Edward and Jaycel

Woo Hoo!! Congratulations!! 🎉🎉

Oy vey.... I'm glad you got it rescheduled though!! 🎉🎉

Tax Return Transcripts are highly preferred by the embassies and USCIS

Hand signed by you and then scanned and emailed to her is fine

Here's that post about getting a 221g for 2024 taxes

While I would normally say they should absolutely not require the 2024 tax return transcript until at least April 15, 2025, there was just a post recently on VJ about someone getting a 221g because the CO said they needed the 2024 transcript.

And Filipina FB Groups & Tik-Tok regarding family immigration from the Philippines and the Medical, interview & CFO processes are the absolute worst. Jaycel was so stressed out befor her trip to Manila for her Medical/Interview/CFO that she was an emotional basket-case. Afterwards she said that she wished she had never read / watched any of those FB Forums and Tik-Tok videos. She said the whole process was way easier and less stressful than she was made to believe.

There will be no harm in uploading the docs to CEAC. She should still bring the certified official copies (often referred to incorrectly as originals) of any civil documents with her to the biometrics appointment at the VAC and then also to the actual interview appointment at the embassy. When Jaycel was waiting for her interview there in Manila, she naturally made friends with some of the other women there with her. One of them had an updated I-864 from her husband with a job change and a new Tax Return Transcript since they were DQ'd and the CO told her to go out and have them scanned and uploaded to CEAC and come back. Around the embassy in Manila there are several "Vendors" who will, for 1000 PHP, scan your documents and email them to you so you can upload them. They obviously know you are under pressure and will pay almost anything to get it done. Since they only do interviews in the morning there I think she had until they were done with interviews that day to go out, scan them and come back. If she didn't want to do that or couldn't do that, the other option was to get issued a 221g and submit them via that process.

You should be able to use any combinations of the names that appear on the marriage certificate - For example Jaycel took her maiden surname as her new, married middle name and took my surname as her new, married surname So this section has changed since we filled out Jaycel's I-485. In reading that section's instructions on the form, my instinct says start with the "Unemployed" period since coming to the US and work backward from there. As for listing financial support for the time as a student, I would not think you would have to list it as you were a full-time student not "Unemployed" despite the fact that you may not have been working. (That's my best advice based on reading the instructions on the form for that section )

Did you get your online access code from USCIS?

Jaycel's EAD status did not change from "Approved" to "Card Produced" for 7 days. The SS Card arrived 1 week after the EAD was approved (Coincidentally the same day the EAD status changed to "Produced") and the EAD arrived 3 days later

It comes as an official SSN Card from the SS Administration, separate from the EAD. Until the Green Card is issued, the SS Card will have a disclaimer on it that says (NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT WITHOUT DHS AUTHORIZATION"

Ours took exactly one week to go from approval to card produced. The SS Card showed up one week after the approval (The same day the status changed to "Card Produced"). The card arrived 3 days after "Card Produced" and we saw the tracking number on Informed Delivery the day after it went to "Card Produced".

I have urged my co-workers who complain about it to do just that.... but you know human nature - Much easier to complain to others than actually do something about it. 😐

It seems that their hands have been tied on a lot of things

Just FYI - Rely on USPS Informed Delivery to get the tracking. Ours tracking number stayed at "UNAVAILABLE" until 2 weeks after the card was delivered. LOL

Bring the original and copies for them to keep. When Jaycel and I got married and recorded the marriage license with the County Clerk, we got like 10 CTC (Certified True Copies) because they were like only $1.25 each. That way if we have an interview, we will bring the original and a CTC for them to keep if they want it. In my OCD mind that give them one less thing to issue an RFE at the interview for. I know a loit of people would consider that going overboard, but since starting this journey with Jaycel, our philosophy has been to take every action that is within our control to minimize any opportunity for the decision makers to be able to deny us the benefits to which we're applying.

Yes lately ive seen them being approved as soon as the day after the biometrics to 2-3 weeks after the appointment when it’s one that’s filed with an I-485. Hope yours comes soon!! Jaycel got a job almost right away after she got the EAD in the mail!

There is a check box under the "End Date" that says "No End Date" - Check that one since you will be getting married and then he will adjust status

I was in Aurora yesterday also Bringing my wife to the Asian Market. I have several co-workers who live in Aurora and they have been fearful of these trans-national gangs. And not just recently since it's popped up in the news. They have been talking about it for a few years now and how they're afraid for their neighborhoods.

Jaycel submitted her Employment Auth Application concurrently with her I-485 and it was approved in 51 days And we did not include any evidence from the I-129F packet - We only included what proff of a bona fide marriage we had gathered since She arrived in the US. They have access to the I-129F packet in her A-File anyway. Also, in the time since we filed the AOS, we have naturally generated a lot more marital evidence and we have used the portal to upload this evidence to her case file

You can use the AOS application process to change her name. See my comment in the thread below as to how we did it for Jaycel:

You do not bring both Tax Return Transcripts AND Tax Returns You bring EITHER the Tax Return Transcript OR the complete tax return (all pages, all schedules, etc.) AND the W-2s & 1099s. I highly recommend using the Tax Return Transcripts as USCIS and the Embassies strongly prefer those. If you use those, there is no signature on them. If you use the tax returns and W-2s & 1099s, if you E-Filed, I would imagine you write "E-FILED" in the signature field and include the E-File receipt (I am not certain on this as I have exclusively used Tax Return Transcripts - Maybe another member can comment on the proper procedure for E-File)

Yes, you can file the I-485 and I-765 at the same time. We just got Jaycel's EAD Card in the mail in January. She entered the country on the K-1 Visa in August. It took just about 5 months from when she entered the country until she got her EAD card.

For sure... The previous version specifically said I-129F in that section: "Person admitted to the United States as a fiance(e) or child ofa fiance(e) ofa U.S. citizen, Form I-129F (K-1/K-2 Nonimmigrant)"