AOS September 2016 Filers

[sharamighty 7]

8 hours ago, Gatsby9 said:

So my interview is in one day and I have been reading some of the questions that they might ask us and I am curious as to know how do they verify our answers. Like if they ask if one of us drinks coffee in the morning, or what color our bedroom wall is... Like do they make us both write answers before the interview? 

We had our interview this morning in Denver, and none of the questions were tricky and the officer never tried to trip us up. Mostly, the officer asked us about what we do for a living, how we met, and to verify logistics like birth/marriage dates and addresses. They aren't looking necessarily for right and wrong answers to other daily life questions (like the bedroom wall color or coffee specifics, if they even ask them), they are reading you to see if you squirm or your body language suggests fabrication. It was not nearly as high pressure as we were expecting!

Edited April 27, 2017 by sharamighty

[sharamighty 7]

On 4/19/2017 at 5:47 PM, ljroul said:

We did actually! We are scheduled for May 18! Hopefully your interview goes super well and if you have time I'd love to hear your experience since we will be going to the same location!

Here is the review I wrote about the Denver office regarding our experience today.

[ljroul 14]

1 hour ago, sharamighty said:

Here is the review I wrote about the Denver office regarding our experience today.

Thanks for posting your review!! So glad you two had a good experience, hopefully you will get approved soon! My husband and I are also pretty young and just moved in together recently so we don't have that many joint assets (not on the same phone plan, no retirement or life insurance plans, we don't own any property or have any kids, not on the same health insurance) so we have very similar proof that you had, so hopefully that will be enough! 

[sharamighty 7]

20 hours ago, ljroul said:

Thanks for posting your review!! So glad you two had a good experience, hopefully you will get approved soon! My husband and I are also pretty young and just moved in together recently so we don't have that many joint assets (not on the same phone plan, no retirement or life insurance plans, we don't own any property or have any kids, not on the same health insurance) so we have very similar proof that you had, so hopefully that will be enough! 

Got an email/text this morning around 8:30am for updated case status--APPROVED! Waiting all day yesterday for an answer was torture but we are elated this morning!

[ljroul 14]

3 hours ago, sharamighty said:

Got an email/text this morning around 8:30am for updated case status--APPROVED! Waiting all day yesterday for an answer was torture but we are elated this morning!

SO exciting! This is such great news!!

[MandEJ 46]

Hey so if anyone is ever in the same position I am - USPS losing your greencard, thought I'd share how I have proceeded... 

 

So after A LOT of back and forth with USPS and the supervising manager at Consumer Affairs, USPS wrote me an official letter admitting this was their fault and apologizing. I filed an i-90 online and picked the option that waves the fee - I was a bit worried afterward reading I should have filed the 'lost or stolen' option and filed a waiver at the same time, but I attached the USPS letter alongside my other paperwork and it was accepted! I filed on April 16th (btw filing online is super easy and I wish they did it for everything!!), it was accepted on April 17th and I printed off my notice (so now I can go and get my passport stamped, have an infopass appointment on Wednesday) and on April 21st they advised they will be reusing my biometrics from October and I do not have to go and get it redone (good because my job isn't very flexible and taking a day off on short notice would have been a pain). 

 

So now, I wait... my case is being processed by the potomac center. As of February 2017 they were processing July 2016 i-90 requests so really, really hoping they move a bit faster than this!! I'm glad that I am on the road back to getting the card in hand though, and at least I have the peace of mind knowing that I am a (conditional) permanent resident. At least there is that! 

 

I joked to my husband that to celebrate getting my passport stamped next week, we should go away to Canada haha! Cross the border just for the hell of it. It's been a really tense and emotional month. The frustration of having something like this happen to you doesn't hit until you actually go through it. It was like I was at the end of the tunnel, could see the light, and then a door just shut straight on my toes! My husband was getting a little bit frustrated with me, because that's ALL I could think/talk about, but unless you personally experience it firsthand, it's really difficult to understand. 

 

Initially when USPS were being REALLY slow, I contacted my senator. She took 2 weeks to respond, in which time things actually got sorted. But it's nice to know that someone else knows of the situation and possibly can help further down the line if ever needed. 

 

I am still mad at USCIS for using USPS and not even sending the card as a priority letter requiring a signature... considering this is essentially a card worth $540 (and your freedom of movement to an extent) seems rather silly not to have more precautions around it? Plus the added worry about identity theft once it goes missing!

[vacchins 7]

Hi guys! Just got approved yesterday!! It took them 8 months but yesterday I got their notification!! So relieved!!! No interview by the way. Good luck to those who are still waiting!!

[Georgia16 2,858]

38 minutes ago, vacchins said:

Hi guys! Just got approved yesterday!! It took them 8 months but yesterday I got their notification!! So relieved!!! No interview by the way. Good luck to those who are still waiting!!

Congrats!

