SB5130

3 hours ago, Talako said:

They can, and they did.  Whether it was right is something else.

Did your wife had all the rest of her documents in married name? Because during my interview, the USCIS tried to change it and i showed them my passport with my name in married PH Name. They typed exactly what’s in my passport.

I had successfully change my name from maiden name to married name PH way midway during the immigration journey. 
 

My 2-year greencard is under my maiden name. I changed my name prior to filing ROC. I did not have any issues. But, what i did was— first, change all my IDs to married name PH way. First, SSN card. Then, driver’s license. Third, PH passport.

when it was time to file for ROC, i fill it up with my “new” married name. I attached my driver’s license, passport-both in the correct name as a supporting document of the name change. I did not have any issues anywhere in the filing. My 10-year greencard was in my PH married name

the only bump i had was at the DMV while applying for a new driver’s license. The lady didnt correctly changed my married name PH way. Since it’s face-to-face, i have the opportunity to correct her.  
 

the USCIS folks cant force you to change your middle name same with the birth certificate when all your valid IDs and documents are in the new name

16 minutes ago, el_greco said:

My Oath Ceremony Notice was mailed! No idea about the actual date yet, waiting for the PDF copy to show up on my.uscis.gov

congrats! which city? Im under Corpus Christi and nothing. I called the hotline and they could not put me in line somewhere else

12 hours ago, Adelina.cecil said:

Hey I got the email today my oath is on Friday in San Antonio, and they sent me oath letter through email in case I don't get the hard copy since is a last minute notice. Let me know when you get yours 

yay! that's great news! did you call them to get a schedule at San Antonio? Or did they reschedule it on it's own? 

On 12/31/2020 at 8:50 PM, HSong said:

I see.. what time was yours? Mine was at 11:15. My status has been showing  “case was submitted for quality review” since the day of the interview... it’s a quite long drive from corpus to San Antonio 🤪

Mine was also 11:15AM. My Status is "Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled" since the interview. 

Yes it's a long drive but I dont mind going back just to get this over. Hopefully we will hear some news soon.

On 12/17/2020 at 9:31 AM, HSong said:

Hi I’d like to share my experience with you folks. I live in Corpus Christi and just completed my interview for my n400 the day before yesterday, 12/15/20(March 2020 filer).
The interview was quick which lasted about 10 mins - and approved on the spot, but wasn’t lucky enough to do same-day oath ceremony. I’m not sure what’s criteria for doing that. The officer told me that I should be hearing back within 150 days, but she also told me that I could be doing my oath next month. She did mention that right now everything is done at San Antonio Office due to Covid. As I walked out, the security officer asked me if I did the same day oath and told me that there was a guy who was selected for it. So I’m not sure who gets to do the same day oath.. I guess you just have to be lucky 🤷🏻‍♀️

I am also from Corpus Christi and was interviewed Dec 15, 2020. I was told that the same day oath taking is already full and have to wait to be scheduled. I guess not my lucky day too.

4 hours ago, Mr Trav said:

Hello. Ok so my wife is nearing her interview timeline for Manila. From 2 years ago when I filed we have a out 100 hand written letters between the two of us, about 20 emails, lots of xoom and western union transfers. One question though... we both chat daily on fb. For privacy my displayed name is my first and middle. So if my name is john Edward smith my fb name is displayed as john Edward. My wife has adopted this as well. Her fb name shows Jane edward instead of jane her actual name. I like many do it for privacy. If we show printed samples of chats with these names will it be a problem or am I worried about nothing? Thanks. 

During my interview I wasn't ask any proof of communication. They didn't look at any chat logs. Just a photo of us. 

I don't think it would be a problem. Additionally, she can always explain during her interview. 

18 minutes ago, ch3john said:

Yes, make copies showing the same account number and your names on the cards. 

That's what I did as well. I printed out a copy of my credit card and my spouse's showing the same account number. 

17 hours ago, Allaboutwaiting said:

If I was in your shoes right now, I would send things from before the marriage too, in order to prove there was a solid relationship prior, including flight tickets, hotel bookings, passport stamps and pictures from any trip taken together -or to visit each other- from the inception of the relationship to this day. 

 

agree. when i did my ROC (Aug 2019 filer), i went ahead and submit everything we have. it was approved without interview. 

we submitted the following:

- bank account statements way back from 2017 

- joint insurance (health, vision, dental, car)

- joint bills (utility, power, mobile, internet)

- properties together

- joint loans (car, furniture financing, etc) 

- ITR

- 2 affidavit from my family and friends(notarized)

- trips together (boarding pass, passport stamps, one page photo supporting trip)

- couple of photos (one page collage for him with my family, me with his family, us attending events and public gatherings) 

- family planning visits and appointments (since we dont have kids yet) 

- employment portal showing each other as beneficiaries & emergency contact

- driver's license showing address

- couple of proof of billing (mails addressed for me and my husband showing similar address)

13 hours ago, B&C2017 said:

Hi guys,

 

My husband is a US Citizen and we’re both currently living abroad together. 
 

