January 2019 Filers

[Scanigm]

wow! Read the post! Happy for you!!! all the case numbers near mine got their interview scheduled already.. I’m 168 days in and still nothing on sight

[Gemini21]

Anyone knows how long after the interview to receive any response?
The officer said he was going to review that afternoon and we will get a notification.

[Scanigm]

Wait a few days. You should get an update friend.

[Scanigm]

174 days in today. Dam this sucks

[Sean123]

Marriage based USC
Albany FO ?
I-130, I-131, I-485, I-765
receipt date January 17, 2019
fingerprints done in February
June 25, 2019 Waiting to schedule a interview
that’s it, nothing else.
200 plus days Still waiting.
08/09/19 new EAD/ combo card Processing
08/13/19 card mailed
08/15. Card received
09/10 e-mail Letting me know that an interview was scheduled, don’t know date yet
09/16. Notice of interview date received.
10/18/19 2pm Albany (Latham)
9 months to the day. From start.
10/18/19 interview!
got to office in Albany, over 30 seats in the waiting room. We were the only two there. Waited about 20 minutes and was called in. The interview lasted less than 10 minutes and we got a verbal approval right there. DONE! OVER! The card is in the mail!

[Sean123]

When I started this process in January, my lawyer said it was taking about a year in New York.
Took nine months to the day of interview.

[Gemini21]

192 days later my husband gets the first email from USCIS:
New Card is been produced. We are very happy and relived.

[abs_gm]

Hello all,

I have been following this forum since the beginning January (which has been very helpful) and I figured I'd share my AOS experience now that it is complete. I am married to a USC and my previous status was F-1 on OPT.

Until the biometrics appointment, everything was smooth for me. I had to do a walk-in appointment the day before my actual appointment because of a snow storm; they had no problem accommodating me. I didn't get any update after the fingerprint review and my OPT was due to expire in mid-May so I contacted my lawyer in late April to discuss options to expedite my I-765 processing. I got our financial documents together along with a letter from both my wife and I stating financial hardship as well as a support letter from my employer stating that it would cause severe financial loss to the company. We submitted the expedite request on 4/23 through the local office and they forwarded it to NBC. After no updates/confirmation of my submission, I contacted the senator's office to see if they could inquire on my behalf. I sent the senator's office all of the supporting documents. They submitted an inquiry on 5/3 and they got a confirmation that the case will be routed for expedited processing. On 5/9, my I-765 was approved and my I-485 status changed to 'case is ready to be scheduled for an interview'. For anyone with a valid expedite case, I'd suggest contacting your representatives. They have direct contact with visa officers and can inquire on your behalf (even if they may not submit the expedite request directly). The senator's office did say that our supporting documents, including the letter from my employer was critical when talking to the visa officer.

Our interview went very smoothly. We arrived 20 mins early and had to wait a little while before our interview started. The officer first interviewed my wife and asked her some general questions about how we met, what we did on the first date, what we do for work. Then the officer asked me to come in and asked me similar questions. Then finally he asked me the yes/no questions from the forms. It was pretty laid back and was over in around 20 mins. We had a stack of documents, photos, and cards for proof of bonafide marriage and he never even looked at it. At the end he said that he was going to approve our case.

My personal suggestion after all of this is that go with your guts when you are in doubt. I decided to go early to my biometric appointment even though my lawyer's office suggested not to and I had to push to get my expedite request submitted in a timely manner including contacting representatives. We can't do anything about the wait times, but you can help our case by being proactive. I think I was very lucky that my local USCIS office and senator's office were both very helpful.

Below is my timeline:

1/16/19 - I485, I765, I130, I131 received
1/22/19 - Received NOA on all files
1/25/19 - Received mail for Biometrics scheduled for 2/13
2/13/19 - Fingerprint review was COMPLETED on I-765 and I-485
4/23/19 - I-765 expedite request submitted through local USCIS office
5/3/19 - Inquired about expedite request via Senator's office
5/8/19 - (I-765) We ordered your new card
5/8/19 - (I-485) Case is ready to be scheduled for an interview
5/16/19 - EAD COMBO card delivered
6/19/19 - (I-485) Interview scheduled for 8/6
8/6/19 - Interview & Approval
8/6/19 - New Card is being produced

[Scanigm]

Lucky!!

