DC/Baltimore AOS

[Eternati 13]

On 7/25/2017 at 3:28 PM, huko said:

just got back from our interview (december 2016 filer). the interview was scheduled for 10:45am. we weren't sure how early we needed to be there so we arrived at 9am only to realize we couldn't check in until 30min before our scheduled time lol... luckily there weren't a lot of people and we got called in by a 35yo-ish female officer at 10:48am to the actual interview. 

 

there wasn't any major surprise at the interview, although it took a lot longer than we initially expected. it lasted a whole 40min lol that was so different from what i've read on the forum. but then i feel like maybe it wouldn't take as long for other applicants because my husband and i are just extra talkative and love going into all the details...

 

officer at first asked us for our IDs & passports, and if we had any documents that we wanted to give her. so we gave her our latest 2 joint bank statements, lease agreement, 2 phone bills, 2 utility bills, 3 pay stubs, 2 health insurance claims, 2016 taxes that we jointly filed, 1 original copy of our marriage certificate, and 20 pictures of us together that i took from a few trips across the country that we went on during the past year. i have no idea if we really needed to give her any of these so maybe you guys don't need to prepare them all. 

 

officer was really strict to the forms. she had our entire package on her desk and a red marker on her hand. we got asked a whole bunch of questions (at least 20 no kidding) and they were mostly just information that we had filled out in our application package. for each answer, she checks it off on the application papers if our answer matches what we originally put in the forms.

 

here are the questions i can think of that she asked:

(1) each other's full name and date of birth; parent's full names;

(2) had both of us list out all addresses we lived in during the last 5 years as well as our employment situation (i listed out mine and my husband listed out his);

(3) when was the last time i (beneficient) entered into the country, on what visa, and what port of entry i came in from;

(4) how did we meet; who started the conversation (since we met on tinder lol) and what did we say to each other first; how long did it take from starting conversation to actually meeting up; how often did we meet up; when did we move in together; what do we see in each other that we value the most;

(5) whether we had met each other's family and how they think of our relationship (perhaps it has something to do with us being gay lol); do we hang out with each other's friends from work school etc;

(6) when did we get engaged and how long did it take from engagement to wedding; any witnesses at wedding.

 

i'm sure the officer asked more but these are the major ones i can think of now. she was really polite and professional. my husband and i love making jokes and being funny but i don't think the officer was really in a mood to joke tho (i mean she has another 7 application packages piled next to ours so it's understandable).

 

It was all good and i thought the interview went well. towards the end, she explained to us that she would keep our case for review and we could check case status online. if there's update we would get letter in the mail and it should be within the next few months if not sooner.

 

we were also handed a letter titled "notice of interview results" and it says the following: your case is being held for review. at this time, USCIS does not require any further information or documents from you. should further information or documents be required, you will receive notice in the mail. we may also schedule you for another interview, you will receive a notice in the mail. otherwise, a final decision will be mailed once your case is complete.

 

i haven't really read up on other people's interview results in the forum so i'm not sure if "being held for review" is a common thing. this letter sounds kind of just like a generic bureaucratic letter that you'd receive from gov but at the same time it kind of worries me cuz i know some applicants get approval on the spot. 

 

anyway our interview is done and as of right now (4 hours after interview) case status is still "Interview Is Scheduled". I guess i'm going back to checking case status online everyday again... hopefully we won't have to wait too long before we hear something good from them  

Congrats guys! I was reading your review and thinking "oh gosh, seems like we were on the same interview". And the officer sticked to this G325A form with boring questions, not really being in the mood to joke with us, or ask us more about our relationship and less about the previous addresses, and the same generic response at the end. Oh well, I guess it's Baltimore 😁 Although we had a male officer of an Arabic-ish decent, not a lady. Well, Huko, I'm really happy that the officer bothered to accept your carefully picked and nicely arranged photos!

So yeah, I got the card issued 3 weeks after the interview, let's see how long will it take for you! 

