AOS March 2016 Filers

[AmythS 2]

Had our interview on the 1st December at 7:55 am....waited for about half an hour before we were called in by the USCIS officer. She was very very nice the reason I say that I haven't had that great of an experience previously on phone with most of them. Well to our luck we even had a trainee in there with us to start, I thought our chances seemed pretty bleeked she asked us the regular questions of how we met? where we met? if our families have met? The regular paper of questions of whether you are a member of terrorist group and blah blah!!!! Then she asked us our address so as to make sure the card gets to the right address which I thought was a pretty great of her to tell us. Then explained us the process after two years of the marriage and the documentation involved then. At the end asked us if we had any questions to which I asked if we were approved? And she said so far we look good.

All in all I think the interview is not that tough as long as you stick to the real story...she found ours pretty cute <3

[fort knox 3]

We had our interview on the 23rd of November and were approved on the spot. The status of the case online changed to 'Card sent for production'.

On 11/30 the online status changed to 'Card is being mailed' an we received the card on Friday 12/02.

We filed beginning of March and got the interview only 9 months later.. Seemed to take forever!

Good luck everyone.

Congratulation

[fort knox 3]

Had our interview on the 1st December at 7:55 am....waited for about half an hour before we were called in by the USCIS officer. She was very very nice the reason I say that I haven't had that great of an experience previously on phone with most of them. Well to our luck we even had a trainee in there with us to start, I thought our chances seemed pretty bleeked she asked us the regular questions of how we met? where we met? if our families have met? The regular paper of questions of whether you are a member of terrorist group and blah blah!!!! Then she asked us our address so as to make sure the card gets to the right address which I thought was a pretty great of her to tell us. Then explained us the process after two years of the marriage and the documentation involved then. At the end asked us if we had any questions to which I asked if we were approved? And she said so far we look good.

All in all I think the interview is not that tough as long as you stick to the real story...she found ours pretty cute <3

Congrats

We also filed on March 25 .... but nothing yet about interview... tired of waiting... I wish we could do it before Christmas, cause we are student and December is a good time for us , but seemingly it's not gonna happen...

[sparkles_ 456]

We filed March 21, and I'm also hoping for a Christmas holiday time interview. But at this rate, looks like us in waiting would interview around the new year since interview letters give 3-4wk advance notice.

I'm going to go with delays, not paused. It looks like people are working but slowly. I'm going to make an educated guess and say everyone panicked to file whatever needed ASAP during the pending election and shortly after.....bottleneck effect. Our lawyer said something really similar happened when same-sex marriage and immigration benefits were legalized.

[Linyahui 103]

We filed March 21, and I'm also hoping for a Christmas holiday time interview. But at this rate, looks like us in waiting would interview around the new year since interview letters give 3-4wk advance notice.

I'm going to go with delays, not paused. It looks like people are working but slowly. I'm going to make an educated guess and say everyone panicked to file whatever needed ASAP during the pending election and shortly after.....bottleneck effect. Our lawyer said something really similar happened when same-sex marriage and immigration benefits were legalized.

We filed March 8, but I'm not holding my breath. We're heading to Taiwan for the holidays and a good distraction. Thank God for advance parole.

My husband asked a good question last night. We were looking at timelines of fellow VJ members who also live in the Twin Cities. The couple who filed right before us and the seven couples who filed right after us have all received their green cards (some had interviews, some didn't). There was just one blank line in the timeline comparison indicating no decision made yet--ours. Of course. But then my husband asked me to check the countries of origin of those couples--Czech Republic, Poland, two from the U.K., Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua, and Armenia. No other couples with one partner from Asia, like us.

Has anyone noticed discrepancies in order of processing based on country of origin? Could this be affecting us? Yet when we spoke to USCIS, we were told there was no reason why our application should not have been sent on to our local service center back in April after my husband completed his biometrics and got the EAD/AP combo card. Maybe the national processing center just sucks.

I realize that continuing to vent on the VJ forum is counter-productive if my ultimate goal is to remain positive and optimistic...but I'm also curious about the question I posed above. Just want some answers to explain the loooooooooooooooong wait compared to others in our area.

[palolis 43]

Hello everybody,

So here it goes: our interview was scheduled for 3:30pm. Our lawyer told us to be patient because that was the last time of the day for interviews. We arrived to the building (26 Federal Plaza in New York) at 2:30pm and went through security (airport style). We needed to go to room 800 (8th floor) and check in. There was no one else in that room. We showed our NOA with our appointment and they gave us a paper highlighting the room we needed to go to next (and gave us back the NOA). We went to room 437 on the 4th floor and checked in again with the only person available at the windows. She kept the paper they gave us in room 800, stapled a paper with our turn and asked us to take a seat. It was 2:45 by then.

