Babigau
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Posts posted by Babigau
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Had the interview yesterday. Our application was was approved & card was ordered on the spot.
Here's some detail on the experience which I hope will help you plan for yours, should you have an interview.
Los Angeles Downtown Office
Appointment time 715 am
Entry & Check-in
Arrived at 615 am, we lined up behind 3 early birds.
By 645 am there were perhaps 500 people lined up around the corner and out of view.
At 7am officers split out the lines so that the earliest appointments were taken first, retaining the order of the line.
We were in first in the 715am line, which itself had a count of about 100.
Lines were split further to utilize two entrances & security centers concurrently.
They were very well organized to say the least.
Security was what you'd experience at an airport. After repacking our stuff we immediately went upstairs to our assigned floor and room. The Office was a large waiting room with plenty of seating and a small children area with about 6 processing windows. Check in was as simple as a greeting and handing over the interview form at the first window.
We then sat for a bit before being called for the beneficiary to have another photo taken then we were both called, greeted then invited into the interview suite by our interviewer. On our way photocopies were taken of some original documents then we were invited into a small office for the interview.
The Interview ~ 45 minutes
The officer was polite and genuinely interested in how we were feeling. In front of us on an office desk lay our i-130 i-485 (including i-693 and i-864) and i-765 packets, now bound on as a single 3 inch slab with pages well worn.
First we went through the i130 (probably not relevant in a K-1 but I'd recommend taking your approved I-129) and confirmed the details were all correct and still valid.
Next was the I-485; we ran through the details of the petitioner and beneficiary then the officer asks for responses on all of the I-485 Part 3 Yes/No answers, followed by the remainder of the application. Neither the I-693 (Medical) nor the 864 (Affidavit of Support) were reviewed in the interview. The officer made a note that they had reviewed all documents prior to our interview.
The officer then asked us to give a background on our story, from before we first met to the present. We also were asked about our wedding, who was there etc; whether my wife had been to my home country, to which she described her two visits, one of which prior to engagement. It really seemed just like a conversation you'd have with a new neighbor or a social event.
The officer then wanted see any new supporting evidence since filing, should it be available. The interest was essentially focused on evidence of joint documents.
Given our original packet was extremely thorough & it had only been 6 months since filing we didn't really had much to add. So we noted this then moved to work through the various documents we had submitted:
- Joint lease, bank account, car insurance, life insurance (separate but being each other's beneficiary), flights, wedding receipts, photos.
While we didn't review every supporting document we had far more than what you'd consider reasonable.
This is where the additional copy of your packet comes in very handy as you can help the officer work through the original packet to locate each item.
While the original packet had filing labels on everything, table of contents for the whole and for each form & supporting documents and filing labels the packet was a bit different at the interview. All sticky labels had been removed and some items were out of order in a trivial way, but enough so you'd be in a bit of bother figuring things out if you didn't have a copy. The interviewer asked about more recent tax returns however we had submitted 2016 as a joint application in the original packet so we reviewed that together.
Still we were able to supply some items not included in our original packet
- Additional bank & paypal transactions from the time we have known each other
- A photocopy was taken of our car insurance card that has both our names on it
- Honeymoon photos
The officer indicated he would approve the case and order the card immediately. Several minutes passed in complete calm and we got the confirmation with an approval letter printed on the spot indicating the card has been ordered. Case status updates followed as we drove away from the office.
My thoughts
It is a privilege to become a permanent resident of any country. I am happy with the process and understand that the USCIS departments across the country work on processing millions of documents per year. We feel lucky to have been blessed with a 6 month time frame and an approval.
My advice
Be punctual and prepared:- Arrive very early
- Ensure you have exactly what is asked for on the interview notice
- Take copies of everything you have submitted to USCIS. Do not assume the packet you submitted is complete at your interview nor in order. Mistakes happen and the packet is thoroughly examined at NBC and your local office.
- Print quality photos of yourself with context that supports your case. Photos with family, friends, wedding, holidays, whatever
- Bring any new supporting evidence that is became available since submission. This can include affidavits of support, evidence of travel/accommodation together & tax returns
- It is OK to be nervous
- For those about to submit use thick paper stock. They loved it.
