DV 2014 AOS Only - New Thread

[KRMA]

Hello everyone

I can see more and more people here approved - congratulations guys. I won't lie though I'm not green, with envy (good one, Britsimon!)

I had my interview on April 29, which was pretty impressive considering I became current in April. I found another person on this forum whose case was handled by the same FO last year. It's a small office and I believe they do things a bit differently. My bio walk-in had been on March 26, so I was hoping that by the day of my interview, everything would be ready and I would get approved, since my case is very simple (I'm single, didn't apply for EAD or AP, currently on H1B visa).

The interview went well overall. The officer was nice. She just asked me those yes/no questions from I-485, and that was it. However, the problem was that she didn't like my medical report. Now, I was convinced that as long as the civil surgeon signed off the papers, I was good. I mean, that surgeon is approved by them and his address is on the USCIS website, right?? But the officer said that there were some rows on the vaccination page of the form (last page) that weren't marked, and that I had to get a new report, again in a sealed envelope, where all the rows would be marked. So, she gave me a letter requesting new evidence, which specifically stated what was missing in my report. That letter also said: "Please provide the required evidence until July 26, or your application will be abandoned". Any idea why it's July 26? Of course, I didn't wait this long

Ok.. I'll spare you the details of my going to the civil surgeon again (we're talking about hours of driving...), having them do it right (I hope, this time!) and taking the sealed envelope back to my FO, all within about a week (by the way, my FO is 4,5 hours away from me, one way; my civil surgeon is 2,5 hours away from me.. oh well, I live in the boonies...)

So, on May 08, I personally brought my new medical report to the FO (had made an appointment thru InfoPass) and gave it to an officer (not the same one who had interviewed me though). I asked her if she thought there was anything else they needed, to which she said (after looking at my Request for Evidence letter) that if that was all they had asked, then no, I didn't need to provide anything else. So I just left, hoping to see my status change from Acceptance to something else, which it hasn't (and it's been over two weeks now).

I was stupid enough not to ask the officer at the interview whether my file had been transferred from KCC and whether there was anything else I needed. I was a bit frustrated about that medical report issue. Besides, I assumed that was the only problem.

I did, however, find out the name of the officer, and a few days ago I sent a letter to my FO with her as the addressee, and my alien number, by FedEx. In that letter I very politely inquired if she had received the new report, and if something else was needed of me. But I haven't heard anything.

To those of you who were patient enough to read my post - what do you think? What would you do now? I would think that if they have everything, they may just approve me. It's almost June and I'm becoming a bit nervous.

ALSO, QUESTION: When you call KCC to ask if your file was requested/transferred, do you ask just that: "Please tell me if my DV file was sent to my FO"? I tried it once and the lady didn't seem to have any idea of what I was talking about. What file is it? I mean, I only sent there my DSP-122 and paid the $330 fee. Could anyone please elaborate?

Thank you!!!!

About KCC - yes, call them and ask if your file was sent and if yes, when. I would suggest to contact your congress person. Good luck!

 

[Sm1smom]

Thanks mom!!! i've been your secret admirer!!! i can recite some posts on here verbatim... i'm a future sm1'smom in the making i guess, and an aspriring britsimon .... i'd be a ghanasimon but o well!!! goodnight folks!!!

Awww, so sweet of. I'm glad you found some of my posts useful and I bet you will make a fantastic sm1'smom when that time comes. You will also do a great job as ghanasimon, I have no doubt about that.

Cheers!

 

[Sm1smom]

Hello everyone

I can see more and more people here approved - congratulations guys. I won't lie though I'm not green, with envy (good one, Britsimon!)

I had my interview on April 29, which was pretty impressive considering I became current in April. I found another person on this forum whose case was handled by the same FO last year. It's a small office and I believe they do things a bit differently. My bio walk-in had been on March 26, so I was hoping that by the day of my interview, everything would be ready and I would get approved, since my case is very simple (I'm single, didn't apply for EAD or AP, currently on H1B visa).

