Pamola

6 hours ago, G&BN said:

Hey everyone, we are still waiting for our interview notice, it's been a month since our status updated to interview scheduled. I had a question about financial documents to bring to the GC interview...we used a cosponsor for both K1/AOS application so im curious if we need to bring cosponsor financial information for the interview? Also as a recent graduate I'm in between jobs currently and didn't file taxes this year (but did previous years) and my husband is currently job searching...I guess what im wondering is if all this financial stuff will affect us at the interview! Any input is appreciated! Thanks 😊

I will add to this; our interview is scheduled and I called USCIS 2 days later because I heard that they can often tell you the date and time. Surprise, the tier 1 officer couldn't tell us anything... BUT she mentioned that if another week passes to call and let them know. She said that many notices (letters) are going out PAST the interview date itself which is a huge headache. If I was you, I would have called USCIS about this yesterday! 

9 hours ago, pkingking131 said:

WHAT DIS YOU ASK TO CONGRESSMAN?

So, we have two issues with our case: 1) AP is past normal processing time (biometrics were never applied); 2) we will be moving to the U.K. for a temporary position and requested expedite for the AOS but never heard back. 

I explained the two issues and his office got back to me within a few hours. I then filled out a waiver, explaining the situation again. Within a week our case changed to "interview was scheduled". I never heard anything from the local congressional office or a RFE on the expedite, so I'm not sure if it was the expedite, congressman or just normal processing.

Good luck, and hopefully the cases start moving along!

Good news here! Thanks for the advice to contact our congressperson. They said they would contact USCIS on our behalf and, a week later, interview is now showed as scheduled. Receipt date of Feb. 28th and interview scheduled as of Sept. 28th. 

43 minutes ago, Tensheets said:

I think then you just wait for the AP and if it’s not here by Dec 30th, she waits here til it comes then joins you (easier said than done I know). If she has multi entry AP you’ll be able to travel back and to (I believed AP is only for urgent reasons or business but I’ve been corrected on that on here!) My only concern would be if you need to disclose to the USCIS that you’ll be outside of the country mostly for 2 years, as you don’t want to be seen to be hiding anything that could be material to your case.  I think still you need a lawyer. 
Re the fingerprints not being applied to AP, there is lots of anecdotal evidence on here that that happens and people still receive the combo card with both EAD and AP. As AP processing time is still approx 6 months you could file a Case Inquiry as it’s outside of processing time (it’s a shot in the dark) and see if that gets you anywhere? Or congressman will sometimes help. Good luck! 

Thanks again for the help. I'll submit an inquiry. I would have imagined that the expedite process would go a little quicker. I'm begging for them to ask for the evidence to get things rolling, so, like almost everyone on here, it's such a painful and helpless black hole of waiting with no idea on  what's happening 'behind closed doors'. 

3 hours ago, ko737 said:

From your first message, it seems like you and your spouse have already left the US. Are you still in US? Knowing that would help us give advice. 

Thanks, still in the U.S. but plan on leaving on or around Dec. 30th. Then we'll be in the U.K. and available to travel back to the U.S. for short periods (if they'll let her in!). Thanks again for any ideas you can provide. 

5 hours ago, James120383 said:

why would you want your green card when you want to live abroad ? cant you just convert your I-485 to Consular processing and than wait it out until you plan to get back ? you do realize that green card is stay in US and not abroad.  even if you get your card, you would need reentry permit documents if you live abroad for more than 6 months. 

Thanks for the replies. It's interesting that several options got recommended. But the current status is waiting for interview on the I-485, after entering via the K-1. It seems there is an option to do the AP for a year and then come back for the interview, get the GC and then apply for a re-entry permit. But again, the biometrics have only been applied to the EAD and I-485 (despite being told otherwise). 

To be clear, we do not "want" to live abroad. It's not that we aren't excited about the move and going to the U.K. But, it's a postdoc appointment for 2 years, with the option to extend for one more. After that time, we will return to the U.S. 

Last thing, what exactly is converting to consular processing? I looked into it but couldn't find how it applies to an AOS (K-1 to GC). Could you elaborate? Thanks again for all of the help! This certainly is a difficult situation. 

Looking for a little advice here as a fellow Feb. filer (canceled Bio in March). I've got a job offer (2 year postdoc) in the U.K. that starts the first week of Jan. I'm the petitioner. 

Had "emergency biometrics" at the Buffalo, NY ASC on Aug. 10th due to us leaving the country. I-485 moved the "ready to schedule interview the next day, EAD to "fingerprints have been applied" and AP still "case has been received" (unchanged since Feb. 20th). At the bio on Aug. 10th they said it would apply to both the EAD and AP. I guess not! 

Anyway, I filed an expedite request on Aug. 12th. Since then, the I-485 has shown "expedite request received". 

Do any of you have advice for what I can do? I've been very pleased to see the many posters on here saying they've been getting their EAD/AP combo cards quite quickly. But, ours hasn't moved, nor have I received a request for evidence on the expedite request. The clock is ticking, and we couldn't get answers on what was possible for a timeline so we had to make the decision to go to the U.K. without a guarantee one way or the other. 

The most maddening thing is that, while we would love to have the GC (because we will return to the U.S.), we just need to be abroad for 2 years without considering the case abandoned! It's already too late to use the EAD or AP. Any tips would be GREATLY appreciated! 

