MonopolyMoney

Thanks for the advice, everyone! My husband's status is not expired (thankfully!), so we just need to resubmit the paperwork for the new permanent resident card (and the fees ) only to hand it back to them when he gets citizenship. The problem was that the card either was lost in the mail (why doesn't USCIS use a mail service with a tracking number??) or something was screwed up on their end. Of course they will not admit to any blame, so that's why we need to re-apply for the card.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Hi everyone!

So my husband and I applied for a new permanent residency card to replace his expiring one, but it never came in the mail. We were in the middle of some rather unpleasant life events, so we both forgot about receiving the new card. Fast forward to about five months ago, when we realized that we never received the new card and his old one was expired. We applied for another one, thinking that it had been lost in the mail. We got the decision back, USCIS was like, "lol no, you pay for a new one!". Sigh. So we would need to submit $500+ dollars for a card that was never received.

Now I just found out that he can actually apply for citizenship (we've been married 4 years). Is there absolutely any way that we can do this so that we don't need to apply for a new permanent residency card (since they need a photocopy of the front and back of it when applying for citizenship)? I know that we could send in a copy of the receipt of the petition for a new permanent resident card, but I'm really hoping to not have to pay for another one when we didn't receive the first one that we did paid for. Do you think a stamp from our local consulate would cover it?

Wow, what a pain in the butt! Don't they know fingerprints don't change?

Oh well... at least we got 2 years of vacation from the government!

Anyways, thanks for the responses!

Hi everyone!

We're gearing up to apply for the I-751, petition to remove conditions on residence. My husband did his biometrics when we applied for the permanent residency; does he need to have them done again?

The wording on the USCIS is not quite clear to me- I guess I'm a little rusty with all the bureaucratic procedures! After all, it has been almost two years since I've had to fill out any forms.

Thanks in advance for any input.

We received Kurtis's EAD and AP today-- June 9th. WOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we can officially start building our life together.

Today is the 90 day mark for our EAD (since we received the receipt for our RFE documents being received). We're calling the hotline tomorrow to have them do a case search for our EAD and AP. If that doesn't work, we have an infopass appointment scheduled for Thursday.

Does it cost anything to file for an interim EAD? Is there any legal standing that we have since they haven't held up their end of the bargain in regards to issuing the EAD within 90 days?

Does anyone have any helpful tips for us? They'd be much appreciated.

I would say the Infor Pass appointment is now not needed for a while though your EAD application is getting a bit stale...

The infopass appointment was mainly for the EAD... this whole not working thing is killing us financially.

We just got a case notice saying we were transferred to the California Service Center. Is this a good thing? Is there hope afterall that we will receive our EAD and AP sometime soon? Does that get transferred also? Will it be an even longer wait to receive them now that some of our file is in transit?

We made an infopass appointment for Monday--should we still go or is it pointless with this recent news?

Is there someplace else I could find some information on CSC transfers? I hate to bug everyone if these questions have already been answered someplace. Forgive me if that's the case.

Ohhh, okay. Thanks for clearing that up for me YuAndDan and fwaguy! I couldn't understand why some people were having their cases transferred while ours was seemingly just sitting at the NBC. I guess it's back to twiddling my thumbs while I wait for them to process our EAD.

Hi everyone,

When I log onto my case status online, it says my EAD is at the national benefits center. After reading through threads, it seems that the local offices (that would be Vermont for me) processes the EADs. Is this true for everyone or is it distributed between the local offices and the National benefits center? If the EAD is still at the national benefits center and it's supposed to be at my local office, does that mean it's not even close to being processed?

I still have not had any word on the advance parole. Should I make an infopass appointment at my local office to talk to them about this? We have tried calling and have only gotten the cookie-cutter response from the reps. Our receipt number is not valid in the system (although a rep that we spoke to said that it costs too much money to put everyone in the system and that's why we can't check online) and we have not heard any updates since we filed in January. According to processing times at the national benefits center, it is overdue.

Our EAD was touched today!!

Can you tell I'm excited??

We're still waiting. Our last receipt notice was January 30th. I called them today to ask about the advance parole because it's outside processing times and we cannot check the status online because it says we have an invalid receipt number. The woman I spoke to was so RUDE and barely spoke English. She said that the reason the case isn't in the system is because it's too expensive to enter it into the computer. I also asked her when the advance parole may be processed and she just kept repeating, "They are working on the case."

And this was after I had been transferred to a "specialist" because the original person couldn't look up my receipt number in their system.

Still waiting...

Our last touch on our EAD was 2/22/08. We called USCIS today and were told the EAD will be here within 20 days.

Hi everyone!

Let me start off by saying that I love this community! Everyone here has been extremely nice, and it's been a great source of information.

With that being said.. (WARNING: vent ahead!)

