Scandi

So your AOS is still pending, and you are already planning to divorce your spouse once you get the greencard. Yeah that will look suspicious to the reviewing officer, no doubt.

It's not confusing if you only use one wedding date. You are using two different dates, one in 2019 (that's what's in your timeline) and one in 2018 (that's what you use in this thread). That's why people are asking when you got married, as you have stated two different dates and they are a whole year apart. I assume you just made a mistake with the date in your timeline.

Sorry for being confused, what photo would that be?

Better to upload the transcript when it's ready on IRS website if you haven't had your interview by then, that way the IO gets a chance to look at your evidence before the interview. You can upload new documents whenever you want to. I uploaded a couple of new documents/evidence every month my N-400 was pending (it was pending for ~10 months).

No, won't be an issue.

The embassy extends the i-129f approval validity, this happens automatically with most embassies. If you're worried, you can always contact the embassy to request an extension (though like I said, they usually do this automatically). Nothing to worry about.

Yup, some field offices have a long wait since the name change needs to go through court and that can take a while depending on how fast the office and court is where you are. My field office was located right next to the court house and it's a busy office and court so they appear to process things quickly - the name changes were approved and signed by a judge the same day of the interview, the oath came very quick thereafter. Also - not all field offices perform oath ceremonies for those who changed their name, in those cases people will have their oath ceremony at the actual court house (judicial oath ceremony) - and that too can take a long while depending on when court will have time to perform one, a lot of courts are busy with more pressing matters. If a short wait is more important than having a name change, this is something that needs to be researched before one decides to have a name change with the N-400. It differs a lot between offices. And, sometimes USCIS needs a reminder, you can always send a message via your online account and make them aware you're still waiting. It doesn't cost anything to give it a try.

True. But my bet is that the majority of CR-1 people don't have a clue about that ROC-or-not-to-ROC "rule" and enter the country as soon as they get their visa. As we see on VJ, a ton of people (most people?) don't research the next step in the process until it's time to file (this is especially common for K-1ers though, appear to have no clue about the AOS step and what is needed until they are already in the US and start thinking about maybe getting a greencard).

Yeah the actual processing and decision-part is quick, it's the wait for an available officer to pick up your case that takes forever.. They need to hire more people.

Yes, you need a name change that goes beyond a marriage certificate (that's only for last names). You can have that legal name change done with your N-400 if you clearly explain to the officer at the interview how you want your name. If they for whatever reason refuse then you would have to change your name through court later on.

That's so insane, especially when you compare to how it used to be just a few years ago. I filed my i485 in 2016 (which isn't THAT long ago) and paid $985 in total for all three (AOS, AP, EAD and then an additional $85 for biometrics) - and that's also when EAD/AP "only" took 90-100 days, as compared to today's 9 months...

Should add that it could go either way, it doesn't necessarily speed things up. If you have a case where you don't need an interview (many of us who had an AOS interview got our ROC approved without interview), then the case could be approved fairly fast at the designated service center. There's unfortunately no way to really know how long that takes. If your case is just about to get picked up and adjudicated, but you file the N-400 just before that, it's possible your i-751 gets sent to NBC for preparation for a combo interview instead of being adjudicated soon at the service center it's already at. So it COULD make things slower too, especially if your field office is slow. But like I said, impossible to know when your case will be picked up and processed, ROC can take forever. For me it was approved just a few days before I got eligible to file my N-400.

In many cases, when you file the N-400 while having a pending i-751, your i-751 gets transferred to NBC. NBC is the service center that prepares cases for interview. Far from everyone who has a stand-alone i-751 gets an interview, many get approved just fine without one (me included). But once you file the N-400 it triggers something in the system and your i-751 is now considered to be a part of what is commonly called a "combo interview". That means, since your N-400 requires an interview, you will now also have an interview for the i-751, they will be processed together at your local field office once your N-400 is ready (ie, once NBC has done all the pre-processing like background checks etc, and your field office is ready to take it on).

Happens all the time that people get the "fingerprints were taken" and even an update saying they will reuse old fingerprints, only for USCIS to send another letter later on with an appointment for biometrics. If you skip the biometrics appointment your case will eventually be considered abandoned and will be denied. It's pretty much just as bad as missing an interview.

Yes, they go by the date you didn't show up for the interview, the status is terminated from that date as that's the date you "abandoned" your case by not showing up for the interview. They don't pick a random date on their own, it goes by the interview date. That's just how it works, no matter if you like it or not. I wouldn't trust that, if you have only been told this over the phone by the "customer service" disinformation line (ie Tier 1 and 2). But I hope for your sake it's correct so you can move on from this not having to start over. It wouldn't be the first time someone gets their case reopened after missing an interview due to not receiving the letter, although in your case it has been a very long time.

That IS your denial letter for the i-751. That's what a denial letter looks like, stamped date or not. USCIS sent it out but you say you never received it. Your wife was denied and had her status terminated on May 7, 2021. Since she hasn't had any status since that date, that's a huge issue for the N-400. Someone might've already posted this denial letter, with a stamped date. It's an official letter, sent by USCIS to the petitioner. Just like in your case.

It's possible, and they can also ask the immigrant to go through another medical since the expiration date of the visa is most often tied to the medial date.

If you just want to take your husband's last name then the marriage certificate is proof of your name change. That means you take your certificate to SSA to have the name chsnged on your SS card, then you go to DMV etc.

If you're only taking your spouse’s last name, then that was done the day you married (the proof of your name change is the marriage certificate), even if you have been using his name or not. Once married, you can start using your spouse’s name anytime you want, nothing else needed, just the marriage certificate.

Are you in a hurry to become a citizen? If not, rather wait a little longer for the oath and get the name change done (and for free), it's so easily done when becoming a citizen and you will have your new name on the certificate (and passport). Otherwise you have to go through court later, and pay a fee.

Yeah I think they did same-day oath before the pandemic too, then during the pandemic it stopped. Glad to hear they're back to same-day oath again. And congrats!

Neither of the two field offices in downtown L.A. did same-day oath when I became a citizen in 2021. They only did oaths two days a week (sometimes if you were lucky and had your interview early in the day and there happened to be an oath that same day, you could get in).