Interview in Pittsburgh...HELP needed

[wvnurse 1]

Hi All,

Whew, back from Pittsburgh this evening. The city was nice, we had dinner down station square, rode on the incline, today hung around the strip district. Now, the interview was another story! The man we had, has a split personality! He was so nice to me, but just a beast to my poor husband! My husband is from Kenya and is soft spoken with a thick accent, the interviewer was a big older white guy ( am white as well...).

He just about brow beat my husband with "I cant hear u! U need to speak up..what did u say!!??"He drilled my husband like he was a criminal! Asked when he came to this country, why didt he leave?? "oh, you never intended to leave here, did u!!??" and "why did u stay??" my husband replied, that he liked it here, the guy kept saying "U liked it here..thats not an answer, I asked U why U stayed here??" and again John could only say he liked it here..they he asked did he work, John said he did, odd jobs and washed dishes. The man asked if he paid taxes on this money, John said no. He asked where he worked how he got the job and did he fill out work papers, and John said no he didnt, he only showed the man his drivers license, and never asked if he had a work permit. He was just nasty about all this, and just glared at my husband. He never asked to see a marriage certificate, he looked at the bills and said what eles do u have beside bills? I showed the paper from the bank, it states we have checking and savings, but did not show the list of deposits. He asked if we had a check book, it only had a few checks out..he was upset about that..I told him I just put the new one in.and forgot to put the log back in. He just seemed irritated to be interviewing us... THEN... he didnt accept my husbands birth certifcate, its the only one he has, and its an official document, but my husband was born at home, and the people register the home births at home, John registration date was back in 1991, and he was upset that it was registered 20 years after his birth, and it wasnt acceptabe. he wanted to see his Kenyan ID, that he no longer has cause he doent live there anymore, and he told the man that he has a valid passport for ID, and he asked well what did u use to get the passport..and John said the birth certificate....the guy just went on and on about the birth certificate. Well, at this point I was getting worried!

The man then sent John out of the room to speak to me alone, he asked how we met, and then said " are u aware there is a significant age differance??" I kind of chuckled and said "uh,, yes" ( I am 15 year older ) I told him how it was a bit of an issue with me at first, but never to John. I said well I dont look like I am turning 50.(God blessed me with good skin and a baby face) and he man nodded and raised his eyebrows and said not u don't look 50.. and I laughed and said well I am not 50 till the end of this month...and then I just might not even be 50 then! and he laughed. He joke with me when I said that I met John on April fools day...and said That might tell u something...then he said he became engaged and married his wife on April fools day..I said to him " well, that might just say something about u too".. and again he laughed. He asked me something else, minor, I dont remember..but I started to cry...and told him I was so sorry that I was just so nervous...I said "its just that my husband is such a good man...hes so good to me...hes so grounded, and I'm not....he treats me so good...he's such a good man..." the man was very nice and said its ok, to cry..Im sorry i dont have any tissues, as he looked about the desk. The he said, " Everything is going to be ok, u dont have anything to worry about." He asked some things about John and his daughters mother back home, I explaided that they had diffrences, that she was from anither tribe, that John is Kikuyu, and I didnt know what she was, but it was a tribe that never got along with his. When they broke up, she left and John told her the baby stayed with him..that is how they do there, the child belongs to the man..after a few more things he called for John and I went out, he asked him what tribe he was from, and what happed with the childs mother, John told him the same as I did. He tried to provoke John by saying " tell me about the customary marriage between the babys mother and you.. and John told him..3 times that he was NEVER married to her. He just brow beat him some more trying to catch him in a lie.

He then called for me, and told us. "I cant approve u today, your back round check hasnt come back, and I need some other documentation about the birth certificate" He said he had to prove he was born there.. So I asked well what does his mother have to do, sign an afidavid stating she gave birth to him on such and such date at home?..He kind of looked at me and nodded his head and said well yes something like that..a self serving documentation....and stated he could get school records too, and but said I really want that document from the police station. He said well, I will send u a letter telling you what I need. He smiled at me, and I reached to shake his hand, and John reached to shake his...it seem like neither one wanted to..lol What a day!!. He asked nother that we were prepared to answer, he did however study our wedding pics, and the letter from Johns work, and the letter from the Dr when John seen him for the first visit..( thanks for being my new patient stuff, if u have any questions have your wife call me, or you can call the office..lol)

So what do U think???? Do think he will deny us??? I dont know what to think, I need works of encouragement and a game plan for a denial. Thanks so much for the help I have recieved here. Sorry this was soo winded!

Chris

[frndly1 1]

Chris,

I am so sorry you and John had gone thru this. I hope everything will be okay and I am glad that he was honest with the man. This is John's good friend. I need to send you the pictures also If I havent already of us.

