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DV 2018 AOS Only

Hi mom,
KCC replied to my email about submitting the DS-260 for FTJ, and they basically told me that my case is out of their hands and that I have to speak to USCIS for any inquiries I have. About FTJ, they said "your spouse must go to the embassy at which she wishes to process the case and request for the follow-to join process to be initiated. Once requested, the embassy will obtain the necessary documentation from the applicant. " I am not sure what to make out of this. Does that mean I would have to file the I-824? Or can my spouse just schedule an appointment at the US embassy and ask them to start the process?
Thanks!
 
Hi Mom

They told me I will get the GC in a month during my IV on 03/09
No change the Status yet ,Still says fingerprints received

I am from country where travel ban applies

Do you think it’s because of that ?
Stressful waiting

Thanks

Too early to tell, could be. Could also have something to do with a pending background check. Did you confirm if your background check was through?
 
Hi mom,
KCC replied to my email about submitting the DS-260 for FTJ, and they basically told me that my case is out of their hands and that I have to speak to USCIS for any inquiries I have. About FTJ, they said "your spouse must go to the embassy at which she wishes to process the case and request for the follow-to join process to be initiated. Once requested, the embassy will obtain the necessary documentation from the applicant. " I am not sure what to make out of this. Does that mean I would have to file the I-824? Or can my spouse just schedule an appointment at the US embassy and ask them to start the process?
Thanks!

You just may have caused yourself the possibility of your spouse getting a GC as a DV derivative. You’ve been registered on this forum since Dec. 2017 and never posted or sought guidance regarding your plan until last Saturday!

AFAIK, your spouse cannot be scheduled for a IV appointment without a DS-260 form submission - that is the formal petition for requesting an IV. What you needed to have done was submit the DS-260 for yourself and your spouse, with your spouse listed as FTJ; not contacting KCC to ask about submitting a DS260 for your spouse as FTJ.

I suppose your only option at this stage is to file an I-824 AFTER you get your own GC petition approved, it cannot be done before. And I don’t know if you’ll have enough time to complete the process by Sept. 30th.

With your spouse not being a USC, I don’t see how she can simply go to the US embassy and request for them to initiate the process when she doesn’t even have a DS260 submitted. But she can give it a shot if you guys are able to figure out a way to get into the embassy. You can also discuss with your IO at the end of your interview to get their take on the issue.
 
Hi Mom

They told me I will get the GC in a month during my IV on 03/09
No change the Status yet ,Still says fingerprints received

I am from country where travel ban applies

Do you think it’s because of that ?
Stressful waiting

Thanks
My case is similar to yours. I did my interview on March 6th. And I am from one of the banned countries. I was told I would receive a response within a week but nothing happened yet. And yes, I was told thad all my background checks are done. I wonder if anyone from one of the banned countries here in the forum was able to get their GC through AOS???
 
Generally speaking, selectees from banned countries cannot be approved unless they have a second nationality (from a non banned country). If they have to make a decision today - they would most likely have to refuse your case.

If the terms of the travel ban are changed again, there is a chance that those changes could be in your favor. So - for now, your best idea is let the case sit where it is, and hope the travel ban challenges are successful.
Thank you so much Britsimon for the prompt response.
I just have a question about the presidential proclamation regarding the travel ban if you can comment in that, it would be really appreciated. from what I understood from reading sub section B (ii) of the PP that anyone from the banned countries who was here in the US before the PP went effective is exempted from any restrctions on it. Screenshot of the subsection is attached below.29391563_1496219427155233_944739866_o.jpg
 
Hi all! Yes, IT’S DONE! We received our GC last Thursday and now I would like to share my experience.

