MarineWife
Registered Users (C)
@ananga73
Rhetorical Question: How could you have gotten a green card if your 130 wasn't approved?
Rhetorical Question: How could you have gotten a green card if your 130 wasn't approved?
July 2011 Filers
- Thread starter mantikos
- Start date
Hello everyone!
I'm just stopping by to tell you about my day at the USCIS office today. This morning, I went to the office in Baltimore (same one where I had my interview last week) to hand deliver my completed I-693. I brought the notice that the IO gave to me during the interview. I went to the same office at around 10am, and was surprised that there was nobody in the waiting room! I think they only schedule interviews in the afternoon. I went to the window and told the receptionist that I was there to submit my requirement. He asked me for a referral slip but the IO didnt give me one so he called the IO who interviewed us and I was able to talk to her directly. She took my I-693 and then asked me to wait in the waiting area for a bit because her office is "a mess". After a while, she came and got me and let me in her office anyway and there I saw two big boxes and she said she's going to go though those today! She's very nice, and she remembered that I told her that we're moving out of state at the end of November. She was worried that the card might not make it to my address before I leave so she asked me if I can come back with my passport (I didn't have it with me this morning) so she can put a temporary stamp on it in case I have to travel out of the country. She then walked with me to the other office and consulted with another nice lady and told her that my husband's military and we're moving out of state soon and that she just approved my case today and she's worried that the card might not be able to make it. The other lady suggested that I get a passport picture taken at Fedex which was near the building and then come back and she'll give me a temporary green card. I did all that and after all these things, she handed me a temporary card with a stamp that says "Temporary I-551" and it's valid for 6months. They said that by the time we get to our new state, I'll be able to inform USCIS of the new address and then I can get the actual card from there, but they said that my temporary I-551 can be used to apply for jobs and to travel out of the country.
It was a good trip then, though it was sooo windy and chilly in Baltimore. I may not have the actual card, but at least I have something that represents it.
I hope everyone else is having a wonderful start of the weekend!
I'm just stopping by to tell you about my day at the USCIS office today. This morning, I went to the office in Baltimore (same one where I had my interview last week) to hand deliver my completed I-693. I brought the notice that the IO gave to me during the interview. I went to the same office at around 10am, and was surprised that there was nobody in the waiting room! I think they only schedule interviews in the afternoon. I went to the window and told the receptionist that I was there to submit my requirement. He asked me for a referral slip but the IO didnt give me one so he called the IO who interviewed us and I was able to talk to her directly. She took my I-693 and then asked me to wait in the waiting area for a bit because her office is "a mess". After a while, she came and got me and let me in her office anyway and there I saw two big boxes and she said she's going to go though those today! She's very nice, and she remembered that I told her that we're moving out of state at the end of November. She was worried that the card might not make it to my address before I leave so she asked me if I can come back with my passport (I didn't have it with me this morning) so she can put a temporary stamp on it in case I have to travel out of the country. She then walked with me to the other office and consulted with another nice lady and told her that my husband's military and we're moving out of state soon and that she just approved my case today and she's worried that the card might not be able to make it. The other lady suggested that I get a passport picture taken at Fedex which was near the building and then come back and she'll give me a temporary green card. I did all that and after all these things, she handed me a temporary card with a stamp that says "Temporary I-551" and it's valid for 6months. They said that by the time we get to our new state, I'll be able to inform USCIS of the new address and then I can get the actual card from there, but they said that my temporary I-551 can be used to apply for jobs and to travel out of the country.
It was a good trip then, though it was sooo windy and chilly in Baltimore. I may not have the actual card, but at least I have something that represents it.
I hope everyone else is having a wonderful start of the weekend!
MarineWife
Registered Users (C)
@xingxin
Sounds like the royal treatment!!! Good for you girl! Congrats!
And this weekend will be loads of fun cuz it's my birthdaaaayyyyy!!
Sounds like the royal treatment!!! Good for you girl! Congrats!
And this weekend will be loads of fun cuz it's my birthdaaaayyyyy!!
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ananga73
Registered Users (C)
Fabulouso! Talk about creativity going above and beyond the call of duty. Congratulations to you and kudos to that IO!!!
