Alekezam

Status still only shows that USCIS has received petition. Wife did the biometrics this  past December and that hasn’t even been reflected as an update 7 months later. 
 
Not really too anxious or even surprised about it though. We figured it would be a long wait. Actually kind of surprised after having gone through the K1 and Permanent Resident Process, some people are still freaking out after barely 2 or 3 months of no updates. 

Me and the wife just got back from a trip to Bali. Our POE was Houston, which is where we live, and my wife provided the officer with her green card and extension letter. The officer quickly glanced over both and waved us through. Took all but 5 minutes. We are both members of global entry so that made it even quicker. Oh, the global entry machines now recognize you by facial recognition. No need to even scan your passport now....it's pretty sweet. 
 
When checking in to our flight back to the US in Indonesia, the check in agent asked for my wife's green card, we gave him both the green card and the extension letter and all was good. No questions or confusion around any of it. 
 
I imagine if we ran into no issues in Indonesia of all places, then it's going to be highly unlikely anyone would run into issues with the extension letter anywhere.

You just love confrontation don't you?
 
I've noticed that most of your posts are always written as if what you say is the way it is, no questions asked, period.
 
If anyone ventures to have even a slightly different approach or angle you never seem to want to just let it go. 
 
We are talking about a process that has a multitude of outcomes that can be difficult to control. Some situations/questions have solutions/answers that are clear cut and defined but in many situations they aren't as clear cut. The best we can do is offer "advice" or "recommend" understanding that what we say isn't always going to be the case as uncertainty is inevitable. 
 
Bottom line is that risk is there when traveling outside of the country. So it's up to each person on whether or not they want to leave the country knowing that the possibility of complications when returning is a possibility. 

You just love confrontation don't you?
 
I've noticed that most of your posts are always written as if what you say is the way it is, no questions asked, period.
 
If anyone ventures to have even a slightly different approach or angle you never seem to want to just let it go. 
 
We are talking about a process that has a multitude of outcomes that can be difficult to control. Some situations/questions have solutions/answers that are clear cut and defined but in many situations they aren't as clear cut. The best we can do is offer "advice" or "recommend" understanding that what we say isn't always going to be the case as uncertainty is inevitable. 
 
Bottom line is that risk is there when traveling outside of the country. So it's up to each person on whether or not they want to leave the country knowing that the possibility of complications when returning is a possibility. 

You can use Nexus at any Global Entry machine. If you are near an interview center for Nexus it still has a slight advantage over Global overall aside from not being able to get the fee reimbursed on a CC. 
 
Nexus carries all the same benefits as Global Entry in addition to having access to quick lanes at land crossings into Canada that Global does not. 

Nexus would make more sense if you plan on visiting Canada quite often and live in the Northern part of the US as interview locations are primarily located in the northern US or Canada. The fee may be cheaper but if you end up having to travel just to attend an interview then it really isn't. Also, no credit cards that I know of will reimburse you for Nexus application fees. 
 
So if you don't live anywhere near a Nexus interview site and don't travel to Canada a whole lot it makes more sense to stick with Global Entry. As it stands most credit cards will cover the entire $100 fee so the idea of it being more expensive than Nexus is moot. 

You just love confrontation don't you?
 
I've noticed that most of your posts are always written as if what you say is the way it is, no questions asked, period.
 
If anyone ventures to have even a slightly different approach or angle you never seem to want to just let it go. 
 
We are talking about a process that has a multitude of outcomes that can be difficult to control. Some situations/questions have solutions/answers that are clear cut and defined but in many situations they aren't as clear cut. The best we can do is offer "advice" or "recommend" understanding that what we say isn't always going to be the case as uncertainty is inevitable. 
 
Bottom line is that risk is there when traveling outside of the country. So it's up to each person on whether or not they want to leave the country knowing that the possibility of complications when returning is a possibility. 

You just love confrontation don't you?
 
I've noticed that most of your posts are always written as if what you say is the way it is, no questions asked, period.
 
If anyone ventures to have even a slightly different approach or angle you never seem to want to just let it go. 
 
