DV 2015 AOS Only

[Sm1smom]

New thread for DV 2015 selectees interested in processing AOS to post their questions. Below is a google spreasheet for DV AOS related issues:

https://goo.gl/x7x3td

Let's try and keep all DV 2015 related questions on one thread please, so that everyone can benefit from each other. Good luck to you all

 

[Fiefia]

Thanks Mom!

 

[Rajiv S. Khanna]

Simon, three things. I have created a new thread prefix "add your info here." That should help people identify the threads with the info. Second, I have stuck some threads I thought needed it. Third, I am trying to figure out the details of embedding google docs/spreadsheets directly in the forums.

 

[veronice]

Hi Mom! I have a friend with a very tricky dv lottery case. He won for 2015, have a gf who has a daughter AND they are going on student visa (all of them) to the States in a couple of months. Sooooo... my questions here are:
1. The first step should be filling the ds-260? Should he fill it before entering the states with a student visa?
2. Marriage: should he marry asap? Can this cause any problem?
3. Is it better for him to do AOS or CP? what do you think? He have a pretty low cn: 2015SA00011**
Sorry if i'm asking dumb or repeated questions but I don't know much about AOS and the previous forum doesn't seem to work that well right now. THANKS!!!

 

[Britsimon]

Simon, three things. I have created a new thread prefix "add your info here." That should help people identify the threads with the info. Second, I have stuck some threads I thought needed it. Third, I am trying to figure out the details of embedding google docs/spreadsheets directly in the forums.

The new prefix looks good and thanks for pinning the threads.

Rajiv - it sounds like you are getting your hands dirty with the forum technical stuff - I'm impressed and surprised! There are good Xenforo resources and information out there - including people who have created cBulletin to Xenforo import procedures. I hope you are not trying to reinvent the wheel - because that can be hard work!!!

Rajiv, I see the old forum is up - can I assume you expect to switch it to read only at some point soon and that we should continue here?

 

[Britsimon]

Hi Mom! I have a friend with a very tricky dv lottery case. He won for 2015, have a gf who has a daughter AND they are going on student visa (all of them) to the States in a couple of months. Sooooo... my questions here are:
1. The first step should be filling the ds-260? Should he fill it before entering the states with a student visa?
2. Marriage: should he marry asap? Can this cause any problem?
3. Is it better for him to do AOS or CP? what do you think? He have a pretty low cn: 2015SA00011**
Sorry if i'm asking dumb or repeated questions but I don't know much about AOS and the previous forum doesn't seem to work that well right now. THANKS!!!

Hi Vero, I am not the expert that Mom is - but I'll take a stab at your questions.

1. THey should probably wait. Assuming the student visa has already been approved they should not use it to enter the USA while at the same time having declared intent to LPR status. So - they should wait.
2. Yes they should marry sooner rather than later. They will need to proove the marriage is genuine, but assuming the child is theirs or they have other proof of the relationship they should be fine.
3. AOS is better if there are no concerns about timeline. They have to be strict about maintaining status before they adjust, but the aos process is easier in some ways (no police checks, more limited medicals). The fees are higher, but they don't need to travel home. Their number is low enough that they will have plenty of time for aos.

 

[Sm1smom]

The new prefix looks good and thanks for pinning the threads.

Rajiv - it sounds like you are getting your hands dirty with the forum technical stuff - I'm impressed and surprised! There are good Xenforo resources and information out there - including people who have created cBulletin to Xenforo import procedures. I hope you are not trying to reinvent the wheel - because that can be hard work!!!

Rajiv, I see the old forum is up - can I assume you expect to switch it to read only at some point soon and that we should continue here?

It's like you read my mind, Simon. I'm highly impressed by Mr. Khanna's efforts, and like you, I'm hoping he's not trying to get this all done by himself and it can be quite distracting from his overall effort of trying to help and give back to the community.

I also hope the old forum would be made a "Read Only". It should have a flashing banner aimed at directing traffic to this new site which looks great and uncluttered by the way.

 

[Sm1smom]

Hi Mom! I have a friend with a very tricky dv lottery case. He won for 2015, have a gf who has a daughter AND they are going on student visa (all of them) to the States in a couple of months. Sooooo... my questions here are:
1. The first step should be filling the ds-260? Should he fill it before entering the states with a student visa?
2. Marriage: should he marry asap? Can this cause any problem?
3. Is it better for him to do AOS or CP? what do you think? He have a pretty low cn: 2015SA00011**
Sorry if i'm asking dumb or repeated questions but I don't know much about AOS and the previous forum doesn't seem to work that well right now. THANKS!!!

