ikarus

I called on Monday and she has not called back.

How long should I wait before I ping her back?

$30 is a deal

Call back thursday! exact same thing happened to us...I called on a monday and spoke to somebody there, and told me the regular person was not in that day but she would leave message and somebody would call back next day...

Tuesday came, no call.

Wednesday my wife called again in the morning, and left a message and no call; however, she didn't leave her info twice...

Thursday I called in the am, left a message, and somebody called me that afternoon.

My wife never got the call returned...

So call maybe every 2 days if youdon't hear from them.

They work half a day on friday.

I actually went to the office in Austin and i think people are confusing the nurse who comes out and does the paperwork for you.

The nurse was a she, and when she referred to the doctor she said, 'he'.

So the nurse that does the paperwork is a female; the doctor signs it and it appears he is a male.

Doesn't give me the option to speak with a live person

right, but what i asked was, does it give you other options? You will not have that option right from there to speak with a live person...

so again...when the automated voice says that it cannot find the case---What is next? Do you get other menus?

If you get menus, then listen to them because there should be an option that will say:

to report a problem with your case....select such and such number ( i think it was option 3)

then again you will hear more menus, and from there I believe you select advance parole which is 6...

and then more menus...honestly, at some point we were writing them down because it was insane how many menus you get....

Sorry to hear that...now, when the computerized message tells you that it cannot find the case, what happens after that? Does it give you a bunch of other menus, or does the call end?

When I enter the receipt number (MSC #), the recording tells me that can't find the case.

I apologize for the silly question, but you put the msc as 672, correct? Cause i know when my wife was calling she was ignoring the msc, and was entering the case number without it, and of course, couldnt get thru.... Also, can you pull up the case on the uscis website?

I have tried your instructions (phone call). But my process isn't entered as yet (receipt date: January 26, 2008).

I have scheduled an infopass for this coming 3/12.

What do you mean it hasnt been entered yet?

Did you go thru all the menus, and did you get a clerk on the phone?

Dont give up too easily cause you can end up at the local office with a clerk that is clueless and useless.

One of the lucky ones transferred to CSC and on interview? congrats!!!

We have applied for AP (together with I-485).

The AP should be issued on middle April.

My wife is pregnant and she is having problems with the pregnancy, and we don't have health insurance here, but she has health insurance in Brazil. She needs to go back to Brazil sooner than middle April.

How can we expedite our AP process?

We first tried doing ours at the uscis local office thru an infopass appt. The clerk there said it needed to be mailed and he couldnt do anything about it.

Then we called thru the phone and spoke to 3 different clerks, and on the last call, we got the process to be expedited. We did it on a friday, and had it on our hands the saturday of the week after, so we waited for it about 6 days....

So my thoughts to you would be, try getting an appt at your local office. Depending where you live, you might get one tomorrow or the day after. If you want to wait to see what the clerk tells you, then go there and try your luck. Some members on the forum have gotten it at their local office in person. We tried, but we failed that way. Otherwise, call the uscis and even if youre told you cannot do it on the phone, keep calling until you get a competent clerk that can do it for you.

here is our post on the subject:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=177190

My friend had an extra ticket so I tagged along not knowing what to expect...I enjoy all types of movies and even though I'm not a comic book movie type of fan, I did see the last batman movie and ironman, and those were entertaining. I found watchment to be a bit boring. My friend who has read the comic book was a bit disappointed with the movie, but he liked it a lot more than me. I'm glad I didn't pay to see the movie though! hehehehe

Basically, the question is easy. If I lost NOA with case number and I do not have the case number any more... there is any way to be able to contact USCIS and search for case number with name or any other identification ? Specially if case was filed in year 2000?

I need help! please!

Not sure myself, but a family member had a similar problem and she was only successful in finding out the info once she did it thru a lawyer. You could start with an infopass, and if that is not successful, try a different location, but my family member tried this in the miami area, in the orlando area, and the uscis clerks basically didn't care about finding the case number. She came across a laywer her friend knew and thats the only way she tracked it down; but getting a decent lawyer to do this, is another nightmare. Good luck.

Hello, I'm a newbie in this site. It was highly recommended to me by a good friend of mine. I have read through guides & faqs but it seems concentrated more on K1 & K3 or K4 AOS rather than H1B or I wasn't looking hard enough! Here's my situation, I am working for a company under the H1B. I am planning to apply for a green card (employment sponsored) as soon as I know how!

1) How do I apply for an employment sponsored green card?

2) What are the documents that I need & where do I find them?

