A Polite Parrot

"My left or your left? ...And why are you watching us?"

Has anyone been preparing for an early filing of the N-400?

For those that are spouses to a US Citizen: https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-12-part-g-chapter-3

On 10/10/2023 at 2:56 AM, Stook said:

In my experience, at Port of Seattle airport, Mobile Passport is approximately the same speed as using the kiosk, and same speed as filling out an entry slip. Can't hurt, though

At very busy airports where mobile passport and GE share the same officers, they will have the GE folks go through first. My spouse waited in a Mobile passport line at one like this for over 10 mins! Is the paper filing still a thing? I don't think my spouse has anything to fill when he goes.

On 8/15/2023 at 8:30 AM, L and J C said:

Has anyone had any success applying to GE while I-751 is pending? It looks like it’s been a 50-50 chance for folks in the past (but this is based on super old threads). People seem to have tried by bumping out the expiry date on their green card (to whatever extension letter says it is). 

On 10/4/2023 at 11:32 PM, OldUser said:

That sucks! Yes, the kiosks is hit or miss with expired GC and I-751. Where kiosk operated in facial recognition mode - I was fine. Where it asked for a document - I had to see an agent.

 

Now I got 10 year GC, and updated expiration on GE portal, not sure if this us sufficient or have to see somebody at enrollment center.

 

I did not try updating expiration date based on extension letter before, maybe it was OK or maybe it wasn't.

 

The enrollment center avoids I-751 extension like the plague, I tried twice updating info in their system. Seems like the same is with new enrollment, though at least I could use GE lane with kiosks not working...

 

An update about applying for Global Entry while on a Green Card with the extension:

I tried the GE interview upon arrival again (the app still was active since my last try). I had a different officer, and they didn't make as much fuss about the GC and paper extension. I was granted approval and got to use the TSA precheck without issue since then. I'll play with the advice for returning to the US with Global Entry in the future. The approval appears to really be about how much you push the officer and some luck with how much they know that it's OK for them to approve you.

Also, when I applied for GE, entering the GC extension expiry date didn't cause any issue, as far as I could tell. In fact, the application won't allow an expired GC so it's either the new expiry date or don't bother applying.

53 minutes ago, MichaelJuan.198 said:

a couple years back...

Can the officer have a problem with this sudden change of size?

With how many burgers a non-American could be tempted to eat since then, I'd say a size change would be expected if not required.

On 10/6/2023 at 8:14 AM, Bavarian91 said:

I was kinda nervous as I renewed by German Passport while in Europe but everything turned out fine...

 

That first trip with a new technicality keeps feeling weird. You're wondering if the officer will understand the technicality. Having to go to check-in  desks are a pain since sometimes they don't understand the letter. For online check-in do you try bumping up the GC expirary date to the extension date?

Thankfully traveling with the letter has been fine with CBP. The last time I passed through CBP the officer was mostly unphased but did remak how he is seeing these more and more often. With a temporary extension from one year, to two, now four years it's sadly no surprise for us applicants!

On 10/4/2023 at 11:32 PM, OldUser said:

That sucks! Yes, the kiosks is hit or miss with expired GC and I-751. Where kiosk operated in facial recognition mode - I was fine. Where it asked for a document - I had to see an agent.

 

Now I got 10 year GC, and updated expiration on GE portal, not sure if this us sufficient or have to see somebody at enrollment center.

 

I did not try updating expiration date based on extension letter before, maybe it was OK or maybe it wasn't.

 

The enrollment center avoids I-751 extension like the plague, I tried twice updating info in their system. Seems like the same is with new enrollment, though at least I could use GE lane with kiosks not working...

 

From what I read, you should be able to make updates when receiving the 10yr card (online or in person, I am not sure -- I am still stuck with the GE conditional approval). In your experience, that's not the case?

Regardless, I don't understand what the trouble is with letting I-751's be part of the process. It's a stop-gap measure that has become permanent due to the bottleneck of GC filing over a decade. The paper states it acts as the new expiration. If agents are told to refuse approval only because the issue is the technical limitations of the kiosks, then what's the problem with a human reading a paper and scanning your documents like they do with GE holders anyway? When my partner uses Mobile Entry and there's only one agent for both Mobile and GE, they tell me they have to wait for all the GE holders to pass in front to see the agent.🤦‍♀️

On 9/7/2023 at 4:15 PM, Bavarian91 said:

 

Mine show's 28 Approved as of today. 

