AOS Approved Today in SLC!!!

[dasha 0]

As my Turkish husband would say, YASASIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!

We had our interview today and got approved. I'll try to remember "everything" about the interview...but there are a few more interesting sidenotes about some things that happened (or didn't) that I'm sure I'll have no problem remembering.

Our appt. was for 11:10 a.m. and we live about 30-40 minutes from the interview place, under normal driving conditions. Of course, we awoke to snow on the ground, snow (and sleet) still falling, wind and visibility terrible, and radio reports of already too many accidents along the interstate. So we decided to leave early to be on the safe side...but as it was, we almost didn't leave early enough. We gave ourselves 90 minutes and got there with just about 5-10 minutes to spare.

There were only about 8-10 others there when we arrived, but most were there for "other" reasons than AOS and kept getting called into a different area. One couple who'd been in an AOS interview finally came out, but they called in another couple before us who'd arrived after we did...don't know what was going on with that, but I wasn't about to make any scenes!

A Turkish friend of ours who is a certified translator met us there to help since my husband's English is nowhere near fluent enough yet (it was stated on the appt. letter that a translator would be a good idea if the immigrant's English isn't fluent and I must say it was a very, very good suggestion...I can't imagine how long and difficult the interview would've been had our friend not been there to help...it just made everything so much smoother and easier).

That "usurping couple" finally came out but it was a while longer before they called anyone else in...and fortunately, we were next. In total, we ended up waiting an hour just to get in when it didn't seem very busy at all. Though I guess I'd rather wait a bit rather than being rushed right in after arriving, without any time to "exhale" and collect ourselves before the interview.

The interviewer who called us met us at the door between the waiting room and the back offices, made us stop, and asked "Who is Polat?" My husband said he was. Then he looked at me and said "I assume you are his wife?" I said "Yes." Then he looked at our friend and asked "And you are...?" Our friend replied we'd asked him there to help translate. The interviewer asked if he was related to my husband in any way, and when he said "No," the interviewer then led us back to his office.

Before he let us sit down, he did the swearing in...then opened my husband's file, which it turned out was complete and nothing had been "lost" (that happened at the Consulate in Turkey when my husband went for his K-1 interview...after the interview he had to mail duplicate copies of the things they'd "misplaced," and that took a while because one of the docs was mine and I had to send it to him again).

He thumbed through some of the documents/forms, and he paused at my husband's family record, which lists his parents and all his siblings and the dates and places of every event in each person's life (births, marriages, divorces, deaths...). He didn't question anything, but because he paused, our friend thought maybe he didn't understand the document or wasn't going to accept it as a "birth certificate." So our friend interjected that this was a typical Turkish family civil record and that's how they do it there and they don't have the type of birth certificates that we issue here. The interviewer said he understood that and that that's how they do it in many countries, then he added, "So I am not surprised...which is good, because I don't like surprises." Then he asked my friend if he'd translated before...my friend said Yes but not in this particular situation of an AOS interview. The man then cautioned "OK, I will tell you that as a translator in this interview, we want you to just translate literally what I say or ask, and then literally translate what he replies or asks me. Do not add any additional commentary to what either of us says, and do not answer the question for him even if you know the answer." This guy was all business, obviously...though not in a harsh or unfriendly way.

Then he asked for our my husband's passport and immediately removed his I-94 from it, punched two holes in it, and slipped it onto the binder clips to add it to the application documents. He then went through every page of the passport, seemingly looking for something but not finding it (aside from the K-1 visa, my husband has no other stamps, etc. in that passport)...not sure what he was looking for, but he gave the passport back without comment. Then he asked to see my ID and I gave him my passport (rather than my driver's license, since it would also substitute for my birth certificate). He looked at it, then flipped through it and looked at the stamps (including the one for Turkey when I visited my husband last year), then handed it back.

He asked me if the address on the application was still our current address. Then he continued thumbing through the application pages and stopped on the page that asks all those yes/no questions (are you a terrorist, do you use drugs, have you been in prison, etc.). He went down the list asking every question again and putting an additional check with his red pen next to each "No" that my husband replied with.