As the day of Kurtis's approval for his EAD draws nearer (or so they say), I can't help but feel frustrated. I've been pretty upbeat about the whole situation, but lately I've been incredibly annoyed and frustated. I just want that darn EAD to arrive in the mail so that Kurtis can get a job and we can start living a normal life together. It sucks living off of one paycheck. It sucks that Kurtis sees how we're struggling and he can't do anything about it because the government says so, which in turn, gets him frustrated. It sucks that we go out to the mailbox every day hoping and praying that his EAD is there, only to have our hopes smashed. Everything about this waiting period SUCKS and worst of all, we can't do anything about it.

Is anyone in the same boat? Anyone want to vent? I'm all ears.

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. Losing a furbaby is always tough.

My childhood dog that passed away has his own pages in my life scrapbook, filled with pictures and memories. I still have pictures of him posted all over my room. I miss him dearly.

You have my sympathy during this hard time... please take care of yourself.

Kurtis received a RFE yesterday. We had filed after January, and we hadn't done our taxes for 2007 (because we hadn't received any W-2s). We were using a form I-864A (contract between sponsor and household member). We submitted my Dad's 1040 for 2006, but did not submit his W-2.

The RFE states that the household member must submit all supporting tax documentation submitted to the IRS for the most recent tax year. Does this mean 2007? Or will the 2006 taxes (with W-2s) and a signed note saying that he hasn't filed his 2007 taxes be enough?

Kurtis and I were married October 31st. Prior to that, he had lived in Canada and I lived in the US. I earned income in the US, and he earned his income in Canada. After we were married, we filed for EI (which we received--woo!). He has made no other income while living in the US.

Do we need to file Canadian taxes as well as US? Do I include his income on the US taxes (married filing jointly)? Does he include my income on his taxes? What tax forms do we use?

Sorry for so many questions.. this is my first time filing as married. Is there a website that spells this all out in easy terms? I tried filing online, but received error messages because Kurtis is from Canada.

Hi everyone,

I have a couple of questions about the I-485 application to adjust status.

In part 1, what is the I-94 #? Is it the departure number found on the top left hand corner?

In part 3, what is the nonimmigrant visa number and where can I find it?

Thanks in advance!

Sorrrrryyyyy. You're not going to get anything in the mail. I asked for a copy of my DS-3025 when I crossed the border because Medisys wouldn't give me one. If Kurtis went to Dr Seiden's, tell him to give them a call and see if they'll send you a copy.

Yes, he needs to send his ROE to Belleville. Ditto what Nini said. What's the prize for the bonus question?

Oh man. That sucks. I dislike Medisys even more now. How official do you suppose a good ole Ontario immunization record is? I hope it's official enough to have the civil surgeon in my area transcribe the information onto the AOS form. I mean.. that's what they used to verify the shots for the medical, so in theory, it should work. But we all know how well theory works for this immigration process.

As for the grand prize.. you get a picture! Of our child, Minion, or if that doesn't float your boat.. my Mom and Dad's dog, Meeka (Corgi). Enjoy and thanks for the help, everyone!

When do we get the DS-3025 back from our interview? We handed in our brown envelope to an officer at the border and he mentioned that we should be getting something in the mail. Is this the DS-3025? What else will come?

We've already been married and Kurtis has applied for a SSN. When do we *need* to send in the AOS packet? We need a little time to save up the money for it. Is there a certain deadline for filing for AOS now that we're married?

Kurtis also applied for his Employment Insurance. Is he supposed to send in his Record of Employment to the Belleville office? We haven't been able to get in touch with anyone about this.

Thanks in advance.

Kurtis and I made it home safely!

Our entry into the United States was pretty painless, except for the long wait. We arrived at the custom booths for the Peace Bridge at around 2pm, were told to pull over to a little area beyond the booths and to go into Door 1. Once inside, we read the note on the double doors and took a seat. There were 5 couples/families waiting. It took about an hour and a half for the customs officer to call our name over the loud speaker. Kurtis gave the officer the packet from Montreal and then we sat down again until they called us into the processing room.

Once in, the rest of the process was a breeze. They took Kurtis's fingerprints for ID verification, plus a photo. We paid our $6 for the I-94. The officer was very nice (nothing like the people in Montreal) and answered any questions we had. Although we had to wait a long time in the waiting room, we were processed very efficiently and we were on the road again by 4pm.

Next step: our wedding on October 31st.

We received the visa in the mail today!

Now if only my car would be repaired, we'll be on our way home to Massachusetts on Friday!

We arrived at La Tour Centreville Tuesday afternoon. Check in went smoothly, we were able to pre-pay with debit. I had booked online for a studio with a queen-size bed, but we were given a room with two twin beds. We went back down to the reception to get that fixed--nothing could be done about it. The toilet was broken and we had to wait 30 minutes for the handyman to come up and fix it. The decor was from the 80's and the room smelled a bit funky, but was clean overall.

The pool was fairly clean. The sauna in the men's room locker did not work and the one in the women's locker took a long time to heat.

The hotel was very close to the Embassy, as others have said. It's also close to a shopping center (The Bay) which has a food court and IGA grocery store.

