VegasJohn

My wife's I-765 (Authorization to work) and I-131 (Advanced Parole request) were APPROVED on Sept. 5, 2019. We received the NOA for each of them - two copies in fact, because I am her attorney and so I get the copy as her registered attorney and also her personal copy gets set to my office as well. (On the G-28 form, she requested that ALL official notices and documents, including the card itself, be sent to my office because we were in the process of moving last March when we sent in all of the Change of Status documents and did not want to miss anything). 

We assumed that the actual Employment Authorization Documents (EAD), which contains information she needs to get a SSN, as well as the Advanced Parole authorization to travel on it, would arrive soon after we received the NAO. However, after several weeks and checking the status, we were getting concerned that we still had not received it.  Now that it has been almost two months, I recently found out what happened.

1- On Sept. 11, 2019, the EAD was delivered, but they delivered it to the WRONG ADDRESS - it apparently got sent to our old home address, despite the fact that we clearly requested that all documents be sent to my office.

2- We didn't learn about this until October 25, 2019, on which day we found out about the incorrect delivery address because the online status on USCIC's website showed that on October 24, 2019, the card was returned as "undeliverable" at the old address. 

3- We went to the post office on 10/25 hoping they could find it. They could not, and confirmed it must have been sent back to USCIS.

4- I called USCIS at that time and explained the situation. The employee seemed very helpful and said he would open an request so that they would forward the EAD to the correct address. 

5- Today, I got a notice in the mail that was completely wrong - it was supposedly a follow up from my phone call, but said that they looked into my request as to why the Permanent Resident card was not delieverd, and determined that it was not delivered because it is still being processed.  This is obviously not what I discussed with the USCIS employee, but he entered the information as though I had called about the Permanent Resident card, not the Employment Authorization card. Ugh. 

6- I called USCIS again today, and a different agent told me that the status still shows that the post office notified them on 10/24 that the card could not be delivered, and that I would have to wait up to 30 days from that date for it to be returned to them. She said she could not provide me any more information about where the card is and could not ask for a new one to be sent to us at the correct address. 

All of this is very frustrating, especially since the USCIS person today acknowledged that the file shows that the card should have been sent to my office address, and she had no idea why it was sent to our old home address. The other reason this is very frustrating is that my wife has had job interviews and offers (she is a special education school teacher - several schools have the need for her services and she has continued to work for free a volunteer but would like to start working a paid job), but she is currently stuck and cannot move forward and accept a job or start employment because we have been waiting for the EAD card for a month now. And now it appears that no one at USCIS that I have spoken to is competent and I was told that all I can do is wait.

So, if you made it through all that, and have any ideas of what I can do or who I can try to contact to get the card sent to us - or to get information from the card that we need to apply for a SSN - I'm hoping someone here on this forum has some ideas. The other reason this is incredibly frustrating is that we want to purchase a flight for her to be able to visit her family in Colombia for Christmas, but from what I was told today, it could be until 11/25 before they even begin to process a request to re-send or re-issue the card.  Had USCIS not screwed up the delivery address, we would have had the card on 9/11/19, and here were are two months later with no idea when we will get the stupid card showing that her requests to work and travel were already approved.  

WHY DO THEY HAVE TO MAKE THIS PROCESS SO DAMN IMPOSSIBLE!!??  /endrant. 

We have traveled by air while awaiting the temporary authorization to work and advanced parole approval pending the AOS application, and have never had any problems whatsoever.  My wife shows her Colombian passport and we have never been asked for any additional information. It shouldn't be a problem for you.

56 minutes ago, aaron2020 said:

The US Government advises not to make any travel plans without the appropriate travel documents.  They are sticklers for following their advice.

Buying a return plane ticket without the appropriate travel document is not an emergency for the US Government.  They consider that your poor planning which ignores their warnings.

 

A family wedding is not a reason for an expedite.   Planned events do not qualify for expedite.

 

There is no potential significant economic loss.  The money has been spent.  It's gone whether she goes or not.  Getting to travel will not prevent a financial loss.

 

Sorry.  They only way for an expedite is to actually get a job offer and expedite base on that.  

