Chicago AOS Interview: Success!

[Autumnal 25]

Disclaimer: I tend to get lengthy when describing things in detail. There's a shorter version of this posted on the forum. I'm trying to give as much information as I can to help others going through Chicago because there were so few posts until recently about VJers' experiences!

Edits may be made as I work with my husband on any missing points.

Above all, I owe this community a huge thanks. I couldn't have done this without the support, advice and experience offered here. You guys are worth your weight in gold. Or green cards!

Preparations:

I packed the following items into a plastic expandable file folder (personal/"brief" sized) and the rest of the photo albums were put with it into a small gym bag. That thing was heavy but contained everything well.

AOS Interview Checklist:

• ~ Notice to Appear
  ~ Previous NOAs (I-485, I-130, I-765, I-131)
  ~ Complete copy of AOS/I-130 package(s)
  ~ Official documentation:
  • o US birth certificate (John)
    o Canadian birth certificate (Heather)
    o Passport (Heather)
    o Driver's license (Heather)
    o Driver's license (John)
    o SSN (Heather)
    o EAD (Heather)
    o Marriage certificate
    o Divorce certificate (John)
    o AP x 2 (one used, other not)
    o I-94 [with AP, used for vacation]
    o All post office receipts
    

~ Supporting Documents:

• o Health passport (Heather)^
  o Copy of I-693
  o Official vaccination records (Heather)
  

~ Financial:

• o New affidavit of support (unnotarized)
  o 2005 joint income tax return (H&R Block)
  o 2005 W2s (John)
  o Letter of employment (John)
  o Letter of employment (Heather)
  o Copies of Heather's [only!] paystubs
  o Copies of John's most recent paystubs
  o 2004, 2003, 2002 tax transcripts (John)
  o Letter of joint chequing account in good standing
  o Joint chequing account statement
  o Joint chequing/savings account statements (in Canada)
  

~ Proof of relationship (official):

• o Copy of townhouse lease
  o Copy of old house lease (in Canada)
  o Proof of beneficiary for insurance from work
  • o Insurance cards
    o Bill for medical insurance
    

o Copy of renters insurance policy (both named)

o Copy of car insurance policy (both named)

o Statement of cable bill (joint)

o Statement of other bills (same address)

o Official mail sent to Heather at address.

o U-haul moving receipt

~ Proof of relationship (unofficial):

• o Netflix vouchers
  o Blockbuster cards
  o Costco cards
  o Letters, cards, e-mails and artwork sent to John by me
  o Records from recreation center (as "family")
  o "Travel" package (brochures, ticket stubs, itineraries)
  

~ Incidentals:

• o Cards (wedding, anniversary, Christmas, etc. A lot.)
  o Wedding scrapbook*
  o "Journey" scrapbook*
  o Anniversary album*
  o Main photo album
  o Emails
  o Poetry to him
  o Similar house and car keys! ^^
  

~ Extra*:

• o Accident report
  o Insurance corporation salvage record
  o Photographs of car damage
  o Acceptance letter from university
  o University welcome package
  o Other university transcript
  o College transcript
  o Hotel receipt
  

A few explanations:

* A health passport is a record of vaccinations, illnesses, check ups, and similar data compiled for a child by the regional health office in my province.

* Our wedding was a civil ceremony, so there weren't a lot of people or photographs. All in all, it took 10 minutes. This is a basic scrapbook I put together of what few photos we did have, our vows, etc.

* Journey scrapbook is a basic photographic record of our relationship from the first time we met up to the present day more or less. Unfortunately there aren't many photos of us together because one of us or the other is usually behind the camera! We also have photos with family, visiting places, and the like.

* Finally, the reason for this extra stuff is to demonstrate my intentions to return to Canada when I came down to visit in the US. I drove myself (therefore, I didn't have airline tickets or anything) and didn't require a visa. The university acceptance information and transcripts show I was an active student. The receipt is to demonstrate I actually entered the US on the day I said I did.

The accident report, insurance details and photographs are to substantiate my claim that we got married after a car accident, and that it also prolonged my ability to return back to Canada. Just in case, I like to be prepared.

