jennareid

Ooh I'd forgotten about this thread!

My AOS was transferred to CSC on the first of this month. Hopefully I get the greencard soon and I can look for work and get away from the in-laws!

RussandRachel - I'm also waiting on a lot of post, both my mum and best friend sent stuff to me from the UK maybe 2-3 weeks ago and they still aren't here. I also ordered a lot of bits and bobs from Hong Kong for stocking stuffers and some of them have been taking over 3 weeks to get here.

Had my biometrics last Wednesday, received a letter today (marked the same date as my biometrics) that my case has been transferred to CSC. I hope that's a good sign. No touches/updates on my online case status though.

I've ordered things marked "gift" before that have been taxed due to being over the import tax threshold. From the HM Revenue and Customs website:

2.3 What are the limits for customs duty and import VAT?

* Commercial consignments of £18 or less are free from customs duty and import VAT. For example, goods purchased over the internet with an intrinsic value not exceeding £18, will not be charged any duty or VAT but this does not include alcohol, tobacco products, perfume or toilet waters. See paragraph 2.5, 2.6 and section 3.

* If you are sent a gift with a value of £40 or less, and which complies with the rules shown in paragraph 2.4, it will be free from customs duty and import VAT, but this does not include alcohol, tobacco, perfumes and toilet waters.

I think the limit for gifts is £36 before they start charging import tax (it's either that or £18). If you're sending one giant box it might look a bit suspicious if you mark the value as under that. I usually break stuff down into several smaller boxes and then just lie about the value, I put around $20 or so on each one.

Sometimes it's just a case of luck, though. Our first Christmas, my now-husband sent me a gigantic 4'x2' picture frame and marked the customs label with it's full value, around $120 including shipping, and I didn't get charged anything. Remember, once you go over the £36 limit they'll get charged tax on the value of the goods AND the shipping costs.

Any idea how that would affect AOS filers who have already filed? I filed at the end of October and my DS-3025 (didn't send the i-693) doesn't show a flu vaccine. Ignoring the fact that I didn't send the i-693, would the lack of flu shot be grounds for an RFE even if I filed before November? I've somehow managed to escape the flu for 23 years without a vaccine so I don't really want to have to get it when it clearly isn't necessary.

Got my biometrics letter today - I'm scheduled for the 1st of December.

Not sure if they issue RFEs after an interview (I thought they do it during) but I would think if your case was being reviewed by a senior CO and all that was missing was a co-sponsor, that they would just send an RFE for it. Don't know about police checks but I would assume the same.

Great, this fills me with dread. Why wouldn't they have asked for our co-sponsor forms then? Did they let you know somehow that you weren't going to receive it? What happened?

Did you need the co-sponsor or does your fiancé meet the requirements? When I had my interview, Irritable Chinese Lady at the first window wouldn't take my co-sponsor's forms when I offered, but when I got to the second window the IO said she couldn't approve me without a co-sponsor, at which point I gave her the forms. I'm sure they would have seen that you needed one if you did and asked?

Got our hard copies of the NOAs this morning and the cheque was cashed this afternoon. Now just waiting on the biometrics

Got our confirmation emails today too, just waiting for the NOAs and for them to cash the cheque. At least I sent it to the right address this time

I'm so glad I kept a duplicate copy. I had to cut the edges off some pages such as the paystubs (didn't keep copies and I don't want to print 6 months of paystubs off again) since they'd printed some text all down the side. Everything else, I had copies of, so it was just a case of re-assembling the package. It's all sorted now so I can send it off tomorrow. Woo!

Update: my husband happily listened to my arooroo-ing, left for work, immediately rang the doorbell and presented me with the returned package that came in the post just as he was leaving. I can still be an October filer! Huzzah!

Edited to add: those Phoenix hoodlums have stolen all my paperclips! I guess that's what I get for inconveniencing them. Grrr! I'm as mad as I've ever been!

As luck would have it, the whole package was sent back to me today. Woo! Now to spend the next hour removing the gigantic staples shoved through it and re-send it. I can deal with a few hours of panic. Such a relief!

I hope so. My husband is not looking forward to having to listen to my arooroo-ing all day until he has to go to work. I am SO mad at myself right now!

Will they just forward it to the right place? I am completely freaking out right now. I'm such an idiot! I check our account daily anyway so I'll see if the cheque is cashed but I'm worried that it's lost forever in the vast bureaucracy of USCIS.

