Do you need passport at AOS interview?

[crazyworld 54]

My wife's passport will expire in December this year so she is thinking about sending it back to England to get it renewed which you can do from what she has found. It takes about a month and you need to have a professional US citizen attach a voucher for you and a copy of their passport like we did for our AOS stuff. The professional needs to be a teacher, lawyer, doctor, ect, Our case status is still finger print fee received and last call a couple of weeks ago is that Cleveland is still in January of this year for setting up interviews. We are concerned that she may not have her passport back in time for interview so was wondering if it is needed at interview.

[Moslund 94]

My wife's passport will expire in December this year so she is thinking about sending it back to England to get it renewed which you can do from what she has found. It takes about a month and you need to have a professional US citizen attach a voucher for you and a copy of their passport like we did for our AOS stuff. The professional needs to be a teacher, lawyer, doctor, ect, Our case status is still finger print fee received and last call a couple of weeks ago is that Cleveland is still in January of this year for setting up interviews. We are concerned that she may not have her passport back in time for interview so was wondering if it is needed at interview.

Mine expires in January and I asked my lawyer the exact same question can I go ahead and get a replacement he said no cause the visa is in that passport... It doesn't matter if the passport is expired or not since you would of gotten a state ID or drivers license by then to have current ID but they need to see your passport to see the visa that's inside that passport... By getting a replacement he said it can cause major issues in case the old passport gets lost then you don't have the original visa and can open allot more problems for you

Edited August 12, 2016 by Moslund

[crazyworld 54]

That's a bummer. Guess we take our trip over to England either soon or wait until interview is scheduled and then go in what ever widow we have open by the end of the year. More waiting again!

[Moslund 94]

That's a bummer. Guess we take our trip over to England either soon or wait until interview is scheduled and then go in what ever widow we have open by the end of the year. More waiting again!

I don't think it's gaurenteed they will look at your passport I think my lawyer is being precautious... I think they atleast take a glance at it to make sure A number match the original visa to what is on file for the AOS which they need the passport for that

[ChasUno 101]

Worth bearing in mind that the K1 Visa is a one time entry visa. It expires the moment you set foot in the USA with it, and as long as you meet the requirements and get married within 90 days of entering you can stay in the USA. You do not need to show the K1 Visa in your passport for the AOS process. They (USCIS) already know you entered on a K1. Remember the big sealed envelope you had to give to the passport control DHS officer, and your secondary processing (taken to an interview room) at the POE? That's all part of the K1. The AOS process is not possible unless you have already met the requirements for your K1 entry. Once you have your NOA1 for filing your I-485, that shows that you have met the K1 requirements and have commenced to the next stage. You do not need to keep the K1 Visa as proof, you are done with that (though no harm in having it as a record obviously). Your I-485 NOA1 and then your EAD/ AP card (if you apply for one) are your current form of ID while you are in the USA and your AOS is being processed.

The only precaution I would state is that without your passport, you will lack a major form of ID if you are needed to present any. If you have your EAD/ AP card, that may suffice for most instances. You can back it up with USCIS I-485 paperwork too, so other than that I can't see any reason for not sending away your passport for renewal.

Also, remember that you can renew your passport up to 9 months before it expires and you will get any remaining time on you old passport added to your new passport. In that case, if you apply to renew it now you will have it back well in advance of a potential January interview.

https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport

Details for renewing a passport from overseas (applicant in the USA):

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports/y/usa/renewing_new/adult

Good luck!