Don't apologize Veronice, you're not asking dumb questions, I think it's great that you're trying to get pertinent information for your friends before they take any action that could possibly jeopardize their case. So thumbs up to you. To answer your questions:

1. I'm assuming your friends already have their F visas, in that case, they should not fill out the DS-260 forms yet. They should first use the F visa to enter the US, wait for about 60 days then go ahead and submit the form online.
2. Go ahead and get married, as long as they can prove they've always had an existing relationship prior to the DV selection, they should be fine.
3. The CN is relatively low, so AOS should be okay for them if they don't want to incur the expense of travelling back home. A comparison of AOS and CP can be found on one of the tabs on the AOS spreadsheet which is attached to the 1st person on this thread. You or your friends should go through it and decide which process works best for their situation.

On a side note, your friend and his girlfriend have independent F1 visas, I assume?

 

[veronice]

Don't apologize Veronice, you're not asking dumb questions, I think it's great that you're trying to get pertinent information for your friends before they take any action that could possibly jeopardize their case. So thumbs up to you. To answer your questions:

1. I'm assuming your friends already have their F visas, in that case, they should not fill out the DS-260 forms yet. They should first use the F visa to enter the US, wait for about 60 days then go ahead and submit the form online.
2. Go ahead and get married, as long as they can prove they've always had an existing relationship prior to the DV selection, they should be fine.
3. The CN is relatively low, so AOS should be okay for them if they don't want to incur the expense of travelling back home. A comparison of AOS and CP can be found on one of the tabs on the AOS spreadsheet which is attached to the 1st person on this thread. You or your friends should go through it and decide which process works best for their situation.

On a side note, your friend and his girlfriend have independent F1 visas, I assume?

Hi Mom! Thank you for your answer!!! Yes, they have independent F1 visas. Do you think by doing AOS their interview will be delayed one or two months after they are current? Or more? Thanks again!

 

[veronice]

Hi Vero, I am not the expert that Mom is - but I'll take a stab at your questions.

1. THey should probably wait. Assuming the student visa has already been approved they should not use it to enter the USA while at the same time having declared intent to LPR status. So - they should wait.
2. Yes they should marry sooner rather than later. They will need to proove the marriage is genuine, but assuming the child is theirs or they have other proof of the relationship they should be fine.
3. AOS is better if there are no concerns about timeline. They have to be strict about maintaining status before they adjust, but the aos process is easier in some ways (no police checks, more limited medicals). The fees are higher, but they don't need to travel home. Their number is low enough that they will have plenty of time for aos.

Hi buddy! Thank you for answer!!!
1. That is what I was thinking... That may be a problem for him if he enters with F1 with a submitted Ds-260.
2. The child is not "theirs" just "hers" but obviously he is taking her along and she will live with them in the states...
3. He is just a little worried about time... he don't want to miss this and how much more time it takes AOS is the only thing that worries him.

How are you doing? Already settled? Are your princess and queen happy? XOXO

 

[Sm1smom]

Hi Mom! Thank you for your answer!!! Yes, they have independent F1 visas. Do you think by doing AOS their interview will be delayed one or two months after they are current? Or more? Thanks again!

Well, in the past, those doing AOS most certainly have had to to wait about a month or two, sometimes 3 after their CN becomes current before getting interviewed. However there's been a slight change in the process, AOSers can now submit their I-485 application about 1 or 2 months earlier, which gives the possibility of being interviewed within the month the CN is current, but of course a lot still depends on the applicable field office that will end up doing the interview..

 

[Britsimon]

Hi buddy! Thank you for answer!!!
1. That is what I was thinking... That may be a problema for him if he enters with F1 with a submitted Ds-260.
2. The child is not "theirs" just "hers" but obviously he is taking her along and she will live with them in the states...
3. He is just a little worried about time... he don't want to miss this and how much more time it takes AOS is the only thing that worries him.

How are you doing? Already settled? Are your princess and queen happy? XOXO

Ok so for point 2 they need to get proof that their relationship predates the DV win and is genuine.

