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DV 2020 AOS Only

AoShole said:
View attachment 2048

Huge wave of relief, but firstly, some admin:

Los Angeles FO, J-1 AoS chargeable to Oceania
6/18 Application received (Chicago lockbox)
6/29 Payment processed (credit card)
7/01 Acceptance text received
7/07 Notice of Action received in mail
8/03 Biometrics appointment letter received in mail
8/17 Biometrics appointment attended
8/24 Interview appointment letter received in mail
9/08 Interview date (attended, but asked to return next day)
9/09 Interview took place (outcome: application held for review)
9/11 New Card Is Being Produced (EGov.USCIS)

FYI I never saw any updates on My.USCIS, only on EGov.USCIS.

Now, for the thanks. As you all know, the DV process is one of the lesser-known immigration processes, and AoS, even more obscure, due to the very limited number of people who go through it. Add to that, what we've all been through this year, with Covid, and I was stuck in a really uncertain place, when the April EO came in. I want to thank @Britsimon for his excellent blog, his effort in putting it together, and tirelessly replying, and his helpful videos, keeping us all abreast of what is happening in the arcane world of DV. Through his blog, I came to this forum, where I got to enjoy all the resources, and the community available. So thank you to not only the usual suspects, @Sm1smom and @SusieQQQ for your sustained, patient efforts in helping so many strangers with something having such a large impact on their lives, but also to all the members on here, who contributed with their experiences, and all the Q&A that took place, allowing more passive members like myself to continually learn about the process, and more importantly- the process in context of the abject shitshow 2020 has been. It was a relief to find some of the very few people going through the same thing as me, and to hear from you all. Special shoutout to @val94 for beating the forum into shape, to ensure better data for future applicants :); and also to the Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khanna, for hosting this wonderful resource.

I'm looking forward to a long sleep, and a longer celebration, this weekend, for the time being; but also to seeing some of you again, in 4-5 years, when we're applying for citizenship :D

In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on this forum, and if anyone wants to tag or PM me, about specific information, I'll be happy to reply.
Also, if any of you are in LA, when this whole Covid business is over, and want to grab a drink, and discuss our new lives in America, let me know :p
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Nice :) congratulations.
 
skip1 said:
After this smaller setback, that I've had with USPS, I am glad to tell you that I have finally received my card in the mail this morning!

Now that I'm officially at the end of this road, I want to, once again, thank from the bottom of my heart everyone at this forum, and especially @Sm1smom @SusieQQQ and @Britsimon for amazing dedication and great work that they are doing for all of us here.

I also wish that all of you still in the process will sucesfully finish it and have your cards in the mail as soon as possible!
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Glad to know the GC did show up :)
 
Mina2020DV said:
Hi all, I have received my GC on Wednesday! Thanks everyone and especially @Sm1smom ! It has been a great journey!

I have two questions after receiving the GC.

1. I rented a PO box for receiving the related mails and GC. After receiving the GC, I assume I don't need to use the PO Box anymore. I am curious about whether I should update the mailing address to USCIS? I know that for the physical address, if you move, you need to update the physical address. But I am not sure about the mailing address...? (My physical address remains the same.)

2. I saw people are discussing the DV categories, I found out mine is "DV1". I googled and found out that it is the category for new arrival?? I am not sure whether mine is correct or not...I thought it should be for adjustment?


Thanks again!
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1. Wouldn’t hurt to do so.

2. Another mess up by USCIS. Although I don’t think you need to worry about yours - D1 still has you listed as the main applicant in the system even though it should have been a D6 category since you processed AOS. But you ca also still call the 1800 number just to be on the safe side.
 
MA / 8/3 bio / X
WA / 8/3 bio / O
CA / 8/4 bio / O
TX / 8/7 bio / O
TX / 8/13 bio / O
NY / 8/13 bio / X
CA/ 8/19 bio / O

I am the first line above. I did congressional inquiry last week and the office was super helpful. They contacted the FO and got the reply (super fast btw- the same day they inquired) that my background check is pending. It is surprising since I can’t think about any particular reason for that. But anyway, all I have to do is wait at this point.
 
