What is travelling like with a pending AOS and 131 travel doc? Time limit??

[Cndn 98]

I waited 5 months for my AP document and I’ve used it to travel back and forth (also a Canadian) many times. 

[RCable 75]

56 minutes ago, Lucky Cat said:

You decided to go the AOS route AFTER he was qualified at NVC?   That's pretty unusual.......good luck.

Every person's situation is different, this was the best option for us. Before COVID-19, Montreal had a 4-6 month wait from DQ to the Interview. So, we were looking at August-October for an interview. But now, because of closures, we are looking at October-December, possibly longer. My husband lost his job last year and hasn't been able to find work. He put his house up for sale and moved in with a friend for a few months then come down to visit for 5 months, hoping that the interview would be not long after that. 

However, with all of the delays, if he were to go back in July like we originally planned, it could be 6 months before he gets his visa. As long as he doesn't have a job and is living in Canada, I will have to help support him. For us, it made a lot more sense for him to just be here in the US. At least this way I'm not covering two houses and two sets of bills. 

I'm really happy with our decision. It wasn't easy to make though, that's for sure. But now, we can be together, I can easily cover bills for the both of us, and we won't have to separate for several months. Also, we don't have to make a very expensive trip to Montreal for the medical & visa interview. Originally we were looking at having to spend at least a week there to complete the process. The AOS fees were pretty close to what we would be paying to cover that.

All-in-all, this was a much better option for us given the circumstances. 

[Unlockable 7,315]

** One offensive post and one quoted post removed. Remember to post civilly and not resort to insulting remarks.

 

VJ Moderation

[betzzymathew 20]

Hey, 

I debated the same things when I was filing for my application. File for Adjustment of Status vs attend an interview in Montreal. If you have already made your decision, I guess you can pass these pointers to someone in the future, if not hopefully this can be of help. 

 

I went the NVC / consular route mainly because how impressed I was with Department of State(DoS) compared to USCIS. DoS budget is far times higher than USCIS and my previous experience with DoS (5 interviews in Montreal / Vancouver) was far more efficient than USCIS. Basically the chances of something going wrong with USCIS is low, but if it does its almost unrecoverable and you will be given a super long run (say years...). whereas once your file reaches consulate its almost gauranteed to not go wrong. They are far far more effecient. I agree NVC can be a pain. this is because NVC operations is outsourced but consular operations are still in-house. 

One other factor which I kept on thinking was how many times should I interact with USCIS in future, with AoS you dont have control over when you will get your interview, this meant, I might have to go for ROC after 2 years, which is an absolute nightmare. With consular processing, Since I knew this process would take 1.5 years, If i dragged it by a couple of months , I could directly get a 10 year green card and compeltely avoid the ROC. 

 

Also similar to you , one more worry was how backlogged Seattle field office was for interviews (when I checked in December 2018, the wait time for family based petetiion was 500 days +) , something you might wanna consider. I agree having an EAD and AP eases things, but depending on the field of employment and career aspiration, having a "green card" is a must. Some places just wont cut it with an EAD. 

 

Lastly, I agree every situation is different. You do you. Do let us know how the journey goes. 

[betzzymathew 20]

Ahh my bad, I see you have already applied for AOS. Good luck 

[geowrian 22,337]

7 hours ago, betzzymathew said:

Basically the chances of something going wrong with USCIS is low, but if it does its almost unrecoverable and you will be given a super long run (say years...). whereas once your file reaches consulate its almost gauranteed to not go wrong.

I would just point out that with USCIS you can challenge their decision. With the consulate, you cannot (CO decisions are subject to the doctrine of consular non-reviewability). While usually not an issue with Montreal, this may be a concern with high fraud consulates.

 

Quote

I agree having an EAD and AP eases things, but depending on the field of employment and career aspiration, having a "green card" is a must. Some places just wont cut it with an EAD. 

Barring some specific government jobs, it would be illegal for an employer to discriminate between an EAD holder and green card holder. Heck, they shouldn't even know what somebody holds until after the job offer is made and they are completing the I-9. If they are asking about it sooner, they are exposing themselves to claims of discrimination and the laibility that comes with it.

Edited May 21, 2020 by geowrian