Holly-ando

FYI- Policy update on Medical Exam Validity and will now be valid for upto 2 years.
USCIS Policy Manual Update
USCIS is revising policy guidance for the validity period of Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record.
The updated policy, which goes into effect on Nov. 1, 2018, will require applicants to submit a Form I-693 that is signed by a civil surgeon no more than 60 days before filing the underlying application for an immigration benefit. The Form I-693 would remain valid for a two-year period following the date the civil surgeon signed it. As such, USCIS is retaining the current maximum two-year validity period of Form I-693, but calculating it in a different manner to both enhance operational efficiencies and reduce the number of requests to applicants for an updated Form I-693.
USCIS officers use Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, to determine whether an applicant for an immigration benefit in the United States is inadmissible under the health-related grounds of inadmissibility. By specifying that the Form I-693 must be signed no more than 60 days before the applicant files the underlying application for which Form I-693 is required, the validity of the form is more closely tied to the timing of the underlying application.
Additionally, requiring submission of a Form I-693 that was signed no more than 60 days before the date the underlying application was filed may, in some cases, maximize the period of time Form I-693 will be valid while the underlying application is under USCIS review. Officers will still have the discretion, as they have always had, to request a new Form I-693 if they have reason to believe an applicant may be inadmissible on the health-related grounds. Delays in adjudicating the underlying application will also be reduced if fewer requests for updated Forms I-693 are necessary.
Please see the Policy Alert (PDF) for more detailed information regarding this update and how USCIS will handle a Form I-693 submitted before Nov. 1, 2018.
Visit the Policy Manual for Comment page for more information on stakeholder review and comments, which are due by Oct. 29, 2018.
 
https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-policy-manual-update 

Hello guys.
Can anyone could guess/ answer me when my i130 will get approve?
My PD 10th Feb 2017. At California service center. 
We are Indian..
Any Indian got approval? I did saw in Facebook that some of the march2017 people from Morocco and Philippines got i130 approval. 
Hope it will be positive dear

@Holly-ando Congratulation!!!
So happy for you, that's great news for all of us!

Hello everyone, @Clotillda Thank you for asking @Bhumi sorry i couldn't reply earlier, i just needed the weekend off to rest from all this, i was super nervous about the interview and i almost lost it
 
My interview was at 2 PM, we got to the location an hour and a half before, but instead of waiting inside we preferred to have some coffee at a place nearby. We went in 45 mins before, went through security and then came to the interview area, there was a sign on a window where it said to check in so we did, a lady officer checked us in the system, she only asked for the interview notice, our lawyer joined us at that time. Then the officer in charge of our case came out and called out the number of a family that was waiting by the time  we got there, our lawyer told us we're gonna be waiting for a while since they just got in.
we waited for almost 40. At 2:20, she called us in, we sat down my husband and i and our lawyer, she wanted to take my picture and fingerprints but the camera was stuck, so she said she'll try later after we finish, then told us to stand up and take the oath. We gave her the interview notice and my medical. Started by confirming my husband's infos : Full name, DOF, Job, address, parents name.., then asked me my name, address, job info and when was my last entry. Then asked us to tell her where we met, how, when did we get married, wanted to see wedding pictures, my husband and i would just take turns answering, it was spontaneous, and show her pictures along the way, she was very friendly and nice and she asked us about some of ours traditions since my husband joined me overseas where we did the traditional wedding. I was so nervous and it was obvious and all three of them joked about it  My lawyer explained to her how i was worried because my i94 expired and all that.
She asked us who prepared the documents (A huge binder full of docs) it was again obvious it was me, she told us to give her some documents just like joint bank accounts, etc... i told her she can have the whole binder, she was like no thank you hhhhh our lawyer intervened and took the binder and only took out important things like finances travel history utility and she THANKED him hhhhh (i guess they don't like to be overwhelmed with documents) she also only wanted to have few pictures like 6 or 5 not the entire album!! of course we gave her more 😂 the thing is i made my husband glue every picture fearing that it will fall off hhhh and now we had to pull them out, the whole scene was hilarious. Then, moved on to the yes or no Qs, and asked for original marriage certificate and birth certificates of both of us, and gave it all back to us.
At the end, she told us she approves of our marriage and that it's bona fide, and said she's waiting for the i130 case to be transferred to be able to make a decision, our lawyer asked her if there would be some additional actions required or anything, she said no and that if she receives the case and if a visa is available i should receive my GC in the mail. she gave us a paper saying "case is held for review". Also asked her about the EAD and said that this's the GC process and insinuated that it sort of cancels the need for an EAD. We thanked her and left.
The case status is still "interview was scheduled", so i'm wondering how long would it take to transfer my i130 case from CSC to my filed office, but for now i'm just glad the interview part was done.
I hope this answers your questions guys  
 

