Successful AOS Interview, Los Angeles- Green Card Issued!

[belishabeacons 3]

Hello all,

Just wanted to give you all an update on our AOS interview-- we passed! We would NOT have passed without the help of everyone on this forum, particularly the users Nich-Nick and others who have posted so much helpful advice. I did the whole process- k1 through AOS- on my own, and entirely relied on the advice of everyone on here! So thank you!

What we prepared for the interview
After looking on here, I compiled a list of documents to bring.

1. Every single piece of paper submitted with the AOS packet, including all evidence for the i-864 for both myself and our joint sponsor, taxes, etc. They probably won't need those, but it's always good to have that.
2. A photocopy of our marriage certificate. Now, on the letter, it advised us to bring a certified copy of the marriage certificate. I was freaking out that I only had a photocopy, but then I realized I sent an original copy of the marriage certificate in when I sent in the AOS. The interviewers will have your AOS packet with all the originals in front of them, so if you sent in the original one, you can probably get by with a photocopy like I did. But if you have the time to prepare, I would highly recommend ordering another marriage certificate, just in case. I was lucky I sent in the original, as my interviewer asked for it and found it in the packet so he was mollified. But that could have held us back if he hadn't been so nice.
3. PHOTOS. Bring photos of yourself and your partner from every stage of your relationship. Courting, moving in together, marriage, after marriage, and after you sent in the AOS. Landmarks are helpful, photos with friends are helpful, photos of family are helpful. They will ask for these- have an album ready! The more you have, the better you look.
4. Copies of our joint checking and saving accounts. We only opened those a few days ago when we realized we didn't have any documents with both our names on them. Worked like a treat!
5. Letters and bills addressed to each of us. None of them had both of our names on them, but that is okay! They want to prove both people live there, and the interviewer we had mentioned that even having one name on the bill, obviously with copies of both people on different bills, proves that.
6. Plane tickets from travels together.
7. Originals of everything we have submitted thus far as copies.

Now, the interviewer did not ask for all of these, but that's just what we brought

The interview

Our interview was scheduled for 9.30am. It's in an administration building downtown, which is luckily very close to where we live. Being young and foolish humans, we took a Lyft at 9.15am from our house (which is normally 5 minutes away). We got there at 9.30am, which was a mistake, because there was a huge line out front. Luckily, I asked the guard in front of the building if the long line was just for visa people, and he started a new line with us at the front! Very, very lucky move there- my recommendation for those of you going to the LA USCIS field office is to get there an hour before your listed appointment time, as that is what most of the people in the line were scheduled for.

We went through some metal detectors and after a few wrong turns ended up on the 8th floor. We proceeded to the window, gave them our documents, and were asked if all parties were there. We said yes, and took a seat.

We waited for an hour and a half. Lots of people had their lawyers with them, which I think maybe puts the staff on high alert (I'll talk about that later). After a while, we noticed many people who had come in after us had been admitted, so I went to the counter again and asked if our paperwork had maybe been displaced. The person was very helpful, and we were called immediately after I approached the window.

We had a stern looking Nigerian gentleman escort us into his room. He asked us to raise our right hand and agree to the oath. After we sat down, he very sternly asked us how we met, when we started dating, if my husband drives, and when he arrived in the United States on the K1 visa. We both blanked- we knew it was early September, but didn't remember the exact date!

We stumbled out "ummm... the 6th? 7th? It should be in the passport."

He immediately snapped at us that he was verifying things with us, and knew it could be in the passport. We both looked at each other, thinking the same thing- we were in for an intense interview.

He asked the standard "are you a terrorist/drug dealer/prostitute/criminal" questions as he annotated our file, then put down his pen and said, "Youthful beauty may fade in a marriage [we took that as a compliment ] and it's important that you two share something together, a hobby or an interest. What do you both like to do?" We answered that we have a shared passion for books, for reading, for poetry, for all forms of art, and our lives (and my career) revolve entirely around that. He nodded, and said, "That's a good thing to share with someone." I also said we enjoy hiking, and he looked down and said, "You're from DC-- how much hiking do you have around there?" He smiled.

From that point on, the interview went amazing! He softened an awful lot, and we talked about his experiences visiting DC, how long he has lived in Los Angeles, and what his trip to London was like. He talked to my husband a lot about the train systems in the UK (my husband is half-English, half-Irish, and we met when I was living in London), and how British people don't drive. It was a very fun and relaxed chat, and we could tell he was enjoying it. In fact, he did most of the talking, and we just added anecdotes from our experiences in all three cities!

