did you expedite vawa

NO. I did not expedite anything

What does hold in abeyance mean? can you explain to me please

@diana_new johnson The priority date on your vawa was the date you filed your old I130?

hey @Hikma Bushira, yes, that is correct. The priority date is when they received my i-130. do you know why they included this date on my i-360 approval notice? i dont depend on the visa cap, my ex husband is a US citizen.

@diana_new johnson That's the reason your i360 was approved so fast. You're lucky. I sent a letter to USCIS to transfer my old i130 priority date to my i360 to speed up my process. they didn't respond back to my request.

@Hikma Bushira, this question was asked before in this forum and it is a very popular question and i think 2 people answered it very correctly. I use to think the same, but NO. I think USCIS will use your old i-130 automatically and it's actually advantageous to you for them to use your old 130 amd generate a priority date. But again if you're married to a US citizen priority date doesn't matter because you are not waiting in line for a visa number. I think priority date is only beneficial if you depend on a visa number. I filed my old 130 in 2020 and filed my vawa on Dec 2021 and until now am still waiting. It doesn't make any difference. Honestly, sometimes is just luck and which officer has your case file. I am not sure how priority date affects someone who is married to an LPR, maybe someone else can explain it.

@Leo Lance My Ex husband was greencard holder when my i130 submitted and approved. Now he is a us citizen and I don't know how it works

@diana_new johnson did the 130 was not denied ‘!? after you apply for I 360

hey @In God we trust only, no. My I-130 was not denied. I went for an interview and my husband did not show up. I asked the officer to hold my I-485 in abeyance as I was going to apply for VAWA in a few weeks after my interview. Upon checking it now, I still see the status for I-130 as processing, nothing is closed/denied/rejected, nothing like that.

@diana_new johnson I think it is not an issue for deny it for no show, because that form 130 is for your husband is the petitioner form, the most important is your 485 and 360 which was approved.

@In God we trust only, my original question was not about whether the i-130 which was filed by my ex husband is causing me issues or whether it is an issue for it to get denied or not. My question was how long is the wait for the change of status (i-485 request for evidence) when my Priority date is march 2020 and I have an approved i-360 from November 2022.

@diana_new johnson, may I know what is the initial filing date of your i-130, i485, i765?

@V A - i-130, i485, i765 were filed together. the date is april 1, 2019.

@diana_new johnson You have two i485 applications, old one at NBC and new one at Vermont. Did you check online the statuses of both i485 which one has updated after VAWA approval? Any idea which i485 uscis is moving with?

@diana_new Johnson, if you submitted your medical documents when you filled for your initial i485 and i130 then you may not be required to send another medical report again . that was why your case status was updated to show biometrics has been added to your case. The next update will be New card is being Produced.

@JF k - I had my i-130 / i-485 interview scheduled in october 2020. At that time, my husband did not show up. So I requested that they keep my i-485 in abeyance as I will be filing for VAWA, and I also gave my medicals I brought in for the interview, I gave them to the officer to add to my file. But that was in 2020.. the medicals expired by now. So, I am not sure whether your statement is accurate or not, or if anyone else experienced exact the same outcome for that status update.

@V A -- correct. I have my old i-485 (from marriage) which still has the last status from 2020 ( Status: Interview was scheduled.) I attended that interview and my husband did not show up. So they kept this i-485 in abeyance per my request. The status for this i-485 has never changed since then... AND, I have a new i-485(filed with VAWA concurrently). The status for the second one is "Case Was Updated To Show Fingerprints Were Taken". This happened after my i-360 got approved. Two days later this was reflected on my pending i-485. On my i-360 approval -- they used the submission date of the first i-485 though. They indicated the priority date of that first old i-485(i-130 file). not sure for what, my ex husband is a USC...

@diana_new johnson sorry to ask you questions here, could you tell me why you filed a new I485 while your old I485 was pending (in abeyance)? you could use the old one for Vawa. I filed i485 and i130. they are pending now. I haven’t asked for abeyance or anything yet. what’s the advantage of filing a new I485? also, your old I485 case status got reflected to “case was updated to show fingerprints were taken” ? I want to know old I485 case status would change after filing vawa. I don’t want my ex to know the status because he can track it with the receipt number. I’m sorry to ask you here, I don’t find many in the same/similar situation (filed 130 and 485 then Vawa) so I wanted to ask you. thank you

hi @skylar . -- Yes, I have the old I-485 filed with i-130. That one was requested to held an abeyance so that the USCIS did not place me in the removal proceedings while prepare my documents for VAWA. My lawyer filed a new I-485 form because I have a new petition and I am the petitioner myself because of vawa and it has to be tied to the new I-485 (change of status). Because I have to answer questions differently on this new I-485 and my address and other information is different now after I got separated from my husband. However, they still have both in their systems. The old one - still has the status "Interview Scheduled". This was last updated on the day I went for an interview by myself and asked the officer to hold it in abeyance. So to answer your question here - nope, the status on this old I-485 did not change to anything after I filed for VAWA. they made no updates whatsover. SO if MY ex tried to look it up, he wont find out that I filed for VAWA because there are no updates on the old stuff. And VAWA is protected, no one except the lawyer can request any info here. But for your case I am not sure. You probably should have filed a new I-485, i am really not sure though. But you should not worry. Once they approve your i-360 you will be protected. There's nothing he can do. The only update he might see on your i-485 is that the interview was scheduled, or request for REFs. But he wont see the actual notices (I hope), so he wont know anything about your interviews. And my NEW i-485 is updated to Fingerprints were taken after my vawa got approved. But that's the last update till today> no other changes yet.

@diana_new johnson I see. I’m learning about what to do and how we do with I485 so thank you. I’m sorry you went through all of the difficult situations. thank you so much for sharing your experiences with me. I wish you luck!!

@skylar . -- no worries. this is why we have forums like this where we can share and learn from each other. But you should also consult with lawyers... If your information has changed since last time u had your I-485- - then you need new i-485 with the most recent information such as address, and to answer all other questions since you are now the petitioner yourself. Good luck to you as well. It will all work out, just be patience and have an attorney to avoid mistakes.

@diana_new johnson thank you, I cannot agree with you anymore. learning the real experience from people is very helpful. actually, I do have a lawyer, but he told me I can switch my old I485 to Vawa, I moved to a new place though but nothing else has changed including my name, etc…. I was actually thinking about submitting change of address once I receive the notice of 360, coz my 130 has been pending and the review has not even started …

@diana_new johnson Hi. I have a question. I have an approved i30 from 2016 and I file vawa on Jan 2023. Can I use the PD from the approval of my i30? should I notify USCIS about it? i was marries to a US citizen.

@AP MB what is i30? Do you mean you have an approved I-130? for the VAWA petitioners who are/were married to the US Citizen the priority date does not mean anything. We are not depending on the visa cap. As soon as ur vawa petition gets approved, they will move your status change application to the nbc and then to the uscis field office, in case interview is required. If not, then they will approve it at nbc given you submitted your medicals upon request.

oh i30 was the petition that my citizen husband filed for me back in 2016.

@AP MB it is called I-130, and not i30.

@diana_new johnson any update??

hi @F A no updates, still same status online. I asked my lawyer to send an inquiry online for case being outside of normal processing time. And USCIS sent a response back - and all they indicated in their response is this "Section 384 privacy". and thats all. Now i dont know what to do - need to send them a letter informing to file a mandamus against uscis.

Hello i have approved VAWA for 2 years and my status did not change since 2019, last status is finger print taken