pepfromage

MSC-filer

i-751 removal of conditions, case received: 10 Mar 2020

Notice that biometrics appointment has been scheduled: 28 Nov 2020

Biometrics appointment at local USCIS branch: 15 Dec 2020

Notice that case is ready to be scheduled for interview: 20 Jan 2021

Notice that interview has been scheduled: 11 Feb 2021

Interview: 29 Mar 2021

Status update - new card is being produced: 2 hours later on 29 Mar 2021

Status update - case has been approved: 30 Mar 2021

MSC-filer

Removal of conditions, case received: 10 Mar 2020

Biometrics appointment has been scheduled, received: 28 Nov 2020

Biometrics appointment at local USCIS branch: 15 Dec 2020

Case Ready to be scheduled for interview: 20 Jan 2021

MSC-filer

Removal of conditions, case received: 10 Mar 2020

Biometrics appointment has been scheduled, received: 28 Nov 2020

Biometrics appointment at local USCIS branch: 15 Dec 2020

Case Ready to be scheduled for interview: 20 Jan 2021

Case starts with MSC...

Removal of conditions, case received: 10 Mar 2020

Biometrics appointment has been scheduled, received: 28 Nov 2020

Biometrics appointment at local USCIS branch: 15 Dec 2020

No other correspondence or calls with USCIS.

Sent: 3/7/20

Arrived: 3/10/20

Text received: 3/16/20

i797 NOA received: 3/17/20

National Benefits Center in Missouri (MSC)

Just sent mine in to the Dallas address via USPS on 3/7/2020, and expect it to arrive on 3/9/2020. I have never had any issues with the USPS priority system, and its updates via text and email are easy to set up (and free). I did cave into the mania and included a couple of notarized affidavits. The rest was the USCIS forms / copies of:

check

cover letter

G1145

I751 (Dec 2019 edition)

green card, passport, visa page, driver's license

citizen spouse's passport and driver's license

deed for home, mortgage info, previous rental leases

one type of each major utility bill at each place we lived together, in immigrant's name

2017 and 2018 jointly filed tax transcripts + 2019 joint return

statements on a joint checking account we opened after arrival in the US

health insurance info showing both spouses on each other's coverage and beneficiaries

auto and home insurance policies

employment info for immigrant - w2s and a couple of pay stubs at each address

4-5 receipts for flights we took together

couple of notarized affidavits using the format people uploaded on the site here

Did not submit anything prior to entry to the US since that was basically all in the CR-1 application.

Hi Private Davis. As someone who recently completed a similar process while on active-duty in Korea, I would like to put in a plug for making sure that you avail yourself of all of the advice that your legal service office can offer on this topic. There are also a great number of service members in Korea who have done the same thing that it sounds like you are trying to do, many of them with many years of experience and on their 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th tour in Korea. So in addition to the legal service office, I would recommend seeing if you could speak with some NCOs and senior NCOs who have done something similar (there are many). 

The huge advantage that overseas service members have in countries like Korea and Japan is direct consular filing, but that is not available for a K1 fiancé visa. Please make sure you also read up at:

https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-us-citizens/visas-fiancees-us-citizens

https://kr.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/fiancee-visa/

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/family-immigration/nonimmigrant-visa-for-a-fiance-k-1.html

You'll get lots of advice on this. But in general, if its meant to be, the wait for a K1 visa won't stop you guys. Rushing into a marriage on the other hand, can have some long lasting consequences. Good luck to you.

Hi Pam, yes, I did send the faxed RFE in lieu of waiting for the paper one. It took me about 3 months to get my hands on that RFE, and I had the same concerns about using the fax versus waiting on their original mailing. But the mail situation was so bad in not receiving my RFE in the first place, that I decided it did not make sense to cross my fingers and wait, hoping they finally got the correct address for me. So I sent in the faxed RFE that I printed out, and it ended up working out fine for me. It could depend on how ornery of a person is looking at your file, but I wrote up a brief cover letter with it, and figured it made sense in my situation. I believe I sent mine certified on usps in a large manila envelope, along with the other documents it called for, wrote my case number on the outside, and all went well. Good luck!

Are you in the military? If so, have you tried militaryonesource?

