Slacking on the next steps...AOS

[Nik+Heather 121]

How bad is it? I'm terrified. We're still finishing up our K-1 process and I want to die, I can't imagine getting started all over again just weeks after he gets here.

Luckily, a lot of the info you have to put on the forms is repeated from before, so it's a lot less gathering involved. the only real new piece of stuff you have to get is your marriage certificate and the date of your marriage -- but hopefully that's easy to remember!!! haha

K-1s don't need to put evidence of relationship in with the application - I mean, you just had an interview where they were supposed to check that, what more new evidence (aside from marriage) could you possibly have to offer.

Once you send that off, though, start an evidence folder where you'll just chuck anything useful, like mail sent to both of you/the immigrant at the USC's house, joint accounts, etc.

[Rob and Jill 82]

How bad is it? I'm terrified. We're still finishing up our K-1 process and I want to die, I can't imagine getting started all over again just weeks after he gets here.

There is nothing to be terrified over. It's just another pain in the butt. I am going to finish up photocopying today and hopefully have it all in the mail by the end of the week. It's much later than I wanted, but it's going to go in the mail. That's all that matters.

Don't stress. Just make sure you get it done and hopefully with a little more OOMPH to it than I have .

[Dodi 69]

Gap1, it's a lot of paperwork, just like the K1, but it's worth it.

I had half of the paperwork filled out before he got here, but we had so many problems with the CBP, USCIS, and DOS screwing things up after he got here, we waited a month. I had to take so much time off work to deal with the screw-ups that we called our Senator last Wednesday to ask for help expediting his EAD. They had the card in production the next day!!

We got our biometrics appointment a month after filing, and they had the case transferred to CSC about 10 days later. I've heard it's taking longer to get an approval if you get transferred than it does if you get an interview, so it's just a 50/50 shot.

Good luck to all of you who haven't filed yet. It only hurts when you see your bank statement!

[Gemmie 142]

We found the AOS MUCH easier than the K1. Less paperwork, less time, less pressure for it to be processed ASAP (if you're just wanting to be together quickly). I barely thought about it once I sent it, and got the green card within a couple of months.

We're removing conditions in October, and I'm already having twitches at having to do more immigration paperwork.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

We found the AOS MUCH easier than the K1. Less paperwork, less time, less pressure for it to be processed ASAP (if you're just wanting to be together quickly). I barely thought about it once I sent it, and got the green card within a couple of months.

We're removing conditions in October, and I'm already having twitches at having to do more immigration paperwork.

I'm with you Gemmie. AOS didn't seem stressful to me at all. I didn't check my status so even forgot my USCIS password. After all that checking during K1, you'd think it would be permanent in my brain.

We just mailed Removing Conditions and I thought that was more like the K1, organizing evidence to submit. The packet I mailed was 53 pages in all. And that wasn't going so overboard like some people do, but trying to be thorough. A lady posted in that forum this week she had a 5 lb. packet and 1.5 inches thick and needed a box. We don't have alot of the basics like joint names on mortgage. And I can't add him to my health insurance because I get income and health insurance from my deceased husband's employer. I am the beneficiary and can't add one. And I didn't change my last name. So I had to pad the packet with some extra fluff so they'll believe us. I'm not worried about it. I don't even know how long it takes. But hooray for ticking off one more blue box on our VJ timeline. In another year he will apply for citizenship.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

We found the AOS MUCH easier than the K1. Less paperwork, less time, less pressure for it to be processed ASAP (if you're just wanting to be together quickly). I barely thought about it once I sent it, and got the green card within a couple of months.

We're removing conditions in October, and I'm already having twitches at having to do more immigration paperwork.

I'm glad AOS is swifter than in the past. We waited 18 months for his greencard. Paid for two EAD's. I'm glad people don't go through that anymore.

I'm with you Gemmie. AOS didn't seem stressful to me at all. I didn't check my status so even forgot my USCIS password. After all that checking during K1, you'd think it would be permanent in my brain.

We just mailed Removing Conditions and I thought that was more like the K1, organizing evidence to submit. The packet I mailed was 53 pages in all. And that wasn't going so overboard like some people do, but trying to be thorough. A lady posted in that forum this week she had a 5 lb. packet and 1.5 inches thick and needed a box. We don't have alot of the basics like joint names on mortgage. And I can't add him to my health insurance because I get income and health insurance from my deceased husband's employer. I am the beneficiary and can't add one. And I didn't change my last name. So I had to pad the packet with some extra fluff so they'll believe us. I'm not worried about it. I don't even know how long it takes. But hooray for ticking off one more blue box on our VJ timeline. In another year he will apply for citizenship.

Wes is eligible for citizenship but we just have not bothered. I'm not sure he even wants to do it.

