AL-MJD

Hey, they don't notify you. They do update the CEAC case tracker. Here was my experience after the interview. I was so excited, I did not ask when my passport would be ready as well. By the way, I'm from Singapore. It may be slower or faster for you.
 
 

By the way, just in case you would like to know where I get the formal language about foreign language translations from, it is I-485 Instructions Page 5 of 42, last paragraph, interpret it how you want. 

Hey! I just went for my AoS interview yesterday at Omaha, NE.
 
1. Your passport is sufficient, but they do accept foreign identification documents such as my Singaporean Identity Card.
 
2. We have an adopted stepchild who lives with us, no children of our own. I brought her birth certificate and her custody papers along because it changed between AoS submission(when the divorce decree submitted says we don't have her custody) and now(we have a temporary order), but neither were ever asked from us during the interview, yet my status on USCIS Case Status now reads "New Card is Being Produced". You can really just explain your situation when the interviewing officer asks, that's what my husband and I did. The interviewing officer asked if I am okay with this arrangement and if I even liked my husband's daughter. I told him I am getting there and I very much so prefer her staying with us that the demented ex-wife.
 
3. They are asking for yours, not the K1 petitioner's.
 
4. You're fine. Just declare that you are fluent is both languages. Don't take my word for it though, all my documents are in English, it is just what I understand from reading the instructions.
 
5. I submitted the AoS with the application. AoS was not asked of me during the interview. Medical is a whole other ball game. You will see some people saying that they were delayed because they didn't have medical even though the I-693 Instructions Page 7 of 12, Part 3, says that K1 holder applicants don't need to submit an I-693 if they filed AoS within 1 year of their overseas medical. What I did to prevent this was to bring the page and highlight the particular instruction, just in case it was asked of me. It was never asked of me. But do note that I, as was instructed at the same mentioned part, submitted the vaccination record DS-3025 with photocopies of my vaccination certificates, that was provided to me by the overseas medical clinic without my prompting. In addition, I submitted a written letter explaining why I wasn't submitting an I-693, I included the date of my overseas medical.
 
5. Same thing happened to me. I applied for AP and EAD, have not received either by the time of the interview so I just did completely nothing about that instruction. I didn't bring any notice or anything. Turned out fine for me.
 
I hope this helps. Good luck!

i think thats for your current country but i may be wrong
 
and US and CA sometimes are a bit different due to our relationship and proximity and ties

My point-of-entry was LAX and had a 3 hour layover and it was too much time. But trust me, 3 hours for LAX because I landed on a morning flight and so it wasn't as busy as usual. I've landed in Chicago before as a Visa Waiver, whatever time you think you need, add 1.5 hours, even for early flights. Dallas was an awesome experience, you would probably need 2 hours. I like Dallas very much, Dallas is awesome.

Mailed packet 3 (confirmation of DS-160, payment of visa fee, and a checklist & signed form) back to the US embassy yesterday. The post office said it's been delivered. Hope they'll get back to me soon on interview date. Scheduled my medical for next Wed. Gonna apply for COC tomorrow and send the clinic the documents they asked for.
 
BTW, regarding the clinic, I called them and said it's for US visa, but when they sent me a confirmation email, they did not mention anything about US visa or even ask for any documents initially. When I checked here and saw that I had to send some docs in, called them and they quickly sent me another email with a list of to-dos. 
 
Here's hoping that everything goes smoothly and my POE will be by first week of December! 

Just a quick sharing of my medical today:
 
Appt was for 1130. I arrived at 11 am. Wrote my name and purpose of visit. Sat for around 10 minutes. I was then asked to verify some details, sign on the passport photos I brought, and to pee in a bottle. I almost didn't have enough pee (lol) so make sure you drink plenty of liquids! There's a water cooler in the clinic too in case you don't have enough water on you. Peed, then waited some more. 
 
Took blood tests. Nurse asked if I've had chicken pox. I had chicken pox when I was a teen but do not have any documentation, so he had to administer a blood test for that. Vaccines wise, the last one was in 2005, which was way too long ago. 
 
Height + weight + vision test, quick and easy. Then I went into the doctor's office, and was asked questions about my medical history, essentially. Then I was given three shots including flu shot which hurt a bit but thankfully now as I am typing this, it doesn't hurt anymore. After that, I got my chest xrays done, very simple and fast process. The nurse gave me a CD. Lastly, I paid via Visa credit card at the counter and received a yellow vaccine booklet which I should bring to the interview. The nurse said the report will be sent to the embassy directly within 10 working days. I told her that my interview was scheduled for 7 Nov which is 9 working days (Deepavali on the 6th) and she wrote on this piece of paper to expedite the process. Left at 1225! Quite a fast process. 
 
