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| Saint Albans VT |  Review on November 6, 2005: |
Lou Lou
Rating:  | Review Topic: General Review
I've always had excellent advice and help at St Alban's VT. Here is my AOS interview experience...
The security check consisted of a ropey old x-ray machine that choked a little as it took my stuff through. For those of you who have been to the St Albans office, you can imagine this hulk of a machine takes up half the waiting room now. Just as well there is never anyone there.
We were then called (40 mins late) and escorted through to an office. The two of us carried in files and documents we had lovingly prepared with tabs and infamous acco clips. I was a little surprised we weren't sworn in, but wasn't going to question the guv'nor. The interviewer (Gary) asked me for my passport with the I-94, and AP. He started going through the file he had received from Missouri, which contained my original AOS application. He apologised that it would probably take longer than usual as none the files he received from Missouri were correct. He pointed at a mountain of paperwork on a desk, the poor bugger. As he sifted through papers he asked how we had met, and when we got married. He came across our marriage certificate and commented on Nevada, and asked if we had got married in Las Vegas. We shared a few obligatory jokes about Elvis not being able to attend.
He asked Russ what he did for a living and a discussion followed about Gary's visits to the campus with foreign students. This led to the subject of Gary's upcoming retirement and how he had thought he was going to attend the college Russ teaches at, but decided to go another route as a paramedic.
He showed me a form which came from Missouri and asked me to check the details. We had moved house 2 months previous, and had filed the AR11, but none of these new details were on the form. He then took the form away and read out my parents' names, my DOB, and place of birth, and asked me if they were correct. As he tried to decipher the new website to adjust my file online, he asked more about Russ's work, and what he taught, what books the students read, and what ethical issues came about for a paremedic, blah blah. He seemed far more curious about Russ than about me, the alien, which suited me fine.
He asked what line of work I was in, and another discussion developed about his son wanting an overpriced book on hunting for Christmas. (I'm not a hunter, by the way, I'm a book designer.) He asked when I had entered the country, and even though I got the date wrong he didn't seem interested. It felt like he was asking us questions just to be polite while he tried to sort out the useless files and fought with the computer. As we carried on chatting idly, he was slowly going through some files and stamping papers. I mean very painfully s l o w l y. He showed me what the new green card would look like (white rather than pink), and said I would receive it by this Friday. I'm sure I'll look as rough on my card as the bloke did on the sample card. We made noises that we had hoped to pop up to Montreal very soon, so he thought about it and said he would stamp my passport even though he wouldn't normally do that anymore.
He didn't ask to see the vaccination supplement or any other original documents. He didn't want to see anything I had brought along. When I showed him the stack of paperwork I had prepared, he flinched a little and said if there were any doubts about fraud they would video the interview. He suggested that I might keep the papers for my removal of conditions petition. For all you age gap couples out there, there was no comment at all about our 20+ year age difference.
He then gave me the I-751 to file for removal of conditions and suggested I apply in 22 months. He also said I would be eligible to file for citizenship in 3 years time, and that it was taking around 5 months for that to go through at the moment. The whole interview took 25mins, but most of that was faffing with papers and unruly computers.
Sorted. 
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #219