cosmiclobster

Lucky me!!! I got 3 more e-mails from USCIS today!!!!! *** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL *** The following is the latest information on your case status Receipt Number: MSC05278XXXXX Application Type: I485 , Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status Current Status: This case has been approved. On January 20, 2006, an approval notice was mailed. If 14 days have passed and you have not received this notice, you may wish to verify or update your address. To update your address, please call the National Customer Service Center at (800) 375-5283. If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision or advice from USCIS within the projected processing time frame*, please contact the National Customer Service Center. National Customer Service Center (800) 375-5283. *The projected processing time frame can be found on the receipt notice that you received from the USCIS. *** Please do not respond to this e-mail message. Sincerely, The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) So on the 17th they send us an e-mail saying: "On January 17, 2006, AFTER approving your application, we ordered you a new card. Your card will be mailed to you as soon as it is ready." And now, on the 20th, they inform me that our case has been approved and they have mailed out the approval notice (that we received on the 18th!!!!). Anyone else get the feeling that the right hand has no idea of what the left hand is doing?????

Congrats Dan! Looks like you get to miss out on going to Downtown for an interview! While we were downtown we walked through Olivera Street. Last time I was there I think I was 10 years old! Still looks the same (after 215 years!!!!) Good luck!

http://peteyeep.com/WSH11.jpg 184593[/snapback] The White Swan hotel is a very classy hotel that is next door to the old consulate. It's expensive by Chinese standards but has an excellent lobby with large fountains and streams and wood carvings and high end shops. The hotel would often receive packages that were addressed to the consulate and hold them temporarily as a courtesy. If you go to Shamian Island, which is pretty nice by itself, then you should definately check out the White Swan also!

I guess it depends on when you sent in the P4. If it was within 1 year, then you should be allright. Write a nice letter to DOS explaining the full story and tell them you initially waited 11 months for X reason and did send in the P4 within the required year time period. If it has been 1 year since the date on your P3, then you may well have effectively abandoned your petition and need to start over again. Call DOS again to be sure of their date on the P3. Good luck!!

Welcome to CFL! I would guess that a fax copy is allright as it is corroborated by the actual tax return. If you get the official IRS copy of the form which shows the same amounts as the faxed copy of the W2, I think you'll be O.K. As for the other forms, you will probably need to reconstruct the data on the forms later on in the visa process, so you should be O.K. for now. In the future always make copies of everything you send them as some people have gotten their forms lost by our govt. paper pushers!!! Good luck!

I though Kansas had 3 languages, English, Corn and Cow!!

Hi Dan I don't know if you saw my earlier post about our AOS interview, but here is a link to it. The particular interviewer we got (1 of 4) decided to conduct seperate interviews for me and laopo!! http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...ndpost&p=181640 EDIT: OOPS !! Just saw your reply to my original post!!! Nevermind . . . . B)

*** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL *** The following is the latest information on your case status Receipt Number: MSC05278XXXXX Application Type: I485 , Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status Current Status: On January 17, 2006, after approving your application, we ordered you a new card. Your card will be mailed to you as soon as it is ready. If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision or advice from USCIS within the projected processing time frame*, please contact the National Customer Service Center. National Customer Service Center (800) 375-5283. *The projected processing time frame can be found on the receipt notice that you received from the USCIS. *** Please do not respond to this e-mail message. Sincerely, The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) They must of really wanted us to know this because they sent me 3 identical e-mails!!! (all three were sent today at 9:01 PM) The USCIS website was also updated today, much to my suprize!! So now the 1 or 2 week wait (we hope!) I think I can actually see some light at the end of the tunnel!!!!! God luck to everyone else waiting!!!

We sent the sealed I-693 form with the I-485 and kept the copy just in case! I would bet that they ask for the sealed copy when you go for the interview!

I for one am glad the DMV lady got offended with a loud NO! I'm not against organ donation and I have the little pink organ donor sticker on my CA DL., but this is about someone getting caught off guard and getting pushed into making a choice about something that they were unfamiliar with, not to mention the cultural differences. I'm sure that if she has a chance to think about it, she can change her mind later if she wants to and elect to donate once she is familiar with all of the implications.

Mick: I read a lot of crap on the internet and most of it gets flushed from my screen after a sentence or two. You, sir, have excellent writing skills and I was glued to the screen awaiting the outcome of your butt blasting story! You should write a book about something. B) Thanks for sharing!!!

Hi all. Amy just found a program called VBuzzer.com It brings up a phone like keyboard and she has called China for free a few times with amazingly good quality! I don't know if it will work for everyone or if you need to have VBuzzer at the other end but it's free! Check it out if you are interested!

Good post Todd, I have thought about this too. Could be a good idea. When I mentioned it to Jie, she said, "Do they really have dancers like that in Las Vegas, with no tops?" I said yes, do you want to see them? She said, sure, because she cannot believe there is something like that. I said me too, lets see one. Then she changed her mind. I dont know why? 182662[/snapback] Ameriken, you silly man! You could have played dumb and said that you don't really think they dance topless and then acted suprized when the show started!!!!!

