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.
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.
Release Date
12/05/2025
New vetting center will focus on powerful screening resources to keep America safe
Release Date
12/04/2025
Maximum validity periods of some Employment Authorization Documents will be reduced
WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its Policy Manual to reduce the maximum validity period for Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) for certain categories of aliens. This update also incorporates changes to EAD validity periods made by recent legislation to ensure proper vetting and screening of aliens.
USCIS is updating USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part C to deter the filing of frivolous claims and provide operational consistency. This update clarifies that the Department of Homeland Security generally will not take biometrics of detained aliens unless they are in removal proceedings and have a pending application or petition filed with the Executive Office for Immigration Review. This guidance is effective immediately and applies to requests pending or filed on or after the publication date.
Rajiv S. Khanna, US Immigration attorney, provides free immigration help by hosting a free community conference call for US immigration-related questions every Thursday. You can post questions for the call if you are a member of our US Immigration forums. Membership is immediate and lifelong. Walk-ins are also permitted.
Last Updated: December 3, 2025
As of December 15, the Department will expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review. To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for H-1B and their dependents (H-4), F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public.”
Published by: The Times of India - December 04, 2025
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-to-scan-social-media-of…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Rajiv S. Khanna, managing attorney at Immigration.com expressed dismay that a country which professes to be a shining beacon of free speech does not appreciate it.