Engineering-rocks

21 hours ago, SamIAm876 said:

Hey guys so I tried doing a inquiry online because my VAWA was approved in April and then nothing about the I-485. No transfer notice or anything. So I received this letter and I realized the letterhead is from the NY field office so I’m wondering if that means my case was actually transferred even though I didn’t get a update 🤔

 

Hey,

I received a similar notice in an email, but later through my congressman found out, that my case is still in NBC. So this notice gives you absolutely no info about the status or location of your case.

17 hours ago, Valerie899 said:

Has anybody experience this? I went to renew my drivers license and they will not let me renew it, this also happened whenever it was about to expire before the dps got close because of the pandemic I went and they needed “two verifications’”  from immigration but nevertheless they couldnt proceed with it because they close a week after. My workpermit was category c31 and was the one that I received whenever my vawa was approved back in november of last year. My drivers license expired since april 04 2020 and the personnel at the dps told me I cant renew it until 30 days befor it expires 😟😅 and I was like how can i be with a drivers license for only one month lol and she said that people that are in the middle of the process of fixing their status get that so I dont know because I have not yet receive an interview and she said I can show an approval letter from immigration from the green card and they can issue me a drivers license but needless to say I dont have that either lol. 

I went with my C31 in March and they couldn't renew it on the spot, said I need an extra verification. So 2-3 days later I called a number they gave me, and it took a few more days to confirm the verification stuff, but basically it was good after that and I just had to come back to the DMV again and renew it. Haven't done it, since they have been closed this whole time, but the verification seemed to have went through alright.

4 hours ago, Braveheart123 said:

dear friends

next week I am planning to submit my work authorization renewal under VAWA c31 so I have a question that the work authorization category should be under c31 

Moreover  I am planning to attach the following annexure with my application under work authorization under category C31.

 

1) From I-765 form filled and printed with our signature on it.

2) $ 410 fees check

3) Copy of my passport

4) Copy of I360 approval notice.

5) Copy of deferred action granted after the approval of VAWA.

6) Copy of my expiring C31 EAD. (Which is going to expire in Jan 2021).

7) 2 Passport style photographs.

😎 Form G-28 

9) Form G-1145

 

please send me some suggestion that am I on the right track 

 

I'd also include your I485 receipt copy. Are passport pictures required? Mine also expires January 2021, I filed without pictures and got my receipt confirmation.

25 minutes ago, DeadliftingDad said:

Quick question:

 

I'm in the process of filing my I-360, which will replace my I-130.  I also have moved out from my husband's place and crashing with a friend.  However, I'm realizing this isn't the best spot for me either.  I emailed my lawyer asking if there was anyway I can be in my home country my I-360 is being processed, and she said yes.  However, there wasn't much more details about it.  She says we can talk about it on Monday, when we have our meeting.

 

Does anyone know how this is possible.  Would it be through my AP? 

Don't take it as a legal advice, but I believe the following: if you apply for I360 and receive I360-based advance parole (EAC receipt number) you can VISIT your home country, but only for short vacation type of trips. Even for green card holders there's a rule that they have to be in the US at least 6 months a year, so for AP those rules must be even more strict.

20 minutes ago, Stillwinning!!!😊 said:

They will not request for it to be changed. You do the instruction. Your lawyer knows it should have been withdrawn and before that..he was supposed to link it to your i360..would have saved you money and this headache..ask him to close it.💁

Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately, my lawyer passed away a couple of year ago, so that's why I've been mostly relying on this forum for the process.

7 minutes ago, Stillwinning!!!😊 said:

You lawyer clearly wanted money that's why he didn't tell you. Anyway the one which is no longer active will be denied..or you can ask to close it. Make sure all address change is updated with USCIS as they are the CEO of messy! You already know which i485 is linked to your VAWA!👍

So you think I should close it or just let it be? Cause I'm thinking what if they invite me to the NYC interview before Houston does, and I could just show up with an approved VAWA petition? Idk if it works legally to do that, since that petition was never requested to be changed to VAWA-based

Hey everyone, need your advice, please! In 2016 I applied for marriage-based I485, and then in 2017 I filed for VAWA. My lawyer didn't know/tell me that we can reuse old I485, so we just filed and paid for the new one. On the marriage-based case I was invited to interview right before I filed for VAWA (October 2017), I sent a letter to reschedule, and haven't heard anything about that case since. Now my congressman was inquiring about my Vawa-based I485 (which is in NBC, VAWA approved January 2020), and they sent her an email with the receipt number of my marriage-based I485 saying it is being transferred from NBC to New York field office. I moved from NYC to Houston a year ago, and this is where my VAWA correspondence has been coming, but since I sort of abandoned that marriage case, I did not change my address there. What should I do? Looks like USCIS smashed 2 cases in 1, because in emails they use marriage-based I485 receipt, but call it VAWA, protected class etc.. Should I file to close that petition? How do I do that? Thank you and good luck to everyone waiting!!!

