AOS interview this week, we're nervous!!

[Omar G. 4]

can someone describe or explain how the interview is? do we go in separate and get grilled with questions? my wife doesnt speak english and we need to bring an interpreter, and we're not sure exactly what to say to the interviewer. she had a under the table job bartendering from dec. til now but we're not going to say anything about the job because its under the table and she wont be able to get a letter from employer or a w-2/1099 for working in december....we're also alittle nervous because we dont have much supporting evidence. we have now been married since august, we didnt have a honeymoon because we didnt have money. we have pictures from our wedding and christmas and maybe a couple from this past weekend. we have one car, my work truck, and its in my name, we dont have a bank account together because she doesnt speak english or drive or have an income or go out really without me. our lease is in my name because i rented the apt. before she got here, and all bills are in my name except our cell phone bill which is in both our names. i also havnt done my taxes yet, but will bring my 1099 to the interview. we have all other documents that are necessary but should we have something to worry about? we also havnt taken any vacations or anything because of our money situation....this is a K1/K2 AOS interview.

[Omar G. 4]

ok just checked and we do have about 30 more pictures of when we went to new york, atlantic city and poconos so its not just wedding pics and christmas pics.

[besaangel 18]

I think u should be honest abt her bartending, but thats just me...

[alex and astrid 38]

Do you have time to add her to your bank account before the interview? If you tell the interviewing officer that she isn't on your account because she doesn't speak English, that is a little bit odd. Lots of banks and ATM's have the option to have languages other than english while using them. It also should not be too hard to get your wife added to the lease. Anyone that is living in a rented home should be on a lease anyway, since the landlord wants to know who is on their property.

You really don't have any co-mingling of your lives, just pictures, and they want to see that you have a life together. Do you have health insurance together? Mail that has been sent to your home with both your names on it?

As for working...I'm really not sure how to go about that. If you don't admit it, and they find out, that can be some trouble. If you do tell them, it could jeopardize your AOS, because she broke the law by working without authorization.

[Omar G. 4]

yea we're not sure about telling them about the bartending job, she actually quit last week. without telling them this, we are going to be bending the truth of how we spent out new years eve and weekends....we do have sufficient pictures that show that we have a life together but nothing on paper when it comes to bills, bank...etc....we dont have any health insurance either. my landlord knows that she lives here and there was never an issue to put her on the lease. our interview is wednesday and dont really have much time to do much other than organize everything we need to bring. can someone help and let me know how the interview actually is? is it long? very detailed with dates? are we together or separate? will they also interview my 12 year old step daughter which also has the interview appointment? we want to just tell the truth and see what happens but we dont want to say that she was working under the table before her EAD arrived. and since she doesnt work there anymore we figured its best to just leave it out of the interview.....and that will be a reason she doesnt have a bank account because she doesnt have an income and i am in charge of all the finances because she is still getting accustomed to the life in the US. thanks everyone for your input.

[alex and astrid 38]

yea we're not sure about telling them about the bartending job, she actually quit last week. without telling them this, we are going to be bending the truth of how we spent out new years eve and weekends....we do have sufficient pictures that show that we have a life together but nothing on paper when it comes to bills, bank...etc....we dont have any health insurance either. my landlord knows that she lives here and there was never an issue to put her on the lease. our interview is wednesday and dont really have much time to do much other than organize everything we need to bring. can someone help and let me know how the interview actually is? is it long? very detailed with dates? are we together or separate? will they also interview my 12 year old step daughter which also has the interview appointment? we want to just tell the truth and see what happens but we dont want to say that she was working under the table before her EAD arrived. and since she doesnt work there anymore we figured its best to just leave it out of the interview.....and that will be a reason she doesnt have a bank account because she doesnt have an income and i am in charge of all the finances because she is still getting accustomed to the life in the US. thanks everyone for your input.

When you are being interviewed, you are under oath. So, if you 'bend the truth', you are doing so under oath. That may be something you want to keep in mind.

As for what the interview will be like, click the "Reviews" tab at the top of the page and search for you local office. There will be reviews by people who have had their AOS interviews so you can get an idea of what to expect. In the guides, there is a list of questions people have been asked during interviews, so you can study those. I am not sure if they will also interview your stepdaughter, but if she has been asked to attend then you can assume they may question her also.

Like I said in my first post...not having anything on paper is going to be a flag to the interviewing officer. I would strongly suggest that you go to your bank tomorrow morning and get your wife added to your account. You'll need to take your marriage licence, her passport and your ID. We did this a few weeks ago for my husband and I and it took half an hour at Chase. I don't have an income, and my husband takes care of our finances also, but it's better to have at least something with both your names on it than nothing.

Overall, the less solid, overwhelming evidence you have about yourselves, the more you risk getting a Stokes Interview and being grilled.

[Nik+Heather 121]

is it long?

We were probably in there for 30 minutes, but we had issues with some of the stuff we sent in.

very detailed with dates?

I wouldn't call it "detailed" but there were several dates involved. Birth dates, wedding dates, visit dates, entry on K-1 dates, when we met dates. Lots of dates.

are we together or separate?

You're together, but it's HER interview, so keep quiet (the IO had to remind me)

will they also interview my 12 year old step daughter which also has the interview appointment?