The interview went well overall. The officer was nice. She just asked me those yes/no questions from I-485, and that was it. However, the problem was that she didn't like my medical report. Now, I was convinced that as long as the civil surgeon signed off the papers, I was good. I mean, that surgeon is approved by them and his address is on the USCIS website, right?? But the officer said that there were some rows on the vaccination page of the form (last page) that weren't marked, and that I had to get a new report, again in a sealed envelope, where all the rows would be marked. So, she gave me a letter requesting new evidence, which specifically stated what was missing in my report. That letter also said: "Please provide the required evidence until July 26, or your application will be abandoned". Any idea why it's July 26? Of course, I didn't wait this long

Ok.. I'll spare you the details of my going to the civil surgeon again (we're talking about hours of driving...), having them do it right (I hope, this time!) and taking the sealed envelope back to my FO, all within about a week (by the way, my FO is 4,5 hours away from me, one way; my civil surgeon is 2,5 hours away from me.. oh well, I live in the boonies...)

So, on May 08, I personally brought my new medical report to the FO (had made an appointment thru InfoPass) and gave it to an officer (not the same one who had interviewed me though). I asked her if she thought there was anything else they needed, to which she said (after looking at my Request for Evidence letter) that if that was all they had asked, then no, I didn't need to provide anything else. So I just left, hoping to see my status change from Acceptance to something else, which it hasn't (and it's been over two weeks now).

I was stupid enough not to ask the officer at the interview whether my file had been transferred from KCC and whether there was anything else I needed. I was a bit frustrated about that medical report issue. Besides, I assumed that was the only problem.

I did, however, find out the name of the officer, and a few days ago I sent a letter to my FO with her as the addressee, and my alien number, by FedEx. In that letter I very politely inquired if she had received the new report, and if something else was needed of me. But I haven't heard anything.

To those of you who were patient enough to read my post - what do you think? What would you do now? I would think that if they have everything, they may just approve me. It's almost June and I'm becoming a bit nervous.

ALSO, QUESTION: When you call KCC to ask if your file was requested/transferred, do you ask just that: "Please tell me if my DV file was sent to my FO"? I tried it once and the lady didn't seem to have any idea of what I was talking about. What file is it? I mean, I only sent there my DSP-122 and paid the $330 fee. Could anyone please elaborate?

Thank you!!!!

I'm sorry your experience hasn't been quite simple and straight forward like most people.

One of the ways you can assert a little bit if pressure is to call the USCIS 1-800 number, request to speak with a level 2 officer and once connected tell him or her you're trying to find out the status of your case. You can also request them to send a service request to your FO. When you speak with the level 2 officer, be calm and polite, don't go on and on about you case being a DV case and needs to be expedited, they sometimes get ticked off by that.

You can also contact your congress person and request for them to do a follow up with your FO on your behalf because it's been up to one month or more since your interview.

Regarding the file that gets sent, that should consist of your initial eDV application, your DSP form and picture, and any other correspondence, if any, one has had with them. You can call KCC again to find out if the file got sent, there's more than one customer rep that answers the phone for KCC.

Good luck.

 

[Allophone]

KRMA and Sm1smom - thanks a lot for your advice!

Sm1smom - I seriously don't know what I would do without your help! You've been the most helpful person to me throughout the whole process!

 

[angelaXX]

For those who r still dealing with uscis, dont give up! But keep praying!

Im waiting for my catd, do u know the card through dv lasts for 2 or 10 yrs?

 

[Sm1smom]

For those who r still dealing with uscis, dont give up! But keep praying!

Im waiting for my catd, do u know the card through dv lasts for 2 or 10 yrs?

The plastic GC has a 10 year expiry date, but the LPR status itself does not expiry unless revoked.

 

[SusieQQQ]

A +1 for the congressperson route. Mine helped speed up USCIS after my green card production failed and then...apparently vanished in the system ... What amazes me is how responsive they are to new immigrants who won't even be able to vote for them for at least 5 years! Very different from what I am used to with politicians!

