anek241

this coming from a long time F1 Student!

you will still be an F-1 Student even if the whole AOS process takes 5 years, until/unless your AOS (485) is approved you're an F1.

Thank you! I'm inviting my parents to the graduation and in the application for the visa they need to indicate my current status in the US. And I wasn't sure if 'non-immigrant visa' would still apply. Thank you for the explanations!

Hello! Could someone help me understand what is my official status called after the AOS application was sent but before the GC was approved? AOS is from F-1 (F-1 visa still valid through the end of June).

If I had to indicate my official status on an official form, could I still say that I'm in the 'non-immigrant visa' status now?

Thank you!

there's nothing you need to fill out for your parents for them to come on a B1/B2 visitor visa, they need to file for their own visa. you can invite them, that's all. or your wife can invite them.

what forms are you talking about?

Thank you for the response and I need to apologize, I didn't express it well. The visa forms that my parents need to fill out have a question whether any of their relatives are in the US now and if yes, what status they are in. That's why I need to clarify my status.

Hello! I need to fill out some forms (visa application for my parents to come for a visit), where I need to indicate my status in the US.

Now, I am in the process of AOS from F-1 student visa to the permanent resident (by marriage).

I remember someone saying in this forum that once I sent off the AOS application I'm not in the 'non-immigrant status' anymore. And we are not the 'legal permanent residents' yet, so should I select 'other' and then explain?

Please advise.

Thanks!

I think it can get lost everywhere, you can never be sure. What happend, it was stucking in the facility here in CA, but obviously they found it after I called. But yes, if you deliver via UPS or Fedex send it to the address in the 3rd floor, also with USPS delivery sign confirmation.

What I am going to do, I send now everything with USPS Firstclass mail.

But now everything goes fast, they already cashed the checks.

Thanks. Yeah, I decided on FedEx. I did have a scary story with the USPS overnight (!) delivery of my passport a couple of years back where they lost it for a couple of days I had to change my flight . We'll see if it works with FedEx. Good luck to everyone sending their docs in!

Welcome to VJ And good luck on your AOS Journey!!

We're here to help, give our thoughts and opinions, share our experiences

Maxximus

Hi Maxximus,

Thank you for all your great suggestions! Vielen Dank!

About the letter of employment, the instructions for I-864 said either the letter or the pay stubs, so we thought one thing would be enough.

And like it when you said that my mailbox will be my best friend . Thanks a lot, I'll keep it mind.

MFG

Hello, I saw that some people post their cover letter contents for double-checking here, so I decided to do the same. If someone could take a look at it, it would be great. I'm filing for AOS from F-1 student status (valid until August).

And then I also have a couple of questions.

1) I filled out the pdfs from the USCIS website and it worked out fine except when I printed them the text that I added in the fields is somewhat thin and hard to see compared to the text of the form. I tried to play with the fonts in Adobe but it didn't seem to make a difference. Has anyone else had the same problem? Is that a big problem?

2) I have everything printed one-sided, I didn't staple anything, just put color sheets between the sets of forms and had simple paper clips to hold forms of more than 1 page. Is that enough?

3) Is one G-1145 form (e-notification form) enough for the whole application or should there be a G-1145 for each form separately (one for I-130, one for I-485, etc)?

Checklist for the concurrent filing of forms:

- Concurrent Filing of I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative);

- I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status);

- I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization);

- and I-131 (Application of Travel Document).

Contents include:

1. Form G-1145 E-Notification of application acceptance

2. Form I-130 Petition For Alien Relative, including:

Check in the amount of US$ 420.00 for I-130

Form G-325A for my husband

Form G-325A for me

Copy of my husbands Birth Certificate

Copy of my husbands US passport

Copy of Marriage Certificate

Passport photos in a plastic bag (1 photo of him, 1 photo of me, names written in pencil on the back)

Copy of a letter from the bank to confirm joint residence and joint bank account

Friends affidavit of the bona fide relationship - original

3. Form I-485 Application To Register Permanent Residence Or Adjust Status:

Check in the amount of US$ 1070.00 for I-485, including the biometrics fee

Form G-325A for me

My Birth Certificate (English translation, translators original notarized statement, copy of the birth certificate)

Copy of passport's biographical page

Copy of the most recent visa

Copy of I-94 form (front and back on the same page)

Copy of Marriage Certificate

Two passport photos of me in a plastic bag

Form I-693 Medical Examination in a sealed envelope - original

Form I-864 Affidavit of Support

Copy of my husbands IRS federal tax return transcript for 2009

Copies of his pay stubs in the last 6 months

4. Form I-765 Application For Employment Document

Copy of the passport

Two passport photos for me in a plastic bag

5. I-131 Application for Travel Document

Copy of the current visa

Copy of the current I-20

Two passport photos in a plastic bag

Explanation of travel

Thanks a lot!