There were only 3 other couples and a mother and son in the waiting area. We noticed they didn't necessarily call people in the order they arrived, apparently they assign your case to a specific officer (the officer who reviewed your file - I know this because our officer mentioned he had done our background check before the interview) so if your assigned officer takes longer with his/her interviews, you will see people who arrived after you come in before you. I think this is also what happens when they schedule the interviews: they assign your case to an officer when your file arrives to the local office and if that officer takes longer to review it, they will schedule your interview after people who filed after you. So, for people who filed before me in NYC and haven't received notification of your interview, it looks like your officer is slower/less efficient than mine.

At 3:30pm we were the only ones at the waiting area. The officer who guards the entrance started rearranging the seats for the next day, so we officially knew we were the last ones to be interviewed yesterday. We waited 10 more minutes and our officer came to get us at the door.

He was the best officer we could get. We are in a same-sex marriage so we were afraid of the officer not being open and inclusive; but it was completely the opposite. He was magnificent. He sworn us in and, then, the first thing he said was that it was about time that our marriage was recognized by the law and that my American wife could petition me for residency, he said he had a gay brother whose long-time partner died the day DOMA was repealed and he didn't get to marry the love of his life. He said we shouldn't lose hope and we should be proud of this country. We knew we were in the right hands.

The officer asked just one question to my wife: how did you meet? My wife explained how we met and how we started dating, the day she told me she had feelings for me, where we were and how I responded, so the officer said "my interviews are very simple, I have been working here for 22 years and I know when it's the real thing, and your story has nothing generic in it, I'm going to approve your case. That means that I conclude your marriage is legitimate". That was it. He asked to see my entry to the US (on my passport), documents that showed we co-habitate (we had bank statement, lease, home renter's insurance, medical insurance, etc.) and asked for 4-5 photos of us and with other people. It took 5 minutes.

Then he said he was going to do all the paperwork at that time, he said we could tweet or whatever we liked (he was funny and easygoing), the interview was over. So he proceeded to stamp, sign and write some stuff on our very tick file while he was talking about the election outcome, he said I shouldn't fear anything the new "punk of a president" might do, he can't take our rights (meaning he won't be able to do anything about us being residents). Since my wife and I have been married for more than three years, he said he was granting me permanent residency without conditions and he encouraged me to apply for citizenship in three years!

He really was a delight! When he finished with the paperwork he said we could expect the Green Card to arrive in 6-10 days. We mentioned we are traveling abroad on the 16th, so he said to keep my combo card just in case but that he thinks the card will arrive before our trip. And finally he said "in the name of the United States of America, congratulations! As of today, you are a permanent resident of this country", he brought tears to my eyes.

He accompanied us to the exit and wished us all the best. My wife and I hugged and left the building ecstatic! We went to battery park to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, had very early dinner and a glass of champagne to celebrate right after. While we were having dinner, I got a text message saying that my case status had changed, I immediately checked online and it now says "New Card is Being Produced".

I couldn't ask directly about people who are still waiting, but by the conversation we had, I can sincerely tell you, the process is not paused, at least not in NYC! There are some delays, he mentioned a couple of officers had resigned in the last three months and that other officers are catching up with their cases. Also, as I mentioned above, he was a very efficient and quick officer, but if your file fell in the hands of a slower officer or was in the hands of one of the officers who resigned, you might be in the backlog of that (or a new) officer. We were very lucky to get the best officer possible.

I wish all of you who are still waiting, the best of luck, and really hope you get your interviews scheduled in the next few days.

I won't need to remove conditions, so I will be back in two years and 9 months to talk with fellow citizenship filers.

In the mean time, if you have any questions about the interview, reply to this comment and I will try to solve them to the best of my knowledge. Cheers!

Edited December 6, 2016 by palolis

[Imani 105]

much needed!!!

Edited December 6, 2016 by Nipperswife

[daveyjoe! 5]

Hello everybody,

So here it goes: our interview was scheduled for 3:30pm. Our lawyer told us to be patient because that was the last time of the day for interviews. We arrived to the building (26 Federal Plaza in New York) at 2:30pm and went through security (airport style). We needed to go to room 800 (8th floor) and check in. There was no one else in that room. We showed our NOA with our appointment and they gave us a paper highlighting the room we needed to go to next (and gave us back the NOA). We went to room 437 on the 4th floor and checked in again with the only person available at the windows. She kept the paper they gave us in room 800, stapled a paper with our turn and asked us to take a seat. It was 2:45 by then.