If you're late don't abandon your hope. Turn up regardless of how late you are or if you've left supporting material behind. An RFE is far preferable to re-submission.
Thoughts are with you all and I hope this interview experience helps. If you have questions please ask.
- onetothered, IkaStuart, ausmad and 2 others
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5 hours ago, rose michigan said:
Hello everyone... We had our interview today at Detroit.. It was smooth and the I.O was so nice.. The total time including the waiting was about 40 Minutes.. He said t is approved and told us about the ROC and citizenship.. The status still the same .. Good luck everyone in the forum.. You helped me Alot
So happy for you two!
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3 hours ago, CezSheena said:
I haven't received the notice for the interview yet. I just got the text notification. We did NOT turn in the i693. We are k1, so we only needed to show the 3025, as per the USCIS website. However, a notice we got prior said, "you did not provide your i693, please bring it to the interview. But k1 don't need i693 if the interview is within the year, which ours is. So I am confused as what to do now.
That is right, the 3025 is an alternative provided it is accepted by uscis. Did you meet the conditions above? While it sounds like a mistake, is it clear from their mail to you whether they are simply rejecting the 3025 and requiring you to do a 693 and bring to interview?
As another has said, best to call in and ask to be put through to an officer.
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1 hour ago, CezSheena said:
Did anyone have an interview already that got the notice that they needed their i693 for their AOS from K1? We got the notice saying we need to bring it to our interview, but we have a K1 and he had a medical exam in his home country. Did anyone need this and then go to interview? Did they ask for it?
My notice noted you didn't have to bring the I-693 if you've already provided it. Did yours have a comment about that in the list of items to take to the interview? In parenthesis?
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57 minutes ago, Ariii said:
I'm from LA and I've been waiting since April for my interview to get scheduled 125 days and still no news ... I don't know how people who filed later than I did, already have their GC in hand and got their interview within 1-2 months...
A lot of unknown factors but I don't doubt time of year for submission matters.
Early March filer here, interview was scheduled at day 160 for day 191.
It might be a waste of time comparing your case with others. February filers waiting, April filers scheduled or in hand. Got to let it go. The best indication you have is geographical region of filing.
Uscis deal with a huge number of applications. On average the processing time is just over 6 mo, ish as at 1/2017
At 125 days I'd recommend sitting tight. Though plenty of anecdotal evidence would suggest you could have your interview just after day 50 it seems also rather unlikely.
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2 minutes ago, Abhi138 said:
Great.Are you adjusting from F1 visa too
Nah, I was on an L. While I was on a work Visa and could have adjusted status based on that we chose to adjust status on a family basis.
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Day 160 - notice of interview scheduled received by mail! My wife and I are pretty emotional about it!
A surprise since no online updates were received for the I-485 to indicate it was at the local office, was ready for scheduling nor scheduled :-)
I hope that is good news for those waiting without online updates - things could be much further along than you expect!
Thoughts are with those feeling uneasy about their applications!
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1 hour ago, lirnos said:
Hey all!
I'm an April filer but am adjusting from VWP and just wanted to reach out to see if there are any March filers adjusting from VWP and how it's been going? No idea if cases are even processed on different timelines but was just curious to see! 
Cheers!
I think you can expect the timeline to be the same. I figure your visa is B or T but that is irrelevant.
I've not found enough evidence to suggest that the adjusting from visa has a bearing on family based AOS duration. One of the first AOS approvals from active posters in the March forum was adjusting from F-1. I've also noted plenty on trackitt.com also.
To be clear, the basis is family for AOS based on USC partner regardless of what visa, if any, you are adjusting from.
You'd expect that AOS from K-1 would be faster since some things in the AOS have already been completed but that just does not seem to be the case.
