PedroDaGr8

1 hour ago, acidrain said:

Greetings my fellow Canadians. We applied for IR1/IR2 and our i130 is stuck in Nebraska. I'm starting to feel panicked too because every time I look at our estimated i130 completion date it gets pushed further and further back. I was hopeful it would've been approved by now (5 months) but it is starting to look like I should feel happy if it's approved by the end of the year!

 

I have no concrete answers. The only theory I can come up with is the fact there is a political environment which is anti-immigrant and it's given permission to the 5 service centers to work whenever they feel like. I mean really what is their consequence if it takes everyone longer? Reading previous threads from years ago it's common for back logs to happen. But 9 months for a i130 to get approved? That's ridiculous. I think the most frustrating part is there is nobody to complain to. Then what happens is everybody (rightfully so) starts to call in to the service centers and political offices taking up further resources. I'm happy when people get expedited but a part of me wonders if all those people are going to be making me wait even longer.

 

The part that drives me crazy is the fact our application fees pay the salaries of all these workers. I know if a private business were this ineffective the place would go bankrupt.

Back logs happen often around fee changes. Fee's went up at the end of Dec. 2016. You will see a glut of applicants racing to beat the fee increase, this causes backlogs like you are seeing now. 

It has nothing to do with the political environment or anything like that. Trump hasn't had enough time to really affect the Immigration process itself that much, short of his hamfisted block attempts at certain nationalities and regions.  

7 hours ago, rahsab said:

Hello

this is exactly the same what happened with my husband at Montreal embassy. they gave him his passport back and kept the documents after 10 days we received an email they want us to complete form DS 5535, we did and we are still waiting now they gave us no time frame nothing. 

Embassies/consulates will almost NEVER give you a time frame ever. Doesn't matter how easy or hard, they will not tell you. About the only time they will give you a time frame is after you are approved, they will give you a time frame on how long it will take for you to receive your passport back with the visa in it.

2 minutes ago, Cypress said:

Okay. It appears that on the letters sent to us the alien number is the one above the receipt numbers on the letter. We didn't know this. We don't have that letter stating simply the petitioner beneficiary and validity date. We never received a letter such as that. We have not done the interview yet it's being scheduled. 

Good, glad that you found it.

Just now, jdb said:

I read that part too. Thank goodness if that is the case. Not like I am expecting the process to be a lot longer than usual, it's just I didn't want to waste the money ( if it takes longer ) if I have the option to not to do it.

That's why they allow you to bring it later to the interview. It must be valid at the interview and they don't want people spending larger amounts of money that might eventually be wasted. Eespecially for categories of AoS which don't require an earlier I693, such as adjusting from an F1, this allows them to plan their I693 at a time they know it will be valid.

3 minutes ago, jdb said:

Do you have any idea if they will RFE and ask me to send the I-693 during the AOS process? I mean, I don't want to just send it without any notice from them because I AM TOO SCARED for it to get lost. lol. 

based on the image I posted, they will not. The instructions that I posted said that you have the option of hand delivering it to the interview, providing that the I693 is still valid (1 yr validity). This is because it might be more than a year before the interview, so you might need a new one if you get it too early.

1 minute ago, Cypress said:

Thank you. I don't have this approval notice above. I've called before asking for my alien number. I've had other letters directing me now to the interview. 

This approval notice is from your K1 process. it was sent to your now spouse and you would have had to take it to your interview (plus I believe they request you to submit it with your AoS application). Also, your A# should be on every letter they send you. 

2 minutes ago, jdb said:

People say you can never send "too much" evidence, that it's better to put a lot than get RFEs. On my case, there's a big chance that I will get RFE since I didn't put I-693 on my application. But I am REALLY hoping that they just ask me to bring it on the interview. ( I am really concern about the 1-year-validity of the medical exam so I didn't include it. ) Fingers crossed.

You can definitely send too much evidence. This was especially true for the K1. A few came back that there was too much evidence to sort out what was what. It is MUCH harder to do for AoS.

As for your RFE, you will be fine according to the I485 instructions: 

2 minutes ago, jdb said:

I remember reading one case that they didn't put G1145 on top of each and didn't get a notification. Oh, well. Nothing to lose.

