DV 2017 AOS Only

[saso]

I never said submitting the AOS package now equates to losing the I-485 processing fee, but if you choose to interpret it as such, that's ok. If you check past AOS Threads and/or Timelines, I'm sure you'll see cases that became current in July and successfully completed the AOS process.

Considering how you've been skeptical and dilly dallying about the process - being current since Jan or Feb (?), not acting early enough to get the waiver for your 2 HRR, etc - it doesn't seem to me like you really wanted to go through the process anyways.

First, Thank you for taking the time to reply and provide guidance.

No, I did not say you implied that we would loose the processing fees if we apply now. But like you said, " it can be dicey" and there is a significant likelihood that the processing would not be completed in time, and that does equate to a significant financial loss from the processing fees. I am still going to submit the AOS regardless and hope for the best.

Second; I am a little surprised and taken back by the tone of your response. You sure do judge people harshly without having all the details and then jump to conclusions about me not wanting to go through the process anyways. Anyone would have to be insane not to want to pursue the DV selection. I have not been "dilly dallying about the process" and certainly not " not acting early enough to get the waiver". I have been working on the waiver since May 2016. I don't know what can be done when USCIS and DOS have taken a very very long time to process the waiver.

Anyways, I am honestly still very thankful to you.

 

[Britsimon]

I am actually from Iraq. Not included in the EO. But not sure how it would go, like you said. So If we do submit the AOS package now it would be losing the I-485 processing fees I guess, which is a significant sum.

Approximately $1000 for a Green Card??? That is peanuts. Like Mom said, I wonder if you really understand the luck you have been given.

 

[SoCal90401]

Just sharing that we had our first InfoPass appointment this morning at the downtown Los Angeles FO. We sought an update on how our AOS was progressing and when we should expect an interview. We were told that the FBI background check was not complete and that the request for it was submitted on the 4th of May. I asked how long it should take and was told that we should get an interview letter any day (not sure how they would know this). I confirmed that our file from the KCC has been with them since the 4th of May. We were also told that they processed a "ton" of DV's last week. Biometrics were completed 6 weeks ago in case it matters.

 

[saso]

Approximately $1000 for a Green Card??? That is peanuts. Like Mom said, I wonder if you really understand the luck you have been given.

More like 5000 attorney fees for the waiver, Approx. 700 USCIS and DOS waiver fees, 500 medical exam fees, 660 DOS/KCC fees, 2280 I -485 fees. Add it all up: approx 8900$ so far. When that is one quarter of what you make and you have kids with needs then it is a huge deal. I do understand" the luck we have been given", if it materializes. The sad part though, is that I am seeing that chance slipping away just out of reach because of how long this waiver is taking. I have almost given up. Like I said I will still submit the AOS package but am almost certain it will not be processed in time.

 

[Britsimon]

More like 5000 attorney fees for the waiver, Approx. 700 USCIS and DOS waiver fees, 500 medical exam fees, 660 DOS/KCC fees, 2280 I -485 fees. Add it all up: approx 8900$ so far. When that is one quarter of what you make and you have kids with needs then it is a huge deal. I do understand" the luck we have been given", if it materializes. The sad part though, is that I am seeing that chance slipping away just out of reach because of how long this waiver is taking. I have almost given up. Like I said I will still submit the AOS package but am almost certain it will not be processed in time.

No. You were talking about the chance of losing the I-485 processing fee - which is around the $1000 I mentioned. Yes - all the other costs & fees (especially the optional costs you decided to add) add up and THEY are all wasted UNLESS you file the I-485, so you need to follow through otherwise the rest IS wasted.

 

[angel_A]

Hello Mom,

Will I be getting a tracking number when my Green Card is mailed out?

 

[Sm1smom]

Hello Mom,

Will I be getting a tracking number when my Green Card is mailed out?

Yes USPS tracking number is provided when it gets mailed.

 

[pilepoil99]

I have my appointment for the interview for the 26th at the NYC FO. If we are approved right away, i can ask for the I-551 stamp right ? is it something common to get approved on the spot in the NYC FO if nothing is missing ? There is nothing about it in the timelines...New Yorkers, Sm1smom, anyone who can give me an idea will be a great help. Thank you

 

[mrtPL]

Hi: My FO is Newark. I did the Biometrics on May 30 in Elizabeth, and still have not received Interview letter. According to the Timeline I should have received the letter already... Is anybody from Newark FO in the same situation?
Also, I scheduled an infopass for July 17. Cannot find the link about how to prepare and what question to ask at the Infopass, could anyone post it again, please?

Thank you!

 

[Sm1smom]

I have my appointment for the interview for the 26th at the NYC FO. If we are approved right away, i can ask for the I-551 stamp right ? is it something common to get approved on the spot in the NYC FO if nothing is missing ? There is nothing about it in the timelines...New Yorkers, Sm1smom, anyone who can give me an idea will be a great help. Thank you

Yes you can request the I-551 if the IO says you're approved at the end of your interview.