I don't know for sure. My initial reaction is they don't interview minors, but anyone on a derivative (k-2 for example) will need to attend.

we want to just tell the truth and see what happens but we dont want to say that she was working under the table before her EAD arrived. and since she doesnt work there anymore we figured its best to just leave it out of the interview

You are sworn to tell the truth, and the whole interview is recorded as part of the record. Furthermore, unauthorized employment is "forgiven" but MISREPRESENTATION (or lying) is NOT. Check out the link to the law and the quoted section below.

and that will be a reason she doesnt have a bank account because she doesnt have an income and i am in charge of all the finances because she is still getting accustomed to the life in the US.

You may be in charge of the money, but just about everyone needs some to spend. Even when I was 10 I was given money to spend.

From 8 CFR 245, section b(ineligibilities) paragraph 10 (I THINK that's how you tell people where to look - or you can do a word search until it comes up...) - Take careful note of the exception. I've bolded it.

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr;sid=42b35070011e68ee55d12d8a56110d32;rgn=div5;view=text;node=8%3A1.0.1.2.37;idno=8;cc=ecfr

(10) Any alien who was ever employed in the United States without the authorization of the Service or who has otherwise at any time violated the terms of his or her admission to the United States as a nonimmigrant, except an alien who is an immediate relative as defined in section 201(b) of the Act or a special immigrant as defined in section 101(a)(27)(H), (I), (J), or (K) of the Act. For purposes of this paragraph, an alien who meets the requirements of §274a.12©(9) of this chapter shall not be deemed to have engaged in unauthorized employment during the pendency of his or her adjustment application.

As you can see, since she is your wife, working cannot make her ineligible for adjustment. Not that this argument should be used to "OK" working. In states where they are enforcing these laws on their own it's not always about how your immigration status might be jeopardized. But, since your interview is this week, that's the primary concern for YOU.

[Omar G. 4]

thanks everyone, we are going to be honest and tell the whole truth and hope that we dont have any problems.....i read some of the reviews and it seems very simple and easy. we dont have many joint documents together but we do have pictures from many different dates together from here in the US, also many pictures from before as well. thanks again...

[tglea 0]

thanks everyone, we are going to be honest and tell the whole truth and hope that we dont have any problems.....i read some of the reviews and it seems very simple and easy. we dont have many joint documents together but we do have pictures from many different dates together from here in the US, also many pictures from before as well. thanks again...

I just completed a K1 and K2 Aos interview and it was very easy. You will all be called into the interview but no questions should be asked to the K2 minor. If your not doing anything fraudulent and truly have a real relationship then you should just take a deep breath and not worry so much. The subject of her working will probably not come up at your interview. I think that's really irrelevant in the mind of an adjunctor doing your interview. I would take the don't ask don't tell mindset. I'm not condoning lying but definitely don't offer any information that isn't asked for.

I would suggest taking pictures(wedding too), any joint documents, mail or bills etc. that you have. Of course, take all the documents that it specifies on your interview notice letter. Don't forget that any documents in Spanish(like your wife's birth certificate) have to be translated. You should have done that already though when you submitted your AOS packet. If you are still worried, you can have a friend or someone who knows you to write(well you can actually write it) an affidavit attesting to your marriage and relationship. It should be notarized though.

[zicomania 1]

can someone describe or explain how the interview is? do we go in separate and get grilled with questions? my wife doesnt speak english and we need to bring an interpreter, and we're not sure exactly what to say to the interviewer. she had a under the table job bartendering from dec. til now but we're not going to say anything about the job because its under the table and she wont be able to get a letter from employer or a w-2/1099 for working in december....we're also alittle nervous because we dont have much supporting evidence. we have now been married since august, we didnt have a honeymoon because we didnt have money. we have pictures from our wedding and christmas and maybe a couple from this past weekend. we have one car, my work truck, and its in my name, we dont have a bank account together because she doesnt speak english or drive or have an income or go out really without me. our lease is in my name because i rented the apt. before she got here, and all bills are in my name except our cell phone bill which is in both our names. i also havnt done my taxes yet, but will bring my 1099 to the interview. we have all other documents that are necessary but should we have something to worry about? we also havnt taken any vacations or anything because of our money situation....this is a K1/K2 AOS interview.

You have to be honest about the bartender work, bcos it does not jeopardize the person from getting green card

[anitacastillo 0]

So you haven't updated your I-864 (I think that is the support document) for your 2009 income? I don't know if your 1099 will be sufficient - since that does not take into account your expenses.

I suggest you go to TaxACT - its free (for federal) - and do a 2009 tax return to show you have sufficient income. You can print it out. And even if it is not the final one you send in, it should give the CO some comfort.

Good Luck!!!

[tglea 0]

So you haven't updated your I-864 (I think that is the support document) for your 2009 income? I don't know if your 1099 will be sufficient - since that does not take into account your expenses.

I suggest you go to TaxACT - its free (for federal) - and do a 2009 tax return to show you have sufficient income. You can print it out. And even if it is not the final one you send in, it should give the CO some comfort.

Good Luck!!!

I just had my interview last Thursday and wasn't asked for 2009 tax information. I submitted the AOS packet in September 2009 so it included information for 2008 income. I don't see, really, how they can ask for updated tax records until after April 15.