qcmeetsnc

RBC is in both countries, so it makes transferring funds very easy. I have both a Canadian and a US account, so it's worked very well. They don't have locations all over the States though.

I only had to use my AP one time before I had my GC and I did go to secondary inspection. I didn't have an I-94 filled out, so that might have been why. When I came back to the US with my GC, I wasn't sent to secondary. Not much of an experience, but I hope it helps!

4 months in our case. Timeline below.

I went from Canada to the US many times during the K1 process and never had to show ties to Canada. The last time I crossed the border, I was told that I was close to spending more than half my time in the US and to be careful to not overstay. But even then, I didn't have to prove anything even though I was always prepared to. So for me, it was never a problem. Good luck!

I am s November filer and after a long RFE process I finally received my EAD on Friday (with my middle name mispelled though :/ ). I applied for SSN that same day.

Question: do some people get approved for AOS with no interview? If so, under what circumstances?

I just got my green card today without an interview. My case was transfered to the CSC and I only sent the documentation I was required to. No clue why some people get interviews while others don't, but I'm glad we didn't have one! Good luck to you.

As much as you can, do NOT stay at the Espresso on Guy Street. Stayed there in the past and it's barley worth the $89.99 deal! They Hyatt is great and the Holiday Inn Express on Rene-Levesque is a good option as well. Good luck to those of you who have upcoming interviews!

If I remember correctly, you don't need one and it says so in the instructions. One thing's for sure, I didn't get one and everything went smoothly.

I was also confused and overwhelmed when I was getting all those forms ready. I stumbled upon the link below and all the information that was put together by Vanessa (if I remember correctly) was absolutely great. I was able to get things ready quickly and accurately so that I could get back to waiting for the mailman... Good luck!

AOS-EAD-AP from K1 the Aussie way

I bank with the RBC and it easily allows me to transfer funds back and forth between my two accounts.

Here's my story:

Before my POE, I was employed by a US company, but working in Canada. So, they had to grant me a leave of absence while I was waiting for my EAD to resume working in the US. Before I "left", my employer gave me a letter explaining that they needed me back asap as I was their only employee who spoke French. Without me, many of our accounts would go unassisted for a while.

After I filed my AOS-EAD-AP docs, here is what I tried:

1. contacted the USCIS asking for an expedite and provided them with my employer's letter and my own to explain the situation. Never heard back from them.

2. contacted our congress representative 4 times by phone, once in person to have her help me expedite. When her aide finally called me back, she said that nothing could be done until 2 months had gone by.

3. made an InfoPass appointment but was told by an agent that nothing could be done until 3 months had gone by.

4. wrote a letter to our senator and her aide called me back 2 days later. The rest is history and in my timeline. Needless to say she was very helpful! She told me that "that's what we're here for. Please call me back if there's anything else I can do for you."

Bottom line is this: it is ultimately up to somebody else to decide if your case deserves to be expedited or not. As you can see, I was pretty desperate (and stubborn!), but it was worth it: I've been back at work since this past Monday!!!

Good luck to you!

I've checked out the USCIS site but can't seem to find out how to expedite any of the applications we send in.

Do you have an idea how to find it or a link perhaps? Thanks.

I am sorry it took so long for me to reply, but here is the link:

USCIS Expedite Criteria

There is a lot of confusion regarding the work permit you're talking about. The bottom line is that it wouldn't allow you to work anyway since employers need to see an actual EAD card or the green card. There is a whole thread devoted to this on VJ. You'll find it if you go to the "Working and travelind during immigration". The topic itself is "Is A K1 authorized to work without an EAD?"

My suggestion would be for you to marry asap so you can file you AOS and EAD documents. As soon as you get the EAD card, you can get a job.

For those of you notified for EAD card order, did you get an Email or Text first? Morning? Afternoon?

We are getting close to our date soooo we are impatient

I so understand your impatience! I got a text message in the afternoon (early). I'm not sure when the email came in though.

Good luck!

I was also confused (and scared!) when I started this. I was so worried that I would forget something that would cause delays in my application. What I ended up doing was following this thread as if it were the bible:

My link

Hope it helps!

