Follow To Join....

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mojavetoo said:
The USCIS does not contact Guangzhou.
When the I-824 is approved, the State Dept in
Washington DC gets a Consular Notification notice
with your details from Vermont USCIS.

Then then State Dept sends your information to Guangzhou.
I think it goes over as an encrypted telegram.

I got an RFE on the I-824 and just replied on Friday 6/24.
So I do know yet. When was your I-824 approved?

Just email the Guangzhou Consulate and request them
to notify you when they receive your information.
Click to expand...

I got email back. It said ,this office has not received my wife's case from the USCIS. They will continue processing her case after receiving the petition from the USCIS. They didnot answer me what kinds of document need to be sent them for follow to join case. How can I do now? That is frustration. Thanks.
 
I-824 Cable notification

ASDFGHJKL123 said:
I got I-824 approved on 6/22. I heard somebody said USCIS directly send copy approval of my I-485 to consulate. I did I-824 application in Texas USCIS.How do I know case goes to Vermont USCIS. I am confused. Can you explain in detail? I sent email to Guangzhou consulate,email said I already got I-824 approved, what document I need for follow to join case application? Do you think my question is ok? Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...

Ok, since you're from the Texas USCIS (TSC), then your I-824 Consular
Notification will be sent from the TSC to the State Dept.
Next the State Dept will send the cable telegram to Guangzhou.
It takes a few days to a few weeks,
only God knows when it's going to get to China.

For Follow-To-Join documents, I received this email from Guangzhou:

If you provide the following materials, we will set up a file for your case:

--The original or attorney-certified copy of CIS approval letter with
priority date,either I-824, I-485 or I-140;

--An attorney-certified photocopied Permanent Resident card of the
principal applicant;

--Your notarized marriage certificate together with the notarized birth
certificate of your spouse;

--Your spouse's Chinese address including zip code and telephone number.

So send over, attorney-certified or notarized copies
of your I-824, I-140 and I-485 approval notices (Front and back).

Ask your wife to notarize (gong zheng) her Birth Cert and Marriage Cert.
Tell the Gong Zheng office it is for American Consulate because
they know the American Consulate format is different. I think
it costs RMB 400 per copy. So make 2 copies each. Because
you need to send away one copy.
And use a second copy during the interview.

Your wife's address is simple, just the address in English with pinyin.
For example, No.1 Shamian Nan Jie, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, etc.
Also don't forget to add your wife's phone number to the address.
 
thank you very much

mojavetoo said:
Ok, since you're from the Texas USCIS (TSC), then your I-824 Consular
Notification will be sent from the TSC to the State Dept.
Next the State Dept will send the cable telegram to Guangzhou.
It takes a few days to a few weeks,
only God knows when it's going to get to China.

For Follow-To-Join documents, I received this email from Guangzhou:

If you provide the following materials, we will set up a file for your case:

--The original or attorney-certified copy of CIS approval letter with
priority date,either I-824, I-485 or I-140;

--An attorney-certified photocopied Permanent Resident card of the
principal applicant;

--Your notarized marriage certificate together with the notarized birth
certificate of your spouse;

--Your spouse's Chinese address including zip code and telephone number.

So send over, attorney-certified or notarized copies
of your I-824, I-140 and I-485 approval notices (Front and back).

Ask your wife to notarize (gong zheng) her Birth Cert and Marriage Cert.
Tell the Gong Zheng office it is for American Consulate because
they know the American Consulate format is different. I think
it costs RMB 400 per copy. So make 2 copies each. Because
you need to send away one copy.
And use a second copy during the interview.

Your wife's address is simple, just the address in English with pinyin.
For example, No.1 Shamian Nan Jie, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, etc.
Also don't forget to add your wife's phone number to the address.
Click to expand...

mojavetoo,

Thank you very much. What you said really helps me. You are so nice person. But I just got my I-824 approved online and not get notice yet now. Also I returned my I-485 approval notice to immigrant officer when I did ADIT in local USCIS. But I had I-140 approval notice . I already got plastic green card. My wife had her notarized Birth Cert and Marriage Cert. My Marriage Cert didn't get notarized, do you think it is ok or not? Also do you know what attorney-certified copy is. My lawer in US took me $1000 for my wife's case. Can I ask him to do this thing? Many thanks and good luck to you.
 
