Any May filers around?

Handle --------------- AOS ND ---- AOS ID ---------- Result ---- Interview Link
Mishumishu ---------- May 16 ----- Jul 17 ---------- Approved
shinkansen ----------- May 02 ----- Jul 26 ---------- Approved
PraetorianXI --------- May 08 ----- Aug 07 --------- Approved
mpanati -------------- May 10 ----- Aug 07 ---------- Aproved
mamtashok ---------- May 08 ----- Aug 09 ---------- Approved name check pending
IrishDMBF ----------- May 22 ------ Aug 13 ---------- Approved
leleth ----------------- May 10 ----- Aug 20 ---------- Approved
franticsky------------ May 23 ------Aug 22 ---------- Approved name check pending
ktrueson ------------ May 02 ------ Aug 22 ----------- Approved
rukna --------------- May 04 -------- Aug 23 --------- Approved name check pending
nehasharma -------- May 21 ------ Aug 24 ----------- Approved name check pending
adom.2007 ---------- May 14 ----- Aug 27 ---------- Pending further evidence
ndp125 --------------- May 16 ------ Aug 28 --------- Approved name check pending
alsteg ---------------- May 24 ----- Aug 29 --------- Approved
Tommy_Chicago ----- May 07 ----- Sep 06 ---------- Approved
Luci_merlion -------- May 21 ----- Sep 10 ---------- Approved
Tairaesias ----------- May 07 ----- Sep 12 ---------- Pending
k.ambrose ----------- Jun 01 ----- Sep 12 ---------- Approved name check pending
dee2006 ------------- May 14 ----- Sep 13 ---------- Pending
MagdaJ -------------- Jun 01 ------ Sep 17 ---------- Pending
simsim31 ------------ May 25 ----- Sep 18 ---------- Pending
bigtom ---------------- May 16 ----- Sep 25 ---------- Pending
austriacus ----------- May 21 ----- Sep 26 ---------- Pending
roshlimbo ------------ May 11 ----- Oct 9 ----------- Pending
 
Last edited by a moderator:
infopass

hi everyone
my namecheck still pending, made an infopass appnt for tomarrow. any suggestions?
i received 130 approval notice but no luds online still says pending and not touched from june!!!!
thanks in advance
 
I got my driver's license today! Another thing off my list...
I need to wait for the actual card for 2-4 weeks, they gave me a paper card with the license number and all my info, it is valid for 2 months. :)
 
Luci_merlion said:
So, yeah, now that I got over the technical problems, here's how my interview went:
(I wrote more in the other message, but since it did not go through, I'll just post the main things).

Hubby and I arrived to the Immigration office half an hour before the scheduled interview time. We passed the security check, first me, and then him. We went inside, and, as advised by our lawyer, we did NOT turn in the interview notice. The lawyer came in and we talked about the latest developments on the case, particularly as we recently moved in a different state. Hubby looked for work in this new city, but is waiting for a license before he can start working in this new city, and decided to stay in Philly for the time being and work. We had evidence of him having applied for this license, a letter from the new landlord with both names on it (we did not have an actual lease, as the landlord said we are free to stay as long as we want without any strings attached/lease term). Lawyer turned in the appointment letter just before the actual appointment time, and we were called in 2 minutes after that.
We set down, and the office sworn us in. He then proceeded to go through the forms and verify hubby's name, date of birth etc. The lawyer then told the officer about address change and he said he may not be able to process the case as a new jurisdiction may now need to be involved. Say what, I told to myself??!! My lawyer then told him that the policy is for interview to take place where the case was filed, and politely suggested to run that through his superviser, if needed. He said the computer may not let him put the new address in/process my case. He put this issue on hold for a moment, and went on to ask me when we got married and if we had any marriage pictures. I showed him a bunch, and there were a few that caught his attention (e.g. picture of hubby, myself, and the statue of Rockie lol in Center City Philadelphia, both dressed up in wedding clothes; picture of a plate with crabs-I told him we went to a Malay restaurant after the wedding and that's what we ate. I threw that picture in there just with the crabs, and another one with our wedding cake :)), then he also made a comment about a picture with hubby's family in front of a restaurant named after my country...for a minute he actually thought we visited my country together :) )
We then talked about my acceptance into a PhD program in this new city and he asked me what I studied there. I told him, and he gave his opinion on the subject matter...I agreed with him, after all he was quite right in his assessment. He asked my husband about his educational background and how he got to be a citizen (he was born elsewhere). He also asked him when he will be join me full time in this new city, and hubby told him that it will be in 2 weeks.
The officer went to make some copies. He then said he did not want to let us go until he finished everything with the case. we told him we were happy to wait. He stampped the file and updated my address in the system...finally, the computer worked!!!
All in all, this has been quite an experience. The outcome of the interview was earned, so to speak. It could have gone either way. (At the beginning I was nervous..He checked my hubby's passport and it does not have some security chip, he shook his head because of this...oh well, it is not our fault).
Some lessons learned: be confident, make eye contact with the officer, don't give away more details than asked, hire a lawyer if you think you need it (you will know when you need it). Personally, when I came to U.S. the first time I had my passport stamped "subject to 212e" by mistake, and I was afraid this issue may came up, but like I said, it was a mistake, and my prior visas did not even come into discussion. I have never overstayed. I believe that this, as well as the fact that I am now in graduate school weighted a lot in his decision. My lawyer had to ask for the outcome of the interview (officer stamped the file and updated status in the system, but did not verbally told us we were approved) and he said I should get my card in 2 weeks or so. Just now I got an e-mail that card production was ordered.

