AOS March 2016 filers/Part 2

[Linyahui 103]

41 minutes ago, newyorkaos said:

daveyjoe! Is this week I believe, ours is next week. Just hold on, I feel the pain in waiting. But just hang on tight. Keep in mind that different offices work in different pace. I came across people in another forum from your local office still waiting for interviews. Will send you link when I scroll on them again. 

Thanks, Newyorkaos. Yes, St. Paul is one of the slowest service centers in the country, maybe because of our large refugee populations here (primarily Somali and Hmong). Just wish they had separate departments for each visa category! I hope that doesn't sound crass; I know we're lucky to be adjusting based on marriage and not because we're fleeing persecution in our home countries. It's just hard to wait. 

[sparkles_ 456]

Guys who already got the interview letter in hands, did yours come with an extra page that basically said if you've ever been arrested bring the court records, etc? 

 

Wondering if we only got this because his removal stuff was technically seen as an arrest, and uscis knows about this, or if everyone gets this extra page?

[sparkles_ 456]

Basically this thing. Did everyone else get this along with the interview letter?

[PaddyGirl13 75]

6 minutes ago, sparkles_ said:

Guys who already got the interview letter in hands, did yours come with an extra page that basically said if you've ever been arrested bring the court records, etc? 

 

Wondering if we only got this because his removal stuff was technically seen as an arrest, and uscis knows about this, or if everyone gets this extra page?

We got it too, even my 14 year old son got one with his interview letter

[sparkles_ 456]

Just now, PaddyGirl13 said:

We got it too, even my 14 year old son got one with his interview letter

Ok. Man, that extra page falling out of the envelope freaked me out. I thought we may be special and not in a good way 

[daveyjoe! 5]

Hello everyone! Our interview is 2:15 on Thursday, February 23rd. We're semi-freaking out and am terrified. Luckily my husband who is the one up for the greencard, found a serving job, however, I'm still unemployed spare some freelancing. We have my brother's paperwork and form ready incase they ask about my finances as a sponsor, so he will be our back up sponsor just in case. 

I'm nervous that I'm forgetting something. Any advice on what to expect? AHHHHHHHHH! 

I'll be sure to post about our experience after the interview! 

[newyorkaos 15]

16 minutes ago, sparkles_ said:

Ok. Man, that extra page falling out of the envelope freaked me out. I thought we may be special and not in a good way 

 

20 minutes ago, sparkles_ said:

Basically this thing. Did everyone else get this along with the interview letter?

I think we did have that. Dont worry seems a standard template. 

[newyorkaos 15]

21 minutes ago, daveyjoe! said:

Hello everyone! Our interview is 2:15 on Thursday, February 23rd. We're semi-freaking out and am terrified. Luckily my husband who is the one up for the greencard, found a serving job, however, I'm still unemployed spare some freelancing. We have my brother's paperwork and form ready incase they ask about my finances as a sponsor, so he will be our back up sponsor just in case. 

I'm nervous that I'm forgetting something. Any advice on what to expect? AHHHHHHHHH! 

I'll be sure to post about our experience after the interview! 

Wishing you all thebest. We were with our lawyer yesterday to prepare, So  I presented her with all my paranoia questions. I was concerned with a lot of things regarding overstay, intent, and other bs. I spoke to 2 other lawyers just because im a anxious freak. But no one seemed afazed with my concerns. Anyway we were told this isan adjustment from marriage, be prepared to answer questions on that, get all the joint stuff you have together: credit cards between filing to now so they can see the continuity, a joint tax will be helpful in our case because we never filed together before, and originals originals because they need to compare them with the copies such as the birth certificate and marriage certificate. I wish you luck. If you have any questions shoot me a message here or send me a private message. It's going to be approved, we have to claim it.:)

[sparkles_ 456]

Sooooooo guys, we have been married 2.5yr. Does this mean I need to dig up things from the start? 

 

Keep in mind we have an approved i130 from 2015.

 

things like old electric bills I simply can't find because I don't hoard them, I have a few months of them at best and have never set up online accounts for it. Yes I still pay the old school way, will this be an issue? Bank things I can get online or from the branch itself, same with insurance documents. I've got lease copies and taxes for a few years. Things like zoo memberships that we have as a family. 

 

Also I assumed our savings was opened on both our names, buys it's been in mine only for a year. I opened it to save for our summer vacations so it's pretty loaded. I am going to add him Monday, and get a confirmation from the bank of doing so. Will this look shady adding him so late?

