yourcdnangel

He has always talked about one day wanting to live up here, but he's a career military man in the US Army. He has another 3.5yrs to go before retirement. So he's not able to move up here. In fact, this June he is being transfered out of Maryland, so we don't know where he's going. I had my medical and embassy interview in Oct 2010. Is USCIS really going to make me pay to file the same paperwork we JUST submitted? Am I really going to have to pay another $275 to take another medical just to have the same results? Do I really need to go back to Montreal for ANOTHER interview? *facepalm* I really screwed up huh

Ah, no waiver. Alright. Thanks.

My Husband and I did everything by the book. We applied for a K1 Visa, was approved without issue. Entered November 7th at Lewiston POE - no problems, married November 26th with both families present. I went through a bout of homesickness and desperately wanted to go back to Canada. So my Dad came to pick me up and I went back. It's been 4 days and I miss my Husband terribly. He's hurt that I left but misses me as well and we're looking into steps to prevent the homesickness and work through some issues.

Yes, we should have examined these things prior to me getting the not so brilliant idea to leave voluntarily. Yes, I'm an idiot for not researching other avenues to handle the stress. I get it.

But where do we go from here? Can anyone point us in the right direction?

All 3 of mine were approved in about 76 days. Just now waiting for them in the mail. The greencard is usually longer than the EAD & AP. Depends on if it gets transferred to CSC or if you have an interview etc. The greencard expires in 2 yrs, yes, but 3 months before it does you have to apply for ROC, Removal Of Conditions. I think that is the 10 yr green card.

Good luck Bri!

So for the RoC we need even FURTHER proof that we're married?? Do they want my first born as well??? Geesh!

And thanks Les!

Happy Valentine's Day my fellow Feb filers! Hope you all have a great day with your loved ones!

I have great news! My AOS & EAD were approved on the 11th & my AP on the 12th!

That's great news! Congrats to everyone so far!!

Joe and I are gearing up to submit my AOS/EAD next month. Question, so I'm under the impression that the EAD typically arrives within 3mths of submission. So what's the average timeline of acquiring the Greencard? 18mths as mentioned here and there? And I thought I saw somewhere that once we've acquired the Greencard, we have to renew it in 2yrs time? I'm confused on that part.

If I already took the medical in Toronto, and have a copy of my vaccination records. Can I accompany that record with my medical receipt? Or do I seriously have to pay for another medical here in the US? I mean, I'm covered by TriCare because I have a Military Spouse card. But I had OHIP in Canada and I still had to pay out the butt for my medical at the panel physician.

Heyas all, Joe and I are well. Thankfully the stress of moving to the US, rushing to get married, dealing with Thanksgiving and then Christmas and then New Years....right now, I don't want to go visit anyone or talk to any family for a while. *sigh*

I'm still putting together my AOS/EAD packet. Need to get passport photos done...again. With the holidays and the expenses, we'll be submitting at the end of March. Hopefully I don't get in any kind of serious ####### because my i-94 expires on Feb 5.

I also just read my SSN application documents and apparently I cannot submit them unless my i-94 is unexpired, but by the time I get it to them it will be expired. So what's the point?! HEHE.

So I'll just play the typical army wife and pudder around our house cleaning and doing laundry until USCIS bounces me back some updated documents.

Hope everyone out there is doing well and my thoughts are with you Paul and Van.

Thanks again hun!

Les, on the I-765 (EAD) it asks for USCIS Office. Am I putting Chicago lockbox address or the Baltimore Maryland address (since that is our local USCIS)?

Thanks for the info ladies. You've both been invaluable to me in keeping my sanity. Much appreciated and Happy New Years to everyone!! Be safe out there tonight!

Also, on the I-765 (EAD) it asks for USCIS Office. Am I putting Chicago lockbox address or the Baltimore Maryland address (since that is our local USCIS)?