I've heard that they have problems delivering to a PO Box though because there tends to be no one there to sign for it, which is where our RFE was going to USCIS in California.

I still think I'll go with Fedex and send it to the street address. There must be someone there to sign. It's just safer, I think.

GREAT NEWS :thumbs:

Hi! I'm really glad it all worked out for you! But reading these posts got me thinking: Is it better to send the package by FedEx or UPS? These guys usually give you a guarantee that everything will be there quick. Anyone sent it by these carriers? In this case, I'd need to use the Express Mail/courier delievery address for AOS forms, right?

It's not useless if they're out of status, it's useless if they have over 180 days out-of-status because leaving would trigger the 3 year ban.

No, I'm good. My F-1 status is still valid. Greetings from the Quad Cities, neighbors!

Hi! I'm also preparing my AOS application and I asked a similar question in this forum before. It seems that once we apply for AOS, our F-1 status is void, so I-20 doesn't have any value anymore. And USCIS requires us to send the original. I hope more experienced people in this forum will help you with the specifics about the dates.

What form are you filling? If I-130 than you just have to write D/S as mentioned in your I-94. If you have D/S on your Form I-94, you may remain in the U.S. as long as you continue your course of studies, remain in your exchange program, or qualifying employment.

Thank you for your responses. Yes, it asks about the I-94 expiration and it does say D/S on it, so that's what I will put. Thanks so much!!!

There is actually a requirement in the instructions at part 7. Have another read. But if you read it closely you will see that as you are applying for it with AOS the separate piece of paper is not required. If you send the AP stuff AFTER you've sent the AOS stuff (but before the GC is approved) you will need to include the NOA1 from your AOS application.

You don't need to prove intended travel. If you have plans then you should write the date in, if you don't have plans then just write "unknown" where it asks for date and length of trip. As you have hopes to travel I would write "MAY 2011" in the date section so that if you need to expedite that info is there. It doesn't matter that you don't have anything booked but you do have tentative plans so it's not a lie to write "May". I personally had no plans, I just wanted it for emergencies so mine said "unknown"

Thank you for your advice! I was actually rereading the instructions when I saw again all these warnings in Part 3 for before you file for AP and got confused ! I'll follow your advice about the dates. Thanks for your help!

I think you're conflating two issues. For people that need an EXPEDITED AP, some explanation of why the application should be expedited is required. This would include tickets, travel plans, etc. If you're just applying for an AP as part of your AOS package, and don't need it expedited, very little, if any, explanation is required.

My wife just wrote a short note explaining that she would like to visit her 93-year old grandmother for Christmas in Spain, and her AP wa approved without any problem. Of course, it wasn't relevant for us, as her GC was approved shortly after received her AP.

Good luck!

AJ

Thank you for your response. You know I just realized that I'm more confused about this form than I thought I was. Just to make sure that I'm on the right track: I'm in the US now and I want to travel back home for a month or so in summer if that works out.

I should apply for Advanced Parole not the Re-entry permit, right? And on Part 2 I should check option d. "I'm applying for AP to allow me to return to the US after temporary foreing travel", right? Then I just put the date when I think I might travel and on a separate sheet of paper explain the reason (visit my parents?)?

It would be great if someone could clarify this for me. Thanks!!!

My I-94 says D/S for the expiration. In the forms, should I put D/S or should it put the actualy date (mm/dd/yyyy) of when my status ends on I-20?

Thanks!!!!

Hello! I want to submit the I-131 for Advanced Parole with my application. I looked at other people's posts in this forum and it seems that we need provide some kinda of proof of travel (like reserved tickets).

I am not planning to travel until May or probably even later, so I can't provide any proof of intended travel. Should I still file i-131 now with the i-485 or should I wait until I have more defined plans?

