February 2020 AOS Filers

[ko737 20]

40 minutes ago, Pamola said:

Looking for a little advice here as a fellow Feb. filer (canceled Bio in March). I've got a job offer (2 year postdoc) in the U.K. that starts the first week of Jan. I'm the petitioner. 

 

Had "emergency biometrics" at the Buffalo, NY ASC on Aug. 10th due to us leaving the country. I-485 moved the "ready to schedule interview the next day, EAD to "fingerprints have been applied" and AP still "case has been received" (unchanged since Feb. 20th). At the bio on Aug. 10th they said it would apply to both the EAD and AP. I guess not! 

 

Anyway, I filed an expedite request on Aug. 12th. Since then, the I-485 has shown "expedite request received". 

 

Do any of you have advice for what I can do? I've been very pleased to see the many posters on here saying they've been getting their EAD/AP combo cards quite quickly. But, ours hasn't moved, nor have I received a request for evidence on the expedite request. The clock is ticking, and we couldn't get answers on what was possible for a timeline so we had to make the decision to go to the U.K. without a guarantee one way or the other. 

 

The most maddening thing is that, while we would love to have the GC (because we will return to the U.S.), we just need to be abroad for 2 years without considering the case abandoned! It's already too late to use the EAD or AP. Any tips would be GREATLY appreciated! 

Someone please correct me if I’m wrong. But generally, without AP approved I believe your case is abandoned once you leave the country. 
 

“Generally, if an applicant for adjustment of status (form I-485) departs the U.S. while the application is still pending, the I-485 is considered abandoned and is denied. However, if the I-485 applicant is in valid L-1, L-2, H1B, H-4, K-3, K-4, or V nonimmigrant status, and remains eligible for that status upon returning to the U.S., the I-485 application is not considered to be abandoned. Similarly, if an I-485 applicant is issued an AP document prior to departing the U.S., which remains valid through the date the applicant returns from the overseas trip, the I-485 generally will not be impacted.”

 

https://www.murthy.com/2019/03/11/uscis-revises-policy-on-travel-while-ap-is-pending/
 

What status is the beneficiary currently?

[igoyougoduke 1,656]

53 minutes ago, Pamola said:

Looking for a little advice here as a fellow Feb. filer (canceled Bio in March). I've got a job offer (2 year postdoc) in the U.K. that starts the first week of Jan. I'm the petitioner. 

 

Had "emergency biometrics" at the Buffalo, NY ASC on Aug. 10th due to us leaving the country. I-485 moved the "ready to schedule interview the next day, EAD to "fingerprints have been applied" and AP still "case has been received" (unchanged since Feb. 20th). At the bio on Aug. 10th they said it would apply to both the EAD and AP. I guess not! 

 

Anyway, I filed an expedite request on Aug. 12th. Since then, the I-485 has shown "expedite request received". 

 

Do any of you have advice for what I can do? I've been very pleased to see the many posters on here saying they've been getting their EAD/AP combo cards quite quickly. But, ours hasn't moved, nor have I received a request for evidence on the expedite request. The clock is ticking, and we couldn't get answers on what was possible for a timeline so we had to make the decision to go to the U.K. without a guarantee one way or the other. 

 

The most maddening thing is that, while we would love to have the GC (because we will return to the U.S.), we just need to be abroad for 2 years without considering the case abandoned! It's already too late to use the EAD or AP. Any tips would be GREATLY appreciated! 

why would you want your green card when you want to live abroad ? cant you just convert your I-485 to Consular processing and than wait it out until you plan to get back ? you do realize that green card is stay in US and not abroad.  even if you get your card, you would need reentry permit documents if you live abroad for more than 6 months. 

[Tensheets 17]

42 minutes ago, James120383 said:

why would you want your green card when you want to live abroad ? cant you just convert your I-485 to Consular processing and than wait it out until you plan to get back ? you do realize that green card is stay in US and not abroad.  even if you get your card, you would need reentry permit documents if you live abroad for more than 6 months. 

