hanster

I am from Lebanon and applying from AOS based on marriage. I have been in the states from almost 6 years now attending college and have had an FBI check in the past when they had the "special registration" for people from the middle east. I was wondering if my case will be delayed since I am from the middle-east. i know that the name check has to be done and all that and that it might trigger some flags since I have an Arabic name, but i wonder if anyone has any personal experience in this matter or knows of anyone who did?

any input will be appreciated

How long does it take to get the NOA once you send in your I-751 package? We are sending ours out tomorrow and we were hoping to travel to India in April/May...will we get the NOA in time to do this?

NOA usually takes a week to get in. it really does not mean much, it just means that they received your application. what is more important is the RFE if they send you one, it is where they would request some additional material from you

Hi All,

I am just wondering whether it takes time between noa1 and putting the application into the auto online system. Everytime I tried to check in USCIS.gov, it said the receipt number can not be found at this time. Has anyone had same problems?

Thank you.

same here, i recived my NOS last week dated December 29th and i still cannot check my status online.

Im just confused, does the processing time based on one's district office or one's Service center? Like we filed our AOS & sent them to the Chicago lockbox,then it was transferred to missouri service center then was transferred to california service center. We live in Baltimore & had my biometrics in baltimore. If i wanted to look for processing times to know if our case is already within their processing time, where should i base everything? should i based it with the california service center processing time or the district office?

i would imagine you would need to check the timeline of the office that has physical possession of your file eventhough i am not too sure about it

i hope this means i do not have to go for a biometrics myself either.

does anyone else know anything about this

Why would you mind going for biometrics? It's just fingerprints and a photograph. It's probably the easiest immigration thing you could do.

it's not that i mind the process, it's just that i would have to take off from work and drive for 2 hours to the local office in my area. and also it is wishful hoping that this would expedite the process for me if i did not have to go for biometrics

I understand that for sure!

Are you certain you would have to go that far? We had to drive 3 hours to our local office for the interview, but there is a sub-office an hour from here they sent us to for rudimentary biometrics. That office also does infopass. There may be such a thing where you are - maybe not. A visit to USCIS.gov should clear that up for you.

They are gonna want new biometrics from you. Old prints are moot. Prints 'expire' after 15 months due to some sort of inadequacy with their storage system. My husband's prints, taken for his AOS in December 05, will expire at the end of March this year and if his greencard is not issued before then DHS will need to re-capture the prints before they produce a card.

i live in WV, and the sub-office in WV is 3 hours away from us and the local office in pennsylvania is a little short of 2 hours

I don't remember the entire process but I know they do do a name check, which takes at least 2 weeks. If there is a hit, then they have to do further checking. Most of the time your petition will just be sitting there waiting for the name check, and then put in line behind the other petitions waiting.

is the name check the same as the FBI check?? and what would constitute a hit?? i am from lebanon and i wonder if just being from a middle eastern country would raise any flags.

i hope this means i do not have to go for a biometrics myself either.

does anyone else know anything about this

Why would you mind going for biometrics? It's just fingerprints and a photograph. It's probably the easiest immigration thing you could do.

it's not that i mind the process, it's just that i would have to take off from work and drive for 2 hours to the local office in my area. and also it is wishful hoping that this would expedite the process for me if i did not have to go for biometrics

how many are they with you during the naked medical check and with the spreading of legs?

just curious...

I don't quite understand, sorry.

If you mean is there a female nurse or something with you if you have a male doctor then that is probably true.

you might not have to get naked for your medical. when i had mine done, i did not have to take my close off. they just measured my blood pressure and listened to my heart beat and drew blood and gave me the shots i was missing and that's it.

the doctor will do the physical and there might be a nurse with him but it varies.

No, since I have filed for the AOS/EAD (which was almost 2.5 years ago), they never called me in for fingerprinitng or biometrics. Shortly after 9/11, they had started a "registration" system where people from certain countries had to go and register at the INS offices. At that time they had collected my fingerprints and biometrics. The interesting thing is, when I filed for my AOS/EAD, they did approve my EAD after a few months, without having collected my fingerprints...huh...

Not sure I am following you, but if you are saying they took your biometrics back when you filed your AOS, and you filed for EAD at the same time, then the answer is they probably collected all the biometrics they needed at that time to process both petitions.

Each time you need a new EAD they will collect a new set of prints.

And once the full set of biometrics used for AOS reaches 15 months of age, they become stale. A new set will need to be collected to issue the greencard.

I remeber, it was called "Special Registration" and it was towards the end of the 2001 year when they had people in the U.S. on visas who are from certain countries come in and register their information and give their finger print and picture taken. i think it had countries like syria, lebanon, north korea, iran and others.

i remember i had to go through that and right after i went for the registration they ended up canceling it,

i hope this means i do not have to go for a biometrics myself either.

does anyone else know anything about this

You will probably have to search around for loans made to foreign nationals. The rate might be slightly higher or you might pay more points than someone else.

once i receive my green card, would i be able to get a mortgage like any other person or would a permanent resident status differ from a citizen when applying for mortgages and loans?

thanks

I am currently a graduate student in the states on an F1 student visa married to a U.S. citizen. We filed for AOS late devember. My wife is in graduate school and she does not have a job. I am in graduate school and I have a teaching assistantship and it pay around 13k/year.

