AtariBaby

Well ours has left my wife thinking we're going to be rejected. We presented a ton of documentation but got off to a bad start because of my drivers license. I presented my drivers license, which has my previous address, and an interim license paper showing our current address. I had never updated the mailing address and only did so this week.

He started questioning me about my old address which I just use to pick up mail now, and this all made me really nervous, so I started flubbing and kept me very nervous throughout the interview. My wife is now upset and has been lecturing me about it, and she's convinced we'll get a rejection notice. The officer went on to check our passports and question us about visits to each other. He took a big stack of photos, and joint account documents, our leases, etc.

What will happen if we were rejected? Is the USCIS website typically updated with status very quickly after the interview? I guess I'll research rejection just in case.

Thanks, Hypnos! Glad you're here.

Do I have to take a photocopy of the i-485 and I-130 we submitted? I'm suddenly realizing I don't seem to have a signed copy of the I-485 lying around.

Well my interview is in the morning. I hope it goes off without a hitch. My wife will be nuts if something goes wrong.

Let's talk worst case scenarios here? If they don't like something in the morning, like let's say they don't like the fact that I filed an extension for 2011 taxes, or let's say I am missing a document or piece of paper they want, what will happen? Will I get an RFE and a delay? A chance to produce said document and drop it off later? A rejection and appeal?

I know that MikeX and srarios2008 have expressed worries. I'm hoping to hear updates from you both, preferably with good news!

Sounds brutal, Mike, I can't imagine how you must feel right now. My wife was cruelly harassed by the customs officers every time she came and left before we were married, so I have witnessed close hand how that makes a person feel.

I agree, though, be optimistic until you learn otherwise. And even if you are denied, there are remedies. But I understand you're having financial troubles and I hope you get through it quickly.

srarios and others, I don't think you should take this situation and start panicking. There were clearly a lot of circumstances around this incident that were unusual and therefore red flags: not living together, lack of income, etc, plus this particular officer was probably a racist with no oversight. srarios surely if you two have lived together that long you have evidence of co-mingling of your lives and if asked for more pictures just explain about your hard drive. If you have some photos I'm sure that will suffice. I've never read a single report of someone who had photos but not enough photos, so they were denied. Here's a tip: we never take photos, so I asked my relatives to send pics of us together. Ask your friends and family. Plus, if they mail them to you addressed to the two of you, then you have some cards and envelopes to add to your evidence pile.

And it seems most everyone gets approved even after they are harassed or even after they get some questions wrong. We're just all helping each other prepare to the max. Try to relax and be positive. Some get delays, an unlucky few are given a hard time, but almost everyone succeeds.

Oh yes, they agreed to give us a photocopy. I think it's a fairly common request.

In all likelihood your thing will go off without a hitch. It usually does! But obviously sometimes things go wrong and so you want to be as careful as possible.

You should call them now and make sure they'll agree to it. And remind them when you're there! And make sure they fill out everything correctly before you leave. If they don't, be insistent they do it over again.

It's not the end of the world, but we caught a minor mistake on ours that could have gotten us an RFE.

Also, our doctor took his role rather seriously and seemed to be asking us tricky questions about my wife working and stuff. Just be aware.

I heard one nightmare report about a doctor thinking someone was "acting stoned" and so the doctor gave them a drug test which resulted in a rejection, so that's another thing to watch out for. That was certainly a rarity, but FYI.

Perhaps it was a matter of being the preferred policy of this particular office. I do more lurking than posting so let me just say congratulations to everyone's success so far. I hope mine will go as well.

June 6th in San Francisco here.

Hi Sparkbat,

That is inspiring! Congratulations. And thank you for being so thoughtful.

Gregory

Definitely shop it around! I got a wide variety of prices. Doublecheck a site like Yelp for reviews on the doctors. Make sure you find out total costs, including immunizations, and how long the turnaround is. Make sure they give you a photocopy of the document inside the sealed envelope, and check the document for errors or omissions before you leave the doctor's office. Be sure to send in the sealed envelope with your forms, not a photocopy. Be prepared that the doctor might try to trip you up with questions as though a border agent. And don't go into the doctor's office looking or acting stoned. That's a summary of preventing every bad outcome I heard about.