 

 

Yeah, that all makes sense. I'm aware that they warn you not to make any travel plans... but it is what it is. I realize it's not what they would consider a serious economic loss, but it's all I've got to go off of.  Kind of beside the point, but I really don't understand why they make it so hard for immigrants to be able to leave the country briefly to visit family or go on a vacation then return. I get that there are likely security concerns for some applicants, but like everyone here that's trying to do things the right way, it's quite a hardship and does not seem to serve any legitimate purpose to keep people trapped at home in a the country as some kind of test to prove they really want to be here. But I digress... lol 

6 hours ago, geowrian said:

Yes it does.

If you don't make the return flight, be sure to cancel it at least a few days beforehand. Sometimes the carrier will submit the flight manifest beforehand, resulting in an RFE/NOID/Denial letter from USCIS saying they left the US without AP and therefore abandoned AOS. Instead of dealing with that hassle and delay, avoid it altogether by cancelling beforehand.

Wow, I would have never thought of that... great advice, thanks! 

I am going to make a request to expedite it...I'm not sure whether we fall under the stated grounds to have the request reviewed and approval to travel granted quickly, but she does have a family wedding to attend in June, and that's why we bought the return trip for then. Of course, we hoped that we could get the marriage done and apply but it looks like even had we gotten married the day she arrived in the US, normal processing time would have made June doubtful.  All I can do is make the request that they consider her circumstances (purchased flight, family wedding, etc.) as potentially causing significant economic losses, and hope for the best. 

8 minutes ago, K1visaHopeful said:

Yes. If you filed EAD and AP at the same time they will come on a Combo card.

It is taking 4.5 to 6.5 months right now. June is doubtful.

That's what I was afraid of... I recall many months ago while in the K1 waiting months seeing that it was approximately a 3 month wait. I guess it's taking longer now... does anyone know of any circumstances under which these requests can be expedited? I realize that's doubtful, but worth asking I suppose. 

Hey all... I'm in the same boat, applying for my now-wife (yay!) to get her work permission and permission to travel. We received the K1 in January, just got married on 3/16, and are now sending off the I-485, along with the I-765 request to work and I-131 application for travel document. Seeing the wait times is a little disappointing. Fortunately, we do not need to rely on her earning income, so she is going to be doing volunteer work in her field, which will not only keep her busy and help her work on her English, but also will be good networking and establishing contacts in her field. 

My question is, does the permission to travel take as long to receive as the permission to work card? We bought a round-trip ticket for her to come here on the K1 (since it was cheaper than a one-way anyway, go figure) so that she can take a trip back to Colombia in June to visit her family. Is there any chance that she won't be able to travel by June? This entire process is such a grind... but we are so glad to be done with the super long-distance relationship! 

3 hours ago, jj0109 said:

Our case was completed in August 15, and we received our interview day on August 31, about 16 days.

Have all your documents in order and wait that is my best advice. It was an unexpected struggle for us to have to resend documents,  and I hope you don't have to go through that  situation.

Thanks for the advice - I'm definitely getting everything lined up and will be going to the Family Court tomorrow to get the "original" divorce decree to avoid any issues.  Thank you for the input... 

On 10/5/2018 at 8:48 AM, jj0109 said:

Hi everyone,

 

My wife had her interview on Oct. 2 at the embassy in Bogota, Colombia. They didn't approve her visa but they didn't deny it either. They kept her passport and all of her documents and needed us to find a new joint sponsor and send a certified divorce decree from my previous marriage. Both of those things have already been resubmitted. Can anyone give me an estimate on how long this process might take at the embassy in Bogota? We are now in administrative processing and the time-frames from everyone's experiences seem so variable. We are really anxious about this, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. So far, CEAC shows our case was touched the day after her interview (Oct. 3), but nothing has changed since then. Thank you in advance!

Hi - I'm curious about the divorce decree requirement because my fiancee will be having her interview in Bogota in the coming month or two, and I don't know if the copy I have given her of my divorce decree would be considered "official" - it's the official one I got in the mail from the court, but there's nothing on it to indicate it is a "certified" copy or anything special other than it's the copy from the Court. 

Also - how long after you received your NOA2 did you hear from them?  Is there anything you recommend we do immediately while we are waiting for the NVC packet?  Thanks! 

