December 2015 filers

[Cdn_Ali 11]

Interview is done...woohoo!! Appointment was for 12:30pm in Las Vegas; we arrived 20 minutes early. Quite a few people waiting outside as they only let one person in at a time - show ID, belongings through xray machine, go through security screening. I waited at the end of the security area for my husband to get through.

Handed the interview letter to the guy sitting at the entrance to the waiting room and he instructed us to sit near a door at one end of the room. There were about 10 people sitting in that area when we arrived; it seems that a lot of people bring their lawyers.

Our interviewer apologized for the 10 minute delay when he finally called us...a computer glitch or something. Our file was sitting on his desk, complete with all my nice labelled tabs - he asked for both of our ID's and my passpor,t which just sat on his desk throughout the interview. We both stood, right hand raised, to give an oath about telling the truth, then the interview began.

Some of the questions we had:

- Where and when did we meet?

- How did we maintain our relationship over the years?

- When did we visit each other?

- Did my husband visit me in Australia? [No]

- Who attended our wedding? [No-one...it was just us. He said that wasn't a bit deal and not the most important part of our relationship.]

- Did we have any photos from the wedding apart from what we sent with our application? [No...we didn't bring any photos with us.]

- He asked about my son, who is in his 20's, and our previous marriages & divorces.

- He wanted to know if we had any plans to marry when I arrived in Oct 2015. [We did not...it was supposed to be a 2 week visit, but my return flight was cancelled so we ended up changing our plans and I stayed longer.]

- When was our wedding date?

- Did you get a Social Security Number? [Yes, I did. He wrote down the number.]

- What documentation have your brought that was not in the original application? This is where you hand over all the proof of co-mingled finances and your life together. I brought: 2015 joint tax return, car insurance with both names, benefit statement showing both names, document showing my name added to the house deed, Costco renewal notice with both names. We both gave him our Driver Licences showing same address, health insurance cards and bank cards for the same accounts. He made copies of these.

Basically, that was it. We asked what we had to do next and he said he would present our case to his supervisor and we'd get a decision soon. He explained that I'd get a conditional green card valid for 2 years and that it was very important not to forget to remove conditions. The interview itself took about 30 mins. We were given a piece of paper, and it was only when we were driving away that I read 'Congratulations! Your I-485 application has been recommended for approval.' That is when I got really excited.

One thing to note: I brought a USB stick with joint bank statements and vacation photos. Do NOT do this, even to save paper! The interviewer cannot plug anything foreign into his computer so these will not be looked at. If in doubt about a document, print a hard copy.

Now just waiting to hear official decision and receive green card.

Bugg - I was hoping you would attend the interview today and have good news. I'm wondering if the 'case must be reviewed' notice is due to the mix-up with your address change. Maybe it's something really small and silly that can be sorted out quickly. At least you had the interview, so you shouldn't have to take any more days off work if it is just an administrative thing. My fingers are crossed for you!!

Bill - I'm not sure where your partner is from but nice to know she had no trouble at SFO like I had at LAX. Good luck at your interview tomorrow. Let me know me know how it went.

[C&I 18]

My husband and I filed in Dec 2015. We are still waiting for an interview in St. Louis. We contacted our Congressman and Senator and escalated with USCIS. USCIS actually responded to the Senator's inquiry and they told us that both files are being processed together (I-130 and I-485), but they are awaiting scheduling. The message on USCIS's website hasn't changed since since January 27th. It was now updated on October 13th (previously said as of January 27th) to say the same message but with October 13th as the date. Anyone know what this means? Are they working on the case? What's very strange is the Congressman's office emailed me today to ask if we received the green card in the mail. Not sure what to think now. Anyone???

"As of October 13, 2016, we are ready to schedule your Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status, Receipt Number MSCXXXXXXX, for an interview. We will schedule your interview and send you a notice. Please follow any instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address."

It may mean that your congressman and senator did something in order for your case to move forward and USCIS just updated your status on October 13. You should receive the notice for the interview soon.

Answer your congressman's office email with the update of USCIS. Maybe they will contact them again to schedule the interview FAST!

Good luck!

[C&I 18]

Interview is done...woohoo!! Appointment was for 12:30pm in Las Vegas; we arrived 20 minutes early. Quite a few people waiting outside as they only let one person in at a time - show ID, belongings through xray machine, go through security screening. I waited at the end of the security area for my husband to get through.

