i-751 April 2016 Filers - Part 2 (merged)

[Nay56 0]

12 hours ago, nan2 said:

Hi Nay56, 

 

I am also in Boston and am in exactly the same situation. The extension date for letter expires in April and for the GC expires in May. I have searched a lot but I am not convinced there is a clear answer to which date it is. Plus crossing the border and having to do any kind of explanation I would imagine is not going to be great experience. I have an infopass appointment tomorrow morning and will add to the forum what I find. 

 

I think it is best not to leave the country without the permanent GC since now everyone is really close. If not the gc, certainly not without the i551 stamp on the passport. 

Thanks! Yes please let me know what you encounter. 

 

I have made an appointment myself but it's not until 2 weeks. I assume I only need to bring my passport, green card, letter and confirmation number, right? 

[Victory1 0]

Hi everyone,

I submited an application for removal of conditional status to VSC. It was received on 04/28/16. Today, i received a letter of approval from philly local office dated 03/27/17. Other details: new card will be mailed to me in the next 60 days. I have been following this blog for a while. Things are moving for april filers and we are making headway. Wish everyone here good luck!

Regards,

Austin

[scoff 3]

To all the those April filers who got extension letters in April but have expiring GCs in May, we are in the same situation so I called USCIS this morning and spoke to a Level 2 representative. They said the one year extension is from the date the GC expires, not the date of the extension letter. That should give everyone looking trying to get infopass appointments a bit more time.

 

In other news, we got our letter of approval this afternoon. There really does seem to be some good movement for April filers.

 

Good luck everyone!

[Private One 44]

29 minutes ago, Victory1 said:

Hi everyone,

I submited an application for removal of conditional status to VSC. It was received on 04/28/16. Today, i received a letter of approval from philly local office dated 03/27/17. Other details: new card will be mailed to me in the next 60 days. I have been following this blog for a while. Things are moving for april filers and we are making headway. Wish everyone here good luck!

Regards,

Austin

Thanks for joining and sharing this info. Congratulations! My received date is 04/26/16 so I'm happy to hear that I may not have to wait much longer.

 

Are there any special circumstances surrounding your approval? Did you have a state senator or some other authority intervene on your behalf?

 

[Sukie 1,460]

36 minutes ago, Victory1 said:

Hi everyone,

I submited an application for removal of conditional status to VSC. It was received on 04/28/16. Today, i received a letter of approval from philly local office dated 03/27/17. Other details: new card will be mailed to me in the next 60 days. I have been following this blog for a while. Things are moving for april filers and we are making headway. Wish everyone here good luck!

Regards,

Austin

Hey Victory1!  Congrats.

 

We don't have you on our spreadsheet.  I'll be glad to add you - your NOA1 date was 4/28/16?  And your approval is 3/27/2017, right?

 

Do you remember your biometrics date?

 

Sukie in NY

Edited March 31, 2017 by Sukie
typo

[Private One 44]

17 minutes ago, scoff said:

To all the those April filers who got extension letters in April but have expiring GCs in May, we are in the same situation so I called USCIS this morning and spoke to a Level 2 representative. They said the one year extension is from the date the GC expires, not the date of the extension letter. That should give everyone looking trying to get infopass appointments a bit more time.

 

In other news, we got our letter of approval this afternoon. There really does seem to be some good movement for April filers.

 

Good luck everyone!

Others have heard different from Level 2 Reps. They usually give conflicting information so it's hard to trust what they say. I do however, believe that the extension is from the date of expiration on the GC like you were told.

[nan2 7]

28 minutes ago, Private One said:

Others have heard different from Level 2 Reps. They usually give conflicting information so it's hard to trust what they say. I do however, believe that the extension is from the date of expiration on the GC like you were told.

 

I had an infopass appointment and spoke with a USCIS officer in the Boston office today. The officer stated that the 1 year extension applies to the date of expiry on the green card. I did not get the stamp on my passport today because I was asked to come back 1 month before the date of expiry on the green card.

 

Hope it helps.

[Sukie 1,460]

1 hour ago, nan2 said:

 

I had an infopass appointment and spoke with a USCIS officer in the Boston office today. The officer stated that the 1 year extension applies to the date of expiry on the green card. I did not get the stamp on my passport today because I was asked to come back 1 month before the date of expiry on the green card.

 

Hope it helps.

This "come back 1 month before the date of expiry on the green card" is what scares me.  Julie's GC extension date expires on July 15, 2017.  We fly to Australia on May 30, 2017 for 3 months.  If they deny us an I-551 stamp because we are "too early" (by two weeks), what is she to do?  Of course, we will take our e-tickets with us to show them, but could they really be sticklers? 

 

We cannot change our tickets.  Both of us have medical procedures (both cancer scare follow-ups) scheduled in June.  We cannot wait.  We have a house sitter, but really - who wants their 10-year Green Card sent through the mail???  It's taking 3 weeks for mail on the Australia/US route these days.

 

I guess we'll just wait until mid-May to start really panicking, since some movement is occurring (finally) on April 2016 filers.

 

PSA:  If you do not have a VJ timeline, please create one.  Our April 2016 filer list looks NOTHING like the VJ timeline list, and it's hard to get good stats this way).  It also helps those who are behind us in line.

 

Sukie in NY

[Sukie 1,460]

1 hour ago, Private One said:

Others have heard different from Level 2 Reps. They usually give conflicting information so it's hard to trust what they say. I do however, believe that the extension is from the date of expiration on the GC like you were told.

I think most of the confusion over GC date vs. letter date occurs at DMVs when people are trying to renew their driver's license.  Not that I would push it with the NY DMV, you understand.  The I-797 extends the legal status of a person by one year.  So if your legal status is as of 7/15/2017, then that extension is 7/15/2018.  Since there is a 90-day window in which to apply for the ROC, using the letter date would penalize everyone who applies at the start of the 90 days. 

