NCWife

I am in the process of preparing to file my i-751 but it seems that my folder is pretty thin and I am not sure if I have the right or sufficient documents:

- Cover Letter signed by my husband, the petitioner (US Citizen)

- Check for $590.00

- I-751 Form (3 pages)

- Copy of Passport

- Copy of Green Card

- Copy of U.S. Tax Return for 2010 and 2011

- Copy of my State Retirement account summary, showing my husband as the beneficiary

- Copy of my 401K account summary, showing my husband as the beneficiary

- Copy of car registration, showing joint ownership

- Copy of bank account statement showing joint account

- Copy of Health Insurance Cards showing joint policy

- Three Affidavit from our friends.

Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance.

NCWife

No, you don't need to. If for some reason they need your police certificate, they will let you know through a RFE. So for now, no worries.

Cheers.

Just file as soon as you can. I didn't wait as long as you did but I filed like one year late. Got my approval but living without proper documentation was terrible!!

All the best!

Cheers.

Honestly, AOS is not really a hassle if you follow the guidelines and send in whatever the USCIS requires. I went the K-1 route because I just wanted to be with my now hubby faster and going through the AOS was quite a breeze simply because I was already with him here. I cannot imagine having to live apart from my husband for 2 years if we're to go with the CR-1 route.

All the best in whatever decision you both make!

Cheers.

Thank you for your response! Nate and I are still thinking about what route we should take. We're going back and forth between K1 and CR1. K1 is a little faster but the AOS part of the journey is a hassle, and CR1 is a little slower but it is cheaper and I can get a Green Card immediately.

We don't mind getting married either in the US or Malaysia. Still thinking about it. Yeah, we're quite undecided right now We're just researching and considering and praying, too.

Thank you again.

This thread is helpful since now I just started looking for a job today. I have been here for 1 1/2 years and decided it's time to go out there and venture!! I was looking through all the jobs online, man it's just so difficult to find something that you like to do... Wish me luck, I hope I find something soon!!

cheers.

The letter that I got clearly states "US only" so I only responded the RFE with my background check from the police department here. You may want to call to clarify that though I know it's almost impossible to talk to a live person.

All the best.

Cheers.

I am from Charlotte, NC and had to redo everything again because my medical exam from K-1 expired so my case is different. Anyways, to answer your questions:

1. You do not need to redo your medical. You just need to transcribe your DS-3025 to I-693 and also get whatever vaccination that is required for AOS.

2. I am not sure about HPV but I did have to get Tdap. I could not wait for Health Department to schedule an appoinment for new patients so I got my shot at the CS. It cost about $43. CS usually do not take insurance and would want you to pay there and then. You can get the shot from your own family physician or go to the Health Department. Then, get the vaccination record and take it with you to see the CS.

3. Where in NC are you located? I am in South Charlotte and I went to Concentra Medical Centre in Westinghouse Blvd, Charlotte. The people working there were very knowledgeable about K1 and medical stuff and when I was calling around to get the quotes, one of the nurses asked me repeatedly if I was sure that my medical abroad had expired. She went ahead and explained that I didn't need one if my medical was still under a year old. Pretty honest I must say, that's why I went and had my stuff done there. I paid $230 for full medical, Tdap, TB Skin Test, bloodwork etc.

All the best!!

Cheers..

Hello guys!

Ok, I am under K1 visa when i entered the US, we filed AOS last Nov.2009, we took a risk by sending my DS-3025 form instead of I-693 and because of that we got an RFE(!) last Dec.2009

We only 87 days to comply with the missing documents,so now we are gathering informations regarding of this thing.

I have few questions

1. I had my medical exam back in the Philippines last April 28,2009

if i understood it correct,i do not have to repeat my medical exam because the exam i had back

in the Philippines is still valid, am i right?

2. When i went to have my medical exam back in Phils.,the doctor gave me 2 shots of vaccines.

THEN i was told to have another shots of each when i get here in the US but i was not told when.

(1.HPV and 2.Tdap)

I also learned that HPV is no more required, so i only need to take care of is Tdap if i have to,my concern is do you

think the surgeon is the one who will give me the shots or do we need to get it somewhere else?

I am on my husband's med.insurance, but the name he put in there is under my married name, now i do not an ID

under my married name,is a copy of marriage contract will cover?

2. I checked the surgeon locator at the USCIS and the nearest surgeon we found is the one from Hickory NC.

Does anyone of you went to this doctor? or knows how much does he charge?

or how much does your surgeon charged you for the transcription?

i am just collecting info so to have an idea how much the rate they usually charges.