Then he asked my husband if he has any children...when he said yes, he asked where they live, and he said in Turkey. Then he asked if my husband had been married before (I love when they ask questions they know the answers to...of course the application has info about his children, his past marriage and divorce, etc....oh well...just answer the questions and behave yourself ). Then he asked when my husband had divorced. Then he asked if my husband was obliged to pay any child support for under-21 children and if so, had he neglected to do that. (All my husband's children are over 21, so no problem there...but an unexpected question, I thought)

Then he turned his attention to me and asked if I was born in the U.S. And he asked if we had evidence of things in both our names. (Finally, I thought...I get to break open the large expandable briefcase of documents I worked so hard to assemble and lugged to the interview!). He said he wanted photocopies...he'd look at originals if I had them, but he wanted photocopies to keep. I had originals but didn't give him any except for the original letter from our bank verifying our joint account...everything else was a copy and he never asked to see the originals. I had photocopies of all our credit cards and insurance cards and a check from our joint account. Those are all we have in both names so far (we've only been married since Sept. last year). He asked if I had evidence of our using the joint account, and I noted that stapled to the bank letter was a statement showing the activity since we opened the account (which was just last month, because we couldn't open it until my husband got his social security #). He then asked if my husband actually writes checks himself. I'd made sure that he had written at least a couple himself, and he has used the check card for that account quite a bit since he prefers it to checks...so I said he had written a few checks, and then he turned and asked my husband when was the last time he wrote a check. My husband said he couldn't remember and that he prefers the check card...and he actually had a restaurant receipt he'd signed for the check card in his wallet...but when he started to pull it out to show the interviewer, he said he didn't need to see it. (BTW, we'd also filed jointly in 2005 even though we technically didn't need to, just to have this as another "together" thing...but I completely forgot to mention it and he never asked about it!)

Then he turned to me again and asked if we live together "under the same roof, so to speak." I said yes. He asked apartment or house. I said house. He asked if both our names were on the title. I said no...we want to refinance, and when we do, both names will be on the house. Then he asked if I have a life insurance policy. When I said yes, he asked if my husband is the beneficiary. I said not yet, because I had set up a trust some years ago and the beneficiaries are named within the trust and I needed to find a lawyer so I could amend the trust (but with everything else going on recently in our lives, I hadn't done that yet). Then he said, so your husband's not on the house or the life insurance...what about the retirement plan? (I have a 401K from work.) I said it's also tied into the trust (hello...that's a main point of a trust, thank you...and, no, I didn't actually say that to him!)...and that as soon as I could arrange to amend the trust, everything would be adjusted to include my husband. He just nodded and said OK and moved on.

Then he asked my husband if he's working (he's not). Then he asked me "And where do you work?" OK, now this was what I was dreading...because (as I noted in a previous post on this forum a while ago), I got laid off from my job 2 weeks before we submitted the AOS application...and at the time, I noted that on my affidavit of support and had to submit it just listing my savings/assets/property. And up until a week ago, I still hadn't gotten another job...but a friend who owns a business took pity on me and last week he added me to his payroll and said he'd "put me to work" at least long enough until I could find a job I really wanted, so we hopefully wouldn't have any problem with Immigration. Even though my savings/assets/property still amounts to well over 5x the difference between our 125% poverty level and what I was earning (which was $0), and even though my 2005 tax return stated I earned well over the 125% amount, my lawyer still warned that I'd better have a job before the interview...and when I asked for advice on this forum about this, everyone who wrote said I should either take any job I could find or get a co-sponsor. But for reasons I won't go into, I couldn't do either in time...so my friend was a godsend in hiring me at a salary rate enough to meet the 125% amount. He wrote me a letter of employment, but since I was just hired I haven't had a paycheck yet. So I brought the letter plus my 2005 tax return plus a new affidavit of support (which also still listed my assets, etc.). When he asked where I work, I said the company name and that it was a new job. But before I could take out any of the documentation for it, he flipped to my affidavit of support in the application sent in November and said...when you sent this in, you had lost your job, yet you claim you earned $x...where did that money come from. I said from my job...I'd just lost it 2 weeks before we sent the application, and the amount was from my 2004 tax return. He still didn't ask me for an employment letter (and my friend's business is small and not well known, but he didn't ask anything about it) or for a new affidavit or for my latest 2005 tax return or any pay stubs (which I didn't have but he didn't know that because he didn't even ask when I'd started the new job). He just kept looking through the affidavit from November...and then he said, "You were well above the 125% requirement at the time you sent in the AOS application, and the guidelines state that if that's the case, then nothing else is required at the time of the interview and we shouldn't reject the affidavit." And then he really surprised me by adding "Not all interviewers adhere to that guideline and they ask for more support evidence or an updated affidavit...but that's not in the guidelines and I always follow the guidelines, so I accept the affidavit of support that you submitted with the AOS application." GOOD GRIEF! That not only doesn't say much for the consistency within the bureauracy if they're all not doing the same thing and all not following the guidelines...but it also made me want to scream that I'd worried so much about not having a job and making sure I got something in place beforehand and redid the affidavit and everything. I'd wanted to ask him if the interviewers would be as inconsistent in accepting the "5x the difference" guideline for assets, but I didn't dare

