programmer437

March 2021 filer here - no movement since fingerprints in June 2021 until this Monday when our case was finally approved. I contacted my congressional representative a couple of weeks ago and he sent an inquiry on our behalf, I’m guessing that might have finally gotten it un-stuck. 

Filed 3/12/2021
Credit card charged by USCIS: 4/6/2021
Notification text from USCIS: 4/8/2021
Case number begins with YSC. 

Hoping for the paper NOA soon. 

You don't necessarily want to overwhelm them with paperwork prior to the interview, it might just slow down the process. But here are some things you definitely can include:
1. Any marriage documents, civil, religious, or otherwise. 
2. Any joint assets, joint bank accounts, or joint tax returns should definitely be attached to your I-864 which is included in your I-485 packet. This is not only necessary for the affidavit of support but also acts as evidence of your relationship if you have joint assets. 

Just an FYI, our interview for adjustment of status required a certified copy; however, since we sent a certified copy with the original I-485 packet, they were able to skip that at the actual interview appointment. If you can get an extra certified copy (they're $5 at my local courthouse but it'll vary from state to state), it certainly doesn't hurt to send a certified copy and may save you some effort later. 

17 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

It never hurts to double check your lawyer and what he or she is saying. My experience is they don't add credence to how much they can add to the process as you can do this on your own. Perfect examples are scattered throughout VJ. Just a few minutes ago someone posted an answer that "was over kill" and really didn't need to be done nor was it a requirement according to their lawyer, but her lawyer said it so it must be true. What the lawyer advocated did not need to be done. The more knowledgeable you are the less mistakes can be made that will delay your process. Just my opinion.

It's more about the language barrier than anything else. It's easier for the lawyer to explain everything to her in terms of what's needed with vaccinations, paperwork, etc. We're both aware of what needs to be done but the technicalities of the process are difficult to clearly communicate when Thai to English isn't at all 1-to-1 in translation. 

It's very difficult for me to double check that the birth certificate she's submitting meets the correct requirements when I can barely stumble through the Thai alphabet non-Roman calendar dates. Having a bilingual law firm that also provides translation services helps significantly. 

Though I do agree it'd be overkill if she were coming from a country that at least used the Latin alphabet. 

10 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

Here is what you are going to need if you haven't already have a copy.

https://th.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/packets/

Thankfully we've got an immigration lawyer who's walking her through everything needed from her. 

We were hoping she'd be able to come to the US next month but it looks like we'll probably be pushed back a little further. 

2 minutes ago, Hygeia said:

Hello guys, helping a friend. She's an October filer but doesn't have the approval yet. I'm telling her to call her fiancé's district Congressman for assistance. Does anybody have an idea who to call, her fiancé is from California. tyia

California has alot of congressional districts. You'll need to figure out which one they're in. 

What is the normal turnaround time on an RFE once the evidence has been received? I go the update that they'd received our evidence on 6/1, but it's been two full weeks with no further updates. Isn't the turnaround supposed to go pretty quickly? (Neither of us have criminal history or previous marriages; it was only a request for more proof of in person meeting within the last two years). 

4 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

This happens more than I can count on my fingers. It's a sorry shame that you go through all this work in submitting all the requested documents and then they say send them again. Exasperating to say the least.

That's exactly what our lawyer said - just send everything again, plus a sworn statement. He said he's repeatedly seen cases where the get an RFE for something that was included in the petition originally, they re-send the same evidence, and it gets approved. 

38 minutes ago, rrobin0609 said:

What day did you send your RFE response? I sent mine on the 21st, tracked, but it didn't get delivered until the 30th. I'm not a very calm person (putting it like that is an understatement) so I've been in a constant state of panic since I got the digital RFE notification.

Well, I sent the RFE via fedex overnight to their direct office address, not to the PO box - apparently that puts it in their actual hands faster. 
Mine was regarding proof of in person meeting. 
I sent two sworn affidavits, our photos and scrapbook (copy), credit card statements, plane tickets, hotel confirmations, luggage tags, and a duplicate of the evidence we originally submitted in the petition. 

Website updated today for us to "Response to USCIS' Request for Evidence was Received", dated May 31st. 
Not sure how long it takes for them to process after they receive it, but hopefully we'll get an update in a week or two. 

RFE arrived in the mail on Tuesday, asking for more evidence of our physical meeting within 2 years. 
Strange, since we included plenty of photos, passport stamps, flight itineraries, etc. 

Called the lawyer and sent the same information back again, along with

1. a sworn statement
2. 2 signed affidavits
3. Hotel booking confirmations
4. credit card statements proving travel
5. even more photos together
6. the physical luggage tags from my bag from my last visit
7. a photo copy of our entire scrapbook together

Hopefully that will be enough. Fedex overnighted the RFE back yesterday (nice $75 postage) and it arrived at the CSC today. According to our immigration lawyer, couriered packages are usually faster than USPS packages to the PO-box but that sounds a bit like a myth. Hopefully the NOA2 should come in a week or two. 

First post here. 

We applied on 11/24 - NOA1 11/29, our status on the *old* website just changed to RFE about 5 minutes ago. At least it's an update.