EatBulaga

If you look at our Profile or Timeline, we had something similar at the Atlanta Field Office during the Great Request for I-693 Courtesy Email of March 2023.

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/798091-request-for-form-i-693-courtesy-email/

At that time the Atlanta FO estimated I-485 AOS processing time was over 36 months because the evidence suggested the Atlanta FO stopped processing in December 2022.

So before the FO started back up processing, they apparently sent out a mass Request for I-693 Courtesy Email in March 2023, to all those who did not have an I-693 on file regardless if they had a proper overseas medical DS-3025 or not.

Now there was a great debate among the Atlanta AOS filers then whether to go thru with the I-693 or not or wait for the I-693 RFE.

About a week before the I-693 drop-off to the Atlanta FO in April 2023, the FO sent out a "We have taken an action on your case" email to seemingly everyone in the AOS queue, but the USCIS Case Status stayed on "Case Is Being Actively Reviewed by USCIS".

About a week later, it seemed everyone got AOS approved without interview regardless if they dropped off an I-693 or not.

So for us, from the "We have taken an action on your case" email to AOS approval showing up in our USCIS Case Status was about 2 weeks. The "We have taken an action..." notification was maybe USCIS internally prepping to formulate a decision like someone may have actually looked at your case, or they selected a few clicks on your case, etc. So the best advice is to be patient--some change may be coming up in your USCIS Case Status.

Hello USCIS filing gurus,

We are K1-to-AOS and soon-to-be ROC filers.

I'm comparing the differences between

the I-751 evidence of bonafide relationships (for 2-year of marriage)

https://www.visajourney.com/guides/removing-conditions-permanent-residency/

and the N-400 referring to you and your spouse (for 3-year of marriage)

https://www.visajourney.com/guides/us-naturalization/

It seems that there are a lot of overlaps in documenting the proofs of the marriage if not N-400 is just a continuation of the I-751.

In other words for the N-400, can I just include ALL the I-751 evidence of bonafide relationships plus add 1-year evidence to the N-400 (like 1 extra year tax filing, 1 extra year of bank statements, etc.)?

Or will USCIS see that as redundant or just proof padding since they already have the I-751?

Or should N-400 (3-year) just focus on the 1-year of proof since the I-751 filing and not include the evidences already submitted with the I-751?

Or is the I-751 independent or mutually exclusive from the N-400 so that including ALL of the I-751 along with the extra year of proofs is actually recommended?

Thanks in advance for any response.

Hello Everyone,

I just want to follow up that we finally received the updated Social Security card in the mail today with no "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION".

Did anyone else have the trouble of going to the SSO more than once to remove the restriction? Thanks.

58 minutes ago, CDrah11 said:

Received a W8 from the bank.

 

Read it; seems like it's for non-LPR.

 

Been an LPR since my arrival (IR2 visa).

 

Do I have to fill this out?

It is your choice to fill it out or not.

My experience is that unless the foreigner LPR is receiving a LOT of interest dividends from the US bank, then the W8-BEN paperwork is worth the trouble to fill out.

If the bank interest is less than say 1000, then withholding 30% isn't worth filing the W8-BEN.

Most joint filers mix the 30% bank withholding in the IRS filing return anyway.

I had asked similar questions for my K1-to-AOS spouse a while back at

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/790033-w-8ben-for-k1-to-aos-filer/

Greetings everyone, we are K1-to-AOS who had previously tried to update the Social Security card (SSC) with the I-551 permanent resident card (2-year green card).

Just want to share with others some difficulties we are experiencing in case anyone else is going thru the same.

We first went to the SSO in 2023-06 with no appointments after receiving the green card to remove the "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION" on the SSC.

The previous SS agent rushed us by inputting the green card info into the computer and barely looked at the SS-5.

Then she said we should be getting something in the mail.

But we never got any confirmation and we never received the updated SSC in the mail.

We went again recently (2024-05) to the SSO with a scheduled appointment to update the SSC with the green card.

This time the SS agent was more meticulous and took our SS-5 and gave us a confirmation letter with a reference number and a stamped copy of the SS-5 showing the received date. The confirmation letter stated:

Before we can issue you a Social Security, we must verify the document(s) you gave us to show your Alien status with the Federal, State, or local office in the United States that issued the document(s). This may take up to 4 weeks.

