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On 6/17/2023 at 2:27 PM, igoyougoduke said:

i think the idiots at USCIS are working backwards with sending out the 48 month extensions. like the new applicants are getting 48 months extensions before older applications. i doubt they have got to 2021 yet.. 

 

iam puzzled by them sending i-94 along with a letter. this is really new.. never heard about this.. may be you do have the 48 month extension letter in mail. who knows 

 

i beleive this is the new process https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-announces-additional-mail-delivery-process-for-receiving-adit-stamp

 

We were Nov. 2021 filers and got the 48 month extension March 7th.

1 minute ago, Olga&Jared said:

I agree, it makes sense. I'm more emotional about it because given current processing times it's not a pleasant feeling to be "left out". Hopefully, my N-400 interview gets scheduled by the time it expires. 

So sorry you're dealing with the USCIS' unsurprising incompetence. I hope you get good news with the N-400 in the next 4-5 months and avoid the hassle of an expiring extension letter altogether. 

4 minutes ago, Snaaacks said:

Yes I do have the table on contents - thanks for the tip!
 

Btw, at this stage, how long do you think it takes before my fiancé gets an interview date?… is there an average estimate at this stage, or is a complete crapshoot at this point? 

thanks again for your input - it really put my mind at ease 😀 

You're welcome.

I believe that can largely depend on the consulate involved.

32 minutes ago, SalishSea said:

I wonder if sending 1000 pages actually does slow things down, as in perhaps there are policies about adjudicators reading every scrap of what is sent?   I know that when I was closely monitoring K-1s, it did seem like some of the people who got RFEs sent kitchen sink type petitions, and that sometimes the content opened a Pandora’s Box of questions resulting in RFEs.

 

Every step of our process, from 1-129F filing to ROC has been bare-bones….no photos sent, no extraneous “love story” written, no affidavits of any kind.   Our evidence has been high quality though.

 

Maybe it has been fairly smooth sailing because we are old and husband comes from a country with equal socioeconomic standing as the US….who knows.

We were the opposite and have always provided a lot of evidence, including "front loading" the I-129f petition. We've had smooth sailing the whole way through, and my husband is a citizen now. 

However, what we have in common is your final point - New Zealand and Australia are low-fraud countries. 

Though I agree that some people, in their effort to provide a lot of evidence, end up in TMI territory and provide USCIS with information that is confusing, conflicting, or raises red flags. 

A good example - people who send tax transcripts + tax returns and schedules. USCIS does not seem to like the redundant information. They want one or the other. 

15 minutes ago, INF said:

I received my biometrics reuse letter and an online access code, but no extension notice! Where is this letter! 

It's not uncommon to receive these letters on different days. When did you receive the biometrics notice and access code? If it was in the last few days, your extension letter should soon follow. 

10 minutes ago, Snaaacks said:

I thought I was supposed to send all copies of everything I filed with, and including a copy of my I-129f to my fiancé in her country. If it’s just a matter of helping her remember details for her interview, then that’s not a problem at all - but I guess I assumed they were gonna ask for a copy of the I-129f at her interview (wrong assumption?). Sorry if my questions seem ignorant -I was just following a post that said as much.

thanks again for all your helpful replies - I was quite nervous about this 

 

 

Not a requirement? Wow that’s a relief.
 

I thought I was supposed to send all copies of everything I filed with, and including a copy of my I-129f to my fiancé in her country. If it’s just a matter of helping her remember details for her interview, then that’s not a problem at all - but I guess I assumed they were gonna ask for a copy of the I-129f at her interview (wrong assumption?). Sorry if my questions seem ignorant -I was just following a post that said as much.

thanks again for all your helpful replies - I was quite nervous about this 

Agreed with the others, it is not required, just a recommendation. For instance, if your original packet had gotten lost/damaged in the mail, it would be a lot easier to resend if you had a copy. It can also be helpful to keep track of what has already been provided to USCIS, and it doesn't hurt for the beneficiary to have that information as well. But it wasn't a huge mistake and you will be fine. 

Out of curiosity, did you include a cover sheet with a list/table of contents of what was included in the packet? Because if you at least have that, then you know what was sent and could provide that information to the beneficiary just for their own information/peace of mind. 

The IO will have a copy of everything that was sent, btw. It all gets scanned in. 

15 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Because if I send 1000 pages I expect the ISO to read all 1000 pages.

 

1. Then why send it?

From that one example, you are to extrapolating that all ISOs for all cases will sample evidence from 1000 page applications.

 

2. Are we seeing a trend here: most those with 500+ page filings are still not approved less than 2 years later?

I haven't noticed a trend whatsoever related to the number of pages in the ROC packet and length of wait. Can you point to what is causing you to draw that conclusion? ROC is painfully slow right now for the majority of filers, regardless of how thick or thin their packet was. 

