Newark local office transfer: tracker

Face time with the INS Officer

Dear NJJ:

Sorry, I don't have much info to provide. There was a confusion in my case regarding the spelling of my name and use of different alien numbers in different documents. Your case is different - confusion is about employment absed versus family based. Only thing I wanted to tell you in my last post was that, just in case the officer talks about postponing you case till further review to clarify confusion, don't give up. Talk with him and explain to him. Show him any documents that you may have that validate it is an employment based case. Example: If I remeber right, I-140 is only for employment based cases and not family based cases. If so, you can show I-140 approval to prove that yours is an employment based case.

The point I want to make is, this is the only FACE-TIME you are getting with the INS officer. Everyone knows how difficult it is to explain anything on the 1-800 number. So, try to use the face-time properly instead of being afraid. That is all the information I can provide. Hope that is useful to you. Actually, I hope you don't have to use this info and the Officer clears your case without any problems.
 
tax returns for interview

Dear GlenMD:

I had filed my taxes for two years electronically. So, for those 2 years, I took the electronic receipt confirmation note and number. The other two years, I did my taxes through H&R Block. I had a H&R BLock signed 1040 with me for those two years and I took that.

I am not aware whether certified Income Tax returns from IRS can be obtained or not. I did not think of that and did not take them with me.

glenmd said:
Hi wenben,

Did you get the certified Income tax returns from IRS?

Did you used the 1040 (while filing the Tax returns)?

Did you also take the W2 also with you??

Can you please clarify above doubts.

Thanks
GlenMD
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Hi, Wen Ben,

Thanks so much for your reply and suggestions. I will definitely treasure the face time and fight for myself untile they approve my case if there is any reason they don't want to stamp my passport on the spot. :) I have waited almost 3 years and I don't want to wait any longer.

Now I have another question for you (sorry for keep asking you questions). I saw one of your post regarding the tax returns, I never neither asked somebody to prepare the tax returns for me nor filed it electronically. I always filled it out myself and just make a copy of the Form 1040 before I sent it to IRS. Is it the right tax return form we should bring for the interview? If it is, then how I can convince the officer that I did file these tax returns? I never heard anything about the confirmation letter from IRS.

Thanks,

NJJ
 
Hi NJJ

I think you got everything needed....just finished copying everything myself....the moment I've been waiting for is only a few days away and its really making me very nervous....but I know a lot of people are praying for me and will just hope for the best.........I will inform you what the result asap.

Best regards,

mjr_jcnj
 
Hi All,

I wanted to ask you a question on Medical.

If we have sent the medicals while filing I-485, is there a need to go for a second medical again and carry the Medicals(even though INS doesnt ask for them) with us if by chance if the officer asks for it.

Can anybody throw some light on this.

Thanks
GlenMd
 
Hi NJJ,

Congratulations and good luck for your interview!!

S Mathew

NJJ said:
Hi, Wen Ben,

Thanks so much for your reply and suggestions. I will definitely treasure the face time and fight for myself untile they approve my case if there is any reason they don't want to stamp my passport on the spot. :) I have waited almost 3 years and I don't want to wait any longer.

Now I have another question for you (sorry for keep asking you questions). I saw one of your post regarding the tax returns, I never neither asked somebody to prepare the tax returns for me nor filed it electronically. I always filled it out myself and just make a copy of the Form 1040 before I sent it to IRS. Is it the right tax return form we should bring for the interview? If it is, then how I can convince the officer that I did file these tax returns? I never heard anything about the confirmation letter from IRS.

Thanks,

NJJ
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HI mjr_jcnj,

Congratulations and good luck to you also.

S Mathew.

mjr_jcnj said:
Hi NJJ

I think you got everything needed....just finished copying everything myself....the moment I've been waiting for is only a few days away and its really making me very nervous....but I know a lot of people are praying for me and will just hope for the best.........I will inform you what the result asap.

Best regards,

mjr_jcnj
Click to expand...
 
Hi NJJ

I too never heard of a confirmation letter from IRS. My personal opinion, based on the interview I attended in which the Officer went through the document but did not ask any question about whether the 1040 is original or not, you should be ok if you give him the copy of your file 1040. I am sure, if they want to, they have other ways of checking with IRS what the total amount of your filing is. Again, this my personal, non-legal opinion.

Wish you and other all the best for your interviews.

NJJ said:
Hi, Wen Ben,

Thanks so much for your reply and suggestions. I will definitely treasure the face time and fight for myself untile they approve my case if there is any reason they don't want to stamp my passport on the spot. :) I have waited almost 3 years and I don't want to wait any longer.

Now I have another question for you (sorry for keep asking you questions). I saw one of your post regarding the tax returns, I never neither asked somebody to prepare the tax returns for me nor filed it electronically. I always filled it out myself and just make a copy of the Form 1040 before I sent it to IRS. Is it the right tax return form we should bring for the interview? If it is, then how I can convince the officer that I did file these tax returns? I never heard anything about the confirmation letter from IRS.