Legal Documents

ASDFGHJKL123 said:
mojavetoo,

Thank you very much. What you said really helps me. You are so nice person. But I just got my I-824 approved online and not get notice yet now. Also I returned my I-485 approval notice to immigrant officer when I did ADIT in local USCIS. But I had I-140 approval notice . I already got plastic green card. My wife had her notarized Birth Cert and Marriage Cert. My Marriage Cert didn't get notarized, do you think it is ok or not? Also do you know what attorney-certified copy is. My lawer in US took me $1000 for my wife's case. Can I ask him to do this thing? Many thanks and good luck to you.
Click to expand...



Attorney-certified means your lawyer will sign and authenticate
the copy you are submitting to Guangzhou is a true copy.
He should not charge you extra fees merely to sign documents.
If he does, then you shouldn't pay more than US$10 per document.
Otherwise, just go to a Public Notary. They are listed in the Yellow Pages.
I think $1000 is alright.

All documents that are being submitted to Guangzhou needs to be
attorney-certified or notarized. That's the rule. So your Marriage cert
must be from the Gong Zheng and formatted specially for the US Consulate.
All Gong Zheng offices in China know about this.

You and your wife need to make copies of all forms/documents
sent to the consulate. This is ensure that you have a record of
what was sent.

All the best ;)
 
mojavetoo said:
Attorney-certified means your lawyer will sign and authenticate
the copy you are submitting to Guangzhou is a true copy.
He should not charge you extra fees merely to sign documents.
If he does, then you shouldn't pay more than US$10 per document.
Otherwise, just go to a Public Notary. They are listed in the Yellow Pages.
I think $1000 is alright.

All documents that are being submitted to Guangzhou needs to be
attorney-certified or notarized. That's the rule. So your Marriage cert
must be from the Gong Zheng and formatted specially for the US Consulate.
All Gong Zheng offices in China know about this.

You and your wife need to make copies of all forms/documents
sent to the consulate. This is ensure that you have a record of
what was sent.

All the best ;)
Click to expand...


Thank you so much. Do I need also to submit the certified copy of my passport to the Guangzhou consulate? Can I send I-140 without I-485?to those guys? Do they need both mine and my wife's notarized marriage certificate? Thanks a lot.
 
I824

Dear Friends,

My I824's RD is Oct. 4, 2004 in california center. But I have not got anything from them so far. They always told me it is still pending when I called. Does anyone else here have the same situation? What can I do to push them to process my case?

I need set up a FTJ case for my husband in Guangzhou. The immigration Unit said they cannnot set up a case without direct notice from USCIS.

Have anyone got their visa from guangzhou via FTJ? How long will it take after I824 approval? Any information is welcome.
 
Hi Everyone,

I would like to post my experiences with the follow-to-join process. As I have got so much from this forum, I thought I would give back some. Here is a rough timeline-
Got married - Apr04
My GC approved - Jun04
Applied for I-824 - Aug04
I-824 approved - Feb05
Sent docs to chennai consulate - Mar05
Case created - Apr05
Interview - Jun05
Approved - same day
Got passport with IV stamp - next day
Entered US - a few days later

As you can see I took the long route of waiting for the I-824 approval. I didn't know one could apply with just the receipt (I came to the forum a little late). Other notes-
- You *must* send the DS230-I and other docs (listed in this forum) to the consulate to initiate the FTJ application. Do not assume that the I-824 approval itself is enough.
- You can check the current processing dates of your I-824 at the USCIS website (https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/index.jsp). It is very specific to your processing ceter. You can also check the status of your case there. This is generally very accurate. But again, you don't really need the I-824 as shown by the experiences of many in this forum.
- Make sure to take all your old passports as well to the consulate interview.
 
