DV 2020 AOS Only

[Giovanna]

Good morning @Sm1smom
as you know, i requested an expedit and it was refused. I was reading other people's stories at hartford, ct. There are not so many, but some of them got their interview letter in less than 2 months, expect for 1. Almost two months have gone since biometric. Yesterday I called KCC to ask if my FO requested my file, but they didn't
1)What can i do if an expedict did not work?
2) How long do you suggest to wait before doing something?

 

[Sm1smom]

Good morning @Sm1smom
as you know, i requested an expedit and it was refused. I was reading other people's stories at hartford, ct. There are not so many, but some of them got their interview letter in less than 2 months, expect for 1. Almost two months have gone since biometric. Yesterday I called KCC to ask if my FO requested my file, but they didn't
1)What can i do if an expedict did not work?
2) How long do you suggest to wait before doing something?

The response I gave here last Saturday, less than a week as a matter of fact, is still pretty much applicable.

 

[alina123]

Hello,

My money postal order for the AOS was already at KCC on December 30, but I still never got the receipt back in the mail. I emailed KCC and they sent me a copy of my receipt that clearly states "COPY" on it and the date cashed Dec. 31, so I guess my original receipt was lost in the mail. I asked them to send me a hard copy of my receipt because that's what I'll need at the interview and they responded "KCC is unable to provide a physical copy of the DV Paid Receipt." What do I do since I only have a copy of the receipt right now and not the original?

Thank you,
Alina

 

[timothybanks]

Good morning @Sm1smom
as you know, i requested an expedit and it was refused. I was reading other people's stories at hartford, ct. There are not so many, but some of them got their interview letter in less than 2 months, expect for 1. Almost two months have gone since biometric. Yesterday I called KCC to ask if my FO requested my file, but they didn't
1)What can i do if an expedict did not work?
2) How long do you suggest to wait before doing something?

The following chart is across ALL 2019 AOS candidates who completed the tracking worksheet. While it is not your FO alone, you can see that there were quite a few people who waited longer than 2 months for the interview letter to arrive, especially considering that many of these people walked in for their biometrics (and so had longer wait times than I plotted here, which were based on the scheduled biometric dates).

Patience is the key at this stage. You still have a lot of time until September. Last year we saw some incredible humanity from USCIS in handling some special cases, and an acute awareness that they need to complete everything before October. I would recommend giving USCIS a little more time this early in the year. If they have not done something in, say, a month I would then recommend reaching out to this community for advice on how to proceed. I have not gone back through your posts to see if there is a special circumstance that is making you more anxious that the process run fast, if so, my apologies. I note that Sm1smom has addressed your concern about staying in status, given your visa expires in July.

Median days = 51, mean = 62, third quartile = 84, max = 230.

 

[timothybanks]

Hi.
My case no. is 2020AS3xxx. My case was current in December I submitted my application on 11/27/2019. I got a receipt notice on 12/10/2019 but I haven't got anything since.
1. Shouldn't I be getting a biometrics appointment letter by now?
2. What are the steps that I could take to find out?

Thank you

How did it go? Are you UD in the tracking sheet --- who doesn't have the letter yet?

 

[Giovanna]

The following chart is across ALL 2019 AOS candidates who completed the tracking worksheet. While it is not your FO alone, you can see that there were quite a few people who waited longer than 2 months for the interview letter to arrive, especially considering that many of these people walked in for their biometrics (and so had longer wait times than I plotted here, which were based on the scheduled biometric dates).

Patience is the key at this stage. You still have a lot of time until September. Last year we saw some incredible humanity from USCIS in handling some special cases, and an acute awareness that they need to complete everything before October. I would recommend giving USCIS a little more time this early in the year. If they have not done something in, say, a month I would then recommend reaching out to this community for advice on how to proceed. I have not gone back through your posts to see if there is a special circumstance that is making you more anxious that the process run fast, if so, my apologies. I note that Sm1smom has addressed your concern about staying in status, given your visa expires in July.

Median days = 51, mean = 62, third quartile = 84, max = 230.

View attachment 1461

I get your point. I was just wandering what can be done after a refused expedite, of course not now, but in the middle of February

 

[SusieQQQ]

I get your point. I was just wandering what can be done after a refused expedite, of course not now, but in the middle of February

not much but wait. Can you remind us what you gave as the reason for the expedite?
of course for USCIS as long as adjudicated before Sept 30 they have done their job.

@timothybanks thanks for reminding us of the incredible humanity USCIS showed to our sick member last year. What a story that was.

 

[Giovanna]

not much but wait. Can you remind us what you gave as the reason for the expedite?
of course for USCIS as long as adjudicated before Sept 30 they have done their job.

@timothybanks thanks for reminding us of the incredible humanity USCIS showed to our sick member last year. What a story that was.

I spoke to a 2 representative explaining that my aos petitions was based on dv program and why i didn t received an interview letter and she sent expedite

 

[SusieQQQ]

I spoke to a 2 representative explaining that my aos petitions was based on dv program and why i didn t received an interview letter and she sent expedite

I don’t think that counts as a valid reason for expedite, at least not at this stage of the fiscal year, the sunset is only a problem approaching september. I believe it’s been noted a number of times in the forum and I presume it’s in the spreadsheet too, that AOS interview timing is far less linked to numbers becoming current than consular processing. There are many cases where those with earlier case numbers wait many months to interview. In other words, I don’t think mid February is a reasonable target to expect anything to happen - if it does, great - but realistically you still have 6-7 months to comfortably wait for a notice and only after then would I start panicking/trying to expedite/talk to congressperson etc.

