Ok,
I just got back and I wanted to let you all know how it went, cause it felt like such an easy process, that I still can't believe it's over.
Our interview was at 10:00 am at the San Francisco office.
We arrived around 9:50 am (parking difficulties). We ended up parking at the corner of Sansome st., which costed $18. At that point I was so nervous that we were gonna be late, I wouldn't have minded paying $100 for parking.
First of all thank you for the very useful immigration.com website. Over the years I have used it frequently to check on the sometimes incredible information the INS (and successors) have told me and gauge how my progress through the INS labyrinth compared to others.
I was born in Mexico and I was brought to the US at the age of 3. Like many other people in my situation, I was brought here by my mom to provide a better education. I am now 18, just started college and due to my status I am struggling to keep up paying my tuition. I am forced to work, and feel that we should all get an equal opportunity in education. Through the years, I have acquired great knowledge thanks to the schools of this great country. I graduated from my High School with the third highest honors Ephebian, and a 3.33 GPA.
I am 19 years old and I have been living in this country for 14 years. Due to my status I am struggling in college. I cannot pay my tuition and I am forced to work full time. I have a 3.8 GPA but no scholarship or loans to show for it. My goal is to become a doctor. I volunteer countless hours at hospitals because I enjoy helping people and I love being around doctors. Although many students get paid to work in laboratories and conduct research, I do it for free because I am not a permanent resident or a citizen.
The process of E-filing was easy !!. The ASC took only 10 min for the photos and Finger Prints.
Advantages of E-File:
- Enter the data yourself => so NO chance of Typo errors by TSC. Make sure YOU do not make typo / name swapping errors : See : http://forums.immigration.com/
- Pay by CC ; => you can immediately see that the Money has safely been charged. (Hey earn some credit card miles ..or points !! See Below : about Security Code when using Credit Card ) http://forums.immigration.com/
- Get Recipt # instantly.
When an I-485 is accepted at the Service Center, requests for FD-258 FBI fingerprint checks, fingerprint fees, and G-325A consular background checks are made by USCIS. Responses to these requests come back to USCIS and must be matched up with the appropriate files held in staging. File Maintenance "file connects" these responses to the corresponding files.
My wife and I had our passports stamped after a 6 hour ordeal that started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 2:30 p.m. Here are some tips based on what we experienced,
1. For an 8:40 appointment, get there before 8 if at all possible. They were not checking appointment timings, so people with 9/10 a.m. appointments were ahead of us in the line. All they care is that you have an appointment for that day.