Getting There:

John and I decided to leave fairly early, even though we normally can commute from the western suburbs of Chicago to downtown in about 45 minutes in reasonably heavy traffic. We were up and out at 6.30 am for our appointment at 9.15, and a good thing we left early as the average speed seemed to be 20 mph! We were crawling up the highway though we never really stopped moving, so by the time we got downtown it was approaching 8.00 am. We found no trouble navigating downtown because we're familiar with it, but if you are coming via the I-290, just go straight towards the Chicago Loop and make a left onto Congress Parkway after you go under the great big building spanning the freeway. It should be immediate; the first or second. It'll connect to Dearborn in a block or two.

We ended up parking at the 24 hour lot at the Sears Tower. It's $20 for the day if you get there early enough (before 9, I think) and had I been smart, I would've had my camera and bummed around the art gallery! I thought about taking it but didn't think of the other uses than capturing my expression later on for posterity's sake... It's only a four or five block walk to the federal building, and on a nice morning without too much wind or rain, it's pretty pleasant. You cross past several shops, including a CVS pharmacy, Jamba Juice, Starbucks, and whatnot so if you are hungry or forgot something, you can probably pick it up.

The Federal Building itself is pretty straightforward to enter, even with construction. Be prepared to remove your coat, purse/bag, and any suitcase, briefcase or whatnot that you bring with you to get x-rayed. It takes only a few seconds, and when we were there no one was making a fuss about cellphones. I wish I had brought mine up just in case, but we saw plenty of people with them (including the camera phone style). No laptops seen, though. When you get there, carry all the way on to the left and go through the metal detector, then carry on to the elevators. Pay attention, because there are several banks going to different floors. We popped onto the elevator after a near error (17th floor is not what you want!) and rode up into the waiting room and handed in our form.

The waiting room on the 2nd floor is large and airy, with washrooms, a change table in the ladies' washroom and big windows. I highly recommend you dress in layers, because it gets warm in there and we found ourselves wishing for some respite from the heat. A pleasant young woman was calling up people singly when we got there (8.05) and I'd wager at least half to two-thirds of the people present had lawyers. We were one of the few who didn't, and we watched three very annoyed attorneys grow increasingly unhappy because their clients were late. They paced about quite a bit.

Anyways, the Latina woman manning the office switched off with a fellow in a very garish red coat and he didn't proceed to call a name for over an hour. We watched the time slip away while trying to keep our spirits up (well, read: John entertaining me so I didn't start stressing out and going through all the unlikely questions we just might be asked). Not a single person was called in an hour, then the fellow went and called something like 15 names in a row, mine included. We went to get our paper in order with everyone else, and though we were amongst the first in the room, most of the new arrivals went first. It doesn't make a difference, so don't hurry your way up there!

Also, there's a coffee shop on the second floor. I didn't check into it, but a good number of people were getting morning coffee, newspapers, small candies and the like. If you have a child, and someone is getting cranky, it might be a good diversion.

We got out letter and ascended up to the 23rd floor into a smaller waiting room. Beware, it's rather cramped and gets warm very quickly. People sensitive to heat, smells, etc. should probably sit near the front of the room. Another suggestion: please don't wear any perfume or heavily fragranced product out of good will for the rest of us. We fortunately had no unpleasant experiences with this, but in such a closed, stuffy environment, it's likely.

Again, another long, long wait of about an hour there before we got anywhere. The waiting room cleared out while we waited (and waited...), and there's nothing to really do. We were both uncomfortable, a bit anxious and on John's part, quite tired. Waiting room is conducive to sleepy spouse syndrome ("SSS"). It was about 10.00 by the time we finally had our name called.

Interview:

Told you I was spammy!

Our interview began around 10.05 (as John figures it, somewhere between 10.00 - 10.10). Our immigration officer was a very polite, quiet black man named Lacey who gradually warmed up a bit. He smiled but was definitely down to business, but personable enough to really answer questions with. I had been worried that I might receive an officer who was either taciturn; unfriendly; or difficult to understand. Lacey was none of the three; if you have a "5" at the bottom of your USCIS interview sheet, that's the gentleman who we got.