Then he asked how we met. He seemed amused and not surprised when I said we met playing backgammon on the Internet (not surprised about the Internet, but amused by the backgammon ). He said, "So you met playing backgammon and then...?" I said we'd met in Nov. 2003 on the Internet, IM'd and/or phoned every day for about 6 months, and then I went to Turkey in May 2004 for about a month. He asked if I'd gone with others or on a group tour or alone and purposefully just to meet him...that seemed like an odd question to me, but he seemed pleased that I'd gone alone just to meet him. Then he turned and asked my husband "You mean you were talking to someone on the Internet and then meeting with them when you were still married?" (Clever man...don't think these people aren't really paying attention and can't do the math! ). My husband started to explain that he was separated from his wife when we'd met. Then our friend interjected (breaking the "rules" about not making side comments, because he felt we might be in trouble on this one)...and he explained that in Turkey if a woman is reluctant to agree to a divorce or there are extended family considerations, sometimes a divorce can take a long time, even 10 years or more. With that, the interviewer asked how long my husband had been separated when we met, and he replied about 6 years...and he asked, "Not living together or having any life together at all?" and my husband said no, and that was all for that topic (thankfully!!!).

Then he turned back to me and asked which one of us brought up the idea for marriage first. When I hesitated, he added "If there was no 'formal proposal' or big discussion, just tell me who happened to start talking about getting married first." I said "He did." And then I broke my own rule which was to just answer yes or no or as few words as possible to answer the question and that's all...no additional info or side commentary or questions of my own, because that could only lead to more questions from him or possibly take us down roads I didn't want to go. Just answer the questions and get the heck outta Dodge! But when he asked about who mentioned marriage first, something prompted me to say a little more about it (maybe because this was the first sign of "humanity" from him, his asking something that wasn't strictly in the guidelines and was more personalized). But I didn't add too much...just a couple sentences explaining the circumstances in which marriage was brought up...and he seemed amused by the story (I think he may have even slightly smiled! )

Then he asked me if I spoke any Turkish, and I said I'd started to study it but then since my husband came here, I've tried not to speak it because he needs to learn English (to which he replied "Yes, he does!"). Then he said, "So you must know "Bir, iki, uc, dort..." And we all laughed and were somewhat surprised that he knew how to count in Turkish. He said he'd learned some Turkish years ago but had forgotten most of it. Of course I was curious and wondered where and why he'd learned it...but I didn't ask!

Then he turned from the stack of papers and went onto his computer...none of us could see what he was looking at or doing on it...but then he asked me if we were currently separated or in the process of divorcing (yet another unexpected question!) and of course I said "No." Then he went back to the paper stack and said "I can't find any abnomality in your application or deficit in the requirements to adjust your status, and I'm convinced that you have a real relationship, so I'm approving your request and granting the adjustment." Then he started doing all the red stamp stuff in all the required places, casually commenting that he was being very careful to make all the necessary stamps and signatures so there'd be no problem with the approval. Then he mentioned that he was sorry but for the sake of expediency (and since it was into the lunch hour, no doubt!), he wouldn't take the time to look at our photos although we'd beeen nice enough to bring them (my husband held onto the small photo album the whole time)...and that if we didn't have any questions for clarification, we could go. He shook our hands as we left...and it was kind of funny because we ended up crossing paths with him in the parking lot (on his way to lunch, I'm sure!).

