AOS FILERS - March 2008

[u2rsobad 0]

Congratulations to all!! Finally some good news for those of us who have been waiting so many months for anything! We have our interview up in Seattle tomorrow. Not looking forward to such a long drive, but we've got everything ready to go and are anxious to be done with USCIS for a while!

I'll finish with job #2 at 3:30 am, go home and sleep for a few hours and start driving up there. Good luck to others with interviews tomorrow!

[Heliosphan 1]

good luck!

[cdn_in_wa 1]

Congratulations to all!! Finally some good news for those of us who have been waiting so many months for anything! We have our interview up in Seattle tomorrow. Not looking forward to such a long drive, but we've got everything ready to go and are anxious to be done with USCIS for a while!

I'll finish with job #2 at 3:30 am, go home and sleep for a few hours and start driving up there. Good luck to others with interviews tomorrow!

Good Luck and let us know what happens. So far everyone Seattle interviewed in the last week has reported either no immediate decision or approval pending review.

[Annette 0]

Had our interview today. The guy asked quite a lot of questions, but thankfully we were prepared. And YES the guy did notice we were prepared, he seemed very happy about that. We had everything sorted into a notebook so when he asked to see something, not only did we have the original but a copy as well. He asked to see evidence that we lived together, that seemed to be a VERY important thing, so make sure you bring copies of utility bills with both your names on it, etc. We were given approval pending review by his supervisor. The guy said we would either get a greencard in the next couple of months or a letter asking for more information. Overall the interview was very efficient and the interviewer was nice (not too friendly but not a sour puss either) We are hopeful...Will keep you posted

Good luck to all those with upcoming interviews! If you have any questions, PM me.

Annette

[emerce 0]

Hey Everyone, I have a question...

I'm starting to prepare our binder for the interview and I was referring to the checklist on the notice they sent us. It doesnt say anything on there (or I didnt see it) about the affidavits you can get from family and friends where you get a notarized statement about your relationship. Is that something you just do on your own if you want to? Are they still accepted? I figure I will need one because right now we live with my parents so we have no rental or utility agreements in our name. I think they will need to write one saying we live with them but that we do live together.

Thanks!

[Heliosphan 1]

Hey Everyone, I have a question...

I'm starting to prepare our binder for the interview and I was referring to the checklist on the notice they sent us. It doesnt say anything on there (or I didnt see it) about the affidavits you can get from family and friends where you get a notarized statement about your relationship. Is that something you just do on your own if you want to? Are they still accepted? I figure I will need one because right now we live with my parents so we have no rental or utility agreements in our name. I think they will need to write one saying we live with them but that we do live together.

Thanks!

Yeah they're still accepted.

[u2rsobad 0]

Had our interview today. The guy asked quite a lot of questions, but thankfully we were prepared. And YES the guy did notice we were prepared, he seemed very happy about that. We had everything sorted into a notebook so when he asked to see something, not only did we have the original but a copy as well. He asked to see evidence that we lived together, that seemed to be a VERY important thing, so make sure you bring copies of utility bills with both your names on it, etc. We were given approval pending review by his supervisor. The guy said we would either get a greencard in the next couple of months or a letter asking for more information. Overall the interview was very efficient and the interviewer was nice (not too friendly but not a sour puss either) We are hopeful...Will keep you posted

Good luck to all those with upcoming interviews! If you have any questions, PM me.

Annette

We had our interview as well, and had pretty much the same experience as Annette. Our interviewer spent more time talking to me about my gov't job than anything else, but in the end we were told if there was a need for more info then they'd request it or we'd get his green card in the mail.

It was amazing to us the number of people waiting there with their lawyers. We heard 2 of the lawyers talking to others stating they had to look at pics of their next clients, as they had never actually met them, just taken their money and filed the papers! How sad!

Edited October 27, 2008 by u2rsobad

[teachmehistory 0]

hey March filers, you may have already read this in the general AOS forum, but thought I would post here too. We had our interview in Seattle on Friday 10/24. here is our story -

Been a bit, but had to check in and get some advice. So Matthew and I had our green card interview finally last friday. We show up at the place well early, have copies of everything you can possibly think of to document our marriage and then some in hand. We get called into the office to meet with Officer S, and he asks us a few questions about how we met, how the marriage was going, who was at our wedding, what we both do for a living, etc etc. He asked for any updated financial information to add to the file. I had my employer write a new letter of employment verification - just to be thorough - dated last week as well as my 2008 teacher contract so I hand that over to him.

Then he says, alright guys, do you want the good news or the bad news???ummmmm......seriously?? okay, I guess lets get the bad news out of the way. so he says, well, this NEVER happens, but it appears that they lost Matthew's immigration/entry packet at the airport customs office when he entered the country last January on his K-1 visa. you know...that 'mysterious' brown envelope that is delivered from the embassy that has all your immigration info, your medical exam, your sponsor's info, etc etc....yeah, they lost that one! although Officer S can tell he had it when he entered the country because someone took the official sticker off of it and put it in his file to document that he entered the country with all of the proper paperwork, they just aren't sure what happened to it from there. he said this NEVER happens and proceeded to explain how the file gets split up to the different offices for AOS and then put back together for the final interview phase and that 99.9% of the time all of that works out just fine. In fact, poor Officer S is just baffled by what could have happened to it since the USCIS office here in Seattle gets daily deliveries from the airport customs down the road and from that official sticker in Matthew's file, he knows it was here, they just don't know where it is now.