I hope you guys can help me by providing informations and sharing your experiences.

Thanks and have a good day.

John and Louella

Hmm.. I am not sure how Virginia's marriage license rules are but when we applied for our marriage license in MI, I had to use my maiden name because I was not married yet. I didn't need SSN, just passport and birth certificate to show my parents' names. Then the marriage license became my marriage certificate. On my marriage certificate, it does not indicate my new last name change. Just an indication that I married my husband.

Then I took my marriage certificate and passport and other stuff to apply for my Social Security Card for the first time, 2 months after I entered the US, one week after our wedding. I filled out the form with my new last name, showed them my marriage certificate and that's it.

As I mentioned above, my marriage license/certificate is in my maiden name. I applied for my AOS with my new married name. The USCIS people are able to figure out the names since you will have to send them a copy of your marriage license. So I believe you can go ahead and do whatever you plan to do.

All the best to you. Cheers!

Your aunt is just offering her service as a notary so I don't believe it is a problem.

Cheers...

Hi i have already gone to the court house and stared the process to get legally married, they gave me a form in which i have to get signed by a notary to make the marriage official, the pastor that will be really marring is not a notary and im planning on have to ceromony later so we can plan it better.

. My aunt is a notary will there be a problem if she signs the court documents? her last name is not the same as mines

Good advice.

I applied for my Social Security Card after I got married, about 2 months after I entered the US. The clerk was pretty knowledgeable about K-1 visas and all, so she didn't give me a hard time when I told her I am applying with my new married name and just handed my marriage certificate and passport. And that was like in Aug 2008, so probably things at the Social Security Administration has changed now.

The only trouble I had was with the DMV, when I applied for my driving permit. After I passed my test, they did not issue me the permit because my name was flagged in their system for some reason and they had to confirm with Department of Homeland Security for my legal presence in the US, even though I produced my EAD card. I had to go back there like 3 days later to get permit issued to me. The flag was removed and put back on the second time and the DMV clerk had to call their headquarters to explain and got clearance to issue my permit. What a hassle and hours wasted standing in line.

To the OP, yes, when you fill out the AOS forms, use her married name if she wants. Whichever name you fill out on the forms will be the name that is going to appear on her GC, EAD and of course their system etc..

All the best!

Pretty good summary. I would add that you should get her SSN in her maiden name (as they need to match it on the database from when she entered), and then once you get it, go back and change her name with the marriage certificate. I believe you will find that this two step process will be easier than trying to get a new SSN issued AND change the name all at once.

You can also fill out her married name on the GC forms, and that's how they will issue it to her. I don't think it has to match up with anything previous. Then you can use the GC to go back and get the name changed on the SSN, if they give you any grief about it when you go with just the marriage cert.

Congratulations on your wedding next week.

First of all, you both get married and your marriage certificate is the document to show that your fiancee's change of last name. Then, she goes to the Social Security office and get her social security card in her new name and remember to bring your marriage certificate. Once she gets her social security card in hand, she will be able to apply for driver's license/permit and bank account with her new married name since these require her to have her social security card. Pretty easy

As for her Costa Rican passport, she will probably have to go back and change it there, I am not sure.

All the best!! Cheers...

First of all, I feel bad for you and I am sorry that this is happening to you. From your post, it seems that she is not interested in you at all. You already aware of all that and you can't be thinking about marrying her and how to pass the AOS interview! My advice is to tell her that you can't marry someone who does not love you. Tell your best friend that you don't want to make a mistake and ruin your happiness by marrying someone who does not love you. If he is truly your best friend, I am sure he will understand. You have to put yourself ahead of everyone!

All the best!!

Cheers.

Every state has different requirements and you will need to check with the state's DMV. For instance, in NC, you need to prove your residency here in order to get your Driver's License and you have to have a NC-issued ID to register your car here and I (think) you also need to have NC insurance before getting the Driver's License.

Cheers..

My AOS case was transferred to California so no interview was required. I was approved a few days after I received the update that my response was received and case was resumed.

The RFE letter was pretty much self-explanatory. You will find instructions as to where to send the response to and the deadline of the RFE. Let me know if you would like me to scan my letter so you have an idea.