Thank you for reading my story, and good-luck to everyone for your interview!

P.S. K.ambrose, thanks for your support. I am very happy my interview went well. Please be sure to be there on time/earlier, if possible. My officer thanked us for being on time, and I think this also had a possitive impact on the final decision. Good-luck, and keep us updated of how things go on Wednesday.
Click to expand...

congrats luci.......
 
k.ambrose said:
Handle --------------- AOS ND ---- AOS ID ---------- Result ---- Interview Link
Mishumishu ---------- May 16 ----- Jul 17 ---------- Approved
shinkansen ----------- May 02 ----- Jul 26 ---------- Approved
PraetorianXI --------- May 08 ----- Aug 07 --------- Approved
mpanati -------------- May 10 ----- Aug 07 ---------- Aproved
mamtashok ---------- May 08 ----- Aug 09 ---------- Approved name check pending
IrishDMBF ----------- May 22 ------ Aug 13 ---------- Approved
leleth ----------------- May 10 ----- Aug 20 ---------- Approved
franticsky------------ May 23 ------Aug 22 ---------- Approved name check pending
ktrueson ------------ May 02 ------ Aug 22 ----------- Approved
rukna --------------- May 04 -------- Aug 23 --------- Approved name check pending
nehasharma -------- May 21 ------ Aug 24 ----------- Approved name check pending
adom.2007 ---------- May 14 ----- Aug 27 ---------- Pending further evidence
ndp125 --------------- May 16 ------ Aug 28 --------- Approved name check pending
alsteg ---------------- May 24 ----- Aug 29 --------- Approved
Tommy_Chicago ----- May 07 ----- Sep 06 ---------- Approved
Luci_merlion -------- May 21 ----- Sep 10 ---------- Approved
Tairaesias ----------- May 07 ----- Sep 12 ---------- Pending
k.ambrose ----------- Jun 01 ----- Sep 12 ---------- Approved name check pending
dee2006 ------------- May 14 ----- Sep 13 ---------- Pending
MagdaJ -------------- Jun 01 ------ Sep 17 ---------- Pending
simsim31 ------------ May 25 ----- Sep 18 ---------- Pending
bigtom ---------------- May 16 ----- Sep 25 ---------- Pending
austriacus ----------- May 21 ----- Sep 26 ---------- Pending
roshlimbo ------------ May 11 ----- Oct 9 ----------- Pending
Click to expand...

Sorry about your tough interview... what did she mean by "later you will need a co-sponsor?"... once you become a LPR, you do not need to file another I-864... they can not require you to get a co-sponsor.

