moosy

Wow. I am trying to imagine what I would do if my USC spouse decided not to marry me but to let me come over anyway. 
I left a great job, the move cost me 3000 dollars (movers, packers, transport), I bought a new secondhand car when coming into the country (6500 dollars) and had to sell my old car (2000 dollars back), I sold all my furniture and most of my possessions, I had to give up my rental apartment that was very hard to find for such a good price.
 
If I would have to go back within two weeks, I would still have to buy a new secondhand car again (and you never get back the amount you spent in the first place), I would have to look for another rental place that would very likely set me back more than it did, I would have to find a new job, I would have to move AGAIN (another 2000 dollars; I am assuming it would cost less for only transportation of already packaged goods by them), I would have to buy new furniture (even secondhand that will easily set you back 1000 US dollars if you are one of those people that actually needs a bed and a couch),  buy all the possessions again that I sold but needed (cooking utensils, cookware, desk, chairs, printer, pc, ...).
Then think of the initial food and stuff you need when you move into a new place (easily 250 dollars that first trip where you need laundry detergent and staples and cans and paper and pens etc, if not more).
 
Then in addition to that, you have the plane ticket.
 
I calculated everything in US dollars, so I am assuming you can do the math to Ukrain currency.
 
And on top of that financial mess, you have the excruciating heartbreak (letting her come in only gave her hope that you loved her after all), and don't forget the utter embarrassment.
 
I think assuming that you're wiping this out with two months of her wages, is absurd.
Note that an apartment person usually requests 2 to 3 months rent in an account as a deposit alone. So that alone might be almost two months of her wages.
 
I get that this is hard for you too, but eff it, dude. You had to tell her clearly that it was over. This is insane, the financial and emotional you are putting her through now due to "cold feet" whatever that means. If you had doubts, you should never had let her come. You know this, as you were already googling prenups before she even came over. You would have had PLENTY of time to stop her.
 
I would definitely need MUCH more money than just the ticket and two months wages (despite having had an excellent paying job and a low rent) to survive the first few months financially.
And then the utter heartbreak and shame.
 
This is insane.

Just bite the bullet and get married. She is already here so you might as well.

I understand wanting privacy----but just incase you're not aware (not being snarky, but serious here)....members can view all of your content/past threads and posts by you , and normally do to gleam further information when giving advice.   I found out her country of origin in less than a minute.  
 

The issue is some SSA staff will refuse to issue an SSN under the new name without an EAD or green card with the new name. It took my wife and I 3 visits to get them to get somebody who could navigate the system to do so.
Some SSA staff will even refuse to issue the SSN under the old name once married, as that is no longer your legal name.
The SSN -> Marry -> New SSN path ensures you get an SSN in the first place with the least risk of hurdles/hassles.

I received my greencard in the mail two days ago (6 November). I was approved on the spot by the officer on October 23rd, and received an update to my statuses (both websites) on the 30th and 31st that I was approved, that they were producing my card, and that the card was mailed to me; the older site was faster than the new site it seems. 
So if anyone is wondering if two weeks is normal to receive a greencard, clearly it is, even if you are approved on the spot by the decision-making officer.
 
The greencard was in a special envelope that did not show up on my USPS summary as a letter: it was actually listed as a package (of which they do not show pictures in that app).
 
And by the way, my AP was lengthened, but they never gave me a combo card, despite putting both of them in the same envelope and clearly marking it on the outside as "combo AP and EAD renewal". I only received the AP (which now was a weird document with the picture I sent), and I never received word of the EAD; on the websites, the AP was processed, but the EAD was just dangling as accepted.
And then about a week or two later, I suddenly received my interview date from the local office.
I wonder if they have to check with your local office if you received a greencard yet, and that this inquiry somehow pushes your local office into action? Or if someone calls them up to check, and then they go "oh okay, I won't give them an EAD then, as they will receive their greencard soon" ? I dunno, but it seems awfully coincidental, and I know I am not the only one who is wondering.

Sounds kinda like your spouse already got a greencard in the meantime as most of those documents are easily gathered, no? I cannot imagine, as a new greencard holder, being asked to send in the documents so I can get my greencard, and then not doing this. I would have done that immediately.
Therefor I wonder if they already got their greencard. How certain are you that they did not get it and just never mentioned it? Especially if you do not know where they live, they could have changed the mailing address. 
If your marriage was going so poorly that you not only have no clue where they live, but that you also actively want to prevent them from acquiring a greencard to stay in the country, then I can imagine them not mentioning it to you.
 

