KPC

So here goes nothing..

Chris and I got to the Federal Building around 1:05 today, went through security, then up to the 8th floor to speak to a man at the AOS window who told us our interview would be on the 4th floor. We went downstairs and gave our notice to a woman at a window, who stamped it and told us to sit in a row of chairs facing her. I would say we sat down around 1:15. When we got there, there was one couple waiting, then various other couples (about 5, maybe) sprinkled in as we were waiting. Around 1:35 (and our interview was scheduled for 1:45) we were called back by a nice and smiley middle-aged gentleman. We went to his little cubicle and he swore us in. He started by asking me lots of questions, including where I live, how long I've lived there, when Chris and I met, how long we dated before he proposed, places we have visited together, where I work, where I went to school, and previous places where I lived. We then got on the topic of our upcoming wedding in July, and had a nice conversation about his wedding five months ago, and how he got married in Aruba and had a reception in New Jersey. The conversation was light and we definitely laughed a good bit with him. Once we were finished talking about his wedding, he asked Chris how long he's lived at our address, the last time he entered the US and what he used to enter (his L1 visa), and to confirm that he still works for Amex (which he doesn't, and he explained his current job/employer). Then, he asked us if we had any pictures together, so we pulled out a picture from our civil ceremony and one with my family (my baby niece was in the picture so he asked who the baby was..I was like, she's not mine!), and he looked through our little album that I made. Next, he asked for proof of shared residence, so we gave him our lease, Time Warner cable bills, joint checking account statements, Amex statements, and our joint tax return. He seemed pleased with all of that info.

After about fifteen minutes, he wrote Chris's A number in his passport along with "Pending I485" and the date and his signature, took his I-94 and said "I'm going to give you a document that says I have 60 days to make a decision..but I don't think it will take that long (with a smile)." Of course, I had to ask if we were going to get the stamp, and he said "We recently stopped doing the stamp. I have to check with my supervisor, but this was an easy one."

So, we didn't get that coveted approval, but we also didn't get an RFE and the guy was super cool and happy..and he did say that we were "easy" (no pun intended). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that good news is on the way..and thank you all for your support!!

hey guys,

no happy dance for me. i just got back from a long and somewhat painful interview in NYC. i will just write my report, feel free to skip. maybe this helps you, KPC.

our appt was at 1:45 pm, we got there around 1:15. went through (unfriendly) security and then with lots of people upstairs to the 8th floor. the waiting room was already quite full. we went to the window, gave our interview letter to a friendly lady, and where told to be patient and wait. lunchtime for the officers! great. as time went by, more and more couples arrived, i'd say there were about 50 in the end, of which about 80 % had lawyers. this made me even more nervous. anyways, after almost 2 hours we were finally called in.

our officer was an older man. he led us to his small office. he swore us in. at first, he seemed very friendly and relaxed and made jokes with my husband about fake passports. i thought, ok, he is nice and won't give us too much trouble. but as soon as he started the "real" interview, his behavior did change. he started with asking my husband basic information like address, name, DOB. then he made me repeat our address and my biometric information. then he asked me about how we met (online, i tried to explain the concept of last.fm and livejournal). i stressed how fast me and my husband started to write very long letters and how much time we spent together, on skype and AIM. he asked me about when we first saw each other, when my husband first came, how long he stayed. then he wanted to know how often i came ot the us, and i said this was my first time, and then we got married (i'm VWP). he asked me about my status when i came, and i said i was a visitor. this confused him.. i explained that germany is part of the VWP and that i don't need a "real" visa, like a B2. he nodded, took my I-94 out of my passport and handwrote that i had an AOS interview, today's date, code CR-6, and that my status is pending. i thought.. great.

then the interview suddenly changed to something that reminded me of a stoke's interview. he told my husband not to speak, and that he wanted answers strictly from me. he made me repeat our address and asked "what kind of streets surround your street? what are the street names?" i started to panic a little, as our street is very long and only some small, minor streets are nearby which i don't know the name of. i only knew the street directly in front of our house, as we walk there a lot. so i said that. he wrote my answer down on a sticky note. then he asked "is there a bus stop nearby?" i said, no, not in front of the house. i was very, very insecure. i didn't know, because i never took the bus. the next question was "so, what's the train station nearby called?" this, i knew. i told him the name, but he wasn't satisfied. he wanted to know why the name isn't the same like our town's name. i said that i didn't know. he wrote my answer on the sticky note.

