AOS Chicago - what a day !
Sep 15th 2001, 9:04 pm
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
hi !
First....i got my AOS stamp in my passport..meaning "GreenCard"...and we both are
happy all that is over and i am finally considered a resident of the us of a. Of
course.....the recent events overshadowed our happiness....it's a strange feeling
now....and of course things touch me more than when i was a "non resident" just a few
days before !
Ok...
We arrived at the Chicago INS about 11,,,,and had to wait an hour to go thru security
(which was tight as you can imagine). They got some packages in the mail and each of
the packages had to be scanned and X-rayed. Around 12:00 we finally were on 3th floor
in the main waiting room..which was crowded like crazy. We were told the schedules
are 1 to 1 1/2 hours behind..which also is understandable because i think the INS was
closed the day before. (Our interview was at 1:00)
We were wating till 2:45...and got nervous...because literally everyone (except us)
was called already and we feared they forgot us. I went to the reception and ask if
we're checked in correctly, to verify if they didnt forget us. He said..."Ok...you're
next then"...but we still had to wait for some time.
While we were waiting i got a shock ! 20 mins before we were called to the interview
- my wedding/promise ring was missing !!! I couldn't beleive
it..the ring with the name of my wife lost 20 mins before the interview. The mood
began to decrease as you can imagine....also...my wife was very tired..and the
recent events.....so you get the idea....
We were finally called in to a nice lady....and we presented our
papers....pictures....and we were asked questions about how we met etc. We had to
present eg. credit-cards and the last 3 years of tax-forms of my wife...(it's even on
the yellow appointment letter that we need the last 3 years !) - and we DID NOT HAVE
the taxforms for 2000 !!!! Even if we checked everything before hand..and we thought
that we're prepared very well and stuff...
The lady told us "You need the taxforms for 2000...and if you [my wife] makes less
than $15000/year we would have a PROBLEM" !
Oh god....we thought..
Ok..it was 3:00...and we had to go to the IRS (45th floor) which was some blocks away
from the INS to get my wifes taxforms...and pray she meets the criteria...if not..we
REALLY would have a problem..maybe even my deportation....since we also did NOT have
2000 taxforms of a family member (which is our co-sponsor)....
Finally we got the taxforms from the IRS..and it looked good....and we headed back to
the INS ! The lady in between was in a meeting from 3:00 to 4:00....but we were just
finished with the IRS shortly before 4:00..... Imagine that we got up this day around
9:00 to go to our interview which was supposed to be at 1:00....you for sure want
anyhting but being late...now it was 4:00 already..
The INS was CLOSED.
My wife began to panic....i was looking thru the entrance....and finally there was
this [very NICE !] security-officer who unlocked the doors for us and let us in -
because he knew that we were coming back. He knew us also because of the lost ring -
my wife filled an report at him while i was doing part of the interview.
Ok...we finally got in the INS again around 4:00...and waitied some time for the lady
coming back from the meeting. In between...we also found some more documents
(credit-cards...taxreturns with bith of our name) which we couldnt find before..maube
because of the stress and confusion.
Anyway...finally the lady came..and we handed her the missing documents...and she
said "Good...you qualify" (looking at the taxform and the income requirement !)....if
my wife would've made less than $15k/yeah we REALLY would have been screwed !!!!!
Ok...we were soooo happy !
We handed everything to the lady...which did copies etc....and after a while she came
back with my passport stamped with the i551...and explained everything...that we have
to re-apply in 2 years for removal of conditions etc......
We were tired and exhausted...but i had my stamp !
We headed out of the INS (did i mention that we were the only people [except one
other lady with us] still in the INS when we finally got out....because usually their
office hours are to 2:00...and officially they were closed already.......). We headed
to the parking lot.....reliefed.....when i finally got another shock ! I got my
passport, my stamp....but we didnt get back our credit-cards from which the lady did
some copies !!! And the INS was CLOSED now...of course !!!!! It was almost 5:00pm
already....
Argh....screw it we said...first we want to get home...and then look
further.......imagine that now our credit cards, insurance card AND a ring were
missing !!!!!
