Minneapolis-St. Paul MN Office AOS Filers

[USC4SPOUSE 506]

31 minutes ago, July2017MN said:

Wow thats great news! All the very best.

Did you search for an existing group though? I am wondering if there is already one and that's why this page is so quiet. 

 

 

[July2017MN 0]

1 hour ago, USC4SPOUSE said:

Did you search for an existing group though? I am wondering if there is already one and that's why this page is so quiet. 

 

 

Ya I tried searching for one but there was none. Anyway I just created that group not even 24 hr ago and they have been messaging me personally. Hopefully more to come. Take care. 

[itsdonealready 13]

PD                           Interview   Member                         Notes     

04-07-16                 03.23-17     aichteeque                 *Approved 03-24-17
04-21-16                 05-31-17     elenamimimi

06-13-16                                      mfbg                           *Pending as of 01-08-18

10-17-16                  12-04-17    LL & Me                       Filed I-130 first and approved 02-15-18. GC approved 03-14-18

11-10-16                 12-19-17     Datallone

12-07-16                 10-31-17     sausa                              01-26-18 *Approval 

12-08-16                 01-22-18     sebastianshaw    

12-15-16                 NONE          Nicole&Ryan               K-1   

12-19-16                 01-25-18    apricot123                      K-1

02-21-17                                     Throwaway3882828  K-1; Pending as of 06-20-18

02-22-17.                02-28-18     USpatial                       F-1 

02-99-17                 03-07-18     Daithi182

03-07-18                                      RS2016                       12-08-17 Received Green card by mail   

03-20-17                                     msrasuncion               K-1; *Pending as of 07-10-18

03-27-17                                   ChillyPinoy                   Approved 12-02-17 ******************

03-27-17                                    directuplink  

04-03-17                03-26-18    schoenzen                     K-1 Approved 03-28-18             

04-12-17                                     myusa                           K-1

04-17-17                 06-28-18    Kristy&Ryan                  K-1  Approved 06-28-18

04-27-17                                     Matisyahu                     F-1 

05-05-17                 07-10-18     clacknark                     K-1 Approved 07-13-18 

05-09-17                 08-14-18     mangorange                F-1

05-10-17                 08-??-18      cool_beans                  Approved 09-06-18

 05-17-17                 08-??-18      Roy2017                      F-1

05-22-17                                      Vik77                             K-1

 06-06-17                                      DeNi

06-07-17                 10-01-18     Mar_31                         B-1

06-16-17                 10-03-18     MapleLeaf29               K-1

06-19-17                                      R S                                K-1 

07-17-17                                      July2017MN               F-1   

08-04-17                08-23-18   tdav                                  K-1  Review of MSP Field office here #24520 

09-15-17                                      Chelleyandaaron        K-1

09-18-17                 10-09-18      natsusnowy1204       K-1 

09-27-17                  08-01-18     Mike V                          K-1

10-04-17                  11-05-18     itsdonealready            F-1

10-06-17                                      Sherry/Robert             K-1      

12-13-17                                      jp&cheryl                       K-1 

01-08-18                                      Luciana Castro              K-1

01-30-18                                      Pandalion                     F-1 

02-01-18                                      Mayolover

02-01-18                                      MelandJason 

02-26-18                                      matt87                          F-1

03-12-18                                      mysticdolphin95         K-1

03-16-18                                      USC4SPOUSE              F-1 (out of status)

03-30-18                                      ELTCBO18                    K-1  

04-02-18                                      Paige & Stephen          k-1

04-30-18                                      amaraimee                    K-1

06-09-18                                      johnfvan                         k-1

06-14-18                                      LarisaXoX                      K-1

07-02-18                                       mcoles89                     K-1

07-06-18                                       mcgee201

07-09-18                                      batcher                          K-1 

08-14-18                                      faycher                          K-1  

                                                      DakotaKid                    *Soon to file for AOS

                                                      Danny70                        *Soon to file for AOS   

                                                       JRLee

                                                      Wipf D

                                                      Steve & Ligia               *Married 09-30-17. No record of AOS.. Pending as of 11-09-17

                                                      JosephRose                 *re-filing for AOS soon. Rejected 07-05-18: outdated forms.        

                                                      Marekonjo                    K-1

                                                      JennaL                          *I-129F approved 07-09-18

                                                       Charles_Hannah          *I-129F approved 07-10-18 

Hi, I just got the interview letter and it was scheduled in November. I updated the table for reference, hope that helps.

