luv2teach77

Tracy,

I've only just seen this post so I hope that by now you guys are on the road to recovery from your various aches and pains. Those pictures were crazy and I'm very glad to hear that even with the car getting as beat up as that, you guys didn't have any major injuries to deal with.

I don't know if Chas or any other UK members can back me up on this but in my 9 years of driving in the UK, I never felt any of my cars being buffeted around in the wind from a semi to such a degree as I feel while driving almost daily over here in the US. I don't know if it's the design of the trailers or the size of them but the way that the air circulates around semis in the US is much more obvious than I ever remember in the UK. One deign feature that I'd like to see in the US is the mandatory installation of deflectors along the underside of the trailers which won't allow the hood of a car under the trailer unless a huge impact has taken place.

Either way. I'm glad to hear you guys are doing ok and hope that all those insurance payments take care of getting you rolling in a shiny new set of wheels soon.

Mark

I second what Rebecca has said already... the chances of getting an EAD processed in 1 month are slim at best. I believe (unless things have changed) that the USCIS aims to get EAD's processed in 90 days and if you've not had a RFE or an approval by the 90th day you can arrange an infopass appointment to request an update. Interim EAD's are no longer issued so even once that request has been made, there is still more waiting to do until your card finally arrives.

I think you should contact your prospective employer and explain the situation to them. Like anything in this bloody process, it's almost impossible to say when your EAD will be approved. Mine took 5 months and congressional involvement !! Maybe you'll get lucky and they will keep the position open until your EAD is approved ??

Mark

Welcome to VJ Roberts,

You have found one of the best resources for answers about the many visa routes so don't ever worry that a question is too silly. The chances are that it's been asked a million times before and there will be many people able to answer it for you.

You'll get the hang of the terminology soon and once you understand the steps involved in applying for the visa (whichever one you choose), unless you have a complicated case, it's pretty straightforward.

Whereabouts in the UK are you from and where in the US do you plan to settle.

Best of luck with everything.

Mark

Unless I am misunderstanding your post, why can't you file before you go on vacation ? If your green card expires Jan 29th, 2009, you can send in your packet any time after Nov 1st, 2008 (I think that is exactly 90 days before Jan 29th 2009 ??). That way it's all done and you don't have to worry about it after your vacation.

However... you'd still have 27 days to get it in the mail after getting back from vacation anyway. As long as the packet is post marked before the date of your green card expiration you should be good to go. Lots of people (for various reasons) wait until just before expiration of their greencard before filing. I personally had around 30 days of my 90 days left when I sent my packet in.

Edited to add:... You can reschedule your biometrics once you get the appointment. If someone can check your mail while you're away they can find out when the biometrics has been scheduled for. Sending in the packet after you get back should avoid any potential scheduling clashes.

Hope that has helped.

Mark

I will probably apply for citizenship but it might not be for a few years after I am eligible. I hate to say it but just like many of the other posters, one of my main reasons for wanting to apply for citizenship is to be done with the USCIS. I don't relish the $600+ fee but to just be done with all the paperwork will be great. In addition, the ability to vote and extend my job opportunities is also very attractive but if there was a way to gain those benfits without requiring citizenship, that would also be an attractive option. I'm in no real hurry because I won't be able to vote in the upcoming election so don't really need the naturalization process completed until I need to be able to vote in 2012.

I am very proud of my British roots and wouldn't even consider citizenship if it meant giving up my British citizenship. The fact that I can hold both UK and US passports makes the decision easier for me than for some others and I'm thankful for that. I always tell people that my move to the US was because of the my deep rooted love for an American, not a deep rooted love OF America and that is why becoming a US citizen is not something I have dreamed of for many years.

Mark

I applied for a postal vote but they send out ALL postal votes (UK addresses or overseas) at the same time. My forms arrived about 1 day before the election and would never have made it back in time to be counted so I didn't bother.

I would get him signed up with a couple of the big staffing agencies as soon as he is eligible to work. I used TEKsystems and found their input to be invaluable in explaining my situation and experience to prospective employers and think that I'd still be looking for work if I was applying for jobs off my own back.

I had worked for IBM in the UK for 3.5 years in a pretty low-tech role which was totally unrelated to the job that I ended up getting through TEKsystems. While I agree that experience is beneficial, do not underestimate the value of a willingness to learn and an ability to learn fast. Certifications are all well and good but don't mean very much without real world experience to back them up.

Get a resume written up, get it out to some agencies and make sure they understand that although he might have a long list of certifications after his name or years and years of in job experience he is willing to work his way up using the skills he already has and is very open to gaining new skills as he goes along.

Best of luck

Mark

Debs and I met in a "20 somethings" Yahoo chat room in 2001. It was totally random, infact she had just left the room when I joined. 5 seconds later and we might never have met. Her username (luv2teach77) was the only reason I messaged her (I was born in 1977 too). We hit it off straight away and the rest, as they say, is history. We will celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary on April 29th and couldn't be happier with the hand that fate dealt us !!