Thanks,

NJJ
Click to expand...
 
reply for all the previous posters

Just some tips (may or may not be useful but nevertheless)

irs tax transcripts: call 1-800-tax-1040 and request the transcripts for the yr that you are interested in. It is free and you get it within 10 days.

Medicals: you can go to your doctor and request for a second original for medical if they were recently done. might need to pay 15-25 $ for that. this is in case the officer doesn't have ur original and they may be ready to acept the new original set. But if these medicals were more than a yr back, I would probably just get a new set done. After waiting for 3 years, do you really want your case not to be decided just because ur medicals were missing. How much money/time/stress would you be spending if the case is not approved at that time and you have to keep going back to local office.

Sometimes visa numbers are not immediately available or machines are not working >- politely offer to wait if the problem is fixable. many times it is.

take everthing neatly in separate compartments or folders clearly marked. you dont want to fumble or dont want to miss a document because it was misplaced. also sort everything out the day before the interview. Stress hormones are already high up on the D day and you dont want to use that precious time to organize the "documents"

Dont keep any relevant documents at home. You can always keep the extra ones in the car. Its easier to go to the car to fetch them than to go home to get them

Best Wishes to all.
 
Hi NJJ,

do you get something in the mail from the IRS that shows how much you've contirbuted since you started paying taxes. I get that at least 2x a year and I would suggest that you bring that too.

Regards,

mjr_jcnj
 
Hi, glenmd,

Although people in this forum said there was no use to redo the medical, I still did it again in case the officer did ask the update one. It only cost us less than 100 dollars per person since we don't need to redo those vaccine shots. While one of my friend redo the medical also and he told me the officer didn't even mention the medical during the interview. So it is totally up to you.
 
Hi, ag28,

Thanks so much for these tips. They are very useful. I will bear them in mind during the interview.

Here is a question, does that mean our name/background check is done once we got the interview notice? I know two years ago some people went through the interview and at the end the officer said the interview was OK but since the name check was not done, he couldn't stamp the passport at the spot until the name check was clear. Some of my friends said it was not the same situation now and only your name check is clear they will send you the interview notice. Is it true? I am trying to do the name check by calling the FBI number but seems it takes two weeks to get the results.

NJJ
 
Hi, mjr_jcnj,

No, I never got anything like that from IRS. But I will follow ag28's suggestion to get the transcript from IRS.
 
Dear ag28:

The information u provided about 1-800-tax-1040 is great. I am sure lot of people will find that very useful. I agree on the clearly marked documentation also. I had the originals in one file, with seperators clearly marking each document type. I printed cover sheets (one for each document type) and stapled those cover sheets to the photocopies. Not to impress the INS officer (that may be true too!!) but to make sure that I don't miss out any document and to quickly qive it to the officer when he asks for it.

Dear NJJ:
On the name check question, a friend of mine who got interviewed recently was told that his fingerprints have not come back from FBI and the name check is not done (are they one and the same?). He showed the officer the receipt he had for the fringerprints. He got this receipt when he got his fingerprints done. It is basically an application form he filled up when he went for fingerprints and the fingerprinting clerk signed on it. He siad that when he showed the receipt, officer went ahead and cleared his case. You may be better off taking your receipt with you.

Disclaimer: Perosnal opinion only. Not legal opinion.

ag28 said:
Just some tips (may or may not be useful but nevertheless)

irs tax transcripts: call 1-800-tax-1040 and request the transcripts for the yr that you are interested in. It is free and you get it within 10 days.

Sometimes visa numbers are not immediately available or machines are not working >- politely offer to wait if the problem is fixable. many times it is.

take everthing neatly in separate compartments or folders clearly marked. you dont want to fumble or dont want to miss a document because it was misplaced. also sort everything out the day before the interview. Stress hormones are already high up on the D day and you dont want to use that precious time to organize the "documents"

Dont keep any relevant documents at home. You can always keep the extra ones in the car. Its easier to go to the car to fetch them than to go home to get them

Best Wishes to all.
Click to expand...
 
Interviewed and PP stamped today, thank God !

Hi, there,

Just want to share the news with you, My family ( wife, kid and I ) got interviewed and PP stamped after that. Thank you for all your help, it is the most wonderful forum I have ever seen. Best wishes to all of you.

Scheduled interview 8:00Am, 09/22, got there 8:15AM, go into the mail entrance with appointment letter. Up to the 13th floor, show PP and letter and let in, called in about 9:00AM, came out 9:15AM, it is a quite smooth experience. I took everything with me I could think about, place in seperate folder for original and copy set each, the officer has a big pile of document on the desk, she looked through all the stuff quickly, the only thing she asked me to show is the current employmenht letter and W2 in the past years, not even the paystub, other questions are route ones, you just need to say yes or no.

It seems to me that the suggestion would be prepared all the stuff, calm down, speak less, show what they want, you have nothing to worry about only because you deserve that damn GC after so many years waiting.

My case info: self-petitioned NIW, ND 08/2002, 2FP 05/04, TD 07/30/2004. ID and SD 09/22/04.

Got one question for you guys, after PP stamped, I wasnt asked to turn in 2 photos, I thought they need photos for the plastic cards? Anybody pls clarify.

Ready to answer any questions.
 
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