MichelleN

The I-797 is the NOA, it's not a application/form number. So you should get one to three I-797s depending on what you applied for. You came on a K-1 visa, so you would have a I-485, and possibly a I-765 and a I-131. If you omitted either the I-765 or the I-131 (those are optional) then you should have TWO I-797s with 2 receipt numbers. Whatcha got?

I have the i-485 and the I-765. But is there a reason neither are recognized in the case status update section of the USCIS website?

Edit: Nevermind...I just checked again and found out I have an RFE for the I-485...ugh...

I mailed out my AOS forms and they were received on June 30th. On the 2nd of July I got two email notifications that my I-797 had been accepted and they both had different receipt numbers. A few days later in the mail I got two letters from USCIS with the notifications, reflecting what the emails stated. I'm a bit worried that something's going on. Why would I get two receipt numbers for the I-797 but not a word about the I-485? And on top of that when I go to check the status via the website, it can't find either case. Should I be calling them on Monday and if so who do I even call?

Ugh so there was a reason they never cashed my check. They sent back the entire packet. Got it in the mail today saying I didn't have the right amount on the check. I'm so confused...everything I read said $1010 and that's what I sent. Is this not the correct amount? Am I a complete idiot?

I sent out our AOS on June 6th, delivery confirmed but still not even a cashed check or anything in the mail. Starting to get worried especially since I see people are getting pretty fast responses... :\

My now husband came into the country Dec 6,2010 on a K-1 Visa. We got married on Feb 12th, well within the 90 days limit. However, we've had serious money issues and have NOT been able to get the $1000 needed for the AOS application. He's getting very worried that he's here illegally. As long as we got married within the 90 days is there any sort of time limit for getting the AOS? I just sent in his application to get a work permit to help with our money problems. Thanks for any help at all. We're at our wits end

Ok got a weird question. My fiance is finally coming out on the 7th (a week ). But his job in Japan was basically freelance. Now, he's got a job that knows he's moving to the US and is fine by that BUT they're insisting on putting his US address on the work contract. My question is, even if he doesn't have a work permit yet, is he still able to 'legally' do this job? Since the company is not an American company? And will he have to claim this income on his US taxes when the time comes? Thanks

So we finally got approved! He's got his plane ticket to come out here in December and we plan to have our wedding in February. Honestly, I hadn't even thought that there was much else we needed to do till then. But looking over the flowchart it says that he can't work till the AOS?

My question is..on average, how long does it take to be able to legally work once you get to the country? I saw people mentioning applying for a work permit? I'm just generally confused about this step of the process.

So we're finally at the interview phase and my fiance's getting a bit nervous. What sort of questions can he expect? And will he have the option to take the interview in Japanese? His English is quite good and he wants to do it in English but I've read in other threads it's often better to do it in your native language to avoid any confusion... Any input? Tips? Thanks a lot

My fiance has come over twice since we started the process and never had a problem But your ideas about what to bring along are good. Better to have too much proof/info than not enough.

Unfortunately I don't know about the divorce degree.

Really? Noone?

Anyone..?

Well, all I did was put them all in a ziploc sandwich bag... taped a little piece of paper on it that said "Proof of Meeting: Photos" and stapled that to a piece of paper. And we're at the interview stage now so it was apparently good enough XD

So having dozens witnesses who can say that I was in the same call center at the same time isn't enough?

Usually they want things like photos of you together. We also used copies of his Passport showing the stamps of his visits. But I agree that you are going to have a very hard time proving this. I mean, unless they witnesses are all willing to sign affidavits that you were there. Even then....Is there anyway you or her could visit the other for a while? Get some pictures and have a good time.

You still have to pay it. One of the things you need to pay it online is the barcode generated from your DS-156, which is necessary for the interview. I wasn't too happy either when I heard about this :\

Ok, we're at the end of the road here! Interview's in a few weeks and I was double checking things and suddenly realized something. I heard that ALL documents have to be translated but... The police certificate is in Japanese but it also says not to open it before the interview. So I'm assuming that's ok to not have translated?

Also, my fiance is working on translated his birth certificate himself but I'm worried whether or not they'll accept it if he's the translator. Do we need to hire someone? Thanks

I'm unemployed at the moment and I was curious if I needed to fill out an I-134 for my fiance to bring to the interview. I've got someone else who's willing to co-sponsor. Do I need to fill one out? And if so, do I need to submit any proof such as tax returns, etc, since I'm unemployed. Thanks.