[Diddy007 0]

My wife and I had our interview  on March 20, 2017 but i filed Sept 16, 2016 and we were asked just a single question 

" Where did you meet " after which he asked for our supporting documents ;

1.Joint Tax return 2016

2.Joint Furniture rental since Oct 2016

3.Joint cable bill

4.Joint car insurance since Sept 2016

5.Joint lease agreement since Sept 2016

6.155 copies of Photos (Wedding and Others including vacation)

7.Marriage and birth certificates

8.1 94 and passport of beneficiary

9.Our drivers licenses with the same address *****VERY IMPORTANT That s how to assure them you live together

10.Affidavit from my mother in law to show that she was at the wedding and happy for us  copy of her ID attached***** THIS WAS THE MAGIC 

After we handed all of the above to him , he told us we had enough evidence and he s convinced our wedding is real .

 Luckily his father served in the military years ago and so was my Father in law and the interview ended with discussion about military life

Which he told us to expect approval in few days BUT next day my status changed "INTERVIEW COMPLETED AND CASE MUST BE REVIEWED"

It got stuck on this for five weeks but 

April 27:Case Approved

May 1 :Approval Notice

May 4:Card received ***     Drank 2 bottles of red wine with some nice sea food

   HINT: It s better to have enough evidence to back up your case and put on a pleasant smile through out 

            Your photos should be arranged in a way the once you need to convince them re at the top 

           Get affidavit from any of the Petitioner or beneficiary s family to say something positive about your marriage 

            Many don't  believe this though but from experience PRAYER works for me .

AND GUESS WHAT ? Our age difference is 15 years *** Love Can't be defined 

Visiting Canada in two weeks ,

Thanks guys for your support and i wish others best of Luck .

The waiting game is boring but your testimony is almost here.

 

 

Edited May 5, 2017 by Diddy007

[Allie D 39]

On 5/5/2017 at 0:39 AM, Diddy007 said:

9.Our drivers licenses with the same address *****VERY IMPORTANT That s how to assure them you live together

I'm trying to get opinions on how important this is. Did the immigration officer explicitly ask for the license and look at it carefully? My husband and I filed in late September 2016 and our interview is in early June. He is the US Citizen petitioner and I am the beneficiary.

 

Around when we were moving into our current apartment, he was charged with a traffic-related misdemeanor. His license was confiscated and he was given a limited license with the old address. The old apartment was sublet because he didn't want to break the lease, which would have been expensive. So he is still legally on that lease and has access to mail that goes there if it hasn't been forwarded by USPS.

 

My husband can apply for a new license (no limitations) when the legal and court issues are resolved. We will be sure to use our current address on that new license. However, bureaucracies are bureaucracies and we don't know when everything is going to be resolved. He might be able to change the address on his license now. However, that might look fishy to USCIS (why change it now and not earlier?). He didn't think about changing it earlier because he thought it would make the legal/court process go more smoothly, i.e. to prevent hassles regarding confirmation of where he lives, where to send documents, etc. He also needed a lawyer in the county where the misdemeanor happened (same as his old address). We tried getting a lawyer in the county where we live now but he said that nobody responded. So you can perhaps see why he kept the old address on his DL.

 

We do have other proof of cohabitation: rental lease, utility bills, internet bills, joint bank account, pay stubs, health insurance documents, an affidavit from a friend, and tax transcripts attesting to this.

 

We can explain the situation with the DL if asked. We didn't think about the discrepancy too much because the DL isn't a required document for the AOS process (at least not according to the interview checklist). My husband is wondering whether to bring his DL at all. He has been using his passport as his government ID since the accident happened. He hasn't been driving for a while and doesn't want to launch into a long story about why he has a limited license with a different address, partly since he's shy about the situation and partly because the US Citizen's criminal record doesn't matter. He thinks that spending time on his story might detract from the purpose/goal of the AOS interview (i.e. use up valuable, limited time). He could be wrong.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Allie D

[Sim.Arnold 17]

3 minutes ago, Allie D said:

I'm trying to get opinions on how important this is. Did the immigration officer explicitly ask for the license and look at it carefully? My husband and I filed in late September 2016 and our interview is in early June.

 

Around when we were moving into our current apartment, he was charged with a traffic-related misdemeanor. His license was confiscated and he was given a limited license with the old address. The old apartment was sublet because he didn't want to break the lease, which would have been expensive. So he is still legally on that lease and has access to mail that goes there if it hasn't been forwarded by USPS.

 

My husband can apply for a new license (no limitations) when the legal and court issues are resolved. We will be sure to use our current address on that new license. However, bureaucracies are bureaucracies and we don't know when everything is going to be resolved. He might be able to change the address on his license now. However, that might look fishy to USCIS (why change it now and not earlier?). He didn't think about changing it earlier because he thought it would make the legal/court process go more smoothly, i.e. to prevent hassles regarding confirmation of where he lives, where to send documents, etc. He also needed a lawyer in the county where the misdemeanor happened (same as his old address). We tried getting a lawyer in the county where we live now but he said that nobody responded. So you can perhaps see why he kept the old address on his DL.