The SS agent said that USCIS probably did not respond to the previous SS request to verify the green card. 

This second request to verify the green card can take up to 6 to 8 weeks.

So if any of you had problems with removing the DHS Authorization restrictions for work on your Social Security card, just be persistent and you may have to go to the SSO more than once. Just keep grinding.

33 minutes ago, Elmkiety said:

6 months until we start applying again to remove conditions from green card ! 
LETS GOOOOO

Thanks for the reminder!!!

7 hours ago, Howard L said:

Hi :). I see on your timeline you guys filed very quickly for SSN. Is the 2-week wait rule not applicable now anymore?

 

My fiance and I would love to file as soon as we can too, just worried about any possible negative consequences.

I read a while back that the Social Security Office could verify the I-94 electronically now. So you don't need to wait 2 weeks. You can maybe wait 1-2 days after printing out your I-94 to take it to the SSO, along with the passport, birth certificate, and filled out SS-5 form.

2 hours ago, Howard L said:

 Hello, I’m the Filipino beneficiary. I am hoping to get my K1 visa issued within this month.

 

I was reading on posts here that it is very important to marry AND file for AOS within 90 days. What I know so far is, when I get to the States:

1. Apply for SSN

2. Marry

3. File AOS

4. Name change on SSN (later on, not sure when)

 

If that’s wrong please correct me. My main question though is this: given this timeframe right now, where my fiance and I are still not together in person in the US, are there any specific steps we can take in advance as of right now? Just based on everyone’s experience, was there any document you wished you have requested or applied for earlier, or is everything a pretty smooth process?

 

Just a little concerned, because it looks like many couples file for AOS past 90 days. It made me wonder whether it was very time-consuming to gather documents or something.

I think one bottleneck that many K1-to-AOS don't realize is the time to receive the marriage certificate (not marriage license).

Depending on which state or municipality, the marriage certificate can take 30 days or more to receive. 

We avoided the wait by going to Las Vegas for the wedding where we got the marriage certificate the same day as the wedding. 

Also, you can start collecting the documents for the I-864 like the last 3 years of tax transcripts, payslips, etc., 

A couple of other fairly important steps to plan for the K1 beneficiary is opening a US bank account and getting the state Real ID or driver's license, which rely on the SSN and marriage certificate (for name change).

But as a rule of thumb for the super-prepared, if you can file the I-485 within a month after US entry, then you are balling.

You can see the step-by-step of what we did at our Timeline or Profile.

https://www.visajourney.com/profile/386517-eatbulag

Greetings Everyone,

My wife is a K1-to-AOS conditional green card holder.

For the situation where the green card expires 02/01/2025 and resident since 02/01/2023, she plans to travel outside the country for say 4 months (less than the 6 months needed to reapply for entry).

Will the 4 months outside the country affect the ROC approval?

Or the resident since date?

Or the date calculation for filing N400 (either 3-year or 5-year)?

Thanks in advance for any response.

Ideally, the airlines gate/boarding agents should know that K1 visa is a one-way ticket. But that does not mean they are all well-versed on all the different US entry documents.

My K1 visa beneficiary had more interrogating questions from the gate agent than the Port of Entry US CBP. I did anticipate some of the hassles and called the airline a couple of days before to leave a note on the flight reservation for the gate agent that the US entry document is K1 visa and a one-way ticket. This might help if your K1 beneficiary is from a weak passport country.

47 minutes ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

Have you guys reported the marriage to the embassy? If you have then you can update her passport with the married name, if you haven't then you can't. 

My asawa has flown many times from the US to the Philippines with a passport in her maiden name and a green card in her married name

Yes, we have a Philippines Report Of Marriage.

Yes. Maiden name passport and Green card marriage name with US marriage certificate to show name change is probably the way to go.

17 minutes ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

Oh that sucks but at least you know now. So just buy the ticket now and carry the documentation with you to show the name change. As I said on another thread my wife has done this many times now without issue at all. The most recent time was back in August when she flew back from Davao to the USA. 

 

Edit: At least you know about EVA Air not doing it. I made the mistake the first time we flew back there in 2014 and Philippine Air charged us $100 to change it

Theoretically, buying 2 one-way tickets may work with Eva Air, which will cost a little more.

Departure ticket in maiden name from US to the Philippines using Philippines passport with maiden name.

While in the Philippines, update to new Philippines passport with marriage name.

