ohioindian

I am curious is anyone had a similar experience. We filed for AOS in mid April, then had biometrics early May, and interview date was July 21. We are still waiting to hear anything after the interview. It does not look like they have even touched our case yet and that does not make sense to me. The interview I thought was surprisingly early. I expected it to be a few months later. Since it seemed early, I also thought that we would have her GC by now too.

Also, is it normal for the I-94 to be left in the passport? The officer said everything looked good and that she left it in there because it is not yet expired.

Hi ohioindian,

I guess your case is the same as us. As being K-3 holder, filed at the very end of april and interview date was ridiculously early, but since then we haven't heard anything updated. Speaking of I-94, the officer took it during the interview while it was not even close to the expiration date. Any thought?

When the officer took the I-94, did he or she say anything? Our officer was about to take it out, but said that she would leave it in since it is not expired. I don't know why they scheduled the interview so early, but it does make sense as to why not to remove the I-94. Without it, leaving and then re-entering the US can be problematic. If one was going to get the GC very soon, then it would not matter. We did not apply for AP since it is not needed for K3. If you applied for AP and received it, then perhaps that is why the officer removed it. Usually, when they remove the I-94 it is a good thing.

Contact your local board of health. They usually have adult immunizations for a very reasonable price. About $12 or so. The vaccinations are required for a reason and immunology is a very tricky thing. I strongly suggest abiding by the vaccination program.

I am curious is anyone had a similar experience. We filed for AOS in mid April, then had biometrics early May, and interview date was July 21. We are still waiting to hear anything after the interview. It does not look like they have even touched our case yet and that does not make sense to me. The interview I thought was surprisingly early. I expected it to be a few months later. Since it seemed early, I also thought that we would have her GC by now too.

Also, is it normal for the I-94 to be left in the passport? The officer said everything looked good and that she left it in there because it is not yet expired.

I have checked online status and it shows last touch in mid June, which was more than a month before the interview. It does not show any touches after the interview. We got her EAD in the mail, close to the time of the touches.

Our AOS interview was on July 21, and it went pretty much as described in the reviews for Cleveland Oh. The officer said that everything looked good and if there was anything needed, they would let us know. Otherwise we should receive it in about two weeks. Well, we are now past 14 working days, well past two weeks, and still nothing. One thing that concerned me is that the officer did not remove my wife's I-94. She said that since it is not expired she would leave it. I thought the I-94 was always removed. But that she did not remove it and that we have not received anything yet bothers me. I was wondering if anyone else has or had a similar experience. I am planning to schedule an infopass appt if nothing is received in the next few days.

I thought I would share this so that anyone who is in the same situation is aware....

My wife's biometrics was on May 06, and up until June 13 or so we did not hear anything about EAD. I was starting to wonder. But then it arrived that day in the mail. The date on it was June 09, and it was posted on June 10. So if you are waiting for EAD and have not heard anything, it might be that it is taking a little while longer. I still think one month from the biometrics is a safe bet.

Also, in case you made a mistake like I did....when we put together her AOS packet, I forgot to include separate copies and photos for the EAD. So I sent a second packet with cover letter explaining this. That could have been a mistake, because USCIS then issued another case no. for the EAD, as well as a biometrics that was scheduled for later in the month. I took both notices and the appointment letters to the earlier biometrics appt, and they used the one with the later case no, but did her biometrics for it. When we had not received the EAD by 30 days after, I started to wonder if that was the reason. But, everythign worked out.

I strongly advise you to use the MARRIED name. Make sure that it is what she wants. The name on the 485 will be the name on the greencard and to change it later is costly and a hassle. I have been having a hard time getting an identification card for my wife in her married name. But the DMV has agreed to issue her ID card in her MARRIED name ONLY because I have the receipt notice from 485 and it is in her MARRIED name. The name issue can become a major problem if not handled properly now, so please think about it carefully.

Cheers.