3 hours ago, ponak98 said:

Sorry to hear -  have you received a courtesy letter on medicals or else like I just got?

Praying for your case to move as fast as possible 

Thank you so much!

Yes I received courtesy letter about medicals in April 2020.

1 minute ago, Shroy123 said:

They are right. We are in line indeed and when interview date is available, we receive a letter 

But from what I've read here before people normally have their case transferred to the local office like 3-4 months after approval and that's where it waits for an interview slot. Why would it wait at the NBC?

11 minutes ago, Shroy123 said:

Same as me.. when I inquired, my case is still with NBC. i received a response that once interview date is available, they will transfer my case to local office

Interesting, so they told you that you're in line for the interview even though your case isn't at your local office? Kind of doubt that's true, but who knows.

So with my I360 being approved Jan 31, 2020 and NBC sending me a courtesy letter dated April 22, 2020 an update from my congressman as of August 2020 is that my case is still in NBC. Almost 7 months since approval and I'm still not even in line for the interview to happen😑

Hey all, quick update for I765 receipt timeline.

Files delivered to VSC August 5th, $410 check for C31 EAD cleared August 12, receipt notice received August 17 (less that 2 weeks after they got it, neat). I also filed that paper for them to send me email/text when they process my file but never got that.

On 8/12/2020 at 8:49 PM, Hopemama said:

I have an interview appt on August 18th. I found out today by a phone call from my pro bono. She only came to office once a week and found out my appt notice issued at early July. 

Hi, congrats, that is great great news. You can mail them your medicals after the interview, don't stress about it.

What field office are you?

On 8/7/2020 at 6:09 PM, melissa.w said:

Hello,
My VAWA is pending from 01.2017, 
I have EAD which expires in October (2020). I requested renewal,  my card has been approved and sent to me. 
The problem is - they issued new EAD  on my meidan name, even though my previous, still active, is on my ex-husband's name. I have SSN and all documents on my husband's last name. I exist in this country on that name. I never changed my last name after divorce, I kept that last name, and now they sent me new EAD on my maiden name. I don't know what should I do now, Should I change all my documents (SSN, Bank, Student ID), or is this USCIS's mistake? I am afraid to send them my new EAD and ask them correction. @sandranj please advice. 

Hey there. Not a lawyer or anything, but if it was me I would do 2 things. 1st - contact ombudsman office, since your current card expires pretty soon and you don't want them to spend months fixing this. I remember there was a checkmark on their application that said "clear USCIS error", which is your case. I would file 2 applications with them - online and in paper mail, because I filed mine twice and 1st time online worked while 2nd time they sent me a paper to fill and sign in regular mail.

2nd, when you are done fixing this issue definitely contact congressman and/or ombudsman again to inquire about I360 processing time. It's way outside of normal, they should be able to help you accelerate. 

If you're not familiar on how to contact congressman/ombudsman just google it, there's a ton of info. Congressman you contact by phone, ombudsman via online application and/or mailed paper form.

Just now, Demise said:

Oh so you don't have it yet. In that case yeah you're right, best to just pay $410 and play it safe.

No I do have 2 actually, under C31 and C09. But to keep it safer I'd rather renew C31 to leave them no reasons for denying it.

1 minute ago, Demise said:

I would argue that the copy of the passport is unnecessary but yes you have everything right.

 

If you have a C09P EAD already I would honestly abandon the C31 EAD since it doesn't give you anything extra over C09P EAD, both let you work, both are automatically extended by 180 days when you file for a renewal, C09P comes with AP,  and finally C09P is free to renew for all AOS applications filed before October 2, 2020.

Thank you!

I have heard that there's a chance C09 can be denied since I already have an approved VAWA and C31 is issued for those with approved VAWA. It sucks that it's not free renewal, but kind of don't want to risk it, since there may be a serious delay in processing due to their issues with printing cards

Hi All,

My C31 EAD is expiring in 5.5 months, so I want to file for renewal. My I131 was combined with C09 based EAD expiring March 2021, so I will probably have to file for that separately later on, since C31 EAD does not come as combo card anyway. 

This will be the 1st time Im filing by myself without lawyer/congressman help, so just wanted to double check on the documents I need to submit

1. I765 form filled and printed with my signature on

2. $410 (they can take a personal check, right?)