 

I mean I assumed since he could access that account on our mobile app that he was somehow on it like our checking. Guess not

[Linyahui 103]

1 hour ago, sparkles_ said:

Ok. Man, that extra page falling out of the envelope freaked me out. I thought we may be special and not in a good way 

Sounds like you have nothing to worry about!  More good news!

[Linyahui 103]

1 hour ago, newyorkaos said:

Wishing you all thebest. We were with our lawyer yesterday to prepare, So  I presented her with all my paranoia questions. I was concerned with a lot of things regarding overstay, intent, and other bs. I spoke to 2 other lawyers just because im a anxious freak. But no one seemed afazed with my concerns. Anyway we were told this isan adjustment from marriage, be prepared to answer questions on that, get all the joint stuff you have together: credit cards between filing to now so they can see the continuity, a joint tax will be helpful in our case because we never filed together before, and originals originals because they need to compare them with the copies such as the birth certificate and marriage certificate. I wish you luck. If you have any questions shoot me a message here or send me a private message. It's going to be approved, we have to claim it.:)

I assume the GC interview is primarily about proving we have bona fide marriages. USCIS/FBI/whoever has already looked into things like overstay, different visas, etc. I mean, that stuff was allegedly settled when we applied for the K-1s, right? Otherwise our then-fiances wouldn't have gotten permission to come to the country through the K-1. 

 

I think in addition to joint bank accounts, credit cards, gym memberships, etc. you could bring evidence of day-to-day communication (i.e. emails, text messages, FB messages, etc.), but only proffer them upon request. I'm sure you guys will be fine! Seems like many of us on this forum worry to an excessive degree; sometimes, we really need to try to relax because the worry won't make anything happen more quickly! (this advice is directed primarily at myself, ha). 

 

Good luck!

[Linyahui 103]

41 minutes ago, sparkles_ said:

Sooooooo guys, we have been married 2.5yr. Does this mean I need to dig up things from the start? 

 

Keep in mind we have an approved i130 from 2015.

 

things like old electric bills I simply can't find because I don't hoard them, I have a few months of them at best and have never set up online accounts for it. Yes I still pay the old school way, will this be an issue? Bank things I can get online or from the branch itself, same with insurance documents. I've got lease copies and taxes for a few years. Things like zoo memberships that we have as a family. 

 

Also I assumed our savings was opened on both our names, buys it's been in mine only for a year. I opened it to save for our summer vacations so it's pretty loaded. I am going to add him Monday, and get a confirmation from the bank of doing so. Will this look shady adding him so late?

 

I mean I assumed since he could access that account on our mobile app that he was somehow on it like our checking. Guess not

I've been talking to my hubby about this stuff, too. We have a joint savings/checking account but we don't really use it religiously. I had so many things set up to pay automatically from my own savings that it was just easier to keep it that way and then have hubby pay for things like dinners out or fun stuff out of his savings account. I mean, seriously! This is 2017. Normal married people keep their finances separate sometimes! That shouldn't be a red flag. It sucks that our marriages are so scrutinized when other people can just trot off to Vegas and do whatever the hell they want. 

 

BUT! I think if you have a general record of things like zoo memberships, insurance, lease, etc. you should be fine. I doubt the IO wants to spend an hour going through each document in a binder.

[PaddyGirl13 75]

We don't have joint bank accounts of any sort, we've both been married before and got burned by ex spouses financially so I suppose it's a normal reaction. Ha! We have joint bills and expenses and health insurance, and the kids school stuff so hopefully that's enough. I'm sure hoping the interviewer has a sense of humour, that'd make it so much easier. 

[Linyahui 103]

OK, guys. Now I really don't know what to think. 

 

I just called my congresswoman's office for the billionth time to ask if there were any updates. This time, I directly told the message-taker that we had been assured we would hear something in 6-8 weeks and we are now on week 12 and the service was unacceptable. I'd spoken with that particular congressional aide before and she recognized my voice and said she'd send a personal email to the congressional liaison to make sure we heard something. I guess I struck the right balance between diplomatic and emotional, because I just received the following email from the congressional liaison on behalf of USCIS:

 

"Thank you for your inquiry regarding this constituent’s immigration matter.  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) records confirm that your constituent’s case is pending background check clearance.  USCIS is committed to adjudicating immigration benefits in a timely manner while also ensuring public safety and national security.  A small percentage of applications and petitions have unresolved background check issues that temporarily delay adjudication.  Although USCIS makes every effort to resolve such cases promptly, USCIS is unable to speculate when the background check will be completed. 