I'm eager to talk to anyone who has been through the San Francisco office in the last year. I would just like to hear from people who dealt with the exact office I'll be dealing with. Thanks!

Yes, they do in court and it's on the money too. It is a Christian nation still.

A lot of people might disagree with that, including Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Adams, Paine and Washington!

Hi, are any of you January filers going through the San Francisco office?

Anyone in this group going through the San Francisco office?

Ditto, thanks for the support all. Are we the only ones going through the San Francisco office?

"Tip #3" now contains broken links.

I went to USCIS and put in the number for our forms, to check statuses. For the I485 I see the message

"On May 2, 2012, we mailed you an appointment notice for an interview for June 6, 2012, at NATIONAL BENEFITS CENTER. "

This is good, presumably. But I was surprised because there have been no notices yet about EAD following our biometrics appointment, which seemed to go off without a hitch. And we've received no e-notifications of this or anything else yet.

Is this normal? Seems to be happening faster than normal, though of course maybe I'm just not paying much attention to the passage of time.

Marriage cert didn't help in Fl. I took marriage cert, birth cert, uscis docs, husbands birth cert, passport with proof of legal entry... still wanted EAD or GC to give me my DL in my married name...

Oh that's too bad. Worked for us in California but only because we took marriage certificate.

I followed the excellent guide here on getting our applications in for i-485, i-130, i-765. Thank you thank you! Submitting those forms meant sending in two photocopies of many documents, e.g., two photocopies of birth certificates, two photocopies of divorce certificate, etc.

But when I have my interview, am I okay only having ONE birth certificate, ONE divorce certificate, etc? Just making sure I don't need to be expediting having a second version of these expensive and hard to acquire items!

Your EAD is only to keep you going till you get your GC, after that it's defunct. You wont need to renew it, in fact if memory serves me correctly they may even ask you for it at interview. I'm in Fl, got my drivers licence for 1yr in my maiden name, they wouldn't let me have it in my married name until I got my EAD and or GC.

FYI to those who don't know: It's important to take marriage certificate and any other proof of name change to DMV, biometrics, or anywhere else you're hoping to use your married name.

We had our Biometrics yesterday. Piece of cake. It might be overkill but I made a general post for entitled "Biometrics-- what to expect" in the hopes it might help new filers: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/364378-biometrics-what-to-expect/

We had our Biometrics today. Piece of cake. It might be overkill but I made a general post for this subform "Biometrics-- what to expect" in the hopes it might help new filers: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/364378-biometrics-what-to-expect/

This is based on our biometrics appointment April 23, 2012.

If you have sent in forms I-485 and/or I-765, as well as others, you'll receive a letter to report for your biometrics appointment. They will fingerpint and photograph you, and have you fill out a very simple form. This department is typically separate from other USCIS offices.

Some actually try early walk-ins, hoping it will speed up the entire process. Some are turned away, others are allowed to just drop-in, especially if they tell the guards they have a scheduling conflict. We just went at the scheduled time, though we were rewarded for showing up early. They processed us as soon as we entered. It's the only government agency I can recall that moves with such speed!

This is a very important tip: If you have a name change, such as using a new married name, you must bring legal proof of that name, in addition to the legal ID requirements. Your marriage certificate is an example. You must present a certified certificate, not a photocopy! They will give it back to you, so it's okay to bring an original. If you do not, you might get an RFE or you might have to be processed with your maiden name.

And don't forget to bring the appointment letter, the one with the barcode for the appointment.

One more tip: there is a lot of information around the web stating that you are not allowed to bring any electronics. This is not true. You can enter with a phone or a laptop, however they must be powered off the entire time.

I keep seeing ppl get state IDs etc w/o an SSN? How is that even possible. Especially for Canadians. I would LOVE to get an stae ID or US driver's license it would make my life soooooo much easier

Perhaps it varies state to state. I'd start by looking at the FAQ on the DMV website of your state, and maybe call their help line. California's website does state that you can get one. For them the burden of proof of residence is proven with mail coming to the home address, or other qualifications.

I signed up for the email and text notification, but for my interview, I did not get any of them.

I checked my status online and the next day I got a mail.

Did you receive any prior e-notifications, for example when they received your mailings?