I am going through this part myself for my wife's name. I should have had her get a new passport after marriage and then I could have done everything with her married name. Instead I did the 130 and 129F with her maiden name. THere is nothing wrong with it, but it creates a hassle later. The visa is issued in her maiden name, so when trying to get her state identification card, or a driver's license, they will not put it in her married name. The county court office disagrees with the BMV in that they say the marriage certificate is sufficient for the married name. Common sense suggests this alone!!

My concern right now is that since her biometrics appointment letter is in her married name, as I put the I485 in her married name so her greencard is in her married name, that when going for the biometrics, she will not have any identification that shows her married name. I am hoping that having the marriage certificate will suffice, but I am more confident that showing that the A# listed on the appointment letter matches the approval notice with her maiden name. I just think that in retrospect, having had her go through the hassle of getting her passport changed into the new name and then getting the visa in her married name, would have made everything a lot simpler. In this case, she did not have any exisiting visas in her passport, so there would not have been any complications.

From my experience it is a bigger hassle, but cheapest to go to the Civil Surgeon first, go through your history, and then he or she will tell you what vaccinations you need. Then you contact your board of health, tell them you want to talk to someone about adult vaccinations. You will find the prices much cheaper and then after you get all your shots, go back to the Civil Surgeon's office (or fax them the copies of your new vaccinations) and they should then prepare your vaccination supplement for you. All this you have to discuss with the Civil Surgeon though. And of course this depends on the person's character...some civil surgeons are jerks, some are very nice.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone else has had this experience. I got the I797 receipt notice for the I485 and the I765, but when I try to see the cases online, the case numbers are not found. It has been almost a week since receiving the notices.

Thanks

Hi, We did the I-693A but took a while because I was busy and also needed to find a us civil surgeon. You might have some difficulty getting the office person to understand that all you need is a vaccination form filled out and not an exam, but once they ask the doctor and the doctor says yes, you just have to know how much they will charge for it. I found a range of prices between $25-$100 without exam. But in our case I made one mistake, I did not go to the board of health first. The MMR shot was $67 whereas at the public health office it was $12. If you don't know how to find your board of health, google it. You will save yourself a nice chunk of money. I wish I could get my $55 back!

I feel for you, and I don't know if this will help. The consulate is supposed to look at line 37 of your 1040 to see what your adjusted gross income is. They usually give a chart with the packet 3 that lists the 125% poverty line values. So if you look at the two person value, and that number is less than your line 37, then you are fine. My guess is it is not so you do need a co-sponsor.

Best of luck

we are in the same timeframe and we will be moving on to the AOS process in a few days. I don't know how to add the timeline at the bottom here (and don't need to know), but feel free to check out our timeline from profile.

Cheers, and best of luck

It is interesting...from these replies and others I have communicated with, the delays are common for men, and not so common for women.

does anyone out there know when new delhi posts their interview schedule for each month? thanks.

they posted them and my husband's interview is not in october.... :crying:

According to your timeline, your husband's ds230 was submitted 9/18. If you were able to submit it 9/11 then more likely he would have gotten october interview. Even if it was submitted by 9/14 you might have had a chance at an October interview (end of October). According to them, New Delhi consulate only schedules interviews once a month. But since interviews are scheduled by the date ds230 is entered (I think this is done automatically by computer), I think what they do is run a query or something to actually "print" the interview schedule.

As for you other question, her interview experience was like those listed. Same questions asked (see Parag's great review). It was over and done pretty quickly. One suggestion to help move it along, get there early. Even if they give you 9AM, pretend it is 8AM and get there by 7:30. As long as you send in a solid Packet 4 and cover all your bases, everything should go smoothly.

your timeline says that your packet 3 was sent on august 18th... and ur interview was scheduled the following month. how were you able to do that. just curious?

