Interview 300 miles away!

[missaero 7]

So we got notification of our interview in the mail. Our nearest ASC is in Charleston, West Virginia even though we live in Virginia. Our interview is being held in Norfolk! Norfolk! That is 300 miles from where we are at. Coupled with that, our interview is at 11.30am so we're going to have to go up there the night before. I wonder why we got sent to Norfolk. Wouldn't Charleston WV or Fairfax have been better? Even Charlotte NC is closer.

Don't get me wrong, thrilled to have the interview note! But it's so far away!

[amykathleen2005 441]

I'm thinking possibly the other service center have too much of a backlog and they want to speed things up.

[snooki703 7]

So we got notification of our interview in the mail. Our nearest ASC is in Charleston, West Virginia even though we live in Virginia. Our interview is being held in Norfolk! Norfolk! That is 300 miles from where we are at. Coupled with that, our interview is at 11.30am so we're going to have to go up there the night before. I wonder why we got sent to Norfolk. Wouldn't Charleston WV or Fairfax have been better? Even Charlotte NC is closer.

Don't get me wrong, thrilled to have the interview note! But it's so far away!

The Fairfax office is really backlogged. As of January 31, 2011 they were still processing applications from June, according to the USCIS website. Somehow, we still got to squeeze in the interview there, at the 5 month mark.

Like you said, at least you get to move through the process faster.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

The USCIS office only has jurisdiction in the state in which you live, so you can't go to a different state. I, too, am closer to NYC, but had to go to Newark. 300 miles pretty much sucks, but hey, better than the person I saw who lived in Alaska and had to fly by plane and spend around $1000 per person each flight for two trips (biometrics and interview).

[missaero 7]

If the USCIS office only has jurisdiction in the state you live, why then did the WV office process my biometrics?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Not sure - did you have an appointment in WV or just do a walk-in there?

[HeatDeath 430]

Application Service Center offices are different from the Field offices where you do the interviews, I think.

No official decisions are made at ASC offices, so it doesn't matter where they are - as long as they can upload biometrics data to the central servers they're fine.

OTOH, officers at specific field offices have very specific jurisdictions, and can only make decisions within their specific jurisdiction, which it sounds like is the specific state where the Field office is located.

[snooki703 7]

Application Service Center offices are different from the Field offices where you do the interviews, I think.

No official decisions are made at ASC offices, so it doesn't matter where they are - as long as they can upload biometrics data to the central servers they're fine.

Agreed.ASCs are actually run by Northrup Grumman (a government defense contractor)and all they're doing is technical stuff, not adjudicatory whatsoever

[RICARDO4EVA2 194]

Not uncommon

[missaero 7]

@Harpa My appointment was scheduled in Charleston WV, I just walked in earlier than my specified date. @HeatDeath I will agree that ASC centers are different. However, the office in Charleston WV not only provides ASC type services but also serves as a local field office.

It would seem that for the interview, being in-state is important. It's really stupid though IMO, being that USCIS is a National organization. I just don't see why the state matters. They should simply try to send someone to an office which is both close to them and/or has the least load, though these are often conflicting requirements. Here, they hurt both sides... me, making me travel so far for what will (hopefully) be a short interview and also, they hurt the Norfolk office which is backlogged. It just would have been easier to send me up to Charleston again. They are anything but busy there.

Additionally, my good friend went through AOS a few years back and actually had their interview in a Federal building in Roanoke, VA. Odd, since there is NO USCIS office there. Seems like an IO traveled to the area just for them. How nice...

Ok, rant over I guess... just have to suck it up and drive there.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

You could try to contact them using the mis-information line and select the options for a scheduled appointment. Try to get the call upgraded to an actual immigration officer (asking something totally outside of the experience of the call center person who answers the phone often works) and then present your situation to the immigration officer at the 2nd level. Ask them if there is the option for a closer interview location as a 6 or 7 hour drive is a long way to go. There may not be another option - or they may have another option available. I suspect that they are not hard and fast with the State rule as I know that applicants from Alabama are interviewed in Atlanta, Georgia. They may be able to transfer your file to a USCIS office that is closer to you. It certainly wouldn't hurt anything to try. Good luck.

[missaero 7]

Kathryn41, sounds like a good idea. I'll try calling and see what they say.

[LIndsay1811 0]

The same thing happened to us. Our interview is being held in an office (Charleston, SC) that is about 200 miles away as well and it's early in the morning (this Tuesday!) so we have to drive up the night before (tomorrow!). I didn't mind it being that we didn't have to wait very long. I believe the reason they do this is due to the closer offices being backlogged, as mentioned before.

I am also closer to the Charlotte, NC office but I also considered the 'jurisdiction' matter that was mentioned earlier. From what I have recently read, having your interview scheduled in an office that is far away isn't anything uncommon as long as it is in the same state.

[missaero 7]

As I've seen by reading around, the State doesn't seem to matter. Additionally, the Closest office to me is Charleston WV. That office is not backlogged at all unlike Fairfax VA and Norfolk VA.