don't have your transcripts yet, hopefully your cell phone number will work and you will be able to access them online, but I would start trying early just in case you run into problems.

Hey, I get your frustration. I had the same problem with my cell phone verification. I ended up going to my local irs office (luckily it wasn't too far from me) to get the tax transcripts on the spot. You have to call them ahead of time to make an appointment if you want to get it that way. The gentleman who helped me told me I could have requested them by mail or fax but I was desperate to get them ASAP at the time. 

14 hours ago, Art786 said:

Hi, the sponsor should recive all notifications of NOA1 and NOA2  as NVC notification of sending petition to USA embassy within 2-4 weeks of receiving it from  USCIS.When embassy receives application they will contact beneficiary.( that's what paper coppy of NOA2 states ) Beneficiary  contact info. is in  petition. Some people start calling after few days to NVC, after new petition number that should be given to us , but it clearly says on approved  NOA2 to call if NVC notification not receive in mail after 30 days.   That's what I know, posibly someone else know more or have better information. My NOA2 date was February 2 no news from NVC yet.      

Hey everyone!

Thanks Art786 for your answer!

4 days passed since we saw the 'case approved' on the page... and my fiancée (petitioner) didn't get any notification yet, lol.

It's time to patiently wait again for that notification, and then get ready to pester the NVC by phone, haha.

Thanks again for your kind reply Art786. Hope you get your NVC notification soon!

Happy Valentine's day!

On 12/2/2017 at 5:45 PM, Art786 said:

You should get email or text but only if you sign up for it, you will get confirmation in mail in few days .It takes about three weeks for beneficiary to receive email from embassy.  I receive confirmation of approval in email and hard copy in mail about 3 days later . 

Hey everyone!

First of all, our case was approved by USCIS (the lovely case status page told us), but we didn't get the e-mail notification yet.

I thought my fiancée (the petitioner) got it, but it was an error, lol (we were talking about different e-mails).

So, we're still waiting for any kind of communication from them.

Art786 I was reading your answer again, and I was wondering...

Our situation here (case already approved by USCIS) is that the only e-mail address we have provided so far is the applicant/petitioner's e-mail in the G-1145 form.

As far as we understood, that form is only meant for us to receive the USCIS notifications, so we thought only the petitioner could fill it out.

Then, question 1:

Is the G-1145 only meant to receive the USCIS notifications?

(IF NOT, I understand that it could have been possible for me (the beneficiary) to also attach a G-1145...)

If the G-1145 is only meant (as we understood) to be used by the USCIS to send notifications... question 2:

Given that we only provided the petitioner's e-mail address: how will the embassy contact me (the beneficiary)?

( Will they send an e-mail to the petitioner? Will they just send me a letter by regular mail? )

Can't wait to read your answers guys!

May USCIS give you more approvals! and even more in Valentine's day!

15 minutes ago, amoeba&md said:

Hey everyone!

 

November 7th filers here and... CASE APPROVED (February 8th)! yay

 

Question: those who got approved, have you received any e-mail or text message notification?

We didn't receive any, we found out our case was approved by checking the USCIS case status page.

 

Best of luck to everyone waiting and to those that got already approved!

 

 

May USCIS give you many approvals (preferably fast :P)!

Thanks for the reply Art786!

We just received our e-mail notification! haha

7 hours ago, forena99 said:

 

Hi Jim and amoeba&md,

I've also seen a few people transpose the month with the day.  Most of the world does DD/MM/YYYY, and we Americans (plus I don't know who else...), we do MM/DD/YYYY.  So, I've seen people, probably out of habit, transpose the months and days.  For example putting April 1st 2017 instead of January 4th 2017 for an NOA date.  I've seen a fair share of fat fingering as well.  So there is always a little bit of 'bad data' when there is self reporting.  This messes with our calculated timelines if the NOA is off, but probably not significantly.  

Forena

Hey everyone!

Many thanks for the kind and useful replies about the NOA's date and our timelines.

Forena, yeah! The date format is the worst enemy for our timelines, lol. The wikipedia article on date format by country is really awesome:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_format_by_country
Ok, enough off-topic...

Keep the dates accurate and updatede couples! (lol)

May USCIS give us many approvals soon!

Hey everyone!

Congratulations to the couples that got recently approved!

I'm sure everyone here has already considered and is well aware of this, but I wanted to point it out, just in case.

Are we all using the same dates for NOA1 and NOA2 in our precious timelines? I don't know if everyone is using the same date (the official NOA1 OR the text/e-mail date OR the date the letter arrived).
For example, when creating our timeline, we decided to use our official NOA1 date, the one printed out in the official notification received by mail. We didn't use the e-mail's notification date, nor the date of the official letter's arrival.

Whenever I check the timelines, I can't help but wonder if most of us is using the same date or not.

This could change things a bit, not a drastic change of course, but it could lead to slight differences when using the timelines for any purpose (predictions, just as a reference, etc).

May USCIS give us many approvals soon!

Hey everyone!
First time here.

I've checked a few cases from the range 1790057100 to 1790060400: apparently, these were all the ones received on November 7th.
At least 3000 cases in one day! (not just I-129F's of course).

Unfortunately, the Spinach's app isn't working quite well on my end, so I can't get any results from the near-by feature. Thus, no filtering

Anyway...

Best of luck and lots of patience to every couple!