I did all that and after all these things, she handed me a temporary card with a stamp that says "Temporary I-551" and it's valid for 6months. They said that by the time we get to our new state, I'll be able to inform USCIS of the new address and then I can get the actual card from there, but they said that my temporary I-551 can be used to apply for jobs and to travel out of the country.
It was a good trip then, though it was sooo windy and chilly in Baltimore. I may not have the actual card, but at least I have something that represents it.
I hope everyone else is having a wonderful start of the weekend!
MarineWife: Thank you! The IO who interviewed us happened to be a daughter of the military so she said she knows about all the moving and such. I think that helped a lot.
ananga73: Thank you so much. You started the train, I'm just trying to follow
My status just got updated! My I-485 says "Card/Document Production".
ananga73: Thank you so much. You started the train, I'm just trying to follow
My status just got updated! My I-485 says "Card/Document Production".
Done and Done!
Okay, here goes. I'm probably one of the last of the July filers that just had the interview, thanks to my TWO RFEs! My interview was scheduled for 8 AM on a Monday in downtown Chicago. We live far FAR away in the suburbs and the drive with no traffic takes about an hour-fifteen. So we left at 5:45 AM... And got there at... wait for it... 8:45 AM. Yes, that's right! Suffice to say - there was traffic.
Anyhow, security check would have been uneventful except for the lockpick set that my husband carries in his wallet all the time for no reason other than to be bada$$ (Not really. He's had it forever and had forgotten it was in his wallet!). He had to step out, get rid of it and get back into the building. Heh. The lady that checked us in (You know the type - the one with no real power) pointed out to us elaborately that we were late. My husband simply said, 'Yep... We're late!' and that was all he said. She mumbled on for a while about how we might "have a situation" and have to wait all day as she handed us our pager.
We literally hadn't sat our behinds down in the chairs in the waiting area when the pager went off and the IO came to the door to take us to her office. She was very nice. I can't emphasize enough the difference in attitude between the check-in lady and the IO. Like I said, the people with real power aren't going to try to make you feel bad about things that are out of your hands - things like traffic. The IO made no mention of the fact that we were late. She started by having us take our oaths. And jumped right in with the standard 'Have you ever been to jail... Have you ever been a terrorist?' questions.
I should point out to everyone that my husband and I didn't hold hands, kiss, etc. like a lot of people seem to suggest people should at these things. Far from it. We were grumpy from not enough sleep, lack of caffeination, the terrible traffic and the check-in lady that had to very slowly refill her tea before she could check us in and point out our tardiness.
So anyway, the IO asked us pretty basic things - how we'd met, when we'd first met in person (we had originally met online), etc. I told her about how our wedding was cool because we got married exactly a year from the day we'd first met in person and also that my husband probably wouldn't remember any of the dates. Heh. We'd brought some pictures but we told her not to comment on any of them because we were not photo-people and that we were terribly embarrassed about having printed them out for the interview in the first place. She had my husband name a few people from our wedding pictures. She also kept a few pictures that we'd taken when we moved into the new home we are in the process of buying.
To me, she asked a few questions about where my husband's parents live and what we did on his birthday, which was last week. I told her we don't really do much for birthdays but that I'd technically bought him a lawnmower because when we bought it, I paid for it and it was his birthday. The IO wasn't overly casual, but sort of politely smiling pretty much the whole time. She probably figured we weren't super-enthusiastic about being there.
She then said she'd approve our case right away but that she'd probably need more paper documentation with both of our names on it (joint accounts, etc.) apart from the signed contract for our new home, just so when the case is reviewed, there's enough documentation. For some reason, I hadn't brought our insurance documents that I'd so meticulously printed out the night before. Heh. She said we could email/fax them to her when we got home. She gave us the routine information about how the green card would arrive in the mail and that it is conditional and that after 2 years, we'd have to get the condition removed on it. That was about it. We left, got some coffee and drove back home. I emailed her the rest of the documentation I'd promised and she emailed back thanking me. What a nice lady!
Whew. Glad that's all over. My point to everyone is this. Go in and be yourself. Unless you've got something to hide, please forget about the fake-PDA. I doubt that anyone's going to take your deliberate hand-holding at a government office as natural anyway.