 

[John90]

Hi: My FO is Newark. I did the Biometrics on May 30 in Elizabeth, and still have not received Interview letter. According to the Timeline I should have received the letter already... Is anybody from Newark FO in the same situation?
Also, I scheduled an infopass for July 17. Cannot find the link about how to prepare and what question to ask at the Infopass, could anyone post it again, please?

Thank you!

Can't help you with Newark but if it makes you feel better, I did biometrics at the beginning of February and still no Interview in Minneapolis. And I am from central Europe not any "high" risk country...

 

[atx]

Hey all, just got back from an INFOPASS. They told me that my background check was still waiting to be completed. It's been just over 7 weeks since the USCIS received my fingerprint fee (May 22) - is that longer than usual for a background check to be completed? Is there any way that I can try to speed up the background check process? My officer at INFOPASS said there wasn't

 

[Sm1smom]

Hey all, just got back from an INFOPASS. They told me that my background check was still waiting to be completed. It's been just over 7 weeks since the USCIS received my fingerprint fee (May 22) - is that longer than usual for a background check to be completed? Is there any way that I can try to speed up the background check process? My officer at INFOPASS said there wasn't

No 7 weeks is not unusual. Plus, when USCIS received your fingerprint fee is irrelevant since the background check doesn't start until after the bio appointment.

And no, you cannot expedite the background check process, you need to exercise some patience considering your case is not even two months old since filing.

 

[atx]

I see - thanks a lot for your reply @Sm1smom. I will exercise patience. Namaste

 

[Sm1smom]

Hi: My FO is Newark. I did the Biometrics on May 30 in Elizabeth, and still have not received Interview letter. According to the Timeline I should have received the letter already... Is anybody from Newark FO in the same situation?
Also, I scheduled an infopass for July 17. Cannot find the link about how to prepare and what question to ask at the Infopass, could anyone post it again, please?

Thank you!

http://forums.immigration.com/threads/dv-2016-aos-only.326148/page-101#post-2427020

 

[santassaf]

Hi Mom, Simon, all,



The AOS package of my wife (main applicant) and me (co-applicant) was received at Chicago Lockbox on 04/06/2017. Our FO is Honolulu, and our biometrics was completed on 05/16/2017. Since then we have been waiting for our IL, but we decided to schedule an Infopass on 06/23/2017 to see where it all stands (Simon, we went through your excellent list of items to address!). The person we spoke to at the Infopass appointment was very nice, but we felt that he was not very helpful. The information we could gather that day (also after speaking to KCC) is that our case was already requested by the Honolulu FO and was sent by KCC on 06/01/2017 (which, to my understanding means that the background check is already completed). At the infopass, we were told that the next step is to get the letter for the interview, a task that is the responsibility of the "Scheduling Department". We were also told that anytime we could drop off a letter requesting to expedite the process, which may or may not help. The person also told us that since DV cases are not very common in that particular FO, they usually group the DV cases and try to schedule their interviews in between the more common ones (I guess, employment-, marriage-based, etc.). We also mentioned the urgency of DV cases and were told that they are aware of it. That person also told us that there is still time and we should not worry, unless we do not receive the IL by the end of August which then we should "freak out".

I follow the DV2017 timeline closely, but this year there are no other Honolulu FO cases on it, so it is not clear to me how they handle such cases. Is there anyone on this blog with Honolulu being his FO? If so, could you tell us something about your experience?

What we wanted to ask here is whether you think it would be wise to wait until the end of July or beginning of August to schedule another Infopass; or, maybe first we should send a letter to expedite the case? What would you suggest as the best approach given our present situation?

Thanks for your help!

 

[atx]

Hi Mom, Simon, all,



The AOS package of my wife (main applicant) and me (co-applicant) was received at Chicago Lockbox on 04/06/2017. Our FO is Honolulu, and our biometrics was completed on 05/16/2017. Since then we have been waiting for our IL, but we decided to schedule an Infopass on 06/23/2017 to see where it all stands (Simon, we went through your excellent list of items to address!). The person we spoke to at the Infopass appointment was very nice, but we felt that he was not very helpful. The information we could gather that day (also after speaking to KCC) is that our case was already requested by the Honolulu FO and was sent by KCC on 06/01/2017 (which, to my understanding means that the background check is already completed). At the infopass, we were told that the next step is to get the letter for the interview, a task that is the responsibility of the "Scheduling Department". We were also told that anytime we could drop off a letter requesting to expedite the process, which may or may not help. The person also told us that since DV cases are not very common in that particular FO, they usually group the DV cases and try to schedule their interviews in between the more common ones (I guess, employment-, marriage-based, etc.). We also mentioned the urgency of DV cases and were told that they are aware of it. That person also told us that there is still time and we should not worry, unless we do not receive the IL by the end of August which then we should "freak out".

I follow the DV2017 timeline closely, but this year there are no other Honolulu FO cases on it, so it is not clear to me how they handle such cases. Is there anyone on this blog with Honolulu being his FO? If so, could you tell us something about your experience?