Hope everything goes smoothly! 

Current income for a W-2 employee is determined via pay stubs and letters of employment.
Current income for self-employed individuals is based on their tax return.
 
Changing jobs isn't an issue.
 
OP is filing for an IR-1/CR-1 visa (based on the forum posted in, and use of "wife"), which uses an I-864.

A K1 is a non-immigrant visa. Your mom can either put "Non-immigrant" or "Other/I don't know." 
 
She can then explain your situation if an officer asks. 

@AL-MJD thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it  

My interview letter for adjustment of status writes that I bring my I-693 and vaccination supplement, unless already submitted.
 
So, I doubt you will get an RFE for not sending an I-693 because if you read Form I-485 Instructions, Page 12, Point 10, Paragraph 3, it says:
"You are NOT required to submit Form I-693 at the time you file your adjustment application, but may do so if you
wish. Because of the time-limited validity of Form I-693, you may choose to submit your Form I-693 after you file
your Form I-485. You may also submit Form I-693 in person at an interview in a USCIS field office, if an interview is
required. By waiting to submit Form I-693, you may avoid having to repeat the immigration medical examination."
 
That being said, if you entered on a K1 Visa, then Form I-693 Instructions, Page 7 of 12, Point 3, may apply to you. It says:
"If you were admitted as a:
A. K-1 fiancé(e) or a K-2 child of a K-1 fiancé(e); or
B. K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen or a K-4 child of a K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen; and
C. You received a medical examination prior to admission, then:
(1) You are not required to have another medical examination as long as you file your Form I-485 within one year
of an overseas medical examination; and
(a) The panel physician did not find a class A medical condition during your overseas examination; or
(b) The panel physician did find a class A medical condition, you received a waiver of inadmissibility, and
you have complied with the terms and conditions of the waiver.
(2) Even if a new medical examination is not required, you must still show proof that you complied with the
vaccination requirements. If the vaccination record (DS 3025) was not properly completed and included
as part of the original overseas medical examination report, you will have to have the Part 9. Vaccination
Record completed by a designated civil surgeon. In this case, you must submit Parts 1., 2., 3., 4., 6., and 9.
of Form I-693
 
So hi, I submitted my I-485 application with a letter stating why I am not submitting an I-693, that I was an approved K1-Visa applicant and that I have already undergone a medical exam in Singapore. I wrote in the mentioned letter that I am providing a DS 3025 that was given to me instead as well as photocopies of my vaccination certificates. Fast-forward to today, I have not received an RFE but I do have an interview date.
 
I hope this helps you. Good luck!

Passport came in literally less than 24 hours before our interview  Interviewer said we are approved and are now waiting for our green card  

Hi AL-MJD!
 
Thanks much for taking the time to answer. :-)
 
Never thought about the fact that so many plans offer new phones. She would like a new phone...
 
For now I bought a cheap Android phone with pre-pay for emergencies, and I'm pretty happy with it.
 
I'm going to keep researching to see what networks hers will work on, she sent me her IMI number to see if I can sign it up now on Verizon.
 
And yes, you're right about Verizon. It doesn't matter what Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and the others say, Verizon, at least in my state and where I travel, *always* has the best signal. And it's hard to estimate how annoying it is to not have a signal or drop calls until it happens to you. So not a commercial for Verizon, but as sad as it is, they do have the best coverage.
 
OK, hope your stay in the US is going well, hope you're enjoying being with the love of your life. 🙏
 
Duane & Haney

you're absolutely right. though, soon, you might want to purchase a new phone with a local service provider.
 
i was using a samsung S7 edge. the difference between me and Haney is that i wanted to update my phone model. and so i wanted a prepaid number first so that i can freely switch to a postpaid plan with a new phone.
 
i found out that here where i live, AT&T is the only provider with a prepaid plan whereas Verizon is the provider that i need because of all the properties and destinations that we need to travel to. Verizon just has better coverage. in this way, my extended family was concerned about my poor call service. but again, all this might not apply to you.
 
on another note, you and Haney might want to benefit from bringing Haney to the US by utilizing the 1 phone for 1 free phone when you contract an existing line and one brand new line. i don't know about where you are, but here, it seems like every phone provider offers that promotion.

@cywrainide@allisonf
 
Heyya fellow Singaporean-K1 filers.
 
