This is why I paid $180

[Brazilitaliana 0]

Well, I'm confident I will not be stuck in the FBI name check, however, should I be, I guess I'll be loking forward for the EAD to arrive.

Really? What promotes your confidence? What makes you so sure?

Rebeccajo, the answer is simple: pure and good old faith, nothing else.

Hang on, after you get the GC you're automatically ok to work? I thought you needed the EAD regardless?

Hi Laura! good to see you here! when you get the GC you do not need the EAD anymore. The EAD allows you to work while you are still waiting for your GC or a stamp =)

[Ladylethal 12]

Hmmm, so it's a matter of do I pay U$180 or do I risk waiting longer for my GC. I thought I had to get the EAD no matter what.

[dirtyd301 0]

Congratulations!!!! We paid $180 and they never approved our EAD! I mean I am not complaining but it is a waste of money!! I am happy for you and I hope the AOS is soon to follow!

Diana

[rebeccajo 14]

Well, I'm confident I will not be stuck in the FBI name check, however, should I be, I guess I'll be loking forward for the EAD to arrive.

Really? What promotes your confidence? What makes you so sure?

Rebeccajo, the answer is simple: pure and good old faith, nothing else.

Ok. I hope it does turn out ok for you! Really I do.

I've looked at your timeline and see that you've gotten an interview rather quickly. That's what happened for us. Because of this, I wasn't alarmed when we interviewed, got 'approved' and were told that the security check might take a bit longer.

So whilst I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I think that MIGHT be a first strike against you coming out with a full approval that day. Remember - I said might.

What I thought you were going to tell me is that you believe your full name to be unusual. If it is, that's definately in your favor.

Namecheck involves a 'spinning' of the name - to check for aliases and the like. Example:

Jonothan Nelson Davis

Nelson Jonothan Davis

J.N. Davis

John N. Davis

N.J. Davis

J. Nelson Davis

Jonothon Nelson Davis Jr. (or Sr.)

Jon Davis

John Davis

Nelson Davis

etc. etc. etc.

Any 'hits' will also gather in similarly named individuals whose birthdates are within a range of yours.

If a computerized hit occurs, it must be cleared manually. The FBI will search 12 different computerized databases for the relevance of the hit. If paper records are needed to clear the hit, the location of the necessary files will first need to be ascertained. The FBI keeps paper files in as many as 265 different physical locations. Once the files are in hand, they must be examined manually by an officer.

A poster recently claimed that the AO in their district office stated that presently there are 7 million names in the FBI security clearance pipeline, and only 500 employees to do the work. When I phoned the FBI to verify that my husband's prints had been searched and returned to USCIS, the clerk who answered the phone informed me that the FBI received 3.5 million requests from USCIS in 2005. Neither of these statistics are easily verifiable to this community.

What is known is this - according to the October 2006 USCIS Newsletter, at present there are close to 131,000 individuals who have been interviewed by USCIS and otherwise approved save for the namecheck.

I hope you do get done and dusted when you are interviewed. I wouldn't wish what we are going through on anybody.

To all reading this, if it is your desire to work as soon as possible, or travel outside of America within one year of filing AOS, I can't strongly enough recommend that you file for EAD and AP when you file your AOS petition.

Because of our delay, last week we filed for a RENEWAL of my husband's EAD.

Edited October 25, 2006 by rebeccajo

[Brazilitaliana 0]

Hi Rebeccajo,

I really appreciate your information and concerns. You are right, there is no way I can tell whether the name check will be a problem or not. But I guess to my advantage I do have a rather unusual last name.

However, I'll keep your post as a reference, and I'll pray and hope that in no time your waiting will come to an end and they'll clear you.

I did apply for AP and EAD, and I guess if I end up stuck on the FBI check, I'll look forward to have those approved.

I wish you and your spouse the best!

[rebeccajo 14]

I did apply for AP and EAD, and I guess if I end up stuck on the FBI check, I'll look forward to have those approved.

Good deal!

That was the only point of my query and the long boring post - LOL! Not to specifically pin you down, but hopefully to give readers something to ponder.

I kinda get goosebumps when I read here of someone who is choosing not to file for these interim benefits because they are banking on getting the greencard in a timely manner.

And I hate it when I urge members to file that I'm also saying 'here - give some more of your money to USCIS'. But I hate it worse when I read of people who have put themselves in a financial pinch because their search for work has become protracted. Or can't freely travel home should a love one have a medical emergency.

[Brazilitaliana 0]

I did apply for AP and EAD, and I guess if I end up stuck on the FBI check, I'll look forward to have those approved.

Good deal!

That was the only point of my query and the long boring post - LOL! Not to specifically pin you down, but hopefully to give readers something to ponder.

I kinda get goosebumps when I read here of someone who is choosing not to file for these interim benefits because they are banking on getting the greencard in a timely manner.

And I hate it when I urge members to file that I'm also saying 'here - give some more of your money to USCIS'. But I hate it worse when I read of people who have put themselves in a financial pinch because their search for work has become protracted. Or can't freely travel home should a love one have a medical emergency.

I think you are making a very good point, Rebeccajo, and I believe that it is worth it to risk "loosing'' a little money by investing in the AP and EAD, if that makes life easier in case of a name check delay or any other issues that might delay the GC arrival (a friend of mine in Kentucky waited almost a whole year to receive the card itself, even though she did get stamped and could work and leave the country). We decided to pay for the whole nine yards and were lucky enought to have family members give us money instead of gifts for our wedding - which helped ease the burden.