Handed the interview letter to the guy sitting at the entrance to the waiting room and he instructed us to sit near a door at one end of the room. There were about 10 people sitting in that area when we arrived; it seems that a lot of people bring their lawyers.

Our interviewer apologized for the 10 minute delay when he finally called us...a computer glitch or something. Our file was sitting on his desk, complete with all my nice labelled tabs - he asked for both of our ID's and my passpor,t which just sat on his desk throughout the interview. We both stood, right hand raised, to give an oath about telling the truth, then the interview began.

Some of the questions we had:

- Where and when did we meet?

- How did we maintain our relationship over the years?

- When did we visit each other?

- Did my husband visit me in Australia? [No]

- Who attended our wedding? [No-one...it was just us. He said that wasn't a bit deal and not the most important part of our relationship.]

- Did we have any photos from the wedding apart from what we sent with our application? [No...we didn't bring any photos with us.]

- He asked about my son, who is in his 20's, and our previous marriages & divorces.

- He wanted to know if we had any plans to marry when I arrived in Oct 2015. [We did not...it was supposed to be a 2 week visit, but my return flight was cancelled so we ended up changing our plans and I stayed longer.]

- When was our wedding date?

- Did you get a Social Security Number? [Yes, I did. He wrote down the number.]

- What documentation have your brought that was not in the original application? This is where you hand over all the proof of co-mingled finances and your life together. I brought: 2015 joint tax return, car insurance with both names, benefit statement showing both names, document showing my name added to the house deed, Costco renewal notice with both names. We both gave him our Driver Licences showing same address, health insurance cards and bank cards for the same accounts. He made copies of these.

Basically, that was it. We asked what we had to do next and he said he would present our case to his supervisor and we'd get a decision soon. He explained that I'd get a conditional green card valid for 2 years and that it was very important not to forget to remove conditions. The interview itself took about 30 mins. We were given a piece of paper, and it was only when we were driving away that I read 'Congratulations! Your I-485 application has been recommended for approval.' That is when I got really excited.

One thing to note: I brought a USB stick with joint bank statements and vacation photos. Do NOT do this, even to save paper! The interviewer cannot plug anything foreign into his computer so these will not be looked at. If in doubt about a document, print a hard copy.

Now just waiting to hear official decision and receive green card.

Bugg - I was hoping you would attend the interview today and have good news. I'm wondering if the 'case must be reviewed' notice is due to the mix-up with your address change. Maybe it's something really small and silly that can be sorted out quickly. At least you had the interview, so you shouldn't have to take any more days off work if it is just an administrative thing. My fingers are crossed for you!!

Bill - I'm not sure where your partner is from but nice to know she had no trouble at SFO like I had at LAX. Good luck at your interview tomorrow. Let me know me know how it went.

Congrats!

You can now say you are a permanent resident That sounded weird to me at first to be a resident of another country than my own but we need what we need!

[C&I 18]

We completed the interview and got a case must be reviewed notice. Whatever the heck that means. We can honestly say we are fed up. Eight years together, one year of marriage and all we ever get is ####### from everyone else.

Anyone else receive the same thing.

God.. I would be very fed up too! You already waited a long time and your process hasn't always being smooth if I remember correctly.

But how was the interview? Was it easy or difficult? What is your impression? Did the agent say anything at the end or the typical "we'' let you know"?

As another user wrote, maybe the "your case must be reviewed" notice is because of the address change. I'm sure you explained that to them when you had the interview? Does your case have another status today?

[Bugg 17]

God.. I would be very fed up too! You already waited a long time and your process hasn't always being smooth if I remember correctly.

But how was the interview? Was it easy or difficult? What is your impression? Did the agent say anything at the end or the typical "we'' let you know"?

As another user wrote, maybe the "your case must be reviewed" notice is because of the address change. I'm sure you explained that to them when you had the interview? Does your case have another status today?

Yes, it has been hell since the beginning. The interview was easy and she was nice with the exception of the "we need to review your case further" at the end. One was because the government cannot read documents that are in English. My passport is clear as day that I arrived under a family visa, 4 bearers listed in the front page. The other dilemma is that the government doesn't know how to type information. We have receipts and letters of our address change from USCIS, but none of them bothered to change it. My husband is pissed. He's a natural born USC amd gets treated like garbage any time he has a question and tries to help me.

[Billua 4]

Interview complete-Las Vegas.

We arrived for the interview to see a line of folks standing outside. No problem, the line moved orderly and quickly. We then proceeded through the metal detectors and to check in for the interview.

