the good: went through my aos interview and got my passport stamped today. The application, filed by my wife (a US citizen) for me 10/05, was processed in Vermont and we had the interview in Hartford. The interview went smoothly and the interviewer asked a few simple questions and we were out in 15 minutes. The questions were around our marriage and followed by the standard questions (like if you are a terrorist, etc.). She said we should have the actual card in a couple weeks - we need to do the finger print later this week.
the bad: this is the 2nd I485 application we had filed. Our first one was employment based, filed back in 11/01, by my employer. It has not been processed - something to do with a new legislation passed recently. We had to sign tons of paperwork each year for EAD and AP. Even though my employer paid for all the expenses, I was fed up with that so we took the marriage route.
the ugly: why did the employment-based I485 took so long? Well, you guessed it: FBI name check. I did my immigration physical on 9/11/01, and the application was filed in 11/01. Since then, it had been in the name-check limbo until 9/05, roughtly four years later. In between, my employer (a global Fortune 10 company), my lawyers, my wife, and my congressmen / senators have written to INS and FBI multiple times to seek an answer on why it took so long to get the name check clear. We got nothing but the typical run-around you get from a typical beaucratic organization.
I suspect that I have the longest "stay" in the name check hell than anyone here. and I sincerely hope that no one will break that record,
.
the bad: this is the 2nd I485 application we had filed. Our first one was employment based, filed back in 11/01, by my employer. It has not been processed - something to do with a new legislation passed recently. We had to sign tons of paperwork each year for EAD and AP. Even though my employer paid for all the expenses, I was fed up with that so we took the marriage route.
the ugly: why did the employment-based I485 took so long? Well, you guessed it: FBI name check. I did my immigration physical on 9/11/01, and the application was filed in 11/01. Since then, it had been in the name-check limbo until 9/05, roughtly four years later. In between, my employer (a global Fortune 10 company), my lawyers, my wife, and my congressmen / senators have written to INS and FBI multiple times to seek an answer on why it took so long to get the name check clear. We got nothing but the typical run-around you get from a typical beaucratic organization.
I suspect that I have the longest "stay" in the name check hell than anyone here. and I sincerely hope that no one will break that record,
.