The pain is real, especially when you see cases near yours approved. What magic sauce do they have that we don't?

I tried easing the pain with an application for Global Entry, but from my reading and latest experience, those with the extension letter seem to have little luck with the interviewer wanting to approve us.🙄

On 8/15/2023 at 8:30 AM, L and J C said:

Has anyone had any success applying to GE while I-751 is pending? It looks like it’s been a 50-50 chance for folks in the past (but this is based on super old threads). People seem to have tried by bumping out the expiry date on their green card (to whatever extension letter says it is). 

Not I. I'm currently on an expired GC but with a valid 48 mo extension NOA. Took an upon arrival interview for the GE and the officer insisted that since the GC was expired they couldn't approve GE, they also said the lack of a valid GC would mean the kiosks wouldn't be usable. Note: my GE application is still conditionally approved, so it looks like I could retry another time or wait for the 10yr GC.

I, too, would like to know if there's a workaround the interviewer can do to approve the app while on the NOA extension.

5 minutes ago, Brklyn Belle said:

Thanks! I confirmed the amount was correct.  Did you send 2 separate checks? 

I only sent one. One of my references was this post that has a poll.

53 minutes ago, Brklyn Belle said:

Did you pay with check or credit card?

Check. I didn't want to risk the credit card being declined. Maybe that's what happened to your application? Check the forums for what language others received and complete the Fee Calculator.

On 5/9/2023 at 10:31 AM, Bavarian91 said:

Probs shouldn't overthink their online updates. I'm good for 48 month and will now wait for like 25-28 months to hear back 

My case page is the same and I did recive the biometrics waiver. So far sounds like this is normal.

Some anecdotal feedback but sadly a lack of an electronic notification is not a confirmation of non-receipt. We included the e form but never received any electionic notification. We did, however, receive the NOA letters and saw the financial transaction on our bank account.

My understanding is that car titles with two names will also require both parties to take action on the car which can be more trouble than it's worth should one party be unavailable, intentional or not. Throw in the fact that the spouse doesn't have a license or knows how to drive...

Keep it manageable and share what you already have interwoven.

Since this is new to you I would suggest using an actual CPA or tax preparer. Use them to learn how to do it right while following along with an online guide. Consider these resources.

Without knowing all your information it's hard to give a thorough response. That why a CPA or tax prep software would help you at this stage. Later on you can do it on your own if you're comfortable. For instance here's a TurboTax thread that discusses your questions and follow-up questions. Such as, are you both considered Tax residents in the US? You but not the spouse? Vice versa? None at all? How to fill out the form without an ITIN, Etc.

Depending on your income you may be able toused a software guide to file your Federal taxes for free using IRS Free File.

1 hour ago, Bavarian91 said:

The 'No blank space' rule from lovely Trump is not in place anymore...

 

The only times I put N/A is for children as we have non.  I also do not have a middle name and left it blank

Unfortunately this is in the instructions for the form so we followed it except for the most ridiculous places like address and name.

On 4/9/2023 at 6:01 AM, apellica said:

Hi all, 

 

I plan on submitting my I-751 package by end of this month and I have a question on the supporting documents.  Since we have multiple checking and credit card accounts, is it really wise to send all those monthly statements of approximately 2 years worth of activity for each account?  It just seems like an unnecessary amount of paper...

For many card statements only the primary cardholder appeared so I only submitted copies of the cards themselves where the name and numbers matched. How would the statements confirm we shared the account if no authorized user appears?

I agree that full monthly statements (bank,credit card, utilities,etc) are a real waste of energy and also time for all parties involved. I included multiple accounts which lead to hundreds of pages. Our whole package was eighty-something dollars to print and more than half were "statements." I was tempted to write a sticky note saying "I'm sorry to put us through this but the instructions don't say when is enough!"

And don't get me started on the write "N/A" or "none" on fields that are not applicable... what Kafkaesque instructions are these? If I write NA on my middle name or address line how will someone know the difference? 🤨

Good luck everyone!

On 4/7/2023 at 10:41 AM, Bavarian91 said:

UPDATE:

 

Yes its the reminder... that I'm now eligible to file 751.

What kinda shocked me is that they originally set it to our old address... even that I filed the address change note last year in February right after we moved PLUS called last May to confirm that they received it as I never got any notification / confirmation back.