Anyways, hopefully it will clear soon :)
 
K -- sorry to hear that you're stuck in name-check. Luckily, I cleared that hurdle and my interview was a success (more details to follow), but it's not as nice when you can't share in the happiness of others. The only consolation I can offer is that at least you cleared the first hurdle in getting your I-130 approved. It sounds as though you might have got denied even there because of your current living situation and finances, but you were obviously well-prepared and came with enough evidence to prove the bona fides of your marriage. I'm a grad student myself, and I wouldn't have been able to meet their financial requirements on my stipend alone without the extra income my wife makes.

So take heart -- you would have been stuck in name-check regardless, and can't do anything about that, but at least you were able to prove what was within your control. And since you had the foresight to get your AP, you're luckily not restricted from travelling. I'm sure that within the year you'll be cleared and will get your justly-deserved card.

_________________

UK citizen on F-1 visa, married to US citizen

I-130, I-485, I-864, I-693 concurrently filed
04/30/2007: package mailed via USPS
05/01/2007: received date
05/07/2007: notice date
05/08/2007: checks cashed
05/24/2007: RFE for I-693 supplement
05/30/2007: RFE mailed with updated I-693 supplement
05/31/2007: biometrics appointment
06/25/2007: received interview letter
09/12/2007: interview appointment
 
Hi everyone. So my interview went well -- we were in and out in 15 minutes and got a kind USCIS officer. My application was approved, but (more importantly) I was told my name-check cleared, and that I should receive the green card in two weeks. That's the summary. Here are the details . . .

We arrived about ten minutes before our scheduled interview time after going through security. (As a tip to others, outside beverages and food are not allowed at least in the Chicago office -- we brought some coffees with us and were told to drink them outside, so we had to chug them down in about two minutes.) The USCIS building in Chicago is quite modern and was surprisingly empty -- the security was a lot like what you'll find at an airport. We put all of our belongings (bags, wallets, watches, belts, etc.) through an x-ray machine and went through a metal detector, and as k.ambrose also remarked, the guards were pleasant and professional. We went up to the second floor to hand in our interview notice at 9:25am -- just three minutes before our appointment time. We thought we'd have to wait a while, so we sat down in the seating area where there were around 20 people, mostly other couples and families.

I was busy taking out all of our stuff to look over before going in, but almost immediately after sitting down, a female officer came out and called my last name. We were a bit surprised and didn't immediately respond, although my wife and I got up. Then she called again, we replied, and followed her through to her office. Before sitting down, we were asked to raise our right hands and swear to tell the truth. She had my file in front of her and immediately asked us for our photo IDs -- we gave her our driver's licences. She then went through the I-485 and asked me my name, address, parents' first names, and my date of birth, all of which she ticked off on the form as I answered. She asked for both my passports (I have two because the one that has my F-1 visa in it has now expired), my original birth certificate, and then asked me a bunch of questions: have I been married before, do I have children, when did I last enter the U.S., and how many times have I entered. Since I've been here since 1999 on a college visa and now a grad school visa, I couldn't provide offhand an accurate number of the times I've entered the country, so I explained this and gave her a rough figure. She understood, but since I wasn't expecting this question, I'd suggest that others go in with a better idea.

She asked whether I'm still at my university, and then asked where my wife and I met. We went to the same high school and have been together since then, so she asked us where we went to high school. She then asked me the list of background-check questions on the I-485 -- have I ever been convicted of a felony, a member of the communist party, etc. She asked my wife only a few questions -- whether she was previously married or had children, whether she still works at her current job, and how she obtained her U.S. citizenship. If your spouse is a naturalised U.S. citizen and wasn't born in the country, I'd advise that he/she come prepared to answer this last question and explain who originally sponsored them, etc. My wife got her citizenship through her grandmother, so the officer asked where her grandmother currently lives in the U.S. and where her parents live. Besides these questions, she didn't ask my wife much more -- she never asked for her naturalisation certificate, her passport, tax returns, or current employment letter (they had copies, but we'd brought the originals).

As proof of our marriage, we came with our original marriage certificate, joint bank statements, joint car title, and a lease with a letter from our landlord verifying that we live together. She already had copies of most of these documents, but asked to see the originals. (I also brought much more -- a lease from our old apartment, utility bills, a wedding invitation -- but she seemed content with what I'd provided in my original application in May.) The letter from our landlord was a nice touch, I think, since she read this carefully and kept it in her file. She compared our original marriage certificate with the copy we sent in May, and then asked for pictures.