People should definitely focus on quality over quantity. What to include and total number of pages is a judgment call. 

1000 pages would be an outlier.

We sent all statements, but quarterly seems to be fine, especially if combined with other strong evidence. The big thing, as others have pointed out, is that you do need to send ALL pages of any statements you send. 

3 minutes ago, abrahambueno said:

I'm not sure if this is the right forum and I haven't been able to find a concrete answer elsewhere. So I know people file the N400 while their I751 is pending, however my wife's GC doesn't expire until 06/2024, meaning we couldn't file the I751 until 03/2024. However, She came on a K1 visa on 09/16/2020 and we got married on 09/17/2020. Wouldn't that mean she could file for the N400 after her 3 years of being here, since our 3 years would be 09/17/2023, and you could apply 90 days earlier (which would be in a few days from now)? If so, is it allowed to file for the N400 before filing the I751?

The 3 years is counted from the date on the green card, not from the date she arrived/got married. If her green card expires June 2024, that means the "clock" for N-400 began around June 2022. 

43 minutes ago, Giuseppe92 said:

Like i said my wife attorney just called couple days ago to tell me that i will get served soon, my attorney told me to don't say nothing to the immigration until the divorce is not finalized for 2 reason, 1 to switch from a joint petition to a waiver i need send a copy of the finalized divorce paper anyway. 2 since this is just happened a recent separation is not considered a end of a marriage, my address it is still with her technically i am just staying with a friend so it could be considered just a break and not a separation. I appreciate your answer but i am not trying to fraud it is just trying to understand new dynamics that nobody seen before, a lot of people are in my same situation now, because just 4 years ago the processing time for an i750 was around 6 months and now is about to hit the 30 and this make no sense considering that i have been with my wife for more than 4 years and i still need show immigration that my marriage was real by filing again another i-750 that is going to take at least another couple of year to be approved if everything goes well. 

You don't have to have the divorce decree immediately when switching to a divorce waiver. After notifying USCIS of the change, USCIS sends out an RFE with 90 days to provide it. So the timing is important but you do not have to be divorced the second you switch to a waiver. 

When you are living separately and your wife has filed for divorce it is not just a "break". 

As I asked before, what will you do if you are scheduled for an interview? What will you do if a few months down the road USCIS sends an RFE for updated proof of a bona fide marriage? Your wife could notify USCIS of your separation herself, btw. And if your joint I-751 is approved after the divorce is finalized, it means that you obtained your immigration benefit by misrepresenting your marriage to USCIS. 

1 minute ago, Bee2Cee3 said:

Petitioner’s medical condition. I provided physician’s note that mentioned “life-threatening situation”. I also provided his consultation/assessment and the medication prescribed. 
 

 

Boiler wasn't asking the reason for the expedite, they are asking what part of the process/type of visa you are trying to expedite.

4 hours ago, Dashinka said:

My wife liked a ginger cider by ACE, can't find it anymore.

I bet my husband would love that. As an Aussie, he loves non-alcoholic ginger beer (Bundaberg) so I can only imagine ginger cider would be a hit. 

1 hour ago, MaegZ0322 said:

Hi, thank you so much for replying.  He no longer has his green card.  At the time, he was instructed to hand it over or destroy it.  I think he had about a year on it.  
 

he has not been back to the us since.  Only I have gone back a few crimes simply due to costs.  

Understood. Then @Boiler's response to file the I-130 is correct. 

Re: your questions about the sponsor situation - you would be the primary sponsor even if you do not have income. Your mother could be the joint sponsor. There is also a possibility of using assets to qualify. You going back first to get a job with high enough income to qualify is also an option. 

7 minutes ago, JennyRdz said:

Thank you so much for responding. I am well aware it's not fast, easy, or cheap. I think it's cheaper to DIY than paying $25K for an attorney. It's good to know there are people that can help here. I found out about this place through reddit. 

$25k is an absurd amount for an attorney to charge to assist with a K1 petition regardless. Where is your fiancé from?

Also - it is not necessarily true that if you make one mistake, you lose money and have to start over again. Some mistakes will cause the petition to be rejected outright (incorrect payment amount, incomplete/unsigned form, etc.), so you fix the mistake and send it back but they do not take your money/charge you if it is rejected in this manner. Some mistakes could result in an RFE (request for evidence), where USCIS will ask you to send them additional information before they make a decision. If an RFE is responded to properly (and timely), it also does not cause any huge issues - just potentially a delay. 

17 hours ago, Akadlat said:

What are the procedures of fiancé visa processing? 

Have you considered the spousal visa process instead?

