pinayangelus

Hey fellow VJ'ers,

I just wanted to start a new thread for everyone who is sending out their AOS package this august. I sent mine July 30th!!

Keep updating your timelines!!

GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS ALL!

Sent our AOS yesterday, 07/30/09! God willing all goes well, I'm biting my nails already :S

which catergory eligibility would i use for a F-1 visa student trying to adjust status?

Quick question does the intending immigrant have to copy ALL pages of her passport or do they just need the BIO PAGE AND ANY STAMPS inside the passport?

THANKS!

ALSO, do i need to make a copy of my I-20? and where should i put it?

Thank you Septembergold and Inna for your help really good info!

No, you fill out I-485, not I-485A. I don't think that you should have problems in your situation, especially since you didn't JUST get married in order to stay in the US, but you have been already married for a while, it shouldn't be suspicious for USCIS.

Yes, you make 2 checks- one for $1010 attached to I-485 and the other one for $355 attached to I-130.

Good luck!

also i know that the I-130 = $355

and the I-485 = $1010

do i send them in one envelope or in seperate envelopes?

quick question, i was looking at the guides for the I-485 and at the bottom there is a supplemental form I-485A, i was just wondering what the purpose of this form is?

i am an f-1 visa holder, but i graduated June 12th, 2009 and we're trying to get our papers ready before my 60 days are up (still have around a month left), before i have to go home? does anyone think this will cause a big problem for us?

just a little background info, i entered the country in July 2005 with my f-1 visa got and my husband and i married in July 2005, las vegas wedding, so it wasnt really planned, spontaneous love, i'm sure you guys know what i mean? but we didnt file AOS earlier because i wanted to finish my studies first, do you think we are going to have trouble applying for AOS now? any opinions on our situation would be helpful?

thanks kittykisses73, i guess i better get calling!

Ok, so i know i need to get that medical examination done, and i dont really know how to go about it?

- do i just call the civil surgeons office and ask for an exam? or do i tell them that i need it for AOS?

- also i dont have a record of my vaccinations, will this be a problem? i was told that i should just get vaccinations done outside of the civil surgeons (like a low cost clinic) but who can tell me which vaccinations are needed or do i have to talk to the civil surgeon about that?

thanks!

Hi, I just had a question about my driving licence and whether anything needs to be filed after I adjust my status.

I got my licence in 2006 and applied with my an F1 visa, where I had to file my I-20 along with the paperwork. My licence doesn't expire until 2011, so I was just wondering if I had any restrictions on my licence, I mean like when it expires will I have to take the driving test again? Or do i just need to renew it? Once i get my AOS, do I just have to show them after my AOS that I am a legal resident?

Or doesn't it make a difference? Thanks to everyone in advance for your replies!

Ok heres my situation, I have a question for all of you who has gone through AOS and anyone who has or knows anyone with a similar experience?

- I met my husband online back in 2001.

- Dating ever since then, visiting back and forth from London to Los Angeles.

- Came to California July 2005 on a F-1 Visa, to study.

- Got married in Las Vegas, basically 2 weeks after I arrived. This was not planned, just spur of the moment, we were madly in love

- Going to graduate in June 2009. (Expired F-1 Visa, but still have valid I-20 and going to college.)

I was wondering if the fact that I got married back in 2005 will affect the decision of the government to grant me AOS, because I got married so soon and we have not decided to file for AOS until 4 months before I graduate???

I'm really worried about this, please help me, any information will be much appreciated.

THANK YOU!

Thank you so so much for clarifying this for me! I was really worried that I'll have to get certified copies and the spend more money and time wondering when it's going to come!

Thank you!

When the USCIS wants a certified copy, they always want one that's certified by the original maintainer of the record in the government vault, not one certified by a notary public. Don't bother getting a notary to make or validate a copy.

The USCIS generally doesn't require certified copies of anything to be mailed with a petition. An ordinary photocopy that anybody could make on a Xerox machine will do just fine for that purpose. The normally DO request that you bring certified copies for your in-person interview. They don't normally need to KEEP the certified copy, they just want to look at it to make sure it matches the xerox copy, and make sure it has the raised seal that certifies it.

