Teach Soap

When USCIS gets your paperwork they send you a receipt number that can be used to check your status. It should take 3-6 months for green card processing. Its been 192 days now and my status is still at "initial". I went to check today and the system says my receipt number is for an invalid case!!! OMG!!!! So I phoned them and they have no idea what happened to my case, they put in an order to have it looked into immediately, and they will contact me within 15 days. UGH!!!! This is so frustrating! 15 days or anxiety here I come!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

That is frustrating. I hope you get this solved soon.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks April The posted timeline is 30 days, with a note to call for assistance if you've not heard anything for 180+ days. They assured me that there will not be an RFE this late in the game... which is good! They say the best evidence is pictures, of which we have none. We both HATE getting our pictures taken

I just checked the site again and it is back to initial review, where it has been for 191 of the 192 days. Blarg. Stupid California Center is so ssslllooowwww. Chicago's "actual" processing time is currently 6 weeks. Why did they have to transfer me to the slowest center? I know some folks who have been waiting for over 2 years now and are still in the "initial review" with no call for RFE or anything. They keep phoning and getting told they'll just have to wait. I think I'd die of a heart attack before the 2 year mark! They had to file for removal of restrictions before they even got the green card! No idea why the transfer so many cases to the California center which is incredibly backed up while other ceters are pushing things through at half the national average time!

Oh well. The assured me that I can't be deported while in the process, but I also can't visit my family in Canada anymore as I've been here more than the 180 days, my AP can no longer get me back into the US. This would be fine if I didn't have a 91 year old grandmother and 96 (next week) year old grandfather. Not sure what to do if I have to rush to Canada for one of them.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Heather, I hope all goes well! My SIL is from Nova Scotia and she went round and round with too.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I talked to the about emergency travel, and they said there is nothing they can do for me at the 192 day mark, I literally have to pray that I'll get the green card before anything happens. I can apply for a passport stamp that extends my period of stay by an additional 180 days but the processing time on that is around 3 months, and it costs ~$500. We've already paid almost $10,000!!! Really just wish this immigration stuff was over, its been almost 2 years since we started and I'm so very tired of paper work and fees and more paperwork... 90% or which has the EXACT same information on it. 8 months from now (ish) we file for removal of restrictions, then citizenship in a few years. Will the paperwork ever end?! -arg-.

Luckily the status of my case has popped back to good old initial review, where it has been since May. Even though it says that step takes around 10 days. They're still supposed to phone me within the next 15 days and let me know whats happening.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

That is so brutal. I'm sorry you are going through it.

Jill