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On 7/25/2017 at 4:13 PM, Californiansunset said:
I had all NOAs with me and also the approval letters and that didn't help. The problem with the no appointments is that I potentially have to wait hours (Ive been to the DMV so often when I lived here a year on a B1 visa) and I can't just constantly do that bc of work and even more important my husband can't drive me around like that bc he really needs to be at 9am at the office the latest. I actually went to the smaller office today that is kind of outside of San Diego city in Clairemont. I actually think that the small office mightve been the poor choice since the bigger ones probably have the new card reader.
Yeah I heard that NY is very lenient about the use of foreign DL and as you said even allows it for up to a year (not in Cali though). CAlifornia is super strict and ive read horror stories on VJ before of members that got caught with their foreign DL and got the $1,000 ticket in court for driving without valid license, the car was impounded for 30 days and I think even a citation. I was thinking the same what you said. When i get pulled over, show my passport and hope that they just think that I'm a tourist. I was told though that they usually ask who's car it is you're driving... so I would say it's my husbands...well and then comes the question why I don't have a state ID if I live with my husband here and so on...
I probably call after a week and then keep on calling them until i have as that seems the easiest right now. All other DMVs are an hour drive away with the traffic in the morning, plus the wait time without appointment... I just can't do that with my job. THey're pretty chill but not THAT chill
Thanks for your help!
Sent you a pm. Short answer is you can get it done fast by calling DMV Head office in Sacramento. Do not wait. Some detail below.
It can take months via mail or even at local dmv in person as they have to send photocopies of the new cards there. By calling and faxing documents I was able to get same day document verification & temp dl with a local dmv walk in (they are not supposed to supply a temp until document verification). You might need the drivers test etc however if that is sorted you'll have the license a week after verification.
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18 hours ago, KimberleyVDB said:
I don't know much about I130 but from my understanding only K1 visa holders can get an interview waiver. Don't know about other visa holders when filing AOS.
AOS w/ i-130: From a mass of experiences on VJ and was told by USCIS that i-130 based will get an interview but I do also read of anecdotal cases where the interview has been waived.
ROC after i-130: Reads as though the process is the same as an ROC
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USCIS processing information has been updated.
As of May 31, last updated July 12.
Example processing as of dates
NBC I-765 March 18;
LA/LA County ~ November 10
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5 hours ago, KimberleyVDB said:
If you have USPS informed delivery you can use that too. The package & tracking number shows up on your account immediately after shipping.
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5 hours ago, Californiansunset said:
Finally after 136 days I got the new card is being produced status change. Relieved is an understatement how I feel right now.
How fast can I expect to have the EAD in hand? My employer wants me to start working asap.
I had it six days later
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1 hour ago, DorothyLa said:
another update for today.
Card was mailed to me
EDIT: They mailed On July 10, 2017. So maybe i will have it today
Yeah same, I got the card 2 business days later.
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22 hours ago, klm9971 said:
My wife filed in Feb and she got her EAD in mid May. But after that, there is no change in the status of the website. Still, says:
I am US Citizen and we filed directly, without K-1 visa.
Case Was Received
On February 21, 2017, we received your Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, Receipt Number XXXXXXXXXXXXX, and sent you the receipt notice that describes how we will process your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you do not receive your receipt notice by March 23, 2017, please call Customer Service at 1-800-375-5283. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.
I am guessing everyone else is in the same boat as well. My field office is processing cases from Aug 6th, 2016. So, its gonna be loooooong wait
For your GC app the i-485 status is the one to watch. As for your i-130 case status you posted I expect you'll get an notice for the until the very end of your process.
As for i-485 duration in general, at your stage I don't think you can estimate the duration of the AOS with any confidence; only whether you are within stated processing times.
As for the effect of basis of spouse family member AOS filings I will provide the following opinion (rant):
I cannot find statistics that suggest the duration is different for K-1 based I-485 AOS from any other USC spouse I-485. That is from any Visa, in status or otherwise.
USC spouse (immediate family member) applications have top priority.My opinion, informed by USCIS website, 3rd party forums and data. Do your homework :-)
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2 hours ago, thorin said:
Okay, I received the RFE letter yesterday. This morning I just reviewed my entire package I sent off.