at this stage in the interview my heart is pounding waiting to hear what all this means to us. Apparently your entire life is in that mysterious brown envelope. Luckily I was so over prepared at the interview, I had copies of everything he needed to replace from it EXCEPT Matthew's medical exam. soooooo, the Officer says to us, we have a choice here. Since we are the ones who lost it, you can have us continue to look for that paperwork (although he has apparently been trying to track it down for the last 3 weeks since our file landed on his desk - not to mention it has not been found in the 7 months since we filed AOS) OR we can go have another medical exam done. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

So I say, well, can't we just call the embassy doctor in London who did the original medical and have them fax you a copy? and he says no, you have to have a new medical done here in the US because the embassy doctor in London is not an approved Civil Surgeon here in the US. I say, well, you know he passed his medical because he was granted an interview, and allowed to enter the country - isn't that good enough?? not to mention we have the I-693A form we submitted with AOS verifying all of his vaccinations sitting right there in front of us, and he again says no, we have to have the actual medical paperwork in his file. At this point I say, well I won't allow you to vaccinate him again, he got all those shots only 9 months ago, and he says that's okay, we know he has those because we have the I693A form, he just needs all the rest of it done again.

So here is the kicker....WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THE MEDICAL EXAM AGAIN!!!! #######?? Even though it is their mistake, our health insurance will not pay for an immigration exam, and Officer S thinks they are still running around $400.00 to have it done (we paid just over 250 pounds in London in January to have the first one done). I am SOOOOOO ANGRY! they admit its their mistake, they know he passed his medical the first time, they have proof of the vaccinations, yet we have to do this all over again at our expense. not to mention the other stuff that was 'lost' in that paperwork included absolutely every detail of our lives - financials, names, addresses, employers, SSN, parents info, etc etc...you guys know all of the info you had to submit to sponsor your fiance for the K-1 visa - well of that was in the file that they 'lost'. I feel violated and so angry I am barely able to contain it right now. at the very least I think they should provide us with some sort of voucher to cover the cost of a second medical exam.

Of course the longer we put this off the longer it will take to actually get the green card in our hands, so I don't think we really have a choice here. Of course 'the good news' was that we are approved for a green card - pending a new medical. In fact Officer S is so sorry about what happened he is keeping our file on his desk and having us send the new I-693 medical form directly to him at our local office so he can approve the green card the same day he receives it. at least there is that - I guess.

Sorry this is so long - and sorry for any mistakes, I just don't have the energy to read over to edit!

Does anyone have any advice here?? do I have any recourse?? He did say we have done everything right in this process and was glad I was so organized and had extra copies of everything we have ever submitted to replace what was lost. I am SO PISSED. I think I will contact my congressman, but it is that wise until this is resolved?? should we jump through the hoops first and get the green card and then raise holy hell??

Oh and the kicker....we have to have the new medical done, at our expense, in 4 weeks, or face possible deportation.....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH mad.gif

Sara

[Mari_S 1]

Hi Guys,

It's been a while seen I posted here...My interview's coming up tomorrow...I'm not nervous though (not as nervous as with my K-3 interview back in Manila! )...well, probably because I have nothing to be afraid of...I just wanna say thank you in advance and I'll let you guys know what happened right after my interview...

Good luck to all of us!

[ramzis52 0]

Had our interview today. The guy asked quite a lot of questions, but thankfully we were prepared. And YES the guy did notice we were prepared, he seemed very happy about that. We had everything sorted into a notebook so when he asked to see something, not only did we have the original but a copy as well. He asked to see evidence that we lived together, that seemed to be a VERY important thing, so make sure you bring copies of utility bills with both your names on it, etc. We were given approval pending review by his supervisor. The guy said we would either get a greencard in the next couple of months or a letter asking for more information. Overall the interview was very efficient and the interviewer was nice (not too friendly but not a sour puss either) We are hopeful...Will keep you posted

Good luck to all those with upcoming interviews! If you have any questions, PM me.

Annette

We had our interview as well, and had pretty much the same experience as Annette. Our interviewer spent more time talking to me about my gov't job than anything else, but in the end we were told if there was a need for more info then they'd request it or we'd get his green card in the mail.

It was amazing to us the number of people waiting there with their lawyers. We heard 2 of the lawyers talking to others stating they had to look at pics of their next clients, as they had never actually met them, just taken their money and filed the papers! How sad!

Congratulations U2Rsobad and Annette. Life in Michigan is veddy, veddy goot for me and Ramzis. I wish everyone on Visa Journey the best. We have been married already 7 months and we still wake up each day so greatful!!

[Mari_S 1]

Hey Guys...

WE'VE BEEN APPROVED! YIPEE! :dance:

Interview details coming up in a few... :thumbs:

Thank you VJers!

[Heliosphan 1]

Hey Guys...

WE'VE BEEN APPROVED! YIPEE! :dance:

Interview details coming up in a few... :thumbs:

Thank you VJers!

Congrats! Lot of interviews this week

[ellla 0]

Hey Guys...

WE'VE BEEN APPROVED! YIPEE! :dance:

Interview details coming up in a few... :thumbs:

Thank you VJers!

Congrats!!!

[u2rsobad 0]

Hey Guys...

WE'VE BEEN APPROVED! YIPEE! :dance:

Interview details coming up in a few... :thumbs:

Thank you VJers!

Congratulations!!

[the.ronin 0]

Wow folks ... this is getting a little old. Still nothing since June 9. Not even a touch.

Should I be worried and/or taking action?