 

If a background check reveals an issue that may impact an applicant’s eligibility for the requested immigration benefit, further inquiry is needed.  The inquiry may include an additional interview and/or contact with another agency for updates or more comprehensive information.  Upon gathering and assessing all available information, USCIS will adjudicate the application as quickly as possible.

 

USCIS realizes that your constituent may be frustrated by the progress of his or her case.  However, the agency must balance individual inconvenience against broader issues of public safety and national security. 

 

We hope the information provided is helpful.  If we may be of assistance in the future, please let us know."

 

WHAT. THE. HECK. I sooooo do not understand what is going on. Three service requests to USCIS have ALL said that case processing is delayed due to workload factors not related to us. If this is true, what could possibly be holding up the background check??? I am still planning to keep the InfoPass appointment tomorrow. I will ask all my questions, playing dumb about this info, and if they then also confirm we're still in background checks, I will show them the USCIS memo that otherwise-approvable cases with background checks pending more than 150 days (we're on day 349) should receive a response from the FBI about exactly WHAT is holding up the background check. 

 

I'll provide an update tomorrow. BUT GOD. 

[sparkles_ 456]

13 minutes ago, Linyahui said:

OK, guys. Now I really don't know what to think. 

 

I just called my congresswoman's office for the billionth time to ask if there were any updates. This time, I directly told the message-taker that we had been assured we would hear something in 6-8 weeks and we are now on week 12 and the service was unacceptable. I'd spoken with that particular congressional aide before and she recognized my voice and said she'd send a personal email to the congressional liaison to make sure we heard something. I guess I struck the right balance between diplomatic and emotional, because I just received the following email from the congressional liaison on behalf of USCIS:

 

"Thank you for your inquiry regarding this constituent’s immigration matter.  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) records confirm that your constituent’s case is pending background check clearance.  USCIS is committed to adjudicating immigration benefits in a timely manner while also ensuring public safety and national security.  A small percentage of applications and petitions have unresolved background check issues that temporarily delay adjudication.  Although USCIS makes every effort to resolve such cases promptly, USCIS is unable to speculate when the background check will be completed. 

 

If a background check reveals an issue that may impact an applicant’s eligibility for the requested immigration benefit, further inquiry is needed.  The inquiry may include an additional interview and/or contact with another agency for updates or more comprehensive information.  Upon gathering and assessing all available information, USCIS will adjudicate the application as quickly as possible.

 

USCIS realizes that your constituent may be frustrated by the progress of his or her case.  However, the agency must balance individual inconvenience against broader issues of public safety and national security. 

 

We hope the information provided is helpful.  If we may be of assistance in the future, please let us know."

 

WHAT. THE. HECK. I sooooo do not understand what is going on. Three service requests to USCIS have ALL said that case processing is delayed due to workload factors not related to us. If this is true, what could possibly be holding up the background check??? I am still planning to keep the InfoPass appointment tomorrow. I will ask all my questions, playing dumb about this info, and if they then also confirm we're still in background checks, I will show them the USCIS memo that otherwise-approvable cases with background checks pending more than 150 days (we're on day 349) should receive a response from the FBI about exactly WHAT is holding up the background check. 

 

I'll provide an update tomorrow. BUT GOD. 

In the world of USCIS that is seen as a delay not related to the case, sadly. I know, it seems really really stupid. But the background is like its own animal, and that is the FBI holding things up not USCIS nor your actual case documents. See their stupid thought process on that. *side eye*

 

I dont think you should play dumb. If anything, show them you are informed but not in a know it all way. That way you don't beat around the bush, tell them what you know and what should be done.....why are you guys not being done this way as well. Again, also remember to ask for a floor supervisor. I really think the first people you speak to aren't real IOs who do anything besides look up customer info (which we see just like they do) and ring the NBC magic line as needed to get only yes or no answers. 

 

It is worth asking, does your husband have a common Taiwanese name?? I've heard things like "John Smith" or "Muhammed Ali" take a lot longer on backgrounds because there are about a million of them out there.

 

Edited February 21, 2017 by sparkles_