When we came home we got a call from florida.....my parents in law
called....because they (in florida)..got a call from the INS-lady in Chicago about
the credit cards left behind....and my wife parents took down the number etc and
took the message that the cards are found etc..because the lady asked if she should
FedEx them to our address.....Later we called at the lady's number and left a
message on the machine. Of course we were reliefed....because we knew the cards
were found and be cared of !!!!
All in all...it was one of the wildest days....with things happening we did NOT
expect before....with the terrible fact that we didnt have all needed
documents....that we had to go to the IRS etc etc......but finally, finally
everything went fine and i got my stamp !!!!
greetings
I couldnt
First....i got my AOS stamp in my passport..meaning "GreenCard"...and we both are
happy all that is over and i am finally considered a resident of the us of a. Of
course.....the recent events overshadowed our happiness....it's a strange feeling
now....and of course things touch me more than when i was a "non resident" just a few
days before !
Ok...
We arrived at the Chicago INS about 11,,,,and had to wait an hour to go thru security
(which was tight as you can imagine). They got some packages in the mail and each of
the packages had to be scanned and X-rayed. Around 12:00 we finally were on 3th floor
in the main waiting room..which was crowded like crazy. We were told the schedules
are 1 to 1 1/2 hours behind..which also is understandable because i think the INS was
closed the day before. (Our interview was at 1:00)
We were wating till 2:45...and got nervous...because literally everyone (except us)
was called already and we feared they forgot us. I went to the reception and ask if
we're checked in correctly, to verify if they didnt forget us. He said..."Ok...you're
next then"...but we still had to wait for some time.
While we were waiting i got a shock ! 20 mins before we were called to the interview
- my wedding/promise ring was missing !!! I couldn't beleive
it..the ring with the name of my wife lost 20 mins before the interview. The mood
began to decrease as you can imagine....also...my wife was very tired..and the
recent events.....so you get the idea....
We were finally called in to a nice lady....and we presented our
papers....pictures....and we were asked questions about how we met etc. We had to
present eg. credit-cards and the last 3 years of tax-forms of my wife...(it's even on
the yellow appointment letter that we need the last 3 years !) - and we DID NOT HAVE
the taxforms for 2000 !!!! Even if we checked everything before hand..and we thought
that we're prepared very well and stuff...
The lady told us "You need the taxforms for 2000...and if you [my wife] makes less
than $15000/year we would have a PROBLEM" !
Oh god....we thought..
Ok..it was 3:00...and we had to go to the IRS (45th floor) which was some blocks away
from the INS to get my wifes taxforms...and pray she meets the criteria...if not..we
REALLY would have a problem..maybe even my deportation....since we also did NOT have
2000 taxforms of a family member (which is our co-sponsor)....
Finally we got the taxforms from the IRS..and it looked good....and we headed back to
the INS ! The lady in between was in a meeting from 3:00 to 4:00....but we were just
finished with the IRS shortly before 4:00..... Imagine that we got up this day around
9:00 to go to our interview which was supposed to be at 1:00....you for sure want
anyhting but being late...now it was 4:00 already..
The INS was CLOSED.
My wife began to panic....i was looking thru the entrance....and finally there was
this [very NICE !] security-officer who unlocked the doors for us and let us in -
because he knew that we were coming back. He knew us also because of the lost ring -
my wife filled an report at him while i was doing part of the interview.
Ok...we finally got in the INS again around 4:00...and waitied some time for the lady
coming back from the meeting. In between...we also found some more documents
(credit-cards...taxreturns with bith of our name) which we couldnt find before..maube
because of the stress and confusion.
Anyway...finally the lady came..and we handed her the missing documents...and she
said "Good...you qualify" (looking at the taxform and the income requirement !)....if
my wife would've made less than $15k/yeah we REALLY would have been screwed !!!!!
Ok...we were soooo happy !
We handed everything to the lady...which did copies etc....and after a while she came
back with my passport stamped with the i551...and explained everything...that we have
to re-apply in 2 years for removal of conditions etc......
We were tired and exhausted...but i had my stamp !
