Joe and Ann

We filed the I-131 at the same time that we filed the applications for AOS and EAD. My wife and stepson both received EADs with an annotation indicating that they had been granted advance parole. We also did not have any definite travel plans, but decided to request advance parole just in case an emergency arose. Thankfully, it did not. My wife and stepson had their adjustment of status interview on Wednesday and everything went swimmingly ... hopefully they will have their green cards soon.

Take care and God bless you on the rest of your journey!

Joe

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick update: we finally received our Request for Applicant to Appear for Initial Interview letters today, October 15, 2011 (the letters were dated the 12th). The interview is scheduled for November 16, 2011 at the Washington Field Office (actually Fairfax, Virginia) ... our timeline has been appropriately update. ;D

Have a great day!

Joe & Ann

My wife and son applied for AOS in July as well. My wife and son have now had their combined EAD/AP cards for about a month, but we have not received any further word regarding AOS ... we have not even received an interview letter yet. We called the USCIS Help Line, which resulted in us obtaining the same information we had already gotten from the website (no surprise there). If it stretches into November without word, I will probably make an INFOPASS appointment to figure out what is going on (or more to the point, what is NOT going on).

Take care and God bless!

Joe

She will need to list her son on the I-485 in part 3B with the indication that he will be applying with her. You will also need to complete an I-485 for her son as well. Since he is under the age of 14, however, you will NOT have to provide a G-325A for him as part of the package. When you send in the forms make sure that you mail the applications together, but that there are separate checks for the fees ($1,070 for your wife and $635 for her son).

Take care and God bless!

Joe & Ann

The I-485 must be filed for each person along with the applicable fee (separate check for each application). On the I-485 for your wife, list her children in Part 3B and indicate that they will be applying with her. This will allow the USCIS to associate the children with her application. Essentially, as her application moves through the process, so do the applications of her children since their status is derived from hers. If the children are under age 14, you will not need a G-325A for them, though you will need one for your wife. You only need to do one I-864, since both your wife and the children will be covered by it. However, when Ann and I submitted the AOS/EAD/AP packages, we also made copies of the I-864 and included it in our stepson's package. You will probably also need an I-693 completed by a civil surgeon for each of them as well.

I hope that this helps. Have a great day!

Joe & Ann

I sent my wife's and my stepson's AOS/EAD/AP packages to the Chicago Lockbox's courier address via FedEx. I sent it on July 9th and it was signed for by someone at the mailroom at that location on July 13th. However, we did not receive electronic acknowledgement of receipt until August 9th. The checks cleared a day later and we received the hardcopy NOAs (six of them - one for each application) a few days later along with the biometrics appointment letters. So, from delivery to NOAs, it took about a month.

Take care and God bless!

Joe

Hi Everyone,

We received combined EAD/AP cards yesterday afternoon for my wife and stepson. On 9/9 we received e-mails/texts telling us that the EADs were in production. On 9/13 we received e-mails/texts indicating that AP had been approved; post-decision activity was indicated and that notices were being mailed. On 9/15, we received another set of EAD e-mails/texts telling us the EADs were in production. On 9/16 we received e-mails/texts showing post-decision activity for the EADs.

Have a great day!

Joe & Ann

For the second job, as for the first, you will want to get a letter from your employer confirming your dates of employment and your annual income. Along with my affidavit I also included three years of IRS income tax transcripts and a couple of pay stubs.

Good luck with the rest of your journey!

Joe

We submitted Ann and Daine's EAD/AOS/AP packages adjusting from K-1 and K-2 visas, respectively, on July 9, 2011 using FedEx. They were received at the address specified for express mail and courier packages on July 13, 2011. However, we did not get electronic notification until August 9, 2011. The checks cleared our bank account the following day. The hardcopy NOA1's arrived in the mail about a week later along with the biometrics appointment letters.

Good luck!

Joe & Ann

When we filed for my wife and stepson (adjusting form K-1 and K-2 visas, respectively) we sent two checks along with the AOS/EAD/AP packages. One check, for my wife, was $1,070 ($985 fee + $85 biometrics) and the other check, for my stepson (10 years old), was $635. The USCIS accepted the applications. The packages were each rubberbanded together with the associated check (and electronic notification form) attached to the front of each package.

Have a great day!