Interesting, USCIS be truly crazy! I do agree with you, adding three is very very unlikely to get it returned to you for too much paperwork (which can happen if you give way too much evidence.

3 minutes ago, jdb said:

In my case I put one copy of G-1145 each on top of all my application. Other people say they only put one on top of the I-485 and didn't have any problems. I put 3 on mine to be on the safe side. You can never be too careful.

Only one is needed for the whole packet. I placed my one on top of the packet and received all of the notifications as expected.

Just now, Cypress said:

Thank you. How do I find what my alien number is ? 

I edited the previous post to show you an example of the Adjustment of Status NOA1. This has your  A# (which is the Alien Number). It is also on your approval notice (also called NOA2) from the K1 process(in the red box shown below).

10 minutes ago, Cypress said:

Hi I'm having problems quoting your previous reply. I googled 1797 from what I see it's an official response with an alien number on bonded paper. Is that correct? I have not got one of those. I have done the i485 and been doing as uscis say eg do biometrics done. Last update on file a few days ago said interview being scheduled. I've previously called on a few occasions wondering about alien numbers and been directed by there letters eg biometrics eg next step interview. 

If you did the biometrics, then you got the I-797 (it is an i not a 1). It looks like below.

There is no point in filing for those extra things at this time. If you had just filed I would say yes, but this far into the process it is likely a waste of time. You would likely get your green card before those finished processing.

Your greencard will not come with a SSN on top. You will get the green card, then you must separately go to the social security office to apply for a SSN.

12 minutes ago, Cypress said:

I sent it in around October last year. Okay so I can do those two forms you listed. Is it beneficial to do rather then waiting for the green card? Eg will the green card come with a SSN if I do it now linking it to the I485? Thanks for your help I really appreciate it. 

You sent it in, in October 2016 and you still haven't received you I797 NOA1? The I-797 NOA1 is the form they mail you that says that they have received your application and forms. By this point you should have received THAT form AND the biometrics appointment. At this far in, there is likely no benefit to either of those two extra forms (AP or EAD) as they would likely finish near the same time as your green card. If you HAVEN'T received ANYTHING back from USCIS yet, then you have some major issues going on that you need to look into.

SSN is not linked. After you get your green card, you can then go to your local social security office and sign up for an SSN. You will need one before you can't start working.

53 minutes ago, mrmrsVang said:

Yay got my 3 NOAs in the mail today 

 

Timeline

 

July 11 - AOS packet sent via Fedex 

July 12 - signed and delivered to USCIS

July 17 - case was received / SMS/e-mail notification received

July 17 - Fingerprint fee was received

July 21 - Notice of Action in the mail yey

 

You should put your timeline in your signature. These are very useful for filers in the future to see how long things tend to take on average. I have been using these to monitor the timing of the July process (compared to the June or April).

If you want this completed as fast as possible, often having an interview is quicker than having the interview waiver, for whatever reason. So having an interview is not entirely negative. 

1 minute ago, malene1207 said:

thank you Pedro.

Found it, it is on the USCIS website: https://www.uscis.gov/forms-filing-tips

41 minutes ago, Cypress said:

Thanks. No I don't have an I 797 from uscis. I did the I 485. To be honest I didn't know there were those forms to even use eg 131 and 1 765. I guess I'm a newbie. I just followed what they said on the website and wasn't aware it was even possible to get an ssn before a green card. Im sure there's a few who are in the similar situation and I didn't know about this forum until a week ago. Thank you 

When did you file for Adjustment of Status? If it was relatively recent, then it might be worth your while to file those documents. You can still file the I-765 and I-131 with no fee, just referencing your pending I-485.

15 minutes ago, malene1207 said:

oh wow. We are planning to send my docs next week. Can i punch holes to my docs and fasten it so it wont get lost? Just a thought. 

According to the instructions for one of the documents (I can't find it right now, but will look in more detail later), you CAN punch holes in the documents. That being said, you MUST use the top-mounted two-hole punch. This style is common in industry but seldom found in the general public. At home, most people use the more common side-mounted three-hole punch. Because I work in an FDA regulated company, we have the two-hole punches everywhere. I went ahead and punched mine, just to be nice to the person doing the filing work. 

