I'm a disabled USC. Questions about sponsorship.

[Boiler 43,430]

Actually it is more like he will be the one doing the convincing.

[juststartingout 0]

Actually it is more like he will be the one doing the convincing.

Whatever works.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

You have the right to refuse to answer any question you find intrusive or uncomfortable. By the same token, adjustment of status is a discretionary benefit and the immigration officer can deny it if they're not satisfied with the answers they get. You may not like answering questions about your disability. How would like answering detailed and very personal questions about your sex life? Yes, they do sometimes ask questions like that if they suspect fraud. Of course, you have the right to refuse to answer, and they have the right to deny the adjustment of status based on your refusal to answer.

I'm not trying to scare you or make you angry. I'm trying to encourage you to look at this process in a slightly different light. Your husband (when he becomes your husband) will be asking the US government for a discretionary benefit - a benefit that a great many people have taken fraudulent measures to obtain. The immigration officer is charged with using their judgement in determining if fraud likely exists, and to use their discretion to deny if they believe it does. The immigration officer is well aware of circumstances that are often present in fraudulent relationships, so they're going to look for those circumstances in your relationship. Here are some specific circumstances that can raise suspicion, from the USCIS Adjudicators Field Manual:

An alien who married a citizen only after exhausting other means of remaining in the U.S.

An alien who is represented by a suspected unscrupulous attorney.

An alien who originally came to the U.S. with a nonimmigrant visa which would normally not be issued to an alien who did not have (or at least claim) significant ties in his or her home country (e.g., a spouse), but who now shows no indication of such ties.

An alien whose application is based on a marriage with a significant age difference or language barrier. (While not evidence of fraud per se , it is not unusual for strong divergences in a couple’s backgrounds to be an indicator of a marriage arranged solely for immigration purposes.)

These are just a few examples. Anything look familiar here? Circumstances that warrant scrutiny can often result in a Stokes Interview, where the couple are interrogated separately and asked the same extremely detailed, intrusive, and often embarrassing questions. The answers are then compared. Any mismatch is justification for denial.

The immigration officer doesn't know you personally, so they're going to base their decision entirely on what they do know. Some of what they know will come from the documents and evidence you submit, and the questions they ask at the interview. Some of it will come from the investigations they conduct, which includes a background check on both you and your future husband. They will almost certainly know about your disability.

I hate to tell people that they should willingly accept that their government might rake them over the coals, but in the case of immigration I think it's good advice. I was given similar advice years ago before I went to military basic training. A good friend told me that the drill instructors were going to yell at me - a lot - and that I shouldn't take it personally. They're just doing their job in preparing me to be disciplined. He said the worst thing I could do is go in with an attitude that I wasn't going to be pushed around. I think the same advice applies to an AOS interview. Abandon any sense of entitlement or rights before you go, and accept that the IO has a job to do, and that job might involve asking intrusive or embarrassing questions, and you shouldn't take it personally.

[juststartingout 0]

I realized that I never updated everyone who kindly replied to my thread.

My husband and I were married in July 2012 and he received his green card 2.5 months later.

My disability was known, because it is stated in the divorce decree I had provided from my previous marriage. It was questioned briefly, and they moved on. I'll have to admit that I was uncomfortable, but it was handled professionally. We had the approval text a few hours after the interview.

Continuing our studies and living happily ever after. Even with a 20 year age difference. Even from the Middle East.

Take care, everyone.

[ddkorestin 10]

its normal to have a red flag, theres nothing u can do about that, red flags can come natural, my brother got married to a woman who is 22yrs older, hes 32 and the woman is 54 but the application was successful, its all about keeping it real and i do believe that when a relationship is real then the chances are very high. i think u have a good chance and just keep assembling all the proofs and i wish u the best of luck

[goodbar 1]

I realized that I never updated everyone who kindly replied to my thread.

My husband and I were married in July 2012 and he received his green card 2.5 months later.

My disability was known, because it is stated in the divorce decree I had provided from my previous marriage. It was questioned briefly, and they moved on. I'll have to admit that I was uncomfortable, but it was handled professionally. We had the approval text a few hours after the interview.

Continuing our studies and living happily ever after. Even with a 20 year age difference. Even from the Middle East.

Take care, everyone.

Congrats! Would you mind sharing the questions you were both asked and answers given? Of course please omit the medical stuff that you are not comfortable about.