There were only 3 other couples and a mother and son in the waiting area. We noticed they didn't necessarily call people in the order they arrived, apparently they assign your case to a specific officer (the officer who reviewed your file - I know this because our officer mentioned he had done our background check before the interview) so if your assigned officer takes longer with his/her interviews, you will see people who arrived after you come in before you. I think this is also what happens when they schedule the interviews: they assign your case to an officer when your file arrives to the local office and if that officer takes longer to review it, they will schedule your interview after people who filed after you. So, for people who filed before me in NYC and haven't received notification of your interview, it looks like your officer is slower/less efficient than mine.

At 3:30pm we were the only ones at the waiting area. The officer who guards the entrance started rearranging the seats for the next day, so we officially knew we were the last ones to be interviewed yesterday. We waited 10 more minutes and our officer came to get us at the door.

He was the best officer we could get. We are in a same-sex marriage so we were afraid of the officer not being open and inclusive; but it was completely the opposite. He was magnificent. He sworn us in and, then, the first thing he said was that it was about time that our marriage was recognized by the law and that my American wife could petition me for residency, he said he had a gay brother whose long-time partner died the day DOMA was repealed and he didn't get to marry the love of his life. He said we shouldn't lose hope and we should be proud of this country. We knew we were in the right hands.

The officer asked just one question to my wife: how did you meet? My wife explained how we met and how we started dating, the day she told me she had feelings for me, where we were and how I responded, so the officer said "my interviews are very simple, I have been working here for 22 years and I know when it's the real thing, and your story has nothing generic in it, I'm going to approve your case. That means that I conclude your marriage is legitimate". That was it. He asked to see my entry to the US (on my passport), documents that showed we co-habitate (we had bank statement, lease, home renter's insurance, medical insurance, etc.) and asked for 4-5 photos of us and with other people. It took 5 minutes.

Then he said he was going to do all the paperwork at that time, he said we could tweet or whatever we liked (he was funny and easygoing), the interview was over. So he proceeded to stamp, sign and write some stuff on our very tick file while he was talking about the election outcome, he said I shouldn't fear anything the new "punk of a president" might do, he can't take our rights (meaning he won't be able to do anything about us being residents). Since my wife and I have been married for more than three years, he said he was granting me permanent residency without conditions and he encouraged me to apply for citizenship in three years!

He really was a delight! When he finished with the paperwork he said we could expect the Green Card to arrive in 6-10 days. We mentioned we are traveling abroad on the 16th, so he said to keep my combo card just in case but that he thinks the card will arrive before our trip. And finally he said "in the name of the United States of America, congratulations! As of today, you are a permanent resident of this country", he brought tears to my eyes.

He accompanied us to the exit and wished us all the best. My wife and I hugged and left the building ecstatic! We went to battery park to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, had very early dinner and a glass of champagne to celebrate right after. While we were having dinner, I got a text message saying that my case status had changed, I immediately checked online and it now says "New Card is Being Produced".

I couldn't ask directly about people who are still waiting, but by the conversation we had, I can sincerely tell you, the process is not paused, at least not in NYC! There are some delays, he mentioned a couple of officers had resigned in the last three months and that other officers are catching up with their cases. Also, as I mentioned above, he was a very efficient and quick officer, but if your file fell in the hands of a slower officer or was in the hands of one of the officers who resigned, you might be in the backlog of that (or a new) officer. We were very lucky to get the best officer possible.

I wish all of you who are still waiting, the best of luck, and really hope you get your interviews scheduled in the next few days.

I won't need to remove conditions, so I will be back in two years and 9 months to talk with fellow citizenship filers.

In the mean time, if you have any questions about the interview, reply to this comment and I will try to solve them to the best of my knowledge. Cheers!

OMG! THANK YOU FOR THE FULL DESCRIPTION! Truly awesome! CONGRATS!

I am in a same sex marriage too and am nervous about discrimination etc. It sounds like your officer was freaking fantastic! I'm envious! haha.

I must have had the bad luck of getting a slow officer / one that has left. FML.

My husband and I are going back to his country for the month of January and I can almost guarantee that we will be summoned to our interview in the middle of that time period because that is how messed up and frustrating this process has been and ruining our trip and making us spend a ton more money we don't have would basically be the cherry on the cake for this entire process.

