Baltimore transfer at 8/6 (RD 1/16/2002)

Congratulations ice9 on your approval. Could you or anyone who have attended interview tell me as to how long did the whole interview process take. I mean by what time are you usually finished???
 
ice9 said:
I would like to thank all the participants on this forum for their help and support with all info and updates, yes Rajiv Khanna too!!!. I finally got my approval notice yesterday 6/17 had the interview on 6/9, please check my posts for all applications dates but in general its been a long ride for me.......If they can hand gc's to people from all over the world for all types of excuses, they definetely need to give the scholars a fair chance too!!!
Enjoy
http://www.soundclick.com/mettlus
Congrats Ice9!!!! :) A long wait comes to an end..... Get an appointment for your stamping......

Thanks for lightening up the thread.... Has been idle for a while. Sincerely wishing all those waiting a speedy approval and the very best in all [y]our endeavors in life.

Best regards
V!
 
Interview Letter !

Guyz

Did Any one received interview letter recently? My case got transfered on
"21th Dec 2004" I didn't received any interview Letter yet?
 
No interviews in Baltimore recently!

It looks like they stopped issuing interviews for the fiscal year. My case has been transferred on Jan 3rd 2004. I haven't heard from them. Anybody got IL recently? thanks
 
Ead

guyz.

Please help me by giving some info on this

My Case transferred to Baltimore on 21th Dec 2004, no interview letter yet.

My H1B is getting over on 29th August 2005, I have a EAD till DEC 30 2005.

As My H1B is getting over in 2 months, I am planning to Move to EAD. My wife status is also H1B and her H1B is valid till 2007? She is on derivative applicant in my GC processing,

My question is if I move to EAD, will her status changes to EAD ?

As my case moved to Local INS if I want to apply a EAD for my Wife do I need to apply at local INS? or send it to Vermont. Is E-Filing is adviceable or traditional way of sending in mail is good?
 
vikramab,
If your wife did not use EAD, her status is H-1 and will not change if you switch to EAD. It is good because if anything will happen to your I-485, she will be in status and you can immediately apply for H-4 based on her H-1 and then you will be in status too.
I am not sure where should we apply for EAD; in Jan 2005 I asked in Balt office and they told, apply for EAD to VSC (then they will transfer to Balt), and apply for AP in Baltimore in person. I will apply soon for my spouse's EAD (expires in Nov so I will apply on August 1st), I plan to go to Balt office in the end of July and ask once more.
If your EAD expires in Dec you have more time, you can apply in Sept.
I think paper is better because I heard stories about electronic problems, like getting 'error' messages, problems with payments, and problems with correcting info when filing electronically. Also, some folks get approved without going to the office for biometrics, when filing by paper and submitting pictures.
 
Question for Compass

Hello Compass,

You at some point had posted information on your friend and spouse regarding the interview followed by the receipt of the GC for your friend. Do you know if her spouse has received the approval for the same? Thanks..
 
No, her husband is still waiting....he has time, just renewed EAD...I think same problem, name check pending after interview but I am not sure...
 
Status Enquiry

Hi all,

On June 24th I have called "The National Customer Service Center" and requested them for "Status enquiry" regarding my case. On 30th june I got response from Baltimore INS, mesasge in it says that my case takes still more 8 months to get "Interview date", Actually on Dec 21th 2004 my case transffered to baltmore already 6 months over now again need to wait for 8 more months. I am going crazy what kind of waiting is this.

I am not sure may be my status equiry pissed them off ??? or usually it is taking soo long. Actually one of a member "GRA" and me got transffered same day(12/21/2004) to Baltimore.. I think he already got his interview date. I don't know what happened in my case.. !!!

Thought of letting you know
 
vikramab,
did you receive this in writing or as a phone call?
maybe this is 8 months from transfer, not from now? also, did you check when they RECEIVED your file, sometimes transfer date is far away from received date, transfer itself can take several months...in my case transfer date was dec 2 and received date was dec 21, but i saw some folks posted the gap of several months inbetween...
 
