Aquarelka

Update:

My mom applied second time 3 weeks later and had her interview 6 weeks later after the first interview. She had the same documents with her. They hardly asked any questions again and got her approved!!!!!!!!!!! YeaH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are really exciting to see her here for Christmas and New Year! Thanks everyone! This forum is priceless!

Thanks everyone, we will give it another try.

Yes, I know that they consider every person a potential immigrant. And I understand that my mom got lost at the interview, everything was so fast and so new for her. She even did not realize when it was over.

Is there any point in applying for it second time in a couple weeks?

Is it a good idea for her to show "ties" to Russia when not asked about it?

My husband is USC (H1>GC>USC during 10 years), I am a LPR (J1>F1>GC during 5 years), we have a 8 weeks old baby.

My mom applied for B1 visa in Moscow and was rejected last week. We all are frustrated by that. We do not know why it happened. My mom is widowed, she owns 2 apartments in Russia, has a job, has another child and grandchild in Russia. She brought all these evidences to her interview, but was not asked any at all. She was only asked how her daughter got to the USA, and if she has another child in Russia. And got rejected.

Yes, my mom has never been abroad.

The officer did not ask her about any evidences she had with her.

She is eager to apply again next week, she wants to come here to see her son-in-law whom she has never seen. And her grandchild.

I know getting a visa is like a lottery. But what are her chances if she applies again immediately? It does not say there is a waiting period, it says she can apply as many times as she wants. But of course it is costly and if she has no chances we will wait.

Any thoughts on the topic are welcome. Thank you!

Neonred,

thanks for your response

Why don't you send your passport to the Russian embassy and get the notation in your passport about your matrimonial name? That's what we did and you won't have to carry the marriage certificate around. If you still want to carry your marriage certificate you can just make a photo copy and carry that.

Good luck changing your name in your internal passport in Russia. We tried that a few years ago and it was... just not worth the headache. We thought we had everything correct with translations and apostille but still had problems. We decided to just live with it and go with the notation in the international passport. We have done a lot of international traveling since and we never carry the marriage certificate.

I did it! And I do not carry an original MC with me all the time. I keep it at home. I have a copy of it with me just in case.

But there are some situations when they want to see the original MC. In this case I bring the original to them and it becomes folded, bent, etc. My question was if I can use a certified copy of MC in situations when I am required to show the original MC?

Hello guys!

I took my husband's last name after we got married and changed all my documents to a new last name but my foreign passport. I can't change my last name in my passport while in the USA, I need to do it back in Russia, and I plan to change it when I go there. But for now I go under two different last names in my documents. It is confusing, but I know many ladies do the same.

For me to prove that I am the same I carry my marriage certificate. Not all the time But when I need to show my passport, for example. I am married for a year only and already now my marriage certificate looks awful. I know I am not allowed to laminate it. I try to keep it as neat as possible, but it is just a regular printer paper and from being used a lot it does not look good.

How do you keep your certificates? Can I order another one on a thicker paper?

For my AOS process I ordered a "certified marriage certificate" for $5. It looks different from my original marriage certificate. Can I use it for the same purpose? when I am required to show an original marriage certificate? Or is it considered just a copy of the original? If it can be used as an original, I can order 10 of them and not not worry if the original is lost or dirty.

Thanks guys!

Hello guys!

usually i do not post much, i read more and sometimes ask questions. but today I am gonna post to thank all of your for your tips and experience. Thank you very much!

I had my interview today and was approved right there.

I want to share my experience, maybe it will be helpful for someone.

I came to the USA in August, 2005 on J1 visa. In 2006 I changed my status to F1 and have been an F 1 student all this time, never left the country. I have never been out of status and followed all the rules.

I met my husband online the first week I came to the USA, in person 2 months later and we have been together since then. He was a permanent resident then.

In 2008 we got married.

In March 2009 he applied for citizenship, in August 2009 he became a USC. I prepared my AOS package myself, no attorneys, just your generous advice and help, and sent it in the same day he got his naturalization certificate (August, 13). The checks were cashed on August, 17. Sorry, I do not know how to post my timeline , that is why I do not have it . I got my biometric interview letter in a couple of weeks and did a walk-in biometrics earlier. I got my interview appointment on September, 22nd for October 22nd. A week later I got both EAD and AP.

And today I had my interview.

We arrived early and had to wait there for more than an hour. Then a young lady (20-30 years old) called my name, invited my husband first to talk to him. I stayed in the waiting area. It seemed like she interviewed him for ever. As he told me later, she asked him all the questions like:

when, how and where we met, proposed, got married. Did he meet my parents? He didnt as I never went back to my home country. Where does he work where do I study, when do I graduate, where do I plan to work (I am a nursing student, she asked what kind of nurse I am gonna be. He answered that I am not sure). where did we live and where do we live now? What does she/he like to do? She never looked at the pictures, but asked him to show any evidences of bona fide marriage. We had the following:

-car insurance

-health insurance

-cell phone bill

-2 credit cards, latest bill, a bill from 6 months ago, 12 months ago, 2 years ago. Both our names there

-no joint checking because we do not have one.

-pictures

- old DLs for both of us from NJ where we lived 3 years ago to show the same address

-all my I-20s where my husband was a sponsor

-tax reports for 3 years where I was included as a dependent

-plane tickets from 2006 and 2009, the only one I had saved in my emails.

That is what my husband told me briefly after the interview.