I was in F1 status, my wife and our child were in F2 status. I couldn’t believe that I was selected in DV, especially because I was born in Ukraine, and it’s in the list of “special” countries and the probability of being selected from these countries is significantly low in comparison with “regular” countries
http://britsimonsays.com/dv2018-selectee-numbers-published/

I restarted my laptop several times when I saw 1NL on 5/3/2017! After that I filled DS-260 and paid DV fee. I translated all my documents in my country because it’s much cheaper in comparison with translations in the US. They were printed on A4 paper and it was NOT a problem for USCIS. Actually, I drove to FO and asked a lot of questions (for instance, should I type N/A in I-485 or something like that), moreover, I asked the representative to ask the officer who considers DV cases all these questions. They confirmed that I can file my package according to early filing policy memo.

I filed my package in November when December Bulletin was available. My number was current in January.

In February we received interview notice and I prepared all necessary documents. But there were typos in 2 interview notices and I decided to call Customer Service to check whether these typos were in USCIS system or not. I found typos were made in notices only but USCIS made a request to fix this issue. And it sent the notice to my wife that her interview will be at a later date https://forums.immigration.com/threads/dv-2018-aos-only.336256/page-101#post-2471379 We were so confused but decided to attend the interview all together according to the suggestion made by mom.

Our interview was scheduled on 3/8 at 10 AM. We decided to ask our friend to be an interpreter because my wife was not confident in her level of English. We arrived at 9:40, checked in and in 5 minutes the officer asked us to follow her to the interview room. After saying the oath, I asked the officer about the notice for my wife (interview at a later date, see above). She said that the later date meant after issuance of the notice and we all were having interview as scheduled. Then she asked for passports, DL and SSN cards. After that I answered all questions from I-485 (good that she asked yes/no to both of us at the same time). Then she asked my wife about her bibliographic data, where my wife was working in the US. My spouse explained that she was not eligible to work in the US.

When they finished with my wife’s I-485, the officer asked questions from our child’s I-485. Thankfully, she asked only bio questions not yes/no!

After that she said we were done. I asked about documents and our case overall and the officer told us that the decision would be made later. At the same time, she noted that all necessary documents were available in my package. Why? Because I followed mom’s spreadsheet!:cool:

She said that decision may be made next week and if approved we would receive our green cards in 2-4 weeks. At the end of the interview the officer asked whether we would like to add any documents to our case. I decided to add recent paystubs, employment letter, but I totally forgot about recent W-2.

Again, the officer did not ask any documents except passports, DL and my SSN. She did not ask anything about DV entry. I brought about 30 lbs of documents but almost nothing was needed.

We checked USCIS case status every hour after we left FO, but it showed the same message about fingerprint fee. Only when I created an account in USCIS system https://forums.immigration.com/threads/dv-2018-aos-only.336256/page-106#post-2471726 I found that we were approved on the day of the interview and CPO was made on the same day! We received approval notices https://forums.immigration.com/threads/dv-2018-aos-only.336256/page-103#post-2471540 and in a couple of days our cards were delivered! We were so happy!

My conclusions:

1) Follow mom’s suggestions! A few times I decided not to follow and each time I got into trap. She is extremely experienced and knows what to do for successful AOS journey.
2) Always ask your CS to show you I-693 BEFORE CS signs it. Otherwise you may find that your passport number or your name will be written incorrectly. And the clinic representative can tell you something like: “If USCIS rejects your medical exam, just come again we will do another envelope for you”… :mad:
3) Be patient! AOS is different from CP and takes more time. And you have to prepare more documents. And it’s more expensive. However, in my case, I spent $5k for AOS, but if I calculate the cost of tickets to my country, it will be about $3k for me, my spouse and our child. As a result, the overall price is similar.

