Hello everyone!
I've been reading the posts here that date back over one year, and it seems that people have quite different experiences with AOS (some painful). I would be grateful if anyone could give me some advice based on their experiences.
I won the DV-2003, but my case number is very high: AS39xxx. I opted to go with CP in my home country, but this means I might have to wait till August or September before my case number is current (ie. all case numbers become current, most likely)
What I'd like to know is:
1)How long does it take for the consulate to set up an interview date? If my case number becomes current only in Sept, that gives me only 1 month for them to send a packet to me here in the US. That sounds like it's cutting it too close. But since the State Dept releases the numbers a month in advance, does that mean the consulate in my home country will start setting up interview dates a month in advance?
2)I am in the US right now with a F-1 visa which will expire in July. My school will be applying to extend my visa since my studies are not completed yet. Will my DV process affect this extension of F-1 status?
3) Even though I've chosen CP, can I try AOS as well? The problem is that INS won't take my case until my case number is current, but the processing time for my district office (Newark) is 120 days now. So if I waited till August or September, there would not be enough time anyway.
Thanks for any advice, and good luck to everyone else trying to get a green card!
I've been reading the posts here that date back over one year, and it seems that people have quite different experiences with AOS (some painful). I would be grateful if anyone could give me some advice based on their experiences.
I won the DV-2003, but my case number is very high: AS39xxx. I opted to go with CP in my home country, but this means I might have to wait till August or September before my case number is current (ie. all case numbers become current, most likely)
What I'd like to know is:
1)How long does it take for the consulate to set up an interview date? If my case number becomes current only in Sept, that gives me only 1 month for them to send a packet to me here in the US. That sounds like it's cutting it too close. But since the State Dept releases the numbers a month in advance, does that mean the consulate in my home country will start setting up interview dates a month in advance?
2)I am in the US right now with a F-1 visa which will expire in July. My school will be applying to extend my visa since my studies are not completed yet. Will my DV process affect this extension of F-1 status?
3) Even though I've chosen CP, can I try AOS as well? The problem is that INS won't take my case until my case number is current, but the processing time for my district office (Newark) is 120 days now. So if I waited till August or September, there would not be enough time anyway.
Thanks for any advice, and good luck to everyone else trying to get a green card!