DS1419

I am not 100% sure but you will have to get your biometrics done again. Yes, you can add two check 505 & 85.

The address on the 2011 Tax Return is not a concern. Just explain in the covering letter.

You don't need your passport copy and wife's Green Card copy.

Get joint utilities, if any. Even if one utility is in one name and the other in other name, that works fine.

If you have Insurance or 401k in one name with other as beneficiary, add those.

Utilities are part of our rental agreement, so we don't have any currently.

Neither of us have a 401k (both just out of college, started jobs in the past 2 years)

We're pretty much out of any other official document that may have both our names on it at this point. I just want to ensure we don't get a request for additional info, but honestly can't think of any other documents to add.

Forgot to add we're also getting three notarized affidavit's from friends who have known us since before the wedding.

Hey guys, really hoping you can help us out with a few nit-picky questions:

1. Fee: So following the i-751 instructions, it looks like the total i-751 fee is $590 ($505 plus a required $85 biometrics fee). Is the Biometrics appointment standard/required in all i-751 applications? The reason I ask is I initially did my biometrics appt just under 2 years ago during my AOS and want to ensure I send the correct amount. Is it standard to go through a second biometrics appt during removal of conditions? If unsure, can we send two checks? One for $505 and one for $85?

2. Previous Addresses/Tax return: We 've only lived at one previous address, which I listed on a "previous address" sheet attached to our i-751, along with dates. Our 2012 tax return has our current address. Our 2011 uses my wife's parents' house address as opposed to our address at that time, as we were in the process of moving. I've added a note at the end of the page explaining this and listing their address for clarification. Is there any concern that our 2011 tax return address (her parents') isn't where we actually lived?

3. Our Application: Does this now look like enough info? Note: we do not own a car or our house, so can't add that info.

1. i-751 application, with copies of our i-865, ar-11, previous addresses page, and check

2. Copy of permanent resident card and passport (just mine, should we include a copy of my wife's, the sponsor?)

3. Entire 2011 & 2012 tax returns

4. Notarized bank letter showing shared accounts and date I was added, plus all monthly bank account statements dating back to when I joined the account (21 months ago)

5. Copies of matching Visa cards, and all Visa statements dating back two years

6. Copy of our rental lease agreement where we reside with both our names

7. Copy of our rental insurance policy with both our names

8. Copy of joint health insurance cards and application forms

9. Flight itinerary from our only big trip the last two years (to France/Italy)

10. Series of 25 photos of us together over last two years, various events with friends etc.

Thanks for your help Rov -

So in response to your comments, I went to our bank, got a notarized letter showing us a joint account holders living at the same address, as well as every statement of account dating back to when I joined the account, January 2012. As this is not a full 2 years, should we also attach account statements for the 5 months the account was only in my wife's name? Or would that serve no purpose.

I have also copied our entire tax returns for 2011 and 2012.

Finally, I tracked down our health insurance application - per the HR rep at my wife's company this is the only piece of information they have that shows the dates and both our names. They did not know anything about a proof of insurance form.

Any other recommendations from anyone? Any past experience tips?

Hey guys,

I thought I'd run everything we're including in our package past all you knowledgeable folks here before we go ahead and drop it in the mail. It's due in by the start of October to the California USCIS (We live in Seattle).

1. Cover Page - this is the one pulled from the site here and edited appropriately

2. I-751

3. Page listing our previous address, where we lived until Jan 2012 (only 1)

4. Copy of my wife's I-865, my AR-11, and the i-797 notice of action that it was received

5. Copy of the front and back of my conditional permanent resident card

6. Copy of my passport, just the inside page with my picture/signature info etc

7. Partial Tax returns for 2011 and 2012 - showing both our names and socials

- this is a little tricky: Our 2012 tax return shows our current address. Our 2011 shows her parents' address as opposed to our rental property as we were unsure how long we would be staying there. Is this a concern? I've added a note to the previous address page of the i-751 explaining that we did not reside at this address, but used it for the tax return as we were moving.

