Dallas Pilot I-495 program (AOS)

[rmarion 0]

Not sure how many people this will help but...

Today my wife and I visited the local USCIS office to get the I-495 AOS ball rolling. Dallas has a pilot program for the I-495 where, if your paperwork is in good order and no additional items are needed, the foreign national's status can be adjusted in a period of about 90 days.

I scheduled our appointment via InfoPass online about a month or so ago and today was the earliest opening available, at 6:45am. Yes, 6:45 am. We show up about 6:30am, go through security and check-in with one of the agents working near the entrance. You need to remember to bring your InfoPass receipt as it is the confirmation you need that you have an appointment on a given day. The agent we checked-in with told us to drop the InfoPass receipt into a plastic bin sitting on the shelf that ran under the agents' windows. After that we took a seat and waited.

Our name was called several minutes thereafter at which point we went to the agent's window, turned in our I-485 paperwork packet and associated payment ($395), my driver's license, and my wife's passport and I-94. The agent asked if we included a copy of our marriage license which we did. We were then told to sit down again and our name would be called.

After waiting about 15 minutes we were called back up to the agent window and given a form explaining some aspects of the I-485 process and on that form was a handwritten time of 8:00am which we were told would be "about" the time we would be called to visit with another agent inside the building to go over what we had brought in.

Finally, at about 8:20 our name was again called and we were escorted by our agent out of the waiting room and into the interior of the building and into the agent's office. We were told to remain standing and we were then sworn in and then asked to be seated.

The agent began going through our I-485 packet and began asking my wife questions. Where were you born? What is your address now? What is your phone number? What is your social security number? What are your mother's and father's names? Have you ever worked illegally in this country? Are you working now? Have you ever aided anyone to enter illegally into the USA? Have you ever been committed of a crime in the USA or outside of it?

The agent then looked at the copy of my wife's birth certificate we enclosed in our packet and made some notations thereon that we could not read. The agent then asked to see the original version of the birth certificate which we had. My guess is the agent was verifying the "authenticity" of the copy versus the original.

The agent then asked me some questions: Where do you live? What is your phone number? What is your social security number? Where do you work?

The agent continued going through the I-485 packet and looking closely at some things and bypassing others. Unwanted parts of the I-485 packet were then given back to us.

At this point we were asked to give evidence of our relationship so we provided a copy of our apartment lease showing joint occupancy, our joint bank records, and information showing my wife as beneficiary of my life insurance and retirement plans. Also provided were some wedding photos of our ceremony. The agent seemed satisfied with this and placed these new materials with the portions of the I-485 packet being retained.

The agent made another pass through the I-485 packet and found that I did not enclose a G-325A biographical sheet for myself. I explained I called the USCIS help line and was told that I didn't need to do this for myself, only the foreign national. Still, in this instance, the agent wanted one from me and gave me a blank G-325A form to fill out which I did. This was then included with the I-485 packet being retained by the agent.

More questions followed to both of us: How did you meet? When did you meet in person? There were other questions in this same vein that followed basically, in my estimation, to help the agent ascertain that the feelings my wife and I have for each other were "legitimate and sincere".

After that, the agent explained a few details and indicated that we might be contacted for more information otherwise expect something in the mail "in about 90 days" but "be patient". What we would be receiving, if all goes well, is the "green card" and then my wife can leave the USA and return and also find work here in the USA. She was advised not to leave the country while in the midst of the adjustment of status process. Also the agent told us that if the 90 day period was exceeded or looked in jeopardy of being exceeded we could be contacted and informed and would have the option of filing for permission to work and/or advance parole if we wanted. Lastly, we were told that the green card would be conditional for 2 years and at about 90 days prior to its expiration we would need to file papers to have the conditional status removed.

All in all the time spent with the agent was about 30 to 40 minutes and we were sent on our way.

So in summary be sure that:

1 - The US citizen encloses a G-325A form for themselves in the I-485 packet

2 - Be aware of the contents and accuracy of the I-485 sheet itself and the G-325A

3 - You have evidence showing the validity of your relationship (photos, joint accounts, beneficiary statements, etc.)

4 - You have original copies of as many documents as you can. We enclosed copies of almost everything in our I-485 packet but brought originals just in case they were asked for. We did, though, submit an official -- with stamp and seal -- copy of our marriage certificate.

For those who would visit the Dallas service center for the pilot I-485 process:

1 - The service center opens at 6:30am

2 - Put your InfoPass (you have to have this to come) receipt into the plastic been at the agent windows you see upon entering the facility. The bin is unmarked so that's what makes it a little tricky.

3 - The service center is actually on the Inwood Rd. exit from I-35E and not from the Empire Central exit as the directions (unless they've been recently updated) on the internet say.

4 - Expect a fair amount of waiting in the lobby but even with that I found the overall process went pretty smoothly and the people we dealt with were all cordial.

[eau_xplain 2]

Yes, this is what's commonly known as the DORA. I believe that there is a long running thread on this.

I haven't followed the posts of DORA applicants in a while so I'm not sure what their wait times are right now. A few months back they were waiting for longer than the 90 days it was supposed to get done and some had to go in to get EAD cards because of the delay.

Hope your process will be within the 90 days they have prescribed. Good luck!

[Maghreb 0]

Good luck:) By the way there is a thread called D.O.R.A here in the adjustement of statuts section where u can post your experience.

[raymaga 25]

Hope you get the Green Card very soon.

Congrats.

[Inlove_tx 0]

Hi rmarion,congrats on your positive interview and if you want you can join us to our little "DORA corner"!

(There's a whole thread for us DORA people!)

If you look at my timeline, I am one of the "lucky ones" who received the GC in less than 90 days...I was approved 84 days after the interview!

Many of us, though, have to wait longer, but if that's the case, you will receive the so-called 70th Day Letter with a date and time to go apply for your EAD and/or AP, and you will receive them on the spot!

GOOD LUCK on your process, and hope you will get your GC in less than 90 days!!!