AOS interview in Chatsworth, LA - review and possible RFE re medical form

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

I had my AOS interview this morning (for a conditional greencard) at the San Fernando Valley USCIS. 

 

We arrived at 9:05am - our appointment was scheduled for 9:15am (you won't be granted access if you're more than 15 minutes early). After presenting out initial documents at the window (much like at my original visa interview), we then waited for 45 minutes to be summoned for our interview in a little office. 

 

The interview lasted about 20 minutes and the proof we'd brought was sufficient (we provided proof of our house purchase, wedding photos, our jointly filed tax return and our medical/life insurance). We were asked some simple questions, such as confirming each other's birthdays, full names, address, whether I'd committed any crimes/whether I'm planning any terrorism, etc. We were then asked how we met, what we did on our first date - and how/when my husband proposed - and this part of the interview was just like a friendly chat 🙂.

 

The only issue was my medical form - there is a section on there for Class A illnesses, which apparently the doctor was supposed to put a cross in each of the boxes to say I DIDN'T have those conditions. My doctor left those sections blank. I was quite surprised to hear this, as ordinarily with these types of forms, they tell you to put a check or mark in the boxes if you DO have them - and put nothing if you don't... unfortunately, I don't have a copy of that part of the medical, I just have a copy of the vaccinations section. 

 

The interviewer told me she was approving me for everything else - and that she was going to check with her supervisor, to see if she could approve me for the medical also, or if I'd need to get a new medical done. So now we have to wait to see if I get a green card or a RFE! I'll update when I know more. 

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

Oh, hey, looks like it got approved! That was quick 🙂🙌.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

13 hours ago, Zoeeeeeee said:

Oh, hey, looks like it got approved! That was quick 🙂🙌.

 

Congratulations Zoe. Geez 18 months. I remember when my 5.5 months for AOS (with no interview) seemed so long.

How’s it going with you?  You feeling settled in? Any new pups in your life?

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

On 3/17/2021 at 7:56 AM, Wuozopo said:

Congratulations Zoe. Geez 18 months. I remember when my 5.5 months for AOS (with no interview) seemed so long.

How’s it going with you?  You feeling settled in? Any new pups in your life?

Thank you! 

 

Settled in...in a weird way. Covid has put everyone in a strange, alternate reality. We both appreciate how incredibly lucky we were that I emigrated when I did and that our wedding happened when it did (just a month before we locked down) - and that we got to spend this time together, rather than 6,000 miles apart.

 

My husband has been working from home for the last year and I've been being a stay at home dog mum/housewife. No new pups currently (we still have the ancient boy we adopted in 2019 - he turned 17 in December!), but we will be fostering a 9 year old in a couple of weeks. Poor boy is covered in severe chemical burns, cause some tough guy decided a 20lb pug was an appropriate target for his rage 😠. We intend to spoil him rotten, until he's healed enough to go to a forever home 💕.

 

How about you? Did you get hit badly during the snow storms? I was going to ask you if you'd had the BBQ out yet this year, but I'm guessing probably not! 😬

[Wuozopo 4,293]

3 hours ago, Zoeeeeeee said:

How about you? Did you get hit badly during the snow storms? I was going to ask you if you'd had the BBQ out yet this year, but I'm guessing probably not! 😬

Our bodies froze with no electricity...the longest stretch being 33 hours, then teaser periods where it would come back for two hours then off again. We have a gas log fireplace, but you had to stay pretty close to it. 
Our area is not prepared for single digit temps and extended freezing for days. I was vigilant in checking pipes, opening outside taps that started freezing shut, and such so we had no pipes burst and water damage like many neighbors. Water was available throughout because we are not on a city system and our small utility district had backup generators to keep the system running and the water safe. Gas cooktop to boil water kept the tea flowing.☕

 

We have been been pretty strict for Covid even when our fellow Texans have not...no people/family gatherings, always masked up, hoarding Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer everywhere, no haircuts, nail salon, or indoor dining. Our BBQ place will bring the order to the car, as will all restaurants and the grocery stores. We still wipe down everything that comes in the house with the hoarded Clorox wipes. It’s just a habit now...our new alternate reality that we are used to. 
 

