VAWA, Part 6

[Dodgertown 27]

Guys , any one from chicago local office ?

I feel very bad , i do not know what is happening

My 485 is pending since september 2013

Vawa approved july 2014

Vawa transferred to another uscis office 15 january 2015

Till now no other news

What is happeninggggggg

Based on what I found (please correct me if I am wrong) the number one reason for the delay in AOS process is a background check. Case stays at NBC the whole time while FBI is doing their job. For some people it takes a month or two, for most people 3-5 months, and in some cases (like yours) more than 5 months. I just looked at USCIS website and it looks like Chicago field office has similar processing time with my local USCIS office, but guess what - my interview is tomorrow! I filed for AOS in April and case was transferred to "another office" aka NBC in June 2015. It was transferred to local office in August 2015. So, ideally, your interview was supposed to be somewhere in May-June 2015.

Here is what I'd suggest you to do. DO NOT rely on USCIS online case status updates. Chances are that 99,999% you will not get an update when your interview is scheduled. You will only receive an interview letter in mail. That brings up another issue. Have you changed your address since you started VAWA journey? If yes, you should do some research to see how to change your address correctly. Since your case is VAWA, the standard procedure of changing address does not apply.

Schedule an Infopass appointment. You will not receive any alerts (emails, text messages, letters in mail) when the case is transferred to local office for interview. The only way to find out about your case and its current location is Infopass appointment. I would have never found that my case was transferred to local office in August 2015. Because online case status never changed. As of today, it still shows something like "case transferred to another office..." So in September I received an interview letter for October in mail.

Now, if you do go to Infopass appointment and find that your case is still at NBC, the only thing that that you can do is wait. Not local congressman's help, not Barack Obama's help can speed up the process. Once your case is transferred to local office, you will receive your interview letter in mail. Most likely within a month. Again, your online case status will not change.

Good luck and stay positive.

[hopeholder5922323 2]

DODGER

i do not know how to thank you enough ,

i just wonder :

you said that another uscis office = nbc

ok

where and why my files were after my vawa was approved till January

from july 17 vawa approved

till january 15 transferred to another uscis office

about 6 month ?

the only explanation i have is that another uscis office in my case means chicago local office after being about 6 month in nbc

am i right ?

another question

i was scheduled for interview in april 2014 before i file vawa

means i passed all fbi checks and background checks

so when i am to be rescheduled after vawa approval they do all checks again ?

am i right ?

thank you again for every thing and i wish you best of luck in your interview

[Dodgertown 27]

Hopeholder,

Well, I don't think that "another office" was your local office Chicago. And here is why.

I don't know if it is ok to post links here, but this is from USCIS's official web-site: http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Outreach/Questons_and_Responses_NBC_AILA_Meeting_2014_11_18_-_Final_4.pdf

Read the Page 11 Question 17:

LOCATING “A” FILES

17. Stakeholders often have difficulty in determining the location of an A file once an I- 130 or I-360 has been adjudicated but has not yet been sent to the NVC or the field office. Often, the last Service notice indicates that the file is located at the NBC. AILA has previously requested that transfer notices be sent when A-files are transferred from the NBC, though we understand limited resources are an issue. Has the NBC given any additional thought to the possibility of issuing transfer notices in these cases?

Response: Applicants and attorneys/representatives of record receive approval notices which indicate if an approved petition is routed to the National Visa Center. Applicants and attorneys/representatives of record should receive interview notices from NBC when an interview is scheduled at the USCIS field office with jurisdiction. This interview notice means the A-file will be shipped to the field office within days of the notice. NBC’s goal is for files (I-485s and N-400s) to arrive at the field office 10 days before the interview. NBC does not mail or produce a separate notice when the file ships. Our system does produce a transfer notice if we relocate an un-adjudicated case from NBC to a service center. If you are not receiving these notices or the language or procedure is unclear, please let us know. Currently we do not produce transfer notices for I- 485 Interview Waiver or I-485 VAWA cases shipped from NBC to the field office for adjudication and have no plans to do so.

And also, did you receive any letters in mail saying that your case was "transferred to another office"? If yes when was it? In January?

i was scheduled for interview in april 2014 before i file vawa

means i passed all fbi checks and background checks

Is this your 1st time filing for AOS? It looks to me that you had another petition/I-485 before you filed your VAWA, right? If yes, what was the outcome? Was it denied? I assume, that it was denied because otherwise you wouldn't file for VAWA. If that's the case you pretty much answered your question by yourself. I have no idea where AOS cases end up after denial/abandonment or whatever, but definitely not in Vermont Service Center. So that is why when your vawa was approved the VSC requested your previous I-485 and it took them almost 6 months to receive it. Then in January they transferred your case to NBC.

These are just my thoughts. Don't take them as a legal advice. Maybe some other people with more experience here can give you a better explanation.

Good luck.

[hopeholder5922323 2]

I applied only for one 485 with my american wife befire things went bad then i was scheduled to interview in march to attend interview in april but things went bad with my wife so i applied for vawa and requested my interview rescheduled and my 485 to be in hold till vawa is approved

Vawa was approved in july 2014

Then received nithing from july to january

Then in january Transfere note to another office

Then till now nothing

So my question

Why six month from july to january

What was happening?

