RCable

I read somewhere once on this board (while we were originally applying for CR1), that the date shown for "Receipt date for inquiry" is the oldest date of the applications they are working on. So if someone finds a really old case floating around and starts working on it, that changes the date in the processing times, which then changes the months. I don't know how accurate it is, but I know I read it a few times.
It makes sense though. There's no way USCIS is only processing EAD cases from 2017 right now. If that were the case, then there would be a ton of people on  this forum complaining that they still haven't received their EADS that they applied for in 2018. And there aren't. Most of those cases have been approved by now.
Also, my husband had his biometrics on Aug 12th and his EAD was approved on the 18th and printed on the 24th. He applied in late April 2020. So they are working on recent cases. 
Now, I'm sure there will be longer delays compared to before COVID-19, but I also don't believe it's 28.5 - 37 month wait. It will probably update to a new time frame next month. Fingers crossed anyway.

We have “EAD card produced” as of yesterday. But no changes to our AOS, it still says “Biometrics scheduled” and the AP just says case received. We didn’t expedite.

That’s awesome! My husband’s I-131 still just says “case received” 😞. But right now we’re most interested in the EAD, I need him to get a social!

If people are really concerned about the costs of AOS, ROC, etc., then they didn't understand that the immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience,...and money.

I’m pretty sure they always do, they’re just digital. You can look them up. My husband didn’t realize he had an I-94 until we needed it so he looked it up. And it turns out there was one for every entry into the US...and he was a flight attendant for 10yrs. So there were a lot! They just don’t stamp your passport.
 
Also, back to the original post, after talking to many people over the years, there is no written rule on whether it’s 6 months per calendar year or 6 months within a 12 month period. That’s up to the discretion of the border control agent. 
 
Once you start applying for a visa to the US (like a K1) they puts you on radar for them. They already know that you eventually intend to move here, so they scrutinize more. If they think you might be abusing the system, they can deny your visit. Even if you have all the proof in the world, if the agent is having a bad day, who knows what they will decided. It stinks, because you’re trying to do the right thing by getting the visa first, but it is what it is. Everyone on this board is just trying to warn you so that you know what could happen. 

I’m pretty sure they always do, they’re just digital. You can look them up. My husband didn’t realize he had an I-94 until we needed it so he looked it up. And it turns out there was one for every entry into the US...and he was a flight attendant for 10yrs. So there were a lot! They just don’t stamp your passport.
 
Also, back to the original post, after talking to many people over the years, there is no written rule on whether it’s 6 months per calendar year or 6 months within a 12 month period. That’s up to the discretion of the border control agent. 
 
Once you start applying for a visa to the US (like a K1) they puts you on radar for them. They already know that you eventually intend to move here, so they scrutinize more. If they think you might be abusing the system, they can deny your visit. Even if you have all the proof in the world, if the agent is having a bad day, who knows what they will decided. It stinks, because you’re trying to do the right thing by getting the visa first, but it is what it is. Everyone on this board is just trying to warn you so that you know what could happen. 

My husband ended up calling, glad he did too. His appointment is for the 12th and they said they haven’t sent a letter out yet. If we don’t get the letter by Monday he has to call again so they can email him a copy to bring to the appointment.

I did sign up a while ago, but for some reason a lot of our USCIS letters slip in unidentified. So I check USPS and our mailbox everyday just to be sure 😊

Thank you both! Honestly, it is so exciting to see movement! We were doing the CR1 route and made it to the last step before the interview before things closed down. Montreal has a 4-6 month wait for an interview before COVID-19. I can’t imagine what it will be like when they open. 
 
So being part of a process that is moving at all is a wonderful feeling!

This is still super exciting to see things moving!
 
How do I check if the California locations are open? I doubt they are, but I can hope!

As someone who was in the exact same situation as you, here’s my opinion & experience on it...
 
My husband got DQ on his CR1 in early April. And as you know, Canada had a long wait from DQ to the interview before COVID. Now we are looking at an even longer wait!
 
He came down to visit me for my birthday in February. He was planning on staying until the end of July and we thought his interview might be around August. That timing worked great for us. He was laid off recently and he sold his home in Canada to help with money and prepare for the move. But he didn’t have a real home to go back to. But for 1-2 months he could suck it up.
 
Then COVID happened and we had to really evaluate things. It would be tough for me to visit him in Canada this year because of work. And he wouldn’t be allowed back to the US for 6 months after his visit (or until he got his visa). We debated the pros & cons for weeks. It was not an easy decision at all. 
 
Ultimately, we decided to apply for AOS instead. I can’t stress how hard of a decision this was to make for us. But, I feel like we made the right choice. We sent off the AOS packet at the end of April. They’ve already reviewed our paperwork (we know because we got a letter about making sure we bring the physical paperwork to the interview, and that if our interview is waived then we will receive an RFE for it). 
 