Hey guys, I am so happy, got my letter from USCIS, my interview is scheduled for 11/27, Milwaukee office. Finally!! 
Such a big relief not having to renew the combocard, I was planning to start doing that this week. 
I will let you know about the final decision. Hope you guys hear sth soon too. 
 

Just a quick update. The green card finally arrived in the mail the week before last and I got a job too! I was worried there for a bit, but things have worked out just fine. Hope everyone else is dealing with a smooth process.

Hello!
 
Two days ago we had our GC interview and we we approved! It's such a relief after 2 years of stress and anxiety and paperwork. The interview itself was very casual and the officer was just so nice and easygoing!
 
I was quite stressed but there is nothing to be stressed about if your relationship is solid. Officers can really see it!
Good luck everyone!
 
 

I suppose since these are hypotheticals, and there really isn't anything you can do until you are at the Interview, it is best to see what happens then and there. Stay positive and think you are going to nail it and be approved. And you can ask the officer that you interview with these questions whether it is approved or not. 

I had my greencard interview today in the Atlanta Field Office. The officer's name was Swift. He was very nice and correct. He went over my application first asking basic questions (where we live, where I lived before, ...) And making sure the info was correct. Then he asked the questions about terrorism etc. Then he asked for some proof. We had tons of proof, so I asked which things he'd prefer to see. I gave him bills, joint accounts, affidavits from family, rental agreement. I had more, like pics etc but I think he got the gist. 
 
He went through a few more things and then said I was approved. I think he was one of the toptier officers as he was able to make that decision on the spot? Not sure.
 
He was friendly, and we didn't really get any questions. He did ask my husband when he came to me (twice), but nothing much more.
 
I was stressed out because one officer gets to decide over your future, but in the end, it was not weird, nor did we get the impression he was out to get anyone. I think his experience normally points him towards possible trouble and we weren't a blip on his intuitive radar.
 
After we were approved, he went over the AP/EAD card (that it's no longer valid now, as I was approved for the greencard), where my greencard would be sent (our home address), how long it would take (four to six weeks), what "conditional" meant, how to apply to remove those conditions, and how and when to become a US citizen.
 
We had a very positive experience.
 
The only thing that was risky, was that I did not have an updated medical, but he clearly knew I didn't need this, although he did ask if I had an updated one or not (I didn't). It wasn't a problem.
 
 

Which country did you come in from both ways?
My USC husband has been pulled aside twice when he flew in from Amsterdam to Atlanta for a shorter visit (to visit me back then). They put him in a separate room as well, two times, while they ran his name through the system. One time, they called in the drug dogs, so even when they said nothing about the reason, it was quite clear for him why they were going for him. He is a white male, around 40, but dressed in hoodies and anxious about flying, plus the short visits, so I can see from their point of view why he would fit the profile of weed-trafficker haha.
 
Perhaps it is something similar with the country you just came from? And that you in combination with the city/country you just came from, just raises some flags?
In that case, you could just set aside some extra time for that in the future when you go there again.

This this week I had an infopass in my local office just to check my case. The officer said that they schedule the interview based on the time our cases are ready for interview. Since my case has been ready for interview just since last April, he said I won't  have an interview until April/May of the next year. Sad! 

Hi there finally I received my interview appt after a very long wait
 
October 31,2017- application filled
 
january 2018 - received authorization to travel and work authorization 
 
October 26,2018 - received mail notice for interview 
 
december 4, 2018 - interview schedule 
 
my status online didnt update me I don’t receive any update with my case and it took so long before i got response I almost filled application for a new employment extension finally it arrive
 
will keep you posted 

It's a letter from family members that state who they are, what their relationship is to you two, and that they confirm you're married and seem happy. They need to add a copy of their driver's license. We had them from my parents in Belgium (with copy of their ID), from his parents, and his uncle as my husband is close to him. 
 
They just state simple things, like "I am X's mother. X and Y often come by for a cup of coffee. They seem happy together.". Something like that but in their own words.
He didn't really read them , but added them to the file.
 
They're not necessary, but I got them anyway.

I had my greencard interview today in the Atlanta Field Office. The officer's name was Swift. He was very nice and correct. He went over my application first asking basic questions (where we live, where I lived before, ...) And making sure the info was correct. Then he asked the questions about terrorism etc. Then he asked for some proof. We had tons of proof, so I asked which things he'd prefer to see. I gave him bills, joint accounts, affidavits from family, rental agreement. I had more, like pics etc but I think he got the gist. 
 
He went through a few more things and then said I was approved. I think he was one of the toptier officers as he was able to make that decision on the spot? Not sure.
 
He was friendly, and we didn't really get any questions. He did ask my husband when he came to me (twice), but nothing much more.
 