After that, we could tell he wasn't that interested in proving things anymore. He asked to look at our photos, and smiled while looking through them. We gave him the joint banking stuff, plane tickets, bills, and he photocopied our passports and the EAD/AP card. He did ask about the marriage certificate, which I was fearing- but I reminded him the original is in the AOS file. He said they don't have that stuff, but then flipped through and found it- I don't think he would have checked if he weren't in such a good mood!

He then shook my husband's hand and approved us! We even talked for another 5 minutes afterwards about what his Nigerian name means, and what his experiences were like when he first moved to America.

Some thoughts from the interview
I can tell we had an extreme amount of privilege not only being both white people, but both native English speakers. This interview process would be a hell of a lot more difficult if English weren't our first language. I would recommend, if you are not 100% confident in English, that you do bring a lawyer or translator who can help with the interview. I can't imagine how you could even have a casual conversation like that with the IO without that help if English is not your first language and you don't speak it fluently, and I think that relationship with the IO is what sealed the deal for us.

If you're like us and English is your first language, my impression is- don't bring a lawyer! I could see from the other couples who arrived with lawyers that the atmosphere was really formal and different. If you're really married and you have the documentation, you're going to be fine. Bringing a lawyer seemed to kill the convivial atmosphere I saw with some couples as they left their interview with the IO. I think our interview would have been less fun and casual with a lawyer.

Anyway, that's my two cents and our experience! Looking forward to having the green card in our hands.

Thank you all again! Hope this helps any of you.

[Jewell London 15]

Some thoughts from the interview

I can tell we had an extreme amount of privilege not only being both white people, but both native English speakers. This interview process would be a hell of a lot more difficult if English weren't our first language.

I understand the fact that speaking English is definitely better since we'll feel more confident. However, I do not understand how you think that being white is a privilege. What are you saying exactly ? All the non-white people will have a lot of trouble going through the interview because of their skin color...is that what you are saying ?

[belishabeacons 3]

No no no not at all. Just mentioning that I think it's an easier process maybe for English speaking natives from a white heterosexual couple in the sense that we aren't maybe scrutinized in the same lens.

[belishabeacons 3]

More specifically- he's from England which is as close to America as can be culturally.

[Jewell London 15]

Ok I know what you means now. It came out so wrong though lol

Congrats on your interview by the way ;-)

Edited February 5, 2015 by Jewell London

[belishabeacons 3]

My apologies! I wanted to make sure I said that so others who come from say a gay couple who are refugees would understand that my situation is admittedly different

[Jewell London 15]

No problem !

[belishabeacons 3]

Different enough that my opinion on bringing a lawyer might not apply

[Jewell London 15]

Oh well you did not need one anyway. You did just fine ! When I will be at this stage I will not bring mine. She will stress me out more than anything else and I am fluent in English anyway..and I hope the officer will be black too..lol just kidding !

[Pitaya 2,577]

~Moved from Fam.-based AOS to Fam.-based AOS Progress Forum~

[Cody and Daisy 373]

Thanks for this, nice to read British experiences for AOS.

I'm waiting for my interview letter now so it's good to see what I could and should be collecting for it.

As for being white, I understood what you meant, it wasn't you being racist, you were generalising how it can go for certain people.

To be honest it is always easier for lets say a white straight couple than any other, which is sad.

[Dusty&Mono 6]

Being white, heterosexual or any other kind of thing makes no difference because you are dealing with the Federal government, which has the obligation of coping with the cases based on the *federal rule of law*. You can be as white as snow as well as English as Queen Elizabeth, but if your marriage is fraudulent, the officer will make no distinction and handle the situation they way he must and vice versa.

[Dusty&Mono 6]

No no no not at all. Just mentioning that I think it's an easier process maybe for English speaking natives from a white heterosexual couple in the sense that we aren't maybe scrutinized in the same lens.

Why do you think being white and heterosexual would make it easier?

[Dusty&Mono 6]

My apologies! I wanted to make sure I said that so others who come from say a gay couple who are refugees would understand that my situation is admittedly different

By the time you go to the interview, the officer may have already something in mind. It is a bona fide relationship or a fraudulent one. That's all. Being gay wouldn't make no difference and probably being a refugee neither because what needs to be proved is that the relationship is real.

[Dusty&Mono 6]

Thanks for this, nice to read British experiences for AOS.

I'm waiting for my interview letter now so it's good to see what I could and should be collecting for it.

As for being white, I understood what you meant, it wasn't you being racist, you were generalising how it can go for certain people.

To be honest it is always easier for lets say a white straight couple than any other, which is sad.

It is the same for everyone. Let's not spread misconceptions. I've read on this site stories regarding successful interviews of same sex couples. If an officer made a distiction, he/she would be breaking the Federal law.