We headed out of the INS (did i mention that we were the only people [except one
other lady with us] still in the INS when we finally got out....because usually their
office hours are to 2:00...and officially they were closed already.......). We headed
to the parking lot.....reliefed.....when i finally got another shock ! I got my
passport, my stamp....but we didnt get back our credit-cards from which the lady did
some copies !!! And the INS was CLOSED now...of course !!!!! It was almost 5:00pm
already....
Argh....screw it we said...first we want to get home...and then look
further.......imagine that now our credit cards, insurance card AND a ring were
missing !!!!!
When we came home we got a call from florida.....my parents in law
called....because they (in florida)..got a call from the INS-lady in Chicago about
the credit cards left behind....and my wife parents took down the number etc and
took the message that the cards are found etc..because the lady asked if she should
FedEx them to our address.....Later we called at the lady's number and left a
message on the machine. Of course we were reliefed....because we knew the cards
were found and be cared of !!!!
All in all...it was one of the wildest days....with things happening we did NOT
expect before....with the terrible fact that we didnt have all needed
documents....that we had to go to the IRS etc etc......but finally, finally
everything went fine and i got my stamp !!!!
greetings
I couldnt
Sep 16th 2001, 3:51 am
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Did you find the ring????
Your experiences sound much like mine, except mine have been happening everyday for
nearly a year now. I have been pretty fortunate in the patcience department and rely
on the wisdom that all will be OK, if not today, then another day. We loose papers
and can't find stuff a lot. Stress is the cause of not finding something you have.
Just really relax and slowly and methodically search all your items and what you are
looking for will appear.
Everything that can go wrong with AOS filing has happened for us. I forget some of
the things that have actually played a role in detaining us further. I will try to
recall - by the way, I lost my wedding ring at my new job and nearly had a breakdown.
It turned up on the floor - ?? Weird.
OK - let's seev - AOS. First of all I have learned and sometimes forget that
information I get is not always accurate or only partially accurate for my specific
case during this entire process. Example - After we were married I was told there
really is no need to hurry with AOS papers. I was told to take my time and get
everything in order and then file, leave the stress tabs at home- be newlyweds and
enjoy the summer !!. So I ordered the documents I thought we needed and waited for
them to arrive. Once they arrived we let them sit for at least 6 to 8 weeks on a book
shelf, as we moved into a new flat, purchased furnature, new kitchen appliances,
cloths, sports equipment and much more. Well, when we decided to get arround to
filing I learned we did not have the correct documents. I telephoned the INS which
took 45 minutes to get through and I was late for work and that caused problems
there, but par for the course so far. After I got through the lady told me we needed
other papers and gave me the 800 numbert to reorder them. I also found out the
address we have to send and file forms was wrong - We need to send to Pittsburgh, not
Vermont. OK so we do the waiting game for the new forms which arrive. Now we begin to
fill them out and realise how much it will cost to file, we thought it was $220.00.
We did not anticipate fees for two people, there is a daughter here too - or the work
permit fee, or the paroll fee, soc sec x 2. So our next problem is waiting for a
client to pay us, as we have a small business also - advertising. OK, we, finally,
after 2 weeks got the money to file. We do have a sponsor also so we needed to get
together with our sponsor and finish that portion of the forms. Our sponsor had an
illness in the family and was not available for over one week. Once our sponsor was
available, I woke early one morning to go meet her. I showered and rushed out the
door. In the car I turned on the radio to catch news, etc.... It was about 9 Am and
the radio program sounded unfamiliar that morning and terse. I listened intently to
catch the drift of news. I could not believe what I was hearing. It was the morning
of the Terrorist Acts in New York. Needless to say, we spent the entire day infront
of TVs, actually the next three days. The Post Office here was closed, INS was
closed. Now that all the excitement is over our sponsor is having second thoughts
about filing forms for us. In a nut shell the last year's misfortunes and delays have
created too much stress for us. Our sponsor sees this and fears we will have problems
in the future. So I am glad yo made it through
Good luck you guys.
Your experiences sound much like mine, except mine have been happening everyday for
nearly a year now. I have been pretty fortunate in the patcience department and rely
on the wisdom that all will be OK, if not today, then another day. We loose papers
and can't find stuff a lot. Stress is the cause of not finding something you have.
