NataliaDenz

Where is the thread for Judging without knowing any facts?? Do we just generalize  everyone on a B1-B2 visa had the intent to commit visa fraud? Ignorance = hate 

In my ideal world, all B2 holders AOSing would be sent back to their home country with no exception but death. Getting married is fine, but go home and wait in line while you wrap up some of those crucial ties to your home country that got you the B2 visa instead of someone using it to truly visit. I bet divorce rates among B2 newlyweds would drop this way.
 
A temporary authorized stay with a large fee attached could be reasonable for severe medical issues or the rare true emergency as determined by USCIS. Those B2 holders could then return to their home country after the medical issues were resolved. They should be able to apply for a CR1 without prejudice.
 
However, despite my dreams of how B2 AOS immigration SHOULD be handled, as it stands B2 recipients who entered without intent to immigrate have the perfectly legal option to AOS as the law now stands. But I don't have to like it!

Hi!! I am currently AOS from a B2 visa. Filed everything on January, got my EAD/AP on June and now I have my interview on the 13th of August!!! Everything is moving so fast!! Im San Diego Office btw. Im so glad because im currently 20 weeks pregnant and we were worried about the interview date being close to my due date but luckily it is happening way sooner than expected!!!! 

Where is the thread for Judging without knowing any facts?? Do we just generalize  everyone on a B1-B2 visa had the intent to commit visa fraud? Ignorance = hate 

Hi!! I am currently AOS from a B2 visa. Filed everything on January, got my EAD/AP on June and now I have my interview on the 13th of August!!! Everything is moving so fast!! Im San Diego Office btw. Im so glad because im currently 20 weeks pregnant and we were worried about the interview date being close to my due date but luckily it is happening way sooner than expected!!!! 

Where is the thread for Judging without knowing any facts?? Do we just generalize  everyone on a B1-B2 visa had the intent to commit visa fraud? Ignorance = hate 

So I  checked the old USIS website and it shows my interview was sheduled on July 2nd ( I’m San Diego office) for those of you who have gotten letters of interview schedule, how long did it take between the message and the notice and how far apart was the interview scheduled, like how much time in advanced? 
This is amazing news! But I had a trip planned in August, I did not expect my interview this soon, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to cancel it and sit still for the notice!

I got the same thing!!!! I’m January 18th, San Diego as well. And it says it was scheduled July 2nd. It almost looks like it’s a bug or a mistake lol. Should I believe it???? Too good to be true??? How long do you think it’s gonna take before they actually schedule it?? 

So I  checked the old USIS website and it shows my interview was sheduled on July 2nd ( I’m San Diego office) for those of you who have gotten letters of interview schedule, how long did it take between the message and the notice and how far apart was the interview scheduled, like how much time in advanced? 
This is amazing news! But I had a trip planned in August, I did not expect my interview this soon, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to cancel it and sit still for the notice!

I got the same thing!!!! I’m January 18th, San Diego as well. And it says it was scheduled July 2nd. It almost looks like it’s a bug or a mistake lol. Should I believe it???? Too good to be true??? How long do you think it’s gonna take before they actually schedule it?? 

So I  checked the old USIS website and it shows my interview was sheduled on July 2nd ( I’m San Diego office) for those of you who have gotten letters of interview schedule, how long did it take between the message and the notice and how far apart was the interview scheduled, like how much time in advanced? 
This is amazing news! But I had a trip planned in August, I did not expect my interview this soon, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to cancel it and sit still for the notice!