To be honest when she said that, i was too happy to ask  so i didn't, i thought to myself i'll just call USCIS to ask about the EAD when the normal wait period ends.
And, no she didn't say anything about reminding her or anybody else about anything, i think what we understood is that they got it from here, so now i just decided to wait and let go lol

@Holly-andoThanks for taking time and sharing your experience with us. It was really helpful. It looks like the interview case will vary from Officer to Officer. So is going to be an different experience for everyone. When you say "Also asked her about the EAD and said that this's the GC process and insinuated that it sort of cancels the need for an EAD" does that mean you will not get your EAD/AP?
 
Also, did the officer said anything that you need to appear again or remind the local office again once the visa is available so that they start the card production?  It sounds like your case will be handed to the same office once your i-130 is transferred to the local office and the same office will start working again once the visa number is available?
 
 
I am also awaiting for my interview schedule.

Hello everyone, @Clotillda Thank you for asking @Bhumi sorry i couldn't reply earlier, i just needed the weekend off to rest from all this, i was super nervous about the interview and i almost lost it
 
My interview was at 2 PM, we got to the location an hour and a half before, but instead of waiting inside we preferred to have some coffee at a place nearby. We went in 45 mins before, went through security and then came to the interview area, there was a sign on a window where it said to check in so we did, a lady officer checked us in the system, she only asked for the interview notice, our lawyer joined us at that time. Then the officer in charge of our case came out and called out the number of a family that was waiting by the time  we got there, our lawyer told us we're gonna be waiting for a while since they just got in.
we waited for almost 40. At 2:20, she called us in, we sat down my husband and i and our lawyer, she wanted to take my picture and fingerprints but the camera was stuck, so she said she'll try later after we finish, then told us to stand up and take the oath. We gave her the interview notice and my medical. Started by confirming my husband's infos : Full name, DOF, Job, address, parents name.., then asked me my name, address, job info and when was my last entry. Then asked us to tell her where we met, how, when did we get married, wanted to see wedding pictures, my husband and i would just take turns answering, it was spontaneous, and show her pictures along the way, she was very friendly and nice and she asked us about some of ours traditions since my husband joined me overseas where we did the traditional wedding. I was so nervous and it was obvious and all three of them joked about it  My lawyer explained to her how i was worried because my i94 expired and all that.
She asked us who prepared the documents (A huge binder full of docs) it was again obvious it was me, she told us to give her some documents just like joint bank accounts, etc... i told her she can have the whole binder, she was like no thank you hhhhh our lawyer intervened and took the binder and only took out important things like finances travel history utility and she THANKED him hhhhh (i guess they don't like to be overwhelmed with documents) she also only wanted to have few pictures like 6 or 5 not the entire album!! of course we gave her more 😂 the thing is i made my husband glue every picture fearing that it will fall off hhhh and now we had to pull them out, the whole scene was hilarious. Then, moved on to the yes or no Qs, and asked for original marriage certificate and birth certificates of both of us, and gave it all back to us.
At the end, she told us she approves of our marriage and that it's bona fide, and said she's waiting for the i130 case to be transferred to be able to make a decision, our lawyer asked her if there would be some additional actions required or anything, she said no and that if she receives the case and if a visa is available i should receive my GC in the mail. she gave us a paper saying "case is held for review". Also asked her about the EAD and said that this's the GC process and insinuated that it sort of cancels the need for an EAD. We thanked her and left.
The case status is still "interview was scheduled", so i'm wondering how long would it take to transfer my i130 case from CSC to my filed office, but for now i'm just glad the interview part was done.
I hope this answers your questions guys  
 

Even I also wanted to know @Holly-ando
How was your interview?
What they said?
Because they did not allow me for interview as my i130 is not approve yet..
Please share your experience with us..
So that we can call to uscis customer care services..
 