I was stressed out because one officer gets to decide over your future, but in the end, it was not weird, nor did we get the impression he was out to get anyone. I think his experience normally points him towards possible trouble and we weren't a blip on his intuitive radar.
 
After we were approved, he went over the AP/EAD card (that it's no longer valid now, as I was approved for the greencard), where my greencard would be sent (our home address), how long it would take (four to six weeks), what "conditional" meant, how to apply to remove those conditions, and how and when to become a US citizen.
 
We had a very positive experience.
 
The only thing that was risky, was that I did not have an updated medical, but he clearly knew I didn't need this, although he did ask if I had an updated one or not (I didn't). It wasn't a problem.
 
 

After over a year, I finally got the notice saying that my interview was scheduled!
When I got the text message, I was like meh they are most likely telling me there is no updates again...
Notice is on it's way, I cannot wait to know the interview date.

We haven't really contributed to this particular thread but we thought that putting our experience here might help some of you out:
 
A little background: 
We got married in March 2015. My wife, the non-USC has since taken a couple of trips outside the USA. One for a vacation and one for our Indian wedding ceremony and honeymoon (December 2016). January 2017 was her last re-entry into the states. 
We applied for AOS in November of 2017 and got our interview scheduled for October 9, 2018 (no RFE in the process except a letter asking us to bring the medical form at the interview). 
 
So no, to move on to the interview: 
  
We got at the Albany NY field office 15 minutes early for a our appointement and the lady officer asked us to accompany her inside right on time. She was professional but seemed nice (not over the top nice or over the top professional, if you know what I mean). First, she took us to her office and made us take the oath that we will tell the truth. 
 
Asked us to sit down and asked us whether we have any updates on the lease (we had recently changed our address and updated it on the website). We gave her a copy of the new lease. She then quickly looked at it and asked if there are any updates we would like to give. So we took out all the updates to the stuff we sent with the application. You know, couple of new credit cards we both got and have each other on, updates bank statements, updated prints of retirement accounts, etc. She breifly looked through the docs and made some copies.
 
 
 We asked her if she would like to see our wedding album and she said she has more than enough evidence.
 
She then quickly went through our I-130 and I-485 (the only question she directly asked me was what day I, the USC was born on). she noted the address change on the forms.
She also went through all the yes or no questions with my wife. The ones that ask you if you're a communist or whether you'd conspire against the government, etc. Asked my wife if January 2017 entry was the last time she entered the country. She then said she doesnt need the new I-94 since my wife hasnt left the country since then.  
 
She then told my wife that she thinks she has all she needs and that we can expect the 10 year green card in 3 weeks (we've been married over 3 years).
 
Thats it! We thanked her for her time and thanked her for how painless the interview was. She said that we made it easy with all the information we had sent with the application and the organization of the application itself. This was good to hear as we had spent a lot of time and paid very close attention to our application packet!
 
And that was it! The status online was changed to card under production on the same day. Yesterday, we got the tacking number for the card and it should be here tomorrow! So from the interview date to delivery it should (hopefully) be 8 days. 
 
Honestly the best thing is to try to relax. We were both pretty anxious before the interview but in the end we didn't really have anything to worry about. 
 
Let us know if you guys have any questions!
 
Timeline:
AOS FILE: 24 Nov 2017
BIO: 27 DEC 2017
RECEIVED EAD: 9 MAY 2018
INTERVIEW: 9 OCT 2018
APPROVED: 9 OCT 2018
RECEIVED CARD:  16 OCT 2018
 

Thank you all so much! We’re so excited

Here’s an update!
 
I just got a notification (about 30 hours after the interview) that “New Card Is Being Produced”. Does it mean we are approved? 
 
 
 

good luck! let us know how it went and what did they say about the medical exam requirements.
 
yes it is typically above 500$

It was my first interview letter that went to old address. 
Sorry, have no idea.

We see it.. It is not that posting it over and over something change.. 

Thank you, previous commenters who detailed their interview. I have mine next Tuesday, so I am getting a little nervous. Looking at what they are asking, it seems to be fine.
 
You asked this on Friday, Saturday, and Tuesday as well. Can you stop asking this? People will respond when they see it; no use repeating it every few hours as this is a forum, not a live chat.

Thank you, previous commenters who detailed their interview. I have mine next Tuesday, so I am getting a little nervous. Looking at what they are asking, it seems to be fine.
 
You asked this on Friday, Saturday, and Tuesday as well. Can you stop asking this? People will respond when they see it; no use repeating it every few hours as this is a forum, not a live chat.