I485 Interview very short Easy, verbally approved no written confirmation or stamps

[mdot2610]

Hi I am Australian citizen (Indian born) here in USA with my wife (Australia citizenship, Indian born) and two kids (Australian born and citizenship) on E3 nonimmigrant visa (exactly same as H1, but with E3, spouse can work too, and can be renewed indefinitely). we are here in USA since Jul 2006 on E3.
my father (US citizen) had filed I130 in Jun 2003. I130 approved in 2009, priority dates became current in March 2014.
We applied for I485, EAD and AP.
received EAD and AP for me and my wife based on approved I130.
I485 interview was scheduled Sep 15, 2014 for all four of us, here in Chicago.
The lady officer went through only yes/no type questions from I485 form to all four of us one by one. Each of us signed our name as she directed us.
She only checked our Australian passports, and DID NOT ask for any other original document/s at all. I was pleasantly surprised as this interview was very short and easy.

She said "you should get your Green Card within 2-4 weeks" No smile on her face, no "Congratulations" to any of us, and finally she walked us out without any written approval/ or temporary green card stamps in our passports.

Is this normal? It has been nearly two weeks nothing in the mail so far. The USCIS online case status still shows the status as "testing and interview"!! usually it updates very fast and sent me text and email alert in the past. nothing updated so far.

I am bit concern. Are we really approved for green card?
What next we should expect?
please share your experience or advise us ASAP.
Thank you so much for your help, and time.

[rayb]

It has only been 10 days since your interview, and Green Cards take 4+ weeks to show up. If there was anything wrong during your interview, you would have received some correspondence by now (usually).

The USCIS status page is not updated routinely after procedure completions.

--Ray B

Hi I am Australian citizen (Indian born) here in USA with my wife (Australia citizenship, Indian born) and two kids (Australian born and citizenship) on E3 nonimmigrant visa (exactly same as H1, but with E3, spouse can work too, and can be renewed indefinitely). we are here in USA since Jul 2006 on E3.
my father (US citizen) had filed I130 in Jun 2003. I130 approved in 2009, priority dates became current in March 2014.
We applied for I485, EAD and AP.
received EAD and AP for me and my wife based on approved I130.
I485 interview was scheduled Sep 15, 2014 for all four of us, here in Chicago.
The lady officer went through only yes/no type questions from I485 form to all four of us one by one. Each of us signed our name as she directed us.
She only checked our Australian passports, and DID NOT ask for any other original document/s at all. I was pleasantly surprised as this interview was very short and easy.

She said "you should get your Green Card within 2-4 weeks" No smile on her face, no "Congratulations" to any of us, and finally she walked us out without any written approval/ or temporary green card stamps in our passports.

Is this normal? It has been nearly two weeks nothing in the mail so far. The USCIS online case status still shows the status as "testing and interview"!! usually it updates very fast and sent me text and email alert in the past. nothing updated so far.

I am bit concern. Are we really approved for green card?
What next we should expect?
please share your experience or advise us ASAP.
Thank you so much for your help, and time.

[mdot2610]

It has only been 10 days since your interview, and Green Cards take 4+ weeks to show up. If there was anything wrong during your interview, you would have received some correspondence by now (usually).

The USCIS status page is not updated routinely after procedure completions.

--Ray B

Thank you so much Ray for very prompt reply.
It seems all good news for us and we should be fine, right?

I heard many people gets txt and email alert right after the interview.
Also most of them get welcome pack in the mail within a week followed by green card.
I know its only 10 days past, but we should have got welcome letter by now.

The official I485 approval notice comes with welcome pack?

we will receive green card with conditions and validity of 2 years? or regular GC without any conditions with 10 yr validity?
Our approval will be from the interview date of 9/15/14 or the date of I485 approval notice?

[rayb]

If your marriage has been more than two-years duration, you will all receive 10-year Green Cards.

--Ray B

Thank you so much Ray for very prompt reply.
It seems all good news for us and we should be fine, right?

