doggieandsam

On 4/28/2021 at 7:35 PM, bunkx said:

I had a similar experience. I called 39 days before my letter expires and they told me to call back in 9 days because it has to be less than 30 days to expiration to schedule the appointment - but just a couple days later my case got approved. So hang in there, they’re finally working on ROC cases again 

Hi, are/were you in YSC?

I'm in YSC and my N-400 window is opening up next month. I would rather not interview again for ROC if I can help it (i know it's not guaranteed, but the trend seems to going this way) and so I'm debating whether to just wait for my ROC to be completed first before filing the N-400. I'm also considering that if I file N-400 now, that that will add another year(ish) to my timeline because the ROC decision will be clubbed with it. I'm in DC and N-400 takes a year here. In your case they seemed to process your ROC (no interview) even if you already filed for N-400. So maybe I should just go ahead and file now?

11 hours ago, yoh said:

From the other thread, we (and other people) just actually assumed it might be processed together with the N400 since the transfer notice I got tells me that it was transferred to NBC. They even reused our biometrics from the ROCs for the N400. Again we are just assuming! But here's to hoping that the NBC local office are really processing them together. Just to add, other people from the N400 thread initially went to their ROC interview schedule but was able to request verbally an N400 interview on the spot and got approved on the same day.  

sorry, should have stated my comment better. yes, they will be processed together. if it's just an ROC case then it just stays at the service center. if an N-400 is filed while the ROC is still pending, then both the ROC and N-400 is then clubbed together and then transferred to the local office. The local office will then process both there together ie schedule a combo ROC/N-400 interview, etc. Your case being transferred to a local office could actually be a good thing for you!

On 4/7/2021 at 9:42 AM, Paul and Sopheap said:

Sorry didn't expect the video to be so huge.

this was a few months ago...happened to cases in the California service center which got moved to Texas. Those cases ended up getting approved immediately after the move. Sadly not the case for Potomac cases.

1 hour ago, Hunter 73 said:

We are filing our I-130 petition, US Citizen for Spouse.  It looks like some of the data I've found on the site suggests they are about at May 2020 for those?

Ahh, then scratch what I said above then. The Aug 2019 processing timeline I mentioned if for ROC. Sorry for the confusion. Hopefully your I-130 at Potomac moves faster than the ROCs!

Actually, OP it's not clear from your post or time, are you doing ROC?

Yes, that is really where it's at at Potomac. Buckle in for a long wait at Potomac! Actually, people tracking on here have only so far tracked approvals dating Aug 2019. So the Dec 2019 date is even better (if you can call it that).

You are welcome to join us in our misery lol (sorry - sometimes all you can do is laugh).

16 hours ago, yoh said:

Around February, my I-751 updated telling me that my case from Potomac was transferred to a new office. 

I'm wondering if this means, it's now at your local office for interview etc? ROCs are processed in a service center e.g. YSC, but N-400s are ultimately processed in a local office.

1 hour ago, JeanneAdil said:

yes,  you can always check USCIS for stats on issued visas 

the following site gives  information by monthly and embassy 

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/Non-Immigrant-Statistics/MonthlyNIVIssuances/FEBRUARY 2021 - NIV Issuances by Post    for NIV February 2021

 

95  B1 issued

351 B1/B2 issued 

March stats will not be out until end of April+

Thanks for this. I just checked the link your shared and while it looks like they have issued some B1/B2s, the number is still too low compared to pre-pandemic levels (Feb 2021: ~300 vs Feb 2020 ~1000), which suggests maybe its still limited processing.

Just now, jan22 said:

A couple of corrections to this information:

 

First, USCIS has nothing to do with issued visas.  Visas are issued by the Department of State.  The link supplied is, correctly, to the State Department, not USCIS.