Finally, came home to GC waiting for me in the mailbox today. It's been a wild ride from waiting almost 3 months for a biometrics even before COVID to being anxious through the closures and even driving through a hurricane to get to the interview. At last, the feeling of relief I have right now shows that it was all worth it.
I would like to thank each and everyone in the forum for being there through everything. Even though I have been very less active in posting, reading the posts from other members and answers provided by @Sm1smom to my and other members' questions has helped a lot. And I can't even begin to emphasize the role of those spreadsheets.
Thank you everyone. And goodluck to everyone yet to receive a decision. I hope you all get your GCs soon.
I've updated the spreadsheets with the dates. I'll definitely recommend these forums to anyone who has a similar situation in the future.
 
And I can FINALLY say OUR JOURNEY IS OVER!! And it absolutely feels worth everything! Today we received our greencards! Stay strong everyone, this moment is worth all the hassle we've been through! It's a dream come true!

And I want to deeply thank @Sm1smom and @SusieQQQ. You're some rare great people in our world! This forum, the patience, and the effort you do with everyone is something incredible honestly. I used to wonder sometimes how do you get the strength to manage all these forums in a timely manner..you're a SUPER MOM!

I hope everyone will reach this point in their journey and we'll all meet again in few years as citizens ;) I updated my timeline and finally my row is complete :D
 
Sm1smom said:
Write a letter to the asylum office with jurisdiction over the asylum case letting them know you wish to withdraw the asylum application.

By the way if you don’t mind sharing more, did you have some other valid status while the asylum application was pending? Which FO had jurisdiction over your AOS application? Asking all these questions because I’m trying to understand about how your case got approved since most DV based AOS cases filed by those with just asylum pending status tend to get denied more and more of late.
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Thank you very much for your response Mom,
Yes i did have other valid status while my case was pending. I am planning to write a message regarding my case in detail and sharing my experiences with others here soon.
Also, is it okay to write an email or it should be a letter sent through mail?
Although, while having my interview in the local USCIS field office, the officer had both my asylum application and the dv lottery application with him. I am wondering where should i send this email/letter to? To USCIS field office in my city or the USCIS office where my asylum case was pending under their jurisdiction? Thank you.
 
I also received my GC today in the mail. Again, without you @Sm1smom, @SusieQQQ, and the valuable information this place has, I wouldn't be able to make it to this point. Thank you with all my heart!
I knew that this would be a stressful process, but this year will be remembered in DV history. What a ride!!! I believe the people who finished this adventure successfully, including me, are probably considered one of the luckiest DV selectees ever. I wish all of us are going to take the best advantage of this amazing opportunity granted to us! Truly pray for the rest of the DV selectees outside of the US to succeed and also for my fellow AOSers who are still waiting for the end of the process.
 
Kentavar2397 said:
I also received my GC today in the mail. Again, without you @Sm1smom, @SusieQQQ, and the valuable information this place has, I wouldn't be able to make it to this point. Thank you with all my heart!
I knew that this would be a stressful process, but this year will be remembered in DV history. What a ride!!! I believe the people who finished this adventure successfully, including me, are probably considered one of the luckiest DV selectees ever. I wish all of us are going to take the best advantage of this amazing opportunity granted to us! Truly pray for the rest of the DV selectees outside of the US to succeed and also for my fellow AOSers who are still waiting for the end of the process.
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Well said!
 
EuDV2020 said:
Thank you very much for your response Mom,
Yes i did have other valid status while my case was pending. I am planning to write a message regarding my case in detail and sharing my experiences with others here soon.
Also, is it okay to write an email or it should be a letter sent through mail?
Although, while having my interview in the local USCIS field office, the officer had both my asylum application and the dv lottery application with him. I am wondering where should i send this email/letter to? To USCIS field office in my city or the USCIS office where my asylum case was pending under their jurisdiction? Thank you.
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Okay, you adjusted from another status, in addition to having a pending asylum application - thanks for providing the info.

Yes the IO needed to have the asylum application on hand while processing and reviewing the DV based AOS application, he will not do anything with the pending asylum application. Ultimately, the asylum application will be denied, it just may take a while for USCIS to do so on their own.

I know of one at least one instance of a DV selectee who got invited for an asylum based interview after their DV based AOS had been approved and had already received there GC. That is why I typically recommend writing to the FO with jurisdiction over the asylum case and formally withdrawing the asylum application.
 