Kathy

Hi All,

Whew, back from Pittsburgh this evening. The city was nice, we had dinner down station square, rode on the incline, today hung around the strip district. Now, the interview was another story! The man we had, has a split personality! He was so nice to me, but just a beast to my poor husband! My husband is from Kenya and is soft spoken with a thick accent, the interviewer was a big older white guy ( am white as well...).

He just about brow beat my husband with "I cant hear u! U need to speak up..what did u say!!??"He drilled my husband like he was a criminal! Asked when he came to this country, why didt he leave?? "oh, you never intended to leave here, did u!!??" and "why did u stay??" my husband replied, that he liked it here, the guy kept saying "U liked it here..thats not an answer, I asked U why U stayed here??" and again John could only say he liked it here..they he asked did he work, John said he did, odd jobs and washed dishes. The man asked if he paid taxes on this money, John said no. He asked where he worked how he got the job and did he fill out work papers, and John said no he didnt, he only showed the man his drivers license, and never asked if he had a work permit. He was just nasty about all this, and just glared at my husband. He never asked to see a marriage certificate, he looked at the bills and said what eles do u have beside bills? I showed the paper from the bank, it states we have checking and savings, but did not show the list of deposits. He asked if we had a check book, it only had a few checks out..he was upset about that..I told him I just put the new one in.and forgot to put the log back in. He just seemed irritated to be interviewing us... THEN... he didnt accept my husbands birth certifcate, its the only one he has, and its an official document, but my husband was born at home, and the people register the home births at home, John registration date was back in 1991, and he was upset that it was registered 20 years after his birth, and it wasnt acceptabe. he wanted to see his Kenyan ID, that he no longer has cause he doent live there anymore, and he told the man that he has a valid passport for ID, and he asked well what did u use to get the passport..and John said the birth certificate....the guy just went on and on about the birth certificate. Well, at this point I was getting worried!

The man then sent John out of the room to speak to me alone, he asked how we met, and then said " are u aware there is a significant age differance??" I kind of chuckled and said "uh,, yes" ( I am 15 year older ) I told him how it was a bit of an issue with me at first, but never to John. I said well I dont look like I am turning 50.(God blessed me with good skin and a baby face) and he man nodded and raised his eyebrows and said not u don't look 50.. and I laughed and said well I am not 50 till the end of this month...and then I just might not even be 50 then! and he laughed. He joke with me when I said that I met John on April fools day...and said That might tell u something...then he said he became engaged and married his wife on April fools day..I said to him " well, that might just say something about u too".. and again he laughed. He asked me something else, minor, I dont remember..but I started to cry...and told him I was so sorry that I was just so nervous...I said "its just that my husband is such a good man...hes so good to me...hes so grounded, and I'm not....he treats me so good...he's such a good man..." the man was very nice and said its ok, to cry..Im sorry i dont have any tissues, as he looked about the desk. The he said, " Everything is going to be ok, u dont have anything to worry about." He asked some things about John and his daughters mother back home, I explaided that they had diffrences, that she was from anither tribe, that John is Kikuyu, and I didnt know what she was, but it was a tribe that never got along with his. When they broke up, she left and John told her the baby stayed with him..that is how they do there, the child belongs to the man..after a few more things he called for John and I went out, he asked him what tribe he was from, and what happed with the childs mother, John told him the same as I did. He tried to provoke John by saying " tell me about the customary marriage between the babys mother and you.. and John told him..3 times that he was NEVER married to her. He just brow beat him some more trying to catch him in a lie.

He then called for me, and told us. "I cant approve u today, your back round check hasnt come back, and I need some other documentation about the birth certificate" He said he had to prove he was born there.. So I asked well what does his mother have to do, sign an afidavid stating she gave birth to him on such and such date at home?..He kind of looked at me and nodded his head and said well yes something like that..a self serving documentation....and stated he could get school records too, and but said I really want that document from the police station. He said well, I will send u a letter telling you what I need. He smiled at me, and I reached to shake his hand, and John reached to shake his...it seem like neither one wanted to..lol What a day!!. He asked nother that we were prepared to answer, he did however study our wedding pics, and the letter from Johns work, and the letter from the Dr when John seen him for the first visit..( thanks for being my new patient stuff, if u have any questions have your wife call me, or you can call the office..lol)

So what do U think???? Do think he will deny us??? I dont know what to think, I need works of encouragement and a game plan for a denial. Thanks so much for the help I have recieved here. Sorry this was soo winded!

Chris

[cheeky^Wolf 0]

Wow it sounds like he really grilled you. Sorry you had to go through this.

