Changing address while case is pending...

[Poetry 0]

Hi everyone, sorry it took me a while to write my interview account. I needed sometime to get over with my disappointment.

I had my interview on February 26th, but I would say it didn’t go well as we were expecting. If you guys still remember in my previous post I originally filed my application to California Service Center, but they relocated it to a service center close to my place for adjudication.

So here how it went, my interview appointment was 8:00 AM, we got there at 7:35 then we had to go through with the security check so we finally went upstairs and waited at the lobby at 7:45. We got called in at 8:15. This lady officer was so unfriendly and not pleasant at all.

She asked us to follow her at her office. She introduced herself and made us swear under oath, and then she asked us to sit down. She first asked me my first name, last name and address. After those two questions the problem started already. She asked my husband to leave the room and sent him to the lobby. In my previous posts, I did not mention that I changed my address. My husband and I went on vacation with our friend for almost two weeks. I was afraid to miss my mail from USCIS so I asked my other friend to intercept my mail (just for USCIS mail) while I was gone and I used her home address temporarily. I know I should have went to the post office and ask them to hold my letters for me while we were gone but the reason I asked my friend to intercept my mail is because I also gave her permission to open any letter from USCIS and call me as soon as it comes in the mail because I was so excited to hear from them. After I changed my address online they sent me a letter of confirmation. Then I called them and told them I just wanted to change my mailing address not the home address. The lady I spoke with on the phone told me it doesn’t matter at all because they are not going to put the address on the green card anyway. So this lady officer made a big deal of it. She asked me why I changed my address so I tried to explain it to her but she just raised her brows and she said she needs to send my husband outside so that she can talk to me. She kept telling me changing my address because we went on vacation doesn’t really make sense. She asked for my friend’s name that went with us and the place where we went. She was also asking me lots of questions like if either I or my husband has been arrested and I said no. Then she asked me if we have had a domestic violence and if my husband ever hit me. This question made me nervous and confused. We did have some domestic violence but I do not have a complete recollection of it. That was two years ago, it happened in 2006 before we even got married. That was the year when I just first got here. My husband and I were having some fights due to some cultural differences and some other stuff as normal couples do. So his mom called a cop because she was afraid for me because I was new here in states and has no one but my husband. But we have settled everything and the cops left. It seems to me she was looking on the records on the computer while asking me bunch of questions and expecting me to answer her in detail. Most of the questions I cannot recall anymore and she was so impatient while waiting for my answers and told me it wasn’t that long ago for me to forget everything. And then she become more unfriendly and told me why I said no when she asked me if my husband has been arrested. And I told her because the way I understand arrested is when the cops take him away. But they didn’t. She just said in an irritable voice the answer then is yes not no. She kept shaking her head with my answers as she was writing them down. I think she doubted us. And maybe she doubted if my husband and I still live together. Then she asked me if we have already filed for tax returns from last year and I said yes. I don’t have an extra copy so she made a copy for herself. Then she gave it back to me and told me to wait at the lobby and she was going to talk to my husband. She did not even look at the bunch of other documents I brought with me. She escorted me at the door and called my husband back in. She asked him the same questions about the domestic violence thing. And some details about my friend’s name whom we went on vacation with. After the interview she escorted my husband at the door and told him to wait for the decision in two to three months?

I am so disappointed how my interview turned out. I was so prepared and organized and I am not sure what went wrong. I am so confused. I am so afraid that we might get denied. I have too many questions in my mind like why they had to bring up the past that happened long time ago. How come they did not bring that up during the 2-year green card application (Adjustment of Status) why they had to dig out that record from the past about the domestic violence and bring it up now? Are they going to do further investigation of the place where we went for vacation to find out if we really been there? Is it going to affect my application at all? Is changing my address will affect anything regarding my approval or denial? I didn’t realize changing my address would caused me all these troubles.