3) Do I need a lawyer to file for this? I have read in other forums that a lawyer isn't really necessary & having one wouldn't make the process faster for anybody. Is this true? That would save a LOT of money if it can be done!

Thank you so much for your time & I really appreciate whatever information you guys could give me. Or please point me to another site if this site is for K1, K3, or K4 visas only! I really do need help! Thanks again!

My ex gf worked in the IT sector and her company sponsored her green card; there was a laywer there, and they guided her thru the whole process; but as far as I remember, it was the employer who facilitated this process once my ex gf requested she wanted the green card; also, the lawyer there gave her all the info and I remember reading thru the packet and she needed to wait so many years (i think it was 5) before she could apply for the green card...but it was up to her to go to the lawyer of the company and say, I'm ready to apply now that my time is coming, blah blah blah....The lawyer didn't come to her, even though he worked with her for h1b renewals, etc.

If you're working for a company that is sponsoring your h1b, then I'm sure you must have been in contact with a lawyer that the company provided for your for your paperwork..anyway, here is a link with a similar question to yours:

http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=292307

Is it possible for her to travel to her home country before revieving the AP and I FEDEX the AP to her when it arrives.

I have made more than 30 trips to Brasil and have never seen anyone with a Brasilian Passport questioned or an

I-94 or any documents for that matter checked or taken.

People with non Brasilian passport have their Visas checked and verified.

How would USCIS now when she left the U.S. and that she did not have the AP when she left?

We have a letter from the Doctor on the way but that takes 2 weeks to get here and then will the USCIS consider this reason to epidite her case?

Thank You

As stated on the other post:

The answer is clearly stated in the 1-131 instructions found on this page:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

If you travel before the advance parole document is issued, your application will be deemed abandoned if:

1. You depart from the United States; or

2. The person seeking advance parole attempts to enter the United States before a decision is made on the application.

Clear enough, isn't it?

Now, if the AP was approved, technically she could leave the country and you can then fed ex the document as youre thinking of doing. Many on the forums will tell you not to do that, because also,if you read the instructions, it also says you need the ap to leave the country...but yet, they don't check that when you leave the country, and also in other threads i have seen people describing they have mailed the ap and not a problem. Again, as long as she leaves the country once she has been approved it shouldn't be a problem...But then again, if you're approved, it doesn't take long to receive the ap in the mail.....

As far as how do they know you left the country? I don't know..maybe somebody else can tell us...

And you can apply for an expedite AP thru the phone. I wrote a big thread on how to do that cause again, some in the forums will tell you it can't be done, while others will tell you it can be done, and uscis will even say it can only be done thru the mail......

Number 2 seems to contradict number 1.

Number 2 says you must wait for approval before attempting to enter.

Everytime I talk to the USCIS I get a different answer.

Yea...is very clear!!! Like i described in thread, we got all types of answers with the USCIS; one lady said we could get approved, leave the country without the ap, and we could mail the ap, just like you mention; another person said, absolutely not, ap must be at hand when one leaves the country. And another person even said, as long as you applied, you can leave the country, but you must be approved before you come back; when we asked another uscis person about this, they said that we must have misunderstood...ap needs to be approved before leaving the country! So yea, i dont think you'll ever get a clear answer from the uscis clerks, but what is known is that if you leave before is approved, then you're abandoning the case. That is not disputed.

Is it possible for her to travel to her home country before revieving the AP and I FEDEX the AP to her when it arrives.

I have made more than 30 trips to Brasil and have never seen anyone with a Brasilian Passport questioned or an

I-94 or any documents for that matter checked or taken.

People with non Brasilian passport have their Visas checked and verified.

How would USCIS now when she left the U.S. and that she did not have the AP when she left?

We have a letter from the Doctor on the way but that takes 2 weeks to get here and then will the USCIS consider this reason to epidite her case?

Thank You

As stated on the other post:

The answer is clearly stated in the 1-131 instructions found on this page:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

If you travel before the advance parole document is issued, your application will be deemed abandoned if:

1. You depart from the United States; or

2. The person seeking advance parole attempts to enter the United States before a decision is made on the application.

Clear enough, isn't it?

Now, if the AP was approved, technically she could leave the country and you can then fed ex the document as youre thinking of doing. Many on the forums will tell you not to do that, because also,if you read the instructions, it also says you need the ap to leave the country...but yet, they don't check that when you leave the country, and also in other threads i have seen people describing they have mailed the ap and not a problem. Again, as long as she leaves the country once she has been approved it shouldn't be a problem...But then again, if you're approved, it doesn't take long to receive the ap in the mail.....

As far as how do they know you left the country? not sure; maybe somebody else can tell us...but when the person leaves the country, they take away your i94 so do they turn that in and I'm sure they don't just throw it away....