As of yesterday (3/24), our immediate family of six in the area, are fully vaxxed. Plus the parents of a son-in-law making eight. Even the youngest ones not eligible under any special circumstances, managed to get jabbed in January at the health department. They found doses left at the end of the day that would have been thrown out if not given to somebody within six hours of opening a vial. We plan to do a family Easter dinner since we zoomed Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Vaccines💉have become plentiful in our area the last 3 weeks with well organized distribution. Texas opens vaccines to any age on Monday. 

Edited March 24, 2021 by Wuozopo

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

17 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Our bodies froze with no electricity...the longest stretch being 33 hours, then teaser periods where it would come back for two hours then off again. We have a gas log fireplace, but you had to stay pretty close to it. 
Our area is not prepared for single digit temps and extended freezing for days. I was vigilant in checking pipes, opening outside taps that started freezing shut, and such so we had no pipes burst and water damage like many neighbors. Water was available throughout because we are not on a city system and our small utility district had backup generators to keep the system running and the water safe. Gas cooktop to boil water kept the tea flowing.☕

 

We have been been pretty strict for Covid even when our fellow Texans have not...no people/family gatherings, always masked up, hoarding Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer everywhere, no haircuts, nail salon, or indoor dining. Our BBQ place will bring the order to the car, as will all restaurants and the grocery stores. We still wipe down everything that comes in the house with the hoarded Clorox wipes. It’s just a habit now...our new alternate reality that we are used to. 
 

As of yesterday (3/24), our immediate family of six in the area, are fully vaxxed. Plus the parents of a son-in-law making eight. Even the youngest ones not eligible under any special circumstances, managed to get jabbed in January at the health department. They found doses left at the end of the day that would have been thrown out if not given to somebody within six hours of opening a vial. We plan to do a family Easter dinner since we zoomed Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Vaccines💉have become plentiful in our area the last 3 weeks with well organized distribution. Texas opens vaccines to any age on Monday. 

Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that! This is where years spent dealing with British winters kick in...that ingrained knowledge of what will happen to your pipes if you don't stay on top of it! And I'm glad you got to have a cuppa...PRIORITIES! 👏👏

 

We've been doing exactly the same - California, despite being an apparently liberal state, has also had it's fair share of people giving zero cares re covid. I'm T1 diabetic and my husband is a runner who cares about his lungs, so we've had no interest in catching it or spreading it - and we've done exactly the same re wiping everything down, no gatherings, curbside pickups only, etc. Herschell's been loving his ham-handed home haircuts from me 😆🙈! I'm having my first vaccine tomorrow and Herschell's group (gen pop) will open on May 1st...so we're starting to think about the possibility of going on a roadtrip in summer...and hopefully visiting my family later in the year 🙏.

 

That's amazing news re your family - so glad you'll get to spend Easter together, after all this time locked down! 💕

Edited March 25, 2021 by Zoeeeeeee

[ConnorS 85]

Sweet, that's great news on your AOS, being approved, I am still patiently waiting for mine. Another 6 months and that will be the 2 year mark 😬. California does seem to be dragging it feets on the scheduling of interviews compared to other states.

 

Glad you guys are doing well, must be that stiff old British upper lip with regards to covid my household took it all very seriously too.  The wife and I have both been vaccinated, and doing our best to embrace life as it is at the moment.

 

Glad to hear you didn't suffer any damage to you house during your freak storm there @Wuozopo or any financial hardship by it's occurrence and are otherwise doing well 😊

 

 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

50 minutes ago, ConnorS said:

Glad to hear you didn't suffer any damage to you house during your freak storm there @Wuozopo or any financial hardship by it's occurrence and are otherwise doing well 😊

Well, we spent $150 at the garden center today replacing some plants in the garden.  Some just couldn’t takes that many days and that far below freezing. I was surprised at how quickly warm sunshine made others put on new life out of their brownness. We do have the only green sago palm in the county. My wife made me cobble together what looked like a big cabana using the cloth part of a patio umbrella with blankets  gathered and pinned all around for sides. She did not want to lose the fronds and have to cut them all off. It actually worked. 

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

On 3/25/2021 at 7:15 PM, ConnorS said:

Sweet, that's great news on your AOS, being approved, I am still patiently waiting for mine. Another 6 months and that will be the 2 year mark 😬. California does seem to be dragging it feets on the scheduling of interviews compared to other states.