ASDFGHJKL123 said:
Thank you so much. Do I need also to submit the certified copy of my passport to the Guangzhou consulate? Can I send I-140 without I-485?to those guys? Do they need both mine and my wife's notarized marriage certificate? Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...


You could try just sending the I-140.
If they require the I-485 then they will ask you.
The risk is, you waste time right? Why not send both to them ;)

The notarized marriage cert can be your copy or your wife's copy.
It doesn't matter.
Just make sure you send it to them quickly.
 
Expedite Request

snowflake66 said:
Dear Friends,

My I824's RD is Oct. 4, 2004 in california center. But I have not got anything from them so far. They always told me it is still pending when I called. Does anyone else here have the same situation? What can I do to push them to process my case?

I need set up a FTJ case for my husband in Guangzhou. The immigration Unit said they cannnot set up a case without direct notice from USCIS.

Have anyone got their visa from guangzhou via FTJ? How long will it take after I824 approval? Any information is welcome.
Click to expand...

You should push them with a Expedite Request.
http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/california/aboutus.htm

They should have already processed your case.
Right now, CSC is processing I-824's from JAN 15, 2005.
So your case is quite late.

I hope you didn't get your Green Card via Employment Based (EB3)
category. Because the visa numbers (for FTJ cases) are already
gone for this Fiscal Year :mad:

The new numbers will be issued after Oct 1, 2005.
 
Passport

ASDFGHJKL123 said:
Thank you so much. Do I need also to submit the certified copy of my passport to the Guangzhou consulate?
Click to expand...

I sent in the personal information page and the page with
the ADIT (Green Card Stamp) from my passport.

It's also attorney-certified.
 
Appointment Timeline in Chenni.

I am a GC holder for the past 3+ yrs and would like to get a GC for my spouse using the FTJ. She was on J1 visa and she will be completing her 3 yr requirment in March 2006. I have apllied for 1-824 about 4 months ago and Chenni cosulate has sent me a packet asking for Security clearence, marriage certificate etc... I would like to know how long before March 2006 should we mail the application so we can get the appointment in March. Is there any tracker to check how long Chenni consulate takes to give an appointment. Thanks.
 
I-824

ftj91 said:
Hi Everyone,

I would like to post my experiences with the follow-to-join process. As I have got so much from this forum, I thought I would give back some. Here is a rough timeline-
Got married - Apr04
My GC approved - Jun04
Applied for I-824 - Aug04
I-824 approved - Feb05
Sent docs to chennai consulate - Mar05
Case created - Apr05
Interview - Jun05
Approved - same day
Got passport with IV stamp - next day
Entered US - a few days later

As you can see I took the long route of waiting for the I-824 approval. I didn't know one could apply with just the receipt (I came to the forum a little late). Other notes-
- You *must* send the DS230-I and other docs (listed in this forum) to the consulate to initiate the FTJ application. Do not assume that the I-824 approval itself is enough.
- You can check the current processing dates of your I-824 at the USCIS website (https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/index.jsp). It is very specific to your processing ceter. You can also check the status of your case there. This is generally very accurate. But again, you don't really need the I-824 as shown by the experiences of many in this forum.
- Make sure to take all your old passports as well to the consulate interview.
Click to expand...

From reading the posts on this forum, the I-824 is not required for
only the US Consulate in Chennai.

Other consulates in Turkey, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Bangladesh, etc
require direct notification from USCIS via the I-824. I tried unsuccessfully
to get the US Consulate in China (Guangzhou) to do a VISAS BADGER
for me. But the people who answer my email request doesn't seem to
have a clue. And I also noticed they are not adequately staffed.
 
how to do the Expedite Request

mojavetoo said:
You should push them with a Expedite Request.
http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/california/aboutus.htm

They should have already processed your case.
Right now, CSC is processing I-824's from JAN 15, 2005.
So your case is quite late.