I had explained my thinking about the process through New Delhi in the emails to you. Again I will say that I believe the interview dates are automatically assigned by computer based on the date the DS230 is entered. As I have written in my reply above, if your husband had been able to submit ds230 by the end of that week, 9/14, then I believe he would have gotten an October interview. Our Packet 3 was sent Aug 18th, but there is no reason to wait for packet 3 before submitting ds230. We submitted DS230 in person as soon as we found out they had the case number. I think the date was around Aug 11 (+/- few days). I hope anyone else going through New Delhi reads this and understands this point - AS SOON AS NEW DELHI CONSULATE HAS THE CASE NO. IN THEIR SYSTEM, YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR SPOUSE GO THERE ASAP AND SUBMIT DS230. They have the forms there at counter one, and he/she can go any day between 4-5PM (check timings). The ds230 does not even have to be complete, and it will be entered into their system on the spot. Then their computer system will assign an interview date for the visa type, first come first served by the date ds230 entered. They have X no. of interview slots and Y number of days for those visa type specific interviews. So when the computer assigns the interviews, and those slots are filled up, it will go on to the next month. (though you won't know it until either they publish the list, or they send you the letter).

I hope this is clear and understandable, and again this is for K3

Hi, this is for anyone who came through New Delhi on K3 -

The physician there told my wife that she can not have a duplicate of the medical report. I am under the impression that the original medical report in sealed envelope is going to be put into the "brown envelope" to be opened by POE officer. Then what happens to that medical report? Will it get included in our file for AOS? Since a medical is needed for AOS, does she have to get another medical exam here in US? SHe was told by the physician in New Delhi that for her K3 they do not do the immunizations there. I will want her to have all the immunizations anyways, but it does not make sense why they are not done at the time of the medical before consular interview. I would appreciate any help you can give me to clear my confusion.

Thanks

does anyone out there know when new delhi posts their interview schedule for each month? thanks.

they posted them and my husband's interview is not in october.... :crying:

According to your timeline, your husband's ds230 was submitted 9/18. If you were able to submit it 9/11 then more likely he would have gotten october interview. Even if it was submitted by 9/14 you might have had a chance at an October interview (end of October). According to them, New Delhi consulate only schedules interviews once a month. But since interviews are scheduled by the date ds230 is entered (I think this is done automatically by computer), I think what they do is run a query or something to actually "print" the interview schedule.

As for you other question, her interview experience was like those listed. Same questions asked (see Parag's great review). It was over and done pretty quickly. One suggestion to help move it along, get there early. Even if they give you 9AM, pretend it is 8AM and get there by 7:30. As long as you send in a solid Packet 4 and cover all your bases, everything should go smoothly.

Any major bank (and even most smaller ones) have at least one public notary. I am sure you have an account with a local bank, so just go there and ask for a personal banker. Tell them you have an account there and you need some documents notarized. Usually they will waive any fees if you are one of their customers. I don't think there are restrictions really on the type of document to be notarized. Notarization is basically a certified person saying that the person who has signed the document (you) is the actual person. That is why you should not sign a document to be notarized until the notary tells you to do so. I made that mistake once myself a long time ago.

My husband had his medical exam today (immigration lost it). They said to come back on Thursday and everything should be ready. I just want to give some advice to those who are having medical exams overseas....

1. Get a copy from that doctor! We had to pay for a TD booster ($50) because we didn't have proof that the doctor in Tunisia had already given it to him! And we had to pay for some blood tests because we didn't have proof of what other vaccines he got in Tunisia.

2. Make sure the foreign doctor actually does the TB test and doesn't just order an x-ray. After talking with the nurse today I don't know if immigration lost it or if they rejected it because the doctor in Tunisia didn't give my husband the skin test requested on the form. He just gave him an x-ray. The nurse said immigration will reject the medical exam if the TB test was not completed. (This is the test where they inject you just under the skin on your forearm and then you have to go back three days later to see if there was any reaction). This test is on the medical exam and the chest x-ray is only required IF the test if positive but my husband said he has NEVER had this test before although he paid to have a medical exam in Tunisia AND GOT HIS VISA??????

