Miranda&John

I got the same yellow letter on Friday. It has a whole list of things including my taxes (I already sent), voter registration (ridiculous) and other things. I did use the new application form, so maybe the barcode theory is right.

I called USCIS on Friday when I got the letter but they were not helpful at all. The rep put me o hold for 10 minutes, then suggested I talk to a lawyer or make an infopass appointment, so I did - for this Wednesday. But now I'm thinking if it was just a stupid processing mistake I will just be wasting my time driving 1.5 hours to the closest USCIS center.

UGHHH!

Well I'd like to report that I've received my card by now.... but I haven't. Last Tuesday I got an email that USPS had picked it up and it was on it's way. Then yesterday I get an email that it had been delivered. I checked my mailbox, and all around my house -- nothing. I called USCIS customer service, and the first agent said "it hasn't been returned to us, so you need to call your post office". I asked if she had a tracking number. She said I would have to be put through to a 2nd tier agent for that. 35 minutes later, he finally gets on the line. He says "have you moved?" I said yes in March. He said "well they don't forward the card, but they forward all other mail." I told him that I submitted an address change back in March, to which he replied "that address is not in our system". I told him that I've received several notices, INCLUDING THE CONGRATULATIONS LETTER at the correct address (not forwarded), but he didn't seem to care. He just kept responding "well, the new address isn't in our system". How could it not be in your system if I've been receiving mail -- including the congrats letter -- at this address?

Super frustrating.

Apparently he put in a customer service request to have it sent out to my "new" address that he "updated in the system".

Blah.

Just got the email -- Card Production Ordered!! I was starting to get nervous there for a while thinking I had maybe missed an RFE in the move

I wish everyone else a speedy approval!

GREAT NEWS! Congrats!

Received my notice email last night.....as of 7/11/12, USCIS has ordered production of my greencard.

Got my biometrics appointment letter today - for March 8th. Didn't receive one for my daughter... but hopefully that will come sometime this week

My NOA1 came in the mail today with a day of Feb 13th.

I'd update the list... but it doesn't format right on my computer

We just sent ours out today. I've been sitting on it for a couple of weeks -- we just have so many things going on. But it feels good to have this done! (Well, it will feel better when it's REALLY done.)

California Service Center (2 applicants)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....

JUSTFORU.............01/31/12..........02/03/12........--/--/12...............--/--/--....

SCIENCENERD.......02/04/12..........--/--/12...........--/--/12...............--/--/--....

MIRANDA&JOHN.....02/09/12..........--/--/12...........--/--/12..............--/--/--....

Vermont Service Center (3 applicants)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....

DONEWAITING......01/31/12..........02/02/12..........--/--/12..............--/--/--....

MINAADI...............02/01/12..........02/06/12..........--/--/12..............--/--/--....

PLATANOKING......02/01/12..........--/--/12............--/--/12...............--/--/--....

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My green card came in the mail today too!!

Off topic of that, but what stuff did you have to bring copies in of? like more copies of birth certificates,marriage certificate and all of your "evidence"?

I brought copies of everything I had submitted with my application (because my interview notice said to). He didn't ask to see any of it.

I also brought copies (and the originals) of:

lease

joint bank account

gas bill

car insurance

health insurance

dental insurance

my daughter's report card (addressed to both of us)

an invitation to a wedding (addressed to both of us)

a thank you letter addressed to both of us for judging speeches at our county's academic pentathlon

wedding cards

cell phone records

chat/email records

flight stubs from visits

photos

He wanted to keep a copy of these (I had actually made a little package of copies for him and he inspected the originals).

Would you mind giving us some feedback from your interview? I am curious as to how it went, questions asked, any tough situations, were u seperated, etc?

Thanks,

Sure, I posted my interview here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/235083-january-2010-aos-filers/page__st__2010

(you have to scroll down a couple of posts to see it)

My interview was different from any interview I had read about. Clearly, the immigration officer had already made up his mind that there was no fraud here. So much that he didn't want to speak to, or even see my husband and daughter! He took their IDs and told them to wait in the waiting room... and never asked for them to come in. He pretty much asked me to confirm some information that was on our application, and that's it!

In a bit of a situation here - I've accepted a part-time job which is to begin in May. I have an interview date for May 13th. I've seen from a lot of other people's timelines that they received their EAD approval notice shortly after the interview letter, often the day after even! I received my interview letter last week but no EAD letters.

I've remained in student status all this time, so I plan to apply for CPT to bridge the gap while waiting for the EAD (in case it hasn't arrived by the beginning of May). Has anybody had experience (or seen a previous post) about this? I've searched the forums with no luck.

Did you see my timeline? I've been approved for my greencard, and I'm STILL waiting for EAD in the mail...

Now that I'm here,I'd like to know what to do to get a California driver licence.I have one from Canada.

So do I have to take the written exam as well as the road exam?

Is there a website that I can study for multiple choice written exam?

I'm sure it's been asked million times,but I would appriciate for any info.

Thnx

Hi!

I went for my CA drivers license back in January. You have to take both the written AND road test. For the written test, I recommend listening to the podcasts of the Drivers Handbook that are on the DMV website. I did that, and I got perfect on the written test!