Just really relax and slowly and methodically search all your items and what you are
looking for will appear.
Everything that can go wrong with AOS filing has happened for us. I forget some of
the things that have actually played a role in detaining us further. I will try to
recall - by the way, I lost my wedding ring at my new job and nearly had a breakdown.
It turned up on the floor - ?? Weird.
OK - let's seev - AOS. First of all I have learned and sometimes forget that
information I get is not always accurate or only partially accurate for my specific
case during this entire process. Example - After we were married I was told there
really is no need to hurry with AOS papers. I was told to take my time and get
everything in order and then file, leave the stress tabs at home- be newlyweds and
enjoy the summer !!. So I ordered the documents I thought we needed and waited for
them to arrive. Once they arrived we let them sit for at least 6 to 8 weeks on a book
shelf, as we moved into a new flat, purchased furnature, new kitchen appliances,
cloths, sports equipment and much more. Well, when we decided to get arround to
filing I learned we did not have the correct documents. I telephoned the INS which
took 45 minutes to get through and I was late for work and that caused problems
there, but par for the course so far. After I got through the lady told me we needed
other papers and gave me the 800 numbert to reorder them. I also found out the
address we have to send and file forms was wrong - We need to send to Pittsburgh, not
Vermont. OK so we do the waiting game for the new forms which arrive. Now we begin to
fill them out and realise how much it will cost to file, we thought it was $220.00.
We did not anticipate fees for two people, there is a daughter here too - or the work
permit fee, or the paroll fee, soc sec x 2. So our next problem is waiting for a
client to pay us, as we have a small business also - advertising. OK, we, finally,
after 2 weeks got the money to file. We do have a sponsor also so we needed to get
together with our sponsor and finish that portion of the forms. Our sponsor had an
illness in the family and was not available for over one week. Once our sponsor was
available, I woke early one morning to go meet her. I showered and rushed out the
door. In the car I turned on the radio to catch news, etc.... It was about 9 Am and
the radio program sounded unfamiliar that morning and terse. I listened intently to
catch the drift of news. I could not believe what I was hearing. It was the morning
of the Terrorist Acts in New York. Needless to say, we spent the entire day infront
of TVs, actually the next three days. The Post Office here was closed, INS was
closed. Now that all the excitement is over our sponsor is having second thoughts
about filing forms for us. In a nut shell the last year's misfortunes and delays have
created too much stress for us. Our sponsor sees this and fears we will have problems
in the future. So I am glad yo made it through
Good luck you guys.
Sep 16th 2001, 6:23 pm
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
>
>
No.....we filed an report at the INS in case it gets found...we just can hope that
maybe cleaning personal or some other person finds it. It's no big loss in terms of
money (the ring was not expensive)...but of course a lot of memories are associated
with it since we both got these promise rings back in germany when we started
dating..... greetings
>
No.....we filed an report at the INS in case it gets found...we just can hope that
maybe cleaning personal or some other person finds it. It's no big loss in terms of
money (the ring was not expensive)...but of course a lot of memories are associated
with it since we both got these promise rings back in germany when we started
dating..... greetings
Sep 16th 2001, 6:32 pm
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
i just want to add some interesting observations:
Certain documents were not even looked at.....documents they say its mandatory to
bring them to the interview (plus notarizations plus translations etc....)....which
somehow makes sense since all these documents of course have been filed already to
the INS a long time ago...and i was wondering why we should bring that stuff -again-
to the INS since they should have that already.
But...don't expect anything as granted......go there as prepared as possible and
bring everything *especially* what they mention on the yellow paper, taxforms etc.
..just in case....
greets
Certain documents were not even looked at.....documents they say its mandatory to
bring them to the interview (plus notarizations plus translations etc....)....which
somehow makes sense since all these documents of course have been filed already to
the INS a long time ago...and i was wondering why we should bring that stuff -again-
to the INS since they should have that already.
But...don't expect anything as granted......go there as prepared as possible and
bring everything *especially* what they mention on the yellow paper, taxforms etc.
..just in case....
greets