So sorry to hear about the awful situation with the FIL.

Does your husband still have his old green card? Did he ever formally relinquish it? And when did it expire? 

Has he been back in the U.S. at all since 2007?

15 hours ago, laylalex said:

I do! Raspberry/framboise is a particular favorite. Lindemans of course, but also the 10 Barrel Raspberry Sour Crush. That can be really hard to find, though.

Framboise is so good! My husband and I both enjoy it. Semi-related note, one of our local craft breweries has an imperial Berliner weisse that is a particular favorite, brewed with plums, apricots and vanilla. It's delicious but not too sweet. 

14 hours ago, Dashinka said:

The Mrs. Enjoys cider occasionally.  I am not a big fan, just a bit too sweet for me, but I do like a good sour ale.

Sour ales are my favorite, especially when they hit that balance of sour/sweet just right. Have you had/do you like gose?

@laylalex Certainly welcome in my book, I love a good beer but also love a good cider. Ciderboys is on tap at many locations around where I live and when I'm not in a beer or wine mood, that's my go-to. Do you also happen to enjoy sour ale/fruited sours? 

24 minutes ago, *FishF00D* said:

Hey Mike,

 

Are you saying that you also scheduled a passport appointment ahead of taking the Oath of allegiance (and presumably attended the appointment after being naturalized + getting your certificate)?

We did this as well. My husband's N-400 interview was May 10th, and we knew there was a good chance he would get same day oath. So on May 7th, I scheduled a passport appointment for him on May 25th. Everything went as planned and his passport is in process. If the timing hadn't worked out (no same-day oath), we would have just cancelled the appointment. Setting up a passport appointment online with USPS does not ask anything about citizenship. All you provide is the name and contact information for the person making the appointment.

I do not know if the process varies at all for an urgent appointment at an agency, but considering you are scheduling a future appointment for someone who would be a citizen at the appointment time, it seems like a stretch to worry about false claims of citizenship.

My bank was able to add my spouse before he had his SSN, but the person assisting me had to get a supervisor involved because there were some obstacles to get around. The bank employees were extremely helpful and understanding of our unique situation. This was PNC btw.

Side note - at that time, he couldn't be added on an interest-bearing account. So they got him on my checking account, but not savings. 

15 hours ago, bashar1989 said:

Hi, i entered the US on IR1 visa and i get the I-551 Stamp then i left the US for emergency. yesterday my wife informed me that i received I-797C an ASC biometric appointment after less than 2 weeks from now. Should i back to the US to have the appointment? or i can do it somewhere in the UAE?

Did your wife send you a photo or scan of the letter? If not, I would definitely ask her to do so. It may help us make sense of it if you are able to post the letter here, will all identifying information removed. 

As others have said, biometrics is NOT normal for someone who has arrived in the U.S. on an spousal visa. 

7 hours ago, Afghanguy said:

Thank you.. my total income is 25500. my household size would be 2 myself and my spouse? i do have a son but my ex wife claims him every year on here taxes...i do pay child support....do i count him as house hold size as well ?

Yes, you do need to count your son, so you have a household of 3.

The I-864 instructions state:

Your household size includes yourself and the following individuals, no matter where they live: any spouse, any dependent children under 21 years of age, any other dependents listed on your most recent Federal income tax return, all persons being sponsored in this affidavit of support...etc.

Your son is still a dependent regardless of how taxes are done and where your son lives. 

Unfortunately, your income will not qualify with a household size of 3. See below: 

https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p

Even with a household of 2, it's cutting it too close. You'll need a joint sponsor, unless you can get a W-2 job that has qualifying income. 

1 hour ago, Zac_874997967 said:

Hello guys, 

I married with one citizen and it is time to change my condition GC into 10 years. We got package returned last week and we need to fix one small error in the I-751 form. Based on the information on the green page, we need to submit the form again.

My questions are:

1. We have other attachments and money orders in the first package which are zipped together by USCIS. Should I print them again and ship with the new form or Just return and reuse them? 
2. If I can re-use them that will be great as that is a big package.A lot of materials.  They are all re-ordered and zipped. Should I organize them like before or just ship it?

 

Thanks

What was the small error that caused USCIS to reject and return it?

Just chiming in to add that my local office was once new (opened 5 years ago), and they did not offer same day oath ceremonies for the first 2-3 years. 

The I-485 instructions specifically address this:

"In general, you do not need to submit documentation relating to traffic fines and incidents that did not involve an actual physical arrest if the penalty was only a fine of less than $500 or points on your driver’s license. However, you must submit such documentation if the traffic incident resulted in criminal charges or involved alcohol, drugs, or injury to a person or property."

You weren't even ticketed. It does not apply.