Timeline for San Jose office?

change of address

Hi Laicey

thanks for all your help on these boards. I will be receiving my EAD on the 20th, while I finished with fingerprinting on Feb 10th. I am in a fix as I will be moving apartments in about 5 months time.

What should I do? I feel I should wait for the interview notice and only after that change my address. My friends are recommending that I should change my address right now (I can give a friend's address as the mailing address).

Any ideas?

Thanks

Anil
 
Hi anil24,

I didn't have any problems when I changed my address, the actual interview took place, for me, less than 4 months after I received my EAD.
I had my interview on December 17, moved on December 20th, mailed the notice for my change of address on December 29th. Called the customer service center on January 5 to see if they had received my change of address. The same day I received my "first" welcome letter, forwarded by the post office to my new address. Within a week of the first letter I received two more welcome letters with my new address on it and my GC on January 14 with my current address on it.
If I was you I would wait until it got closer to the date of your move. Just fill out the form and mail it to them and after about a week or so give the Customer Service Center a phone call and make sure it is updated there. I called them about a week after I had mailed my change of address and they confirmed receiving the change. (Customer Service # 1-800-375-5283 and make sure you have your A# on your receipt when you call)

The bottom line is what you feel comfortable with, I didn't want to do a change of address before I actually moved in case they asked me some questions about my residence..didn't want to have to explain why my mailing address and physical address weren't the same..specially on the utility bills, bank statements, lease, etc. It is entirely up to you on what you decide.

Just remember, if you change your address now you will have to mail them another change after you do move so that your address is current.
 
GC interview question

Laicey,

You have been of great help. I just received the interview notice and my interview is scheduled for April 29th. Things seem to have gone prett fast. I think I applied for Marriage based GC somewhere around Dec 15th or so.

Anyway, the questions that I need to ask is that on April 29th, if things go fine, will it mean that my passport will get stamped? Does it mean that I will officially have the GC and then the rest of the letters and welcome package and the card itself are a formality? Is that a correct statement to make?

The reason I am asking this is because my wife and I want to go on a vacation in July and we hope that once the passport is stamped, we do not need to worry about applying for Advanced Parole etc. The second reason is that I have applied to school and need financial aid. If on April 29th, I get my GC I can apply for Financial Aid as a a GC holder.

Also, any insight into the kinds of question they ask would be most helpful? Why is the interview video taped?

Thanks in advance.

Anil
 
Hi anil24,
If the interview goes well they will stamp your passport either the same day or within a couple days. With mine the officer that interviewed us asked if it would be okay to wait a couple days so he could organize all the papers, he was very busy that day. (I think it was because it was the end of the week and he wanted to get through everyone on his calendar).
He wrote his name on the appointment letter I had brought with me to the interview, so I could show it to security and not have to line up. He told me I could come anywhere between 8 am and 3 pm, and true to his word I had no problem getting back in and getting my passport stamped by him, took only a few minutes.
I had the actual green card mailed to me within 3 weeks after my interview date, but he told me it could be from one month to six months before receiving the card...I think they just say that because they aren't sure when the cards are sent from the other location. I received a welcome letter first and the green card a few days after the welcome letter.
He told me I was free to travel where ever I wanted as long as I either had my passport with the stamp in it, or the physical green card. I believe you will have your green card long before your holiday, and if you don't the stamp in your passport is just as good as the green card. I never travelled between my stamping and receiving my green card, but if I had I would have taken my welcome letter from the US along with my passport, just for extra peace of mind.
They said on my letter that the interview would be videotaped as well..if it was they sure have a good hiding place for the video camera because I never saw one.
Just make sure you have copies of everything along with all the original documents. The officer will ask for certain copies of your documents, but mostly just goes by the original papers you submitted. I was asked my parents names, my childrens names, my birthdate and birth place. Husband was asked his birthdate, birth place and a few general questions. Most of the questions were directed at me. It seemed to me he was just verifying the information I had put on my application. We had copies of our joint bank accounts, utility bills, 3 years tax forms, insurance, plus I had letters from his mother, his cousin, a couple friends that had visited us...all verifying that we were married and living together. Anything you have that shows you both live in the same location would be good, just make sure you make copies of everything. You might not be asked for much, I wasn't, but I would rather go with too much than have them set a new appointment and ask for more proof.
Don't forget to get a letter from your employer, stating that you are employed with that company. We aren't great at taking pictures and only had one picture of the two of us with his son, so at least with the officer we had pictures didn't mean too much.
Make at least two copies of everything, I made 3 copies...I had all my originals in one package, and made 3 separate packages, one for myself, my husband and for the officer if they asked. All your original copies will be returned to you. Two copies of everything was probably enough, but again I wasn't sure what to expect so I made sure I had enough copies for everyone!
Make sure you get there at least 30 minutes before your appointment, the worst thing that happened to us was getting through security...if I ever had to do it again I would leave my purse in the car and just carry my wallet.
Make sure you have your EAD card with you when you go to the interview, because if all goes well and you are approved the officer will ask for your EAD card, since you can not hold an EAD and a green card both. Don't forget to take your passport!!!!
Good luck, and will be waiting to hear your good news!
 
Thats pretty cool.. I remember when I got approved for my GC..

The adjudication officer called me in.. took my finger print on both sides of the form and made me sign it.

Then he asked me if I still stayed at the same address and if I had my passport with me. Congratulations your application for permanent residence is approved.. (tada) it was that simple.. 9he stamped my passport right there and said I was free to travel whereever I wanted to and that my card will arrive in 3-6 months but it came in a months time. They didnt want to see my drivers license , my SSN card or any of the papers. The INS officer told me that I could keep my EAD as a Momento hahah..
 
