babyontheway

Just a heads up to all AOS filers. We sent our AOS package in the middle of November, and when we did not get a notice that they had recieved our EAD we began to worry. My husband went to the locas USCIS office prior to the 90 days and told them about the situation and they said they could not do anything. It is now 6 weeks later and he went again because we had still not heard anything. The lady at the office looked up our file and saw that nothing had been entered in the system concerning our EAD and she wrote them an email asking to look at our file and figure out what had happened. It turns out that they completely missed our EAD application, which was at the back of the AOS packet. I had provided them a cover letter stating where in the packet our EAD paperwork was. Make sure that you place the EAD towards the beginning of the packet as it is only one page, and apparently easily missed. Good luck to all!

Hello November VJers,

We are waiting patiently like everyone else and in reading other timelines people that have filed their AOS/EAD paperwork after us are much further ahead. Does this seem like a Denver propblem or a problem with our case? We received NOA for AOS on Nov 26th but we do not have other NOAs yet. Nothing about EAD or Bio?!?! Anyone have any experience here? Should I call and ask them or make an appointment at USCIS in Denver?

Thanks

We recieved our I-797C NOA November 26th and we still haven't recieved out biometrics letter. Is this normal? Is there anyone else going to Denver that has had the same problem?

Hello VJers,

We are now in the AOS process. Today we applied for my husbands ssn and then we went to the DMV to try and get his Colorado driver's license. When he got to the DMV they said he needed some form from USCIS. Has anyone had any experience with this? What did you do? What documents do you need? THANKS!!!

What is the difference in a long form birth certificate and a short one?

A long form will have your parents information on it and the short one, usually just a small card, will not.

Hello VJ.

I am very happy to announce that after such a long wait I had my interview yesterday morning in Montreal and I was approved. I wanted to write about my experience to help those who are going after me as VJ was invaluable for our application process.

1) I drove to Montreal from SW Ontario on thursday the 16th because my interview was the 17th at 8am. I stayed at the Best Western Europa on Rue Drummond which was an older but well appointed hotel. It was expensive for a small room but it was 5 or 6 blocks from the Consulate building and easily walkable right down B. Rene Levesque. I had read another VJer's experience and found out that despite the interview being at 8am they open the doors at 7:30 but to arrive well before that. I left the hotel at 6:30 and arrived by 6:45am. I was second in line at that point behind another couple that had stayed at the same hotel but they drove. The line grew pretty quickly and was 10 or 15 people by 7:30. The guards opened the doors at 7:30 sharp, maybe even a little before. They asked for the interview letter and my passport to verify I was supposed to be there. They let me in and sent me to one side of the room which resembled an airport security check. The guards were very methodical and impersonal so dont be offended. Just doing their job I guess. They attached a hard plastic "letter B" to my interview letter with an instruction sheet. They had me empty my pockets into a tray and take off my belt, jacket, etc. I walked throught the metal detector and they instructed me to collect my belongings and take the letter through a door, down the stairs and into the waiting room and sit down.

2) Another guard showed up about 10 minutes later off of an elevator and asked everyone with a hard plastic letter to get on the elevator. He took us to the 19th floor took our interview letters and had us all sit down again and wait for our names to be called. (Beautiful view of Montreal from the 19th by the way, too bad we cant have cameras up there.) About a 15 or 20 minute wait and the letter A was called, another 2 minutes and they called my letter to window #10 and I took my documents to her. She asked for documents in the order that was on the instruction sheet given to me downstairs. (passport & copy, 2 photos, birth cert. & copy, evidence of support, etc.) SHe asked me to sit back down and wait for her to call me. She called me back in about 10 minutes and was mad because on some forms I had my middle initials (ran out of room) and some I had my full name written out. She corrected this for me and I thanked her kindly. She asked why I didnt have the long form of the birth certificate stating my parents names and I said I didnt know they existed. She accepted that. She asked me to take this form to the cashier and pay, then sit back down with my receipt and wait to be called again for the interview.

3) Letter A was called for his interview, went in, and came out smiling about 5 minutes later so I felt good about it but it took the a long time to call letter B. I waited and waited and became increasingly nervous like something was wrong but in time the called my letter, maybe 20 or 25 minutes. I went into booth 8 which resmbled the others but was in a tiny room with a door. He was the nicest person we have dealt with this whole time and seemed genuinely happy to be able to help with the process. He asked questions like: where we met, how long we have known each other, when we plan opn getting married, what she does for a living, what I do for a living, where we are going to live, when I am planning on heading to the states, and he had the photos we sent in as proof and he went through them as asked where they all had been taken. He asked me to tell him why I had been stopped crossing the border before and laughed as he clearedup the flag that was in the system attached to my passport. He was satisfied after about 5 or 10 minutes and told me that we would be approved. He was just a great guy and told me I should have the visa in the mail the middle of next week. I got on the elevator, went back down and started the 8 hour drive home.