CREDIT BUILDING!!!!!!! (LENGTHY BUT WORTH THE READ!)
Introduction
Seeing how building a credit score is one of the biggest hurdles for an immigrant to tackle, and every now and then you see a topic pop up with a question about things like credit cards, buying a car and so on, I thought it would be a good idea to have a single topic to gather all tips and tricks in a single thread.
In time, maybe we can incorporate this info into one of VJ's Guides...
What is Credit Score
The US Credit Score is a number between 300 and 850, which reflects your ability to handle credit. The official score is often referred to as FICO (Fair, Isaac & Company)
There are 5 items that contribute to your score, each with a different weight:
Payment History (35%): Any history of bankruptcy, liens, judgments, settlements, charge offs, repossessions, foreclosures, and late payments drops your score. Revolving Debt (30%): The amount borrowed versus available credit. Think Credit Cards. Length of Credit History (15%): Both the average time of accounts, as well as the age of the oldest account. These must be ACTIVE accounts. Types of Credit (10%): installment, revolving, consumer finance, mortgage. If you handle more than 1 type of credit, this is good. Inquiries and New Debt (10%): When making an inquiry for credit, such as credit card applications, shopping for a loan etc, your rating goes down. Why is this good or bad as a new immigrant
As an immigrant you do not have a history in the US. This means you DO NOT HAVE a US credit rating when you arrive.
The positive thing is that you also do not have any BAD payment history.
The bad thing is, credit is a catch-22 problem in the US: You can't get credit without a good credit score, and you can't get a good credit score without having and using credit.
Any cards, accounts or history you have or had abroad do not count. (One known exception, see below)
What credit score ranges are there
Excellent credit score: 720 and Up Good credit score: 680 to 719 Average credit score: 620 to 679 Poor credit score: 580 to 619 Bad credit score: 500 to 579 Miserable credit score: Less than 500 How to get credit so you have items reporting into your credit score
A lot depends on your personal situation. Are you married, employed, do you have cash to open an account, and so on.
Typically, you will need to find a bank or credit union first, so ask around.
Once you have found a suitable financial institution, ask for a "Secured Credit Card". This is a card with a certain spending limit, which amount you secure through the financial institution by depositing the cash equivalent on a locked account.
You can then use the assigned credit, and after the first month's statement is due, you will have items reporting into your credit score. You now have payment history, length of credit and revolving debt.
Usually, your bank will replace the secured credit card with a regular credit card, increasing the limit on the card. Expect this after a few months, if you pay your statements on time.
People coming in through a work visa can often get a company credit card, which makes life a lot easier!
If your spouse has a good credit rating, the financial institution might also allow him/her to co-sign the credit card application. Check with the financial institution on the requirements they have. In theory any person (in the US) with good credit can co-sign, so a family friend, parents etc are fine too.
How to get from decent to excellent credit
OK, now that we have some things reporting into our credit score, how can we boost that score up?
1. The number one rule: PAY EVERYTHING ON TIME, IN FULL
2. Specifically to credit cards, the use of credit is important, more specifically, how much do you charge to your card:
Per account, avoid exceeding 33% of assigned credit. Some people say it's best to have a utilization of 12-20% (Some say between 1 and 20%) The utilization is based on the amount due on the reporting date. If you buy a 900$ television on a 1000$ credit, but deposit 700$ before the reporting date, your utilization is only 200$, or 20% (Can anyone confirm?) Do not leave credit cards unused (When not using credit, this hurts your score). If you have a 500$ secured card, you could for instance use it to put fuel in your car every week or so. Do not close old credit cards, this hurts your account age! 3. Diversify. Get at least one credit card and one installment loan. You can get a secured installment loan through your financial institution. If you want to buy a TV for 1000$, but that 1000$ in a secured account at the bank, and have them give you a loan over 12 months against that deposit.
Another option, typically when buying a car, is to get a car from a dealer who gives credit to "anyone". But ALWAYS ask if they report to the credit agencies (CRAs). Then pay the remainder of the loan after at least SIX months. The intrest rate will be ridiculous (over 20% in most cases).
According to Equifax, having at least 4 (different) lines of credit are required to get a really good score (Credit Card, Mortgage, Car Payment, Student Loans, Personal Loans, Home Equity Loan for Credit, ...)
My credit union actually suggested the following:
a) Get a "personal secured loan" to buy a car. (basically: Put the money you would pay as a cash downpayment on a car, into a secured loan for yourself)
b) After 90d of employment, you qualify for a "first time borrower" loan. Bring in the title to the car, and you can use the title to borrow against. You'd get a mediocre intrest rate (C-level credit).
This would give you 3 lines of credit after about 4 months, which is pretty good !
Age of Credit Accounts
Even if you have a decent credit score after a few months, when the time comes you want to buy your first car, you might get rejected quite a bit on your loan, due to "no sufficient credit history". Although the average age of accounts only counts for 15% of the credit score algorithm, financial institutions will count this as one of the major factors for credit decisions. The solution is to get a large downpayment, and preferably work with the financial institution directly, not through a dealer.
