F2A 2018 AOS Filers

[senpal86 6]

9 hours ago, BerhaeLee said:

If the applicant is living outside the US, do I still need to follow the second table?

nope.

[VG31 23]

On 11/16/2018 at 1:55 PM, senpal86 said:

Hi All,

 

I have AOS interview on Nov 26th. Of all the documents i was asked to bring, there is one that i don't understand, that is

"All documentation establishing your eligibility for Lawful Permanent Resident status"

 

What does it mean? What are the documents that establishes my eligibility for GC?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

Any legal document that has your and your's wife name on it that basically establish that you've been living together. It could be your Marriage Certificate, Utility Bill, Lease Agreement or your Mortgage Payment, Joint Bank Account Statement, Pictures of both of you and your family together from your wedding.

 

The purpose of that interview is to make sure that marriage was in a good faith and not for the purpose of getting a PR.

 

Do a search to learn more about AOS Interview Questions.

 

Thanks,

Vg

[VG31 23]

On 10/15/2018 at 5:11 PM, thepanda said:

I just got the letter from my mailbox, so I couldn't have told you earlier anyways. My interview will be on November 21st.

Hello @thepanda

 

I hope you're doing well. Just following up with you to know how did your interview go?

 

Thanks,

[thepanda 87]

On 11/21/2018 at 11:33 AM, VG31 said:

Hello @thepanda

 

I hope you're doing well. Just following up with you to know how did your interview go?

 

Thanks,

Hello,

 

sorry for my delayed response but I really took the days to sleep of all the stress and pressure that fell off on Wednesday. The whole process was not as frightened as expected. We arrived 20 mins before our appointment and waited about 30 mins until my name was called. While waiting I was hoping that we would get a friendly officer after reading some horror stories in this forum. We ended up getting the friendliest, most patient and respectful officer I could have asked for. In the beginning he took the time to explain the process and let me ask all the questions I had. He mentioned that their office is one or maybe even the fastest office in the country as it is not rare for them to conduct interviews before the underlying petition (i-130) is approved. He checked what was going on with the i-130 application and confirmed that it hasn't been assigned to any officer and was laying in a shelf. We shortly discussed which date and table was applicable of the visa bulletin (he even printed it out to show us) and first he said that unfortunately there was no visa available but I ended up showing him my NOA of my i-130 with my priority date in 2017.  He then excused himself to see his supervisor. He came back, apologised and said that a visa was available for me. He also said that his supervisor requested my i-130 application to be routed to their office for processing. 

Long story short: I got approved, they will approve my i-130 as soon as they receive the application (that takes about 2 - 3 weeks) and then approve my i-485 and I should receive my Green Card in January. I still can't believe it and I am too afraid to really celebrate. I am going to wait with the celebration until January and to have my actual card in my hands . 

 

Since I am travelling in December too, the officer was so nice to push back the approval of my application. Otherwise I would have had to cancel my flight since my AP would become void as soon as my GC was approved. At the end he also explained the steps I needed to take for the removal of conditions since I will receive a conditional GC. 

 

Questions asked during the interview:

• First question was if we wanted to add anything to the files and thankfully I read a few interview experiences so I knew to just give him all the evidences except of photographs (joint insurances, bank accounts, etc.). I asked if we needed to turn in the most recent tax return but there was no need as the officer has seen in the file already and it was the most recent one. I was quite nervous so all I did was put a whole stack of papers on the table but my husband was much more relaxed and was so nice to organise the paperwork for me
• Questions from the i-485 
  • When he asked if a visa was ever denied I said yes but he did not ask any follow-up questions. At the end when I was allowed to ask questions I asked him if wanted to know what happened but since he went through my paperwork before the interview he knew what was going on and that it was ok. I wasn't aware that the officers went through the file before the interview.
  • Since I changed jobs and had a new phone number we updated that information in the application
  • A good tip I got from the forum as well: always let the officer ask the complete question before you answer. 
• Then he asked a few questions about us that we both could answer - mostly my husband answered and gave some additional info when I felt like it was needed:
  • When and how did we meet?
  • Where did we meet?
  • Have we met each others family and when?
  • When did we get married? My husband actually got the year wrong because he is SO BAD with names and dates
  • Did we have a wedding? We didn't and we didn't have to explain why it was only a courthouse wedding

Unfortunately I do not remember more of the questions but they were quite straightforward and nothing out of the ordinary. I also remember that I was asked a set of questions and then my husband. Sometimes the officer repeated the questions. For example the officer us asked when we got married and after a few minutes later my husband got the same question (and he still managed mixed up the year 😀). After the questions the officer asked if we had pictures with our families. I hesitated because at that moment I thought we didn't but my husband just took out my 85 pictures and we started to show the officers the pictures. At the end I couldn't stop. 😂 With each picture I told him who we were with, the location (e.g. Miami) and time (e.g. May of 2xxx). When I showed a picture of my best friend and us, the officer asked my husband if he knew her name and where she lived which he of course did. 

