Not receiving my first NOA for my AOS

[Erin86 39]

Just now, Jorgedig said:

Why did you choose a K-1 in that case, over a CR-1?

Haha well... My husband needed some time to get used to the whole "getting married" idea

I also went back to my home country to finish up some academic work.

[SalishSea 17,837]

2 minutes ago, Erin86 said:

Haha well... My husband needed some time to get used to the whole "getting married" idea

I also went back to my home country to finish up some academic work.

So if he lives and works in Canada, and you live there too now, what makes you think they would expedite the AP?  It is a slippery slope to leave the US with a pending AOS and no AP.....technically, they do not have to readmit you.

[Pitaya 2,577]

Just now, Jorgedig said:

17-19.5 months for family-based!

Well I am amazed, you can almost apply for a tenure-track position. 

 

I sincerely hope for your sake that you get a reasonable IO. The IO that snagged us when had our AOS interview in Tukwila was a real jerk, right from the get-go. I had to hold Xia back a couple of times, she wanted to cuff him more than once, for some of his antics and some of his statements. Do you recall the ten or so questions on the I-485 dealing with CIMT-type activities, you know the ones that you answer "No" to? Well, he said he had to ask her again each of those questions and she had to respond to each of them separately. He got down to asking her about the one related to  prostitution, she didn't understand the term in English. He kept pressing her for an answer, I finally did a quick visual/verbal picto-style explanation. She came out of her chair, I thought she was going to clock him, I am not sure what she was loudly saying at him in Mandarin, but I had an idea... and he would have deserved it. He was insulting. Wow, the whole family was so glad that we got through that interview and process successfully...... YMMV....meaning I hope that you have a good interview.

[Erin86 39]

1 minute ago, Jorgedig said:

So if he lives and works in Canada, and you live there too now, what makes you think they would expedite the AP?  It is a slippery slope to leave the US with a pending AOS and no AP.....technically, they do not have to readmit you.

I am in the US, that's why we're asking to expedite the AP, I just want to join him and be able to sell the house I'm living in now... I am not going to leave without the AP because of that risk exactly.

[SalishSea 17,837]

Just now, Pitaya said:

Well I am amazed, you can almost apply for a tenure-track position. 

 

I sincerely hope for your sake that you get a reasonable IO. The IO that snagged us when had our AOS interview in Tukwila was a real jerk, right from the get-go. I had to hold Xia back a couple of times, she wanted to cuff him more than once, for some of his antics and some of his statements. Do you recall the ten or so questions on the I-485 dealing with CIMT-type activities, you know the ones that you answer "No" to? Well, he said he had to ask her again each of those questions and she had to respond to each of them separately. He got down to asking her about the one related to  prostitution, she didn't understand the term in English. He kept pressing her for an answer, I finally did a quick visual/verbal picto-style explanation. She came out of her chair, I thought she was going to clock him, I am not sure what she was loudly saying at him in Mandarin, but I had an idea... and he would have deserved it. He was insulting. Wow, the whole family was so glad that we got through that interview and process successfully...... YMMV....meaning I hope that you have a good interview.

Wow!  LOL.  At least we have no language barrier, but my husband can get kind of hot-headed when he perceives incompetence....lol.....  I keep wondering if they will delay things for long enough that we could skip the conditional GC altogether.  

[SalishSea 17,837]

11 minutes ago, Erin86 said:

12 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

So you married in the US and left without AP?

That's right... stuck.

This is confusing and why I thought you said you were in Canada.

[Pitaya 2,577]

Just now, Erin86 said:

I am in the US, that's why we're asking to expedite the AP, I just want to join him and be able to sell the house I'm living in now... I am not going to leave without the AP because of that risk exactly.

Sounds like you are literally between a rock and a hard spot. 

[SalishSea 17,837]

2 minutes ago, Erin86 said:

I am in the US, that's why we're asking to expedite the AP, I just want to join him and be able to sell the house I'm living in now... I am not going to leave without the AP because of that risk exactly.

AP is not designed for someone to be able to go back to their home country to live indefinitely though.  That is very risky.  We went up to BC for a short vacation, and my husband felt hassled being readmitted just after less than a week up there.  We don't plan to travel out of the US again until he has his GC.