 

Second, the fact that some B visas were issued does not mean the Embassy is conducting B visa interviews.  Instead of looking at the statistics, it's better to check the Embassy website to see what it says about what visas they are processing (http://ae.usembassy.gov/visas/).  Per the website, they are not processing routine non-immigrant visas.  They are only processing cases with an urgent need to travel and those for which the interview can be waived.  They will announce when they are resuming routine processing on the website.

Thank you, yes I just checked the website. 

Hi, a friend who is a resident of Dubai wants to try to apply for a tourist visa. Does anybody know if the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the US Consulate in Dubai is issuing B1/B2 visas again? Thanks.

25 minutes ago, Pee&Eee said:

Hello everyone! 

Check your green card dates when you get it, It turns out that the 'resident since' date on my 10- year card  was the date when I applied for my removal of conditions rather than the date I became a permanent resident in 2018. So, I filed I-90 online and called USCIS and requested expedited processing for my replacement green card due to USCIS error. 

That's annoying, sorry to hear. Thank you for the heads up.

Yes, you pay again for biometrics for 751. That $680 total cost is correct. 

My N400 window opens in a few months but while other people can file their N400 and get a decision on that relatively quickly because their local office is fast, not only do I have Potomac for my ROC, I also have Washington DC for my local office - yay me! 

And did i tell you that people who filed ROC in 2019, in Potomac, got decisions in ~4 months? It was the fastest service center then. Same people got their I-129f approved in weeks. Some people really have all the luck sometimes.

31 minutes ago, DBM said:

The purpose of his visit and now the purpose of his extension are both for meeting me and my family. Its NOT for Business. We asked USCIS Customer service and they asked to send online message from his USCIS account to request for correction. But we are not sure what USCIS will reply and when they will reply. His current I94 expires on 28th Feb 2021 😞

ahh, that makes sense then that CBP put B2 in the I-94. Good luck with everything, hope it works out for you.

I would argue that you should still file jointly. If not for any other benefit than having that as a supporting evidence come your AOS interview time.

In my case, I arrived on a K1 in Sep 2017, got married and filed for AOS Oct 2017. No income in the US for 2017, also did not have EAD or AP yet at that time, but still filed taxes together with my husband for that tax year.

Finally, if you have any assets at or above ~10k abroad, look into FBAR. 

B1 is for business, B2 for tourism. it's a combined category in the DS-160 that's why it's so confusing. question is: what is the purpose of your father's stay? if tourism/holiday/vacation/seeing family, then you should have selected B2 in the extension form. I don't know if there will be an issue with your application.  

1 hour ago, davidvs said:

Also, I believe the bill would need 60 votes in the Senate. I highly doubt they could get 10 Republicans to vote for the full bill. 

 

 

I think this is a case of throw everything into the bill and negotiate down to what is acceptable for both sides. There is a lot that I like about the bill, but also a lot that goes a bit too far for me.

Yes, this will be exactly what will happen. You have to start somewhere and then negotiate from there. Same here, I support immigration reform overall but some pieces of this bill are bonkers.

3 hours ago, pm5k said:

Don't get me wrong, there are some good things in this bill, I just don't think it would pass as written.  Perhaps this is just to start the discussion.

No bills ever (ever) pas as it is written.

10 minutes ago, Allaboutwaiting said:

To be eligible, you must have been living in marital union with your U.S. citizen spouse during the three years immediately before the date you file your application.

 

So, no, you cannot apply for naturalization now. 

I think you misunderstood her question a bit. It reads to me as she already has a green card obtained through her employer prior to meeting (and then marrying) a US citizen. OP, can you please clarify or confirm?

The more important question for you OP is, are you still living in the US ie maintaining your residency? Yes, you can apply for citizenship on your own after being a legal permanent resident for 5 years. 

Hi folks, happy new year (all things considered)!