I hope you didn't get your Green Card via Employment Based (EB3)
category. Because the visa numbers (for FTJ cases) are already
gone for this Fiscal Year :mad:

The new numbers will be issued after Oct 1, 2005.
Click to expand...


Thanks for your reply. My case is really late, comparing their process time. I called them several times, but nothing happened so far. My lawyer sent a fax requiry 2 months ago, but he has not heard anything from CSC.I got my green card with EB1.
Do you know how to do the Expedite Request, what documents do I need to send to CSC? Thanks.
 
Expedite Request

snowflake66 said:
Thanks for your reply. My case is really late, comparing their process time. I called them several times, but nothing happened so far. My lawyer sent a fax requiry 2 months ago, but he has not heard anything from CSC.I got my green card with EB1.
Do you know how to do the Expedite Request, what documents do I need to send to CSC? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Since your attorney has already sent them a request, it
would be better to just wait. If you don't want to wait,
all you would need to do is write a simple letter
outlining the reason(s) why you are requesting them to
adjudicate your I-824 now. The main reason is they are more than
30 days beyond the receipt date on your petition.

This is what USCIS says:

General Expedite Procedures:
A detailed explanation of the situation should be provided in a one-page support letter prepared and signed by the petitioner or the applicant. The expedite request can be submitted by mail or fax. When mailing, mark the envelope with a red dot and send the request via bonded courier or other overnight delivery service to:


USCIS
California Service Center
24000 Avila Road, 2nd Floor, Room 2302
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677


When faxing, send all of the required material to the Service Center at the following fax numbers:

(949) 389-3055 I-131, I-360, I-526, I-829
(949) 389-3197 I-129
(949) 389-3482 I-130
(949) 389-3484 I-765
(949) 389-3485 I-90
(949) 389-3486 I-140, I-485
(949) 389-3402 I-102, I-539
(949) 389-3219 I-129F, I-751
(949) 389-3198 I-821, I-817, N400
(949) 389-8690 I-212, I-612, I-824, NACARA I-881
(949) 389-8691 "Green Card" Issues or any other issues
(949) 389-3460 Non-Immigrant Premium Processing

Cases will not be expedited if they are not clearly approvable. Requests to expedite petitions or applications that are incomplete will not be granted. All supporting documents not in English must include a certified translation. See “Documents Not in English" section. Please see our USCIS Expedited Criteria guidance. There is no appeal of the denial of an expedite request.

Don't worry, I think when your I-824 gets approved,
your husband should have his visa done in about 3 months.
In the meantime you should start gathering the other
documents i.e marriage cert, birth cert, notarizing documents etc.

Good luck
 
ftj91 said:
Hi Everyone,

I would like to post my experiences with the follow-to-join process. As I have got so much from this forum, I thought I would give back some. Here is a rough timeline-
Got married - Apr04
My GC approved - Jun04
Applied for I-824 - Aug04
I-824 approved - Feb05
Sent docs to chennai consulate - Mar05
Case created - Apr05
Interview - Jun05
Approved - same day
Got passport with IV stamp - next day
Entered US - a few days later

As you can see I took the long route of waiting for the I-824 approval. I didn't know one could apply with just the receipt (I came to the forum a little late). Other notes-
- You *must* send the DS230-I and other docs (listed in this forum) to the consulate to initiate the FTJ application. Do not assume that the I-824 approval itself is enough.
- You can check the current processing dates of your I-824 at the USCIS website (https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/index.jsp). It is very specific to your processing ceter. You can also check the status of your case there. This is generally very accurate. But again, you don't really need the I-824 as shown by the experiences of many in this forum.
- Make sure to take all your old passports as well to the consulate interview.
Click to expand...

I am going to send support docs to Guangzhou consulate for my wife's ftj case. What is other docs except DS230-I? Can you make a list for that? Because your case is kind of new, which is better to follow. Did you send DS230-II and vaccination evidence? Thanks a lot.
 
