From_CAN_2_US

For sure, yeah. Well, at least the end is in sight. Wish you all the best.

Yes my interview was waived. 40 months is crazy. Have you applied for citizenship?

Yeah they won’t deny entry, but it could be a long wait in secondary and/ or a i193 fine for not showing the correct documentation. Willing to bet, this rarely done though…. I agree, it doesn’t make sense…

I called USCIS and they asked me to reach out to CBP. They said sometimes CBP officers do not recognise the extension letter when the permanent has been ordered to be produced and would need to see the I-551 stamp on the passport. So I called CBP and got the number (with extension) to the precise port of entry I will be crossing when returning to the US. Talked to the CBP officer there and they asked to bring the expired green card, extension letter and approval notice, along with my Canadian passport. Hopefully the guy I spoke to will be around on the day I cross 😅 I think my conclusion is - entry is to the CBP officers discretion and they can possibly fine you, but I think majority don’t. I have decided to give it a shot. Will report back!

Thank you @Crazy Cat I think you may be right; I am worrying for no reason. Thanks. That makes sense.

Thank you. I have read a number of opinions by lawyers online that say when i751 is approved while abroad, the extension letter with expired green card is enough to travel. I wonder if anything is different when you leave after it is approved… the wording on the approval is just so scary…

Thanks @Dashinka I am worried that once the I751 is approved the extension is no longer valid, as the extension is for the conditional status and not the permanent status. I don't have proof of the permanent status... I am concerned because of these posts I am seeing on reddit and visajourney....

Happiness was short-lived. Read the approval letter and found out I may have difficulty travelling before receiving Green Card. Please see post below and anyone with advice please send it my way:

My I751 got approved much much earlier than expected yesterday. I had planned to travel by land to Canada this weekend, leaving tomorrow and returning on Tuesday. My approval letter says, "You should not travel outside the United States until you receive your new Green Card, as you may have difficulty reentering the United States. If an emergency arises and you have a need to travel outside the United States before you receive your Green Card, you may make an appointment at your local USCIS office to request an I-551 stamp in your passport that shows temporary evidence of status as a lawful permanent resident." If I return to the border with my extension letter and expired green card, will CBP allow me to enter. I have no idea if I will be able to get the stamp today. We have hotels booked and my mother in law is travelling to us today from NYC, and then we drive together tomorrow to Canada. So I really don't want to cancel the trip... Would really like to hear from people in similar situation who successfully managed to return without the stamp...

In case it helps anyone, this is what I submitted (copy-pasted from my cover letter): 1. Duly filled and signed Form G-1450 authorizing $680 Credit Card Payment towards Filing fees (Form + Biometric). 2. This Cover Letter. 3. Duly filled and signed Form G-1145 requesting e-notification for acceptance of application. 4. Duly filled and signed Form I-751 5. Copy (Front and Back) of Permanent Residence Card 6. Copy of marriage certificate 7. Evidence of the Relationship: i. Exhibit A – Joint Occupancy of Communal Residence. This includes Lease documents, copies of IDs showing same address, examples of mail to both being received at same address and preparations for future joint home ownership (mortgage preapproval, buyer agency agreement and communication with realtors). ii. Exhibit B – Financial – Joint Bank Account Statements. We submitted all monthly statements for all joint bank accounts. iii. Exhibit C – Financial – Tax Returns. iv. Exhibit D – Financial – Retirement and Insurance. This includes Retirement, Life Insurance and Disability Insurance plans showing each other as beneficiary, and joint health insurance v. Exhibit E – Other Evidence of Union. This includes Nabeela and Greg listing each other as their emergency contacts, bill showing joint mobile family plan, joint amazon household and health documents providing evidence of plans to have a child together. vi. Exhibit F – Evidence Related to Wedding Day and Personal and Family Interaction. (This was over 200 pages, but very well organised description of events, trips etc over the last 3 years, and supported by photos, hotel bookings, flight tickets, family zoom calls, snapshots of family group chats etc.) vii. Exhibit G – Affidavits from Spouse's mother and Petitioner's sister.

I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to an approval email for my 1-751 submission this morning. I was totally not expecting it as the average timeline is currently around 2 years. Just wanted to share the happy news 🙂 and thank everyone here for the support through this immigration journey. Next stop - Citizenship!

Really? I came across this post yesterday where someone was denied for filing within the 90 day period, but not https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/781869-n400-case-denied-for-3-years-marital-union-after-evidence-submitted/ From this it looks like the early filing allows 90 fewer days of being an LPR, but you still have to satisfy 3 years of living together with your USC spouse. Thanks for your kind words. I think I lean towards waiting in that case. I don't really have an urgency to become a US Citizen. Only minor reason is there are a number of jobs I could apply to that requires US citizenship, but I guess it can wait.

My spouse is a US Citizen (from birth) and I was granted a green card through consular processing (CR1). I arrived in the US on Feb 12 2022 and moved in with my husband. I never lived in the US before, nor did my husband and I ever live together before I moved to the US, although we visited each other often between 2018 and the time of my move (I lived in Canada, my husband in the US). 1. So as I understand it, even though there is a provision for early filing of 90 days before 3 year mark, since I would only complete 3 years of living together with my husband, the earliest I can apply for citizenship is Feb 12 2025. Is this correct? 2. There is one additional complication. Since Feb 12 2022, my husband and I have lived together in the same residence, and have not been apart for more than a few hours, except for one period of about 4 months when I had to travel to India and care for my mother as she was undergoing cancer treatment. This was between Aug 19 2022 and Dec 12 2022. Does this period count as a break in marital union? We remained a married couple. I maintained by residential address in US (I stayed in a hotel with my mom by the hospital). We were separated due to extenuating circumstances. Would this be seen as break in marital union resulting in my eligibility to apply for citizenship to be pushed to Dec 12 2025?

We received our interview letter on November 17 from NVC, and it is scheduled for December 8 at Montreal Consulate. I am registering my interview appointment online, and am required to fill in my name and passport number. A warning at the top of the portal reads - "The information entered below must match the applicant’s passport and DS-260 Number application. Any discrepancy will result in delays in the return of the applicant’s documents." When I filled in the DS-260 form, I had a passport in my maiden name. I have since obtained a new passport in my married name. My old passport in my maiden name is no longer valid. I will be bringing both passports to the interview and as I understand, the visa would be issued in my new passport with my new name. The name on my DS-260 would be updated by the CO at the time of my interview. My question is what name and passport number should I fill in when registering my appointment, the old passport or new one? I don't want to cause any confusion that would lead to delays, so wanted to confirm the with you. I called NVC before sending this email and they told me they were unable to advise me as my case is with the consulate and I should reach out to the consulate. I also emailed the consulate, but they are swamped right now, and I am not sure I will receive a response. Thanks in advance for any advice the community here can provide.