Post AOS Interview Los Angeles

[sorin 0]

Hi VJers!

We just had out interview in the LA branch and would like to give you a step by step for those that have some questions.

We arrived 20 minutes before the appointed time. There was a window we had to submit the letter and waited to be called in. We had a single IO call us into her office and she asked us to raise our right hand and were sworn in.

The IO requested the following items:

Her and My Certified Birth certificates (I only had a copy of mine..)

Her and My Passports and photocopies (with I-94 for her)

Marriage Certificate and photocopy

Drivers Licenses (She did not have one)

Her EAD and photocopy (no copy...)

She then questioned my wife:

What is your name

What is your birthday

What is your current address

Where did you meet

When did you get married

Mothers and father's first name

What was your job in Vietnam

She then questioned me:

Why did you go to vietnam

How did I meet my wife

After this she read straight from page 3 of I-485 and asked my wife:

Have you ever......

Do you intend to engage in the US.....

(Understandably my wife had some problems understanding her english, but replied correctly)

She then requested we show her our "Joint" documents:

Bank Statement with both names

Letter from friend with both our names with our address

Photos of our wedding

Medical/Dental Cards

She then requested our lease with both our names which I didn't have as she has arrived after I moved in. She then told me she was living illegally as she must have been on the lease to live there. I was a little upset about this as we would have been denied had she even tried to to joint apply for an apartment in LA (she had no credit history and would fail a credit check) so I told her the place was under my name and now that she has an SSN she will be added to the lease.

Next she asked my wife to identify my siblings and family in the photos and if she had meet them. (my wife was also in the photos...)

After that, she printed a letter with Adjustment of Status Notice checking "An additional review of your case and/or background check is required to determine your eligibility" and she signed it and told us to verify if it was correct.

They had misspelled her name, which she then fixed and reprinted, checked, and signed.

She went out to make photocopies of our documents, came back and gave us back our paperwork.

That was it, she said we should be getting something in the mail instructing us what we would have to do next.

Please understand this was our interview and yours might have different requirements and inquires.

I asked her if it was approved, if we would need to bring additional info (birthcertificate, lease with both names) but she only said wait for something to come in the mail. She said "do you have any question", but she never answered a single one. Just wait for something in the mail, she even said "go check your mailbox every day."

The letter says inquires will not be accepted until 180 days, so pass or fail, we have to wait.

[fred n Dao Honey 0]

Thanks for a look into the future. It seems like the BS never ends.

It amazes me how these desk jockeys think they can make legal opinions. All you are required to do is verify you live together. There is nothing in the immigration law that says you have to give your spouse half of everything you own or must have joint financial obligations. It is easy to add a name to the utility bills and could add a name to the lease as an occupant. For an IO to make a statement of legality is wrong unless there is a local housing ordinance we are unaware of in your area. It is up to your landlord to decide if you are violating the lease, not the law. If we could appeal these cases into a court of law this BS would stop!

Good luck

Fred

10 months in AP could end tonight!! Wait, wait, wait!!

[jjbandero 39]

That is ridiculous! We're going to be in the same boat, my husband has been living at the same place for over four years and is currently going from month-to-month. We don't want to alter the lease in any way since we're looking to buy a place, all it's doing is to create more paperwork!

[duster 0]

That is ridiculous! We're going to be in the same boat, my husband has been living at the same place for over four years and is currently going from month-to-month. We don't want to alter the lease in any way since we're looking to buy a place, all it's doing is to create more paperwork!

This all seems ridiculous - when I had my AOS interview last month they didn't even ask for a copy of our lease because if they had, we would have told them that we do not have one!

Despite living here for the best part of two years, we have an informal agreement with our friend ("Landlord"); also the utilities are all in his name and we just pay them direct!

When submitting my AOS package in the first place, we enclosed a copy of a letter signed by our "Landlord" explaining all of the above. I guess that's why it never came up at the interview.

My point is that to be living here you must either own, rent or borrow and whichever it is should have been documented with the initial evidence sent in and if it wasn't then it can't be much of a problem if you made it to Interview - if they had a major concern about this, they would have issued an RFE before you ever got your Interview letter.

My best guess is that you will be approved quite quickly.

Good luck!

[sorin 0]

Thanks for the input everyone! We just got a letter in the mail saying we passed the interview process , welcomed her to the US, and they should be sending a 2 year green card within 3 weeks! I guess the IO did not have authority to approve us and had a supervisor look it over. Now on to the rest of the things we need to do!

Thanks again everyone!

[trillium13 84]

Congratulations!

[Darnell 8,479]

leasing stuff - can't you get a lease addendum made? this should be a painless thing.

I totally redid my lease paperwork on my place - but it's a private landlord - i live on a micro-farm...

oh well...