 

[Sm1smom]

Hello,

My money postal order for the AOS was already at KCC on December 30, but I still never got the receipt back in the mail. I emailed KCC and they sent me a copy of my receipt that clearly states "COPY" on it and the date cashed Dec. 31, so I guess my original receipt was lost in the mail. I asked them to send me a hard copy of my receipt because that's what I'll need at the interview and they responded "KCC is unable to provide a physical copy of the DV Paid Receipt." What do I do since I only have a copy of the receipt right now and not the original?

Thank you,
Alina

Stop stressing! That’s all you need. Doesn’t matter whether it’s stamped copy or not.

 

[Britsimon]

I spoke to a 2 representative explaining that my aos petitions was based on dv program and why i didn t received an interview letter and she sent expedite

It was too soon in the year to ask for an expedite, or to even think about that. This process takes time. Don't press the alarm bell unless there is an actual problem. Right now - there is no problem. RELAX.

 

[timothybanks]

I get your point. I was just wandering what can be done after a refused expedite, of course not now, but in the middle of February

The chart shows that half the 2019 candidates received their invitation letter in less than 51 days (I'm using the median) from the scheduled biometrics date. That means half the candidates received their letters in MORE than 51 days. So, your case is still not into unusual timings yet.

You might like to do a rummage around this site to read up on the security checks that are made, how people are grouped, and the rough timings of some of these groups. I can't remember where these materials are, but the search function here is good and I am sure that you can find them. If your case has fallen into a group that requires more checking, well, it takes time...

Putting an expedite request in this early into the fiscal year is not going to get any joy.

 

[MNA2020]

I have a question related to the immigration ban from yesterday. I asked BritSimon separately, but this forum may be a more suitable place.

I am the national from one of these new additional six countries that are banned from processing immigration visas. I already live in the US on a non-immigrant visa (G4, to be specific) and was intending to apply for Adjustment of Status (AoS). Am I except from the Proclamation? I’ve looked through the Proclamation and indeed it stated in the Section 2.(a).(i) that it applies to those who are outside of the US on the date of effectiveness (presumably Feb 22). Many thanks in advance

 

[Sm1smom]

I have a question related to the immigration ban from yesterday. I asked BritSimon separately, but this forum may be a more suitable place.

I am the national from one of these new additional six countries that are banned from processing immigration visas. I already live in the US on a non-immigrant visa (G4, to be specific) and was intending to apply for Adjustment of Status (AoS). Am I except from the Proclamation? I’ve looked through the Proclamation and indeed it stated in the Section 2.(a).(i) that it applies to those who are outside of the US on the date of effectiveness (presumably Feb 22). Many thanks in advance

Right now, I believe you know as much as we do regarding the expanded travel ban. The wording seems to be geared towards someone processing CP. There’s no word from USCIS as of now (that I know of) to let us know what their interpretation of the new Proclamation is.

 

[SusieQQQ]

Not an official source per se but Reuters citing an offical says “Immigrants already in the United States, or who have approved visas will be exempt from the ban, the official said.”. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ts-nigeria-five-other-countries-idUSKBN1ZU2WD

 

[Britsimon]

I have a question related to the immigration ban from yesterday. I asked BritSimon separately, but this forum may be a more suitable place.

I am the national from one of these new additional six countries that are banned from processing immigration visas. I already live in the US on a non-immigrant visa (G4, to be specific) and was intending to apply for Adjustment of Status (AoS). Am I except from the Proclamation? I’ve looked through the Proclamation and indeed it stated in the Section 2.(a).(i) that it applies to those who are outside of the US on the date of effectiveness (presumably Feb 22). Many thanks in advance

Not an official source per se but Reuters citing an offical says “Immigrants already in the United States, or who have approved visas will be exempt from the ban, the official said.”. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ts-nigeria-five-other-countries-idUSKBN1ZU2WD

Yep - same handling as the existing ban regarding the exceptions and waivers.

 

[MNA2020]

Thank you! I want to believe in my interpretation but it may have an important flaw. In a hypothetical scenario, if someone is in the US on a tourist/visitor's visa on Feb. 22 and she returns back to her home country later, would the fact of being inside the US on the effectiveness date make her exempt from the Proclamation? It does not sound logical...

Would appreciate if you/moderators/members let us know if you come across any USCIS guidance/interpretation on these.

 

[MNA2020]

Yep - same handling as the existing ban regarding the exceptions and waivers.

Thank you, Britsimon - it does bring some comfort. Wonder though if you (or anyone else) had come across similar cases with regard to AoS dealing under the earlier set of banned countries, given that there are already about 2 years of experience so far.

I am further now starting to wonder why people from, say, Iran would apply for the DV if Iran is banned from the immigration visas? Are the applicants counting on a (very slim, I guess) chance of presenting a case of the US' strategic interest during the interview?

 

[MNA2020]

I have another question, @Sm1smom: related to the medical exam/vaccination form (I-693). The Excel table says that the medical exam is valid for one year; however, the Special Instructions for the Form on the USCIS website states that the Form must be dated no earlier than 60 days before being filed. Sounds like a discrepancy unless I am missing something. Would appreciate your guidance. Thank you.

 

[SusieQQQ]

I am further now starting to wonder why people from, say, Iran would apply for the DV if Iran is banned from the immigration visas? Are the applicants counting on a (very slim, I guess) chance of presenting a case of the US' strategic interest during the interview?

Desperation, hoping for a miracle, hoping to get a waiver, hoping the ban is lifted before they get an interview, etc. A handful of them do of course have other passports so qualify for a visa.