 

We do have other proof of cohabitation: rental lease, utility bills, internet bills, joint bank account, pay stubs, health insurance documents, an affidavit from a friend, and tax transcripts attesting to this.

 

We can explain the situation with the DL if asked. We didn't think about the discrepancy too much because the DL isn't a required document for the AOS process (at least not according to the interview checklist).

I totally hear you about bureaucracies and the challenges of moving. When I filed for my K-1, my husband was looking for a job and living with family, so I used that address. By the time I arrived, he had found a job and was living with his dad to save money but his parents were about to sell the house. The officer at my point of entry gave me a hard time about the address I was going to not matching the one on my paperwork (filed 9 months earlier, heaven forbid anything change in that time). 

As for the interview, our drivers licenses have different addresses as well, since we moved recently and my husband's (US citizen) license is still valid (and he's lazy). We had a copy of our lease with both our names on it, copies of our bank statements, health insurance, car insurance, and 401k. We didn't have bills because we had just moved that month. My husband used his as his photo identification and the interviewer still asked for his passport or birth certificate so he could verify his citizenship. The interviewer was confused about our address because we've moved twice since I arrived in the US and had filed a couple changes of address, but it was completely unrelated to his drivers license and he was only interested in making sure the right address was on file. 

Looking at your post history, it looks like your husband is the US citizen, so the only reason he might need his drivers license during the interview is for photo identification, in which case he can just bring his passport you'll have your passport too, and it will also verify his citizenship (though take his birth certificate anyway). Worst comes to worst you explain the situation. Good luck! 

[Allie D 39]

5 minutes ago, Sim.Arnold said:

I totally hear you about bureaucracies and the challenges of moving. When I filed for my K-1, my husband was looking for a job and living with family, so I used that address. By the time I arrived, he had found a job and was living with his dad to save money but his parents were about to sell the house. The officer at my point of entry gave me a hard time about the address I was going to not matching the one on my paperwork (filed 9 months earlier, heaven forbid anything change in that time). 

As for the interview, our drivers licenses have different addresses as well, since we moved recently and my husband's (US citizen) license is still valid (and he's lazy). We had a copy of our lease with both our names on it, copies of our bank statements, health insurance, car insurance, and 401k. We didn't have bills because we had just moved that month. My husband used his as his photo identification and the interviewer still asked for his passport or birth certificate so he could verify his citizenship. The interviewer was confused about our address because we've moved twice since I arrived in the US and had filed a couple changes of address, but it was completely unrelated to his drivers license and he was only interested in making sure the right address was on file. 

Looking at your post history, it looks like your husband is the US citizen, so the only reason he might need his drivers license during the interview is for photo identification, in which case he can just bring his passport you'll have your passport too, and it will also verify his citizenship (though take his birth certificate anyway). Worst comes to worst you explain the situation. Good luck! 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I hope everything has or will work out for you guys! You are right, my husband is the US citizen and I'm the beneficiary. We will bring our passports to the interview. My husband can decide whether to bring his driver's license. We won't be driving to the interview. The plan is to take a bus and then ride-share around the city. I'm a terrible driver and my husband's limited license only allows him to drive between work and home. After one brush with the law, he isn't willing to take any more chances!

Edited May 9, 2017 by Allie D

[Sim.Arnold 17]

Just now, Allie D said:

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I hope everything has or will work out for you guys! You are right, my husband is the US citizen and I'm the beneficiary. We will bring our passports to the interview. My husband can decide whether to bring his driver's license. We won't be driving to the interview. The plan is to take a bus and then ride-share around the city. I'm a terrible driver and my husband's limited license only allows him to drive between work and home. After one brush with the law, he isn't prepared to take any more chances!

Oh yeah, that would have been good information -- it did work out, we were approved and now we just wait two years to lift conditions! 

It sounds like a great plan -- I don't love driving either, especially since we live in Southern California. We'll look forward to good news from the other side of the interview! 

[Meme24 0]

After a 2 week wait and torture after interview!!! My case got approved today🙌🏽🙌🏽🎉🎉🎉

 

thank you everyone! And goodluck to those still waiting!!!!!

Edited May 9, 2017 by Meme24

[A'n'L 735]

11 hours ago, Allie D said:

I'm trying to get opinions on how important this is. Did the immigration officer explicitly ask for the license and look at it carefully? My husband and I filed in late September 2016 and our interview is in early June. He is the US Citizen petitioner and I am the beneficiary.

With other proof of co-habitation, this is not an issue at all. I was also super-stressed because my husband (USC) hadn't bothered to change his license after moving, but in the end she only glanced briefly at his DL when verifying our identities. He hadn't changed his address with his employer either, so our addresses were all over the place. She was happy just to see a few items (utility bill in my name, joint cc and bank statements in both names) placing us on the same address.