AOS March 2016 filers/Part 2

[SanneW 30]

Just wanna say that ill be gone for 2-3 months, no phone or anything.... I hope that once im back and check in here you all have your approvals! Goodluck

[Linyahui 103]

9 hours ago, SanneW said:

Just wanna say that ill be gone for 2-3 months, no phone or anything.... I hope that once im back and check in here you all have your approvals! Goodluck

Thanks, SanneW! No phone....so, no FB, either?!  

 

Best of luck in training...talk to you when you're back!! Will do our best to share good news with you then. 

[sparkles_ 456]

9 hours ago, SanneW said:

Just wanna say that ill be gone for 2-3 months, no phone or anything.... I hope that once im back and check in here you all have your approvals! Goodluck

Good luck in the navy!! 

[PaddyGirl13 75]

Good luck! And thank you for your upcoming service!! 

[SanneW 30]

Thanks guys! And ye no fb, nothing! Maybe my hubby puts some updates on fb tho ill think of yall!

[Linyahui 103]

Did anyone else receive a survey invitation from USCIS? 

 

On behalf of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Barbaricum is recruiting individuals to participate in a virtual focus group to be held on Tuesday March 21, 2017. The focus groups will be conducted over the internet via webcam allowing applicants from all over the U.S. to take part from the comfort of their own homes. Those who complete the survey and are invited to participate in the virtual focus group will receive $100 via PayPal for participating in one 2-hour session. The focus group will be about current USCIS case processing times and available resources.

 

I've already indicated interest in participating in this survey because ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS and, more importantly, an opportunity to tell USCIS EXACTLY how I feel about case processing times.

 

This will be therapeutic. 

[sparkles_ 456]

1 hour ago, Linyahui said:

Did anyone else receive a survey invitation from USCIS? 

 

On behalf of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Barbaricum is recruiting individuals to participate in a virtual focus group to be held on Tuesday March 21, 2017. The focus groups will be conducted over the internet via webcam allowing applicants from all over the U.S. to take part from the comfort of their own homes. Those who complete the survey and are invited to participate in the virtual focus group will receive $100 via PayPal for participating in one 2-hour session. The focus group will be about current USCIS case processing times and available resources.

 

I've already indicated interest in participating in this survey because ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS and, more importantly, an opportunity to tell USCIS EXACTLY how I feel about case processing times.

 

This will be therapeutic. 

I got it, too! They want to pay us $100 to be a focus group participant on processing times of all things....please, by all means pay me to express my displeasure, lol. 

 

It says you need paypal. I don't have one linked to my bank and am clueless about how you get money versus pay for things. 

 

We we went to our lawyer today for our preparation meeting. Says we may have a bit harder interview due to terminating removal before filing AOS, possible they could split us up but she doesn't think it's a high chance. Also told us that at our local office, a morning appt usually means easy. I guess the afternoon ones are given to couples they think are shady or who have issues, according to her. 

[Linyahui 103]

12 minutes ago, sparkles_ said:

I got it, too! They want to pay us $100 to be a focus group participant on processing times of all things....please, by all means pay me to express my displeasure, lol. 

 

It says you need paypal. I don't have one linked to my bank and am clueless about how you get money versus pay for things. 

 

We we went to our lawyer today for our preparation meeting. Says we may have a bit harder interview due to terminating removal before filing AOS, possible they could split us up but she doesn't think it's a high chance. Also told us that at our local office, a morning appt usually means easy. I guess the afternoon ones are given to couples they think are shady or who have issues, according to her. 

I wonder how they'll select the actual participants...I've already filled out the eligibility survey and am crossing my fingers I'm selected to share my thoughts...

 

I have a PayPal account, but have only used it to pay others, not to receive payment. It was pretty easy to set up, if I remember correctly. 

 

Good to hear you've been meeting with your lawyer to prepare for the interview. What drives me batty is the ambiguity of the situation...i.e. not knowing when/if we'll be called for an interview or when/if a GC will actually just arrive unexpectedly. Even if the interview were scheduled for two years from now, I could handle it better than not knowing when it's going to happen. Hope that the morning appointment does mean an easier interview process for you guys!! 