Some cons for us:
1.) We has to pay another $1225.
2.) He can’t leave the US until he gets advanced parole which is currently taking 4.5-7 months for our service center. (So if a family was sick or something before getting AP, he can’t go back without forfeiting everything and having to start the visa process again). 
3.) We are starting the process over again after getting so close to the CR1.
 
Pros:
1.) After 4 years of long distance, we are together. We have gotten to spend the last 4 months together and we don’t have to say goodbye at the end of this month. Honestly, this reason alone was enough for me. It has been amazing, especially being together through everything going on in the world.
2.) There’s a chance this process will go faster than waiting for an interview at Montreal. Not many people on this forum understand what waiting for Montreal is like. It’s so long! And it was super long before this year!
3.) All of the processing will be done locally. He can go for his medical, biometrics, & interview all within an hour of where we live. Whereas with the CR1, he would have had to spend quite a bit of money to go to Montreal for at least a week to take care of his medical & interview. Then go back to Calgary and wait for his visa to be mailed back to him. Now, everything will just be done here. No need for long & expensive trips. Which sort of makes up for the $1225 cost. 
 
You have to make the right decision for you and only the two of you will know what that is. Don’t let the negative comment sway you though. Only you know what your exact situation is. For us, this was the best decision both financially and emotionally. Even if he has to wait 2yrs for AOS, it will have been the right decision for us. Once he gets Advanced Parole and his EAD, he can travel & work in the US while he waits for this green card. I can support us both while he waits for that. But if he went back to Canada and had to wait another 4-6+ months for an interview, while looking for work & a place to stay long term, that would be really tough financially. 
 
None of us could have seen COVID-19 coming, so we just have to make the best decisions for ourselves now.
 
Good luck with whatever you decide! 

When did you submit your application
and where was it sent? That’s exciting, sounds like they’re looking at yours!

San Diego, Santa Ana, San Bernardino, and Imperial are open.

Just checked my credit card and I see the AOS Chicago lockbox charge finally! I hope we get the NOA1 soon so we can send off the I-131.
 
And I can’t wait for like 5+ years from now when my husband can get his citizenship and I no longer talk in acronyms 😂

Just checked my credit card and I see the AOS Chicago lockbox charge finally! I hope we get the NOA1 soon so we can send off the I-131.
 
And I can’t wait for like 5+ years from now when my husband can get his citizenship and I no longer talk in acronyms 😂

Just checked my credit card and I see the AOS Chicago lockbox charge finally! I hope we get the NOA1 soon so we can send off the I-131.
 
And I can’t wait for like 5+ years from now when my husband can get his citizenship and I no longer talk in acronyms 😂

Just checked my credit card and I see the AOS Chicago lockbox charge finally! I hope we get the NOA1 soon so we can send off the I-131.
 
And I can’t wait for like 5+ years from now when my husband can get his citizenship and I no longer talk in acronyms 😂

Just checked my credit card and I see the AOS Chicago lockbox charge finally! I hope we get the NOA1 soon so we can send off the I-131.
 
And I can’t wait for like 5+ years from now when my husband can get his citizenship and I no longer talk in acronyms 😂

Just checked my credit card and I see the AOS Chicago lockbox charge finally! I hope we get the NOA1 soon so we can send off the I-131.
 
And I can’t wait for like 5+ years from now when my husband can get his citizenship and I no longer talk in acronyms 😂

I told my husband just to enjoy this extended vacation and adjust to living in America (learn his way around, study for his driving test, fall in love with where he lives, etc). I moved to London (England) back in 2007. I went straight to work and had no time to figure things out, adjust to living in a new country, find my place there...It made it really hard for me to be happy there. I don't want my husband to go through the same thing when moving here. I'm hoping he can use this time off to just enjoy living in SoCal. 

Though, that's easier said than done with everything going on right now. 

Good luck on making your decision.

1.  Yes
2.  No.......not relevant......
3.  No....but he should file the package before overstaying.
4.  Yes.
5.  Adjustment of Status interview will be determined by your local office ( state in which the applicant resides).

It literally took us 3 full days to submit everything because of this. Drove us nuts! So it’s not you and you’re not doing anything wrong. The US government prefers IE but I had to clear cookies and the cache. 
 
Patience is key here! Good luck!

Yes you’re right, he doesnt know what he’s talking about then. You can absolutely file married without an SSN. Print out the completed form, write “NRA” for nonresident alien where your wife’s SSN would usually go, and file by mail. Or, apply for an ITIN for your wife and file joint. That’s the correct way to do it.

You can 100% file as married when they don't have an SSN, I just did it myself with no issues. You can either apply for an ITIN for them. Or you can file as married filing separately, and put "NRA" in their SNN box. You will have to mail in your returns, you won't be able to e-file. 

He can just take the 2019 tax return to the interview in case it's asked for.  In your income situation, probably best to just state your base salary.  They can see from your past tax return info and again with the 2019 tax return that you make more than your base salary.