 

[Britsimon]

A +1 for the congressperson route. Mine helped speed up USCIS after my green card production failed and then...apparently vanished in the system ... What amazes me is how responsive they are to new immigrants who won't even be able to vote for them for at least 5 years! Very different from what I am used to with politicians!

It is a surprise to me too - UK politicians would not generally involve themselves in matters like this - so yes - it is a refreshing change!

 

[Sm1smom]

KRMA and Sm1smom - thanks a lot for your advice!

Sm1smom - I seriously don't know what I would do without your help! You've been the most helpful person to me throughout the whole process!

Ohhhh, you're making me blush

I'm really glad to have been of such assistance to you. However I will be much more happier when you and the rest of the 2014 crew have their GCs, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for yo' all!

 

[Sm1smom]

A round of applause, no, let's make it a standing ovation to US congress men and women

 

[SusieQQQ]

A round of applause, no, let's make it a standing ovation to US congress men and women

Indeed. For all the problems with the US political system, there are also aspects of it that clearly work well. It's particularly nice to have a representative democracy where you actually feel, well, represented

 

[Sm1smom]

Indeed. For all the problems with the US political system, there are also aspects of it that clearly work well. It's particularly nice to have a representative democracy where you actually feel, well, represented

Yup! It is indeed a nice feeling.

 

[Fiefia]

Dear friends,

My interview was on May 22, and here is my interview report. I am sorry for not posting it right away, it’s been quite a busy time for me. Quite frankly though, there was nothing special about my interview, so if you have read other experiences before, save yourself a few minutes, and skip this report

Anyway, the interview was scheduled for 11:45 am, so I arrived a bit earlier to give myself enough time to catch my breath from a long walk from my hotel (of note, I came to Indianapolis by Greyhound the night before my interview). There were not many people in the waiting room, so I didn’t have to wait for a long time. In fact, the officer called my name around 11:50. He was a young man (probably about my age). Like expected, I sworn I would say the truth, and the interview began.

The officer asked me first about my degree and my major, and apparently both of my colleges (for my MA and PhD) were well known to him. Then he wanted me to confirm my parents’ names. Then he asked for a $330 fee receipt, to which I replied I included the original receipt in the packet. He said that he doesn’t have time to thoroughly look through all the packets, and I would make it easier for him if I showed the copy of the receipt. Luckily, I had the duplicate of the entire AOS packet with me, so I quickly found the requested copy. He looked at it somewhat surprisingly and even with some suspicion as I thought (if you recall, that receipt looked nothing formal), but at that time, he was able to find the original receipt in my packet and apparently it seemed to have more credibility to him than the copy LOL

The next request was to show my passport with the visa and I-94. He took the latter, and to the former he made a joking comment saying that I got my hair now than on the visa picture. Then he asked me selectively some of the “Yes/No” questions on I-134. And that was about it! He flipped through a few other documents in my packet and said: “Everything looks good”, after which he added, “Visa is approved, you will receive it within 6-8 weeks. Any questions to me?” I didn’t have any, so we got up and he walked me to the exit.

The entire interview lasted no longer than 10 minutes I believe. Now, you shouldn’t assume I remember every single part of it LOL I have to admit, it was quite a nerve-racking experience for me even if it doesn’t look like it. So I put a considerable effort to recall the simple experience I described above. I am very surprised how other people seemed to remember a lot of details from their interviews.

When I got home, my online status indicated “Card production”, but a couple of hours later it switched to “Decision” with no further change. Now although I heard about some fluctuations of the status after the interview, I still freaked out when I saw the “downgrade” of my status, primarily because of one paragraph of the note attached to the email sent to inform me about the status change, which goes, “During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision.”

So now I am just waiting and not sure whether I should expect “the final decision” or it was just a generic email. Any input would be appreciated

Bu hopefully I will receive further update soon and I will certainly keep you posted.

