Applied for 319b--a tip, status, and question

[duomi 0]

Hi,

Wanted to pass along a document that a lawyer recommended I include with my 319b application. It's called a "319b Cover Sheet" and you are supposed to include it as the top sheet of paper. I've uploaded it here.

I also wanted to share the progress of my 319b application--seems like there are so many uncertainties out there about how it works! I'll post updates as they happen...

1. November 7, 2008: Filed the N-400 from Bangkok, sent by EMS to Vermont Service Center. I decided to be interviewed at the Fairfax, VA, office.

2. November 24, 2008: The check has been cashed!

This seems like good news (and fast) but I'm also not exactly sure what it means other than the fact that I am officially $595 poorer...So, what does it actually mean when they cash the check? Does that mean I qualify for 319b? Or just that I submitted everything correctly? I was really worried about the fingerprints as others have mentioned.

[Just some background about me: I've been a LPR for years and my husband is contracted for USAID in Phnom Penh until April 2010, at least.]

Thanks for any experience or thoughts.

319_b_CoverSheet.doc

[T and M 1]

Hi,

Wanted to pass along a document that a lawyer recommended I include with my 319b application. It's called a "319b Cover Sheet" and you are supposed to include it as the top sheet of paper. I've uploaded it here.

I also wanted to share the progress of my 319b application--seems like there are so many uncertainties out there about how it works! I'll post updates as they happen...

1. November 7, 2008: Filed the N-400 from Bangkok, sent by EMS to Vermont Service Center. I decided to be interviewed at the Fairfax, VA, office.

2. November 24, 2008: The check has been cashed!

This seems like good news (and fast) but I'm also not exactly sure what it means other than the fact that I am officially $595 poorer...So, what does it actually mean when they cash the check? Does that mean I qualify for 319b? Or just that I submitted everything correctly? I was really worried about the fingerprints as others have mentioned.

[Just some background about me: I've been a LPR for years and my husband is contracted for USAID in Phnom Penh until April 2010, at least.]

Thanks for any experience or thoughts.

I think the check being cashed means they have received your application, very little else.

You should receive a letter, which is generally known as Notice of Action 1. This will say something like, "we received your application and it is being processed." It might even say that it was sent to the National Benefits Center for processing. This is normal. It should also say that you will receive a letter regarding your interview within a certain period of time. This can say 90 days or 180 days or 450 days. The number of days seems to be irrelevant to the amount of time you will wait for an interview. You can estimate this by looking at recent filers to Fairfax Field Office via Vermont Service Center.

By the way, what address is USCIS sending your notices to? Your interview letter is likely to be sent out 4-6 weeks before your interview. If you are abroad, this means you could get your interview letter only a week or two before your interview. This could cause a problem.

We are abroad, and put down our US residency, my parents' house. They open, scan, and email all correspondence to us so that we get it immediately and can make flight arrangements with some anticipation.

Good luck! Sounds like you filed successfully! Now all you have to do is wait! According to past time lines, you should receive an interview letter in January or February and have an interview in April or May! This is a very very crude estimate, however. I recommend you look through the threads titled "July filers," "June filers," "August filers" to see how quickly Fairfax/VSC is moving at the moment.

[duomi 0]

Hi,

Wanted to pass along a document that a lawyer recommended I include with my 319b application. It's called a "319b Cover Sheet" and you are supposed to include it as the top sheet of paper. I've uploaded it here.

I also wanted to share the progress of my 319b application--seems like there are so many uncertainties out there about how it works! I'll post updates as they happen...

1. November 7, 2008: Filed the N-400 from Bangkok, sent by EMS to Vermont Service Center. I decided to be interviewed at the Fairfax, VA, office.

2. November 24, 2008: The check has been cashed!

This seems like good news (and fast) but I'm also not exactly sure what it means other than the fact that I am officially $595 poorer...So, what does it actually mean when they cash the check? Does that mean I qualify for 319b? Or just that I submitted everything correctly? I was really worried about the fingerprints as others have mentioned.

[Just some background about me: I've been a LPR for years and my husband is contracted for USAID in Phnom Penh until April 2010, at least.]

Thanks for any experience or thoughts.

I think the check being cashed means they have received your application, very little else.

You should receive a letter, which is generally known as Notice of Action 1. This will say something like, "we received your application and it is being processed." It might even say that it was sent to the National Benefits Center for processing. This is normal. It should also say that you will receive a letter regarding your interview within a certain period of time. This can say 90 days or 180 days or 450 days. The number of days seems to be irrelevant to the amount of time you will wait for an interview. You can estimate this by looking at recent filers to Fairfax Field Office via Vermont Service Center.

By the way, what address is USCIS sending your notices to? Your interview letter is likely to be sent out 4-6 weeks before your interview. If you are abroad, this means you could get your interview letter only a week or two before your interview. This could cause a problem.