[mysticdolphin95 431]

A question for those who have received a 'Temporary' MN drivers' license - how does renewal work?  My husband just received his but it expires on March 5th, 2019, our 1-year marriage anniversary.  He has his EAD now, but obviously won't get his GC for a while.  Do you just keep getting year-long licenses?  Took 4 months to get this one so not looking forward to repeating the process...

[Mar_31 5]

Hello everyone . Yesterday we got our interview after such a long wait (15 months ) the interview went well . The officer didn't separate us . We were all ready to answer questions about our relationship, but she never asked anything about it . Questions were about my husband's job .place of residency , etc . We have a baby that we brought with . So she asked for his birth certificate and my updated Medical exam . Then the regular yes/ no questions. My green card was not approved right away because I had a J1 visa with a mandatory 2 year stay in my country , so she wanted to make sure I actually stayed there for that amount of time , but In* general she was pretty confident that it would be fine once she checked my I-94 . She told us to wait until the evening for an online update . So by 7 pm we received the update staying my green card would be issued 🙂 🙌🏽💃🏽
Priority date : June 7, 2018 . Marriage-based AOS

[AA&S 10]

18 hours ago, mysticdolphin95 said:

A question for those who have received a 'Temporary' MN drivers' license - how does renewal work?  My husband just received his but it expires on March 5th, 2019, our 1-year marriage anniversary.  He has his EAD now, but obviously won't get his GC for a while.  Do you just keep getting year-long licenses?  Took 4 months to get this one so not looking forward to repeating the process...

I have the temporary one too. It expires in six months which can be in time for getting GC or atleast some updates.

 

Please note :  i was sent a letter asking about an update on my aos which i didn't have. I called Uscis and they told me to print out a paper related to EAD extension which found under forms on their website. If the EAD falls under the category of c(9) this ext. form can be used to temporarily to show that its still in process  under a certain law section. 

I sent the form at the local licensing center and i received my D.L in mail after a week.

 

i think if  the D.L expires , we can renew it the local office  as we are able to provide any document that support on our process and they will issue another temporary one untill we have conditional GC which implies 2 years license unlike US citizen who renew their D.L every 4 year before their birthday.

[USC4SPOUSE 506]

14 hours ago, Mar_31 said:

Hello everyone . Yesterday we got our interview after such a long wait (15 months ) the interview went well . The officer didn't separate us . We were all ready to answer questions about our relationship, but she never asked anything about it . Questions were about my husband's job .place of residency , etc . We have a baby that we brought with . So she asked for his birth certificate and my updated Medical exam . Then the regular yes/ no questions. My green card was not approved right away because I had a J1 visa with a mandatory 2 year stay in my country , so she wanted to make sure I actually stayed there for that amount of time , but In* general she was pretty confident that it would be fine once she checked my I-94 . She told us to wait until the evening for an online update . So by 7 pm we received the update staying my green card would be issued 🙂 🙌🏽💃🏽
Priority date : June 7, 2018 . Marriage-based AOS

Congratulations Fellow Colombian and future US citizen! I am very happy for you. Will this be the conditional card or the 10 year green card? *Since you waited for 15 months. 

[USC4SPOUSE 506]

22 hours ago, mysticdolphin95 said:

A question for those who have received a 'Temporary' MN drivers' license - how does renewal work?  My husband just received his but it expires on March 5th, 2019, our 1-year marriage anniversary.  He has his EAD now, but obviously won't get his GC for a while.  Do you just keep getting year-long licenses?  Took 4 months to get this one so not looking forward to repeating the process...

You would file for renewal of the EAD up 180 days before it expires. Make sure you use the renewal slip that came with the EAD. It has a bar code. They will scan that and apparently, makes it easier for USCIS. Then, the I-797 Notice of action/receipt and the expired EAD will serve as proof of an automatic extension for an additional 180 days. 

DMV employees often act like they're Immigration Officers or CBP officers, but truth is they're not always informed of immigration matters. You may have to bring a copy of the USCIS page that explains the 180 day automatic extension for those in category c9 - marriage/family based. 

 

We got my husband's driver's license in Eagan, MN. They didn't seem very knowledgeable. Then we tried the Chicago Ave and East lake Street location. It's colorful and eclectic, yes, but it's also immigrant-central, and the folks at the DMV all knew about the I-797. They were not confused by the F-1 visa stamped on his passport. Unlike DMV Eagan employees, Lake st DMV employees did not ask to see documentation of his F-1 visa. And we had it with us BUT that was no longer valid. We told the gentleman who helped us we were glad he was familiar with all these nuances. He said "well, my wife is an immigrant. So we've been down this road." So we will be going there when his expires next year. 