Also, people were talking about a required separate sheet of paper with the explanation of travel plans in addition to i-131 but I can't find this requirement in the instructions. Is it still a must?

Was anyone else in the same situation?

You are right, both of you need to fill out - ONE form EACH, making both of you an "applicant" with your husband filing I-130. It sounds you haven't sent in any paperwork yet so at this point you don't have an A-number yet (will be given to you with your first NOA) so for now put "not available" in it. And so will your hubby since he is a USC.

Good luck with your AOS journey!!!

Maxximus

Vielen Dank!!! Thank you for the clarification!

Hello! Another quick question.

Form G-325a should be filled out by me (applying for AOS) and for my husband (USC).

On the very bottom of this form there is a box that says

APPLICANT: Print your name and A-number in the box below.

My question is - do I put my name on his 325a? I'm the applicant, right? Or is he the applicant too and that's where I put his name? The whole thing seems to be geared toward the non USC, so I'm a bit confused.

USCIS says that I-20 should be an original, as per your link. I am sure that people send in copies only, and that "error" is not enough to make or break their application. They may be asked for it at the interview. When asking yourself "which one is right?" always go by USCIS instructions, not what random people have put in their cover letters. I am guessing that since you will have an interview and a chance to show all originals, it doesn't matter too much.

As to your second question, either of those will establish your current employment. Sending in both will not harm you, but it is not required. It is not frowned upon to send only one year of tax return. They do require a copy of your complete federal tax return (not state). What constitutes complete will differ from person to person, but yes, it includes all pages, all W2s, any 1099s, schedules, etc.

Good luck.

Thank you! I didn't realize that it should include W2 and 1099. Thanks!!!

Hello!

1) I was wondering if someone could help me understand whether I-20 should be submitted as original or as a copy with the AOS.

This USCIS link here says it should be the original link

But in several sample cover letters I've seen that people were submitting a copy. What's the right thing to do?

2) For I-864, the supporting documents should be EITHER letter from the employer or 6 pay stubs, not both, right?

And I know it's mandatory to send the most recent tax refund and optional for the ones for the last three years but I was wondering if it's kinda frowned upon to only send one?

Do they need the copy of all pages of the tax refund? State and Federal?

Sorry for multiple questions. If you can help me with any of those that would be great!

A photocopy of your passport is required as evidence in your initial submission, and your interview letter will ask you bring the originals of any evidence you submitted. Therefore, it seems to me that the passport is required for the interview. They want to see your passport and more importantly, take your I-94. It is possible, I would guess, that if your passport was being renewed, they would understand, but I don't think we can guarantee that. I say better to wait on the renewal. A state ID is nothing to them.

Thank you! I'd better wait then.

You can always wait to renew until after AOS is approved, then renew it.

It can be expired when doing AOS interview.

Thank you for your response. It could definitely be an option. But I'm still wondering if I need the passport for the biometrics/interview or whether I could just use the US driver's license as my ID. I want to see if it's possible for me to renew the passport and go through the GC procedures at the same time so I could travel back home in summer.

My Russian passport is going to expire in July 2011. To get a new one I need to send the old one to the consulate and I might not see it for several months. I'm also planning on sending my AOS documents. If everything is ok, I guess I will be invited for biometrics and for the interview. Do they need my Russian passport or can I just go in with the driver's license? Thank you in advance!

Thank you for your suggestions! It helps!

Hello everyone. I might have an odd question but I need legal advice on the use of the legal name. The problem is that I'm from a country (Russia) where everyone by default has a middle name which is a patronimic name(name of the father). However, when we travel abroad we use our international passport that only states our first name and the last name.

When I came to the US and applied for the social security number somebody advised me to enter my partronimic name as my middle name. Which stupidly I did. So, now my social security (and driver's license that was given to me based on the social security card and my marriage certificate that was given based on the driver's licence) have my first, middle and last name. But my passport only has my first and last name, so as pretty much any other document.

Now that I'm filling out papers for the GC, I don't know what combination I should use. First I thought I would only use the name and the last name because it's in my passport, I-94, I-20 etc. But the problem is that I have the middle name in my marriage certificate. I'm not sure if anyone has had a similar situation before but if you could give me advice that would be great.