Also, mind if I ask, did the officer by any chance make you feel like you're "non-traditional" couple or something? Besides the fact that he was asking about your families' reaction. I just have a gay couple of friends, who had also applied for AOS for one of them, and they feel not that great about the idea, that the officer might be "narrow-minded", and will make them feel uncomfortable on the interview. And it seems to me that it's almost impossible, what do you think?

[huko 10]

On 7/25/2017 at 5:57 PM, Chejemmie said:

Great! Good luck! Had my interview on 6/14 and still waiting for results. Case still says 'scheduled for interview'

wait what! you are still waiting for results?

 

i did my interview 7/25 and then 24 hrs later my case status got updated to "new card is being produced".

[huko 10]

On 7/27/2017 at 0:01 AM, Eternati said:

Congrats guys! I was reading your review and thinking "oh gosh, seems like we were on the same interview". And the officer sticked to this G325A form with boring questions, not really being in the mood to joke with us, or ask us more about our relationship and less about the previous addresses, and the same generic response at the end. Oh well, I guess it's Baltimore 😁 Although we had a male officer of an Arabic-ish decent, not a lady. Well, Huko, I'm really happy that the officer bothered to accept your carefully picked and nicely arranged photos!

So yeah, I got the card issued 3 weeks after the interview, let's see how long will it take for you! 

Also, mind if I ask, did the officer by any chance make you feel like you're "non-traditional" couple or something? Besides the fact that he was asking about your families' reaction. I just have a gay couple of friends, who had also applied for AOS for one of them, and they feel not that great about the idea, that the officer might be "narrow-minded", and will make them feel uncomfortable on the interview. And it seems to me that it's almost impossible, what do you think?

haha thanks!!! that's awesome you've already got your card  

 

my officer is a black lady 35yo-ish. she wasn't really in a mood to joke or anything, like you said. but i kinda thought maybe this was more just an east coast thing? i've lived in the west for many years (vancouver, seattle, salt lake city) and people there would tell you all about their lives if you gave them 10 minutes  

also i think that our officers might just be new and inexperienced at their job so they strictly follow all the procedures and don't have the authority to give out verbal approval right away at interview, which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all if the applicant's marriage is legit and have nothing to hide. 

honestly i'm very happy to see that officers double check all their documents to get a clear picture of what they are dealing with and who they are admitting into the country as permanent residents, cuz this is a serious matter lol. i mean... i choose to go with immigration the legal route because i follow the rules and want to live in a country where other people hopefully share the same values  

 

oh we didn't feel weird at all at the interview and i doubt my officer was "narrow-minded" because of our sexual orientation. when you think about it, i'm asian and asian parents are stereotypically more conservative especially with same sex marriage stuff; my husband comes from a smaller city out west so people there are generally a little less liberal as well; therefore it's totally legitimate for the officer to wonder whether our parents feel good about our marriage and everything. i also had no problem with her asking about how we met and what we did cuz we got of kind of relive all those cute moments as we explained everything haha

when i was at the waiting area before interview, i saw at least 3 other gay couples. interviewing gays is probably not their first time and won't be their last either.

 

tell your friends to bring all their documents and they are gonna be just fine!!!! they can send me a private message of something if they have more questions lol <3 

[Chejemmie 7]

59 minutes ago, huko said:

wait what! you are still waiting for results?

 

i did my interview 7/25 and then 24 hrs later my case status got updated to "new card is being produced".

Yep, nothing to this day. Reached out to senator who put in a request last week Wednesday...still nothing🙁 Seems every step my case takes take forever to complete. I started this process since December 2014. I'm beyond frustrated. Is there anyone else who has been waiting this long?

[piff 46]

any other updates in Baltimore?  

[huko 10]

On 7/28/2017 at 3:15 PM, Chejemmie said:

Yep, nothing to this day. Reached out to senator who put in a request last week Wednesday...still nothing🙁 Seems every step my case takes take forever to complete. I started this process since December 2014. I'm beyond frustrated. Is there anyone else who has been waiting this long?

from december 2014 all the way till now? that's almost 3 years! this is ridiculous! i thought i read somewhere that says if your case goes unresolved for more than 2 years you could take uscis to court or something? maybe i'm wrong but you perhaps could look into the court option?

