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DV 2021 AOS Only

Hello all, especially Seattleites!
Tried walking in for biometrics again today at closing time. The parking lot was empty and the office looks quiet as well but unfortunately, the security did not want to let me in even after I told him my case is time sensitive. He kept saying that Seattle office stop allowing walk-in since a year ago. I guess I will just wait for my appointment time which is next week.
No other ASCs near you? I guess you can drive to Yakima or Portland and try there.
 
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Morning, I just came back from my early biometrics walk-in, which went smoothly and without any issues (I had received a Bio notice appointment last week, but decided to walk in two weeks earlier than my scheduled date).

I have in the meantime also received my actual AOS interview date for mid August and wanted to inquire if I should try to move it up and if that would be a possibility? If so, what is the best way to schedule an interview date sooner than mid August? Can I request this through Emma?

Thank you!
quick question \. was your bio notice two pages? cuz I received mine with two pages and need to fill some of my info on this page
 
They have not called back many forum members during that timeframe. IMO if nothing happens in the next few days, you should call them again and state that the case is urgent.
For sure, I kept telling them that but it was like talking to a wall. To the point where they were like “you have to wait, if that’s all thank you for contacting us. Bye”
 
They are just giving you the standard length RFE deadline, not adjusting it to your specific case.
Just curious, do they assume that the applicant is aware of the FY deadline (and will respond before it) even if they do not adjust the RFE to show that deadline?

EDIT: Never mind. I just saw your reply where you explained it. Thanks!
 
Hi all, hope you guys are doing well.

I had an interview. ( Washington DC) It was quick. the officer was very polite. She just reviewed all the I485 forms and updated information. She started with my name, date of birth, address, what am I doing right now, page after page. Also with yes/no questions. Then she asked me about quintuplets that I am taking care of. And conversation was like chatting at that moment. Afterwards she asked about my highest education and what is my plan in the future. I plan to work as a nurse. Then she asked if i had any questions. I asked if I can do biometric today but she can’t because ASC building is located another area. She will mail biometric appointment letter to me later. She said I can try walk in. Then she walked me to elevator. She doesn’t say anything about how my case

I did walked in. The security is very nice and police. He asked officer to see me. The ASC officer asked me if interview officer sent me without appointment and he went back in to call her. Then he said I have to come back another time with appointment letter. I didn’t mean to upset him, I asked him politely if there is any chance to let me.
 
Hi all, hope you guys are doing well.

I had an interview. ( Washington DC) It was quick. the officer was very polite. She just reviewed all the I485 forms and updated information. She started with my name, date of birth, address, what am I doing right now, page after page. Also with yes/no questions. Then she asked me about quintuplets that I am taking care of. And conversation was like chatting at that moment. Afterwards she asked about my highest education and what is my plan in the future. I plan to work as a nurse. Then she asked if i had any questions. I asked if I can do biometric today but she can’t because ASC building is located another area. She will mail biometric appointment letter to me later. She said I can try walk in. Then she walked me to elevator. She doesn’t say anything about how my case

I did walked in. The security is very nice and police. He asked officer to see me. The ASC officer asked me if interview officer sent me without appointment and he went back in to call her. Then he said I have to come back another time with appointment letter. I didn’t mean to upset him, I asked him politely if there is any chance to let me.
Thanks for the update! I'm glad the interview went well for you and I hope you'll get the bio letter soon.
 
Just curious, do they assume that the applicant is aware of the FY deadline (and will respond before it) even if they do not adjust the RFE to show that deadline?

EDIT: Never mind. I just saw your reply where you explained it. Thanks!

The deadline is stated in the entry instructions, on your selection letter, and in the instructions for selectees. It is also added in in occasional various individual communications one may have with KCC, but the above 3 should have been seen by every selectee. I didn’t say “they” assume anything, but every selectee ought to know the deadline if they just read what they are supposed to. If they don’t …honestly, that’s on them. It’s not like it’s a state secret or even hard information to find, it Is explicitly brought to your attention multiple times!
 
Hello Everyone! I'm new to this forum and just wanted to say thank you so much for providing detailed info on how to navigate this complex process. I received my NL1 this past May for DV2022 and I was confused on the timeline thinking the deadline was 09/2021. So I did my medical thinking I'd get ahead but seems like the visa numbers don't come out until 10/2021 for DV2022. I was thinking of completing the process myself since I feel like I have a good grasp but would you all recommend getting lawyers involved? If so do you all know the best ones out there (ones who won't break the bank)?
 
Hello Everyone! I'm new to this forum and just wanted to say thank you so much for providing detailed info on how to navigate this complex process. I received my NL1 this past May for DV2022 and I was confused on the timeline thinking the deadline was 09/2021. So I did my medical thinking I'd get ahead but seems like the visa numbers don't come out until 10/2021 for DV2022. I was thinking of completing the process myself since I feel like I have a good grasp but would you all recommend getting lawyers involved? If so do you all know the best ones out there (ones who won't break the bank)?
now don't do anything except ds-260 if your case number is low. otherwise, you waste your money. lawyer! it depends on your situation.
 