[rebeccajo 14]

I had an immigration 'budget'. I took a little time, when we first filed the K, to research all the fees, including medical exams, visa fees, etc. I also looked into the fees for AOS. I put that amount of money back specifically earmarked for the process.

I'll add that I didn't try to 'learn' all about HOW to file. I've handled most of this process as we encountered it. I believe if you try to learn it all when you first begin the journey all you are gonna do is scare the ####### out of yourself! I looked for little things like if we were gonna need extra birth certificates or other important documents, but I didn't wallow in the details. My initial search for information was done only to calculate a budget.

I know it's gonna cost us around $200 whenever we lift conditions. I'm not sure about natz - I think it's $400 or so. Both are so far down the road I didn't include those figures. They are small potatoes compared to the nearly $800 one needs to lay out when filing AOS, EAD and AP concurrently. A rather large hit to the pocketback almost immediately after hard immigration expenses such as flights, moving, etc. Not to mention a wedding!

I'm mad as hell though about the $180 we just laid out to USCIS for a second EAD. In my opinion, the rules should be changed that interim benefits will be extended if the concurrent petition is not fully adjudicated before the benefits expire if there is no fault on the part of the petitioner. It's a regular crock of BS if you ask me.....

Edited October 25, 2006 by rebeccajo

[Brazilitaliana 0]

I had an immigration 'budget'. I took a little time, when we first filed the K, to research all the fees, including medical exams, visa fees, etc. I also looked into the fees for AOS. I put that amount of money back specifically earmarked for the process.

I'll add that I didn't try to 'learn' all about HOW to file. I've handled most of this process as we encountered it. I believe if you try to learn it all when you first begin the journey all you are gonna do is scare the ####### out of yourself! I looked for little things like if we were gonna need extra birth certificates or other important documents, but I didn't wallow in the details. My initial search for information was done only to calculate a budget.

I know it's gonna cost us around $200 whenever we lift conditions. I'm not sure about natz - I think it's $400 or so. Both are so far down the road I didn't include those figures. They are small potatoes compared to the nearly $800 one needs to lay out when filing AOS, EAD and AP concurrently. A rather large hit to the pocketback almost immediately after hard immigration expenses such as flights, moving, etc. Not to mention a wedding!

I'm mad as hell though about the $180 we just laid out to USCIS for a second EAD. In my opinion, the rules should be changed that interim benefits will be extended if the concurrent petition is not fully adjudicated before the benefits expire if there is no fault on the part of the petitioner. It's a regular crock of BS if you ask me.....

Couldn't agree with you more on your statement above. It makes no sense to punish you for their lack of ability to process the name check in such a long time, they should waive the fee. Very organized of you to have the immigration budget, we weren't intending to get married quite yet, so we weren't worried about that at the time. But once the money was provided, we were fine. We had a small reception, also a gift from another family member, but we are still planning to have a real wedding in my home country, provided that I'm working and able to save for that =)

[rebeccajo 14]

Very organized of you to have the immigration budget, we weren't intending to get married quite yet, so we weren't worried about that at the time. But once the money was provided, we were fine. We had a small reception, also a gift from another family member, but we are still planning to have a real wedding in my home country, provided that I'm working and able to save for that =)

Organized......LOLOLOLOL.....

You should see my dirty kitchen at the moment and the heaps of laundry in the washroom.....

Oh well.....

Eh, I only mentioned the 'budget' as another aside to the discussion. Those of us who are separated when we file sometimes get so caught up in bringing our loved ones to us, we forget to address the messy financial details. Just another little immigration tidbit to ponder.

How are you with housework....*hee hee*

Edited October 26, 2006 by rebeccajo

[M. 0]

I have a feeling this is why ours isn't speeding through - my husband, David, has a ridiculously common surname. It's why I was quite willing to spend the extra cash.

[Brazilitaliana 0]

Very organized of you to have the immigration budget, we weren't intending to get married quite yet, so we weren't worried about that at the time. But once the money was provided, we were fine. We had a small reception, also a gift from another family member, but we are still planning to have a real wedding in my home country, provided that I'm working and able to save for that =)

Organized......LOLOLOLOL.....

You should see my dirty kitchen at the moment and the heaps of laundry in the washroom.....

Oh well.....

Eh, I only mentioned the 'budget' as another aside to the discussion. Those of us who are separated when we file sometimes get so caught up in bringing our loved ones to us, we forget to address the messy financial details. Just another little immigration tidbit to ponder.

How are you with housework....*hee hee*

hahaha, I would've never known, but it is a good thing to be prepared for those fees, you're right. Since I'm the one who moved and left everything behind, my husband has been responsible for all financial stuff (although I can't wait for that to change). I did bring my savings, but due to exchange rate they didn't last as much as I wished, hehe. Oh well, hopefully I'll either receive my GC or the EAD, and then I'll be able to resume my financial prosperity again.

As far as housework goes, if you need a hand let me know, our place is so clean you can eat off the floor, hehe, but that's only because I'm so bored I keep trying to find things to do around here. when i'm not cleaning, I'm here on the VJ