Bring my stepdaughter to the AOS interview

[JackMatt 43]

Hello,

On Feb. 20th my wife (USC)and I will attend the interview in SF for my GC. 

She has a 4 yo daughter and we live all together, she appears on the I-485 form.

We have no chance of leaving her with someone else while we go to SF, so I was wondering if we should call USCIS and tell them or we can just show up all together at the interview.

Thanks in advance

[Tidus992 47]

52 minutes ago, JackMatt said:

Hello,

On Feb. 20th my wife (USC)and I will attend the interview in SF for my GC. 

She has a 4 yo daughter and we live all together, she appears on the I-485 form.

We have no chance of leaving her with someone else while we go to SF, so I was wondering if we should call USCIS and tell them or we can just show up all together at the interview.

Thanks in advance

I believe only toddlers are able to go into the interview,  you should try and call your local CIS where your interview is.  Maybe she can sit in the waiting room,  nothing will happen to her their are tons of security and cameras everywhere.

[JackMatt 43]

7 hours ago, Tidus992 said:

I believe only toddlers are able to go into the interview,  you should try and call your local CIS where your interview is.  Maybe she can sit in the waiting room,  nothing will happen to her their are tons of security and cameras everywhere.

Well, I think a 4 yo is a toddler and I'm not concerned about safety. 

I'll call USCIS tomorrow just to be sure. 

Thanks for your reply 

[geowrian 22,335]

7 minutes ago, JackMatt said:

Well, I think a 4 yo is a toddler

The CDC defines it as a 1 to 2 year old: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/toddlers.html

A few other sources extend it to 3 tops.

[JackMatt 43]

13 minutes ago, geowrian said:

The CDC defines it as a 1 to 2 year old: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/toddlers.html

A few other sources extend it to 3 tops.

Thanks, fortunately there's no disease involved. The definition of "toddler" doesn't matter. Let's stay on topic: she's a 4 (four) years old human being, will she be allowed at the interview? Is there any other couple here having the same situation?

[geowrian 22,335]

1 minute ago, JackMatt said:

Thanks, fortunately there's no disease involved. The definition of "toddler" doesn't matter. Let's stay on topic: she's a 4 (four) years old human being, will she be allowed at the interview? Is there any other couple here having the same situation?

Not sure why a disease needs to be involved.

I could only assume that the age and/or being a toddler was relevant to you since you brought it up. Since the prior response noted that generally they only permit toddlers, the definition of a toddler would presumably be relevant to applying the advice provided.

 

There is nothing in the policy manual that addresses a 4 year old accompanying an applicant.

From a practical standpoint, I doubt they would deny entry to the building. But anybody else joining the interview would be a local policy...probably discretionary.

Unless you get a firm answer from the local field office, it would be rolling the dice to just show up and hope for the best. My suggestion would be to contact them.

[JackMatt 43]

20 hours ago, geowrian said:

Not sure why a disease needs to be involved.

 

Me either, you linked the cdc.gov website, CDC stands for Centers for Disease Control.

 

But thanks for the advice, I'll call USCIS tomorrow to see what they think about it.

[geowrian 22,335]

43 minutes ago, JackMatt said:

Me either, you linked the cdc.gov website, CDC stands for Centers for Disease Control.

 

But thanks for the advice, I'll call USCIS tomorrow to see what they think about it.

Yet the CDC does more than just control diseases. They are the leading national health institute for the US. They would (arguably?) be the de-facto source for what the federal government considers as a toddler, unless specifically defined elsewhere for the intended purpose..

 

Good luck.

[JackMatt 43]

Update in case someone needs it: 

a week before the interview I called USCIS and was able to speak to a Tier 2 agent. 

Minors of any age can be brought to the interview if part of the family.

I read a lot of (removed) hit on the web about the agent being pissed off by a toddler or whatever age. 

It's all paranoia: you can bring your kid to the interview, he/she is part of the process, no reason to worry.

The atmosphere at USCIS SF is very friendly and despite understanding the anxiety on this step I think if the marriage is bona fide then you shouldn't look on the web for help as I did.

 

GC approved in 8 minutes BTW  (with a great toddler sitting next to us).

Edited February 22, 2020 by Unlockable
Inappropriate language

[JackMatt 43]

@geowrian your help is helpless, if you don't know anything about a topic just don't reply.

There's serious stuff goin' on here, your replies actually didn't help  me, just made confusion.

Thanks for reading this and not replying.

Baci e abbracci

[geowrian 22,335]

10 hours ago, JackMatt said:

@geowrian your help is helpless, if you don't know anything about a topic just don't reply.

There's serious stuff goin' on here, your replies actually didn't help  me, just made confusion.

Thanks for reading this and not replying.

Baci e abbracci

1) Reminder that it is against the TOS to tell somebody not to post.

 

2) I fail to see what I posted was inaccurate. I stated that it was probably discretionary and subject to local FO policy. My suggestion was to contact USCIS to confirm.

You did subsequently contact them and got the answer.

To me, it sounds like my suggestion ended up being the best way to approach it. 🤷‍♂️

[Unlockable 7,306]

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