Memphis Interview Experience

lostunderwaves · July 24, 2007

Our appointment was for 8am, and we arrived at the Memphis USCIS office at 7:15 and waited in the car until 7:30 when they opened the doors (the parking lot was small, but there were plenty of spots since it had just opened). The security officer said to have our appointment letters out, but that we didn't need to show our IDs. After going through the metal detector, we were instructed to put our interview letter into a slot in the waiting room-- we were the 4th couple in. They called back 6 or 8 other couples before us, but probably because they had an earlier appointment time. We were called back around 8:45 and did the oath. The immigration officer asked for our IDs (David's EAD and passport, my driver's license), our original birth certificates, and our marriage certificate (he asked for a copy of this to keep). He then asked all of the biographical information-- our names, address, if David was working, if I was working, how we supported ourselves, if we had any children (and for the baby's birth certificate), and if we'd been married before.

Then he asked David:

-Why did you come to America? To visit me

-What day were you originally supposed to go back to England? Jan. 17, 2006

-Why did you stay in America? He fell in love

-When did you decide to get married? At the end of December 2005

-What had you been doing in England? Working for the NHS

-Did you quit your job in England? No

-What type of wedding did you have (big wedding/small wedding)? Small, in my dad's living room

He remarked that we didn't have much of a dating period, and I agreed and said that it was quite the whilrlwind. He asked to see any documents that we had jointly, so I showed him our lease and past leases, utility bill, and bank statements with both of our names. He didn't ask for/look at any of our pictures, emails, letters, or new sponsor information (2006 tax returns, letter from employer and pay stubs from my dad, our co-sponsor). He took David's I-94, and then told us he was approving us today, and that the green card would take 7-10 days to arrive. He took a few moments to advise us about lifting conditions in January, and how to apply for citizenship. He then printed off a letter stating that our case was approved and that was it! The IO was pretty much stone-cold emotionless the entire time-- he didn't crack a single smile, no handshake, no "have a nice day," nothing. He made me really nervous, especially when he started questioning David about his intentions when he came to America. I still felt like hugging the guy as we were leaving I was so happy, though!