QUESTIONS:

1.Payment(s) as required by USCIS. Be sure to include the payment for both the I-485 and the biometrics fee*. Use a personal check so you can track the payment. Money Orders are also accepted.

- When sending a money order do we simply put USCIS or their official full name?

- And I believe the new fee for the packet is $1,070

5.K-1 Visa Holders: Submit Copy of NOA2 "Approval" for I-129F **

- Is this the letter we received from NVC stating that our packet has been sent to the appropriate visa issuing location.

It is printed on plain white paper, addressed to Joe (the petitioner) that has my EAC# and MTL# on it from the Bureau of Consular Affairs?

6.Copy of the non US Citizen Spouses valid I-94 (front and back copies)

- What exactly is the i-94? Is that the acceptance paper we got from the final interviewer after receiving the verbal "Congrats" that tells us about the frequently asked questions after receiving the K1 visa?

11.I-693, Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status. If you are a K-1, K-2, K-3 or K-4 visa holder the I-693 instructions state that you are not required to have another medical examination as long as your Form I-485 is filed within one year of your overseas medical examination.

- Does this mean because I've already had a medical, I can simply submit a copy of my medical receipt indicating the date of my physical?

We're trying to fill out the packet and submit it for the first week of January as my visa expires on Feb 5. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

nvm, i double checked the I-94 and it says within the 90 days.

anyone happen to know how much time we have before the AOS 'must' be sent in? does it have to be sent in prior to the visa expiration date? or is the visa void now that we're married? and we can take our time sending in the AOS.

Van here, not Paul.....lol

I'm in Eastern Ontario so I will be taking the train. It's cheaper then flying and the train station in Montreal is a 15 min walk to to Consulate. Also not to far from a hotel I'm thinking of staying at for the night.

I probaly won't POE until April though

I was going to take the train too, because I was in Mississauga. But it's a 6hr ride and my appointment time didn't allow for a morning ticket and I didn't want to go up the night before and stay overnight. So, we drove up. Well, I hope either way, it goes well. After all this bs you've gone through all summer...it better!

March 15th!!!

Thats my birthday.

Drama drama drama.....lol Gotta love the Government! It's all making me a litte lol

Trust me, I know all too well how much drama can be involved when dealing directly with them. Mind, so has Les with the stupid expiration dates on her AOS stuffs. Lets hope it's smooth sailing from this point forward. At least you have a better idea when she'll be down permanently. If her interview is on the 15th, she can POE before end of March. I know it was easy for Les and I to get to Montreal, because it's just in the next province over. But, Van's gonna have to fly if she's not nearby

That is super crummy that you both will be apart over the Christmas holidays. We waited 61 days between the packet 3/packet 4 ordeal. But, once you get the actual packet 4, it's a matter of Van opening the envelope and running upstairs to a computer to choose the first available interview date. And realistically, she can still travel back and forth because they don't take your passport until the Consulate interview. You then get it back with the visa stickered inside of your passport approx. 1week from the date of interview, then boom, she could be on a flight just after that!

Word of advice though...make copies of copies, make sure Van has her "long form" birth certificate, make sure she has $350USD CASH to pay for the processing fee - and then seriously, she'll be out within 2hrs and on her way back to her hotel. There is a burger king within walking distance, there is a western union within walking distance and there is a timmy ho's within walking distance. So she'll be set for the day providing she has all her infos and monies.

So, judging by your timeline, you should receive the packet 4 just after Christmas or New Years depending on how the govt feels, and then she'll have 2mths or so to sweat it out before interview time! Which, in all honesty, was a piece of cake. The guy I had was sarcastic and funny, and the interviewer was super short for a guy and he had to sit in a high chair to talk to me through the window. It's all very casual and laid back. So, she'll do great and by spring you both will never have to be separated again.

Happy Turkey Day to all.

Hopefully the wedding this weekend goes smoothly.

Best wishes to all.

Les, thanks for pointing me to the guide. We'll delve into that when we get back from New Jersey.