I do not have any student loans or bad credit at all, i have been in the states for 6 years now and with a great credit. my wife has her student loans still.

We were thinking about buying a small condo and were wondering if I would be able to apply for a mortgage or not using my income since I am not yet a permanent resident.

has anyone been in this sitution before?

i was looking at mortgages and it would be cheaper for us to make mortgage payments vs paying an expensive rent.

your comments are very appreciated.

I am really sorry this happened to you.

when did you go on vacation and how long were you on vacation for, and when was the letter for the interview dated by?? i think they usually send them at least 3 weeks before the interview date

I received my NOA couple days ago and I have trying to check the status of my application online by enter the receipt number starting with MSC (without putting in the dashes) and I keep on getting the error message saying that the receipt number cannot be found in the system. I actually have 3 different receipt numbers (I-130, I-485, and I-765) and none of them would work and they would give me the same error message.

is there any other way to track my application online.

and has anybody had this problem like this before???

i am kinda worried.

Hello,

Does anyone know how to get a birth certificate for an American citizen?

We are about to ask the French consulate in L.A for the transcription of our Marriage Certificate. They want a birth certificate where both the names of my husband's parents are written on the paper.

Thank you for your help,

Cecile.

Cecile,

It depends on the state where your spouse was born in. In West Virginia, you would order it from the health statistics center, Vital Registration office and it cost $10. you can just google for it online to see what office deals with the state ur husband is born in (example: "west virginia birth certificate") just make sure you order it directly from the issuing department. i know there are some companies online that can get for you the birth certificates but i think they cost more

Folks it has been 60 days since i received my NOA1 I-797 for I-130 and when I temp to register for email I see get Inlaid receipt number. Is this common. Should i be worried? Thanks folks.

I received my NOA yesterday and when i enter the number (without dashes) on the website it tells me that it is invalid. some people said in a thread on VJ that sometimes it takes a week for the receipt number to work, and some said that they actually called USCIS and informed them of what is happening and their number ended up working. so i guess you can try that. I just wonder how long i should wait before i call them since i received my NOA yesterday.

some pople's timelines indicate that their green card was approved without even having to go through an interview. i think they filed for AOS and then their case was transfered to CSC (or something like that) and then they receive the welcome letter. I have seen it on several people's signatures and was wondering what the deal on that is.

i filed I-130, I-485 and was wondering what my chances are for having the green card so easy wihtout having to go through the interview.

any input is appreciated, especially from people who had had this happen to them or know about it.

thanks

Hi Hanster:

Our experience, filed July 2006 EAD,AP,AOS.... EAD and AP approved within 60days. Mid August got letter that AOS was sent to CSC for "speed processing". We had one RFE in early Nov (for vaccinations), sent back and case was worked again on 12/5/06. Today recieved e-mail that "card was in production" which means approval. We were called on no interview.

Best of luck.

I personally do not mind having to go through the interview. I just hope that the interview date comes very soon. maybe if i pray hard enough?? lol

good luck you all

some pople's timelines indicate that their green card was approved without even having to go through an interview. i think they filed for AOS and then their case was transfered to CSC (or something like that) and then they receive the welcome letter. I have seen it on several people's signatures and was wondering what the deal on that is.

i filed I-130, I-485 and was wondering what my chances are for having the green card so easy wihtout having to go through the interview.

any input is appreciated, especially from people who had had this happen to them or know about it.

thanks

Thanks!! At least somethin's moving ayt hanster?

ohh that's true. it is sad, but ever since i mailed my application, i would check my bank account online everyday to see if they have been cashed. i guess once i get the NOS, i will be checking my case online on the USCIS website.

good luck to both of us djcess

Wooohhooo!! Our cheques for the AOS and EAD has been cashed today! whew.. after all the holidays i thought they'd never get it. Cant wait to work!

There! just want to get it out of my system!!

ours got cashed today as well.

i wonder how long we have to wait to see if they will send us an RFE for anything. I know before that they send the NOA1 but i worry about the RFE and that's what i will be not looking forward to but still would keep on checking the mail for it.

Hello everyone,

On Part 3, Processing Information, they ask about the Non-immigrant visa number.

Which one should I put ? I got 2 of them written on the visa that was issued last December at the Consulate in Paris. One of the number is written in red and has 8 numbers. The second one, named the Control Number, is located on the right side of the visa and has 14 numbers.

Thank you for your help !

Cecile

Cecile

It is the red number that is 8 digits long.

bonne chance

Sheey,

did they ask for the W2s of the joint sponsor or the main sponsor? the reason I am asking is that I sent my application last week and i included tax transcripts of both the main sponsor and joint sponsor but only included the W2 of the joint sponsor since my the main sponsor (my wife) barely made any money and we are basically using the joint sponsor to qualify since the he makes more than enough money to sponsor me.