At least my husband isn't here to remind me of what an idiot I am. His reaction when I just told him was "Are you serious?" *straight back to sleep*

Once again, Aaaaahhhhhh!

Aaaaand my whole application came to a screeching halt this morning. Like a #### I realised I've sent the packet to the PHOENIX lockbox. I have no clue how I even managed it. I feel like such a moron

Soooo my "October application" will most likely become a "Sometime next year when they get to my file and *maybe* forward it to the right place application"

I could punch myself in the face right now. Oh my god.

Oh. My. God.

Just reading this thread and realised I've done the same thing and sent it to the wrong address. I could actually cry right now. In my rush to send the damn thing off I must have skim-read the instruction form and I've sent the ****ing thing to Phoenix! HOW COULD I EVEN MANAGE THAT?

Ahhh! Help!

Finally managed to get our AOS sent off on Tuesday, signed for yesterday. We got married back in August and the plan was to send off for AOS as soon as we got back from honeymoon, but my father-in-law (our co-sponsor) lost his job the week before I moved over. Thinking back, my hamster also died that week. Coincidence? I think not.

My husband's Grandma stepped in as co-sponsor but luckily my husband was moved up from part-time to full-time at his job a few weeks back so we were able to file with him as the only sponsor. I'm a little concerned about the income I listed on the i-864 for him, I just worked it out as his hourly rate x40 hours per week for a year, the only thing that may cause a problem is that his paystubs show him earning a lot more than that per week (last week he worked 53 hours), so it may look a little confusing.

I'm also in the "ds-3025 only" club. Mine was marked with the incomplete/blanket waiver option, but it does show 2 doses of MMR (I think I read on here somewhere that you need 2 doses? I may be insane) and VH for chickenpox history so fingers crossed I don't get an RFE for the i-693. And that they haven't lost my medical which seems to be cropping up on the boards a lot lately.

My husband and I sent off my K-1 AOS this morning. I didn't include the i-693, I just sent the DS-3025 so I am half expecting an RFE.

My DS-3025 has the incomplete/blanket waiver portion ticked, I'm up to date on all my jabs as far as I can see (2 MMR jabs, VH in the varicella box, all others say completed/not age appropriate) so fingers crossed they accept it. We're not in a huge rush for AOS so if we are delayed by an RFE it won't be too huge of an issue.

I am slightly worried after seeing all the threads about RFEs asking for tons of documents/evidence though!

"And to that little girl, I apologize if you've been hurt. There's not much more I can say. And hopefully we can live our lives peacefully from now on"

I cannot stand people "apologising" like this. It turns the blame on the victim. There's no IF. She WAS hurt. "I apologise for hurting you" - that's a proper apology. She's only "sorry" because her husband might lose his job - if nothing had happened because of the report she'd still be taunting the girl.

Just a little update - I took my test today and they issued me a full license using just the i-94 to show status, since I haven't even applied for AOS yet.

There's only one day left on my i-94 so the license expires tomorrow, but as long as I can show a work permit within 6 months I can just renew it rather than starting all over again with a new learner's permit.

Thought it might be useful to those in/moving to Ohio.

Yes, he explained what he needed in terms of an employment letter and has been told they refuse to give out ANY sort of letter like that in case the employee is fired and tries to sue the company using the letter as proof of employment. He asked several different people at his work and got the same answer every time.

He didn't go through an agency. His employer starts people off on a part-time contract and you have to "earn" full-time by working an average of 36 hours a week over a 6 month period (as on most days they are given the option of leaving a bit early or staying with the possibility of overtime). At some points last year they cut all part-timers down to just 3 days a week so last year he couldn't make that average to earn FT.

Even on a PT contract, he's been working up to 52 hours a week for the past few months so his paystubs will show that.

Thanks for the help.

Bumping this thread since I have a couple more questions. We still haven't managed to send off our AOS yet as we are having some problems getting together info for a co-sponsor.

I'm an idiot for not noticing before, but the reason my husband was under the income limit for last year is because he was on a part-time contract at his job and was sometimes only working 3 days a week. He has recently been made full-time. So at $10 an hour, full-time, his annual income would be around $20,000 (if I've worked it out correctly) which is over the limit for the i-864. His last few months of paystubs will show that he has been working far more than 40 hours a week.

Is it OK to work out what he would earn in a year on $10/h and put that as total income on the i-864? Or does that figure have to match the income on his last year's tax return? Another problem is that his work refuses to issue a letter of employment for anyone, so all we would have to show that he's working full-time are his paystubs.

Get over yourself