Thanks in advance. 

@Holly-ando Hey! if I'm not mistaken, your interview was yesterday. Did everything go smoothly? 

@thepandaCongratulations.
 
I just got my medical done as well and received the report in 5 days. They gave me the vaccinations that was needed as part of USCIS requirements. I think you should get your medical report in less than a week after the test. Just check with the doctor they will be doing the paper work for you i.e. filing i-693 form.
 
Also, My i-485 status got updated to "Case is ready to be schedule for an Interview" and my i-130 is also pending. Unfortunately for me the interview may not be scheduled until late 2020 since the wait time for Seattle is 24 to 29 Months and they're still working on May 2016 cases.
 
One of the other user @Holly-ando, I think their interview is scheduled for 10/12 and i-130 is alsp pending for them. Would be interesting to know about their experience as well.
 
All the best.
 
Thanks,
Vg

I had my medical done about two weeks ago since my interview is coming up soon :S , and i didn't know about the new requirements, but the center where i did the medical knew about them, all i could notice is that they did a blood test instead of skin tuberculosis test. the nurse gave me a Tdap shot on the first visit and said it was mandatory, and there was another vaccine that i preferred not take since i had two option : testing if i was immune which costs 99$, or just take the vaccine anyway which costs 120 sth $ i'm not sure. Of course, if you choose to test and they found that you're not immune you'd have to pay for the extra 120 for the vaccine.
@markx about the copy, don't worry, the center hands you your own copy of everything along with the sealed envelope.
 

Yes, but in some cases I read it was because the interview was at a time that her Final Action Date was not current, so they could not issue a visa under F2A for that person. 
 
In your case check that your interview notice says F2A, and call to report the mistake if it is not, as well as any other information to be correct.
YES! That's why I selected her case to share it with you, I saw a few other F2A Adjustment Interviews with the same result, but different scenario. Not also Pending I-130, but also early interview. In any case, if the IO is knowledgeable enough, he/she could even recommend you for approval, and you could be pending until the PD becomes current, and then basically approved. That would actually be really awesome for you.
 
I even read of a case that the person was told that was going to be denied because of the PD, with an IO that didn't appear to know that much, but ultimately, in the next few weeks the status updated to approved, I guess it was a supervisor that set them straight.

I remember USCIS sent a request for more evidence. The request was to prove that my spouse was a US citizen, we replied to this request stating that my spouse was not a US citizen and that I am eligible to file i-485 based on my PD being current and a marriage to a LPR, we printed a page from USCIS website (visa bulletin) and highlighted my category which showed my PD as current. that all we did. 

You will be fine. These people are giving you the wrong answers.  You need to fire that lawyer too because he is clearly incompetent.

It depends how important this wedding is for you. I would advise to file now because you are losing 3-4 months if you are waiting. Also there is a risk as mentioned above that they might not allow Chart B to file when you intend to do so. Either cancel the wedding and file now or accept a longer wait in the whole process. 
 
They did a couple of interviews with people who didn't have their i-130 approved yet. 

@txa30 Hi there,
 
You may want to file as soon as possible since you never know what USCIS will say in their next visa bulletin. Mearning they may change it to use Chart A which will not work in your case. The sooner is better.
 
The only thing you might want to research is about pending I-131 (AP), I am in a similar situation like you on H1B.
 
I was just told by my attorney that even though I am on valid H1B Visa, I still cannot travel outside of US until I-131 (AP) is Approved since USCIS has been denying i-131 applications for those who have travelled outside of US with a valid H, K, L, or V visa. So basically once they found that you've travelled outside of USA while i-131 is pending, they can deny i-131 and you may need to re file it again. The current wait time at NBC is 6.5 months.
 
It's a risk one would need to take but it will NOT affect your i-485 petition. or what you can do is just file i-485 now and once you're back then file AP and EAD.
 
