argylejegirl

what I did ?
 
I took any job.. I found the job in 5 days .. within 10 days of receiving my GC I had my background check done, medical test done and was in work. I worked for a reputed company (fortune 100) initially in the manual labor job. I took that job as a past time and money for me to buy my wife some flowers and take her out for dinner. 
 
After that, I kept on trying jobs. I got offers from multiple places which were very far... I even got a offer from MA .. Now I am not going to MA for job. Eventually few week back I landed a job which pays good and it's in my field. 
 
My advise
take any job .. no matter what that helps you build your circle and people will know someone who knows someone who might be in the same field. This chain of recommendation work very well. 
 
Take temp jobs as holiday is coming 
 
Take regular cleaning or gardening or whatever jobs in neighborhood. Then when you do such job speak to neighbor.. you never "someone may know someone who may need people from your field". This also helps you build relationship in neighbor. 
 
Good luck hunting jobs. 
 

Hi.  Yes it seems work experience in another country does not seem to mean much unfortunately.  That was the case for my husband.  So he decided to take any job he could get to get started.  He tried a hotel and was hired on the spot.  All of his co-workers are immigrants.  It is definitely not his dream job but it is a job and he is pursuing his education while working.  You might check hotels in the area.  And good luck to you!

You are one of the lucky ones that has a local office that doesn't have a long processing time.
 
They usually don't separate you on the green card interview, unless its a stokes interview. Nobody really knows when they decide to do those, but it seems more common with people where something is fishy. So don't worry about that. Just take all the evidence you have, like joint bank accounts, bills with both names etc. USCIS does understand you won't have a lot, since it's only been 4 months, but just take whatever you have. 
 
I've read a lot of stories where the IO is pretty patient and will repeat/explain the question when someone doesn't understand, so unless his English is basically non existent you should be good. 

Feb 2019 AOS filer here. Still waiting for my appointment notice. I think it is a good sign as your husband will be able to work and do other things sooner than later! All the best with your interview! 

As to this being a sign, I think it is only a sign that the KC office is fairly current.  As to your husband's English skills, they will allow him to have an interpreter. 
 
All-in-all, I have been hearing a few more stories lately where the GC interview has beaten the EAD/AP, but considering those are processed at service centers rather than local offices might be a valid explanation.
 
Good Luck!

My fiance arrived on Saturday! We are so happy There is a light at the end of the tunnel for all you in the process! ❤️ 

My fiance arrived on Saturday! We are so happy There is a light at the end of the tunnel for all you in the process! ❤️ 

Aww, you're adorable!  Congratulations!  

My fiance arrived on Saturday! We are so happy There is a light at the end of the tunnel for all you in the process! ❤️ 

My fiance arrived on Saturday! We are so happy There is a light at the end of the tunnel for all you in the process! ❤️ 

What a great looking couple! Thank you for the encouragement, I really appreciate it. At this point, we need some hope!

No need to freak out! AP after approval is very normal and once your approved packet is put together, you will get it! be happy you got approved! Congrats to you!

Thank you so much, this is so helpful!
 
Congratulations on your approval, that is so exciting!!!  I was looking at previous k1 timelines from Costa Rica and it seemed like 7 days was about average wait time between approval and getting the passport back.  I hope it is that quick, I am hoping to fly down there for the interview and fly back with my fiance within a couple weeks.
 
Congrats! 

For K1, you pick your interview date. You can call  the National Visa Center to get a status on your case. When they send it, it should only take a couple weeks for the case to show as ready on the case tracker. https://ceac.state.gov/ceacstattracker/status.aspx When it says ready you're good to go and you can schedule your interview.  
 
While your waiting you can prepare financial documents and evidence, and important documents like birth certificate, police record, proof of singleness etc. and you can schedule your medical! 
 
This should help speed up the process. I've also included attached the packet that they will send in email when the embassy is ready.  It is in English and Spanish. This way you don't have to wait for the email to start preparing for the interview.  I hope this helps! 
packet.pdf

Josue, my fiance passed his interview yesterday!!!!!!!! Praise God!  How long should it take for him to get his passport back? They said up to 10 days. Any experience? He lives in Puerto Jimenez, so a little far from San Jose. 

FedEx- a whollllle Lot more expensive, but I know it will get there safe and on time. It gave me peace, but it is very expensive 😕 

Waiting for the letter from the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador, to take the next steps. Maybe someone in the same waiting and recommendations. Thank you

Thank you!   

Generally, you wait until the status changes to say "Ready" - that means the embassy has received your case and is now ready for you to schedule an interview. Shouldn't be more than a few days until the embassy receives your petition, so keep an eye out for that status change.

Yeah, my husband goes a week later. They will tell you when it can be ready, sometimes it's just a few days; but mostly about a week.

Yes, as far as I understand the apostille isn't necessary for the K1 process but I know we will need to send his birth certificate during AOS, and who knows what he might need the others for--like maybe the police certificate to get a job or something. The apostille is basically extra legitimization for international use.  It only cost 1,000 colones per document so it's well worth it.  He won't be able to return to CR to deal with anything regarding documents until after AOS is submitted and AP approved, so it's better to be over prepared imo.

Honestly, just the marriage certificate and the birth certificates...oh and the international police certificate. It's simply authenticated as a valid document on an international level. I'm not sure it is required, but it is safe to do so. I also work case management with immigrants and often authentication of documents from other countries are necessary.

Hey everybody!
 
I thought I would start a thread for Costa Rica filers to collect and share experiences, wisdom and advice.  Share your story and let us know how your immigration is progressing.  Any tips about interviews, medical, or documentation for the embassy would be super helpful for future filers.  For those further along, how has the transition to living in the U.S. been for you?  Also feel free to just come hang out and chat with fellow CR filers about anything that's on your mind.
 
Estamos en el foro regional, así que siéntese libre de comunicar también en español!
 
🇨🇷❤️🇨🇷😁🇨🇷❤️🇨🇷

Thank you so much! I filled out my profile. Thank you! 

You can do the ds-160.
 
however most embassies would want to see NVC letter (will be emailed to you at the time of transit) or document from your embassy. So you can probably get the appointment but it may not be possible to have the medical without the letter.
 
please fill in your visajourney timeline so we can give you more accurate answers. As everything from this point on will depend on your embassy.