8. A copy of our current rental lease agreement for where we currently reside, showing both our names

9. A copy of our current rental insurance policy, showing both our names

10. A copy of our Health insurance cards showing a joint policy

11. A copy of our credit cards showing joint accounts

12. A copy of our bank account showing joint ownership of the account

13. A copy of our flight itinerary from our 1-year anniversary trip to France/Italy in 2012

14. Evidence of relationship photos - about 20 photos of us together over the last 2 years - with notes

Does that sound like a quality package? My biggest concern is regarding the addresses. As our lease was expiring at the end of 2011 at our old place, we chose to put her parent's address on our 2011 tax returns. Im not sure if that will be a big deal, but wanted some opinions on this package.

Thanks!

Thanks guys. It's pretty much what I thought, but wanted some more information. I previously was unable to find any info on what happens if we file it late, so I was worried of the potential outcomes. Clearly that is a much safer approach. We've mailed in the i-865 with the correct date from our lease at the new place, and submitted our ar-11 online (which did not require a date for the change of address for some reason?).

AS for the i-751, would it make more sense to mail that immediately (and include copies of the ar-11 & i-865)? Or wait until they potentially have received the i-865? Tomorrow is the first day of our 3 month window to mail this sucker in.

My wife and I are in the process of filling out our i-751 (my green card expires in just over 3 months, want to mail it as soon as possible), and realized we forgot to mail in an ar-11 and i-865 when we moved (about 15 blocks south of our old place). I realize it was a mistake to forget about that, but now that it's past, we're not sure the correct action to take.

It's been well over a year since we moved. Does anyone know what might happen if we put our move-in date as June 2013, as opposed to March 2012? Would it make more sense to put the actual date or is there any chance that could cause serious problems as we're a year late in filing? Is it just for record purposes or am I at risk of losing my residency because I missed filing the change of address forms?

I'm just looking for any insight into the matter, and what the best approach is. Thanks!

Not sure if I'm overreacting or not, but here's the situation:

My conditional green card expires 9/26, we're in the process of gathering info to file the I-751 later this month (within the 3 month window), and we just received a letter from the USCIS. As it turns out, we forgot to file an ar-11 when we moved (same city, about 10 blocks south) last year. The USCIS letter was to inform us that we need to file an I-751, which we already knew. The new tenants at our old house marked the letter "return to sender" and with our forwarding info we left at the post office, they shipped the letter to us, along with a form ar-11 to fill out since we clearly forgot to earlier.

I filled out the ar-11 online and submitted it today. Should I wait for a receipt or anything before travelling? I'm originally from Vancouver, and now live in Seattle, and am heading up to Canada to visit family. Will I have any problems reentering the states because I filed my ar-11 late?

And since I completely missed a few questions:

1) Officially yes it needs to be immediate family. I do believe however, if you've already applied for AP, should you wish to get it sooner, just plead your case to the officer at an infopass appt. The worst they can do is say no.

2) Proof is typically a death certificate from what I've read. It can't be an impending death, but already a death in the family. Typically they issue emergency advance parole on cases like that in case your immediate family may be your father/mother and you are left in charge of their will or estate.

3) I'm not sure what document you're referring to there, but regardless, if you have you AP document or your greencard in hand, you no longer need an infopass appt.

Hey, so I'm not sure how it will help, but I'll post what I went through over the past few months here.

I ended up needing to make an infopass appt (September 2nd) to expidite the Advance Parole to attend my sister's wedding (September 17th) in Canada. I had about 10 documents showing I was best man in the wedding, location of the wedding, venue, date, etc all prepared, and wasn't asked for any of it when I went to the infopass appt.

The only thing the parole officer looked up was if my biometrics were complete (which they were), and if there had been any red flags on my AOS case so far (which there weren't). The infopass appointment lasted about 10 minutes, 5 of it spent working out which courier to use to send the advance parole with. I'm not sure if this is normally the case, but it was very simple. The officer saw that I had applied for advance parole with my original AOS package (I think that's a big deal, since it's already in their system), and saw that the date I had requested was less than 3 weeks away, so without any other questions, she passed me through, and I had the advance parole documents within 3 days.