Can anyone help me make the right decision whether to change my address again back to my original home address or should I wait until I hear from them? I haven’t changed it yet after the interview, what they have on the record is still my friend’s address. I am afraid it will cause another problem if I change it again because they might get confuse but I am also afraid it might cause more problems if I don’t because they might think my husband and I are separated plus the fact that I never lived to that address that is currently on my record . What would be the best thing to do about it? Any suggestion or advice would be greatly appreciated. Everyone is welcome to share their honest opinion. Thanks again.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Really sorry to hear about your rough interview. Not sure in retrospect if changing your address was such a great idea just for going on a vacation. Having your friend pick up your mail while you were gone would have been a better option. Not simply because of the questions you were asked about it, but because changing addresses is such a sketchy thing for USCIS. More often than not they get it wrong!

Anyway, I imagine that when they decide to look deeply at a particular case they run police records, thus the incident you were asked about showed up, but you probably did not say anything about it on the I-751 in regards to question 7 on the form. It was water under the bridge to you at that point, but apparently not to the lady interviewing you.

Hopefully after talking to you and your husband separately things will work out and you will be approved, but I believe if not you will get another shot in front of a judge. Not an option any of us hope for though. Good luck!

[jasminelily 1]

Hi everyone, sorry it took me a while to write my interview account. I needed sometime to get over with my disappointment.

I had my interview on February 26th, but I would say it didn’t go well as we were expecting. If you guys still remember in my previous post I originally filed my application to California Service Center, but they relocated it to a service center close to my place for adjudication.

So here how it went, my interview appointment was 8:00 AM, we got there at 7:35 then we had to go through with the security check so we finally went upstairs and waited at the lobby at 7:45. We got called in at 8:15. This lady officer was so unfriendly and not pleasant at all.

She asked us to follow her at her office. She introduced herself and made us swear under oath, and then she asked us to sit down. She first asked me my first name, last name and address. After those two questions the problem started already. She asked my husband to leave the room and sent him to the lobby. In my previous posts, I did not mention that I changed my address. My husband and I went on vacation with our friend for almost two weeks. I was afraid to miss my mail from USCIS so I asked my other friend to intercept my mail (just for USCIS mail) while I was gone and I used her home address temporarily. I know I should have went to the post office and ask them to hold my letters for me while we were gone but the reason I asked my friend to intercept my mail is because I also gave her permission to open any letter from USCIS and call me as soon as it comes in the mail because I was so excited to hear from them. After I changed my address online they sent me a letter of confirmation. Then I called them and told them I just wanted to change my mailing address not the home address. The lady I spoke with on the phone told me it doesn’t matter at all because they are not going to put the address on the green card anyway. So this lady officer made a big deal of it. She asked me why I changed my address so I tried to explain it to her but she just raised her brows and she said she needs to send my husband outside so that she can talk to me. She kept telling me changing my address because we went on vacation doesn’t really make sense. She asked for my friend’s name that went with us and the place where we went. She was also asking me lots of questions like if either I or my husband has been arrested and I said no. Then she asked me if we have had a domestic violence and if my husband ever hit me. This question made me nervous and confused. We did have some domestic violence but I do not have a complete recollection of it. That was two years ago, it happened in 2006 before we even got married. That was the year when I just first got here. My husband and I were having some fights due to some cultural differences and some other stuff as normal couples do. So his mom called a cop because she was afraid for me because I was new here in states and has no one but my husband. But we have settled everything and the cops left. It seems to me she was looking on the records on the computer while asking me bunch of questions and expecting me to answer her in detail. Most of the questions I cannot recall anymore and she was so impatient while waiting for my answers and told me it wasn’t that long ago for me to forget everything. And then she become more unfriendly and told me why I said no when she asked me if my husband has been arrested. And I told her because the way I understand arrested is when the cops take him away. But they didn’t. She just said in an irritable voice the answer then is yes not no. She kept shaking her head with my answers as she was writing them down. I think she doubted us. And maybe she doubted if my husband and I still live together. Then she asked me if we have already filed for tax returns from last year and I said yes. I don’t have an extra copy so she made a copy for herself. Then she gave it back to me and told me to wait at the lobby and she was going to talk to my husband. She did not even look at the bunch of other documents I brought with me. She escorted me at the door and called my husband back in. She asked him the same questions about the domestic violence thing. And some details about my friend’s name whom we went on vacation with. After the interview she escorted my husband at the door and told him to wait for the decision in two to three months?

