poongunranar
Registered Users (C)
Friends,
Finally I got my I-485 approved today after pulling too many strings. My priority date is March 2001. I was one of the victims of duplicate alien numbers ( A# ). I got my interview in April 2005 but then my case was not adjudicated. Repeatedly within the past 5 months, I had visited frequently with InfoPass. My employer was giving the push with the Congressional Liaison at Congressman John Lewis's office as well. Even though the duplicate alien number issue seemed to have been resolved, the officer didn't go ahead with the approval saying the visa numbers were over!!! I think there is and there was a rumor that the September visa numbers are all over.
So today, September 30th morning I went to ADO ( Atlanta District Office ) on my Infopass appointment. They gave me the usual reply and refused permission to talk to the officer who interviewed me. I repeatedly told them that if they are not going to approve mine TODAY, then probably it will take another 3-4 years for the officer to approve. They didn't seem to understand. I told them that even if the officer wants to approve tomorrow, she can't as the RETROGRESSION will kick in. In the end, I was kicked out.
So, on my way back I got to talk to my HR manager and told her that we need to do something. This was the time when she had got information from the Congressional Liaison that ADO couldn't approve my case as there were no visa numbers available for EB2 India.
My smart attorney immediately got in touch with a big-boss guy in the US State Department, who negated that rumor saying for 09/30 visa numbers are indeed available. So, my attorney asked my HR manager to send me back to ADO and somehow I should try to talk to the officer. If I couldn't talk to the officer, try to locate a supervisor or whoever it takes. The bottom-line is that Poongunranar should not get out of ADO without getting somebody tend to the case. The goal was to make sure that this person either call my attorney or the top-official at US State Department.
I went there to ADO again at 1 PM. Got through security and was shooed away by the folks there as all the officers were on training today at ADO. Moreover no interviews, no approvals seem to be going on there and all that was going was Citizenship cermonies.
I ran into one gentle, tall, polite and handsome officer who initially thought I was a Diversity Visa case. I had to bring him upto speed and told him my ordeal with duplicate alien numbers, blah blah. Finally, this guy, though wanted to help me didn't want to usurp the case from the other officer who had originally interviewed me. So he said, he can try to help with no guarantees as time was literally against us. So around 1:30 PM he comes back and says he has faxed the request to US State Department and will see how it goes. He said he got to go to the training and will be back at 3 pm. ( ADO closes around 3 PM and I was like hmmmmm.. )
He came at 3 pm and said, "Good news is that US State Department has approved your visa petition. However, we don't have the officer who interviewed you. So, let's work out an alternative strategy." He roped in another officer who pulled out my file and was working on the procedural aspects of it including last minute background checks, etc.
Finally, this Good-Samaritan officer told me that my petition is approved and handed over the approval notice. I told him that I am leaving to India after 4 years tomorrow and that I might need a stamping even though I cannot schedule InfoPass appointment for tomorrow, tomorrow being Saturday. He asked if I have the passport with me to which I said YES. He took it, got it stamped, gave it to me back and wished me all the best.
This is the most miraculous two hours of the 4- year ordeal I had. I have had enough. This is going to take a long time -- 20 hours of my flight to India tomorrow -- to sink in.
However, I believed in God all the while, including when I was turned back this morning on my routine appointment. Here I am.
Dum spiro, spero -- As long as I live, so long will I hope.
I hope you folks have reason to be hopeful too.
Off I go on a vacation with my stamping and free of green-card blues.
Thanks. I will hang around this forum. Good luck.
So, I got approved on the LAST DAY (before retrogression), at the very LAST MINUTE. When I walked out of ADO, it was 3:30 PM on Friday, 09/30/2005.
Here are my details:
Labor Georgia PD - 03/2001
I-140 RD- 09/2001
I-140 AD - 03/2002
I-485 RD - 08/2002
I-485 First FP at Atlanta - 09/2002
I-140 Amendment RD - 12/2002
First FBI Name Check -- 12/2002
I-140 Amendment AD - 06/2003
I-485 Transfer to Atlanta - 12/2003
Second FBI Name Check -- 01/2004
I-485 Second FP at Atlanta - 10/2004
I-485 Interview - 04/2005
I-485 Approval -- 09/30/2005
16 Infopass appointments between 09/2004 and 09/2005
Finally I got my I-485 approved today after pulling too many strings. My priority date is March 2001. I was one of the victims of duplicate alien numbers ( A# ). I got my interview in April 2005 but then my case was not adjudicated. Repeatedly within the past 5 months, I had visited frequently with InfoPass. My employer was giving the push with the Congressional Liaison at Congressman John Lewis's office as well. Even though the duplicate alien number issue seemed to have been resolved, the officer didn't go ahead with the approval saying the visa numbers were over!!! I think there is and there was a rumor that the September visa numbers are all over.