Anyone?

I'm getting the run around here... My fiance (who lives in Japan) has moved since we sent in the original application. I was told to contact the Embassy in Tokyo to change the address since they have the application now. However, the numbers they gave me on the mailings from the embassy are all coming back as disconnected. I finally was able to get the main number for the embassy online and called. I got who I assume was an operator who was less than helpful. She transferred me to American Citizen Services line which never actually answered. Just repeated a recording over and over even though they were supposedly open. I found another phone number online but it's a 'pay to play' sort of line and I don't want to pay them money just to be told I'm calling the wrong number.

Any help at all at this point would be very much appreciated. I'm ready to tear my hair out and NOT looking forward to the phone bill from this debacle.

So my fiance is moving next week and I need to get his address changed with the USCIS. I called the service number the other day and was told I had to submit it in writing to the CSC where our case was at the time. However today I just found out we got our NOA2 (yay!). So..do I still send the change of address to the CSC or do I need to address it to the NVC? And is there anything I should know about sending out the paper? I was planning on putting his previous address and then his new address as well as our case number and then sign and date it.

Can you please post the Effective Date and Expiration Date of the I-129F form you are using.

I see the three options you describe and immediately below those three options are a check box Yes and a check box No.

My form is Rev. 7/30/07 and Expires 1/31/2010. There is a newer Revision now at USCIS but it is also the same. You do not see two check boxes below the three Bulleted items of question 2.

Thanks

Mine says Rev. 05/23/06. When you noted the date of yours I wondered how in the world I got an older version. Because I know I downloaded the forms from here and they all link to the USCIS page or at least list the rev date as the one you listed. What looks like happened was I used the form linked to as an 'example' via the K-1 Guide page and just replaced the example info with my own. Guess I didn't notice the dates were off. :\

Question 3 requires you to check all that apply, not Question 2. Question 2 requires you to check Yes or No. Very simple matter. If you check No for Question 2, skip Question 3. But you cannot leave Question 2 unchecked. It is a legitimate RFE for an important question.

Uhh no, I'm looking at it right now. Question 2 says "Have you ever been convicted by a court of law (civil or criminal) or court martialed by a military tribunal for any of the following crimes" And then it lists three options. Domestic violence etc, Homicide etc, or three or more convictions. There is no option for "Yes or No" There is no place to write N/A. It's just those three boxes. It's worded as such that you can either check one of the boxes or do nothing.

I just got an RFE in the mail and I'm a little upset about it. The section that tells you about your criminal history and "check all that apply. Part C, Question 2 of the I-129F. Since I have no criminal history there, I didn't check anything. And there were no text boxes or anything so I just left it as is. I just got sent an RFE for that. I called Customer Service and they said I should have attached a separate piece of paper explaining that I had no criminal convictions and as such that section didn't apply to me. So ridiculous....am I the only one who's had this problem?

In 2008, I started the process of the K1 for my fiance. We had gotten to the point of getting NOA1 and then...well long story short we broke up and I canceled the petition. Now we've managed to patch things up and are starting again the process. My question is...

On the I-129F Part A-11, it asks if I've ever filed for them before. The name of the 'alien, place and date of filing' are self explanitory but I'm unsure what the A# is and what to write for the 'result'. Should I just put something like petition canceled by petitioner for result? And do I need to go into depth about what happened in the section of explaining how we met?

I recently received a letter from my daughter's grandmother in Japan. It's entirely handwritten Japanese and I have no clue what it say. Since it came with some clothes for her it looks promising. So I'm trying to find a service online where I can get someone to translate letters back and forth for us. I did a quick google and most of what I found was geared towards businesses. The one "non-technical" place I found had a $200 minimum.

Does anyone know of any website that's not outrageous ($20-$40) for their services? I'm dying to know what this letter says and would like to start a working with a single company or individual for future correspondences. Thanks a lot

If my post came off as me implying people who don't have a kid can't understand it, I'm sorry. That's not what I was trying to say. I was just trying to explain how having a child has changed how severely things like this affect me personally. They seem to be more 'real' and more personal to me, just because I can't help thinking about something like that happening to my daughter. As for postpartum though...he was 3 years old. Would it even last that long?