Our interview experience

[thndrdancr 0]

Ok, everyone, I know I am a bit late posting this, but been kinda busy with job hunting. This is how our interview went:

Interview was on March 3rd, a Friday at 10:00. We got to Omaha with about 15 minutes to spare, took a deep breath and gathered up all our stuff and went in. There was another couple that had JUST went in the doors before us, and oddly enough, it was the same couple who we had seen at the biometrics back in December. I showed the guards our interview letter, and they took it. The security guards had the other couple go first, then made us wait a minute, then had us go thru the security machines. They do allow cell phones in the Omaha office but they have to be the non camera kind, is what we were told. So anyway, we get thru the security point and start gathering up all our stuff, and lo and behold, our interview letter was GONE! The guards had set it down to also go thru the machine, and the other couple took it without realizing! I made a comment about how they tell you to guard that letter with your life, then soon as you get to the Immigration office, someone goes and steals it! The guards said "We'll go GET it back!"...it was really rather funny. The interviewing officer also told us that all she knew was that someone had put the appointment letter in the inbox, the front desk clerk told her that her people were there to interview, she came out, and then the letter was GONE. So she was wondering why that had happened. First we were there, then we were not!

Anyhow, the guards retrieved it out of the inbox, gave it back to us, then we went over and placed it in the inbox. Silly huh? We sat down to wait, and I had told Lake before the appointment that they usually have hidden cameras in the lobby, he was SUPPOSED to act lovey-dovey. He starts looking around and squirming a bit and I asked what he was DOING already, and he replied he didnt SEE any cameras so they must not have them. There was this big screen right in front of us on the wall, like a movie screen, now what did he think they used that for???? The goofball. I told him it would be that screen if there were any, that they wouldnt be out in plain sight.

I started conversing with the couple that had taken our letter, their timeline matched ours almost perfectly. They had an immigration attorney help them out with theirs pro bono, by an immigration assist office they had found out about in Omaha.

Well, our officer called us in, Joanna Howe. She swore us in, then we sat down. Then she asked all the I-485 questions, have you ever committed a crime, have you ever been deported, etc. We answered all those.

First of all, she had us get out ALL of our id, passports, driver's license, EAD's, AP's and hand them over to her. She took back the EAD, AP, set aside the dl to copy later.

She started looking over the paperwork. She asked if either one of us had been married before. No for both of us. She said to Lake, "I see you have a couple of children". And he replied Yes. She asked if he was married to their mother, and he said No, never married. She asked "Are you SURE your not married to the mother, becuz I see guys come in here and say that and then come to find out they ARE, happens over and over again" Lake laughed and said he was SURE, he had never married the mother of his children and that he had never been married to anyone in the past. She gave him the business, said if he was and he ran off and left me, which she had ALSO seen before, marrying for green card, then they would track him DOWN. He wasnt worried, since he had no idea of running off.

She noticed in the passport that Lake had went back to Guyana for 5 weeks in January and asked him about that, why he went, did I go, etc. I didnt go, his father is terminally ill, and I explained I would like to go in the future but before elections crime is high and was just not a good time.

Then she asked where we had met. I told her I had been on a 3 month cruise and had met him, as he was a worker on the ship. She commented that she didnt think she would EVER be interested on going on that length of cruise. She asked Lake why he stopped working there. He started to say, well, he got his tourist visa and thought he would come here...and I was getting a bit alarmed, as I was thinking the way he was saying it made it sound like he was gonna come here to work and immigrate, etc. Sorry to say, I interrupted (probably just convinced her we were wife and hubby, lol) and told her that he HAD tried to go back to work on the ship, he had been on his month vacation leave, and when the crew tried to return, the ship was not in the right port and the company wanted them to fly to the next port using their own money, so most of the crew didnt rejoin. Then the ship went into drydock and still is at this point, so that work option was closed. THAT is when he applied for the tourist visa and got it, and came to visit relatives in New York. (Sorry, I know thats a bit of a story, and I didnt want her to get the wrong idea, knowing what I do about intent) I told her he called me from New York, and that I was actually engaged to another at that point, but after talking to Lake every eve for a couple of weeks, I broke it off and wanted to give it a chance, as I was fallin hard for him. I told her, my fiance didnt take it very well...and she said, "I imagine not!" That ended that line of questioning.

She then asked what our living situation was. She never really directed too many questions specifically at one or the other of us, so I did most of the talking. I told her my mom, my sister, myself, and Lake all live in one household. She asked who owned the house. I told her my mom and myself bought the house together, and then my sis' husband died several years ago, and she moved in. Then Lake and I got married so he was there now too. She looked at Lake and asked him, "Omigosh, whats it like being in a household with THREE women?" He just laughed and said it took some getting used to.