I heard many people gets txt and email alert right after the interview.
Also most of them get welcome pack in the mail within a week followed by green card.
I know its only 10 days past, but we should have got welcome letter by now.

The official I485 approval notice comes with welcome pack?

we will receive green card with conditions and validity of 2 years? or regular GC without any conditions with 10 yr validity?
Our approval will be from the interview date of 9/15/14 or the date of I485 approval notice?

[mdot2610]

If your marriage has been more than two-years duration, you will all receive 10-year Green Cards.

--Ray B

Our I130 was filed by my father, F3 category, so I 485 eligibility was not based on marriage,
All four of us will still get 10 years GC? we have been married for nearly 19 years now.

Just to share my experience of I 485 interview:

The first question The officer asked me in the interview was:
"Where is your father? why he didn't come with you today?"

I replied there was no such instruction in the interview notice letter?
She said let me check with my supervisor, and she left the cubical.
meanwhile I was checking the interview letter again. I found out the note under "who should come with you":
"If your eligibility is based on parent/child relationship and the child is a minor, the petitioning parent and the child must appear for the interview"
when the officer lady came back I told her about above note, she said no that's not applicable for you!
"your father should have come for the interview, but since that's not your fault we will proceed without your father"

so now on/ or in the future they may amend the interview letter to bring petitioning parent with adult child(!) too!!

[rayb]

Mdot,

Interesting that you bring that up. I think there are some very important reasons why they expect the petitioner to be present: 1) to be certain he is in the U.S., has a valid U.S. domicile; 2) to detect any irregularities in the relationship by "eyeballing" everyone together.

I had a Cambodian lady in Southern California whose 93-year-old father was with her, and the interviewer definitely expected the father/petitioner to be present.

Conditional two-year Green Cards are normally issued only with "marriage-based petition relationships" of less than two years (I believe). All your family members should receive 10-year cards.

--Ray B

Our I130 was filed by my father, F3 category, so I 485 eligibility was not based on marriage,
All four of us will still get 10 years GC? we have been married for nearly 19 years now.

Just to share my experience of I 485 interview:

The first question The officer asked me in the interview was:
"Where is your father? why he didn't come with you today?"

I replied there was no such instruction in the interview notice letter?
She said let me check with my supervisor, and she left the cubical.
meanwhile I was checking the interview letter again. I found out the note under "who should come with you":
"If your eligibility is based on parent/child relationship and the child is a minor, the petitioning parent and the child must appear for the interview"
when the officer lady came back I told her about above note, she said no that's not applicable for you!
"your father should have come for the interview, but since that's not your fault we will proceed without your father"

so now on/ or in the future they may amend the interview letter to bring petitioning parent with adult child(!) too!!

[mdot2610]

Mdot,

Interesting that you bring that up. I think there are some very important reasons why they expect the petitioner to be present: 1) to be certain he is in the U.S., has a valid U.S. domicile; 2) to detect any irregularities in the relationship by "eyeballing" everyone together.

I had a Cambodian lady in Southern California whose 93-year-old father was with her, and the interviewer definitely expected the father/petitioner to be present.

Conditional two-year Green Cards are normally issued only with "marriage-based petition relationships" of less than two years (I believe). All your family members should receive 10-year cards.

--Ray B

Thanks for your prompt answer again.

Yes this is interesting. My younger brother and his family are waiting for his interview call too (as my father filed I130 on the same day as for me: Jun 2003). He is in India. So in his case overseas consular office in Mumbai will handle his file, still waiting after required fees and documents submission.
Now overseas consular processing does not require petitioner to be present in the interview overseas which makes sense too. So the means to check legitimacy of petitioner will be document submission only including signed Affidavit of support from my father. In my case we submitted same documents too. I took original of Birth certificate and US citizenship certificate of my father, but the officer never asked for that.