Hi all, hope you guys are doing well.

I had an interview. ( Washington DC) It was quick. the officer was very polite. She just reviewed all the I485 forms and updated information. She started with my name, date of birth, address, what am I doing right now, page after page. Also with yes/no questions. Then she asked me about quintuplets that I am taking care of. And conversation was like chatting at that moment. Afterwards she asked about my highest education and what is my plan in the future. I plan to work as a nurse. Then she asked if i had any questions. I asked if I can do biometric today but she can’t because ASC building is located another area. She will mail biometric appointment letter to me later. She said I can try walk in. Then she walked me to elevator. She doesn’t say anything about how my case

I did walked in. The security is very nice and police. He asked officer to see me. The ASC officer asked me if interview officer sent me without appointment and he went back in to call her. Then he said I have to come back another time with appointment letter. I didn’t mean to upset him, I asked him politely if there is any chance to let me.
Glad it went well for you! Did you get the chance to ask the officer if they have asked for your KCC files yet?
 
Hello Everyone! I'm new to this forum and just wanted to say thank you so much for providing detailed info on how to navigate this complex process. I received my NL1 this past May for DV2022 and I was confused on the timeline thinking the deadline was 09/2021. So I did my medical thinking I'd get ahead but seems like the visa numbers don't come out until 10/2021 for DV2022. I was thinking of completing the process myself since I feel like I have a good grasp but would you all recommend getting lawyers involved? If so do you all know the best ones out there (ones who won't break the bank)?
Read the spreadsheet linked to the first post in this thread (make sure you read all the sheets, thoroughly). Guaranteed to know more about the DV AOS process than just about any lawyer - assuming you are AOS due to posting in this thread - but you should go over to the Dv2022 AOS thread.
 
It's not just the date on the envelope they go by, the date as signed by the CS on the form itself is what the IO will go by (the IO doesn't get to see the envelope, the date and signature portion on the envelope is for the Chicago Lockbox folks). So if you CS is charging you $30 for their signature, it shouldn't be for the envelope alone. They will need to re-sign the form too, (yes, the medical exam date remains the same).

Have you checked to confirm if your payment has been processed? Also, there have been a few folks who actually waited for about 40 days ish before they got any form of package confirmation though.
Ours got cashed after 49 days.....I've seen a few others who waited as much too.
 
Hey guys! As our interview is scheduled for the next Friday I thought about asking KCC whether they sent my file to the field office. Do you think it makes sense to do it? Could it help in anyways in speeding up our case approval? Thanks!!
We will also attempt an early biometrics walk-in next week or this week as soon as the letters arrive so hopefully, a background check could be completed before the interview.
Curious to hear how you are planning on contacting KCC? Just email? They typically respond like in 2 weeks or so by email as far as I remember so in that case, you may not get the answer before the interview?
 
Hello people, I hope everyone is doing well. This is going to be a loooong writing so get ready. I'm going to talk about my interview experience but want to leave you guys and the next year's applicants some tips.

Interview:
Had my interview a couple of days ago, got there right on time (I struggled to find the entrance). Had to wait for 20 minutes in the waiting room. The guy was a straight-up dude (not too strict and not too easygoing). He asked for my ID, passport, visa, and I-20. He made fun of my binder because it was huuuuge but appreciated how prepared I was. He went through some of the I-485 questions, then had to make corrections about where exactly I go to school along with some minor things. Then he asked about the "have you been arrested, cited, etc.." so I asked him if a driving citation was included and he was like "kinda" so I said yes and he just took a small note but didn't make a big deal out of it. In the end, he printed a paper which I thought was going to be my approval but then he was like "I need to review your application more, we'll luk if we need more documents, and if u get approved then you should get ur GC in a couple of weeks". That disappointed me a lot lol but to my biggest surprise, I got an approval after 4 hours. So all in all, it was very straightforward and definitely not worth all the stress I put in.

Here is my advice for current and upcoming DV applicants.

BE PATIENT: I know y'all hate this lol. My number was current in January and I just finished, it was soooo frustrating to me seeing other people who applied with me finishing everything in March/ May while I was still stuck. But we are all so privileged compared to other AOSers; some people wait from 2-10 years to get their green cards, I know someone who's been waiting for over 20 years now. For us, it's literally 1 year which is nothing and on top of that, we are being prioritized over many applicants. It really doesn't get any better than that. I know it sometimes feels like your case is stuck but trust, it's not. Your case is moving, slowly, but moving (as long as you are doing what you are supposed to do to push it forward ofc). I cannot tell you guys the amount of stress that this process had on me, it was terrible; sleepless nights, anxiety, depression, etc.. But now looking back I'm like I should have invested my time in something more valuable. So do your best to get your application going but don't stress about what you can't control, do some meditation, workout, anything that will evacuate those negative waves.