I received the online update about the RFE on 11/5 and got the snail mail on 11/10. In the letter, it says "You are given until December 17, 2009 in which to submit the requested information to the address at the bottom of this notice" The RFE was pretty easy to obtain so it didn't take me long to send it back to them. Just a note, over here in North Carolina, there are two types of criminal background check: (1) A simple piece of paper that says that you do not have any criminal record - cost around $5 and takes 5 minutes at the local PD; (2) A more detailed criminal background check which is around 4-5 pages long and can be obtained only from the Court House, takes a couple of weeks and costs more. You only need type (1) which is good! Also, I gave the officer at the PD both my maiden and married names since the RFE says "The record search should include all the aliases (all other names) the applicant may have used in the past"

Hope that helps.... Feel free to ask if you have more questions.

Cheers.

I got the same RFE for the same reason. I have only been in the US for 1.5 years when I received that. So, I went to the local PD here and got the police background check (paid $5 and waited 5 minutes) for the 1.5 years that I have been here. I didn't move to a different county so I only needed one. I sent that in to USCIS and got my case approved the same week! They don't need your police clearance abroad unless it clearly says so.

Hope that helps.

Good luck! Cheers..

Been here almost 2 years... At first, I had so many things I didn't like and appreciate just because I wasn't used to them but now, I have nothing to complain about except for one thing. USA is such a big country and everything is so spread out! Nothing is walking distance really and driving from one place to another for at least 20 minutes seems to be considered as near For me, that's far LOL and we live very close to the city.....Other than that, USA is definitely a nice place to live in considering the fact that I have lived in different countries.

To the OP, try to give it a little time and you'll kinda get used to it and will learn to enjoy the wonderful things the good ol' US can offer!

Cheers....!

I agree. Paying the same as your husband is quite a good deal. My husband has finally settled on his insurance and got his NC insurance for both his truck and trailer. They are still looking to have me pay 200% if I want to be added to his policy. We are looking for another option or company or if we need to, we will switch to another company. Right now, we have State Farm. Now we have another out of state vehicle to be insured here in NC and I will probably be added to that one since it's an older car.

Oh btw, what insurance company did you use?

Cheers..

We do have two vehicles - one 1995 chevy truck and a new Honda. I was added as a driver to the old truck, that was the cheapest option. It basically doubled the insurance, so effectively I pay as much as my husband did before he added me, which if you look at it like that doesn't seem too bad. Its still alot of money but I read on here a long time ago that NC class all immigrant drivers the same regardless of how long they have been driving abroad, and I had never driven anything before October! Compared to what I would have paid in the UK, $800 a year for me isn't bad at all!

I could be wrong but you may not need a certified or official translator. I have read in many other cases that anyone with fluency in the language can translate for you and write an affidavit that he/she is competent in both languages (English and Malay), to be attached together.

If not, you can try contacting.. umm.. maybe the courthouse and see if they have any resources.

All the best.

Cheers.

Does anyone know where i can find a Malaysia Translator to translate Malaysia Birth Certificate in USA? I finally found a way out to get married here without SSN but they need my Malaysia Birth Certificate to be translate to English. Called up the Malaysia Embassy here and got an email address to a guy name En. Azari. The Malaysia Embassy don't do any translation for us and worst of all, they will not provide the tel. no of En. Azari and he on the other hand does not reply your email. I have been waiting for his email reply over a week now.. God! i am so stressing out..

I think I got an attorney's "endorsement" on them. My sister works in a legal firm and her boss just stamped and signed on my copied passport and IDs.

Cheers..

Hi,

For the certificate of Good Conduct, they ask for

"Certified" copies of IC and Passport.... What does "certified" mean? I have access to a copied at work. Will that do? Or do I have to go to an official government copier place... like at the IC/Passport department.

How did you do it?

Thanks! :-)

Well... I can tell you from my experience and I am sure many can relate to that.

My husband did save up more than enough for my AOS and I even brought some money with me when I came here. I came in June 2008, just when everything started going down hill in the American economy. My husband owns an auto business and that went down from making $1000 a week to making nothing. No one wants their car painted when times are bad. The dealerships he had business with were all closing down one by one. With no income, we still needed to eat, pay the bills, pay rent, this and that. Our famiy in Michigan didnt do too well either , many got laid off, pay cuts etc and borrowing money from them was totally out of the question. So, we figured we had to use the AOS fund, that we put aside to pay whatever that was more important at that time like having a place to live, food on the table etc. While trying to save his business, my husband also went out searching for a job and competing with thousands of job seekers, it wasn't easy. In the end, he went into law enforcement because that was one of the industries that was hiring and didn't require special skills or experience. Took a few months to save up and did my AOS.