3. Copy of my passport

4. Copy of I360 approval

5. Copy of my expiring C31 EAD

Even though my case is either in NBC or local office right now I am still filing this to 

USCIS Vermont Service Center

Attn: VAWA Unit

75 Lower Welden st

Is that correct guys? Appreciate your help.

On 7/21/2020 at 12:29 PM, folate said:

Hi All !
Hope you all are doing well and staying safe.
I am waiting for my i-485 interview.
VAWA and i-485 filed together in december 2017,
Vawa approved December 2019(By God's grace ).
This forum has been really helpful.@stillwinning and @sandraj are a great blessing to this forum.
Recently i have been reading of i-485 approvals without interview but couldn't keep a track.
Can you guys reply to this post
whoever got it without interviews so we can keep the count please .
Thanks in Advance warriors !

I have pretty much the same timeline. Every single no interview approval in the past few months has been for people who files I485 AFTER having their VAWA approved  

On 7/21/2020 at 2:13 PM, monoxidelullaby said:

When you receive a courtesy letter about medicals, does it mean your case is at local office? And does  it mean that interview is going to happen soon?
My Vawa was approved in March, but no online updates about case being transferred to my local office, I have contacted my congressperson but no news from them either..

On 7/21/2020 at 10:52 PM, Boris Britva said:

So does it mean the case was reviewed and was transferred or about to be transferred to the local office? If yes what is approximate time for the next step? I know it's hard to predict but I can't wait to have it done lol

Once you receive your courtesy letter it can take anywhere from 1 month to infinity to transfer to local office lol. Better check with congressman after a few months.

On 7/25/2020 at 12:19 PM, DmytriiD said:

oh really ? why is that ? what is the explanation for this ? 

I think you misunderstood the way Sandra worded her response. She meant you are safe to travel with AP unless you are in removal proceedings or have pending asylum case. 

38 minutes ago, Stillwinning!!!😊 said:

Congrats on the approval! Truth be told since the pandemic, I haven't heard of any interviews, yet USCIS doesn't want to put out anything official as to waiving interviews even though that's what's happening currently at least for some cases! Left for me if you have an approved petition..VAWA or any other, you should get your Greencard without further ado!💁

Really want to hope for no interview decision, but to be fair - the only cases I've seen here approved without interviews are those for people who filed I485 only after VAWA was approved, and not together like most of us did

4 hours ago, neimovirna said:

no, not me,  THEY have sent EAD to me FROM Nebraska,  I can see it in the tracking where it was sent from. 

Hi, pretty sure mine came from some random state (maybe Nebraska, but def not Vermont) as well.

14 hours ago, ahmad- said:

Should I ask the congressman to also inquire on my EAD renewal? I am totally lost ... any advice will help me a lot. Thanks everybody. Pray for me.

Yes, definitely ask about both. Follow-up in 2-3 weeks with congressman if you don't hear back.

8 hours ago, Shey1966 said:

There has been no status update it still says fees waived on December 1st 2017,nothing has changed.im really stressing at this point,but trying not to worry because faith and worry does not go together.

 

Your countdown for an interview wait starts once your I485 is transferred to local office (usually ~4 months after I360 approval). There are people here waiting almost 2 years since I360 approval to get decision on I485, I guess nothing to be stressed about but also nothing you can do to speed it up. Medicals you don't need until you receive an interview notice.

1 hour ago, ponak98 said:

@Engineering-rocks

thank you so much for being so helpful. Wondering how did you go about contacting congressman..did you just call their office and provided necessary data? Did you do it after certain waiting point? I received my c31 ead in April and still not change to I-360 status but my filing/priority date is nov 2018 and uscis technically reviewing July 2018 filings now per their website. Also - what did courtesy letter say? I am in Houston too and wonder how your process went so quickly from ead 31 to nbc - very happy for you

Yes just call, ask for immigration representative, and they will explain what to do from there. If it was me I'd call in like a month or so, but nothing's stopping you from doing it now.

You are/were married to a citizen? If so then nothing else to worry about, since you got your C31 card. The letter may come within ~3 months of you receiving the card, but for some people it never does. Still rest assured your VAWA is already approved.

Courtesy letter said I will need to bring medicals to the interview, nothing special. Will probably be same for you, you're borderline on that 2-year mark. It's not going fast for me, approval was end of January, courtesy letter in April, and now 2 months lates my case is probably still not in the local office. No clue what the interview wait will be like, but I guess nobody does with these COVID changes.

1 hour ago, ponak98 said:

Sorry I am confused here. What is “interview notice of RFE”?

 

there is a courtesy letter to provide medicals. Do they still issue RFEs for medicals and they do it 1 year before interview?

