My AOS timeline

[nereid85 0]

I am one of those F-1 transitioning students. we filed concurrently ~ 23 days after the wedding. Overall, this process took over 3 mths (78 days actually) to get approved. I haven't received the actual card yet, but I have the email and I wonder if I can take that to SSA to get my unrestricted SSC. Anyway, I cannot state how useful it was to read people's experiences to help me in preparing for my interview which was less than 15 mins, I kid you not. I had my interview in the atlanta office and my father-in-law actually came with us (hubby and I). He wasn't allowed into the room with us (just clarifying) but as a show of support which we apprised the interviewing officer of. We were over an hour early so we had time to de-stress. The interview questions were non-invasive i.e. she went over his bio sheet and thankfully, we'd reviewed the data we'd submitted (not that we'd forgotten any of it. ). She wanted to know how we'd met (thanks Match.com!) and we gave her the gist of it. The husband and I actually had differing dates for whatever reason although I had emails that backed up my version of events. Go figure. A quick pinch from me shut him up. She was a nice lady and didn't bust our collective balls. She wanted to know what else we'd had and we had 5 items that showed us being together (i.e. me being 401k beneficiary, joint store club memberships, gym memberships, joint credit card and bank account). She was really interested in our pictures showing us before marriage, during marriage and after marriage/reception. She wanted to know how the wedding day went i.e. time of the day, if we went out to eat. My guess is that this is a mine field for people who don't pay attention to details. She paid special attention to how we met and our 'proof' via emails and our phone records. She was looking at dates and such so I advise you to print your emails to one another (with headers turned on) and helpfully, highlight the relevant details for the officer. The key to this whole thing is preparation. I literally obsessed for days and I think it paid off. Little things like making sure that my ID showed the address we were living at may have saved my behind. I discovered (2 days before the interview) that my driver's license had my old address on it. I hit the DMV so fast my husband didn't know what hit him. Do research on ways to demonstrate that you are living as a family/couple such as getting on a shared phone plan (don't laugh, he is on a plan with his dad so I tried to get on, but not in time for the interview). The lease agreement would be a powerful ally, but don't be scared if you don't have one. We didn't and we were prepared with a notarized document from our landlord (an informal living situation) that we lived there, etc plus a copy of phone bill showing calls made. So, triple check your documents, make copies of everything you intend to present to the officer (and review it) and be decent in your attire. We were dressed conservatively i.e. suits/formal wear and had serious looking briefcases that were bulging with the stuff we had. If you make life easier for the officer, she/he'll reciprocate in kind. Try to avoid getting RFEs because apparently, that slows response time. I used the services of a lawyer and I paid ~ $1000. To make matters better, I had an initial consultation that was free! I hope you find a lawyer that was as helpful as mine. If I had to do this over, I'd rather not, but jokes aside, I'd would engage a lawyer's services for the following reason:

1) If you won't have time to dedicate to go through the nitty gritty, get a lawyer. They know what they are doing in case of ambiguity, they'll clear things up. We were actually in danger of having to have a co-sponsor but a timely suggestion from the lawyer/paralegal saved us. We weren't questioned about our finances which had been my biggest concern. I am not currently working and had hoped to have some sort of job offer before the interview. However, this issue never even arose. We were prepared and had requested free IRS tax return and account transcripts. Talk about overkill! I say, better safe than sorry. I had over a year's worth of phone records also with his number highlighted. Needless to say that it looked like hubby was the only person I talked to. Don't go the cousin/aunt route who claims to know what she's doing (happened in our case) and tries to make you feel guilty for not using her free services. Our situation was unique (see above where we almost had to get a co-sponsor) and we didn't feel like exposing our business to said relative and just to ensure a smoother process. Afterall, if there's an avoidable muckup, you can't sue your relative. J/k.

Overall, I have had a positive experience although the fact that I hadn't received my EAD before my interview appointment came & went, scared me. Now, I can breathe. And apply for jobs without wondering what to answer when they ask about employment eligibility. Good luck to those embarking on this process.

Edited August 23, 2007 by nereid85

[ara 0]

Congratulations and thank you for sharing your story with such detail it was very helpful and interesting!

[~*Maria*~ 1]

Congrats

[LaL 418]

this would be a wonderful addition to our timeline section

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline

[nikka 0]

Thanks for taking the time out to describe your interview experience. I'm sure our friends (in the same boat)would benefit a lot in learning from them.