SORRY I quoted the wrong post 
 

Pretty sure you can leave on AP for as long as the AP is valid. I don’t know how long that is but I think it’s one year. So you could use that and just hope that GC comes through in the next 12 months (you’d have to both come back to do the interview obviously). If that didn’t happen in time I guess beneficiary would have to return before AP expired and apply for a new one? I don’t know if any of this is allowed though! I would say you need to speak to a lawyer....if beneficiary doesn’t have AP by the time you leave for U.K. you’d have to leave them behind til it came through if you didn’t want to immediately abandon the case. 

 

 

SORRY I quoted the wrong post

Edited September 9, 2020 by Tensheets
Wrong quote

[LadySpiker 28]

Hi guys! I wanna ask if my case status says “card was mailed to me”, usually how many days will it take for me to receive the card? Does it also comes with the ssn card if I check the box (to request one) when i submit my application?

[AFCF 273]

51 minutes ago, LadySpiker said:

Hi guys! I wanna ask if my case status says “card was mailed to me”, usually how many days will it take for me to receive the card? Does it also comes with the ssn card if I check the box (to request one) when i submit my application?

Took three days from card was mailed to me to  getting it in the mail. Got my SS card day before I got my combo card. 

[igoyougoduke 1,656]

1 hour ago, LadySpiker said:

Hi guys! I wanna ask if my case status says “card was mailed to me”, usually how many days will it take for me to receive the card? Does it also comes with the ssn card if I check the box (to request one) when i submit my application?

2-3 days and no SSN comes separately from a different organization 

[probingoduke 20]

23 hours ago, VIP_LadyLuck said:

Positive News here!

 

My GC interview was this morning at 10 and I got approved on the spot! Mr. Cain, the IO, was super friendly and very informative. We discussed about the ROC and N400 processes too and even gave me a note with the soonest dates that I can file for both. I think this discussion was longer than the actual interview lol

 

I knew that I was approved before we began the interview when he said this is just a formality etc. At the end of the interview, he said he already made a decision to approve my application once he's done reviewing my case(before today's interview). He said that I completed all the requirements when I sent in my AOS application back in February 2020.

 

The documents(in the photo) that I brought didn't even make it outside the bag 😃

 

Hope y'all get approved easily too!

Congratulations and thank you for such a nice post!

[Pamola 10]

5 hours ago, James120383 said:

why would you want your green card when you want to live abroad ? cant you just convert your I-485 to Consular processing and than wait it out until you plan to get back ? you do realize that green card is stay in US and not abroad.  even if you get your card, you would need reentry permit documents if you live abroad for more than 6 months. 

Thanks for the replies. It's interesting that several options got recommended. But the current status is waiting for interview on the I-485, after entering via the K-1. It seems there is an option to do the AP for a year and then come back for the interview, get the GC and then apply for a re-entry permit. But again, the biometrics have only been applied to the EAD and I-485 (despite being told otherwise). 

 

To be clear, we do not "want" to live abroad. It's not that we aren't excited about the move and going to the U.K. But, it's a postdoc appointment for 2 years, with the option to extend for one more. After that time, we will return to the U.S. 

 

Last thing, what exactly is converting to consular processing? I looked into it but couldn't find how it applies to an AOS (K-1 to GC). Could you elaborate? Thanks again for all of the help! This certainly is a difficult situation. 

[Basil123 139]

Hey guys, congrats to everyone who had recent movement in their cases!

 

I have no idea what to do anymore. I am still trying to get my Emergency AP, and nothing has moved yet. I was planning on leaving this Saturday, 9/12, but that seems more and more unlikely. 

 

I placed a biometrics expedite request with a Tier 1 officer last week (on my I-131), yesterday I talked to a Tier 2 agent, who put in an expedite request directly with my local field office (on my I-485). He said to expect a call this morning, but so far I haven't been contacted. The case tracker still says "not assigned for processing" on both requests. I just don't know what to do anymore. When I had to request Emergency AP in April it was done within 2 business days.

