KIMCORENE

Just checking in- I gave birth to a beautiful little girl on June 1st!My hands are full right now- literally and figuratively, lol.

Reading the Guides again and more slowly may help with giving you the basic information which you will need for this process. They may seem cumbersome but it's much easier to have the correct info for yourself from the beginning of the process. With that said- the I-130 and I-485 are two completely different forms which serve different purposes and therefore must be filed together. The I-130 is a petition filed on your behalf by the USC (the petitioner) of which you are the beneficiary- the Guides point this out. The I-485 is filed by you, in this case, the applicant, in order to adjust status. The Guides also state this.

Terms in bold are a few of those vital for undertaking this process and, once again, are clearly defined in the Guides. Gee, those guides must be helpful...

Wait until she has received the EAD- SSA will require documentation from USCIS with her new name in conjunction with the marriage certificate in order to change it.

Whee~~ about time ours went through

Receipt Number: MSCxxxxxxxxxx

Application Type: I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: Notice mailed welcoming the new permanent resident.

On April 27, 2009, we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before you get your new card call customer service. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.

Can't wait to see the actual card.

Congrats!

Congrats, guys.

CONGRATS! :dance:

I-485 APPROVED!!! I received the e-mail notification from CRIS today. It is such a huge relief!

In other news, I moved from Ohio to Michigan two weeks ago to start working as an automotive engineer. My wife will be joining me soon and will start her new job in June. We both found good jobs in Michigan now, against seemingly impossible odds. We also have our traditional wedding ceremony next month (we are already legally married). Life is looking very good!

I hope my good fortune rubs off on other forum members still waiting on their applications or searching for jobs. All the best guys and gals!

Rosie: please update the spreadsheet with my new timeline info (see signature).

:dance: Congrats! Timeline updated.

My advice is to make an Infopass appointment- calling the so called Customer Service will only give you the same information that you have online. Good luck!

Usually, you'll get a touch and an update showing your response has been received and case processing has resumed. No email or letter, though. Make sure to use a traceable method to send your response.

Greetings folks,

Progress is good, approvals are better. Good seeing y'all getting where you need to go.

Just a question, I received an RFE for the most recent year W-2/1099. When I had first submitted the AOS, I had used my 2007 tax information on the 864. Now that I've already done my 2008s, would I have to send the 2007 W-2/1099 or the 2008? And, if I do send the 2008, would I need to redo the 864 for the 2008 information and send that as well, because the letter only asked for the most recent year W-2/1099.

Send the info for 2008. I would also redo the I-864 in case they need it- better safe than sorry.

thanks everyone! we couldn't have done it without all of the support and advise from all of you!!! Jay received his welcome to america letter in the mail yesterday!!

Congrats!

They use that to cover their bases in the event they have to have you in for a second interview. The initial interview is usually the only interview...unless something goes wrong...Nothing to worry about. Congrats!

I agree with the previous posters who encourage you to walk with a wad of cash- in Jamaica all it tek is a "ting" to solve any administrative problems. It is what it is.

Thanks guys! Canadianmade, I'm so glad to hear that something is happening for you. Is the address on the letter a service center or your local office? I'd advise to make the Infopass, cause sending a passport and a bc in the mail- hmmm, not so secure. But good luck! Keep us posted!

Hey, guys- just to update, I got my card yesterday- all shiny and new

Congratulations, Kimcorene! Don't fall asleep holding it!!!

I'll try not to, :rofl:

Hey, guys- just to update, I got my card yesterday- all shiny and new

Whatever route you decide to use, an I-130 will be required...however, if you decide to go home and do the four months, why not apply for a CR1/IR1 visa instead of the K-3? Read here and see which would be better for your situation:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/ty...types_1315.html

Yes, you can file the I-130- no problem . Documentation of your 17 months would be boarding passes for the flights there and back, any pictures taken in Cyprus during the period, stuff like that- and anything you could get from your family or any organizations back in Cyprus.

Hey I have a quick question for you guys. I'm going back to the CS today and hopefully everything is fine and I can send my RFE back today. The RFE (I-797E) says "Return this notice on TOP of the requested information listed on the attached sheet."

The RFE I received is two sheets of paper: a blue one (notice of action, with the bar code, my receipt number, etc.) and a white one that describes what they wanted me to send them (medical examination and vaccination record)

Am I supposed to send both pages back or only the blue one?

Make a photocopy of both pages for your record and send back both pages of the original.

Hi everyone,

I am seeking some advice on how to handle a home residency requirement (HRR), if I am currently in the US under F-1, I have 4 months left on the HRR and I am married to a US citizen. I entered the US on J-1 in and remained for almost four years. I was subject to HRR because I received government funding. At that point it didn't matter because I intended on returning to my home country. Later I decided to attend grad school so I applied for an F-1. When I graduated I applied for work authorization and it was granted based on my current F-1 status, even though I still had 4 months and 3 weeks to fulfill the prior HRR. Last year I met my wife and we got married recently. Now I am getting ready to file for AOS, but I am not sure how what to do with the HRR. It seems there are three options:

A. File AOS as F-1 student hoping the USCIS will ignore the HRR just like they did with my work authorization B) . There's no clear indication of what someone in my case should do. I wonder whether it would hurt to apply anyway.