4) Those of you going soon here is some advice. Think about getting a long form birth certificate. They let me through with my short one but they might not be so nice next time. Have everything ready to go. They will get mad if you dont have everything at the ready, I's dotted and T's crossed. Bring exact change. Wayyy easier. Dont take the guards downstairs personally. They are trained to be like that. Be calm. I was getting very nervous for no reason. The interviewer is really wonderful and makes you feel good about the process. Lastly, GOOD LUCK!!

Thanks to everyone for their help here on VJ. I hope this makes your interview process easier.

So we are still waiting for packet 4 with his interview date to arrive. Meanwhile I am here and 3 weeks away from my due date. He would like to be here for the birth but I am worried that he will have problems crossing the border (from Canada) . Has anyone had any experience with crossing the Canadian border while waiting for the interview? Thanks

Nicole

I am not the one recieving the green card, he is. I am wondering about the filing of the papers that include my name.

My answer is the same, whatever name you want to use. From the day you get married, you are able to use his last name.

perfect, thank you.

Nicole

Hello,

Although we will be getting married and I will eventually be taking his name, I will not have gone to the social security office to officially change my name until after we have applied for the green card. So, as far as filling in my name on the AOS forms, which name do I use? I am assuming that I use my maiden name because my social security card still has that as my name. Am I assuming correctly? Thanks.

Nicole

I am not the one recieving the green card, he is. I am wondering about the filing of the papers that include my name.

Hello,

Although we will be getting married and I will eventually be taking his name, I will not have gone to the social security office to officially change my name until after we have applied for the green card. So, as far as filling in my name on the AOS forms, which name do I use? I am assuming that I use my maiden name because my social security card still has that as my name. Am I assuming correctly? Thanks.

Nicole

Hello,

We are so close to being finished with the K-1 visa process and now I am just trying to prepare for the aos after math. I already have his absentee application for our marriage license and I am planning on making an appointment with the justice of the peace as soon as I know when my fiance is going to be here. My first question is about applying for ssn.

Why do I need to do this prior to the green card and how do I do it?

Second the AOS package I keep seeing people writing about, where do I get it, or what does it consist of so that I can get ready to send everything in once we are married?

Finally I want to apply for his work authorization, do I send this in with the first AOS package, and is there anything special I need , forms etc, that I need to fill out for the work authorization?

Thanks for your help!

Nicole

5 weeks til baby is due!!!!!!!!

It took about 6 weeks altogether. I actually expected it to take way longer so I sent it off way in advance. So it was already over 4 months old when I took it to the embassy for my interview - fortunately they didn't mind!

That is great to hear! Did you over night the papers to Australia? How much did your finger prints cost?

I had to order an Australian Police Clearance too - I just went to my bank and asked for an Australian Dollar denominated Bank Draft and they did it no problem (there was a $6 service charge). I would suggest trying your bank first.

Thanks for that information. How long did it take for the police clearance to come back to you?

I need to get a money order in Australian Dollars for a police clearance and I can't find anyone to do it. Has anyone done this before? Thanks

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Hi all,

We'd like to get packet 3 turned around as fast as possible in order to get packet 4/schedule an interview.

I see from other sites that the packet 3 will ask for police certificates. Is this part of what will be necessary to send back? My fiancée studied abroad for a year, and presumably she will need to get a certificate from that country, too. Has anyone had experiences in asking for the certificate from a country other than that of their nationality?

Aside from the police certs, valid passport, birth certificates, proof of prior marriage termination, and the DS-156 (or is it DS-160 for the french embassy?), is there anything else that packet 3 will ask for?

Thanks!

Hello, We are going through Montreal, Canada. The packet we recieved required the following things to be sent back: DS-156(in duplicate), DS-156K, DS-230, and a checklist provided in the packet. We needed 5 2in. by 2 in. passport photos. 2 we attached to the DS-156 and the last three we need for the doctor's appt (scheduled for next week). Again this is for Canada, and it seems that each consulate/embassy has their own expectations.

As far as police certificates follow this link to find the country which she studied abroad in http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/reciproc...ocity_3272.html. It will tell you what you need to do for that country. (The packet 3 provides you with this link as well).

Good Luck!

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with study abroad and needing police certificate from that country. My finance studied in Australia from 2/2007-12/2007, but he left for a month in June. This means that he didn't spend 6 consecutive months in Australia, so does he still need the police certificate. I am overwhelmed and confused, we are so close to the end, but it still seems out of reach. Thanks!!