Anyway, I hope this advice helps others!

Hi, I think this depends on the type of visa. My wife is coming on K3 and they did not do immunizations or TB as I thought they would. And they will not give a copy of the medical report. She was told that she will have to get the immunizations from here in US. So maybe for K1 and CR1 they require immunizations and TB done for consular interview. But for K3, since adjustment of status will be done in US, then they figure everything else should be done here? I don't know the real story, but that is the experience so far.

Hello, I am trying to find out if the medical report from the consular interview that was put into the brown sealed envelope and given to POE officer was given back to you. The physicians in New Delhi are saying that they will not give a copy of the medical report, and if the one from the sealed envelope is not given back, then we have to get a new medical exam done. Can anyone help me clear this confusion?

My wife will be attending her interview for K3 visa in Nov and will be coming to the states immediately. Yesterday I got a Affidavit of Support Fee and Choice of Agent Form (DS-3032). The question I have is should I submit the payment & DS-3032 immediately or should I wait until my wife comes to the here? If I should submit the DS-3032 form can I send NVC a scanned copy with my wife's signature?

Thanks,

Raj

The AOS fee and DS3032 are part of the process for CR1 (I-130), so you should be sure that what you are receiving is for K3. You may be one of the lucky ones where K3 went through and then so did your I-130. You can save yourself time and money now if that is the case. Go through all the steps for NVC processing for I-130, then use the K3 interview for CR1. There are several posts on this in the forum.

I noticed that most of the posts where people have been waiting a long time for AOS to finalize, i.e. get their greencard, are those who initially came on K1 as opposed to K3. I would like to know about experiences with AOS for those who came on K3. Specifically, how long did it take, any major hassels, etc.

Hi, I went through and am still going through the exact same thing. I also have a friend who is gong through this at the early stages and advised him as I am about to describe to you.

The advantage of K3 over the 130 alone is time. There is debate about which is faster, but I don't believe what anyone has said about it one way or the other. I have seen that 130 or K3 get processed in very similar time. However, if you go with CR1 instead of K3, you will spend an additional two months. I say four because the NVC processing for CR1 will end up taking close to two months. Then when your CR1 case is ready to be sent to Consulate (New Delhi?), the New Delhi Consulate will schedule an interview about two months (44-60 days) from the date your DS-230 is entered in their system. With all the shortcuts, you might be able to cut out one month. Whereas with K3, the main bottleneck is the transfer of your case from USCIS to NVC. As soon as K3 gets to NVC, it is sent via email and then courier to New Delhi. So for example, if K3 approved 7/25, arrives at NVC 8/10, then 8/11 New Delhi has your case, and that day or day after they should have in their system. As soon as they confirm they have your case no. you can submit DS230 and the earlier you get DS230 submitted, the earlier interview date you get. In my mind, I weighed the value of about $700 to 2 months, and to the hassles my wife would have to deal with. I made the hassles first priority (I wanted it as simple on her as possible) and next having her here with me. The additional $700 ranked third. Although the paperwork, additional cost, and time to get to AOS interview is a pain in the ###, it is one I accept because she will be here in two weeks as opposed to what would have been almost two months later.

My point is that you have to weigh what is more important to you. Prioritize and know the pros and cons of each method. Then make your decision accordingly. Given the current onslaught of petitions though, I suspect time is going to be even more precious a commodity than it already is.

Best of luck.

Hi, I am trying to find out about experiences going through Chicago as POE for K3 visa.

regardless, she needs the pc from passport office. That one is a must and unfortunately, that is the one you say you are missing. If you are going through New Delhi Embassy, I would strongly suggest that you email them any questions you have. No one at the Embassy is going to care what anyone here says. But if you have the reply from the Embassy for your question, then they will likely honor whatever they have said.