On 10/13/2018 at 2:30 PM, geowrian said:

If self employed, your current income will come from line 22 of your most recent tax return's 1040. The tax return copy will be evidence of the income. Many times providing 3 years of tax returns for self employment helps show stable income.

I'm self employed, but only became self employed this year so my last year's returns show my income from a prior job - but I have no tax returns from my current company that I own. I hope that my last several years' returns and a profit/loss statement to date this year will be more than good enough to satisfy the need for proof/support of my affidavit. 

21 minutes ago, Mahlerfanran said:

So glad to finally be here!  I'm going to read the thread so I won't clutter this up with questions already answered.

Welcome to this thread and congrats on the NOA2!  It looks like you're on a similar timeline to me,  and your fiancee is Colombian too, so I'm following your timeline.  Looks like there's a few of us in this thread whose docs are headed to the Bogota embassy.

2 hours ago, xerox713 said:

@VegasJohn I will follow your timeline. My girlfriend is from Colombia and she needs to go to Bogota. We have similar timelines. My NOA2 is 10/05. 

Still waiting for my case number. 

Awesome, I'll follow yours as well. Thanks, and good luck! Looks like we are on very similar timelines indeed. 

Hey all... following this thread now. Received NAO2 dated 11 Oct 2018!!  

Is anyone else here going to be going through the embassy in Bogota, Colombia??  Reviewing everything this evening and trying to figure out the timeline for how soon my fiancee might be able to get her interview and medical appointments.  Having to go to Bogota is so frustrating - how they don't have an embassy in Medellin I have no idea. It will be tough for her to get multiple days away from work, but we will make it happen one way or the other!  

Question for anyone familiar with the Bogota embassy:  How long after the interview do they normally send back the passport (if approved)? Do they hand things back there, on the spot? Or do they deliver it later - and if so, now long?  

We are hoping she can move to the US immediately at the start of the new year, so we have a couple of months to get this right. 

Thanks, and good luck to all! 

On 10/17/2018 at 1:51 AM, AmandaandChayne said:

Congrats on your NOA2s @Ninaav and @VegasJohn so happy for you both.

our predicted NOA2 date still says Nov 1 to Nov 7 so fed up of this wait.

Thanks! Mine was saying oct 26 to Nov 1 no it actually was dated oct 11. So let’s hope yours comes early too! 

Hey, I've got a question about the original divorce decree in Bogota. Do you know what they consider to be "Original"? In Nevada, the Court simply files the decree and mails a copy. So, all I ever received is a copy with a file stamp from the Court. It could be any old copy or printout. Do you know whether I need to go get some type of officially notarized, verified "original" from the Court? I'll check here, but any help would be appreciated.

Also, if I got my NOA2 just yesterday, with a date of Oct. 11, is it realistic for us to be able to get an interview in Bogota prior to Thanksgiving? (I'll be back in Medellin visiting her for a week or two just before Thanksgiving week and would love to go with her to the embassy). Also, how many days should we plan to spend in Bogota?  Sorry for all the questions, I'll do my own checking but any input from someone who has gone through the process recently in Bogota would be greatly appreciated.  GRACIAS!

I just got mine today too!! FINALLY!!!! It came slightly faster than I was expecting (filed on April 16, NOA2 dated October 11). Following this thread. I thought I had it figured out months ago but now that I'm here I want to get everything done correctly and quickly. 

23 hours ago, AmandaandChayne said:

Nothing wrong with being spoiled occasionally.  To be fair I threatened Delta with losing customers over our combined flights.

 

Once I get to OKC its an hour drive to Seminole.

 

Atlanta, Chicago or Dallas are my usual change airports. Atlanta quickest, Chicago most horrid customs and Dallas is a dream usually. Not so concerned about my June visit ( not been there since December, Chayne's done two visits here) but my August visit changing at Chicago has me a little twitchy,  pushing the 2 month tolerance of customs when travelling on an ESTA. hopefully the 4 hours layover built in should be enough if they decide to stick me in a back room for further questions!!

 

Needless to say, I'll be over prepared to try and head that scenario off.

I'm not above threatening when I need to - so it was a very pleasant surprise to actually be given something nice, for free and without asking!