So, I would like to say, we do think about the big picture but sometimes things don't happen according to plan.

Cheers.

.im sorry.when i applied for the k1 visa for my now wife i did all the required research and made sure i had enough funds to cover all our expenses.why is it that so many men petition there fiancees/wifes without having the money to cover expenses.i do agree that things happen(medical bills,etc etc do come up)however,some just plainly dont think of the entire costs associated with this process.i wish you the best of luck on your aos and know it will work out.

I believe when you apply for your AOS and get your GC, your overstay is pardoned. With the green card, you are fine to travel and return to the USA.

Cheers.

3 yrs banned if 180 days over stay, even with AP. How about if you already have a green card, are you still banned?

Wow.. that's big money for the insurance but at least they didn't try to charge you 200%. Your info definitely helps. However, I think my husband does not have the driver liability insurance. His truck is insured with the collision and damage insurance. He moved from Michigan years ago and over there, liability insurance is not a requirement to get a drivers license unlike NC. He doesn't even know how he got away with it when he switched his MI license to NC license. The DMV officer didn't ask him for his proof of insurance. Kinda weird.

So, the first step is that he has to get insurance too and see how much it would cost us both. We will try to get the quotes online like recommended by some here, just to see what the difference is. Usually they will ask for Social Security Number when getting an online quote, is it safe? I know they want to check my credits (as if I have any) but I hate to enter information like this into a commercial site with all those spyware here and there. I guess I have no choice...

Thanks y'all and please keep the information flowing in! Cheers..

What a coincidence, my husband added me to his insurance policy on Friday so that I can take my driving test on Tuesday. I had never driven anywhere before I moved here and basically by adding me to his beaten up old truck (rather than our nice new vehicle) the insurance simply doubled....so he was paying something like $400 every quarter or six months (can't remember how often) and now its just a tiny bit over $800 per period. Hope this helps. His sister is in the insurance business so took care of it for us. That was the cheapest we could do it. Oh, and we put me down as for leisure use only as I don't have a job yet (that would cost more if you say you'll be driving to work).

First of all.... relax!

I filed late as well due to some financial issues. Let me give you a brief timeline. My I-94 was expired on 9/14/08. I filed for AOS early September 09 and got my GC approved in November 09. As you can see, I filed one year late.

I only filed for I-485 and EAD. I didn't bother with AP since I can't travel anyways. I researched on the Civil Surgeons around my area and found the cheapest and the most honest one to do my full medical again. I paid $230 for everything (blood work, Tdap shot, Tb Skin Test and physical) I filled out the forms and included all the requirements like everyone else. Nothing extra, nothing special. I had a RFE because my fingerprint card was illegible by the FBI. But that has nothing to do with filing late. So no worries.

Just gather everything together and file as soon as possible. Don't wait any longer!

Good luck.

Cheers.

Yeah, the weather here has been crappy too. Teens in the morning and not higher than freezing temp in the afternoon. I can't wait for next week where things will hopefully go back to normal.

I did think about patch as well but read a lot of negative reviews about it so I decided on getting the traditional pills instead. Walmart charged me $10 extra for the same pills so I transferred my prescription back to Planned Parenthood. At Planned Parenthood, you should be able to get up 3 months of refills or perhaps more, I can't remember. The more you get, the cheaper it is. They are also able to send the refills to you. I think they use UPS and perhaps you would like to ask them about it.

Cheers..

We got snow like two days and thats about it as far as I can tell. It was pretty fun after not having seen snow for close to 20 years. The weather here now is sometimes as far down as 29 F, which is below 0 celcius. Its pretty damn cooold.

I havent gotten birth control pills here yet. Next week, heading over to Asheville to Planned Parenthood for a normal visit which they said costs about 85 bucks or so and getting the prescription. The 100 bucks I stated earlier was from a Women's Health Group quote for just a visit to get the prescription. Probably will Wallmart of CVS the pills later as Asheville is 1 hour away from Morganton, where we are. Wow, its crazy how booked up they are on appointments. In Malaysia, you could just walk into a doc's office. Over here, when I called the earliest I could be scheduled at the woman health clinic was 2 weeks away.

I'm probably gonna go for the patch since the pill is getting to be a hassle, remembering everyday. No way am I trying Nuvoring or whatever it is. Not comfortable with the idea of something being in there permanently.

I think I did mine in English since my Bahasa was so rusty then, but I don't think it matters, either language is fine.

Cheers..

One question, for the Letter of Good Conduct, should we complete the form in bahasa/english? Thanks!