Wife just got approved for green card

[AndrewF 69]

Hi all,

 

This has been an eventful year!  For people just starting their journey, from the time of application of my wife for a K1 visa from Vietnam to approval of green card took almost exactly 1 year, which was much much faster then I had been expecting or hoping for.  We submitted the I-129 on 2 Jan.  She received her K1 visa in hand on 17 JUN 19 and traveled to the US on 18 JUN 19.  We submitted I-485 for adjustment of status, and also the paperwork for her Employment Authorization (to work while waiting for green card) and Advance Parole (to travel while waiting for green card) around 7 August 19.  EAD and Advance Parole was approved and she received her EAD card in hand around 10 December.  Her interview for her green card was on 19 DEC 19 and she was approved.  Should receive the actual card in 3 weeks.

 

If you look on the USCIS website, their estimated processing times are much longer then this.  My experience has been (and from what I've seen from others) is that if your case has no RFEs or potential flags, it moves through the pipeline pretty quickly.  

 

One thing I should note is that you should definitely get the vaccinations done with the medical exam in Vietnam.  The vaccinations are required for the I-485 for the green card even though its only optional for the K1 visa.

[JCo 89]

Which local USCIS office are you? I read here that that also is a factor on how fast or slow the process is.

 

 

Anyway, congrats on the GC! 

[AndrewF 69]

12 minutes ago, JCo said:

Which local USCIS office are you? I read here that that also is a factor on how fast or slow the process is.

 

 

Anyway, congrats on the GC! 

Thank you!   The green card was out of the Des Moines office.  The EAD/advance parole was out of the National Visa Center.  

[geowrian 22,337]

7 minutes ago, AndrewF said:

Thank you!   The green card was out of the Des Moines office.  The EAD/advance parole was out of the National Visa Center.  

Des Moines is a fairly quick LFO compared to the average. Even then, you case was handled pretty quickly. Nice.

 

National Benefits Center (NBC)*

NVC handles visas. NBC handles benefits within the US.

[FU-MY 40]

Thank you Andrew for your post.

I filed for my girl's K1 visa in late October, and my recent trip to Vietnam over New Years makes me miss her so much more.

It looks like out Visa application will be reviewed by early February.

We are really hoping the interview can be schedule quickly so that she can get be in July or August.

 

Can you give me some insight into how the expedited Advance Parole helps?

I want to make sure she is able to travel as soon as possible so that we can visit friend in Mexico and not have any issues with her reentering the US. (I would never run that risk)

 

[geowrian 22,337]

Expedited (or emergency) AP requires a reason. Visiting a friend would not qualify. Normally it's for things like sick family members, funerals, etc.

Once you have AP, you can exit and re-enter fine. It's very/exceptionally uncommon to be denied entry..

[SmallTownPA 72]

On 12/21/2019 at 10:51 AM, AndrewF said:

One thing I should note is that you should definitely get the vaccinations done with the medical exam in Vietnam.  The vaccinations are required for the I-485 for the green card even though its only optional for the K1 visa.

 

Vaccinations possibly required for AOS:  Note that you don't/wont need them all due to age.  The ** means that these shots are covered FOR FREE under ANY health care plan under the ACA (Obamacare).

 

Diphtheria    **

Tetanus **

Pertussis **

Polio

Measles **

Mumps **

Rubella **

Rotavirus

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)

Hepatitis A **

Hepatitis B **

Meningococcal disease **

Varicella **

Pneumococcal disease **

Influenza   

 

Vietnam is not a source of polio (only 3 countries are) and if an adult, its not very effective.

Influenza (flu shot) is seasonal.

Haemophilus influenzae type b is for kids, unless your sickly.

 

There is no reason to get the vaccinations (and pay out of pocket) for these, as once you get married, your health insurance kicks in.  If you're broke, the your State/Federal health services will provide these FOR FREE.

 

If you take your shot record and I-693 to a civil surgon, they can transcribe the records for less than $100, usually much less if you call around.

 

 

 

[AndrewF 69]

On 1/7/2020 at 11:57 AM, FU-MY said:

Thank you Andrew for your post.

I filed for my girl's K1 visa in late October, and my recent trip to Vietnam over New Years makes me miss her so much more.

It looks like out Visa application will be reviewed by early February.

We are really hoping the interview can be schedule quickly so that she can get be in July or August.

 

Can you give me some insight into how the expedited Advance Parole helps?

I want to make sure she is able to travel as soon as possible so that we can visit friend in Mexico and not have any issues with her reentering the US. (I would never run that risk)

 

Hi.  As noted by geowrian you need some kind of valid reason for getting an expedited advance parole approved.  The only way to really speed up the process is get married as soon as she arrives to the US, then apply for the AOS, EAD and Advance Parole immediately after you get married.  If you do that, you're looking at about 3.5 months that she is in the US that she wouldn't be able to travel outside of the US.  You don't have to apply for all 3 at the same time, but you save a lot of $$ because you only have to pay the AOS filing fee vs the filing fee for all three.

 

That said, depending on your local office USCIS office, there may not be that much time difference in how long it takes to get your Advance Parole vs the actual Green Card.  My wife had her interview on 19 DEC, was approved and we had the Green card in hand by 3 JAN.  If not for the holidays, we would have gotten it even sooner.

[FU-MY 40]

Thanks a bunch Andrew for your reply and super helpful information.

 

 

how did you handle the health care insurance issue?

Do insurance companies offer month to month policies for non residents?  
With any luck my finance will be in the US by July and i want to make sure that we get the required coverage.  It may take us 2 months to get married and have her added to my employment insurance.

 

 

[AndrewF 69]

1 hour ago, FU-MY said:

Thanks a bunch Andrew for your reply and super helpful information.

 

 

how did you handle the health care insurance issue?

Do insurance companies offer month to month policies for non residents?  
With any luck my finance will be in the US by July and i want to make sure that we get the required coverage.  It may take us 2 months to get married and have her added to my employment insurance.

 

 

Hi.  My wife got the required vaccines in Ho Chi Minh after the medical exam so we didnt have to worry about that.  When she got to the US I just added her to my medical insurance after we got married.  We didnt bother with health insurance prior to her being added to my insurance because we got married within a few days of her arriving to the US so unfortunately I dont know if non-residents can get month to month coverage.

[Just Paul 4,595]

On 1/7/2020 at 10:57 AM, FU-MY said:

Can you give me some insight into how the expedited Advance Parole helps?

You can file for AP with the Green Card after you are married. After you get the NOA you can ask for an expedite.   It doesn't cost anything to ask.

 

Unfortunately K1s are not setup for travel or working after getting to the US.  On the spousal we traveled to Mexico 5 days after getting to the US.

[FU-MY 40]

Hi Paul & Mary,

 

I live in Houston, and Mexico is just a stone's throw away.

We have some friends that will be vacationing in Cancun around July/Aug, and I was trying to figure out how we can join them, but based on the current timeframe it does not look like we will have enough time.  

You know what's funny, we are so excited to our lives together and I'm stoked about being able to travel with her, i have to remind myself we are on step 1 (NOA 1) of a long journey.

We have a really strong case (never married, no kids, she speak English fluently, only 7 years age difference, we've met 3 times in 9 months), but you know the old adage... "want to make god laugh, tell him your plans"

 

I am really happy we came across this website, it really helps people navigate the maze and is a fountain of great information.