[polkaparty]

My personal suggestion after all of this is that go with your guts when you are in doubt. I decided to go early to my biometric appointment even though my lawyer's office suggested not to and I had to push to get my expedite request submitted in a timely manner including contacting representatives. We can't do anything about the wait times, but you can help our case by being proactive. I think I was very lucky that my local USCIS office and senator's office were both very helpful.

This is very good advice. And Congratulations! We appear to have very similar timelines. May I ask what is your field office?

[polkaparty]

Here is our interview experience:

We were one of the last interviews of the day, scheduled for 2 PM, although we were not called until 2:45 PM. Our officer was a young man and rather informal. No oath, no statement that this is being recorded (even though it probably was). The interview lasted 15 minutes and, although he asked us questions, it was more conversational: when/how we first met, about our wedding, our employment, and simply confirming what was already in the application. We frontloaded our initial application with 100 pages of support documentation, which we believe helped our case and made the interview go quickly and smoothly. We also brought additional documents that we received since the submission (tax return, current paystubs, bills, photos, travel itineraries, etc.) but he never asked us for anything additional. The one exception was my birth certificate (petitioner). I had the officer copy it since the birth certificate explicitly states that copying it is a felony. He told us that everything looked good, and he just needed to doublecheck the file before recommending that “the case be closed.” He said it would take 3 to 4 weeks before receiving the card. We did not receive a white paper, but our case was approved the next day.

Advice #1: If you haven’t already submitted your application, take the time to read the saved links at the top of the I-485 Forum of this website. Submit as much material as necessary with your application. This was a lifesaver for us and eliminated many questions that an IO may have had. For example, in our case there are 20 years difference between our ages and we married only 4 months after my partner arrived in the US with an F1 visa. Had we not provided plenty of initial evidence showing that we both lived together outside the US and that we have had an intimate relationship for five years, this would have raised some red flags.

Advice #2: During the time we were in the waiting room, we could see each IO call the next number and then witness their initial interactions with the applicants: some officers were friendly, others were more distant and not interested in chit chat. Be prepared for anything and take the cue from how the IO treats you: if they are more formal, be more formal. If they are conversational, respond in kind.

Advice #3: If the IO doesn’t address questions to a specific person, decide in advance who will first answer what types of questions about your relationship and make sure the same person doesn't always answer. Depending on the type of couple you are, this will avoid either one person talking, both individuals speaking at the same time or long silences waiting for someone to speak. It will also make your relationship appear more egalitarian if a couple takes turns in answering each question.

Advice #4: Be aware of body language. Don’t sit with your arms crossed or other defensive postures, even if the room is cold

San Antonio Specific Advice: Allow extra time to arrive at the since Hwy 281 is under construction and all traffic is diverted to the frontage road.

Thanks much for all of your help!

[jpecht]

Got notice today that EAD was finally approved (a bit less than 7 months). Given that we have our interview next week, I'm hoping we don't even need to use it. But super happy to have it as a backup in case there are delays with green card approval post interview since husband's visa expires at the end of this month. We did file a case inquiry online the day that the processing time went down to 2.5-5 months, but according to the USCIS website, as of today no one has been assigned to that inquiry, so I have no idea whether our request had any impact (but it certainly didn't hurt).

This was just for EAD not combo card. We didn't apply for AP because my husband travels for work internationally on his current visa and so his AP application would have been denied as soon as he left the country. We'll apply for AP now that it is only a 2.5-5 month wait if we don't get a decision on green card right away.

Hoping everyone else in January is starting to get good news!

[Scanigm]

I guess I have been so eagerly lately. I had a dream the other night that I finally got my interview scheduled lmao! AND it was scheduled for dec 15th lol I’m going crazy

[abs_gm]

This is very good advice. And Congratulations! We appear to have very similar timelines. May I ask what is your field office?

Portland, Maine

[jpecht]

We had our interview today in Los Angeles and were approved on the spot! Called in about an hour after our scheduled time. Asked a few basic questions and showed a few original documents and then we were told we are approved and given an approval letter for a conditional green card. We were told we would get the actual card in a couple weeks. Thanks for everyone's information on here, it was very helpful!