interview experience today

[MRSALFI 0]

Hi!

Although I am not super active here on the boards, I just thought some people may benefit from reading about our experience!

We arrived a 1/2 hour early for our interview..Went through security and then were asked to wait in a small corridor next to some offices..There were maybe 4 couples before us.

The line moved swiftly and after about a 35 minute wait, we were called in.

A woman told us to remain standing and swore us in. Then she retrieved our file.

She asked for my id (i am the USC). I asked if she wanted my passport or driver's liscense...She said she then wanted both of our passports. My husband and I handed them to her.

She immediately asked me what I did for a living. I told her I was an entertainer, and then qualified that with "a singer." Then she said, "Am I supposed to know you?"....which sort of caught me off guard, and I said, "no, some people do, some people don't.." (i'm you're typical wedding singer/ convention/lounge singer)...

Then she asked me where I sing...I told her a few of my gigs, none are steady because I work frequently all over the place, even outside of the US. Then she asked me "HOW" I sang..like with a band or in a show or whatever..I told her with a band that I hire. Then she still was asking a lot of questions so I gave her my business card which happens to have my picture on it..

She said, "Is that YOU?"....Well, yes it was-- all gussied up for the stage..not how i walk around on a regular basis...Anyway, i was starting to feel uncomfortable..Please notice she had not said a word to my husband. Then she opened our files and started flipping frantically through all the documentation-back and forth, back and forth...she'd mark a little here and then little there..

Then she asked me...How do you get paid when you sing? I told her I am an indepedent contractor and that I invoice my clients on a gig per gig basis, to which she said rather increduously, "WHAAAAA?"..I re-explained and then she FINALLY moved onto my husband. She asked him what he did for a living and why he was never married before. She felt he was rather "old" to be marrying for the first time... (he's 41)...Then she asked about his daughter from a previous relationship and whether or not i had met her. Which I had. Then she went back to the paper work and asked me why I put $39,000 as my income. I told her that was the total of my 1099s..

Here's where I screwed up. According to her, your income when you are self imployed is your net income, not your gross. Naturally, as a self employed independent contractor my net is less than my gross due to deductions,etc. and therefore I didn't reach the poverty guidelines...

She told me to get a joint sponsor.

She asked no questions about our relationship, nothing about where we live, nothing about our families or the medical or how we met, etc...

She said she felt our marriage was bona fide and that we are still in process until we find another sponsor.

On the way out I asked her if my husband could sponsor himself and she said, "hmm, i don't know.."

Which boggled my mind because I thought that was her job to know, but, hmmm, I could be wrong...

So we are now off to my Dad's to have him fill our the joint sponsor application.

Hope that helps anyone who is self employed!

Don't make the same mistake as me!

[cdancer 0]

WOW!!! I will keep this in mind for our interview next month as my husband is self employed!

I have to laugh as the interviewer was questioning your husbands age of 41 for the first time

of being "married" LOL hell it took me to the ripe age of 49 to find and marry the right guy!

and I had to go outta my own home country....

Hi!

Although I am not super active here on the boards, I just thought some people may benefit from reading about our experience!

We arrived a 1/2 hour early for our interview..Went through security and then were asked to wait in a small corridor next to some offices..There were maybe 4 couples before us.

The line moved swiftly and after about a 35 minute wait, we were called in.

A woman told us to remain standing and swore us in. Then she retrieved our file.

She asked for my id (i am the USC). I asked if she wanted my passport or driver's liscense...She said she then wanted both of our passports. My husband and I handed them to her.

She immediately asked me what I did for a living. I told her I was an entertainer, and then qualified that with "a singer." Then she said, "Am I supposed to know you?"....which sort of caught me off guard, and I said, "no, some people do, some people don't.." (i'm you're typical wedding singer/ convention/lounge singer)...

Then she asked me where I sing...I told her a few of my gigs, none are steady because I work frequently all over the place, even outside of the US. Then she asked me "HOW" I sang..like with a band or in a show or whatever..I told her with a band that I hire. Then she still was asking a lot of questions so I gave her my business card which happens to have my picture on it..

She said, "Is that YOU?"....Well, yes it was-- all gussied up for the stage..not how i walk around on a regular basis...Anyway, i was starting to feel uncomfortable..Please notice she had not said a word to my husband. Then she opened our files and started flipping frantically through all the documentation-back and forth, back and forth...she'd mark a little here and then little there..

Then she asked me...How do you get paid when you sing? I told her I am an indepedent contractor and that I invoice my clients on a gig per gig basis, to which she said rather increduously, "WHAAAAA?"..I re-explained and then she FINALLY moved onto my husband. She asked him what he did for a living and why he was never married before. She felt he was rather "old" to be marrying for the first time... (he's 41)...Then she asked about his daughter from a previous relationship and whether or not i had met her. Which I had. Then she went back to the paper work and asked me why I put $39,000 as my income. I told her that was the total of my 1099s..

Here's where I screwed up. According to her, your income when you are self imployed is your net income, not your gross. Naturally, as a self employed independent contractor my net is less than my gross due to deductions,etc. and therefore I didn't reach the poverty guidelines...

She told me to get a joint sponsor.

She asked no questions about our relationship, nothing about where we live, nothing about our families or the medical or how we met, etc...

She said she felt our marriage was bona fide and that we are still in process until we find another sponsor.

On the way out I asked her if my husband could sponsor himself and she said, "hmm, i don't know.."

Which boggled my mind because I thought that was her job to know, but, hmmm, I could be wrong...

So we are now off to my Dad's to have him fill our the joint sponsor application.

Hope that helps anyone who is self employed!

Don't make the same mistake as me!

[CB82 0]

Thank you for sharing your interview experience. My husband is self-employed also, so i'll have to double check his returns.

It's a wonder though that you didn't get an RFE for a joint sponsor as i'm sure someone would have looked at your tax returns before your interview. We received an RFE for proof of current income and they said his tax returns showed he was above the poverty line.

[spirochete 0]

OH great, I've been a 1099 person for a couple of years. My lawyer didn't flag anything so hopefully things will go ok

[MRSALFI 0]

Thanks Everyone for the replies! : )

I'm still wondering how we had gotten as far as the interview without anyone noticing my application didn't qualify..

I remember having made an infopass appointment while filling out the forms to specifically ask that question about gross/net..and being told it was the total of my 1099s..I guess I'm a little bothered because I got two different answers from the people who should know..

Since the interview I have been surfing around on the net and found MANY references to the gross being the amount that determines whether or not you reach the poverty line..

Does anyone have any official info. on being self employed?

Any extra infor would help..

Thanks again for the replies! : )

[hoot17 0]

Thanks Everyone for the replies! : )

I'm still wondering how we had gotten as far as the interview without anyone noticing my application didn't qualify..

I remember having made an infopass appointment while filling out the forms to specifically ask that question about gross/net..and being told it was the total of my 1099s..I guess I'm a little bothered because I got two different answers from the people who should know..

Since the interview I have been surfing around on the net and found MANY references to the gross being the amount that determines whether or not you reach the poverty line..

Does anyone have any official info. on being self employed?

Any extra infor would help..

Thanks again for the replies! : )

If you are self employed, I believe it is the Adjusted Gross Income....hoot17

[hoot17 0]

It is your Adjusted gross Income, if you are self employed....hoot