I know the process for the interview has changed recently, so maybe the way I did things is no longer. In my case, all I had to do was mail in a checklist saying that I had the required forms (birth certificate, police check...) but I didn't have to mail them in. When I went to the interview, I brought the originals and kept copies for myself. Again, maybe the process has changed, even though my interview was this October. Not sure what you should do if you weren't supposed to mail in the originals, but what I do know is the forms that I did have to mail in prior to my interview were at the consulate and I saw them when the clerk was checking them in front of me.

You know at the interview if you have been approved for your visa or not but you still have to get your passport back. The visa will be in your passport. In my case, I got my visa just a few days after the interview. However, from what I've been reading on VJ, it sometimes takes longer. Once you have the visa in your passport, you can enter the US. I had my interview on the 20th of October and technically could have entered the US on the 23rd.

Hope that helps!

I visited my fiancé in the US numerous times after I filed for my K1 and was never asked for anything to prove ties to Canada. Could you possibly have been talking about leaving the US while the AOS is pending?

Expediting is possible after you've filed your documents. However, you need to have a good reason for doing it. If you go to the USCIS website, there is a section that talks about the grounds to expedite a request.

As you can see in my timeline, I recently got our senator to expedite my EAD for employment purposes. I had also called our congress representative, but she said there was nothing the could do until my application had been with USCIS for 3 months.

So, it doesn't hurt to try, but whoever you contact (senator or congress), they will decide if your EAD should be expedited or not.

Good luck!

It seems that certain offices allow them while others don't. I chose to try and was successful! It was only a 15-minute drive, so I didn't have much to lose. So, if you're not too far away, why not?

Good luck!

I got an RFE for my Advanced Parole application. Why? Missing pictures... they probably were misplaced by someone on their end since I know for a fact they were in there when I mailed everything in. Got some more, mailed them in and a couple of days later, everything was back on track.

Like everybody else said, your RFE might just be for some silly thing and until you get the letter, there is nothing you can do about it. So, enjoy the fact that you know your application is "alive" and not sitting in the bottom of a drawer!

Good luck!

If I may ask, what was your reason?

I have been working in Canada for a US-based company for a couple of years and I am the only person there who speaks French. Since my POE 2 months ago, none of our French-speaking customers have had access to training and/or support. Works has piled up!

Do you think its worth contacting the congressman now? How much faster do people usually get approved after contacting a congressman? Timeline on VJ says I should be getting my AP mid January, EAD end January. I'd love to get AP in 1st week of Jan though...

In my case, it took a week to get my EAD once the senator's office got involved. If you contact them, they will want to know the reason why you need to expedite. It is up to them to decide if your situation needs their intervention or not. Good luck and happy holidays!

Wonderful Christmas present in the mail today: my EAD card!!!! That means that I'll be back at work on January 3rd. Very grateful for all the help I got from VJers and my Senator. God bless and Merry Christmas to everyone.

I contacted our congress rep, but her aide said she couldn't help because I was, and stil am, within USCIS guidelines. I then contacted our senator and her aide felt that my situation needed some assistance. Reason? I already have a job with an American company (I am the Canadian applicant) and they had to give me a leave of absence till I got my EAD. Because I am the only person who can perform certain tasks for them, they need me back at work asap.

Now here's the thing to not lose sight of here: these people (senators, congress rep) have aides to take care of those things for them. I doubt very much the senator put all her other duties aside to call the USCIS for me. The person that helped me out was the immigration aide and she was very well versed with the AOS-EAD-AP process. Call me crazy, but I don't think that her taking care of my case for a few minutes put any of the constituents in any kind of hardship.

I feel for those of you who have loved ones going through hardship in their home countries and totally understand you wanting to do anything you can think of to help them get here sooner. I would not hesitate and call the people you elected to see if there's anything they can do to help.

Good luck to all of you.

The previous poster probably knows way more than I do but if it were me, I would contact my congress representative or senator. If there is a mix up like you say there is, I would want to have someone clarify the situation with immigration to avoid any further delays. Good luck!

It took my receipts a full week to get here after they were mailed! I have found that the best thing to do is to keep busy otherwise this waiting thing can drive me totally insane!!! Good luck to you.