Getting ready to breath again

[Windmill Boy]

Hello Everyone

After running around  almost  non stop  for  the last  month since Kathryn  got here.  We should be hopefully ready to mail our paperwork into chicago to proceed with the next round.  Our paperwork includes --

I 485 Application to register permanent residence or adjust status
I 693 Suppliment for immunizations

multiple pictures and scans of passport, I 94 entry form, birth certificate.

G 325 Biographic information  (needed to file again to update)
I 131 Application for travel document
I 765 Application for Employment Authorization
I 864 Affidavit of support -- inclucing notorized form, notorized federal income tax forms for 2002, 2003, and 2004,  and scan of a recent payroll stub to prove employment

Anyways we are relieved to get this monkey off our back.  So we want to thank everyone who has helped and given advice up to this point.

On a differnt note  I thought we would pass on some tidbits as to how we are approaching our upcoming  wedding -- Kat and I went to a local printer today (who is asian) to review our wedding invitation proofs. We have decided that since  we are having a cross cultural wedding and half the attendents  will be chinese and the other half caucasian  we opted to select  red traditional Chinese  wedding invitations with a pink interior sheet, printed in purple, containing our wedding info written in English.  the reply card is red  with gold printing in both Chinese and English. Being that he is viet/chinese he was able to have a sampling of cards to choose from. We thought that we would throw everyone a curve ball because they would not expect this kind of invitation.  Maybe  they might even think twice about throwing it in the trash after they have attended  ha ha ha.

We are getting married in the local Chinese Christian Church that I have been attending. Since Kathryns family is not attending  I thought  that it would not be appropriate not to have best men maid of honor  ...  etc,  since  no one is really attending  from her side.   However we will include my 2 nieces who are 7 snd 10.  they will be  flower girl and ring bearer.  we had  the traditional  Chinese  Chi Pao  dresses  tailored for them in pink with flowers. while we were in china last month  and of course we bought lucky red purses to go with the dresses.  

Afterwards we will also be having an 9 course family style wedding buffet at one of the better local chinese Restaurants.  We are trying to make  the menu a mix of american chinese food and also throw in some real chinese  dishes in the mix also.  We are trying not to make the dishes to heavy with thick sauces   because  I want the guests to have room for the buffet of desserts I am going to make.  I am going to have to rent a chest freezer  for the next couple of months to accomadate  that part of the project.

Well we gotta get  back to reviewing the forms now.

ERIC AND KATHRYN

[Craigjjs]

... in response to Getting ready to breath again, posted by Windmill Boy on May 13, 2005

Congratulations.  Sounds like a wonderful wedding.  I just came back from my Dam Hoi (engagement party) in Vietnam.  It was great.  I am sure you will both have priceless memories.

I am still a little baffled on the I-131.  In this case, it is an application for a re-entry permit, right?  Not advance parol.  Maybe I misread the website, but I thought you need the re-entry permit only if out of the U.S. for over a year.  Can anyone explain it to me?

Again, congratulations and have a wonderful and blessed wedding.

Craig

[Ray]

... in response to Re: Getting ready to breath again, posted by Craigjjs on May 13, 2005

Craig,

The I-131 is used in this case for Advance Parole for a K-1 visa holder who is in the U.S. awaiting Adjustment of Status (AOS). The Advance Parole (AP) allows the applicant to leave the U.S. and return without a visa or Green Card. Though it is optional, the AP is valuable insurance to have in case of some kind of family emergency back home where she would need to travel on short notice. I think Eric is planning to use it so they can travel to Canada and back while she is waiting for AOS approval.

There are other possible uses for the I-131 Travel Document but the Advance Parole is the most common.

Congratulations on your engagement.

Ray

[Ray]

... in response to Getting ready to breath again, posted by Windmill Boy on May 13, 2005

Hi Eric & Kat,

I was curious if Kat went ahead and got all the shots (6?). The wedding sounds like fun, especially the desert menu. Be sure and take lots of pics for Stephen :-)

Just a few reminders:

-Did you include a copy of your marriage cert?

-Don’t forget a copy of the I-129F approval notice (Form I-797 NOA).

-Don’t forget W-2 forms and official employer letter with your I-864 package.

