Regarding previous stay in the US

[jaycali 415]

I'm wondering if anyone here went to the interview with the same amount of accumulated stay in the US?

I have a lot of family in the US, although no immediate other than my wife. Nonetheless, in the last 10 years I've spent far more time in the US than in Norway. I went there as a foreign exchange student in 02, college student from 04 to 07 and again as a college student from 09 to 2011 with a one year OPT. In between I've had probably up to 8 separate visa waiver program visits of anywhere between 14 days and 88 days. Mostly before getting married but i did visit my wife in September with no problems. I'd estimate 75% of my time the last 10 years has been spent in the US. All legally of course and i have never overstayed or done anything illegal (beyond minor traffic violations.) I also got married in the US while on OPT but we didn't intend to live there immediately so never adjusted status.

I'm wondering if this is something that could either hurt or benefit in the visa interview?

I've never been hassled by the CBP so I've always been under the impression that showing i can abide by immigration laws over a long period of time is a plus. But I've also read consulate reviews where similar situations seem to have been an eyebrow raiser to the COs. So had anyone here been in the same situation and been to your interviews?

That being said, I probably wouldn't have met and eventually married an American in the first place if I hadn't spent most of my late teens and early twenties there.

Edited March 30, 2012 by jaejayC