The podcasts are here:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/audio_hdbk_toc.htm

Good luck!

I got approved email on April, 9, 2010 for advance parole, still haven't received it, does it this long, would you know what is going, or if there is a way to find out where it is

My AP was approved on the 14th, and it got here in the mail yesterday.

I woke up this morning to an email/text that our AOS has been approved! YAY!!! What a way to start the day. Happy Friday! And good luck to those who are still waiting!

I woke up this morning to an email/text that our AOS has been approved! YAY!!! What a way to start the day. Happy Friday! And good luck to those who are still waiting!

Can u post a link? ill try to find it tho

Sure, it's here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/235083-january-2010-aos-filers/page__st__2010

We just got back from the interview. Actually, we finished the interview around 10 am. We got there 9 am and they didn't wait for the 9:45 schedule. Our IO is an Asian lady. She just asked me those questions in the I-485 and other information I wrote there and asked me the documents I could show her regarding our marriage. We gave her the interspousal deed, health insurance, life insurance, and showed her 2 photo albums. She asked me 4 photos from our wedding. She said that's about it. I saw her taking my I-94 from the passport but she didn't get the EAD. She said they're going to review the papers again and I will just receive the green card in the mail. So I don't know if it's approved or not but I really hope so. After that, we had lunch and try to relax in the mall but I can't of course 'coz I don't know the results.

I guess we just have to wait and see...Anyway, good luck to all those who will have the interview soon!!!

I hope we both get notice that we're approved ASAP!!!

I sent in my originals of the letters people wrote for me i just have copies. Geesh i can't believe i have to print and copy more stuff. what did you have for evidence that you took to the interview. All i have is joint health insurance,cable,car insurance,photos i have e-mails from 6 years ago but they are private lol. No other bills because my brother in-law owns the house and they are in his name.

I had a lease, joint bank account, gas bill, car insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, my daughter's report card, an invitation to a wedding addressed to both of us, a thank you letter addressed to both of us for judging speeches at our county's academic pentathlon, wedding cards, cell phone records, chat/email records, flight stubs from visits and photos.

The interview didn't turn out exactly the way that I hoped, though I'm optimistic. I posted the review on the Canada forum AOS thread and on the January 2010 filers thread, if you want to take a look.

Just got back from my interview. It was... interesting.

We showed up about 30 minutes early to the building in Fresno. My husband, daughter, and I went through the medical detectors and then were escorted up to the 3rd floor. We put our appointment letters in a box and then waited in an empty waiting room until 10:30. At 10:30 my name was called, and we all went up to the door. The IO took everyone's ID and then told my husband and daughter to continue waiting in the waiting room, while I followed him to his office.

He swore me in, and then asked me some questions:

What is your name?

What is your address?

What is your birthday?

What is your phone number?

Why did you come to the U.S.?

Did your J-1 visa have a 2 year residency requirement?

How long have you lived with your husband?

Who else lives with you?

Then he asked me all the questions on the I-485. He asked for my J-1 paperwork and if I had anything I wanted to show him that proved my husband and I lived together. I said "do you want copies or originals?" because I had organized a stack of copies for him to have before hand. He said he would look at the originals then keep the copies. He also asked if I had any photos and I indicated that they were on the bottom of the pile of copies. He had me sign off on the back of our I-485 forms that I opted to have the interview without my lawyer.

After that, he went on to my daughter's application. He asked me her name, birthdate, asked to see the original of her birth certificate and compared it to the one he had in our file. When he asked her name, I included her middle name. He was a little bit worried that (and I didn't realize this) her passport doesn't have her middle name on it. BUT, I have her expired passport that did and I showed that to him and he seemed satisfied. I asked him if he wanted a copy of our 2009 taxes and he said "no, you've given me quite enough". He also asked if my daughter was on any medication (which she is). I don't know why he asked this...?

When he was done looking through my daughter's portion of the file he said "well, everything looks good but I can't approve you today because I have to verify that your J-1 visa does not have the 2 year home residency requirement (which it doesn't). I explained to him that I would have liked him to stamp my passport, but he said they don't do that anymore. I told him my work authorization and AP hadn't been approved yet and he seemed shocked and said it was really strange that my daughter had received her AP and not me (although clearly not very sympathetic to the whole situation). He explained the removal of conditions and gave me another piece of paper that just had today's date on it and said "You will receive notice by mail." I said "so, that's it? You don't want to talk to my husband or daughter?" He said nope, you're free to go!

I called my lawyer, who was equally as frustrated. What have they been doing with my file for 4 1/2 months, if not figuring out if the 2 year rule applies? My husband thinks he just had to have his supervisor look it over to approve it. My lawyer says I should receive approval soon.

Just got back from my interview. It was... interesting.

We showed up about 30 minutes early to the building in Fresno. My husband, daughter, and I went through the medical detectors and then were escorted up to the 3rd floor. We put our appointment letters in a box and then waited in an empty waiting room until 10:30. At 10:30 my name was called, and we all went up to the door. The IO took everyone's ID and then told my husband and daughter to continue waiting in the room, while I followed him to his office.