For point 3 - don't worry it is possible to get aos through in a couple of months - the early filing is useful for that...

The girls are very happy and into the American life!

 

[Sm1smom]

REGARDING DS-260 FORM FOR THOSE DOING AOS

I think it is safe to say that those doing AOS are required to fill out DS-260 form also as per the directives on this new Memo. KCC is no longer accepting paper forms of any kind, the information on the DSP-122 and DS-230 forms have been integrated into DS-260 which is what all DV selectees are required to be using starting from this present set. The referenced Memo is hereby attached:

http://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/policy_updates/DS_260_Rollout_DV_2015.pdf

However, I would strongly encourage anyone who gets married or has a child after their DV selection to still scan and email copies of their marriage or birth certificates with copies of their DS forms to KCC informing them of their change in status, unless KCC advices otherwise.

 

[Rajiv S. Khanna]

The new prefix looks good and thanks for pinning the threads.

Rajiv - it sounds like you are getting your hands dirty with the forum technical stuff - I'm impressed and surprised! There are good Xenforo resources and information out there - including people who have created cBulletin to Xenforo import procedures. I hope you are not trying to reinvent the wheel - because that can be hard work!!!

Rajiv, I see the old forum is up - can I assume you expect to switch it to read only at some point soon and that we should continue here?

I have a bunch of people helping out, but I like to be able to do things without running to get someone for minor stuff. We will keep the old forum running as long as people are using it and it stays stable. And I am aware of the import facility. Monica and I w're talking about importing and other matters this afternoon. We shall see. We do have the will and the resources to keep both forums running. If you want a stable environment, stick with this forum. If you like to live a suspenseful life, go back to the old forums. . Either way, you will find both up. My intention is leave them both running. I know it is dumb in that this splits people up, but it is great for my and I think our peace of mind.

 

[Rajiv S. Khanna]

PS I am fooling around with some BB code to see if I can get your spreadsheet to embed in the message.

 

[adinutzyc21]

I've been reading the doc start to end (even though my number won't become current until later next year) and I have a few questions:

1) If I am an F1 student, is there any problem with doing AOS? Or is doing CP actually more risky (which is what I gather from the AOS or CP sheet)?
2) I feel a little bit stupid for asking this, but... What do all the abbreviations in the GDoc mean? Like, PCC and AP for now.
3) In AOS package, 4a says copy of high school certificate (with certified translation - if applicable). Any chance they'd accept my university diploma directly? I cannot find my high school diploma original anywhere and I only have a marked-down copy of my high school diploma from my college and it would be extremely difficult to get my high school to issue another one to someone other than me (and travelling there just for that is really not a possibility so I'd have to get a notary request done etc.). Also, my university diploma is already in English (and from America), so there's no need to translate that. I'll even have a Master's diploma by that time, so I could give them 2 US diplomas that prove I've gone beyond high school!
4) For 5c, copy of pay stubs for the last 6 months, I'm not exactly sure what a pay stub is? Can I show them the direct deposit info in my bank account?
5) For 5d, copies of W-2s, I cannot seem to be able to find my W2s, though I guess I should talk to my employer to figure that out.
6) For 6b, copies of tax return transcripts for the past 3 years, what do they want? If I filed online or filed as a nonresident, I don't think I still have those records... :-S

Thanks!

 

[bh4387]

Can anyone who has successfully completed and submitted the DS-260 advise if there was a specific section to indicate that the green card is being pursued via Adjustment of Status?

 

[bh4387]

While the DV-2015 process is different with the introduction of the online DS0-260 and everybody’s case may be slightly different, I would appreciate an opinion on the following:
· I am studying in the US on an F1 visa
· I am a DV-2015 selectee with an early CN (000005XX) but in a region with a comparatively small allocation
· Based on the Visa Bulletins for the past few years a visa should be available in November or December and I will be able to submit I-485 in October or November 2014
· I have to attend an important (to my doctoral program) conference outside the US in the second half of July 2014
· To avoid the risk of being denied re-entry I plan to delay submission of the DS-260 until the end of July after I return to the US

Will the delay in submitting the DS-260 negatively impact my I-485 submission and/or the scheduling of an interview? Is it that after submission of the DS-260 I need to receive something from KCC to include with the I-485 other than the confirmation page that is generated online after submission of the DS-260?

