anyone had an interview in LA?

[Constantine1234 1]

hi! any idea about the interview in LA? thanks!

[Disco Darby 0]

hi! any idea about the interview in LA? thanks!

We just finished our interview in LA yesterday. overall, it was a pretty positive experience.

Our interview was scheduled for 2:30, but we didn't get in to see our officer until 3:30. Things seem to be moving slow in their office (renovations?). The interview itself took just under an hour. She was very pleasant, and quite casual throughout. Most of the questions were clarifying our info (DOB, marriage date, family stuff). There were not any "test questions" about eachother (ie: what is his Mother's name, or what side of the bed do you sleep on). she asked for our "love story" how we met, where we got married etc etc. I think there was a little concern with our choice of a Vegas wedding - she made sure we were taking this whole thing seriously, and understood the implications of being an immigrant sponsor (which of course we did, and reassured her that we were fully committed to the marriage, and the Vegas wedding was just for us). We had already included a wedding photo, and some other documents proving a bona-fide marriage in our original submission, so she didn't even ask to see our photo albums or lease papers that we brought along.

At one point, a second woman came in and asked a question... and passed gas before leaving. we tried to ignore it, but it was a small room and our officer was the first to laugh, and bring it up. "well that was rude!". So we all laughed about the fart for a while, and I assured her it would be a "lingering" memory of our immigration interview.

One thing she specifically mentioned was regarding our submission of original copies of documents. We followed the instructions on VJ for how to submit the package for I-130/I485 which suggests submitting original certified copies of the marriage certificate, and and divorce decrees (etc). We did this, and then ordered second Certified copies for our own records (we wanted to make sure they had the best copy available). However, she insisted NOT to submit originals, only photocopies. The purpose of the interview is to clarify those copies, and compare them to the originals - therefore BRING originals with you to the interview. Plus, USCIS does not expect you to spend additional funds for multiple certified copies. Turns out, our copy and her copy of the marriage certificate did not have the same issuing number (which never even occurred to me), so technically they were not the same. So she ended up taking a photocopy of the certificate we brought with us.

When it was all over and done with, she took my I-94 and my employment authorization card, and hinted that she was pretty confident I wouldn't be needing them anymore. And then she told us that some of our details had to be confirmed with the system, and we should have an answer within 30 days. So no answer on the spot, but we left feeling fairly content.

Well, it's 24hrs later, and we just received notice that the card is in production! APPROVED! 4 months from start to finish (well, card isn't in hand... but soon)

Contrary to my original expectations, this whole journey was actually pretty painless!! A lot of paperwork, and "t"s to cross, but there is a straight forward approach to it all. We did not use a lawyer at any point, and followed a lot of the guidelines on this site.

Good luck!!

[Constantine1234 1]

wow! that was pretty helpful! i really appreciate it a lot! thank you so much! we also had a vegas wedding but it doesn't mean that we vegas weddings are just for fun. we were very serious about the commitment we have that's why we get married. all in all, we have all the originals, lease contract, joint bank statement, life insurance and photos (not much). do you think we will be fine with those?

[Disco Darby 0]

wow! that was pretty helpful! i really appreciate it a lot! thank you so much! we also had a vegas wedding but it doesn't mean that we vegas weddings are just for fun. we were very serious about the commitment we have that's why we get married. all in all, we have all the originals, lease contract, joint bank statement, life insurance and photos (not much). do you think we will be fine with those?

We had submitted our lease papers, bank statements, and a wedding photo with our application package. During the interview, we gave her some additional copies of health insurance and car insurance, but she didn't ask to see our photo album or anything else.

Honestly, you have to remember that they are trained investigators. So even though the interview was extremely casual, she was reading our answers carefully and making judgements off that. There were no accusations, and no bare lightbulb swinging over our heads (a la interrogation style). Instead, by joking around with us, she made us more comfortable in the situation, which automatically draws out honest answers (conversational, rather than investigative questioning). We obviously had nothing to hide, and we very straight forward with our answers and didn't get hung up on anything. For cases where couples are trying to hide something, or the relationship is fake, I think the officers are able to read through those answers fairly quickly (and that's when the question of a bona-fide union comes into play). And she asked us a lot of the same questions twice, she even warned us that she would probably do this (and blamed her lack of organization). But again, that's her way of double checking our responses to simple questions without making it seem like an interrogation.

She asked why we chose vegas as our wedding location, because it obviously raises a minor flag regarding a lack commitment and hastiness. But we simply explained our reasoning, and we moved on.

I guess the main thing is go in there confident and honest. Not to say we weren't nervous (it's intimidating for sure), but we knew we were doing everything right, so we weren't concerned about our answers. And of course, this was just our experience, it won't be the same for everyone. different officers will have different questioning techniques - some may decide to use the swinging lightbulb and cranked up thermostat. But really, unless they have a reason to doubt you, I think you'll be fine.

Hope your's goes just as smoothly!