He swore me in, and then asked me some questions:

What is your address?

What is your birthday?

What is your phone number?

Why did you come to the U.S.?

Did your J-1 visa have a 2 year residency requirement?

How long have you lived with your husband?

Who else lives with you?

Then he asked me all the questions on the I-485. He asked if I had anything I wanted to show him that proved my husband and I lived together. I said "do you want copies or originals?" because I had organized a stack of copies for him to have before hand. He said he would look at the originals then keep the copies. He also asked if I had any photos and I indicated that they were on the bottom of the pile of copies. He had me sign off on the back of our I-485 forms that I opted to have the interview without my lawyer.

After that, he went on to my daughter's application. He asked me her name, birthdate, asked to see the original of her birth certificate and compared it to the one he had in our file. When he asked her name, I included her middle name. He was a little bit worried that (and I didn't realize this) her passport doesn't have her middle name on it. BUT, I have her expired passport that did and I showed that to him and he seemed satisfied. I asked him if he wanted a copy of our 2009 taxes and he said "no, you've given me quite enough". He also asked if my daughter was on any medication (which she is). I don't know why he asked this...?

When he was done looking through my daughter's portion of the file he said "well, everything looks good but I can't approve you today because I have to verify that your J-1 visa does not have the 2 year home residency rule (which it doesn't). I explained to him that I would have liked him to stamp my passport, but he said they don't do that anymore. I told him my work authorization and AP hadn't been approved yet and he seemed shocked and said it was really strange that my daughter had received her AP and not me (although clearly not very sympathetic to the whole situation). He explained the removal of conditions and gave me another piece of paper that just had today's date on it and said "You will receive notice by mail."

I called my lawyer, who was equally as frustrated. What have they been doing with my file for 4 1/2 months, if not figuring out of the 2 year rule applies? My husband thinks he had to have his supervisor look it over to approve it. My lawyer says I should receive approval soon. I hope I hear later today like smiley1!!!

Really? My interview letter says to bring all those things only if you havent submit them already. The only thing I think you need to bring is your original birth cerif, passport, travel docs, and marriage certif

Yep, third checkbox from the bottom says "Original and copy of each supporting document that you submitted with your application. Otherwise, we may keep your originals for our records."

Good luck on your interview, Miranda. Did you ever get your EAD? I remember you made a post about having a job offer but couldn't start yet because you were waiting for your EAD. I just thought maybe you can request for the I-551 stamp on your passport when you go to the interview so you can get that job offer rightaway without having to wait for the green card to arrive in the mail.

THANKS!! Actually I got an email that it was approved yesterday. I'm going to go ahead and request the stamp anyway (assuming all goes well!). I would like to start work on Monday, but the employer said they would wait as long as it takes for me to get my greencard, so it's not such a big deal.

I'll let you know how it goes!

We're leaving at 8:15am

You must post your interview "Review" tomorrow i am dying to know how it goes.. Good Luck!!!!

Will do!

I'm also going to post information about going through the process with my 11 year old daughter. I haven't been able to find ANY information about questions they actually ask children. However, my daughter got her OWN interview notice and separate interview time, so although I'm sure they will take us all in at the same time, I'm also sure they plan on asking her a few questions. She's a little nervous about it though!

The general American focus on 'me first' or 'my needs are more important than yours' or 'what I want is more important than what you want'.

This one really frustrates me. Sometimes I think people here are incapable of seeing things from another person's perspective. As long as their needs are taken care of, who cares about anyone else. And what is good enough for me, is good enough for you - circumstances be damned. It's almost unreal. I had to stop myself from reading the news so much, because when I would read the comments on the news stories, I'd start having physical responses to the anger I felt from the ignorance and stupidity that some people spout. I feel like back in Canada, there wasn't as much of that. Or at least, I could respect other people's opinions because they were based on something. With the heathcare debate, a lot of people are really against the bill (even though it is now a LAW), but they couldn't even articulate why.

And the funny part is, almost all of our friends are conservative. I have a perfect example of my frustration. A wife of a friend posted on her facebook the other day, and here is how the conversation went :

K "Make no mistake, a 'yes' vote on the Democrats' health care bill is a vote for taxpayer-funded abortions."- tis the truth! As a catholic and as woman I find this revolting....pro-life all the way~!

23 March at 12:52 ·

M But there is an existing law prohibiting federal funds for abortions, there is nothing in the heathcare bill that mentions that, AND the President himself signed an executive order reaffirming that no government money will be used...? Why do you think this?23 March at 13:56 ·

K An executive order won't supersede legislation passed by Congress and courts will look to the legislation rather than the executive order when ruling on federally funded abortions.23 March at 18:47

M I know, but there already is legislation. The Hyde amendment. Google it. The executive order was just overkill to try ease the minds of over-zealous republicans.23 March at 19:05 ·

K Whatever it may be I don't trust Obama. He is a liar and a snake. He's represents everything I don't believe in. Thanks for your thoughts though! 23 March at 19:10

Since when did BELIEF hold more weight than FACT?