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hi everyone!!
 
i got an interview letter on september 13, 2021. interview scheduled for october 18, 2021 in montreal.
 
everything went smoothly - officer asked me about my dad and what he does (as he is the sponsor), when i last saw him, how long i had been away from home, about my lost status, how i did not go back or try to enter the US until i resolved this visa issue. 
 
i explained how i was doing AOS in the states when i lived there, and submitted my documents twice and was sent to do biometrics after I lost my status. i also showed him (via digital i-94) how i departed in 2017 and never attempted to return until i got the immigrant visa. he also asked if i wanted to opt out of F1 category - which has a longer waiting time - since my father is now a US citizen.
 
he acknowledged that it must've been really tough for me to have lived in the US my whole life and to not be able to go back for 4 years. and when he approved my visa, he said thanks for my patience  throughout this process. so much relief to finally be at the end of this journey and to have such a genuine, kind officer to be interviewed by.
 
i got my passport back with the visa on october 25, and got back to california this weekend and finally reunited with my family 
 
appreciate all of you forum-goers helping and advising as we all go through this difficult processes. just wanted to give my update to convey some hope to others who are still waiting.
 
💜

no they kept rejecting me for the expedite.
 
yes contact NVC and the consulate and keep following up! i would say on a weekly basis.
 
and thank you so much!

I'm just glad all this is behind you now. Thanks for the details and coming back here to help others out! Live, love, be free, be happy. All the best. Hugs

I will thank you 🙏🏿 

hi everyone!!
 
i got an interview letter on september 13, 2021. interview scheduled for october 18, 2021 in montreal.
 
everything went smoothly - officer asked me about my dad and what he does (as he is the sponsor), when i last saw him, how long i had been away from home, about my lost status, how i did not go back or try to enter the US until i resolved this visa issue. 
 
i explained how i was doing AOS in the states when i lived there, and submitted my documents twice and was sent to do biometrics after I lost my status. i also showed him (via digital i-94) how i departed in 2017 and never attempted to return until i got the immigrant visa. he also asked if i wanted to opt out of F1 category - which has a longer waiting time - since my father is now a US citizen.
 
he acknowledged that it must've been really tough for me to have lived in the US my whole life and to not be able to go back for 4 years. and when he approved my visa, he said thanks for my patience  throughout this process. so much relief to finally be at the end of this journey and to have such a genuine, kind officer to be interviewed by.
 
i got my passport back with the visa on october 25, and got back to california this weekend and finally reunited with my family 
 
appreciate all of you forum-goers helping and advising as we all go through this difficult processes. just wanted to give my update to convey some hope to others who are still waiting.
 
💜

even though I-130 gets approved, it doesn't guarantee approval of I-485. i think that's because they're not checking your status at that moment of approving your I-130 - it's more so checking your relationship with the sponsor. then when they delve into your i-485 application, they look into your status. this is what i believe.  
 
you said that your overstay doesn't begin until USCIS declares out of status - i'm not totally sure about this, where did you get this info?

IF your overstay counts from dec 2018 (when visa expired) up until dec 2020 (up until you left) - that's a 2 year overstay that could become a 10-year ban. however, if they count it AFTER denial of I-485, like you said, then there wouldn't be a ban.
 
it's really hard to know because they don't make anything clear, especially if you're "in between statuses" or in a process of, because i had the same issue. i didn't truly know when/if i was even banned because my i-485 was denied april 2017 (uscis told me i was out of status) and i left july 2017. i even spoke with multiple attorneys  who didn't know when my ban would've started OR if i even triggered one because there were so many nuances and little things factoring in. it totally sucks that i didn't know because i voluntarily left and didn't even try to visit so i wouldn't trigger any bans (3 year or 10 year) and it could also be that i was fine and didn't have one at all... but it's also up to discretion of the immigration officer you'd deal with if you try to go on a visitor visa. i didn't try because i was too worried i'd have issues down the line so i waited the 4.5 years until i was approved finally last month.
 
that being said, have ALL documents you've ever received from uscis/nvc/consulates/etc and bring them with you to the interview. be honest that you voluntarily left and make sure to include that in your DS-260 form. when the immigration officer asks, be honest and explain the situation with enough details, but not too, too many. 

Hi,
 
Thank you so much for these, I appreciate the time and effort.  At least it will give me and the others an idea what we can do on our end.  
 
Have a Happy Holiday! 
 
 

this is so sweet-  thanks so much.
 
it's the least i can do. i know how brutal this process is and i want to give people some hope through it all.
 
