Interview on Marriage Status

[JDD1 0]

I got married on 12/30/11 and applied for AOS in mid-February. My wife already has her EAD. We have our marriage interview scheduled for June 1. Are there any general tips posted anywhere with respect to the interview. Also, any tips from recent interviewees would be welcome. Should add that my wife has a 15-year-old stepdaughter and that she will also be interviewed.

Thanks for any help that can be given.

JD

[bigdog 376]

Have your documents, photos be prepared and relax.

[Darnell 8,478]

what is a 'marriage interview' ?

[himher 634]

We had an AOS interview, back in 2008. Basically they will go through all the documents and update anything missing (such as missing immunizations, etc) then they will possibly look over all of your joint stuff. One example - they copied my/my wife's credit cards because they had the same number (indicative that they are the same account). They also updated the I864 file / took paystubs that were dated as early as the week before and took a look over recent bank statements that showed the account was joint (also took copies and stuck them in the file)

We were carrying stuff like our car insurance papers (had both our names), our keys (matching sets of keys), our drivers licenses (matching addresses), our health insurance cards (we both had one, they had her name under covered dependents), our apt lease (both our names were on it) and stuff like that. We had a cell bill that showed her having one phone, me having one phone, and my daughter having one phone.

They also asked me some basic / simple questions like what is her birthday etc and riffled through pics that we had taken since she got to the US - pics with my children from previous marriage, trip to San Francisco we took, pics from Mardi Gras we took that year, stuff like that. We had been accumulating an album anyway so we stuck it in the pile and brought it. I think they were just being nosy at that point LOL

It wasnt stressful / we didnt find it as tricky or geared up as interrogation or anything and took about an hour or so.

One NOTE IF: You are being interviewed because of 2X fingerprint rejection go to the local police station before the interview, pay a couple of bucks for them to print out a background check, and bring in the original printed out background check for your wife or they will just send you to get one before they approve your case.

We got approval notice update on the website that night.

Good luck!

I got married on 12/30/11 and applied for AOS in mid-February. My wife already has her EAD. We have our marriage interview scheduled for June 1. Are there any general tips posted anywhere with respect to the interview. Also, any tips from recent interviewees would be welcome. Should add that my wife has a 15-year-old stepdaughter and that she will also be interviewed.

Thanks for any help that can be given.

JD

[bigdog 376]

what is a 'marriage interview' ?

New term for AOS?

[Darnell 8,478]

perhaps a 'badly translated' name, also.

[liberalatheist 0]

Hey

Honestly if it truly is a bona fide marriage you have nothing to worry about since the truth comes out alot easier then lies.

My experiance was fairly easy. It took 10 minutes, he didnt ask me any questions and just asked my wife 3 questions, where we live, how we got together and when. Since we have been together for 4 years, we didnt really have much of an interview. All he said after 10 minutes was "your guys seem like a bona fide marriage to me have a great day" that was it.

[happylove13 8]

Hey

Honestly if it truly is a bona fide marriage you have nothing to worry about since the truth comes out alot easier then lies.

My experiance was fairly easy. It took 10 minutes, he didnt ask me any questions and just asked my wife 3 questions, where we live, how we got together and when. Since we have been together for 4 years, we didnt really have much of an interview. All he said after 10 minutes was "your guys seem like a bona fide marriage to me have a great day" that was it.

Hi and how long after did u get the green card in hand after ur interview ??

[Hedi 24]

Our AOS interview in 2010 took about 25 minutes and the IO was very nice and respectful. Since I am older than my husband (I am the US citizen), it seemed immigration thought our mareriage may not be bona fide, so he asked us many questions about how we met and how long our courtship was (he took notes on everything we said). I went in prepared (being a teacher, I can get obsessive with organizing things ). I had copies of joint bank accounts, our tax returns for that year, and utility statements with both our names. I also took our wedding album (which the guy looked at and made comments about the pictures), I took a copy of our wedding invitation and wedding program and a ton of photos from my visits to Australia (where my husband is from) and pictures of his family and friends being here in the US for our wedding. The IO took all the copies and thanked me for being organized and having copies of everything. After 25 minutes, he told my husband he was approved, congratulated us and even told us what the window for the ROC would be. The green card arrived almost a month after the interview.

[JDD1 0]

Thanks so much to everyone who replied. The responses were very helpful. Should add that I filed an I-485 on behalf of my first wife (who was from China and is now deceased)and there was basically no interview because my first wife was pregnant and that convinced the interviewer of the validity of our marriage. My interactions with the people at the immigration offices have been positive. However, my experiences with the people who answer the phones nationally have been awful. It seems like their only purpose is to get people off the line. (My last call to the national number dealt with an ICE employee who told me to follow the directions. I told her the reason I was calling was that the directions were not clear. She finally reluctantly answered my questions.)

Our marriage is real, so I am not concerned with proving its genuiness. We can easily document our marriage. However, the notice referred to proof of immunizations. My wife is a Chinese doctor, and she had very good records in China when she applied for her K-1 visa. Is the fact that she supplied all of the necessary information on the K-1 visa adequate for the purposes of the marriage interview.

JD

[Darnell 8,478]

marriage interview? I ask again - what is that ?

[JDD1 0]

Darnell,

Prior to granting an adjustment of status, immigration gets the married couple in and asks them questions to see if they really live together and know each other or whether the marriage is a fraud.

JD

[Darnell 8,478]

JD - this occurs at and as a 'AOS interview'.

IMO (and others) - yer label is wrong. You've used it twice, once for the K-1 Visa Interview in Guanghzou China, at the Immigration Visa Unit, and again for the AOS Interview that you've gone through recently.

Please stop.

Please use appropriate (and correct) labels.

Elsewise? You be confusing to others.. and that sucks, much.

Suckage is always reduced with the proper language. I challenge you, to use the proper language, in the very near future.

Regardless, it smells like you pass the 'AOS Interview' Stage. When the green card shows up, please cook 300 steamed venison Jiaozi, to celebrate.

Yay !

Edited May 17, 2012 by Darnell

[JDD1 0]

Darnell,

There is no "correct" terminology that I am aware of. I did a google search that entered "marriage intervi" and Google automatically came up with "marriage interview for green card." My terminology is clearly common and accepted by a lot of people. If you don't like it don't read my posts. Also, a useful article in the New York Times refers to marriage and interview but does not mention AOS. See link http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/marriage-test/

[Darnell 8,478]

Fair Enough ! Hasta !