Madline said:
And I can FINALLY say OUR JOURNEY IS OVER!! And it absolutely feels worth everything! Today we received our greencards! Stay strong everyone, this moment is worth all the hassle we've been through! It's a dream come true!

And I want to deeply thank @Sm1smom and @SusieQQQ. You're some rare great people in our world! This forum, the patience, and the effort you do with everyone is something incredible honestly. I used to wonder sometimes how do you get the strength to manage all these forums in a timely manner..you're a SUPER MOM!

I hope everyone will reach this point in their journey and we'll all meet again in few years as citizens ;) I updated my timeline and finally my row is complete :D
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Congratulations :)
 
asm_dv said:
CASE APPROVED

Warning:This is a really long post!!!

First of all, extreme gratitude and thanks to @Sm1smom, @SusieQQQ and @Britsimon. Your collective guidance and helpful suggestion made this process much easier to navigate and get approved so easily. Also thanks to all the other forum members who helped with all their valuable advice.

Summary: My wife and I had our interview yesterday morning at Lawrence, MA field office. We got approved.

I am posting the interview details below; I will describe as much details I can so it helps everyone else who is waiting for interview:

Documents we took:
  • Exact complete set of print of AOS packet that we sent for both us. We had the whole package scanned before sending. We put them in two legal binders.
  • Additional copies of all original translation documents (birth certificate, degree certificate of my wife, all my documents were in English)
  • All Original documents (Passport, I-20, Birth certificate, marriage certificate, education degrees etc.)
  • New lease document as we have moved to new address.
  • My tax return documents (transcripts) from last few years and this year’s submitted copies (no transcripts yet available)
  • Pictures of our wedding and pictures from time we met.
Interview:

The officer was seating behind a plexiglass that shielded him from us the whole time and there were just small slots at the bottom of the shield for us to pass documents to him.

FYI: The officer had both my wife’s and mine AOS files in front of him, side by side. It wasn’t print copy it was the exact file we sent to lockbox. I could see the medical exam envelope and our pictures.

FYI: KCC informed me when I called earlier that my FO requested the files on 18th August, it was sent on 21st August.

  • Interview time: early morning
  • We arrived at the office at 20 minutes early and then after security check we went up to the check-in desk and an officer took our interview letter and then told us go into the next room and wait.
  • BTW you are allowed to take your phone and even laptop (if needed). Phone you can use but no camera function allowed.
  • After waiting 15 minutes another officer came out from a corridor and announced both me and my wife’s name.
  • We followed the officer to his room and he told us to raise our right hand and take the oath. He just stated the oath about being truthful and all and at the end we just said, “I do”.
  • After that he explained how the interview will go step by step. First, he will confirm our biographic information, then immigration status, then the security questions.
  • He asked us for our passport and then requested us to take the mask off for few seconds to take picture and then took only index finger’s print of both hands.
  • After that he started going through I-485 section by section and asked for supporting documents and related questions as it progressed.
##Whatever question below written means he asked both me and my wife same questions and checked with our respective files in front of him.
  • He confirmed my name, DOB, place of birth etc. Asked and confirmed about my other names used (long family name in some other legal documents). He just asked, confirmed and moved onto the next question.
  • My citizenship and if I have any other citizenship.
  • My parent’s info (place of birth and current citizenship).
  • He asked me my SSN.
  • He asked for both of our birth certificate.
  • My current address (as I had moved so he asked for the new address and corrected on the form as we spoke).
    **When he asked my wife, he asked her about our previous address.
  • Then he opened my passport found the last port of entry stamp and asked me the date and port of entry. Same for my wife.
  • Then he asked me about my current employment and just confirmed the info with the I-485.
  • He asked my wife about her previous work and asked if she and I met through work and she said no and we confirmed we met at college.
  • Then he asked about my marriage and place of marriage.
    *He asked my wife instead the date of our marriage.
  • There was a typo in my wife’s DOB and he corrected it as we spoke.
  • He asked if I had any children. Same with my wife.
  • Next he asked if I belong to any association or organization: so, I named the organizations listed on I-485. Surprisingly he belonged to one of the same associations through his university so he showed me the ring and we laughed about it.
  • Then he asked for our marriage certificate and made a copy of the translation.
  • After this he said, “now we will go through the tedious security related YES/NO questions and I will ask the same question for both of you and you both give me YOUR respective response after I ask”.
  • He literally went through every single question.
  • When it came to criminal charges or fines I mentioned 2 traffic citation I had 10 years ago and I have copies, he said "not required, and then he just asked are the traffic tickets above $500? When I said NO then he said NO NEED".
  • At the end he asked if I have my current employment contract, current I-20, previous I-20s. I had them with me and he just checked them and there was an extra copy of I-20 there and he kept it and returned the rest. Same for my wife and kept the extra copy of I-20.
  • Finally, he said this is his first DV based AOS case so he was glad he could manage the time slot for us before 30th September. And then he asked if we have any documents that confirms our selection. I gave him copy of 1NL and 2NL and he asked if these are copies and I said these are official as I only have email copies and he just kept them. I showed him the DV fee receipt and he said he did not need it.
  • After that he said everything looks in order and asked us to sign the I-485 forms.
  • He then said, “I will approve your case today and you should receive the GC by mail in 3-4 weeks.”
  • I confirmed about the new address and asked if he needs the signed AR-11 form and he said no need everything is in the system.
  • I asked if there is any letter we are supposed to get today and he said no need but we will receive an official notice by mail before the GC.
  • He walked us all the way to the waiting room and that’s it.
**FYI: He didn't ask about my sponsor I-134 stuff, no mention of I-944, even the public charge question on I-485 he skipped, nothing about health insurance, bank statement, credit history, tax. Only I-485 and previous immigration info. So those of you who are still waiting don't stress.