Agree with masum. It looks like the cover sheet that is on the last page of your NVC welcome letter is different than the one that is available to you on the ceac page.

The cover letter that is on that last page of the welcome letter has bar codes at the top and bottom of it, and lists out all the options of things for you to send in for both the IV and AOS portions of the documentation. You mark whether something is enclosed, unavailable, or not applicable. 

If you log into ceac and go to the fees section (after you have paid your fees), you can click on either AOS or IV, and at the bottom of the page, it will give you the option to "print document cover sheet." It is a basic cover sheet that says who the beneficiary(ies) are, has a bar code, and says it is mandatory to send.

So, for my CR-1, what I plan on doing, is putting the cover sheet from the welcome letter ontop, and marking off what I enclose. Then, just below that, I plan on putting the cover letter I got from the ceac page when I clicked on IV. Then the IV supporting documents. Then the cover letter I got from the ceac page when I click on AOS, then all the AOS documents like the 864, tax info, etc.

I read the stickied advice on two separate manila envelopes and all that, but it seems like with the current instructions, that may not be as applicable as it once was. We will see. If anyone thinks I am off base here, please let me know.

Submitted a copy of what I thought to be an original birth certificate to establish my US citizenship as the I-130 petitioner. Turns out, my birth certificate was seen as an abstract, or abbreviated version, and not the true document. In my RFE, it said that I needed to re-send a birth certificate that "is a registered civil authority issued birth certificate that contains the name of the child, date and place of birth, full name(s) of the parent(s), doctor/attendant's name, hospital name, registrar's signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office."

Lesson learned for me - I wish I had sent my US passport to show my citizenship as petitioner and not my birth certificate. The passport is standardized, and offers less room for error.

As an update to my case, this morning I was successful in getting through to a tier 2 representative at USCIS, and I am glad I did. My RFE had not arrived, and was not going to arrive, because USCIS incorrectly changed my address.

I had requested a change of address a number of months ago, due to moving from another country back to the United States. I had to do that change over the phone due to my original address not being in the US (just an IT system requirement apparently). I made this change, and I even received a paper confirmation from USCIS at my new address. Somehow after that, the system then created a hybrid of my US street name, number, and town, along with my foreign zip code, and foreign country. This obviously made the mail undeliverable.

The tier 2 representative was able to see this disparity online, change my address, and also fax me a copy of my RFE. I asked for email, but apparently they were limited to fax. Right now I will just need to decide if I want to respond with that faxed RFE, or try to await them sending a proper paper copy. Seeing as I am already nearing 2 months from the RFE being issued, I may only give it a week for them to mail me that RFE, and I might just respond with the faxed one. FYI, my RFE was because my birth certificate lacked the doctor's name and my parent's info. It was viewed as an abstract, and not a complete birth certificate. Using a passport would have avoided this, but I thought a birth certificate was a birth certificate. It had my birthdate, hospital, date and time of birth, weight, signature of witness, etc. If I could do it again, I would have sent the passport. Its standardized, doesnt differ by state, and more simple. 

Thanks again for the recommendation on calling that tier 2.

Thanks for the reply Scandi. I'll try the tier 2 phone rep route, and see if I can get them to put me through to someone.

I'm afraid I am beginning to sweat about not receiving an I-130 RFE that was sent in the mail from the Nebraska Service Center, and am hoping someone out there has an idea I have not yet thought of in order to try and remedy it. I have called, filed an e-request, and sent a paper letter.

May 5th 2017: USCIS website says that a request for additional information has been sent, and to let them know if I do not receive it by June 4th 2017.

May 22nd 2017: Not feeling like waiting until June 4th, I file an e-request saying I never received my RFE, and asking for another copy.

June 1st 2017: I sent the Nebraska Service Center a letter saying that I had not received their RFE, and asking to please send it again.

June 15th 2017: Called USCIS to ask if they could help communicate that I had not received this RFE, and they said that all I could do was wait until 30 days after my e-request, and then do another e-request.

This morning, I made myself an infopass appointment with USCIS for the beginning of July. I honestly cannot think of anything else I can do to communicate that this letter never came. My concern of course, is that I am going to quickly arrive at the response time limit for this RFE having never figured out what it was. Does anyone have any advice or recommendations they can offer in this situation?