Shal_Ohol

Hi all,
Thanks for the replies. I booked an appointment with SSA on July 7th and got my SSN a week later. On July 14th I called USCIS and raised a query and my husband wrote to his Senator 
(we are yet to hear back) now my green-card is in the mail. Just taken over 3months for everything to fall into place. I really appreciate all your advice and help - trust me when I say, I have had more help from you lot here than their govt websites.

I'll create a thread to  let people know to get to their SSA within a month if they don't get their SSN. It helps,.

As always, so grateful for your help,
Shalaka

If you applied for a SSN as part of your DS-260, it 'should' arrive at some point but I've read several posts across here and FB groups where that's been done but it wasn't processed correctly so they made in-person appointments at their local Social Security office.
 
If you didn't tick the box in the DS-260, you can apply for a SSN with your visa. You'll need to book an in person appointment.
 
 

Just an update to everyone.
had my interview yesterday. Got 221g slip. Uploaded the extra document on the same day and emailed them notifying them.
this morning at 8.58am I received an email from them saying that the officer is now reviewing the document.
at 9.08am received another email saying that my visa has been approved.
Status changed to AP at 9.15 and then an hour later it had changed to issued.
email from DX a few hours later.
passport to arrive tomorrow.
that is a 24hr turnaround even with a 221g. London is definitely moving quicker. As has been said before, London tries to work with you here rather than trying to trip you up. As long as you’re honest and straightforward, all will work out.
thanks to everyone on this forum. 

DQ'd 16th October. Interview 7th April, issued 221g. Issued 15th April. DX Courier delivery 16th April. Totally overwhelmed !!!!! Thanks everyone for their comments, advice and stories. Reading peoples journeys have really kept me sane - so thanks to all of you. Flights booked for next Friday - can't wait to see my wife !!! Anyway - thanks again to all of you and particularly WUOZOPO - now all of you - GO SMASH IT !!!!!!

Interview appointment May 4!! I could cry 😭 Finally!  
 
DQ December 17
 

Just got my passport in the post with the visa in it  and a piece of paper with more information. I am so excited!!!!! 

Wife had her interview today, went really well! They kept her passport and said they’re going to issue the visa once they receive medical (waiting for TB cultures). Meanwhile, they gave her an orange form (221-G). 

Didn’t ask for any documents. Overall she said it was a very pleasant experience. 

When it comes to LinkedIn don't just put you out there and wait. Utilize it to connect with recruiters, HR... from the companies you're looking into. Message them and get your name in their heads when you apply so that they look out for your resume. It's super weird to do that when you're not used to it but it can help a lot especially when you apply at big companies.
 
When you apply online and you have the option between filling out a form or upload a resume don't be lazy and go for the resume.
 
And I actually used one of those websites to fabricate a resume to get an idea of how it can look like and what to write. You can usually cancel the subscription within a month so it was $10 that helped me a lot to have something to start with. Plus I got the first job I applied for and really wanted so it was worth it 😊

Seconding the scanning thing, you can look up "ATS resume scanner" and run yours through to see how it will parse the data. Especially if you're applying online to large companies, it's almost a guarantee they're using an ATS to weed people out.
 
Also it probably goes without saying at this point, but get on LinkedIn, make your profile there look really good. Fill it out as much as you can. Use bullet points, make it very to-the-point, you don't even need complete sentences, just short, grammatically correct outline-style points. Exactly like @Wuozopo wrote above.
 
Also apply to absolutely everything you're interested in, even if the job description seems intimidating. My husband got an awesome job via a recruiter where the actual job description asked for 7+ years of experience even though he had 1+ year, lol. He just ended up being the smart guy the needed for the project, he was the right fit and they took a chance on him - and it turned out great. Don't be afraid to be overly bold and confident if it's an industry you really want to be in but don't 100% fit the job description.
 

Just got my passport in the post with the visa in it  and a piece of paper with more information. I am so excited!!!!! 

Just got my passport in the post with the visa in it  and a piece of paper with more information. I am so excited!!!!! 

Just got my passport in the post with the visa in it  and a piece of paper with more information. I am so excited!!!!! 

Awesome stuff!! 👏👏

Just got my passport in the post with the visa in it  and a piece of paper with more information. I am so excited!!!!! 

I think I've lived in America for too long. When I saw 'DQ', my immediate thought was 'Dairy Queen'...

Your visa in the old passport is still valid but you would have to show both passports at POE...one for entry and one to show the valid visa. I just don’t if it helps. A scan of the updated passport at POE should generate the I-94 in the married name. That ought to fix you up to get the SSN and a driver license in your married name.
 
As an aside: one of our VJ members in the past tried to change her middle and last name when she applied for adjustment of status from fiancé visa. She wanted to ditch her father’s name because of a strained relationship.  USCIS rejected the middle name change. She could only change her last name to her married name with the marriage certificate as the name change document. She could get a name change through the courts first or wait until she applied for citizenship, at which time you can pick a totally new name if you wish. She got her middle name changed through the courts, then applied for her green card. 

Wait until you get your visa. Right now you haven’t been issued a visa (yet).
 
USCIS pages that  take you to payment after a bunch of explaining  https://my.uscis.gov/uscis-immigrant-fee

Woohoo!
DQ'd 16 December 
Interview 26 April
 
Here we goooo!
 
I feel like a kid on a roller coaster, butterflies in my stomach, head a bit woozy! 

Just received it too! Been refreshing every minute. 
DQ 14 Dec 2020
interview - 19th April 2021

We’ve just got the interview email
 
DQ 16th Dec 2020
Interview 27th April 2020

Same!!!  I am so excited!
 
Congratulations!!!!!! 

Same!!!  I am so excited!
 
Congratulations!!!!!! 

Just checked again and we were Issued!!! 

Just checked mine and status is still AP - last updated says 9th March, so no changes there. 

Attend the interview.