[rayb]

As an aside....when the interview is at the foreign location, and the petitioner shows up accompanying the applicant, the interviewers will sometimes ask for proof of the U.S. domicile, and/or proof that the petitioner will be returning to the U.S. before or at the same time as the applicant(s).

--Ray B

Thanks for your prompt answer again.

Yes this is interesting. My younger brother and his family are waiting for his interview call too (as my father filed I130 on the same day as for me: Jun 2003). He is in India. So in his case overseas consular office in Mumbai will handle his file, still waiting after required fees and documents submission.
Now overseas consular processing does not require petitioner to be present in the interview overseas which makes sense too. So the means to check legitimacy of petitioner will be document submission only including signed Affidavit of support from my father. In my case we submitted same documents too. I took original of Birth certificate and US citizenship certificate of my father, but the officer never asked for that.

[mdot2610]

URGENT Attention: Infopass appoinment revealed our I485 is STILL actually pending!!!!

Hello Mr. Ray,
Today (Oct 16, 2014) I had Info pass appointment at Chicago Field office as no update/ no formal I485 approval notice OR Green Card, since our successful interview more than 4 weeks ago).
I would say successful interview, as The Lady Immigration officer Ms. Mc ..... concluded our interview with " Your file is complete, and all of you should get your Green Card within 2- 4 weeks" that is By Oct 15,2014.
The gentleman officer at info pass window after few questions and checking on the screen told me that your I485 is still pending and he was very surprised when I told him that the lady IO office told me as above.
He asked me what was her name? I said I don't know and request him to give me her name, he spelt out I wrote down her name (he gave me only the last name).
He saw my very frustrated/ disappointed face and wrote me on yellow card like pad paper Chicago field office address attention: "Attn: Examinations Unit", and suggested me to write them and he is also going to pass the info to the IO for further inquiry.

Mr. Ray, Should I write to them as the officer suggested above? If yes should I include IO lady name or the letter attention to her?
Please help me, what should I do?

Thank you

[rayb]

Your description sounds like a not-unusual case of "feel good" answer being given, but lacking authority to provide a final decision.

Given the mixed messages you have received so far, it would be a good idea to send a request for status to the Chicago field office, and reference the interviewer's name, if possible.

--Ray B

Hello Mr. Ray,
Today (Oct 16, 2014) I had Info pass appointment at Chicago Field office as no update/ no formal I485 approval notice OR Green Card, since our successful interview more than 4 weeks ago).
I would say successful interview, as The Lady Immigration officer Ms. Mc ..... concluded our interview with " Your file is complete, and all of you should get your Green Card within 2- 4 weeks" that is By Oct 15,2014.
The gentleman officer at info pass window after few questions and checking on the screen told me that your I485 is still pending and he was very surprised when I told him that the lady IO office told me as above.
He asked me what was her name? I said I don't know and request him to give me her name, he spelt out I wrote down her name (he gave me only the last name).
He saw my very frustrated/ disappointed face and wrote me on yellow card like pad paper Chicago field office address attention: "Attn: Examinations Unit", and suggested me to write them and he is also going to pass the info to the IO for further inquiry.

Mr. Ray, Should I write to them as the officer suggested above? If yes should I include IO lady name or the letter attention to her?
Please help me, what should I do?

Thank you

[mdot2610]

Your description sounds like a not-unusual case of "feel good" answer being given, but lacking authority to provide a final decision.

Given the mixed messages you have received so far, it would be a good idea to send a request for status to the Chicago field office, and reference the interviewer's name, if possible.

--Ray B

Thank you Mr. Ray for your professional and prompt reply.
I will write to them today and keep you updated of the outcome.

[mdot2610]

Still No reply by USCIS after Infopass appoinment followed by letter to USCIS Chicago

I am still waiting a reply from USCIS, since I wrote them to provide status of our I485, more than 10 days ago.

just to recap I485 interview was done on 09/15/14, verbally approved and told us green card in 2-4 weeks.

