americaandnorway

While you are job-searching, have you considered volunteering? This way you could build relationships with people who can attest to your work ethic without having actually "worked".

If you're interested in some kind of office work, you could also try temping first through a placement agency. These agencies will get to know you through interviews and tests and may not require US references, giving you time to build them through your temping career.

The higher up you are expecting to work in your field, the more important references will be. Many employers at large international companies will not have a problem contacting your previous employers for references. Depending on the job level, professional references are not always necessary as that would disqualify people who have never worked before and everyone has to start somewhere.

You may also be able to include personal references as opposed to professional ones. So if you've made some friends while you've been here, you can list them (with their permission of course).

It should be noted that most HR people will tell you not to provide references when applying or submitting resumes unless specifically requested; they will let you know during the hiring process when and if they need them.

Good luck!

Thanks for your helpful answer.

I have got my Green Card and my US Social Security Number and now I need to apply for a job.

I need advice in how to apply for a job when I don't have any references to show for an eventual interview.

Thanks in advance.

Good luck!

Congratulations!!! So jealous you have your visa already... in France you have to bring a pre-payed envelope, which they use to send it to you. No sign of ours yet (I know it's way too early for a sad face, but still ... haha)

I was asked if I wanted to pick up the envelope or if I wanted them to mail it to me, so I told them I wanted to pick it up since I didn't want to take the chance it get lost in the mail or it got damaged or anything like that. Also it would be faster for me to pick it up instead of waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

On Wednesday June 22, 2011 I went to the interview at the US Embassy here in Oslo, Norway. Below is the review I wrote on my timeline.

I showed up around 7.50 am (the appointment was 9 am) since I wanted to be there early. After waiting 10-15 minutes on the outside I was lead through the security and then into a "waiting room" were everything happen from giving them my passport, they going through my case (I was told they had been very busy and hadn't had the time to go through my case)and having someone asking me a few questions, say an oath on everything I submitted in the documents was true and let them scan my fingerprints.

The people was very nice and friendly, including the security guards and except from the security guards everything was in English.

I was told they had to do a background check on me, but unless they find something wrong (which they didn't expect to find) my visa was approved and I would hear back from them in a few days.

From what I can remember, the questions was:

How did you meet?

How do you communicate?

When did you start talking for the first time?

Tell me about your spouse's family

Is her siblings older or younger than her?

Why are you moving to the US and not her to Norway?

I brought with me evidence for email conversations, phone conversations and pictures, but none of it was asked for even if I had them with me in a plastic bag all the time I was there.

Around 9.40 am I walked out of the embassy, so the entire process went pretty smooth.

Today, Friday June 24, 2011 the US embassy called saying I could pick up my visa today. So I went straight to the embassy and picked it up. Now it's just to order tickets and wait for my resignation time at work to end which is 14 days.

We just got moved up to june 22 so you can add us to the list. Yay

I'm happy to say I'm no longer a part of the july interview group since we were able to get it moved up from july 13 to june 22!

Not a problem at all. My husband signed the DS-230 long before we got a case number from NVC and there weren't any issues.

Yep - we just got an email yesterday saying ours will be on July 13th.

Just got our interview date today! July 13th. But we're going to give the embassy a call once they get the case and see if they could possibly bump it up a little sooner. *fingers crossed*

I mailed them on the same day. Guess they found it though, since the AVR says our case was completed yesterday.

We just got case complete today! Yay! Waiting for the interview date now...

Thanks! I'll give them a call or three next week to find out if they've entered it into their system yet. I guess I just needed some reassurance that NVC isn't completely incompetent.

I just got a checklist letter saying my AOS hasn't been received. I mailed it overnight several weeks ago, and the USPS tracking information shows that it was delivered to NVC on May 9th. They do have the IV packet and have started reviewing that, but I don't understand why they say they haven't received the AOS yet when it was clearly delivered there. Is this a false RFE? Should I try sending it in over again?

