myjwb

The USCIS instructions do not specify, so I'm wondering if the affidavits to accompany the I-751 have to be notarized? This is an extra hassle and expense for the folks I'm asking to write them, so if it's not required, I won't ask them to do that.

I posted elsewhere questions about whether we should apply for AP at this point, since our interview for AOS is scheduled for June 7, 2010. We want to travel in late July or early August. Folks in the other forum thought they would probably not process our AP since it is so close to our interview date. So I am thinking of waiting to see the outcome of the interview. If all goes well with that, I suppose we would probably have the green card before traveling. But if there is some delay (e.g., they need more documents, or whatever they might come up with), then we could apply for AP right after we are aware of the delay. SO I am wondering how long it is really taking them to process AP for someone with an I-485 in process?

If we are approved in time for travel but don't have the physical card, I'm assuming we can at least get the stamp in the passport at our local office via an INFOPASS appt. But can anyone tell me for sure whether that stamp is sufficient to travel outside the US? I.e., is it sufficient to re-enter, and also to get out of the country you are visiting (in this case Turkey)?

My now husband entered on a K-1 visa and we married in the US last December. Our AOS interview is scheduled for June 7. Per a Nolo e-book I bought to help with this whole process, unless there is some problem or need for additional documentation, we will be approved at the interview and my husband will get a stamp to that effect in his passport, which will be proof of his permanent resident status while we wait for the actual card to arrive. Is this accurate? If he gets this stamp, is this good enough to travel outside the country? Or should we apply for advance parole? We should probably do that anyway, in case we are not approved on the spot. But if we have the stamp, I'm just curious if he can travel with that, rather than needing advance parole documents?

Thanks,

Jennifer

My fiance will travel to the US on Dec 10, we hope, assuming all goes well with the visa interview on Dec 1. We plan to get married before the end of the year (to reap the tax benefits for 2009, and because family will be gathered already for the holidays), so at most 21 days after he arrives in the US. Is there any waiting period after he arrives in the US before we can get married? I know some states have a short waiting period for a marriage license of up to 5 days (depending on the state), but I've checked and there is no such state waiting period in the state where we plan to marry.

The reason I am asking this question is the following: A friend of mine was in the US for several years on a student visa. She fell in love with a US citizen during that time and they decided to marry. She had taken a trip to her home country to visit family. When she returned from that trip (entering on her student visa, as usual) she and her fiance had to wait 45 days before marrying. Is this particular to entering on visas other than a fiance visa?

I need to know how long we should expect it to take for our letter/notice of receipt to come, which will have the receipt number I can use to track our case online. Our petition/application was received in the CA service center on May 4, 2009; my check cleared on May 18, 2009. I am still in Turkey and the notice will come to my CA address. If this will take a while then I will not have my mail forwarded to Turkey since I will return to the US in late June. But if it will come soon then I want the mail forwarded here so we can look at it online together before I have to return.

Thanks,

Jennifer/MYJWB