A note on terminology: Your "Original" birth certificate or marriage certificate is normally kept on file at a government records department, perhaps a county clerk's office or something like that. They will issue you a "certified copy", which has a raised or embossed seal or something like that that normally has the clerk's signature which certifies that the paper is a true and accurate copy of what's been recorded officially. This is the closest thing that a mere mortal can get to an original, so some people call that an "original". But it's not really the original. If the government let you have the original, then they would have no record of your birth or marriage. No, the government keeps the original, and the best they give you is a certified copy.

Thank you, so just to clarify your saying that a photocopy of my marriage certificate and birth certificate (i have both originals, 1st copies) for the AOS petition is all i need? i dont need to go and get certified copies and attach the new copies to my papers? and if i have my interview i can just bring them along with me?

CAN SOMEONE WHO HAS ALREADY GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS TELL US, WHAT THEY USED AS A COPY? DID YOU SEND CERTIFIED COPIES OR DID YOU JUST PHOTOCOPY THE ORIGINAL?

Once again, the Notary is NOT certifying the VALIDITY of a document, he/she is certifying that it is a true copy of a document shown to them.

In the state of California, a Notary-certified copy is a legal document.

If the USCIS wants a copy from the ORIGINAL ISSUING agency, they will tell you that's what they want. other wise, a certified copy is just that, a certified copy by person authorized to certify a copy of a document. And in CA, a notary can do that.

True...

The USCIS does not require this additional certification...save your money.

Just take the document that you have in your possession to the interview. If they need to see it, they will ask for it.

yup, thank you, you've been really helpful!

LOL thanks i guess i can get in contact with a notary or lawyer and ask him if that a notarized copy is good enough for filing immigration papers!

we live in CA, got married in Las Vegas, NV and born in London, UK

OK, that's easy, go find a Notary Public, show them the Original and a copy (Some ####### notaries may want to make the copy themselves). They will certify it as a true copy. You attorney can also do it of course (but the lawyer will charge u like a hundred million dollars).

By law, the Notary has to make what is known as a Journal entry. (Whether if he does it or not, that's upto him). But he'll charge u may be a few dollars to do this. No worries.....Goodluck. And yes he can certify your birth cert from England as well.

Thank you very much for your help!

this has nothing to do at all with what is required by the USCIS.

You need to order a certified copy of the original from the issuing authority. It will come with some kind of dated stamp and signature certifying that it is a true copy of the original that they maintain in their book of records.

This take this certified copy that you receive, and run it thru a copying machine and send the copy you just made to USCIS.

Notaries dont certify anything that you will need for this process.

LOL i'm confused now. question? i have to order a certified copy, but because they need more than one copy for their files on I-130 and I-485, i dont have to send an original "certified copy" of marriage licence or birth certificate? they only need a photocopy of it?

we live in CA, got married in Las Vegas, NV and born in London, UK

OK, that's easy, go find a Notary Public, show them the Original and a copy (Some ####### notaries may want to make the copy themselves). They will certify it as a true copy. You attorney can also do it of course (but the lawyer will charge u like a hundred million dollars).

By law, the Notary has to make what is known as a Journal entry. (Whether if he does it or not, that's upto him). But he'll charge u may be a few dollars to do this. No worries.....Goodluck. And yes he can certify your birth cert from England as well.

Thank you very much for your help!

we live in CA, got married in Las Vegas, NV and born in London, UK

hi, i have a question about getting certified copies of my marriage certificate and birth certificate...

- what would constitute as a "certified copy", i have both the originals if that makes any difference?

- is there any other way that i could get a certified copy, rather than sending off for certified copies of my birth certificate (in london, uk) or marriage certificate (las vegas, nv)? Because it takes more time and money?

Thank you!