He’d potentially have the possibility to start a job in the US, but the staff off this company will work remote until September. 
 

Does anyone of you know if he’s allowed to be employed by a US company based in the US and work remote for them while living - and being registered as resident - in a foreign country?

 

Since he’s a US citizen he’s obviously allowed to work in the US and he also has a work permit for Switzerland. So that shouldn’t be a problem. We’re just not sure if there are any other legal aspects that wouldn’t make this possible.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

I dont think it would be an issue but he better read the terms of his contract/job offer.

I work virtual too and I dont have any requirement as to where I choose to work. But, my company requires me to full disclosure of my address and if I move.

6 hours ago, Becci391 said:

Filed from K1 last year in August.

I'm assuming I'm waiting for an interview to get scheduled as I wasn't interviewed for AOS...

Same. I filed from K1 too. I wasnt interviewed for AOS.

It's possible to skip ROC interview too depending on who is handling your case.

3 hours ago, jfenton87 said:

So exciting that we're starting to see cases being approved without interviews so soon! Just logged into the MyUSCIS website and saw that our case now says: 

 

On April 27, 2020, received your Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, Receipt Number SRCxxxxxxxxxx at your local office.

 

Houston, TX!

 

WOOT!
 

Congratulations! 

7 minutes ago, el_greco said:

Yes, I had my original interview for AOS in San Antonio, I only get biometrics appointments in Austin (where I live)

My field office is also in San Antonio. I got the approval update today. Although my status changed to "New Card is Being Produced" last Friday. I guess cases in San Antonio are moving.  

6 minutes ago, el_greco said:

Texas Service Center (TSC) according to the notification I got for my biometrics appointment - I don't have the original NOA here but I assume it would also say TSC

Your field office is also San Antonio, correct?

3 hours ago, Leruj said:

I'm sorry with what happened with you and your family in the past. I'm happy for you and thank you so much for sharing your experience.

 

I'll keep everything you told me in mind. I'll just hope for things to go as smoothly as possible.

My husband didn't meet my family until I had my greencard and it has no bearing against any of the immigration processes. (Although it might not be the same case if it is in US Embassy in India or Morocco where family is everything).

I just figured it's better not to jeopardize my relationship and move on in life. My husband understood the situation. I moved and settled in US. Then one day, I thought it's the right time to see them (family in PH). My husband and I paid them a visit. My husband got to travel to Philippines for the first time and get to meet them for the first time. 

Status,  money, accomplishments change perspectives in Philippines. It's all in the past now. 

So I think you don't need to worry if you don't have a good relationship with your family in Philippines.

Best of luck on your immigration journey!

On 5/9/2020 at 1:30 PM, Shane & Len said:

Hello all,

I apologize if this has been asked elsewhere, I couldn't find anything.  We are about 3 weeks from mailing the I 751 and due to a number of circumstances my wife has not yet had her name changed.  She wants to do this so that her 10 year card would reflect her new last name.  Just as everything came together so we could apply for the name change - Covid19 shut everything down and our window has been lost.

Long story short.  Is it wiser to wait until after the new 10 year card is issued and then go back for a new card after the name change.  Or, can we simply add additional paperwork to the application showing the name change has done?  There is obviously no documentation, showing her with a new last name at this point.  Our marriage license lists her with her maiden name.  We felt at the time it was the better way to go rather than lose months and months in the Philippines waiting for name change documents and passport updates there.  She needs her passport for work related travel and could not afford the delays that we believed we would face then.

I know we should have gotten it done sooner once she had immigrated.  But we didn't.  We got comfortable and just lived - now we need to find the best path forward.

 

A short novel for a short question - wait or move forward with name change?  We prefer to get the name change done quickly as she needs to renew her passport soon anyway but not sure what documentation should be included with the I751 if we do so.

Any advice would be appreciated.

thanks

 

If you havent sent out I751 yet, you can change name at ROC. I successfully changed mine during ROC. 

What I did was, make sure to fill up the forms in married name, make sure to attach marriage certificate (even if it didnt have a married name in it.), add IDs in married name (Drivers license, passport etc) since changing PH maiden name is a little different from US. Just to ensure it's done correctly.

7 hours ago, Leruj said:

Hi! I'm new here and my current fiancee is living in California. We are currently planning for a best way to get me there to get our family complete, and right now we are discussing which is the best path to take. 

 

We know for a fact that USCIS conducts background checking and calls. I've left home because of a toxic family, and have been living independently for the past few years.

 

They don't know that I'm engaged and are planning to get married, sometime within the next 2 years (delayed due to CoviD).

 

I'm just worried, will our petition get compromised, or will it have any adverse effect if they call my parents? 