I just thought you'd like a detailed update. I'm the beneficiary. I'm Singaporean.
 
My NOA1 was on 28/7/2017
Received NOA2 16/2/2018
 
For some strange reason, I have 2 NOA2 dates lol. Online says 21/2/2018, everywhere else says 16/2/2018. USPS misplaced our hardcopy letter, which is so very sad.
 
Anyways, I called in to NVC - (603)-334-0700 on 16th March 2018 (I was in U.S. then), and received awesome news. I am not very sure when NVC received our petition from USCIS, but they made a case for our petition on the 6th March (i.e. a case number was assigned).
 
You will need to call in to NVC to harass them for your case number, which starts with SGP btw, and an invoice ID number, which acts like a username-password to check online, the status of the courier of your petition-case from NVC to U.S. Embassy of Singapore.
 
NVC sent out our case to U.S. Embassy of Singapore on 15th March and the Embassy received our case on 19th March 2018. It sent out forms, copy of the I-129F, etc, to the mailing address provided on I-129F. These reached my home on 21st March, but I was in the States until 2nd April. This is called Packet 3.
 
These are the forms that are part of Packet 3.
1. Letter that Embassy is ready to process your case -- has case number and full name of beneficiary on it.
 
2. Letter to request for COC(police certificate) -- you will need to scan this letter to upload into your application for Singapore police certificate(COC), along with scans of beneficiary IC front, IC back, passport biometric page, and a digital copy of Singapore-passport-sized photo. There is a $55 fee.
After sending your application for COC, you will be asked to make an appointment online to go to Police Cantonment Complex at Outram Park for fingerprinting. You legit can book an appointment on the day itself. You can take an underpass via the MRT Station there, follow the directions to the complex's Block D, you will need to surrender an ID(NRIC or Driver's License) for a visitor pass then proceed through security checks to level 2. Show your appointment notice to the men at the counter and follow the men's instructions. Don't forget to return your visitor's pass.
 
3. Letter for medical appointment -- You're just going to have to call-in to the number on the letter to schedule an appointment. You will need to inform them that you are scheduling one for a U.S. Visa. You don't need to wait very long for one. Ladies should make an appointment outside of their period duration, at least 3 days before her period starts or 3 days after it has ended. They will send you a pre-registration form via e-mail, you will need to complete it and send it back to their e-mail, along with a scan of your passport biometric page and this letter before your appointment date.
On the day itself, you need to produce 4 Singapore-passport-sized photos which are the same(3 for children). You will need to bring your original passport and the letter on Number 1, the one with your case number and name on it, as well as vaccinations history.
Currently I have no details on how the medical goes, my appointment is on 9th April. But, the fees are a minimum of $320(before GST); $150 Visa medical exam, $135 lab tests, $35 chest x-ray. Additional fees for vaccines, which I will talk about after my medical appointment.
 
4. I-130 and I-130 instructions. This is the affidavit of support. When you read about it here on VJ, you will see many people saying a photocopy of the sponsor(s)'(petitioner's included) signature will suffice. Some will say their consulates only accept wet ink signatures. I was in the States, and I asked my Baby to sign me I-130s before I left for Singapore, therefore I'm doing this in wet-ink.
 
5. Brochure on domestic violence, and information on assistance available to the beneficiary in United States.
 
6. Copy of the I-129F sent by the petitioner -- this is important, this will have the beneficiary's new A-number, needed on the I-130.
 
OKAY, THESE ARE THE IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT OF THE LOT.
 
• CHECKLIST.
This will list all the things that you need. You only gather the documents that pertain to you.
1. Complete DS-160. 
This form will ask for your Singapore passport book number. It is the same as your Singaporean passport number. I'm not going to be familliar with book numbers for passports of other countries. You will also need a digital copy of U.S.-passport-sized photo.
You don't have to complete it in one sitting, in fact I encourage you to partially-complete it after receiving a case number. The application number is valid for 30 days.
You must print out 2 photocopies of the confirmation page only.
2. Payment information.
You will need to pay US$265 in SG$357.75 through Singpost or S.A.M.. You need to print out a DMV deposit slip which is remarkably easy to find online even without the website listed on the checklist.
3. Documents: Passport, Birth Certificate or the best possible secondary evidence, Police Certificate(COC), Police Cerificates from all other countries that you have lived in for more than 6 months after the age of 16, or have been arrested in. Court and Prison records, Military records, 2 colour photographs in U.S.-passport-size. Marriage certiificates and/or termination of previous marriage(s) document(s) of both petitioner and beneficiary. Evidence of support, which is I-130 Affidavit of Support. Medical Examination. Evidences of relationship. And translations of any document that is not in English.
•Form
It's really just a declaration form that you have everything ready for an interview and that you know that you are not guaranteed a Visa approval until a consular officer interviews and approves you.
 