Dear Vikramba,
Did the message changed on your case ont he website, to " on so ans so date, as per your request we have send more information , .... if you dont received in 30 days please call", did u get that message ont he webstie, of ins for your case, please pose details. thanks
 
website

Smile280,

No there is no message change on website

smile280 said:
Dear Vikramba,
Did the message changed on your case ont he website, to " on so ans so date, as per your request we have send more information , .... if you dont received in 30 days please call", did u get that message ont he webstie, of ins for your case, please pose details. thanks
 
name check, FP clearance and background checks

I want to update everybody on my case


TD (to Baltimore on) Nov 9, 2004,
ND (I485) April 3, 2003
ND I-140 May 17, 2002
AD I-140 -sometime in Fall of 2003 (forgot already when) EB-1A

My case is on the same spot.
First of all, I learned that background check is not done yet (after almost 2.5 years). Second of all, Baltimore office assigned ~April 30, 2005 as the date of receiving my documents from Vermont (letter with transferred documents travelled from Vermont to Baltimore for 6 month - :confused: apparently so, but officer can neither confiirm nor deny this. For my dependents it only travelled 2 weeks before it reached Baltimore). Apparently date assignment is random process- seems as soon as you inquire about your case (in person through Infopass now) -they take your case out of big box and assign the date of receiving documents !!!
Why not ? :rolleyes:

Now about background checks: It seems it is going to be the next big excuse for USCIS for not giving people green cards and milking their nerves and money (for AP and EADs with increasing fees).
Two previous (in my petition history) were
1) backlog of documents in major centers (like Vermont) due to insufficient resources
and then
2) transfers and built-up backlog in local offices.


By the way, USCIS and affiliates conduct now green card interviews without completed background checks (to enjoice us).
On interview many people learn (surprise , surpise for you after 2-3 years of waiting !!! :p ) that their background check is not completed !!!
Sooner or later this is going to be ideal place for physcho-sadists who would announce this to worn out green card applicants and looked into their eye to derive pleasure from sudden change of their hopeful minds.
To make process very pure INS should disallow to do any background check inquiry not only by phone but at all until interview !!!
This will be fair experience for everyone then !!!.
Now it is addled by the fact that some smart petitioners are able to ask this question in advance. This definitely dissapointment of sadism from the side of INS officers. Need corrective actions.


Err.. I digressed too far. Background checks: some people are waiting for background checks for 4 years now, so 2.5 years is nothing.
I tried to talk to senator office about this -they explained me: Please understand, clean, good security check needs time. I also was told- we can't do anything against background checks delay and cannot inquire DoS about this delay.
You are at the mercy of God now- not US government ( sounds like a good argument for inmate living - need confirmation from Martha)

Oh yes, almost forgot...
It is in vogue to have derivative dependent petitioners cleared from background checks, while major petitioner is on hold.
Don't asked me guys who is designer of this vogue, it is extraneous question for this subject.
This is more subtle, guys. It is not just bad cop/good cop game anymore(when local office sais that while they(DoS and other agency) cannot clear you we can conduct interview already)!!!!. It gives people hoooooooooooooope...and make them dangle futher... while they are thinking they are closer now. This is sadistic karma.


Err... digressed agian...subject was background checks.
I stopped at: "why it takes kinda long time ?(but shorter than life yet)".

It is not Department of State alone anymore who conducts 4 year checks on you (and keep you excused through INS from obtaining green card). It is kinda longer list today.
CIA, NSA, FBI, State borders (both land and sea)- and God knows who else. It may take a while.... well maybe until you die...
( Remember: Life is a bxxxh and then you die..)


Err... digressed again. One additional detail. Calling 1-800 doesn't give you an answer whether. They cannot answer whether
background check was completed or not by phone. If you case is transfered into local office, it is only local office who knows status of your case.
Folks, don't spend your time calling 1-800 about completion of your checks, this info is not available to people answeing the line... it is too secretive info.
I am lost why it is so.
My best guess why it is so: INS outsourced support lines to India like Dell..
 
No more summer interviews?

Does any one know if the Baltimore office is on summer break? it appears that they are not issuing any interviews any more for this summer! some arguments I have heard is they run out of green cards for the fiscal year (I thought that this applies only to H-1 where a yearly number is assigned by congress for each fiscal year) does it make any sense?

Seriously, It is becoming comical! I-485 is touching on 3 years (happy birthday to my application!!)
 
Fallonners on vacations

Czlayoun,

Congratulation on your 3 year I-485 birthday. I would like to correct that vacation is permanent not just for summer time, as many Gov't jobs..

As for wait lenght, consider the next points,
1) it is still shorter than human lifespan by at least an order of magnitude.
so there is a chance that you get your GS before you die
2) People in Atlanta wait even longer, up to ~ 2 years (?) after transfer
3) Baltimore office is not the longest (they are now 0.5-1 year only after being swamped with transfers) and not the worst one before they sent you IL. High chance that you pass interview without stamp and approval becasue your background check won't be completed by this time...and background checks now can exceed 4 years...