 

Glad you guys are doing well, must be that stiff old British upper lip with regards to covid my household took it all very seriously too.  The wife and I have both been vaccinated, and doing our best to embrace life as it is at the moment.

 

Glad to hear you didn't suffer any damage to you house during your freak storm there @Wuozopo or any financial hardship by it's occurrence and are otherwise doing well 😊

 

 

Seriously hoping you don't hit the 2 year mark mate!

 

I wonder if CA has been slower because of Newsom and the quick/consistent closure things, when compared to other states (I'm not saying that to complain about him btw...I'm definitely not in the recall Newsom camp!)...?

 

Glad to hear you're both vaccinated! I had mine yesterday, but my husband isn't eligible yet (not until 15th April) - realistically, I think it's going to be June by the time we're ready to start (mild) reintegration into society. We are, however, going to take our bikes (and our bike trailer for our dog) down to Santa Monica tomorrow and go for a ride down the boardwalk for a few miles - it'll be fairly busy, or certainly busier than what we're used to - but we'll be wearing our masks and moving quickly, so we should be OK! Still feeling nervous about the prospect of seeing people though 🙈😬.

[laylalex 7,293]

On 3/25/2021 at 12:41 AM, Zoeeeeeee said:

I'm having my first vaccine tomorrow and Herschell's group (gen pop) will open on May 1st...so we're starting to think about the possibility of going on a roadtrip in summer...and hopefully visiting my family later in the year 🙏.

FYI -- they announced on Thursday that vaccinations will be open to everyone over 16 starting April 15th.  We're planning our first roadtrip -- a belated birthday for me and a minimoon since we got married in October -- for (fingers crossed) late June. Really hope you get to see your family soon and a roadtrip even sooner!

 

Hope you have fun here in Santa Monica tomorrow -- be aware it's going to be quite warm (around 80F) and lots of sun so I am going to channel my mom and tell you to bring the sunscreen!

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

23 hours ago, laylalex said:

FYI -- they announced on Thursday that vaccinations will be open to everyone over 16 starting April 15th.  We're planning our first roadtrip -- a belated birthday for me and a minimoon since we got married in October -- for (fingers crossed) late June. Really hope you get to see your family soon and a roadtrip even sooner!

 

Hope you have fun here in Santa Monica tomorrow -- be aware it's going to be quite warm (around 80F) and lots of sun so I am going to channel my mom and tell you to bring the sunscreen!

Yes! I posted that on Wednesday night, just before bed...then got up and saw the news and we were SO happy. My birthday is at the end of June, so we're thinking roadtrip then...dinner at the Inn of the Seventh Ray (outside still - but our first meal out since March 2020!)...trips up to Santa Barbara to go wine tasting 😍😍. So excited!

 

Do you have anywhere in mind for your minimoon?

 

We did not bring sunscreen (I'm sorry Mom! 😆🙈), but Herschell has melanin and I somehow fluked not burning. It was actually a really lovely day - though it was sad to see how Venice Beach has changed since we were last there (February 2020)...and we planned to go to the Wee Chippy (I was looking forward to a taste of home), but they were out of vegan 'fish' 😭.

 

This weekend was lush though - hit the 90s where we're at today - spring is here! 😍

[laylalex 7,293]

Okay I will pretend I didn't see the no sunscreen thing. I was raised in the Valley, and one thing we learn up there (if we are relatively melanin-deprived) is that you wear sunscreen, the next being "did you bring a bottle of water?"  Mom's a doctor, we got this drummed into us. 

 

Today was amazing -- too hot for me, I have to say. I had been planning on a life in the Bay Area and then his work brought us back down here. I was like, oooo, right on the beach (we are about five blocks away, and still we get scorchers. 

 

Okay, I remember us talking about the Inn of the Seventh Ray before -- what a great idea! We have agreed that we are going to our first meal at a restaurant (inside or out) since March 14, 2020 will be where we went on that day: the Tam o'Shanter. It was where I went with my parents a lot as a kid on special occasions, and I have a lot of happy memories of it. So when we realized everything was shutting down, it's where we went on that rain-sodden day. Absolutely chucking it down and cold, cold enough I needed my winter coat. It just so happens that I ended up marrying a Scottish guy, so he was very happy to go too. I can still remember what we had, I had Scottish Rarebit and a French onion soup, and he had prime rib with creamed spinach. We had a starter of devilled eggs and we drank some whisky from near where he grew up. (Edradour). I could not have asked for a more gloomy British day to do all of this, and it was perfect. 

