***FAQ***- Please check this thread before posting a question.

Meaning of Your Receipt:

Your Receipt:

http://www.bcis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/scnational/index.htm#E


http://www.bcis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/scnational/index.htm#D


As per the above website the below is the meaning of Receipt.

"After filing your application and paying your fees, you will receive a receipt number. These receipt numbers are very important. Please use these numbers whenever you write to us about your case, and whenever you contact us to find out about the status of your case.

The numbering system used on receipts has significance.

For most applications filed at a Service Center, your receipt may look like this: LIN 99 001 50001. In this example, the LIN represents the Nebraska Service Center, where the application was initially received into the electronic system. Cases that are filed at or received by another Service Center but processed at the NSC will generally carry the designation of the originating Service Center:

LIN = Lincoln, Nebraska or NSC
EAC = St. Albans, Vermont or VSC
SRC= Dallas, Texas or TSC
WAC= Laguna Niguel, California or CSC

In the example above:

The 99 represents the fiscal year (October 1, through September 30) in which the case was received.
The 001 represents the computer workday in the fiscal year on which the fee was taken.
The 50001 represents the particular case number.
For cases with particular case numbers starting with a 5, electronic case status information is available (see Finding the Status of Your Case, below). For cases with particular case numbers starting with a 0, you must write to request the status of your case."


http://www.visapro.com/US-Visa-Status.asp
 
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Clarification on Revoking I140/Denial of AOS

Okay here is what I found.

Check the below link on the new rules.

Based on this one can change employer before 180 days of I485 but should pray that your I485 will not be approved before 180 days. With the present processing timings people should be happy if their case is approved in 2 years so getting approved before 180 days is a remote possibility.

Also the 180 days always starts since when the I-485 is received by the BCIS irrespective of whether it is filed concurrently with I140 or after I140 is approved.

The key point to be noted is that the one should change employer only after I140 is approved.They can change employer before 180 days of I485 hoping that I1485 will not be approved before 180 days or change employer after 180 days on I485 if they want to be safe.

Also if the I-140 is withdrawn by the old employer on or after the 180 days on I1485 and the employee has not submitted evidence of a new employment to the USCIS, then USCIS will issue a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID). If the applicant answers the NOID by submitting evidence of a new offer of employment which is similar to the old Employment then the I-140 will remain valid and the I-485 will be processed normally.

http://uscis.gov/graphics/lawsregs/handbook/I140_AC21_8403.pdf

http://boards.immigration.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=103003

http://boards.immigration.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105828

http://immigration.about.com/library/weekly/aa090903b.htm

http://boards.immigration.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105353

Now how do you get the LC and I140 details for using AC21

Option 1) Request your Employer to give your LC and I140 paperwork.

If this does not work then

Option 2) Hire a new lawyer. Fillup new G28 and request the new lawyer to request your paperwork from your old lawyer. Generally lawyer to lawyer communication should work and you should receive all your info.

If this does not work then


Option 3) Check the below links

http://www.flcdatacenter.com/casesearchperm.asp

http://boards.immigration.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=92139

http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/g-639.htm

http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?threadid=83078

Wish you all the best.
 
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Driving licence link

Here is the link about driving licence for many states.

http://www.duncantaylor.com/k1stuff/k1driverslicence.html
 
Sample Interview Questionaire for obtaining a Visiting Visa in India

Courtesy : WEST MINISTER

Link

http://boards.immigration.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=103964

Folks,

Here's QA - General list for any one, the rest is specific to individual's family and may be different.