List of documents for XX XX (DV selectee):
  • Personal check $1,225
  • Two passport-style photos 2x2 inches
  • Form I-485 (Green Card Application) signed by applicant along with the following supporting documents for XX XX
  • Additional sheet to I-485
  • USCIS Policy Memorandum PM-602-0088
  • USCIS webpage “Green Card Through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program” https://www.uscis.gov/greencard/diversity-visa
  • Visa bulletin for December 2017
  • Form G-325A
  • Form G-1145
  • Copy of the principal applicant’s selection letter for the diversity visa lottery from Department of State
  • Copy of DOS Notification letter of transferring case to AOS through USCIS
  • Copy of the receipt from DOS for the Diversity Visa Lottery processing fee
  • Copy of passport main page
  • Copy of page with visa/stamps
  • Copy of birth certificate with certified translation
  • Copy of National passport with certified translation
  • Copy of Military records with certified translation
  • Copy of secondary school certificate with certified translation
  • Copy of Bachelor Diploma with certified translation
  • Copy of Master Diploma with certified translation
  • Copy of Candidate of Sciences Diploma with certified translation
  • Copy of the Decree about renaming the city of QQ with certified translation
  • Copy of online I-94
  • Copy of I-20 + SEVIS
  • Copy of Social Security Number
  • Copy of Enrollment verification letter
  • Employment letter
  • Copy of Appointment letter + transcripts
  • Copies of recent Paystubs
  • Copy of W-2
  • Copy of Tax Return Transcript
  • Copy of receipt for photos
  • Form I-134 Affidavit of Support signed by the Sponsor
  • Employment letter for the Sponsor
  • Copy of W-2 for the Sponsor
  • Copy of Driver License for the Sponsor
  • Form I-693 (sealed medical evaluation)
List of documents for YY YY (spouse):
  • Personal check $1,225
  • Two passport-style photos 2x2 inches
  • Form I-485 (Green Card Application) signed by applicant along with the following supporting documents for YY YY
  • Additional sheet to I-485
  • Form G-325A
  • Form G-1145
  • Copy of the principal applicant’s selection letter for the diversity visa lottery from Department of State
  • Copy of passport main page
  • Copy of page with visa/stamps
  • Copy of birth certificate with certified translation
  • Copy of National passport with certified translation
  • Copy of Military records with certified translation
  • Copy of marriage certificate with certified translation
  • Copy of secondary school certificate with certified translation
  • Copy of Specialist Diploma with certified translation
  • Copy of doctor’s certificate with certified translation
  • Copy of the Decree about renaming the city of QQ with certified translation
  • Copy of online I-94
  • Copy of I-20
  • Form I-693 (sealed medical evaluation)
List of documents for ZZ ZZ (child):
  • Personal check $750
  • Two passport-style photos 2x2 inches
  • Form I-485 (Green Card Application) signed by applicant along with the following supporting documents for ZZ ZZ
  • Form G-1145
  • Copy of the principal applicant’s selection letter for the diversity visa lottery from Department of State
  • Copy of passport main page
  • Copy of page with visa/stamps
  • Copy of birth certificate with certified translation
  • Copy of online I-94
  • Copy of I-20
  • Form I-693 (sealed medical evaluation)

Timeline:
05/03 – 1NL
05/19 – DS 260
07/10 – DV Fee ($990)
07/28 – 2NL
08/03 – DV Fee Receipt
09/25 – Civil Surgeon appointment
11/13 – Visa Bulletin December 2017
11/14 – Package sent (USPS)
11/27 – Acceptance letter and text
11/28 – Checks cashed
12/02 – I-797C case received
12/08 – I-797C biometrics
12/12 – biometrics walk-in
12/19 – biometrics scheduled
01/12 – USCIS requested the case from KCC (call 03/05)
02/04 – interview letter 03/08
03/08 – Interview 9:45 – 10:30
03/08 – Case approved
03/08 – Card Production Ordered
03/12 – I-797C Approval Notice
03/13 – Cards were mailed
03/16 – Cards were delivered!

At the end I want to thank mom! She is doing amazing job and she is trying to help everybody on this forum even when we ask the same (and, frankly speaking, stupid questions) again and again. She created superhelpful spreadsheet that contains all necessary information and is available for everyone for free! That’s so amazing! Thanks, mom! Also, I would like to thank Britsimon and all other members of this forum for your experience and suggestions.
 