The interview took 35-40 minutes. Later in the afternoon after 5 hours the case tracker showed case status being changed to “New Card is Being Produced”.

My advice is if you have front loaded the AOS application really well based on the forum's experts advice then your interview should be easy. Be well prepared as in take all relevant documents especially copies of everything, they will ask for it and if you have it then they are more willing to approve the case rather than waiting. Dress semi-formal/business casual it shows you are taking this seriously.

Thanks again everyone.
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Congratulations
 
mendokusai said:
Today's graduation from Team "stuck in bio"

MA / 8/3 bio / X
CA / 8/4 bio / O
TX / 8/7 bio / O
TX / 8/13 bio / O
NY / 8/13 bio / X
CA/ 8/19 bio / O

FYI
Among the team, almost everyone has taken an action like below.
  • Service request (USCIS) >> "wait" seems to be a common answer between us.
  • Congressional inquiry (either house representative or senator, or both)
Plus, some people have requested
  • USCIS ombudsman's request
  • Lawyer's help (I heard the lawyer has to have a strong connection with the local FO)
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TX / 8/7 bio / O it is me. I got GC but my husband didn't. so we are still waiting
 
Hello everyone!
Had an interview on march 2, then 1st RFE, 1 service request, 1 congressional, 2nd RFE, 1 senator inquiries, 1 lawyer consultation at the end.
And today I've got my GC. It was so long, and stressful journey. Finally I can relax and enjoy. I really glad to be a part of this country.
Dear @Sm1smom thank you so much to you for being here and for your advices to me and to other folks.
Also thank you so much to @val94 for following people up regarding time line. This is will definitely benefit next gen of selectees.
Thank to all members of this thread who asked questions, shared experience. (Can you imagine how many times I read those posts when people said "I got approve", "I got GC."? You guys made me smile and gave hope)
Again thank you, thank you to entire community.
Good luck to everyone who are in process!
See you in a few years :)
 
Marconi said:
Hello everyone!
Had an interview on march 2, then 1st RFE, 1 service request, 1 congressional, 2nd RFE, 1 senator inquiries, 1 lawyer consultation at the end.
And today I've got my GC. It was so long, and stressful journey. Finally I can relax and enjoy. I really glad to be a part of this country.
Dear @Sm1smom thank you so much to you for being here and for your advices to me and to other folks.
Also thank you so much to @val94 for following people up regarding time line. This is will definitely benefit next gen of selectees.
Thank to all members of this thread who asked questions, shared experience. (Can you imagine how many times I read those posts when people said "I got approve", "I got GC."? You guys made me smile and gave hope)
Again thank you, thank you to entire community.
Good luck to everyone who are in process!
See you in a few years :)
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Congratulations. What a relief you must be feeling right now.

Follow up question: you got 2 RFEs, where they both related to your medical report?
 
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