I wish I could have thought in this way as well for myself since I really need to travel to my country for some personal reasons and I may end up with getting i-131 denied  .
 
Regarding to your other question about Interview, I've seen some of the people in this group have their status changed to "Case is Ready to Schedule for Interview", not sure if anyone has their interview yet or not. Even if you have an interview, the officer will not issue the GC until your priority date becomes current.
 
@thepanda; @Tenreyro; @Bfree3 , please feel free to add your input.
 
Good luck !!

Excellent forum, I am about to file i131-765-485 based on filing date chart. PD is 11/2/2017 (F2A). I have a question, I am travelling in December for wedding, should i file now or is it advisable to wait ? I am on H1B visa and it is stamped for next 3 years. Also, do they interview before I-130 approval ?

Does it say Courtesy letter and is a yellow or purple letter?? If yes then it is not a RFE but just a reminder. 

Thank you again so much!!!! We will do this for both of the petitions once we have the naturalization certificate in our hands. And hopefully from there it moves faster! 

<street address>
<city, state, zip>
 
<today’s date>
 
OFFICIAL ADDRESS FOR NBC or whichever center still has your documents
 
RE:UPGRADING A PETITION TO IMMEDIATE RELATIVE
 
Dear Sir/Madam:
 
While I was a lawful permanent resident, I filed Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, on behalf of my spouse. Since filing the petition, I naturalized as a U.S. citizen. My spouse is now an immediate relative. I am requesting that you update my petition accordingly.
 
Case Details:
Case Number:
Petitioner: FULL NAME
Beneficiary: FULL NAME
 
I have enclosed a copy of my naturalization certificate and a copy of I-797, Notice of Action for acceptance of I-130 petition.
 
Please upgrade my spouse from family preference category F2A to immediate relative, and proceed with processing.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
PETITIONER

Send a letter along with a copy of your husband's naturalization certificate to NBC and CSC to update your case to ir1 or cr1 as necessary. 

Its honestly too soon to tell. No one can say where the chart B will at any given time. All you can do is monitor and hope you can file sooner or later. 
 
When will your wife be eligible for citizenship? that is also an option to update your case for faster filing.
 
You can do either/ or, I had the packages separate by paper clips but all were in the same envelope so different things had same copies of stuff in them like the i765 packet had a copy of my i94 and so did the i485 and i864. 
 
If you already have an EAD, i don't see a problem for you renewing your EAD before it expires.
 
 
 
 

Hello future citizens ,
 
Quick questions and suggestion appreciated :
 
1) i filed my i130 from my wife (gc holder permanent resident ) on May 7th 2018 and currently pending in CSC
2) My current status/ EAD expires on June 24 2019 .
3) Trying to file AOS once the may7th 2018 date becomes current ( right now bulletin shows Dec 1 2017 )
 
Question for you guys
Do you think i will be able to file AOS /EAD/Parole before my current EAD expires ( will my turn come )
 
I currently have a job so trying to get a EAD from AOS  when my current EAD expires on June 24 2019
 
Also while filing AOS do you need you send separate evidence copies for GC, EAD and parole or just one copy is file like ( one birth certificate for GC, EAD and parole )
 
Let me know your thoughts . Thanking you very much in advance @VG31 @thepanda @PPatrick @talad @Holly-ando @Tenreyro @Bfree3  . You guys are rockstar very helpful 
 
 

Hi @Holly-ando , 
 
If you read back, you'll see that QAF2A was in almost same situation that you will be in. I130 Still pending and she had nothing as yet and it was still pretty early in her journey for an interview. Nothing could be done as yet simply because the IO decided to wait on the I130. The same probably happened for Ben2Sherry. You're going to work yourself into a fever pitch - which is why I have been avoiding this forum. 
 
Go into the interview with eyes wide open that "ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN" no matter what, as worse has happened to spouses and family members of USC's and LPR's alike. When you do meet with this lawyer and go to interview, I would have the pages and chart printed and highlighted from USCIS site that states you are within your rights to have sent in your AOS request and additionally the paperwork was received.
 
Godspeed!

Hi, EAD card with AP arrived in the mail last week. Such a relief.