Credit Reporting Agencies
There are 3 major CRAs in the US:
TransUnion (http://www.transunion.com) Equifax (http://www.equifax.com) Experian (http://www.experian.com) They all have minor differences in how they calculate your credit score. By law, they are (each) required to give you one free credit report per year.
What can affect your score negatively?
(From TransUnion)
Wondering when judgments and bankruptcies will no longer appear on your credit reports? Check the dates on records in your credit report. Generally, here's how long judgments and bankruptcies remain on a credit report:
Bankruptcy
Generally, Chapter 7, 11 and 13 bankruptcies appear as public record items on your credit report for up to 10 years after filing. Chapter 13 bankruptcy records are sometimes taken off sooner, 7 years after filing, depending on the credit reporting company’s policy. When you receive an Order of Discharge in bankruptcy, your creditors should mark those accounts that were discharged as "Included in Bankruptcy" and they will stay on your report for up to 7 years.
Charge-off accounts
Generally, if a delinquent account is charged-off, the charge-off record appears on your credit report for up to 7 years.
Closed accounts
Generally, negative or derogatory information about delinquent accounts remain on your credit reports for up to 7 years. Positive closed accounts (without late payments or other delinquencies) may appear for longer than 7 years.
Collection accounts
Generally, accounts sent to collections will be listed on your credit report for up to 7 years, beginning 181 days from the most recent delinquent period before the collection activity. A collection account’s status should change to "paid collection" once you've paid off the entire amount. If you settle with the collection agency for less, your credit report may list the account as "settled for less than full balance."
Inquiries
When a creditor or lender checks your credit in connection with an application, you'll usually see a "hard inquiry" on your credit report. Generally, these stay on your report for as long as two years, and may lower your credit score slightly. When a creditor reviews the credit report of an existing customer, or when you access your own data online, a "soft inquiry" typically shows up on your credit report. Soft inquiries don't lower your credit score or appear to businesses checking your credit.
Judgments
Generally, most court judgments, including small claims, civil and child support, stay on your credit reports for up to 7 years from the date they were filed.
Late payments
Generally, if you make a payment late, the delinquency could appear on your credit report for up to 7 years.
Tax liens
Under federal law, city, county, state and federal tax liens could stay on your report indefinitely. Generally, after the lien is paid, the record of it stays on your credit reports for up to 7 years from the payment date.
One of the most important of these are the inquiries. If you want to get store credit or a new credit card, DO NOT JUST APPLY for one. Every time you apply for credit, your score will drop a few points, and the inquiry itself (Often referred to as "hard inquiry) stays on your report. Lenders who see systematic hard inquiries on a report see this as negative.
However, when shopping for a car (and thus car loans), all hard inquiries within 14 days are reported as one. When buying a house and a mortgage, they are grouped into one for 30 days.
Major Tip:
VISA and MasterCard are basically payment PLATFORMS, where local financial institutions issue the credit through the platform. Your credit history and account reside with that financial institution.
American Express (AMEX) however, issues the credit itself (Sometimes through local companies, but the credit file is shared with Amex --> This appears NOT to be the case: If cards in your country are not issued by American Express directly (Global Network Cards), they cannot be transferred.).
If you have an Amex abroad, and have had it for more than 12 months, you can (in most cases) request a US Amex card to replace your foreign card. The advantage is, with a good foreign history, chances of approval are very high, plus, the age of your account goes back to the first issuance of your Amex card abroad !
https://www.americanexpress.com/global-card-transfers/united-states.html
Transferring Funds to the USA:
Another point to remember is that transferring your foreign money to your new US account (for instance, to get your secured loan or secured credit card) can be a costly affair. Banks have 2 areas to make money off you:
1.      Transfer fee: Usually a flat fee or a fixed percentage. This is the fee that is generally quite visible.
2.      Exchange Rate: The exchange rate your bank will use is quite different from the real exchange rate on the market. For example, the exchange rate between the EURO and the US DOLLAR might be 1.330 on the market, but your bank might only offer you 1.290. That is a 3% difference you might not see !
After doing some research, I settled on TransferWise. (https://transferwise.com/u/b6f15). This seems to be the best platform so far for people in Europe (incl. the UK) to send money to the US. (Or from UK -> EU and vice versa).
It takes a few days longer than most bank transfers, but other than that, I have found it faultless and easy to use. The people behind TransferWise are those that built Skype.
Little disclaimer: The URL provided (https://transferwise.com/u/b6f15) is linked to my account and will allow me to accumulate friend referral benefits.
There are other platforms that outperform high-street banks and Paypal, please feel free to comment below to add your experiences (and from where to where you sent the money). I would find it useful to add information on how to send money from Non-EU countries, and also how to send money to the foreign spouse / fiancee.
Reading Tips:
http://www.myfico.com/CreditEducation/articles/
http://www.freescore.com/good-bad-credit-score-range.aspx