I took info pass appointment on Oct-16, 2014. The officer told me I485 is still pending, he advise me to write to USCIS Examinations unit. Chicago.

USCIS Chicago received my letter on Fri Oct-17,2014. I included Immigration officer lady name (I485 interviewer) and also included Info pass officer name in the letter.

There is no response yet, and I am bit concerned now.

Anybody has similar experience, they can share or advise me? Mr Ray?

[rayb]

Mdot,

Try the USCIS status page at: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard.do with any the I-485 receipt number, then the other receipt numbers to see if anything shows there.

Call the USCIS help line at 1-800-375-5283 and try to reach a "live person."

For the INFOPASS guy to tell you it was "under review" is a simple "we don't know" sort of answer.

--Ray B

I am still waiting a reply from USCIS, since I wrote them to provide status of our I485, more than 10 days ago.

just to recap I485 interview was done on 09/15/14, verbally approved and told us green card in 2-4 weeks.

I took info pass appointment on Oct-16, 2014. The officer told me I485 is still pending, he advise me to write to USCIS Examinations unit. Chicago.

USCIS Chicago received my letter on Fri Oct-17,2014. I included Immigration officer lady name (I485 interviewer) and also included Info pass officer name in the letter.

There is no response yet, and I am bit concerned now.

Anybody has similar experience, they can share or advise me? Mr Ray?

[mdot2610]

Excellent new Idea from Mr. Ray B, to find out current status, THANK YOU

Mdot,

Try the USCIS status page at: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard.do with any the I-485 receipt number, then the other receipt numbers to see if anything shows there.

Call the USCIS help line at 1-800-375-5283 and try to reach a "live person."

For the INFOPASS guy to tell you it was "under review" is a simple "we don't know" sort of answer.

--Ray B

Mr. Ray I understood what you mean above. so this is what I did.
we have total 10 receipt nos: MSC.....67 through MSC.....76 among all four of us. that includes four I485, two EAD and four advanced payroll.
The I485 receipts are: MSC.....67, MSC.....70, MSC......72 and MSC.....75.

First I put MSC.......66 to check the case status and that is someone's I485 (Before us!), and guess what USCIS sent GC to that person already!
"The USPS reported that your new card was delivered on September 17, 2014, directly to the address we had on file. The USPS tracking number assigned was 9205 **** *8400145076476"

Now I tried someother person's I485 application receipt no, which is just I485 application right after us : MSC.......77
The case status is as below.
"On August 14, 2014, we mailed you an appointment notice for an interview for September 18, 2014. Please follow the instructions"

What a excellent way to find out approximately where your I485 status could be.
I concluded our I485 should not be too far away, lets see when we get our GC?

Mr. Ray please correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks

[rayb]

I can't really correct you about anything, as there is no "right" or "wrong" approach to finding out where you are in the Green Card quagmire.

While there are average timeframes and predictable events, there is a very high percentage of Green Card packages which process at both ends of the timeframe range.

--Ray B

Mr. Ray I understood what you mean above. so this is what I did.
we have total 10 receipt nos: MSC.....67 through MSC.....76 among all four of us. that includes four I485, two EAD and four advanced payroll.
The I485 receipts are: MSC.....67, MSC.....70, MSC......72 and MSC.....75.

First I put MSC.......66 to check the case status and that is someone's I485 (Before us!), and guess what USCIS sent GC to that person already!
"The USPS reported that your new card was delivered on September 17, 2014, directly to the address we had on file. The USPS tracking number assigned was 9205 **** *8400145076476"

Now I tried someother person's I485 application receipt no, which is just I485 application right after us : MSC.......77
The case status is as below.
"On August 14, 2014, we mailed you an appointment notice for an interview for September 18, 2014. Please follow the instructions"

What a excellent way to find out approximately where your I485 status could be.
I concluded our I485 should not be too far away, lets see when we get our GC?

Mr. Ray please correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks