bunkx

omg y'all... they've finally outdone themselves...

personally I quite liked the current EAD and GC designs, and I have no idea why they're being phased out, especially considering how short lived they were... now I'm used to the US designing things like a theme park pamphlet but this new design is a lot to take in...

what do you guys think about the new design? USCIS website says they'll start issuing them May 1, 2017. (I just got my EAD approval, I'm very curious to see if I'll get the new one or the old one)

Here's the old and the new side by side

2 hours ago, acyland said:

I had something similar in that on our marriage certificate I put my new name would be using my husband's last name. Since we knew we were going to be submitting AOS paperwork pretty quickly after we married though I decided to hold off on all the official name change stuff (updating Social Security card, Driver's License, Passport, etc.) since I knew that can take a good amount of time and we wanted to submit our AOS paperwork as fast as possible.

 

On all our AOS paperwork I used my maiden name and even included a note with our cover letter explaining to basically what I said above, that AOS was our priority now and to expedite the process as much as possible I elected to continue using my maiden name throughout the process, but would be changing it in the future. 

Wouldn't they then issue the GC under your maiden name and if you change your name after that would invalidate the GC and you'd have to apply for a new one, doing the whole process over again...

Oh okay, they apparently changed a couple things around and there's a new edition out where they don't require G-325As anymore. So I assume since I submitted my application in January, I don't need this new supplemental form.

***MODS*** You may delete this thread.

My bad my bad. I'm obviously not up to date. I was just freaking out about the Form I-130A, and I was sure I had never seen it before. It's new. So I guess you don't need the G-325A for it anymore. I feel like you'd still need it for I-485 though.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/uscis-requiring-new-supplemental-form-i-130a-for-spousal-visa-petitions.html

1 minute ago, A'n'L said:

Well, immigration is a privilege (for better or worse).

 

Interview notices are (in most cases) sent one month prior to the interview date. That should leave you enough time to return from vacation.

Being able to live with my spouse should not be a privilege, although I recognize that it is. Sad how the system is set up.

That's a relief. Thank you!

Hey guys,

I just realized that I did not include a Form I-130A Supplement for Spouse Beneficiary with my I-130. My case status has been "Case Ready to be Scheduled for Interview" since March 2nd. I haven't heard anything since then. Will they send me an RFE (or even an RFIE perhaps?) for the missing supplemental form? Or is that something I should just fill out and take with me to the interview?

Low key freaking out 

You have to submit 3 G-325A forms in total basically. 

1. Form I-130
   1. G-325A of the petitioner
   2. G-325A of the beneficiary
2. Form I-485
   1. G-325A of the beneficiary

Also hmm. We never submitted a form I-130A - but it looks like we should have? Well the case status says "Case Ready to be Scheduled for Interview" so I assume it's fine?

The Washington DC office wait time seems to be around 218 days according to latest data from USCIS times. Which would put me August/September-ish for the interview. Every time I ask though they say things like "it could be may, it could be december. you never know" - so now I have to live in this odd uncertainty where I'm scared to travel because what if they give me an interview date for when I'm out of the country? It would cost a fortune to fly back on such short notice. It's best to sit tight and get it all over with before making big and expensive family visits I guess. Other than that, the EAD/AP combo works for pretty much everything so there really is no rush on the GC, is there?

I meant behind as in the difference between what's being processed now and the PD. The uncertainty of the AOS is killing me and every plan I try to make for the summer. I wish they would just go ahead and give me a date even if it's in November or something. I want to visit my family back home but if they suddenly give me an interview date for the next week, it'll cost me a fortune to fly back on such short notice. 

In terms of funding though, additional federal funding would surely help speed things up. The petition fees are extremely high as is. I can't imagine someone paying this much to register permanent residence in Europe.

27 minutes ago, mrtravel said:

 

The USCIS data is as of  Feb 28.  Surely VJ has more up to date info.  

 

According to my calculations, USCIS data shows they're 87 days behind on EAD/AP applications. Which would mean PDs as of January 22 are being processed right now. VJ is 10 days behind, showing January 12. 

(Of course, this is using past data to make a prediction about the current state, assuming there was no change in processing speed between Feb 28 and today.)

Hey y'all,

USCIS updated their processing times. It now shows dates as of February 28, 2017. I've done some calculations and here's what I've found... 

For EAD/AP applications, they're 87 days behind. Hence, applications with a PD of January 22, 2017 are being processed right now. (VJ times are 10 days behind)

(Bad news for me, I guess that RFIE ended up resetting my clock afterall)

For I-485 applications it all depends on your local office. Mine seems to be 218 days behind... 

Which means I'm looking at an interview in either August (if RFIE had no effect) or September (if RFIE reset the clock)... - just to put things into perspective, I know folks who applied at the same time who have already gotten their green cards. Man, if only I had known how slow the DC office is... 

Are there any other DC applicants? Is this 218 day wait actually legitimate? It's a somewhat unfathomable that they're that backed up... USCIS seems painfully underfunded.

Is your fiancée's son already in the US? If so, you could just file for AOS later without ever doing the K-2 - I think. Wait for someone else to confirm this before doing anything.

Even though K-2 is classified as a "nonimmigrant visa" it has immigration intent, which would be in violation with the F-1 status. The F-1 Status and F-1 Visa are completely different things. Your visa can expire, but as long as you maintain status (full-time student) you can remain in the US regardless of your visa, you just can't re-enter if you travel. However, for a K-2 application, he'd be leaving the United States, going back home, and applying at the embassy there. Which means, he'd violate his F-1 status by showing immigrant intent. Also he'd be giving his passport to the embassy. They'd likely put a "cancelled without prejudice" stamp on the F-1 visa when they issue the K-2 visa.

