Post Embassy Drama, UK VJer 'Life In The USA' Edition.

[Sunya and Tim 55]

It is like a class reunion with all y'all posting on here again. We filled AOS in mid-October and Tim has biometric appt on Monday. We were in Las Vegas this past week for a conference but having Tim there made it fun.

We are hoping to get AP by Christmas so we can go to Ireland to visit Tim's son. I think we will be approved in time but just might not have the card. I see an infopass appt in our future.

Take care everyone!!

[bonzaigirl 13]

Good luck and welcome to the ever perennial waiting club. ? Already received my EAD/AP Combo Card, had been waiting for any AOS movement since end of July. Unfortunately, yesterday I received a letter from the USCIS requesting for another Biometrics appointment. ?? Thus I see more waiting in the future.

[ChasUno 101]

NOA1 electronic notification received tonight. Got 3 x texts and 3 x emails, with 3 x different reference numbers, so can safely assume that AOS, EAD and AP have all been accepted and the processing will now begin. Just hoping to get the AP by January or so as I hope to be back in the UK around late February to arrange to have all my belongings shipped over and to tie up some final loose ends. The waiting game begins again!

Edited November 9, 2015 by ChasUno

[-Shana- 152]

It's all one long waiting game until the US passport is in our hands!!

Feeling fed up with bureaucratic nonsense right now. Went to take my driving test today and I passed (woohoo!) but because my I-94 has expired I need to go to a S.A.V.E office in person near Denver and get my status confirmed. The letter might take 2-6 weeks to get mailed to me, however someone in a thread I found actually managed to get their licence on the same day they went to the SAVE office. If the letter is mailed to me then I will have to take the test AGAIN if it's 60 days after my test today. Arrrggghhhh!! I completely spaced on this SAVE thing since I thought that having a Learners Permit would exempt me, stupidly; that would be way too convenient.

Edited November 9, 2015 by -Shana-

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

It's all one long waiting game until the US passport is in our hands!!

Feeling fed up with bureaucratic nonsense right now. Went to take my driving test today and I passed (woohoo!) but because my I-94 has expired I need to go to a S.A.V.E office in person near Denver and get my status confirmed. The letter might take 2-6 weeks to get mailed to me, however someone in a thread I found actually managed to get their licence on the same day they went to the SAVE office. If the letter is mailed to me then I will have to take the test AGAIN if it's 60 days after my test today. Arrrggghhhh!! I completely spaced on this SAVE thing since I thought that having a Learners Permit would exempt me, stupidly; that would be way too convenient.

I never heard of a SAVE office. Did the DL people look for your name exactly as it appears on the EAD card? Your I-94 shouldn't matter anymore because it's old news since your moved up a notch to EAD.

[-Shana- 152]

I never heard of a SAVE office. Did the DL people look for your name exactly as it appears on the EAD card? Your I-94 shouldn't matter anymore because it's old news since your moved up a notch to EAD.

Yeah, I got a letter like this:

I also saw a post in a thread dedicated to getting a drivers licence in Colorado say:

"I got the EAD card yesterday and went to the DMV to get my license renewed, since it expired on the day my I-94 expired. I was only asked for the EAD and my expired license but... they couldn't process it. A very helpful man informed me that because my status has changed, the previous SAVE confirmation is not valid anymore, and the process has to be done again. Although, this time, it's not the DMV who looks me up on the SAVE database. This time I have to go, in person, to one of the main DMV offices with a form they gave me. I'm attaching a pic of the form in question. It was disappointing to walk out of there without a license but oh well..."

[bonzaigirl 13]

Feeling fed up with bureaucratic nonsense right now. Went to take my driving test today and I passed (woohoo!) but because my I-94 has expired I need to go to a S.A.V.E office in person near Denver and get my status confirmed. The letter might take 2-6 weeks to get mailed to me, however someone in a thread I found actually managed to get their licence on the same day they went to the SAVE office. If the letter is mailed to me then I will have to take the test AGAIN if it's 60 days after my test today.

Hi Shana I just finished the written part of my driving test today ( I passed!!Yey!!) They never asked me for my I94. We just waited until I've received my EAD card, and that was what I presented them with when asked for evidence of my legal stay here.

I have to say though, about 2 months ago, we went to the DMV thinking I could take the test, but they did just tell us that since I only have about 3-4 weeks left in my I94, I have to wait until I have further evidence stating that I can legally stay in the US, then I can start my application for a DL. Hope you get this sorted soon.

[-Shana- 152]

Hi Shana I just finished the written part of my driving test today ( I passed!!Yey!!) They never asked me for my I94. We just waited until I've received my EAD card, and that was what I presented them with when asked for evidence of my legal stay here.

I have to say though, about 2 months ago, we went to the DMV thinking I could take the test, but they did just tell us that since I only have about 3-4 weeks left in my I94, I have to wait until I have further evidence stating that I can legally stay in the US, then I can start my application for a DL. Hope you get this sorted soon.

