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| Boston MA |  Review on January 14, 2021: |
maisfree
Rating:  | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
We had an interview at the Boston USCIS two days ago. We were approved on the spot!
We arrived ~15 min before the appointment time. Did the temperature check before walking to the front desk, then presented the interview letter to the front desk receptionist. She asked if we traveled out of state recently and we said no. She wrote a number on the letter, gave it back to us and said have a seat and wait for that number to be called.
We sat in the waiting room probably for 20 min or so (definitely felt longer than that!). There were four interview rooms. When our number was called, we walked toward the room where our immigration officer was waiting, holding the door open for us. He greeted us and asked me (the beneficiary) to come into his office alone while my husband (the petitioner) waited outside.
I walked into the room, and the officer closed the door. After swearing under an oath, I got seated. He asked for a passport and the interview letter. Then, he took a picture of my face, and took the fingerprint.
He said, "there was a red flag on your case because 1) your first interview was canceled, and 2) you overstayed after your F-1 visa was expired." I explained why our first interview was canceled (basically, we had put my in-law's address as mailing address on all the application forms, and although we live in Boston, they scheduled our first interview in Hartford CT. The officer there said she can't interview us since it is outside of her jurisdiction, and canceled our interview. This resulted in 3 months extra wait until this interview in Boston was finally scheduled!).
Then, the officer moved onto talk about my overstay. He said "since you are married to a USC, your overstay is forgiven." Then, he asked for the completed I-693 and all the supportive documents/evidence for a bona fide marriage that I brought (joint apartment lease/joint bank account statements/health insurance cards/retirement account beneficiary info/life insurance beneficiary info/pictures of us together and with family and friends). Then he asked me to say my legal full name and DOB, and my occupation, and asked all the yes/no questions on the I-485 form.
Then, he moved onto asking about our marriage and the history of our relationship - how we met, and what we did on our first date, and when our wedding was, and what drew us together - common interests, etc. He took notes of my answers. Once I was done giving my answers, he called my husband into the room. He swore an oath, and got seated.
The officer asked for his full legal name and DOB and his birthplace. He also asked about his occupation and asked if there were any changes that need to be made on the application forms so he gave him the new information and the officer updated the I-130 form right in front of us. Then he asked the same questions about our relationship - my husband gave basically the same answers that I gave (phew! What a relief). After that, the officer said "well, looks like you guys have been together for a long time (we met 8 years ago, and married 4 years ago), and looks like a real marriage to me. If your I-693 looks good, I am going to go ahead and approve your case. If you track your case online, it should show an update as approved. You will receive your card in two weeks or so." YESSS!!! I have to admit that we were a bit intimidated at first that they separated us, but the officer was courteous and friendly the entire time. We thanked the officer then exited the building. The interview itself was ~25 min or so. I checked my case online and it got updated to "new card is being produced." It's been a 1 year and 5 months since we had filed for AOS. This is such a huge relief to get the approval finally. I hope this information is helpful to those going to interview at the Boston USCIS!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #29009