1. DID YOU GO TO ANY OTHER COUNTRY BEFORE?
ANS: NO
2. HAS YOUR VISA REJECTED BEFORE?
ANS: NO
3. WHEN ARE YOU TRAVELLING?
ANS: THIS NOVEMBER AS SOON AS I GET THE VISA
4. WHOM ARE YOU GOING TO VISIT?
ANS: MY ELDEST DAUGHTER(SPECIFY ELDEST DAUGHTER) AND MY SON-IN-LAW
5. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?
ANS: I AM A HOUSE WIFE.
6. WHY YOUR HUSBAND IS NOT COMING WITH YOU ..?? (OR) WHY ARE U GOING
ALONE?
(OR)WHY ARE YOU NOT TAKING YOUR HUSBAND WITH YOU?
ANS:HE WAS A BUSINESS MAN AND NOW HE IS RETIRED, HAS MANY RESPONSIBILITIES DUE TO WHICH CAN
NOT COME. ALSO OUR SECOND DAUGHTER IS WORKING HERE WHOM WE DONT WANT TO LEAVE BEHIND ALONE(THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT).
HENCE I DECIDED TO TRAVEL ALONE.
7. HOW MANY SONS DO YOU HAVE?WHAT IS HE DOING?
ANS: ONE SON. HE IS DOING HIS MASTERS AT XYZ UNIVERSITY U.K.
8. HOW MANY KIDS DO U HAVE ? OR ) HOW MANY ISSUES DO YOU HAVE?
ANS: TWO DAUGHTERS AND ONE SON
9. WHICH DAUGHTER IS IN THE US?
ANS: MY ELDEST DAUGHTER
10. WHERE DOES YOUR DAUGHTER LIVE?
ANS: SHE LIVES IN CITY NAME,US STATE(REMEMBER THIS)
11. WHAT'S YOUR YOUNGER DAUGHTER DOING?
ANS: SHE IS WORKING HERE IN INDIA
12. WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE OF VISITING?(OR) WHAT IS THE REASON FOR YOUR
INTENDED VISIT?
ANS: FOR TOURISM AND TO VISIT MY ELDEST DAUGHTER & SON-IN-LAW.
(OR)SIGHT-SEEING AND SOCIAL VISIT (TO SEE DAUGHTER AND SON-IN-LAW)
13. WHICH COMPANY IS YOUR SON-IN -LAW WORKING?
ANS:CURRENTLY HE IS WORKING FOR XYZ INC
14. WHEN DID HE JOIN THAT COMPANY AS A PERMENANT EMPLOYEE?
ANS:HE JOINED XYZ IN MONTH, 2003
15. WHY DO U WANT TO GO IN WINTER?
ANS: THEY WILL HAVE HOLIDAY SEASON IN WINTER AND HENCE THEY WILL GET
SOME MORE TIME TO SPEND WITH ME.
16. WHEN DID U LAST SEE YOUR DAUGHTER?SO WHY DO U WANT TO AGAIN SEE HER SO SOON?
ANS:IT HAS BEEN NEARLY TWO YEARS THAT I HAVE SEEN MY DAUGHTER. AS SOON
AS SHE GOT MARRIED SHE LEFT TO U.S TO STAY WITH MY SON-IN-LAW. SO ONLY I'M
GOING TO VISIT HER.
17. WHAT VISA DO U WANT SOCIAL (MEANS FAMILY PURPOSE VISIT)OR
TOURIST(FOR VISISTING PLACES)?
ANS:I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THESE CATEGORIES BUT I DO VISIT TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS AND ALSO WOULD LIKE TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH MY DAUGHTER'S FAMILY.
18. IF YOUR DAUGHTER WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN US WOULD YOU HAVE THOUGHT
OF GOING THERE?
ANS: TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, I MUST SAY ONE THING THAT I DO LIKE
VISTING PLACES WHEN THERE IS SOME POSSIBILITY.
20. HOW FAR IS YOUR SON-IN-LAWS OFFICE FROM THE HOUSE?
ANS:15-20 MINUTES DRIVE
21. CAN HE SPARE TIME TO SHOW YOU DIFFERENT PLACES?
ANS: I BELIEVE HE WILL
22. DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR DAUGHTERS ADDRESS? (I DONT THINK SO THEY WILL
ASK SUCH A QUESTION BUT IN CASE)
ANS:YES I DO. IT IS
1111 XYZ DRIVE,APT # F,
CITY NAME, VA-24141
23. WHAT IS YOUR HUSBAND'S INCOME?
ANS: HE'S RUNNING A WHOLESALE AGENCY, TYPICALLY HE EARNS 10000 RUPEES
PER MONTH (GIVE A BETTER ANSWER IF YOU THINK)
25. ON WHAT VISA YOUR SON-IN-LAW GO TO US?
ANS:HE WENT ON H-1B VISA
26. IS YOUR SON-IN-LAW A GREEN CARD HOLDER?
ANS: NO. HE APPLIED FOR GREEN CARD AND NOW HE IS IN ADJUDICATING OF
STATUS AS A PERMANENT RESIDENT.
27. WHAT DO YOUR SON-IN-LAW AND DAUGHTER DO IN US?
ANS:MY SON-IN-LAW WORKING AS A COMPUTER PROGRAMMER AND MY DAUGHTER IS
HOME MAKER.
30. HOW LONG DO YOU WANT TO STAY IN US?
ANS: PREFER 6 MONTHS SO OUR SON-IN-LAW AND DAUGHTER CAN TAKE ME AROUND
OVER MANY WEEKENDS.
31. WHO WILL PAY FOR ALL THE TRAVEL?
ANS: MY SON-IN-LAW.