 

And now over a year later they still used the old address for the reminder to file 751.

 

Frustrating

Thanks for sharing that and the suggestion to use the chat. I submitted an address change a while back and I believe I received an email confirmation, but still received the reminder letter to our old address. I wonder how the I751 will do with our current address!

On 8/5/2021 at 8:46 PM, kkmk said:

thank you A Polite Parrot for the update! Did they ask you any questions? did you have to disclose that you knew you were already approved? Did they know you were approved without you telling them?

 

edit: also, super happy that it all worked out well for you!!!

Sorry for the late reply. I was not asked anything nor did I ask them.

On 7/27/2021 at 1:14 PM, INF said:

Hi guys,

Approved on the spot!! Married to UScitizen. Status has changed to card is being produced. Detroit, MI office. PD Aug 25, 2020. 

Quick summary:

1. Officer brought us in and told us we did a great job on the application and he was going to approve it today if everything else looked good. 
2. He looked through my passport and said there’s no stamp. I said I came in using a nexus and not my passport. He asked for everything financial and the medical form. We gave him so much stuff and he didn’t even look through it just put it into the folder. 
3. He said the i130 was already approved so he was only going to go through i485.
4. We started going through i485  line by line. He asked my husband my name my birthdate and where I was born
5. He asked me where I worked I told him DTE but I did work remotely for my Canadian employer before. He said yea that’s fine
6. He asked me allllll the questions from the I485. If I had ever been illegally entering the US etc. 
7. He said congrats you’re approved sign this.
8. I asked him to change my last name he said we can’t do that since we already approved it. 
9. We walked out. Status changed already!

For a second that sounded like the interviewer we had but looking at your location it must be his twin brother. Little to no questions besides the legal ones from I-485. I swear the interviewer was reading them from heart and seemed more interested in keeping his paperwork the bare minimum. He said to us, you were interviewed at the consulate so I don't need to go over all those [extra papers and evidence we brought such to be safe], these are enough. He only kept 3 or 5 photos and gave us the rest back. He seemed more interested in asking about one bank's checking account benefits. 😅 At the end he said everything looks good, and that as long as I passed the final background check it would be approved and mailed in two weeks.

Congrats on your approval!

Final update:

Entered with no issues. After the CBP officer scanned my passport and AP cards I was sent to secondary screening for a few minutes. At some point they placed a Paroled stamp in my passport (see attached image for an example) where it stated Until next year, Purpose: AOS, the entry date, etc.

I want to mention this is not something I would recommend doing if you have the choice. As a few have stated, the risk is you are outside the US, and royally screwed if there are issues.

Thanks again for all your input and caution. Best of luck with everyone else's immigration journey.

On 5/6/2021 at 1:20 AM, Blajje said:

Hey, has anyone gone through EAD renewal 2021? How lond does it usually take to get it after sending all the documents? Thank you!

Sorry that this is a late response but I'm going to reply to your unanswered question in case anyone cares to know more. From a legal source: EADs as of recent have been taking 3 - 6 months instead of the usual 1-3 months. Since it's free, you may as well file as soon as you can.

Some of us may have more info but if those case status estimates are real it can suck. SO we should be realistic and consider the times for our local offices. we shouldn't be surprised in seeing processing times swing from the fastest to the slowest. Hang in there!💪

On 7/8/2021 at 10:55 PM, kkmk said:

I talked to Emma and they said they couldn't see the date and that i should wait for the letter, completely unhelpful 😕

 

also, how do you know that the medical exam collected by CBP is or isn't valid? 

On 7/8/2021 at 11:50 PM, kkmk said:

btw i meant that emma was unhelpful, not you polite parrot! lol 

lol. You're good. Did you try messaging them again? It's funny that sharing these notices and dates can't be done through their portal when you create an account.

