Wouter Erwee

Joining the tread

Finally received my green card today and it’s actually green! Just in time to be a nice Christmas present! We’re moving to Texas at the end of January and I’m planning to start looking for a job in that area. Good luck to everyone who are still waiting. Hang in there! 

Hey Hey, No I am still waiting.  The only response I received was the letter they gave me at the end of the interview telling me they will reach out to me.  I called a few days ago and they said the only thing I can do is wait.  So frustrating!!

Hi All,
 
Feeling very discouraged here.  I had my interview in Seattle on the 18th of Sept after almost a year and a half of waiting.  The interview went really well but as per norm the lady mentioned she could not give us an answer right away and this is the way they do all the cases.  After some research I found this is quite normal and everyone received "Card is now being produced" a few hours or days later.  However I am still waiting for any notification.  Is this normal???  All my status says is:
 
Your interview for your Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, Receipt Number MSC1891039917, was completed, and your case must be reviewed. We will mail you a notice if we make a decision or take further action. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.
 
Does anyone know if there is a way to query this or do I simply just need to wait...?
 
This is making me very anxious.
Thoughts?
 

Anyone on this thread in the Seattle area?  Just wanting to see in anyone has had any updates?  I received a weird update on my case a while ago?

I am still waiting here is Seattle.  Just get my monthly email saying" We are still processing your case".  My EAD Combo card expires in a month.  Applied to have it renewed in Feb, but still only receipt of that as well.  Anyone in the Seattle area???
 

Yes, still waiting over here is Seattle. Sucks, applied already to have my EAD card renewed.

Hi Guys,
 
I trust everyone is well.  I have been in the US for a few days now and just did our legal wedding for paperwork yesterday. Whooooo!!!  I am sitting in a Starbucks in Seattle trying to figure out all the paperwork for our next step, AOS, EAD & AP.   I just wanted to say to everyone that this is an long and difficult process, but have faith.  It will work out!!!
Good luck to all the saffas out there!!!
Wouter

Hi Guys,
 
I trust everyone is well.  I have been in the US for a few days now and just did our legal wedding for paperwork yesterday. Whooooo!!!  I am sitting in a Starbucks in Seattle trying to figure out all the paperwork for our next step, AOS, EAD & AP.   I just wanted to say to everyone that this is an long and difficult process, but have faith.  It will work out!!!
Good luck to all the saffas out there!!!
Wouter

Joining this tread to follow. About to file AOS in a few weeks.
Thanks

No, it does not matter. We flew Johannesburg to Qatar to Chicago to Minneapolis. Our POE was Chicago and then we flew through to MSP where we’re living.

your POE can be anywhere

We will be in Bremerton, just across the water from Seattle, an hour by ferry or hour and a half from Seattle driving.  We should all meet up sometime, that would give Kerren some comfort of home to know someone from her country so close.  What do you think?  Are you going to stay and live in Seattle area or where?

congratulations, you are almost there! i suggest you get your SSN after you POE and as soon as your I-94 is available online. having it is very helpful in terms of getting practical stuff done. Next would be the following, in no particular order and not an exhaustive list:
- open a personal and/or joint accounts
- open IRA / retirement accounts where applicable
- apply for a state ID / driver's license
- get your spouse to add you to their :
        - credit cards as an authorized user - helps in establishing credit history
        - household bills
        - insurance policies (motor, house, health, life etc) / update beneficiaries
- establish healthcare (ex find a primary care physician, eye doctor, dentist etc)
- get a will done
- explore your area and find your fave / nearest grocery, pharmacy, barber / salon, tailor, etc
- update your resume (i kept this at the last minute after i got my EAD, which I now kind of regret because man, updating it to US style took a little while which I could have already used to apply to jobs)
- apply for a new passport if you are changing names after marriage

Hello, 
 
Welcome to AOS journey. You can also join on AOS April 2018 filers 
 
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/667394-april-2018-aos-filers/
 
Thanks, 
NJ

Kerren and the boys are in the air now, going through Dubai from Joburg, 3 hr layover and then to Seattle!!  Will be here tomorrow, Friday, at noon!!  YAY!!  Thank you all for keeping me afloat in times and I will continue to check in on this to answer any questions and update you all along our journey and to hear about yours progressing.  This is just phase 1, next is green card and employment status.  Good luck to everyone, your time is coming and again I will still be on here, so if anyone has questions don't hesitate!  Talk to you all soon!
 
Julie

Our AOS interview went well.  We arrived at Seattle office 30 minutes early. After a short wait we were called. 
Our interview officer was a lady officer. She was professional and asked us many more questions than what we thought. 
  
For my wife:
They asked us many questions. From 485 form - all questions from last 2 pages...have you ever ______ questions. Have you been to US before?   Have you traveled outside? Did you go to Greece...you applied for Travel authorization?  Who attended engagement?   When did you get married? Where was wedding? How many people attended? Where was Wedding?  Who does household work?     
For husband/petitioner:
How we met. Which online site?  They they asked about when we met. Why I choose Vietnam? How did I propose?   Do you still have same job?   
For both:
Where do you live?  How long did it take to get there this morning?  Who does housework?   How are things going?  Any problems being that we are from different cultures?   
She said that our documents looked complete and she did not need anything else. But we can provide any additional documentation. We gave a few more documents. She said we can provide few photos. We gave her many documents and photos. 
 