We are abroad, and put down our US residency, my parents' house. They open, scan, and email all correspondence to us so that we get it immediately and can make flight arrangements with some anticipation.

Good luck! Sounds like you filed successfully! Now all you have to do is wait! According to past time lines, you should receive an interview letter in January or February and have an interview in April or May! This is a very very crude estimate, however. I recommend you look through the threads titled "July filers," "June filers," "August filers" to see how quickly Fairfax/VSC is moving at the moment.

Thanks for replying. I have listed my address at the US Embassy-Phnom Penh, which is where my I-131 delivered. I'm really worried about not getting things in time...is there a way to change the address to my inlaws or parents, for example? What if I don't receive the NOA1?

[Completely 3]

Hi,

You should be gald the your check was cashed, meaning they have received your application.. Thomas is correct, just be patient there should be I-797 (NOA 1) that will come in the mail soon..

Did you mean the you have used the embassy of Vietnam as your mailing address?

[duomi 0]

Hi,

You should be gald the your check was cashed, meaning they have received your application.. Thomas is correct, just be patient there should be I-797 (NOA 1) that will come in the mail soon..

Did you mean the you have used the embassy of Vietnam as your mailing address?

Yes, American Citizen Services at the Embassy in Cambodia. That's where my I131 was sent--there is no reliable mail here AT ALL. It's awful...so I hope it will work out.

[T and M 1]

Hi,

You should be gald the your check was cashed, meaning they have received your application.. Thomas is correct, just be patient there should be I-797 (NOA 1) that will come in the mail soon..

Did you mean the you have used the embassy of Vietnam as your mailing address?

Yes, American Citizen Services at the Embassy in Cambodia. That's where my I131 was sent--there is no reliable mail here AT ALL. It's awful...so I hope it will work out.

Basically, USCIS asks that you notify them if you change addresses. I would recommend it, so that you get things in a more timely manner. The only thing that matters, really, is the interview letter. How long does mail take to arrival there? I think interview letters are send out anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks before the appointment date. It could potentially arrive in Cambodia AFTER your interview. But more probably it will arrive a week or two before, and you will have to scramble to make arrangements to get to Fairfax!

The other option is calling USCIS in late January/early February. They might be able to let you know if an interview is scheduled. You'd have to use skype or something from there!

[duomi 0]

Hi,

You should be gald the your check was cashed, meaning they have received your application.. Thomas is correct, just be patient there should be I-797 (NOA 1) that will come in the mail soon..

Did you mean the you have used the embassy of Vietnam as your mailing address?

Yes, American Citizen Services at the Embassy in Cambodia. That's where my I131 was sent--there is no reliable mail here AT ALL. It's awful...so I hope it will work out.

Basically, USCIS asks that you notify them if you change addresses. I would recommend it, so that you get things in a more timely manner. The only thing that matters, really, is the interview letter. How long does mail take to arrival there? I think interview letters are send out anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks before the appointment date. It could potentially arrive in Cambodia AFTER your interview. But more probably it will arrive a week or two before, and you will have to scramble to make arrangements to get to Fairfax!

The other option is calling USCIS in late January/early February. They might be able to let you know if an interview is scheduled. You'd have to use skype or something from there!

Thanks Thomas. A few questions: to notify USCIS of an address change, would I do it in writing? Email (the fairfax office has one)? Phone? All of the above?

Also, does it matter if my address is in the US but I am residing outside of the US at the time of application? Was it an issue in your case?

[T and M 1]

Hi,

You should be gald the your check was cashed, meaning they have received your application.. Thomas is correct, just be patient there should be I-797 (NOA 1) that will come in the mail soon..

Did you mean the you have used the embassy of Vietnam as your mailing address?

Yes, American Citizen Services at the Embassy in Cambodia. That's where my I131 was sent--there is no reliable mail here AT ALL. It's awful...so I hope it will work out.

Basically, USCIS asks that you notify them if you change addresses. I would recommend it, so that you get things in a more timely manner. The only thing that matters, really, is the interview letter. How long does mail take to arrival there? I think interview letters are send out anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks before the appointment date. It could potentially arrive in Cambodia AFTER your interview. But more probably it will arrive a week or two before, and you will have to scramble to make arrangements to get to Fairfax!

The other option is calling USCIS in late January/early February. They might be able to let you know if an interview is scheduled. You'd have to use skype or something from there!

Thanks Thomas. A few questions: to notify USCIS of an address change, would I do it in writing? Email (the fairfax office has one)? Phone? All of the above?

Also, does it matter if my address is in the US but I am residing outside of the US at the time of application? Was it an issue in your case?

My NOA letter says to notify them at the National Benefits Center, but you might need to notify them somewhere else, depending on where your application is being processed.

My NOA also gives a phone number, which might work for all filers, 1-800-375-5283. This USCIS is customer service. I would try there first, before sending a letter.