And you can apply for an expedite AP thru the phone. I wrote a big thread on how to do that cause again, some in the forums will tell you it can't be done, while others will tell you it can be done, and uscis will even say it can only be done thru the mail......

here is that detailed thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=177190

We know the my wife's AP will be issued next month (middle of the month).

Can she leave the country before (4/5)? I will send her the papers later, before she is schedule to return.

The answer is clearly stated in the 1-131 instructions found on this page:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

If you travel before the advance parole document is issued, your application will be deemed abandoned if:

1. You depart from the United States; or

2. The person seeking advance parole attempts to enter the United States before a decision is made on the application.

We got ours in about 19 days from the time the NOA notice came. I think i have seen posts of people requesting and expedited EAD...just recently i remember reading about somebody getting their EAD expedited by mistake; they were trying to get an AP, but somehow got the EAD.....anyway---check out the response below. And yes, i know, yours has nothing to do with the fact that is past due the priority date, but maybe call the number and try to see if you can expedite it. You never know what info you get with uscis, and you can make the case that is a bad economy and you need yours asap; our experience was that if we got denied something, we called and called until a clerk helped us. Just don't give up with one phone call.

If you haven't received your EAD and it's already passed your priority date, you can call the USCIS customer service(1-800-375-5283) and speak with one of the representatives. Since your EAD case it's been awhile, you can request for your EAD case to be expedited. They will give you a confirmation number about expedited service for EAD (make sure you receive this confirmation number because it's a proof that they do request the expedited service to National Benefits Center for your EAD) and usually you will hear something from USCIS within a week.

You don't need to get an InfoPass for EAD case because you can do it over the phone. That's what I did with my EAD case.

Hope this helps

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=171324

was she working as a caregiver under the table? was she just taking cash? Did she pay taxes? or Did she say she was a usc to get a job? Lots of possibilities depending on the scenario and there are not enough details to answer the question....

she was working as normal, with taxes ... not knowing she was doing anything wrong.

the company needed caregivers and didn't ask her for anything more than a SS card.

'not knowing she was doing anything wrong...' Out of curiosity, how long ago was this? I know back in the 80s employers didn't ask for much but then they would ask for a work permit....

Anyway, if you do a search on the forums with 'working without ead' or working illegally or any other term, you'll find that people say that normally they forgive you at the AOS interview, since the person is married to a USC.

For example, look at this thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;#entry690907

There are other threads out there with similar questions about people working 'illegally' (expired ead or no permit at all), and most say it was not an issue; on the positive side, she did pay her taxes so at least she did that right.

was she working as a caregiver under the table? was she just taking cash? Did she pay taxes? or Did she say she was a usc to get a job? Lots of possibilities depending on the scenario and there are not enough details to answer the question....

And if you read these forums, you'll find the case of a woman that missed her AOS appointment cause she missed her flight, and of course, she had scheduled the flight of return too close to the AOS.... So make sure you plan the return flight with plenty of time to get back to the states!

Thanks for sharing the details! time to celebrate! Congrats!

Thanks ikarus,

In terms of finding a job, the better school will definitely make my resume look better. However, it won't be essential in my case, since I have done internships in two top companies in my field. But a phd(my current program) does provide me more opportunies(some positions require a phd degree). I probably will look for a job in industry instead of academic tho.

given the bad economy---which program offers you the biggest opportunity of finding a job? In more prosperous times I would have said, do what makes you the happiest, of course with family in mind; since you are asking the forum, I presume your wife is ok with either choice. Keep in mind that there is a possibility the economy is only going to get worst and jobs will most likely be harder to find---so which of the opportunities will give you a more secure future?

And another thing---given the economy, not sure how good school rankings are. There are well qualified individual competing with the average joe.

Good luck with your decision.

From your other post---seriously, no matter where you go, you will find incompetent staff! What if the same happens at the new place? Nobody can guarantee that the professors/advisors are much better. And I have had a few friends doing phd in Europe and USA and they all say the same, "I only have to put up with this for so much longer, and then i can get rid of all these stupid people." Cause they all had incompetent professors, or they thought that way of them at least. So truly---what if you switch from one place to the other just to find the same? And I had friends that went to top schools too and is not like it got any better for them. They all wanted to get the hell out, even at the top institution like MIT, Harvard, Brown, etc.

I sent in my wife's I-485 package (K1 visa) last Wednesday. Since they haven't cashed my check for over a week, I double checked the mailing address and realized I make a mistake. I have mailed the application to Nebraska Service Center P.O. Box 87485 Lincoln, NE 68501, instead, should be USCIS P.O. Box 805887 Chicago, IL 60680.

