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| Los Angeles CA |  Review on October 22, 2007: |
ucla_cutie26
Rating:  | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
Our AOS interview in downtown LA was scheduled for 8:50 a.m. We decided to take a bus there because I wanted to avoid having to drive in downtown, plus to avoid the morning traffic, etc. We left extra early (at 6 a.m.) and arrived there by 7:30, we live about 14 miles from downtown. We went to eat breakfast at the L.A. mall, right across from the federal building, but I was too nervous to eat. My sister went along also to act as the translator, just in case she was needed. She only had to translate about 2 questions though.
We got to the waiting room area at about 8:30, gave our appointment letter to the security guard and sat down. They called us until around 9:50. The room was rather cold, or maybe it was my nerves. We were finally called in by our IO, a short asian woman. She was rather serious, but seemed nice. We stepped into her office and before sitting down she administered the oath to us. Then we sat down and took out both of our passports and my driver's license. She had the huge stack of papers we had submitted so far and she started out by reviewing info. on the paperwork. She asked my husband his full name, his date of birth, his phone number, his mother’s first name, his father’s first name. (Something funny that happened is that my husband messed up on his year of birth, he said my year of birth but quickly corrected himself. Then my sister realized she should translate and started to translate and she messed up even more. She said the wrong month and then said oops sorry. Boy were we nervous, I wanted to die right then and there, but the IO didn’t say anything.)
After this she asked if my husband had ever been arrested, entered illegally, or done anything illegal, etc. This was the last time my sister translated anything else during the interview.
Then she asked the following questions: when and where did we meet, if we knew each others family members, where we each work, she asked me to elaborate what I do exactly at my job, when and where we married, who went to our wedding, where we live, then she asked who my co-sponsor was (my father), then she asked if he was a U.S. citizen (I guess since I included a copy of his U.S. passport.
Then she asked to see any joint account documents that we have. I had organized everything so great. The originals of documents I placed in clear, plastic covers and then I had made copies of everything. So I started to take out both the originals and the copies and she just asked me if she could keep my copies. I gave her, joint credit card stuff (statement, copies of cards), joint checking account stuff (statement, copies of cards), joint health insurance (since I just added my husband), joint cell phone family plan with the new cell phone I bought 5 days after Juan’s arrival in the U.S. We also gave her copies of party invitations and letters we have received at home. She was really happy with the joint health insurance, I don’t know why she said, “good, good, let me have that.” I told her that we don’t have any bills, or rent stuff since we are currently living with my parents to save up to get our own apartment. She said okay.
Then she asked to see pictures. I took a photo album with pictures we have taken since Juan’s arrival, but she didn’t want to go through that. Instead since I had also taken loose pictures, she wanted to see those. She looked through some and asked who the people were in the pics. She ended up keeping 2 pictures with family members in them and wrote down who were in the pictures. One picture was from Mexico and the other picture was from the U.S.
She then explained that the case is approved pending name checks. She said it can take a couple of days or a couple of months. We thanked her and wished her a good day. She replied “you too”. She was rather nice. The total interview lasted about 25 minutes, with most of the time the IO going over the paperwork and double checking things.
In the end she gave us the paper saying we were approved pending name checks.
Other information worth mentioning:
***Several people were there with their lawyers, but many were not.
***Couples who took elder kids (14 and up) for their interviews, the kids were not needed to go inside, they left them outside. Younger kids were taken in with the parents.
***All IOs took in both partners, except for one IO. A tall skinny, Caucasian IO would call up the couples and would then only take in the USC, then after a while he would come back out the USC would wait then would take the AOS applicant and interview them separately. This happened only with this IO. In the hour and a half we waited to be called in he called up a total of 3 couples. But I have no idea if this were the couples’ first or second set of interviews (stokes interviews).
***When you walk into the federal building through N. Los Angeles St., you will take the elevators that are on your right to get to the 8th floor where the AOS interviews are. There were elevators on the other side (the left side), but I’m not sure those will also take you to the interviews.
***As far as taking a translator, I think it’s a good idea. I think it depends on the IO you get and whether or not they speak the AOS applicants language. Several people took translators and before being allowed into the IO’s office some were told that a translator was not needed. So it will depend on who you get.
Our AOS experience was good, except for the approval pending name checks.
Good luck to all those headed to the downtown L.A. office :thumbs:
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #2121