 

You may want to reassess your plan.

[Pitaya 2,577]

 

4 minutes ago, Erin86 said:

I am in the US, that's why we're asking to expedite the AP, I just want to join him and be able to sell the house I'm living in now... I am not going to leave without the AP because of that risk exactly.

 

2 minutes ago, Pitaya said:

Sounds like you are literally between a rock and a hard spot. 

 

It sounds like maybe you do need to get your AP document pronto. 

 

I know this is similar, but different......when Xia were courting, I traveled to China three times. This was due to the fact that, at that time, a single Chinese female trying to get a visitor visa to the US was next to impossible to obtain. However, it was much easier for me to get a Chinese visitor visa. The eleven hour-plus transit time from Seattle to Beijing got to be kind of brutal. Though, I don't even want imagine going to Kiwi-land. We managed to do a lot of travel in China, off of the beaten path, literally. But I came to despise Beijing Capital Airport....  nothing runs on time, and I was certainly a stranger in a strange land...... Oh well, those days are now a memory...

[SalishSea 17,837]

1 minute ago, Pitaya said:

The eleven hour-plus transit time from Seattle to Beijing got to be kind of brutal. Though, I don't even want imagine going to Kiwi-land.

It is a 15 hour flight (on the Dreamliner), nonstop between Vancouver and Auckland.  I only went once, and he came here like 6-7x during our 3 year LDR.  He doesn't love the flight, but kiwis are used to it, since NZ is so far from everyplace else!

[Pitaya 2,577]

15 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

 We don't plan to travel out of the US again until he has his GC.

 

You are likely already aware of this, but I recall someone in the ROC forum, who due to the length of time > 2 years waiting for AOS processing, received a 10-year GC. That might effectively obviate doing ROC. It may work out, since the delay was solely due to USCIS inability to adjudicate the AOS in a timely manner. It is well known in the ROC forum, to be stuck for years awaiting ROC processing, to go ahead and file their N-400 for USC, and getting it. The kicker is that they are often approved for USC, and then USCIS has to go back retroactively and approve ROC. What a strange turn of processing.....

[Quarknase 1,072]

1 hour ago, Erin86 said:

I understand I am not the first person this has happened to. I was just expecting a more fair and efficient initial processing before the long wait even begins.

 

I hope so. 

Totally understandable. I don’t believe <10 days (which your case is at, as of today) is a normal processing time to receive NOA1. From what I read the wait is usually around 4 weeks and over the holidays probably a bit longer.

[Pitaya 2,577]

5 minutes ago, Quarknase said:

Totally understandable. I don’t believe <10 days (which your case is at, as of today) is a normal processing time to receive NOA1. From what I read the wait is usually around 4 weeks and over the holidays probably a bit longer.

It seems that USCIS has quietly been increasing the acceptable time range for receipt of NOA1 for many of the common visa processes to 30 days, telling folks not to call if less than 30 days minimum.

[Quarknase 1,072]

43 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

AP is not designed for someone to be able to go back to their home country to live indefinitely though.  That is very risky.  We went up to BC for a short vacation, and my husband felt hassled being readmitted just after less than a week up there.  We don't plan to travel out of the US again until he has his GC.

 

You may want to reassess your plan.

This.

 

OP if you’re planning to live in your home country without continuous residency in the US for yourself and the hubby, the AOS/AP plan might backfire on you and force another extended period of waiting it out. Adjustment of status is meant to be done from within the country and AP for traveling, not moving. The CR1 would be more appropriate for that. 
i hope it all works out for you though!

[Erin86 39]

48 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

AP is not designed for someone to be able to go back to their home country to live indefinitely though.  That is very risky.  We went up to BC for a short vacation, and my husband felt hassled being readmitted just after less than a week up there.  We don't plan to travel out of the US again until he has his GC.

 

You may want to reassess your plan.

Canada is not my home country. I have no intention of going there idefinitely. My husband is a US government employee who is in Canada for work. I would like to join him. Aside from wanting to be together though, the house I'm in cannot be sold until I leave so with me not working, he is supporting two households.