When did my case go to local chicago office

When will be my interview

And the background checks were done before my first interview schedule in march

Why again doing them uf thus us tge case?

[Dodgertown 27]

Hopeholder,

It is very likely that your case is in Chicago already. But like I said, the only way to confirm this is Infopass Appointment. Go and talk to them.

[Dodgertown 27]

Just came back from my AOS interview. Man, what a day. Interview didn't go well. It lasted for more than an hour and no decision was made. Officer gave me a sheet of paper saying: "Your case is being held for further review". Great.

For some reason, right from the beginning I knew that something was wrong. He started asking me a lot of detailed questions from my past, addresses, dates and places. I honestly, couldn't remember some of it, since it was long time ago. Then he asked me a lot of questions about my marriage. He also kept writing something in his notebook.

At the end he said that he needs to review my file and said that it's gonna take a few weeks.

Oh my Lord, I don't know if I have more power to go through this endless immigration battle anymore. All I can do now is wait and sleep right under my mailbox and hope to get something from them soon. No case status updates online and it still shows that "case was transferred to another office" in June.

[oreoluwa01 4]

Im sorry to hear that. Just keep having faith. What is your local office?

[hopeholder5922323 2]

DODGER

APPROVED YOU WILL BE

TAKE IT FROM ME

BE HAPPY

[Skazzka 6]

Dodger,

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully, you will get aplroval letter very soon! I thought they could only ask questions about I485? Did you file I130 and I485 before? Was it denied? Did thet ask any questions about the abuse?

[Sandra G. 5,054]

It's EXTREMELY important you remember details where you lived and worked. All of you filed G325A, please read it before you go to the interview.

Dodgetown they make take weeks and sometimes months and months to give a decision. If you did not lie and did not misrepresent facts you should be fine.

Edited October 21, 2015 by sandranj

[Skazzka 6]

Sandranj,

what do they usually ask in the interview? Do they go over everything you send them?

[Sandra G. 5,054]

shazzaka they have your file since the time you applied to come to the USA. They can ask what they want to clarify something they have doubts, they do not ask about the abuse.

Most officers just ask questions that you answered Yes or No on the form I-485, other officers ask details about the courtship, wedding.Have a file with original documents such as birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree if you have, previous divorce decree if you were previously divorced, valid passport, EAD, and just in case take with you the original documents that you submitted to USCIS regarding bonafide marriage.

Try to be calm, a few officers are a bit rough and make some people uncomfortable, in general, they are nice. Make sure you memorize dates, places, names etc and you will fine.Do not give information that they are not asking.Do not talk when the officer is reading some of your papers.Do not handle any paper to the officer without asking permission to show the paper. Dress up neat, but not with too much makeup, do not wear short or tight clothes, turn your cell phone off. I remember one officer told me that one girl went to the interview and she was wearing sunglasses inside the interview room and he had to ask her to take the sunglasses. We all know all these things, but it's good to remember right?

Edited October 21, 2015 by sandranj

[Sandra G. 5,054]

dodgertown could you post here specifically the questions that the officer asked you? It will help others that are still waiting for the AOS interview.

[Dodgertown 27]

Thanks a lot for your support guys.

Like I mentioned before, my interview lasted for more than an hour.

The officer started by asking address questions. He asked me about pretty much every single place that I lived in, here, in America. The questions were very detailed, about the dates, my roommates and etc. I had really hard time remembering the dates. He kept writing something is his notebook the entire time.

Then he asked me if I remember what questions I was asked by immigration officer at the port of entry. I said I don't remember since it was more than 6 years ago. Kill me, but I don't remember that. All I remember the last words: "Welcome to the United States". Then on my I-485 where it asks for visa/entry questions he wrote: "I don't remember what questions I was asked at the port of entry" and had me to sign this.

He then started asking me questions from G-25 form? regarding my past and current jobs. Again, he wanted all the details. What kind of job, dates, places.

And of course there were questions about my marriage. Where and when I met my wife and etc. There were some tricky ones. Like at what address I lived and where I worked when I met her. He wanted to match the dates.

Sandra you are right, they have your entire immigration file on the desk during the interview. And mine was huge. Like really huge. It would probably be about 3 feet high if you would put all files on top of each other. No wonder, why it took them so long to ship it from one part of country to another, lol. My immigration journey started back in 2009. He showed my personal statement that I wrote and submitted along with I-360 and asked if I could verify the signature. Asked me why this statement was in English, while some of my other statements that I submitted in the past were on my native language. Told him that I didn't speak English well when I first came here, and now 6 years later I speak and write a little better.

At the end I apologized for not remembering the exact dates of events from my past. He said that it's ok, happens all the times. After he gave me the "continuance" notice I asked him if it is gonna be another 5-6 years. He answered that he didn't have much time this morning to review my file. Well, according to Infopass appointment, my file was in local field office as of August 26th. They probably don't touch the file until and after the day of your interview. Someone please correct me on this.

[Skazzka 6]

Sandranj thank you very much for your replay!

Dodgertown, it looks like he was checking you because he asked so many questions. Did you have the immigration interview before when you filed I130 and I485 with your wife? What was your local office?