DV 2013 AOS Only

[Sm1smom]

You do not have to wait till the 1st week in May before filing. You can send in your I-485 package on the last day of April (if using next day delivery) or within the last 3 days of April if using USPS (for standard or 3-Day delivery method).

Thank you Sm1smom for such a quick response, much appreciated. I guess I will wait until the May bulletin comes out and File in 1st week of May.

 

[Sm1smom]

Congrats!

had my interview last week and got CPO the same day. 152 days between BIO and interview is a record so far I think?

 

[rnotk]

Thank you for all the great help.

I am planning to look for a job after I graduate.
So once again, I have a question for the A# and i94 number and an Admission number from my Arrival I-94. In the 485, what numbers do I enter for the I-94 and A#? I have an A# from my OPT. Which informations would be put in the 485 form?

I highly recommend you to start looking for a job soon.
It is not easy for us to find job in the US and you can only be unemployed for 90 days while you are in OPT.

 

[asafsado]

Couple of questions

All,

I'm new to the forum. My DV2013 number goes live in May. I'm on H1B and will apply for change of status for me and my wife. First, wanted to thank you for the awesome help here. This forum is great. Thank you!

Few questions:
1. do I need the police clearances? From US or my home country? I've been living in the US since 2008.
2. My application requires my I94 number. If I submit with my current I94 number and than have to leave US for a short period for work. Upon my return I will receive a new I94 number. Is that likely to cause any issues? My other option is to wait with submission until my return, which means a couple of weeks delay. I'd be happy to get your opinion and advice.

Thank you!

 

[Jay2013]

Interview time related

I do have questions related to interview time. our interview time are different though close. My wife (DV winner) has her interview time at 12:00pm, mine (12:30pm) and daughter (1:00pm). I just wonder, how it works? Do they take interview separately or we can go together at a time or we can accompany each other during the time allotted for each of us?

Can I also speak with IO during the time of my wife's interview or visa-versa??

What kind of set up in general? inside a separate room or standing in front of windows or any other kinds? I will appreciate your response.

Thanks.

 

[raevsky]

You do not need to wait, you could have sent you i-485 right when May number appeared in March VB in the advance notification section, if your number is under May cut off.

 

[lottery2013]

I highly recommend you to start looking for a job soon.
It is not easy for us to find job in the US and you can only be unemployed for 90 days while you are in OPT.

Thank you for all the great help.

I am planning to look for a job after I graduate.
So once again, I have a question for the A# and i94 number and an Admission number from my Arrival I-94. In the 485, what numbers do I enter for the I-94 and A#? I have an A# from my OPT. Which informations would be put in the 485 form?

I strongly second that, start looking for a job as soon as possible, especially if you already have the EAD card. It took me nearly 6 months to find one and I had a graduate degree in a field that is in high demand. Now there are even fewer companies that sponsor H1B visas.

As far as the numbers, the I-94 should have a "departure" number which you would put in the I-94# section of the I-485 and the EAD card should have an A# that you would put in the A# section on the I-485. If the A number starts with a 1 (I read they don't use those anymore) then you will get another A number after you apply but you should still put the one you currently have in the 485. As far as the "admission number" I am actually not sure what that is.

 

[rnotk]

All,

I'm new to the forum. My DV2013 number goes live in May. I'm on H1B and will apply for change of status for me and my wife. First, wanted to thank you for the awesome help here. This forum is great. Thank you!

Few questions:
1. do I need the police clearances? From US or my home country? I've been living in the US since 2008.
2. My application requires my I94 number. If I submit with my current I94 number and than have to leave US for a short period for work. Upon my return I will receive a new I94 number. Is that likely to cause any issues? My other option is to wait with submission until my return, which means a couple of weeks delay. I'd be happy to get your opinion and advice.

Thank you!

1. you dont need police report from US, but you might need police report from your country or counties you have lived before.

2. once you file I485, you should not leave US without permission. even you received AP, it is not recommended.

Although this is long thread, please try to read the entire thread. most of the question had been answered.

 

[bongoboy]

I strongly second that, start looking for a job as soon as possible, especially if you already have the EAD card. It took me nearly 6 months to find one and I had a graduate degree in a field that is in high demand. Now there are even fewer companies that sponsor H1B visas.

As far as the numbers, the I-94 should have a "departure" number which you would put in the I-94# section of the I-485 and the EAD card should have an A# that you would put in the A# section on the I-485. If the A number starts with a 1 (I read they don't use those anymore) then you will get another A number after you apply but you should still put the one you currently have in the 485. As far as the "admission number" I am actually not sure what that is.

Thank you everyone.
I have actually already started applying for jobs, and have a couple of interviews this week. (finger crossed)
By the Admission number, I referred to the number on the I-94. But thank you for the clarification. Now I guess I just have to wait until 1st week of May and sent my 485.

 

[bongoboy]

You do not need to wait, you could have sent you i-485 right when May number appeared in March VB in the advance notification section, if your number is under May cut off.

I could do that? Has anyone here done that? If so, could you please share your experience as to whether they accepted the form?

 

[Pryanik777]

Bongoboy,

There are 68 pages of experience of people that have done or are doing AOS, please read them!!! and convince yourself that it's better to not risk it, your package will most likely be rejected if you send it before you become current.

Pryanik

I could do that? Has anyone here done that? If so, could you please share your experience as to whether they accepted the form?

 

[Sm1smom]

Although your interview letters may indicate different interview times, you will be interviewed as a family since the other two adjustments are dependent on your wife's selection. Don't let the different times indicated on the interview letters stress you out. I don't know which is your FO, but the interview is most likely going to be in a room with an IO.

Good luck!