Regarding your AOS. Once you have your green card, you'll no longer need Advance Parole and you should be able to cross the border as often as you like. I actually just received my greencard in the mail last friday (October 14th), without an interview or anything. Not sure how common that is, but we were both very pleased.

I am not sure if you meant you are having a whole new medical or not, but just in case, wanted to let you know you do not need that. You only need Part 1, Part 2-vaccinations section only, and Part 5 filled out on the I-693.

Thanks! I was just about to ask about that. My medical was May 25th, 2011, so about a month ago now. When seeing the civil surgeon, he only filled out section 2 (vaccinations) and 5 (his signature etc), after I filled out section 1, then sealed it in an envelope and gave it to me. No blood test or chest xray this time. I was curious about this and was just about to post it, but it's like you read my mind!

Is there anything I need to include so that the USCIS knows my medical exam was within the last year? Or do they just know that already? Just don't want to get a RFE because I didn't include something to let them know the medical was done in May in order to get the Visa.

No. It will not cause any problems. The I-693 can be dated anytime after you enter the US. It makes no difference at all if the I-693 is dated before you got married. In fact, I suspect the vast majority of K-1 AOS I-693s are dated prior to the wedding. I know mine was. I mean, who wants to have to deal with AOS stuff after the wedding?

Obviously the I-485, I-765, and I-131 applications have to be dated after your wedding date, because you are only eligible to apply for those benefits if you are married to a USC. But the I-693 is a purely informational form. It is not an application for anything - it just gives the adjudicator information they need to process your applications. So as long as it is reasonably recent, it is perfectly valid.

My I-693 was dated almost a month before I got married, and my AOS went through in less than 90 days with no RFEs or interview. You should be fine.

Thanks so much for your help. So far I've followed the guidelines on VisaJourney (this page: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1k3aos) as to what I need to include. Are there any other tips on what we might need?

So my fiancee and I are trying to stay ahead of the ball, and getting all our Adjustment of Status stuff finished the week before the wedding (July 3rd!) so that afterwards all we need is to get the certified marriage certificate and slip that into the package and into the mail. All our forms are post-dated July 4th (day after the wedding) and signed, except for the i-693 medical exam one.

I had my medical exam about a month ago before entering on the K-1 Visa, so I'm bringing my vaccination records with me to the next medical exam I have scheduled for tomorrow to have the Doctor fill out the i-693. I just realized one potential problem and wanted to see if it would actually cause a problem in our AoS package. The form i-693 will be dated by the civil surgeon for June 29th, and we are not married until July 3rd. Would that cause any problems having a form signed before we were officially married (by 4 days)? The rest are all dated the 4th of July. Thanks!

That's why they tell you not to make any plans until you have your visa. You can call Department of State at : 1-202-663-1225, press 1, press 0. Have in hand your consulate case number. Th operator will be able to tell you whether your visa was issued or not. If it is, count 3-5 days before DHL actually picks it up.

Well no concrete "plans" were made, as its just me driving my car two hours south once I have the Visa in had. In talked with DOS, the Visa was approved and printed Friday, so I'm guessing DHL probably didn't pick it up until today, meaning it'll probably be until wednesday/thursday before I have it in hand. Does anyone know how to track the package before a waybill number was issued?

So my K-1 visa was approved last friday (yay!), and as far the DOS can tell me, it has been printed. They cannot tell if it has shipped, or what my waybill # might be, or when I might expect it at the nearest DHL office. DHL will not tell me any information without te waybill #. Online there is still no update with a waybill # on the US-visa site. So my question is: Has anyone found a way to find out their waybill number before it was online?