Our appointment was for 09:45. We waited and waited and waited. Finally, after we noticed a couple of folks that had arrived after us getting called in, I went to the check in desk and asked the gentleman if we were being passed over. He assured me that an Immigration Officer had our files was reviewing them. I will add more on this later.

So, we finally got called in around 11:10 by a very nice older gentleman. He swore us in, then copied my wife and stepsons passports and DL's.

He then went through my wife's packet and asked the yes/no questions but let her and her son answer together. He then asked how we met and said either one of us could explain or add information. I laid out that we met online and met in person 3 times before we decided to get married.

He did not ask for any pictures of our meetings, wedding or travels All good!

He then asked what evidence of our joint relationship that we brought. I brought out copies of health insurance, a car purchase contract,Costco, AAA card, garbage bill and life insurance beneficiary information. He asked if we had a joint checking account and I replied that we did not as my wife does not work and we simply haven't done that yet. No problem.

Then we moved onto my stepsons AOS packet. There were some items that I did not include as they were filed as part of my wife's AOS packet. So, the IO copied those things. Divorce certificates for my Wife and I, marriage cert and something else.

I remember when building these packets last December researching what to include in her sons packet when filing with my wife. The answer is, BUILD 2 COMPLETE PACKETS, one for each person.

So, that took about another half an hour just completing his package. My bad.

But, the IO was very nice and didn't seem upset at all copying the missing documents.

So, at the end, he told my wife "I'm approving your application." Then he turned to me and asked me if I understood the 2 year green card and conditions. I replied that I did.

He then told my step son that the reason we were delayed earlier was because they had to find the court ruling in their manuals that allowed him to adjust after turning 21 years old. He entered the US when he was 20 years old.

The IO said he had delayed us because he was waiting for the ruling to be sent to him so he could approve my step sons application while we were there.

He said that he should have the approval by the end of day and for us not to worry.

One observation that I have is that no 2 interviews are the same. We were armed with copies of current income, taxes , employment and pictures, but none were needed at this interview.

I also very clearly saw another couple getting a Stokes interview. They both went when called back, then he came back out for over 30 minutes .When she came out, he went back in. I hope the best for them.

Ali- My wife is from Ukraine. thanks for your information yesterday and congrats!

Bugg-Holy cow, I sincerely hope this is light at the end of the tunnel for your two.

Edited October 19, 2016 by Billua

[KASH2011 382]

Interview is done...woohoo!! Appointment was for 12:30pm in Las Vegas; we arrived 20 minutes early. Quite a few people waiting outside as they only let one person in at a time - show ID, belongings through xray machine, go through security screening. I waited at the end of the security area for my husband to get through.

Handed the interview letter to the guy sitting at the entrance to the waiting room and he instructed us to sit near a door at one end of the room. There were about 10 people sitting in that area when we arrived; it seems that a lot of people bring their lawyers.

Our interviewer apologized for the 10 minute delay when he finally called us...a computer glitch or something. Our file was sitting on his desk, complete with all my nice labelled tabs - he asked for both of our ID's and my passpor,t which just sat on his desk throughout the interview. We both stood, right hand raised, to give an oath about telling the truth, then the interview began.

Some of the questions we had:

- Where and when did we meet?

- How did we maintain our relationship over the years?

- When did we visit each other?

- Did my husband visit me in Australia? [No]

- Who attended our wedding? [No-one...it was just us. He said that wasn't a bit deal and not the most important part of our relationship.]

- Did we have any photos from the wedding apart from what we sent with our application? [No...we didn't bring any photos with us.]

- He asked about my son, who is in his 20's, and our previous marriages & divorces.

- He wanted to know if we had any plans to marry when I arrived in Oct 2015. [We did not...it was supposed to be a 2 week visit, but my return flight was cancelled so we ended up changing our plans and I stayed longer.]

- When was our wedding date?

- Did you get a Social Security Number? [Yes, I did. He wrote down the number.]

- What documentation have your brought that was not in the original application? This is where you hand over all the proof of co-mingled finances and your life together. I brought: 2015 joint tax return, car insurance with both names, benefit statement showing both names, document showing my name added to the house deed, Costco renewal notice with both names. We both gave him our Driver Licences showing same address, health insurance cards and bank cards for the same accounts. He made copies of these.

