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| San Diego CA |  Review on December 16, 2007: |
SHELLYandFCO
Rating:  | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
Arrived at the Federal Building, walked into the Citizen & Immigration Office and the room was packed. I thought, oh great, they want us here early to sit and wait. Anyhow, I was worried that the parking meter would run out as I only put in enough for an hour. So, I rushed back to the car a block away and by the time I returned, we were being called in.
The IO escourted us through an office filled with cubicles and areas separated by partitions. The first order of business before we could be seated was to be sworn in, pledging to tell the whole truth.
The IO asked for us to provide our identification (my Driver's License and his Mexican Passport). We were then seated and the IO began flipping through our 3" thick file so quickly, I thought he would rip the pages. He would flip, stop on a page, flip back to the front, check mark one of the boxes then begin flipping frantically.
Questions asked:
What date did you enter the U.S.?
Have you left the U.S. since entering?
Asked USC if I was married before?
Asked if I had Divorce Decree.
He then began flipping through the file frantically again, so fast I thought that the rubber piece on his finger would fly off. Flip forward, flip backward, back to the front, check mark more boxes.
The IO began asking the questions from the I-485 (note, he shortened the questions):
Have you ever been arrested?
Have you ever engaged in sabotage, kidnapping, political assassination, hijacking or any other form of terrorist activity?
Have you within the past ten years been a prostitute or intend to engage in such activities in the future?
Have you ever been deported from the United States, or removed from the United States at government expense?
Have you engaged in any unlawful commercialized vice, including, but not limited to, illegal gambling?
Have you illicitly trafficked in any controlled substance, or knowingly assisted, abetted or colluded in the illicit trafficking of any controlled substance?
As my husband answered each question, the IO checkmarked the box in red ink.
The IO then opened the Mexican Passport, unstapled the I-94 from my husband's passport. I quickly asked if he was going to give the I-94 back to which he said no. I protested indicating that I needed to be sure that I would not need it (having heard how expensive they are to try and replace), then was advised that the I-551 stamp was all we needed. I asked him if he needed anything else as I had everything they had requested in the Appointment Letter, to which he said no.
Then he asked the following:
Do you have any dependents?
What date were you married?
He then stood up and said everything was good and that he just needed his supervisor's approval. He returned 30 seconds later with a women that couldn't have been more than 20 who started flipping through the file. She asked the other IO if he had the Affidavit of Support, the Marriage Certificate and the Divorce Decree....I suppose those must be the top three things; make sure the USC can support the immigrant and to ensure the marriage is valid. Anyhow, the female IO, grabbed the passport indicating that she would be right back after she stamped the passport.
She came back with passport in hand. Told us that we would receive the Green Card in two weeks. I commented on how quick that seemed to be to which she responded that they are processing the GC's very quickly lately (I'm sure many of you would disagree!). She said that my husband is free to work and travel and that 3 months from our 2 year mark, we would apply to remove the conditions and at 3 years from today, my husband could apply to become a USC. We both had to sign the following form:
"Removal of Conditions Form".
Pursuant to Section 216 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, you have been granted Conditional permanent Resident Status as of __________. You must file Form I-754 Petiton to Remove the Conditions on Residence, between xxxx and xxxx (i.e. the 90 day period just prior to the second anniversary of your becoming a Conditional Permanent REsident. If a petition, Form I-751, to remove the conditional basis for your status is not filed within this period, your Conditional Permanent Resident status will automatically terminate and you will be subject to deportation from the United States.
We both had to sign two copies of the form, as well as the Immigration Officer and were given one of the two copies.
She handed my husband the passport and said Congratulations and Happy Thanksgiving.
Oh, one more thing, the big long laundry list of items they tell you to bring with you (according to the appointment letter), the only item we had to surrender was the appointment letter and the I-94 that they removed from the passport. I spent hours putting my whole package together which ended up 2.5" thick! I spent at least two hours preparing my husband for any possible question they might ask. Better prepared than not I suppose!
Seems that the thing that took the most time in the building was having to remove my seminario bracelets after being buzzed through the metal detector, then having to come back through and remove my shoes, then my husband having to remove his belts, his shoes, his keys...
My husband is a LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENT....and can WORK- Hallelujah
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #2266