We are talking about a process that has a multitude of outcomes that can be difficult to control. Some situations/questions have solutions/answers that are clear cut and defined but in many situations they aren't as clear cut. The best we can do is offer "advice" or "recommend" understanding that what we say isn't always going to be the case as uncertainty is inevitable. 
 
Bottom line is that risk is there when traveling outside of the country. So it's up to each person on whether or not they want to leave the country knowing that the possibility of complications when returning is a possibility. 

You just love confrontation don't you?
 
I've noticed that most of your posts are always written as if what you say is the way it is, no questions asked, period.
 
If anyone ventures to have even a slightly different approach or angle you never seem to want to just let it go. 
 
We are talking about a process that has a multitude of outcomes that can be difficult to control. Some situations/questions have solutions/answers that are clear cut and defined but in many situations they aren't as clear cut. The best we can do is offer "advice" or "recommend" understanding that what we say isn't always going to be the case as uncertainty is inevitable. 
 
Bottom line is that risk is there when traveling outside of the country. So it's up to each person on whether or not they want to leave the country knowing that the possibility of complications when returning is a possibility. 

You can use Nexus at any Global Entry machine. If you are near an interview center for Nexus it still has a slight advantage over Global overall aside from not being able to get the fee reimbursed on a CC. 
 
Nexus carries all the same benefits as Global Entry in addition to having access to quick lanes at land crossings into Canada that Global does not. 

Nexus would make more sense if you plan on visiting Canada quite often and live in the Northern part of the US as interview locations are primarily located in the northern US or Canada. The fee may be cheaper but if you end up having to travel just to attend an interview then it really isn't. Also, no credit cards that I know of will reimburse you for Nexus application fees. 
 
So if you don't live anywhere near a Nexus interview site and don't travel to Canada a whole lot it makes more sense to stick with Global Entry. As it stands most credit cards will cover the entire $100 fee so the idea of it being more expensive than Nexus is moot. 

You just love confrontation don't you?
 
I've noticed that most of your posts are always written as if what you say is the way it is, no questions asked, period.
 
If anyone ventures to have even a slightly different approach or angle you never seem to want to just let it go. 
 
We are talking about a process that has a multitude of outcomes that can be difficult to control. Some situations/questions have solutions/answers that are clear cut and defined but in many situations they aren't as clear cut. The best we can do is offer "advice" or "recommend" understanding that what we say isn't always going to be the case as uncertainty is inevitable. 
 
Bottom line is that risk is there when traveling outside of the country. So it's up to each person on whether or not they want to leave the country knowing that the possibility of complications when returning is a possibility. 

Lol, perfectly stated. I'm totally with you on this one. A lot of folks on here love to dole out information as if whatever they are saying is gospel rather than just "recommending or advising" Whenever I answer a question or chime in I always "recommend" or "advise" and never suggest that what I am saying is 100%. Trying to argue with "it's my legal right" or "this information is good enough" when dealing with airline agents, immigration agents, etc......is not going to help, in fact, it will more than likely annoy said individual more than anything else. 

Cool, at least I now know there is some consistency with their failure to update our cases in system. 
 
It's a good thing to get some feedback from actual experiences. Hate to say it but I'm getting somewhat tired of all the people that just love to spout off answers based on speculation or opinion.

I realize they are not reliable, however,  they can also be very sporadic with some getting updated while other do not so it would be nice to see some actual feedback from others on what they've encountered just to get a further tally on the dysfunctionality of it all. 
 
When we did the K1 as as well as the AOS our cases did update with information over the entire process on these sites so it's interesting that this time around it's not doing anything. 

Just wanted to say how excited we were that the wife got her 10 yr card (about 10 months) today and surprised that we didn't even know it was sent, or who the package from from!  No interview, nor bio's, no notice that it's been approved or even sent.  Was a mystery!  Onward and upward!  I'll have some questions to ask in the forums about things in the coming weeks I guess!  Best of luck to everyone!   I thought we'd have to wait for another year, according to the timetable of approval estimates...