I'm sure everything will be fine, don't worry and keep us updated

Helen

[rob&ana 0]

I am sorry to hear that.

I am sorta fond of the Pittsburgh DO, since they have always been really nice to me. Our interview wasnt painful at all, but the lady wasnt as nice as the ladies out on the infopass area.

I guess what will happen is that you will receive a RFE from the Pitts DO, and they will tell you what they want. After that, I guess I would try to cover whatever they ask you for in the most creative ways, even if it means two documents to prove the same thing (e.g. Birth Certificate = original document - that you already have - plus school records, plus mother's affidavit, plus pics of him as a baby - now Im kinda exaggerating, but do you get my drift?). The information you gather should be sent back to them also, not to the Service Center where you were processed).

Anyhoo, I wish you the best of lucks and I hope everything clears up soon.

Ana

[Yodrak 7]

Chris,

Can't answer your question about the likelyhood of approval, but from what you wrote I think that

- the interviewer was not unjustified in his skepticism (it's part of his job, after all)

- his brusk questioning of John is an acceptable if stressful (intentionally so) approach,

- John did not help himself with his answers to the questions about why he came to and stayed in the USA,

- your answers and conduct in your individual session were helpful, and

- John's answers consistent with yours in his individual session were helpful (and essential).

Give the interviewer what he wants in the way of additional documentation. My sense is that he's willing to say 'yes', you and John just have to give him what he needs to fully document that a 'yes' is justified.

I'm going to go on to use your case to point out - for others - ways in which an attorney can be beneficial even in a case that seems 'simple and straightforward' at the beginning and all the way through the immigration process. Your case had weaknesses ('red flags') that you were apparently unaware of and consequently you were caught by surprise by the difficulty that confronted you at your husband's interview. An immigration attorney who is familiar from experience with that office could have perhaps prepared you for the possibility of a difficult interview, and had they attended with you could have been a restraining influence on the interviewer. Could also have perhaps convinced them to accept the weak birth documentation. In other words, your case turned out to be one where the 'insurance value' of retaining an attorney could have paid off.

There's an attorney who posts over at the Usenet newsgroup <alt.visa.us.marriage-based> who often reminds the DIY community that the best cases are those that end with the clients wondering why they needed the attorney. Your case is one that reminds us it sometimes works out just the opposite.

Yodrak

Hi All,

Whew, back from Pittsburgh this evening. The city was nice, we had dinner down station square, rode on the incline, today hung around the strip district. Now, the interview was another story! The man we had, has a split personality! He was so nice to me, but just a beast to my poor husband! My husband is from Kenya and is soft spoken with a thick accent, the interviewer was a big older white guy ( am white as well...).

He just about brow beat my husband with "I cant hear u! U need to speak up..what did u say!!??"He drilled my husband like he was a criminal! Asked when he came to this country, why didt he leave?? "oh, you never intended to leave here, did u!!??" and "why did u stay??" my husband replied, that he liked it here, the guy kept saying "U liked it here..thats not an answer, I asked U why U stayed here??" and again John could only say he liked it here..they he asked did he work, John said he did, odd jobs and washed dishes. The man asked if he paid taxes on this money, John said no. He asked where he worked how he got the job and did he fill out work papers, and John said no he didnt, he only showed the man his drivers license, and never asked if he had a work permit. He was just nasty about all this, and just glared at my husband. He never asked to see a marriage certificate, he looked at the bills and said what eles do u have beside bills? I showed the paper from the bank, it states we have checking and savings, but did not show the list of deposits. He asked if we had a check book, it only had a few checks out..he was upset about that..I told him I just put the new one in.and forgot to put the log back in. He just seemed irritated to be interviewing us... THEN... he didnt accept my husbands birth certifcate, its the only one he has, and its an official document, but my husband was born at home, and the people register the home births at home, John registration date was back in 1991, and he was upset that it was registered 20 years after his birth, and it wasnt acceptabe. he wanted to see his Kenyan ID, that he no longer has cause he doent live there anymore, and he told the man that he has a valid passport for ID, and he asked well what did u use to get the passport..and John said the birth certificate....the guy just went on and on about the birth certificate. Well, at this point I was getting worried!