My Brothers CAse # was created in 3 DAYS

i has submitted all the papers required to the Mumbai Consulate on Monday... and i got a mail today with a case number and request for DS-230..
I am glad got a case number before the 30th of June...

:)
 
This is the mail I got from the chennai consulate (You should email your consulate - they might have specific requirements) -

For following to join cases, we need confirmation of principal applicant’s Legal Permanent Resident Status (LPR) from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

To process the case further, please send the following certified (attorney or notary) copies to our office.

1. Copy of I-797c of approved I-824;
2. Copy of I-797c of approved I-140;
3. Copy of permanent resident's I-551 (better known as green card, both sides);
4. Complete copy of principal applicant's passport with evidence of admission as Legal Permanent Resident;

Also, please include the copies of marriage certificate, visa applicant's birth certificate , complete local address in India and DS-230 Part I.
 
FTJ in Guangzhou

mojavetoo said:
Since your attorney has already sent them a request, it
would be better to just wait. If you don't want to wait,
all you would need to do is write a simple letter
outlining the reason(s) why you are requesting them to
adjudicate your I-824 now. The main reason is they are more than
30 days beyond the receipt date on your petition.

This is what USCIS says:

General Expedite Procedures:
A detailed explanation of the situation should be provided in a one-page support letter prepared and signed by the petitioner or the applicant. The expedite request can be submitted by mail or fax. When mailing, mark the envelope with a red dot and send the request via bonded courier or other overnight delivery service to:


USCIS
California Service Center
24000 Avila Road, 2nd Floor, Room 2302
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677


When faxing, send all of the required material to the Service Center at the following fax numbers:

(949) 389-3055 I-131, I-360, I-526, I-829
(949) 389-3197 I-129
(949) 389-3482 I-130
(949) 389-3484 I-765
(949) 389-3485 I-90
(949) 389-3486 I-140, I-485
(949) 389-3402 I-102, I-539
(949) 389-3219 I-129F, I-751
(949) 389-3198 I-821, I-817, N400
(949) 389-8690 I-212, I-612, I-824, NACARA I-881
(949) 389-8691 "Green Card" Issues or any other issues
(949) 389-3460 Non-Immigrant Premium Processing

Cases will not be expedited if they are not clearly approvable. Requests to expedite petitions or applications that are incomplete will not be granted. All supporting documents not in English must include a certified translation. See “Documents Not in English" section. Please see our USCIS Expedited Criteria guidance. There is no appeal of the denial of an expedite request.

Don't worry, I think when your I-824 gets approved,
your husband should have his visa done in about 3 months.
In the meantime you should start gathering the other
documents i.e marriage cert, birth cert, notarizing documents etc.

Good luck
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the information. Hopefully my I824 can get approved soon.
 
ftj91 said:
This is the mail I got from the chennai consulate (You should email your consulate - they might have specific requirements) -

For following to join cases, we need confirmation of principal applicant’s Legal Permanent Resident Status (LPR) from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

To process the case further, please send the following certified (attorney or notary) copies to our office.

1. Copy of I-797c of approved I-824;
2. Copy of I-797c of approved I-140;
3. Copy of permanent resident's I-551 (better known as green card, both sides);
4. Complete copy of principal applicant's passport with evidence of admission as Legal Permanent Resident;

Also, please include the copies of marriage certificate, visa applicant's birth certificate , complete local address in India and DS-230 Part I.
Click to expand...

Hi ftj91,
The mail clearly says that approved I824 was required by chennai consulate. But you mentioned in the post and also people's experience on the forum says that an approved I-824 is not required to initiate the case. So my question is was this email to the consulate dated in 2004. And I am hearing that DS230-part I needs to be part of the initial set of documents. I thought this would be part of the packet 3 sent to my spouse.
And another question was relating to the point (4). evidence of admission as LPR. I don't have any stamping in the passport as LPR. I just got my green card to begin with. So I am not too sure what that means in my case. any ideas.
Thanks for the info posted on the forum.

-calerius
 
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