January 15th will be our 1 year anniversary of marriage. - that's how ridiculously long this process is becoming, it's nearing our anniversary. I thought when I said "I do" last year, that we'd be past this point and happy and getting on with our lives. Alas........

[Imani 105]

Hello everybody,

So here it goes: our interview was scheduled for 3:30pm. Our lawyer told us to be patient because that was the last time of the day for interviews. We arrived to the building (26 Federal Plaza in New York) at 2:30pm and went through security (airport style). We needed to go to room 800 (8th floor) and check in. There was no one else in that room. We showed our NOA with our appointment and they gave us a paper highlighting the room we needed to go to next (and gave us back the NOA). We went to room 437 on the 4th floor and checked in again with the only person available at the windows. She kept the paper they gave us in room 800, stapled a paper with our turn and asked us to take a seat. It was 2:45 by then.

There were only 3 other couples and a mother and son in the waiting area. We noticed they didn't necessarily call people in the order they arrived, apparently they assign your case to a specific officer (the officer who reviewed your file - I know this because our officer mentioned he had done our background check before the interview) so if your assigned officer takes longer with his/her interviews, you will see people who arrived after you come in before you. I think this is also what happens when they schedule the interviews: they assign your case to an officer when your file arrives to the local office and if that officer takes longer to review it, they will schedule your interview after people who filed after you. So, for people who filed before me in NYC and haven't received notification of your interview, it looks like your officer is slower/less efficient than mine.

At 3:30pm we were the only ones at the waiting area. The officer who guards the entrance started rearranging the seats for the next day, so we officially knew we were the last ones to be interviewed yesterday. We waited 10 more minutes and our officer came to get us at the door.

He was the best officer we could get. We are in a same-sex marriage so we were afraid of the officer not being open and inclusive; but it was completely the opposite. He was magnificent. He sworn us in and, then, the first thing he said was that it was about time that our marriage was recognized by the law and that my American wife could petition me for residency, he said he had a gay brother whose long-time partner died the day DOMA was repealed and he didn't get to marry the love of his life. He said we shouldn't lose hope and we should be proud of this country. We knew we were in the right hands.

The officer asked just one question to my wife: how did you meet? My wife explained how we met and how we started dating, the day she told me she had feelings for me, where we were and how I responded, so the officer said "my interviews are very simple, I have been working here for 22 years and I know when it's the real thing, and your story has nothing generic in it, I'm going to approve your case. That means that I conclude your marriage is legitimate". That was it. He asked to see my entry to the US (on my passport), documents that showed we co-habitate (we had bank statement, lease, home renter's insurance, medical insurance, etc.) and asked for 4-5 photos of us and with other people. It took 5 minutes.

Then he said he was going to do all the paperwork at that time, he said we could tweet or whatever we liked (he was funny and easygoing), the interview was over. So he proceeded to stamp, sign and write some stuff on our very tick file while he was talking about the election outcome, he said I shouldn't fear anything the new "punk of a president" might do, he can't take our rights (meaning he won't be able to do anything about us being residents). Since my wife and I have been married for more than three years, he said he was granting me permanent residency without conditions and he encouraged me to apply for citizenship in three years!

He really was a delight! When he finished with the paperwork he said we could expect the Green Card to arrive in 6-10 days. We mentioned we are traveling abroad on the 16th, so he said to keep my combo card just in case but that he thinks the card will arrive before our trip. And finally he said "in the name of the United States of America, congratulations! As of today, you are a permanent resident of this country", he brought tears to my eyes.

He accompanied us to the exit and wished us all the best. My wife and I hugged and left the building ecstatic! We went to battery park to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, had very early dinner and a glass of champagne to celebrate right after. While we were having dinner, I got a text message saying that my case status had changed, I immediately checked online and it now says "New Card is Being Produced".

I couldn't ask directly about people who are still waiting, but by the conversation we had, I can sincerely tell you, the process is not paused, at least not in NYC! There are some delays, he mentioned a couple of officers had resigned in the last three months and that other officers are catching up with their cases. Also, as I mentioned above, he was a very efficient and quick officer, but if your file fell in the hands of a slower officer or was in the hands of one of the officers who resigned, you might be in the backlog of that (or a new) officer. We were very lucky to get the best officer possible.

I wish all of you who are still waiting, the best of luck, and really hope you get your interviews scheduled in the next few days.

I won't need to remove conditions, so I will be back in two years and 9 months to talk with fellow citizenship filers.

