San Fernando Valley Filers! Aug/Sep/Oct 2017

[NilovesJa 8]

On 10/16/2018 at 1:33 PM, KathCali said:

It was just approved! My status just changed to new card is being produced. OMGGGGGGGG😭

So happy for you!!😍😍 Congratulations and thank you for sharing your experience, it is so helpful!!:) 

[KathCali 47]

On 10/18/2018 at 8:45 AM, KathCali said:

@izavox How long did it take between your status going from Card is being produced to card has been mailed? 😊🙏🏻

Mine was mailed! It took three days for future reference for anyone 😊 

[purple-rose 1]

On 10/18/2018 at 10:03 AM, KathCali said:

@purple-rose

 

From the CA DMV site: Proof of Identity documents include: Valid/unexpired Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Card (I-766) or valid/expired EAD Card with Notice of Action (I-797 C).   

 

Hi @KathCali. Ah! Thank you so much!  I think I really overthink so much... I didn't even realize I could just look this up! LOL

By the way, I have great news! Our notice for interview just arrived and it's happening on November 19. Needless to say, now I'm just a little nervous! I haven't worked on our album together - we have tooons of photos, but I haven't organized them at all. Should I go all out on decorating the album? Lol.

[KathCali 47]

2 hours ago, purple-rose said:

Hi @KathCali. Ah! Thank you so much!  I think I really overthink so much... I didn't even realize I could just look this up! LOL

By the way, I have great news! Our notice for interview just arrived and it's happening on November 19. Needless to say, now I'm just a little nervous! I haven't worked on our album together - we have tooons of photos, but I haven't organized them at all. Should I go all out on decorating the album? Lol.

It's ok I way overthink everything too! I actually had to confirm this at the DMV as they often aren't aware of their own policies so don't feel bad! It's correct though.

 

Ahhhhhh congrats! I just replied to your DM. I would focus on photos with both of you AND other people (friends/family) as they're mainly interested in that. All they took from us was a copy of a photo book from our holiday with my husband's parents. A bunch of photos of just the couple is usually not very important Also make sure to label and date the photos (who is in it, at least the month/year, ideally the location even if it's just city/state or eg. a theme park or someone's home or something)  I just put post it's with that info on each photo and the phonebook had captions and info in it so it was already done haha.

Edited October 20, 2018 by KathCali

[Zeal 12]

UPDATE GUYS, MY CASE WAS APPROVED, 

 i got a letters of approvals in the mail, both for i130 and 1485, Card is being produced,  The officer was satisfied with the interview but we didnt get any online update and guys i havent been myself since the 15th that i had the interview cos i kept checking online..

 

DONT FREAK OUT IF YOUR CASE DOESNT GET UPDATED ONLINE, ALL USCIS OFFICERS WORK DIFFERENTLY..

 

GOODLUCK TO EVERYONE ELSE EXPECTING ONE THING OR THE OTHER FROM THEM.

[KathCali 47]

3 hours ago, Zeal said:

UPDATE GUYS, MY CASE WAS APPROVED, 

 i got a letters of approvals in the mail, both for i130 and 1485, Card is being produced,  The officer was satisfied with the interview but we didnt get any online update and guys i havent been myself since the 15th that i had the interview cos i kept checking online..

 

DONT FREAK OUT IF YOUR CASE DOESNT GET UPDATED ONLINE, ALL USCIS OFFICERS WORK DIFFERENTLY..

 

GOODLUCK TO EVERYONE ELSE EXPECTING ONE THING OR THE OTHER FROM THEM.

Congrats zeal!!!! 👏🏻🎉👏🏻🎉👏🏻🎉👏🏻🎉

[Zeal 12]

On 10/21/2018 at 10:50 PM, KathCali said:

Congrats zeal!!!! 👏🏻🎉👏🏻🎉👏🏻🎉👏🏻🎉

Thanks @KathCali, you have been so helpful on here...

[purple-rose 1]

Hi guys! I was wondering if you can recommend ideas on what I should do for our photo album?

 

I've talked to a few online and they said they went all out artsy on the photo album, but some said they just put a bunch of photos together and that was it. I know @KathCali mentioned she had a photo book of a trip they had together, but do you know if the IO cares about the photo album being artsy? Lol we have a bunch of Instax photos and I was thinking of just putting together a photo album with printed out captions/handwritten dates & location... 

Ahhh Anna strikes again in overthinking things  

[NilovesJa 8]

@Zeal Congratulations!!:)) 

 

I had my interview appointment today and we got approved and status changed to New Card is being produced!! 🎉😍😍 I a so happy!! 

Almost everyone in this group had they’re interview yet but for they who are interested; our officer was super super nice, he was talking with us about my home country, he asked my husband about his name and then myself about my name, then he went trough some documents, he wanted to see our passports and birth certificates, asked how we met each other, asked me if I ever had a parking ticket or a arrest and after that he started talking about how I can go check the status online about the new information that I got approved!!:) Was super easy and he was very kind, the whole appointment toke about 10 minutes and our lawyer said that was the fastest interview he ever seen;) 

 

@purple-rose I toke 3 Albums with me and made copies where I put names and place, I spent so much time doing this and in the end he didn’t even looked at one picture;) 

 

@KathCali Do I understand this right that your Greencard was mailed after 3 days?