We got to the Embassy at 6:50ish and we were 5th in line. The doors opened at 7:30 and we were ushered into the building after showing the security guard our appointment letter. Security took people in one by one and was quick and efficient. The woman that was directing us through the process was friendly, yet you could tell she meant business. We were given a card with the letter E and window #9 on it before going through a metal detector and being wanded. After that, we were told to go downstairs and wait in the waiting room. After 5 minutes, the nice security guard came down and took us up in the elevator, instructed us which window we should go to, and then left.

I would reiterate all of the nice short cuts to take (back of elevator, directions, etc), but it doesn't matter in the long run. The order in which you arrive at the Embassy dictates the order in which you will be called for the administrative tasks and the interview.

At the first window we went to after getting off the elevator, we gave them our interview appointment letter and the card. There was a bit of a comical moment when the woman asked for our letter, and then after we had handed that to her, asked for "the other letter". Kurtis and I looked at each other (panic on my face) and then the woman clarified that she had wanted the letter that we got at security.

We sat down in the main waiting room and...well.. waited. After a bit, they called Kurtis up to window 6. This is where we had to hand over all of the original documents. The woman that was taking them said, "I need your documents." I knew we had to hand over the DS-156K, but I wasn't sure which documents she needed copies of. I asked, and she just...didn't answer. So, I asked again and she said, "I need your documents." Ooooookay. We just started handing over everything--the medical (they don't need the X-ray), birth certificate (with copy), name change document (with copy), police certificate, proof of ongoing relationship, letter of intent from me, affidavit of support. There was bare minimum interaction from the woman taking our stuff, even when we asked her some questions. She had Kurtis go pay the $100 USD cash at window #14 and then come back and give her the receipt. Then she told us to sit down and wait again. BRING A BOOK. Kurtis was practically pulling his hair out from boredom and resorted to reading some tax forms.

We waited for about an hour before we were called to door #8. We entered the room, greeted the woman standing behind the glass (she was a black woman with bleach blonde hair). She didn't greet us back, and instead told us to put our stuff down so that the little desk area in front of the window was clear.

Then she started asking questions. Her voice was completely monotone. She asked Kurtis (wouldn't even look at me) how we had met. He asked her, "How did we meet in person or online?" and she just repeated the question, so he launched into our story of how we met in person for the first time. She didn't nod or show ANY emotion, just stared at him. He just kept rambling on about how we met until there was no more to say.

Finally, after 30 seconds of silence in which she just stared at Kurtis, she asked, "How much education have you had?" He replied, and she asked about how much education I've had. He told her, and then she asked about what he plans to do for work in the US. Since he hasn't been allowed to come to the US since we've started the visa process, he replied with his skills that he has and the type of work that he was going to look for once he's allowed. She then asked about what type of work I do. I'm unemployed (since I'm in Canada and not allowed to work), and he told her that. She then asked, rather rudely: "How do you plan to survive if you both will not be working?" I jumped in and told her I have two jobs lined up for when I get back to the US. She didn't even look at me.

She then said, "Do you swear to the statements you've made?" Kurtis didn't hear her, so he said, "I'm sorry?" and she repeated what she said in a very exasperated tone. She then said, "You will receive your visa within a week."

And that was that.

We left happy and smiling, despite the rudeness of the staff (minus the security guard) at the Embassy and the nerve-wracking interview. We were out of there by 10:30.

We set our move date for October 19th and our legal wedding will be October 31st.

I gots me one of them thar Canadians.

Our interview is on the 10th, but we're leaving very early tomorrow on Greyhound. Here's what we are bringing to the interview:

-Both packets received from Consulate, including top interview letter

-DS-156K, original and copied but not signed

-I-134 Affidavit of support for me and one for our co-sponsor, copied with evidence

-Letter of intent from me, copied and signed

-Proof of our relationship since sending in the I-129F (photos, letters, hotel receipt for our getaway, camping permit), originals and copied

-Birth certificate, long-form, original and copied

-Police certificate indicating a search of the CPIC, original and copied

-DS-156 copied twice (sent in original)

-DS-230 copied twice (sent in original)

-Name change document, original and copied

-Proof of visitations (airline tickets and photos), originals and copied

-Complete I-129F packet copied with original photos and tickets

-4 passport photos

-Our passports

-Medical with X-ray, unopened

-Prepaid X-press mailer

-$100 USD cash

Is there anything that we are forgetting??

Also, I paper-clipped all of the documents that had more than one page. Should I staple them instead?

I know that everyone says that the interview is the easiest part, but I'm really scared. I feel like everything we've been through this past year (and all of the documents we've sent in) depends on one short visit to the Embassy. I'm scared that they'll reject us or that I'll have forgotten something important.

The only reason they would reject us is the financial aspect, or lack of evidence for my I-134. My bank wouldn't write a letter for me, so I had emailed the Embassy and I was told that statements would be acceptable. I have all my bank statements for the past year, plus my tax returns. I'm praying that this is enough, especially with a co-sponsor who makes more than enough over the poverty line. My Dad (co-sponsor) has a written letter from his employer, from his credit union, and evidence of assets.

Ahhh! I'm fretting again.

They wanted all of the forms that have more than one page to be stapled, not paper-clipped together?

I totally color-coded my paperclips.

Congratulations on the approval!