She then wanted to look over FRESH W-2's from myself and sis (co sponsor). She asked Lake if he was working, we both replied no, but he was looking. I luckily had gotten this years stuff rounded up, I thought it wouldnt be needed since we only put in for it in September but she wanted CURRENT stuff, like the last 2 paystubs from sis, the 2005 W-2's, etc. And also my sis birth certificate. I gave her a list of my current assets. She asked if I worked, or were we using my sisters income/assets more to show proof. I told her I work trading stocks, but its only part time and we were using sis. She asked if my sis worked full time, I said no, she wanted to know exactly how many hours sis worked per week. That was very hard to explain, since my sis works one day a week for SURE, then is on call as needed the rest of the week. Currently, she has been working full time, and I explained this, but mainly we were going by her assets.

Then she asked about financial/joint assets and what could we show to prove we have a life together. I gave her a copy that showed we had Lake as an authorized user on two of my credit cards, also one of those offers that those cc send you with the checks at a low APR with both of our names on it. That was ALL the financial proof I had, and I explained to her that since Lake wasnt working just yet we hadnt tried to get a joint bank account, and no mutual names for anything since no "real" employer" with insurance, etc. I told her that Mom had been REAL slow to accept the situation, thus no name on the car insurance, since it was Mom's car we had been using. She said "I BET she has been" as if she understood. I told her...My Mom and sister HAVE written a letter tho...and handed her that. She read Mom's letter and laughed, since mom had said it had been quite an adventure having a MAN in the house. She kept those. I started handing her the stuff I DID have...(Lake told me later I should have waited for her to ASK, but I had stuff she wouldnt have known to ask and I knew we were running a deficit in the paperwork department). I handed her the phone calls he he had made back to Guyana to call family for the last six months, on my phone bill. Also air tickets we had when we BOTH flew to NY to go to his cousins wedding, and his uncles air ticket to come visit us. I also had a copy of his fishing license, and a little scrappage with receipts of movies we had rented together and dining out, and park sticker, etc. I had also several Christmas cards and letter, and asked if she wanted to see them, she said no, she didnt need to see those. She didnt care much bout the scrap thing, either she barely glanced at it, but she took all the other stuff and I told her they were copies and she could keep them. She then said, "OK, I am going to approve you, and I will stamp your passport as well in case you need to show a potential employer or need to travel" I asked her if she wanted to see the photo album, and she told me she would look at it in a minute, but first she had to copy some things. So she already approved us before she looked at the photo album. She was very thorough, and was a very nice lady, but she seemed like she could get tough if she needed. She did seem genuinely interested in our story and our pictures as well. She explained about the conditions, etc, looked at our album, and then wished us luck and walked us to the door.

The whole interview lasted abut 25 minutes, so sounded a bit more thorough than what some others experience. On a whole tho, it was a very good experience.

We then went to the local Boat/Sport/Travel Show to celebrate and had a great time, altho Ms. Cheap here wouldnt ante up $6 for parking so we parked 4 blocks away and walked. I was soooo mad, they built this hugh civic center, and LOADS of parking, like 15 parking lots, and they wanted you to PAY to park there. Normally they are free. All these empty parking spaces and you need to PAY??? I think NOT! So ...thats the story guys! Sorry if its so long, I wanted to go into as much detail as possible as I think we were asked some questions that most dont get asked.

Jill

Oh and the green card received 3-14-06!!!

[notrepetiteashley 0]

Good job! Happy for you both!

[rebeccajo 14]

Funny story! Congrats!

[designermedusa 0]

Congratulations.

[Collie 122]

Congratulations!

[Not Available 0]

Congrats!

[den_y2005 0]

congrats on your green card.

good luck on your job hunting.

[MaryandMian 1]

Congratulations on your green card and wishing you good luck on the job hunt.

Mary

[eau_xplain 2]

Great detailed account of your interview! Congratulations on the approval and actual receipt of the GC!

[Marie1123 0]

Congrats

[thndrdancr 0]

Thanks all, I know its mighty long, I really go into TOO much detail I have been told...i.e. boooring...

Anyhow, great news as well, hubby had a job interview on Monday (his very first) and he was called today and offered the job! How lucky can ya get?

I want to thank EVERYONE on here, for all the info, insight, help with stupid questions, etc. I really wouldnt have been able to file just on our own without reading this forum for months and ingesting every little bit of info that was posted, scary, good, bad, condescending, and all. Umm, well I could have bypassed the condescending one(s) but hey, its a public forum. Thanks and hugs to all!

I especially want to thank Aussie, as she befriended me right off, even tho we WERE adjusting from tourist visa and told me NOT to be afraid to post, and Kezzie and JayJay for answering my frantic posts about leaving on AP while adjusting from such(which turned out to be NOT a problem, even several Immigration officers said we did NOTHING wrong so quit stressing), and then later JayJay for my frantic posts about not having financial info. You guys will never know how much reassurance you gave to me.

Jill and Lake

[Jasman0717 9]

Congratulations