After you are done with all of that, you will need to mail back the form, the checklist, one of the photocopies of the DS-160 confirmation page and the original receipt you get from paying the DMV, back to the office. Only these 4 need to be mailed. Do not mail anything else, do not mail your original or photocopies of documents.
 
I had it mailed to:
Embassy of United States of America, Singapore
Consular section, Immigrant Visa Unit
27 Napier Road
Singapore 258508
 
I decided to mail it by registered mail. You don't have to. It's just that the Immigrant Visa unit is not able to tell you if they have received your documents. Since it's registered mail and that's only available on Singpost counters, I paid my DMV fees literally 10 mins before I mailed these 4 things to the Embassy.
 
So I mailed packet 3 back to the Embassy on 3rd April, registered mail informed me that the Embassy received it on 5th April, and I got an e-mail notification on 6th April, saying that my interview is on 24th April. They will send this interview notification to the e-mail you provide on the form that you mailed back to them. You must print this e-mail to bring to the interview.
 
So conclusion, prepare all original documents that pertains to you beforehand. Remember to make photocopies, the interview notice will reflect that they want photocopies, but the checklist will not.
You will receive the COC on the spot after your fingerprinting, which confuses me too because the Embassy letter says the Police Complex will send it straight to the Embassy. Maybe I did something wrong somewhere in the application, who knows?
It allegedly takes maximum 2 weeks for the medical exam to reach the embassy, something I will confirm later.
Feel free to mail back the packet 3 sooner than you receive your COC or medical exam date.
 
I wish you all the best. (:

Hi  everyone, I have got my passport back today and I would like to share some additional info about the status change as I think it is slightly different from previous cases.
 
1. NOA2 date (25th May but I only see it online on 29th May)
2. At NVC (13th June)
3. In Transit (26th June)
4. Ready (9th July - 10th July) (they sent out the P3 on 10th July)
5. P3 received on 12th July and sent back on 12th July
6. Remain Ready (10th July)
7. Ready (10th Aug) -On 10th Aug, I was informed with an interview date thus the last update date changed to 10th Aug
8. Ready (27th Aug) -On 27th Aug, the embassy sent me a reminder about my interview date. (Somehow I think they checked my case as last update date becomes  24th Aug instead of 10th Aug but I can't remember now.)
9. Ready (29th Aug) - This is my interview date
10. 'Administrative Processing' Immigrant Visa - (30th Aug - 7th Sep)
11. 'Application Received' (7th Sep)- it becomes Non-Immigrant Visa and both create date and last update date become 7th Sep
12. 'Administrative Processing'(7th Sep) - The previous status only remained for a few minutes I think and then it becomes 'AP'
13. 'Issued' (10th Sep)
 
Visa on hand - 11th Sep
I choose to pick up my passport at Aramex Chinatown.
 
After 'Issued', you can track your passport using CGI website: http://www.ustraveldocs.com/eg/eg-niv-passporttrack.asp#PassportTrackingOptions
Or you can also email:  passportstatus@ustraveldocs.com
with Passport Number as title and passport number as the only content.
 
(Don't panic, it will probably show something like no status at first, you may wait for a few hours after you see 'Issued', as later it will become 'Passport has been received from the consular section, and is currently being processed for delivery)
My guess is that the embassy will hand over all the passport in evening but I am not sure. 
 
Aramex is very efficient, they called me around 10:50am (their office hour starts from 9:00am) on 11th Sep, and I also receive an email saying my passport is ready to be picked up around 11:40am.
But it is totally ok for you to call them before they contact you if you need your passport as soon as possible.
One business day is probably enough to pick up your passport, just call Aramex the 2nd day after you see 'Issued' status.
They will ask you for your passport number.
 
For those who choose to pick up your passport at Aramex Chinatown, it is really convenient. 
Take either Downtown line or purple line, and get to Chinatown Station. Go to exit D, and the building is just outside exit D.
 
 
I hope all these information will help you guys and all the best to all of you!
 

@vaksurik How long is your anticipated ship tour? If your fiancé is away from the U.S. less than 6 months he will be ok, doesn't need advanced parole. Frequent and prolonged absence from the U.S. may jeopardize his future citizenship application (even with advanced parole).  