Does he need a full medical at $330 or does he just need a vaccination supplement from a civil surgeon to show he has the required shots ? If all he requires is the supplement that probably won't cost you more than $100 !!

Mark

Apologies for my misinformation. I had no idea that the USCIS was being so generous these days !!

Sorry for any confusion.

Mark

The starting date for any case processing times is always the date on NOA1. As in your case, it can take some time for the intitial processing to be completed before they send out the NOA. Using the date that you see the package was delivered will just lead to frustration when trying to get status reviews of your case. The USCIS will ALWAYS use the date on the NOA so you should start counting from there also.

Hope that has cleared things up for you.

Mark

You are not required to furnish any financial support information to remove conditions. There isn't an I-134 / I-485 type document for this step of the process. They do suggest that joint tax returns and bank statements are a good way to show that you have combined assets etc. but if you have enough other proof to show you are living as a bona fide married couple then these aren't 100% necessary.

Out of interest, how do you support yourselves if you are both in school full time and not working ?

Mark

As long as the packet is received by the service center before the expiration of your 2 year conditional card, you are good to go. 90 days before the expiration of your green card is the EARLIEST you can send it in.

Mark

Congratulations !!

I read a post of yours that other day where you said you'd been waiting for months. Really glad to hear that you're done with this step. I also plan to naturalize but after reading that it costs nearly $600 I might wait a while.

Congratulations again.

Mark

Debs and I didn't finalize our date until I received my interview date. Now maybe we were still taking a risk at that stage but I felt that barring some kind of disaster at the interview, the visa was all but in the bag. It worked out fine, the interview went smoothly, the visa was issued promptly and I was on my way to the US within 2 weeks.

Mark

I wouldn't send any additional evidence unless you are asked to by the service center. The chances of the new stuff meeting up with the old stuff is pretty slim and might actually confuse things if there end up being multiple files under your name.

Unless you get sent an RFE I wouldn't worry about it. Also, touches don't really mean very much. Throughout the whole visa process (K-1. AOS and so far in I-751) we've never received a touch.

Mark

We registered at Target and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Mark

Ok... if you have an EAD here is how the effects the rest of your questions.

1) You are currently applying to adjust your status from that of a K-1 visa holder to that of a Conditional Permanent Resident (2 year green card holder)

2) The expiry date is on your EAD (correct me if I'm wrong ??). Normally your AOS will be completed before your EAD expires. On completion of the AOS you'll be given a conditional green card which does away with the need for an EAD.

3) Until you are granted your green card you will need to show your AP document along with a valid Canadian passport in order to re-enter the country. The EAD card only shows that you are allowed to work, it has nothing to do with travel outside of the US.

4) Until you receive your interview date, all that you need to do is start preparing the supporting evidence to prove that your marriage has been entered into in good faith and that you have been living as a couple since you got married. There is an AOS guide pinned in the AOS forum which includes a list of the kinds of documents usually gathered together for an AOS interview.

5) I am not sure that there is anything that the USCIS can provide for a landlord to get you put on the lease. It's up to the landlord who he wants on his lease and if he's asking for a US citizen then thats his prerogative. Once you complete the AOS process, you will be considered a permanent resident. This might look better to a landlord than a K-1 Visa holder looking to become a PR.

You could be waiting a few months for an AOS interview but hopefully you'll be in posession of a 2 year conditional green card soon.

Best of luck.

Mark

P.S... Updating your timeline would help people get a better idea of where you are in the process.

Sometimes it takes a while for the number to get into the system. I know I couldn't check my case status until after I'd had my biometrics done.

Mark

You can see hundreds of timelines for folks who were transferred from NSC > CSC here.

Mark

The I-797 notice sent out with the Biometrics appointment on it has a number to call if you need to reschedule the appointment. As long as someone is around to receive the notice when it is mailed, it shouldn't be a problem rescheduling.

Mark

I sent an email to londonconsular@state.gov asking for confirmation that they had received my packet 3 docs etc. I also said that I was ready for an interview at their earliest convenience. Make sure you include your LND case number. I had a reply back within a couple of days with my interview date. Can't hurt and doesn't cost as much as calling

Mark

Sounds to me that you are done. When did you apply and through what service center ?

Congratulations.

Mark

I'm not 100% how they would know but I'd imagine that a combination of USCIS, Homeland Security and CBP databases will be able to see that you left the US before your AOS was approved and your GC was mailed. If you intend to return to the US I wouldn't want to risk having to start from scratch with a new visa application if you are a prime candidate for emergency AP. From what I know of emergency AP, it's often issued the same day providing you have documentation confirming your need for it.

Mark

Firstly I'm sorry to hear about your father. If you leave the US without a valid AP document then the USCIS will consider that your AOS application has been abandoned. You cannot wait out of the country until your AOS application has been approved. I would suggest making an infopass appointment at your local USCUS office. If you can have documentation such as a note from your fathers doctor, then I believe that they can issue an emergency AP document under certain circumstances.

Best of luck.

Mark