Long time lurker here. We are in the group of the canceled biometrics in March due to Covid and I've been checking here daily. I wanted to post an update and ask for some advice. 

First, we received a call from the Buffalo ASC (originally scheduled at the Syracuse ASC) saying that they could schedule us in for biometrics sooner. I've seen some discussion on the moving around of ASCs for people, and it seems possible that you can request to be scheduled at another one if the original office still hasn't scheduled you. 

Secondly, I've got a 2-year job offer that starts in the U.K. this January. It seems that we could leave the U.S. with AP and then work through the Green Card process while we're over there. Or, do we try and expedite with the hope of getting the GC before and then apply for a travel permit for the 2 years? It's a pretty unique situation but if anyone has an idea for how to strategize I'd be extremely grateful!  Thank you, and this is such a fantastic resource to not go crazy - hang in there everyone. 

Quarknase, thank you so much for replying. The beneficiary doesn't hold a valid visa as she only arrived via the K-1. Had it not been for the pandemic, we would be well on the way to getting the AOS in time.

I spoke with USCIS yesterday and they said the expedite process should be 2-3 months but can only be requested after the biometrics.

This all seems pretty straight forward, but it seems we then would need to be approved for the expedited process, THEN apply for the re-entry permit, and all before leaving at the end of December.

Hopefully that clears it up, and thanks again for your help. Maybe others do indeed have different ideas. 

Long time lurker here. This is an excellent source of collective information. Let me tell you about our situation and hopefully someone can provide some insight. 

We are currently on the AOS process. We had a biometrics appointment in March but of course that is getting pushed back to late July (it seems). I (the petitioner) also just received a job offer for 2 years abroad that would start in January. I clLED USCIS and was told that we could apply to expedite the Green Card after biometrics (~2 months) and then apply for permission to live abroad for a maximum of 2 years upon receipt of the Green Card. 

Does this seem at all possible? Are there any other options? I need to make a decision on the job in the next week or so. Obviously nothing will have changed with our status but I'm trying to gather information to make an informed decision. Thank you so much for any help!! 

11 hours ago, Mwkaasj said:

 That is what we did and all was okay.   We had a very positive interview experience in Rio.

Great, thanks for the reassurance and I'm happy that everything worked out with you - congrats! 

Hey everyone, long time lurker here. Your collective information has been vital - thank you!

So, our case is in transit and shifted to "ready" the day after it was sent from NVC (Nov. 13th). We were able to schedule our interview for Dec. 3rd.

Of course, we don't have any notification from the consulate in Rio, but that seems to be ok, right? We just need to make sure we have all of the docs/information ready and then we should receive the pack from them before Dec. 3rd? 

9 minutes ago, MalinRonja said:

Next week on 12th November is correct. That's the next shipment. No one earlier.

Thanks! I would imagine it would go on that one... 

NVC received our case on Oct. 29th and case number assigned on the 31st. I spoke to someone at NVC and they said it hasn't been sent out. This will only happen next week or there is another shipment tomorrow? 

45 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

You should become familiar with your country's sub-forum here on VJ to get a better understanding of the process for the Embassy that you will be interviewing with. This will allow you to get direct answers from those who have completed the steps you are about to take at the US Embassy - Brazil.  Sub-forum for Brazil is located here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/96-mexico-latin-south-america/

 

This is the Packet 3 (P3) letter from your Embassy.

https://br.usembassy.gov/visas/fiancee/the-interview-2/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fcBNK7qttjga9p-fTkJ0HSqhrc1hES_T/view?usp=sharing

 

There is a lot of information on the Embassy for Brazil here https://br.usembassy.gov/visas/frequently-asked-questions-non-immigrant-visas/

 

A thread were a lot of chatter about the process for the Brazil Embassy and interview

 

 

For additional information on the Immigration Visa process and required documents, please refer to your letter or email or visit the Consular Section Website at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-BR/iv/information/iv_overview.

 

Brazilian Visa applicant(s) under the age of 14 and Non-Brazilian Visa applicants under the age of 14 do not need to appear in person at the Applicant Service Center (ASC) appointment however they must attend in person the Consular Section interview. The parent must bring the minor child's documentation including a printed photo (A 5 x 5 cm (2 x 2 inches) colored printed photo, taken within the last 6 months and with white background. For additional instructions on photo requirement for the US Department of States, please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos.html to the Applicant Service Center on behalf of the child.

 

https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-BR/iv/information/iv_overviewFrom

 

The Brazilian interview requires all documents presented at the interview to be originals. The I-134 does not require a "wet" signature and can be a copy.

 

Rio gives you the option of mailing your passport/visa back to you after the interview, or pick it up when it is ready. The mailing option takes about 14 days and I have seen that sometimes it takes more. So most sign up to go pick it up when ready... IT TOOK 2 DAYS for the passport to be ready for pick up!!! This is a huge help since most are in a time crunch!

 

If you find anything not up to date or the information is wrong, please share your findings. Please compare the date of the P3 of mine with the date from your copy, once you receive yours from your embassy. Keep in mind that I try and be factual with my information, but I can't do it on my own and that's where you come in and can give back to the community those who come behind you. Without others ahead of you I would not be able to provide this to you.  I can only share factual information if folks like you continue to be my eyes and ears for your embassy. I wish you much success in your visa journey.

Amazing - thanks! I've been looking at that sub-forum but I appreciate the link again. 

@Greenbaum Would you happen to have the P3 for the US consulate in Rio de Janeiro?