Then, she invited me, asked those questions about drugs, law violations and so. Then she asked me where do study and if I like nursing, where do I graduate, what kind of nurse I am gonna be. I answered that I want to be an ICU nurse, but they do not take inexperienced nurses there right after graduation. So I will probably go to med-surge to get experience and try to get into ICU a year later or so. While asking me she was stamping my passport, and seemed like she asked those questions out of curiosity or just to fill the silence and was not interested in my answers. Then, she took my EAD and AP. She was cold, very formal, no emotions, no interest. Then, she gave me my passport and explained the rules of a temporary GC. After that we said bye and left.

That is it!

If your GC has been produced your AP is no longer valid. If you have a good reason you should get the I-551 stamp.

Is it true?

I got my AP and plan to go abroad for a vocation in December. My interview is this week. I hope to get my GC on hands but you never know... Is it true about AP? What stamp should I ask for at the interview?

If they do indicate that you are approved, ask them to stamp your passport. Most of the times they ask you if you planning on traveling and stamp it for you if you are. The stamp is I-551

Thanks for your response! Congratulations with your GC!

If your GC has been produced your AP is no longer valid. If you have a good reason you should get the I-551 stamp.

Is it true?

I got my AP and plan to go abroad for a vocation in December. My interview is this week. I hope to get my GC on hands but you never know... Is it true about AP? What stamp should I ask for at the interview?

Also, I'm noticing a strange trend. EAD approvals before AP approvals. This isn't the case for everyone, but I'm surprised it happens at all since I expected the AP to be approved before the EAD.

Not with everybody. I got my AP before EAD.

Thanks for sharing! Congratulations!

Well, It might or may not. AP doesn't even guarantee re-entry to those who don't have any overstays. I myself am dreading using it, even though I don't have any overstays. I think anybody and everybody over here would advise you not to leave the country until your case is decided and green card at hand. Seems like you don't have any emergency like situation, so why risk it.

That is right, I do not have an emergency. My interview is already scheduled in a month. If I get my GK by December (which I hope I will), when I plan my vocations, I wont need to use AP. But you never know, right? Anyway, thanks for your input.

Hi everybody!

I have never thought about it till I started to read similar topics about AP and being out of status

Data: I came on J1 (two year rule does not apply, valid till d/s), changed it to F1 (valid till d/s) status after a while, maintained my F1 status for several years, changed several schools, got I-20 from each of them without any problems, has never left the US all this time. Now I am in the AOS process and got my AP document today.

I want to go home as I haven't been there for several years already.

I want to make sure I have never been out of status. Is there any way to check it? I mean the time when I was changing it from J1 to F1. It took me about 2 months to change immigration status then and I am NOT sure if I was in J1 status or not during that period of time. Can I check it somehow???? I have had NO problems with changing j1 to F1 then and transferring from school to school in F1 status.

Worst case scenario: yes, I have been out of status for some time (about 2 months). And I will leave the US and try to re-enter using my AP. Will it cause problems? My potential "out of status time" was less than 180 days. Please, help!

I received an appointment letter this weekend for October 20th....It seems to be pretty speedy thus far.

Here's hoping all is continued in a smooth manner.

I hope i will get it soon too! I am checking my mailbox like crazy every day! lol:)

I still haven't heard anything from USCIS since my biometrics walk-in on 09/02. No touches, no e-mails, no letters :-/ Getting impatient!

I am in the same boat:) did my biometrics 9/4 and haven heard nothing since then.

Hi, i am in the same situation.

1. I came to the US as a J-1 and changed status here to F-1, so no F-1 in passport but plenty of I-20's. Do I need to send any copies of I-20s that I have? Which form should I attach it to?

yes, I submitted all I-20s I have (I have like 5, 3 pages of each), a copy of my J1 visa. I am not sure but I think these forms are required to attach to AP or EAD form (in the instructions it says "submit a proof of your legal status in the US")

2. The passport that I came with expired since then and I got the new one from russian embassy. Which passport do I use?

I used both passports+ explanation letter. In my case my maiden names in passports had different spelling and I changed my last name after marriage. I made this explanation letter just in case, i think it is very helpful

3. Is there a fee of $355 for I-130 if filing with I-485?

Yes

4. As for I-864, my husband's income is below the guidelines and lawyer suggests to redo his income tax or show the difference from his checking account but not 100% sure its going to work. I also read u can use money of the intending immigrant. What would be better?

I do not know

5. How exactly I-131 works?? Instructions say "upon returning to the US, you must present your valid H, L, K or V nonimmigrant visa and continue to remain eligible for that status", but nothing about F-1...

I have heard that people can get a duplicate I 94 it it was lost. Maybe u should try this?

Thanks, Inna!

I am gonna do it this Friday:)

Another question about walk in biometrics. I cant find the telephone number of my local office in Tampa (9325 bay plaza blvd) to call and ask if they take walk in. Does anyone know their number or if they take walk ins? I want to do it on Friday. What time is less busy?

I got my biometrics appointment today. If I want to do it on a walk in basis, do i need to call and check first? Or just go there? Do i need to explain WHY i want to do it earlier? Does an early walk in biometrics result in faster processing of the documents? Or they will not "touch" my case until the scheduled date? Thanks

After reading several topics about children born abroad I became a little curious. Why people go abroad to have their children be born there?

A close friend of mine is gonna do it in fall. She is LPR, her husband is USC. She is going to her home country for the birth of the child because her husband is not in the USA and will not be here when she is due. Second reason is that she has a toddler already and no relatives in the USA to care for him when she is in the hospital. Finally, her English is very very bad, almost 0.

As I wrote earlier, my school wants to see EAD as a proof of adjusting status.

1. Neither counts- only the time from when you became a citizen (not a green card holder/ legal resident).

2. A full year, ie 365 days.

3. That I am not sure of, I would think 0 days, as you did not stay the full day on the 1st or 2nd.

it is not true. You can be a green card holder and be physically present in the USA for 5 years PRIOR to the child's birth