KEEP THE FAITH: I know right now we're getting to the end of the fiscal year and many of you are stressed. Yes, there is a risk that you might run out of time. But you don't have time to stress or let this sadden you now. Use that adrenaline to make the process faster for you. Also, if you guys check the previous timelines you will see that almost everyone finished, even those who applied in June/July so KEEP THE FAITH. Yes, it's different now due to covid but I noticed that FO/ASC get things faster as we get to the end of the FY. Further, don't stress about running out of GC bc now so many countries are still struggling with covid and LOTS of embassies are still closed so y'all chilling there.

KNOW YOUR POWER: Be aware of the resources you can use (tier 1, tier 2, expedite request, congressional/senator inquiry, INFO PASS, etc..) all of these are resources y'all can use to get things easier. My case was stuck for months after my biometrics and my lawyer didn't do anything. I did an expedite request and literally got things going. PS: I never had difficulty reaching a tier 2 through the Emma chat function.

FOR UPCOMING APPLICANTS: PLEASE DO NOT GET A LAWYER, I REPEAT, DO NOT GET A LAWYER. I know how you feel right now, u want this so badly that u don't want missteps and u think that a lawyer is going to somehow find a magical way to make things so faster, but not at all. If anything, he's just going screw your applications even more because DV is so rare and they don't have experience with that at all. I had the best lawyer in LA, 5 stars, well known, the guy never lost a case and I remember he almost screwed my application twice, thank god I had @Sm1smom to correct me. I am literally the one doing 90% of the work. Every time my case gets stuck he goes "you have to wait" then when I propose a solution he goes "I was about to tell you that". I just feel like he didn't care about this as much as I did. I know as a new member here you get very confused looking at the spreadsheet, I thought that way too at first, but take your time. You have 2 months to go through it, read it little by little and members here will help you with everything you need if have any questions (just make sure you don't ask dumb questions otherwise @Sm1smom will call you out, trust me I know what I'm talking about haha). I promise you that whoever lawyer you are getting won't come close to @Sm1smom and her spreadsheet. PS: many lawyers come to check this spreadsheet from time to time. So save that money for a trip to Hawaii instead, I heard they're having some good deals now.

GET TOGETHER FOR SUPPORT: This process gets very lonely, so make sure you guys talk to each other in private about your frustrations and empathize with each other. I was in constant contact with a member here, and we would talk to each other regularly; supporting and keeping each other posted about what we do. It made things so much better knowing that I wasn't alone in my feelings and having someone to talk to. Trust me, it will help you lots.

Appreciation: Obviously we always thank mom whenever someone gets approved because she's our Wonderwoman and without her, we'd be fu***d. But I don't think you guys can apprehend how grateful we all should be for mom. No lawyer would help you with the way mom is, I literally paid 4 different lawyers for consultation and they all sucked. All they care about is the paycheck and don't give a crap about you. The quality of work and the amount of support mom gives is honestly incomparable. And she does all of this for free! Can you guys imagine? we have literally the best expert in this field helping us 24/7 for free?? idk how the hell I ended up in this forum but I'm sooo grateful man. @Sm1smom you honestly are the very best, idk how you can keep up with this rhythm, you've been doing this every day for years. I have so much respect for you and if anything, I hope we all get to pay it forward to other people as we move on in our respective lives. PS: also sorry for sometimes asking you dumb questions (it always cracked me up how you would roast me publicly every time I do it lol) and thank you for being so patient with me. God bless you @SusieQQQ @Britsimon and especially @Sm1smom.


I think I wrote everything I wanted. Sorry guys for the long dissertation. But I hope this will help make things easier on you, even for a bit. God bless you all and best of luck! I'll stay around to help y'all till the end! WE GOT YOUR BACK.
 
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Hi all,

I have my biometrics appointment in Seattle, WA this upcoming Monday July 26th.

Apologies for the obvious question, but I am nervous so getting confirmation from this forum might help :)

According to the I-797C notice I only need to bring the notice itself and photo ID. Is that really sufficient? Would there be a possible benefit if I bring additional documents?
 
Hi all,

I have my biometrics appointment in Seattle, WA this upcoming Monday July 26th.

Apologies for the obvious question, but I am nervous so getting confirmation from this forum might help :)

According to the I-797C notice I only need to bring the notice itself and photo ID. Is that really sufficient? Would there be a possible benefit if I bring additional documents?
Hey! Ur ID and ur notice should be enough. To be safe bring ur passport with u as an extra ID and u should be fine. The whole process took me 10 minutes
 
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