Getting ready for green card interview, confused about what to bring

[elephanzo 4]

Hello! So I am relieved to say that we are nearing the end of the k-1 process as we have just been assigned our interview for my husband's green card. Thank you visa journey for getting us to this point without needing a lawyer! I am just a bit confused about the checklist that the department of homeland security has provided for us to make sure we bring everything to the interview. I guess I'm just being paranoid and nervous because I am afraid of forgetting something. I would appreciate anyone's help who has already gone through this!

The parts of the document I am confused about is where it says I need...

"All documentation establishing your eligibility for lawful permanent resident status"
What does this mean? Why do they bother to list this if they include a list of all of the papers we need? It makes me feel like there are other documents I might need. Does this mean I have to bring the copies of old stuff like the I-129F?

"Any immigration-related documentation ever issued to you, including EAD, and advance parole (Form-512)"
We have his EAD combo card but we don't have the letter that came in the mail with the card. Does this mean just his EAD ID combo card? Because I don't have any forms.

"All travel documents used to enter the US"
We don't have anything he used to enter the US except for his passport?? When he entered the US on his k-1 they took a whole package from him and never returned it.

I know that before, they have asked him to bring a lot of stuff to past interviews and they ended up not looking over any of the stuff . In the green card interview do they pretty much just look at our documents and pictures that show we are a legitimate couple or do they look at way old stuff like the I-129f packet and what not?

Last question,

My husband and I plan on doing some international travel this year. If the interview goes well and he receives his greencard after the interview, will we be able to travel without having to reapply for advance parole? The green card permits him to leave and come in to the US without needing to constantly renew his AP, correct?

Thank you all so much!

[Ryan H 3,834]

Moved from K1 Process & Procedures to Adjustment of Status from K Visas forum.

[Dashinka 24,830]

Hello! So I am relieved to say that we are nearing the end of the k-1 process as we have just been assigned our interview for my husband's green card. Thank you visa journey for getting us to this point without needing a lawyer! I am just a bit confused about the checklist that the department of homeland security has provided for us to make sure we bring everything to the interview. I guess I'm just being paranoid and nervous because I am afraid of forgetting something. I would appreciate anyone's help who has already gone through this!

The parts of the document I am confused about is where it says I need...

"All documentation establishing your eligibility for lawful permanent resident status"

What does this mean? Why do they bother to list this if they include a list of all of the papers we need? It makes me feel like there are other documents I might need. Does this mean I have to bring the copies of old stuff like the I-129F?

For a K1 AOS I would include anything you have showing a commingling of your marriage such as joint savings accounts, utility bills, mortgage/lease, insurance, etc., that shows you are in a true marriage. As a K1 you may not have a lot, but bring what you have. We also took photos of the wedding that the IO did in fact look at. We also took my wife's drivers license which they made a copy of.

"Any immigration-related documentation ever issued to you, including EAD, and advance parole (Form-512)"

We have his EAD combo card but we don't have the letter that came in the mail with the card. Does this mean just his EAD ID combo card? Because I don't have any forms.

We took my wife's EAD, copies of the NOAs we received throughout the process. A good piece of advice I received early on was to keep copies and files of all the documents we either sent, or received during the process. So we took a copy of the complete K1 and AOS packages as well as all the NOAs we received.

"All travel documents used to enter the US"

We don't have anything he used to enter the US except for his passport?? When he entered the US on his k-1 they took a whole package from him and never returned it.

This would include the passport as well as a printout of the I94. You should be able to find the I94 online, I don't have the link handy, but Google I94 and you should be able to find the link.

I know that before, they have asked him to bring a lot of stuff to past interviews and they ended up not looking over any of the stuff . In the green card interview do they pretty much just look at our documents and pictures that show we are a legitimate couple or do they look at way old stuff like the I-129f packet and what not?

We took a couple of file folders with us and yes, they did not look at much, but I was happy we had copies of the K1 package as she asked for a form that we had in there (I cannot remember what it was specifically). The IO basically covered the I485 questions, then asked us to relate our story of how we met, and how we decided to go through the process. It was very friendly and overall, my wife relaxed after the first few minutes. One other thing they took was a copy of my latest income tax records since I had filed my 2014 taxes since the original AOS package was submitted (I submitted my 2013 tax records with the package when filed, but the 2014 taxes were more current).

Last question,

My husband and I plan on doing some international travel this year. If the interview goes well and he receives his greencard after the interview, will we be able to travel without having to reapply for advance parole? The green card permits him to leave and come in to the US without needing to constantly renew his AP, correct?

No. The GC trumps the AP unless you plan on spending more than a year out of the country. If you plan an extended stay overseas then you would need to apply for a re-entry permit that also uses form I131, but for short trips no added forms are needed.

Thank you all so much!

One other piece of advice, check out the reviews for your local office as people going through recent interviews may have additional information.

Note: I apologize as I am on a tablet, so I could not highlight my responses, so hopefully you can see my answers to each question above.

Good Luck!

Edited August 31, 2016 by Bill & Katya

[Pitaya 2,577]

Here is a recent similar-themed thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/593962-aos-interview-what-to-bring-changing-job/?hl=%2Baos+%2Binterview#entry8119361

Good luck on your immigration journey.

Edited August 31, 2016 by Pitaya