 

did you talk to senator or congressman? i reached out to congressman for my EAD.

[huko 10]

1 hour ago, piff said:

any other updates in Baltimore?  

got a receipt notice saying my case was approved and online status is now "card was mailed to me". i suppose i should be getting it within the next 3 weeks.

 

have you heard anything on your case?

[piff 46]

7 hours ago, huko said:

got a receipt notice saying my case was approved and online status is now "card was mailed to me". i suppose i should be getting it within the next 3 weeks.

 

have you heard anything on your case?

Nope  

[jostingong 2]

Hi, found this thread and reading through. My status: interviewed with Baltimore Mar 30th, approved second day, received welcome letter third day, celebrated and appraised efficient job by USCIS...lol....then case reopened Apr 3rd and since then no update. :-( Had meeting in Baltimore with the window officer, was told can't tell me why reopened and just keep waiting for another two to three months....what is going on? Anyone can shine on me please? 

[EMBELL_17 102]

12 minutes ago, jostingong said:

Hi, found this thread and reading through. My status: interviewed with Baltimore Mar 30th, approved second day, received welcome letter third day, celebrated and appraised efficient job by USCIS...lol....then case reopened Apr 3rd and since then no update. :-( Had meeting in Baltimore with the window officer, was told can't tell me why reopened and just keep waiting for another two to three months....what is going on? Anyone can shine on me please? 

What on the world?!! I'm upset for you!!! No idea what's going on sorry, but Lord am I mad reading this! So sorry this happened to you!

[Chejemmie 7]

4 hours ago, jostingong said:

Hi, found this thread and reading through. My status: interviewed with Baltimore Mar 30th, approved second day, received welcome letter third day, celebrated and appraised efficient job by USCIS...lol....then case reopened Apr 3rd and since then no update. :-( Had meeting in Baltimore with the window officer, was told can't tell me why reopened and just keep waiting for another two to three months....what is going on? Anyone can shine on me please? 

Omg this is terrible! I've been waiting forever...this gives me no hope. Sorry to hear about your situation. You should reach out to senator/congressman as I did...although they inquired on my behalf at least a week ago but I still have not received an update. So you're saying you were approved but GC never arrived?

[Chejemmie 7]

14 hours ago, huko said:

from december 2014 all the way till now? that's almost 3 years! this is ridiculous! i thought i read somewhere that says if your case goes unresolved for more than 2 years you could take uscis to court or something? maybe i'm wrong but you perhaps could look into the court option?

 

did you talk to senator or congressman? i reached out to congressman for my EAD.

I did reach out to congressman and a case worker submitted an inquiry on my behalf. She's been working with me since renewal EAD. I haven't heard anything for GC and it's been a week now since she inquired. I had also submitted an SR which was assigned to an officer just yesterday after a whole month. it's mind boggling!

Edited August 2, 2017 by Chejemmie

[Stefi 14]

Hello everyone, 

I would like to share my experience, i had my AOS interview on 07/19/17 in Baltimore. I am adjusting for J1 visa, have been married for almost 3 years and have two children together.We were scheduled at 8:30 am, when we got there my husband realized he forgot his driver license. After we passed the security we were waiting 5 min before my name was called. The officer was very friendly and polite. From the beginning he started joking. When  we set down he said he has been in my country and told my husband that he should go, it's beautiful. Then started talking about different things. Finaly he asked about our driver license and my passport, we told him my husband forgot his license but had the passport, he said he need a proof that he is a Maryland resident, so he handed his badge from work.  Then he asked how we met, he asked me my husband full name and date of birth,our children names and date of birth, what we are doing for living, he asked my husband when he became a citizen. We told him we recently moved and he wrote the new address on the application even i have already updated with USCIS. He asked me the yes/no questions, then started checking the application, he made a comment that we have been married for a while. My husband was married before, so he asked me for the divorce degree, he wanted to make sure he has the copy. We brought the children with us, he asked for extra copy of there birth certificates. He said everything looks good, he has no doubt. I had e binder full of evidence,he said he doesn't need them, my husband recently changed his job and I updated the I864 with the 2016 taxes, he said he doesn't need it, didn't ask for the new lease either. The interview lasted f20 min in total, the officer told us he needs to review the application one more time, didn't give as the paper that most of the people receive agter the interview was completed. He didn't say when should we expect decision, he said one more time everything looks good, the fact we have been married for almost three years and have children together was enough for him. My status changed the same morning, interview was completed and your case is under review, has been 2 weeks already and no updates at all. How long should I wait before i call USCIS?