Basically, that was it. We asked what we had to do next and he said he would present our case to his supervisor and we'd get a decision soon. He explained that I'd get a conditional green card valid for 2 years and that it was very important not to forget to remove conditions. The interview itself took about 30 mins. We were given a piece of paper, and it was only when we were driving away that I read 'Congratulations! Your I-485 application has been recommended for approval.' That is when I got really excited.

One thing to note: I brought a USB stick with joint bank statements and vacation photos. Do NOT do this, even to save paper! The interviewer cannot plug anything foreign into his computer so these will not be looked at. If in doubt about a document, print a hard copy.

Now just waiting to hear official decision and receive green card.

Bugg - I was hoping you would attend the interview today and have good news. I'm wondering if the 'case must be reviewed' notice is due to the mix-up with your address change. Maybe it's something really small and silly that can be sorted out quickly. At least you had the interview, so you shouldn't have to take any more days off work if it is just an administrative thing. My fingers are crossed for you!!

Bill - I'm not sure where your partner is from but nice to know she had no trouble at SFO like I had at LAX. Good luck at your interview tomorrow. Let me know me know how it went.

Congrats!

[Bugg 17]

Congratulations to those that made it through the tedious process. I think there are some December 2015 filers still waiting for their interview so good luck to you all.

Thank you all for the support. It hasn't been easy. My husband is trying to keep his sense of humor through all this, but I can tell he's fed up. If a U.S. citizen gets treated like garbage by USCIS representatives over the phone, then imagine how I've been treated through all this. It's very discouraging and it has made us wonder if we should even start a family here.

[C&I 18]

Bugg,

What is the status of your case today?

[Bugg 17]

Bugg,

What is the status of your case today?

Hi C&I,

Our status still says "Interview Was Completed and Must be Further Reviewed".

My husband already set up an InfoPass appointment for next month. We both feel that if we don't do it before the government goes MIA for the holidays, then we will be royally screwed.

[C&I 18]

Hi C&I,

Our status still says "Interview Was Completed and Must be Further Reviewed".

My husband already set up an InfoPass appointment for next month. We both feel that if we don't do it before the government goes MIA for the holidays, then we will be royally screwed.

Good initiative! You are right, better feel safe than sorry. Hopefully you won't need that appointment. I wonder what makes them reviewing your case since you don't have any red flags. I hope it's just that address thing.

Can you think about anything else? They have all the documents they need? If I remember well, you got a RFE when you submitted your AOS papers, right? Was that taken care of?

Let's keep our fingers crossed until you get their answer!

[Bugg 17]

Good initiative! You are right, better feel safe than sorry. Hopefully you won't need that appointment. I wonder what makes them reviewing your case since you don't have any red flags. I hope it's just that address thing.

Can you think about anything else? They have all the documents they need? If I remember well, you got a RFE when you submitted your AOS papers, right? Was that taken care of?

Let's keep our fingers crossed until you get their answer!

Yes, we did receive an RFE because they didn't understand the family visa with the entry stamp. The family visa is in English so if you can imagine how hard my husband was trying to hold back the laughter. I had to guide them page by page on the visa at the interview on too of the letter that we submitted months ago with a step by step explanation. I feel like they don't read things.

[Billua 4]

Sorry for all your hassle Bugg! Dang.

Today, the status for my wife and her son was updated to Card Being Produced.

Good luck to all.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Billua

[C&I 18]

Yes, we did receive an RFE because they didn't understand the family visa with the entry stamp. The family visa is in English so if you can imagine how hard my husband was trying to hold back the laughter. I had to guide them page by page on the visa at the interview on too of the letter that we submitted months ago with a step by step explanation. I feel like they don't read things.

Maybe more scrutiny since your family visa was issued a while ago I presume?

I'm sure you will be approved after they review your case, it's just a matter of time now. But patience has limits.. I know!

Let us know what's going on.

Good luck

Sorry for all your hassle Bugg! Dang.

Today, the status for my wife and her son was updated to Card Being Produced.

Good luck to all.

Congratulations Billua!

[Bugg 17]

Sorry for all your hassle Bugg! Dang.

Today, the status for my wife and her son was updated to Card Being Produced.

Good luck to all.

Congratulations Billua. And thank you for your concern and support. The waiting part isn't easy, that's for sure. We have been treated poorly and now the waiting game is discouraging. We found people that were approved on the spot and divorced soon after they had the green card in hand (the things stupid people announce on facebook). But my husband and I are heavily scrutinized in a real marriage.