Also, for those that interested how I found out that I was approved: at the end of the interview I was allowed to ask questions (again). I wanted to know how the next steps looked like if I was approved and started with "If you decide to approve me..." and the officer smiled, laughed at little me and said:"You are approved. I am gonna approve you." I can't even describe how grateful and happy I was at that moment.  

 

We were in and out within 1 hour including the waiting period. I am very grateful to had a rather good experience. My husband said that I worried to much and was over-prepared. But better safe than sorry. I am so glad that I do not have to worry about the i-130 either and know who is actually going to handle that application as well. 

I am now waiting to see updates on my tracker for the transfer and approval of application. I will also be looking out for my approval notices in the mail in January. 

 

I hope this helps a little bit.  

[VG31 23]

4 hours ago, thepanda said:

Hello,

 

sorry for my delayed response but I really took the days to sleep of all the stress and pressure that fell off on Wednesday. The whole process was not as frightened as expected. We arrived 20 mins before our appointment and waited about 30 mins until my name was called. While waiting I was hoping that we would get a friendly officer after reading some horror stories in this forum. We ended up getting the friendliest, most patient and respectful officer I could have asked for. In the beginning he took the time to explain the process and let me ask all the questions I had. He mentioned that their office is one or maybe even the fastest office in the country as it is not rare for them to conduct interviews before the underlying petition (i-130) is approved. He checked what was going on with the i-130 application and confirmed that it hasn't been assigned to any officer and was laying in a shelf. We shortly discussed which date and table was applicable of the visa bulletin (he even printed it out to show us) and first he said that unfortunately there was no visa available but I ended up showing him my NOA of my i-130 with my priority date in 2017.  He then excused himself to see his supervisor. He came back, apologised and said that a visa was available for me. He also said that his supervisor requested my i-130 application to be routed to their office for processing. 

Long story short: I got approved, they will approve my i-130 as soon as they receive the application (that takes about 2 - 3 weeks) and then approve my i-485 and I should receive my Green Card in January. I still can't believe it and I am too afraid to really celebrate. I am going to wait with the celebration until January and to have my actual card in my hands . 

 

Since I am travelling in December too, the officer was so nice to push back the approval of my application. Otherwise I would have had to cancel my flight since my AP would become void as soon as my GC was approved. At the end he also explained the steps I needed to take for the removal of conditions since I will receive a conditional GC. 

 

Questions asked during the interview:

• First question was if we wanted to add anything to the files and thankfully I read a few interview experiences so I knew to just give him all the evidences except of photographs (joint insurances, bank accounts, etc.). I asked if we needed to turn in the most recent tax return but there was no need as the officer has seen in the file already and it was the most recent one. I was quite nervous so all I did was put a whole stack of papers on the table but my husband was much more relaxed and was so nice to organise the paperwork for me
• Questions from the i-485 
  • When he asked if a visa was ever denied I said yes but he did not ask any follow-up questions. At the end when I was allowed to ask questions I asked him if wanted to know what happened but since he went through my paperwork before the interview he knew what was going on and that it was ok. I wasn't aware that the officers went through the file before the interview.
  • Since I changed jobs and had a new phone number we updated that information in the application
  • A good tip I got from the forum as well: always let the officer ask the complete question before you answer. 
• Then he asked a few questions about us that we both could answer - mostly my husband answered and gave some additional info when I felt like it was needed:
  • When and how did we meet?
  • Where did we meet?
  • Have we met each others family and when?
  • When did we get married? My husband actually got the year wrong because he is SO BAD with names and dates
  • Did we have a wedding? We didn't and we didn't have to explain why it was only a courthouse wedding

Unfortunately I do not remember more of the questions but they were quite straightforward and nothing out of the ordinary. I also remember that I was asked a set of questions and then my husband. Sometimes the officer repeated the questions. For example the officer us asked when we got married and after a few minutes later my husband got the same question (and he still managed mixed up the year 😀). After the questions the officer asked if we had pictures with our families. I hesitated because at that moment I thought we didn't but my husband just took out my 85 pictures and we started to show the officers the pictures. At the end I couldn't stop. 😂 With each picture I told him who we were with, the location (e.g. Miami) and time (e.g. May of 2xxx). When I showed a picture of my best friend and us, the officer asked my husband if he knew her name and where she lived which he of course did. 

