geowrian

One rebate per tax return. You filed jointly so it will be received jointly. They will issue one rebate for the full qualifying amount ($2400) to the bank account used on the tax return, if one was provided. Otherwise it will be sent via check to the address on record. They are planning to make a website to update or provide your bank account information on record, but it is not ready yet.

If you used an SSN for her, then you'll get the advance rebate of $2400 for 2 adults since your income was below $150k. Add $500 for any qualifying children.

A spouse is not a dependent. Did you file as Single, Head of Household, Married Filing Separately, or Married Filing Jointly?

So...one person with a NOA2 2 days after you got packet 3 quickly from one consulate? Of all the flaws with immigration, I'm just doubtful this is a high priority item. Once the petition is approved, it still has to go through some steps before it is sent to NVC. There could be some reason this did not happen exactly in order...even something as simple as the IO was out a day before it could get to the mail room, or somebody simply grabbed a case from a wrong pile. They tend to batch shipments to NVC as well from anecdotal reports. So both sets of cases could have literally been sent at the same time, thus making it a toss up who gets processed first at NVC. Some workers are faster than others, and again you're dealing with the mail room. NVC also batches shipments (assuming it's not electronic at that consulate). Theirs could have been in an entire shipment before yours just because it got through NVC slightly faster. The process is not a single queue. It's more like a massive store with hundreds of checkout lanes. Generally, the sooner you get in line, the quicker you exit. But even if you get in a line before somebody else, it does not necessarily mean that nobody who gets in a line after you will complete checkout first. There almost certainly is somebody who was approved before you who will still be waiting after you get P3 as well. The best advice I can give is to never focus on or compare your case to anybody else's case. It'll drive you crazy.

My mistake...thanks for the correction. I got my wires crossed.

You would be eligible for a plan on the exchange (healthcare.gov) once you got the NOA1. If you are age 65+, once you got a green card (Edit: for 5 years) you could do Medicare (although you would have to buy into any parts you want). Your travel insurance policy would dictate when you are covered or no longer covered. I can't say with certainty either way how your plan functions.

It is a tough spot. Please keep the thread updated on whatever you go with and how it goes. Best wishes!

Then AOS is an option in your case, assuming you want to permanently live in the US and have a suitable financial sponsor. The reason I word it that way is idk if you plan on retiring soon or anything, and healthcare costs are usually a significant hurdle in that category.

Both are legal options, assuming one is eligible. The best one depends on the goal. An extension is for somebody who lives abroad and visits. AOS is for somebody who wants to establish permanent residency in the US. These are very different paths. On what basis would you AOS?

I was thinking of that, too. I checked the official timelines right now and a lot of it depends on what service center gets assigned the request. It looks like the bulk of cases go to the SCs taking "3 weeks to 5 months". That timeframe is for 50% and 93% of cases respectively. So half of the cases are getting adjudicated in 3 weeks at those SCs. But whether your case will be within normal timeframes or not, or if it gets assigned to another SC (I don't know the assignment criteria for re-entry permits) that takes longer on average, is anybody's guess. The biggest issue right now, IMO, is biometrics. Biometrics have to be completed at an ASC, and all ASCs are not available due to the pandemic until at least May...possibly longer. And they cannot do anything until biometrics are completed. Your timeframe of leaving again in May might not align with this. Given the worldwide circumstances plus your specific circumstances, I do think it's a low likelihood of actually having an issue w/o a re-entry permit. I really don't want to misrepresent that aspect. At the same time, I'm a pretty risk-adverse person so minimizing the opportunity for having an issue is the route I normally go.

Vermont handles certain types of complex cases...namely those involving certain types of criminal offenses.

No, they do security checks before, after, and/or alongside reviewing the petition. Security checks are run through various agencies. One of the most common ones to get held up are criminal background checks and/or FBI checks. These checks are essentially a black box - USCIS requests them and then awaits for a response from the appropriate agencies. Normally this is instant or minutes, but all sorts of factors can cause it to take longer. Even people with high security clearance levels get caught in them sometimes (not just with USCIS). It could be as simple as somebody with the same or similar name with a criminal history, so they have to manually investigate to verify it's not the same individual as the petitioner. Or if the petitioner did have a criminal history, to ensure it matches what was on the petition and/or retrieve and review the details of those cases to ensure eligibility. It could be national security checks as well, but absolutely no way for anybody here to know that (or for him/her really). I only say because that's possible...criminal checks tend to be more often the delay. The checks at this stage are with the petitioner to ensure they are eligible. As Far As I Know (Dang - others beat it to me by the time I posted this)

Yes. 1) Public charge is not an issue for them. 2) Unemployment Compensation is not a public benefit. It is a system you (either directly or via your employer) pay into and earn benefits from. It's akin to an insurance program.

An interview being scheduled does not necessarily mean a green card will be issued soon. Interviews get rescheduled for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes more than 1 interview is needed. Sometimes additional case processing is required before they can make a decision (my friend had this happen, which took like 4 months). Sometimes an RFE is issued, and that alone allows for just under 3 months to even respond (and even longer right now due to COVID-19).

It's not an automatic response AFAIK, but it is a common response. Many cases that take longer than normal get hung up in security checks.