OK, so I pulled up our notes and it should be within one year with no issues, and all vaccines recorded. I don't know how well USCIS knows this since it's a funny one with some logic required to meet. I know it was valid when I used it for the K1 visa interview, and that it should be (our interviewer said it was) in the sealed packet I gave to CBP upon entry. According to the i-693 instructions on page 8:

Quote

3. What if I am a K nonimmigrant visa holder and already had a medical examination overseas?

 

If you were admitted as a:

A. K-1 fiancé(e) or a K-2 child of a K-1 fiancé(e); or

B. K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen or a K-4 child of a K-3 spouse of a U.S. citizen; and

C. You received a medical examination prior to admission, then:

(1) You are not required to have another medical examination as long as you file your Form I-485 within one year of an overseas medical examination; and

(a) The panel physician did not find a class A medical condition during your overseas examination; or

(b) The panel physician did find a class A medical condition, you received a waiver of inadmissibility, and you have complied with the terms and conditions of the waiver.

(2) Even if a new medical examination is not required, you must still show proof that you complied with the vaccination requirements. If the vaccination record (DS 3025) was not properly completed and included as part of the original overseas medical examination report, you will need to have the Part 10. Vaccination Record completed by a designated civil surgeon. In this case, you must submit Parts 1. - 5., 7., and 10. of Form I-693.

You may wish to ask the medical office that conducted the exam for a copy of the vaccine part of the form, DS-3025. Our interviewer didn't ask for our copy and said that the exam was OK.

Thanks everyone. We'll keep you posted of our return but it'll be in a few weeks.

On 7/9/2021 at 1:47 AM, HRQX said:

When returning to the US you'll encounter document checks at different points of the trip. Before boarding the flight, the airline will do a document check (but it'll just be a quick visual check of the card). You'll show the airline the EAD/AP card. At the POE you'll explain that you are now a LPR and after being admitted as a LPR you'll ask them for the CBP-version of the ADIT stamp.

Thanks for further information. Upon calling CBP and USCIS various times to collect everyone's point of view, this sounds like what the consensus was. Also it'd be a good idea to have that stamp even if it's temporary as a backup.

Almost everyone we spoke to confirmed that an unexpired EAD/AP card can be used to enter and that we should tell the officer at the boarder that the status has changed and we were out of the country when we received the LPR card. Everyone anticipates that I will be pulled aside so the CBP officers can confirm my status with their own databases. One additional mention from various folks was to bring other proof of the approval such as the notice of approval, if possible. All urged us to have the card. Some asked if we can get it mailed but we aren't going to risk that.😅

Our talks over the phone and website chat with USCIS, eventually we also got a USCIS (Tier 2 support) call back, and two CBP support officers confirmed. There was one CBP officer that said it wouldn't be possible but they didn't seem willing to double check with someone else.  It seems the uncertainty comes with how to handle a LPR who doesn't have a card and couldn't have a physical copy but also has an unexpired AP card and the confusion over is AP valid or invalid during that time. I'd say one out of our seven sources gives us more confidence in the risk.

A legal source mentioned that upon being approved, the cardholder has the right to have proof of their LPR status. This in practice isn't so effective or easy as we well know. I'm sure this adds leverage for some cases if there's an issue but as mentioned above, a number of CBP folks understand that holders are without access to proof when between being approved and awaiting the actual card.

Here are some other sources we found searching the web:

I-485 Approval During International Travel [Murthy Law Firm]

My GC got approved while abroad. How do I re-enter? [Immigration Voice Forum]

On 7/9/2021 at 10:48 AM, Scandi said:

Reschedule your trip, wait for the greencard. 

Understandably this is the safest option. Not everyone will wish, nor should leave on such short notice of their interview. We connected with various sources to better understand the process and risk.

On 6/25/2021 at 3:44 PM, KiloCharlie said:

Hi! I am also filing for AOS now following marriage after K-1 visa. my medical examination was in December 2020, do I still need to file the DS 3025 since it has been less than a year? and how I note for this in the cover letter. Also wanted to ask how important it is to have the CERTIFIED copy instead of a regular copy of the marriage certificate? 

 

Thanks so much! 

Don't quote me but I believe the exam is valid for K1 filers for up to a year with your AOS app. There's more info on this in the forum.

My understanding is that the medical exam should have been in the K1 Visa packet you gave to CBP when you arrived on the visa. If so, still valid, and the USCIS officer for the interview understands K1 visas, it should be fine.

Did the City or County have an issue sending you a certified copy?

On 6/28/2021 at 3:11 PM, kkmk said:

My interview got scheduled. yay

 

does anyone know how to find out the date of the interview before receiving the letter in the mail? why don't they show the date of the interview on the website? 😕

Talk with Emma on the USCIS website or call for info. You'll need to speak with a rep.