Mobius1

34 minutes ago, Beteag said:

Then, who's doing all the hard works ?

The petitioners /  applicants / LPRs themselves, their lawyers, and good officers who treat immigrants with dignity. 

10 minutes ago, supernk said:

Hey All: Just for everyones benefit, I went to "119 Conrads Ln, New Braunfels, TX 78130" location and enquired about same day walk-in's ...initially they said nothing is available , i explained her my situation and asked to re-check once and it was about 8:45 AM , I would say that I was lucky enough that she told me one slot just popped on her screen for 9:30 AM and she gave me that slot. 

 

True that "can’t do is live all of your life in fear. Do your best and let fate determine rest. "  but how would I know you are doing the best 🙂  ? because honestly i don't know  appropriate answer or any answer for that matter. All I plan to say is "temporary license is what i have right now and it takes about 2 weeks to get the permanent card". another reason i'm thinking is  "address change" as I moved from the address given in N400 to a new address within the same city though.

Great. After all my consultations with lawyers, one thing they all agree on is that don't speak too much. ONLY answer what's asked in the shortest way possible. I would think that "Sorry, Sir/ Mam, it won't happen again" would be a good option. Making up stories with no documentation can really infuriate them. 

34 minutes ago, Mike E said:

The be at odds with that is  written on the extension letter:

 

”Your conditional permanent resident status is extended for 24 months from the expiration date on your Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card). During this extension. you are authorized to work and travel. This notice. presented with your expired Permanent Resident
Card is evidence of your status and work authorization.”

 

USCIS has zero interest in telling the truth here.  

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately that's true and in turn they create more work more backlog for themselves. 

I think USCIS needs to do a better job of writing in bold letters or a different colored ink that:

"Your legal status in the US does NOT expire upon expiry of this extension letter."

@Adelloves   You can get an extension / stamp on the passport if you are really worried but generally USCIS does not entertain such requests unless you need to travel / change jobs/ renew ID etc.

Conditional or Permanent residency status can only be nullified by an immigration judge.

The offices are still taking extra precautions to only allow individuals who are required to be there for the interviews. 

While it seems like a good idea to bring the rock solid proofs of your genuine marriage, pictures and birth certificates will suffice instead of physical presence. 

What you need to think about is, what if the security doesn't let your kids in, who will look after them when both of you are required to be in the waiting area.

3 hours ago, supernk said:

I drove about 2 hours and finally got a location where I was allowed for a walk in this early morning.  I got my DL switched today from CT to TX though I got only a temporary paper permit as it takes 2 weeks to get the actual license card. If I show the temporary license, will the officer question why I didn't get that changed earlier? I'm finding it hard to find a good reason to let the IO know why my DL was not changed earlier, any suggestions?

One reason could be that you weren’t sure if you wanted to stay in TX but I don’t know if 4 years will cut it. 
 

Honestly, it all comes down to the personality of the IO.

Some understand the difficulties people have, after all they also are humans and have their own regrets in life as everyone does.
Some have a bad day and unfortunately you become the target.

Some just saw NCIS or something last night and are pumped to investigate.
And some only see black and white in terms of law.

What you can’t do is live all of your life in fear. Do your best and let fate determine rest. 
 

There is a research, “90% of the things we worry about don’t even happen” 

Congrats! You must have gone to Dallas field office. How was your experience of the interview process?

1 minute ago, supernk said:

ok. thanks. When I try to update address on the online profile page, I get the below message but however I can edit the address. Should I update the address or wait till the interview is over? or Should I update the address using AR-11 form?

"You cannot edit your mailing address or physical address during this part of the adjudication process."

 

Take a screenshot of this and bring it to your interview.

Remember, a part of the interview process besides the Tests is to verify if any information has changed. You can update the new address during the interview. I have done that in my interview, its not a problem.

And also I see that you scheduled an appointment for 12/05/2022, while it doesn't cure everything but does show that you are making efforts to correct your mistake. Also mention that you have tried (number of times you tried) to join the early bird line but returned empty handed. All in all, don't speak too much but do offer the needed information when prompted.

7 minutes ago, supernk said:

 

thank you Mobius1. Yes, absolutely agree with you on DL change but due to Covid, most of the time I stayed at home and never got the opportunity to change. Nevertheless, it's completely my mistake not to change it. I have been trying to get appointment from the day I landed here but unfortunately there are no walk-in appointments in any of the San Antonio/New Braunfels locations. In fact, I went around 6 AM to stand in the queue and returned empty as there were no walk-ins due to heavy backlog that they have. Right now, DL appointment is scheduled for 12/5/2022 and is way beyond my Interview. Should I postpone the Interview? I'm kind of lost to know what's the best course of action here.

Dont postpone again....they may notice this trend and ask you for a legitimate reason.

Just go in and let them know that you made a mistake and it will never happen again.

A lot depends on your IO too but I hear Texas offices are relatively accommodating.

I don't think DL non-renewal will be a huge issue. 

Let us know how it goes. It could help someone in similar situation down the road.

While you can file for n400 (3 years rule) concurrently with a pending i-751, there are mixed answers from the lawyers. Their concern is that once people used to have a combo interview but its not the common case now. Since n400s are priority and i751s not important to them at all, they may conduct your n400 but wont be able to approve it until they call you again later for i-751. Only then will you get both approved.

A caution here is that lets say a couple in your situation ends up separating or divorcing after n400 but before I-751 interview, then the applicant is in a world of hurt. 

I-751 becomes waiver based.

n400 (3 year) gets denied.

The applicant then will be eligible only for n400 (5 year rule).