 

Yeah, Venice Beach has gotten out of control, sigh. I don't even bother going for a walk there anymore. It's always been a bit seedy but the homeless situation is nuts.

 

Our plan is actually Santa Barbara too! Back in early May 2019 we had a getaway in Goleta at the Kimpton there and we have talked over and over about going back. We were planning on going back last year for my birthday (also in May) but... COVID. So once we are past this all, I am booking us the glammest room there and indulging. I really do love the hotel, it's the Kimpton Goodland if you're curious. They have turntables in every room and a library of LPs to borrow from. The restaurant is great and the evening wine and cheese tastings are fabulous. 

[laylalex 7,293]

Okay and... I cannot let this pass that you called something "lush." Are you a Bristolian??? I was there for a year!

[Zoeeeeeee 797]

12 hours ago, laylalex said:

Okay I will pretend I didn't see the no sunscreen thing. I was raised in the Valley, and one thing we learn up there (if we are relatively melanin-deprived) is that you wear sunscreen, the next being "did you bring a bottle of water?"  Mom's a doctor, we got this drummed into us. 

 

Today was amazing -- too hot for me, I have to say. I had been planning on a life in the Bay Area and then his work brought us back down here. I was like, oooo, right on the beach (we are about five blocks away, and still we get scorchers. 

 

Okay, I remember us talking about the Inn of the Seventh Ray before -- what a great idea! We have agreed that we are going to our first meal at a restaurant (inside or out) since March 14, 2020 will be where we went on that day: the Tam o'Shanter. It was where I went with my parents a lot as a kid on special occasions, and I have a lot of happy memories of it. So when we realized everything was shutting down, it's where we went on that rain-sodden day. Absolutely chucking it down and cold, cold enough I needed my winter coat. It just so happens that I ended up marrying a Scottish guy, so he was very happy to go too. I can still remember what we had, I had Scottish Rarebit and a French onion soup, and he had prime rib with creamed spinach. We had a starter of devilled eggs and we drank some whisky from near where he grew up. (Edradour). I could not have asked for a more gloomy British day to do all of this, and it was perfect. 

 

Yeah, Venice Beach has gotten out of control, sigh. I don't even bother going for a walk there anymore. It's always been a bit seedy but the homeless situation is nuts.

 

Our plan is actually Santa Barbara too! Back in early May 2019 we had a getaway in Goleta at the Kimpton there and we have talked over and over about going back. We were planning on going back last year for my birthday (also in May) but... COVID. So once we are past this all, I am booking us the glammest room there and indulging. I really do love the hotel, it's the Kimpton Goodland if you're curious. They have turntables in every room and a library of LPs to borrow from. The restaurant is great and the evening wine and cheese tastings are fabulous. 

Our last meal was at Granville, in Burbank - two days before lockdown. And I can remember what we ate too...and what I was wearing...it's so weird how we remember these things 😬.

 

I totally agree, Venice has always had a distinct seedy edge...and it's not an edge anymore, it genuinely doesn't feel safe now (or it didn't to me). It's really sad, both for the people who have have lost their homes and are living in tents...and for the homeowners in that area.😔

 

I came home and read about it later on Saturday and apparently people are pushing for there to a sweep similar to the one they just had at Echo Park 😮.

 

Thank you for the hotel recommendation! We normally just day trip up to Santa Barbara, to do some wine tasting and our pickup (my husband is a member of the Foley wine club - if you do wine tasting in SB a few times a year, it is SO worth becoming a member - tastings are free for you and 3 others at any of the wineries in that network - and it's discounted to buy wine as well) - but we're talking about taking our bikes and maybe going to for a couple of days 🙂. 

 

And we're thinking the Grand Canyon or Zion for our roadtrip, as my husband hasn't been to either 🙂.

 

Re the 'lush' thing...I think it's said all over the UK, though I could be wrong 🤔. I'm from Nottingham.

 

 

[ConnorS 85]

I'm not buying the whole "lush" being an all over the UK thing, I'm gonna say the midlands down, it's not a term I was ever accustomed to hearing on the regular that's for sure 🤣

 

I'm glad everyone is doing well however and getting on with things as best as possible given our new covid lifestyles 🤗