 

 

 

[mysticdolphin95 431]

1 minute ago, USC4SPOUSE said:

You would file for renewal of the EAD up 180 days before it expires. Make sure you use the renewal slip that came with the EAD. It has a bar code. They will scan that and apparently, makes it easier for USCIS. Then, the I-797 Notice of action/receipt and the expired EAD will serve as proof of an automatic extension for an additional 180 days. 

DMV employees often act like they're Immigration Officers or CBP officers, but truth is they're not always informed of immigration matters. You may have to bring a copy of the USCIS page that explains the 180 day automatic extension for those in category c9 - marriage/family based. 

 

We got my husband's driver's license in Eagan, MN. They didn't seem very knowledgeable. Then we tried the Chicago Ave and East lake Street location. It's colorful and eclectic, yes, but it's also immigrant-central, and the folks at the DMV all knew about the I-797. They were not confused by the F-1 visa stamped on his passport. Unlike DMV Eagan employees, Lake st DMV employees did not ask to see documentation of his F-1 visa. And we had it with us BUT that was no longer valid. We told the gentleman who helped us we were glad he was familiar with all these nuances. He said "well, my wife is an immigrant. So we've been down this road." So we will be going there when his expires next year. 

 

 

 

I see.  I grew up in Eagan, and yes...certainly a frustrating DMV down there.  We tend to stick to Minneapolis locations now that we're local.  What if EAD is still valid - I assume you just present that (as in, no renewal slip)?  His EAD will be valid for longer than his DL as he just received it last month but his DL expires in March.

[USC4SPOUSE 506]

18 minutes ago, mysticdolphin95 said:

I see.  I grew up in Eagan, and yes...certainly a frustrating DMV down there.  We tend to stick to Minneapolis locations now that we're local.  What if EAD is still valid - I assume you just present that (as in, no renewal slip)?  His EAD will be valid for longer than his DL as he just received it last month but his DL expires in March.

That DMV's story goes something like this. It has a track. That makes it a popular spot to do your practical/road test. My husband wanted to be well prepared for the road test, and looked up youtube videos - just to see the sequence of what they make do and mistakes people make, etc. Well, sure enough, he found videos of a former Eagan DMV employee sharing all the atrocities they say about immigrants behind the counter. "I bet this car smells like GOAT TACO, too". Yes, you heard that right. I believe it. I don't think that was just a disgruntled employee. And if it means anything, they were arguing over who would proctor my husband's test. You could tell they wanted to ride in our car.

 

It must have also been the first time they had an openly gay couple because they got his sex/gender wrong on the driver's license. So that's the reason we went to Lake street; to get that changed. By then, my husband had already gotten his EAD, so we showed that and they updated the expiration date. 

I would say go to the Lake Street DMV and have them extend the expiration date. Again, yes, the area looks eclectic but it's all working folks who are minding their business. Alina Health has corporate offices in that building. Believe me, it's fine. You have to pay for parking, of course. The machine accepts credit cards or at least $1.25 in coins. We personally don't like swiping our cards and trusting the city's cyber security measures. Look for the gentleman who looks Persian. He is actually Brasilian. He might look latino to you. The lady at counter looks Caucasian, wears glasses but speaks clear and fluent English, as well as Spanish with a Venezuelan accent. She took us to the gentleman. She figured he would know. And he did.

 

Make sure to sample the food at Midtown Global Market while you are there. 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2018 by USC4SPOUSE

[MapleLeaf29 247]

We had our interview today (adjusting from k-1 visa).  We were approved on the spot.  

[Mar_31 5]

20 hours ago, USC4SPOUSE said:

Congratulations Fellow Colombian and future US citizen! I am very happy for you. Will this be the conditional card or the 10 year green card? *Since you waited for 15 months. 

Thank you . Even though it was a long wait, I still get the conditional green card since we haven't been married for two years yet.

 

 

[mysticdolphin95 431]

On 10/3/2018 at 11:53 AM, USC4SPOUSE said:

That DMV's story goes something like this. It has a track. That makes it a popular spot to do your practical/road test. My husband wanted to be well prepared for the road test, and looked up youtube videos - just to see the sequence of what they make do and mistakes people make, etc. Well, sure enough, he found videos of a former Eagan DMV employee sharing all the atrocities they say about immigrants behind the counter. "I bet this car smells like GOAT TACO, too". Yes, you heard that right. I believe it. I don't think that was just a disgruntled employee. And if it means anything, they were arguing over who would proctor my husband's test. You could tell they wanted to ride in our car.