at this point, i was getting really nervous and scared. he asked my sisters in law's names, which of course i knew. next he wanted to see some bills with our names. i explained that we live in a house with mu husband and his parents, so we don't have a lease or any utility bills. i offered him medical bills which my husband paid for me. he took them and started to ask my husband questions about my medical condition, my doctor's name, etc. he turned back to me and asked if i have a job, i said no, not yet. he made a weird face and asked why not? i said, because i just got my EAD at the end of january and i wasn't able to find a part-time job yet, and that i plan on going back to college in fall. he asked my husband what kind of school i had attended in germany, my husband luckily knew the answer to that.

we gave him our family cellphone plan with our name on it and he seemed please with the bill that showed how often we called each other. he then asked for pictures. we gave him our album. he skipped through, without really looking at it. he didn't seem satisfied. he wanted a specific photo, a photo of me and my husband "being together in our house, looking comfortable." quite frankly, we didn't have a picture like that. we had plenty of photos of us doing things, like zoos, going on walks, many with out family, etc, but he wasn't interested in that at all. this really upset me. so we gave him a wedding picture with family and one of hubby and me in a restaurant. then he leaned forward and wanted to know whether i wear a wedding ring. i showed him. he was very displeased that i wore my wedding ring on my left middle finger, not my ring finger. he kept asking why, with this weird face. i said, because i like it! i like wearing rings on my middle finger. and its too loose on my ring finger. he acted very suspicious, like me and mu husband committed a crime just because we didn't wear our rings on the finger that is "social norm" i felt like crying at this point.

in any case, it felt like he wanted to finish up with us, and before he could i offered him our bank account, which he never asked before. he said, oh, okay, sure. so i gave him that, and also copies of 3 greeting cards addressed to both of us.

he thanked us and gave us a form, tellling us that we would hear from them within 60 days. my husband asked if everything was okay. the interviewer sort of nodded and said yeah, i guess it's okay. you'll get the final decision soon.

then we left. and now i really have a bad feeling. he was such a weird, slow, person. i can't believe how he kept picking at such little details, like our wedding ring, or why we don't have any utility bills. we are both just 21, mind you, and we are trying our best. my husband is still a full-time student with a part time job. he didn't take our age into consideration at all.

anyways... sorry this is long. good luck to you, KPC.

Wow, Clolita..I'm seriously about to have an anxiety attack. I really hope Chris and I don't get that same guy tomorrow, but if we do, hopefully I'll be able to keep it together! I'm shocked and appalled that you had such a horrible experience, and I will be thinking of you as you wait for the (hopefully) good news to arrive. I'm so sorry it was so rough on you!!

hi everybody

my ead is approved online today

how many days take to recieving it?

thx

Congrats! Your EAD will probably arrive in the next week or so. My husband received a series of three emails over about a week, and his card arrived the day after the third email.

Hi, my wife got her green card today. However, the green card is valid of only two years. I read somewhere that this is conditional green card and needs to be renewed before expiration. How and when do we apply to remove conditions on her greencard? Secondly, I understand that GC derived through a marraige to a USC requires three years before applying for US Citizenship. Is that true? If so, when do the time calculation begin - when she arrives in US or when her GC was produced? Please help me with these questions. Thx.

First off, congrats on receiving the 2 year green card!! To answer your question: 90 days before her conditional green card expires (as in, if the expiration date is today, you can apply on December 9, 2010) you will send in the I-751 (along with proof of bona fide marriage and payment) to USCIS. It seems like some people get called for interviews and some don't, but assuming everything goes well, your wife will receive a ten year green card after that. Then, if you stay married another year, she can apply for her citizenship that next year. Hope this helps!

Me and my wife had our interview last week and were recommended for approval. The interview went much easier than I expected. I have been VERY nervous about it for a long time. It's hard to have your future plans in the hands of someone else as I'm sure you all know!

The woman who interviewed us was very nice. She asked mainly questions about addresses, parents last names, birth places etc. She didn't want to see letters I had some friends write. She did look at photos we brought and those seemed to help our cause alot. She asked when we met, if we had visited each other often. Then she told us that we should be fine and to watch for the green card in the mail. She then handed us a recommendation for approval letter.

A little background on us... we met a couple years ago. Got married in late June of last year in the US and sent our packet in late November.

Everyone had been telling me not to worry since we had gotten married for all the right reasons and were trying to do things the right way. I knew that was true but its still nerve racking.

Congrats!

My fiancé currently is on a J1 visa and living in the U.S. He has a SSN, a full-time job & rents an apartment that has both of our names on the lease (I am a U.S. citizen). We are planning on getting married sometime around August of this year-- My fiancé's J1 visa expires in April 2010. We are going to start filling out and sending in the paperwork after we get married, but I have a question about the EAD.

My fiance does not want to lose his current job since he intends on staying working there after he becomes a permanent resident. Can he continue to work while waiting to get his EAD? If not, how long does it normally take to get an EAD? I'm afraid that his job will not look to kindly on him taking a few months leave...

