March 2010 filers

[Dave and Melanie 0]

DainandVicky,

Congratulations on your approval.

[DainandVicky 4]

DainandVicky,

Congratulations on your approval.

Thanks, hopefully the same news arrives for you in a couple of weeks.

[roseTX 0]

Hi..Is it the one in La Gran Plaza??

I had my biometrics there this Monday and I didn't know they allowed walk in..

If I would have known, i'll do the walk in too..

But anyway, its done already and they updated it today hope to get my EAD too and AP soon..

Do u live here in Dallas area?

Yes its in La Grand Plaza,,they allowed me and my daughter to do walk in,, my daughter scheduled for june 10 but we made a walk in last may 17,,, and the same day her EAD was approved,,,We live in Arlington,,,what about you,,,which part of texas are you...

[Vivi6 12]

Congratulations to all that recieved good news!!!

I think all that is left are those that filed after us!!

Since you are st CSC rest assured the nect thing you are going to see is an approval for AOS! I still have the EAD (hopefully...) and interview before that...I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you so that you can be the next CSC approval!

[honeybeme 0]

Yes its in La Grand Plaza,,they allowed me and my daughter to do walk in,, my daughter scheduled for june 10 but we made a walk in last may 17,,, and the same day her EAD was approved,,,We live in Arlington,,,what about you,,,which part of texas are you...

Ah,ok..Im in Euless, not far from Arlington..

[Muah 0]

Congrats on all the approvals and EADs!! It's nice to see everything starting move along for the March filers.

After our third notice on Friday, Dom received his EAD in the mail on Monday. On Tuesday, he applied for a SSN. It will be great to finally setup our finances how we really want them. Now, we need to find him a job... Somehow, I think I am going to be writing a lot of cover letters in the next couple of weeks.

[Me&Her 2]

Looks like you do need to receive three (3) approval notices before you can expect to receive the card, either the EAD or the GC... So far we have only received 2 TEXT/EMAIL about the GC...

Today at 7:02PM EST, we received the third and hopefully the last TEXT/EMAIL notification that our EAD is approved:

USCIS to me

show details 7:00 PM (3 hours ago)

*** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL ***

The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: MSC**********

Application Type: I765 , APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On May 26, 2010, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I765 APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.

*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov under Check My Case Status and Check Processing Times.

*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.

Sincerely,

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

[honeybeme 0]

Looks like you do need to receive three (3) approval notices before you can expect to receive the card, either the EAD or the GC... So far we have only received 2 TEXT/EMAIL about the GC...

Today at 7:02PM EST, we received the third and hopefully the last TEXT/EMAIL notification that our EAD is approved:

USCIS to me

show details 7:00 PM (3 hours ago)

*** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL ***

The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: MSC**********

Application Type: I765 , APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On May 26, 2010, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I765 APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.

*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov under Check My Case Status and Check Processing Times.

*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.

Sincerely,

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

Congratz

We received THE letter in the mail yesterday. "Welcome to the United States". Our permanent resident application is approved. There was no text, email, or update to status on USCIS; so a happy surprise. I was checking the mail hoping for the EAD to arrive, and got this instead. I wonder which one we'll receive first haha.

Looks like our journey is over, no more Immigration for 2 years until removal of conditional status.

I really can't complain though, our process was simple and speedy, and $0 spent on lawyers thanks to VisaJourney.

Thank you CSC for fast approvals on K1 and g/c.

Best of luck to everyone still waiting!

CONGRATZ

[honeybeme 0]

2 days touched on my AOS after my biometrics!!

Hope its a good thing..

Edited May 27, 2010 by honeybeme

[icepeck 1]

I found these tips somewhere on this website and I just wanted to share them with everyone who is sweating bullets over their upcoming interview.

Worried about that scheduled marriage-based green card interview? Not sure what to expect from your examiner?

• Your burden is to prove (1) your believability (hint: being prepared is important!); and (2) genuineness of your marriage, as evidenced by children if any, joint tax returns, bills at a common living address, cross life-insurance policies, co-mingling of financial assets, wedding and other photos, and length of the relationship. USCIS relies on documents, documents, documents.

• Producing few documents may mean trouble. If you and your spouse live in different cities, you should produce airline itineraries, emails, exchanged cards, photos, and any other viable written documentation of your "commuting marriage."

• If the foreign spouse paid the American spouse to marry and be sponsored for the green card, then the green card will be denied. If there is a big age difference between spouses, expect to be grilled. If either spouse has been married multiple times, expect the same.

• According to the Field Adjudicator's Manual consulted by examining USCIS officials, the following are signs of a "sham marriage:" Large disparity of age; inability of petitioner and beneficiary to speak each other's language;vast difference in cultural and ethnic background;family and/or friends unaware of the marriage; marriage arranged by a third party; marriage contracted immediately following the beneficiary's apprehension or receipt of notification to depart the United States; discrepancies in statements on questions for which a husband and wife should have common knowledge; no cohabitation since marriage; beneficiary is a friend of the family; petitioner has filed previous petitions in behalf of aliens, especially prior alien spouses.