Our interview began with us taking a seat and standing right back up again so he could administer the oath. If you've ever seen The Little Mermaid at the part where Sebastian the red crab says 'Yes!' in a very high pitched voice, then clears his throat and gets out "Yes" in a much suaver, deeper tone... that's sort of what happened to me. John says "I do" perfectly clearly, and I get "yes!" in that very high, almost anime-voice.

The officer first asked to see our ID; I produced my driver's license, EAD, and passport. John gave his driver's license, which is still for BC. He hasn't yet flipped over to Illinois, partially because I think he likes the look of the BC license a whole lot more. It has a pretty holograph! The officer asked if we had any state-issued ID with our current address, and John explained he hadn't done the driving test here yet, so didn't have anything else. I offered the birth certificate and was prepared to flip out the full array of paperwork; we were told it wasn't necessary.

Then, he asked me a number of questions:

1. My name (I nearly answered with my maiden name; 22 years of practice, I guess!)

2. My address (he filled in the ZIP code I didn't write in...)

3. My birth place

4. My father's first name

5. My husband's first name (in my head, that had me double-take; he's sitting right next to me!)

6. John's birthdate

Satisfied, evidently, he moved onto the list of Yes/No questions. I was mentally preparing myself for bombardment; this was sort of like the multiple choice part of the test, and the short/long answer questions were certainly going to be much harder. I received the following Yes/No questions:

1. Have I ever been arrested for breaking the law?

2. Have I ever been deported or barred entry to the US?

3. Am I a member of a terrorist organization (More on this in a second)

4. Have I ever been a member of the Communist party (as a British Columbian and a Canadian, I had to try hard to stifle a chuckle on that one)?

5. Have I ever received public assistance in the United States?

6. Have I ever voted?

Of course, the answer to all of these was no. I had to suppress a snicker at the question of a terrorist organization -- who in their right mind would answer yes, even if they were? Not to make fun of a serious question, but was he expecting me to say, "Yes, I am part of the marketing and public relations department of Hezbollah?" O_o; I suppose they have to ask because you are under oath, and if you are found to be lying about that in saying no (and later evidence proves you are, in fact, a terrorist), it can be used in court.

He then asked to see a copy of our marriage certificate, as there wasn't one in the package. Proof positive that USCIS loses official documents, as I sent them an original (but had two other originals just in case). I rooted around for a copy in our stacks of papers, since the photocopy was hiding in a remote corner of the folder.

At this point, the officer asked how we met and I let John field that question. He sounded so sleepy! He answered "online" and proceeded briefly to explain the circumstances, while I threw in a detail here or there. Satisfied, he asked me when I entered the United States. I answered 25 January 2005. He picked up my passport and looked at the one and only I-94/stamp from our trip in January 2006 as John dutifully handed him a photocopy of the passport page and the I-94. He was quite pleased as he'd been about to get up and copy it. John mentioned we moved down at the end of January last year, and something else.

He then asked me how I liked the US, and I mentioned that I really enjoyed seeing the sky (I grew up around mountains all my life), the pizza in Chicago, and the museums. He had a few of Cellular Field where the Sox play (gorgeous vista from those windows!) and pointed it out, as well asking if I liked hockey. He mentioned the Blackhawks, the major league hockey team, and we both lamented that our teams (my hometown's team: the Canucks) had a bad year. John was left grinning a little, especially when he asked Lacey if he was a Sox or Cubs fan. (Sox, for the record.)

At that point, he queried whether this was the first marriage for both of us. John said no (he had been divorced once) and I said yes. He didn't wish to see the divorce decree and we didn't really offer, since it was in the package -- presumably, with USCIS you never know! I was expecting the real questioning to begin...

Instead, Lacey said 'You will be receiving a letter soon...' at which point, my brain immediately kicked into "Oh no!" mode as I immediately started thinking about all the possible complications -- FBI name check not done, information that wasn't available, needing a new medical. He went on to say, "... that will explain you are approved, and your green card will arrive in about 12 days. Do you have any questions for me?"

I think my thoughts ended up somewhere over towards Cellular Field, because John just got this big smile on his face and the officer finally loosened up that last little bit and chuckled. John told me, "You can do a dance now!" as I managed to say something like, "I can't, Canadians are supposed to be quiet and meek." The officer added, "And reserved." John mentioned that I'm never like that, I tend to be very animated (my joke: together, on a good day, our average age is 12).