[Chejemmie 7]

45 minutes ago, Stefi said:

Hello everyone, 

I would like to share my experience, i had my AOS interview on 07/19/17 in Baltimore. I am adjusting for J1 visa, have been married for almost 3 years and have two children together.We were scheduled at 8:30 am, when we got there my husband realized he forgot his driver license. After we passed the security we were waiting 5 min before my name was called. The officer was very friendly and polite. From the beginning he started joking. When  we set down he said he has been in my country and told my husband that he should go, it's beautiful. Then started talking about different things. Finaly he asked about our driver license and my passport, we told him my husband forgot his license but had the passport, he said he need a proof that he is a Maryland resident, so he handed his badge from work.  Then he asked how we met, he asked me my husband full name and date of birth,our children names and date of birth, what we are doing for living, he asked my husband when he became a citizen. We told him we recently moved and he wrote the new address on the application even i have already updated with USCIS. He asked me the yes/no questions, then started checking the application, he made a comment that we have been married for a while. My husband was married before, so he asked me for the divorce degree, he wanted to make sure he has the copy. We brought the children with us, he asked for extra copy of there birth certificates. He said everything looks good, he has no doubt. I had e binder full of evidence,he said he doesn't need them, my husband recently changed his job and I updated the I864 with the 2016 taxes, he said he doesn't need it, didn't ask for the new lease either. The interview lasted f20 min in total, the officer told us he needs to review the application one more time, didn't give as the paper that most of the people receive agter the interview was completed. He didn't say when should we expect decision, he said one more time everything looks good, the fact we have been married for almost three years and have children together was enough for him. My status changed the same morning, interview was completed and your case is under review, has been 2 weeks already and no updates at all. How long should I wait before i call USCIS?

Thanks for sharing another weird story from Baltimore office. Was your IO an elderly man? I called USCIS after a month but you can try to request an SR. 

[piff 46]

1 hour ago, Stefi said:

Hello everyone, 

I would like to share my experience, i had my AOS interview on 07/19/17 in Baltimore. I am adjusting for J1 visa, have been married for almost 3 years and have two children together.We were scheduled at 8:30 am, when we got there my husband realized he forgot his driver license. After we passed the security we were waiting 5 min before my name was called. The officer was very friendly and polite. From the beginning he started joking. When  we set down he said he has been in my country and told my husband that he should go, it's beautiful. Then started talking about different things. Finaly he asked about our driver license and my passport, we told him my husband forgot his license but had the passport, he said he need a proof that he is a Maryland resident, so he handed his badge from work.  Then he asked how we met, he asked me my husband full name and date of birth,our children names and date of birth, what we are doing for living, he asked my husband when he became a citizen. We told him we recently moved and he wrote the new address on the application even i have already updated with USCIS. He asked me the yes/no questions, then started checking the application, he made a comment that we have been married for a while. My husband was married before, so he asked me for the divorce degree, he wanted to make sure he has the copy. We brought the children with us, he asked for extra copy of there birth certificates. He said everything looks good, he has no doubt. I had e binder full of evidence,he said he doesn't need them, my husband recently changed his job and I updated the I864 with the 2016 taxes, he said he doesn't need it, didn't ask for the new lease either. The interview lasted f20 min in total, the officer told us he needs to review the application one more time, didn't give as the paper that most of the people receive agter the interview was completed. He didn't say when should we expect decision, he said one more time everything looks good, the fact we have been married for almost three years and have children together was enough for him. My status changed the same morning, interview was completed and your case is under review, has been 2 weeks already and no updates at all. How long should I wait before i call USCIS?

when did you apply for AOS?