The interview lasted about 25 minutes. He said we'd get the green card in the mail in about a week, and that he'd advise my husband not to travel out of the country for more than 6 months at a time as a LPR. He also let my husband keep his EAD card (I guess in case he needed it while looking for a job before the green card arrived) but said to destroy the EAD card when we got the green card. He didn't stamp anything in my husband's passport.

When we left the building, the nasty weather had stopped and the sun was shining. How appropriate B)

One last thing...he never said anything about the green card being conditional since we haven't been married at least 2 years yet or about having to remove the conditions. And of course, in my glee about getting approved and my anxiety about getting out of there, I forgot to ask about that. Is it always conditional under these circumstances? If so, does it talk about that in the green card mailing?

I can't belive how I've babbled on. If you read to the end, you're a hearty soul...but I just wanted to be as thorough in my "report" as possible since I know how helpful others' reports had been to me in my preparation for the interview.

I must say, though, when it was over, it seemed sort of anti-climactic after all the work getting everything ready and stressing out about so much and making sure I had all the documents and requirements and photos and...and...and.... And I even had a neighbor and a good friend write notarized letters explaining how they see our relationship (like it's suggested you get when you're applying to lift the 2-year condition on the green card). But our interviewer didn't ask to see maybe 95% of what we'd brought. He didn't even mention the vaccination supplement, which I had in its sealed envelope in my briefcase. No 2005 tax return...no photos or things addressed to my husband at our address or emails or new affidavit of support or employment letter or...or hardly anything! OK, so I'm happy it was such a relatively "easy" interview (aside from the unexpected or odd questions)...but it's just so frustrating to have spent so much time and money and stress getting all the "requirements" ready but then having most of it not actually required. Would I have been happier to have had to pull out every single thing I'd brought? Maybe (in a weird sort of way), but probably not. But he could've at least looked at one photo...geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!

I can't imagine it's possible, with all I wrote...but if you have any questions about our experience, please just ask.

Thanks again for the help and support so many here gave us...we appreciate it!

[kerewin21 2]

Thank you for all the details, it's really helpful to know what we can expect in the future!

Congratulations

[lissa04 3]

Congrats

[one_coolchiq 0]

congratulations!

[ktun 0]

CONGRATULATIONS

And thank you for the very detailed commentary on your interview experience. You're right, it does help for those of us who will be having an interview at some point in future months. I was really interested in the additional questions he asked, not just the 'are you a terrorist' but the more personal questions about your husbands past marriage. Shows he did actually read your file through pretty well!!

[JubJub 0]

When you receive your card, if it's balid for 2 years you will need to remove conditions. If it's valid for 10 years, you don't.

Chances are it will be a 2 year card, and he just forgot to tell you about the condition removal. Our interviewer had us a sign a sheet explaining that we knew about the procedure, and in what date range we would have to send in the paperwork.

[dakotalimey 0]

Thanks for all the detail, it really puts our minds at east. Congratulations!

[MaryandMian 1]

Congratulations.

Mary

[john_and_marlene 162]

[den_y2005 0]

very detailed story...

congratssssss

[Autumnal 25]

This was a very heartwarming description of your interview, even though you've been somewhat stressed through it. Thanks so very much for being this thorough, as it helps to soothe the nerves and concerns of those of us facing the great unknown without the benefit of a lawyer to quiz us.

And you answered the one question I was curious about: how long people's answers tend to be. Yes/no and as little detail as possible, it seems like.

[Cassie 8]

Congratulations on a successful interview!

[Jasman0717 9]

Congratulations

[notrepetiteashley 0]

Yay! So happy for you. And thank you for being so detailed, I read the whole thing and made notes! Our appt is in 4 weeks. :-D

[pri 0]

phew that was long One Congrats