This is what you do......get online and do a websearch for "Rubber stamps"

then your order a rubber stamp that says "Certified Copy", and when you get it.....You stamp the sucker. And Wa-La!!! you have a certified copy. (okok..lol I have nuttin better to do cause the stock markets are closed)

okkkk... thanks for not helping!

hi, i have a question about getting certified copies of my marriage certificate and birth certificate...

- what would constitute as a "certified copy", i have both the originals if that makes any difference?

- is there any other way that i could get a certified copy, rather than sending off for certified copies of my birth certificate (in london, uk) or marriage certificate (las vegas, nv)? Because it takes more time and money?

Thank you!

Thank you everyone who replied! You've all Been really helpful!

I have a question about the medical exam and my medical records.

I live in the US and i know i have to take a medical exam by a civil surgeon, the only problem is I have no medical records, I mean I have a doctor who has been my primary since i was a baby in London who has records but I don't know how to get in touch with her and how that is going to work? will she be able to send me a copy or email me a copy?

Plus i don't have a vaccination record, last time i was vaccinated was when i was in high school during those four years we had like 3-4 vaccinations done, and they never gave us any paper work for that? and my mom didn't keep track. how would i find this information? or who would have it? Is the vaccination record important? What happens if I don't have it?

Thanks for your help!

You do not need your medical records. Just find a CS (Civil Surgeon) in your area. Make sure to call all the ones in your area to get a price, prices vary from CS to CS. They will perform the medical examination on you.

The vaccination record is required by the CS in order to fill out your I-693 (Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record). If your unable to find your vaccination records, the CS can provide the vaccinations, usually they charge extra for this. In our case we went to the county health department (ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA) and they provided the vaccinations free of charge (they also give us free flu shots). So you might want to call your county health department to find out if they provide this service.

Hope this helps, best of luck.

Thanks for your help thats really useful, i dont want to go through the hassle of trying to track down my old vaccination records, i guess it would just be easier to get them done again if it is required. that information about going to the county heath dept. is great too, lol save me some money! i need it all for filing!

My late wife was in the same situation as you are in she only had records with her GP back in the UK. What she had to do was either have all the vaccinations again or have blood tests done to prove she had been vaccinated already.

She had the vaccinations done again as this was cheaper and faster to do than the blood work. She had all the vaccinations done at a local health clinic total cost $15.00 and they provided a vaccination record that we then took to the civil surgeon and he completed the medical and signed off on the vaccinations and gave us the medical forms in a sealed envelope to send to USCIS along with her application.

As for getting your medical records from the UK we were not able to get them, not even when my wife was dying from a brain tumour, even a Doctors request was denied all we could get was a basic letter saying that my wife did not have anything in her medical records that would be of assistance to the doctors here in the US. maybe you will have better luck then we did with getting the records transfered.

Thanks for the information, it's really helpful! Another question? LOL if you don't mind? How many vaccinations and what kind of vaccinations did your wife have to get? Sorry to hear about your wife, that must of been really stressful, they really didn't want to help, and that just doesn't cut it! I hope you and your wife are both doing better!

Thanks again for the info!!

I have a question about the medical exam and my medical records.

I live in the US and i know i have to take a medical exam by a civil surgeon, the only problem is I have no medical records, I mean I have a doctor who has been my primary since i was a baby in London who has records but I don't know how to get in touch with her and how that is going to work? will she be able to send me a copy or email me a copy?

Plus i don't have a vaccination record, last time i was vaccinated was when i was in high school during those four years we had like 3-4 vaccinations done, and they never gave us any paper work for that? and my mom didn't keep track. how would i find this information? or who would have it? Is the vaccination record important? What happens if I don't have it?

Thanks for your help!

Hmm you put that in great perspective! Thanks for that! I hope it doesn't cause a problem, LOL I actually didn't even know you could just adjust your status by filling out some paperwork. I was just thinking of going home first and then go from there. I didn't even find out about AOS until just a month ago, when my sister in law (whose a sherrif) told me about it, because her best friend was in a similar situation, AOS from a work/study visa who was married to USC. So I just researched it and this website came up.

Thank you very much for clearing things up for me. You've been a great help