I'm sure you and many others here are like me -- becoming experts at finding the best possible airfare and being creative with travel times and ways to try to spend time with your future spouse!  I have alerts on a few different travel sites, and have racked up frequent flyer miles, haha. 

36 minutes ago, AmandaandChayne said:

Oh and @pretendthisisfun @VegasJohn

 

Delta paid for my June visit after I changed at Atlanta in December the day it snowed cue 27.5 hr delay then to make it worse on the way home Atlanta had a total power out, they transferred me to a united flight, didn’t transfer the money, I got delayed 49.5 hrs and my case which made it to the United flight didn’t make it back to Oklahoma until after I left. It’s still there.

 

needless to say when they offered me $150 compensation initially I took it further.

 

I’m a pedestrian so I have to do 3.5 hour trains if I use Heathrow and spend the night in the airport before flying usually if I go from there. Manchester is easier but costs more quite often. 

Shortest time it takes to get to him 20 hours. Longest without delays 27.

Oh wow, that is true love right there to deal with that commute!  Haha, but of course we would all do it for our loved ones too  Glad you at least got a visit paid for, that's great!  

My only good travel story is that Aeromexico bumped me up to first class on my last flight back from Medellin to Mexico City - first time I've ever gotten that, I think they saw how many flights I've been taking and had lots of space available so they picked the one guy who flies that route nearly month, haha. (I usually fly Aeromexico from Vegas to Mex. City, then Mex. City to Medellin - it's only about a 4.5 hour flight from Vegas to Mexico, then another 4 hours from Mexico to Colombia).  The flights are not bad - the entire trip can be as short as 9-10 hours if I fly through Panama on Copa Airlines, and usually no more than 12-13 if I have a long layover in Mexico.  And I have a nice little 15-20 minute ride to the airport in Vegas. I'm so spoiled, sorry everyone! 

18 minutes ago, AmandaandChayne said:

So the DS160.  You can do ahead of time and save progress. If submitting within 40 days you can save it online, if longer you can download it then upload when submitting. 

 

I staeted mine last last night before crashing. 

You sound like us, we have a tonne of evidence and daren't leave anything out!!

 

i think I’ll be doing my day trips to London on my own. Usually our medicals here precede the interview by 2 weeks! 

 

I have a feeling time could drag but like you dont don’t want to be unprepared by thinking we have bags of time!!

Cool - good info to know on the DS160.  I might as well get the PDF saved now and save progress, seems safer than doing it online and if you can upload the saved one whenever submitting, that seems like a no-brainer!  Thanks 

3 hours ago, Ninaav said:

Hi you have the exact same timeline as we do!  We got officially engaged in early April also when I was in Panama visiting.  My fiance is Colombian also but he lives in Panama now.  He is from outside of Medellin as well! I plan to give him the packet and whatever other forms I need to fill out mid august when i go back to visit. I don't know how i will wait until then but I can't get off work.  I am hoping they are here by Christmas but if not we will go spend Christmas with them in Panama.   the police clearance there can you print it from online and it says that there are no pending cases?  Is that the one you all are using? We hope to retire to Colombia one day.  Nina 

That's really cool that we have the same date, and also engaged to a Colombian!  My fiancee is from just outside of Medellin also - from Barbosa, Antioquia.  Small world, isn't it!?  I love Medellin and even before I met Kelly I could have definitely seen myself retiring there some day way far away. But now we are making plans to have an apartment or home there and I would certainly not be opposed to spending time between Colombia and Las Vegas going forward after a few years of building up my work and future here. I really love the weeks I spend down there, not just for the time I get with my fiancee of course, but also it's just a wonderful place to live and work, great people, great community, I love the culture and the city. 

I haven't looked at the police clearance yet, but when I'm there the week of May 19th (yay!) we are going to look into that and I'll share here whatever I find out.  Buena suerte!

3 hours ago, pretendthisisfun said:

So interesting to hear your stories and learn more about each of you.  I meant to say what is one thing about your partner...not what is the one thing.  Still haven't learned to edit these.  I'm sure we will keep learning about each other and truly be like family in a few months.  

