nathanss & saras76
saras76 said:
Poong has extensive knowledge with local offices but I can tell you that different offices ask for different documents. Some of the documents are standard such as Marriage certs, bank statements, tax filings, job verification letter, paystubs. The local office will send you a letter with the interview appointment and the list of documents that you need to provide.
Saras's description is right on the money. I have nothing more to add here.
saras76 said:
But I have known some local offices to skip over some docs while others ask for even more.
Forget about the "skip" portion of the argument and let us concentrate on "ask for even more" portion of it. This is a harbinger of things to come. Ask yourself certain honest questions when a case is transferred. Usually, there are good reasons for transfer. Of course there is always the factor of randomness, where your case may have been transferred for no rhyme or reason. If you think you have complexities in your case, then be prepared with all the relevant documentation and answers for plausible questions. Look for the interview letter that will have the list of documents needed. Usually it should be a standard boilerplate document. If you see a highly specific and customized requirements for the documentation, then you can understand that you are being targetted for some complexity in your case that USCIS wants to probe deeper.
Remember, unlike anything else, a local-office transfer should be accorded the highest priority and attention it deserves. Approval of I-485 is discretionary by law. As such a simple failure to adduce or corroborate in challenge to the Officer's request may result in an adverse outcome of a denial. So, prepare for the worst and give your best. USUALLY -- an overwhelming number of cases, including complex ones as mine -- are approved. But, you will have to get into the mindset of folks like mine, who did leave no stone unturned for the interview. And despite all those preparations to err on the side of caution, our interviews, at least mine didn't last for more than 5 minutes.
saras76 said:
The only problem with local offices is that there is no telling exactly how long they will take to schedule your interview. I have known cases to sit in local offices for months. Hopefully with the current retro in place, the local offices will have more time to work on current cases.
Very accurate. Also, some offices go by the transfer date whereas most of the offices honor the notice-date/receipt-date to put you on the queue. Ultimately, they are very inconsistent in their processing and procedures. To add fuel to the fire, your online status will never get updated.
Despite my approval 1.1 years ago, my online status still says "your case has been transferred to Atlanta....". BTW, my case was transferred to Atlanta precisely 3 years ago in 2003.
saras76 said:
It usually takes 30 days for the cases to physically get to the local offices. I would swing by the local office in about 30 days to make sure that they have the case. Following this you can always setup infopass appointments at the local offices to get updates on your case.
Accurate. Nothing more to add.
Saras76 made my job easier. Thanks.