Any insight on this problem would be great!!

Also, a quick question about the Affidavit of Support: When I fill it out to prove that he will not be a burden in the U.S., can I include HIS income from the job that he currently has? This would obviously be filled out after we are married, so I assume they would expect that our incomes would be joint? His income will definitely prove that he is not a burden, but if I use MINE alone, I might have problems.

Thanks!!

I can't speak to the employment bit of your question, but hopefully my experience with my husband adjusting status from an L-1 visa (an employment visa, as well) will help with your income query. On your affidavit of support that you have to include with his AOS package, you will list your past three years' worth of income from your tax returns, and your current salary. You'll have to send W-2s and tax returns from the most recent tax year (just for you, not your husband, as you are the petitioner and will be his sponsor while he's in the US). The interesting thing is that there is a space to include his income and your total household income, even though they don't require proof of employment, W-2s, or paystubs for him. I did include my most recent six months of paystubs in my husband's AOS package, and while I don't make as much as him, I am well above the poverty line, so we didn't get an RFE. As long as you make 125% above the poverty line, you'll be fine. Hope this helps! (Now preparing for the 485 interview is another story..you'll be need all kinds of employment and salary proof!)

Thanks for your reply! My problem is that MY income alone is nowhere near above the poverty level because I am currently a student. I'm in my Senior year of college so I only have a part-time job while going to school. Phil's (my fiance) income IS well above the poverty line, so if I can include his income then that is good! I am wondering though...do you think it is a problem that my income alone is low? (and by low...I mean LOW...like $5k/year, I only work to have extra spending money and pay a few bills through college) Phil plans on staying at his current job even after his AOS...do you think his income will be sufficient? Phil's uncle lives in the U.S. and has offered to co-sponsor/joint-sponsor - not sure if there's a difference. Should we have him co-sponsor just to be safe?

I would include your husband's uncle as a co-sponsor, just to be safe (as long as he is a US citizen or permanent resident). It doesn't sound like USCIS would allow you to sponsor him alone. It's silly, yes, but that's how they roll. Good luck!

got my GREEN CARD today

to those who are still waiting goodluck!

Congratulations! How exciting!

so...doesn't matter where do you live..all them go to the same service center? And they will transfer your paperwork?

Yes, they go to the service center in Chicago, then are typically transferred to the National Benefits Center in Missouri, then to your local office (or the California Service Center if you might be able to get the green card without an interview).

Congratulations!! Best wishes for an exciting life together.

I can't wait for it to be my turn!!!

Congratulations, and good luck! I'm sure you'll find the visa journey instructions to be incredibly helpful, as my husband and I did. We didn't use an attorney, and so far, no RFEs!

Thanks for your answers guys!

Good luck as you figure all this out, and we wish your husband a safe return!

I have a biometrics appointment for EAD and I-485 on the 03-13-2009. Would anybody know how much time does it take for the EAD to be approved once the biometrics is taken. And If EAD is approved, how much time does it take for the EAD card to arrive. One last Question. Can I apply for the SSN by just taking the EAD approval letter, or is a physical card a must.

Your input would be appreciated.

Thank You.

When you get the actual card depends on a number of factors. I did my biometrics on Jan 10 and got my card on Jan 30. Regarding the second question, you don't get an EAD approval letter, you just get the actual card in the mail, so you can take that to the SSA office.

So I am assuming, under normal circumstances the interview is shortly followed when the EAD/AP is approved. What circumstances would normally delay the EAD issuance?

Yes, the interview typically follows the issuance of the EAD/AP, although I have seen VJers who are approved for a greencard before their EAD arrives (really depends on your local office and how quickly they are able to offer you an interview).

Thank you very much. I will check it out.

Good luck at the interview!

I hope they keep it up there in the D. 0ur interview is in April.

Congrats!

Congratulations! Hopefully the New York City office will be as timely as Detroit (of course, that's me assuming we'll get approved on Wednesday)!

do not send originals of anything.

send photocopies. because you wont get your originals back.

also photocopy all the forms you complete to keep as your copy. so you have a copy of everything they send you.

good luck

I believe my husband only sent two passport photos, as well, and we have not received an RFE. Both the picture on his AP and EAD were digital photos taken at his biometrics, so I do tend to wonder why they ask for the passport photos to begin with! (Perhaps it's for the green card when it's issued? We don't have that yet.)

it changes state to state. i know that in the california it was something like 15,000$

mabe check with your local government to see what the poverty level is for your state.

It also changes depending on how many people are in your household. Also, they are looking at your income before deductions are taken.

joan has her interview date now, its for april 20th, I can't belive they want us to submit most of the same things we already have, this will be the 4th time for my divorce papers, I can see they want updated taxe forms, but why all the same things again.