Why does the topic of whether to use an attorney or not keep popping up?! It's like beating a dead horse.....
 
For all of our USCIS filings we never used an attorney and more than likely would never use one for any future filings simply because we don't want to spend the money on something we can do ourselves. It's not so much because we think attorneys won't be able to do a better job or that they are unknowledgeable in regards to immigration....it's more the money aspect of it. 
 
But that's just me. Whether a person wants to use an attorney or not is their decision. Maybe someone doesn't have the time or the skills to properly put together their filing....maybe English isn't their first language and it's difficult for them to interpret all the instructions.....or maybe they have deep pockets and money isn't an issue and hiring an attorney is just easier......who knows?
 
This forum is for us as a community to share experiences and offer advice.  Why is it that whenever the word "attorney" pops up, a bunch of people start coming out and making people that use attorneys feel like idiots? Not everyone is the same or thinks the same. If anything it actually discourages a lot of people from posting simply because they're afraid of getting chastised. 
 
It's also funny how so many people keep bashing the use of attorneys when Visa Journey itself states in it's Terms of Agreement that people should always consult with an attorney. There is also even a link to ask for a Pro which puts you in touch directly with an attorney/law firm. 
 
And I want to make clear, I never used an attorney nor would I ever use one for USCIS filing purposes. 
 
Taken straight from the Terms of Agreement section within VisaJourney.com:
 
NO LEGAL ADVICE OR ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

Information contained on or made available through VisaJourney Websites and Services (including but not limited to the discussion forums) is not intended to and does not constitute legal advice, recommendations, mediation or counseling under any circumstance and no attorney-client relationship is formed. Do not act on or rely on any information from VisaJourney Websites and Services without consulting with a licensed attorney as this site is not a substitute for obtaining appropriate legal advice from a competent, independent legal counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Moreover, due to the rapidly changing nature of the law and the reliance on information provided by outside sources, we make no warranty or guarantee concerning the accuracy or reliability of the Content on VisaJourney Websites and Services or at other sites to which we link. Nothing submitted to this Web Site is treated as is privileged or confidential with the exception of items listed in VisaJourney's Privacy Policy. All communications and Content Posted via the Service (including but not limited to the discussion forums) are NOT treated as privileged or confidential.

I'm just curious, where  does it specifically say in the instructions that "affidavits" are optional and that you "may" submit them if your other evidence is not strong enough and that they are weak? As far as I can tell based on what I see in the instructions is that affidavits are one of a number of examples listed. All of the examples (1-5) listed in the instructions are listed fall under the same paragraph that states "documents should include, but are not limited to, the following examples". It doesn't say anything about example 1 being stronger than example 2 or example 5 being weaker than example 4 and so on. 
 
Not disputing that many people have not sent in affidavits and have been approved without them just like the same can be said for those who have included them. That's like saying "I was traveling outside of the US and when I came back no one bothered to check if I was tested for COVID so that means you don't need a test to get back into the US. I met a bunch of other people that had the same experience so yeah, even though the rule states that you do you actually don't!"
 
In my opinion, and I highly stress opinion because a lot of people on here tend to throw around advice like it's law rather than a recommendation, including affidavits is a good thing because whomever is providing an affidavit is on the hook as they are legally bound to testify before an immigration officer if it comes to that. 
 
I've pasted the evidence section within the I-751 Instructions verbatim below. 
 
 
Evidence of the Relationship

Submit copies of documents indicating that the marriage upon which you were granted conditional status was entered
in “good faith” and was not for the purpose of circumventing immigration laws. Submit copies of as many documents
as you can to establish this fact, to demonstrate the circumstances of the relationship from the date of the marriage to
the present date, and to demonstrate any circumstances surrounding the end of the relationship, if it has ended. The
documents should include, but are not limited to, the following examples:

1. Birth certificates of children born during the time of this marriage, if any;
2. Lease or mortgage contracts showing joint occupancy and/or ownership of your communal residence;
3. Financial records showing joint ownership of assets and joint responsibility for liabilities, such as joint savings and
checking accounts with transaction history, complete joint Federal and State tax returns, insurance policies that show
the other spouse as the beneficiary, joint utility bills, or joint installment or other loans. If applicable, submit copies
of military Leave and Earnings Statements showing receipt of Basic Allowance for Quarters (BAQ) with family
members and/or Form DD-1172 for military family member identification cards;
4. Other documents that you consider relevant to establish that your marriage was not entered for the purpose of evading
U.S. immigration laws; and
5. Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by at least two people who have known both of you since your conditional residence
was granted and have personal knowledge of your marriage and relationship. (Such persons may be required to
testify before an immigration officer as to the information contained in the affidavit.) The original affidavit must be
submitted and also contain the following information regarding the person making the affidavit: his or her full name
and address; date and place of birth; relationship to you or your spouse, if any; and full information and complete
details explaining how the person acquired his or her knowledge. Affidavits must be supported by other types of
evidence listed above.

For ROC, biometrics and interviews are usually waived if there were biometrics and an interview for AOS.
Edit to add: I just saw your timeline and that you did have an interview. I can't say what the reason for more biometrics would be, but that occasionally they require it. 

Thanks for the input. 
 
From all the sifting through the forums the only thing I can come up with is that the primary advantage to having the biometrics waived is that it saves a trip from having to go through that whole exercise again. There just doesn't seem to be a clear pattern as to who gets waived and who doesn't other than the possibility that certain geographical areas are less or more backed up than others. 
 
I'm pretty sure that it being waived has no correlation to a requirement for interview....however having an interview at AOS does seem to have a bearing on whether or an additional interview is required. 
 
If someone can shed some more light on the topic that would be greatly appreciated. 
 
 

Look, all I was saying is that outside of what is required there is no right or wrong answer. Only advice. 
 
I am not here to argue with you, I tried as best as I could to shed some clarity to my stance but that obviously didn't work. 
 
So to avoid any further conflict I'm just going to agree with you, so to anyone filing their I-751 please be sure to provide no less than hundreds of pages of evidence, otherwise, you run the risk of getting your package rejected. 
 

I never said it was inaccurate. 
 
Some people may have a couple of hundred and some may not. It all depends on the specific circumstances of each individual and how they present their evidence. It is inaccurate to give everyone the impression that "all" people need to provide hundreds of pages. I did not count the exact number of pages our package was but if I were to guess it was either less than or right at 100 pages. We had no issues, our case was accepted and we received our extension notice shortly after submittal without a hitch. Am I saying that everyone will get by with the amount we sent in? No. 
 
I don't think it's fair to subject people to unnecessary fear with what they consider to be facts when it should actually be advice. Just like you say there are tons of cases that are rejected for the bare minimum the same can be said on the flipside. There are also tons of cases that are approved with the bare minimum. Like I said, there are a lot of variables that play a role into what happens and we can't predict what will happen simply because we can't control some of those variables.....i.e. an officer who has a chip on their shoulder or one who is super cool.
 
All we can do is give advice.....it's everyone's choice to do what they want to with that advice. We shouldn't be telling people that they have to do it a certain way  (outside of what is actually stated in the official instructions)  isn't right. That's all I'm saying. 

It was the same for us. It's just standard verbiage that they use in their letters. 
 
When you fill out the form whomever is the green card holder will now be both the petitioner and the beneficiary.  So for example, my wife is the green card holder so she is petitioning to get a removal of conditions on her green card so she is also the beneficiary. She fills out Part 1 and Part 2 under Information About You/Conditional Resident and signs. I am the US Citizen Spouse so I fill out Part 3. and Part 4. and sign in the I-751 form. 
 
Each of you should only need to sign once in the form unless your situation involves other conditions such as kids or something else.....which I assume you all don't fall under. I'm guessing you're the same as us (just my wife and I). 
 
Hope that helps. 

A couple of hundred pages.....lol. 
 
There are a ton of variables that can play a role in submissions so what one submits is completely unique to their situation. The minimum requirements as stated in the I-751 instructions are what you need to provide. Anything beyond that is at the discretion of each individual.