Here is a link to the floor plan and a step by step process inside the consulate. It's in Chinese but it should be very helpful to all that will walk this road soon. Maybe one of our nice admins will put it in the links section if it isn't already! http://www.laogonglaopo.com/001files/public/Interview_ML.htm

This may appear to be cynical by some but this is what I believe: Read as: "We assure you that we are working with the relevant agencies to complete your wife's case as quickly as possible" Actual Meaning "We are trying to figure out which agency to send this to for clearance because, despite 9/11, there is still no centralized database that we can do security checks through". Read as: "We are also working with technical experts here in Washington in an attempt to find new ways to expedite the clearance process" Actual meaning "We realize that our entire process is screwed up beyond belief and have brought in outside experts because it is way over our heads" The fact that the consulate (part of the State Dept) took fingerprints in China and then they make us pay $70 to get additional fingerprints done here and the fact that they have lost some people's fingerprints and/or asked for additional prints to be taken is proof to me that their current "system" is worthless as far as providing security to the citizens of this country! As for the matter at hand, Phnom: Call your congressperson or senators and ask them to inquire as to the status of your case. It is my experience that when official inquiries are made about your specific case, the ball seems to get rolling. Good luck!

It's scary to think that these people play any part in the "security" of our country!!! I wonder if they throw away the fingerprints of suspected terrorists because they have expired!!!!!

Getting back to phone cards, we use sinocalling.com. Rates are 2 cents to China and a penny a minute to anywhere else in the US. You can print a record of your calls and there are no other hidden charges. You can also program 3 phone numbers into their system so you will have pinless dialing. There are also 866 numbers if you are away from home. The calls are as clean as calling next door and we have never gotten a busy signal yet!

Thanks everyone! I will post the results of the interview as soon as I hear anything. And, as to be expected, when I inquire about the status of our case on the USCIS webpage, they are still at the "We have received your biometrics" phase. I have a feeling that a few weeks after we get the green card in hand they will finally update their web page!!!

Las Vegas makes it pretty easy to get married. Fill out one form and wait about an hour to get the license. There are many other options for a nice ceremony too if you want more than the civil ceremony.

My laopo had records of previous vaccinations (even though the proof was in Russian) so she just needed to get a tetanus shot. We paid about $50 for the shot and the form. Good luck!

We had our AOS interview yesterday. Afterwards, our interviewer said he would have to complete a security check later that afternoon, but there didn't seem to be any problems with her getting the green card. Here's the details: I noticed there were 4 interviewers (at the downtown Los Angeles office) and most of the people waiting for interviews were groups of more than 2 people. One interviewer gave me the impression of being an ass because all of the other interviewers asked the whole group to come in through the locked door, but this guy stood guard at the door and seemed to give short pre-interviews. I was hoping I wouldn't get that guy! After waiting over an hour our turn came up and it was that guy. He asked if we had all of the required paperwork and we said yes (even though I didn't have copies of my previous divorce!). He asked Amy if she could speak English and she hemmed and hawed a little (even though I told her to just say YES!!!). After her reply, he told us that he would interview her first and afterwards call me in to finish the interview. This is where the anxiety set it! I did recall him doing this with one other family where one guy was excluded from the interview and then called in later so I just sat down and tried my best not to freak out! He asked Amy: Where did you meet. Do you have the I-864, copies of his tax returns and pay stubs. He asked for copies of our passports, birth certificates and ID. He asked for evidence establishing our relationship. Amy showed him a picture of us in traditional Chinese wedding garb. He looked at the picture and asked if we got married in China. She told him, No, in Las Vegas, and showed him a Las Vegas wedding picture. Those were the only pictures he wanted to see. Then he asked to see the marriage certificate and to give him a copy. He asked for insurance papers so Amy showed him my car insurance which shows that she is an excluded driver from my policy She showed him our names on the utility bill, our joint checking account and a credit card bill in both of our names and he took copies of these documents. Then he proceeded to pull out a paper and ask Amy questions off of it. Amy did not fully understand the questions as he read them off in English but she recognized the paper as the I-485, the part with the checklist that asks stupid questions like are you are a prostitute or do you plan to overthrow the govt. Amy smartly replied no to all of them Amy wanted to show him other some other pictures and some other things we prepared that were on the "required" list, but he was not interested!B) He kept the passports and ID's and sent her out and called me in. He asked me how we met and I said on the internet. He then informed me that there doesn't seem to be any problems with her getting the green card and gave me a receipt of sorts that has her A number and a check next to a box stating additional security checks were necessary and said that if there were no security issues, we should get the green card within a month. He gave me our passports and ID's and there was no I-551 stamp in her passport. I breathed a sigh of relief as we left and now we get to play yet another waiting game!!!!!

Yes, it must be signed and sealed by an officially approved civil surgeon on their list. Beware! Most civil surgeons have no idea of what the requirements are for a fiancee visa. Don't let them talk you into another exam or hundreds of dollars worth of shots. You can get the vaccines she needs at any doctor or hospital. CALL SEVERAL CIVIL SURGEONS FIRST to find out what their fees are and what they think are the "required" shots as this is a judgement call on their part. The fee could easily be anywhere from $20 to several hundred $$$!!! You can also go to any civil surgeon of your choosing. Good luck!

Hi all. Time is -6 days and counting to our AOS interview in L.A. **knees starting to shake** I'll sift through all the posted requirements on the USCIS webpage to see what they say about it from their side, but I was wondering what my fellow CFL members have brought and what was asked for or looked at. I guess my main question is are there any other required documents we need? Her vaccine supplament was submitted with the I-485. I will bring evidence of our living together, joint checking account, utility bills in both our names and dozens of pictures of us together in different places. First hand experiences would be appreciated! TIA

The majority of the local service centers is working on cases about 6 or 7 months out. Check the dates for your service center at the USCIS website.

I'm not the lord, but I do think it is so. 6 or 7 months is about average. The LA service center is working on cases from about 2 weeks before we submitted our AOS petition, and our interview is in 2 weeks, which puts it about 7 months total wait for the AOS. At least you have your SO with you so the wait shouldn't be that bad - hang in there!