 

It must have also been the first time they had an openly gay couple because they got his sex/gender wrong on the driver's license. So that's the reason we went to Lake street; to get that changed. By then, my husband had already gotten his EAD, so we showed that and they updated the expiration date. 

I would say go to the Lake Street DMV and have them extend the expiration date. Again, yes, the area looks eclectic but it's all working folks who are minding their business. Alina Health has corporate offices in that building. Believe me, it's fine. You have to pay for parking, of course. The machine accepts credit cards or at least $1.25 in coins. We personally don't like swiping our cards and trusting the city's cyber security measures. Look for the gentleman who looks Persian. He is actually Brasilian. He might look latino to you. The lady at counter looks Caucasian, wears glasses but speaks clear and fluent English, as well as Spanish with a Venezuelan accent. She took us to the gentleman. She figured he would know. And he did.

 

Make sure to sample the food at Midtown Global Market while you are there. 

 

 

Yikes, that's awful!  My husband took his test at the Eagan center and didn't have any issues - there's a lady there who ALWAYS fails drivers on their first attempt, so I'm glad he didn't get her.  

 

I've been to the Midtown Hennepin County Government Center many times, as it's the one closest to us.  Definitely love the Midtown Global - it was the first place I took my husband after he immigrated as we were there to get our marriage license   You didn't used to have to pay for parking if you were at the Global or Govt. Center but they stopped validating parking last year, unfortunately.

[WhatLoveBuys 10]

Hey guys,

 

We just received the I-797C's for our I-130/I-485 w/ I-765 and I-131 on October 2nd, 3rd time sending them in was the charm! (1st time they were sent back for a freshly expired form; 2nd time they said there was an issue with the payment [even though they put a hold on the money in my account for the I-130 and the I-485]).

It's been a long journey already thus far - any words of encouragement for the waiting game that we're now in?

 

Thanks!

[USC4SPOUSE 506]

18 hours ago, WhatLoveBuys said:

Hey guys,

 

We just received the I-797C's for our I-130/I-485 w/ I-765 and I-131 on October 2nd, 3rd time sending them in was the charm! (1st time they were sent back for a freshly expired form; 2nd time they said there was an issue with the payment [even though they put a hold on the money in my account for the I-130 and the I-485]).

It's been a long journey already thus far - any words of encouragement for the waiting game that we're now in?

 

Thanks!

Third time is the charm! As you may already know, the Minneapolis Field Office does take at least a year to schedule your interview. Right now, the processing time for Family Based AOS is 14.5 months (50% of cases) to 24.5 months (93% of cases ). Some people have been scheduled right at the one year mark. Someone recently reported that the Field Office hired more staff and that they're starting to catch up. The midterm elections are coming up in November, and naturalization cases are usually given priority at most field offices!

Your next step is the biometrics appointment. It should arrive in the mail soon. It is OK to do an early walk-in. You would just bring the appointment letter with you, and walk-in. The clerk at the front desk only checked that the name on the letter and passport both matched. In & out in 30 to 45 minutes. If you have a common name - say John Smith-, include your middle name. That will help the adjudicator sort through all the names that come up as a result of your background check. 

The EAD/AP is taking a good 4 months. We got it in 157 days. Bear in mind that it is OK to start applying for jobs, and then request to expedite processing of your EAD. By law, employers may not ask you to furnish evidence of employment authorization until AFTER you are hired. You first have to go through background checks, drug testing, etc. On your first day work you will show your EAD. So you would expedite as soon as you get the job offer. Make sure that you communicate via email with recruiters and that you have proof of the job offer. An email offering you the job is proof. 

You would call USCIS to expedite both the I-765 & I-131. Unless you do that, you won't get the combo card. However, you would only provide evidence for the I-765. I always tell folks to enlist the help of your Senator. As soon as you get off the phone with USCIS, you can reach out to your Senator and ask them to inquire on your expedite request. Approval of the EAD/AP is entirely dependent upon clearance of your background checks. 

Other than that, live life. Focus on your loved ones and not so much on the process - all while diligently gathering evidence of bona fide marriage. By the way, evidence of bona fide marriage starts from the date that you two met or started dating. Often times, folks only present evidence since the date of the marriage. That may look to some like you met on Monday, got married on Tuesday and filed for AOS on Wednesday.