Congrats on passing the written test!

I'm starting to think perhaps if I went in with my EAD they'd give me the licence, just seems weird that someone else in Colorado got stopped like this with their EAD too! I think I'll call them tomorrow and ask.

[yuna628 9,676]

As far as I'm aware with our DMV at least, the license they'd issue, if they'd issue it at all with an I-94 would only last as long as it is good for. After that it falls into some confusion, so it is best to go in with an EAD. When he gets his EAD that's when we'll try get him his license. I guess every DMV is different..

[-Shana- 152]

As far as I'm aware with our DMV at least, the license they'd issue, if they'd issue it at all with an I-94 would only last as long as it is good for. After that it falls into some confusion, so it is best to go in with an EAD. When he gets his EAD that's when we'll try get him his license. I guess every DMV is different..

I got a learners permit (I hadn't passed my test in the UK) with the I-94 and the permit did not expire on the day the I-94 did (which I expected)...which I thought was bizarre. I'm gonna call in tomorrow to check about the EAD, since I can't drive on my own yet and my husband works it's not easy just to pop in (we live out of the way with no public transport close by).

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Yeah, I got a letter like this:

I also saw a post in a thread dedicated to getting a drivers licence in Colorado say:

"I got the EAD card yesterday and went to the DMV to get my license renewed, since it expired on the day my I-94 expired. I was only asked for the EAD and my expired license but... they couldn't process it. A very helpful man informed me that because my status has changed, the previous SAVE confirmation is not valid anymore, and the process has to be done again. Although, this time, it's not the DMV who looks me up on the SAVE database. This time I have to go, in person, to one of the main DMV offices with a form they gave me. I'm attaching a pic of the form in question. It was disappointing to walk out of there without a license but oh well..."

So it's a Colorado DMV place to reconcile immigration validity. Maybe they don't have SAVE database terminals at every location so if you're a new immigrant you have to go to a special location. I thought it was something new for USCIS that I hadn't heard of.

Ask if they can check your EAD locally because that's what you would use to show status at this point.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Nich-Nick

[-Shana- 152]

So it's a Colorado DMV place to reconcile immigration validity. Maybe they don't have SAVE database terminals at every location so if you're a new immigrant you have to go to a special location. I thought it was something new for USCIS that I hadn't heard of.

Ask if they can check your EAD locally because that's what you would use to show status at this point.

I'm gonna go in on Monday and see if they can process me with the EAD. Fingers crossed, it would save me a trip to Denver and more waiting.

[wbeem 568]

NOA1 electronic notification received tonight. Got 3 x texts and 3 x emails, with 3 x different reference numbers, so can safely assume that AOS, EAD and AP have all been accepted and the processing will now begin. Just hoping to get the AP by January or so as I hope to be back in the UK around late February to arrange to have all my belongings shipped over and to tie up some final loose ends. The waiting game begins again!

Your AOS timeline is identical to ours. We mailed them off on November 2nd and got our NOA1 by text and email for each application on Monday too. Really funny as you and I had our London interview on the same day as well

I'm just so chilled out about this part of the journey because we are all together now. (You can see, by the length of time it took us to send it off!)

Congratulations on your marriage, and your new home

[-Shana- 152]

What a relief!! I went to the DMV today and asked them to process my new drivers licence with my EAD and it worked! That saved me a trip to Denver! Now I can drive around on my own, woohoo!

[Dave013012536 0]

Well I arrived in the US two months ago and got married 3 weeks ago, applying for AOS this week. I must say its been daunting and a rush all at the same time. Has it all been worth it... Yes i would say so. I keep in touch with family almost daily via FaceTime and Skype (If anyone is feeling home sick I would recommend going out and getting a cheap tablet that can run that form of software for me it's been a blessing and I think its pretty much erased any feelings of home sickness) and have started eating breakfast at pretty much any time of the day! My wife hates it when she says "We'll go for breakfast tomorrow" and Im up at 7am waking her up saying "C'mon then lets go" when really she means eat breakfast at lunch time.

On the plane to the US my back tooth cracked and half fell out, it wasn't a problem until 2 weeks ago when I developed an abscess so had to go to the dentist... Now I hate the dentist with a passion as Ive had loads of bad experiences with them, so I wanted one that could offer IV Sedation for this, I found one and he's awesome and I would say that U.S Dentists are way better than the U.K but it is expensive without insurance. Root canal and a crown is costing 1,800$ without insurance and around 500$ with.

I can't wait until I can start driving as everything here is miles apart and thats so different from England. No local bus services so I'd have to walk 8 miles to get the 'local' bus lol so most days I just do chores, walk the dog (who has become my best friend ) whilst my wife is at work but come the weekend we just head out and camp, hike, 4 wheel, bike rides and I love every second of it, shame weekends couldn't be longer!!