 

Do you guys have any idea what else I can do to get them to process me faster? I'll try and call Tier 2 again tomorrow. But like I don't even know what to ask for anymore. I already stressed with the other agents that this is a time sensitive issue. Any advice is appreciated, as always!

[Rearviewmirror 397]

55 minutes ago, Basil123 said:

Hey guys, congrats to everyone who had recent movement in their cases!

 

I have no idea what to do anymore. I am still trying to get my Emergency AP, and nothing has moved yet. I was planning on leaving this Saturday, 9/12, but that seems more and more unlikely. 

 

I placed a biometrics expedite request with a Tier 1 officer last week (on my I-131), yesterday I talked to a Tier 2 agent, who put in an expedite request directly with my local field office (on my I-485). He said to expect a call this morning, but so far I haven't been contacted. The case tracker still says "not assigned for processing" on both requests. I just don't know what to do anymore. When I had to request Emergency AP in April it was done within 2 business days.

 

Do you guys have any idea what else I can do to get them to process me faster? I'll try and call Tier 2 again tomorrow. But like I don't even know what to ask for anymore. I already stressed with the other agents that this is a time sensitive issue. Any advice is appreciated, as always!

You could try asking to escalate to a Tier 3 officer/supervisor?

[ko737 20]

3 hours ago, Pamola said:

Thanks for the replies. It's interesting that several options got recommended. But the current status is waiting for interview on the I-485, after entering via the K-1. It seems there is an option to do the AP for a year and then come back for the interview, get the GC and then apply for a re-entry permit. But again, the biometrics have only been applied to the EAD and I-485 (despite being told otherwise). 

 

To be clear, we do not "want" to live abroad. It's not that we aren't excited about the move and going to the U.K. But, it's a postdoc appointment for 2 years, with the option to extend for one more. After that time, we will return to the U.S. 

 

Last thing, what exactly is converting to consular processing? I looked into it but couldn't find how it applies to an AOS (K-1 to GC). Could you elaborate? Thanks again for all of the help! This certainly is a difficult situation. 

From your first message, it seems like you and your spouse have already left the US. Are you still in US? Knowing that would help us give advice. 

[G&BN 90]

On 9/8/2020 at 12:31 PM, VIP_LadyLuck said:

Positive News here!

 

My GC interview was this morning at 10 and I got approved on the spot! Mr. Cain, the IO, was super friendly and very informative. We discussed about the ROC and N400 processes too and even gave me a note with the soonest dates that I can file for both. I think this discussion was longer than the actual interview lol

 

I knew that I was approved before we began the interview when he said this is just a formality etc. At the end of the interview, he said he already made a decision to approve my application once he's done reviewing my case(before today's interview). He said that I completed all the requirements when I sent in my AOS application back in February 2020.

 

The documents(in the photo) that I brought didn't even make it outside the bag 😃

 

Hope y'all get approved easily too!

Congratulations! I'm so happy that your interview went so smooth! Do you mind sharing what documents you printed and brought with you to the interview? It might be helpful for those who have GC interview soon ! Thanks! 

And also what kind of questions were asked? 😊

Edited September 10, 2020 by G&BN

[Dutch_lee 13]

Hi everyone 

How do I connect to a live representative via EMMA?

[mvasantos 67]

8 minutes ago, Dutch_lee said:

Hi everyone 

How do I connect to a live representative via EMMA?

Just type representative then select green card. It has to be on their business hours

[Pamola 10]

3 hours ago, ko737 said:

From your first message, it seems like you and your spouse have already left the US. Are you still in US? Knowing that would help us give advice. 

Thanks, still in the U.S. but plan on leaving on or around Dec. 30th. Then we'll be in the U.K. and available to travel back to the U.S. for short periods (if they'll let her in!). Thanks again for any ideas you can provide.