5 minutes ago, Cypress said:

Thank you. I'm not sure if I did. How would you check? 

Did you receive your I-797 NOA1's from USCIS yet? If so, then there will be one for I-485, plus one for I-131 (Advanced Parole, for travel, if you filed it) and I-765 (EAD, if you filed for it).

3 minutes ago, Cypress said:

Ok thanks I'm out of status. What is an EAD? 

Employment authorization document, form I-765. Which is usually filed concurrently with your I-485. It gives you the right to work, while your green card is processing. If you did not apply for it, you might have to wait until you have your greencard.

On 7/20/2017 at 6:54 AM, TrungN said:

Oh, I had no idea K-3 became obsolete. Well, all that work for naught

K3 was designed to be a stopgap measure when the spousal visa's were incredibly backlogged circa 2000. Wait times were measured in years, so the K3 was invented to help alleviate that backlog. This is no longer an issue, so the USCIS/DHS has obsoleted it. 

3 minutes ago, Adam&Allison said:

How long do the biometrics letters usually take to come? I'm a little concerned because we're out of state for two weeks in August!

From what I have seen it is roughly 2 weeks from when you received the SMS messages about your NOA1 (or about a week from when you received them in the mail). 

11 minutes ago, Adam&Allison said:

 

Oh - I would've thought if you were gonna get an RFE for that you might have gotten it before the NOA1? Just my two cents. 

I would hope so, but I am actually not sure WHEN they issue RFEs in AoS. If it IS Biometrics, it is almost exactly to the day, the timeframe I was seeing from people at the end of June. I will keep everyone posted this evening when I get home.

Just now, Adam&Allison said:

 

What pictures did you forget? 

I only sent the two pictures with the I-485. I forgot to include the two pictures each for the EAD and AP. Reading online it seems like many didn't have any issues, but a few did get an RFE for that.

12 hours ago, JTTE said:

Hi guys, I'm new here. Please someone help me!

 

I came with a visitor B-2 visa and met my now husband and we got married before my i-94 expiration.

Wedding 04/06/2017

i-94 expired 04/25/2017

Filling now in July

 

Looking at the new i-485 and on Part 2 Question 2 I don't know if my case is part of the INA 245i...

 

Does someone know if our case is part of that??

 

Thank you so much in advance!!! I got really confused with this question (the old form was better in my oppinion)... 

4 hours ago, AshMarty said:

My husband is here on a K1 and we put no to that question. It looks like it is part of the LIFE act when I looked it up for our form. And it applies to people that arrived without inspection between a certain period of time. At least that is what I made out of the question.

53 minutes ago, PinkCandy said:

If you just arrived in the US recently and no one else from your family or employers petitioned you before April 2001, I think you are not under 245-i. 

For more reference here is the eligibilty for 245i:

 

You may be eligible to receive a green card through Section 245(i) if you:

• Are the beneficiary of a qualified immigrant petition (Form I-130 or I-140) or application for labor certification (Form ETA-750) filed on or before April 30, 2001
• Were physically present in the United States on December 21, 2000, if you are the principal beneficiary and the petition was filed between January 15, 1998, and April 30, 2001
• Are currently the beneficiary of a qualifying immigrant petition (either the original Form I-130 or I-140 through which you are grandfathered or through a subsequently filed immigrant petition)
• Have a visa immediately available to you
• Are admissible to the United States

In addition, the qualifying immigrant visa petition or the qualifying application for labor certification must have been “properly filed” (signed and submitted with the correct fees) and “approvable” (meritorious based on the facts and “non-frivolous”) when filed.

Depending on the circumstances, a spouse or child of a grandfathered individual may also be a grandfathered or may be eligible to adjust status as a dependent under Section 245(i) of the INA.

These are all correct. INA 245i is for a very very specific subset of people. Pretty much 99.9% of people filing for an AoS at this time would answer No to that questions. 

Also, USPS Informed Delivery indicated that we have a letter from US Dept of Homeland Security National Benefits Center. Either it will be our biomentrics appt or it will be an RFE for the pictures that I forgot. Quite anxious to see which it is. 

Did you use FoxIt Reader for this? I have seen it tends to break the PDFs. This error in particular.