 

[Sm1smom]

Dear friends,

My interview was on May 22, and here is my interview report. I am sorry for not posting it right away, it’s been quite a busy time for me. Quite frankly though, there was nothing special about my interview, so if you have read other experiences before, save yourself a few minutes, and skip this report

Anyway, the interview was scheduled for 11:45 am, so I arrived a bit earlier to give myself enough time to catch my breath from a long walk from my hotel (of note, I came to Indianapolis by Greyhound the night before my interview). There were not many people in the waiting room, so I didn’t have to wait for a long time. In fact, the officer called my name around 11:50. He was a young man (probably about my age). Like expected, I sworn I would say the truth, and the interview began.

The officer asked me first about my degree and my major, and apparently both of my colleges (for my MA and PhD) were well known to him. Then he wanted me to confirm my parents’ names. Then he asked for a $330 fee receipt, to which I replied I included the original receipt in the packet. He said that he doesn’t have time to thoroughly look through all the packets, and I would make it easier for him if I showed the copy of the receipt. Luckily, I had the duplicate of the entire AOS packet with me, so I quickly found the requested copy. He looked at it somewhat surprisingly and even with some suspicion as I thought (if you recall, that receipt looked nothing formal), but at that time, he was able to find the original receipt in my packet and apparently it seemed to have more credibility to him than the copy LOL

The next request was to show my passport with the visa and I-94. He took the latter, and to the former he made a joking comment saying that I got my hair now than on the visa picture. Then he asked me selectively some of the “Yes/No” questions on I-134. And that was about it! He flipped through a few other documents in my packet and said: “Everything looks good”, after which he added, “Visa is approved, you will receive it within 6-8 weeks. Any questions to me?” I didn’t have any, so we got up and he walked me to the exit.

The entire interview lasted no longer than 10 minutes I believe. Now, you shouldn’t assume I remember every single part of it LOL I have to admit, it was quite a nerve-racking experience for me even if it doesn’t look like it. So I put a considerable effort to recall the simple experience I described above. I am very surprised how other people seemed to remember a lot of details from their interviews.

When I got home, my online status indicated “Card production”, but a couple of hours later it switched to “Decision” with no further change. Now although I heard about some fluctuations of the status after the interview, I still freaked out when I saw the “downgrade” of my status, primarily because of one paragraph of the note attached to the email sent to inform me about the status change, which goes, “During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision.”

So now I am just waiting and not sure whether I should expect “the final decision” or it was just a generic email. Any input would be appreciated

Bu hopefully I will receive further update soon and I will certainly keep you posted.

Holy cow! ................... Girl, you got me sooooo worried! Congratulations! You flipping got approved and your card should be arriving in the next couple of weeks.

If you bothered to read the entire message shown online when the case status is under "Decision" you will notice it actually says you application has been approved and we've sent you a mail informing you of this decision or something to that effect. For a denied petition, the message will also clearly state the application has been denied, so if it's still on 'Decision' go back and read the entire message!

 

[Fiefia]

Holy cow! ................... Girl, you got me sooooo worried! Congratulations! You flipping got approved and your card should be arriving in the next couple of weeks.

If you bothered to read the entire message shown online when the case status is under "Decision" you will notice it actually says you application has been approved and we've sent you a mail informing you of this decision or something to that effect. For a denied petition, the message will also clearly state the application has been denied, so if it's still on 'Decision' go back and read the entire message!

Sm1smom, sorry I could not inform you earlier. I apologize!

Yes, I have read the entire message, like 20 times probably. And that's precisely why I am confused coz first the message says "we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before receiving your card, please call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283." and then it adds that paragraph that I quoted in my previous message. These two paragraphs together in the same message make no sense to me.

 

[Sm1smom]

Sm1smom, sorry I could not inform you earlier. I apologize!