I live in Vancouver BC Canada, near the consulate where I had the interview, and will be driving out to Abbotsford (an hour away) to pick up the package as soon as it arrives. As soon as I have the package I will be crossing into the States to Seattle that day (I've already packed up, moved some stuff down, quit my job, and need to help wedding planning for july 3rd), so any way of tracking to figure out what day that might be would save a lot of headache for me. if anyone has any tips, that would be amazing! Thanks

Also, if anyone knows how to speak to an operator at the Vancouver consulate (if at all possible), that would be great, as the number I dial just takes me through prerecorded messages, and 0 just repeats those.

so what this mean she told u that u can go in couple days to get ur visa or what ?

Yea the Visa's been printed, just waiting on shipping to the DHL service (sometime next week). Can't cross the border until then though.

Holy Screen Update Batman!

Really, that's the best news ever. Good on ya for Calling DoS Hotline Human...

To Celebrate, eat about 2 kg of Poutine, you'll feel much better.

Done and done.

UPDATE: While talking to the DOS for a third time today (this time to check whether or not I can cross into the States while waiting during the AP process), the VISA was approved while talking to the lady. After checking my information, while telling me that it was still under AP process, her page refreshed showing the approval. I've never heard of that happen before, but great news. The AP process only took 3 days. Just thought I'd share that. Thanks for everyone's answers and help.

No, it's not typical.... if you are from certain high risk countries (which Canada is NOT), have a certain name, or have a certain degree, there is a great likelihood that you will be placed in AP. But in short - no - it's not typical.

Name is Dieter William Siperko, 3rd generation Canadian (Lithuanian ancestry from Grandfather, who came over during WWII)

Have a Bachelor of Science and a Master's of Environment

Not sure if any of that brings up any red flags?

In speaking with a lady at DOS a second time today, she said while they don't have a timeframe, that it is expected to be a few weeks to process, and that it's nothing to be alarmed about, that they are just "dotting the i's and crossing the t's" at the Vancouver consulate. Was that a line to placate my uneasiness? Or have people waited a few weeks before getting their Visa after the interview?

So is it typical to be under admin review/processing after the Visa interview? I find it so strange for this to happen, especially when I was told to expect the visa within a week. Has anyone else gone through admin review at the Vancouver consulate in Canada?

So I just spoke with the DOS, and they said my case was still under administrative review and that they have no further information on it, other than the visa is yet to be approved or denied, which contradicts what I was told at the interview (where the interviewer said, "approved"). Does anyone know how I can find out from the Vancouver consulate where it is in its review process and how long it might take under admin review? Our wedding is planned for 3 weeks from now. Thanks.

Hey thanks Karim,

I just spoke with the consulate, not yet with the DOS, and was just given the answer that I need to continue waiting the 4-5 business days before calling again, as they can't provide any info without the waybill number. I'll try again in a few days. I get so paranoid that something will go wrong! And with the wedding 3 weeks away, there's no room for error! Thanks also to Darnell for your help.

I may have a similar problem, but not on the same time frame. Rather than starting a new thread, I thought I'd post it here.

I had my K1 interview on tuesday in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and was approved according to the officer who handled the case with me. He said wait about 3 business days to pick up my passport and envelope from the DHL office I selected, about a half hour outside Vancouver, BC, where I live. Can it really take up to a month before my package is ready to be picked up before crossing into the United States? And would I call the DOS to find out if my Visa has been printed?

Thanks for the help guys. Still no waybill # on my visa site so far, however it's only been 24 hours since the interview. So what is DOS? Department of State? And how do I call them to check on whether or not the visa has been printed? I have everything prepped and ready to cross, with the presumption it would be this friday, but I'm getting worried it might not be until next monday now.

So using the usvisa-info.com site I used to book my appointment? Where would I find the waybill #?

So I just got back from my K1 Visa interview in Vancouver, BC today. We were approved which is great news, however, the officer never went into detail about picking up my passport and sealed envelope from DHL, and was in quite a hurry to get me out and onto the next in line, so any help would be great. I know it typically takes 3 business days before I can pick it up, but does anyone know if DHL calls/emails me? Or do I just drive to my specified location assuming it will be ready by friday? I tried searching on the forums but only came up with DHL tracking from NVC to Embassies.