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| Albuquerque NM |  Review on April 30, 2010: |
MacTO
Rating:  | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
My interview was scheduled at 10:35 a.m. this morning, but, like most of people here on VJ.com, I wanted to be there early in case, and also thinking that we might get called in early and get out of there early. And I was right!
First, we arrived at 10:10 a.m. Once we walked in after two glass doors, two armed security officers greeted us and asked for the interview letter, which I promptly presented. Then, IDs. Mine and my wife's.
After walking through the metal detector, we were told to sit in the waiting room till we get called in. When we walked in, it was empty. Nobody was before us. I don't know if anyone was already being interviewed before us, but it was empty.
Then, a male IO called my name and we were told to go down the hallway, followed by him, to his office, looking just like a regular boxed-in corner office. We were told to take a seat and asked to provide our IDs again and any types of cards issued by the U.S. government regarding the AOS proceedings, which was, in my case, EAD. Once he collected all of that, he put them on the desk and asked us to rise to our feet and had us take an oath. At this moment, I am sure that the IO noticed my hand in the air was shaking. I was seriously nervous.
He started going over the application forms and the documentation, and asking questions. Surprisingly, he asked me for my mom's first name and father's first name. It was the moment when I thought to myself that every IO is different. Like you read some reviews and testimonies on VJ Reviews, some ask a spouse for the other spouse's parents' names. Certainly this one didn't.
Anyway, he went over the basic criminal question stuff, which says 'No' throughout the entire page. Basically, he was asking all the questions again. And repeated my answers. No, no, no... He also took a quick, literally, not even skimming, look at the pictures that I enclosed with the application. No comment either. Almost systematic, but no interest involved.
He asked me about bringing my personal possessions into the country, which I didn't do but my wife did, and when he learned that my wife did it, he was like, 'Just checking.'
Because in the back of our minds, it was a thing that concerned us quite a bit. During my wife's frequent visits to Canada, she collected tons of stuff to take back with her when she crossed the border in a truck, which she did. Apparently, it didn't bother our IO.
Our IO never lost his smile throughout the interview, and when he learned that my wife actually works at a veterans hospital, he couldn't stop talking about his past experiences working at one of them when he was young. Our IO was also a U.S. Army veteran.
Then he started talking about I-751 and I knew then that I was already approved. He returned all the IDs back to us and also let me keep the EAD in case I seek for work. He said I must return it by mail as soon as my conditional GC arrives. He even gave me a DHS return address envelope.
He said that I would be receiving the card in 2-3 weeks, and if not in 45 days, I should contact Inforpass to find out why. And when he talked about I-751, he mentioned that because I am married to a US citizen, if he grants the application today or tomorrow, I only wait for 3 years from today or tomorrow to apply for a citizenship, as opposed to 5 years. (Of course, after removing the condition first.)
And that was it. When we got back in our car in the parking lot, it was 10:38 a.m.
P.S. Our IO never asked for any other or additional information. I even brought a stack of other evidence, such as extra joint bank account statements, all the utility bills that show my name along with hers, a print-off from Costco that shows mine and her name, cable bills, ADT security system bills and even Affidavits that I got from my mother-in-law and my wife's co-worker/friend. What about a photo album that showcases close to 300 photos that my wife and I took since we met for the first time. None of that saw the light of day!!!
P.S.S. Our IO never returned any original documentation to me, including my Birth Certificate and our marriage certificate. Well, we could've asked for them, but I thought... maybe just leave them for now.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #5994