The man then sent John out of the room to speak to me alone, he asked how we met, and then said " are u aware there is a significant age differance??" I kind of chuckled and said "uh,, yes" ( I am 15 year older ) I told him how it was a bit of an issue with me at first, but never to John. I said well I dont look like I am turning 50.(God blessed me with good skin and a baby face) and he man nodded and raised his eyebrows and said not u don't look 50.. and I laughed and said well I am not 50 till the end of this month...and then I just might not even be 50 then! and he laughed. He joke with me when I said that I met John on April fools day...and said That might tell u something...then he said he became engaged and married his wife on April fools day..I said to him " well, that might just say something about u too".. and again he laughed. He asked me something else, minor, I dont remember..but I started to cry...and told him I was so sorry that I was just so nervous...I said "its just that my husband is such a good man...hes so good to me...hes so grounded, and I'm not....he treats me so good...he's such a good man..." the man was very nice and said its ok, to cry..Im sorry i dont have any tissues, as he looked about the desk. The he said, " Everything is going to be ok, u dont have anything to worry about." He asked some things about John and his daughters mother back home, I explaided that they had diffrences, that she was from anither tribe, that John is Kikuyu, and I didnt know what she was, but it was a tribe that never got along with his. When they broke up, she left and John told her the baby stayed with him..that is how they do there, the child belongs to the man..after a few more things he called for John and I went out, he asked him what tribe he was from, and what happed with the childs mother, John told him the same as I did. He tried to provoke John by saying " tell me about the customary marriage between the babys mother and you.. and John told him..3 times that he was NEVER married to her. He just brow beat him some more trying to catch him in a lie.

He then called for me, and told us. "I cant approve u today, your back round check hasnt come back, and I need some other documentation about the birth certificate" He said he had to prove he was born there.. So I asked well what does his mother have to do, sign an afidavid stating she gave birth to him on such and such date at home?..He kind of looked at me and nodded his head and said well yes something like that..a self serving documentation....and stated he could get school records too, and but said I really want that document from the police station. He said well, I will send u a letter telling you what I need. He smiled at me, and I reached to shake his hand, and John reached to shake his...it seem like neither one wanted to..lol What a day!!. He asked nother that we were prepared to answer, he did however study our wedding pics, and the letter from Johns work, and the letter from the Dr when John seen him for the first visit..( thanks for being my new patient stuff, if u have any questions have your wife call me, or you can call the office..lol)

So what do U think???? Do think he will deny us??? I dont know what to think, I need works of encouragement and a game plan for a denial. Thanks so much for the help I have recieved here. Sorry this was soo winded!

Chris

Edited September 8, 2006 by Yodrak

[wvnurse 1]

Hello to all,

Well its been a few days since out interview, and we have calmed down a bit. I know that out situation is different, given the age differences. I do believe that the officer really was just doing his job, in trying to protect me as a USC. I think he did calm down when I told him we had been dating since 2004, not 2005 as he first thought. So we are waiting to see what list of thigs John needs, and the officer was even a bit helpful at the end in suggesting school records. John has called home and requested the send his Kenyan national ID, which the officer wanted, look into school records, and taking his mother to get the affidavid done. I think we will be approved, because I feel we have proved that we have a bonafiide marriage. There was nothing that he asked each of us that we answered differntly. We have turned the matter over to God and will get a lawyer if need be. Thanks to u all for the support,

Chris

[frndly1 1]

Good attitude to have Chris. Like I told you and John if I can help just let me know.

[Heracles 417]

Hi All,

So what do U think???? Do think he will deny us??? I dont know what to think, I need works of encouragement and a game plan for a denial. Thanks so much for the help I have recieved here. Sorry this was soo winded!

Chris

I don't think they will deny him. He might have just tried to hard ball you guys to see if you buckle under the pressure. You should be fine. Worst case scenario they might ask for some futher evidence or delay the case a little.

[TerryC 0]

Hello to all,

Well its been a few days since out interview, and we have calmed down a bit. I know that out situation is different, given the age differences. I do believe that the officer really was just doing his job, in trying to protect me as a USC. I think he did calm down when I told him we had been dating since 2004, not 2005 as he first thought. So we are waiting to see what list of thigs John needs, and the officer was even a bit helpful at the end in suggesting school records. John has called home and requested the send his Kenyan national ID, which the officer wanted, look into school records, and taking his mother to get the affidavid done. I think we will be approved, because I feel we have proved that we have a bonafiide marriage. There was nothing that he asked each of us that we answered differntly. We have turned the matter over to God and will get a lawyer if need be. Thanks to u all for the support,

Chris

I've heard there was several personel changes in Pittsburgh since my wife and I were last there. We went for the 10 year green card interview about 4 years ago, and our interveiwer was a very nice man. He complimented me on having all documents in order, etc., etc. Talked to us almost as if we were friends. He asked my wife if she was going to try for citizenship someday, and told her if she was, that she should apply right away before the test and procedure became more difficult.

She did apply right away, had her interview/test eight months later.....and had the same guy for her interview/test, and once again he was very, very nice and polite.

I expected a hassle, since I am 28 years older than my wife, but that subject never came up.