Conditions removed!

[wawster]

Hi guys,

Rose and Kerry received their 10 year green cards in the mail yesterday. We received the letters confirming that the Conditions were removed the day before. Yesterday, I also got texts about their cases having an update on the USCIS site.

 

For the stats:

We initiated the I-751 on December 19th of 2017.

I received an RFE for using the previous I-751 form (It changed in November of 2017)

Resubmitted the package and got the NOA on January 20, 2018.

Rose's Biometrics were done in May of 2018.

Kerry's Biometrics were done in March of 2019

Received confirmation of the status change in the mail on May 7, 2019. The status change was dated April 29, 2019.

Received the green cards in the US Mail on May 8th, 2019.

Received a text from the USCIS that there was an update to the case on May 8th, 2019 (a little late, huh? )

 

So, going from the NOA, the process took about 15 1/2 months.

 

Warren

[Randy W]

Yay! Congrats!

[AT Thru]

Very nice...I know that you must feel relieved? So no interview with them?

[fluffyballs]

Congrats! Man have things really slowed down at USCIS.

[wawster]

Thanks guys!

Nope, no interview - that's a relief also.

 

It did seem to take forever to get done. I was worried that the 18 month extension might run out before the process was finished, but looking on VisaJourney, this seems to be the current time frame.

The part of this that I found a bit odd was it was 10 months in between Rose's biometrics appt, and Kerry's.

We had a small celebration last night - Rose and Kerry are stoked!

[Greg.D.]

Congrats! You got that out of the way.

 

Glad to hear, too, the process was not stuck.

 

How far would you have to travel fo an INFOPASS, for example?

 

We live in Denver and there is a (massively overburdened) USCIS office right here.

 

Have you decided on the next big step?

 

Greg

[wawster]

Hi Greg,

 

To get an INFOPASS appointment, the USCIS office is in Kansas City, so it's only about 30 miles away from me. It's the same place where Rose went for her biometrics. They're pretty busy, but it's not too bad to get an appointment.

 

As far as the next big step... LOL...right now that's just to take a breath for a little bit and be able to relax knowing all the possible interviews and hurdles are over for the permanent residency. The lifting of conditions was like the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, but now that's out of the way, we can relax a bit.

 

Rose hasn't expressed any interest in becoming a US Citizen as of yet. We've talked about it a few times, and honestly, she doesn't see much benefit to her in going down that road. The ability to stand jury duty and voting doesn't give her much of an incentive to go that route, and it's isn't likely that she or Kerry would be deported due to criminal activity. it IS safer, cos you can't deport a US citizen for any reason, and there are a few where you can deport a Lawful Resident.

 

To her, it's more of a hassle to become a US Citizen, and then have to get a visa to visit home in China. So for right now, we'll just ponder it a bit more. How about you guys?

[AT Thru]

Thanks for the update on the no interview....Jing has not received a bio appointment and we filed to lift conditions back in October 2018 ( 8 months ago) ...someone mentioned that they may use her bio/prints on file who knows... she does have her 18 month extension letter.

[fluffyballs]

Hi Greg,

 

To get an INFOPASS appointment, the USCIS office is in Kansas City, so it's only about 30 miles away from me. It's the same place where Rose went for her biometrics. They're pretty busy, but it's not too bad to get an appointment.

 

As far as the next big step... LOL...right now that's just to take a breath for a little bit and be able to relax knowing all the possible interviews and hurdles are over for the permanent residency. The lifting of conditions was like the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, but now that's out of the way, we can relax a bit.

 

Rose hasn't expressed any interest in becoming a US Citizen as of yet. We've talked about it a few times, and honestly, she doesn't see much benefit to her in going down that road. The ability to stand jury duty and voting doesn't give her much of an incentive to go that route, and it's isn't likely that she or Kerry would be deported due to criminal activity. it IS safer, cos you can't deport a US citizen for any reason, and there are a few where you can deport a Lawful Resident.

 

To her, it's more of a hassle to become a US Citizen, and then have to get a visa to visit home in China. So for right now, we'll just ponder it a bit more. How about you guys?

 

My wife is filing for citizenship the first day she can. Mostly because (1) she doesn't really have much family to go back to in China (2) we have a daughter born in the US and having a passport makes her feel "safer" (3) she wants to be able to travel freely around the world. She would like to sponsor her sister to come and will probably file an I130 but the current wait I believe is around 14 years. Who knows if she'll end up coming.

 

If I recall correctly China now offers a 5-year visa for former Chinese citizens or descendants of Chinese, which is basically the equivalent of a US green card (allows unlimited entries, exits, the ability to work, study etc.): https://www.asiaone.com/china/china-offers-5-year-visas-foreigners-chinese-descent . Although I haven't looked into the details yet.

Edited May 8, 2019 by fluffyballs (see edit history)

[wawster]

AT - that seems kinda long to not get a biometrics appointment. My buddy got his in 2 weeks (he applied about 2 months before I did) but we got Rose's in about 3 months. But who knows how it is now. It might be worth seeing if the process got stuck along the way, y'know?

 

Fluffy - good info there on the Chinese visa. And I can totally understand your wife not wanting to take ANY chances, with your baby here. Rose is just kinda ambivalent about it all. I think she feels like if she becomes a US citizen then she's betraying her Chinese heritage in a way. She's not totally against it, she just gives the impression of "meh" about it.

[amberjack1234]

The wife felt the same way when she got her US papers. I told her that she was still Chinese a piece of papfer will not change that and to become a Chinese Citizen again all she has to do is go back to China and denounce her US Citizenship and it is a done deal. At least that is the way it use to be.

[wawster]

Good deal - I'll bring that up to Rose, and see how she feels about it.

[Greg.D.]

My wife has surprised me by expressing interest in it. We don't really talk about it. I'll mention to her that it's not completely irreversible - but I feel it's her call. And, yes, we do have the US born child for whom we have to go to China soon to revoke his Chinese citizenship.

 

But I don't want to put up another wall between her and her parents.

 

As a guy at work whose Turkish wife just got citizenship a few weeks ago: I'm not financially responsible for her anymore!

[amberjack1234]

Yep, Greg, it is their decision and I left it all to Liren but right to the day that she was eligible she wanted to fill out the(N-400) form and send it in. When she took her oath on the 4th of July the North Carolina Immigration Chief officer came down to Southport, NC and made a big day of it. Shot off the cannons and the whole works. Had a big free dinner too.

 

She told me on the way home that she felt like she had betrayed China and her ancestors and I told her what I said above and it perked her right up and I have never heard another word about it.

[wawster]

Rose and I had another talk last night, and this time she expressed interest in it. We'll see. We're both running a bunch until Sunday, so we'll have a chance to discuss it in more depth then.