I really don't think we will even discuss it until it's time to "renew" the 10 year card. Or if we decide to move back over.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I'm glad AOS is swifter than in the past. We waited 18 months for his greencard. Paid for two EAD's. I'm glad people don't go through that anymore.

But aren't you the one who got your K1 NOA2 in 11 days??? LOL, just teasing you. I know people used to annoy you by saying that if I'm remembering the right person. AOS is indeed a lot easier. Ours was about 5 1/2 months, most of that time stuck at CSC for "speedier processing" which at that time was slower than interviewing.

Wes is eligible for citizenship but we just have not bothered. I'm not sure he even wants to do it.

I really don't think we will even discuss it until it's time to "renew" the 10 year card. Or if we decide to move back over.

My husband didn't even have to think about it. Don't know why. He's going to apply as soon as he's eligible. He loves it here. His life in the UK must have really sucked.

[Jewel-8 21]

My husband didn't even have to think about it. Don't know why. He's going to apply as soon as he's eligible. He loves it here. His life in the UK must have really sucked.

My husband has always said he doesn't care to have it. Now that we are expecting a baby I wonder if he is going to change his mind. I'm pretty sure if I just fill out the paperwork and leave it for him to look over he will want to do it. Fecking husbands.

[Rob and Jill 82]

Aside from stapling photos to a piece of paper I finally I have it all done and ready to go in the mail tomorrow.

I don't think the AOS paperwork has been difficult either. It's A LOT less stressful to me than the K-1. THANK GOODNESS.

So, it goes out tomorrow or Saturday and the next steps are on.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Aside from stapling photos to a piece of paper I finally I have it all done and ready to go in the mail tomorrow.

I don't think the AOS paperwork has been difficult either. It's A LOT less stressful to me than the K-1. THANK GOODNESS.

So, it goes out tomorrow or Saturday and the next steps are on.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

But aren't you the one who got your K1 NOA2 in 11 days??? LOL, just teasing you. I know people used to annoy you by saying that if I'm remembering the right person. AOS is indeed a lot easier. Ours was about 5 1/2 months, most of that time stuck at CSC for "speedier processing" which at that time was slower than interviewing.

13 days to be exact. 103 days to the interview. But the thing is, that was not unusual at all for a VSC/London couple at that time. There were lots of us with very short timelines. Most of the others moved on and I stuck around.

Our timeline is one of the reasons I went into a self-imposed "retirement" on the boards. I used to try being just as nice as I could be and people were ugly with resentment over it. When I gave up trying to over-compensate for it, that didn't work either. It would get brought up in threads for no useful purpose whatsoever. So here I am again. Who knows how it will go.

The long long long AOS was quite stressful. Since we didn't spend as long as many waiting for the visa, I can't relate personally to what that feels like. But I've seen people stress out (during visa processing) over what we all know will be a non-issue, and I guess that is what happened to us while we waited 18 months for AOS. We knew he was caught in namecheck. We would have moments of utter illogical despair where we worried they would get his identity mixed up with a "criminal" and make him leave the country. We had buckets of stress over getting the second EAD before the first one lapsed out.

After about 15 months of it, I had a friend of mine pull the string of an individual who used to be a very powerful player in the Service. I know this man inquired on my husband's behalf BUT told us flat out that if the namecheck was still at FBI, no one could move it. So I don't know if he had any real influence on getting my husband's case off the dime or not. It took about 90 days after that inquiry for the card to finally be issued.

[Rob and Jill 82]

It's interesting to me why anyone would be in a big hurry for the AOS to get finished after receiving a green card. I mean, generally at that point, there is not a lot going on right?

Sidenote: AOS paperwork has been mailed

[TBoneTX 45,091]

AOS paperwork has been mailed

Si, man!

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

It's interesting to me why anyone would be in a big hurry for the AOS to get finished after receiving a green card. I mean, generally at that point, there is not a lot going on right?

Sidenote: AOS paperwork has been mailed

I guess you meant to write "AOS to get finished after getting EAD/AP?" Because having that as quickly as possible is important, I think. I had prepared as much paperwork as I could before we got married, and we went to Vegas to do deed the weekend after he arrived and I sent that puppy out as soon as I had our marriage cert in my grubby paws.

It doesn't seem to happen so much anymore, but we were stuck in AOS namecheck hell and the lack of certainty about it was really quite stressful to us.

[LaL 418]

It's interesting to me why anyone would be in a big hurry for the AOS to get finished after receiving a green card. I mean, generally at that point, there is not a lot going on right?

I am having a devil of a time trying to parse this sentence. I am sure I am not reading something correctly, AOS *is* finished upon receipt of the greencard. What am I reading wrong