Also, my case has apparently been officially approved to because the USCIS website says it's in Post Decision Activity. It's been a fun ride. Good luck to everyone else!
Okay, here goes. I'm probably one of the last of the July filers that just had the interview, thanks to my TWO RFEs! My interview was scheduled for 8 AM on a Monday in downtown Chicago. We live far FAR away in the suburbs and the drive with no traffic takes about an hour-fifteen. So we left at 5:45 AM... And got there at... wait for it... 8:45 AM. Yes, that's right! Suffice to say - there was traffic.
Anyhow, security check would have been uneventful except for the lockpick set that my husband carries in his wallet all the time for no reason other than to be bada$$ (Not really. He's had it forever and had forgotten it was in his wallet!). He had to step out, get rid of it and get back into the building. Heh. The lady that checked us in (You know the type - the one with no real power) pointed out to us elaborately that we were late. My husband simply said, 'Yep... We're late!' and that was all he said. She mumbled on for a while about how we might "have a situation" and have to wait all day as she handed us our pager.
We literally hadn't sat our behinds down in the chairs in the waiting area when the pager went off and the IO came to the door to take us to her office. She was very nice. I can't emphasize enough the difference in attitude between the check-in lady and the IO. Like I said, the people with real power aren't going to try to make you feel bad about things that are out of your hands - things like traffic. The IO made no mention of the fact that we were late. She started by having us take our oaths. And jumped right in with the standard 'Have you ever been to jail... Have you ever been a terrorist?' questions.
I should point out to everyone that my husband and I didn't hold hands, kiss, etc. like a lot of people seem to suggest people should at these things. Far from it. We were grumpy from not enough sleep, lack of caffeination, the terrible traffic and the check-in lady that had to very slowly refill her tea before she could check us in and point out our tardiness.
So anyway, the IO asked us pretty basic things - how we'd met, when we'd first met in person (we had originally met online), etc. I told her about how our wedding was cool because we got married exactly a year from the day we'd first met in person and also that my husband probably wouldn't remember any of the dates. Heh. We'd brought some pictures but we told her not to comment on any of them because we were not photo-people and that we were terribly embarrassed about having printed them out for the interview in the first place. She had my husband name a few people from our wedding pictures. She also kept a few pictures that we'd taken when we moved into the new home we are in the process of buying.
To me, she asked a few questions about where my husband's parents live and what we did on his birthday, which was last week. I told her we don't really do much for birthdays but that I'd technically bought him a lawnmower because when we bought it, I paid for it and it was his birthday. The IO wasn't overly casual, but sort of politely smiling pretty much the whole time. She probably figured we weren't super-enthusiastic about being there.
She then said she'd approve our case right away but that she'd probably need more paper documentation with both of our names on it (joint accounts, etc.) apart from the signed contract for our new home, just so when the case is reviewed, there's enough documentation. For some reason, I hadn't brought our insurance documents that I'd so meticulously printed out the night before. Heh. She said we could email/fax them to her when we got home. She gave us the routine information about how the green card would arrive in the mail and that it is conditional and that after 2 years, we'd have to get the condition removed on it. That was about it. We left, got some coffee and drove back home. I emailed her the rest of the documentation I'd promised and she emailed back thanking me. What a nice lady!
Whew. Glad that's all over. My point to everyone is this. Go in and be yourself. Unless you've got something to hide, please forget about the fake-PDA. I doubt that anyone's going to take your deliberate hand-holding at a government office as natural anyway.
Also, my case has apparently been officially approved to because the USCIS website says it's in Post Decision Activity. It's been a fun ride. Good luck to everyone else!
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Congratulations toxiq!
I really enjoyed reading your story. It was very entertaining! Thank you for taking time to write it.
I am still waiting on my actual card, but I'm also busy with packing. We start driving towards the West Coast (I currently live in the East) on Monday. This week is my last week living here. I am excited and at the same time clueless on what to expect.
Hopefully, the card gets here before we leave. Otherwise, I will have to wait until we get there.
Congratulations again.
I really enjoyed reading your story. It was very entertaining! Thank you for taking time to write it.