Joe

I rarely say this to anyone directly, because I don't like to meddle any more than Ann and I like to have people meddle in our relationship, but you need to hire a decent divorce attorney and move on. If your wife could stand to not hear from you for three weeks, then my earlier assessment, that she had already let you go, seems spot on.

As you can see from the flag next to this post, my wife is from the Philippines. I was in the habit of calling her every morning (she would also call me on my cell and talk for a few minutes when I got to work) and every evening (with texts in between; she did the same while I was asleep and she was at work) ... thank God for the the AT&T World Plan. I would get up VERY early in the morning to talk to her. One morning, after a long night of doing both client work and studying for my MBA, I crashed and overslept. I was awakened by a call from Ann. She was both upset and worried about me. When I explained that I overslept, she said that she understood and told me to go back to sleep for a while and just call when I woke up; that she would just be at home helping Daine with his school work. That kind of love and understanding, brother, is what you deserve.

I am sure you will find someone out there that will appreciate you. Once again, take care, and God bless!

Joe

And YES, I have TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES to speak to her FACE TO FACE about this entire situation.....and over the phone, and all she ses is "the same thing again your talking to me about?!?!??!"...

And if I'm there, she'll either leave and won't come back for AGES and then when I FINALLY see her, she'll ignore me or if its over the phone,she simply hangs up.

Believe me, I've tried A LOT, probably because Im so blindly in love with her, but with her, its like she doesnt even feel the same, does not show any emotion.

Whilst Im there crying, she just sits there and doesn't care. Straight face,no emotion.

I really don't know HOW to let go. After all I have worked towards.

And I know that if I see her with someone new, I know its going to get me that annoyed and upset that she'd put in ALLLLLLLL the effort with the new person, that she didn't even do with me,...being her husband. =(

From this end, it appears that there is one big problem in your relationship. The problem is that SHE has already let YOU go. As for all of the work (and money - you mentioned giving her money to start a business) you have put in, I completely understand. I don't give up very easily myself. But here is a question: are YOU doing ALL of the work in this relationship? With Ann and I, it has always been a partnership down the line. For marriage to work it has to be a partnership. Do you have a partner? If not, then perhaps it is time to look for someone else who will be your partner and shred those papers you have been putting together for someone who is unwilling to be one.

Take care and may God bless you and guide you as you decide on your next steps.

Joe

Ann came over on a K-1 visa and we were able to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN) for her immediately. After we were married, we took the marriage certificate back to the local Social Security Administration (SSA) office and requested a card with her married name. They obliged ... we were literally in and out in about fifteen minutes ... and we received a new card in the mail in about a week. If there are other SSA offices reasonably near where you live, you may want to give them a try, because the one with which you are dealing is clearly out to lunch when it comes to dealing with these matters.

Good luck!

Joe

Hi All,

Ann and Daine were scheduled for Biometrics at the Alexandria ASC on August 30, 2011, but we decided to give walking in a try on one of my days off, August 18, 2011. The guard didn't verify the date or time, simply looked at their identification and the appointment letters to verify that they were for them and then handed us a clipboard with a VERY simple form on it. They completed the forms, handed them to the receptionist, and then waited about 20 minutes or so ... there were ten customers ahead of us. The taking of the biometrics itself seemed like it took maybe five minutes. When they emerged, each of them had their appointment letters stamped, signed, and dated by the technician.

Overall, a very good experience. Have a great day!

Joe

We used a two-hole punch along the top of all of the documents and used and ACCO prong and compressor to keep it together. We used dividers for each section, with tabs at the bottom. We included a cover letter which had an index to the forms, photos, and evidence corresponding to the tab numbers. We paper clipped to the top couple of pages of the packet the electronic notification form and the check made out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. We then rubber banded the whole thing top, middle, and bottom.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your journey!

Joe & Ann

Hello Everyone,

We filed for Employment Authorization Document (EAD), Advance Parole (AP), and Adjustment of Status (AOS) for both my wife (adjusting from K-1) and stepson (adjusting from K-2) in July and received the Notifications of Action (NOA) and Biometrics Appointment Letters in August. As part of the AOS package I included an I-864, Affidavit of Support, that was based entirely on my income (I am a Manager with a Big Four accounting firm) and supported by tax transcripts, pay stubs, and an employment letter.