• If the alien spouse’s English is poor, take a translator.

• If the alien spouse has been arrested or convicted of a crime, don’t even think about attending the interview without procuring certified copies of all relevant police and court records and having them carefully examined by an experienced immigration lawyer. USCIS will require you to produce those same certified criminal records. So you might as well complete this task early!

• Men should wear slacks and collared shirts. Women should wear dresses of appropriate style and length or pant suits.

• Take all your identification documents, including the foreign spouse’s EAD and passport. Take an original and legible photocopy of all proof-of-marriage documents so you can put your hands on them quickly if asked, without fumbling.

• Leave cell phones and other electronic devices in your car.

• Early-morning appointment? Good sign. The USCIS examiner will have lots of other appointments. He will want to get you out the door. Most MBGC interviews end happily after less than 15 minutes.

• Afternoon appointment? Potentially a bad sign. The examiner may have spotted holes in your pre-filed paperwork or other defects. Could be a lengthy interview.

• Your attitude is the most important thing you will take into your interview. Preparation breeds confidence breeds optimism, enhancing your approval chances. This is not the same as plastering a smile on your face or ostentatiously holding hands.

• Listen carefully to the examiner. If you do not understand a question, ask the examiner to repeat it. Do not guess at answers. Do not volunteer information.

• At the start of the interview, you and your spouse will be sworn in. The examiner may turn on a video camera. He or she will ask you to be seated.

• Your examiner may or may not disclose his or her name. Get it! Ask politely. Have the examiner repeat the name if you did not hear it. Write it down or commit it to memory! This will be critical if your green card is denied.

• Young examiners may feel they have the most to prove. They may be overly-zealous, discourteous or even hostile. This is the exception. If it happens, shrug it off. Don’t get angry! To the contrary: Take a breath, stay calm, pause, and consider your answers even more carefully. Remember: Examiners have big caseloads and big pressure. They must make important decisions quickly. And they are often lied to.

• Expect the first minutes of your interview to be devoted to “housekeeping.” The examiner will ask for ID documents and may ask either spouse to confirm entries on the I-130, I-485 and G-325A forms. So memorize the most important info on those forms before the interview. Most critical: Date of your marriage, date of spouse’s admission into the U.S., and dates you began living together at your current and any earlier addresses.

• If the alien spouse is a Middle East male, expect tough questioning or worse.

• If you and your spouse are separated during the interview, you have a credibility problem. Typical treatment: The examiner may point to a wall calendar and ask both spouses (separately) how they spent the last seven days and where they spent the last seven nights. Either spouse may be asked to write down the other’s name and/or the name of the spouse’s parents, with correct spelling.

• If an examiner is convinced that the primary purpose of a marriage is to secure a green-card, he may accuse the U.S. spouse of “committing a crime” by filing green card paperwork for the foreign spouse. The trouble will “go away” if the spouse withdraws the I-130 petition. Or, the examiner may threaten an “ICE investigation.” Don’t give in to this bullying – and you should welcome an ICE investigation if your marriage is genuine.

• If the examiner approves the green card, the alien spouse’s passport will be stamped. Expect the green card to arrive by mail about two weeks later – unless the alien spouse remains tied up in lengthy “security checks” or USCIS lacks your correct address. The latter is your responsibility.

• If the examiner denies the green card, you will have the chance to renew the application before an immigration judge.

Good Luck to you all!!!!!

[jimnlena 8]

EAD was approved last night!!!

[roseTX 0]

gud luck to your interview icepeck and thank you for sharing this information you have found. It is very informative for those people who have interview like you and me...i will print this one to serve as my guide...thanks and good luck to you again...

I found these tips somewhere on this website and I just wanted to share them with everyone who is sweating bullets over their upcoming interview.

Worried about that scheduled marriage-based green card interview? Not sure what to expect from your examiner?

• Your burden is to prove (1) your believability (hint: being prepared is important!); and (2) genuineness of your marriage, as evidenced by children if any, joint tax returns, bills at a common living address, cross life-insurance policies, co-mingling of financial assets, wedding and other photos, and length of the relationship. USCIS relies on documents, documents, documents.

• Producing few documents may mean trouble. If you and your spouse live in different cities, you should produce airline itineraries, emails, exchanged cards, photos, and any other viable written documentation of your "commuting marriage."

• If the foreign spouse paid the American spouse to marry and be sponsored for the green card, then the green card will be denied. If there is a big age difference between spouses, expect to be grilled. If either spouse has been married multiple times, expect the same.