So today, September 30th morning I went to ADO ( Atlanta District Office ) on my Infopass appointment. They gave me the usual reply and refused permission to talk to the officer who interviewed me. I repeatedly told them that if they are not going to approve mine TODAY, then probably it will take another 3-4 years for the officer to approve. They didn't seem to understand. I told them that even if the officer wants to approve tomorrow, she can't as the RETROGRESSION will kick in. In the end, I was kicked out.
So, on my way back I got to talk to my HR manager and told her that we need to do something. This was the time when she had got information from the Congressional Liaison that ADO couldn't approve my case as there were no visa numbers available for EB2 India.
My smart attorney immediately got in touch with a big-boss guy in the US State Department, who negated that rumor saying for 09/30 visa numbers are indeed available. So, my attorney asked my HR manager to send me back to ADO and somehow I should try to talk to the officer. If I couldn't talk to the officer, try to locate a supervisor or whoever it takes. The bottom-line is that Poongunranar should not get out of ADO without getting somebody tend to the case. The goal was to make sure that this person either call my attorney or the top-official at US State Department.
I went there to ADO again at 1 PM. Got through security and was shooed away by the folks there as all the officers were on training today at ADO. Moreover no interviews, no approvals seem to be going on there and all that was going was Citizenship cermonies.
I ran into one gentle, tall, polite and handsome officer who initially thought I was a Diversity Visa case. I had to bring him upto speed and told him my ordeal with duplicate alien numbers, blah blah. Finally, this guy, though wanted to help me didn't want to usurp the case from the other officer who had originally interviewed me. So he said, he can try to help with no guarantees as time was literally against us. So around 1:30 PM he comes back and says he has faxed the request to US State Department and will see how it goes. He said he got to go to the training and will be back at 3 pm. ( ADO closes around 3 PM and I was like hmmmmm.. )
He came at 3 pm and said, "Good news is that US State Department has approved your visa petition. However, we don't have the officer who interviewed you. So, let's work out an alternative strategy." He roped in another officer who pulled out my file and was working on the procedural aspects of it including last minute background checks, etc.
Finally, this Good-Samaritan officer told me that my petition is approved and handed over the approval notice. I told him that I am leaving to India after 4 years tomorrow and that I might need a stamping even though I cannot schedule InfoPass appointment for tomorrow, tomorrow being Saturday. He asked if I have the passport with me to which I said YES. He took it, got it stamped, gave it to me back and wished me all the best.
This is the most miraculous two hours of the 4- year ordeal I had. I have had enough. This is going to take a long time -- 20 hours of my flight to India tomorrow -- to sink in.
However, I believed in God all the while, including when I was turned back this morning on my routine appointment. Here I am.
Dum spiro, spero -- As long as I live, so long will I hope.
I hope you folks have reason to be hopeful too.
Off I go on a vacation with my stamping and free of green-card blues.
Thanks. I will hang around this forum. Good luck.
So, I got approved on the LAST DAY (before retrogression), at the very LAST MINUTE. When I walked out of ADO, it was 3:30 PM on Friday, 09/30/2005.
Here are my details:
Labor Georgia PD - 03/2001
I-140 RD- 09/2001
I-140 AD - 03/2002
I-485 RD - 08/2002
I-485 First FP at Atlanta - 09/2002
I-140 Amendment RD - 12/2002
First FBI Name Check -- 12/2002
I-140 Amendment AD - 06/2003
I-485 Transfer to Atlanta - 12/2003
Second FBI Name Check -- 01/2004
I-485 Second FP at Atlanta - 10/2004
I-485 Interview - 04/2005
I-485 Approval -- 09/30/2005
16 Infopass appointments between 09/2004 and 09/2005
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