My bad, meant to write interview notice OR RFE. You shouldn't expect a medicals RFE as of now, for VAWA I haven't heard of anyone get that. Its just a guess (based on articles talking about major reduction of USCUS staff) that maybe if they decide to waive your interview at some point you will get medicals RFE and then they will just mail you the GC. It's unlikely, but possible - it's been happening a lot to people applying for employment and marriage based cases.

1 hour ago, gurgen said:

 

My attorney says they still don't know if my case is still in the Vermont Office or if it is in New York. I believe it's being taken care of at a local office but do you know how I find out where exactly? Thanks.

I received C31-based EAD February 2020, approval notice March 2020, then courtesy letter April 2020 (meaning April my case has already been processed by NBC). Then in June 2020 I inquired with my congressman on case status and USCIS responded that it's still pending in NBC? Why? No clue. But you can find our where yours is through congressman, takes about 2 weeks.

On 6/29/2020 at 11:37 AM, gurgen said:

Hi again, so I've received a courtesy letter previously regarding my medicals.(I initially sent them when I filed but that was more than 3 years ago so I need to submit it again) I wonder if get my medical exam done again and send the paperwork to the USCIS to see if they waive the interview for me? Worth a try? What do you think? Thanks. 

I was thinking of doing the same, my congressman said it's okay to try. Just make sure you know where to send it, because it can take a few MONTHS since your courtesy letter to send your case to local office. And if you don't hear back and get interview scheduled later on you'll have to spend another ~$250 on new medicals just in case the ones you mailed got lost.

21 hours ago, Naguto7659 said:

Sorry what does it say in a courtesy letter to wait for? Are courtesy letter and interview letter the same thing? I’dont think there is rfe for medical sunless I am mistaken as they just send courtesy elders instead?

Says to wait for interview notice of RFE. No, not the same as interview notice. Normally you get courtesy letter, and then about a year later you get interview notice with an actual date. I know people with marriage cases got RFEs for medicals and no interview approvals lately, so it is a thing, but not really commonly used for VAWA...

17 hours ago, DmytriiD said:

what about those who submitted I485 prior applying for I360 ? Does it make any difference ?

Well just based on what people wrote on this forum it means you have less chances of getting I485 approval with no interview

3 hours ago, FirstTimer said:

@Engineering-rocks does it matter if you submit I485 along with your application or submit after i360 approval?

If you submit I485 you can apply for work permit. If I didn't need a work permit I would hold off sending I485 until vawa approved. But probably a rare case for someone to be able to not work for 2 years.

43 minutes ago, ponak98 said:

thank you for sharing - who thinks we should send medicals instead of waiting for medical exam courtesy letter? It seems interviews will now be canceled for vawa applicants - uscis has lack of ppl to do them.

I mean there was no info communicated about this, right? It's only our guess that it may or may not happen.

4 minutes ago, Braveheart123 said:

there are certain people who got there green card with out interview recently 

so I got the courtesy letter in the month of April 2020 still waiting 

I think since it’s the time of uncertainty we can always contact the senator or congressman since they cab enquirer on our behalf

Yea I got mine in April as well. As of 2 weeks ago my case was still in NBC though, not local office.

If I remember correctly all those no interview people applied for I485 after vawa approval, not together like I did

On 6/27/2020 at 11:01 AM, folate said:

Hi Everyone 
I hope you all are doing well and staying safe.

MY Timeline in brief-
i-360 and i-485 filed in december 2017 
I-360 approved in december 2019 

The case status for i-485 shows "Name was updated " after the i-360 approval 
No update on my i-485 case since my vawa approval apart from Name has been updated .

I see people discussing about updates on file transfer to NBC or to local office.
This got me alarmed.Thats the reason i am posting here.
Any help or guidance or if someone can please share if they had similar experience as me would be highly appreciated.
because it's been more than 7 months since my approval.


Thanks in Advance

I have almost same timeline, no updates on I485, but I know it has been transferred to NBC, not sure about local office. You haven't received a courtesy letter yet? If not, then contact congressman. If you received a letter about medicals then you're good - just wait.

P.S. USCIS website says all their offices are open now, but somehow not a single person here wrote they got their interview since pandemic... 

22 hours ago, DmytriiD said:

Hey guys, did International travel reopen? I see a lot of flights live on flightradar24 coming from Europe to the US. So any news on travel?
Also, did you see any March 2019 approvals or only February 2019 so far ?

I've heard that if you're flying from Ukraine and you're not a US citizen you cannot have a transfer in Europe, and direct flights from Ukrainian Airlines are not planning to reopen until this fall or so