Hi! I see from your immigration timeline that you have not received your NOA2.
 
So what you can do right now is wait on your NOA2 approval. It would take a few weeks to get your petition from USCIS to NVC. I am not sure if you know, but after approval, you're suppose to call NVC for your new case number -- that will start with SGP -- and an invoice number. As you call NVC almost everyday, when they have officially received your case is the best time to let them know that the beneficiary's address has changed.
 
Otherwise, with the NVC case number and invoice number, you will be able to track when your case is Ready at the U.S. Embassy of Singapore. At this time you can e-mail the Embassy, mention your case number, invoice number, beneficiary's full name and birthdate, and let them know that the beneficiary's address has changed.
 
Finally, you can always seek to forward mail from the old address to the new address with Singpost.
 
I hope this helps you. All the luck in the world and all our love.
 
Andri&Matt

Actually, contrary to popular belief, NVC does additional background checks as well. It definitely doesn't accept or reject cases, but it will send cases back to USCIS for further processing if need be.
 
The reasons for this are endless, sometimes, it could simply be the fact that it cannot get a hold of the beneficiary's contact details, like the beneficiary address on the I-129F is incomplete or unavailable. When things like this happens, NVC sends the case back to USCIS so that USCIS may sent an RFE to the petitioner. 
 
Sometimes, it's bad, and there are multiple perfectly reasonable and unreasonable reasons, and NVC will send the case back to USCIS for the case to expire there.
 
Do open an inquiry with USCIS when they receive your case from NVC, they will inform you on the whys and what to do.
 
Good luck.

Hi all, just posting a mini update to show the timeline of when I got my visa on hand.
 
Interview date: 10 July 2018
 
After-interview update on CEAC Website:
10 July 2018: "Ready", case last updated date changed from 24 May 2018 to 10 July 2018.
12/13 July 2018: "Application Received", switched from "Immigrant Visa Application" to "Non-immigrant Visa Applicant", case created date changed from 21 May 2018 to 12 July 2018.
14 - 16 July 2018: "Administrative Processing"
17 July 2018: "Issued" - This is the last update I got.
 
Then on 21 July 2018 the courier delivered visa packet to my home.

So it took a total of 11 days from interview to VOH and 4 days from issued to VOH for my case.
 
All the best everyone else! 
 

I am sharing my medical exam experience over here.
My appointment is at 3:30pm today.
Time of arrival: 2:58pm
 
Step1: Sign in on a sheet and wait tobe called.
Step2: Sign on the 4 passport size photograph.
Step3: Given a urine test bottle to fill in half of the bottle and return it back. I was also given a disclaimer sheet of paper and asked me to keep it.
Step4: Did an X-ray. I had to take off the cloth and bra and was provided a blue color cloth to wear.
Step5: A nurse asked what vaccine did I take before and did I exposed to chickenpox virus. 
I provided them with my vaccine record book and a chickenpox blood test result that I did in TTSH.
The nurse made a copy of these and told me I do not need to take extra vaccine. But still need a blood test for syphilis.
Step6: Height and weight was examined. And color blindness and eye sight tested.
Step7: The doctor asked me a few questions and I answered. Questions such as if I have ever had problems with heart, lung, or did I have any surgery before. Have I been pregnant before, etc.  And lung test and abdomen tests.
Step8: Payment!
 
I paid $342.40: $150 US Visa Medical Exam, $135 Laboratory, $35 Chest X-Ray, $22.40 GST(7%).
 
 
I had all vaccine taken before I went there and for chicken pox, I did blood test.
So mine should be the minimum for a medical exam I guess. 
 
Hope they will not make any mistake and can deliver the results safely to the embassy.
 

Hello everyone! We are sending our AOS tomorrow. We were married on 6/12 and we couldn't be any happier! Hopefully, this process is better than the NOA2  Goodluck everyone <3

Hey! No worries. These are the latest instructions: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1k3aos and here, you'll find a lot of useful example forms: http://www.visajourney.com/content/examples/. 
 
I think they may be updating the AOS form in August so just make sure you always have the correct (latest) version if every form you're using. You can do this by checking the date in the bottom right corner of the form. Browse around for other people's AOS cover letters to get an idea of what kind of evidence people have submitted. Good luck! 

Bro did you read that i said i don't know my politics or are you partially blind? I get that, I am just at that age where I don't remember how long ago news happened. 

I thought visa processing was self funded by our fees......
 
I haven't noticed a large decrease in number of petitions submitted.