 

Any tips or advice will be gladly appreciated, thank you, and keep safe to all of you.

 

 

If it makes you feel better, I'm on the same boat. I left my family's home at 21 and had not been in contact with them. I dont have a relationship with them prior to me immigrating. I lived on my own. They dont like me and I keep it at that.

I worked, worked and worked. Met my husband in the process, immigrated via K1. No issues during any of the processes. No RFEs, interview got even waived. But there was real bad blood between us (me and my family in PH). we only reconciled after I got my Greencard. 

16 minutes ago, SB5130 said:

I am aware that they will dismantle it and scan it individually. I used fasteners too. But I added an extra tabbed page to properly segregate each set of documents. In that way, if they wanna check specifics, they can go right to it.

The tabs are based on USCIS filing tips that it should be at the bottom of the page.

I segregated it via tabs so the USCIS folks can easily discard what they think is unnecessary. 

6 minutes ago, RS2016 said:

I don’t know the exact internal protocol.

 

Workloads at service centers and original visa come first, a CR will almost always be approved before a K1 as they have priority and K1 doesn’t 

I'm via K1. My AOS interview got also waived.

27 minutes ago, RS2016 said:

 

What helps your ability to get approved faster is what was your original visa into the country (K1 or CR), what Country you may have come from, and what Center is processing your application (MSC/SRC/NBC/LIN/Etc.).

 

Zero updates are visible on my application since the week my file was received at LIN, nothing has changed since my biometrics were taken last November.

 

 

 

Btw if you didn’t put your strongest evidence at the top, they may have put your file on the back burner....

 

Did you know when they received your application, someone had to fully dismantle your neatness to scan each page and then put the originals in archive and/or shredded.

 

 

My submission was put together with zero page labels and used ACCO fasteners for easy dismantle.

I am aware that they will dismantle it and scan it individually. I used fasteners too. But I added an extra tabbed page to properly segregate each set of documents. In that way, if they wanna check specifics, they can go right to it.

The tabs are based on USCIS filing tips that it should be at the bottom of the page.

14 minutes ago, RS2016 said:

 

What helps your ability to get approved faster is what was your original visa into the country (K1 or CR), what Country you may have come from, and what Center is processing your application (MSC/SRC/NBC/LIN/Etc.).

 

Zero updates are visible on my application since the week my file was received at LIN, nothing has changed since my biometrics were taken last November.

i thought it's based on service center first and foremost since it depends on their workload. Then evidences. I thought evidences would have matter at least. 

I did front load heavily and submitted all we've got. 

Including multiple properties (4 in Philippines, 1 here in US), 2 cars, all loans, bills and insurances, bank accounts in Philippines and here.  I don't think there is anything left in my husband's name alone. we also had multiple trips abroad (tickets, photos) at least 5 countries and multiple US states. Trips with his family (boarding passes, photos), Trips with us and my Family in Philippines. Proofs that we are each other's emergency contacts and beneficiaries at work. 

We also added sworn affidavits from friends and family. And Proofs of report of Marriage to Philippines. Philippines have a record of our marriage. We don't have a child together yet. But, to supplement that, we added my fertility diagnoses, visits and treatments. 

3 hours ago, Becci391 said:

I now have seen a few people who got approved. Most of them were from the Philippines.

Why do they get prioritized? 

I kinda didnt thought it was based on country of origin. I thought it was based on evidences I had submitted on my original application.

10 minutes ago, Sadie.c.c said:

That sounds a wee bit like our dates (listening to music and drinking beers in his bedroom) no one thought to take a picture ☹️. I'm so happy you were able to get it approved! Thank you for the reasurance

Thank you! I was approve on the spot. But then, not all US Embassies are created equal. Some are more difficult than others. Unfortunately I am not familiar with US Embassy in Chile.

Hopefully, the CO wouldn't look for it and you'll have a smooth K1 process.

As what others stated above, photos are secondary evidence. Maybe you can supplement it with proof that you've actually lived there for a while and explain your situation. 

3 hours ago, Sadie.c.c said:

Thank you for your advice. There are absolutely no photos of us. Unfortunately. We are both camera shy and weren't thinking about immigration at the time. The other documentation you sent is a great idea. Do you think it is likely they will ask?

They asked for a photo during my k1 interview. Back then, we only had 2 pictures at the time of the interview. I handed the only 2 I got (both are even taken the same day ). The CO frowned. And I explained. I told him "my fiance (now husband) dated on the couch over PS4 games. None remembered to take a selfie while watching tv and playing video games. 

Bottom line, they could ask for it. You can also explain. But, it's on them if they find it convincing. 

18 hours ago, HRQX said:

Plus in Taiwan, there was a routine (i.e. not an emergency) CR-1 issued last week:

 

Taiwan doesnt have a lockdown. India is on lockdown. I think that also affects reopening of US Embassy in India.