Have you *tried* calling the embassy before jumping to conclusions?? I'm sure it happens to people all the time - just call them and calmly explain what happened. It's not a big deal.

Just recently received my NOA2. Ok will the approved petition automatically be sent to NVC or do I need to fill out a I-824 for it to be forwarded to NVC? Just a little confused with the steps immediately after the NOA2 approval. Any advice appreciated. Thanks VJ Fam.

It will be sent to NVC automatically.

1. I think having a joint bank account with both your names on it is probably best. My husband was able to set up an account with Wells Fargo without any problems when he was visiting me in the US, and later we added me to his account. I'm not sure how it would work if your husband is outside of the country, though, since it might be something he'd have to do in person. We included a copy of our bank statement with both our names on it in the I-130 packet and didn't have any problems with requests for evidence or anything.

2. The affidavit of support isn't exactly that kind of affidavit - it's a specific form (called the I-864) that you will eventually need to fill out when you get to the NVC stage, so if you're just putting everything together for USCIS (the I-130), you won't need to deal with that for a while...but it's good to be prepared! Here's a little more info on the affidavit of support packet, if you're interested: http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/LingChe_NVC_ShortCut#FROM_PETITIONER_.28Components_for_I-864_AOS_Package.29_:

3. We included 3 pictures of us together at different times, a bank statement with both our names on it, and a letter from my dad pretty much stating who he is, how long he's known my husband, and that he knows our relationship and marriage is real. I think there's a template you can use for that kind of letter in the wiki.

I recommend taking a look through the wiki to get an overview of the process. And here's a link to the I-130 guide which will be really helpful when you're starting this first part. http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

Hope this helps!

I'm going to be sending the I-864 packet in soon and have a couple questions about the documentation required with it. Since I started my job a year ago, my previous 3 tax returns (2008-09 as a college student and 2010 only having been at my job for part of the year) aren't exactly representative of my current income. Because of my lack of financial history above the 125% mark, I'm using my dad as a household member co-sponsor. He's filled out the I-864A, and I see we'll need something to show our relationship and the fact that we share a household.

Will our IRS tax transcripts (which have our address) be enough to show the same household?

Proof of citizenship isn't required for the I-864A, right? So I don't need his birth certificate?

I assume my birth certificate will be fine to show that he's my father. Are photocopies okay? I know NVC wants original documents, but is that only for the IV packet or the I-864 packet as well?

Thanks!

Hei alle sammen! Nice to see some Scandinavians here. Looks like this forum has been pretty quiet lately, though. I (Amy) am American and my husband Håkon is from Norway. We're most of the way through the CR1 process, so hopefully he will be here soon.

Ashley_Armando: https://ceac.state.gov/CTRAC/Invoice/signon.aspx

They already had my email address so I gave them my husband's email address too. Is it okay to pay the bill as soon as it shows up as generated on the bill pay site?

Our case was approved on April 12. Yesterday I called NVC and got the new case number and IIN. The phone message now says that our case has been entered and to wait 6-8 weeks for the beneficiary to get a notice. I took a look at the fee-paying site and noticed the AOS bill hasn't been generated or anything yet. What I'm wondering is, when can I send in the choice of agent form and pay the AOS bill? Do I need to wait to receive them in the mail? Or can I send it in and pay the bill as soon as the AVR says the DS-3032 has been generated?

Thanks!

As soon as the DS-3032 has been generated and the AOS shows up in the bill paying system, I mean. I've heard things about people paying too early and screwing things up by doing that.

Yes, they'll send it back to you in time.

Thank you for your answer.

No you have to send the originals and also a copy of the originals to NVC. You'll get the originals back though...

Thanks for your answer.

So if I understand you correctly, is I will get the originals back in time for the interview?

In regard to the DS-230 form I have to attach a police record, birth certificate, military records. From what I understand I will also have to bring with me this documents to the interview at the embassy when the time is coming for that. Does that mean I will get the documents back in time for the interview, can I make my own copies of them or do I have to ask for a second copy of them?