At this point, out came the pièce de résistance: a big fat wedding album with about four dozen pictures of our marriage ceremony and reception. By far, I think this was the most important piece of evidence we brought with us, and well worth the extra effort in carrying over. She spent most of the rest of the interview going through each page of the album studying the pictures carefully. She asked us who was who in certain photos as we pointed out our family members. Part of this was procedural, no doubt, but she also at times showed genuine interest in the pictures -- there's a very nice photo of my wife in particular where she's surrounded by all the women of her family in colourful sarees, and the officer asked her to point out who each person was. The lesson here is to definitely bring something similar if you have it -- even if you don't have official wedding pictures yet, buy something in which you can arrange the photos you do have in chronological order, which lends a sense of narrative to your relationship. We also brought other pictures going back over ten years, including a photo of our first date when we were 16, and correspondence from when we started going out. But I think the album was the clincher. After that, she left the room for a minute, came back, and told us my application was approved.

She took my I-94 and said that I'd receive my card in about two weeks. She explained that it would be a conditional green card since we've been married less than two years, and told us about the process of removing the conditions in 2009. I asked whether this meant that I cleared name-check, which she confirmed. She then had us sign a form, walked us out, and bid us goodbye. All in all, a very professional and polite officer.

I don't have an update in my case file online yet, but from Tommy's recent posts, I'll expect this in a few days. Others on this forum have said that their passports were stamped after the interview, but mine wasn't stamped. I wish I'd asked about this now, but it's not like I have to leave the country any time soon. And after just looking at Tommy's post from the 6th, I see he didn't get a stamp either -- I wonder why some people do and some don't. In any event, the thing I'm most happy about is that I cleared name-check, and I'm looking forward to receiving my card in the next couple of weeks.

I hope everyone else has an interview experience as good as this one. Thanks for your support and advice over the last few months -- everything would have been far more confusing without this forum, and after reading over your experiences I felt much more confident going in.


_________________

UK citizen on F-1 visa, married to US citizen

I-130, I-485, I-864, I-693 concurrently filed
04/30/2007: package mailed via USPS
05/01/2007: received date
05/07/2007: notice date
05/08/2007: checks cashed
05/24/2007: RFE for I-693 supplement
05/30/2007: RFE mailed with updated I-693 supplement
05/31/2007: biometrics appointment
06/25/2007: received interview letter
09/12/2007: interview appointment; green card approved and name-check cleared
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks, Praetorian. Your posts in particular have been especially helpful, and I'm sure many others on this forum feel as grateful to you as me. Here I am celebrating my 20th post and you're way up in the thousands!

I hope we'll be able to continue using this board or some other one in the future as we go through the next stages of the citizenship process.

_________________

UK citizen on F-1 visa, married to US citizen

I-130, I-485, I-864, I-693 concurrently filed
04/30/2007: package mailed via USPS
05/01/2007: received date
05/07/2007: notice date
05/08/2007: checks cashed
05/24/2007: RFE for I-693 supplement
05/30/2007: RFE mailed with updated I-693 supplement
05/31/2007: biometrics appointment
06/25/2007: received interview letter
09/12/2007: interview appointment; green card approved and name-check cleared
 
Tairaesias said:
K -- sorry to hear that you're stuck in name-check. Luckily, I cleared that hurdle and my interview was a success (more details to follow), but it's not as nice when you can't share in the happiness of others. The only consolation I can offer is that at least you cleared the first hurdle in getting your I-130 approved. It sounds as though you might have got denied even there because of your current living situation and finances, but you were obviously well-prepared and came with enough evidence to prove the bona fides of your marriage. I'm a grad student myself, and I wouldn't have been able to meet their financial requirements on my stipend alone without the extra income my wife makes.

So take heart -- you would have been stuck in name-check regardless, and can't do anything about that, but at least you were able to prove what was within your control. And since you had the foresight to get your AP, you're luckily not restricted from travelling. I'm sure that within the year you'll be cleared and will get your justly-deserved card.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your words of consolation and congratulations on your approval :)

On hindsight, we should have gotten a lease from my landlady with my husband's name added and said he's in the process of finding a job in DE. It would have made life so much easier. But you know how they say not to provide untruthful information during the interview; so we just stated the plain facts saying that I am moving there which is the whole truth. Yes, we had a lot of evidences since we have been dating since 2000. Both the insurances and pension plan benefits, travel stubs to visit him etc. The officer did not for ask all of them and said," That's enough." as we started taking out photocopies to give her.