I am sorry you received an RFE and I hope the same does not happen to me or else then i would have to feel sorry for myself too.

good luck and hope your application gets processed quickly

Hanster,

The NVC told me that I only needed the tax return for last year and that W-2's were optional. I sent the 1040 for both myself and the joint sponsor. The RFE is for my(main sponsor) W-2's. They said that the RFE was sent because when using a joint sponsor the main sponsor has to send the W-2's and they are no longer optional. This is not a problem, I have them, but didnt send them since I was told the 1040 would do. I didnt make enough money last year as I only worked part time and wont meet the guideline. I really am sorry but it sounds like you did the same as myself. Hopefully with alot of luck, you can slide by. Unfortunately I wasnt able to, and I even sent a cover letter explaining why my income was so low and why I only worked part time. I was caring for my elderly grandfather who was sick, I lived with my parents to care for him so that they could continue to work and not have financial problems. This was a more manageable arrangement for them as I had little to no bills compared to theirs, and we had no intetentions of allowing him to be put away in a home. The strange thing is, the 1040 will reflect the same income as what the W-2's, so the RFE in itself is the frustrating bit. Good luck, I hope you get through as quickly as possible.

Sherry

Sherry,

If you send them a copy of your 1040 then they require you to send a copy of the W2 but if you send them a "Tax Return Transcript" from the IRS then you would not need to send a copy of the W2, at least that's what the instructions say on the form. I am assuming you sent them a copy of your 1040 that you filed and not a "Tax Return Transcript" that you requested from IRS?

i sent the "Tax Return Transcript" so hopefully they would not send me an RFE for the W2.

We got an RFE for our case. I am so aggravated, frustrated and every other word I can think of. I know this is my fault, and should have double checked the packet. I really want to kick my own BUM at this stage. When I was putting our packages together I rang the NVC and asked all sorts of questions, the fella that answered the phone was so nice and helpful, he even went over the entire form and listed all the documents that I would to send in, but gave me a bit of information that wasnt exactly correct. He had said I wouldnt need bank statements since I wasnt claiming it as an asset and that I wouldnt need W-2's since they were optional and that the 1040 tax return was sufficient. I am sure it wasnt intentional on his part but it happened none the less, so just a heads up, make sure you triple check all forms and if they sat to send it, SEND IT! When I called and asked why I needed an RFE for these documents after I was told I didnt need to send them, the lady on the phone said that some cases vary and that with the income that I provided and the fact that I was using a joint sponsor the documents would be needed after all. This is not a major problem, I have the forms, but cant send them until I get my RFE from NVC as it has a bar code that has to go along with it. Then we will be back at the start of waiting 2-4 weeks even though they have everything else they need from us. This is because they take the mail and process it in the order that they receive it. Not an unfair situation, I cant expect to be bumped in front of others when they are waiting as long if not longer than us, just frustrating to be so close and then have it snatched out from under us. Too bad I cant fax the info to them. LOL.

Sorry for my long rant everyone, just needed to vent a little, even though its a situation I made for myself. I just hope that this shows or helps others. Always double and triple check your packets and if they say they dont need something. Send it anyways. I guess it is better to be over prepared than to get an RFE.

I hope everyone a speedy journey and GOD bless.

Sherry

Sheey,

did they ask for the W2s of the joint sponsor or the main sponsor? the reason I am asking is that I sent my application last week and i included tax transcripts of both the main sponsor and joint sponsor but only included the W2 of the joint sponsor since my the main sponsor (my wife) barely made any money and we are basically using the joint sponsor to qualify since the he makes more than enough money to sponsor me.

I am sorry you received an RFE and I hope the same does not happen to me or else then i would have to feel sorry for myself too.

good luck and hope your application gets processed quickly

I did my bimetrics last dec 19. & i haven't got ant touches, my last touched was dec 15. Is it a bad sign? Does it mean,they're not doing anything about my case?????

It is probably because of the holidays and all. I would imagine very little work gets done at the end of the year with employees off for Christmas and new year.

On the front page it says that a notorary or person who can administer oaths can sign off on this form but every notary I have taken the form to has told me they can't sign it. Is that true or do they just not know? I have went to several banks and even made a trip to the court house to get a judge to do the oath but was told that is not possible. What do I need to do to get this paper completed?

My fiance just took it to the bank where a Notary worked, and got it signed fine... maybe show them the instructions where it says to get a notary to sign it. I don't know why they wouldn't be comfortable doing it?

Are you guys talking about of the affidavit of support I-864?? I just went back and read the description and the steps, and it does not say anywhere about having the forms notorized or anything like that.

Depends on the country. They are looking for communicable diseases, alcohol and/or drug abusers, and anything that would make the applicant inadmissable. Many medical clinics require you to get naked for a phsycial inspection - my fiance had to get naked.

I wish they had asked me to get naked or something like that, this way at least the $400 i paid them would have been worth it. and btw, if you are having the medical examination in the states, most civil surgeons would not take insurance so you have to pay cash or credit card