Noradam

Just an update. It looks like my certified mail was delivered to the California Service Center today , after USPS lost my envelope somewhere. What a hassle, but it looks like a happy ending

Thanks again for everybody's answers!

We sent our original I-751 packet AND our RFE packet via USPS Express Mail with Signature Required and both packets were signed for The packages were both delivered and signed for at the Laguna Niguel, CA Post Office around 10 AM (the tracking info updated around 3 PM on the USPS website).

Thanks guys. I really hope it will be delivered soon!

Hi everyone,

I sent my I-751 application last week (8/8/12) to the California Service Center. I sent it by certified mail. Now I am concerned that no one will be signing for my package over there, since I sent it to a P.O. box address. Do you have any suggestions for me. When I tracked it today it showed that it hasn't been delivered yet(today is the 13th). Should I just wait or send my application again? My green card expires 9/21/12.

Thanks guys!

Nora

Hi everybody,

I just received my work authorization card and I know that I have to go to the Social Security Office to get a new SSN card that states I am allowed to work. My question is now whether I have to do the same after I receive my Green card. I will have my AOS interview in 2 weeks and I will probably receive my Green card 2 weeks after that. It sounds kinda unnecessary to go to the office twice.

Thanks for your help!

Thank you so much. I was just really confused when I got the letter cause I had already scheduled the medical in MUC. I'll just keep it this way; it's definitely more convenient for me, as well, than staying an extra day in FRA.

Thanks again, Noradam.

They schedule everyone for an appointment in Frankfurt on the day of the interview, but you definitely don't have to show up and sometimes it's not even possible to go to the appointment, for instance if you have your interview at the Consulate early in the morning.

Good luck with everything!

Hey All,

I received Packet 4 which lists my medical at the same day as my interview (Frankfurt, Germany). It appears to me as automatically generated date though.

I was wondering now if it is nevertheless possible for me to get taken care of it in Munich before my interview...how did you guys do it?

Thank you!

Hi,

you can have your medical in Munich before the interview. Usually this is even more convenient than having it on the same day as your interview. The physician in Munich will send all the information to Frankfurt.

Good luck!

Hi!

My sponsor and co-sponsor both have a letter of their employer, bank statements, tax returns, and pay stubs. This is a huge amount of paper and now I am asking myseld whether we need to send all of it. My husband is making $ 10,000 a year, my co-sponsor $40,000 (so more than enough). I read a several times that supporting documents like bank statements and pay stubs are optional.... but is it really enough just to send the tax returns and maybe a letter of their employer?

Thanks a lot!!!

Hi everybody!

Do my sponsor and co-sponsor need to provide their bank statements of the last 12 months as a supporting document for the I-864 or is it just optional?

Thanks so much!

Hi,

my joint sponsor lives with his partner in one household, but he doesn't declare his partner's income in order to meet the requirements. Do they still need to fill in the I-864A because they share one household or do you only use it if you wanna use his income as well?

Thanks!!!!

so I won't need the entire I-693 nor part 5 of the I-693 for the interview since I have a COMPLETE vaccination worksheet from my medical in Germany, right?

It is now Part II Item 5 of the I-693... take a look at the I-693

does that mean that my sealed envelope from my medical in Germany is enough? I mean as a K-1 visa holder I don't need the whole I-693, right?

thanks

Hi guys,

I'm preparing AOS right now and I am a little bit confused about varying information on the vaccination supplement I-693a. I thought I need to go to a civil surgeon (I have an appointment tomorrow) in order to get that form. I do have a sealed envelope from my medical in Germany with my vaccination history. It says on the envelope 'please provide it to the USCIS when requested in conjunction with your AOS'. Now I read in a German forum that the vaccination supplement is not longer required. They say that it is enough to send that sealed envelope with all the AOS paperwork (which makes sense to me). They said it has just changed.

Does anyone know more about it? I really wanna avoid an RFE!

Thanks,

Nora

Hi everyone,

I am preparing all the paperwork for AOS right now and I am curious whether people have the same question (or maybe an answer to it :-)).. What I read in the guides basically said that I need to call a panel physician in my neighbourhood in order to get the vaccination supplement I-693a which I will send in with all the paperwork for my AOS. It is also mentioned in the guides that the I-693a is not the same as the vaccination worksheet I received (sealed) after my medical in Germany. Did anyone ever tried to send in the sealed envelope with the vaccination worksheet from the mdeical in Germany instead of going te other (more expensive) route via a civil surgeon?

thanks guys!

Nora

don't worry too much yet.. it almost took to weeks to send a document from the us consulate in amsterdam to the us consulate in frankfurt. keep calling/emailing them though to find out.

good luck!

Hi everyone,

I am so nervous at the moment.. I am waiting for my visa in the mail, but so far it didn't get here. I know I might be paranoid, but in the past couple of months so many unexpected things happened that have delayed my visa issuing process. My visa was approved at the interview about a month and a half ago. But they couldn't issue it because they were waiting for my Dutch police clearance from the Netherlands (I am a German citizen, but I lived in Holland for 4 years). It took forever to get that certificate... I had to cancel my flight to the States, although I thought it would be a safe thing to fly out 5 weeks after the interview. Now I received an email that Frankfurt sent the visa on Tuesday.. I was happy.. But it hasn't arrived yet.. I wanted to fly out next week, but I might have to change plans again.. it's a torture..