It's done now and we are grateful to God for getting our I-130 approved and name-check will take it's due course. I'm in the midst of applying for jobs in NJ, since grad school only begins in Sept. next year. I have the firm faith that the Lord will guide us through; no worries. No trouble is greater than Him... :)
 
Handle --------------- AOS ND ---- AOS ID ---------- Result ---- Interview Link
Mishumishu ---------- May 16 ----- Jul 17 ---------- Approved
shinkansen ----------- May 02 ----- Jul 26 ---------- Approved
PraetorianXI --------- May 08 ----- Aug 07 --------- Approved
mpanati -------------- May 10 ----- Aug 07 ---------- Aproved
mamtashok ---------- May 08 ----- Aug 09 ---------- Approved name check pending
IrishDMBF ----------- May 22 ------ Aug 13 ---------- Approved
leleth ----------------- May 10 ----- Aug 20 ---------- Approved
franticsky------------ May 23 ------Aug 22 ---------- Approved name check pending
ktrueson ------------ May 02 ------ Aug 22 ----------- Approved
rukna --------------- May 04 -------- Aug 23 --------- Approved name check pending
nehasharma -------- May 21 ------ Aug 24 ----------- Approved name check pending
adom.2007 ---------- May 14 ----- Aug 27 ---------- Pending further evidence
ndp125 --------------- May 16 ------ Aug 28 --------- Approved name check pending
alsteg ---------------- May 24 ----- Aug 29 --------- Approved
Tommy_Chicago ----- May 07 ----- Sep 06 ---------- Approved
Luci_merlion -------- May 21 ----- Sep 10 ---------- Approved
Tairaesias ----------- May 07 ----- Sep 12 ---------- Approved
k.ambrose ----------- Jun 01 ----- Sep 12 ---------- Approved name check pending
dee2006 ------------- May 14 ----- Sep 13 ---------- Pending
MagdaJ -------------- Jun 01 ------ Sep 17 ---------- Pending
simsim31 ------------ May 25 ----- Sep 18 ---------- Pending
bigtom ---------------- May 16 ----- Sep 25 ---------- Pending
austriacus ----------- May 21 ----- Sep 26 ---------- Pending
roshlimbo ------------ May 11 ----- Oct 9 ----------- Pending

All the best,dee2006.
 
K. ambrose and Tairaesias, congratulations to both of you. Tairaesias, I'm glad you had a good interview experience.

K.ambrose, I hope that your name check will clear sooner than later. It is great that you have your AP and are able to travel. I haven't been home for 4years and it's been such a burden...this is the main reason I'm glad it's finally over. I don't think they will ask you for any additional income since you are already approved. Then again, the IO would be surprised to learn that the PhD stipend is quite a good amount, and you could live on that pretty decent.

To the people who had their interviews earlier this month, how long did it take for you to get the card? I was told it will arrive in 2 weeks, then got an e-mail saying within 60 days and something about an ADIT. What is an ADIT?
I checked some of the signitures to see when cards arrived after interview, but did see any notice of that.
 
Luci_merlion said:
K. ambrose and Tairaesias, congratulations to both of you. Tairaesias, I'm glad you had a good interview experience.

K.ambrose, I hope that your name check will clear sooner than later. It is great that you have your AP and are able to travel. I haven't been home for 4years and it's been such a burden...this is the main reason I'm glad it's finally over. I don't think they will ask you for any additional income since you are already approved. Then again, the IO would be surprised to learn that the PhD stipend is quite a good amount, and you could live on that pretty decent.

To the people who had their interviews earlier this month, how long did it take for you to get the card? I was told it will arrive in 2 weeks, then got an e-mail saying within 60 days and something about an ADIT. What is an ADIT?
I checked some of the signitures to see when cards arrived after interview, but did see any notice of that.
Click to expand...

Do not worry about ADIT, it is a standard message. I got mine in 20 days from approval. 10 Days from actually something being done in my case (i made an infopass!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top