I have seen other posts where the contributors have urged new selectees to be patient, but I would rather be impatient than ignorant of the implications until it is too late.

 

[Sm1smom]

I've been reading the doc start to end (even though my number won't become current until later next year) and I have a few questions:

1) If I am an F1 student, is there any problem with doing AOS? Or is doing CP actually more risky (which is what I gather from the AOS or CP sheet)?
2) I feel a little bit stupid for asking this, but... What do all the abbreviations in the GDoc mean? Like, PCC and AP for now.
3) In AOS package, 4a says copy of high school certificate (with certified translation - if applicable). Any chance they'd accept my university diploma directly? I cannot find my high school diploma original anywhere and I only have a marked-down copy of my high school diploma from my college and it would be extremely difficult to get my high school to issue another one to someone other than me (and travelling there just for that is really not a possibility so I'd have to get a notary request done etc.). Also, my university diploma is already in English (and from America), so there's no need to translate that. I'll even have a Master's diploma by that time, so I could give them 2 US diplomas that prove I've gone beyond high school!
4) For 5c, copy of pay stubs for the last 6 months, I'm not exactly sure what a pay stub is? Can I show them the direct deposit info in my bank account?
5) For 5d, copies of W-2s, I cannot seem to be able to find my W2s, though I guess I should talk to my employer to figure that out.
6) For 6b, copies of tax return transcripts for the past 3 years, what do they want? If I filed online or filed as a nonresident, I don't think I still have those records... :-S

Thanks!

1. Each process has a certain level of risk associated with it, and that's what the spreadsheet has attempted to highlght. Users are encouraged to determine the level of risk they're comfortable with and decide which process works best for them.
2. Good catch regarding the abbrevations on the spreadsheet, I agree not everyone seeing it for the first time or so is likely to know what they stand for, so thank you for pointing that out. A list will be added shortly explaining the meanings of those abbrevations. To answer your immediate question,
AP - Administrative Processing
PCC - Police Clearance Certificate
CP - Consular Processing
3. Some IOs (Immigration Officers) are known to have insisted on seeing the HS diploma itself in the past, hence we encourage applicants to do whatever they possibly can to get the diploma. Some haven't bothered to see the copy or request for the original.
4. Yeah, you could, but most employers issue pay-slips or pay-stubs for each pay period, talk to your employer first about this.
5. Yes, your employer should have copies of your W2s
6. You can always request this from the IRS - although I don't think this is a deal breaker if it's not presented or submitted.

 

[Sm1smom]

While the DV-2015 process is different with the introduction of the online DS0-260 and everybody’s case may be slightly different, I would appreciate an opinion on the following:
· I am studying in the US on an F1 visa
· I am a DV-2015 selectee with an early CN (000005XX) but in a region with a comparatively small allocation
· Based on the Visa Bulletins for the past few years a visa should be available in November or December and I will be able to submit I-485 in October or November 2014
· I have to attend an important (to my doctoral program) conference outside the US in the second half of July 2014
· To avoid the risk of being denied re-entry I plan to delay submission of the DS-260 until the end of July after I return to the US

Will the delay in submitting the DS-260 negatively impact my I-485 submission and/or the scheduling of an interview? Is it that after submission of the DS-260 I need to receive something from KCC to include with the I-485 other than the confirmation page that is generated online after submission of the DS-260?

I have seen other posts where the contributors have urged new selectees to be patient, but I would rather be impatient than ignorant of the implications until it is too late.

My suggestion would be to not submit the DS-260 form now if you plan on leaving the US in July. Wait till you return, then submit the form. I normally would caution anyone on a non-dual intent visa such as yours to also be aware of the 30-60-90 days procedural rule of demonstrating immigrant intent, which is basically to wait at least 60 days after the last entry into the US before demonstrating immigrant intent.

So in your case, I would outrightly suggest you wait until September at least before submitting your DS-260 form. Yes, you have a relatively low CN, submitting the DS form 'late' will not negatively impact your case IMO. If your fear is that KCC may not have enough time to process your form and send you a confirmation letter like they'v done in the past (we don't even know if they will be doing the same this time around), I would say don't worry about it. You can still submit your I-485 package without that confirmation letter, you will have an opportunity to present it at the time of your interview if the IO insists on seeing it. Upon your return, you can use the time inbetween to complete your medical exam and pay the DV administrative fee about sometime in August or September.