Thank you so much Britsimon for the prompt response.
I just have a question about the presidential proclamation regarding the travel ban if you can comment in that, it would be really appreciated. from what I understood from reading sub section B (ii) of the PP that anyone from the banned countries who was here in the US before the PP went effective is exempted from any restrctions on it. Screenshot of the subsection is attached below.View attachment 816

Oh my bad - apologies - I had a brain fart. I'll delete my post in case it confuses others.
 
Hi All, we are asked to appear for interview on March 23 (Friday), but the website of the field office (Memphis field office) says they are closed on Fridays (open 7:00 - 2:30 for EMERGENCY only). I am confused if it is normal for a field office to schedule an interview on the day they are closed!
 
Hi All, we are asked to appear for interview on March 23 (Friday), but the website of the field office (Memphis field office) says they are closed on Fridays (open 7:00 - 2:30 for EMERGENCY only). I am confused if it is normal for a field office to schedule an interview on the day they are closed!
I would visit FO and ask about that.
 
Hi All, we are asked to appear for interview on March 23 (Friday), but the website of the field office (Memphis field office) says they are closed on Fridays (open 7:00 - 2:30 for EMERGENCY only). I am confused if it is normal for a field office to schedule an interview on the day they are closed!

Ignore what the website says. I suggest you still show up as scheduled, and let them tell you in person they’re closed and only deal with emergencies on Fridays. If they tell you that, be sure to note down the name(s) of whoever it is you met, take a picture of yourself in front of the FO - collect evidence to prove you showed up as scheduled. If you go by what the website says and decide to not show up, you will be considered a no show and your petition will subsequently be denied.
 
Ignore what the website says. I suggest you still show up as scheduled, and let them tell you in person they’re closed and only deal with emergencies on Fridays. If they tell you that, be sure to note down the name(s) of whoever it is you met, take a picture of yourself in front of the FO - collect evidence to prove you showed up as scheduled. If you go by what the website says and decide to not show up, you will be considered a no show and your petition will subsequently be denied.
Thank you Sm1smom, We will go there on the scheduled day and time.
 
Good Afternoon,

Thank you so much for the regular support. Could you please help me about the following confusions:

1. Do I have to write the ALIEN NUMBER in every pages of the I 485, there is the blank space in the top right corner of the I 485 in every pages
2. PART 2(2) The question ARE YOU applying under INA section 245(i), are we suppose to choose yes or no?
I came here in us as F1 visa and now doing AOS using DV lottery
3. I have a birth certificate and my educational degrees in English but back from my country. Do I have to do certified translation?
4. Is the cover letter mandatory?
 
Good Afternoon,

Thank you so much for the regular support. Could you please help me about the following confusions:

1. Do I have to write the ALIEN NUMBER in every pages of the I 485, there is the blank space in the top right corner of the I 485 in every pages
2. PART 2(2) The question ARE YOU applying under INA section 245(i), are we suppose to choose yes or no?
I came here in us as F1 visa and now doing AOS using DV lottery
3. I have a birth certificate and my educational degrees in English but back from my country. Do I have to do certified translation?
4. Is the cover letter mandatory?

1. Yes
2. Selectee “NO”
3. Yes, if they’re no then originally issued in English
4. No
 
1. Yes
2. Selectee “NO”
3. Yes, if they’re no then originally issued in English
4. No


Thank you so much. I'm little confuse with question number 3.
My birth certificate and all educational background is in english and was issued back from my country. Do I have to do anything with my documents?
If yes what is certified translation meant and how people does that?

thanks
 
Last edited:
Thank you so much. I'm little confuse with question number 3.
My birth certificate and all educational background is in english and was issued back from my country. Do I have to do anything with my documents?
If yes what is certified translation meant and how people does that?

thanks

If the documents were originally issued in English, nothing needs to be done.
 
Hi all. please, do I need to fill Part. 2 regarding my spouse and my kids? putting me as the principal applicant? this on page 4? Thanks
 
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