Good luck
 
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Reasons for Transfer to Local Office

http://boards.immigration.com/showthread.php?threadid=99990

There are no specific reasons for transfers. However, based upon posts on various Internet forums, the following is observed so far as likely factors to trigger a transfer/interview (though applicability of any of the following doesn't necessarily guarantee a transfer):

1. Random "quality check" (meaning no specific reasons for transfer)

2. Married after filing I-485 (mostly to verify bona fide marriage)

3. Change of employer, residence, jurisdiction (mostly to verify AC21 related issues)

4. Positive for HIV, TB, during medical testing (mostly to verify continuing treatment)

5. National Interest Waiver based I-140 (mostly to verify if the applicant still works in the same area of national interest as argued in the pre-approved immigration petition)

6. Few EB-1 EA/OR based I-140 (mostly to check "public charge" information, meaning to verify financial self-reliability and if the employment is of EA or OR nature)

7. Not-readablity of two consecutive fingerprinting (mostly to collect police clearances)

8. "Hit" on fingerprinting (meaning if criminal record exists)

9. Applicants from countires that required special registration sometime ago

10. Non-conclusive or incomplete response to the RFE if any

The order in above list is just random and doesn't signify any hierarchy, and by no means is claimed to be complete.

Best wishes,

Jigesh

Disclaimer: Personal non-legal point of view only.


Excellent list -- jigesh
I found following from I-485 Standard Operating Procedure for a likely interview:

On a case-by-case basis, an officer may choose to relocate an I-485 for interview if he/she deems it necessary. Applications require a relocation if the officer determines:

* a need for validation for identity
* a need for validation of legal status
* questionable admissability and/or qualifications
* apparent fraud
* a second filing
* an applicant with fingerprinting rejected twice
* an applicant with medical conditions class A or B
* the A-file cannot be located at the time of adjudication


__________________
Lowell
--------------
RD March 2002
 
FingerPrinting FAQ

http://boards.immigration.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105110

Courtesy : jigesh

Fingerprinting related FAQs
There has been a lot of anxiety over the fingerprinting issues lately. I compiled following questions from various FAQs of this website. The answers are sometimes CSC-centric, but hopefully will be informative to others as well.

Q-1:What if I have been scheduled but my spouse and/or children have not been scheduled?

The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (“BCIS”, the new name for INS) uses a national scheduler computer generated system to schedule fingerprint appointments and it is possible that not all family members will be scheduled at the same time. We recommend that you wait and see if the appointment notices for your spouse and /or child(ren) arrive in the mail before your appointment date. If they do not, we suggest that your family members accompany you to the appointment. It is possible that the BCIS Application Support Center (ASC) will agree to take their fingerprints on the same day even though they do not have appointment notices. Be sure to take the I-485 receipt notices, photo identification (e.g., passports) and evidence of relationship (e.g., birth or marriage certificate) for family dependents with you. If ASC refuses to take the prints and/or your family members have still not received appointment notices for their own fingerprints, please contact our office and we will begin the inquiry process to have them scheduled.

Q-2:I have been scheduled for another fingerprint appointment although I have already had my fingerprints taken, do I still have to appear?

The BCIS notice indicates that you can disregard this appointment notice if you were fingerprinted within the last 90 days. Based on our experience, we believe that you should not disregard this notice even if you were recently fingerprinted. The BCIS uses a national scheduling system for fingerprint appointments and often times there are problems with the system. There have also been occasions when the FBI results were not properly relayed to your file with the BCIS. Therefore, it is better to return to the ASC to determine if your prints have “cleared” or if new prints are required.

Q-3:Can I go in and have my fingerprints taken before the date specified on my appointment notice?

You can try, but the ASC may refuse because normally they only fingerprint individuals who have appointments at the specified appointment time. However, some of our clients have been successful in being fingerprinted earlier than their scheduled appointment. Please note that the BCIS may not fingerprint you and if they do not, you will have wasted several hours at the ASC. Therefore, we recommend that you appear only on your scheduled appointment date and time.

Q-4:If I am unable to appear at the ASC assigned, can I go to another one? If so, how do I locate another ASC nearest my residence?

BCIS prefers that you to appear at the ASC which has been assigned to you. However, you may try to be fingerprinted at another ASC. Although the alternative ASC may not accept you, we have had clients who have successfully managed to have their fingerprints taken at an ASC which was different from the one listed on the fingerprint notice.