Congrats on receiving the interview notice, and good luck assembling all the documents..it's just one more hurdle you have to jump on the way to getting your green card!

thanks zola! that's very nice of you. i will keep you updated about how it went for me. currently i'm organizing my things, making copies, and translating my german documents into english. i'm really nervous, though. good luck to you too!

Good luck, again, Clolita! Chris and I look forward to hearing all about your experience on Tuesday so we know what to expect on Wednesday! You're going to do great!

Until you find out for sure, try and gather as much additional evidence you can in case it is needed. Were those joint accounts? Check on this site and see what others have sent. It may give you some additional information for things to gather. Good luck.

I am really sorry this has happened to you.

Like the others, I wish you the best of luck as you begin to sort this out. I wish I had the perfect advice to give, but know that you're in our thoughts.

My fiancé currently is on a J1 visa and living in the U.S. He has a SSN, a full-time job & rents an apartment that has both of our names on the lease (I am a U.S. citizen). We are planning on getting married sometime around August of this year-- My fiancé's J1 visa expires in April 2010. We are going to start filling out and sending in the paperwork after we get married, but I have a question about the EAD.

My fiance does not want to lose his current job since he intends on staying working there after he becomes a permanent resident. Can he continue to work while waiting to get his EAD? If not, how long does it normally take to get an EAD? I'm afraid that his job will not look to kindly on him taking a few months leave...

Any insight on this problem would be great!!

Also, a quick question about the Affidavit of Support: When I fill it out to prove that he will not be a burden in the U.S., can I include HIS income from the job that he currently has? This would obviously be filled out after we are married, so I assume they would expect that our incomes would be joint? His income will definitely prove that he is not a burden, but if I use MINE alone, I might have problems.

Thanks!!

I can't speak to the employment bit of your question, but hopefully my experience with my husband adjusting status from an L-1 visa (an employment visa, as well) will help with your income query. On your affidavit of support that you have to include with his AOS package, you will list your past three years' worth of income from your tax returns, and your current salary. You'll have to send W-2s and tax returns from the most recent tax year (just for you, not your husband, as you are the petitioner and will be his sponsor while he's in the US). The interesting thing is that there is a space to include his income and your total household income, even though they don't require proof of employment, W-2s, or paystubs for him. I did include my most recent six months of paystubs in my husband's AOS package, and while I don't make as much as him, I am well above the poverty line, so we didn't get an RFE. As long as you make 125% above the poverty line, you'll be fine. Hope this helps! (Now preparing for the 485 interview is another story..you'll be need all kinds of employment and salary proof!)

Good luck to those of you with interviews this week..I know Clolita has one (and ours is on Wednesday..)..anyone else?

Yep, ours is also at Federal Plaza..funny thing is we walk by it every day on our way to work and it makes me (not Chris so much!) more and more anxious!! Good luck to you on Tuesday!

good luck to you too! too bad we're not there on the same day. maybe i can tell you about our interviewer, in case you'll get the same person.

It is too bad we won't be there the same day! It would have been nice to meet a fellow VJer in person! And yes, please do report back about your interview..we would love to hear all about it!!

Katie (USC) + Chris (UKC, Hartlepool), Manhattan, NY

Wow..congrats! It's very exciting to get home after a long day of work and see everyone's green cards coming in! Our interview is a week from tomorrow and we're so ready..fingers crossed!

hey, i saw you are from NY. we have our interview on march 10 in NYC, federal plaza. where will you go?

i'm so nervous i can hardly think straight. i just want it to be over... can't take it anymore. i'm turning into a banshee because i feel so bad and anxious and scared. my poor husband.

Yep, ours is also at Federal Plaza..funny thing is we walk by it every day on our way to work and it makes me (not Chris so much!) more and more anxious!! Good luck to you on Tuesday!

you know me... I love these guys...

:dance:

Got my GC in the mail today!

:dance:

It was funny because my husband had requested a Debit card for me, and he had requested a new one for himself too. So he was opening the mail on the other side of the room and he takes out the card, he's like '...uhhh this is not your debit card... It's your Green Card!!'

what a surprise!!

(I also got my debit card LOL I never in my life had carried so many cards around in my wallet B)

Thank you to all VJFriends!!

Wow..congrats! It's very exciting to get home after a long day of work and see everyone's green cards coming in! Our interview is a week from tomorrow and we're so ready..fingers crossed!

I had absolutely no problems getting a US bank account and credit card setup - in fact I had it all done before I even set foot in the USA, or even had the visa/ssn!

Would definately recommend HSBC for all your banking needs,