❤️ 

hi,
 
 so the emails include a lot of personal details, so i prefer to not disclose them word for word, but i can explain the gist of what i wrote:
 
I explained that my family moved from Canada to US when i was 4 years old and US is all i knew as I was there my whole life -almost 20 years.  I left the US b/c of my unintentional overstay. Though during that "overstay" (not even sure how much it amounted to),  I was trying to adjust my status and was even sent to do biometrics, but I, being young and frankly stupid, overlooked the fact that I didn't renew my Canadian visa. When this came to my attention as USCIS sent me a request for evidence in 2017, I sought guidance from immigration attorneys. I talked to many and they all gave me incorrect information/advice and even ghosted me (still haven't heard from them even though I was retaining/ready to pay!).  Departed the U.S. in 2017 to file an extreme hardship waiver (which doesn't make sense but that is what i was advised to do), it was denied, then transferred my AOS to consular processing.   I didn't visit my home/family/friends for 4.5 years. I didn't touch US land in all that time, and it was impacting my mental health especially in the last stretch (2020-2021). My entire family became U.S citizens during this time. I also acknowledged the difficulties of processing cases during pandemic as well as previous administration stopping issues of green cards for a while.  i basically explained this over and over again in a lot more detail along with letters of support from family and my therapists i've had over the years. They kept rejecting me  for expediting though. They never approved me for an expedite. I am not sure what worked, or if I was genuinely just next in line, but that's what I kept emailing about for months. I also emailed the same information to the USCIS, NVC, congress/senator offices, etc.
 
Hope that's helpful! I know it's rough and the wait really truly does suck and I really hope you get your interview soon and are able to reunite with your loved ones ❤️ 
 

Congratulations, It is good to hear stories like this and I hope the process will speed up next year by the way my application is in Canada but I am currently living in South America.
 

Congratulations!! I hope we also get our interview letter soon! 

Congratulations and all the best!
 
We keep waiting! A tormenting process but nevertheless we remain hopeful. Sucks knowing that the visa bulletin will not be moving until probably the 2022 summer. Hoping for the BBB bill be passed this November, our only hope for faster movement.

hi everyone!!
 
i got an interview letter on september 13, 2021. interview scheduled for october 18, 2021 in montreal.
 
everything went smoothly - officer asked me about my dad and what he does (as he is the sponsor), when i last saw him, how long i had been away from home, about my lost status, how i did not go back or try to enter the US until i resolved this visa issue. 
 
i explained how i was doing AOS in the states when i lived there, and submitted my documents twice and was sent to do biometrics after I lost my status. i also showed him (via digital i-94) how i departed in 2017 and never attempted to return until i got the immigrant visa. he also asked if i wanted to opt out of F1 category - which has a longer waiting time - since my father is now a US citizen.
 
he acknowledged that it must've been really tough for me to have lived in the US my whole life and to not be able to go back for 4 years. and when he approved my visa, he said thanks for my patience  throughout this process. so much relief to finally be at the end of this journey and to have such a genuine, kind officer to be interviewed by.
 
i got my passport back with the visa on october 25, and got back to california this weekend and finally reunited with my family 
 
appreciate all of you forum-goers helping and advising as we all go through this difficult processes. just wanted to give my update to convey some hope to others who are still waiting.
 
💜

hi everyone!!

just wanted to update you all on my situation.
 
i got an interview letter on september 13, 2021. interview scheduled for october 18, 2021 in montreal.
 
everything went smoothly - officer asked me about my dad and what he does (as he is the sponsor), when i last saw him, how long i had been away from home, about my lost status, how i did not go back or try to enter the US until i resolved this visa issue. 
 
i explained how i was doing AOS in the states when i lived there, and submitted my documents twice and was sent to do biometrics after I lost my status. i also showed him (via digital i-94) how i departed in 2017 and never attempted to return until i got the immigrant visa. he also asked if i wanted to opt out of F1 category - which has a longer waiting time - since my father is now a US citizen.
 
he acknowledged that it must've been really tough for me to have lived in the US my whole life and to not be able to go back for 4 years. and when he approved my visa, he said thanks for my patience  throughout this process. so much relief to finally be at the end of this journey and to have such a genuine, kind officer to be interviewed by.
 
i got my passport back with the visa on october 25, and got back to california this weekend and finally reunited with my family
 
appreciate all of you forum-goers helping and advising as we all go through this difficult processes. just wanted to give my update to convey some hope to others who are still waiting.
 
💜
 

hi everyone!!
 
i got an interview letter on september 13, 2021. interview scheduled for october 18, 2021 in montreal.
 
everything went smoothly - officer asked me about my dad and what he does (as he is the sponsor), when i last saw him, how long i had been away from home, about my lost status, how i did not go back or try to enter the US until i resolved this visa issue. 
 
i explained how i was doing AOS in the states when i lived there, and submitted my documents twice and was sent to do biometrics after I lost my status. i also showed him (via digital i-94) how i departed in 2017 and never attempted to return until i got the immigrant visa. he also asked if i wanted to opt out of F1 category - which has a longer waiting time - since my father is now a US citizen.
 
he acknowledged that it must've been really tough for me to have lived in the US my whole life and to not be able to go back for 4 years. and when he approved my visa, he said thanks for my patience  throughout this process. so much relief to finally be at the end of this journey and to have such a genuine, kind officer to be interviewed by.
 
i got my passport back with the visa on october 25, and got back to california this weekend and finally reunited with my family 
 
appreciate all of you forum-goers helping and advising as we all go through this difficult processes. just wanted to give my update to convey some hope to others who are still waiting.
 
