Marzena & Stephen's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: Stephen Beneficiary's Name: Marzena VJ Member: Marzena & Stephen Country: Canada Last Updated: 2023-10-06 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for Stephen & Marzena:

USCIS I-129F Petition:       Dept of State K1 Visa:     USCIS I-485 Petition:   USCIS I-765 Petition:       USCIS I-131 Petition:       USCIS I-751 Petition:   USCIS N-400 Petition:

K1 Visa Event Date Service Center : California Service Center Transferred? No Consulate : Montreal, Canada I-129F Sent : 2017-03-15 I-129F NOA1 : 2017-03-20 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2017-07-29 NVC Received : 2017-08-12 Date Case #, IIN, and BIN assigned : 2017-08-15 NVC Left : 2017-08-16 Consulate Received : 2017-08-24 Packet 3 Received : 2017-09-05 Packet 3 Sent : 2017-08-24 Packet 4 Received : 2017-08-29 Interview Date : 2017-10-04 Interview Result : Approved Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : 2017-10-06 US Entry : 2017-11-20 Marriage : 2017-12-01 Comments : I entered the United States Port in the Edmonton International Airport (via AIR) (customs) As i approached the kiosk to fill in customs paperwork there was no visa option. It stated Travel for business, pleasure or other. I chose "other". At that point the kiosk said i could not proceed and needed to fill in a paper customs form. The EIA airport no longer had paper documents and told me to proceed directly through to the customs agent. I presented my yellow sealed envelope and passport to the customs agent. He than took me to the back room where another couple of agents examined my documents. I was 3 hours early so they helped someone else prior to me. At which point they proceeded (1 agent was in training the other was senior) Everything was good to go. (inside the envelope were my medical results and so on). I received a stamp in my passport which the words K1 and the date 3 months after my entry and was told if i am not married by than i needed to depart USA. I requested a i94 and was told they no longer print them. I was not sure of their answer and said how will i sign up for everything if i dont have the document (as i knew it was required for many papers such as SSN) ..they than handed me little card that stated "do you need your i94? Print it online!" with the online address to the i94 site.. which you can actually just find by typing i94 into google. Off i went! very simple. I suggest printing your i94 page from a computer. The cell phone access doesnt show the detailed info required (you need the entry #). I did proceed to try and get my SSN # the next day and day after (please note you do need to bring your birth certificate with you) and my i94 entry was not yet in the system. I will try again next week. My overall experience was super. No issues what so ever using my K1 visa. * please note they did give me a piece of paper that specifically specified if i did not have a green card, not to leave the USA until i do otherwise i will not be able to enter again. Processing Estimates/Stats : Your I-129f was approved in 131 days from your NOA1 date. Your interview took 198 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

Adjustment of Status Event Date CIS Office : Chicago IL Date Filed : 2017-12-12 NOA Date : 2017-12-18 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2018-01-12 AOS Transfer** : Interview Date : 2019-01-09 Approval / Denial Date : 2019-01-09 Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : Greencard Received: 2019-01-16 Comments : Biometrics notice was dated December 22 2017 received it on December 30 for an biometrics test date of January 12 The biometrics test was very easy. I got there 40 minutes early and they took me in no problem. I showed my I'd and my appointment letter. Turned off my cellphone but was able to keep everything with me. Filled out a form. Got my photo taken and my finger prints and was asked to fill in a survey based on their efficiency. It took a max of 10-15 min being there total. The room was very large and empty. This location was the Chicago location in Norridge Illinois (Chicago) My case tracker for i485 changed to "case is ready to be scheduled for an interview" January 31 2018. I won't hold my breath as I havnt received my ead yet but you never know. Hopefully I will receive a letter stating interview date soon! The current timeline for AOS green card in Chicago is 11.5 to 32 months! Yike! The other day my case tracker changed to "at this time uscis cannot provide you with info about your case please contact the nscs" (april 18) and on april 19 it changed to "at this time uscis cannot provide you with info about your case please contact uscis) Pretty sure this is a glitch. I dont think they are working on my case yet considering it's only been 4 months. I thought I would post here incase anyone else sees that issue :) Interview scheduled received an email on december 4 2018 The case tracked app updated a couple days later Waiting for letter I actually submitted renewal applications for ead and ap a week prior. Who knows if that may have triggered the interview to be scheduled. December 10 2018 i received the aos interview date via a letter in the mail. Interview is on jan 09 2019 ! 1 month away. Gives time to prepare documents. The ead renewal letter also came which i may not need anymore but it says you do not have to do a biometrics again they will use fingerprints on file. Hopefully green card comes first. Jan 9 2019- Had our interview today. Everything went smooth  we were only asked for our IDs and the beneficiaries passport. I took a finger print from each hand and a photo which he took super fast so be prepared. They asked my husband (the sponsor) how we met. Than asked me  a bunch of the questions straight from our application. He asked if we have any photos of our wedding day (we got married at rhe courthouse) i only printed a few photos on paper which was good enough) And than hes like do you want to add any evidence so i started to give him all my evidence and he said thats enough. Lol Than he said i should have a green card within 3 weeks and asked if my name is on the mailbox.i said yes and that was that.    Fyi- chicago- We got to the interview 40 min early even though they said dont come more than 30 min early its okay to go inside and register to get a number ours was k77 they call the numbers our randomly ..we sat in a waiting room. And were called within 15 min so i think we got into the room closer to 11ish than 1115 which was our appointment time.     Super stress free!! Yay! Case tracker updated to new card is being produced January 9, 2019. Same day as interview. I got a tracking number for my card via the uscis tracker. I set it up to send me text messages on the united states postal service website. Received my card via mail on Jan 16. It is dated from jan 9 2019 expires in 2 years. Yay!