I am still waiting on my actual card, but I'm also busy with packing. We start driving towards the West Coast (I currently live in the East) on Monday. This week is my last week living here. I am excited and at the same time clueless on what to expect.
Hopefully, the card gets here before we leave. Otherwise, I will have to wait until we get there.
Congratulations again.
ananga73
Registered Users (C)
Congrats on going green! You're moving to the West Coast? Good for you!
Just received my green card today! Yay!
ananga73
Registered Users (C)
You go girl. Congrats on bringing the July train into the station without any mishaps. I believe all the July folks who were actively engaged on the forum are done. Now we can all ride off into the sunset, to meet again at the OK corral for the shoot out in 2013!
Hello ananga73!
Yes, I am moving to NV. We'll start our 7-day drive on Monday. My husband's being assigned there and I can now go with him.
I will miss the 4 seasons of Maryland though. And of course, I'll miss the beautiful places in DC! But I welcome the change. I'll still be here for our reunion after two years!
MarineWife
Registered Users (C)
Hello ananga73!
Yes, I am moving to NV. We'll start our 7-day drive on Monday. My husband's being assigned there and I can now go with him.
I'll still be here for our reunion after two years!
Good luck with the move! I'll enjoy DC for you
@toxiq
Congrats!!!!
I guess i am the only one who still didn't receive his green card. I have been accepted since Nov 2, 2011 received a text/email saying that they sent me a notice saying that they approved my I 485 but until today still no GREEN CARD. Hope it will come soon. Tired of waiting for the mailman everyday lool
I received mine on Nov 12th !! and they never sent me an update saying that they sent the Green Card. My GC came with the notice same envelope hang in there ull get it soon
Hi hmz!
I can totally relate to that! I had RFE for the medical form even before I did my biometrics. And I didnt hear from them about it after that so I thought it was all good. My interview was a couple of months after and during the interview, the IO told us we need to bring her a new form that is COMPLETELY filled out by the civil surgeon because he apparently missed one number (one measly check) on the form we submitted (which was already a response to the RFE we received).
But it'll get better. It can only get better. Just be patient.
Early July filer -- still no approval
Is anyone here from NYC/NJ area who have files in July for family based green card ?
07.14.11: Mailed I-130,I-485 (Chicago Lockbox)
07.17.11: Delivery Confirmed
07.25.11: NOA-i-485 & i-765 rcvd
07.30.11: NOA-i-130 rcvd
08.06.11: Got mail saying RFEs (I-485) rcvd
09.16.11: After inquiring came to know there is no RFE and also a letter stating the same
09.24.11: Finger Printing completed
10.11.11: EAD Card Recvd
Is anyone here from NYC/NJ area who have files in July for family based green card ?
07.14.11: Mailed I-130,I-485 (Chicago Lockbox)
07.17.11: Delivery Confirmed
07.25.11: NOA-i-485 & i-765 rcvd
07.30.11: NOA-i-130 rcvd
08.06.11: Got mail saying RFEs (I-485) rcvd
09.16.11: After inquiring came to know there is no RFE and also a letter stating the same
09.24.11: Finger Printing completed
10.11.11: EAD Card Recvd
Hi hmz!
I can totally relate to that! I had RFE for the medical form even before I did my biometrics. And I didnt hear from them about it after that so I thought it was all good. My interview was a couple of months after and during the interview, the IO told us we need to bring her a new form that is COMPLETELY filled out by the civil surgeon because he apparently missed one number (one measly check) on the form we submitted (which was already a response to the RFE we received).
But it'll get better. It can only get better. Just be patient.
Yeah, the patience is driving me nuts. Long story short I am petitioning a parent and at the interview the IO officer requested a marriage cert., or divorce cert., either one, and we didn't have it. So she gave us her direct fax number and told us to fax within 2 days or just mail it if it's after 2 days. Faxed the documents 3 hours after the interview and silence since then. She said everything was fine, she just needed that to approve the case. The online tracking updates have been very unreliable since the beginning. Haven't heard about faxing documents to an IO though
. Now it's bugging me if she is got it or no, or the faxing quality is good enough. A lot of things in my mind now.
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