💜

hi everyone!!

just wanted to update you all on my situation.
 
i got an interview letter on september 13, 2021. interview scheduled for october 18, 2021 in montreal.
 
everything went smoothly - officer asked me about my dad and what he does (as he is the sponsor), when i last saw him, how long i had been away from home, about my lost status, how i did not go back or try to enter the US until i resolved this visa issue. 
 
i explained how i was doing AOS in the states when i lived there, and submitted my documents twice and was sent to do biometrics after I lost my status. i also showed him (via digital i-94) how i departed in 2017 and never attempted to return until i got the immigrant visa. he also asked if i wanted to opt out of F1 category - which has a longer waiting time - since my father is now a US citizen.
 
he acknowledged that it must've been really tough for me to have lived in the US my whole life and to not be able to go back for 4 years. and when he approved my visa, he said thanks for my patience  throughout this process. so much relief to finally be at the end of this journey and to have such a genuine, kind officer to be interviewed by.
 
i got my passport back with the visa on october 25, and got back to california this weekend and finally reunited with my family
 
appreciate all of you forum-goers helping and advising as we all go through this difficult processes. just wanted to give my update to convey some hope to others who are still waiting.
 
💜
 

hi everyone!!

just wanted to update you all on my situation.
 
i got an interview letter on september 13, 2021. interview scheduled for october 18, 2021 in montreal.
 
everything went smoothly - officer asked me about my dad and what he does (as he is the sponsor), when i last saw him, how long i had been away from home, about my lost status, how i did not go back or try to enter the US until i resolved this visa issue. 
 
i explained how i was doing AOS in the states when i lived there, and submitted my documents twice and was sent to do biometrics after I lost my status. i also showed him (via digital i-94) how i departed in 2017 and never attempted to return until i got the immigrant visa. he also asked if i wanted to opt out of F1 category - which has a longer waiting time - since my father is now a US citizen.
 
he acknowledged that it must've been really tough for me to have lived in the US my whole life and to not be able to go back for 4 years. and when he approved my visa, he said thanks for my patience  throughout this process. so much relief to finally be at the end of this journey and to have such a genuine, kind officer to be interviewed by.
 
i got my passport back with the visa on october 25, and got back to california this weekend and finally reunited with my family 
 
appreciate all of you forum-goers helping and advising as we all go through this difficult processes. just wanted to give my update to convey some hope to others who are still waiting.
 
💜

hi everyone!!
 
i got an interview letter on september 13, 2021. interview scheduled for october 18, 2021 in montreal.
 
everything went smoothly - officer asked me about my dad and what he does (as he is the sponsor), when i last saw him, how long i had been away from home, about my lost status, how i did not go back or try to enter the US until i resolved this visa issue. 
 
i explained how i was doing AOS in the states when i lived there, and submitted my documents twice and was sent to do biometrics after I lost my status. i also showed him (via digital i-94) how i departed in 2017 and never attempted to return until i got the immigrant visa. he also asked if i wanted to opt out of F1 category - which has a longer waiting time - since my father is now a US citizen.
 
he acknowledged that it must've been really tough for me to have lived in the US my whole life and to not be able to go back for 4 years. and when he approved my visa, he said thanks for my patience  throughout this process. so much relief to finally be at the end of this journey and to have such a genuine, kind officer to be interviewed by.
 
i got my passport back with the visa on october 25, and got back to california this weekend and finally reunited with my family 
 
appreciate all of you forum-goers helping and advising as we all go through this difficult processes. just wanted to give my update to convey some hope to others who are still waiting.
 
💜

Hello,
 
I am wondering if there is a support group out there.. I feel so alone and devastated about these delays and I haven’t been home in 4 years. No one I am close to understands what I am going through and I wonder if there is a group on whatsapp or something to freely discuss and share frustrations with this system. Please let me know or maybe we can create one. Thanks
 
Here is a bit of my story:(I am waiting for f2B) 
 
I've lived in the States for 20 years of my life (I'm 26 now), and the reason I left was because I didn't renew my Canadian TD visa while I was processing my first AOS application. They denied it because I wasn't in status. I thought I'd be banned for 3 years so I voluntarily left and was advised by my attorney to do so. I wasn't formally removed and lawyer advised me to file a I-601 waiver to go back but they denied it because I wasn't formally taken out  of the States.
I was f2A and aged out.

I don't know if I could've gone back to visit..but I waited another year for a lawyer who ghosted me (who was paid and everything) and finally  transferred my case through I-824 on my own to consular processing last year and thought I'd be home by now. The delays are killing me. My mental health is so bad, because my whole family and community is there, and I'm so tired of waiting and being away from them. My father and sister are US citizens, my mom is currently in queue to interview for her citizenship, and my  sister is on her way to citizenship as well. I'm the one who got stuck out and waiting  
 
I’ve done therapy over the years, I’ve tried my best to be positive and hopeful but I am losing all of it now and just constantly feeling down and negative all the time. I am not around any family  and it really sucks and I am so exhausted