What we wanted to ask here is whether you think it would be wise to wait until the end of July or beginning of August to schedule another Infopass; or, maybe first we should send a letter to expedite the case? What would you suggest as the best approach given our present situation?

Thanks for your help!

Hey there,

I don't think (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that it necessarily means your background check is completed if the FO has requested/received your file. I have been told by an INFOPASS officer that my case is in the San Antonio office (my FO) but my background check is not complete.

Did you specifically ask if your background check was complete? I didn't ask that specifically on my first INFOPASS and the officer didn't tell me it wasn't complete but he told me that my file was in their FO. My second INFOPASS (just yesterday) they told me my background check still wasn't complete

 

[santassaf]

Thanks for your response atx!

Hmm, I think you are right about that. Sucks that they still did not clear it for you, hopefully very soon.
Yes, I did ask specifically about the background check, but the thing is that the person at our Infopass kept telling us that he does not have access to see everything in the system. He told us that at this stage the next step is that we should be expecting the interview letter. That was the annoying thing in that Infopass, we always got some sort of answer, but often it was indirect and almost meaningless (maybe just to stop us from asking questions). Now that you tell me your example, I am thinking that maybe we should go there again in a week or so (hopefully speak to someone else) and ask that again.

On that subject, our Infopass that day was even stranger, the person first told us that they requested our file but are still waiting for KCC to send it to them. When we left the building I immediately called KCC and they specifically told me that the file was sent to our FO via an email attachment on 06/01/2017, and they recommended us to go back to USCIS to confirm that. We were really frustrated by the answer at the Infopass that contradicted what KCC says, so we got back into the building and asked the person at the front desk if we could clarify some misunderstanding regarding our case. That person was not very friendly and suggested we schedule another Infopass appointment, but he did look at our records and told us that everything looks fine (again, a useless answer!). We then left the building and decided to schedule another Infopass right away (same day, 06/23/2017), we got one for an hour later and we ended up getting the same person from the first Infopass. We explained that we just spoke to KCC and they recommended us to return and clarify, and the answer we got is ... yes, as I told you before, just wait for the appointment letter. We asked if he could confirm that the file was indeed received, and he told us that he does not have access to such information.
Anyways, really frustrating, especially that this person could not admit that he gave us wrong information in the first place. Next time we must speak to someone else.

Anyways, sorry for the long story, just thought it is relevant as an example of experience with Infopasses these days.
Thanks.

 

[JohnF.]

Thanks for your response atx!

Hmm, I think you are right about that. Sucks that they still did not clear it for you, hopefully very soon.
Yes, I did ask specifically about the background check, but the thing is that the person at our Infopass kept telling us that he does not have access to see everything in the system. He told us that at this stage the next step is that we should be expecting the interview letter. That was the annoying thing in that Infopass, we always got some sort of answer, but often it was indirect and almost meaningless (maybe just to stop us from asking questions). Now that you tell me your example, I am thinking that maybe we should go there again in a week or so (hopefully speak to someone else) and ask that again.

On that subject, our Infopass that day was even stranger, the person first told us that they requested our file but are still waiting for KCC to send it to them. When we left the building I immediately called KCC and they specifically told me that the file was sent to our FO via an email attachment on 06/01/2017, and they recommended us to go back to USCIS to confirm that. We were really frustrated by the answer at the Infopass that contradicted what KCC says, so we got back into the building and asked the person at the front desk if we could clarify some misunderstanding regarding our case. That person was not very friendly and suggested we schedule another Infopass appointment, but he did look at our records and told us that everything looks fine (again, a useless answer!). We then left the building and decided to schedule another Infopass right away (same day, 06/23/2017), we got one for an hour later and we ended up getting the same person from the first Infopass. We explained that we just spoke to KCC and they recommended us to return and clarify, and the answer we got is ... yes, as I told you before, just wait for the appointment letter. We asked if he could confirm that the file was indeed received, and he told us that he does not have access to such information.
Anyways, really frustrating, especially that this person could not admit that he gave us wrong information in the first place. Next time we must speak to someone else.

Anyways, sorry for the long story, just thought it is relevant as an example of experience with Infopasses these days.
Thanks.

Something similar happened in my case as well. Attended 2 Infopasses, where I got conflicting information. At the 1st one, we were told that background check was cleared (February), just to find out during our interview (June) that one of my husband's background check had to clear. Successful interview-but still waiting for our case to be adjudicated - 3 weeks after the interview, still waiting. Attended Bio in December. We were told not to worry, there is plenty of time till September (((

 

[Al92]

Hi Everyone,
I guess it is safe to say that I and my spouse have completed DV lottery 2017 journey. We have received our GC's today. This was a long stressfull process and this forum helped us a lot.

Special THANKS to Mom and Britsimon for their invaluable posts and for the AOS process spreadsheet.

Good luck to everyone.

Al