6 hours ago, supernk said:

May I know if there is an issue if my DL is not showing  TX address? My DL shows Connecticut address where I lived in 2018 and I moved to TX in 08/2018 but never got that changed to TX. Is it mandatory to take DL to N400 interview? Is it ok to say that I don't have DL if IO asks for DL?

Its the law to change you DL when you move to a new state and since 2018 is a long time. 

Don't make that mistake. Its better to get scolded by him than lying. They can pull your last DL from their database.

To prove your continued residency in TX, bring your rental / lease agreements, payments, bills to show that you were living here.

I read of a case like yours where the applicant moved states right after their interview and got another interview in their new state. But if your LOCAL uscis office remains the same, for example, you moved from Dallas, TX to Forth Worth, TX, you should be fine.

You are legally married until the minute the judge signs your final order/ decree. However, there is an argument if court mandated separation vs no court order separation is the same thing for n400. I am leaning towards its the same and should select separated since its also safer. Perhaps a good question for your lawyer, if you have one. Perhaps also a good idea to ask on Avvo.

However, I think it wont be a deal breaker with whichever you go, since 5 year rule is you solo and has no bearing on marriage / separation.

Just inform the officer before you sit down for the interview. Let them know you weren't entirely sure about this. He/ she will change it according to the way they prefer it with no penalty to you.

8 hours ago, Mike E said:

Dunno about you but for most of the past 2 years where I lived, SSA wasn’t letting people walk in to update SS cards. 

Must be due to COVID. I did mine around 2018. A walk in was enough, no appointments needed.

It’s like you worked really hard to make a very delicious dish, but you tell yourself to wait 1-2 years before eating it..

Avail the benefit you have received. Never let these things esp immigration matters to the next day, you never know what roadblocks appear tomorrow 

40 minutes ago, MyNameIsEarl said:

Thank you. You are right, I meant removing the 'work authorization only with DHS authorization'. I did check that today but it says the process takes 10 days and I have to have i-551 receipt to get it. Isn't it? Can I get unrestricted SSN the same day if I walk in to the SS office if I explain my situation?

I doubt that you will get SS the same day even after explanation. I gets mailed to you. Same goes with ID, unless its a very hi-fi office that has the ID printing machine on premises. 

But the takeaway here is, you must understand that govt has it difficult to accommodate your or anyone else's troubles. They go by the book to the letter to satisfy their checks, documentation, and policies.

Why don’t you have the unrestricted social security card, I assume by unrestricted you mean the card that doesn’t say “work authorization only with DHS permission”.

You can go to the SS office and have your precious SS card converted to an “unrestricted” one. I did that and ID renewal to remove that “Temporary” stain as one of the first things after getting my GC. 
 

Very slim chance that your expedite request will be entertained as ROCs are among the bottom of the totem pole of priorities. 
 

Get your SS and ID renewed to reflect permanent residency even if it’s conditional. 

A notarized document will be better. But the best way is to first get a divorce and have him declare to the court that he is allowing you to take the child over and giving you the full legal and physical custody. Why? So that he may not come back later with a change of heart. Also, this way you will be covering your self from any foreseen issues like abduction accusation. 
 

A simple note between you two is just not enough and especially in cases of children.

9 minutes ago, leila85 said:

I am thinking that maybe they sent me a RFE or an interview notice and I did not receive it since I am out the normal processing time. It is mostly the attorney assistant that I do not trust, so far the last time I called she said they did not receive anything yet but they haven't been very professional so far and yeah if USCIS will ask me for more evidence I will do it myself. I can do it better than them l believe lol and for free 🤣

If you have received the i-797 (extension) there's no reason you shouldn't receive a RFE or interview notice (provided you haven't moved or have moved and filed AR-11 - Change of address).

When USCIS sends notice, a copy goes to you and your lawyer. You could also view in their website, however, case updates are on their mercy.

I-751s are taking way too long because they are not a priority task unlike citizenship. Their (uscis) defense would be, "You are able to work and be legal, so what's your rush".

Also, many I-751s be it waiver or joint have their interviews being waived provided that one sends them very strong evidence and doesn't have any fishy business going on that could hint a flag. 

You could also do a FOIA, takes about 2-4 months but if they had sent any RFE, it would be there. 

Bringing documents with you does no harm. You will punch yourself if they delay your natz because of an rfe document you could have brought.

Go prepared.

49 minutes ago, Guido51 said:

does this plan makes sense? would this make a mistake? do i have to reach out to court or police department to make sure system is updated with my payment before the oath?

You can try. In my experience FL is among the worst states in terms of getting things done. Unless you sit on the call waiting for them to push a few buttons right, they won’t. From child support to dmv to courts.

I believe your own payment copy will do fine. I understand your paranoia but you have made it, now just relax, 

In my opinion, just pay it and bring proof of payment during your oath ceremony in case they ask or try to pull you out. I have heard many tales of people being pulled out of the ceremony because they somehow know if you had gotten a ticket.

It’s not criminal, it happens, don’t let your ceremony be delayed. Worst case scenario, they still may pull you out to verify it themselves. 
 

If you try to contest it, you may not get a date until after your ceremony.

You are golden, go without fear, come out approved.

25 minutes ago, mushroomspore said:

Umm, not true. Baby-trapping certainly does happen.

One could think of this the other way around as well. Spouse trapping, where USC wants a child but immigrant doesn’t. It would cast a doubt on the immigrant’s intentions in the IO’s mind.

At the end whether VJ posters believe it or not, USCIS looks much more favorably at couples with children.