In the mean time, if you have any questions about the interview, reply to this comment and I will try to solve them to the best of my knowledge. Cheers!

Awesome! I read it, and just wanted to congratulate you and thank you for the review in detail.

OMG! THANK YOU FOR THE FULL DESCRIPTION! Truly awesome! CONGRATS!

I am in a same sex marriage too and am nervous about discrimination etc. It sounds like your officer was freaking fantastic! I'm envious! haha.

I must have had the bad luck of getting a slow officer / one that has left. FML.

My husband and I are going back to his country for the month of January and I can almost guarantee that we will be summoned to our interview in the middle of that time period because that is how messed up and frustrating this process has been and ruining our trip and making us spend a ton more money we don't have would basically be the cherry on the cake for this entire process.

January 15th will be our 1 year anniversary of marriage. - that's how ridiculously long this process is becoming, it's nearing our anniversary. I thought when I said "I do" last year, that we'd be past this point and happy and getting on with our lives. Alas........

um.. when did you file?

[daveyjoe! 5]

Awesome! I read it, and just wanted to congratulate you and thank you for the review in detail.

um.. when did you file?

March 7th. Received March 10th.

(The person I commented on I believe filed March 30th and was received in April. Several weeks after us. Same office).

Edited December 6, 2016 by daveyjoe!

[Imani 105]

March 7th. Received March 10th.

The person I commented on I believe filed 2 weeks after us. Same office.

jeesh....so sorry.. i live upstate ny, nyc is my field office... i made an infopass in connecticut because its impossible to get one in nyc, long island and in newburgh

have you called them?

Edited December 6, 2016 by Nipperswife

[daveyjoe! 5]

jeesh....so sorry.. i live upstate ny, nyc is my field office... i made an infopass in connecticut because its impossible to get one in nyc, long island and in newburgh

have you called them?

Calling is an absolute joke.

I put in a request for why it was taking so long and they sent a message being like - no, it's not taking long. thanks. - I've given up to be honest, I am absolutely defeated.

Not sure what an info pass is, but the last thing I need is some other type of process to let me down ON TOP of the process already letting me down.

[Imani 105]

Calling is an absolute joke.

I put in a request for why it was taking so long and they sent a message being like - no, it's not taking long. thanks. - I've given up to be honest, I am absolutely defeated.

Not sure what an info pass is, but the last thing I need is some other type of process to let me down ON TOP of the process already letting me down.

calling is a joke, i agree..

infopass is scheduling to meet with an immigration officer ...

cheer up!!!! it will soon be over..

[Linyahui 103]

March 7th. Received March 10th.

(The person I commented on I believe filed March 30th and was received in April. Several weeks after us. Same office).

You and I and our husbands need to meet up sometime IRL. I feel like we've gone through a very similar experience with this AOS process.

I'm blasting Christmas music in my office and going through Hi-Chews* like no one's business. Why must we suffer through the holidays?!?!?!?! Whyyyyyyyyy

* Hi-Chews are an amazing fruit-flavored candy from Taiwan. I got hooked when I was working in China. Recommend.

Hello everybody,

So here it goes: our interview was scheduled for 3:30pm. Our lawyer told us to be patient because that was the last time of the day for interviews. We arrived to the building (26 Federal Plaza in New York) at 2:30pm and went through security (airport style). We needed to go to room 800 (8th floor) and check in. There was no one else in that room. We showed our NOA with our appointment and they gave us a paper highlighting the room we needed to go to next (and gave us back the NOA). We went to room 437 on the 4th floor and checked in again with the only person available at the windows. She kept the paper they gave us in room 800, stapled a paper with our turn and asked us to take a seat. It was 2:45 by then.

There were only 3 other couples and a mother and son in the waiting area. We noticed they didn't necessarily call people in the order they arrived, apparently they assign your case to a specific officer (the officer who reviewed your file - I know this because our officer mentioned he had done our background check before the interview) so if your assigned officer takes longer with his/her interviews, you will see people who arrived after you come in before you. I think this is also what happens when they schedule the interviews: they assign your case to an officer when your file arrives to the local office and if that officer takes longer to review it, they will schedule your interview after people who filed after you. So, for people who filed before me in NYC and haven't received notification of your interview, it looks like your officer is slower/less efficient than mine.

At 3:30pm we were the only ones at the waiting area. The officer who guards the entrance started rearranging the seats for the next day, so we officially knew we were the last ones to be interviewed yesterday. We waited 10 more minutes and our officer came to get us at the door.

