OMG!!! INTERVIEW TOMORROW!!!

[natalieblake 0]

Good Morning Visa Journey Forum!

So tomorrow is the day...the big Interview in Denver, CO (if anyone has been to the Denver office recently, please let me know!)! I have read pretty much every single interview experience on this site and although most outcomes seem positive, I am still worried!!! Mainly about the questions after the I485...the personal ones...the ones that decide if we will be dragged to separate rooms to validate/verify/justify our marriage!

You know that common reference; men are from Mars and women are from Venus? Well that is what I'm worried about. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy my husband has manly parts and doesn't like to talk about his feelings all day but there are some definite interpretations I just hope we convey appropriately like, how did he propose to me?? You mean when did he finally say yes??? I am a 29 year old female with a ticking baby clock (yes, every man's nightmare) but he would never admit that! Yes, of course there was more to it but his British backing would never accept that he was anything less than a romantic comedy. I'm worried we'll be sitting in front of an IO officer and when that question arises, we'll be recounting it completely different! O! Or when the question 'how many times have you been to the US?' comes up and he says, 'I don't know, I came once when I was 8 (his brother was probably 8, he could have been 7 or 12 since details like that don't mean anything to him) and a bunch of times for work.' ......'ummmmmmmm sir, do you mind elaborating?' We have tried to find his old passport but we haven't been able to successfully so actually, if someone knows how we can get that information within the next 24 hours, that would be great! I don't know, just little things like 'what movie did you watch last night?' O, you mean the movie I watched while he played FIFA? He would have no idea haha! Has anyone here had that fear before an interview???

So here is what I do have: a letter from the leasing office that states we are living together and he just got his SSN so we added him this last weekend. I have a phone bill with both our names, a notarized affidavit from my best friend (she is the only one that got it done on-time ha), copies and copies of trips we took together, proof we were in Singapore together, tons of pictures, a copy of a bank statement we have together (which is also a mess because I could only put him on my secondary checking a couple weeks ago when he got his SSN but couldn't add him to my main because my mom was already on it from when I was in Singapore and added her; we needed her there to take her off and we haven't had time), and then my current employment pay records and my last three tax returns.

So I just realized that I rambled far more than I intended to and should probably get back to work I appreciate everyone's thoughts/opinions here so if anyone has any advice, I am completely open!

Thank You,

Natalie

[Little_My 464]

You seem to be a bit worked out - maybe a bit too much. For couple's who have a sincere relationship, real marriage, and actually know each other, the interview in 99.99% of cases is really not that big of a deal - and even in cases where the interview is on the tougher side, it still most likely ends up in an approval. The IOs are not dumb (at least most of them are not) - they can tell when mismatches in answers are because of being nervous or because of different interpretations of a situation, and when the answers differ because the event didn't really happen. Just be honest - no stories, no exaggeration. If the IO asks how your husband proposed, honestly, there should only be one answer, unless you attended different proposals.. you both know where it happened, when, did he have a ring. You know when you met and where. You know where he works. He knows where you work. You know each other close family member's names. You know when you last took a trip together and where. The questions aren't rocket science - they are questions about your real life and your relationship, and no one knows it better than you two do, so this should be a test from which it is pretty easy to get an A. Don't stress too much about it. Yes, it's a big deal - but really, for couples who are actually in love and together for the right reasons, it almost always ends well.

[natalieblake 0]

thank you little_my, i know i am too worked up just nervous i appreciate your response!

[Teddy B 17,252]

Funny but true interview story. The very first question asked of my wife by the IO was "what is your address where you and your husband live?". My wife answered incorrectly, she gave the wrong house number. She caught it right away and started saying to the IO, "no wait, no wait, that's not it, it's number **" I started laughing and shook my head, the IO started laughing and asked my wife if she was sure, my wife said yes and the rest of the interview was a breeze. That mistake turned out to be an icebreaker. The IO said she could tell right away by the way my wife and I interacted that we were legit. We still joke about it saying that number ** is our vacation home.

Don't be too nervous and good luck!

[natalieblake 0]

thank you!!! leaving now to the interview!!!