He shook our hands as I gathered up my documents, leaving the EAD on his desk in case he was going to confiscate it. He didn't, we took it back without asking if he needed it. (Hey, that's my only US-issued photo ID! It's mine!) He walked us back towards the elevator, welcomed me to America and offered his congratulations.

It wasn't until we got to the bottom of the escalator that I realized we had spent no more than 10 to 15 minutes in there, and five of that was hunting for the marriage photocopy while John talked a bit about how he came to see me the first time!

[Nessa 23]

Congrats!

[sara91 0]

Congratulations thats great news

[Autumnal 25]

Expected, and Not:

A few things I anticipated never happened, and a few lessons that I learned along the way...

1. Finances: He didn't want to see our I-864, our 2005 tax returns, letters of employment. That was probably the single thickest part of our "evidence."

2. Entry: He didn't ask me anything about my intentions at the border (visitor), why I adjusted inside the US, the circumstances of going from visitor to resident.

3. Wedding: Didn't ask a single question about it! O.o

4. Pictures: Our albums didn't even get out of the bag, let alone in front of him. Guess we are photogenic enough in person!

5. Family: He didn't ask us really anything about my family - their reactions to him, his to mine; or asking his parents' names, about his siblings, etc. We had thought it would be a key component.

6. AP/EAD: He didn't take either of them; and the EAD was on his desk the entire time. He didn't offer to stamp my passport, and I didn't ask.

7. Time: How short it was totally stunned me. Yes, yes, I know most people have gone in and out in, what, 10 to 15 minutes? But still, I figured not being a K1 would elicit a lot more questioning and looking around.

Has anyone else thought that they monitor the waiting rooms with secret cameras to read your body language? XD

[Jenn! 918]

... we had spent no more than 10 to 15 minutes in there

What a coincidence! It took me 10 to 15 minutes to read your post, Heather!

I'm just teasing you! A big congratulations first off! And thank you for taking the time to describe your experience. It's so helpful to know what to expect, even if you're not going through that particular office, I'm sure there are many similarities.

[PrinceandPrincess 0]

Wow! that was an easy AOS interview.... Congratulations!

[raymaga 25]

Congrats on a successful interview. Glad it went smoothly for you both.

Well, you're "official" now, Girl !!!!!!

Another Canadian "bites the dust"!!!!! haha

Best wishes to you both.

[chocolaterie 0]

very thorough post! It will help plenty for many future and pending couples. Congrats!

[HolyMoly 0]

Awesome review! CONGRATULATIONS!

[den_y2005 0]

congrats

[Yaads 0]

Congratulations

[Autumnal 25]

... we had spent no more than 10 to 15 minutes in there

What a coincidence! It took me 10 to 15 minutes to read your post, Heather!

I'm just teasing you! A big congratulations first off! And thank you for taking the time to describe your experience. It's so helpful to know what to expect, even if you're not going through that particular office, I'm sure there are many similarities.

That made me laugh! You're right. I actually thought that as I wrote the post -- I probably spent more time on it than the whole immigration interview! Maybe I was trying to extend the experience because my bewildered mind can't accept or understand it was so easy. After so much waiting, it's hard to believe everything culminated into talking about the Sox, pizza, and letters.

Clmarsh and Kezzie's experiences proved pretty close to mine; they mentioned that they weren't asked much, if anything, about how they entered the country. I found that to be the same and a definite relief. Our officer was more interested in whether I'd come into the country illegally and if I had anything in my passport rather than the details. There was one point where I was starting to go into it and he sort of gave me this look that read 'You don't need to go on' so I promptly closed my mouth, went back to hunting for the marriage license copy and he went on listening to John.

Something I've found, I think: they must base 95% of the interview on intuition/feeling and your reactions rather than the material.

Just my thought.

[Collie 122]

Many congratulations

[faith42 0]

Congratulations!!!

Keeping my fingers crossed that the card arrives quickly

[Minfay 0]

Thank you so much for the detail -- it really helps!! Especially for us waiting to go through Chicago for our interviews. And....

Congratulations!!!!!!