HappyNathy

It's not paranoia when one has had unnecessary difficulties in the past.

I have certainly had the misfortune of dealing with people in power who were not as informed as what they should have been. All we are expressing is a concern.

And perhaps if you have nothing to add, then you should add nothing?

I have the same concerns.

I am taking a trip to London this June to visit my sister. At that stage my actual green card will be expired and I will be traveling with the extension letter and my stamped biometrics notice.

WOW!

Congratulations!

I love all the wildlife here. Soooo cute! What I have seen: squirrels, chipmunks, deer, 'possum, foxes, owls, tortoises, raccoons, and armadillos.

At Atlanta, you will go through customs before you reach the luggage collection area. My suitcases have never been searched here. Probably because there is never anything illicit in them. What is this "green room" that you speak of? When I arrived at Atlanta (albeit nearly 2 years ago already!) I had to go to a separate area with my sealed envelope that I was given in SA. There an officer took the envelope then came back, stamped my passport and sent me on my way. I then collected my luggage and met DH ~ finally! Golly, what a stress factor that all was.

Take a breath, you will be fine

Gosh, I loved Miami when I was there. Granted it was just for a vacation at South Beach but I really loved how diverse the place is. Walking down the streets one hears all types of languages and I was soooo glad that it was not Arby's/Chillis'/Wendy's etc. etc. all over the place but rather some spectacular authentic food. Plus, there is the beach! Awesome

I enjoyed it and in my book, it beats the pants off uber-vanilla-conservative-religious south Georgia where I live, unfortunately.

I guess the grass is always greener on the otherside huh?

Just my 2 cents.

Congratulations!

wow ~ congratulations!

I hope I have the same luck

Thanks.

Good luck everybody

I agree, lets keep each other posted on our progress.

vny, you sound like you have really put a lot of thought into what you & your wife have ahead of you. I'm sure that your wife will appreciate that.

I empathize with what the non-USC spouses have posted and I don't have much else to add. I did post before on my experience adjusting here. Kudos to everyone for being so open about their experiences. I think when things get tough; we have a tendency to think it is only happening to us.

Vny, all I would add is that despite one's best laid plans and expectations, a few bumpy patches are to be expected, and when they happen, let them run their course. Don't take it personally when your wife experiences homesickness or culture shock - just try to be sympathetic and supportive.

I think men have this 'fix-it' attitude, which in general we women appreciate, but not everything is 'fixable', they just have to run their course as another poster wrote.

Anyway! That's all I wanted to add. Good luck to you and your wife!

To the OP ~ thank you for sharing and I hope that you will find peace and closure.

Thanks.

I have looked for a thread for March 2009 ROC filers but cannot find one.

I filed at VSC and was last touched April 16th.

How are you other March filers faring?

Congratulations on a speedy approval!

What is selective service?

I think your list looks good just make sure that the evidence you submit spans the duration of your marriage. When I compiled my petition, I did it in sections: 2006 (the year we got married), 2007, 2008 & 2009 and then organized relevant info. in each section. I included a contents page with my cover letter.

I'm not telling you what to do but sharing what I did which may or may not be sufficient ~ I have not heard much yet from USCIS. What I got as most important from reading VJ was that your evidence spans the duration of your marriage.

Good luck!

Troubled,

I know I am sticking my nose in here but your post made me think of my situation with my DH.

I have really struggled to adapt in the US and am sort of feeling more at ease after being here 2 years next month.

I am an English speaker but I have often wondered what an enormous adjustment and struggle it must be for people whose first language is not English.

DH and I have had massive fall-outs in these last 2 years and have come very, very close to divorce a few times. One of the major reasons I have held back is because I think back to what we have had to endure in order to be together. I had residual resentment that my first year of marriage was spent essentially as a single gal due to him being here & me being in SA while waiting for our approval ~ you all know that drill!

Adjusting to marriage is hard enough but when you throw in immigration, USCIS, driver's licenses, trying to find a job, foreign certification, no friends or family ~ starting your life over from SCRATCH ~ (then throw in the male ego )... It's tough. I often think that DH has not always really understood my situation as we are living in the town he grew up in, his mom is 10 minutes down the road, his brother is an hour away, my first year here I earned peanuts while working on getting my credentials recognized in the States, etc. etc.

Talk about starting off a new marriage on totally unequal footing, which for some people can be a bigger issue than for others.

How long has your DH been in the US now? Is this not something you can take your time on because undoing it would be so hard.

Don't get me wrong: I am far from an incurable romantic and I am not opposed to divorce but situations like this just remind me of my own & that I am relieved we took our time and then, changed our minds.

If I am out of line, please say so.

Good luck

Don't panic. The advice given above is solid, try to follow it. I'm sorry for your situation but stay calm so that you can deal with it.

Can you add your wife's name to your car ownership?

Having a joint checking accout should not be hard to set up and you can request joint checks.

Look into that cheap insurance.

How about drawing up a will that states your wife as beneficary to your estate?

A joint Target, Macy's, Sam's Club account

Are you able to apply for a joint credit card? Even if you never use it.

Good luck ~ you can do it!

I hope you can work through it.

I would be very upset & resentful towards my DH if after 2 years here, he told me how long I could see my friends and family for.

Try to be more understanding and have some compassion for the homesickness he may be experiencing. 3 weeks is really not that long.

Wow!

Congratulations

Thanks for that Ant & D.

Hi Joan & Roger,

Although I have since received my NOA & Bio. notice, it took a while before I received anything. I too posted here out of concern and was told if, after 1 month, I had not received any notification then to schedule an Infopass appointment. Hopefully others will respond to your post.

Good luck

I have another question:

What is the deal with walk-ins regarding biometrics? I am considering trying this Saturday and if no luck, then no harm no foul. My students are testing during the period that my Bio. is scheduled and while I will be allowed to take a half-day, I would prefer not to.

Is there anything regarding this I should know about?

Thanks!

One of my concerns was getting an RFE. Is it safe to assume that because I now have a biometrics date, I won't be getting an RFE?

Thanks!

Thank you!

In my signature you can see my dates for I-751. VSC took a while to send me my NOA1 & I posted here too becauseI was getting worried. Another poster said if you have not received it after 1 month, then make an infopass.

Re. camping out at your mailbox ~ I definitely sympathise.