This may not work- your previous J-1 status most likely had no bearing on your eligibility to apply for work authorization, so I wouldn't go so far as to say it was "ignored" by USCIS. Misrepresentation on your AOS papers would have serious consequences, as remeber they will be doing background checks, and the 2 yr HRR will come up. The information on the instructions for the I-485 clearly state that if you have not completed/waived the requirement, you are ineligible to apply to adjust status.

B. Return to my home country and fulfill the remaining time before filing my forms. This would cause so much trouble to my wife so it would be a very last resort. Plus a four month holiday and flight tickets would be a big toll on our finances.

C. Apply for a waiver. I could apply for a No Objection Statement, but there would be no grounds for it besides the fact that I almost fulfilled the HRR commitment. From what I know waivers are not normally granted for students who had government funding. If the waiver gets rejected does that mean I can still attempt to apply for AOS?

If you should apply for the waiver and it is rejected, you still would be ineligible to apply for AOS- not because you got rejected, but because you would still have the requirement. Have you considered applying based on Hardship to your USC spouse?

I have thought about consulting with an immigration attorney, but before doing so I am trying to see if anybody had a similar experience. I can't find any cases of J-1 students transitioning to an F-1 and then marrying to a US citizen while under work authorization.

It doesn't matter which visa you currently hold, the requirement can only be "canceled" by a waiver or proof of completing the 24 months in one's home country. There is a lot of information to be found on www.state.gov. I see you're from Cyprus- I don't know what exactly the situation is in your home country, but do you think you could qualify to apply based on Hardship to your spouse? If you need any info, please feel free to PM me.

Does her J1 have a 2 year home resident requirement?

I found out that she does not have the 2 year home residency requirement... Also if i marry her is there a chance when they will find out she was an illegal here they can deport her?

I've never heard that happening-they don't check immigration status to issue a marriage license.

Does her J1 have a 2 year home resident requirement?

no it doesn't, but im not positively sure, why what's the case between that if does or doesn't?

If she does have the 2 year home residency requirement she HAS to go back to Russia before applying for an immigrant visa.

Unless she is able to get the requirement waived, then she doesn't.That would depend on a number of factors.

If she does not have the 2 year home residency requirement -- you need a lawyer to help you with the overstay problem.

Additionally if you are planning on entering the military you need to get all of this worked out really quick, numerous military positions require security clearances, and the illegal live-in girlfriend will cause a problem. The FBI will tell DHS about the situation.

It sucks, but better to clear things up as quickly as possible. On the plus side usually an applicant can stay in the USA while waiting for the status to be cleared up.

Best of luck to you.

I met my husband through my aunt before I came to the U.S. We were asked how we met at our interview and I answered honestly. Do the same if asked, but remember, don't volunteer any info.

This is our issue....We finally got out employment authorization (EA) which my husband has had for a while now....we went in to get his Social Security number and they said it would take about 4 weeks to get a card since they had to verify the card was "true". That was fine. A month later NOTHING so we called the main 1800 number and they said they had no record of us filing for the Social or the file never left the local office we went to. We decided we would drive to the office again and see what was going on. They said they were waiting for a response from USCIS to verify the "EA" was real. GRRR! They said "we should hear back from them within 2 days to 2 weeks. GRRRRRRRRR! AGAIN?!?!?! I mean we ALL know how long USCIS takes to do ANYTHING. He called again today which would have been 1 of the 2 weeks and they said they were still waiting for a response. I AM SOOO MAD! We finally got what we needed and we cant even get a social security number.

Sorry to hear that. When I went to the SSA, I didn't have such a hassle, but maybe it's cause I already had a SSN, I was only updating my surname. I really feel your frustration. Can you try a different office? I don't know if that would make a difference, but some staff are more knowledgeable than others.

Congtatulations KIMCORENE!!!!

I called USCIS of course the guy on the phone had no idea what I was saying.I asked him why I haven't recieved the mail requesting for me to resubmit the medical and he read to me On October 16 th we recieved blah blah blah....I was like I had my interview but he just told me I should wait till it is 6 month.My case is not outside the processing time.Man I was getting so mad on the phone.Then I asked him why the case online haven't gotten updated yet for my I-130 (which I got the approval letter but it still says pendin online), once again he read me what it says online.I just said thanks and hang up.I'm gonna wait till the 16th of April that is when it will be 6 months and then I'm making a infopass and taking my medical with me.This is so ridicilous how long does it take to mail a notice.It's been a month today.

Calling the 800 number makes no sense most of the time- make the Infopass, hopefully you will get better help. BTW, I just saw that you are from Naples- Hubby and I plan to come up there for the weekend later this month. What hotels would you recommend we consider? We plan to come on Saturday and leave on Sunday.