Employment Authorization Document Event Date CIS Office : Chicago National Office Filing Method : Mail Filing Instance : First Date Filed : 2017-12-12 NOA Date : 2017-12-18 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : 2018-01-12 Approved Date : 2018-04-11 Date Card Received : 2018-04-19 Comments : I received an alert on the uscis case tracker Application on my phone that my EAD case was changed from "was received" to "new card is being produced" also online on the uscis case tracker my status says "On April 11, 2018, we ordered your new card for Receipt Number..... and will mail it to the address you gave us." Letter and email did not come yet (today is April 11) Email came April 12 Another email came on April 13 and it said "we have taken action on your case please login to view" I logged in and my status went from we are producing your card to : We approved your case. Because i received the approved status after the card is being printed status i am not sure what the actual date on the card will be.. April 11 12 or 13. We will see :) Nothing with my "late submission of AP" came through yet though.. so i am assuming it will not be a combo card but i will keep you posted! I received the letter for my approved EAD on April 16. the card should come soon. The EAD is valid from April 11, 2018 to April 10, 2019 (only 1 year) Case tracker updated april 16 card is being mailed Email alert april 17 April 19, 2018 received my card in the mail :) It didnt come with ap because I didnt apply for ap with ead regretfully. I got a notification with my tracking # on the uscis ap on may 17... month after i received the card. Website wasnt updated. Processing Estimates/Stats : Your EAD was approved in 120 days.

Advance Parole Event Date CIS Office : Chicago IL Filing Method :   Filing Instance : First Date Filed : 2018-03-30 NOA Date : 2018-04-05 RFE(s) : Date Received : 2018-07-09 Comments : I decided not to file AP originally thinking that i would have my aos approved by the end of this year but seeing chicago is 12 months to 2.7 years for a green card i decided i should really file AP. Originally i thought AP was only for emergency use. I had figured out it was for travel after i already sent my forms in. May aswell try to get the AP now :) Still havnt received the EAD. 03/30/2018 The courier got to uscis on Saturday march 31 they received it in the system Monday april 2 and my noa date is Thursday April 5 2018. Received ead alert April 11 and waiting for the card to see if they added my AP to it. Sadly my EAD approval letter did not come with the AP on it ..so i did not get a combo card. Still waiting for ap. Approved for my travel permit The case tracker updated to approved on July 8th. I received my approval letter on July 9th and it was actually dated as approved on July 5th. My case tracker updated on July 9th to fingerprints reviewed and your case is being looked over. (which seemed a little backwards to me) The approval letter states that another document will be sent out which i will use as the AP. however i think it will just be a paper copy not a card since i already have an EAD card. Ill post when i receive it in the mail ! I receive the I-512L (travel doc) (paper copy) in the mail (i will not get a plastic card as i already had an ead) The date on the travel doc says DATE ISSUED JULY 9 2018. I received this document on July 14 in the mail. It is good for multiple entries into the USA and expires July 4 2019. (1 year short 1 day of the approval date) Processing Estimates/Stats : Your AP was approved in 97 days.

Lifting Conditions Event Date CIS Office : Nebraska Service Center Date Filed : 2020-10-13 NOA Date : 2020-11-02 RFE(s) : Bio. Appt. : Interview Date : Approval / Denial Date : 2021-06-14 Approved : Yes Got I551 Stamp : No Green Card Received : 2021-06-18 Comments : File sent to Phoenix Arizona 10/13/2020 File received by mailroom 10/15/2020 Text/Email received 11/01/2020 Checks cashed and extension letter received 11/02/2020 Case was sent to Nebraska (as per email and text) (case # LIN) NO INTERVIEW JUNE 14 2021 - my uscis AP updated to "NEW CARD BEING PRODUCED" "On June 14 2021 we ordered your new card or Receipt Number ************* and will mail it to the address you gave us" JUNE 15 2021 - case was approved JUNE 16 2021 - card is being mailed JUNE 17 (card was mailed) JUNE 18 - card was picked up by usps tracking # provided - looked up tracking # should get the card by tonight!