Q-5:I have been scheduled for another fingerprint appointment although I have already had my fingerprints taken, do I still have to appear?

The BCIS notice indicates that you can disregard this appointment notice if you were fingerprinted within the last 90 days. Based on our experience, we believe that you should not disregard this notice even if you were recently fingerprinted. The BCIS uses a national scheduling system for fingerprint appointments and often times there are problems with the system. There have also been occasions when the FBI results were not properly relayed to your file with the BCIS. Therefore, it is better to return to the ASC to determine if your prints have “cleared” or if new prints are required.


Q-6:For how long are fingerprints valid?

Fingerprints are valid for 15 months. If an I-485 application is pending beyond this period, BCIS will issue a new notice for the applicant to appear at an Application Support Center (ASC) office to be fingerprinted.

Q-7:If my fingerprints expire, can you contact the Service Center and ask them to reschedule me for new fingerprints?

The BCIS has advised us that this will be in the hands of the officer assigned to adjudicate your application and that we cannot request a new fingerprinting appointment. If the adjudication officer determines that the fingerprints have expired, s/he will order that a date be set to schedule a new fingerprint appointment. On a system-wide level, the CSC has stated that it is working on identifying applicants with expired fingerprints in order to schedule new fingerprint appointments. However, there is no guarantee that this will happen. Please note that there is currently no mechanism for attorneys or their clients to alert the CSC and request new fingerprint appointments. None of the other Service Centers have indicated that they will take any such action.


Last edited by jigesh on 24th November 2003 at 01:50 PM


Thank you jigesh for your excellent inputs
I would like to share some information about fingerprint quoted from the I-485 Standard Operating Procedure (09/28/01). This is not to be taken as an authoratative statement. But I advise people be cautious about the time frame of appearing for FP.

Quote:

Fingerprints are a requirement for all applicants 14 through 79 years old to determine if they have criminal histories.

Fingerprint Response Purge: The INS has established a 120-day waiting period from the date of the fingerprint scheduling to allow applicants to submit fingerprints. When an applicant fails to appear for fingerprinting or a response is not received within that 120-day period, and the applicant has otherwise not advised of INS of a change of address or requested that he be rescheduled, the case must be denied for abandonment.

At the time of adjudication, the file will contain a screen print of either FBI Query or the CLAIMS-based MRD Fingerprint Tracking System to indicate the present status of the fingerprint checks. .. The response is valid for 15 months from the date the FBI processed the fingerprints. A definitive response from the FBI regarding fingerprint clearances is required before the application can be approved or transferred to the local office for interview.

FBI response description:

If the FBI Response Description is
NON-IDENT or IDENT 1) and the (FP) date processed by FBI is less than 12 months old, route the file to Work Load Distribution; 2) and the (FP) date processed by FBI is more than 12 months but less than 15 months, route the file to INS and process as an expedite; 3) and the (FP) date processed by FBI is more than 15 months, annotate the worksheet and return the file to the monthly hold shelf for rescheduling.


__________________
Lowell
--------------
RD March 2002
 
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Follow to Join

Courtesy : googly

http://boards.immigration.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105537

Following to Join...step by step
Folks,

I have been a regular visitor of this forum and have gained tremendous support and advice from the other folks.

There is however a very litte information about follow-to-join procedure. So, I think it is my time to contribute...

My wifes case was approved today at Delhi consulate and here are the inputs:

- I applied for my 485 in Nov'01.
- I got EAD and AP after 6 months.
- I got married in April'03.
- I got my GC approved in July'03.
- I applied for my wifes I-824 in August'03.
- Got the 824 reciept from VSC, telling me it will take 180-999 days for approval.
- Once I got the 824 receipt notice, I send all the papers (DS230 I and II, Affidavit of support, origional I824 and orgional 485 approval notice (courtesy copy), bank statement, letter of employment, recent pay stubs, marriage certificate etc).
- Case created by New Delhi consulate in Oct'03.
- Interview was scheduled on 1st Dec'03.
- Recieve packet4, get the medical done etc in first week Nov'03.
- Wife goes for the interview and was out within less then an hour.
- People in consulate were very co-operative and understood the situation. She was not asked anything except for the regular questions.

The whole time, right from applying for 824 (which still says it will take another 999 days for approval) till getting approved is about 4 months.

I am glad to say that during all this time "New Delhi consulate was very-very responsive".

Regards,
 
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