• According to the Field Adjudicator's Manual consulted by examining USCIS officials, the following are signs of a "sham marriage:" Large disparity of age; inability of petitioner and beneficiary to speak each other's language;vast difference in cultural and ethnic background;family and/or friends unaware of the marriage; marriage arranged by a third party; marriage contracted immediately following the beneficiary's apprehension or receipt of notification to depart the United States; discrepancies in statements on questions for which a husband and wife should have common knowledge; no cohabitation since marriage; beneficiary is a friend of the family; petitioner has filed previous petitions in behalf of aliens, especially prior alien spouses.

• If the alien spouse’s English is poor, take a translator.

• If the alien spouse has been arrested or convicted of a crime, don’t even think about attending the interview without procuring certified copies of all relevant police and court records and having them carefully examined by an experienced immigration lawyer. USCIS will require you to produce those same certified criminal records. So you might as well complete this task early!

• Men should wear slacks and collared shirts. Women should wear dresses of appropriate style and length or pant suits.

• Take all your identification documents, including the foreign spouse’s EAD and passport. Take an original and legible photocopy of all proof-of-marriage documents so you can put your hands on them quickly if asked, without fumbling.

• Leave cell phones and other electronic devices in your car.

• Early-morning appointment? Good sign. The USCIS examiner will have lots of other appointments. He will want to get you out the door. Most MBGC interviews end happily after less than 15 minutes.

• Afternoon appointment? Potentially a bad sign. The examiner may have spotted holes in your pre-filed paperwork or other defects. Could be a lengthy interview.

• Your attitude is the most important thing you will take into your interview. Preparation breeds confidence breeds optimism, enhancing your approval chances. This is not the same as plastering a smile on your face or ostentatiously holding hands.

• Listen carefully to the examiner. If you do not understand a question, ask the examiner to repeat it. Do not guess at answers. Do not volunteer information.

• At the start of the interview, you and your spouse will be sworn in. The examiner may turn on a video camera. He or she will ask you to be seated.

• Your examiner may or may not disclose his or her name. Get it! Ask politely. Have the examiner repeat the name if you did not hear it. Write it down or commit it to memory! This will be critical if your green card is denied.

• Young examiners may feel they have the most to prove. They may be overly-zealous, discourteous or even hostile. This is the exception. If it happens, shrug it off. Don’t get angry! To the contrary: Take a breath, stay calm, pause, and consider your answers even more carefully. Remember: Examiners have big caseloads and big pressure. They must make important decisions quickly. And they are often lied to.

• Expect the first minutes of your interview to be devoted to “housekeeping.” The examiner will ask for ID documents and may ask either spouse to confirm entries on the I-130, I-485 and G-325A forms. So memorize the most important info on those forms before the interview. Most critical: Date of your marriage, date of spouse’s admission into the U.S., and dates you began living together at your current and any earlier addresses.

• If the alien spouse is a Middle East male, expect tough questioning or worse.

• If you and your spouse are separated during the interview, you have a credibility problem. Typical treatment: The examiner may point to a wall calendar and ask both spouses (separately) how they spent the last seven days and where they spent the last seven nights. Either spouse may be asked to write down the other’s name and/or the name of the spouse’s parents, with correct spelling.

• If an examiner is convinced that the primary purpose of a marriage is to secure a green-card, he may accuse the U.S. spouse of “committing a crime” by filing green card paperwork for the foreign spouse. The trouble will “go away” if the spouse withdraws the I-130 petition. Or, the examiner may threaten an “ICE investigation.” Don’t give in to this bullying – and you should welcome an ICE investigation if your marriage is genuine.

• If the examiner approves the green card, the alien spouse’s passport will be stamped. Expect the green card to arrive by mail about two weeks later – unless the alien spouse remains tied up in lengthy “security checks” or USCIS lacks your correct address. The latter is your responsibility.

• If the examiner denies the green card, you will have the chance to renew the application before an immigration judge.

Good Luck to you all!!!!!

[emmaline_g 2]

EAD was approved last night!!!

Mine too =) High five!

Can you legally work with the EAD approval notice or must we wait another 30 effing days for the card to arrive in the mail before job searching?

This is especially touchy because my husband actually had a job offer dependent on the EAD, but I guess that's not really on the table anymore. I guess I don't really give a flying fox about the approval notice if it doesn't mean anything.

Anyway, forgive my snarky attitude but the "novelty" of immigration wore off a long freakin' time ago!

[Jewel-8 21]

Looks like you do need to receive three (3) approval notices before you can expect to receive the card, either the EAD or the GC... So far we have only received 2 TEXT/EMAIL about the GC...

Today at 7:02PM EST, we received the third and hopefully the last TEXT/EMAIL notification that our EAD is approved:

We haven't gotten that yet. In fact, we have the same May 17th date as you, except they seemed to skip over the email on May 17 and just send the one on May 21st that you also received. I wonder if we just have a lazy agent working on our case. ARGH!!!

If we just have a lazy agent, or a broken bar code, then maybe the green card will just arrive in the mail anyday now.

[icepeck 1]

EAD card received today.