[jueribizu 0]

hey goodluck on your interview let us know what happen

[natalieblake 0]

We were approved on the spot!!! Woooooo!!! It was actually a bit more stressful than I thought it would. We got there about 15 minutes early and waited (our appointment was at 11:15 AM MST). There were about 7 other groups (couples with lawyers, couples with kids, people I wasn't sure were couples or parents, etc.) but we didn't get called for about 45 minutes. I'm not sure why since people who got there after us got called in early but I think the guard who took our paper assigns it to different officers by putting the paper on their door and the people before us must have required more time...who knows.

So we get called in and taken to an office by a married mid 30's white male. He was nice, casually polite but no more than that. We entered his office and we sat down but he asked us to stay standing and we took an oath that everything we were going to say was true. Then he went straight to the questions. Asked me to state my husband's birthday and address (which I answered correctly). I accidentally filled in on the form wrong (assuming it was the I485) that he was born in 2012 which he corrected with a red pen. Then he asked me when I got married (answered), how we met (we met in Singapore by a mutual friend), have I met his parents (not yet, we have a trip planned this Xmas but that I met them numerous times over Skype and he said that doesn't count), what are there names (I answered correctly but his UK birth certificate did not have his parents name on it so he pressed about that and said there is a UK birth certificate that states this blah blah). Then he asked James the questions you check boxed on the form 'Have you ever' stuff to which he answered 'no.' Then he asked James how many times he has been to the US and he didn't have exact dates since they were spread out by 5-10 year intervals and he couldn't find his old passports but the most recent time besides his last entry was NYE 2011-2012. He then asked me if I came with him and I said 'no' because we met in Aug 2011 and we already had holidays planned prior to us meeting. He then asked me when we moved in together and I said the first part of the year after he came back to Singapore from holiday.

Then he started asking James questions about me: where I was born (he got the state right but did not know the city so I chimed in), then he asked him where I worked (which he hesitated because I worked at company A when we met (quit when we left Singapore), put part time company B where I worked when we decided to file, now work at company C which is my new full time job so I chimed in again and the guy looked at me and asked me to quit answering questions for my husband as it defeats the purpose of this interview *oops*), then proceeded to ask him my birthday and I believe that was it.

Then he asked us what evidence we brought that our marriage was bona fide and I showed him our plane tickets to London for the upcoming holiday, our lease we just added him to, bank statement he is added to, mobile phone bill with both our names on it, pictures pictures pictures, copies of passport pages of trips we took together, cards addressed to both of us, and he kept EVERYTHING. Then he just sat back and asked me if I trust him. Asked me if I understood that I would be financially responsible for him regardless of how our relationship turned out and that if he did a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g, they would chase me, not him. I let him know that I have read every horror story and I still trust him. He said he was pleased that I was informed and stated that there are people who do not know this. Then he asked us what our plan was for the next 5 years; if we planned to move, if we planned to stay in the US, children, etc. We responded honestly and pretty in depth because he just kept saying that he often sees people who don't work out because one spouse wants to move here not there or they drift apart because they were not on the same age and we kept having to validate with stories how we are on the same page.

He did a lot of sighing and finally said that we seemed really organized and all evidence is good evidence, that obviously some hold more weight, but that he would keep it all and approve us. He explained that the Green Card was conditional and that in 2 years we should have 8 times the evidence we do now and that we will pretty much have to do this over again and the strongest evidence is that we file taxes jointly (can't believe it out-ranked a kid ha). He didn't give us anything but said that we should receive the card in 3 weeks and if we don't have it in a month, to make an info pass appointment.

That was it! It seems kind of surreal, I can't believe this is over for the next couple years. All in all, I appreciate everyone on this site and I wish you all the best of luck!

[Brian&Ivy 1]

big cong!!

thank you for sharing so many details!! i am worried my hubby can't remember my companies cuz I change a lot too!!!! haha

[Teddy B 17,252]

That's great, congratulations!

[X Factor 1,112]

ConGraTuLaTions

[Mrs Green 6]

Congratulations!!!! I am so happy that this is over for you :

[GreenTrain 1]

Congratulations!!!!

[EM_Vandaveer 2,417]

Congrats to you!!!

[MrsB2012 10]

I know this is an old thread but I just stumbled upon it. I have to say that when I read your first post on this thread that I started laughing at the FIFA soccer comment. My husband doesn't have his EAD yet and therefore has absolutely nothing to do all day while I'm at work so he's become completely addicted to FIFA 12... He wants FIFA 13 for Christmas and I told him there's no way I'm buying it for him. I've started making jokes that I'm becoming a FIFA widow Men and their video games!

Congrats on your GC success!