Omggggg did this finally happened??? I almost cried when I saw it!!! Now please tell me it is actually not 120 days. Those who have gotten it, how long after this email? 

Omggggg did this finally happened??? I almost cried when I saw it!!! Now please tell me it is actually not 120 days. Those who have gotten it, how long after this email? 

Omggggg did this finally happened??? I almost cried when I saw it!!! Now please tell me it is actually not 120 days. Those who have gotten it, how long after this email? 

Omggggg did this finally happened??? I almost cried when I saw it!!! Now please tell me it is actually not 120 days. Those who have gotten it, how long after this email? 

helnazedain here. Had to make a new account because it wouldn't let me log in anymore.
 
Anyway, I am pleased to say we got approved! Interview on Apr 3 went smoothly. The IO was so nice but she didn't approve us on the spot as well as other people she interviewed. We were so disappointed after not getting an approval on the spot as we planned to celebrate over lunch. We ended up eating cheap tacos and ice cream instead. Ha! 
 
I called USCIS the next day though (since my case status could not be tracked) and asked for an IO to give me a callback. 2 hours later, I got a call and was told that we got approved on the day of the interview, so I assume the lady who interviewed us is one of those IOs who like to review and approve at the end of the work day. But yeah, hooray!
 
Before I walk you through the interview experience, I would like to share something I discovered recently. I found out that making an account at https://myaccount.uscis.dhs.gov and tracking your case through there is different from (and better than) the USCIS tracker we've all been using. I can track my AOS case status on this page and it says it was approved on April 3. I can also see that my AP was denied on the same day, probably because it's no longer necessary. No update on the EAD, though, which is odd. Anyway, I tried to track these cases again on the app and on https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus (logged in, too) and those new updates do not show plus my AOS case number still gives an error. So yeah, give the dhs link a try.
 
And now for the interview. Our appointment was at 9:15 am. We got there around 8:30 am which gave us enough time to park and check in. Was at the lobby by 9 am. There were more than 10 applicants before us but we only waited around half an hour for our turn. Those who were called before us did not come out until 30-45 mins later.
 
When we got to the IO's office, she opened our file and introduced herself. We did the oath thing and the fingerprint thing, and then she started looking at our papers. First, she verified some info on the I-485 like my name, address, social etc. then proceeded to the 99 no/no/no/no/no questions. This part took so long (about 10 mins) that even she got sick asking those long a** questions. She would mark each question after I answered, which I assumed meant that my answers matched. When we were done, she asked if we had filed our taxes for 2017 and when we said yes, she asked for a copy of the income tax return and the W-2s. She also asked for our passports and photocopied them (I brought copies but I don't know why I didn't stop her from making her own copies lol). She also asked if I had a state id/license and I said no, which wasn't a problem at all. Then, she asked if there was anything else we wanted to submit as she was flipping through the rest of our papers and I handed her a copy of our Report of Marriage. She wanted to know what this was for and I said that it was proof that we reported our marriage to my country, the Philippines. She took the paper and then asked for our marriage certificate + a photocopy, then continued flipping through the papers. She confirmed that she has our bank statements and payslips and asked if our joint account was checking or savings. I didn't see her look at any of our photos and she didn't ask to see the ones I brought, so I thought maybe she was already convinced that we're for real. Finally, I wanted to make sure we wouldn't have problems with my medical records so I asked her to confirm that she got my vaccination paper and I didn't need to get another medical exam. She said yes and that it's all good.
 