Edited October 29, 2018 by NilovesJa

[purple-rose 1]

7 hours ago, NilovesJa said:

@Zeal Congratulations!!:)) 

 

I had my interview appointment today and we got approved and status changed to New Card is being produced!! 🎉😍😍 I a so happy!! 

Almost everyone in this group had they’re interview yet but for they who are interested; our officer was super super nice, he was talking with us about my home country, he asked my husband about his name and then myself about my name, then he went trough some documents, he wanted to see our passports and birth certificates, asked how we met each other, asked me if I ever had a parking ticket or a arrest and after that he started talking about how I can go check the status online about the new information that I got approved!!:) Was super easy and he was very kind, the whole appointment toke about 10 minutes and our lawyer said that was the fastest interview he ever seen;) 

 

@purple-rose I toke 3 Albums with me and made copies where I put names and place, I spent so much time doing this and in the end he didn’t even looked at one picture;) 

 

@KathCali Do I understand this right that your Greencard was mailed after 3 days?

OMG CONGRATULATIONS, @NilovesJa!!! I'm so happy for you!  Gosh, I've been stressing out about my album, I'm barely achieving anything... I just printed out a bunch of our photos using an Instax... I still don't have any idea if I should make it like an art project. LOL.

 

So happy to hear you got a very nice IO! It seems like everyone here is getting very blessed/lucky with their IOs. I hope it would be the same for my husband and I (I'm the non-USC, by the way). My husband keeps telling me not to worry about it... But I overthink too much. My skin is suffering from the stress! 

Did anyone else get an interview scheduled recently? 

[KathCali 47]

On 10/29/2018 at 2:57 PM, NilovesJa said:

 

@KathCali Do I understand this right that your Greencard was mailed after 3 days?

Congrats! Technically it was longer - my interview was the Tuesday morning and it was approved later that day (changed to "card in production"). That Friday (3 days later) my status changed to card was mailed to you, but it wasn't until the Monday (so approx 1 week later) that USPS actually had it and it was on it's way to me. I think "card was mailed" means it's in a pile of cards on their way to USPS or something similar. After the USPS picked it up on the Monday, it arrived Wednesday (so only two days realistically after it was actually mailed). 8 days total after the interview  It will show up as a package in informed delivery (and my status had the tracking number later on the Monday too :))

[Zeal 12]

@KathCali Kindly guide me, Do i need to go apply for another SSN card because the one i have now has (only based on DHS work authorization on it). Since now i have a green card, does it matter to change the SSN card or not?

[purple-rose 1]

Hi everyone! Hope you’re all having a good week so far! Our interview was yesterday and it couldn’t have been more relaxed! I thought the interview would be so scary but the IO was so nice and funny. ☺️ We were in there for a while as the IO kept talking about his experiences as an IO. Our lawyer was also very talkative & they were exchanging stories!

 

Feels good that it’s over.. BUT now I’m so concerned because I had forgotten to bring up my hyphenated surname. 😩😟 Back in Aug 2017, when my husband & I got married I decided to hyphenate my maiden surname & his surname. I didn’t think it was going to be an issue until all my NOAs came in without hyphenation. I brought it up to my lawyer who said that USCIS generally overlooks or ignores hyphenation in surnames and told us to ask about it during the IO to get a straight answer... and it slipped my mind!

 

Our IO asked me to state my name and when I did, I didn’t specifically say my surname is hyphenated. If my green card comes out with a surname that’s not hyphenated - example, “Jane Mary Doe Smith” - will that be an issue? My license & marriage certificate (even my SSN) shows “Jane Mary Doe-Smith” 😢 I’m mostly concerned that when I travel out of the country, I’ll get flagged at the airport for my GC not matching my marriage certificate. Any thoughts?

 

or am I just overthinking it?

 

[Naes 12,205]

2 hours ago, purple-rose said:

Hi everyone! Hope you’re all having a good week so far! Our interview was yesterday and it couldn’t have been more relaxed! I thought the interview would be so scary but the IO was so nice and funny. ☺️ We were in there for a while as the IO kept talking about his experiences as an IO. Our lawyer was also very talkative & they were exchanging stories!

 

Feels good that it’s over.. BUT now I’m so concerned because I had forgotten to bring up my hyphenated surname. 😩😟 Back in Aug 2017, when my husband & I got married I decided to hyphenate my maiden surname & his surname. I didn’t think it was going to be an issue until all my NOAs came in without hyphenation. I brought it up to my lawyer who said that USCIS generally overlooks or ignores hyphenation in surnames and told us to ask about it during the IO to get a straight answer... and it slipped my mind!

 

Our IO asked me to state my name and when I did, I didn’t specifically say my surname is hyphenated. If my green card comes out with a surname that’s not hyphenated - example, “Jane Mary Doe Smith” - will that be an issue? My license & marriage certificate (even my SSN) shows “Jane Mary Doe-Smith” 😢 I’m mostly concerned that when I travel out of the country, I’ll get flagged at the airport for my GC not matching my marriage certificate. Any thoughts?

 

or am I just overthinking it?

 

What does your passport say? 

[purple-rose 1]

7 minutes ago, Naes said:

What does your passport say? 

Hi @Naes! Thanks for responding! My passport still has my maiden name as I refused to change it until I have the green card. I'm just a little confused with USCIS' take on hyphenated surnames. I've seen other people here in VJ say that their GCs also don't reflect the hyphenation, but some said theirs do. So now, I'm confused and super bothered by it...