They have a problem with my application regarding confirming my name.
I included my long and short birth certificate, marriage certificate, passport, k-1 visa in passport and my k1 visa application and other paperwork. I checked my name on all paperwork and it is spelled correctly.
I'm from the United Kingdom so all my paperwork is in English.
I received the RFE notice on day 115 because they lost my documents it would seem? I have my local congresswoman on my side so I'll forward her more information. Any direction on where to call about this?
I'm going to send what they request to avoid my case being closed but I'm really really upset about this.
Any ideas?
I'm confused. Are you saying you only have one name and you had provided required evidence for the name? Were they specific about the problem?
This might sound silly but it is entirely legitimate. Any name you've stated you are called by even a nickname should be backed up with evidence or at least an explanation of the name used. Is it possible that there is a lack of that for a name or nickname that you've provided on the forms or referenced in any of the evidence?
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17 hours ago, MsGee said:
Hello everyone. Last July 1 my hubby got his EAD card. Today 7/10 @ 10:30 am we had our interview for his I 485 petition (K1 visa) and got approved on the spot. Our priority date is March 23,2017. The interview lasted less than 20 mins at USCIS office in LA downtown.
Sending positive vibes to all who are still waiting for their EAD and interview dates.
Congratulations! I have a few of questions for you if you may.
Is your zipcode close to downtown?
Did you get a 'ready to be scheduled for interview notice' by txt or email? if so when did you receive that update or mail?
When did you receive your interview scheduled notice?
Congratulations and go live your life together (for about a year and a half then don't forget to remove conditions!)
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2 hours ago, earnhaaart said:
Thank you so much! You are giving me hope!
You can get an emergency ap in person at your local office with supporting evidence and your noa1s. Check out the uscis website. They are hard to get but might work in your case.
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1 hour ago, KimberleyVDB said:
For anyone still waiting on their EAD especially. I just talked to an officer on the phone. Because of the amount of application they've been getting over the last two years, the process takes a little longer. If you do an SR and you get it's under review this means someone is (finally) working on your case.
I think, but this is solely my opinion that we might need to ad an extra 30 days to the count so we don't keep panicking. So I'm going to (try to)be patient and wait until I hit that 120 mark and than I'll bug them again. Hopefully I won't have to.
Hope everyone is going to have a great weekend who knows what next week will bring. I'm going to enjoy my stepdaughters 15th birthday!
I agree with the new estimate but I'd say that there is a lot of variance as many April and May filers are getting EAD.
This works both ways but I hope for everyone to get their ead early!
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1 minute ago, Shushulsan said:
Thanks. I have an account with USPS. But the whole site is so convoluted, hard to navigate.
I can't deny that! The give away was that my card was shown as a mail piece without a scanned image but the sender and and address was uscis.
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3 hours ago, Shushulsan said:
Last night my case changed to "EAD card was mailed to me". It first went to production on 06/30/2017, then said "case was approved" on 07/03/2017. And now, 3 days later, it says it was mailed. God knows when it would be here or if USPS will lose it, lol.
I recommend usps informed delivery. Gives a heads up and piece of mind!
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10 minutes ago, umabanana said:
My status just changed from card being produced to caso approved... is this normal?
I'm at a loss as to figure what would be normal. Also, we did not get an approval status update online, only by mail:
6/21 New Card Being Produced
6/23 Card Has Been Mailed (current status)
6/26 Received approval notice by mail
6/27 received the card in mail inside small soft-wall package
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On 7/2/2017 at 5:38 AM, umabanana said:
I'm on our honeymoon and just checked the app expecting to still see the same messages and... my new card is being produced! Package was received on 3/29 and card produced on 6/30 which puts it at 91 days.
How long does it take for the card to be mailed/received? I'm flying back into the US on tuesday night!
Mine was in hand 6 days from 'new card being produced' notice.
March 2017 AOS Filers
in Adjustment of Status Case Filing and Progress Reports
Posted
Not everyone. My expiry was set to EAD expiry date.
Not for mine :-)