I have not recieved any response after filing the application. The check is not cashed either. It has been 2 weeks already. It seems that everybody on this thread had experince about cashing checks in 2 weeks. Is there a number I can call to query?
 
cheques cashed?

I was just wondering if your cheques have been cashed or if u have received a receipt. What are the dates?. I mailed my application April 16, 2004, haven't received anything yet.
 
Hi All:

I had my green card interview today. The person said that I was approved, but they had not yet received results from the FBI! Then she went on to say that it might take upto 6 months to get the fingerprinting results. So basically she gave me a letter that stated approval pending FBI clearance. Once she receives the clearance, then she will send me a letter and I will have to go to the office and get my passport stamped.

I was a little confused as to why they had called my wife and I for the interview if they had not yet recevied the FBI clearance. Is there any way by which I can find out from the FBI as to what the status of my clearance is? If you have any phone numbers for the FBI office near San Jose, please email that to me.

Thanks for your help.

Anil
 
Newbee to the process - help ..

Hi,

I am currently on H1-B visa and planning to apply at San Jose USCIS thru my wife, who is a US citizen. We got married in India and have a marriage certificate issued by a court in India. I have a few questions, if someone could answer:

1) Would the Indian marriage certificate be accepted by the USCIS as proof of marriage ? (I have checked with an attorney, and got a positive reply, but want to know if anyone has really done it before)

2) I am looking at form I-131 (multiple-entry advance parole). It asks for an intended date of departure. I intend to put an arbitrary date in there, but want to know if the advance parole would continue to be valid after that date.

3) Once I get the EAD and advance parole, I intend to give up my H1-B status. If I leave US and re-enter, what visa would I require ? Is it risky to do this ?

Any suggestions, warnings, tips, etc would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
/ak
 
San Jose Cheque cashing

Has anyone applied for AOS in San Jose Office lately?. How long does it take for the cheques to be cleared after they receive the application?.
 
checks not cashed yet

Its been two weeks since I filed thru the drop-box but no response yet. Pretty weird, given that most govt institutions cash the checks first and work on the application later.

How are other folks doing ?
 
san jose 1 month to cash cheques

BluesTraveler,
It took the San jose office one complete month to cash my cheques and I still haven't heard anything from them.

Baig
 
Dropped the application

Just dropped the application today in San Jose drop box today. let's see what happens.
 
Progress on case:

May 27: Filed at SJ USCIS
June 10: Cheque cashed

Haven't recieved any letter regarding reciept date of AOS application, etc.
 
April 13 GC interviewed, still pending FBI name checking

The same here. We had GC interview on April 13th, and the officer told us it's approved pending the FBI name checking. He said his guess would take about 2 months. However, till now we haven't heard anything. I'm thinking going to SJ office in person, but wondering whether and how it might help. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Bonnia

anil24 said:
Hi All:

I had my green card interview today. The person said that I was approved, but they had not yet received results from the FBI! Then she went on to say that it might take upto 6 months to get the fingerprinting results. So basically she gave me a letter that stated approval pending FBI clearance. Once she receives the clearance, then she will send me a letter and I will have to go to the office and get my passport stamped.

I was a little confused as to why they had called my wife and I for the interview if they had not yet recevied the FBI clearance. Is there any way by which I can find out from the FBI as to what the status of my clearance is? If you have any phone numbers for the FBI office near San Jose, please email that to me.

Thanks for your help.

Anil
 
Progress on case:

May 27: Filed at SJ USCIS
June 10: Cheque cashed
July 2nd: Recieved letter from USCIS for EAD/advance-parol appt
July 16th: Recieved EAD card and advance-parol docs at the office

The letter estimated a 6-8 month waiting period for the GC interview.

A simple, rather stupid, question.. I am currently on H1 visa. Does anyone know if there may be any legal reason that requires maintaining H1 status with my employer even after obtaining the EAD card thru this route.
 
Anil24, have you received your GC yet?

4/13 GC interviewed. It went pretty well. I was told I was approved pending FBI name checking.
7/12 Still waiting. Called INS. They said it's a little abnormal for such a delay. They will make an inquiry and send me a letter in 4 weeks.
7/26: Still waiting.....

Do I benefit to go to SJ office directly and ask? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Bonnia


anil24 said:
Hi All:

I had my green card interview today. The person said that I was approved, but they had not yet received results from the FBI! Then she went on to say that it might take upto 6 months to get the fingerprinting results. So basically she gave me a letter that stated approval pending FBI clearance. Once she receives the clearance, then she will send me a letter and I will have to go to the office and get my passport stamped.

I was a little confused as to why they had called my wife and I for the interview if they had not yet recevied the FBI clearance. Is there any way by which I can find out from the FBI as to what the status of my clearance is? If you have any phone numbers for the FBI office near San Jose, please email that to me.

Thanks for your help.

Anil
 
I don't think going there in persion will help. You could try call customer service again and ask them to issue an enquiry.

May I know when did you file your application?
 
No GC as yet???

All:

I had my interview on April 29th at San Jose and they told me that they were waiting to hear back about my name check and fingerprinting results. I went back to the office in July and they told me that they were waiting for namecheck.

Now, I need to be in India in March 10th and my EAD is expiring Feb 19th. I have the following questions:

1) can i get Advance Parole by March 5th?
2) can I get a new EAD by then?

Thank you so much for your help.

Anil
 
Top