A few questions regarding local offices

[andreaynicky 0]

Hey all,

My fiancée was recently approved for her K-1 Visa and we are making preparations for her AOS.

It seems that the #1 factor in AOS processing time is what local office it gets sent to (http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/aosstats.php).

We are in the unique situation that we don't currently have a real permanent address and will start looking for a place when we're both in the US.

2 locations we are considering are:

- Austin, TX (avg. wait 300 days via Houston, TX over 2 reported cases)

- Los Angeles, CA (avg. wait 125 days over 27 reported cases)

2 questions:

1. Is it really likely that Houston takes over twice as long as LA? With only 2 cases reported, it seems like there's not much data. Any where else I can go for accounts of this?

2. My sister lives in LA. If I put her address on the I-485 (and her name in the C/O field) will that route our application through LA? Is that acceptable by USCIS? If we ended up living in Austin, we'd simply fly to LA for the interview.

Thank you!

[Unidentified 2,930]

Hey all,

My fiancée was recently approved for her K-1 Visa and we are making preparations for her AOS.

It seems that the #1 factor in AOS processing time is what local office it gets sent to (http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/aosstats.php).

We are in the unique situation that we don't currently have a real permanent address and will start looking for a place when we're both in the US.

2 locations we are considering are:

- Austin, TX (avg. wait 300 days via Houston, TX over 2 reported cases)

- Los Angeles, CA (avg. wait 125 days over 27 reported cases)

2 questions:

1. Is it really likely that Houston takes over twice as long as LA? With only 2 cases reported, it seems like there's not much data. Any where else I can go for accounts of this?

2. My sister lives in LA. If I put her address on the I-485 (and her name in the C/O field) will that route our application through LA? Is that acceptable by USCIS? If we ended up living in Austin, we'd simply fly to LA for the interview.

Thank you!

Do you really want all your approval notices or possible RFE's sent to your sister in LA and then have her send them to Texas? And I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure you'll be asked about it during the interview if they start asking you were you live and you say you live in Texas even though you have your case in LA.

[Anh map 2,098]

A bizzare way of thinking. Get settled and send in the adjustment application from wherever you live.

[JR loves JR 196]

You can look on https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplayInit.doto get the dates that the field office says they are processing from. As of October 31st they are reporting processing applications submitted on

Houston: April 28th

Los Angeles: May 21st

Personally I wouldn't make any life decisions based on a difference of 23 days. Plus her ability to work is not determined by the local offices. So she'll be authorized for work at the same time no matter where you live.

Every time you change your address you have to submit more paperwork. I believe the form reporting your fiancée's move is supposed to be submitted within 10 days of actually moving. That would result in your file being transferred to the new local office anyway and will actually cause delays. So I don't believe your plan to use your sister's address is feasible and might cause heartache down the road. Besides the more you "move", the more likely they are to send your notices and the green card to the wrong address. So delay filing the AOS by a couple days and find a place to live and then send your packet. I doubt that you'll regret the slight delay too much since it will simplify your process in the long run.

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

Many K-1 adjustment applicants do not even have an interview, and are not sent to a local office. They can be approved without interview from where they are originally routed, the NBC. The EAD/AP also do not process through the local USCIS office.

Just file the AOS with your address, and not one belonging to someone else in another state. They want to know your residence. If your case is sent to your local office, it will be the one that has jurisdiction over your case, based on your location.

Edited December 27, 2015 by KayDeeCee

[JamnSol 35]

I have been in a similar situation for the last couple of years. My previous job had me traveling about 75% of the time, and my new job put me in a situation where I have a temporary residence for the last six months, and will relocate to California from Texas in January. All of this during the K-1 process. I used my office address, for consistent mail delivery, and rehearsed with my fiancée how to explain where we would live, and why it doesn't match any of the submitted information.

I agree with the reply above, use your own address. Don't worry about processing times, worry about being able to provide a coherent, consistent "story" to the IO, and get through the process with the minimum of complications.