Return ticket in marriage name from the Philippines to the US using the new Philippines passport with marriage name. Eva Air also has an option to input the green card (marriage name) in lieu of passport in their online ticketing.

13 minutes ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

Depending on the airline that will charge a fee to do this.

I checked with Eva Air. They do not change name on the original ticket. The option is to buy a new ticket with updated marriage name that matches the updated passport. Or don't change the passport name until you can buy a new ticket.

45 minutes ago, W199 said:

Please clarify exactly what your Wife does. For example, does she buy the plane ticket in her maiden name and use a passport in her maiden name? Or for example, does she buy the plane ticket in her married name, and use the marriage certificate in along with her maiden name passport when flying?  etc..??

Yes. Wife has Philippines passport in maiden name, and will buy round-trip ticket with an airline in maiden name to the Philippines.

While in the Philippines, wife wants to update to a new passport with marriage name. If she gets the new passport expedite, she needs to return with the new passport with the marriage name. Remember flight ticket is in maiden name.

Will the airlines or US immigration have a problem with the new passport in marriage name? She will have US marriage certificate and Philippines Report of Marriage along with Green Card (marriage name), cut-up old Philippines passport (maiden name), new Philippines passport (marriage name). Is there anything else we need to avoid misunderstanding with the airlines or US immigration? Thanks 

2 hours ago, dnavinnie said:

My wife has the same issue. She travels with our marriage certificate with no problems. US and Philippines understands the difference in documents.

Yes. But do all the airlines understand the difference? 

9 hours ago, W199 said:

Actually, I wonder if you would have a problem flying back since the new passport name would not match the name in the round-trip ticket, or vice versa. For myself, I wouldn't risk it, I will just book the ticket in her maiden name and fly with her old passport. 

5 hours ago, Lemonslice said:

Reminder that the name/s on her airlines ticket will have to match the name/s in her passport/s.

Yes. This is why I am asking. The ticket will be issued in the maiden name and the old passport. Updating to the new passport with the marriage name, would carrying the old passport along with the new passport be enough for the airline since the return ticket will be in the maiden name and old passport? Has anyone ever experienced this? Thanks 

20 minutes ago, W199 said:

Why don't you update the passport before she goes back to the Philippines? I would imagine that would be a lot safer and avoid delays.

The regional Philippines embassy for Atlanta is Washington D.C. so it's no more convenient than just update while back in the Philippines. The other option is just not update the passport till expiration or repatriation after US naturalization. 

Hello everyone, my Filipina national wife's marriage name on her green card (unexpired) is different from her Philippines passport name (maiden name). And she will travel to the Philippines with both the US marriage certificate (marriage name change) and the Philippines Report Of Marriage while traveling to the Philippines.

If she updates to a new Philippines passport with her marriage name in the Philippines, will she have problems (with the airline or US immigration) traveling back to the US? Keep in mind that her original K1 visa and the I-485 AOS were filed with the maiden name Philippines passport. Should she at least travel with both the old passport (maiden name) and the new passport (marriage name)?

Thanks in advance for any response.

Hello Everyone,

Has anyone ever had negative experience traveling to the Philippines and back to the US with Eva Air in terms of all the various US entry documents like boarding foil, expired green card with Removal Of Condition letter, etc.

Are Eva Air gate agents well-versed with the US travel documents? Thanks in advance.

12 hours ago, Lemonslice said:

Why wouldn't they believe her? They can take her biometrics again and confirm she is who she says she is...

Ok. I didn't know US embassy will take biometrics for USCIS?

If the green card does get lost, the only items my wife will have that are relevant for US reentry are: Philippines passport and US marriage certificate, and her US drivers license (Real ID). Hopefully, those are enough to apply for the I-131A?

Hello Everyone, I'm trying to anticipate some of the worst-case scenarios for my Filipina national wife if she travels back to the Philippines.

My wife's marriage name on her green card (unexpired) is different from her passport name (maiden name), and she will have with her both the US marriage certificate (marriage name change) and the Philippines Report Of Marriage while traveling to the Philippines.

For the case of a lost/stolen green card (unexpired), has anyone ever applied for the I-131A with the US embassy in the Philippines?

https://ph.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizenship-and-immigration-services-uscis-manila/

Would anyone who has gone thru this process please share your experience of applying for a boarding foil to return to the US?