-Send a separate check for each petition form (I-485, I-765, I-131) and another for the fingerprint fee.

-Did she sign the petition forms? :-)

-Keep photocopies of EVERYTHING!

Good luck!

Ray

[yorktr]

... in response to Re: Getting ready to breath again, posted by Ray on May 13, 2005

Congratulations on everything.
When we sent our stuff, (which also ended up in Chicago), the bundle came back, with all but one of the checks missing. This was weird, as they had all been placed in one envelope as suggested. Baffling, for sure. We checked the Chicago website, which indicated personal checks accepted only from walk-ins. So I promptly obtained US postal money orders for each form. Don't recall now if I attached each money order to the appropriate form, or used a single envelope for the re-submission.
This was a golden opportunity to update some forms, so we flooded the hungry bureaucrats with more paper, which they hungrily devoured. I also included a cover letter which served as an inventory of the package contents.
Well, the punch line is that after resubmitting with money orders, everything went lightning fast. I thought maybe I was secretly highly connected, but Ai Keow found out a while ago that there had been some experimental USCIS program last year to accelerate applications, of which we were happy, if unwitting, participants. I guess that explains how we were approved within about 5 months of resubmission. Any kind of grease one can apply is useful, it seems; I included 4 years of tax returns, not three. We used cover letters for each form; useful if only to protect the form. Our interviewer commented favorably on one such cover letter. After all of this, I would strongly suggest the use of postal money orders instead of personal checks.

[Ray]

... in response to Aren't Postal Money Orders Better?, posted by yorktr on May 14, 2005

Yes, using money orders or cashiers checks may be a good idea.

In the past, I have always submitted personal checks and had no problems. Some local offices had a policy of not accepting personal checks, but now all AOS forms are mailed to a new central location and I don’t know what their policy is on personal checks. The Forms I-485, I-765, & I-131 are now all mailed to the new Chicago lockbox address, which is not the same as the Chicago District office. To be safe, I would agree with you that it would better to send money orders or cashiers checks unless CIS specifically says that personal checks will be accepted at the lockbox.

Cover letters are not required but are highly recommended to itemize contents and clarify any special circumstances.

Ray

[surfscum]

... in response to Re: Getting ready to breath again, posted by Ray on May 13, 2005

My wife came on a K1 and I am doing the paperwork.  Do I need to submit a G325A again if nothing has changed?

Thanks, Ray.  You're a wealth of info!

[Ray]

... in response to While you're on the subject..., posted by surfscum on May 14, 2005

Yes, your wife will need to complete a new G-325A for her AOS package. File everything under her married name.

Ray

[Windmill Boy]

... in response to Re: Getting ready to breath again, posted by Ray on May 13, 2005

Hi Ray

Nope Kat only had  the TD  and MMR Shots.  She  showed her arm with the chicken pox  injection scar  so the technician  took her word for it.

yep we included a copy of the marriage license ( we asked for extra copies).   Almost gave the first notice of action (the receipt), but we caught it and gave a copy of the second NOA.  Scanned the income tax forms for the last  3  years and W-2 forms and had the copies notorized. actually included the state forms also for 2002 and 2003  when I sent them to Gauangzhou for Kats interview.  but I did not include the state forms for 2004.  We included the employment letter  that the GM wrote for me in  november  and I scanned in my most recent pay stup from last week to prove that I still work there.  actually the affidavit form does not ask for the employers letter I think but we included it to be safe.

Sent the 3 checks seperately but called Buffalo USCIS  office and they said to pay for the fingerprinting at the time we go to Buffalo for the actual fingerprinting.

We almost  decided not to apply for the I 131 Traveling authorization form. But when we called Buffalo  and they said the advanced parole can be issued after 21 after they receive our papers  and that we  would have to wait 6 - 9 months for AOS  we decided that we did not want to wait so long with us being so  close to Canada so we went for it.

Wouldn't you know it  after  the package was mailed off today and we wrote that  her  social security number  was pending.  then  there in the mail today was Kathryns  new SSN.  she told me about this when I came home  tonight.  On her Card   it says VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION.   At least  we can proceed with other matters  now  that she has a number.

All the best RAY and thanks for your assistance so far.

ERIC & KAT