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| Harlingen TX |  Review on May 20, 2019: |
junkmart
Rating:  | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
Our interview appointment was today at 12pm. We arrived around 11:30am. We presented our invitation to a friendly officer outside the door who then allowed us to proceed to security. There was no line. After being screened through security, we proceeded to the waiting room for interviews. The room was approximately 50% full. We presented our interview letter at the check in window and were asked to take a seat. About 10 till 12 our attorney showed up. It was a great relief to see her as the anxiety melted away. The we waited. Our attorney spoke to other attorneys in the waiting room and leaving the interview office area. She was told by another attorney that we were on the list for a particular IO who was running about one hour behind schedule. Our attorney knew this particular IO, and was certain of a positive outcome. At about 1:15, the IO appeared at the door and called my husbands name. She was very friendly and all smiles. She and our attorney chatted as we walked to her office. She swore us in and asked us to take a seat. She asked my husband for his visa and my DL. We had our passports, birth certificate, my SSC, etc but she didn’t ask for those. She put my husbands visa in her top desk drawer. She asked if we had any bonafides. I had a binder I had prepared, but my attorney has some of the evidence from the binder, and handed a prepared packet with cover letter and TOC to the IO. The IO placed it in her folder without looking at anything. She then explained that she would quickly work through the applications. She had all of them, I130, I130a, I131, I485, I864, I693. As she worked through them, she would punch them and place them in her folder. She asked my husband where we met. That led to a discussion among her and our attorney about Tindr, and how some IO’s didn’t understand the current culture of meeting online with very little in person interaction, but that she (the IO) didn’t think anyone should be judged for how they met their loved on our their relationship. She went on to say that what she meant was where we first met in person. We named the restaurant. She was impressed when we said we met in person soon after Tindr, and dated for over four years. The IO stamped APPROVED on one application while checking off things with red pen, followed by more stamps and writing. She didn’t really ask any investigative questions whatsoever. She and our attorney did most of the talking to each other. We were over prepared, as we were not asked any of the questions we were expecting, nor were we asked for originals of any documents or for additional evidence from our binder. IO said we should get the green card in a week or so. That was it. Super easy, very friendly people. Our attorney did ask if my husband could get the I551 stamp so that we could travel north from the border zone to San Antonio for Memorial Day, but the IO said they were no longer allowed to give the stamp. The attorney advised that we could travel anyway with the I797C, but that we would be pulled to secondary and held for about one hour while they figured out he was authorized to be in the US. We agreed it was not worth the hassle. Side note, While we waited for our interview, everyone who came out had big smiles, some were greeted by smiling loved ones, and even a few claps and cheers. Overall it pleasant experience.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #26246