Citizenship Event Date Service Center : Online CIS Office : Chicago IL Date Filed : 2023-07-06 NOA Date : 2023-07-10 Bio. Appt. : Interview Date : 2023-09-13 Approved : Yes Oath Ceremony : 2023-10-05 Comments : October 5, 2023 - 10:48am officially a USA citizen!!! Now to apply for a passport ! September 13 - 9:10 am. Took my citizenship interview and test. They take your photo and finger prints You must bring your ID, passport and letter with you. They ask 10 questions verbally (you need to get 6 right to pass) Once they asked me questions 6 they stopped asking as i got 6 right so no need to ask anymore questions. They asked me a lot about my marriage, where i live, where i traveled to etc and reviewed my supporting documents that i submitted online. -I received a letter and he said i passed congratulations. -I will be informed of my oath ceremony day via mail within 1-2 months from now. July 10 rececived a letter in the mail that my Biometrics will be reused. I delayed applying *procastination* (could have applied in January 2022 finally applied in July 2023) saw 16 month wait when I was applying but it said 9 months right after I logged in as the estimated timeline. Applying online was very easy. Just needed photos of the docs and tax transcripts, I got my tax transcripts online and saved them to my phone which was very easy however time consuming.

Member Reviews:

Consulate Review: Montreal, Canada Review Topic: K1 Visa Event Description Review Date : October 6, 2017 Embassy Review : My k1 Visa interview was October 4 2017 at 730am I was #1 in line as i got there early. They line everyone up to the left of the door and do go by appointment times but there may be a few appointments with the same time so within those people you will want to be first. I got there around 630 because i wanted to be first. My sister got us starbucks as it is across the street and we waited. When the doors opened mt sister left with the starbucks as there is no food or drinks allowed inside. The door also shows no bags and brief cases. I stored my papers in a fabric shopping bag and that was not an issue. Everything does need to fit in through security so do not bring anything larger than a standaŕd bag size. Someone came for their appointment after me (they were 745) and around 7 to 715 tons of people started to come line up and crowd the doors. The uscis security said line up to the left side so make sure youre first in line on that side. They do go in line order but they did specifically ask who wqs 730 vs 745 and let them in first. So we still got to go in first based on our time but if we were 745 even if we were 1st in line it wouldnt matter they will take the 730s which is good! (I kept hearing otherwise on visa journey) I got #1 Handed a lady my appointment letter inside just after the door (or ds160 is good) with passport she gave me a laminated checklist Left my fitbit and cell phone at the front Got a little yellow ticket to retrieve my items after my interview. They do ask that you put your coat and bags etc through the security xray machine. Shoes can be left on. (Sort of like the airport) I was told to go downstairs and sit down I was greeted by a security officer super nice I sat there and organized my papers based on the checklist  about 15 min(everything is the same as the montreal packet 4 checklist except that last 2 things on the list were not on their -usa docimile ...) which were also not requested at the window. Everyone else started to come in aswell. Once pretty well everyone was inside the security guy said okay everyone its time to go upatairs We all took an elevator up together which fit only half of us at a time. When we got out of the elevator there were a ton of chairs and windows. There were also walk up windows to speak to officers at. To the left you will find window 1 to 5 where you take yout documents once you are called up. I actually couldnt see number 1 so i panicked a bit when i was called up which was pretty much immediately after sitting down. NUMBER 1 to window 1! At the window: The lady took all my documents and finger prints and asked if i have ever been married or had any kids. She took my finger prints each hand than thumbs. Also asked if my fiance is here ..i said no he will be here on friday to visit. I got a little nervous as she asked if my fiance is here.she said okay we are good please take a seat. I was confused if that was the interview as i wasnt asked much.. but no they just take the documents first than you are called up one more time. The windows down the hallway such as 6 7 8 are more private and where the interviews are held. Literally you stand at a window like as if you were buying a train ticket.   Next about 15 min or so later #2 got called before me to the interview window! I got scared and wondered why i didnt get called to the interview window first but a few min later i got called and funny enough i was out of there before #2 so i guess it doesnt matter the order.   At the window a lady asked all the similiar questions i kept reading on here Speak loud as they cant hear u! You press your finger prints down again to swear on oath.   Some of the questions were: When did you meet Is this your first marriage How did you decide on being in a relationship Who visits who more When did you meet Have you met each others family What does he do for work Does he work for himself or someone What are your wedding plans Did you have a formal engagement when Were you the only two there What do you like most about your fiance -i said hes funny i didnt say much else she just shrugged and immediately said yup and nodded as if that was a good enough reason to marry someone. Etc.. you get a little nervous but im sure they know this and deal with it alot..if you speak good english im sure it helps! After looking at my paperwork and typing a bunch of things the lady grabbed two pieces of paper one white and one pink She also put a rubber band around my passport and documents which looked lole a good sign. She asked if i signed up for courier i said yes She said it takes 2 weeks to get everything back and handed me a pink paper that says welcome to the usa ans a white paper about the courier and tracking number information and said im good to go I asked if i was approved she said yes I said so im done i can leave now? She said i can stay if i want LOL! Yayyy   I walked out of the hall and everyone was stairing so i said approved !!! Everyone smiled and said congratulations!!! I told everyone else goodluck Took the elevator back down on my own Walked downstairs on my own A man was walking by and asked how it went i said good! I wasnt sure who he was I gave my yellow slip to get my things and that was that! Exit on the right hand side. It felt sureal leaving the building as it was so quick for such a long process!!!     Rating : Very Good

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