I just wanna be with my baby.. plus it really stresses me out that we have scheduled our wedding for the end of May.. and my family and closest friends will fly in for that event.. I hope I'll be there too ;-)

I just hope the visa + passport didn't get lost.. what would happen then actually? Gosh, starting from the beginning again?

I know I should think more positive.. but it's like hell at the moment and really hard to handle my emotions.. however, the other day I told my baby that if only the way through hell leads me to him, I'll take that way..

Thanks guys

Nora

Thanks a lot for your stories and advices. Apparently there's more options and no 'right' approach. We'll get married almost 2 months after my arrival, so it might be a better idea to apply for a SSN before (because of the expiring I-94). And if it's okay to have the maiden name on the SSN until you receive the green card it sounds like the 'safer' way to apply for a SSN 2 weeks upon arrivl.

How long is a police certificate good for?

Can I get it now to be prepared when it is needed or is there something like an "expiration date"?

Thanks

as far as I know it's valid for 6 months

thanks everyone!!!

I am pretty sure that I do not need my SSN to get married in Seattle, WA. I was just confused, because the officer at the US consulate in Germany told me not to apply for a SSN before I get married. But apparently most of you did/ do and it's not a problem at all.

Thanks for your helpful advice!

Nora

thanks for the info!

I guess everyone has differnt opinions regarding when to apply for a SSN. I guess it can't be wrong to apply for a SSN 2 weeks upon my arrival, right? The worst thing could be that they cannot issue one for me right? I mean it's better than failing to apply for one.

So before the wedding the only thing I have to do is getting a marriage liscence and a SSN right? I don't need to call someone or go somewhere?

I am sorry, I am just a little bit nervous ;-)

Thanks!

Hi everybody,

I am going to fly out to the US next week and can finally be together with my fiance in Seattle.

So at Customs and Immigration they take the brown envelope and send it to the USCIS right? And then they send it to my local office? Will it be Seattle then and does someone will inform me about it? Also at the consulate in Germany they told me not to apply for my social security number before the wedding, because I don't have any status there until then. But here everyone says you should do it 2 weeks after your arrival.

Thanks for your help.. I just love this forum :-)

It's purely a question of personal convenience. Generally speaking, fewer layovers are easier, and therefore better, unless there is a huge price difference with the direct flight.

It makes absolutely no difference to your immigration process which airport you go through Customs and Immigration at.

Make sure though, if you are going through Customs and Immigration at a layover airport before continuing on to your final destination, that you allow at least 4 hours at that airport to do so. Unexpected delays are always a possibility, so allow lots of time for processing at Immigration. Some people get through in 10-15 minutes, but some end up needing up to 1.5-to-2 hours at Immigration, in addition to the normal time (at least an hour) needed to make a reasonably calm airport transfer. Give yourselves lots of time.

Thank you so much! I am just so excited and also a little bit nervous. You just don't wanna do anything wrong though...

So at Customs and Immigration they take the brown envelope and send it to the USCIS right? And then they send it to my local office? Will it be Seattle then and does someone will inform me about it? Also at the consulate they told me not to apply for my social security number before the wedding, because I don't have any status there until then. But here everyone says you shoul do it 2 weeks after your arrival.

Thanks again for your help.. I just love this forum :-)

thanks for all your helpful advices. My fiance is living in Seattle and I wanted to book a flight from Germany to Seattle via Chicago. Do you think it might be better to have the first airport in the US also your 'final destination'? Or does it not make a difference wheather your paperwork is sent to USCIS from Chacago or Seattle?

Thank you!!

you have to fill out 2 forms: custom form and the I-94 form

go through the visitors line at the airport with brown immigration envelope, passport, and I-94 in hand. When it's your turn, they will go through your brown envelope, maybe ask a few questions, stamp or write in your passport a date the visa/I-94 expire (90 days) and give you back the bottom part of the I-94 and passport

awesome, thank you very much.. do you think it will be a problem if I just book a oneway ticket?

Hi everyone,

it might be a stupid question, but which forms do I need to fill out on the plane when I am travelling on a K1-visa?

Thank you!

Hi!

I was wondering if anyone could help me out with this question...

If I am unemployed do I need to submit an I-134? If so what should I say for question #7?

I'm living with my parents at the moment, they meet the requirements for support and are more than happy to sponsor my fiance, should they submit the I-134 instead of me or in addition?

Also, my fiance has a good income and lots of savings of his own, are they interested in hearing this at the interview (London embassy) or is it only a matter of having a US sponsor?

Thanks for your help everyone

you AND your parents have have to submit an I-134. Don't worry too much about your current unemployment, because if your parents want to sponsor your fiance (and if they meet the requirements) everything should be fine. Unfortunately they are not interested in your fiance's financial situation. Just read the guidelines regarding the I-134.

Good luck