He was the best officer we could get. We are in a same-sex marriage so we were afraid of the officer not being open and inclusive; but it was completely the opposite. He was magnificent. He sworn us in and, then, the first thing he said was that it was about time that our marriage was recognized by the law and that my American wife could petition me for residency, he said he had a gay brother whose long-time partner died the day DOMA was repealed and he didn't get to marry the love of his life. He said we shouldn't lose hope and we should be proud of this country. We knew we were in the right hands.

The officer asked just one question to my wife: how did you meet? My wife explained how we met and how we started dating, the day she told me she had feelings for me, where we were and how I responded, so the officer said "my interviews are very simple, I have been working here for 22 years and I know when it's the real thing, and your story has nothing generic in it, I'm going to approve your case. That means that I conclude your marriage is legitimate". That was it. He asked to see my entry to the US (on my passport), documents that showed we co-habitate (we had bank statement, lease, home renter's insurance, medical insurance, etc.) and asked for 4-5 photos of us and with other people. It took 5 minutes.

Then he said he was going to do all the paperwork at that time, he said we could tweet or whatever we liked (he was funny and easygoing), the interview was over. So he proceeded to stamp, sign and write some stuff on our very tick file while he was talking about the election outcome, he said I shouldn't fear anything the new "punk of a president" might do, he can't take our rights (meaning he won't be able to do anything about us being residents). Since my wife and I have been married for more than three years, he said he was granting me permanent residency without conditions and he encouraged me to apply for citizenship in three years!

He really was a delight! When he finished with the paperwork he said we could expect the Green Card to arrive in 6-10 days. We mentioned we are traveling abroad on the 16th, so he said to keep my combo card just in case but that he thinks the card will arrive before our trip. And finally he said "in the name of the United States of America, congratulations! As of today, you are a permanent resident of this country", he brought tears to my eyes.

He accompanied us to the exit and wished us all the best. My wife and I hugged and left the building ecstatic! We went to battery park to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, had very early dinner and a glass of champagne to celebrate right after. While we were having dinner, I got a text message saying that my case status had changed, I immediately checked online and it now says "New Card is Being Produced".

I couldn't ask directly about people who are still waiting, but by the conversation we had, I can sincerely tell you, the process is not paused, at least not in NYC! There are some delays, he mentioned a couple of officers had resigned in the last three months and that other officers are catching up with their cases. Also, as I mentioned above, he was a very efficient and quick officer, but if your file fell in the hands of a slower officer or was in the hands of one of the officers who resigned, you might be in the backlog of that (or a new) officer. We were very lucky to get the best officer possible.

I wish all of you who are still waiting, the best of luck, and really hope you get your interviews scheduled in the next few days.

I won't need to remove conditions, so I will be back in two years and 9 months to talk with fellow citizenship filers.

In the mean time, if you have any questions about the interview, reply to this comment and I will try to solve them to the best of my knowledge. Cheers!

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!!!

[sparkles_ 456]

We filed March 8, but I'm not holding my breath. We're heading to Taiwan for the holidays and a good distraction. Thank God for advance parole.

My husband asked a good question last night. We were looking at timelines of fellow VJ members who also live in the Twin Cities. The couple who filed right before us and the seven couples who filed right after us have all received their green cards (some had interviews, some didn't). There was just one blank line in the timeline comparison indicating no decision made yet--ours. Of course. But then my husband asked me to check the countries of origin of those couples--Czech Republic, Poland, two from the U.K., Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua, and Armenia. No other couples with one partner from Asia, like us.

Has anyone noticed discrepancies in order of processing based on country of origin? Could this be affecting us? Yet when we spoke to USCIS, we were told there was no reason why our application should not have been sent on to our local service center back in April after my husband completed his biometrics and got the EAD/AP combo card. Maybe the national processing center just sucks.

I realize that continuing to vent on the VJ forum is counter-productive if my ultimate goal is to remain positive and optimistic...but I'm also curious about the question I posed above. Just want some answers to explain the loooooooooooooooong wait compared to others in our area.

I can't even find anyone doing an AOS in 2016 for our local office, how crazy is that?! I guess either the locals don't use vj much or the area isn't popular to live in. I found two k1 couples and both filed late 2015, and I haven't found anyone else from my husbands country. I know they can't discriminate but background checks could be more in depth?

We had to terminate removal before filing so hopefully that isn't cause for delay. It stated terminated without prejudice...remanded to uscis...either way, I've given up for 2016 and will get back on obsessive 5x a day checking of the portal and mailbox after the holidays.