Yes, I have read the entire message, like 20 times probably. And that's precisely why I am confused coz first the message says "we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before receiving your card, please call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283." and then it adds that paragraph that I quoted in my previous message. These two paragraphs together in the same message make no sense to me.

Stop freaking out. The welcome letter should arrive in a couple of days and you will see that all is well.

 

[KRMA]

Dear friends,

My interview was on May 22, and here is my interview report. I am sorry for not posting it right away, it’s been quite a busy time for me. Quite frankly though, there was nothing special about my interview, so if you have read other experiences before, save yourself a few minutes, and skip this report

Anyway, the interview was scheduled for 11:45 am, so I arrived a bit earlier to give myself enough time to catch my breath from a long walk from my hotel (of note, I came to Indianapolis by Greyhound the night before my interview). There were not many people in the waiting room, so I didn’t have to wait for a long time. In fact, the officer called my name around 11:50. He was a young man (probably about my age). Like expected, I sworn I would say the truth, and the interview began.

The officer asked me first about my degree and my major, and apparently both of my colleges (for my MA and PhD) were well known to him. Then he wanted me to confirm my parents’ names. Then he asked for a $330 fee receipt, to which I replied I included the original receipt in the packet. He said that he doesn’t have time to thoroughly look through all the packets, and I would make it easier for him if I showed the copy of the receipt. Luckily, I had the duplicate of the entire AOS packet with me, so I quickly found the requested copy. He looked at it somewhat surprisingly and even with some suspicion as I thought (if you recall, that receipt looked nothing formal), but at that time, he was able to find the original receipt in my packet and apparently it seemed to have more credibility to him than the copy LOL

The next request was to show my passport with the visa and I-94. He took the latter, and to the former he made a joking comment saying that I got my hair now than on the visa picture. Then he asked me selectively some of the “Yes/No” questions on I-134. And that was about it! He flipped through a few other documents in my packet and said: “Everything looks good”, after which he added, “Visa is approved, you will receive it within 6-8 weeks. Any questions to me?” I didn’t have any, so we got up and he walked me to the exit.

The entire interview lasted no longer than 10 minutes I believe. Now, you shouldn’t assume I remember every single part of it LOL I have to admit, it was quite a nerve-racking experience for me even if it doesn’t look like it. So I put a considerable effort to recall the simple experience I described above. I am very surprised how other people seemed to remember a lot of details from their interviews.

When I got home, my online status indicated “Card production”, but a couple of hours later it switched to “Decision” with no further change. Now although I heard about some fluctuations of the status after the interview, I still freaked out when I saw the “downgrade” of my status, primarily because of one paragraph of the note attached to the email sent to inform me about the status change, which goes, “During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision.”

So now I am just waiting and not sure whether I should expect “the final decision” or it was just a generic email. Any input would be appreciated

Bu hopefully I will receive further update soon and I will certainly keep you posted.

Congrats my friend!

 

[veronice]

Indeed. For all the problems with the US political system, there are also aspects of it that clearly work well. It's particularly nice to have a representative democracy where you actually feel, well, represented

Well guys, I can not even express how eager I am to try this thing you call: Democracy. I supposedly live in one, but it is not like the one you talk about... not even a little bit

 

[aos13]

Hi aos13... i was current April 1, and i could have per the new memo filed as early as February 9th when the VB for April was published... But I wasn't done with medicals until March10 when I filed.... (2014AF000278XX). I didn't tell her but was sooo tempted to say that if it was the only reason for denial it should have been caught at the lockbox and the entire application should have been returned but it wasn't because it was correctly and timely filed..... O, I guess the good news she meant was that after denial (which by the way she had denial letters all typed up and concerning which she at one point said, "I guess we are not gonna need these" and dumped them. ) i could still reapply since my OPT wasn't over til September....

Yep, she definitely had no idea what she was talking about. It's scary that the denial letter was already typed up!

again speaking to sm1smom's frequent admonition to maintaing current status all through to approval.....

Big + .

 

[Fiefia]

Congrats my friend!

Looking forward to yours!