Cheers!

I-485, which is AOS

---G-325a, which is biographic info that is required in the AOS pkt

---I-864, which is the affidavit of support that is also required in the AOS pkt

I-765, which is EAD

I-131, which is AP

G-1145, which is so you can receive texts & emails about your case

The cost is $1010 for all 3. As of Nov. 23 the cost goes up to $1070, I think.

So Les, how did you obtain all this #######? Did you take your marriage certificate to the immigration office and they gave them to you to take home? Or did you fill them out there, hand over the cash and they sent them off? What's the process of it all?

Sorry for my questions, this last week has been hectic with scheduling, thanksgiving and the wedding, parents...oh goodness, parents....and umm, the Army. So my mind is scattered.

Ok, so...to my understanding, the only major submissions are the AOS, EAD, I-512 Early Parole? And if these are the only ones, does anyone know the costs of each? We already know the AOS is $930

Ah ok, well that's good news. We have a lot of financial obligations cluttered into the next month or so, so fronting $930 just to submit the AOS is a laughable option right now. This adventure has already squeezed closed to $1500 from Joe. I didn't work all summer so that I could spend the summer in the US, so we've had only 1 income since the spring.

Anyone know how long we're given before we have to submit our AOS?

I didn't get any welcome letter.

But from what the Border Officer told us, once we have the marriage cert in hand, we just go to USCIS office here in Maryland and have the forms filled out to start all the other #######.

Les and Scott, that sounds like fun and stupidly romantic (wearing the kid rock shirts for the wedding ). Cruises of any sort or wicked fun and I can't wait to go on one. Hope you two take pics of Hawaii, even if it's not you two (people like privacy), but the landscape! I haven't been since I was 7 and after a bad car wreck, I don't remember much of it. So would be nice to see

So here's a story about our eventful Friday trip to New Jersey:

We got the run around on Friday when we went to NJ to get our license. The "county" in which our wedding is in, their municipal office wasn't able to help us as the Registrar was not in that particular day and they had no one to back her up. So we went to the next "county" over where we had to deal with a Deputy Registrar and they weren't going to help us either (despite Joe being in the Military), because we weren't getting married in their particular "county". Which I find really ridiculous, since it's all but a damn street light that separates the "county" line. *shakes head* So anyways, we finally just said, fine we'll get married in your "county" because it was Joe's only day off and time was running out. Then, they weren't going to process it because I didn't have proof of address in the US yet. I'm like, I just POE'd 4 days ago and I am not listed on the lease yet, nor do I have any bills in my name. What did you expect from me?!?! So it's a good thing I had a copy of the packet that I'd sent to the Consulate mths before where it would show where my intended place of residence would be. Thankfully she smartened up and took that for what it's worth. Then...to top off our day, we were told we'd have to drive back out there on Monday to pick it up ourselves. It had to be either Joe or I to do it. Well, Joe being in the Military just can't up and leave post to drive 2.5hrs there to pick it up and 2.5hrs back. I cannot drive in the US, therefore I cannot go. So we were so dumbfounded by this stupid "county" rules. So frustrating.

Thankfully, Joe's Dad went down to talk to the actual Registrar, not the Deputy, and he was able to explain calmly that his son was in the Military and would not be able to pick up his marriage license as he was stationed in another state. So we don't have to worry about finding a way down there to pick it up, because my in-laws will get it for us.

Solmarc, you two make an adorable couple and your dress and ring are beautiful. Sorry to hear about your horrible experiences, but at least the most important one went off without a hitch Congrats!

Sounds fun Les! And what the F is a Kid Rock Cruise?????

As for us, we're heading up to New Jersey to get our marriage license and then we're being married by an ordained minister at my in-laws place over the Thanksgiving weekend. We're anxious to get my AOS started because I would REALLY like to stop sitting on my #### all day and actually do something productive, like...iono, make monies!