After putting the papers back in her folder, she asked me to step out of the room so she could interview my husband first. 15 mins later, she called me back in the office as my husband walked out. My husband was smiling so I figured it went well. She interviewed me for only 5 minutes as she had to wrap it up because the next couple assigned to her was already at the lobby. She said "You're good. Let me get your husband back here." I for sure thought she was going to stamp my passport, but instead, she gave us the paper that says case not yet approved with the first box checked. It said the case is in review and nothing else is required for now, and that we should receive the decision in the mail. She asked us if we had any questions but I was so stunned that I couldn't find the words to ask "WHY DID WE NOT GET APPROVED ON THE SPOT? DID WE SAY SOMETHING WRONG?". @_@ Instead, I shook my head no, smiled, and wished her a good day. I remember her saying something as she handed me the paper, but my disappointment was so deafening that I didn't hear a word she uttered. As soon as we hit the elevator, my husband and I were like, "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY". :'D 
 
But hey, we got approved the same day so that's good. The anxiety won't keep me up at night anymore. Thank you all for your support and I hope your interviews go smoothly as well and you get an on-the-spot approval!
 
I'll end this very long message with the interview questions. The IO asked me almost the same questions she asked my husband. Very easy!
 
QUESTIONS SHE ASKED BOTH OF US:
-When, where and how did you meet?
-What did you do the first time he visited you? What happened after he left?
-Did he meet your parents? When?
-Do you have siblings? How many and what are their names?
-Does he have siblings? How many and what are their names?
-When did you arrive in the USA? Was it your first time?
-When did you get married? Who were your guests? What did you do after? Which restaurant did you go to?
-Do you live in an apartment or a house? How many bedrooms do you have?
-How did you get here today? What kind of car does your husband have?
 
*QUESTIONS SHE ASKED MY HUSBAND BUT DIDN'T ASK ME:
-How much money do you make per month? How often do you get paid?
-Where do you work? What were your previous jobs?
-Where do you go to school? What course are you taking?
(My husband's interview was longer than mine because when the IO found out that my husband is studying to be an airplane mechanic, she started talking about her relative who is in the aviation industry as well. :D)
 
 

YES I HAVE A DRIVERS LICENSE. A PERMANENT ONE WITHOUT SOCIAL.  NOPE,  MY I94 EXPIRED 2 YEARS AGO. JUST MY RECEIPT.

I got my social before we were even married. We then went back and changed it to my married name after we got married with the marriage certificate. All they needed for the licence was the i797, social, my passport and the marriage certificate showing my married name as my passport was still in my maiden name. I got the ID without driving as it was horrendous snow at the time and I am not used to driving in it yet so I have scheduled my test to change it to a driver’s licence next month. I find that silly as I’ve held a European driver’s license for 19 years and have an international driving permit for my many trips to the states but I have to do a test again 😭

Omg Congrats!!!!!!! That is SUPER fast. Can I ask what kind of visa are you adjusting from??? 
Yesss keep on bringing the good news! 

OH MY GOODNESS!
 
Turns out, the first "tier 2" rep I spoke with was right. They DID send me a letter, and it IS my interview schedule. April 3! Holy #######, that's soon. I am in shock. @_@
 
I'd like to mention that after talking to this person, I called again twice and spoke to 2 different tier 2 reps as well. Both of them told me that they did not send me a letter and that my case status is still pending. Both of them also said that it is impossible for me to get an interview schedule so soon. Now that I think about it, the 2 other people I spoke introduced themselves as immigration officers, and I remember the first one was supposed to be a tech support person. I guess tech support reps can see letters generated and what kind of letters they are? I'm still unsure, but what matters now is that that first person was right.
 
It looks like something good came out of my case tracking issue. I am still unable to check the status of my AOS-- it is still giving me a "user-defined error" message, but I have my interview schedule letter at hand and I am happy and nervous! Seriously, how is this possible? I hope everyone gets theirs soon, too!
 
PS. I can track my AP and EAD just fine. Nothing new. Last updated on Jan 18. 

I did the same thing. I was able to bring it in. Just not use it. Turned it off and didn’t use it till I left. No problem 

Really? There doesn’t seem to be a logic order in any of theses cases to be honest..... it’s really frustrating when everyone has a different story and a different timeline. Always hoping for the best but then I hear this absurd time wait for other people ughh