Best of luck, and congratulations!

You can't "update" your I-94. That's a record of arrival, showing the passport number you had when you arrived. This is normal, and not a problem. When you leave and then come back, your new I-94 will have your new passport number. Meanwhile, keep your old passport with you when you travel, just in case.

Be patient and wait for the NOA in the mail. If you sent electronic notification form, you'll get a text saying "Case was received" - USCIS is notoriously slow. No need to worry, sometimes things take longer than it does for other people. You can't compare your timeline to other people easily.

There seems to be a lot of confusion around this still for some reason. Conceptually this is no different than responding to your work emails while on vacation in another country. You're not "employed" by a US company, you're not paying US taxes, you're not taking a job away from a USC. I've been an F-1 student since 2011 here, and have worked online through European and even Japanese companies. In both cases my income would be deposited into my Belgian bank account. If I transfer money from my Belgian account to my American acocunt, that's no different than my family sending me money. So, I don't see how and where a law is violated here. Even now, I'm working for a German company remotely, since I don't need a work permit to work for EU companies, this is perfectly legal. I'm also working for a Japanese company as a translator, but that's a little more tricky. 

Also, the fact that it's a US company makes no difference. You're working for the Canadian branch, hence not taking away jobs from Americans. They'd need a work permit or Canadian citizenship to work for the Canadian branch anyway.

Good luck with your wife, hope all goes well!

It's normal. Form I-130 does not have a barcode.

By marriage license I assume you're married already, so that would be a marriage certificate. This might depend on the State but, usually the marriage certificate will always have maiden names. You have to go to the DMV and Social Security Administration office with the marriage certificate to actually make the legal name change. There is no legal name change until you officially change it with the DMV and SSA, and then get a new driver's license and social security card with the new name. So if her DL says "Jenny Smith-Foster" and you want to change it back to "Jenny Dianne Smith" that would, indeed, cost you a lot of money.

Just go with whatever legal name she currently has, in terms of legal forms.

When you have money and change it back, I assume you'll be applying to remove conditions at that point, use the new name (or old name...I guess) and include documentation about the name changes.

On 4/11/2017 at 6:34 PM, chimichanga said:

Since you are adjusting from F-1, how much evidence for Bona Fide Marriage did you send?

Not much at all. The way I see it is that they just accept whatever you send, and just ask more during the interview. I only sent a joint bank account statement, and explained more information will be submitted at interview. Mostly because we sent everything in 7 days after getting married, there was barely enough time to get all the official paperwork done. Currently, we have three joint bank accounts, joint auto insurance, I'm on an auto loan with my father-in-law (credit score reasons), and joint tenancy. These are all pretty long term things, especially the auto loan, so I'd imagine it's enough evidence to show we're not just in it for papers and that we're legitimately married. My mother is also coming to visit, and we're going to have big family bbq, so I'll also take photos from then. Attached, is my cover letter and everything I've submitted, hope it helps!

I just submitted a translated copy of my national ID card - the case status just went to "ready to be scheduled for interview" I assume they've accepted it, I'm not sure.

Depends on the state, your best bet is to actually go to the DMV and try. Here in Virginia they do accept EADs to renew.

Use the form currently provided on the USCIS website.

On https://www.uscis.gov/g-1145 under "Edition Date" it says 

"09/15/14. A new edition of this form is coming soon. In the meantime, customers may file using previous editions.  You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the Form and Instructions."

Besides, even without sending this form, you can sign up for e-notifications after you receive your case numbers, through MyUCSIS case tracker.

Hey guys,

I just received an RFIE yesterday and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it... They had two reasons listed for the RFIE... 

1. I forgot to include the birth certificate of the joint sponsor (I-864). I will be mailing this in my response. The joint sponsor is my mother-in-law. Her income alone is enough, but we listed my father-in-law also and sent a Form I-864A. So, the father-in-law has no idea where his birth certificate is, and is getting a new one from the DMV later next week (because he has to apply for a passport for a different reason). Now the question is, can I just send my mother-in-law's birth certificate and be fine, or do I also need my fathter-in-law's? The only joint sponsor is my mother-in-law, technically and they only asked for the joint sponsor's "evidence of status".

2. I was born in Turkey and also hold Turkish citizenship. The document that they list on their website and the link included in the RFIE (https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/fees/reciprocity-by-country/TU.html) is called "Nufus Kayit Ornegi / Extract of Vital Records". Which is exactly what I have submitted with my application... Along with its translation. I got this document from the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC. I have no idea what they're talking about, saying that it's insufficient... They're asking me to send additional evidence showing my birthdate, and my parents' names. Turkish ID cards "nufus cuzdani" have this information.. But it's an ID card. Would it be okay to send a letter explaining that I have already submitted the required document on the website, and I'm also attaching a copy of my Turkish ID card?

What visa did she enter the country with? Has she traveled since she entered 30 years ago?

I can't help but wonder, why hasn't she applied before? 

You will get the Notice of Action (NOA) in the mail, confirming that they've received your packet. After that you'll get a biometrics appointment letter, telling you when and where to go for your biometrics appt. And then you wait... If you've applied for EAD/AP, you'll get that in the mail (about 90 days after you apply), if not you'll eventually get the interview notice. But these take time... A long time. It can be weeks, months and you might not hear from USCIS at all. You just have to be patient.

Look at others' timelines to get an idea of what to expect when.

When filing for AOS, the EAD/AP application is free (or included, rather... nothing is free). It usually takes about 90 days for EAD/AP, so I would apply at least 120 days (the more the better) before your OPT ends, just to be on the safe side.