 

@AmandaandChayne  You sound so lucky to have found one another!  You are so fortunate to have the finances and employment situation that allows for so many visits.  I'm envious of those like you who can make such frequent visits.  It's easy for us to think of how easy those in the same zip code or area code have it when they complain about not having enough time to spend with their partner.  I truly feel for those who for various reasons are only able to visit their partner once a year or less, even.  It doesn't make it easier, but it makes you feel a bit grateful.  Good luck and congratulations.  As for the time difference, we have six hours difference also.  Because of our work situation, we have video calls at 2pm my time each day.  I am fortunate enough to be able to skip out of work for a couple of hours right before her sleep.  We started out at 4pm, then 3pm, and she was just always so tired from lack of sleep, like you.  We text throughout the day.  I send a voice note every night right before bed that she can wake up to, and she sends me the same when she can.  It works for us.  I think that's what everyone has to find.

 

@Anna&eiad  Speaking of feeling for those who can't make frequent visits, I feel for you.  About the calls and texts situation...have you heard about VPN?  Virtual Private Networks allow people in places like UAE and other countries with less free internet to bypass those blocks.  You and your fiance should really look into them.  I use NordVPN but there are several.  He can even use the app on a cellphone and it is very, very simple.  https://www.bestvpn.com/best-vpns-for-uae/  I can't imagine life without WhatsApp and being able to have free video chat everyday.  Because data is so expensive in South Africa, we tried to find the lowest data video chat provider and had a lot of luck with Zangi.  But she finally let me buy her some data, so we are back to WhatsApp now.

 

@Larenn&Loda  Thank you so much for the comment on my username.  It was my username on OkCupid when we met.  I was pretending online dating was fun.  Now I'm pretending this process is fun.  I'm glad you are going to join me in the pretend world where this is fun and exciting.  Sorry to hear that you were denied.  I'm worried about my fiance's planned visit here, she is still waiting on her passport.  I read here that you could send in I-129F without a beneficiary passport, so that is what we did.  I figured a one month wait if they do an RFE is better than a two or three month delay in waiting for passport to come back before we submitted.  I feel for you on not being able to visit more often.  I hope you will be approved for a tourist visa.  I was oblivious to how difficult it is for others to travel to the US compared to how easily we can travel.  It seems so unfair that I can go to South Africa anytime without a visa or having to do anything but show up, and for her, she has to go through an interview and get a visa and whole big process.  Doesn't make sense.  

 

@Maham10  Video calls are the best.  What would we do without them?  I am right with you on waking up in October with a NOA2 approval.  But then we will have to wait some more for the NVC, but depending on the consulate that process seems to move much more quickly.

 

@VegasJohn  I do believe you win the award for Aprilite who has the most enviable visitation situation.  At least from what I have seen.  I'd love to be able to see my fiance every month.  I feel lucky for every three months.  I'll be taking all the information I can provide on my next visit.  I'm holding off a bit for suggesting when she get her documentation because of the timelines required.  

 

I think I replied to everyone who answered.  It's interesting to see so many of you from so many different places and walks of life.  We are all so different in so many ways, but we have one big thing in common and it unites us all for the next several months.  Good luck to you all and also congratulations for taking this step.  

Great point - it's definitely cool to see the differences in everyone's situation and background and to know that regardless of where we all come from and what situation we are in -- we are all in this wait together!

I definitely don't take it for granted how fortunate Kelly and I are to be able to spend time together fairly regularly - I guess it hasn't been exactly once a month but about one week every 4-6 weeks. I live in Las Vegas (in case the username wasn't obvious lol), and even though Colombia seems so far away, it's actually a pretty quick trip and flights can regularly be found for fairly cheap thanks to the huge international airport here (thank you tourists!).  My situation works out well because I can pick an entire week when I simply fly down there and I can work remotely from an office that I use there and do the exact same work for the same clients as I would be doing here,  so I don't need to take time off work or anything.... I recently left a job working for a law firm and started my own firm, which gives me great flexibility and freedom to work when and where I want, so we are lucky to have the luxury of just living a normal life together when I go visit here there. We both go to work for a full day M-F and I'll make sure to have a weekend there on either the front or back end of the trip so we can enjoy free time together.  But we are so accustomed to spending time together that after a while apart, it's really hard.  I know I'm preaching to the wrong choir, haha, but just know that even if you get to see your future spouse more often, it's never easy to be apart!   Everyone stay strong...the time will fly  

5 hours ago, AmandaandChayne said:

...

