mnm14

Hey guys, I'm new to this thread. I filed my petition at CSC April 8, got my approval letter in the mail a week ago, but when I check my case status online, it still says "initial review" and does not mention anything about it being approved and nothing about green card production, etc. Is this normal? Should I just ignore the online status and wait for the card to come in the mail (hopefully soon)?

I called the USCIS hotline and they transferred me to the second tier customer service. I explained the situation to them and the officer asked for my alien registration number and after I gave it to get she said she could not find my info in the system! She then looked me up in another system and found me there but said it showed no record of my entry to the US. She even asked me what my POE was because she couldn't see it. She even asked me if I gave the brown envelope to the officer at the airport (which of course I did). So evidently someone at Chicago O'Hare screwed up and it seems they haven't forwarded my paperwork to USCIS yet. The officer told me she would make an inquiry with the Texas Service Center which is where my paperwork should have been sent and I should receive some sort of notification or confirmation in the mail within two weeks. She also gave me a referral number which I can use to follow up on my issue and told me to call back and give them that referral number if I do not receive anything in the mail within the next two weeks. She said that if this cannot be resolved over the phone I may have to make a trip to my local USCIS office. So it's just wait and see right now and hope it gets resolved smoothly.

I will try the hotline tomorrow and see where I get. I really doubt it's a problem with the postal carrier as I have been receiving all my other mail (from the bank, insurance company, bills, etc) just fine. So most likely there is a delay in processing/production or they have the wrong address on file.

My case was DCF...all my processing was done at the US embassy in Lebanon so i don't have a USCIS receipt number, and it seems that there is no way to check the status online without that.

Any other suggestions?

Hi,

I entered the US 5 weeks ago using my CR-1 and my POE was Chicago.

I was under the impression that I should receive my permanent resident card in the mail within 3-4 weeks of entry, and before that I should receive a welcome letter from USCIS. It's been 5 weeks now, and no sign of welcome letter or green card.

Also, although they were supposed to automatically issue me a SSN and send the card to my home address (I confirmed the address with the officer at the POE), I waited 3 weeks and did not receive anything and I went to my local social security office and they told me that no number had been assigned to me and they asked me to fill out an application and after I did that I got my social security card in the mail in less than a week.

I'm not sure if my paperwork is just sitting in a pile at the Chicago Airport or if there is some other delay, but it seems like they aren't processing my paperwork within the expected timeframe. It seems strange to me that it's been 5 weeks and I have not gotten any contact at all from USCIS. Should I just be more patient an wait longer for the green card, welcome letter etc. Or should I follow up on this personally? Would calling USCIS help? Is there any specific number I should call them on? Or do I have to make an infopass appointment?

Thanks a lot for your help!

Thanks Christi! That was really helpful I've already emailed the embassy to ask them...hoping to get a reply within a couple of days. I'm hoping they would treat it as they do in London with just requiring the tax returns as my wife files them to the IRS (1040+2555-EZ with no W-2 obviously). Then we won't have to bother with trying to get transcripts (which won't add any additional information in our case anyway) and waiting for them to come in international mail.

Thanks. I do know about the transcripts, but having them mailed to Lebanon will take several weeks, and we're almost done with the other requirements and might be able to schedule my interview within the next couple of weeks. We have photocopies of her filed 1040 and 2555-EZ forms for the past few years in hand already.

If there's no other way besides getting transcripts, then we'll do that. But seeing that the W-2 does not even apply in her case, I'm wondering if we'll be able to submit the photocopies of the 1040 and 2555-EZ without the W-2. Hoping someone else who's been through a similar situation can shed some insight on this matter.

Hi,

I'm really sorry if this has been answered before. I tried searching the forums but couldn't find a specific answer to my question.

My US citizen wife and I recently filed our I-130 at the consulate and it was approved, and we were given the packet with DS-230, I-864, medical exam instructions, etc which we need to complete before I can schedule my visa interview.

We're working on the I-864 right now, and have a question. Regarding tax info for my wife (the US citizen petitioner). My wife has been working at a non-US company here in Lebanon for the past 6 years, so she does not receive a W-2 form from her employer. Her income is below the exclusion limit so she doesn't owe any taxes, but she has been diligently filing her tax returns (forms 1040 and 2555-EZ) on time each year, and she has kept copies of those forms for her records. However, the instructions for I-864 state:

If you provide a photocopy of your tax return(s), you must include a copy of each and every Form W-2 and Form 1099 that relates to your return(s)

She doesn't have either of those forms...all she files every year is form 1040 and 2555-EZ (and I imagine this is the norm for US citizens working at a foreign company abroad). So what should we do in this case? Thanks!

Hello. Does anyone here have any experience when applying for a CR-1 visa for a spouse, filing directly at the US embassy in Beirut, Lebanon?

Generally, how long does it take to get your interview after filing the I-130? (not including AP as I know the time for that is difficult to predict). Thank you.