[Ninahi 53]

I also received the email. No idea how they'll select participants but I too have a word or two to say about their online tracking system, piss poor customer service on the phone helpline, and long processing times, lol.

 

I use Paypal mostly to pay for online purchases, I think I've transferred money to my bank once. But it's not hard to link your account (unless your account is region locked like mine and I had to make a new one for US transactions) to your bank account to receive the payment.  

 

Morning interviews are probably like morning entries to country: people are still in a good mood because they haven't dealt with a lot of people yet, haha. Or right after lunch seems good too. Good luck!

[sparkles_ 456]

Speaking of that tracking system, we still can't track the renewal ead case number two weeks after getting it. Smh. 

[newyorkaos 15]

5 hours ago, Linyahui said:

Did anyone else receive a survey invitation from USCIS? 

 

On behalf of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Barbaricum is recruiting individuals to participate in a virtual focus group to be held on Tuesday March 21, 2017. The focus groups will be conducted over the internet via webcam allowing applicants from all over the U.S. to take part from the comfort of their own homes. Those who complete the survey and are invited to participate in the virtual focus group will receive $100 via PayPal for participating in one 2-hour session. The focus group will be about current USCIS case processing times and available resources.

 

I've already indicated interest in participating in this survey because ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS and, more importantly, an opportunity to tell USCIS EXACTLY how I feel about case processing times.

 

This will be therapeutic. 

Yes i dis get this if only this were in the weekend im totally gonna sit there and complain my a** off with unsolicited info lol

[Linyahui 103]

Question for the forum at large:

 

Have any of you filed an FOIA request in an effort to gain information about a long-pending background check? I've read conflicting accounts of what type of information that request would yield, but now that we've passed the one-year mark, I'm starting to despair. I know that we were told we're on the interview waiver list at our InfoPass appointment, which is great, yet at the same time, that doesn't mean jack if hubby is under security checks indefinitely. I just CAN'T IMAGINE what is causing the delay for someone with a squeaky-clean record. Wondering if FOIA would shed any light. Maybe a mistake of some sort we could clear up?

 

UPDATE: Just did a quick Google search about FOIA. Apparently, the Ombudsman's 2016 Annual Report also suggests filing an FOIA request for information on a case when it is delayed, because, in many instances, an individual’s record may have inaccurate details that could be at the root of the processing delay. The results of the FOIA request would then provide information one may use to try to correct her/his record.

Edited March 16, 2017 by Linyahui
Additional Information

[sparkles_ 456]

2 hours ago, Linyahui said:

Question for the forum at large:

 

Have any of you filed an FOIA request in an effort to gain information about a long-pending background check? I've read conflicting accounts of what type of information that request would yield, but now that we've passed the one-year mark, I'm starting to despair. I know that we were told we're on the interview waiver list at our InfoPass appointment, which is great, yet at the same time, that doesn't mean jack if hubby is under security checks indefinitely. I just CAN'T IMAGINE what is causing the delay for someone with a squeaky-clean record. Wondering if FOIA would shed any light. Maybe a mistake of some sort we could clear up?

 

UPDATE: Just did a quick Google search about FOIA. Apparently, the Ombudsman's 2016 Annual Report also suggests filing an FOIA request for information on a case when it is delayed, because, in many instances, an individual’s record may have inaccurate details that could be at the root of the processing delay. The results of the FOIA request would then provide information one may use to try to correct her/his record.

I've heard of others getting FOIA after their case goes south in some way usually, not just for a delay however I can see the reason why you would consider it. Doesn't a FOIA take up to 12wk to get back to you? I may be mistaken but it seems like I remember hearing it isn't exactly a speedy thing either. 