Everything is relative, and looking on lead times, Baltimore Officers can still fall into "workers of valor" category by this forum


Cheers

czlayoun said:
Does any one know if the Baltimore office is on summer break? it appears that they are not issuing any interviews any more for this summer! some arguments I have heard is they run out of green cards for the fiscal year (I thought that this applies only to H-1 where a yearly number is assigned by congress for each fiscal year) does it make any sense?

Seriously, It is becoming comical! I-485 is touching on 3 years (happy birthday to my application!!)
 
Just wanted to share my interview experience
Officer called me and my husband together.
Asked us to take the oath. Then asked my husband for his EAD, DL, Passport and 2 photographs. She then asked for his birth certificate and asked a few questions like Father's Name, Mother's name, Date of Birth, Company he is currently working for and his current wage, his paystubs(kept the copies).
Then she asked me pretty much the same questions and asked me for the marriage certificate.
She told us that the medicals seem fine and the checks also seem to be completed, and she is most likely going to approve the case after verifying my husband's employment with his employer. But she also said that she is not guaranting anything (I don't know what that mean't). Overall it was a very good experience and just hoping to get our approvals and cards soon.
 
Another Setback for employment based AoS

Not to rain on anybody hopes (me included) I have found out the following on the July Visa bulletin:

D. EMPLOYMENT VISA AVAILABILITY FOR JULY AND THE REMAINDER OF FY-2005

The Employment Third and Third Other Worker categories have reached their annual limits and no further FY-2005 allocations are possible for the period July through September. With the start of the new fiscal year in October, numbers will once again become available in these categories. It is not possible to make any estimates regarding potential cut-off dates at this time.

I read this as no more green cards for EB-3 Skilled labor will be issued before October. Then again with CIS, I found out that a lot is open to interpretation.

So I would appreciate any pseudo legal comments (please not your personal feelings or impressions). If you have some legal grounding please comment otherwise add this posting to the list of uninteresting postings that you don't care about.

Thanks
 
Interview

HI Gra,

Good to see a mail with interview updates, atleast some body got the chance to attend the interview.

Your case and my case got transfferred on same day Dec 21 2004. I am still waiting for interview letter. Hope that day comes for me too soon.

Wish you guyz get approval letters sooon, all the best for you guyz.




gra said:
Just wanted to share my interview experience
Officer called me and my husband together.
Asked us to take the oath. Then asked my husband for his EAD, DL, Passport and 2 photographs. She then asked for his birth certificate and asked a few questions like Father's Name, Mother's name, Date of Birth, Company he is currently working for and his current wage, his paystubs(kept the copies).
Then she asked me pretty much the same questions and asked me for the marriage certificate.
She told us that the medicals seem fine and the checks also seem to be completed, and she is most likely going to approve the case after verifying my husband's employment with his employer. But she also said that she is not guaranting anything (I don't know what that mean't). Overall it was a very good experience and just hoping to get our approvals and cards soon.
 
ice9 and gra: congratulations.

gc4us or others: Can you please let me know the steps for changing address. My case was transferred to Baltiomore and had the interview in April, still waiting for the approval as the FP was expired and had to be retaken. It was done and the results were delivered withing a few days of the interview, but I am still waiting for the approval. I also have a pending EAD application with Vermont which will be eventually transferred to Baltimore.

Anyway, I will be changing my home address in the same neighborhood. What needs to be done so that the address is changed smoothly. Since I am waiting for 485 approval and EAD approval it is crutial that the address is changed smoothly and I receive their letters on time in new address. I thought of doing the following.

(i) Fill out AR-11 and send it to the location indicated in the form.
(ii) Write a letter To CIS-Vermont informing them that the address is changed and that I have 485 and EAD applications in process at USCIS, and that all future correspondence be made at the new address.
(iii) Write a letter To CIS-Baltimore informing them that the address is changed and that I have 485 and EAD applications in process at USCIS, and that all future correspondence be made at the new address.

Please let me know if I should do anything else, Thanks in advance.
 
Thanks for the wishes Vikramab and sauranav.
Could anyone update as to how long it takes to get approval notices and the green card. I might get into similar problem like Sauranav if it takes too long.
I am moving to a diff. address in the same area on Sept' 30th.
I have 2 more months but am unsure if the approvals and the card comes within that timeframe
 
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