Then she told us that they will decide in the next 2 weeks. If they need any additional info they will send a letter request. Otherwise we should get notification. 
  
We answered each question.  We had brought every document that could have been asked. We also had supporting documents to show our married lives.
Overall the interview was fair and bit longer than anticipated.  
  
Thanks to VJ for support and information. 
 
We received green card in mail after 8 days. We are both happy with the long journey and process. Now we can live our married lives. 

Quick update: my fiancé’s visa was sent to DHL Sandton yesterday afternoon and today we went to DHL to inquire and it was there!!! We’re going home together Saturday

Fantastic news !!! Congrats!! So happy for you! 

Hello everybody! My fiancé has his interview today at the Johannesburg Consulate, and I will be attending with him. I have a question about my Affadavit of Support (I-134), in the box where it asks your yearly salary, I used a pay stub of mine that I get every 2 weeks (the amount varies as I get paid hourly) and I multiplied it to make it into a years pay. Will they see this and think I exaggerated since I’m paid hourly or should I have written $xx.xx/hr even though it states /year? Any help is much appreciated  thank you! 

Good day everyone! So somehow my fiancé was able to get her unabridged birth certificate at Home Affairs faster than the normal process, she said she paid someone or a company that does this quicker for people? Anyways, her interview is in 2 days!  We are super excited and nervous!  Thank you for all the well wishes, I will keep you all posted of our results and how the interview went so I can pass any information to you all.
 
Anyone out there with your fiancé in the Seattle area?  Would help Kerren know she could have some local ties close and we would love to stay in touch, FYI.
More to follow, hope everyone has a good week with progress!
Julie

Hi Everybody,
 
Just a quick heads up.  All the info above is excellent. Thanks Julie for everything.  Just my 2 cents.  The "READY" status is not all it's made out to be.  Our case has been READY since 27 Feb and this is where we are stuck.  The consulate in Johannesburg says they do not have our package and the NCV say wait 4-6 weeks.  We can not move forward (pay Fee, schedule Medical & Interview) till the Joburg Consulate contacts me with packet 3 email...
 
If anyone has any input please comment.
 
Thanks again Julie!!!
 
Wouter

You can get it expedited to a week by using a service that you pay a hefty premium for if needed ( You can just google "quick police clearance"), or you can just wait for the normal process to take its time.
It's valid for 6 months from the date of issue.

I can't get the file, even in separate pages, small enough to download, its only 3 pages, ugh!!  If you would like it you can email me at goop7@msn.com and I will email it to you or anyone else that needs it.

Hi everyone in South Africa!  My fiancé and I are almost done in our process, she lives in South Africa and I live in the Seattle Washington area.  It took us 5 months to get our NOA2, so be prepared for a wait and don't lose the faith!!  Go on this and search for your month and K1 visa and you will probably pop into a forum, we had one for us in the May 2017 forum.  Help me out a lot to know we were not alone.  We have a lawyer, so I wasn't too concerned about the process, but the waiting is to die for!
Best thing for you all to do is get your police certificates BUT they cannot be older than 6 months.  If you were 16 and older and lived in another country besides S.A., then you will need a police certificate from there as well, so be prepared. 
Start gathering documents, originals of birth certificates, divorce decree's, pictures and other evidence of your relationship that was not included in your original package (since it will take some time, they still want to see you are still an active couple).  Any passport photo's cannot be older than 6 months old. 
When you get your NOA2, give it about 10 days before you call NVC and asking status of your case.  You can always call USCIS for your status, but they are not the friendliest and I wouldn't even but them until at least 90 days minimum, I highly doubt they have caught up with the backlog, especially with all the immigration and DACA stuff going on.  The NVC is much friendlier, when you get there and will help you with no problem with any update you are asking.  But normally when you get your NOA2, like I said give it at least 10 days before you call them.  They didn't get our package for at least 14 days.
After you get your NOA2 and your package goes to NVC, it goes pretty quick, so use this time wisely to gather all your documents.  The petitioner needs to provide pay stubs (3 months), I-134 Aff. of Support, Employment verification letter, VA eligibility letter, if applicable, to show as part of income and last 3 years of tax records.
Then once NVC processes your package, a medical appointment can be made, you only have 2 options, one in Joburg and one in Cape Town.  My fiancé went to Joburg.   It's a 2 day process, but spread between 3 days.  You go one day for bloodwork and xrays and the next for shots and discussion with the dr., so plan on that.
Your finance, not the petitioner, will need to fill out the Visa app online, DS-160 and pay the fee.
Make sure you set up your online account correctly and schedule the interview, she finished her phyicals (her and her boys) in November, but we missed the interview's for Dec/Jan/Feb, due to holiday schedules.  They only do K1 visa interviews there at the consulate the last 2 weeks of the month and only on Tues and Thursdays.  So our interview is 20 March, we scheduled it 26 Dec, because they kept telling her there were no appointments, then we call and it jumped 3 months!  So plan wisely.
Hope this helps some.  Any questions let me know, i'll try to help.
 
Good luck to you all!!