 

Did you get your renewal EAD yet? Or the renewal notice? I've always heard that this can jump start someone's case as well. Side note, have you ever gotten paper confirmation you're on the waiver list? I assume they should send that out as well. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you should check the nearest service center to you and their processing time. Cali, Vermont, etc because waiver k1-AOS gets routed thru a major service center for approval versus a local office. If you are truly on the waiver list, it might be better to stop going by local office times and go on whatever your nearest major service center would be. I wish I could be of more help regarding the FOIA

 

 

[Linyahui 103]

3 hours ago, sparkles_ said:

I've heard of others getting FOIA after their case goes south in some way usually, not just for a delay however I can see the reason why you would consider it. Doesn't a FOIA take up to 12wk to get back to you? I may be mistaken but it seems like I remember hearing it isn't exactly a speedy thing either. 

 

Did you get your renewal EAD yet? Or the renewal notice? I've always heard that this can jump start someone's case as well. Side note, have you ever gotten paper confirmation you're on the waiver list? I assume they should send that out as well. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you should check the nearest service center to you and their processing time. Cali, Vermont, etc because waiver k1-AOS gets routed thru a major service center for approval versus a local office. If you are truly on the waiver list, it might be better to stop going by local office times and go on whatever your nearest major service center would be. I wish I could be of more help regarding the FOIA

 

 

Yeah, I've heard that the FOIA request can take awhile. Do you know whether filing a request would further delay our application for any reason, or would that request proceed in tandem with the GC application and ongoing background check?

 

We have not received any notice of EAD/AP approval yet, but did get the notice of receipt. I've checked the status online and it's still at "case received" two months in. It looks like the EAD/AP renewal docs haven't been touched since they were processed, either. I am assuming I am interpreting the USCIS "My Case" account correctly--when you sign into your USCIS account, it displays a list of pending cases and there is a column titled "last updated." Those dates indicate the last time an IO looked at the file, right? If that's true, no one has looked at his EAD/AP renewals, or his original i-485 documents, since they were accepted by USCIS. 

 

No paper confirmation we're on the waiver list. We haven't received a single paper or digital communication about the I-485 since we got the initial notice of receipt in March 2016. Any chance the IO at our InfoPass told us we're on the interview waiver list to make us feel better? I thought that couples with a possible interview waiver were supposed to get some type of letter informing them that was the case and we've received nothing. 

 

I think the nearest major service center may be Texas, but our K-1 was processed in California, so I don't know that looking at those processing times will help us as I don't know which one to check. 

I AM SLOWLY GOING INSANE. 

[sparkles_ 456]

9 minutes ago, Linyahui said:

Yeah, I've heard that the FOIA request can take awhile. Do you know whether filing a request would further delay our application for any reason, or would that request proceed in tandem with the GC application and ongoing background check?

 

We have not received any notice of EAD/AP approval yet, but did get the notice of receipt. I've checked the status online and it's still at "case received" two months in. It looks like the EAD/AP renewal docs haven't been touched since they were processed, either. I am assuming I am interpreting the USCIS "My Case" account correctly--when you sign into your USCIS account, it displays a list of pending cases and there is a column titled "last updated." Those dates indicate the last time an IO looked at the file, right? If that's true, no one has looked at his EAD/AP renewals, or his original i-485 documents, since they were accepted by USCIS. 

 

No paper confirmation we're on the waiver list. We haven't received a single paper or digital communication about the I-485 since we got the initial notice of receipt in March 2016. Any chance the IO at our InfoPass told us we're on the interview waiver list to make us feel better? I thought that couples with a possible interview waiver were supposed to get some type of letter informing them that was the case and we've received nothing. 

 

I think the nearest major service center may be Texas, but our K-1 was processed in California, so I don't know that looking at those processing times will help us as I don't know which one to check. 

I AM SLOWLY GOING INSANE. 

Our EAD renewal number won't even show up in the system, SMH. I havent checked in about a week but last time, it wasn't computing....I heard that happens sometimes. Still irks me, though. 

 

Just because it is distance close, doesn't mean it is your service center. You have to google a list of which states which center is linked to. It is more of a regional thing. 

 

I don't think FOIA would slow down anything at all. It is a completely different animal than your case, and it isn't any type of inquiry that I know of. I would be sniffing for that paper confirmation if I were you, because I no longer believe spoken words concerning this. I need paper in my hands. However, I don't think they can or would lie to you either.