We are on with getting our paperwork together now as we can ie visit evidence after each visit, financials, i'm checking my innoculations, I'll see my doc to have reports drafted ahead of time ready to tweak and send and UK police record only takes 10 days so Ill hit go on that when we get NOA2.

Wondering if as beneficiary i can fill DS160 in ahead of time?

 

Trying to be patient by doing something visa or life clearing each week no matter how minor.

...

 

Good way to look at it - do something visa related no matter how minor.  I have so much damn evidence I want to say "what more could they ever want!" haha, but I know it's good to document as much as possible and not leave things out... I do think that the beneficiary can fill out the DS160 ahead of time. That's a good question, I will look into that. 

We are hoping that if we get approved as early as October sometime, that will give us time for her to get everything sent in and for me to go to Colombia for our final "visit" to her there and I can go to her appointment at the embassy in Bogota together. I know it's definitely not required and isn't going to help one way or the other, but it would be fun for us to get to do that last step together.  She's a special education teacher/clinical therapist so she is planning to finish out the school year and her contract which runs until mid December, and then hopefully be able to move to Las Vegas around the new year!  It's crazy that it's May already, it makes me optimistic that things will go fast, but also makes me nervous that it will sneak up on us so definitely a good idea to go ahead and compile records and documents now...

2 hours ago, AmandaandChayne said:

https://myaccount.uscis.dhs.gov/

 

us beneficiaries can create accounts to check our case status too if you want to be tortured by no updates for months!!!

 

I have!!

Haha, I have checked it more than a couple of times too for some reason.... 

Good to check in and see how my fellow Aprilites are doing!  In response to some earlier posts I missed, I'm glad that my fiancee and I aren't the only ones who cry like babies every time our time together comes to an end.  But fortunately for us my work is flexible and I'm able to go to Colombia for about a week per month and work from there. Although it's been a month already now  and I'm not able to get down there until later in May, so it's been rough since we filed and haven't seen each other since early April when we got officially engaged - but I'll be there pretty soon for 10 days!

Question for the other US petitioners out there - how soon are you sending your fiancee the packet of forms to fill out for the next step?  I want to make sure that as soon as we get the NAO2, we can move forward as fast as possible with her getting her interview set and everything.  She lives in Medellin so has to go to Bogota for the interview, but it seems from what I've read that the Bogota embassy is fairly quick, so that's encouraging.  

Keep strong and patient, everyone! The time will fly (I HOPE)! 

17 minutes ago, AmandaandChayne said:

We got this today:

 

Your case has been accepted and routed to the USCIS California Service Center
for processing. Within 7-10 days by standard mail you will receive your official
Receipt Notice (Form I-797) with your Receipt Number WAC1890XXXXX. With the
official Receipt Notice (Form I-797) you may visit www.uscis.gov where you can
check the status of your case using My Case Status. We suggest you wait until
you have received your Form I-797 before checking My Case Status.

This
confirmation provides notification of the date USCIS received your case. This
notice does NOT grant any immigration status or benefit. You MAY NOT present
this notice as evidence that you have been granted any immigration status or
benefit. Further, this notice does NOT constitute evidence that your case
remains pending with USCIS. The current status of your case must be verified
with USCIS.

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE

 

is this our electronic NOA1? And what the heck sent to California when Texas is next to Oklahoma????

Texas receives and processes, and then all are sent to California for final review and approval...and YES, this is your elecdtronic NOA1.  Congrats!!! 

15 minutes ago, Kyle&Ana said:

CONGRATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT yeah the waiting game, !!!! yeah this forum is helping me a lot about no getting frustrated because i not really a very patient person!

 

THANKS!!!  Haha, I'm very impatient as well, as is my fiancee.  So it's cool to have this forum to get to know people who are also going through this journey at the same time - and it was helpful in the beginning to get ideas and thoughts to make sure we selected the right process and submitted everything properly.  

By the way, I sort of copied your signature for the events/dates, I liked the way you put it together but I didn't want to totally appropriate everything you did with the happy emojis and dancing emoji at the end - but I wanted to say that was a really nice touch, I like it!  I will be that dancing emoji hopefully before the end of this year! LOL