I called the USCIS customer service this morning and was told that they will either reject the application or they will mail it to the proper location. Afterward, I have done some research on the internet and realize there is one person who have done something simular and didn't receive a reject letter for 9 months. I am tempted to send in the whole application again to the correct address. By doing that I am not sure if they will cash both of my checks or if it will cause more problem.

Any advice will be appreciated!!

Couldn't you stop payment on the check if you were to send in another check?

given the bad economy---which program offers you the biggest opportunity of finding a job? In more prosperous times I would have said, do what makes you the happiest, of course with family in mind; since you are asking the forum, I presume your wife is ok with either choice. Keep in mind that there is a possibility the economy is only going to get worst and jobs will most likely be harder to find---so which of the opportunities will give you a more secure future?

And another thing---given the economy, not sure how good school rankings are. There are well qualified individual competing with the average joe.

Good luck with your decision.

okay, we are about to send our AOS package, i have read and read and read the guides on how to assemble the AOS package, i have also read some issues regarding DS-3025 and I-693A, anyway, here are the contents of the AOS package,

payment in the amount of $1010

I-485

copy of my passport

copy of my visa

noa2

copy of I-94

copy of birth certificate

certified copy of marriage certificate

two passport-type photos

g-325a

DS-3025

I-864, with 6 months pay stubs, 3 years income tax return with w2s, bank statement, letter from employer,

I-765

I-131, with supplement, part 7,

is there anything i am missing? please help...

so we sent in 4 passport photos....other people sent in 6....

i read and read on the forums, and couldn't get an agreement on passport pics, but my friend that got approved sent in 4.....

so far we haven't received an RFE, and we already got our EAD and AP so you might want to double check about the number of pics...

If it were me, I think I would still go to my AOS interview, NOT volunteer any information, answer TRUTHFULLY all the questions asked, and see what happens.

If you are denied the AOS, you will have to apply for a spousal visa.

That's just my opinion, but I know of a few people (Canadians) who left the U.S. without AP and got their AOS anyways.

The key here is not to be dishonest (in order to avoid a ban), just don't give any information that is not asked for.

I couldn't agree anymore!

As i told you already, my colleague at work did the same---left the country without ap, and this didn't even come up in the interview. And he wasn't about to ask---'does it matter that i left the country without an ap last year?'

Now, if it does come up, tell the facts; yes, i went to mexico and came back to the states. If they ask you if you knew that this was not allowed you can say, no i did not know this. And don't give more details than you have to.

I was watching that cops show a while back and the man gets stopped by the cops for not having the right rear lights on his truck. Cop says, 'sir, did you know that you have the wrong lights on your truck?'

Man says, 'yes.'

Cop then asks, 'how do you know you have the wrong lights?'

Man says, 'Because I was stopped by another cop who told me the same...'

Wife who is in the vehicle is squirming at this moment....

Cop says, "so another cop gave you a warning, and you didn't fix the lights on your truck?"

man say, 'yes sir.'

Cop goes to the side and says, 'I wasn't gonna give him a ticket, but he admitted he knew he should have had the right lights, so now I'm forced to give him a ticket...'

Of course, the wife in the car is shown telling the man, 'what were you thinkiing?'

Obviously the man wasn't!

Given your history----you better be thinking right when you go to your interview!

You say:

it has taken really long for us to get our green cards, or even a working permit.

If that's the case, that would implied that you have applied for the green card and working permit and it hasn't come through? But on your first post it says that you haven't been able to adjust your status.....kind of confusing...

Anyway, know of one case where somebody came in like you at 12 years old; overstayed tourist visa; went thru high school, went thru college, and upon graduating college, received a deportation letter. This person hired a lawyer and after 3 years of court appearances and 7k down lawyer and legal fees, he was eventually 'pardoned' by the judge.

Of course, that doesn't help you much, but you should clarify your case. Has your family consulted a competent lawyer yet?

I told the customs official the truth but am worried about the INS official thinking I lied or telling me that I broke a law by leaving without AP.

What custom official---when you entered back in the usa?

Like somebody mentioned, maybe is time to hire a good attorney just in case.

My colleague from work also had left the country without an AP by honest pure mistake, and the border patrol didn't hassle him, and his interview went fine. You could go in and hope for the best, and just be honest about what happened---that you left the country not knowing you needed an AP; that's if this comes up. At my friend's interview what they asked was a wedding question and something about how was the usa lifestyle....leaving the country never came up. Sure thing NOT to do is lie about what happened.

When is the interview?