 

Sukie in NY

[nightingalejules 678]

7 minutes ago, Sukie said:

This "come back 1 month before the date of expiry on the green card" is what scares me.  Julie's GC extension date expires on July 15, 2017.  We fly to Australia on May 30, 2017 for 3 months.  If they deny us an I-551 stamp because we are "too early" (by two weeks), what is she to do?  Of course, we will take our e-tickets with us to show them, but could they really be sticklers? 

 

We cannot change our tickets.  Both of us have medical procedures (both cancer scare follow-ups) scheduled in June.  We cannot wait.  We have a house sitter, but really - who wants their 10-year Green Card sent through the mail???  It's taking 3 weeks for mail on the Australia/US route these days.

 

I guess we'll just wait until mid-May to start really panicking, since some movement is occurring (finally) on April 2016 filers.

 

PSA:  If you do not have a VJ timeline, please create one.  Our April 2016 filer list looks NOTHING like the VJ timeline list, and it's hard to get good stats this way).  It also helps those who are behind us in line.

 

Sukie in NY

If it becomes necessary, I'm planning to go in a month before the date on the letter and pretend I have no idea that it should be the green card date, and tell as much of my story (going to Canada during that "grey area" time to spread my mother's ashes) and hope that I get an officer with a heart. 

[Victory1 0]

1 hour ago, Private One said:

Thanks for joining and sharing this info. Congratulations! My received date is 04/26/16 so I'm happy to hear that I may not have to wait much longer.

 

Are there any special circumstances surrounding your approval? Did you have a state senator or some other authority intervene on your behalf?

 

@Private One no special circumstances. If your application package was complete, rest assured that its just a matter of time for the approval.

@Sukie I don't remember the exact bio. date, sometimes in July of 2016.

[Victory1 0]

2 hours ago, Sukie said:

Hey Victory1!  Congrats.

 

We don't have you on our spreadsheet.  I'll be glad to add you - your NOA1 date was 4/28/16?  And your approval is 3/27/2017, right?

 

Do you remember your biometrics date?

 

Sukie in NY

@Sukiethank you. That is correct. Bio. Around july 2016. Good luck to you!

[Private One 44]

11 hours ago, Victory1 said:

@Private One no special circumstances. If your application package was complete, rest assured that its just a matter of time for the approval.

 

I won't be surprised to get a REF. I sent sufficient evidence but my package was not loaded like others here have mentioned.

We only sent proof of:

1. Continuing shared bank accounts.
2. Cancelled checks from joint account used to pay rent. 
3.  Continuing health and life insurance coverage (on the same policies).
4. Continuing joint car insurance coverage
5. Joint car registration? (can't remember if I included that)
6. Pictures from our first anniversary trip (out of the US) - I don't think we included tickets or itinerary (stupid mistake) but those are available in the event of RFE.
7. Pictures from various family gatherings.
8. Birth certificate of our son born to the marriage.
9. Pictures of us in the delivery room that included one of me cutting the umbilical cord.

I think the birth of our son caused us to overlook additional evidence like the itinerary. We looked at the birth certificate and pictures in the delivery room as ultimate proof of a bona fide marriage but some here have told me they know of instances where this was not enough.

 

Not sure if you noticed but we did not include taxes in the evidence. We've been filing separately from day one because this filing status reduces the monthly payment on my wife's student loan by about $200. That's a big deal. I now know that we should have still included taxes in the evidence because it shows us filing "Married but Separately". The absence of taxes may cause the IO to believe we're filling as "Single" and that's why I'm expecting that RFE.

[Olivia! 0]

I am an April filer 2016 and Approved last month and if it helps here is what we sent.

 

 

 Completed I-751 joint petition to remove conditions on residence

Copy of both sides of my permanent resident card

Copy of our marriage certificate 

 Copy of the birth certificate of our child born of our marriage 

Copy of our lease agreement with joint occupancy 2014-present (previous and current residence)

Copy of our 2015 certified tax account and return transcript showing filing status as “Married Filing Jointly” 

Copy of our 2014 certified tax account and return transcript showing filing status as “Married Filing Jointly”

Copy of our 2013 certified tax account and return transcript showing filing status as “Married Filing Jointly

Copies of our joint checking and savings accounts statements from 2014-present

Copy of our joint health insurance cards, policies and claims, insurances for medical, dental, vision insurance and insurance claims from 2014-present

Copy of the title and receipt of our car, showing our joint ownership

Copy of our joint auto insurance from 2014-present

Copies of joint home and renters insurance policies

Copy of our joint credit card account showing spouse as authorized user.

Copies of our joint financial liability of student loan for spouse with other spouse as co-signer

Copies of joint utilities and bills in both our names; water, sewer, electricity, refuse disposal from 2014- present

Three sworn affidavits by U.S. citizen friends and family, attesting to our relationship and marriage

Photographs of all trips, events and outings, vacations, engagement, wedding, baby showers, birthdays and photographs with family and friends at different events

Copy of our Wedding invitation card 

Copy of religious letters addressed to us with our joint address.

Copy of cards and envelopes addressed to us with our joint address.

Birthday cards and affectionate cards addressed to each other.

Copy of our joint shares from Multinational Companies 

Copies of our joint home appliances insurance.

Copies of joint sams club membership

Copies of our Eztag account with spouse as authorized user.

[Private One 44]

16 minutes ago, Olivia! said:

I am an April filer 2016 and Approved last month and if it helps here is what we sent.

 

 

 Completed I-751 joint petition to remove conditions on residence...

Thanks for sharing Olivia and congratulations. I'm just happy to hear that April filers are getting approved. It's a positive sign that says the cases are being worked through.