Also, for those that interested how I found out that I was approved: at the end of the interview I was allowed to ask questions (again). I wanted to know how the next steps looked like if I was approved and started with "If you decide to approve me..." and the officer smiled, laughed at little me and said:"You are approved. I am gonna approve you." I can't even describe how grateful and happy I was at that moment.  

 

We were in and out within 1 hour including the waiting period. I am very grateful to had a rather good experience. My husband said that I worried to much and was over-prepared. But better safe than sorry. I am so glad that I do not have to worry about the i-130 either and know who is actually going to handle that application as well. 

I am now waiting to see updates on my tracker for the transfer and approval of application. I will also be looking out for my approval notices in the mail in January. 

 

I hope this helps a little bit.  

@thepanda Wow.. many congratulations to you. That’s incredible and feels so great about your experience. What is your I-130 priority date?

 

Please keep us posted on your next update. 

[thepanda 87]

1 hour ago, VG31 said:

@thepanda Wow.. many congratulations to you. That’s incredible and feels so great about your experience. What is your I-130 priority date?

 

Please keep us posted on your next update. 

Thank you! My PD is April 6th, 2017. 

[VG31 23]

8 minutes ago, thepanda said:

Thank you! My PD is April 6th, 2017. 

Thanks @thepanda  . My pd is 27th April 2017. 

 

As as far as I understand GC is issued when your PD in chart A becomes current. But what I heard from you is very interesting and I am hoping and praying you receive your GC soon. 

 

I have a long wait and don’t know when my time will come. 

 

Once again many congratulations and good luck to you !!

 

[thepanda 87]

2 hours ago, VG31 said:

Thanks @thepanda  . My pd is 27th April 2017. 

 

As as far as I understand GC is issued when your PD in chart A becomes current. But what I heard from you is very interesting and I am hoping and praying you receive your GC soon. 

 

I have a long wait and don’t know when my time will come. 

 

Once again many congratulations and good luck to you !!

 

Yes that is what I understood too. This is the reason why I am not celebrating yet. So, we'll see what happens but at the end I am happy that I did my interview. I have waited so long, I can wait a littler longer if needed as long as it arrives before my EAD and AP expires next year in September. 

[VG31 23]

3 hours ago, thepanda said:

Yes that is what I understood too. This is the reason why I am not celebrating yet. So, we'll see what happens but at the end I am happy that I did my interview. I have waited so long, I can wait a littler longer if needed as long as it arrives before my EAD and AP expires next year in September. 

Yeah let’s wait and see. Keep us posted for any new update. 

[senpal86 6]

Hello,

I had my AOS (I485) interview today in Fort Smith, AR

Here's how it went..

We reached 20 mins before our interview time and we were the only people scheduled during the time. we were called in 10 mins after our scheduled time and were asked to take the oath. The officer who took our interview was to the point (neither friendly nor serious).

He asked about our I130 which was still pending, he obviously had no idea why it was still pending nor why its hasn't been transferred to local office. we initially thought we would be asked to come again after I130 approval but he discussed with his supervisor and informed us that he would go forward with the i485 interview and they would request for the transfer of i130 to local office which would take couple of weeks. 

 

So now with the i485 questions, 

we carried documents weighing roughly 10 pounds 😅 but he was least bothered about them. He just asked very basic questions, all of them from the I485 application,

 

1. State your Name, DOB,  Birth City, Father and Mother Name. (Didn't check any document proof)

2. When did i enter the US for the first time.

3. When was my latest entry date to the US.

4. My current Visa and its status (He asked for my passport and verified the i94 dates).

5. My Wife's name, DOB and her GC card.

6. Where i worked, job designation and home address in the US.

7. Our's daughter's Birth Certificate (our daughter was born recently) and updated the i485 form.

8. Few Yes or No questions from I485 application.

and that's it. He didn't ask for any of our pictures or the supporting documents, the entire interview last less then 10 mins and he finally said everything seems to be in order (medical and affidavit of support documents)  and concluded our AOS interview. He said currently there are no visa's available and we have to wait for visa availability

 

He placed a request for our i130 from California center and explained what could happen next.

if I130 is approved by CSC (California Center), we would wait for visa availability. (which i think is Chart A)

or if I130 is transferred to our local office, we may or may not have an interview for I130 depending on his decision to verify more documents or it will be approved.

we wont be having a second interview for i485.