Just want to report that I was able to successfully use Global Entry with a pending ROC. This happened yesterday, 1/17/21 at JFK, used one of the GE kiosks. All I did was scan my passport (not my GE card) and got my pic taken. Then the kiosk printed off the receipt, which just said "Please proceed to exit". Went to the GE agent waiting at the "exit", gave them the receipt and my passport. They also asked to see JUST my greencard, I presented it and when I moved to also present my extension letter, the GE waived it away and said they did not need to see it. Then they asked if I have anything to declare, I did not. And that was it, pretty painless, and took maybe 3 minutes tops. I was pleasantly surprised actually, I was prepared to have to explain my ROC's pending status, was prepared to  be pulled into secondary and was also prepared to be told I couldn't use GE because of my expired greencard. Also there was a note on the welcome screen on all the kiosks that said something about they were "improving the process of using GE etc" and so I am not sure if that was why I was able to use it despite my ROC and expired greencard and expired GE card. Who knows, just happy that it worked! 

Side note: Every other GE kiosk was disabled to allow for social distancing. Also no lines whatsoever at JFK immigration. It was eerily quite and empty, was kind of strange to experience. When I entered JFK this time a year ago, the GE kiosks were spotty to use, and the lines for normal passport control were 10 or more levels deep. 

5 hours ago, LCCF said:

Hi everyone. Wanted to update. I checked the status online and as of 12/3/2020 my case has been approved. Update online indicates an approval letter is being mailed to me. I am assuming an updated card as well. Good luck everyone!

Congrats. Are you in Texas Service Center (SRC)?

On 11/30/2020 at 9:40 AM, virginia1993 said:

Hello I do have an emergency trip to my home country in two weeks and I was wondering if any of you have travel abroad using the extension letter. Did you have any issues? 

had a friend travel just two weeks ago. agent in the booth was not familiar with the letter so she was taken into secondary for a bit and then was all good. Houston airport.

46 minutes ago, See7 said:

Did any of the WAC filers receive update from USCIS?

 

I am still waiting to hear for biometric or any kind of update. CSC is slowest of all  I guess they just want to test our patience (Ofcourse! backlog is high which adds delay )

 

Anyways did a quick check on the numbers for FY2020Q1....(highlighted)

so I might be wrong, but the federal fiscal year 2020 starts  October 1, 2019 and ends September 30, 2020. So by this time metric, 1st Quarter is actually Oct - Dec 2019 and our group of June 2020 filers would fall under 4th Quarter stats. By the above table, it looks like they have adjudicated about75% of the total I-751 applications they have received a year ago. sigh, looks like more waiting for us overall.

envy the SRC filers who got theirs approved in 3 months! 

On 10/15/2020 at 10:41 AM, Adam D said:

I just read this article https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/advance-parole

 

it seems to say that if you have an AOS application outstanding then you can’t travel abroad unless you also obtain Advance Parole. I had thought, reading many posts on here, that the extension letter was sufficient. 
 

Has anyone else traveled with the extension letter, and has anyone else applied for Advance Parole? I did it when my Green Card was pending but did not realise it was advised in my current status. 
 

You are confusing AOS with ROC. For AOS, yes you need the Advance Parole. During AOS you have no legal permanent status yet, and so you need explicit approval for re-entry (ie Advance Parole). For ROC, as long as you filed it and received your extension letter, you already have legal permanent resident status that is valid until the date stated on your extension letter. Hope my explanation makes sense. 

Hi @catdog514 - just to confirm, your 75I was being processed in YSC but your N-400 was processed in the Charleston SC field office, correct?

For a second there, I thought there might be a silver lining for me and then I realized that your N-400 was processed in a different state altogether. I'm in YSC for 751 right now and come N-400 time for me, I will also be processed in the DC field office (also a notoriously backlogged one), so sadly I will not be as fortunate as you are.  

On 10/6/2020 at 4:38 PM, Hank_ said:

You did it correctly.  On the ROM form you use your MAIDEN name.   

Thanks so much for clarifying that, what a relief!!! I was looking at my ROM yesterday with "fresh eyes" (it's been 2 years since I last saw it) and the "Wife" column, which did not have any descriptors on it, threw me off.