[email protected]

Hi,

I am a foreign individual already in the US trying to get married to his
US sweetheart and not mess up the application process. I am in Illinois
and I am reading on the process but have a few questions. I would
appreciate any help if you have similar experiences.

I should say that I am in the US legally on a L1 visa and have SSN
already obviously. Need to travel outside the US in 29 days for our
wedding back home. All this would not be such a big deal if I did not
get layed off in the meantime. Which means by the time we are back from
the honeymoon my L1 will be out of status!
(PS: I am also considering DCF, but that's another story...)

- According to the Chicago INS website, I can apply for an AP and will
hear back from them within 30 days. Is that 30 days from date of receipt
(2-3 days after mailing) or 30 after they issue a receipt? (could take
any amount of time)

- "Emergency requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis for
processing in less than 30 days."
Has anyone followed this process? How difficult is this and what are the
wait times that you have experienced?

- Reading the newsgroup, it sounds like a lot of people are filling for
AOS and AP at the same time. In Chicago you have to apply by mail (no
walk-ins). For AP they require AOS receipt. So, how do you file for both
at the same time?

- According to the Chicago INS website, "In addition to the downtown
office, the INS has the following offices in the District:
Milwaukee Sub Office
This office is a full-service office that provides immigration benefits,
forms and information, as well as enforcement support in the state of
Wisconsin.
Indianapolis Sub Office
This office is a full-service office that provides immigration benefits,
forms and information, as well as enforcement support in the state of
Indiana"

Does anyone have any experience with any of these offices? Are they
faster or slower than Chicago?

Many thanks!

Andrew

Another question almost irrelevant:

am I eligible for unemployment benefits? I have been paying my taxes for
3 years now! If not, will I be elligible for benefits AFTER I get the AOS?

If neither of the above, will I ever be eligible for benefits or am I
paying taxes for nothing?

Thanks...



[email protected] wrote:
    > Hi,
    >
    > I am a foreign individual already in the US trying to get married to his
    > US sweetheart and not mess up the application process. I am in Illinois
    > and I am reading on the process but have a few questions. I would
    > appreciate any help if you have similar experiences.
    >
    > I should say that I am in the US legally on a L1 visa and have SSN
    > already obviously. Need to travel outside the US in 29 days for our
    > wedding back home. All this would not be such a big deal if I did not
    > get layed off in the meantime. Which means by the time we are back from
    > the honeymoon my L1 will be out of status!
    > (PS: I am also considering DCF, but that's another story...)
    >
    > - According to the Chicago INS website, I can apply for an AP and will
    > hear back from them within 30 days. Is that 30 days from date of receipt
    > (2-3 days after mailing) or 30 after they issue a receipt? (could take
    > any amount of time)
    >
    > - "Emergency requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis for
    > processing in less than 30 days."
    > Has anyone followed this process? How difficult is this and what are the
    > wait times that you have experienced?
    >
    > - Reading the newsgroup, it sounds like a lot of people are filling for
    > AOS and AP at the same time. In Chicago you have to apply by mail (no
    > walk-ins). For AP they require AOS receipt. So, how do you file for both
    > at the same time?
    >
    > - According to the Chicago INS website, "In addition to the downtown
    > office, the INS has the following offices in the District:
    > Milwaukee Sub Office
    > This office is a full-service office that provides immigration benefits,
    > forms and information, as well as enforcement support in the state of
    > Wisconsin.
    > Indianapolis Sub Office
    > This office is a full-service office that provides immigration benefits,
    > forms and information, as well as enforcement support in the state of
    > Indiana"
    >
    > Does anyone have any experience with any of these offices? Are they
    > faster or slower than Chicago?
    >
    > Many thanks!
    >