How long was the process? 

Is there anything to look out for or prepare for in this scenario?

My nightmare is that the US embassy won't believe she is married to US citizen or has a green card, and we have to start over with IR1/CR1?

Thanks in advance for any response.

Greetings all,

I have 2 scenario to see if the FBAR needs to be filed?

https://www.fincen.gov/report-foreign-bank-and-financial-accounts

1. LPR working in the US but transfers funds to foreign accounts, but keeps the aggregate balance below 10,000 the whole time.

2. LPR working in the US for foreign company with funds deposited to foreign accounts, but keeps the aggregate balance below 10,000 the whole time.

In both cases, the total earnings over the year can surpass 10K, but the aggregate balance stays below 10K. I understand in both cases, the earnings will be reported to the IRS, but does the FBAR need to be filed for either or both cases? Thanks in advance.

4 hours ago, slavaskii said:

Lol, the myProgress tab just updated to 5 months; that would be quickly approaching two years from the I-485 filing  Hope we hear some good news soon in the new year!

I know this must be frustrating and there is not much anyone can tell you. 

Your best case scenario is actually getting approved after your 2-year AOS filing date, in which case, USCIS has to issue the 10-year green card since you have been married for at least two years.

Your worst case scenario is getting approved right before your 2-year AOS filing date, in which case, you still have to file for the ROC two years later. I personally think USCIS will avoid handing out the 10-year GCs to I-485 filers just because they lose the I-751 fee.

It may be moot to hope for delayed processing at this point. But keep your spirit up because approval will happen sooner or later.

On 11/24/2023 at 1:46 PM, Rocio0010 said:

Both my 485 and 751 were approved without an interview. 

I think you are one of the rare ones to have both interviews waived?

21 hours ago, OldUser said:

N-400 cannot be approved without interview, that's 100%.

Yes, the question is to do the 3- or 5-year combo interview? If both are equivalent, then might as well do the 3-year interview?

7 hours ago, Scandi said:

The interviews are super easy and nothing to worry about. I always loved the interviews when I went through the process, it was fun and very interesting. I would've easily had an interview at every step if I could choose. 

2 hours ago, Sweetdreaming said:

Interview is easy if you have a bonafide marriage, it's basically telling them about your day to day life.

As others have said if you didn't get an interview at 485 stage then you'll almost certainly get one for ROC

Even for bona fide marriages, preparing for the interviews still takes time. Then, there is still the risk of saying something questionable during the interview or having the second-guessing interviewer?

13 hours ago, ghostinthemachine said:

I'm curious about this also, especially people who have not applied for citizenship. I haven't seen very many posts from people who have had both 485 and 751 interviews waived unfortunately. We're in the same boat and not having to deal with an interview would obviously be ideal. 😅

This is why we are preparing for the interview process now by listing the evidences that both of us have to remember so we can be consistent. Even in marriages between 2 US citizens, one can easily forget special dates, etc.

Greetings to all I-751 experts,

Our I-485 application interview was waived. What is the current situation with the I-751 ROC interviews? 

For those who had the I-485 interview waived and not doing the N-400, is the I-751 interview more likely to be scheduled or waived?

For those who had the I-485 interview and not doing the N-400, is the I-751 interview more likely to be scheduled or waived?

Are more I-751 applicants waiting for the 3- or the 5-year N-400 combo interview?

Is there a difference between the 3- or the 5-year N-400 combo interview?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

31 minutes ago, JayWalk said:

I-485 was filed with marriage name. Which one do I use for new 693? The 13 vaccines with "A"(polio, rotavirus, etc..) and 4 listed are whats on my DS-3025. Its thanksgiving now so no office is open.

Put the name that you filed with the AOS on the I-693, which you say is your married name. It would help having a state ID with the married name for the Civil Surgeon doctor's office to verify the identity and for them to fill out the I-693.

Find a Civil Surgeon near you and schedule an appointment. 

https://www.uscis.gov/tools/find-a-civil-surgeon

Make a copy of the RFE and bring it to the Civil Surgeon along with a copy of the DS-3025 and any vaccine records like Covid, etc. They will want copies. The Civil Surgeon will take it from there, and recommend what you need to be USCIS compliant. Extra vaccine doses, tests or additional appointments will have extra fees. So expect to pay. Get the I-693 to respond to the RFE, sooner the better.