 

In short, our i485 interview is completed with pending i130.

 

 

[VG31 23]

22 minutes ago, senpal86 said:

Hello,

I had my AOS (I485) interview today in Fort Smith, AR

Here's how it went..

We reached 20 mins before our interview time and we were the only people scheduled during the time. we were called in 10 mins after our scheduled time and were asked to take the oath. The officer who took our interview was to the point (neither friendly nor serious).

He asked about our I130 which was still pending, he obviously had no idea why it was still pending nor why its hasn't been transferred to local office. we initially thought we would be asked to come again after I130 approval but he discussed with his supervisor and informed us that he would go forward with the i485 interview and they would request for the transfer of i130 to local office which would take couple of weeks. 

 

So now with the i485 questions, 

we carried documents weighing roughly 10 pounds 😅 but he was least bothered about them. He just asked very basic questions, all of them from the I485 application,

 

1. State your Name, DOB,  Birth City, Father and Mother Name. (Didn't check any document proof)

2. When did i enter the US for the first time.

3. When was my latest entry date to the US.

4. My current Visa and its status (He asked for my passport and verified the i94 dates).

5. My Wife's name, DOB and her GC card.

6. Where i worked, job designation and home address in the US.

7. Our's daughter's Birth Certificate (our daughter was born recently) and updated the i485 form.

8. Few Yes or No questions from I485 application.

and that's it. He didn't ask for any of our pictures or the supporting documents, the entire interview last less then 10 mins and he finally said everything seems to be in order (medical and affidavit of support documents)  and concluded our AOS interview. He said currently there are no visa's available and we have to wait for visa availability

 

He placed a request for our i130 from California center and explained what could happen next.

if I130 is approved by CSC (California Center), we would wait for visa availability. (which i think is Chart A)

or if I130 is transferred to our local office, we may or may not have an interview for I130 depending on his decision to verify more documents or it will be approved.

we wont be having a second interview for i485.

 

In short, our i485 interview is completed with pending i130.

 

 

@senpal86Congratulations on completing your interview. It's a very big step forward. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

 

May I please know priority date? 

 

I've not heard about i-130 interview from anyone. I think your case will be transferred to your local office and It may be assigned to the same officer who took your i-485 interview and he/she will make the final decision based on the feedback/information he has from the interview. In case if they need any additional document they may reach out to you.

 

Please keep us posted on your progress.

 

Good luck !!

Edited November 26, 2018 by VG31

[senpal86 6]

17 minutes ago, VG31 said:

@senpal86Congratulations on completing your interview. It's a very big step forward. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

 

May I please know priority date? 

 

I've not heard about i-130 interview from anyone. I think your case will be transferred to your local office and It may be assigned to the same officer who took your i-485 interview and he/she will make the final decision based on the feedback/information he has from the interview. In case if they need any additional document they may reach out to you.

 

Please keep us posted on your progress.

 

Good luck !!

Thank you, My PD is Dec 2016.

 I have heard of I130 Interviews before. 

Let's see what happens next. 

 

[senpal86 6]

17 hours ago, senpal86 said:

Thank you, My PD is Dec 2016.

 I have heard of I130 Interviews before. 

Let's see what happens next. 

 

OK, Now I’m super worried 

today my case status for 485 changed to “interview was completed and my case must be reviewed”

my i130 is still pending ..

what do I make out of this ? Any suggestions please ??

[VG31 23]

14 hours ago, senpal86 said:

OK, Now I’m super worried 

today my case status for 485 changed to “interview was completed and my case must be reviewed”

my i130 is still pending ..

what do I make out of this ? Any suggestions please ??

@senpal86 I think i-485 status change was expected since they need to approve your i-130 first before they can approve i-485 petition. I think you should be fine. Keep an eye on your i-130 and see when it's status gets updated, either it will be transferred to local office or will be processed at CSC.

 

Everything will positive. Have some patience and wait for some weeks or so.

 

Thanks,

[senpal86 6]

On 11/27/2018 at 9:49 PM, VG31 said:

@senpal86 I think i-485 status change was expected since they need to approve your i-130 first before they can approve i-485 petition. I think you should be fine. Keep an eye on your i-130 and see when it's status gets updated, either it will be transferred to local office or will be processed at CSC.

 

Everything will positive. Have some patience and wait for some weeks or so.

 

Thanks,

My I130 got approved today.. only took 723 days