I am so disappointed how my interview turned out. I was so prepared and organized and I am not sure what went wrong. I am so confused. I am so afraid that we might get denied. I have too many questions in my mind like why they had to bring up the past that happened long time ago. How come they did not bring that up during the 2-year green card application (Adjustment of Status) why they had to dig out that record from the past about the domestic violence and bring it up now? Are they going to do further investigation of the place where we went for vacation to find out if we really been there? Is it going to affect my application at all? Is changing my address will affect anything regarding my approval or denial? I didn’t realize changing my address would caused me all these troubles.

Can anyone help me make the right decision whether to change my address again back to my original home address or should I wait until I hear from them? I haven’t changed it yet after the interview, what they have on the record is still my friend’s address. I am afraid it will cause another problem if I change it again because they might get confuse but I am also afraid it might cause more problems if I don’t because they might think my husband and I are separated plus the fact that I never lived to that address that is currently on my record . What would be the best thing to do about it? Any suggestion or advice would be greatly appreciated. Everyone is welcome to share their honest opinion. Thanks again.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Is your case straight forward married joint petition? It sounds weird that they would even call for interview. Perhaps the change of address had caused them to alarm. The IO told you about two to three months? She should have given you a more definite time like 45 or 60 or 90 days. Usually USCIS gives timeline of 60 days, so if it's been more than 60 days, perhaps you could make an infopass appointment and ask about what the hold up is. The fact that the IO doesn't even want to look at your other evidence is even more bizzare, most of the time IO would ask if you have anything to add by the end of interview saying like "do you have any questions to ask me? or do you have anything else to provide or add?". May be she is really having a bad day. Really sorry that you've met a bad IO. So did she even ask you to show her your vacation itinerary or air fare purchase proof, hotel bill or car rental, in you and your husband's name, also shows date of travel would co-incides with the change of address date to prove your explanation of your action? In the meantime, collect everything you can that shows your current address (not your friends), like your state ID or driver license, all kinds of mails, bank statements, credit card statements, utility bills, even junk mails. I honestly do not think that the change of address would have caused such a delay or denial. Good Luck!

[Poetry 0]

Thanks guys, it's a sort of relief knowing there are some people who understand what we are going through. It wasn't really a smart move on my part when I changed my address, but I cannot undo it. All I can do is just charged it to experience. I would like to solicit a personal opinion though, is it a good idea to change my address back to the old one (my own home address before I changed it into my friend's address) while waiting for the decision from USCIS or just wait until I hear from them? I am really confuse, I don't want to make any more mistake this time. Thanks for all the nice words.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Thanks guys, it's a sort of relief knowing there are some people who understand what we are going through. It wasn't really a smart move on my part when I changed my address, but I cannot undo it. All I can do is just charged it to experience. I would like to solicit a personal opinion though, is it a good idea to change my address back to the old one (my own home address before I changed it into my friend's address) while waiting for the decision from USCIS or just wait until I hear from them? I am really confuse, I don't want to make any more mistake this time. Thanks for all the nice words.

I believe USCIS/Homeland Security considers applicant/immigrant address to be their residence, thus far more important than simply "tell us where to send your critical immigration documents" type of a thing. They want to know where you live. They need to know where you live, and they also do not send mail to PO Box's for that exact reason.

If you live at the address you wish to change back to, that would be likely a good thing to do.

We are lucky, no address changes the entire process, although they did goof up this address slightly, and my correction attempt, though extended was handled eventually and correctly by USCIS.

Hopefully taking you both separately to discuss the incident which seemed so critical to your interviewer will satisfy her nothing sinister was meant by your answers. Again, good luck!

Edited May 11, 2009 by ready4ONE