However, I was recently offered a Director position with a local government contractor. It is a promotion, more money, and closer to home. However, it is NOT the job referenced in the I-864 nor is it the job referenced in the supporting employment letter. Could this cause any problems prior to, or during, the interview? Obviously, I would be obtaining an employment letter from my new employer prior to the interview, just in case.

Thanks and have a great afternoon!

Joe

It was probably overkill, but I used to be an auditor and am always asking annoying "what if" questions. The result is usually that I provide A LOT of documentation; probably too much. With that said, though, no RFEs or rejections so far. I provided Ann with tax transcripts for the last three years, my last six paystubs, and a letter from my firm confirming the length of employment, annual salary, and position/title.

At least you are approaching the process with some of the good humor needed to survive it. Good luck and godspeed!!!

Joe & Ann

Ann and I had been August 2010 filers and it took about five and a half months for our petition to get approved. However, after that things went quickly. We got an NVC case number two days later and were informed two days after receiving the case number that the petition had been sent to Manila. The Embassy in Manila confirmed receipt of the physical package about a week after it was shipped.

Good luck with the rest of your journey; Godspeed!

Joe

@ Tina & Sam: Congratulations!!! Ann and Daine received their biometrics letters one day before receiving their various hardcopy NOAs. We are scheduled for August 30th at the ASC in Alexandria, Virginia. Apparently they readily accept early walk-ins, so we are going to give it a try.

@ neko: We called USCIS on the morning of August 4th and were told we had to wait 30 days. We inquired as to next steps if it hit the 30 day mark and the representative indicated that they could then put in a service request. He also added, however, that if they could not locate the package (and it was important that someone had signed for the package ... in other words, express/courier and not regular mail) then a new set of applications should be sent. Interestingly, we received our e-mails and texts on the afternoon of August 4th. Just a coincidence? Hmmmmmmmmm.

Take care and have a great day!

Joe

For the record the A# on our visa is the same one on the NOA2.

For the OP: Just to clarify - Dr. Comunale does not do anything by e-mail, mail, or fax. You must see him in person. In that sense he is not like Dr. Arnold. He is, however, friendly, attentive, and at least in our estimation fair.

Take care!

Joe & Ann

My wife attended the CFO Pre-Departure Seminar prior to receiving her visa. In fact, she attended not long after receiving her passport in October 2010. The certification you receive from the CFO at that time is valid for one year. Upon receipt of the visa, she went back to the CFO office to obtain the CFO stickers for both her and my stepson's passports (even though he did not have to attend the seminar, he was still required to have the sticker).

By the way, when you go to the CFO for the sticker, please remember to bring along the documentation you have gotten from NBI and NSO; she was asked to show this to them. She was also asked to provide passport size photos (for their records; they clip them to a form that you need to complete to get the sticker). Luckily she had them in her magic bag of documents.

If you have any concerns about what to take to the CFO on the day of the seminar/interview, let us know and we will provide the listing of documents that we gave to them. Take care and God bless!

Joe and Ann

We went to see Dr. Robert Comunale in McLean, Virginia. His address is 1608 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101 and his phone number is 703-893-6670. For our visit it cost a total of $270 for both my wife and stepson (adjusting for K-1 and K-2 visas, respectively): $175 for my wife and $95 for my stepson. He DID perform an additional medical examination, but did not insist on any additional immunizations or tests. He was very friendly, especially to my stepson whom he allowed to use the stethoscope to hear his mommy's heartbeat. Dr. Comunale is semi-retired and works out of his home. Prior to going to him, I did research to find out what people had to say about him. General impression: cranky country doctor. I can vouch for country; cranky I am not so sure of.

If you look for consumer reviews for most of the civil surgeons in Northern Virginia, they are abyssmal. Most of them get terrible reviews from regular patients as well as those going for immigration related services. Even if they were cheaper (which they weren't), I did not want to subject my family to such unsavory characters.

Take care and God bless!

Joe

The A# should appear on the K-1 Visa in your passport in the following format (where N equals a number) ANNN-NNN-NNN. If you do not see it there, you can also check the NOA2, where it will appear eith the beneficiary's name. If there is no A#, no worries: one will be assigned during the AOS process; the I-94 information should help USCIS in tracking your records down. For "Current USCIS Status" we used "K-1 Visa Holder" and "K-2 Visa Holder", respectively, for my now wife and stepson.

Take care and have a great day!

Joe & Ann