I do have questions related to interview time. our interview time are different though close. My wife (DV winner) has her interview time at 12:00pm, mine (12:30pm) and daughter (1:00pm). I just wonder, how it works? Do they take interview separately or we can go together at a time or we can accompany each other during the time allotted for each of us?

Can I also speak with IO during the time of my wife's interview or visa-versa??

What kind of set up in general? inside a separate room or standing in front of windows or any other kinds? I will appreciate your response.

Thanks.

 

[Sm1smom]

See response below:

All,

I'm new to the forum. My DV2013 number goes live in May. I'm on H1B and will apply for change of status for me and my wife. First, wanted to thank you for the awesome help here. This forum is great. Thank you!

Few questions:
1. do I need the police clearances? From US or my home country? I've been living in the US since 2008. No you don't need a PCC. Not from the US, not from your home country!

2. My application requires my I94 number. If I submit with my current I94 number and than have to leave US for a short period for work. Upon my return I will receive a new I94 number. Is that likely to cause any issues? My other option is to wait with submission until my return, which means a couple of weeks delay. You can submit your application with your current I-94. If you do travel out before your interview and receive a new I-94 number upon your return, mention it to the IO at the time of your interview. And yes, you can travel out of the country after submitting your I-485 package without getting an AP card. Your H1 visa is a dual intent purpose which precludes USCIC from treating your application as abandoned for travelling out after submitting an AOS application.

Thank you!

 

[raevsky]

I could do that? Has anyone here done that? If so, could you please share your experience as to whether they accepted the form?

Yes, you could do that. A lot of people do that and they accept the forms. USCIS guidelines are very specific in their explanations.
Actually, there is an exception. You cannot send your forms before the beginning of your fiscal year, even if your number is current on October 1st. Then you really have to wait for October 1st because that is the beginning of the year.

 

[aos13]

Bongoboy,

There are 68 pages of experience of people that have done or are doing AOS, please read them!!! and convince yourself that it's better to not risk it, your package will most likely be rejected if you send it before you become current.

Pryanik

I strongly second that. Please read the experiences of people who have actually gone through this process. There are many examples both in favor and against sending early. You want to be on the safe side, so send it so that it is received on the first day of the month when your number is actually current. If you send early, there is not much benefit to it, but a risk of getting it rejected and returned to you, which will cause a few weeks of delay. So ultimately, it's your decision.

Regarding A# number, there is a difference between the admission number and the alien registration number. They both are referred as A numbers. Admission number is what you have on your I-94, alien registration number is what you get with a work authorization like EAD or H1B. For what it's worth, we left the A# boxes blank in our applications, and then let the IO know during the interview that we have A numbers. I don't know if our A numbers are useful for AOS purposes, but there are people who entered theirs (alien numbers) and they went through the same process without hickup. Again, your decision.

Regarding interviews, agree with Sm1smom, they schedule you apart because they have to, but you go through the interview altogether in one sitting.

 

[aos13]

had my interview last week and got CPO the same day. 152 days between BIO and interview is a record so far I think?
The online status was always "case not found" until it became CPO. Interview in Boston was fine, IO was nice, short wait time and interview only took 10-15minutes. good luck to everyone still doing aos!

Wow! Congratulations on your green card, as well as your patience I would go nuts. Did you ask why you had to wait that long? Any insight would be helpful for future reference.

 

[Sm1smom]

I could do that? Has anyone here done that? If so, could you please share your experience as to whether they accepted the form?

Oh boy! Here we go again!!

Bongoboy,

There are 68 pages of experience of people that have done or are doing AOS, please read them!!! and convince yourself that it's better to not risk it, your package will most likely be rejected if you send it before you become current.

Pryanik

I really wish there was a "Like" button in this forum.

Anyway, read through the thread like Pryanik and Aos13 suggested, and make your own conclusion on what's best for you!

 

[Jay2013]

Although your interview letters may indicate different interview times, you will be interviewed as a family since the other two adjustments are dependent on your wife's selection. Don't let the different times indicated on the interview letters stress you out. I don't know which is your FO, but the interview is most likely going to be in a room with an IO.

Good luck!

Thank you very much Sm1smom and aos13.

 

[jch_nyc]

How long does the EAD take to come through after filing?

Hi, thanks for the great advice so far for us all doing AOS. My husband is the principle applicant and I have been doing the paperwork for the both of us. Trying to avoid a $750 fee that the lawyer tried to charge us for checking through it as we simply can't afford it. I am unable to work on my current visa (O-3) and so I wanted to know if any one here has had an experience of getting the EAD and how long it took, what the timeline was from filing. I desperately need to find a job but I'm not sure whether to wait for the EAD (not guaranteed) or to just try and find a job with someone willing to sponsor a work visa. The last time I had a work visa it took 5 months from preparation to start of work. Also where on the USCIS site or form instructions does it say that tax transcripts/ employment letter/pay stubs/bank statements are necessary? I see on the I-485 instructions that Affadavit of Support is needed if the I-485 is based on entry as a fiance, relative visa petition or if it's an employment based petition. None of these seem relevant to the Diversity Visa. Am I incorrect in thinking this?

 

[varxx]

You may not see it anywhere but the list of documents required for interview may specifically ask for I-134 affidavit of support if you do not work fulltime. You do not need to submit now but make sure to ask people before hand so that you can prepare it when required, ie for interview.
Myself had a hard time finding someone to sign it for quite sometime. So suggest asking people asap. Good luck!

I see on the I-485 instructions that Affadavit of Support is needed if the I-485 is based on entry as a fiance, relative visa petition or if it's an employment based petition. None of these seem relevant to the Diversity Visa. Am I incorrect in thinking this?